food – Page 3 – Movin' it with Michelle

Two things, Tuesday…Soup and dreams

November 5, 2014 Movin' it with Michelle

Tonight’s dinner was a new recipe I came up with after several rough days at work. I wasn’t sure what I would make with the chicken thighs I pulled out of the freezer, but I knew it would comforting regardless. And what’s more comforting than a yummy soup to warm the soul after chilly temps and a few harsh days at work.

ONE:

Chicken and gnocchi soup

Who doesn't love a good bowl of soup? — Who doesn’t love a good bowl of soup?

What you’ll need:

4 chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces

4 cups of low sodium veggie stock

4 cups of water

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons of butter

2-3 tablespoons of garbanzo/fava flour (can be found in the gluten free section of your local market)

1 red pepper, diced

1 red onion, diced

2 celery stocks, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

Cayenne pepper, taco seasoning, cilantro, oregano, basil, parsley, salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup of grated parmesan to garnish

I used store bought gnocchi, but plan on learning to make this from scratch

In a large sauce pot, add your butter, and flour and cook through stirring with a whisk. Add in your veggie stock and water, stirring well. Bring the liquid to a rolling boil, and add your heavy cream. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne and Worcestershire sauce. Reduce the heat to a simmer while you prepare the ‘meat’ of the soup.

In a separate pan, add extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat the pan) and bring to a medium/high heat. Cook your chicken through, seasoning with salt, pepper, and taco seasoning. Once cooked, remove from pan and set aside.

Drain the grease from the pan, but don’t wipe any excess oil. Add a splash of oil, and add in all your veggies. Season with salt and pepper until cooked 3/4 of the way. You still want a slight crunch to your veggies.

Add your chicken to the large sauce pot with the stock as well as oregano, basil, cilantro and parsley and let simmer for 20 minutes. While this is simmering, cook the gnocchi according to the package directions. This takes about 7 minutes.

Next, add in your veggies, stir well, and prepare to plate. Just before serving, add your gnocchi to the soup, stir gently, and serve!

I garnished with parmesan cheese!

TWO:

As most of you know, my ultimate dream is to work in the food industry. Be it as a Chef, a writer, a critic, or restaurateur I know my place is in the food industry. As I was driving home from work today, I had my one on one time with God and asked for His ultimate guidance. I hate the feeling that although I have a good life, I long for so much more for my family. I chased that dream recently with my MasterChef audition, but sadly that journey was short lived despite months of preparation. So as my family hunkered down to watch the season premier MasterChef Junior I couldn’t help but to have to fight with that nagging tug at my heart.

That tug was quickly replaced with a renewed sense of pride in the children of today’s society. One young Chef presented raw chicken, and instead of competitive hatred, these kids rallied around this little Chef and I found tears pouring down my face. My youngest sat nestled in the crook of my arms, and she squeezed me a little tighter when she saw what the kids did to comfort the little Chef. So at the end of the day, I may not be a MasterChef…but I am teaching my kids a love for great food, compassion, and the importance of dreams. Despite an ache in my soul some days…I know ultimately my dreams are still very real. Don’t get me wrong. I am still choosing to be content with the gifts God has given to me. But I do refuse to settle. I’ll keep chasing those dreams…just watch me! 🙂

Keep movin’ forward gang. Always.

❤ Michelle

food

Mid week recipe

October 30, 2014October 30, 2014 Movin' it with Michelle

I came home from work with no idea what to make for dinner. I had taken out chicken to thaw but couldn’t decide what to make. An easy casserole sounded great on this crisp day.
Recipe:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
I package of chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
I small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red pepper, diced
1 hot chili pepper, finely diced
1 head of broccoli, chopped
5 baby portobello mushrooms, chopped
Add all this to a wide pan and sauté in extra virgin olive oil for about ten minutes. Season with salt, pepper, smoked paprika and oregano to taste.

Prepare 1 cup of jasmine rice, cooked al dente.
1 can of cream of mushroom soup, mixed with one can of water and a dollop of sour cream. Add salt, pepper and cumin and stir.

Layer the casserole with rice first. I sprinkled some dry cilantro on the rice.

Next after draining any remaining grease, add your chicken and veggie mixture on top of the rice.

Lastly, add the soup mixture by pouring evening over the top of the casserole. I topped it with some Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Bake for 30 minutes and serve!

Tip: spray your casserole with cooking spray for a quick and easy clean up!!

How do you come up with creative mid week meals?

food

Tuesday truths-part 2…Family and Food

October 28, 2014 Movin' it with Michelle

Two of my all time favorite things are my family, and food. If you have been around my blog for a while, you have read of my trials and tribulations, but more so the glue that held my life together this last decade or so…

My family. No matter how near or far we are physically, we always come back to one another welcoming each other with open arms. Here are some good shots from my eldest nephew Jack’s Confirmation this past weekend.

