As summer ends, school begins, and we get back into our fall routines, here is something a little different for a healthy weeknight meal. The lightness of the poached fish is great with the grainy texture of the quinoa, freshness of the apple and crunchiness of the almonds. It’s also very filling.
Fish
Directions
When a friend is in need or having a hard time and I want cheer him or her up, the one thing that I turn to in helping out is bringing food. It’s the one thing I know that I’m good at and that they will appreciate. Recently, I made a big pan of chicken enchiladas to take to a pal. I put my own spin on a recipe and it turned out amazing.
This dish is great to take to a pot luck or to prepare for a Tex-Mex themed party. Everyone will love these. Just add some sides of spanish rice, black beans, chips, salsa and guacamole and you’ll have a wonderful night of noshing with friends.
Ranch Chicken Enchiladas
ingredients:
3 cups, cooked, shredded chicken (Buy a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store deli to make this easy recipe even easier.)
2 cups chicken broth
3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
12 whole corn tortillas
1 Large Onion, diced
3 4 oz. cans diced green chilies
1 whole Jalapeño, seeded and diced
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Flour
1 cup Sour Cream
3 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cilantro, chopped
Salsa and Guacamole to serve on the side
directions:
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Fry tortillas about 20 seconds, just to soften (do not allow to become crisp.) Place tortillas on a large towel or stack of paper towels to drain.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in separate skillet over medium heat. Add onions and jalapenos and saute for 1 minute, just to start the cooking process. Add chicken, half of the green chilies, and 1/2 of seasoning packet. Stir together. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir. Add cream and stir, allowing mixture to bubble and get hot. Turn off heat and set aside.
In a separate large skillet, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together and cook over medium heat for one minute. Pour in 1 1/2 cups chicken broth. Whisk together and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the other half of the chilies. Reduce heat, then stir in sour cream. Add 1 1/2 cups grated cheese and stir to melt. Add the other half of the seasoning packet. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.
To assemble, spoon chicken mixture on top of tortillas, one by one. Top with plenty of cheese and roll up. Place seam side down in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.
Pour ranch cheese mixture all over the top of the tortillas. Top with extra cheese if you’d like, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle generously with chopped cilantro.
Serve with salsa, guacamole and sides (and maybe a Margarita).
Christy Turnipseed is Birmingham born and raised. She’s a vintage jewelry designer for Lil’ Seeds. She’s a foodie, art and music lover and blogs at al.com and lifeofaturnip.com. She’s on twitter@cturnip.
I have commitment issues.
No, I don’t mean I can’t settle down in a romantic relationship; I’ve been happily married for nearly 8 years.
I suppose it would be more accurate to say I have overcommitment issues. I say “Yes” to too much, too often.
Me: You betcha!
We women must learn to say “No” because, as I’ve learned the hard way, overcommitment leads to a life of mediocrity. I have become a Jane of all trades, but a master of none. I’m doing a good job at many things, but a great job at nothing.
So what’s a girl to do? Write a personal mission statement. A personal mission statement will help us say “Yes” to the things that matter most and “No” to everything else.
I’ve written a personal mission statement before and it certainly helped me cut out some activities. But I sit here today still in need of margin in my life. So I suppose it’s time to revisit and revamp my statement.
For help I turned to Karen Florence of Iron Tribe Fitness in Birmingham. “Goal setting is a huge part of our Iron Tribe culture both internally with the staff and with our clients,” Florence says. And I figured setting the right goals would help me focus on what matters most.
- When you lie down at night, what do you imagine being a part of or accomplishing?
- What do you already do and enjoy even though you don’t get paid for it?
- What are your talents?
- What scares you a little to try, but excites you just as much?
- What have you tried before and failed? Why does the failure bother you so much, and why do you still want to achieve the original goal?
Florence stresses that while it’s important to think about what goal you want to accomplish, it’s even more important to consider why you want to do it.Why does it keep you up at night. Why will it change your life? Why will it make a difference?
After talking with Florence I came to this conclusion: a personal mission statement should be about two things — passion and people.
Your personal mission statement should be centered on what you’re most passionate about, but it’s important to remember life isn’t all about you. Consider how you can take that passion and help other people. But chances are, you’re always thinking about helping other people. So perhaps you need to write a personal statement that reminds you to sometimes think about yourself.
