Sabbatical

Entertaining by Evie has gone on sabbatical for the past few months. I apologize for not delivering you a deluge of tears from laughter and mouth-watering masterpieces (or so I’d like to think) as originally promised.

In other news, I am on the hunt for a job. You see that I can write and take pretty pictures. Can you help?

Email me if you have any leads evelyn@miamialum.org. In the meantime, I’m changing my Twitter name.

Stay tuned.

The Easiest Appetizer in America

Happy Holidays. Merry Christmas. Feliz Navidad. Joyeaux Noel. Happy Hanukkah.

I know it’s been a few days weeks since my last post. It’s not that you are not important to me. Because you are.

LIFE. It happens. You know?

Ok, I will admit. Word with Friends has taken me hostage.  Don’t worry though. I didn’t get kicked off a plane or anything.

Enough with the excuses already. Today, I am sharing the EASIEST appetizer in America! (Think Al Roker’s “Football in AMERICA” when I reference this.) One more time. THE EASIEST APPETIZER IN AMERICA. Echooo. Echo. Echo. Echo. Echo.

Ok, so you’re not an Al Roker fan.

That doesn’t matter. This appetizer is still easy. It’s also pretty, green and Christmas-y.

And, it has cheese.

Did I mention it’s easy?

Easier than a hooker going up in flames in church.

Was that a bit much?

Onward, my noble steeds.

Here we go.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Slice a baguette into 1/2 inch slices.

Spread each slice with store bought pesto.

Place on a baking sheet.

Top with mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted. Serve.

Butternut Squash Risotto

How to cut a butternut squash

Slice length-wise from stem to bottom. Using a spoon, remove the pulp and seeds. Cut halves width-wise. Slice into strips and then chop into one-inch cubes.

Butternut Squash Risotto

• Olive oil
• Butter
• Half of a butternut squash, cubed
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cups of arborio rice
• 1/4 cup of wine
• 32 oz. container of chicken broth
• Cream cheese, 1/3 cup
• 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil and butter in a large Dutch oven. Add squash and onion. Saute for about 10 minutes. Add rice. Stir. Add wine. Saute and stir for 2-3 minutes until wine is absorbed into the rice. Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Stir until chicken broth is absorbed. Repeat until risotto is creamy. It will likely take about 30 minutes of adding stock, stirring and absorbing the stock. I taste test quite a bit with risotto. Once it has reached a creamy texture, add cream cheese and parmesan.

Stir. Stir. Stir.

Add bacon bits.

Balsamic Glazed Filet Mignon with Goat Cheese

I completed item #3 on my “No Excuses November” list. 13.1 miles. Yet again. It felt good. It was the extra push of motivation I needed to move forward. Granted, a 70-year-old ran circles around me and a blind man sprinted past me, but running slowly for 13.1 miles is better than nothing. Right?

I will take it.

What’s next?

Well, I have some unfortunate news. Entertaining by Evie is running low on space. I either have to pay for a Word Press upgrade or discontinue.

I was thinking about starting a new project but I need your help. Please vote.

Balsamic Glazed Steak

Adapted from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/filet-mignon-with-balsamic-syrup-and-goat-cheese-recipe/index.html

• 3/4 cups balsamic vinegar
• 1.5 tablespoons sugar
• 2 (5 to 6-ounce) filet mignon steaks (each about 1-inch thick)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 ounces soft fresh goat cheese

Boil the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/3 cup, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes.

Meanwhile, have your ‘Puter Hub grill the steaks. Turn the grill on high. Sear the meat on first side for about five minutes. Flip and sear for three minutes and then flip again for a couple of minutes until it is finished.

The ‘Puter Hub says, “It’s an art, not a science.”

Drizzle with balsamic syrup and crumble goat cheese on top.

Cauliflower Au Gratin

Cauliflower reminds me of this grotesque photo I saw of some disease in Microbiology 111. It was one of those moments where the 250-person lecture hall gawked in horror yet could not take their eyes off the projector screen. Some students sprinted to the bathroom in repulsion. Others laughed. I stared it down like a train accident in awe.

I’m not really selling it to you, am I?

Well, if you like eating fungus by way of morels, portabellas and creminis, you won’t mind a little diseased cauliflower.

You know in some countries, guinea pigs are a delicacy? That makes me sad and confused at the same time. Sad because I have always wanted one a guinea pig. Confused because how much meat can you really get off this one-pound pig?

Back to that diseased cauliflower, this casserole compliments Turkey Day quite well. You will notice in the photos that the bread crumbs in my photos look a bit charred. Long story short, I had leftover Pumpernickel and Rye crusts. Because I cannot throw away food unless it’s gone science experiment on me, I made bread crumbs out of the leftover Pumpernickel and Rye crusts.

Cauliflower and Bacon Au Gratin

Adapted from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/cauliflower-and-bacon-gratin-recipe/index.html

• Unsalted butter, for dish, plus 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 cups of bread crumbs or make your own!
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 8 ounces bacon, cooked until crispy and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cup grated Italian cheese blend, divided
• 1 pound cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 8-inch casserole dish. Set aside.