A couple weeks ago, we were blessed to have our pictures taken by Missy Donovan Photography based out of Geneva, IL. WOW…I can’t stand my picture getting taken, but the sneak peaks today were amazing. Here’s one of my favorites, so far…

Yup...these people. Crazy, goofy, silly, serious, driven, moody, and best of all-TOGETHER — Yup…these people. Crazy, goofy, silly, serious, driven, moody, and best of all-TOGETHER

I’ve been slacking with my cooking since my MasterChef audition, so decided to keep our dinner tonight simple. In 20 minutes I prepared jasmine rice according to package instructions, adding salt, pepper and thyme.

While the rice was cooking, I sautéed garlic, shallots, and Portobello mushrooms in a wide pan. I added a teaspoon of pomegranate infused vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of veggie stock and let reduce down. After ten minutes, I added chopped asparagus and cooked for 5 minutes until still slightly crunchy. Lastly, I added the shrimp that I marinated in the pomegranate vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper. The shrimp was precooked, so I simply had to heat through.

Serve the shrimp and veggies over the rice, and you’ve got a healthy meal in less than 20 minutes.

Do you have any go-to recipes you use during the week? What size family do you have?

❤ Michelle

food, goals

My MasterChef open call experience

October 13, 2014 Movin' it with Michelle

Wow. Where do I begin. After several months of practicing, studying, and perfecting my signature dish the day came upon us way too quick.
Friday I took the day off work for last minute shopping and preparing my dish.
First I made my spicy red pepper and carrot purée along with my broccoli, leek and basil purée. We would keep these heated with some awesome thermos I bought in the camping section of Target.

I got my list and supplies all set out for our trip downtown Friday.

Friday we packed up our crockpots and electric griddle to quickly seer off my Chilean sea bass in the morning.

We headed downtown and I tried to relax. I’m sure we were quite the sight with several suitcases and coolers packed for a one night stay.

The morning of auditions I woke up in a panic. After checking the coolers, I noticed water leaked in to my container holding the fish. Oh. My. Goodness. But thankfully my amazing husband helped calm me down the best he could. We got everything ready and I was headed to the lobby to catch a cab.

I showed up promptly at ten am when the doors were set to open. I was welcomed by an awesome bell man who recognized immediately I was trying out for the show. He directed me to the third floor and there was only two people in front of me in line. I got all checked in and turned around to see Kira and Elise from last season. Trying to soak it all in, and squelch my nerves I asked for photo ops with them both.

They were both amazing, chatting with us all and my nerves calmed down a little. I found a seat, and waited for about an hour in the initial holding room. And then…my number was called to head to the second room to wait in a smaller group of about 21 home cooks. Quickly we bonded, sharing stories, recipes, and what we brought for the show. I made a couple friends, and settled in being my normal silly self.

Finally an hour and a half later we were called in to the tasting room. There were several producers, and a couple chefs that would taste our dishes. Sadly no photos were allowed but I was quite pleased with my plating. After being given a couple minutes to get organized we had three minutes to plate our dish.
Finally the chef came to my plate and I described the dish. She tasted and seemed to enjoy it, nodding and really enjoying my spicy purée. After several questions she thanked me and next was the producers questions. I answered all the questions with confidence and felt good.

But once they finished and the numbers were called for people to stay on, sadly my number wasn’t called. I smiled, wished my fellow cooks good luck and walked to the lobby to text Brian telling him the audition was over. I had tears in my eyes, sad to see the journey end so quickly but was reminded quickly from my friends and family how far I had come these last few years.

I just tried out for one of the biggest cooking shows on TV in the world. And they liked my food. Even my fellow contestants tried and liked my dish! So despite slight disappointment, I am ultimately pleased and proud of all they happened this weekend.

So instead of feeling sad or sorrowful after the audition, we went and had an amazing meal afterwards and shopped at Eatily for ingredients for Sunday supper.
Today I cooked with a renewed passion and strength in my cooking, regardless of my lack of progressing to the next round. I made a French cut veal chop with roasted veggies and basmati rice. I also made a red wine and cranberry reduction for the veal that was delish.

At the end of the day, I’m pleased, proud, and know that cooking will always be a huge part of my life.

food, goals

I’m still here!

October 7, 2014October 7, 2014 Movin' it with Michelle

I’m still without a computer but wanted to check in with you all! This weekend is the open call for Master Chef season 6! I’ve got my dish ready! Here were the two final candidates:

I’ll be making the Chilean Sea bass, but will plate more like I did the salmon. I’ve got my crock pots ready to keep the food warm and two “all day” thermos containers to transport my warm components to the audition.

