P-Dub Book Signing

December 3, 2009 is the night I met the Pioneer Woman at Book People in Austin, TX. What an experience. She's is such a sweetheart and well worth the wait in line! Here is my wristband and my new Pioneer Woman Cookbook.

My co-worker Kate went down early to snag that sweet 6:00 PM wristband for us. And boy am I glad she did.

So many people showed up for the book signing! And for the first lucky 50 people (Kate and I included) we got to meet Ree Drummond at 6:00 PM.

Oh look, here comes her family!

There is Marlboro Man doing the heavy lifting. They delivered trash bags full of PW t-shirts to hand out. You wouldn't believe the squeals that were let out when Marlboro Man was spotted!

Finally! After waiting and waiting we make it to the room where Ree greets guests and signs her new cookbook. Isn't she so cute? I wish this picture showed her boots better, they were adorable and from Anthropology.

There we are. Me and Ree. How exciting it was to meet P-Dub. I had all these great questions cued up in my head and then I get up there and was so taken by here that I had nothing great to say. I asked how long until her face started hurting from smiling so much. She replied that she smiles all the time. I believe it.

There had to have been 200+ people squeezed into this room. Marlboro Man stood at the front and signed his butt in the book. The last page says "The End" and has a picture of a cute cowboy's butt. This was the page the Marlboro Man was signing.

Ree's "intro" was this guy from Book People who got the crowd chanting "Pioneer!" "Woman!"

Ree talked about hitting the road with her family, and how supportive they all are of her. She also announced that her story Black Heels to Tractor Wheels will be published Valentines 2011. We can't wait for that book!

The fam! Mom, sister Betsy, her brother in law, her husband and the kiddos sitting nicely on the stairs supporting mom.

I asked her where she planned on eating in Austin. Ha! Like she would tell me. She did say that she arrived today and was leaving the next morning for Houston, so wouldn't have time to eat out. BUT, if she could she would return to Uchi. Good choice Ree!

Full of grace! Never stopped smiling! It was wonderful meeting Ree Drummond the Pioneer Woman!

Herbed Pork Tenderloin with Savory Apple Sauce

I had a pork tenderloin in the freezer for a few months and finally pulled it into the fridge to defrost. I had no idea what I wanted to make of it, until I came across this Simply Recipes Pork Tenderloin.

I had all the ingredients on hand:

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 lb)
1 clove garlic, peeled and cut into slivers
Salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 Tbsp grapeseed oil or canola oil
1/2 cup of chicken or beef broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 medium sized apple, peeled, cored, and sliced

Of course I'm incapable of following a recipe exact, so I made edits along the way. For one, my pork tenderloin weighed in at two pounds, so I had to up the amount of other ingredients I used.

I seasoned the outside of the tenderloin liberally with salt, pepper, minced garlic and cumin.

Then I sealed in those flavors with whole wheat flour, the flour also helps add a nice crust to the pork when I seared it.

With a little bit of grapeseed oil in the bottom of my dutch oven, I seared the tenderloin on all sides. This may take a while, so be patient to let every side, top and bottom, brown evenly.

This is where I differ from the recipe on Simply Recipes. Instead of putting the meat in the oven and dirtying another pan to make the sauce, I do all the steps in one pan... which I also think will help all the flavors meld into one. Once seared, let's add some braising liquid to the pot. I added beef broth and white wine to the pan.

Next, I placed this in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, I removed the pork to a platter, and covered with foil to keep it hot and let it rest a little before carving. It will continue to cook while it sits.

Mmm... this is where the magic happens. See the drippings, mixed with the beef broth and the white wine? We are about to make a lovely savory apple sauce to top the roasted pork tenderloin.

I sliced one granny smith apple very thin using a mandoline. I also didn't bother peeling or coring the apple, I simply sliced on one side until I hit the core, then sliced on the other side, avoiding the core on all sided. Easy!

When the sauce came to a boil, I added the sliced apple and stirred to combine, and scraped up any burnt pieces on the bottom of the dutch oven.

I sauteed the mixture for a few minutes, and wasn't pleased with how thin the sauce was, so I added some cornstarch a teaspoon at a time, whisking after each addition until the desired consistency was reached.

The apple slices are tender, the sauce is now the right consistency.

Cut the tenderloin into 1/4 inch slices.

