Cooking for Two

buy on Amazon for your favorite couple, or for you and yours.  (It's also great for those of you that live by yourself or with a roommate.)

"...Tea for two. That's what it's all about, right? So how come every recipe you pick up says "serves 4 to 6"? Or more! What do you do when you want macaroni and cheese, but don't want to be reheating it for three nights? Or a couple of cookies, but don't want to be tempted by two dozen sitting on the counter all week?

Brimming with 120 smaller-serving, big-taste recipes, Cooking for Two offers cooks familiar favorites such as Pasta Bolognese, Chicken Pot Pie, and Mushroom Barley Soup, as well as new dishes for today's tastes like Pork Satay Salad and Snapper Fillets Sautéed with Orange and Pecans.

Simply cutting down larger recipes leads to wasted ingredients. But Bruce and Mark have developed each recipe so you buy only what you need, and use all of what you buy. Instead of opening a can of vegetable stock only to use three tablespoons, use the liquid the dried mushrooms have soaked in. If an onion is too large for a recipe, chop a shallot instead.

The dessert chapters are filled with cookies, puddings, and cakes, all designed for two servings. Small-batch baking requires strict attention to detail. A regular egg can be too big for a small batch of six cookies, so they suggest quail eggs or the easy-to-find pasteurized egg substitutes, which you can measure out in tablespoons.

Truly a cookbook for everyday use, each recipe is labeled as quick (ready in minutes with minimal cooking), moderate (requires a bit more preparation or cooking), or leisurely (perfect for quiet celebrations or weekend meals) to help you decide which dish best fits into your day.
With ingredient and equipment guides, as well as tips on how to stock your pantry to avoid those there's-nothing-in-the-house-so-let's-go-out moments, Cooking for Two will surely become the cookbook you reach for every night of the week.

It's just two perfect..."

I'm Still Here!!!

No, I haven't fallen off of the face of the Earth... I promise!

I started my new job as a Project Manager for Plaid Skirt Marketing (click here to see the cute website that will be even cuter in a few weeks with a little help from me!) on Monday and have been in a whirlwind ever since!  One of the many perks of my new job is casual, yet stylish, work attire!  The fashion-loving side of me loves the fact that Hue, (whose new website launches on Monday, keeping my fingers crossed), is one of our clients so I get to try-out and wear awesome and comfortable Hue leggings and tights to work!

My first day of work outfit, with a J. Crew tweed skirt and
warm taupe striped pocket t, charcoal gray Hue tights
& my favorite Frye Boots!  I threw on a navy school
boy blazer from the Gap plus a cream scarf and
was picture-perfect for my first day at the office!

Sunday night/Monday morning was pretty funny--I packed my lunch the night before!  

I packed my lunch box with my favorite Greek yogurt: Fage (pronounce Fa-yeh) 0%, a mix of berries (blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries) for lunch--plus an apple!  I had my Bigelow green tea with pomegranite and acai berry for an afternoon pick-me-up with a snack-pack of dried bananas and mango.  But the best part of my lunch is my favorite thing I've ever bought at a camping store: my utensil.  I like to call it my "Kniffoon" (ka-niff-oon) for knife/fork/spoon!  It's actually by a company called Light My Fire and they call it a boring-old "Spork."  They're FABULOUS... check them out by clicking here!


Little Miss A got into UNC at Chapel Hill Medical School on Tuesday (GO HEELS!!!) and we celebrated with friends and a K & A Fave, pasta with sausage, which was my first-ever post on First Apartment, First Kitchen!  Wednesday A and I had to recover from Tuesday night and sleep a little extra, and here I am now on 101 Thursday!

I didn't forget to post, but working in Raleigh means I get home later, throwing off my evening schedule just a bit.  But I'm adjusting and will share a 101 Lesson later tonight!

Let me know if you have any requests for recipes or types of food.  I may be posting a little less often than everyday, but I'll be putting up better recipes, funnier cooking stories, and more delicious photos!

xoxo

K

Clear Eyes, Full Heart, Can't Lose: Stay Full, Longer with These Foods

Okay, this has nothing to do with Friday Night Lights (my obsession with the show isn't that bad), but it has everything to do with being full.
One of my biggest eating problems is that I overeat.  I LOVE how food tastes and feels in your full stomach, so much so that I have a hard time deciding when full is full enough.  If it tastes good, I'm going to keep enjoying it.  And eating fast is my other downfall--if you eat quickly, your body doesn't have enough time to register that it's full, so you end up eating more before you realize you're full.  Eating more = consuming more calories = the potential to gain weight.
So what foods keep you fuller better than others?  

1. White Potatoes.  Carbs are on many people's black list of foods and avoiding the bad ones, or at least limiting consumption, is probably a good idea.  But white potatoes are packed with fiber and are one of the most filling foods.  But don't be fooled, potato chips and French fries aren't the same as white potatoes--processed potatoes aren't as filling or satisfying as steamed potatoes, which have been found to keep you full up to 3x longer than the average food.

2. Eggs.  I am eggstatic that these protein-filled foods are on this list.  They've been called the "perfect protein" and protein is known to be a key-player in satiety.  Egg whites have less calories, but the yolk is where the good fats and proteins lie.  They're easy to season and are great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  The more protein you eat, the less likely you are to eat more of the other stuff.

3. Oatmeal.  Eat up like Goldilocks and you're sure to be satisfied and full.  Okay, it's not porridge, but it's better for you and tastes even better!  It's the most satisfying breakfast I've ever eaten; it's packed full of protein and has more per serving than any other grain, plus it's high in fiber.  Add some blueberries on top for a dose of anti-oxidants or a low-fat dairy, like skim milk or yogurt, to keep you healthy and full all morning.