My first personal statement was as follows:
To empower women through language by writing inspiring, informative, and entertaining works of creative non-fiction and motivating women to create literary art of their own.
And here’s my new one:
To live a life worth writing about and to use my passion for feminism, fitness, and the written word to empower women and girls.
My new statement is a bit broader than my first but in my new statement I’ve clearly defined my passions and the people I want to help. And in my new personal mission statement I’ve also remembered not to forget about myself.
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Mardi Gras is around the corner and I happen to love Cajun food — all of it. I love seafood and spicy food, so what could be better? For this Cajun-inspired recipe I decided to combine two of my favorite foods — Cajun shrimp and risotto. Yes, I know you’re thinking that cooking risotto is hard, but this is a one pot dish, making things a bit easier. It’s great for a quick weeknight meal and takes less than an hour from start to the dinner table. Plus if you’re only cooking for two you’ll have plenty of leftovers to work the next day. (And it’s even better the next day.
Enjoy and Happy Mardi Gras!
Cajun Shrimp and Pea Risotto
ingredients:
4 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon cajun seasoning, or more to taste
¾ pounds of shrimp, peeled and deveined (you can use frozen shrimp here too if you want)
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
¼ cup white wine
3 cups chicken broth (plus more if risotto is dry)
1/2 cup frozen peas
Juice of half a lemon
Hot Sauce to serve
- In a small bowl, toss shrimp in 2 tbsp. of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. In a dutch oven (or large stockpot), add the shrimp and cook on medium high heat until they’re opaque in the center, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and place shrimp and juices in a bowl. Set aside.
- In the same pot, add 2 more tbsp. of olive oil and cook the onion and garlic until translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add the Arborio rice and slightly toast the outside of it, stirring constantly. Gently add the white wine and cook it down until most have been absorbed by the rice, about 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Then add the chicken broth, bring to a boil while stirring often. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and let cook for another 15 minutes, until the rice is creamy, tender and has a bite to it.
- Add the peas, stir to combine, then add the shrimp. Season with cajun seasoning, to taste.
- If the risotto seems too dry and not creamy, add more chicken broth, ¼ cup at a time, until you achieve the right consistency.
- Juice half a lemon on top of the risotto before serving, then stir to combine.
- Serve hot with hot sauce if desired and store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container
Christy Turnipseed is Birmingham born and raised. She’s a vintage jewelry designer for Lil’ Seeds. She’s a foodie, art and music lover and blogs at al.com and lifeofaturnip.com. She’s on twitter @cturnip.
BLT Pasta — this dish is a simple one, however, with a little bit of love it becomes something amazing. It takes some time to roast the tomatoes, but on a cold night, this dish is very comforting, especially if you love bacon.
I love bacon. I mean, I really really love bacon. I really could write an entire love letter to bacon, pork, and BBQ but that’s another day.
What’s great about this dish is that you probably already have all the ingredients on hand. Cook this up with some garlic bread, grab your Snuggie and curl up on the couch with your DVR or favorite book.
BLT Pasta
Ingredients
1 TB extra-virgin olive oil
8 oz. thick applewood smoked bacon, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 lbs. cherry tomatoes, slow roasted (see note) with juices
1 lb. dried spaghetti or linguine (any pasta you like, really)
8 oz. fresh spinach, mixed greens or arugula (whatever is in season)
1/2 cup freshly shredded pecorino Romano cheese
Directions
1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt generously.
2. While the water is heating, warm the olive oil in a large pan placed over medium heat. Add the bacon and saute stirring frequently for 10-12 minutes or until the bacon begins to render its fat and turn somewhat crispy. When the bacon is done, carefully drain the fat leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pan. Return to heat and stir in the cherry tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, 5-7 minutes or until the tomatoes are heated through. Turn off the heat and cover the sauce to keep it warm.
3. Add the pasta to the boiling water, stir to separate the noodles, and cook according to package or al dente. Drain the cooked pasta in a colander, but reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.
4. Transfer the pasta to the pan and toss the pasta and sauce to combine thoroughly, adding a splash or two of the cooking water to loosen the sauce (I had to eventually use the whole cup). Add the greens by the handful and continue to toss for a minute or so until the greens are wilted. Transfer the dressed pasta to shallow bowls and sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately.