How To Make Bread Crumbs

In the bowl of a food processor, blend day old bread until it forms into crumbs.

In a large non-stick skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring constantly until all the butter has been absorbed and the bread crumbs are toasted, about 1 to 2 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream and flour. Add the bacon and 1/2 cup of cheese. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add the cauliflower and cook for 2 minutes. Drain the cauliflower and toss with the cream mixture. Pour the cauliflower mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the cheese has melted and the top is golden brown.

Spaghetti Squash and Sumo Wrestling

How is Day 2 of No Excuses November (NEN) going? Are your muscles aching? Don’t you love that feeling? Am I the only one who derives pleasure from sore, achy muscles and the fact that I can hardly walk?

Probably. Speaking of hardly walking, I have agreed to go skiing with the ‘Puter Hub and my family this Christmas. I have not skied in 12 years, and 12 years ago, I wouldn’t necessarily call that skiing. It was more like inching my way down the bunny slope on two parallel planks of death while sporting one of those faux sumo-wrestler costumes. I’m pretty sure a few toddlers whizzed passed giving me the middle finger salute.

This year will be different, however.

#1-Because it’s No Excuses November so I have no choice but to get in shape.

#2-The ‘Puter Hub agreed to buy me a new ski outfit so he wouldn’t be associated with the sole sumo-wrestler on the slopes. Plus, he will get multiple ski trips out of it. So he thinks.

Ski Outfit by eviehagood featuring tahitian pearl stud earrings

What do you think?

Are you thinking Pica-Evie Street like I am?

You are now. Aren’t you?

Here is the part where I stop the shenanigans and share my first spaghetti squash experience with you. Substituting carb-y pasta with squash pairs well with NEN. You will go from sumo-wrestler to an ultimate fighting champion. Promise.

Spaghetti Squash & Turkey Burger Marinara

• 1 Spaghetti Squash
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 8 oz. turkey burger
• 2 teaspoons of minced garlic
• 1/2 container of pre-sliced mushrooms
• 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 8 oz can of tomato sauce
• Italian seasonings of parsley, basil, oregano and red pepper flakes (Eyeball the measurement)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese, garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray (I should have done this). Pierce squash several times with a fork. Place on dish. Bake for one hour until the flesh of the squash is tender.

While squash is baking, coat olive oil on a large skillet on medium heat. Add onion and turkey burger. Saute until brown. Add garlic and mushrooms. Saute for another 5-7 minutes. Add tomatoes, sauce and seasoning. Turn heat on low and simmer until the squash is ready.

Remove squash from the oven and cut in half from top to bottom (stem to bottom). Using a spoon, remove the seeds and pulp. It looks like the insides of a pumpkin.

Once you have removed the pulp and seeds, using a fork, scrape the squash out of the flesh.

It should scrape out easily into strands like spaghetti noodles.

Spoon sauce on top. Sprinkle with cheese.

No Excuses November

Welcome to NO EXCUSES NOVEMBER. I spoke with my sister this morning. Well, “spoke” is an understatement. She used me to scoot past her boss to avoid the finger pointing because of a missed deadline on her part so I talked while she replied with a series of “uh-huhs” and “yes’s” to make it seem like she was on an important phone call. (Well, that was a run-on sentence.)

I hope her boss doesn’t read my blog. Being on a phone call with me is always important however. Even if we are talking about how I live within a mile of a TCBY. How it’s the self-serve kind of TCBY.

Anyway, she said it is “NO EXCUSES NOVEMBER” in her Boot Camp. She may have to come up with a good excuse now if her boss reads my blog.

Regardless, I really love the idea of NO EXCUSES NOVEMBER. Why does everyone wait until New Year’s to start anew? It’s November folks. The ‘new’ is NOW. Are you motivated yet?

Let’s come up with a few goals for NO EXCUSES NOVEMBER.

1. Exercise/Run/Walk four times a week. This should be fairly simple as I try to run at least three times a week now but it’s been difficult due to lack of sleep, stress and hectic-ness of my life. NO EXCUSES NOVEMBER! Four or more!

2. Make that butternut squash risotto. I keep saying that I don’t want to make risotto because I will eat too much of it; my stomach will swell; my pants won’t zip, but it is NO EXCUSES NOVEMBER. I’m makin’ the risotto. I will not swallow the Dutch oven whole, and it will be darn good.

3. Finish the Charlotte Thunder Road Half Marathon. Due to lack of training, my confidence in this half marathon is at an utter low. But, I ran 9.5 miles this past weekend. What is 3.6 more? (Yes, I had to use a calculator for that.) Even if I have to walk every now and again. I did it before. I can do it again. NO EXCUSES NOVEMBER.

