TheLlavenderLlama

Trader Joe’s Chicken Shawarma Wrap

March 31, 2018April 13, 2018 TheLlavenderLlama

Sometimes you have the time to make a complicated meal, like my Herbs de Provence Chicken with Roasted Vegetables and Ratatouille but sometimes you want something quick and easy. When I want to get dinner ready quickly Trader Joe’s is usually my go to spot. It’s the closest grocery store to my house and I know where everything is. I can pick up a package of meat, some veggies and a carb and have dinner ready to go within thirty minutes of getting home. This week I found a new meat! Shawarma Chicken Thighs!

I sometimes crave Indian food but don’t have the time or energy to fix it. So when I saw this packet I was immediately excited. I’ve used these pre-marinaded packets from Trader Joe’s before and they are endlessly versatile. But I knew exactly what I wanted to make with these so I did a quick lap through the store and picked up some sauces and a packet of garlic naan and sped home.

The Zhoug sauce is very similar to an Indian green chutney with garlic, mint, chillies and coriander. And the Tzatziki is like Indian raita, minus the cumin and add in some dill. So not identical flavors but comparable in a pinch. And of course I had to have garlic naan. I know they sell regular naan at Trader Joe’s but I just don’t understand why anyone would want the plain stuff when there is garlic to be had.

I cooked the chicken in a non-stick pan, using low sodium chicken stock to deglaze, took it out of the pan and let it rest before cutting it into strips.

While the chicken was cooking I threw my naan in the oven to defrost 350 fahrenheit on a baking tray for about 5-6 minutes. And chopped up some leafy greens and cherry tomatoes I had in the fridge.

Now all that was left to do was assemble and enjoy! I would point out that virtually and combination of chicken, sauce, vegetable carb could be used to make this more to your taste. The Joe makes a delicious pesto chicken, for instance, which could be paired with tomatoes, greens, mozzarella on focaccia bread and drizzled with a good balsamic reduction.

I should also mention that I loved this chicken so much I went back for a second packet later in the week and made salads with them instead of wraps because carbs are evil. I used the same base of greens and cherry tomatoes and the two sauces I mentioned above.

I also added in some petite diced yellow bell peppers and half a shallot for color, flavor and texture.

See it is endlessly customizable! I’d love to hear how you you made this idea your own with this chicken or any other! New ideas are always welcome!

Ingredients (makes 4):

1 packet of Shawarma chicken thighs
1 container Zhoug sauce
1 container Tzatziki sauce
1 packet garlic Naan
Cherry tomatoes
Fresh greens
Unsalted chicken stock

Recipe:

Heat a non-stick or cast-iron pan to medium hat, gently drizzle with olive oil and place meat in pan. Leave it alone until you can see that meat has started to shrink. Deglaze with a little chicken stock. Flip and continue to cook. Keep covered for a portion of the time to lock in moisture. Depending on your pan, thickness of the meat and heat of your stove total pan time could take from 20-35 minutes.
Chop your cherry tomatoes and salad
Take your chicken out of the pan and allow it to rest
Heat your naan in the oven according to package instructions
Chop your chicken into thin strips
Assemble by putting salad on your naan, placing the chicken on the salad bed and drizzling on dollops of your Zhoug sauce and Tzatziki. Sprinkle on some tomatoes. You could also add some onions or coriander to give it a little extra Indian oomph.

Travel

Cuppa Cheer Tea Room; Ladysmith, VA

March 30, 2018March 30, 2018 TheLlavenderLlama

Lloyd and I recently drove up to Thurmont, Maryland to spend a weekend with some friends. Along the way we we spotted what is easily the cutest little Tea Room I’ve ever seen in Ladysmith, VA. Even the name of the town is darling! It was kismet cause I had googled for places where we could have afternoon tea on our drive up and hadn’t had any luck so when we saw it on an exit sign we knew we had to make a stop. The place is pretty small but that really adds to the coziness. Which was heightened by the cute knick knacks all over the shop. My favorite were the parasols hanging from the ceiling.

They also had the most twee table settings. Everything was done up in lovely, bright colors with fresh flowers dotting their space.

All of the wall hangings were perfectly spring-like! And dotted all the available wall space. But it was so tastefully done that you didn’t feel overwhelming at all. I especially loves the way they used parts of the tea service in the decor.

But, the most important thing is whether the tea and the food stood up to our rigorous taste testing! Spoiler alert: it was! I also loved the doily detail on the menu!

