Whip It Up: Week 3 Wrap Up- Regional Favorites

Welcome to Week 3 Whip it Up(pers)!

This week's theme was Regional Favorites.
Let's see what everyone came up with:


Breakfast

Erin made an Apple & Cheddar Omelet sans recipe!

Side Dishes

KT S needed to add more salt to the Olive and Thyme Foccacia.
Trish made an amazing Gluten Free Millet Oatmeal Bread which she then used for Grilled Cheese. MMMMMMMM
Sherry used a co-workers plethora of zucchini to make zucchini bread.
Heidikins continues to amaze me with her dishes- Sweet Potato Mishmash with Balsamic Glaze,
Zucchini Curry, Warm Red Potato Salad with Bacon & Parmesan.
Tarah tried out an old steady in Boston Baked Beans.
EP brought back her Southern Roots with Buttermilk Biscuits.


Main Dishes

Andrea spiced up a recipe for Vegetarian chili.
Julie defended her hometown and whipped up a scrumptious Chicken Pot Pie.
Sherry made mouth watering Lime Spareribs.
Carissa's Italian Wedding Soup was a hit with her husband!
Stephanie had a go at Chicago Deep Dish Pizza.
I grilled all weekend and indulged in Shrimp and Scallops Kabobs.

Pastas

Julianne's Pasta Primavera with Shrimp was a twist on a classic.
Lacey had my mouth WATERING with her Penne Alla Vodka D.A.R. Style.
Bradi made it through week #3 Rotini with Shrimp and Bacon. HOORAY!


Desserts

Bren really did it with her Dark Chocolate Sorbet.
Robin set the record straight with Gooey Butter Cookies.
Kim went Texas on us with Peach Shortcake.
Julie M. made me long for pecans with her Mexican Wedding Cookies.

Drink

Erin, did not disappoint with her sister's recipe for Margaritas!

There may be some stragglers coming in later on. We'll do our best to update as they come in!
Thank you everyone for your wonderful week 3 recipes!

Quick announcement

Kim over @ Parachuting Without a Net and a fellow WIUer asked us to promote her Pampered Chef Party which benefits her daughters' scholarship fund. You can learn more about the scholarship here. Please drop bye and show your support.


Next week's theme is "Healthy Options"!
Head over to Erin @ Mama Said No! for the wrap up on Sunday!

WIU Week 3:Regional Favorites

What a week it's been everyone.
Work has been absolutely crazy... which meant my plans for cooking went out the window.

Luckily, I had a back up plan.
When I think New England, I think seafood.
Don't you?

My original plan was to go to my local fish monger and get some fresh scallops, cook them with some tomato and Voila! New England on a plate.
But before I knew it, Friday had appeared and I was on my way down the Cape with some friends for the weekend.

But boy, did we eat.
And I got to eat some scallops.
On the grill.
::Drooling::

So here we go... My attempt to half ass a recipe without having it written down somewhere:
Shrimp and Scallop Kabobs

Ingredients

Red Pepper
Baby Bello Mushrooms
Shrimp
Scallops
Skewers

Alternate all of the ingredients onto the skewers.
Drizzle with Olive Oil and Season with Salt and Pepper.
Grill on a medium flame until shrimp turns from gray to pink. (I know I am super exact)
Take off grill and eat.

We also grilled up corn on the cob, Tuna Steaks and Garlic.
It was a wonderful weekend.
I probably won't eat again until tomorrow.
Seriously.

Whip It Up: Week 2 Guilty Pleasures

You would think that with a theme like "Guilty Pleasures", it would be easy to find something to make.

Wrong.
I tossed around a hundred million ideas.. okay maybe not that many, but a few. At first I thought, dessert. Definitely dessert. But to tell you the truth, I'm more a salt person than a sweets person. So then I thought... ooh risotto. God I love a good risotto.

Then I talked to my partner in crime, Erin. She made CINNAMON BUNS.
CINNAMON BUNS.
Then I had cinnamon buns in my head for like 4 days.
And I even considered making my own and just telling her it was her fault that we now had the same guilty pleasure.

But then.
Then.
I talked to Tarah. We tossed around all of the ideas that I had in my head.
And somehow.... I got to this one.

Hoisin and Honey Pork Riblets
from epicurious.com

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 pounds pork of spareribs, halved crosswise, preferably by a butcher, and cut into individual ribs
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 large garlic clove, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon English-style dry mustard
• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

In a kettle of boiling salted water simmer the ribs, covered, for 30 minutes and drain them well. In a large bowl whisk together the honey, the soy sauce, the garlic paste, the hoisin sauce, the mustard, the vinegar, and black pepper to taste, add the ribs, and toss the mixture well, coating the ribs thoroughly. Let the ribs marinate, chilled, for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Remove the ribs from the marinade, arrange them in one layer on the oiled rack of a foil-lined broiler pan, and broil them under a preheated broiler about 4 inches from the heat, basting them with the marinade, for 3 minutes. Turn the ribs with tongs and broil them, basting them with the marinade, for 2 to 3 minutes more, or until they are browned well and glazed. Discard the marinade.

Okay so a few things:
I went to Trader Joe's and could NOT find any ribs that were not already marinaded....And I was too lazy to head down the block to the store... so I bought pork loin and just cut it up. Essentially I had boneless ribs.

