Butternut Squash and Kale Hash

This was the meal that brought me out of my blog sabbatical because I just had to share! One of the fun things about cooking is after you do it long enough, you start to just know how certain tastes are going to meld and blend together. I love how you know you can combine the savory of Worcestershire, tang of champagne vinegar, sweet of agave and the piquant of dijon mustard to create an incredibly tasty glaze, and know that it will all work together. When you can look around your pantry or fridge, then just start mixing, that is when magic happens. And friends, that is the most fun part to reach in your kitchen adventures! 

This meal was inspired by a pinterest post for a sweet potato and kale hash, it was a breakfast dish with a fried egg on top. I have nothing against sweet potatoes, but I do have a love a-ffair with butternut squash so I decided to swap one orange veggie for another, just the way I like it. Mr. Max has been on a big kale kick ever since we did a cooking class in January with a crispy kale dish. I wanted to be able to take his new favorite veggie with my favorite veggie, then add some other stuff and make it a meal. Sounds pretty technical, huh?

I was shooting from the hip with this dish but wrote it down as I went a long so I could remember and hopefully get around to posting.... ta-da! I actually did this time. Nutritional fact breakdown can be found here, calculated at SparkRecipes.com.

Grocery List:
Yields 4 servings

• 10 large Kale leaves, de-stemmed and chopped into large chunks (we operate by, the darker the better! Grab some dino kale to try it out)
• 1.5 - 2 cups Butternut squash, cubed
• 3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 shallot, minced (about 2 tbsp. worth)
• 3 cloves garlic, minded
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. rosemary
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder
• 2 tbsp. shredded Parmigiano Reggiano (approximately)

Start by pre-heating your oven to 450 degrees to roast your butternut squash cubes. Toss with 1 tbsp. of olive oil to coat then sprinkle with the red pepper flakes and rosemary.  Set on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil (easy clean up process and assists in the crisping), then pop in the oven to roast for 20 minutes. We want these babies to have some brown on them, some color.

When you have about 10 minutes left on the timer for the roasting squash, take 1 tbsp of olive oil and begin to saute your shallots in a large saute pan over medium heat. Once frangrant, add the garlic and saute for about 3 minutes.

Add the kale and the final tbsp of olive oil, tossing in the pan to coat, which will help it cook and crisp. Let it sit for about 2 minutes on medium heat, then move it around the pan again. Right about now, the squash should be ready to take out of the oven. Add it to the pan and combine the two, adding the cumin and chili powder. Turn up the heat to about medium-high (6 or 7 on the dial) and let that kale crisp a little more in all the flavors.

Finally, you will add two large pinches of Parmigiano Reggiano. Give it a stir, fold it together, do what feels right.

Dish it out and serve for a deliciously nutritious, easy weeknight meal!

Served with petite Pork Tenderloin Medallions in a Cider-Dijon glaze

Directions:

Slice a pork tenderloin into 1 inch discs. In a small skillet, mist with cooking oil and set 4-5 slices, not touching one another, on the hot surface. Cover with a lid and let cook for 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat, then flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Both sides should have a nice brown marks, medium heat should register to 145 degrees.

As the medallions cook, time to whip up an easy glaze. I combined some of my favorite tastes mentioned in the opening paragraph: 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard, 1.5 tbsp. Worcestershire, 1 cup apple cider, 1 tbsp. champagne vinegar, 1 tbsp. agave nectar, 1 tsp. shallots, 1 tsp. rosemary. Place all of this in a sauce pan over medium heat, when it begins to simmer, bring the heat down to low to allow it to thicken, about 10 minutes total. To serve, spoon over top pork medallions. 

Nutritional fact breakdown for pork and sauce can be found here, calculated at SparkRecipes.com.  

One serving yields four small or three large medallions and 1 tbsp. of sauce. 

Tastefully yours, 

Happy New Year!

Hi foodie friends, Happy New Year!

I know it's been quiet over here for a few months but I hope you have had a wonderful holiday season. After a bit of a sabbatical, I wanted to surface again and to give a little update. 

So, Mr. Max and I said I Do in December and we have been slowly but surely settling back into a normal routine after wedding, honeymoon and holiday travels. Cooking new meals and using all of the fun kitchen-related wedding gifts has certainly been a treat! Last year was truly wonderful for us and we are thankful for the blessings bestowed, we are very excited to see what 2013 has in store for us.

As the new year is now in full swing, so are many new beginnings and goal-setting opportunities. Instead of making resolutions each year, I look at the facets of life that make me whole: physical, emotional, spiritual, educational, professional, financial, recreational, etc. I like to try to create a goal that will challenge me on all of these levels to help me continue to grow and thrive.

