Mmmm...Pizza

The other night I received a text from a guy I had met (outside of work) on one occasion.  This text message came after I had gone to bed and it said "Hi.  Can I come over?"  Hmm...let me think about that, no, you can't.  What the hell?  I understand my generation has made the booty call and friend with benefits a popular concept but what happened to taking a girl out for dinner, or even a drink for that matter?  Do I have "booty call" written across my forehead and I just don't know it?  Does something about me scream out "friend with benefits?" Or is this simply the way people my age behave?  But, if this is how people my age behave than I would much rather spend my nights at home, with my dog, working on recipes for this blog.

You will need:
Your favorite pizza crust (I used Pillsbury's GF, I didn't love it)
Your favorite pizza sauce (I use tomato sauce and simmer it with minced garlic and italian seasoning)
Pepporoni
Diced ham
Cooked sausage
Cooked red peppers
Mozarella
Goat cheese
Fresh tomatoes

Prepare your crust according to package instructions.  I parbaked mine so it would be crispier.  Once parbaked I drizzled it with olive oil and added my sauce.  I did a layer of pepperoni, ham, sausage, peppers and then the mozzarella.  I used about a cup of cheese but this was a standard sized pizza, if you're doing a smaller one I would recommend less, it really doesn't take much.  I sprinkled crumbled goat cheese on top and baked till things were melty and delicious looking and my crust edges looked crispy.  Once it had cooled for a few minutes I threw on some fresh, diced tomatoes.  I think the goat cheese and peppers really make this pizza delicious!  Pour some wine and enjoy!!

Megan S.

Garlic Salmon Pasta

 

I really hate the kitchen in the house I currently live, I mean I REALLY hate it.  I hate it so much that I rarely cook anymore.  There's hardly any counter space, it always looks dirty (even when it's clean) and there's not much storage space either.  It's not my house so I don't have my kitchen stuff here, which means all my favorite pans, knives, and cooking utensils aren't available for use.  I find myself making things work with old pans, dull knives and one spatula.  Fortunately, I am in the process of buying a small but wonderful house that happens to have a pretty awesome kitchen.  I can't wait to move in and make use of the stainless steel appliances, the counter space, and finally have all my favorite kitchen things with me.  For now, I have forced myself to do a little cooking in this dreadful kitchen so that our readers can have something new to cook.  

You Will Need:

Spaghetti

Salmon filet

Olive Oil

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

Salt

Pepper 

Basil

Lemon Juice (fresh or bottled will work)

Cook your spaghetti according to package directions.  Sautee 1-2 garlic cloves in olive oil, add the salmon filet, seasoned with salt and pepper.  Cook salmon filet in olive oil, a few minutes on each side, until cooked through.  When the spaghetti is done cooking toss in olive oil and 1-2 minced garlic cloves, season with salt, pepper, and basil, and add a few squirts of lemon juice.  When salmon is done serve on top of the spaghetti and enjoy!  Quick, easy, and delicious...and great with wine!

Megan S.

Mom's Potato Salad

 

I realize that it has been an unfortunately long period of time since your favorite spinsters have written a new post.  Don't worry, we haven't forgotten about you, unfortunately we now live in different towns and coordinating our delicious posts has gotten a bit...complicated.  On top of that we have both fairly recently started new jobs, my partner has moved up with her company and I moved towns and started something completely new.  Not only did I start a new position but I've had my heart hurt a few times in my new town, got a new dog, and am now in the process of buying a house.  When I say we have been busy I'm really not lying, I will let Megan J. elaborate on all of her exciting times.  Hopefully we will be able to post more regularly, I know when I get into my new house with it's beautiful kitchen and stainless steel appliances I will be spending much more time toying with new recipes.  Today, in honor of the holiday I'm posting my mother's recipe for potato salad.  Megan J hates potato salad and it took me a long time to come around to it but this recipe helped me with that.

You Will Need:

Potatoes

An equal # of eggs

Pickles

Onions (optional)