5. NOTE: To make slow-roasted cherry tomatoes, heat oven to 275 degrees. Cut cherry tomatoes in half and arrange them in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle 1/4 cup of olive oil over the tomatoes, then scatter two cloves of garlic, thinly sliced, over the tomatoes. Season with fine sea salt and pepper and roast 2-3 hours, or until the tomatoes have shriveled a little but are still moist. Let cool and use immediately or can be stored in a tightly lidded container in the fridge up to one week. Bring to room temperature before using.
Christy Turnipseed is Birmingham born and raised. She’s a vintage jewelry designer for Lil’ Seeds. She’s a foodie, art and music lover and blogs at al.com and lifeofaturnip.com. She’s on twitter@cturnip.
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Happy New Year, See Jane Write fans! As amazing as 2013 was, I am excited to start fresh and begin a new chapter. I hope you will continue to join us ladies of See Jane Write Magazine throughout 2014! Remember we care about you as much as we care about your writing. So you can turn here not only for articles meant to help advance your career, but for recipes to help you eat right on a writer’s budget and with a writer’s busy schedule.
Let’s open our arms to the new year with something simple, something delicious, but something that’s also a great first start to clear ourselves of those holiday feasts. If you want to “detox” a little this coming month to help get over the garbage we’ve filled ourselves with in December, and ring in the new year with a clean body and mind, here’s a start.
Like I said, the beauty of making this meal is its simplicity. If you’re not into Brussels sprouts, use kale or collards, or any dark greens. I also added some easy steamed crab claws just to have another protein, but you don’t have to be fancy like me.
Happy 2014!
Brussels Sprouts with Fried Egg and Curry Spiced Yogurt Salad
- Whisk yogurt, curry powder, and lemon zest, in a medium bowl to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set spiced yogurt aside.
- Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add brussels sprout leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and edges are dark brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Add shallots; cook until onion is just soft, about 1 minute. Add 2 tsp. vinegar and season to taste with salt, pepper, and more vinegar, if desired.
- Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Gently fry eggs until whites are cooked through (turn over briefly if you like your eggs over easy). Season with salt and pepper. Divide curry spiced yogurt between plates. Top with sautéed brussels sprouts and eggs. Garnish with hot pepper sauce.
Christy Turnipseed is Birmingham born and raised. She’s a vintage jewelry designer for Lil’ Seeds. She’s a foodie, art and music lover and blogs at al.com and lifeofaturnip.com. She’s on twitter@cturnip.
Some people hate all the hype surrounding New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. And many people will tell you making resolutions for 2014 is a waste of time. I’m not one of those people.
New Year’s Eve is my favorite holiday. And New Year’s Day is a close second. I call them a night of hope and a day of dreams. I love spending New Year’s Eve partying with my pals, reflecting on the year we’ve had. And I kick off each New Year by having brunch (my favorite meal) and putting the finishing touches on my list of goals for the year ahead.
I understand why many people are reluctant to set goals and make resolutions at the start of the year. You’ve resolved to write a book before, but the words just wouldn’t come. You tried to exercise daily last year but failed.
But this year I invite you to view resolutions in a new way.
I’m a lady of letters so I turn to the dictionary for help with this. Yes, to resolve does me to make a firm decision about something, but it also means to find an answer or solution to something, to make something clear and understandable, and it can mean to separate something into constituent parts.
Let’s make use of this definition as we set our sights on the year ahead. Instead of simply resolving to write a book or lose weight, break down your goals into steps and helpful habits. Consider what you can do on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis to make your dreams come true.
This year I want to increase the readership for See Jane Write Magazine and my personal blog, WriteousBabe.com. I want to grow See Jane Write Birmingham and I want to promote myself more as a freelance writer and public speaker through my new website Javacia.com. Just staring at those goals can be intimidating, but breaking them down into daily, weekly, and monthly tasks makes them much more manageable.
Here are my writing resolutions for 2014:
- Engage on social media (specifically Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+) daily.
- Comment on someone else’s blog daily.
- Update WriteousBabe.com at least three days a week.
- Update SeeJaneWriteMagazine.com weekly.
- Update SeeJaneWriteBham.com weekly (with announcements about events and magazine content).