This year, my goals include:

Physical: I dabbled in yoga since 2010, hoarding Groupons to try a place for a month, then go on to the next place. In the spring of 2012, both Mr. Max and I made a commitment to the practice by joining a yoga studio. I hit 50 classes after 5 months but then tapered off of it. This year, and with 12 months ahead of me, I'd like to do 200 classes for the year and complete one of the monthly challenges my studio offers. 

Spiritual: Mr. Max and I both grew up with church as a large focus. We both participated in youth group, youth choir, mission trips, sunday school, confirmation classes and at some point, we both attended parochial school. We happened to fall into the same pattern once we left for college where we didn't stay disciplined to continue that on our own. Since college, we have gone to church here and there, but in our marriage counseling, we both identified that as the #1 area for growth that we feel we need as a couple. My aunt gave us a daily devotional book for the year and my goal is for us to complete that book, and to get involved in our church whether it is a bible study or a Sunday school class. Our schedules vary, I end up working a lot of weekends and we sometimes miss church, but I would like to actively strengthen my spirituality through prayer, fellowship and devotion in this new year.

Emotional: This goal is one that goes hand-in-hand with my spiritual goal. I would like to become more emotionally self-disciplined, learning to focus my thought process on God's perspective. I want to challenge myself to think more before I react and pray for patience so that I can be a better wife, daughter, sister, friend, and colleague. I will use my spiritual goal through our daily devotions to hear His word, praying for patience and perspective in all areas of life. I will also choose affirmations for myself and for my husband to repeat often. For myself, they will be phrases that I can focus on to get back on track if I start to feel overwhelmed or impatient. One I have said for years is Let Go and Let God; I tend to have a need to plan and take control of a situation, but this year my challenge is to let go of those urges and listen for His direction to anchor me again. For my husband, I want to affirm him daily in some way. Whether it is in action or speech, I want him to feel affirmed in love, support, guidance, trust, and decision-making.

Educational: This year, Mr. Max and I have a travel goal. Since that one is categorically ambiguous, I thought I could just classify it here. There are some places that we want to go, see and experience together. I hope to become educated on foods, wines, history, culture and more through our travels.

Financial: I didn't do a very good job at learning to live within my means as a single girl with a non-profit job in a fun city and this inherent want for pretty things. Mr. Max had a sit down with me last May and we've been working together on this little by little. In 2013, I would like a full year of paying of my credit card in full each month while also putting away a certain percentage into savings. This will be a challenge for me but something I should have learned a long time ago.

Professional: I would like to challenge myself this year to grow and become a more well-rounded professional to help achieve the vocational ambition that I seek. This one is short and sweet, a little vague, but not something I am not ready to expand on fully because I'm still working to grasp exactly what it means for me.

Finally, we come to Recreational: This is the area of life that makes up whatever I do when I'm not working. The part of life that helps give balance by way of a hobby. Well, for the past four years, cooking and keeping up this blog has been a big hobby for me. However, this year Kate's Cure for the Common Cuisine will re-brand and be a little different going forward to grow with me, as a writer and as a person. In the next month or so, you will be introduced to a new site focusing on more domestikated posts (see what I did there?!) that will not solely focus on food. I started this blog in 2010 as a way to share healthier recipe alternatives on my journey to better nutrition and learning to cook with my favorite sous chef. While there is still much more to come out of our kitchen, there is other content I'd like to be able to share with the help of some fantastic guest-blogger friends.

Whew! Well, that about sums it all up! Starting this year, I will post my monthly F&F (fitness & food) calendar. This is a tool I started using in February of 2012 when I took part in a healthy living challenge. By mapping it all out, it helped keep me on track. I took the Microsoft Word calendar template and just filled it all in, noting days I had events or meetings that I would need to be conscious of. You can see my January calendar below! Note, I usually don't plan out Fridays and Saturday meals, leaving those flexible.