The tea selection was great. I went for the Victorian Earl Grey and Lloyd had the Burgundy Blast. They were both perfect. Lloyd was in heaven, he loves any tea with hibiscus.

The Earl Grey was exactly what I wanted with this delightful hint of rose that was unexpected and refreshing. And I just love the way milk sinks into tea so I had to share that visual with you.

The Menu was a sort of pre fixe situation in which you pick the number of courses you prefer. We just did the basic tea for two and were absolutely stuffed. It started off with a delicious pair of scones. Golden raisin and caraway seeds paired with a strawberry shortcake.

I’m not usually a dried fruit kinda gal but I am lover of caraway seeds. Honestly it was one of the best scones I have ever had. It even came with cutest little side dish of lemon curd and butter.

Next up we each got a “main” tea sandwich. I got the cheese on toast and Lloyd got the cucumber sandwiches. They were served up with cheese, fruits and vegetables and were scrumptious.

Lastly we finished off with a pastry trio. We were honestly so stuffed that we couldn’t finish all the desserts. But they had a delicious lemon tart, a chocolate chip and shortbread tart and some walnut chocolate fudge.

I was taken with the cute way they brought out their check. It reminded me Alice in Wonderland.

Speaking of Terrie and Charlotte I wanted to take a moment to introduce the two ladies I met there. Terrie is the owner and does all the cooking, she was the sweetest lady and her inspired idea for a tea room has definitely been a winner. Charlotte was our very knowledgable server and tea connoisseur.

After dessert we were able to take a little turn around the gift shop. Most of the products are actually hand made by Charlotte who also goes by M’Lady Alanna. I was so impressed with her handmade tea cozies. Dobby the Elf would have been beside himself!

My absolute favorite was this handmade shrug. It looks like something straight out of Outlander. If you read the label you’ll notice it says “Emily Bronte Shrug” this is because they host literary nights about once a month! It sounds fantastic and I’m definitely adding it to my to-do list!

All in all if you ever find your self driving up I-95 towards DC I think you owe it to yourself to plan for afternoon tea at this quaintly English tea room!

Cheers!

Can’t take him anywhere!

Food, recipe

Herbs de Provence Chicken with Roasted Vegetables and Ratatouille

March 26, 2018 TheLlavenderLlama

Sometimes you want a meal that isn’t too heavy but is still delicious. Bonus points if it’s actually fairly simple. The most complicated portion of this meal is the Ratatouille. But you can make it ahead and freeze or refrigerate until you want to use it. I made this for a large group dinner so the portions are a bit big. Feel free to scale it back to something more manageable if need be.

As usual we will start with a brief vegetable photoshoot.

But seriously the first step is always your mise en place. Cube your zucchini, squash and eggplant and sprinkle with salt. This is going to help pull the moisture out so that your veggies retain their firmness and don’t get soggy and gross when you start cooking.

After about twenty minutes pat the cubed veggies dry on some paper towels. During those twenty you can chop of your tomatoes, onion and oregano and heat up your dutch oven.

Next up is lightly pan frying all your veggies, just one more step to prevent everything from becoming one gloopy mess. Plus they look so glossy and delicious once they are ready.

Now you have a pan whose bottom is covered in chunks of burned vegetables, time to deglaze! For some reason I find this very soothing. I also use the deglazing time to cook my onions down.

Next step is adding in some freshly chopped tomatoes and oregano.

Use a can of tomato paste to add in a richer taste and once everything is cooked add your cubed veggies back into the pan.

Cover with low sodium chicken stock and let simmer until all the flavors have married make sure that you adjust for salt and pepper early on. You can see the difference in the two photos. The second picture how much richer and thicker the tomato sauce has become.

Once your ratatouille is cooked you can bag it up and freeze it for later.Which is what I did. I also went ahead and marinaded my chicken and prepped my vegetables for roasting. Step one is finding a Herbs de Provence mix you really love. My go to is this one from Trader Joe’s. It also comes with the super cute spoon.

Cube some chicken breasts and cover in spices, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.

Next step is your vegetables. I cut up green beans, radishes, mushrooms and I threw in some whole yellow cherry tomatoes. Because I was using these later in the week I wrapped the mushrooms before bagging them.

Once I was ready to roast my veggies I spread them out in a pan and chopped an onion up. I didn’t bag the onion with my other chopped veg because onions will pull the moisture out over everything and make them soggy. I coated everything in salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil before popping them in the oven.