Serve the herbed pork tenderloin with the savory apple sauce on top.

This was a great meal, that didn't take too long to prepare also. Very impressive week night meal, I loved the savory apple sauce. I served this for dinner along with a side of sauteed spinach.

Chili Roasted Edamame

Edamame, pronounced "ěd'ə-mä'mā," is a preparation of baby soybeans in the pod commonly found in Japan, China, Hawaii and Korea, according to wikipedia. The pods are normally boiled in water together with salt and then served whole. To eat these, you pop the soybean out of the shell using your teeth and discard the pod, just eating the soybean.

Outside East Asia, the dish is most often found in Japanese restaurants and some Chinese restaurants, but has also found popularity elsewhere as a healthful food item.

The Japanese name literally means "twig bean" (eda = "twig" + mame = "bean"), and is a reference to the short stem attached to the pod. This term originally referred to young soybeans in general. Over time, however, the prevalence of the salt-boiled preparation meant that the term edamame now often refers specifically to this dish.

To make this spicy roasted edemame I mix minced garlic, red chili sauce, black pepper, celery salt, onion powder, dried basil and olive oil. The exact measurements are not that important, give it a taste test to check for spiciness.

Here is a general rule of thumb:
1 1/4 cups frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans), thawed
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

These soy beans were already cooked, they were purchased ready to eat in the produce section of my grocery store. After I combined the ingredients, I dumped the mixture on the pods that I spread out on a rimmed baking sheet.

With the oven pre-heated to 350, I tossed the soybean pods with the dressing.

Arrange the beans in a single layer and roast, uncovered, at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring once. Serve as a vegetable side dish or as a snack. Refrigerate any leftovers.

I like to steam soybeans when I get home from work, and munch on them while I cook dinner. They are a light and healthy nosh that keeps me from woofing down dinner when it is ready. This dressing really provides a KICK to my usual snack - it helps me get more water in for sure.

You can find these in several areas of most grocery stores. I've purchased them frozen in a bag in the freezer aisle, sometimes just the soybeans, and sometimes they are in the pods. You can also sometimes find these in the produce section where all the health-nut food is like tofu, etc.

I like to buy them in the pods, so it becomes an "activity" to eat these. I think of them like pistachios. If I sit down with already shelled pistachio nuts, I could probably eat two pounds in one sitting because they are so easy to pop in my mouth by the handful. If I buy the pistachio nuts that are in their shell, it becomes a little work to crack the shell and eat the nut - thus slowing me down a little.

Better Sandwich Bread

I sometimes get asked to review products on my blog, this is not one of those times. I actually was looking for a carb alternative to sandwich meat and cheese between when I stumbled upon this THIN multi-grain bread.

I love them, so I felt compelled to tell you about this new find. These are Arnold’s, also called Oroweat and there is also Pepperidge Farms sandwich slices. Finally for carb conscious people you can enjoy bread on both sides of your burger or sandwich instead of enjoying your sandwich open face. The whole “set”, top and bottom are only 100 calories, 1 WW, 1 gram of fat, zero cholesterol, 230 milligram of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of dietary fiber, 2 gram of sugar and 4 grams of protein.

I like that they are pre-sliced, and it should be obvious however that given the “lightness” in the caloric department, don’t expect the bread to be thick and hearty. They are thin, just enough to give your ingredients a good coverage and that is it.

Use in place of burger buns, and lunchtime sandwiches. I've also used these thins for great homemade breakfast sandwiches...turkey bacon, egg and a little cheese. I can get all that in under 250 calories! This would make a great leftover thanksgiving turkey sandwich..with a little smear of leftover cranberry sauce.

Winner

I love this picture of Madeline who is literally laughing as she rides in the front seat of our mustang convertible with the top down. What a cutie-pie!


To enter the contest yesterday I asked for some advice on getting older and you guys had some great answers. Laughing every day, probably keep us younger! Looking back and seeing how far we've come in life, and the suggestion to just never celebrate 30, celebrate the first anniversary of my 29th birthday. Ha! Love them all!

Thanks to everyone who entered my contest yesterday. Using random.org's integer generator, the lucky winner of a one year subscription to Real Simple Magazine is....

Comment number 2. Congrats Leslie. E-mail me at homewithmandy@gmail.com. And if you haven't checked out Leslie's blog, you should visit her at The Hungry Housewife.

