Archive for Food

Shrimp & Broccoli Over Quinoa

By Kristen on February 20, 2013

The weeks before Joe and I moved, we made an effort to do as little grocery shopping as possible.  Instead of buying more, we tried to use what we had and clean out the pantry.  It was a win-win for us because not only were we spending less but we also had less to move.

Granted, this plan was not always possible (sometimes you have to go to the grocery store to pick up a few things) but we did our best and used up a lot of the staples in our refrigerator and pantry.  A large part of this approach meant eating a lot of cereal and veggie burgers (not together), but we were able to come up with some delicious meals.

In our freezer, next to a box of veggie burgers, was a half a bag of shrimp and a big bag of frozen broccoli.  Clearly, Chinese food came to mind but we didn’t have rice… and we only had a little bit of soy sauce.  This was the time to get creative.

shrimp & broccoli http://www.popcornonthestove.com/

Shrimp & Broccoli over Quinoa

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 bag of shrimp
  • 1/2 bag of broccoli
  • 1 ½ cup quinoa, 3 cups water
  • soy sauce
  • rice wine vinegar
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic, diced
  • 1 tsp sugar

Directions:

1)  Begin by preparing the quinoa (go by what the package says).
2)  As the quinoa cooks, begin to defrost the shrimp.  Once it has defrosted, do any necessary cleaning (we make sure they’re clean and remove the tails).
3)  While the shrimp is defrosting, put the broccoli in a covered microwave safe bowl with a little bit of water for three minutes.
4)  Combine the soy sauce (to taste), rice wine vinegar (to taste), diced garlic, and teaspoon of sugar.  Mix well and put off to the side.
5)  When you’re finished cleaning the shrimp, drizzle a little olive oil in a non-stick pan.  Once the oil has heated, add the shrimp.  When the shrimp is almost done, add in the broccoli and pour the soy sauce mixture into the pan.  Stir everything up until the shrimp and broccoli is coated.
6)  When you’re ready to serve, scoop a serving of the quinoa into a plate and add the broccoli and shrimp mixture.  Be sure to get some of the extra sauce in the pan!
7)  Enjoy!

Shrimp & Broccoli http://www.popcornonthestove.com/

Psst – you can check out more recipes here!

Posted in Food, Recipes | 6 Comments

Veggie Chili

By Kristen on January 23, 2013

It’s not really a secret that the only meat I eat is from the sea, but I am able to admit that I am always jealous of the beef chili Joe makes every week.  It makes the entire apartment smell wonderful and looks delicious.  Unfortunately, I cannot bring myself to eat it.

Thankfully, I don’t have to because Joe is a wonderful husband and made me a vegetarian version of his chili!  I can honestly say that this is the best bean chili I have ever eaten.  To make it even better, I’ve been serving it over brown rice – which is great touch!

I highly recommend giving this recipe a go, especially if you’re not sure what to do for a meatless Monday… or you’re looking for a way to warm up during this cold spell!

20130123_veggiechili http://popcornonthestove.com

Veggie Chili

Ingredients:

  • 1 can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 cans crushed tomatoes
  • 2 onions, diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Cumin to taste
  • Garlic powder to taste
  • Chili powder to taste

Directions:

1)  Add a little bit of olive oil in a pot.  Once it’s heated, throw in the diced onions, garlic, and pepper.  Cook until it’s fragrant and softened a bit.

2)  Add the cans of crushed tomato, followed by the beans, and the spices (I would recommend adding less first, because you can add more later).  Stir everything together.

3)  Allow the chili to come to a boil for five minutes, then lower the heat and simmer for at least an hour.  If you would like to add more spices, do so now.

4)  Enjoy!

PS – You can see more of our recipes here.

Posted in Food, Recipes, Vegan | 6 Comments

Red Sauce with Clams and Mussels

By Kristen on December 26, 2012

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Joe and I have been alternating holidays since we started dating and this year, Christmas Eve was meant to be spent with my family.  We decided to host Christmas Eve dinner for a few reasons: 1) my mom had her annual family Christmas party this past Friday, 2) she would be hosting Christmas dinner, and 3) Staten Island is a mid-point for my family.  It was nice to take on the responsibility of hosting a major holiday but also, slightly terrifying.

In hopes of doing things right, we decided to attempt the feast of seven fishes.  Granted, we didn’t actually use 7 types of seafood (we only made it to four) but it’s the thought that counts.  Today I’ll be sharing our recipe for a red sauce with mussels and clams.  I promise it’s a simple recipe that is easy to do and will definitely impress your guests!

Red Sauce with Clams and Mussels | Popcorn on the Stove

Red Sauce with Clams and Mussels

Ingredients:

  • 4 Cans of red sauce
  • 1 Net of mussels
  • 1 Net of clams
  • 3 Whole garlic cloves
  • 3 Chopped garlic cloves
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Prep work: Before doing anything, you’ll need to go out and buy some fresh mussels and clams – just a net of each.  We waited until Sunday to make our purchase since we would be using them the next day.  We just tossed them into a bowl (kept in nets) and let them hang out in the fridge.

Instructions:

1)  Start preparing the marinara sauce.  To do this, start by adding olive oil to the bottom of a heated pot (low heat).  When the oil heats up, add the chopped and whole garlic clove until they brown.  Then add the four cans of tomato sauce.  Stir it all up and let it sit.

2)  Once the marinara sauce is done, you can either let it cool and store it in your refrigerator (which is what we did to make our lives simpler on Monday), or you can continue with the recipe.

