Caramel Pecan Pears

What was your first food? Was it a tiny jar of Gerber's carrots and peas? Or maybe some other mushed up mashed up concoction. Well I went straight from milk, to pears!

Maybe that's why I love them so... There is nothing better than biting into a drippingly ripe pear! Pears are extremely versatile and combine beautifully with cheeses, on salads, or all by their lonesome!

NOTICE: There is not such thing as a Genovian Pear

The pear is basically the apple's curvier, and juicier cousin. Sadly, many people don't allow their pears to fully ripen and settle for hard, crunchy, or dry pears. If there are pears at the Dining Hall... Don't be afraid to take them home! I promise they will mature beautifully in your dorm once they are free from the harsh industrial-sized fridge!

Once you have a perfectly ripe pear... We can go to town!!

To Caramel Pecan Pearville we go!!!

What You Need:

1 ripe pear

1/4 cup pecans

grapes

1 tsp honey

2 tsp caramel sauce

1 T cream cheese

a pinch of cinnamon

1. Slice and core your pear.

2. Stuff the hole with pecans

3. Microwave the honey, caramel, and cream cheese until warm and melty...

4. Drizzle to your heart's desire and pretend your the Princess of Genovia!

Anywhere in the world...

If I could go anywhere in the world... where would I go?

That's easy! I would go to the land where the olive oil flows like water... To the place where the seafood is taken straight from Poseidon's waters onto your plate... The land where feta cheese was born... country where the ancients would worship the gods while chomping on a gyro... Yes... I would go is Greece!

Oopa!

Athens Ohio is nice and all, but I want the real deal! I want to be like Lena from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and dive headfirst into the blue waters of Santorini!

I don't know if it is the ancient history, the pristine coastline, or just the food, (probably the latter), but someday I will go to Greece! Until then, I will just have to create my Greek fantasy via Shively Dining Hall with....

Mediterranean Chicken Kebabs with a

Creamy Feta Herb Dipping Sauce

What You Need:

Skewers (get creative! I used coffee stirs)

Grilled Chicken

and any combination of veggies you like!

Cherry tomatoes

olives

Cucumbers

Green peppers

mushrooms

onions

For the Dippin':

2 T Feta Cheese

2 T Olive Oil

1 T Lemon Juice

1 T Balsamic Vinegar

a pinch of basil

1. Cut your chicken and veggies into bit size pieces and assemble them onto your "skewers."

2. Then mash up your feta cheese into the wet ingredients.

3. Dip and nibble to your heart's desire!

**(I personally got fed up with the bendy coffee stirs and half-way through my meal it turned into a salad.)

"In many ways we are all sons and daughters of ancient Greece. "

Nia Vardalos

Today's forecast...

Today's Forecast...

A comfortable 73 degrees 100% chance of sun...

Yeah right! More like a high of 20 with no sun, all wind and unhappiness.

It may be Winter Quarter, but I don't want that to get you down. Perception is reality, and if we pretend we are on sunny shores in Mexico, then we can overcome winter's frosty grip. So here's a sunny south of the border dish to lighten up those winter blues... And help you with your new years health resolutions!

Try this succulent, slimming, south of the border salad! Even though you won't be in a bikini for a few months, it is never to early to eat right!

Let's look at of all the good-for-you ingredients that come together to make....

Tortilla Explosion Salad with a creamy Avacado Dressing!

What you need:

Spinach

Chicken

Beans

Corn

Salsa

Green Peppers

Onions

Tomatoes

Cheddar Cheese

Tortilla Chips

For the dressing:

1 tsp Sour Cream

2 T Guacamole

1 T Olive Oil

Vinegar to your liking

1. Pile up your salad with all the goodies listed above... Grab a big bunch of Tortilla chips and put on the side for scoopin'

2. For the dressing stir together sour cream, guacamole, olive oil, and vinegar... The dressing will be thick!

3. Then venture to the top of salad mountain... Don't stop till you reach the summit of flavor!

NUTRITIONAL FUN FACTS!

This salad incorporates some heavy hitting POWER FOODS that will help you stay healthy this winter... I am just going to highlight one that I have recently been loving!

Women's Health Magazine says...