Mayo

Mustard

Pickle juice

Salt

Pepper 

Lawry's seasoned salt

You will notice I didn't give you any measurements...this is one of the issues with a family recipe, my mom and sister have never measured when making this so when I requested the recipe I didn't get any measurements either.  Boil your potatoes in the skin, I cut mine in half so they will cook a bit quicker.  Boil your eggs until hard-boiled, pretty much EVERYBODY has a different "right" way to do so.  Just don't do what my mom has done on more than one occasion; she forgets she's boiling eggs, the water boils out and the eggs explode, it's not pretty but it smells even worse.  When your eggs and potatoes are cooked cool them down with cold water.  Peel the potatoes, I use a butter knife, the skin comes off easily once cooked.  Cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces and put in a serving bowl.  Peel your eggs and dice them up into the potatoes.  Dice up your pickles, I usually just mix them up and cut enough so it looks balanced.  If you like onions dice them up in there as well, personally I don't like onions in my potato salad, I never know if I'm crunching a pickle or an onion and I'm not big on that kind of uncertainty :).  In a separate bowl combine a few spoonfuls of mayo, a squirt of mustard and pour in a bit of pickle juice.  Use a rubber spatula and mix them together.  The color should look similar to what is in my picture.  Pour the mixture into the bowl w/the potatoes and mix until everything is well coated.  My sister, Jessie, doesn't like too much of the "dressing", so don't go overboard, make sure you make enough to coat your potatoes and eggs but not so much that it just sits there.  Salt and pepper to taste, I've never liked a lot of salt in my recipes.  After everything is mixed and beautiful sprinkle Lawry's seasoned salt on top-oh so pretty.  MMMMM, delicious.  In the kind of heat we've been having here in MT I suggest always having a beer nearby, drink up, eat up and enjoy!!

Megan S.

salad with a heavy heart

It is with a heavy heart that I post this entry.  Dinner for Spinsters lost it's most faithful follower last week to a long and hard battle with cancer.  Tommy T had a good long fight but sometimes you just can't win.  He was a lovely man with a warm and loving heart.  Truthfully, the world is a sadder place without him in it.  Although we spinsters didn't know him well we both feel incredibly sad to hear of him passing.  We will forever remember his funny stories and inviting him out to trivia in hopes that he could help us with sports questions only to find he was no help in that department.  Ha!

It feels a little sacrilegious to post a recipe at such times but I know he would have wanted it this way.  RIP Tommy T.  We spinsters will think of you every time we post.

You will need:

spinach (enough to fill a bowl)
5-6 fresh strawberries (sliced)
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup goat cheese
a dash of your fave dressing (I chose raspberry lime)

Add olive oil to a skillet.  Get it warm.  Add almonds and brown sugar.  Toast until golden, maybe like 4 mins.  Make sure you toss it frequently.  Once done set aside to cool.  In a bowl place the following:  spinach, strawberries and goat cheese.  Add the almonds on top (once cool).  Top with your fave dressing and enjoy.

Best served with a glass of wine.  Be sure to give Tommy a cheers when you do!

Megan J

Basic Baked Potato

 At some point in life most of us decide that it is time to take on the task of cooking at home.  Maybe we decide that the cost of eating out isn't worth it or maybe we decide that the health benefits are worth the trouble or maybe we just can't find our favorite foods at our local restaurants.  I remember when I decided it was time to save money and eat healthy and that meant tackling this cooking thing that I had spent so long avoiding.  I quickly realized that I knew very little about cooking, I could heat up a can of soup, scramble some eggs, boil pasta and that was pretty much it.  Even seemingly simple tasks like making hard boiled eggs, steaming veggies, and yes, baking potatoes seemed completely daunting to me.  How long did I boil the eggs, how did I know if the veggies were done, I was sure that I would never get even the smallest things right.  Now several years and plenty of experimenting later I sometimes feel confident in the kitchen, I know I can make a few things really well and most other things are at the very least edible.  I have been thinking of my first attempts in the kitchen and for those of you who still find those simple tasks scary I have decided to share my way of doing one of those basic tasks.

You Will Need:

Russet Potato
Olive Oil
Salt
Your favorite baked potato toppings

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Brush your potato clean under cold water, dry off.  Place potato on a baking sheet, cut holes in the top and bottom so it won't explode in your oven.  Drizzle it with olive oil on all sides, sprinkle salt all over the potato, I used sea salt.  Bake for about 45-50 minutes.  When the potato is done baking you will have a deliciously crunchy skin and the inside will be fluffy and soft.  Add all your favorite toppings-butter, sour cream, bacon, cheese, whatever you like and enjoy!

Megan S.

Potato, Leek, and Ham Soup

When you move to a new town you start exploring the place, finding your new favorite places to eat, drink, and just have a good time.  After a period of time spent doing this you start to realize that none of these new places have been able to replace favorite places from back home.  There are a few of those places for me now that I have gotten settled into Missoula.  I miss my favorite Chinese place, China Wall, I haven't found any Chinese worth eating here, partly because I usually make my own and partly because I haven't tried.  I also miss having a grilled chicken sandwich from Frugal's with french fries dipped in fry sauce.  But most of all I miss the "soup shack" which is what I affectionately called Cafe Max Soup.  I worked about three block from the place and I ate there several times a week.  After spending a day craving some of their creations I decided it was time to make some soup for myself.  After creating this delicious dish and getting the seal of approval from my brother I have decided it's time to share it with you.