Was the recipe easy to follow?: Um yes. I actually wound up marinating the riblets over night because I fell asleep and woke up this morning. Ooops!

Was it good? Um yes. I think that it would be really good with regular bone in ribs. But Tim thought it was really tasty. And it made my whole apartment smell really good.

Would I make it again? Yes. It seems like a really easy dinner. As long as I don't fall asleep and wind up making them for lunch the next day. haha


So there you have it.
Week 2 done.
Don't forget to check out Erin's blog for the Wrap up!

WIU Week One Wrap Up- "Holiday" Favorites

Week One of Whip it Up 2009 has officially ended!
Can you believe it??

This week's suggested theme was "Holiday" Favorites.
Here's what our participants came up with:



Main Dishes:

Sherry made a Kidney- bean Curry that I immediately bookmarked to try later on this summer!
Kristin whipped up a Mexican Corn Bake.
Erin P. had a patriotic themed meal of Broiled Flank Steak with Tomato-Scallion Relish,Red, White & Blue Potato Salad & Broccoli Hash. ::Whew::
Julie M. made my mouth water with her Boneless Spareribs.
Heidi made Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry.

Sides:

Katie tried out a favorite recipe of mine from The Pioneer Woman- Pdubs Potato Salad.
Janet's Confetti Potato Salad was easy to bring down to the 4th festivities in the park.
Julie H. (that would be me) christened her new food processor with a Basil Parmesan Dip.

Pasta:

Jane's Broccoli & Tortellini Salad was actually a Broccoli Tortellini and Corkscrew Salad!
Erin made a Classic Macaroni Salad that was a hit with her co-workers!
Heidikins made a yummy Pasta Fantastico.
Lacey made her own Christmas Special.... Everything Lo Mein, you have to see her post!
Ying- Ying made her very first Easy Tomato Sauce.

Veggies:

Laura said "Bah Humbug" to Holiday foods and cooked up Italian Tomatoes Filled with Rice.
Andrea literally had me drooling with her Roasted Asparagus.... what TMI?

Breakfast(ish):

Jennifer had some fun making Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles.

Drinks:

Meredith was our lone drink maker with her Sangria debut.

Desserts:

Julianne made a mouth watering Blueberry Buckle.
Heidikins whipped up Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.
Kim looked in her pantry for inspriation and made Butterscotch Cooke Bars!
Bren covered strawberries in a Hot Fudge Sauce.
Carissa baked us a Strawberry Rhubard Crumble.
Brandi had me at Peanutbutter in her Peanutbutter Chocolate Dessert.
Robin intrugued me with Yucca Root in her Cassava Heavy Cake .
Julie made a 4th of July Triffle AND Chocolate Covered Pretzels.
Trish's gluten free Orange Bars were a hit!
Tarah made a Passover friendly Angel Food Cake.

Thank you to everyone who posted for this week!

This week's theme is Guilty Pleasure.
Look for Week Two's Wrap Up over on Mama Said No!

Whip It Up! Week 1- "Holiday" Favorite

Well it's finally here!
Whip it Up 2009 has begun!
This week's theme was "Holiday" Favorites.
When Erin and I were thinking about what themes we wanted, holiday foods was one of the first ideas that came up. There's something about certain foods that you eat during gatherings with friends, family and loved ones that makes you feel like you're at home.
I put the word holiday in quotation marks because, well... I wanted everyone to use the term loosely. Be creative, etc.

I wanted to find a recipe that would provide me something new to bring to gatherings. Something that was easy and good and that everyone would like.
I think I did good here.



Basil Parmesan Dip with Pita Chips

4 (6 inch) pitas
Cooking Spray
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup lightly packed basil leaves (about 1/2 oz)
3/4 cup finely grated Parmigano- Reggiano cheese
3/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove

1. Preheat oven 375.
2. Split pitas; cut each half into 8 wedges. Place wedges on a baking sheet. Coat with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon pepper and salt. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes or until crisp.
3. Combine remaining 1/4 tsp pepper, basil, and next 4 ingredients (through garlic) in a food processor; process until smooth. Scrape into serving bowl using a rubber spatula. Serve with pita chips.

Yield 8 servings
Recipe from Cooking Light Magazine July 2009

So as for the WIU questions:

Was the recipe easy to follow?- Incredibly easy. Plus I really wanted to use my new food processor... so wins all around.
Did the dish taste good? Um. DUH.
Would you make it again? Yes. It would be great for cookouts and pot lucks throughout the summer.

Head on over to our headquarters to see what all the other participants have whipped up this week!

Well.

It's funny... getting "older".
I never go out on Thursday nights anymore, since you know I have to work Fridays.
But since July 4th is a Saturday, I have today off.

Last night I went out with a bunch of ladies to celebrate another ones birthday.
I had never met the birthday girl, but by the end of the night it was like we had known each other our entire lives.

It was a pretty normal night out.
Plenty of dancing and drinking.
Creepy guys hovering over us.
I got hit on by a woman in the bathroom.... then later on that night she stepped on my toe with her stiletto. I think my toe is broken.
Nothing out of the ordinary.

Tim met up with us later in the evening.
All in all a wonderful night out.

And oh.
He's decided to NOT go to Maine this weekend.
We're going to drive up together next Sunday and spend the day hanging out and eating tons of seafood.

::Smile::