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
		1	2 5:45 PM - Metal/Fire Progression Meals: Whole Grain Cereal Work meeting - Chinese Turkey Chili Taco Soup	3 6:00 AM – Wood 60 OR Cardio and Weights PM – Haircut Meals: Whole Grain Cereal Turkey Chili Taco Soup Quinoa/Shrimp Lettuce Wraps	4 6:00 AM – Cardio and weights Cotton Bowl Game	5 9:15 AM – Yoga Earth Class
6  Cardio and Weights Meals: Eggs, wheat toast Protein Smoothie Bnut Squash Chicken Spaghetti bake	7 5:45 PM Metal-Earth Progression OR 6:20 Metal 60 Meals: Protein Smoothie Chicken spaghetti Blackned salmon/veggies	8 6:00 AM – Earth 60 Meeting PM Meals: Whole Grain Cereal Spaghetti squash with chicken Fiesta flank steak salad	9 6:00 AM – Cardio and abs Meeting PM Meals: Protein Smoothie Fiesta flank steak Salad Meeting - Italian food	10 6:00 AM – Wood 60 Meals: Whole Grain Cereal Chicken/spinach wrap Skinny Chckn Parm with spaghetti squash	11 6:00 AM – Cardio and weights 6:00 PM – Central Market Cooking Class	12 12:00 PM – Metal 60
13  Cardio and Weights Meals: Eggs, wheat toast Protein Smoothie Tortilla Soup	14 Meeting PM Meals: Protein Smoothie Tortilla Soup and salad Pot roast	15 6:00 AM – Earth 60 5:45 PM – Body Works Meals: Whole Grain Cereal Pot roast Turkey Lettuce Wraps	16 6:00 AM – Cardio and abs 5:45 PM - Metal/Fire Progression Meals: Protein Smoothie Turkey Lettuce Wraps Veggie Ribbons/ Salmon	17 6:00 AM – Wood 60 Meals: Whole Grain Cereal Chicken/Spinach wrap Lasagna roll ups	18 6:00 AM – Cardio and weights 5:45 PM – Wood-Metal Progression	19 9:15 AM – Yoga Earth Class
20  Cardio and Weights Meals: Eggs, wheat toast Protein Smoothie Turkey Chili	21 5:45 PM Metal-Earth Progression OR 6:20 Metal 60 Meals: Protein Smoothie Turkey Chili Chicken Caprese with Spaghetti squash	22 6:00 AM – Earth 60 5:45 PM – Body Works Meals: Whole Grain Cereal Chicken/spag squash Brisket/veggies	23 6:00 AM –  Cardio and abs 5:45 PM - Metal/Fire Progression Meals: Protein Smoothie Brisket/veggies Butternut squash penne	25 6:00 AM – Wood 60 Meals: Whole Grain Cereal Butternut squash penne Black bean enchiladas	25 6:00 AM – Cardio and weights 5:45 PM – Wood-Metal Progression	26 12:00 PM – Metal 60
27  Cardio and Weights Meals: Eggs, wheat toast Protein Smoothie Butternut Squash Soup and fig/gouda grilled cheese	28 5:45 PM Metal-Earth Progression OR 6:20 Metal 60 Meals: Protein Smoothie Bnut squash soup/ salad Quinoa/black bean bowl	29 6:00 AM – Earth 60 5:45 PM – Body Works Meals: Whole Grain Cereal Quinoa/black bean bowl Asian stir-fry & salmon	30 6:00 AM – Cardio and abs 5:45 PM - Metal/Fire Progression Meals: Protein Smoothie Salad Beef Kabobs & Veggies	31 6:00 AM – Wood 60 Meals: Whole Grain Cereal Salad Chicken pesto pasta

Tastefully yours, 

Wedding Gifts: Shower Hosts!

The whole process of getting married is just so special! From the time you get engaged to when you say I Do, you are surrounded by love. We are so blessed to have some wonderful friends in our lives and while they were working hard on our behalf, I wanted to make sure I worked equally as hard to make sure they felt loved and appreciated for their efforts. This post is dedicated to those people and an ability to share some fun gift giving ideas for others looking for them.

Engagement Party Hosts - "Date Night" Recipe Basket

 

I cannot believe I didn't get a picture of this gift but I found a graphic on the wonderful world wide web that was similar enough to the gift basket created.

 

For our Engagement Party, we had some wonderful family friends offer to throw this celebration. These families have been apart of my life for as long as I can remember. I've cooked many meals in the Fulton kitchen and they know what foodies Max and I are so to make this extra special for us, they wanted to hand prepare all of the food for the event. They spent hours getting ready and creating a menu that served so many of our favorite things from pesto hummus and caprese skewers, to a crab remoulade and pork sliders. To thank them, I wanted to make something for them that was from our hearts, share something with them that is special to us. I had years of practice creating baskets of goodies for silent auctions, so I took that concept and applied it to their gift. I wanted to make each of the three host couples a "date night" basket with our favorite pasta recipe and everything they would need to make it. I filled the wicker basket with pasta noodles, ingedients for the sauce (including a mini vodka bottle), baguette bread, chianti wine and gadgets, such as a salad dressing emulsifier and cheese grater, stuffed it with crinkle paper and then wrapped with cellophane. I created a recipe card to attach, then used the back space to write a heartfelt message of thanks and affixed that as the gift tag.

Ladies Shower Host Gifts

For my Ladies Shower, I had four hosts that again I have known as long as I can remember. These sweet ladies have been dear friends of my mom and have watched me grow up. Having met all of them while growing up at University Park United Methodist Church, I wanted to gift them something that would reflect that. They led my Disciple Now weekends, taught me in Vacation Bible School and Sunday School, were chaperones on mission trips... these ladies each impacted my faith journey and were extensions of our own family for over 25 years. In Dallas we have the most fantastic store for home goodies and gifts called Sample House, where I found beautiful crosses and then paired with a candle for each host.