I popped both pans in the oven and roasted them at 375 degrees for about 30-45 minutes.

I then put out all three dishes and let my friends plate their own meals and had a nice hunk of gruyere off to the side so people could shave on as much as they liked. I made it snow!

Ratatouille (serves 10):

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplants
2 yellow squash
2 zucchini
Handful of cherry tomatoes
1 red onion
1 bunch of oregano
1 box low sodium Chicken Stock
1 can of tomato paste
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Recipe:

Cube your zucchini, squash and eggplant. Sprinkle with salt and let sit for 20 minutes
Dice onions, chop tomatoes and oregano
Pat zucchini, squash and eggplant dry. Fry in a little olive oil in small batches. Do not worry if pan becomes covered in brown bits of burnt vegetable. This will add to the heartiness of your gravy.
Sautee onions and use chicken stock to deglaze your pan of all the lovely flavor left over from frying your veggies.
Add in cherry tomatoes and oregano and cook down.
Add your tomato paste and cook using small splashes of chicken stock to ensure that nothing sticks
Add in your reserved zucchini, squash and eggplant
Cover with chicken stock and adjust salt/pepper/garlic to taste
Serve or freeze/refrigerate until ready to use. When reheating just place in a heavy bottomed pan and use some low sodium chicken stock to prevent sticking, if needed or if it becomes too thick. Remember to check seasoning before serving!

Herbs de Provence Chicken (serves 10):

Ingredients:

3 lbs chicken breasts
3-4 heaping Tbsp Herbs de Provence seasoning
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe:

Cube chicken
Toss in rest of ingredients
Freeze or refrigerate until ready to use or move straight to step 4
Roast in oven for 30-45 minutes until fully cooked.

Roasted Vegetables (serves 10):

Ingredients:

2 medium carrots
8 oz mushrooms
8 oz green beans
8 oz radishes
8 oz cherry tomatoes
1 medium sized onion
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
Olive oil

Recipe:

Chop your carrots into sticks.
Snap ends off green beans and chop in half
Wash cherry tomatoes
Wipe down mushrooms
Chop radishes in half
If bagging and using later than wrap your mushrooms in a paper towel to stop them from getting slimy.
Chop onion and add to mix
Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and drizzle with olive oil. Toss well to make sure everything is evenly coated.
Bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes

Food, recipe

Crockpot French Onion Soup

March 26, 2018 TheLlavenderLlama

I find that my crockpot is endlessly versatile. Recently I’ve been using it make large batches of caramelized onions and from there it isn’t much of stretch to turn your vat of caramelized onions into a delicious French Onion Soup. As long as you are okay with the delicious smell of cooking onions wafting through your house for a day or two. Step one is to acquire onions, arrange them artfully and photograph them.

Once the photo session is over it’s time to get slicing. This is easily the most time consuming step in the process. But it can also be a nice cathartic release if onions make you cry. When I slice eight onions I indulge in a nice cry and end up feeling much better when the task is done.

I start the crockpot heating while I slice and put in a knob of butter and a slug of olive oil. You don’t need a ton, just enough to make sure things don’t stick as you are getting the ball rolling.

Once you cram all the onions you sliced into your crockpot it’s time to sit back and relax. I started the crock pot a few hours before bed time, gave them a couple of stirs, covered my crockpot and hit the sack. When I woke up I had the bottom left waiting for me. A couple of hours later my onions were oh so ready.

Once I had the onions were I wanted them I scooped some out into an ice cube tray to freeze and use later.

After I had the amount of onions I want left in my crockpot it was time for phase two. Add some fresh thyme leaves, garlic, salt, pepper, and unsalted beef stock, worcestershire sauce. And the most important thing to add is quality brandy instead of some grocery store sherry.

Because I was taking this to a weekend getaway with a group of friends I packed it up into a zip lock bag and then warmed it up when it was time to serve.

Ingredients:

8 largish onions
1-2 Tbsp of butter
1-2 Tbsp of olive oil
2-3 Tbsp of thyme leaves
2 boxes of unsalted beef stock
Hefty splash of Brandy
2-3 Tbsp of minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe:

Add butter and olive oil into crockpot
Thinly slice onions and place in crockpot. Cram them in if they don’t fit. They will shrink.
Leave crockpot on low for approximately 12 hours. Stir every few hours.
Take out any excess caramelized onions and freeze or refrigerate.
Add in thyme leaves, unsalted beef stock, brandy, minced garlic, salt and pepper.
Let simmer for another couple of hours until the flavors marry. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
Freeze or refrigerate once cool if eating later.
If serving shred some fresh gruyere on top. Bake if you want or just let it melt into the soup on it’s own. Make sure there is some crusty bread for dipping!

