Dutch Oven Green Chili

Last year for my birthday my Mom got me a Le Creuset dutch oven. If you know anything about cookware, you know this is top-of-the-line stuff: cast iron with beautiful coloring, it's a French brand that is pricey but also awesome. And then sadly, I never used it. It's hard when you are cooking for one person as dutch oven recipes typically make many portions. But basically that's an excuse. I just never got around to using it.

My Mom finally shamed me into making more of an effort when she asked me point blank, "do you ever use your dutch oven?" I tried to change the topic, but she knows my tricks. So I resolved then and there to make more dutch oven recipes.

I made my first recipe a few weeks ago when I was hosting one of my D&D groups: it was an Iberian Chicken Stew that turned out pretty well, but since I forgot to take pictures I didn't put the recipe up on the blog (we all know recipes are better than pictures). But earlier today my Mom came over for lunch so I decided to surprise her with something I would cook in the dutch oven. This recipe I found just be scouring the internet for "low calorie dutch oven recipes" and someone had posted it on some cooking forum or another.

I have kind of love/hate relationship with chili. On one hand, I think it's delicious with the beef, and the tomato-based sauce, and the heat. On the other, I really really REALLY hate beans. Loathe. So with most chili, I end up picking out all the beans which is quite labor intensive and means you end up with a half-serving, at best. This chili recipe seemed perfect as it was easy, had no beans, and looked yummy.

In all honesty though, I don't think this is technically chili. Shouldn't chili have chili pepper in it? This doesn't. I ended up using green chilis in my version, though the original recipe called for roasted peppers, but is that enough to make it chili? At this point, I don't really care since it turned out delicious. Perhaps a more accurate moniker for this recipe is beef stew. I leave that to you, gentle reader, to puzzle through.

Dutch Oven Green Chili

1 16oz. package Trader Joe's "Traditional Pot Roast" (fully cooked and seasoned pot roast)
1 half white onion
1 can canned diced tomatoes
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup sliced green chilis (I used two cans of the Trader Joe's brand and that worked out perfectly)
2 splashes hot sauce
1 cup salsa (the fresh type works better)

Chop the onion and then cut the pot roast into small cubes. Coat the dutch oven with cooking spray and cook the onions over medium heat until translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients to the dutch oven. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. The wet ingredients will reduce by about half. Salt and pepper to taste and voila! Yummy (faux) chili!

Serves 6, Calories per serving: 210, Fat: 4.6g, Carbs: 30, Protein: 13

I served mine with some corn bread muffin tops (a recipe that was just ok honestly--it needs actual corn in it) and a spinach salad. The entire lunch was under 400 calories!

If you want to continue to cook down the moisture, this would make an excellent tortilla filling. Also, if you don't have a dutch oven, I think you could use a slow cooker in a pinch--thought the cooking time might be longer.

Shamrock Fest and St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes

Ah, St. Patrick's Day. The one day of the year my red hair is hailed as a gift instead of a curse. Also, everyone pretends to be as Irish and cool as me and there's also lots of drinking. Basically there is nothing not to love about this holiday.

Every year in DC there is a huge party called Shamrock Fest with great food, music, and beer (of course). I've never really been one for music fests (so crowded and porta potties are not my thing), but some of my friends were organizing a big group and I figured, "why not?" Especially when the headlining performers are my favorite band, Carbon Leaf.

So on Saturday, March 16 (the day before actual St. Patrick's Day) we all put on our best green and Irish duds and headed out on the metro to RFK Stadium. We met up early for some pre-partying and I might have been a wee bit tipsy by 10:30 in the morning, but that's all part of the fun, right?

Things didn't end up as crowded as I had feared (probably because of the threat of rain) and we had a grand time wandering around the festival grounds, dancing in the DJ tent, getting beer and cider, and waiting for Carbon Leaf. When the band took the stage at 4:30 there was a brief rain shower, but their one hour set was fantastic, with a great mix of old and new songs. Carbon Leaf has always had a bit of a Celtic rock flair and I was able to score a spot in the front row--for the first time!

By 6:00 I was wiped from being on my feet, drunk, and out in the elements all day, so I called it an early night. But Shamrock Fest proved more fun than expected and I look forward to going back next year.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I also decided to try a new homemade Guinness Chocolate cupcake recipe! I know many of you hear "homemade" and "cupcakes" in the same sentence and panic, but trust me that these are super easy. There is also a certain amount of pride that comes from making something from scratch rather than out of a box. These got rave reviews from my friends--they bake up to a dense, chocolatey cake that isn't too heavy. And the beer doesn't really influence the flavor, it just adds a certain depth and keeps the cake moist. Top off the cupcakes with the Bailey's Irish Cream frosting and you are good to go for all your St. Patty's Day needs!

