Today I Turn 30 (A 30 Before 30 Wrap Up)

Happy Birthday to me!  I am now officially 30 (and happily embracing it)!  After your 21st birthday, the only milestones are at the change of the decades so I'm taking advantage.  I started celebrating last weekend and will continue for the rest of the month!  I don't usually make a big deal out of my birthday, but I am making a point to this year.

Let's see how I did on my list.

30 Before 30:
(in no particular order)

1. Attend a concert at Blossom
2. Keep in touch with people better  (I need to keep working on this, but I have been doing better.)
3. Blog more regularly
4. Participate in a blog swap
5. Sing karaoke in public 
6. Bake for a good cause
7. Visit my sister in Atlanta (Don't worry Melissa, this will happen and I'm looking forward to it!) 
8. Visit my brother in New Orleans (NOLA was on our list even before Jim moved down there so we'll definitely be visiting.)
9. Volunteer (Since my last update I've been back to the Cleveland Foodbank and I volunteered at MedWish.  My friends Julie and Amanda have a great write up about our time at MedWish.)
10. Attend a Tremont Art Walk 
11. Visit one of Cleveland's beaches  (I visited Edgewater Park on a nice fall day.)
12. Now that the elephants are back in their new habitat, I want to visit the zoo again. 
13. Visit the MetroParks outside of Solon
14. Host more parties
15. Learn how to draw (Sometimes I don't start things because I'm afraid I won't be any good.  I need to get over this and just try.)
16. Spend less time on the computer
17. Visit Stan Hywet Hall (I didn't get here before I turned 30, but I have plans to vist when it's decorated for the holidays. I heard it's gorgeous!)
18. Try to relax (I think overall I was better at relaxing and giving myself a break about things.  Thanks to online deals I've also gotten a few massages and my first pedicure.)
19. Make our wedding album (our 5 year anniversary is a month before I turn 30) (I'm so overwhelmed by this task that I keep putting it off. It would be a good thing to do on a wintery weekend when we don't feel like leaving the house.)
20. Visit the West Side more often
21. Attend a Lake Erie Monsters hockey game
22. Attend a Burning River Roller Girls bout 
23. Go skydiving (I bought the Groupon to do this, but I failed to schedule a "dive" before it got too cold so I'm waiting until next spring.)
24. Learn how to use some of the features on our camera (We have a point and shoot that allows some manual tweaking.  I learned some controls for exposure and aperture.)
25. Go tobogganing (We didn't have hardly any snow last year so this was nearly impossible.  It's high on my winter to do list for this year, I hope we have better luck!)
26. Be more positive about day to day stuff (I happier now than I was a year ago so that definitely helps with being more positive.)
27. Try at least 6 new restaurants
28. Drink more wine
29. Visit Cleveland's Asiatown and eat dim sum
30. Exercise more (I exercised more than the previous year so I'm going to mark it off, but I need to make it a higher priority.)

I'd say that I was pretty successful with my list.  I'll work on the ones I didn't get to and continue the ones that are good ways of life.

If you want to check my progress over the past year, here are my other updates:

3 Months

6 Months

10 Months

Soup & Chili Roundup

I hope you're all doing okay after the storms. Even around Cleveland Sandy made quite a mess!  A lot of people are still out of power and will be for a few more days.  Luckily, we didn't have any issues at our house.

The cold, rain and storms have me craving a warm bowl of anything.  Soup and chili can be a good way to help clean out the fridge without a recipe (leftover Fresh Fork veggies anyone).  Sometimes you want a little more guidance when you cook things up so here is collection of soups and chilis that are sure to warm your bones. 

Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Soup) Tomato Soup Chicken Tortilla Soup Creamy Mushroom Soup
Buffalo Chicken Chili Italian Wedding Soup Broccoli Cheese Soup Chili

   

Cabbage & Noodles

When I was trying to figure out what to do with some of our many heads of cabbage, I had two recipe requirements:  it used a lot of cabbage and it wasn't coleslaw (I have a non-traditional slaw recipe on the way!).  One of the suggestions Crystal gave me was cabbage and noodles.  I've never had them before so I gave it a whirl.  