Food, recipe

Waffle Breakfast Sandwiches

March 25, 2018March 25, 2018 TheLlavenderLlama

I had to feed a troupe of hungry adults breakfast before we headed out to Gettysburg National Park. But I didn’t want to have to get up and cook so I made these make ahead breakfast sandwiches and they were a huge hit. Claire helped me with the heating and serving of these little bits of yum. And also served as sandwich model!

I used frozen whole grain waffles as my base and piled on eggs, pimento cheese and chicken sausage from there. But honestly you could use any combination of meat/cheese/egg. And could even substitute waffles for english muffins, crumpets or any carb your heart desires.

The only thing that is remotely time consuming is making the individual eggs. But I have a little trick up my sleeve that makes it slightly less onerous. I microwave my eggs in a wide based soup cup. Put a splash of olive oil in the cup, crack your egg in, sprinkle on some salt and pepper and microwave. Depending on how done you want your eggs your time will range form 30 seconds to a full minute. I did these for about 45 seconds each.

I had to make 8 sandwiches but my cutting board isn’t big enough for all the so I did them in two batches. I then bagged them up and put them in the freezer until it was time to take them up to our Gettysburg AirBnB.

We popped them in the oven heated to 375 degrees for about twenty minutes and they were ready to go. I also put out some fancy mustards and mayos so that people could jazz up their sandwiches.

As you can see freezing and reheating didn’t harm that at all. And the time in the oven got the pimento cheese all lovely and melty while the waffles crisped up. This would be an excellent thing to make on a Sunday and pull out of the freezer/fridge on a weekday morning and reheat in the microwave or toaster oven before work.

Let me know in the comments what you would put on your sandwich! I love hearing new ideas!

Ingredients, serves 8:

2 packages of frozen whole grain waffles
1 package of chicken sausage with four sausages
8 eggs
1 tub pimento cheese

Recipe:

Pull waffles out of freezer, do not defrost or warm up.
Apply thin layer of pimento cheese to two waffles
Cut sausage in half length wise and then again crosswise to leave you with four pieces.
Place two pieces of sausage on top of one waffle
Cook individual eggs in mug for 45 seconds after seasoning with salt and pepper
Place egg on top of other waffle
Close sandwich and put in paper bag and freeze or refrigerate.
Once ready to eat place on microwave safe dish and microwave for 1 minute if from fridge and three minutes if from freezer
If baking place in 375 degree oven for 20 minutes if from fridge and 40 minutes if frozen

Food, recipe

Sweet Potato and Turkey Shepherd’s Pie

March 24, 2018April 2, 2018 TheLlavenderLlama

We are meat and potatoes people through and through. Lloyd comes from Irish stock and likes nothing more than a simple and hearty meal. My Indian taste buds want something with a little extra oomph of spice. And my common sense tells me that eating red meat and white potatoes isn’t the healthiest option. So I’ve tweaked the traditional Shepherd’s Pie recipe to something that meets everyone’s needs. Also, I made this Shepherd’s pie ahead of time, froze it, and then assembled it at an AirBnB where we were staying with a group of friends. So, if you are looking for a good “cook and take” recipe this is an excellent option.

GLtq+v0tT9yrbA1ueOI5cg — You can’t smell the goodness or hear the delightful bubbling emanating from this pan.

So to get started I did a little mise en place and chopped up my onions, carrots, mushrooms, rosemary and thyme. If you’ve read my Chicken Pot Pie recipe you will see a lot of similarities in the strategy and flavors. Once you know the basic patterns of cooking it’s easy to extrapolate those ideas to other recipes. But, I digress. First step is always sweating your onions.

I used my dutch oven for this recipe because the thick walls retains a constant heat better and is more forgiving if you forget to stir. Once your onions are well and sweated meaning they have gotten that glistening look to them but they aren’t burnt or starting to turn brown it’s time to add your carrots.

Your carrots will start to cook, you know they are ready when the sharp edges begin to blunt and they get a shiny appearance to them. Now it’s time to add in your meat and herbs. Also you should be seasoning at every step. I always use salt, pepper and garlic powder. Also keep some low sodium chicken stock handy. This is excellent to splash in and deglaze when things get a little sticky.