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

1 cup stout beer (Guinness)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup buttermilk (I used a buttermilk substitute--2/3 cup milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice that you let sit for 5 minutes)

• Prepare muffin tins with liners.
• Simmer together beer and butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat.
• Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
• Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in large bowl to blend.
• In bowl of mixer fitted with beater, beat eggs and buttermilk to blend.
• Add cooled stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine.
• Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Batter will be very dark brown and thin.
• Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake until tester inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, about 18 minutes.

 Baileys Irish Cream Frosting 

1 lb (4 cups) confectioner's sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature (soft but still cool)
3 ounces (6 TBL) Baileys Irish Cream*
(I also recommend dying the icing green for that perfect Irish touch)

• Beat butter on medium-high until smooth, and fluffy.
• On lowest mixer speed, add confectioner's sugar one cup at a time, incorporating fully before adding more.  • Once all sugar is added, beat about one minute. Incorporate Baileys Irish Cream one tablespoon at a time. Beat until light and fluffy. If too stiff or dry, add more Baileys as necessary.

Rockin out in the DJ tent

 Me and some random dude in a kilt.

Fancy and Shmancy in NYC

"Hey Upper East Siders, Gossip Girl here, you're one and only source into the scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite. What's making the headlines on my homepage? Spotted: Margaret Riley walking the streets of New York and staying at the Waldorf Astoria. Looks like there's a new player in town."

That's what ran through my head last weekend as I walked around New York. My friend Caroline from law school and work moved to Manhattan last month so me, Chris, Kent, and Monique decided to spend the weekend visiting her and my other friend from undergrad, Sarah. Monique happened upon an advertisement for the Waldorf Astoria where they mentioned taking the government rate....and well, our fancy New York weekend adventure began!

Of course, the glamour kind of wears thin when you take the Bolt bus up, but hey, we save money where we can, right? After arriving in town and arriving at the hotel (I did a little dance when I told the cab driver to take me to the "Waldorf Astoria on Park Avenue, please"), we changed into some fancy duds and grabbed food and drinks at several of the hotel bars. Now, these are nice places so the drinks were kind of expensive (about $20), but they were also really delicious. And you can't beat the ambiance. Plus, I'm going through this phase now where my absolute favorite thing is to get all dolled up and go to fancy restaurants and bars. It's just a thing.

The Waldorf's main lobby

Exploring the hotel and striking a pose. Two of my favorite things.

The next day we also had big plans. After a buffet breakfast at the hotel, we met up with Sarah and Caroline for the matinee of the Broadway show, Kinky Boots. It's still in previews, so we felt extra special getting a chance to see it....and if you haven't heard of it, I suggest you get your butt up to Broadway IMMEDIATELY because it's going to be a hit and win all the Tony's. Just you wait. It had a kind of Hairspray feel to it with the fun and the dancing and the brightness and the lesson that it's ok to just be yourself, but it also felt very real to me in terms of the characters and the decisions they made. None of that typical Broadway bullshit plot stuff that sometimes jerks you out of a story.

Did I mention the songs were by Cyndi Lauper? Gayest and greatest show ever!

If you haven't heard of the show before, here's a brief run-down: "Charlie Price (Tony nominee Stark Sands) has suddenly inherited his father’s shoe factory, which is on the verge of bankruptcy. Trying to live up to his father’s legacy and save his family business, Charlie finds inspiration in the form of drag queen Lola (Billy Porter). A fabulous entertainer in need of some sturdy stilettos, Lola turns out to be the one person who can help Charlie become the man he’s meant to be. As they work to turn the factory around, this unlikely pair finds that they have more in common than they ever dreamed possible… and discovers that when you change your mind about someone, you can change your whole world."

After the show we checked out Caroline and her husband's Joe's fabulous apartment (basically across the street from Penn Station and Madison Square Garden) and their AMAZING view. I was jealous, not gonna lie. And then it was down to the Lower East Side for dinner, mini cupcakes, and a burlesque show at The Slipper Room, one of NYC's first neo-burlesque cabarets. You might recall that I am going through something of a burlesque phase right now, but this show was racy even by my standards. Typically, burlesque doesn't involve full nudity....so I was a bit shocked when there was full on vagina on the stage. But it was still all in good fun and what's a little naughtiness among strangers?

Group shot on the rooftop of Caroline and Joe's apartment building!

After a full day of planned fun on Saturday, I had purposefully reserved all of Sunday for just wandering around. I started at MOMA (the Museum of Modern Art) and downloaded their free Droid app with all the audio tour info. There was also a special exhibition of Edward Munch's work, including The Scream, and the museum's regular collection was impressive including works by Van Gogh, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, etc.

AHHHHHHHH!

I then walked over to Central Park, through the zoo, and back along 5th Avenue (ooo la la) to do some couture window shopping and then over the Rockefeller Center, a sandwich shop, and Magnolia Bakery. Hey, when in Rome....And then it was time to head for the bus and ride back to reality. I think I might be spoiled for all other hotels though.

