Reinventing & A Walk Down Memory Lane

I have to say that Day Two of my re-blogging experience has been a great success! Last evening after my latest post I whipped up a delicious batch of Frozen Banana Yogurt with Peanut Butter and Chocolate-Hazelnut Swirl. Thank goodness for my sister and brother-in-law's amazing blender otherwise the recipe would have never been a success. Definitely doesn't taste quite like your traditional frozen yogurt, but still delicious and packed with protein! I improvised with some chocolate chips since unfortunately I was all out of Nutella (whomp whomp). The recipe can be found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/geoffrey-zakarian/frozen-banana-yogurt-with-peanut-butter-and-chocolate-hazelnut-swirl.html

Moving back to today's successes: this afternoon I reinvented last night's Korean Beef bowl into Korean tacos. I miscalculated a bit last night and made about twice the amount of beef for the amount of rice I made...I blame it on my distain for making rice. However, I heated up some of the leftover meat in the microwave and put the reimagining process into play. We have a huge stack of corn tortillas in the fridge right now so I took those babies out and warmed them up on the stove. Next, I did a quick chiffonade of lettuce, diced up a bit of the red onion we had in the fridge, and mixed together some sour cream and sriracha. Sooooo delicious! I love revamping recipes and consider it a personal challenge...I have to say that this time it was a success. 

As for dinner, I made one of my all time favorite recipes: Ina Garten's Parmesan Chicken. This is not your run-of-the-mill "chicken parm" my friends. Oh no, this is the parmesan chicken recipe that screams summer and suits my every childhood desire for chicken fingers while still trying to maintain some sort of dignity and class. Chicken breasts breaded in flour, egg, breadcrumbs and parmesan, and are pan-fried to perfection in a blend of olive oil and the food of the gods - butter. Yum! For the pièce de résistance it is served atop a bed of crisp cool lettuce with a refreshingly bright lemon vinaigrette. Can you tell I like the recipe? The best part is...it is going to make some amazing leftovers for lunch tomorrow. 

Well that's all for tonight! Until tomorrow my friends...

With a touch of love,

Jill

Hello World!

Hello everyone! Thank you for tuning in!

After a long (and I mean LONG) delay in posting any new material I have decided to make a fabulous return to the world of blogging. A quick update on my life before I get into the good stuff. I have recently graduated from Northwestern University with a Masters in Genetic Counseling and am also recently engaged to my amazing boyfriend (now fiancé -Jack) of over 5 1/2 years. I couldn't be more thrilled for our future together! On top of everything I have accepted a position at a local children's hospital in Chicago where I will be continuing my training in pediatric genetics and am extremely excited to start work there. So, you may be asking yourself, what is she doing with all of her free time prior to starting work? The answer to that would be a variety of things: spending time with friends and family, studying for my quickly approaching boards (they're in August...yikes!), traveling, and beginning to blog again!

I have to say that I enjoy cooking more than ever, and who better to share my creations with than my friends, family, and faithful followers. So, I am making a promise to myself - that amidst all of the craziness (and excitement) of wedding planning, studying for boards, and starting a new job I am going to spend time every day (or at least every couple of days) sharing with all of you what I have concocted that day.

Onto today's dish! I didn't have a chance to go out to the store today, so I whipped up a little pantry creation. Naturally, as most any girl of the 21st century would, I immediately consulted Pinterest for a recipe that could include items that I happened to have on hand...mainly frozen ground beef. Unexciting I know, but hey sometimes you just need to clean some things out of your freezer. I came across a recipe by a fellow blogger - Chungah at Damn Delicious for a Korean Beef Bowl.

First impression, the recipe was super easy with ingredients that can all be found in a standard cook's pantry/freezer - ground beef, ground ginger, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, scallions, vegetable oil, and rice. I admit that I did cheat a bit on the rice and used the organic jasmine rice from the freezer aisle at Trader Joe's. I am obsessed with this stuff! I honestly recommend it to anyone who hates cooking rice (aka me).

I have to say that the recipe turned out well. I made a bit of an alterations and added some fish sauce and chopped peanuts at the end. I think next time I would add some vegetables (e.g., broccoli, snap peas) for a little bit more crunch. Feel free to try it for yourself and let me know what you think!

With a touch of love,
Jill