4. Participate in the 10K Gobble Jog. If I finish the half, I can certainly finish my first ever 10K. Is it weird that I have never actually participated in an official 10K? This will be fun! Sign up for your local Turkey Trot/Gobble Jog/Pilgrim Pedal with me. Gobble, Gobble.

5. Phone a friend. These days, it’s so incredibly easy to text, email or Facebook with friends. Pick up the phone. My parents were major advocates of the telephone. Alexander Graham Bell and my great great grandfather were drinkin’ buddies. It is so utterly pleasant to have an actual conversation with a live person rather than robotized hand conversations via typing. You wouldn’t text your Grandma, would you? Well, unless your 90-year-old grandma has an iPad like mine does.

6. Volunteer two hours. Normally, my volunteer hours surpass this, but I have to be realistic here. We are booked almost every weekend. Two is better than none.

7. Finish two books. I am in the midst of The Orphaned Adult. I know, a seriously depressing sounding read, but in all honesty, I think everyone should read books like these whether they have experienced loss or not. It puts loss into perspective and helps you help others. I will need another book to read upon finishing this one … I’m thinking something light and funny. Got any ideas? Make me laugh.

8. Step outside of the box. Do something different. I am not sure what this will look like yet. It may be me climbing into a cardboard box and stepping out of it. Stay tuned.

9. Write three times a week. Whether it’s a blog post, a short story or a handwritten note to a friend or relative, I encourage everyone to write more. You will find it is especially therapeutic.

10. Make soup for a friend in need. 

11. Fill in the blank. Challenge me to something and I will try it. But, I won’t eat bugs or reptiles. Worms fall into the category of bugs and reptiles.

Happy No Excuses November!

Pumpkin Risotto – Love it or leave it?

I was thinking about making this Pumpkin Risotto I found on Pinterest. However, I am skeptical. Do you think it will be too sweet? You know how I am not too keen on mixin’ my sweets with my salts.

Love it or leave?

Talk amongst yourselves.

Raisins and Halloween

What is your “go-to” side salad? Mine is typically the “house” – mixed greens, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, cheese and ranch dressing. My dad always ordered a Caesar side salad. I know, we are duller than a donkey sleeping at church.

My dad and I were never partial over the merger of fruits and vegetables. Combining sweets and salts was like painting an original 1800s mahogany dresser white in a woodworker’s eyes. The two go together like a box of raisins and Halloween.

Sidebar – For those of you who give out raisins on Halloween (and you know who you are), stop it. NOW. I beg you to cease with the raisins. It is terribly disappointing. It’s worse than an elephant farting in an elevator.

It’s on par with the people who give pennies. We won’t even go there.

So to put a little Pippy in my Longstocking, I decided to take the plunge by tossing a salad with apples, arugula, nuts and gorgonzola cheese. I dumped more cheese on that salad than grease at the county fair. Surprisingly. Well, not really ”surprisingly” considering the load of cheese on that bad boy … Regardless, we both enjoyed it. He cleaned his plate faster than a redneck eating egg rolls at an all-you-can-eat China buffet. Then again, he always cleaned his plate pretty fast. It was rather impressive.

Cleaning your plate that fast isn’t a good thing. My family knows that. You eat more.

It is a tough habit to break.

Dressing up in funny costumes is also a tough habit to break.

This story had a point. I’m trying to figure out where I put it.

I decided it was time to make a compromise with the merger of fruits and vegetables again. Not too long ago, I coupled baby spinach leaves with sliced strawberries, earthy mushrooms, candied pecans, slivers of small white onions, pungent goat cheese drizzled with champagne vinaigrette.

It was rather exciting. If you are the type of person who dresses up in funny costumes and finds salads exciting.

Happy Halloween, y’all!

 

 

Cinnamon Apple Cobbler

Testing and tasting Thanksgiving recipes is really getting to my waist line. Hello, Muffin [Rocky] Top, Tennessee! My muffin top and I need to go for a lil’ jog stat. She loves bouncing around the streets of Charlotte.

What I sacrifice for my beloved readers. As I have mentioned before in cobbler posts #1 and #2, this cobbler is more amazing than spotting Where’s Waldo on Halloween. I found him! The best part is, you can substitute fruits so if you are not apart of the Peach Fan Club, use apples. You’re not inamorata with apples, try berries.

The technique and ingredients are all very similar. It’s easier than winning the bet that Lindsay Lohan will go to jail again and the flavor is more explosive than my brother’s gas.

Gross.

But, oh, so true. Now, I will post a picture of me sporting a mullet so we are even in the embarrassing department.

Business in the front, party in the back has new meaning on a two year old.

Adapted from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/peach-cobbler-recipe/index.html

Notes: I cut the original recipe in half.

• 3 apples, peeled, cored and sliced (2 cups)
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 3/4 cups milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the apples, 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Put the butter in a shallow baking dish and place in oven while it is preheating to melt.

In a separate bowl, mix remaining 1/2 cup sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and milk slowly to prevent clumping.

Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup.

Batter will rise to top during baking. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

To serve, scoop into a bowl and serve with vanilla ice cream.