Next time: THE PLAZA! At least in my dreams.

Quick and Easy Weeknight Dinner

Another day, another recipe! I told you I got inspired by my recent trip to California to try doing more actual (healthy) cooking and baking. While flying back to DC and reading through my Real Simple magazine (one of my favorites with tips that are actually helpful for life), I found a great quick, easy, and most importantly, delicious, recipe that is also low in calories. Win!

Sirloin Steak with Tomatoes and Mozzarella

The recipe as written feeds four. Well, that just won't do for a single free-lovin gal who lives on her own. It was super easy to divide though; I bought a pack of multiple steaks and just cooked up one (approximately 6 oz.) and divided all the cherry tomatoes and mozzarella (which came in a pack of four balls) into quarters. If you want to half it or make the full recipe, it will be just as easy.

1.5 lbs. sirloin steak
1 pint cherry tomatoes
4 balls mozzarella (bocconcini)
Bay leaves (fresh or dried)
Salt and pepper to taste

Salt and pepper both sides of the steak; cut into strips. Slice tomatoes and mozzarella balls into halves or quarters.

Cook the steak strips in a skillet over medium heat in olive oil (approximately 2 minutes per side). Remove and place on plate. Reduce heat to low; put tomatoes into skillet and cook until soft (approximately 1-2 minutes). Add mozzarella and bay leaves, if desired, to pan with tomatoes and cook until just beginning to melt. Place on top of steak.

Voila! The original recipe called for cooking the steak and then slicing, but I found the raw meat much easier to cut. Also, it speeds up the cooking time by about 10 minutes since the sliced meat cooks much faster. But if you prefer your steak on the medium or rare side, you might want to stick with cutting the meat after its cooked.

Calorie count = 294 per serving (1/4 of the recipe).

Healty(-ier) Muffins

Last week I went to LA to visit my brother, sister-in-law, and baby (technically now toddler) nephew, James. One of the reasons I love heading out there is my SIL, Amanda, is a fantastic cook. She loves scouring cook books and food website for new recipes and focuses on things that are low in calories and chock full of good stuff like fiber, protein, and fruits and veggies. This is especially true when it comes to cooking and baking for 14 month old James, after all, little kids have a lot of nutritional needs than your average adult.

During our visit, Amanda made a recipe from her Cooking Light Baby Food cookbook, Mini Whole-Wheat Apricot Muffins. Turns out muffins are great for toddlers (especially mini ones) since they are easily freezeable, portable, and a perfect size and texture for little chubby kid fingers. And just because the recipe came from a kid's cookbook doesn't mean it isn't good for adults as well. These were yummy muffins and you got three per serving at only 133 calories. This means even I was able to indulge in a few as a snack (since I have started getting serious about counting calories).

Now that I'm home from sunny California, I am inspired by Amanda's baking and cooking, and I've decided to try to find my own healthier but delicious recipes. I tried my first go-round last night, working with another Cooking Light muffin recipe but making my own changes to make it even more healthy. So I proudly present to you--Maggie's Whole Wheat Raisin Banana Muffins!

I'm going to call this recipe makeover a success--the original recipe was for a white flour based cranberry and orange muffin. It clocked in at 174 calories, which is certainly nothing to scoff at, but I thought I could do a little better. Even if I couldn't cut back a lot of the calories, at least I could pack the muffins with some more hearty ingredients.

I started by replacing all the white flour with whole wheat flour. However, wheat flour is a lot dryer than regular flour, so that means we needed some more liquid in the batter. I decided to throw in two and a half bananas (that had been sitting in the freezer for a few months). When you defrost the bananas, they end up a lot juicier so this added some more wetness. I also subbed in raisins for the cranberries--I figured they have less sugar and would pair better with the bananas. Following that logic, the orange rind had to go, so I used allspice instead. The final substitution was 1% milk for 2%--mostly because that's what I had on hand.

I was a little worried after I finished mixing up the batter, it was a good deal thicker than most muffin mix and had a consistency more like a cookie. But the muffins ended up baking beautifully, fluffing up a bit but staying within the confines of the muffin cup. It makes a dense muffin which I like; what's the point of eating those calories if it doesn't help fill you up? They have a great wheaty, nutty flavor (even though there's no nuts). The banana and spice is very subtle (I'll probably throw in an extra banana next time), and the raisins added a little touch of sweetness. If you aren't a big fan of wheat these probably aren't the muffins for you, but if you like quick and easy recipes with a hearty flavor than give them a try. You don't even need a mixer, I easily combined all the ingredients by hand with a spatula.

Maggie's Whole Wheat Raisin Banana Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins
2/3 cup 1% milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, beaten
3 bananas

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in raisins; make a well in the center of the mixture. Combine milk, butter, allspice, vanilla, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring until just moist. Spoon batter into 12 (my recipe made 16) muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes until muffins are brown on top. Remove from the muffin pan immediately and cool.