Once your meat is cooked down add in a hefty scoop of flour. This is totally optional if you are going the gluten free route feel free to skip this step. The flour is just used to thicken the gravy. You can always substitute arrowroot powder at the end. Also add in your peas and mushrooms once the meat is cooked.

Add in a heavy, heavy splash of chicken stock and turn your heat down and let it simmer while you fix your sweet potatoes. Peel and boil like another potato once they are soft enough to smash easily with the back of a fork transfer the potatoes into a mixing bowl and add in some stone ground mustard, parmesan cheese, heavy cream, salt, pepper and garlic. Reserve some of that lovely, starchy water from the sweet potatoes to help fluff up your mash and then get to mixing! I use a kitchen aid. I’m lazy.

You want your mash a little extra runny because that way they don’t dry out when you bake it.

At this point you have a two options. Go ahead and assemble or bag it up, freeze and save it for later. And a secret third option; freeze half, cook the other half. I went the freezing route because we weren’t going to eat our pie for another few days.

Assembling is as easy as reheating the meat in a crockpot or on the stove and placing the bag of sweet potatoes into a bowl of warm water. I layered the meat onto the bottom of an aluminum pan that I brought with me and cut a hole in a corner of the sweet potato bag and squeezed it on. I decorated the top with some fancy fork work and add a layer of fresh shaved gruyere because cheese is the best. Then it’s time to bake. The boys were so excited!

Quick tip on leftovers. I just bagged the whole thing and froze it. When we get home I’ll unfreeze it and probably bake it into a quiche.

Filling Ingredients:

3 lbs of ground turkey
1 red onion
1 large carrot
1 bag of frozen peas
8 oz container of baby bella mushrooms
2-3 Tbsp of chopped rosemary and thyme
1 can of tomato paste
3 Tbsp flour
1 box of low sodium chicken stock
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Topping Ingredients:

4 medium sweet potatoes
2 Tbsp of heavy cream
4 oz parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp stone ground mustard
Salt, pepper and garlic powder taste

Recipe:

Chop your onions, carrots, mushrooms, rosemary and thyme while your pan heats with a glut of olive oil in it.
Add your onions and let them sweat, season with salt, pepper and garlic powder
Add you carrots and let them get sweaty, season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Use stock to deglaze as needed.
Add in the meat and let it cook down until it crumbles, season with salt pepper and garlic powder
Once the meat is mostly cooked add in the dried herbs
Once everything is soft and crumbly add in your flour and mix it around until everything is coated.
Pour in whatever is left in your chicken stock container and add in your tomato paste.
This is also the time to add in your peas and mushrooms.
Reduce heat and simmer until sauce is thickened. Check seasoning and adjust accordingly.
Peel and chop sweet potatoes and add to pot of well salted water.
Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are fork soft.
Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix until soft. Use potato water to get the consistency you require.
Freeze or assemble.
Layer casserole dish or baking pan with fulling mixture. Pipe or spoon on the sweet potatoes. Smooth with a spatula. Decorate with a fork if you want and top with cheese if you want.
Bake at 400 for 30-45 minutes until crust is golden and bubbling.

Food

Wraps for the Week

March 18, 2018March 19, 2018 TheLlavenderLlama

I like a fast and easy lunch that I can just grab out of the fridge and throw in my bag on my way out the door. Bonus points if it’s teetering on the healthy side. I have a little inventory of go to recipes and I pick which one I want to use based on what’s already in my fridge come Sunday afternoon. This week I went for wraps because I had a cucumber that I needed to use. Makes sense, yes?

I know wraps seem a little boring but it gave me a chance to brush up on my knife work. So I julienned the cucumbers like my life depended on it. My little hack is too cut a small slice along one length of the cucumber. This lets you balance it when you cut. And then you can just cut across the slices to get your matchstick shape.

Next I pulled a jar of pickled peppers out of the fridge. These are homemade sweet pickled peppers that peter piper did not pick. But my friend, Claire, and I made them for her husband’s birthday a while back. The next time I have a pickling party I’ll be sure to take pictures and put it up on here! Anyway, I julienned these as well.

My last knife related prepping step was to chiffonade some fresh basil I keep on the window sill above my sink. I know it sounds a little pretentious to say out loud that you are going to chiffonade your leaves. But honestly it is the best way to thin slice a leafy thing. And it is extremely easy. Lay your basil leaves one on top of the other and roll them up tightly. You will be amazed at how easy it is to slice into thin strips when you do it this way.