My goals and expectations for Saturday are quite simple, and very much like running a marathon for the first time in part.
First. Don’t die, trip, or make a fool of myself.
Second. Pray the judges like my food at the very least.
That’s it!

More to follow!! Thanks for all the support.

Xo
Michelle

food

Shrimp spring rolls

September 30, 2014 Movin' it with Michelle

I had several people ask me for my spring roll recipe. I apologize for the double post but wanted to write it up before I forgot!
What you’ll need:
One bag of precooked shrimp, thawed and chopped.
One cucumber, chopped finely
Half of a red pepper, chopped finely
Two spring onions, chopped finely
One carrot, grated
One clove of garlic, minced
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste
2 teaspoons of gluten free Tamari soy sauce
A splash of sesame oil
Kosher salt, black pepper and five Chinese five spice to taste
I package of rice wrappers

Mix all ingredients well in a large bowl and let marinate for 15 minutes.
Soak wrappers according to package directions.
Place about a tablespoon of the mixture at the bottom end of the wrapper. Roll a quarter turn tightly, bringing in the edges and continuing to roll tight.
Set aside.
Dipping sauce:
Tamari gluten free soy sauce-about a quarter cup
Splash of rice wine vinegar
Crushed red pepper flakes
Pinch of freshly grated ginger
One teaspoon of spring onion
Pinch of brown sugar
Just a touch of sesame oil
Mix well and this makes for a tasty dipping sauce.

I served with basmati rice and edamame. Delish and healthy!!

💗Michelle

food

Cauliflower purée recipe

September 30, 2014September 30, 2014 Movin' it with Michelle

I’ll keep this quick with my computer still being down but wanted to share this yummy recipe.
What you’ll need:
One head of cauliflower, roughly chopped.
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons of butter
Drizzle of EVOO
1/2 cup of milk
1/4 cup of low fat sour cream
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

In a deep pot melt the butter and EVOO and add in the cauliflower and garlic. Cook for about 12 minutes on medium high heat until tender, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Once cooked add in your milk and sour cream and purée with a stick mixer or blender.
Voila! Simple, quick, and a great side for any protein!

Enjoy!!
💗 Michelle

dedication, food

The end of season 5, Master Chef

September 16, 2014 Movin' it with Michelle

After work today I quickly took a shower, got my kids fed and swept my little one off to ballet class from 6-7 pm. The season finale for Master Chef was TONIGHT, and I knew I’d miss the first 15 minutes but it was so worth while seeing my baby so excited to dance. So dance…we did.

We got home at 7:15, and I literally ran down to the basement to watch the season finale of Master Chef. Thankfully I had an old pair of running shoes on…keep in mind, I am still wearing said shoes. LOL.

My hubby had the wine ready, and we settled in quickly to watch the show. One cool aspect was that Twitter was allowing you to ask questions to the Chefs…and yeah…Graham Elliot responded to my tweet. Keep in mind, I suck at tweeting.

But I watched in awe as these home cooks did their thing…and I cried at the end, hoping, wishing, envisioning myself standing there in boots, and not heels.

The kicker was, having my husband ask me why I was crying…”You see yourself standing there, don’t you?”…Your darn right I do…because I know I have the passion needed to get where I want, need, to be.

At the end of the day, my husband said, YOU CAN DO THIS…and I will polish off my combat boots and try my hardest.

‘Nuff said.

Keep movin forward gang!

dedication, food, goals

Masterchef test kitchen, take one…

September 15, 2014 Movin' it with Michelle

Well, I haven’t ran this week as most of you know. I took it, mostly, in stride despite starting to go crazy by the end of the week. I had decided yesterday that I would run tonight, but I woke up with another sinus headache, and several bloody nose bleeds to follow so I set the goal of running tonight aside. After a couple hours, I got the nose bleeds under control, so I showered, got dressed and hit the grocery store running with my youngest in tow. She’s my ‘sous chef’ and we decided along with our regular grocery shopping that we would get something nice to prepare for our traditional “Sunday supper.” I was also secretly using tonight as a test run for my Master Chef try out dish.

On the menu was:

Pan seared scallops

Roasted red pepper and carrot puree

Zucchini salad

We started by prepping our carrots and peppers. Here’s what you’ll need for the puree in case you’ve missed my previous post.

Roasted red pepper and carrot puree ingredients:

2 large carrots, chopped

2 red peppers, chopped

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

Transfer to a large bowl, and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread out on a baking sheet, and roast for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. Let cool, and transfer to a food processor, adding a 1/4 stick of unsalted butter, dollop of low fat cream cheese, and two teaspoons of sun dried tomato pesto with whole pine nuts. (I use the Bella Sane Luci brand, but any will do). Puree on high until smooth, seasoning as needed. I finish it with a sprinkle or two of freshly grated parmesan cheese. DELISH. I normally make this first as it’s the most labor intensive, and put in a baking dish to reheat although it’s quite tasty at room temperature.

