Bulking Up

Since a new year is approaching, it seems like the right time to get organized and I decided that I wanted to go into 2012 prepared for anything. What does that mean, exactly? Apparently I felt the need to be all stocked up on personal hygiene products.

I hit up Amazon for some great discounts on products I hate running out of - toilet paper, paper towls, soap, and toothpaste. We've got enough of each to last us a while…

And, last time I was in Boston, I visited LUSH and bought 10 of my favorite shampoos - they're solid shampoo bars. This will save me on shipping down the road, since there aren't any LUSH stores nearby, and will save me from having a few days of dirty hair while I wait for the new shampoo to arrive.

Also in preparation for the new year, we cleaned like crazy.  From dusting the baseboards to clearing out our closets (4 full bags to donate to Goodwill, which is crazy considering we thought we'd really pared down for our move!), we've gotten our house ready for 2012.

What do you buy in bulk? What do you hate running out of? How do you get your house ready for the new year?  Stay prepared and stay homey!

Baked Crab Rangoon Cups

Crab rangoon is deeeeelish. But I'm sure I don't need to tell you that. It's one of my favorite appetizers so I wanted to incorporate it into some of my holiday entertaining this year.

I have learned the hard way that deep frying for several guests outside of a football party is dreadful. It makes our 2 bedroom/2 bath condo stink and let's face it, it just isn't ideal to be hovering over a deep fryer with a holiday dress on. It's hard making deep frying cute. I've tried.

I still had it in my mind that I wanted to serve crab rangoon so I went on the hunt to find inspiration for a baked crab rangoon recipe that would have all of the delicious creamy crunchy properties of the traditional dish but without all of the fuss. I decided to do a loose adaptation of Steamy Kitchen's Baked Crab Rangoon and am thrilled I did.

Collect your cast of characters:

Canned Premium Lump Crab Meat

Real Mayonnaise

Cream Cheese

Water Chestnuts (chopped)

Garlic Powder

Lemon Juice

Green Onions (chopped)

Wonton Wraps

So obviously fresh crab meat is always better, but hosting for several people can get expensive. I found canned premium lump crab meat on super sale so I decided to get this. I took a pic so you'd believe me - this is really good crab. Just make sure you look for premium lump or you'll be sad.

So my husband is not a seafood fanatic and prefers to NOT have big chunks of seafood hanging around the kitchen. So I creamed the crab in with all of the ingredients at once. However, if you want to have individual pieces of lump crab to shine through, just cream all of the ingredients together and then gently fold the crab in.

Yum Yum. Seriously, you could eat it like this as a dip.

Spray inside of muffin pans with cooking spray and then gently press down wonton wrappers into the mold. I also ended up spraying the top of each wonton wrapper as well to help facilitate the crispiness that makes crab rangoon so darn good.

I love the random look of these. Looks so cool and homemade - each one is different.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven until wonton wrappers just begin to crisp, about 3-4 minutes. You do not want them to be at our desired golden brown because they need to go back into the oven.

Fill each of the cups and then put them back into the oven to bake. Since everything in the filling is cooked, you just want to bake them until they are nice and golden brown - about another 5 minutes or so. Keep an eye on them though, they can get a little too brown fast. Don't these look good?

I topped each individual one with some chopped green onions, but that is optional. Want to hear something cool? Because these weren't deep fried they are much healthier than the original. So now we have made something easier and healthier. Score and score.

You can also use the green onions to garnish your serving platter. These were outstanding. Really. The addition of the chopped water chestnuts added another layer of crunch. Don't leave them out! Try them the next time you are looking for an easy or lighter appetizer. Stay hungry!

Baked Crab Rangoon Cups

1 Can Premium Lump Crab Meat
2 Tbs Real Mayonnaise
1 Block Cream Cheese
1/2 Can Water Chestnuts (finely chopped)
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
2 Tbs Lemon Juice
2 Green Onions (chopped, greens and whites separated)
24 Wonton Wraps

Preheat oven to 375. Mix all ingredients together, reserving the wrappers and white portion of green onions. Spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray. You could also rub the pan with vegetable or canola oil as well. Press wonton wrappers into pan. Spray tops with cooking spray. Cook in oven for 3-4 minutes or until they just begin to crisp. They should be a pale color. Fill each wonton cup with filling and place back into the oven for another 5 minutes or so or until they become nice and golden brown. Top each with white portion of chopped green onions and serve immediately. Enjoy!

The Map Quest

Jesse and I have been collecting maps together for years, mostly from vacations we've taken together. It started with a map of Vieques after a visit to the island in 2007 and our collection has grown like crazy since then. Eventually, the game plan is to get them all on the two-story wall in our living room.

For now, I'll share a few snippets from my favorite maps. An old census map of Lewiston, Maine, home of the Hardly Housewives alma mater:

This beautifully illustrated map of the world, from Famille Summerbelle:

A map of Ostego county from my friend Meatball's Cooperstown, NY wedding this summer:

A print of a 1904 map of North America, downloaded from the Library of Congress:

And another great Library of Congress find, an illustrated map of North & South America:

When looking for maps, we looked in local stores, searched Etsy & eBay, visited gift stores on our vacations, and, as mentioned, printed some real gems from the Library of Congress. I can't wait to see how it all comes together! Stay tuned and stay homey!

Bacon Brussels Sprouts

So the week between Christmas and New Years I'm going to try to be a little bit healthy.  I wish you knew the hilarity of me typing this.  Between me typing that first sentence and now, Charlie ordered Chinese.  It's the thought the counts. 

