Sunday Dinner

Blake and I began hosting Sunday Dinner last summer. We invite friends, decide on the menu, chill the beer, open a bottle of wine and celebrate the week ahead.  Andy is a regular who rarely misses a week and we usually have a large group of folks who join us. Tonight we are looking forward to spending the evening with Andy, Justin, Jess, Sarah, Jerry, Kristen, and Jesse. This group represents old and new colleagues, Darden alumni, and great friends. On the menu? Garden Full of Goodness Lasagna, Homemade Bread, Salad, Baja Berry Crisp, and Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream.

I love to spend time in my kitchen cooking for those who mean the most to me. My life would be void without close friendships and hosting Sunday dinner is my way of saying thank you for being in my life and making me happy! We offer an open invitation to all of our friends to dine with us on Sunday evenings.

Here is the recipe for the Garden Full of Goodness Lasagna. This is a great meal to make on the weekends because it is time intensive.

1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 onion
1 cup mushrooms
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
2 large carrots (peeled)

Cut all veggies in similar sized pieces and roast at 400 degrees for an hour (Thank you Katherine for this amazing suggestion of roasting the veggies instead of boiling them)

Meanwhile saute garlic in olive oil in medium saucepan and add:
1 can no salt added diced tomatoes
1 can no salt added tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup fresh basil
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1 teaspoon black pepper

Simmer for 20 minutes on medium-low.

Put a stockpot full of water on high with a drop of olive oil and salt (this will be for cooking the noodles)

Stir together:
1 egg
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
4 oz low fat cream cheese

Cook 8 lasagna noodles in boiling water for 6-8 minutes or until tender

To assemble lasagna:
Spread 1/3 of tomato sauce on bottom of 11 by 13 glass pan
Layer in 4 cooked lasagna noodles
Layer in 1/2 of cottage cheese mixture
Add 1/2 of veggies on top
Repeat layering process one more time
Spread additional 1/3 of tomato sauce on top
Put 6 slices of provolone cheese on lasagna and sprinkle with 3/4 cup of mozzarella cheese
Bake at 375 for 35 minutes (let sit 10 minutes before serving)

*Adapted from a Paula Dean Recipe

Grandma's Granola

Do you have food memories that transport you to a happy place? Maybe fish tacos at the beach, pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, or chicken and veggie skewers from the grill in the heart of summer. One food that transports me back is my Grandma's Granola. Once a year when I was growing up, we would load up the car for the 14 hour drive to Denver to visit my Mom's parents and spend a wonderful week  with Grandma and Grandpa. They had a beautiful yard with huge cherries trees and Frank (my brother) and I would spend lazy mornings creating beautiful blue pottery with them. We would make cups, bowls, plates and animals of various shapes but my fondest memory was enjoying Grandma's homemade granola. She  always had a huge pottery vessel filled to the brim with her mixture of oats, wheat germ, and sunflower seeds. Today, whenever I take bite of her granola I am transported back to being 8 years old and spending time with them in the backyard. Plus, they both lived to be 90 so it must be healthy! They also enjoyed a daily bourbon on the rocks for happy hour so maybe the combination is the key to a long life...

Here is my Grandma's recipe. You can adapt it by using different nuts like walnuts, pecans, and sliced almonds or different fruit like cranberries and dates.

4 cups rolled oats
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup sesame seeds
1 cup coconut (I don't use the coconut but if you like it, go for it)
1/2 cup brown sugar (I always use raw sugar)
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup raisins
1 cup almonds

Mix together oats, wheat germ, nuts, and seeds.
Heat sugar, honey, vanilla, and canola oil over low heat (or in the microwave) but do not boil
Poor sugar mixture over the oats and mix together
Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour (stirring every 15 minutes) on a large cookie sheet
Remove granola from oven and add raisins
Enjoy with yogurt, milk, or over frozen bananas

Call me crazy but I could eat granola for every meal including snacks. I get immense cravings for my "bird seed" as Blake so lovingly calls it and I encourage you to make your own. Store bought granola can be very expensive and contain highly processed sugar which dilutes the nutritional value.
Plus, it makes your house smell divine.  Thank you Grandma for an amazing memory and a delicious recipe.

What food memories transport you back to being with family? I encourage you to dust off some old recipes, close your eyes, and remember...

Your Inner Shakira

I was meant to be Latin. It was confirmed during my morning drive while I was channeling my inner Shakira. Blake is not a morning person so I was trying to make him smile with my awesome dance moves. (Oh and I may or may not have scared my co-worker as I shimmied into PepsiCo Forum to get my morning coffee.) As you have read on many blog posts, latin flavors make frequent appearances into my cooking, I love a good fiesta and Cinco de Mayo is my favorite holiday. I realize that my skin is as white as snow but my mom was born in Tucson so there must be some genetic material that made me predisposed to spicy deliciousness!