Zucchini salad ingredients:

One half of a large zucchini noodled by your gadget of choice. I use the Vegetti and love it. Season the zucchini with salt and pepper and just a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Top with 2-3 radicchios finely diced. For garnish, the tops of oyster mushrooms lightly fried in basil infused olive oil (I made my own!). Drizzle with a light lemon vinaigrette dressing of which I also make my own. (One teaspoon of Dijon mustard, juice of one lemon, salt, pepper, and whisk in extra virgin olive oil). Note: I separate all toppings, and make each salad individually.

Pan seared scallops:

Dry your scallops with paper towels, and place on a plate, seasoning simply with kosher salt and pepper. Pan fry (I used my basil infused evoo) on medium to high heat, and turn once. Finish by draining the scallops on a plate lined with a paper towel.

Serve, as shown. I garnished the dish with fried basil leaves, and it was a hit.

This picture sadly wasn't the best, but it shows you how I plated the dish. — This picture sadly wasn’t the best, but it shows you how I plated the dish.

I made a couple yummy appetizers that I forgot to take pictures of, I know…blogger fail. But stuffed cherry tomatoes with cheese and basil roasted to perfection and crostini’s also accompanied our dinner.

My take away at my first real attempt at a “Master Chef” dish:

I need to acquire better pans to get that amazing sear on scallops without having them stick. (Christmas list item, number one.)

I need to work on time management as I find myself spending hours preparing these meals despite knowing the show is timed. Sadly (well not really) I lose myself in the kitchen nearly as much as I do with running…therefore losing track of time. Could I make this dish in just an hour??

I’m still unsure…but, I am still trying. Working. Hoping that I can find that inner spark to get my through to the ‘next round’ so to speak.

At the end of the day, I am pleased…I had almost given up on my dreams (yet again) of being well, more than I have allowed myself to be…but I have realized I am not satisfied with just ‘being.’

The last few years I have found myself talking in my own head…telling myself I know, I KNOW there is a greater purpose out there for me besides a 7-4 job…I just have to keep movin’ forward and FIND it…more so MAKE it happen.

And. I. Will.

So as I take my last sip of my orange cello (lemon cello with a twist of orange, YUM!) and I mentally prepare for our half marathon (my husband’s first!) I realize we can…and we will…OVERCOME. ALL things…in life. It’s our choice…it’s MY choice. And I’ve made it.

Just wait.

Question: What inner dreams do you have? Do you push yourself to attain these dreams, or do you let them be simply a dream?

❤ Michelle

dedication, food, goals, moving forward

Sometimes you have to step back to move forward

September 9, 2014 Movin' it with Michelle

I haven’t blogged in over a week. There. I said it. My computer is on the fritz, and to be honest I’ve needed to just unplug somewhat lately. Less…well, is more lately. Sometimes you just need a little support and feedback, and social media has more than disappointed me lately. Bah.

But some key bullet points go a little like this…

We’ve remained nearly on point for our half marathon training. We did our last super longish run on Friday night, despite the crazy rain, thunderstorms, and tornado warnings. 10 miles, done. We will do our miles this week, and a semi-long run this weekend to keep consistency but embracing the taper. Our race is less than 2 weeks away!

We went to Chicago last weekend to get some much needed downtime, and enjoyed some amazing food.

This afternoon my eldest texted me a photo of a note that her “friend” wrote her asking her to homecoming. My heart was so happy for her, yet sad for me as I see my baby girl growing up into a lady…please. stop. time. But I am thankful she shared this moment, with me…

Tonight, my youngest started her first ballet class, and despite feeling very rushed after work to get home, feed the kids, get homework squeezed in, and a quick shower, (ack, holy commas) we made it to class by 6 pm. I snuck quite a few peeks in the window, and was taken aback by my daughter’s grace. She lacks focus, she has a hard time staying on track…but she would see me watching and all of a sudden her ‘position’ moves became seamless. I couldn’t help but to smile behind my tears. My parents were always too busy to put me in activities, and I find myself often in the same situation. So making time for this one hour per week class is almost selfish for it’s for ME too…seeing her joy brings ME such joy. It’s worth missing out on a run/workout to see her face light up.

We watched Master Chef tonight…and although I may have sidelined my audition for yet another year due to financial constraints, I still get that pull to my heart watching the contestants compete each week. Yet I know I don’t have the confidence or skill quite yet…but it’s coming.

So this year I will regroup. Refocus. And cook my heart out by recipe from world renowned cook books that sit on my shelf collecting dust.

I may or may not go to the casting call of Master Chef in Chicago on October 11th. I need to dig deep. And believe. But I also know our family cannot sustain on one income.

Time will tell…

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