You Will Need:
Olive oil
2 leeks chopped (white and light green parts only)
2 cups chicken broth
2-3 russet potatoes diced
diced ham
1 small carton heavy whipping cream
corn starch
salt
pepper 

Heat your olive oil in the bottom of your pot, add the leeks, sautee about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add chicken broth and half of your diced potatoes.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.  You can use a blender to blend the mixture, I didn't have one so I used a potato masher on the concoction.  I then added the remaining potatoes allowing them to cook through (I wanted actual potato chunks to bite into, if you don't care you can cook them all at the same time).  Add the ham and cream.  Allow soup to simmer.  If your soup isn't as thick as you would like you can use corn starch to thicken it.  I used about 1 T. and mixed it with a bit of the broth in a small bowl before adding it to the pot.  Salt and pepper to taste.  I then garnished mine with parsley but that part's up to you.  If you're like me you'll pour a glass of wine to enjoy this with, if you're like my brother you'll stick to beer, either way it's tasty!

For a GF/DF option you can omit the whipping cream and corn starch.  Instead after sauteeing the leeks and boiling potatoes in chicken broth put them in a blender and liquefy them (you may need to use more potatoes).  Reheat the blended mixture in a pot on the stove and add the remaining ingredients.  

Megan S.

Kung Pao Chicken

What I like about writing this blog is that I get to share a little bit about myself with each post along with what I hope is a delicious recipe.  Up until now the hardest part has always been finding a kick ass recipe that not only I would want to make again but one that the readers would want to make again as well.  Lately I have been struggling more with the personal anecdote section and trying to determine how much to share.  I strive to be open and honest in my life as I see little need for lying but my family and friends read my posts as well as strangers and I don't want to over share or be hurtful but mostly I don't want to talk about what I write beyond what I have written.  I usually stick with posts about things that happened a long time ago as this seems to help prevent awkwardness as well as avoid the interrogation I get from family regarding current events.  Unfortunately, I recently had my heart hurt, just a little bit, but it makes me want to share more with everybody about recent events in general and about some specific events as well.  I will avoid doing that today as this post is already longer than expected but I'm hoping to be even more open and honest about myself and my life in the future...so prepare yourselves for more of me and more good food like this recipe.

You will need:
1 chicken breast, thinly sliced
T. corn starch
2 T. Soy sauce, separate
2-3 diced garlic cloves
Small bunch of green onions chopped w/the tops
Sesame Oil
Assorted stir-fry veggies
1 T. rice vinegar
1/2 t. ground ginger
at least 1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes (use more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
a dollop of honey
Rice

I started my rice first as I use the real stuff, not the Minute kind, while the rice cooked I worked on everything else.  In a bowl combine chicken with corn starch and 1 T. soy sauce, making sure the chicken gets well coated.  Heat about 1 t. sesame oil in a skillet, once it is hot add your chicken and cook until almost done.  Remove chicken and sautee your veggies in sesame oil (add more to your skillet if necessary).  Once your veggies are ready add the chopped onions, diced garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes, fry for a minute or so.  Add rice vinegar, remaining soy sauce, and honey to the skillet.  Stir well making sure everything gets well mixed.  Return chicken to the skillet and mix/coat well.  Once everything is mixed and coated serve over hot rice.  I hate peanuts because I hate the way they feel in my teeth, but if you like them feel free to add them, they are a staple of kung pao chicken after all.  Most importantly, if you haven't already, pour yourself a glass of wine, it just makes life better!

Megan S.

Pesto mushroom ravioli

Baked.

Remember when you were little and your mom was all up in your business spouting off all this nonsense about how you should eat your vegetables?  They're good for you?   So you sat at the table and leered at them, wishing they would just disappear?  Yeah, that was how it was for me.  Except it was potato salad.  Seriously!?  Potatoes, eggs, mayonnaise and mustard?  No thanks.  I have actually always loved veggies.  I was the kid who sat on the porch going after carrot sticks instead of popsicles.  Naturally, when I went vegetarian I figured it would be a breeze.  I mean, you eat veggies.  Easy.  The only problem is I am not a fan of your typical vegetarian staples like squash, zucchini, eggplant, cucumber or the dreaded mushroom.  So, as I've continued down the path into vegetable land I have been trying to trick myself into finding ways to eat these things and maybe even like them.  My squash results have been minimal thus far but I struck gold the other day with these mushroom ravioli.  I promise they don't even taste like mushrooms.  They just taste awesome.  Go pour yourself a glass of wine and get ready!