- Share a blog post on BlogHer weekly.
- Host a See Jane Write Birmingham event each month.
- Pitch a story idea to one of my favorite publications every month.
- Guest blog or be featured on a blog at least once a month.
- In December 2014 let go of any projects that aren’t working.
WHAT HELPFUL HABITS WILL YOU ADOPT THIS YEAR TO HELP MAKE YOUR WRITING DREAMS COME TRUE?
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By Christy Turnipseed
Chances are cold weather puts you in the mood for comfort food. But you probably don’t have the time to put it all together. Two kitchen appliances I love (besides my Le Creuset Dutch Oven) is my Crockpot and rice cooker. With a Crockpot you can just walk in the door after a long day at work to dinner almost prepared. Also, a rice cooker is my new favorite. I’m terrible at cooking rice. I mean, bad. Rice cookers are fairly inexpensive and you never ruin a batch of rice! Amazing!
Now you don’t need both to prepare this dish – which I call lazy “gumbo” — but if you make it before work or during a lunch break, you can come home to a great dinner.
It is a “gumbo” with quotation marks because instead of making roux I made an easier vegetable soup based type.
So it’s not a really an authentic style gumbo, but it works when you’re in a hurry or when you’re not feeling your best and still want dinner on the table.
Lazy Chicken and Sausage “Gumbo” in the Crockpot
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed (or if you are really lazy you can cube some and lay a few whole ones on the bottom of the Crockpot and shred later, which I did)
1/2 lb. fully cooked kielbasa sausage, chopped
3 medium celery stalks with leaves, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
2 cans (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes with juice
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (leave them whole and pull out the steams later)
1 bag frozen succotash (corn and lima beans)
1 32 oz. chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne (or more to your liking)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 6oz. can tomato paste
1/2 bag whole frozen okra
3 cups hot cooked white rice
Frank’s Red Hot Pepper Sauce, to serve
Fresh Thyme leaves, to serve
Directions
Mix chicken, sausage, celery, carrot, onion, tomatoes, peppers, thyme, succotash, broth and all seasoning in 4- to 5-quart slow cooker.
Cover and cook on high setting 3 hours or low for 6 hours.
Stir in tomato paste and cook on medium setting for 35 minutes.
Add frozen okra, turn heat to low while making rice.
Spoon “gumbo” over rice and serve with hot sauce if preferred and fresh thyme leaves.
Christy Turnipseed is Birmingham born and raised. She’s a vintage jewelry designer for Lil’ Seeds. She’s a foodie, art and music lover and blogs at al.com and lifeofaturnip.com. She’s on twitter@cturnip.
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By Christy Turnipseed
Now that the most exciting football games of the season are here, hosting friends and family can be somewhat intimidating. I love being a hostess to any type of gathering — game night, movie night, or dinner party — but sometimes it can be a challenge to know what to make for people who are being social but still glued to that television watching their team play on the field.
Sometimes you just can’t escape the classics, those recipes you simply crave at certain times of the year thanks to memories of family get-togethers or thoughts of party food. Football games are one of those things in the South. Hot dips in the fall are certainly one of those classics for me and this hot creole crab dip is definitely in that category. Canned crab is great on a budget, but if you want to splurge on the lump crab meat, trust me, I’m not stopping you. The crab is the star ingredient melding with the cheeses and they both shine thanks to its simplicity.
Whichever team you root for, your friends and family will enjoy this simple yet elegant dip this season.
Ingredients:
8 oz. crab meat, claw or lump
1 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
4 tablespoons minced green onion, white and green parts
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons Panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon fresh parsley for garnish
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Drain crabmeat if necessary and pick through any shells or cartilage. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the crab meat, cream cheese, greek yogurt, parmesan, green onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, hot sauce, and Old Bay seasoning. Adjust seasoning to taste (and hot sauce). Top with crumbled goat cheese and Panko bread crumbs and bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly golden on top. Serve hot with hot sauce on the side, crackers or slices of baguette. Makes 10-12 servings.
Christy Turnipseed is Birmingham born and raised. She’s a vintage jewelry designer for Lil’ Seeds. She’s a foodie, art and music lover and blogs at al.com and lifeofaturnip.com. She’s on twitter@cturnip.
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