Avocados "cholesterol-lowering monounsaturated fat in these green health bombs can help keep your body strong and pain free. Not to mention they help fight stress! " As a student who just returned from Winter Break, you know the stress school is causing.

"The next time stress has you hankering for a high-fat, creamy treat, skip the ice cream and try some homemade guacamole -- the thick, rich texture can satisfy your craving and reduce those frantic feelings. Plus, the green wonders' double whammy of monounsaturated fat and potassium can lower blood pressure. (For a healthy recipe favorites in under 20 minutes, check out the WH Recipes homepage.) One of the best ways to reduce high blood pressure, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, is to get enough potassium -- and just half an avocado offers 487 milligrams, more than you'll get from a medium-size banana. To whip up your own avocado salad dressing, puree a medium avocado with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and a dash of cayenne.

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/files/best-tips/beat-stress.html

A whole new Quarter...

A whole new winter quarter... A whole new world!

OF FOOD POSSIBILITIES THAT IS!

My head was bursting with new ideas over break, but once I got back to school... I kinda got lazy!

I need a few weeks to really get used to my dining hall schedule and get familiar with the cafeteria grub once again.

But I'm back and HUNGRIER THAN EVER for some funky-fresh-dining-hall-creations!

Before I get cooking I must mention the newly opened, and improved Shively Dining Hall ( What I like to refer to as T.G.I. Shively!) If you haven't noticed the long line that snakes its way onto Morton Hill at mealtimes, you must we walking around campus with your eyes closed -- which is very dangerous!

YES That is a rainbow bending toward Shively... A sign from God? Maybe.

I would have you know that the Shively's food is worth the wait! There are so many meal options that people walk aimlessly from line to line, adding to the chaos of the new dining hall. If you plan on going to this higher brow dining hall, you better plan ahead! Just like Olive Garden around dinnertime, there will be a looonnnnggg-ass wait (minus the buzzing boxes and friendly hostess). Shively is wonderful, but it makes many of my recipes obsolete. Why try to make your own salsa with salad bar ingredients when the Fuego Line has multiple fresh salsas bursting with cilantro and flavor? Why should I take 10 additional minutes of time to ensemble ingredients for the sake of my own creativity? Why not! Remember... Not all of us eat at Shively! This Blog is for you food pioneers who still brave the lines of Jefferson, Nelson, and Boyd! When life gives you lemons... You make a fresh citrus salad dressing!

Momma Moore's Mighty Pancakes.

Mom... Probably the most important word ever spoken. It is your first word, and it has many variations ( As Stewie Griffin illustrates ...)

There are sights smells and tastes that are synonymous with your mother. Whether it be the the smell of clean laundry, or the aroma of cookies baking there is something magical about our mommy memories. For me the smell of pancakes on the griddle transports me to my home kitchen. Some of my earliest memories are of the family making funny shaped "Monster Pancakes" for breakfast. You should know that there is one thing that makes Momma Moore's pancakes different than any other I've ever had... They are remarkably healthy!

SAY WHAAAT?

YES! Pancakes and healthy rarely fit in the same sentence. The hotcakes we are accustomed to are usually from a refined flour mix and are then smothered with butter and drowned in syrup. Well I think it is time we rethink the pancake. Instead of a carb-loaded enemy, let’s make the pancake our friend by packing it full of hearty nutrients. I owe this recipe all to my momma, who raised me right!

Momma Moore's Mighty Pancakes

1 egg

½ -¾ C milk or soy milk

½ t vanilla

¾ C flour (whole wheat & white to your proportions)

Pinch salt

½ t baking powder

¼ t baking soda

Optional HEALTHY STUFF :

Quick oats

Ground flax seed

Wheat germ

Grated orange peel

Instant milk powder

Fruit to top it!

You made need to increase liquids if you add the healthy dry ingredients.

All amounts are approximate... Trust your eyeballs... Does the batter look like a batter?

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Combine all wet ingredients in another bowl.... Then slowly stir into dry ingredients.

3. DON'T OVER MIX! Don't be shy to have a chunky batter!

4. Get that griddle screamin' hot.

5. lightly grease griddle and pour batter into whatever size/shape you want!

*** Hint for knowing when to FLIP your PANCAKES!***

* If there are bubbles and the edges are a little dry... Flip!

Have you pancake… and eat it too!