 

We just spent a wonderful evening with our friends Emily and Rick at Continental Divide, my absolute favorite restaurant in Charlottesville. I always leave with a huge smile on my face because I just enjoyed a delicious bean and cheese burrito (packed with black beans, cheese, roasted red peppers, and mushrooms) at a very reasonable price. Blake and I get two entrees and drinks and never spend more than $30. This restaurant is a "locals" Tex-Mex joint that doesn't even have a sign (in fact, their "Get in Here" neon sign wasn't even on tonight..) While it's not true Mexican food (see La Michoacan on High Street for amazing $2 tacos), it always puts me a great mood! In fact, we are taking our friends Sean and Pepin there next weekend for another round and I cannot wait. 

My advice to you today? When you are in a bad mood or ready to recover from a rotten day, listen to a latin beat, treat yourself to some delicious food, and channel your inner Shakira (I know you have rhythm!)

The Power of the Written Word

Quick update on Dancing with the Darden Stars...it was amazing...in fact, I am still riding on a 72 hour adrenaline rush! While we had a few missteps and it was far from perfect, we nailed our lift and dip (it was by far the best we had ever done and it brought the house down!). I am still looking to see if anyone captured the full extension lift on camera so look for pictures soon! Have I mentioned that I love my job? Where else but Darden does your work entail learning how to dance??

Another reason to be happy? Staff retreats! While some people may wince at the thought, I had a fabulous retreat today with the Admissions staff. Katherine and Cheryl made us a delicious meal of black bean lasagna; italian sausage and goat cheese lasagna; spinach salad with strawberries, almonds, goat cheese, and poppyseed dressing; seedy bread; and a beautiful chocolate trifle. We spent 45 minutes on business topics (basically getting ready for a follow-up retreat in May) and then spent an hour on team building. We picked a name out of a hat, were asked to write a nice letter to that person, and then share it with the group. What a fantastic idea! The written word is so powerful. We shared thoughts on 20+ year friendships, daily smiles, mentoring opportunities, unwavering service to students and each other, and you know what I realized when I looked around the room? I truly like everyone, in fact, I would go as far as to say I would regard them all as my friends. In life we don't always get to choose the people who work along side us so how did I get so lucky? The relationships that I have forged at Darden during my 2.5 year tenure are unbelievable and I am so thankful for my colleagues!

I was also reminded of the importance of handwritten notes. Do you remember how it feels to receive a nice card in the snail mail? How about a sticky note on your desk that says "Good Morning! I hope you have a nice day!"? What about a nice thank you card after hosting an event? There are two people in my life who have mastered the art of handwritten cards, my mother-in-law, Barbara, and one of my greatest friends and former colleagues, Kristen (Lueckel) Buckler. Barbara remembers to send Blake and I birthday cards, anniversary cards, Valentine's Day cards and she never fails to brighten my day with this simple gesture. She is one of the classiest women I know and I am so proud to call her family! Kristen is one of those rare gems in this world and remembers to send all of her friends birthday cards (its no wonder she has so many friends). I remember one specific time last year when I won an award at Darden and she not only gave me a "Congratulations" card but also a huge balloon. It made my day (in fact, it made my week) because she made me feel valued.

Are there people in your life who deserve a handwritten note? Did someone help you work through a problem or lend a listening ear? I encourage you to think of those in your life who have made you a happier person and write to say "thank you" or "just thinking about you". I promise you will make their day a little brighter, too!

The Big Show

Tonight is the night that I put on my sparkling dancing shoes, bright pink dress, and best smile for Dancing with the Darden Stars! Am I nervous? It's 6:30 AM and I can't get triple step, triple step, back step out of my head so yes. Am I scared? Other than the fact that Dave could literally drop me on my head multiple times during our 2 minute routine, not really. Am I excited? Absolutely, I honestly cannot wait!

As I alluded to in multiple posts, I was asked to be a "star" at the SHE Auction tonight and perform the triple step swing with a student in front of hundreds of people. My first reaction was "absolutely", "of course", "how much fun!" and then reality set in...I am a terrible dancer (in fact, I have no rhythm at all) and I have never performed in front of an audience. I have thought of countless ways to get out of the event...can I sprain an ankle, get the flu, book an "emergency" trip? Then I remind myself that nobody in the audience expects us to be good, they are attending for the entertainment ( and we do have dips, turns, and lifts). Plus, the comedic value in falling is pretty high and more importantly, we are raising money for an imperative non-profit in the community, The Shelter for Help in Emergency.