I LOVE greens.  Love em!  I know this sounds odd, but when I was younger I would sit on the couch with a bag of spinach and eat the leaves like potato chips.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I love me some potato chips, but after a few days of eating anything and everything that crosses my path, my body slams on the breaks and demands something healthy.  I'm fairly sure that this characteristic, and this characteristic alone, has saved my life.

So eating greens doesn't have to be boring.  In fact, I pride myself on making vegetables taste good enough to eat as a main dish.  When I lived in Boston, my dinners would often consist of exactly this - greens such as broccoli rabe, Brussels sprouts, mustard greens, or spinach that would be simple and delicious.  They almost always included bacon but WHATEVER I'M TRYING OKAY?

Here are the ingredients for our dish today:

Brussels Sprouts

Bacon

Shallot

Low Sodium Chicken Stock 

Brussels sprouts are delicious.  They are meaty, hold up to high roasting temps, and are totally versatile.  If you roast them, you will bring out this toasty nutty flavor.  Today, we will be sauteing them to achieve a soft texture that will go nicely with the crunchy bacon.  The ones I had were small enough to keep them whole.  If you have giant mondo ones, just cut them in half.

The best part?  They have very high anticancer properties.  Just make sure you don't boil them because that will basically diminish any healthy properties of the vegetable.

Chop up 3 slices of bacon and throw it into a pre heated pan.  Don't worry about using any olive oil.  The fat that renders out of the bacon will be plenty enough to cook the bacon in.

Once bacon gets nice and crispy, put it on some paper towels to drain any excess fat and put it outside or give it to your vegetarian neighbor to keep an eye on it for you.

Drain basically all of the bacon fat and just leave enough to saute the chopped shallot in.  You really don't need more than a teaspoon or two.

Add the sprouts and saute in the shallots for 30 seconds until the shallots are nicely incorporated.  Now, add some chicken stock to help soften the sprouts.

Let them cook for about 12-15 minutes on medium high heat until most of the stock has reduced off and sprouts are softened.

Add to a bowl of your choice and sprinkle bacon on top.  The crunch of the bacon is absolutely delicious with the tender sprout leaves.

Give this a whirl and let us know what you think and stay hungry! 

Bacon Brussels Sprouts 

3 Slices Bacon, Chopped 

1-1/2 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock

1/2 Pound of Brussels Sprouts 

1 Large Shallot, Chopped

Cook bacon on medium high heat until golden brown.  Remove and drain on paper towels.  Drain fat and reserve about 1-2 teaspoons to saute shallots in.  Don't worry about measuring this part.  Just leave a little in the pan and that will be fine.  Add your chopped shallot and saute until nice and softened.  Add the sprouts and stir for 30 seconds or so.  Add chicken stock and let it reduce down until sprouts are softened.  If they aren't soft enough you can pop them in the oven or add some more stock to let it reduce again.  Move to a dish of your choice and sprinkle with bacon.  This makes about two servings.  Enjoy! 

Twas the Day After Christmas

Over here, we're recovering from eating a platter full of these...

My mother's Christmas cookies were, as always, out of this world.  I think we'll need her to help us bake a cookie a day next advent.

Now that Christmas is over, it's time to start thinking about 2012.  When we were growing up, one of my friends, her mother, and her sisters used to look at December 26 as a family holiday - they'd go out early and spend the day shopping at after-Christmas sales.  This year, I'm taking a page from their book.  Granted, they were shopping in-store for clothes, and I'll be shopping online for homey items, but here's where I'm starting with post-Christmas sales:

1) Garnet Hill
20% off of their flannel sheets... yes, please!

2) Restoration Hardware
20% off of all full-priced items, plus further discounts on clearance items.  Now's the chance to bulk up on their amazing towels!  Use discount code RHSV121.

3) Crate & Barrel 
Seriously discounted clearance items, especially furniture.  I'd really like one of those Carly chairs... or maybe a twin sleeper sofa.

Good luck with all of the sales out there... stay homey!

Merry & Bright

Wishing a very merry Christmas, full of joy and laughter, to you and yours!

Stay happy, stay warm, and stay homey!

Christmas Skewers

I mean, could this get any more Christmasy?  

I love caprese salad (who doesn't?) so this is the perfect easy and refreshing hors d'oeurve.  If Santa wore a bow tie I'm pretty sure it'd look like this. My mother in law wanted something bright and refreshing so she spotted this and added it to the appetizer list for her annual Christmas party.  Yum. 

All you need is the following: 

Fresh Basil

Fresh Baby Mozzarella 

Cherry or Grape Tomatoes 

Long Toothpicks/Mini Skewers 

Leaf Lettuce (optional garnish) 

Balsamic Glaze (optional - not pictured)

It's so easy, you don't even need a recipe because this is more about assembly than cooking.  Just thread a cherry or grape tomato with a fresh baby mozz ball and finish it with a little piece of fresh basil.  My mother in law bought this beautiful leaf lettuce to lay down first as a garnish.  It' looked so pretty!

Since we put this together earlier in the day, I didn't photograph the last minute balsamic glaze I made right before serving.  So this is what you're supposed to do.  You are supposed to simmer balsamic vinegar (about 2-3 Cups) on low for 2-3 hours to reduce until it's nice and thick.  I realized about 20 minutes before everyone arrived that I forgot to do this so I just added about 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoons of sugar and kicked the heat up to medium high and let it bubble and simmer for about 5-7 minutes.  This was NOT ideal,  but if you're in a time crunch, this works just fine.  

What were some of your festive dishes this year?  Stay hungry!