What I love most about Real Simple (besides the recipes) is the fact that they literally read my mind and publish articles concerning my current issue. For instance, Jim and I talk about the need to clean out the garage, and the next issue I pick up has an entire step by step article on cleaning out the garage. I need a new pair of black slacks, and there they go reading my mind again and publish an article on the best black slacks for all body shapes. I love this magazine and know you will too Leslie! Please shoot me an e-mail to claim your prize!

Happy Birthday to Me

Today I'm saying goodbye to my 20's and moving into the next 30 years of my life. I love this song by Tim McGraw...

I think I’ll take a moment, celebrate my age
The ending of an era and the turning of a page
Now it’s time to focus in on where I go from here
Lord have mercy on my next thirty years

Hey my next thirty years I’m gonna have some fun
Try to forget about all the crazy things I’ve done
Maybe now I’ve conquered all my adolescent fears
And I’ll do it better in my next thirty years

My next thirty years I’m gonna settle all the scores
Cry a little less, laugh a little more
Find a world of happiness without the hate and fear
Figure out just what I’m doing here
In my next thirty years

Oh my next thirty years, I’m gonna watch my weight
Eat a few more salads and not stay up so late
Drink a little lemonade and not so many beers
Maybe I’ll remember my next thirty years

My next thirty years will be the best years of my life
Raise a little family and hang out with my wife
Spend precious moments with the ones that I hold dear
Make up for lost time here,
In my next thirty years In my next thirty years

In honor of... me...and my 30th birthday, let's have a fun giveaway. I'm going to give one lucky person a one year subscription to my favorite magazine, Real Simple. To enter, leave a comment on this post with some good advice on getting older. Contest ends midnight central time, and I will post the winner on Saturday morning. Good luck everyone!

Chicken-Orzo Soup

Until this recipe, I haven't been able to convince Jim that soup can be served as dinner. He's not a soup man - but I'm totally a soup woman. I love soup. On this particular week night, I was tired...no, I was exhausted and very hungry. I wanted to try a cooking light recipe, and chicken noodle soup sounded like a healing meal for my tired and exhausted body. When I found this recipe for Chicken-Orzo Soup I thought it could easily be adaptable to what I had in my fridge. Yes, this recipe turned out to be great and it used up odds and ends that I needed to use up before they went bad. And Jim? He's now converted.

I used whole wheat orzo pasta in my Orzo Chicken Soup. 1/2 cup goes a long way.

I brought 1 3/4 cups chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan, then added 1/2 cup whole wheat orzo and cooked for about 10 minutes. Recipe says to drain the chicken broth, I chose not to, it's a free country.

In a skillet over medium heat I added a tablespoon of olive oil, swirl to coat. Then I chopped up a handful of baby carrots, I didn't have celery (which would have been great), but I added green bell pepper, a white onion and a teaspoon of minced garlic. Cook for three minutes, stirring constantly to soften all the vegetables.

Next I took two boneless skinless chicken breasts and chopped into bite size pieces, and added to the skillet. Alternatively, you could purchase a fully cooked roasted chicken from the grocery store and pull it apart - or cook the chicken another way and then chop or shred into the soup.

Cook and stir for another three minutes.

I added a teaspoon of ground thyme and a teaspoon of celery salt. You could also add fresh parsley and a fresh sprig of thyme if you had it.

I transferred the vegetables to this saucepan and added 3 cups of chicken broth and a bay leaf. (If I would have started with a bigger pot, I wouldn't have had to dirty another pan.) Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

This is a great time to sneak in another vegetable that might go bad in my fridge - some green onions and ZUCCHINI! To "beef" it up a bit I also drained and added a can of Canellini Beans.

Discard the bay leaf, add the zucchini, beans and add a big handful of fresh baby spinach, a tablespoon of lemon juice and salt and pepper if you like - but I thought this soup had plenty of flavor as is.

Ladle into bowls and call it dinner.

Traditional chicken noodle soup has to be on everyones comfort-food list. Using orzo pasta makes a slight improvement over the original; you don't have to worry about long noodles falling off your spoon! With its absolutely classic flavors, this dish is great for a rainy day, a cold day, a sick day, or any day where you find yourself too tired to make anything else.

Don't forget, come back on Friday, November 27th to enter my giveaway.