When was the last time you tried something new? Maybe you want to learn how to snowboard or salsa or sing. Are you stuck in a job where you are passing the time but have no passion for the work or the people around you? Do you want to travel the world but think that you don't have time or it's too expensive? In our lives, we get stuck in routines and only do things that are comfortable. We live in fear of the unknown and are scared of the mental (or physical) pain that comes with taking risks but what about the rewards? When you step outside of your routine to learn something new or achieve a lifelong dream, you grow as a person. Aren't you happier when you find a new hobby, conquer tricky choreography, or feel passionate about your work?

No matter what happens tonight, I am so thankful for my dancing journey! Not only do I have an amazing partner who is patient, funny, and grew up in Chicago watching Michael Jordan play in human form (I think that's a pretty big deal!), but I have conquered one of my fears of dancing in front of hundreds of people. At the end of the evening, I know that our Darden family will be cheering for us and I will be smiling from ear to ear.

Idahoans Love Veggies!

I read an article today in Women's Health Magazine that ranked Boise, Idaho in their list of Top 10 Cities for Women. Boise is a wonderful small city (with exception of that annoying blue and orange team) that is the home to my best friends, Christina and Jennell. It is in the heart of the Treasure Valley, at the base of the Rocky Mountains and has some of the most beautiful soil in the world. Sadly, it is becoming victim to urban sprawl and much of this valuable farmland is being subdivided into housing developments...it is shameful to see what is happening to this nutritious mecca (wow, I am starting to sound like my Dad!)

So why did this national publication rank Boise as one of the best cities in the country? Because we Idahoans love our veggies and Boise boasts one of the lowest diabetes rates in the country. I have an obsession with vegetables: I eat them in my morning omelet, again at lunch in salads, sandwiches, wraps, or soups, have a snack of crudites and hummus, and at dinner in absolutely every meal I cook. I eat them partially because they are good for me and give me tons of energy, but mostly, I eat so many because I really enjoy the taste! I also attribute my positive impression to growing up with a family garden that boasted the most delicious carrots, snap peas, potatoes, corn, and tomatoes that I have ever eaten...thanks Mom for making me spend my summers weeding!

My reputation as a veggie-head must be getting around because I participated today in a focus group at Darden for a Second Year Corporate Innovation course on vegetables. These students are doing a project for Birdseye and wanted to get our opinion on how often we eat veggies, in what form (frozen, fresh, canned), where we buy our produce, and our overall impressions of this food group.

While I am not a vegetarian (my absolute favorite good is pork bbq), the majority of my diet is comprised of fruits and vegetables but I understand that most people don't fall into this category. If this sounds like you, I encourage you to be creative and find new ways to incorporate veggies into your daily diet.

Here are some simple ways to add more nutrition into your life:

Saute frozen or fresh broccoli with olive oil, red pepper flakes, and garlic

Add red peppers, mushrooms, and/or onions into your morning eggs

Toss red potatoes with olive oil, fresh rosemary, salt, pepper, and roast at 400 degrees for 1 hour

Wrap a sweet potato in foil and bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour (I prefer them plain but you can also make this a meal by adding black beans, corn, and salsa)

Cut up carrots, celery, cucumbers, and bell peppers and serve with hummus

What are your easy veggie recipes?

Pesto Stuffed Chicken Breast

When I came home today after work, I didn't have a set game plan for dinner. This is a very busy week with Day@Darden coming up on Friday and the SHE Auction on Saturday so I wasn't sure if we'd be home for dinner.  I improvised and found some chicken breasts and frozen broccoli, leftover pesto from the Margherita Pizza last week, and some red potatoes.

We ended up having a delicious dinner of Pesto Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Roasted Rosemary Red Potatoes, and Spicy Garlic Broccoli.

Pesto Stuffed Chicken Breasts
4 chicken breasts (I highly recommend local, free range chicken)
1 tablespoon pesto
2 tablespoons low fat cream cheese
1 egg
2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs (I make my own by putting leftover bread ends in the food processor and freezing)
2 teaspoons pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Mix together pesto and cream cheese
Slit chicken breasts with a paring knife (do not cut all the way through)
Stuff chicken with pesto cream mixture
Dredge in egg and whole wheat bread crumbs and pepper
Heat olive oil in cast iron skillet
Add chicken breasts and sear on both sides for 2-3 minutes
Heat oven to 400 degrees and put cast iron skillet in oven for 20-25 minutes
*If you do not have a cast iron skillet, sear chicken in frying pan and transfer to a glass pan coated in cooking spray

*Adapted from an EatingWell recipe