Once the basil (or any herb is thinly sliced) I sprinkle some salt and smoosh everything together. This bruises the leaves and seasons your herbs so the flavor really pops. Now comes time for assembly. I suggest the assembly line method so that you can get all your wraps made quickly and ready for the fridge. I start my wraps with a spreadable cheese. I had Aloutte’s garlic herb cheese already in my fridge so that’s what I used.

Next layer your sliced meat and cheese onto your wrap. For these wraps I used honey smoked turkey and Swiss cheese because they are Lloyd’s favorite and therefore what was available. And then add in all your beautifully sliced veggies. I also have quite a wide chopping board so I was able to do two at a time.

Roll em up, cut in half and package them any way you want. I made 6 and they should last through Wednesday. The cucumbers will stay nice and crunchy and the wraps don’t get soggy like bread would. The spreadable cheese really acts as a barrier, preventing the the veggies and deli slices from making your wrap slimy.

The beauty of this recipe is how endlessly versatile it is. Use whatever deli meat and cheese you want, any type of wrap, whatever your favorite veggies are (or just whatever you have at hand). The one thing I wish I had done was sprinkle on some hot sauce prior to wrapping. Because everything is better with Cholula!

Let me know in the comments what you would make your wrap with!

Food

Crockpot Tomato Soup, Four Ways

March 17, 2018March 17, 2018 TheLlavenderLlama

It’s cold in Virginia right now, winter is clinging to the ground and the air and my bones need soup. Soup means crockpot time. I know crockpots are getting a bad rap right now because of that episode of This is Us. But they really do make life a lot easier. I tend to get done early on Mondays so I like to make one thing in the crockpot that I can tweak and twist and use all week. Given the weather I went for a hearty tomato basil soup.

I use my crockpot two ways, I either dump a bunch of stuff in and go off to work so that I can come home to a mostly ready meal. But sometimes I use my crockpot as a less needy dutch oven and add things in slowly and really let the flavors marry and come together slowly. I went for the latter technique this time because I had a bunch of little things to do around the house and this allowed me to add things and go get a task done before coming back to check on it. I started by caramelizing a bunch of red onions with butter, salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Once those were cooked down and I’d printed off all the labels for my amazon returns I started on my tomatoes. Since I have an immersion blender I tend to thick chop my tomatoes because they are going to cook down regardless of the size and nobody has time for a petite dice. But I do have a technique for my touch chop that can be done pretty quickly once you get the hang of it.

First start with a pile of sexy looking tomatoes. The sexier your tomatoes the sexier your soup will be. That’s just a fact. Kidding, start by slicing your tomato in half, then remove the stem with two angled cuts and discard. Next you need to cut slices lengthwise along the tomato and then flip the whole thing around and cut perpendicular. Scoop ’em all up and add them to the crockpot. Easy Peasy, tomato choppy.

Once the tomatoes have been added in and you have seasoned again it’s a good time to throw the cover back on and let those bad boys stew. At some point your whole house is going to fill with the tangy smell of cooking tomatoes. At that point it’s time to revisit and add in the last few ingredients you need before it’s ready to be blitzed.

I love the roasted garlic you can find at most olive bars. I get a whole container and just pull them out whenever I need a little extra oomph in my food. I also love the perfect fresh balance that basil and tomato make so I chopped up some of that. And then you always need more salt and pepper. Once that has stewed for some more time it’s time to blitz. I wanted to make a nice little boomerang so you could see how cute my immersion blender is. Total fail.

Once I had blitzed the soup I added in some tomato paste, parmesan cheese, a dollop of heavy cream and a couple of splashes of low sodium chicken stock just to round out all the flavors. I also needed to add in a little more salt, garlic and pepper. Because crockpots are tricky and always need more than you think they will.

Now on to the three ways I decided to serve my soup! This was the fun part! Because you don’t want to get bored with all your hard work!

Day 1: Sausage and Parmesan Crisps

This one was fairly straightforward, while the soup was finishing off in the crockpot I chopped up some smoked sausage I had in the fridge and cooked it in a pan on the stove. My secret for cooking meat like this are a few splashes of low sodium chicken stock. It helps deglazes the pan and lets you steam rather than roast so they don’t dry out. This billowing cloud above my pan is steam, not smoke. I promise.

