Blender Obsession

Yes, it's true. I'm obsessed with my new blender.

I think we've had it for about 10 days and we've used it 20 times. I'm constantly thinking of more meals I can make in the blender, because it's so fast and awesome. So, here are a few things we've made this week:

Roasted Butternut and Sweet Potato Soup

Strawberry Mango Green Smoothies

Blueberry Strawberry Green (actually brown) Smoothies

Freshly ground cornmeal for cornbread

Tortilla Soup

The tortilla soup is amazing because it heats in the blender, due to the blade speed. Instant dinner from raw veggies!

What next??

THE Cornbread (thanks Meg)

When you're in the mood for a traditional, sweet, dense cornbread that doesn't break into crumbs while you eat it....this one is no fail. Just follow the directions exactly as below, and voila! What makes this bread especially yummy is grinding your own cornmeal (popcorn in Blendtec = AWESOME).

1 stick of butter
2/3 c white sugar

melt together
let cool slightly, then add:

2 (beaten) eggs

whisk (or use hand mixer) 30 sec, then add:
1 c milk with 1TBS white vinegar and 1/2 tsp baking soda whisked in it.

add 1 c cornmeal, 1 c flour, and 1/2 tsp salt

pour into 8 x 8 inch pan and bake at 375* for about 25-30 minutes.

Kale Orzo Chickpea Soup

This recipe is from domesticdiva.

• 2 cups fresh kale, chopped
• 1 cup orzo
• 1 can (14 oz.) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 2 cups baby potatoes, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 6 cups chicken stock
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• optional: parmesan reggiano for serving

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and saute until beginning to soften (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and saute for 1 more minute.
2. Add the kale, chickpeas, potatoes, and chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
3. Add the orzo and bring to a simmer. Cook until the orzo is tender (about 10 minutes).
4. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. For serving, ladle into bowls and top with a little grated parmesan reggiano if desired. Serve with warm, crusty bread. Enjoy!

Chicken Piccata with Lemon, Capers and Artichoke Hearts

This is a Robin Miller recipe from The Food Network

Ingredients

• 4 (4-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, quartered
• 1/4 cup drained capers
• 1 cup quick-cooking brown rice
• 1/2 cup frozen lima beans

Directions

Place chicken in zip-top bags and pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin until 1/4-inch thick. Remove chicken from bag and season all over with salt and black pepper. In a shallow dish (or plastic bag), combine flour, lemon zest, paprika, and garlic powder. Mix well. Add chicken and turn to coat. Remove chicken from flour mixture and shake off excess flour.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute 2 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Add lemon juice, wine and chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer 5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and sauce thickens. Add artichoke hearts and capers and simmer 1 minute to heat through.

Cook rice according to package directions, adding lima beans at the beginning of cooking process. Serve chicken and sauce with rice.

Lentil Stew

This started as a recipe from Allrecipes.com, but I added a few ingredients and doubled a bunch of others, so here's my version:

1 onion, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 small potatoes, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp cumin
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups dry lentils
5 cups water + chicken bouillon
1/2 cup spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
optional: 1 link smoked sausage or kielbasa (diced ham would be good, too)
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

1. Heat olive oil in heavy bottomed pot and sauté carrots, celery, onion and potatoes until onions are tender. Add garlic and spices, cooking for 2-3 more minutes. Add tomatoes, dry lentils and water (chicken broth).

2. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1 hour. The soup will thicken and you may need to add just a bit more water. Just before serving, add the balsamic vinegar, spinach and (pre-cooked) sausage. Salt and pepper to taste.

We served it with cornbread and it was a perfect matching. This made 8 - 10 servings and we had enough leftovers to freezer. I wish I could say the same for the cornbread. Crumbs!

Pretty Big Deal

We've been enjoying spinach and kale smoothies for the past few months, which has been killing our KitchenAid blender. Tired of burning through blenders that don't have the horsepower needed to last more than 6 months in our house, we decided it was time to move up to the REAL deal.

As with most things, I did a lot of research to choose the perfect blender for us. I found that Costco had the best price, best warranty and most bang for the buck. Bonus jar AND an 8 year warranty!

I waited until Jan 1, knowing blenders would go on sale for new years' resolutions. They did.

So, it was a pretty big deal when this arrived last week.

We are LOVING it. I can't wait to try some of the soup recipes that came in the recipe book.

Age doesn't matter, unless you are a cheese...

4 cheeses necessitates a cheese schedule...especially since we've added a washed rind cheese to the mix.

Oh, boy. What have we gotten ourselves into? I'm going to need a 'cheese sitter' when I leave town!