This is Old World peasant food at it's finest.  I didn't know what to expect and didn't have high hopes, but I was pleasantly surprised!  It's not the most exciting dish I've ever made, but it was so easy to throw together and I really enjoyed it (good thing too because the leftovers went on forever!).  The smoked meat added a nice component to the mellow cabbage and onions.

  Cabbage and Noodles Original Recipe
Yield: 6-10 servings (if not more depending on your cabbage size) 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (don't be afraid of the butter, look how many servings it's being divided into) 2 large onions, chopped 2 small heads of cabbage, chopped 1 (12 oz) package egg noodles
Salt & pepper to taste
Herbs to taste (Caraway seeds are traditional choice, but I didn't have any so I used herbs de provence, feel free to sub whatever you want)
2 lb kielbasa (or other smoked sausage), grilled and sliced Cook the egg noodles in salted boiling water until they are al dente.  Drain well and set aside. Heat the butter in a large pot at medium heat.  Once the butter is melted, add the onions and saute for 5 minutes before adding the cabbage.   Stirring occasionally, cook until the cabbage is tender (time varies depending on the size of your pot and the amount of cabbage).   Stir in the egg noodles and kielbasa until everything gets warm again.  Season to taste with salt, pepper and herbs.  

Food News: Event, Cookie Swap, Giveaway

Willoughby Junior Women's Club Holiday Luncheon

I will be selling baked goods at the Willoughby Junior Women's Club Holiday Luncheon!

The event is on Saturday, November 10 at Normandy Party Center in Wickliffe from 10am-2pm.  It's one of two major fundraisers put on by the Club.  The holiday luncheon raises money for various donations made throughout the year, about $10,000 goes back into the Willoughby/Lake County area.  The event features a large Chinese auction, crafters and various vendors, and a 50/25/25 raffle (2 winners get 25%).  It's a great way to kick off the holiday season and get started (or at least start thinking about) your shopping.  By the way, Julie will be there selling Stella & Dot jewelry!

If you're interested in attending, please contact me.  Tickets are $30/person, and the money is due by Monday, November 5.

If you live or work in Willoughby (or a neighboring city without a women's club), come see what we're all about!  Our next meeting is Monday, November 5 at 7pm in the basement of Willoughby City Hall.

Disclosure: I'm a member of the Willoughby Junior Women's Club, all opinions are my own.

The 2nd Annual Great Food Bloggers Cookie Swap Last year I participated in the first cookie swap and it was fantastic.  Over 620 food bloggers sent cookies around the world!  I got some really interesting flavors and look forward to doing it again this year.   All the details can be found at the official cookie swap blog.  There are a few basic rules this year so make sure you check to see if you/your blog qualify for the swap.  I definitely recommend participating, it's a great way to "meet" new bloggers and discover new recipes.  It's great fun, and who doesn't love cookies?!  

**UPDATE: THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW OVER** 

Cleveland's a Plum 1,000th Post Restaurant Giveaway Alexa over at Cleveland's a Plum has reached a huge milestone and wants to celebrate!  Head on over to her blog and sign up for her ridiculous giveaway!  One extremely lucky person will win $1,250 worth of food and drink from various local hot spots!  Two additional people will win a runner up prize yet to be determined.  If you live anywhere near Cleveland, you can't not sign up!  If you don't live near Cleveland, I'll gladly help you spend those gift certificates.

Roasted Cabbage

Is everyone still playing along with Pinterest?  I know I am!  I saw roasted cabbage go by recently and since I have a surplus of cabbage, I decided to give it a try.

I think this might be my favorite way to eat cabbage!  I was really surprised how good it was.  The intense flavor of the cabbage diminishes and picks up a roasted sweetness.  If you prefer, pass a bottle of vinegar to sprinkle onto the cabbage, they go great together.  I thought it was great without it, but either way you should definitely try this recipe!

I've got a few more cabbage recipes up my sleeve so stay tuned!

Roasted Cabbage Adapted from Everyday Food, April 2010 Yield: 6-8 servings  

2 Tbsp olive oil, divided

1 head green cabbage, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 tsp caraway or fennel seeds (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 F. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with one tablespoon of the olive oil. (My cabbage was large so I needed two baking sheets and a little more oil). Place cabbage in a single layer and brush with the remaining oil. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with caraway or fennel seeds (if using). Roast until cabbage is tender and edges are golden, 40 to 45 minutes.

Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

I love baking with apples and pumpkin this time of year. When I heard about a charity bake sale at work, I knew I wanted to use one of these flavors. The bake sale turned out to be HUGE, there were tons of goodies brought in (we raised over $600). I was surprised to see that I had the only apple treat and there were only a few pumpkin choices. Over 90% of the donations were based on chocolate or contained chocolate. Now I love chocolate, but come on people!

This recipe makes a 9x13 cake and I baked it as two cakes (one for the bake sale in a disposable pan and one for me). My cake was cut into slices and turned out to be a hit! There were easily over 50 baked goods to choose from so I was happy that my cake was gone by the end of the sale.

This cake had a nice apple and cinnamon flavor and the crunchy brown sugar glaze was a nice topping. It was definitely moist, but a tad oily for my taste. Next time I'll try reducing the amount of oil or substitute applesauce for some of the oil. Did you know you can do that? For a healthier version of baked goods you can substitute up to half of the oil for applesauce. You'll sacrifice some moistness, but sometimes cakes can be too oily anyway.

This is a great recipe to try if you're looking for a taste of fall.

Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

Adapted from The Biscuit Pusher, originally from Southern Cakes

Yield: 9x13 cake or two 8" or 9" cakes (16 servings)

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups apples, peeled, cored and chopped

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Whipped cream for serving (optional)

Brown Sugar Glaze:

1 cup lightly packed brown sugar

5 Tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp milk, half and half or cream

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 13x9 inch pan, or two 8" (or 9") pans.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a mixer at low speed until pale yellow and frothy. Add the oil and vanilla, beat well. Add the flour mixture and continue mixing until it disappears. Add the apples and nuts and stir with a wooden spoon to distribute them into the batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 40 to 50 minutes (depending on size of pan), or until the cake is golden brown.

To make the glaze:

Combine all the ingredients in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat stirring often until the mixture comes to a gentle boil and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.

Spoon the hot glaze over the hot cake and let it cool completely.

When serving, add a dollop of whipped cream to each slice of cake. 

 

Cooking Confessions

Sorry folks, no new recipe today, but I do have something a little different.  But first, since I feel bad for not posting a recipe in a while, you should check out these two quick recipes from the archives. They are both perfect for this time of year.

Smoky Corn Chowder Great recipe for those of us doing Fresh Fork. This week we're getting what is probably the last of the corn.

Candy Corn and Peanuts Quickest treat ever and no baking required.

Today marks the beginning of a series of posts called Cooking Confessions.  It won't be weekly or anything, I'll just throw them out there at random.  These confessions (sometimes embarrassing) will be about cooking, baking or food things that I like or don't like.  Some of them might surprise you even if you know me in real life so stay tuned!


Grilled Cheese & Pancakes: This is basic cooking right here, but I can't do it without "burnination". The problem is that I'm impatient. I start it off at the right temperature, get impatient then walk away and forget. Or I standby, get impatient and end up cranking the heat. It seems I'm willing to wait for more elaborate cooking (probably because there are other food tasks to be handled) but when it's such a simple food and it seems like it takes forever I have issues. I AM getting better with grilled cheese, but I haven't attempted pancakes for two in such a long time (I'm a waffle girl anyway).

On a recent family vacation, I made breakfast for everyone one morning and only had whatever pans the rental house provided. I had the bacon in the oven and pans on all four burners. None of the pans and burners heated the same so I was constantly having to adjust (aka no time to get impatient). I think these were the best cooked pancakes I've made in forever.

Tomato Sauce:

I use jarred tomato sauce. *gasp* I don't use red sauce that much so I just buy it. Sometimes it's a jar of local stuff and sometimes it's just whatever's on sale, but it's rare if I make it myself. 

Spaghetti and Meatballs:

While we're on the subject of tomato sauce I might as well tell you my feelings about spaghetti and meatballs.  Even though Kevin loves spaghetti, I won't make it.  I just don't like it. I'm not sure why, but it is what it is. I love me some bolognese sauce, but that's really the only meatsauce I like (is it a coincidence that bolognese isn't usually served with spaghetti noodles? hmm).  Everything else is meh including meatballs.  So you can count me off the band wagon for this meatball craze that's going on.  I'll eat them, but they don't really do anything for me.

So there you have it, my first installment of cooking confessions.  Do you have any cooking confessions?