Next I took a 4 oz container of parmesan cheese and made twelve little piles on a silicone baking sheet and baked them at 400 degrees for 3 minutes to make amazingly easy and low carb parmesan crisps!

I know they look a little soggy but I put them on a paper towel to cool and they crisped up beautifully. They did get a little melty when I put them on the hot soup.

Day 2: Roasted Chicken and Stuffed Bell Peppers

I love herbs de Provence. It’s a wonderfully savory spice mix that goes well with a variety of proteins and flavors. I particularly like it with tomatoes so I decided to coat some cubed chicken in Herbs de Provence, along with salt, pepper, olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar.

I set those aside to quickly marinade while I sliced open some small bell peppers and stuffed them with mozzarella I happened to have in my fridge. These little packets are actually meant as single size servings but I am amazed at how handy they are when I haven’t planned ahead.

I ripped them up and stuffed them into the bell peppers. I added a little drizzle of balsamic vinegar because I love balsamic. I baked everything together on the same sheet pan while I reheated some of the soup up on the stove. I set my oven to 375 degrees and left everything in there for about 30 minutes.

I decided to be bold and serve my soup on a plate as it had gotten quite thick on the stove. It actually was pretty easy to eat this way and was a delicious treat after a long day at work because it was so quick yet surprisingly fancy and satisfying. Lloyd doesn’t usually stop to talk once food is in front of him but he put down his fork long enough to tell me it was good. Le sigh.

Day 3: Cheese Straws and Cheese

By the end of the week I was truly ready for something easy peasy. I throw the remains of the soup into a bowl and microwaved until it started splattering. I stuck a couple of cheese straws in there and sprinkled some cheese on top and called it a day. Honestly the simplicity of this meal was what made it so great.

Day 4: Spinach and Artichoke Dip

And last but not least I just had a little bit of soup left and also some spinach artichoke dip and I figured that they would probably go really well together. I was not wrong. Also, the cheese ended up looking like the Sydney Opera House which was not intentional but totally cool.

Soup Ingredients:

8 largish tomatos
Half a stick of butter
1 large onion
6-8 garlic cloves (roasted or raw, dealer’s choice)
10-12 leaves of basil
2 Tbsp of tomato paste
1 Tbsp of heavy cream
1/2 cup of low sodium chicken stock
Parmesan cheese to taste

Soup Recipe:

Caramelize onions and butter with salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste in your crock pot (set to high) for about 1-2 hours
Chop and tomatoes and cook until mushy for about 1-2 hours, season as you go.
Add in basil and garlic once tomatoes are ready to be blended then blend. Do not splatter back splash.
Add in heavy cream, chicken stock, tomato paste and parmesan cheese and let simmer for about another hour.
Alternatively you could put everything into the crockpot at the very beginning and just let it stew for hours and hours until you decide to blend it up. It will still be delicious and is a lot less work.

Travel

Napa Valley Wine Train

March 17, 2018March 18, 2018 TheLlavenderLlama

There is a train in Napa, CA where you can you eat fancy food and visit wineries. It is amazing. It is my new happy place.

The Napa Valley Wine Train was the main event for my bachelorette festivities and it was absolutely perfect. Since most of the trains were built in 1915 and still retain a lot of the original decor I decided that period dress was appropriate. We went for a roaring twenties look because feathers and sequins are always classy. And our style went perfectly with the ambience of both the train and the depot. The depot was great fun because they have a wine shop where you can purchase wine for your trip. If you are visiting I suggest perusing the shop. They do charge a corkage fee to open wine on the train but if you buy the right bottle it ends up being cheaper to do it that way than to buy a bottle on the train. And we had the loveliest server pouring wine for us.

Leaving the depot you cross a love lock bridge to board the train. While love lock bridges have gained popularity in recent years they allegedly date back to a small serbian village at the beginning of World War I. And they definitely add to the old world vibe of train travel that Wine Train is going for.

The train ride included a pre-fixe three course meal and wine for days. All of the food was spectacular and presented beautifully. But the setting was what really made it outstanding. The chairs had this lovely rich upholstery and the huge windows were richly draped. It felt like I was in the dining car of the Orient Express. All that was missing was Hercule Poirot solving a murder.

Our train took us to Grgich Hills Estate, which is run by the vintner responsible for the “Judgement of Paris” win in 1976. In a blind taste test Chateau Montelena’s 1973 Chardonnay beat out the French Burgundy Chardonnay’s. This was a landmark win for American wine putting us above the level of French wine, which at the time was the gold standard. 2008’s Bottle Shock starring Chris Pine and the dearly departed Alan Rickman takes a lot of poetic license with this story but is definitely required viewing for any oenophile.