3)  While the marinara sauce is simmering, you can start the prep work for the mussels and clams.  When you’re going to get ready to cook them, scrub each clam and drop it into a bowl of water for 20 minutes.  For the mussels, you just have to scrub and de-beard them.  While you’re cleaning the seafood, toss out anything with a cracked/broken shell or won’t close (to check that, just tap them – the healthy ones will close quickly).

4)  Once the marinara sauce is boiling and the seafood is prepped, you can start dropping them into the pot.  The clams and mussels will start opening.  If they don’t, go ahead and toss them out.

5)  When you’re almost ready to eat, boil a pot of water and drop in either linguine or thin spaghetti (really, whichever pasta you prefer) and  cook according to the box’s instructions.

6)  To serve, scoop the seafood out of the sauce, and toss it into a bowl (this way, your guests can choose how much and what seafood they’d like) and pour some of the sauce on top of the pasta.  Don’t forget another bowl on the table for those empty shells :)

Have you tried out a new recipe lately?  Perhaps hosted a holiday for the first time?  Anyone able to make it to seven fish?

PS – You can see more of our recipes here.

Posted in Christmas, Details, Food, Holidays, Recipes Tagged: , , | 2 Comments

Hot Chocolate

By Kristen on December 10, 2012

merrymonday-01

So today’s edition isn’t technically a craft, but it is something you make… and drink… and it involves chocolate.

Joe found this hot chocolate recipe over on Baked Bree and thought that this would be fun to do over the weekend.  It was the perfect idea since it was cold and rainy out.  Seeing as I’m impatient, I just heated up some soy milk and added my cocoa powder but Joe ended up taking some time to make his hot cocoa.  In fact, he changed it a bit so below is his version of this recipe.

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Homemade Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

  • A bar of good chocolate (Joe used Lindt’s Smooth Dark 70% Cocoa)
  • 2 cups of whole milk or whatever you prefer
  • 1 tbsp (real) Maple syrup (or to taste)
  • A few drops of vanilla
  • A pinch of salt
  • Marshmallows

Directions:

1)  Pour two cups of milk into a sauce pan and heat it up (it does not need to boil).

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2)  Break up the bar of chocolate into small pieces.  You can do this by either using a knife and chopping it or using a mortar and pestle like we did.

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3)  After the milk has heated up, start dropping the chocolate into the saucepan.

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4)  Add the salt, vanilla, and maple syrup.

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5) Whisk it all up.  In the beginning, it will be a lighter color but after a couple of minutes, it will get darker.

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6)  Pour it into a mug…

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7)  … and add some marshmallows.

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8)  Enjoy!

Did you end up hiding away this weekend due to the weather?  Maybe started getting into the holiday spirit with things like hot cocoa or candy canes?  Are you a fan of big marshmallows or the tiny ones?  

PS – That mug was a gift someone gave to my dad back in the 80′s.  It cracks me up, which is why I have ‘borrowed’ it for the last six years.  

Posted in Christmas, Food, Fun, Holidays, MerryMondays, Winter Tagged: , , , | 8 Comments

For the Baker/Chef

By Kristen on December 9, 2012

One of the great things about December is that it feels like everything is on sale.  One of the not-so-great things is that it can be stressful to try to find the perfect gift for someone.  I’m almost done with my holiday shopping – just one gift to go! – so I thought it would be fun to list some of my favorite things to help out with some Holiday shopping.  Today will be focused on kitchen items, but in the future I’ll be sharing gifts for him, gifts for kids, and gifts for her.

kitchengifts

| one | two | three | four | five |

1)  Up first is the Emily Henry Baking Stone from Crate & Barrel (on sale for $33.71).  When Joe and I were registering for our wedding, I told him that I wanted to add a pizza stone to the list.  He wasn’t 100% on board but it was added none-the-less.  Now, this is something that permanently lives in our oven and is used at least once a week for pizza – though it can be used for other items like bread.

2)  Another thing we get a lot of use out of is our mortar and pestle.  This White Marble Mortar & Pestle Sur La Table ($14.95) isn’t the exact one that Joe and I have (we have this one in a darker marble) but it’s at a great price and will get the job done.  It’s a great gift because it has so many uses but it also look really great when it’s being used to serve.

3)  Who doesn’t love the KitchenAid Artisan 5 qt. Stand Mixer  from Target (on sale for $279.99)?  Typically, this is something that’s saved for a registry but if you’re looking to get one for a friend, or just want to treat yourself, this is a great price.  There are a ton of colors available – from the staple red to yellow to the cobalt blue we have.  We use ours often, not just to mix baking items but to do things like shred chicken (Joe is constantly doing this)

4)  During the holidays, bringing a bottle of wine as a gift to a host or hostess is always a safe gift but what better to accompany the gift of a bottle of wine with a Christmas Tree Bottle Stopper from Pier1 (for $6.95)?  It’s a festive little touch that will get use over the years.

5)  I don’t personally bake pies but I did end up buying the Le Creuset Stoneware Pie Bird Funnel from Amazon  (on sale for $4.95) as a gift for my aunt who loves making pies during the holidays.  This adorable little fellow will help keep the bottom and top crust crisp while allowing steam to escape from the filling.  Everyone wins with this!

Are you almost done shopping?  Any kitchen items you would recommend for gifts?  

Posted in Christmas, Food, Gifts, Holidays Tagged: , , | 4 Comments
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