You will need:

a package of wonton wrappers
1 egg, beaten
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp vegetable broth (go organic!)
 1 package of crimini mushrooms
1/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated

So, we gotta start by making your filling.  Heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat.  While this is heating up slice your mushrooms thinly.  I cut off the stems but I am not sure that's necessary.  It was my first time cooking with mushrooms, give me a break.  Cook mushrooms with 1 clove of garlic until they soften up and darken (maybe 7ish mins).  Once they are done set them aside.  In your food processor, combine 2 cloves garlic, spinach, basil, walnuts, 2 tbsp olive oil, and vegetable broth.  Pulse until well blended.  Add mushrooms and continue pulsing until you get a relatively smooth texture.  You don't want it to look like a milkshake but it also shouldn't be chunky.  Get your egg and wonton wrappers ready.  Take a wrapper and dip it in the egg. Then scoop a small amount of your mixture into the middle of the wrapper.  Fold over edges to make a triangle.  Take a fork and use the tongs to crimp the edges.  Really get after it or they might fall apart.  Continue doing this until you have used all of the filling.

So, this recipe was all about experimentation for me.  I had tried ravioli before and boiled them and they were freaking nasty.  So, I needed a new way to cook them.  First I tried pan frying them which worked ok.  They ended up being a touch oily.  I boiled a few more just to humor myself.  They, too, were disgusting.  (see picture below)  I found that the winning way to prepare these is to bake them.  You can use either a cookie sheet or a baking pan.  Spray it with cooking spray and place them just so that they don't touch.  Bake at 350 for 20 mins, turning once.  And voila!  Enjoy these with a nice glass of red, perhaps a pinot noir!

Cheers!

Megan J

Pan Fried

Boiled.  Ick.

Broiled Ginger Garlic Salmon

At my 22nd birthday "party" my roommate introduced me to a guy named Sean (not actually his name, but go with it).  He was cute, nice and smelled pretty good so I hung out with him a few more times after that.  Then, like every 22 year old that spends five nights a week at the bar flirting with every half way decent looking guy I started ignoring poor Sean.  I would have liked to continue a friendship with him but I'm not so good at the friend zone game...I'm sure you figured that out from my last post.  It wasn't too long before I ran into him at a bar in Bigfork during Whitewater Fest.  He was drunk, I was buzzed and we chatted.  He said "I've been chasing after you and I feel like I'm sitting in a boat on a lake.  I'm in that boat and I'm fishin' and fishin', but there aren't any fish in the lake."  After sharing a good laugh over his description of "chasing" me I smiled and suggested he find a new lake to fish in.  He must have listened because last I heard he had gotten married.  I figured while we were talking about fish, metaphorical or not, that I would give you a tasty fish recipe.

You will need:

1 single portion salmon filet

1 tsp. ground ginger

2 minced garlic cloves

2 T. soy sauce (I used GF/reduced sodium)

2 T. orange juice

1 T. honey

Combine ingredients in shallow bowl.  If your filet still has the skin on it then marinate your fish with skin face up and the meat in the marinade.  I made rice with my fish so I marinated the fish while I started the brown rice, it got to marinate for about 1/2 hour.  Preheat oven to broil.  Place fish, skin down on tin foil covered pan, pour excess marinade on top.  Broil your fish until done, this can be tested with a fork.  It's about 10 minutes cook time per inch of fish thickness.  I recommend checking after about 5 mins, mine didn't take long to cook and you don't want it overdone, dried out fish is not awesome.  I served mine with brown rice and garlic sauteed broccoli and was presently surprised by how good it all was.  Enjoy!

Megan S.

Chicken 'n Rice Bowl

So first off I have to apologize to all of our loyal readers for the long absence.  These spinsters have been in the middle of major life changes, new towns, new jobs, new lives, not to mention the holidays.  Don't worry though because we are back and hopefully we are at least as good as we used to be, if not better.  I remember last year for NYE I did a blog post about my hatred of the holiday.  This year I was asleep by 11pm and I loved it!  I actually had a date lined up and plans for ringing in the New Year with a drink in hand.  Unfortunately (for him) I decided that I needed to put him in the "friend zone."  How do you do that to someone on NYE, a night when you're supposed to kiss your date at midnight?  So I feigned illness and stayed home and to be honest I feel alright about that, he can be "friend zoned" another night.  Tonight though it's time for a new recipe.

You will need:

1 chicken breast
Italian dressing
1 serving corn
1 serving of your fave rice
1 ziploc bag

Dice the chicken breast into bite size pieces and put in a ziploc bag.  Pour enough italian dressing in with the chicken to make sure all pieces are well coated.  Put in the fridge to marinate for a bit while you cook your rice, cook rice as directed on package.  I use jasmine or brown rice which takes about an hour to cook.  If you use Minute rice (eeeewww) make sure you allow your chicken to marinate for a half an hour or so.  Cook your chicken in a skillet while also cooking your rice according to package directions.  When everything is done pile it all together in a bowl and mix it up.  So easy, yet so delicious!  Again, I'm sorry no pic, I'm going to get my shit together I promise!

One last note before I sign off.  I would like to prepare you all for possible guest writers.  You may get to read some bachelor submissions in the future as I know of at least one that would like to submit his favorite recipes...and he's funny, so look forward to that!