Our tour guide at the winery was astounding. he had so much energy and they had crafter the perfect tour that allowed to visit all the different aspects of the winery and tasting wine while we walked.

I had so much fun being all flapper sophisticated with my girls. It honestly is one of the best fashion eras. Getting ready in the morning was a whirlwind of hair curling, feathers, sequins, bold lips, pearl, tassels and mimosas. We also used a lot of nonsense roaring 20s lingo. I think my favorite phrase was “I’ve got legs that go all the way to the floor.” But honestly, look at these ladies! Don’t their legs go right down to the floor??

Grgich Hills Estate even lended some old world charm with perfect lighting in their barrel room and vintage racer that my friend, Phryne, posed elegantly against. We were not allowed to sit in the racer. And in the spirit of not getting thrown out we actually followed the rules.

I also have to say that they had really excellent crackers. You would be surprised the number of wineries I’ve been to with low quality or, gasp, no crackers.

After the winery we were back on the train to return to the depot. They were so nice and let us explore. We had a quick photo shoot on the caboose and along the corridors. It was definitely one of the most exciting parts of the adventure.

All in all it was the perfect event to celebrate my upcoming wedding. I love wine. I love my girlfriends. I love trains. I love the 1920s. I love Lloyd and am so glad he asked me to marry him so that I had an excuse to do all those things!

Food

Zuzu Tapas Restaurant, Napa, CA

March 17, 2018 TheLlavenderLlama

We only went out to eat once while in Napa, preferring to cook at home. But our one meal out was definitely a home run. Zuzu in Napa, CA is a tapas restaurant that has a full wine and beer list, serves tapas in the traditional Spanish small plate style and also has authentic sangria and paella on hand to satisfy any customer. I got to have dinner with two of my oldest friends (and bridesmaids), Ermentrude and Phryne. As well as my friend, Kimbrough, from Richmond, VA whose heart is as golden as her hair.

I know small plates are a bit of a fad right now but tapas have been around for much longer than they have been hip in the restaurant scene. There are a couple of different origin stories but my favorite is that King Alfonso X of Spain had some mysterious illness that prevented him from eating large portions. So instead he ate only small meals with wine. This trickled down to the common people and became so popular that to this day wine must be served with food and so small plates are an integral of Spanish food culture. In fact when I visit my family in Spain we stop at this small restaurant in downtown Malaga and eat their entire tapas menu (except the sweet meats). The picture below is circa August, 2014. We are full of food and wine and all smiles!

But back to Napa, 2018. When I was looking for restaurants I actually found two different tapas restaurants blocks from each other on Main St. After some research I decided we should try Zuzu and I am so glad we did. They don’t take reservations but after a short wait at the bar we were seated and able to cheers to an auspicious start to our Napa travels! They have a great wine collection and we enjoyed a lovely Tempranillo with dinner. But what’s better than Spanish wine with Spanish tapas?

The most difficult thing about tapas is trying to decide what to order. We decide to each pick 2 things and then threw in about three honorable mentions based on the staff’s recommendations. The staff was brilliant and knew exactly what order to brings things out in. They started with the cold items and slowly built up to the heavier offerings. It was the perfect meal and in true Spanish fashion took us over an hour to get through. Some of my favorite dishes were the seared rockfish, roasted beets, arugula and shaved truffle salad and calamari ceviche pictured below. I also loved the flat-iron steak and fried Manchego but by the time we got to the heavier dishes I had put my camera away so I could just enjoy the food and company.

Zuzu is a smallish two story restaurant and we were nestled under the stairs. It was perfectly cozy and intimate this way. And since I’m short I wasn’t even at risk of banging my head! I didn’t try the other tapas restaurant to give a fair comparison but the vibe we felt when walking past to get to Zuzu was definitely not as homey. I think we made the right choice. Although speaking of choices we couldn’t decide what to get for dessert so we just got one of each!

Clockwise from the top we have a chocolate cream de pot, a caramelized apple empanada, a basque cake and a piece of heavenly tres leches cake. Despite the 12 small plates prior to this all four dessert plates were completely cleared. I can’t say enough how much I loved this meal. If you ever find yourself hungry in Napa and unsure where to eat I think you must go to Zuzu!