4. Beans.  Make like Jack and the Beanstalk and eat up!  Another fiber-filled food means that they're processed slower in the stomach and last longer in the stomach, meaning you'll feel full longer, lasting well after they've been eaten.  Just make sure to have some Gas-X ready!

5. Fish.  "Down here all the fish is happy; As off through the waves they roll; The fish on the land ain't happy; They sad 'cause they in their bowl..."  Flounder and Sebastian know how important and good fish are, but you have to pick the right kinds.  Sushi is delicious and just like so many foods on this list, is packed with protein.  It will fill you up, but you'll be hungry fairly soon after.  Cooked whitefish keeps you more full than sushi; steam or grill a thick whitefish, like cod, bass, or halibut, and you're guaranteed a full tummy.

6. Soup.  Chunky, broth-based soups with lots of goodies will fill you up!  Be careful though - many soups are ridiculously high in sodium, which will not only fake your tummy out, but will bloat your tummy too.  Look for Chunky Progresso Light varieties, which are low in sodium and full of ingredients--veggies, chicken, rice, or noodles--all keeping you full longer.

7. Apples.  An apple a day will keep the doctor away.  Okay, they might not keep the doctor away, but it will keep the hunger monster away.  The high-water content of apples makes them have more bulk and a lower energy density--meaning that you get more food for less calories.  Plus apples are full of fiber!

8. Beef.  Where's the beef?  Iron, zinc, and tons of protein mean you get a lot of bang for your buck.  The benefits of beef are overwhelming; pair it with a some bulgur wheat, whole grain rice, or some other high-fiber side dish and the kitchen is closed after dinner!

9. Salad.  Salad is bulk without the added calories.  Eating salad at the start of a meal will get your metabolism revving before you start filling up on the higher calorie foods.  Add some high protein chicken, vitamin C stuffed broccoli, good fat avocados, or fiber-filled tomatoes and jump the nutrition value up on your salad.

10. Popcorn.  Surprise, surprise that movie treat is good for you!  It's a great snack that provides bulk and makes you chew more than most foods do, meaning you're burning calories (no matter how minimal) while you eat.  And my new favorite seasoning to add--lemon pepper!  Sure, popcorn gets you the same amount of calories as potato chips or pretzels, but the airy snack makes you work harder for the same amount of calories, making it a surprisingly good choice for a snack.    

Coming Up...

This weekend has been a little crazy.  M (triathlete) and her boyfriend, E, were here on Saturday.  A & I cooked a delicious meal for them... Fettuccini with Parmesan, spinach, and tomatoes; roasted green beans with garlic (from the blog!); and the Lemon Basil Chicken!  It was a HUGE hit.
But now A and I are at a work retreat ("work") at Wrightsville Beach.  I'm doing some good investigation for future posts, so I'm still doing "research."  We did go to a delicious Mexican taco place on Wrightsville Beach for dinner tonight... great fish tacos, A & I had delicious Enchiladas Suizas, and amazing margheritas and other delicous taquilla drinks!!!

I will be sharing tomorrow... especially based on the line-up of talks scheduled for tomorrow... think neuroscience and lots of big words I don't understand.

Until tomorrow when I have a kitchen and my own kitchen gadgets..

xoxo
K & A

Tips & Tricks From My Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Experience:

        So thankfully, the Strawberry Rhubarb Pie was a HUGE hit!  I made the pie Wednesday and refrigerated it overnight to enjoy on Thursday.  No one in my office had ever had the pie before and neither had A!  Thankfully, everyone loved it and it was all gone in 1 day (The birthday boy even had 2 pieces)!  I may have created a bunch of strawberry rhubarb pie lovers... yay!  

Filled pie crust, sans top crust

Baker's Notes:
        I rarely advise using ready-made crust in any pie, let alone my favorite pie.  But in this case, I needed ease, simplicity, and the least amount of prep work.  Normally I like to bake on the weekends so I have plenty of time to make all of the delicious desserts from scratch, but baking on a school night means I'm already tired from work, the gym, cooking dinner, and now I'm baking.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE baking, but a quick pie was key that night.  If you're in a similar time crunch, buy the frozen Pillsbury 9-inch ready-made pie crusts (in the freezer aisle in a red box) or Pillsbury 9-inch 2 pie crusts in pans (freezer aisle in a bag).  You can still do a lattice crust with the frozen crust; place the first crust in the pan and slice the 2nd crust just like you would if it was homemade.  For being frozen, this pie crust is amazingly delicious AND most people don't notice the difference!  

Pie filling with Pillsbury's ready-made crust ready to go

        I did have ONE crisis in the baking of the pie... I didn't calculate all of the delicious juices that appear when the filling cooks down.  Needless to say, when I checked the pie at the 20 minute mark (before reducing the heat) it looked fine and dandy; when I checked it about 40 minutes into the second baking time, I had a pool of strawberry rhubarb juice on the bottom of my oven!  The pie was overflowing through the edges (which I'm not even really sure how it did)!  Quick crisis mode thinking by A and I, we put a baking pan underneath the pie to catch any more juice.  It made the pie take a little longer to bake, but it saved me from having to clean even more out of the bottom of the oven!  The recipe even said to use a baking sheet underneath and I just disregarded it... don't!  

I highly recommend a baking sheet!!!!!

Making a mess (as usual) when glazing the pie with
whipped egg yolk

... I'll add more of my own photos ASAP of my experience Wednesday with the pie.  It was a lot of fun and I certainly made a mess.  I'll probably be scrubbing the oven for a few days (not really but it'll feel like that), then I'll post them!

Baking the pie... and making my apartment smell
delicious!