Couples Shower Host Gift

Mr. Max and I have some very special friends, the Rumplers. They have been a couple that has been apart of our relationship from very early on and they are apart of our wedding party. The Rumps gave us a lovely couples shower and we wanted to give them something fun in return. The store we purchased our wedding invitations through, Paper Affair, had a line of fun decorative cutting board platters that you could personalize. I was able to pick out a pattern and color that matched their home and have their name added to it. Liddy is a natural hostess so I thought this would be a gift I know she would appreciate. The week of that shower, I had a luncheon through work featuring the Pioneer Woman herself, Ree Drummond. I got to meet and talk with her, as well as the chance to buy her newest cook book and have it personalized. I put it all together in a basket with a floral arrangement.

Thanks again to our wonderful hosts, we hope you know how much we appreciate you!

Wedding Gifts: Bachelorette Favors!

 

I have been lagging on food posts because all of my creative energy the past two months have been spent on wedding planning and work event planning. It has left little room to stay creative in the kitchen but I thought I'd post about a prominent and favorite part of the planning process right now - the gift giving! I wanted to share some of the fun things in the world of gifts for shower hosts, bridesmaids, the groom and more. 

To start off this series of posts over the next few months, we have bachelorette party favors. My bachelorette party was this past weekend and my MOH's planned an incredible weekend in the Texas Wine Country! Two of the attendees are fellow hobby-bloggers and did their own recaps so I'll let their work over at Kitten and Pitbulls and Average Insanity give you a little peak into our fun. It was more special than I could have ever dreamed and I feel very blessed to have each of those girls in my life!

In preparation for the weekend, I wanted to create a fun little favor to thank my guests for coming and spending their weekend with me. I had a lot of fun brainstorming different options and this box of goodies was born. I was really lucky to find some great deals to help me do this on a budget, while still being able to make the most out of it for each girl. Each box consisted of a bottle of wine with personalized wine label, a personalized wine glass, a wine yoke, and a sleep mask. The grand total for this? Roughly $8.11 a person. HOW you may ask? Let's break it down...

Personalized wine glasses:

I bought wine glasses from IKEA and personalized each glass with paint pens. I did their initial with polka dots and then wrote "Fill it Up, Drink it Down, Repeat" on the bottom.

Wine Labels and Bottle: 

I found a website that I could customize and order wine labels for just $0.99 each. I made a commemorative wine label and was so excited to reveal my tagline, "You Had Me at Merlot!"

I asked my MOHs to find out from each girl if they preferred Red or White wine and gave it to them accordingly. For the wine, thank heavens for friends in high places! I was able to work with a wine distributor who I've developed a great working relationship with. I told her what I was looking to do and asked if she would be able to sell me two cases at whole sale cost. She did me one better and GAVE me the bottles of wine! For her, it was promotion. For me, it was awesome.

I soaked off the front but left the back label with brand information on it so it didn't defeat her purpose of giving them to me. I then took the commemorative wine label and affixed one to each bottle. If you are going to soak bottles, the best method that worked for me was to fill a bathtub or kitchen sink with hot water to a shallow level. You only need enough to cover the label, not to submerge it. Squeeze a little bit of dish soap in, and place the wine bottles in, label-side down. Leave for several hours and use a razor blade to help remove the label and residue. My first soak was 4-5 hours, then I just decided to do them overnight and that was easier.

Sleep Masks: 

I mean, who doesn't love some serious shut eye after lots of wine consumption? I spent some time googling and comparing, finally finding a fabulous site to bulk order these sleep masks. I got a fun hot pink color and I think they came in handy. I know I was able to use one on the way home when my lack of sleep caught up to me.

The Wine Yoke:

This was an impulse purchase, I had already finalized everything but I was in World Market and saw the Wine Yoke. I sat there and had a left-brain/right brain conversation to myself for about 3 minutes. I decided to leave it to fate and if I could find them online for under $3/each, I would order them. Sure enough, I did, AND they were pink which is only right for a girls bachelorette weekend! Order placed, shipped, delivered.

The Packaging:

Working in events, you bulk order a lot of stuff and know where to get some good wholesale prices for things such as crinkle paper. I was able to go to a wholesale store by our office to get a box of the crinkle to use as padding in the boxes and add some flare. The Duck brand corrugated boxes were ordered from Amazon.com and were easy to assemble!

Others:

 

My MOH's also included a cute little favor of their own for the girls with personalized cups, 

straws, beads and blinkie rings. 

 To close, here are some of my favorite group shots with the girls...

 

Some of us posing after breakfast, getting ready for the bus to come pick us up

 Group at Pedernales Cellars for first tasting, with wine yokes in tow

 

The full group at Hondo's for dinner to start the night off - I love all the colors going on here!

Thank you friends for helping me celebrate the best weekend of my life,

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!