Note: these muffins freeze well stored in freezer bags. I also like them warmed up a bit, either in the microwave (20-30 seconds per muffin) or heated in the oven on foil for 10-15 minutes at 300 degrees.

If you are keeping track of calories, I would estimate that these end up between 130-150 calories depending on the size of your muffins. Not too shabby!

Hola, Lovers!

Continuing the tradition from last year of a warm weather winter vacation...me and 8 of me peeps headed to beautiful sunny MEXICO!

It was beautiful and it was sunny (at least in the morning) but the water was fucking FREEZING. We still had an amazing time, but I didn't do more than dip a toe in the ocean because my Mama taught me that hypothermia is bad news bears. Even the pool was almost too cold to stand. But I was perfectly content spending the days on our ocean-view beach beds.

Beach beds by day...

And beach beds by night!

My days consisted of workouts in the morning (sure, it's a vacation, but that buffet was dangerous), followed by yoga by the beach, and then lots and lots of lounging. Books were read, playlists listened to....actually, that's pretty much all I did. Until nightime, and then we had had some yummy food in the on-site restaurants and danced for hours to various house bands at the Saturday evening night club on the resort.

Chilling on the beach.

The beach at sunset.

In the nightclub (with the glow body paint).

There was only one day when I left the resort--I'm sure to some people that's considered lame, but I was perfectly happy to just spend my days chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool.  But there was one thing in the Yucatan that I couldn't miss....

On our last full day in Mexico, we took a day long trip that included stops at a giant sinkhole and the ancient Mayan city, Chichen Itza.

Chichen Itza was a large pre-Columbian city built by the Maya civilization. It is located in the Yucatan and was a major focal point in the Mayan civilization from 600–1200 AD. Chichen Itza was one of the largest Maya cities and it was likely to have been one of the mythical great cities, or Tollans, referred to in later Mesoamerican literature. The land under the monuments was privately owned until 29 March 2010, when it was purchased by the state of Yucatán.

Dominating Chichen Itza is the Temple of Kukulkan (a Maya feathered serpent deity similar to the Aztec Quetzalcoatl), usually referred to as El Castillo ("the castle"). This step pyramid stands about 98 ft high and consists of a series of nine square terraces, each approximately 8 ft high, with a 20 ft high temple upon the summit (called the Temple of the Red Jagquar--seriously). Each side has 90 steps, but begin with the number 0--which the Mayans invented. Cool, right?

Sinkhole!

Group shot in front of El Castillo!

Burlesque, baby

Burlesque: a literary, dramatic, or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of the subject.

Apparently, that is the textbook definition of burlesque. But if you ask the average person on the street what burlesque means, they will likely respond "chicks taking their clothes off." Of course, the routines need to include feathers, sequins, pasties, teasing, and boas...at least in my opinion.

I'm a fan of burlesque. Not because I particularly enjoy looking at women taking off their clothes; let's be honest, if I want to see that, I can look in the mirror. But for me it's about women empowering themselves. A lot of burlesque dancers aren't model-perfect, but when they perform they bring you along into their world where they are the hottest thing since sliced bread. It's all about loving your body and self-confidence and holding every person in that audience in the palm of your hand. So essentially, it's about power.

And I like power. I also like feeling attractive.

So when my friend Jennifer emailed me about Living Social's Bourbon and Burlesque classes (intro lesson to burlesque with three bourbon-based drinks), I was all about it. They're offered every Thursday and are run by two of the DC Gurly Show ladies, Velvet Kensington and Private Tails.

Me, Jennifer, and Bridgid. Suggestions for our burlesque group name: Chitty Titty Glam Bang and The Boa Constrictors. Also, since we're all lawyers, we could be Legally Busty. 

The class started with a brief introduction into the history of burlesque, and then we learned about several types of dancing.

Neo-burlesque: revival burlesque, in the classic style but with a modern twist.

Nerd-lesque: like neo-burlesque, but with a nerd theme to the shows and costumes.

Boy-lesque: when men dress as men and dance and take off their clothes.

Boi-lesque: when women dress as men and dance and take off their clothes.

Drag-lesque: when Drag Queens (men dressed as women) dance and take off their clothes.

Plus lots more that I can't remember. If you want to learn more, google it. Seriously, burlesque is awesome.

After the history less, the ladies demonstrated their moves, and it was time for us to get down to business! We learned some basic moves--how to remove our gloves in three different ways and different ways to work the boa. We also learned ways to work the booty, like the Betty Boop where you shake it and then stick it out. Work that money maker, ladies! We were then divided into groups and had to choreograph a number.

Sure, our number ended up a hot mess. But as I looked at the other group's performing, I couldn't help but marvel. I could tell that a lot those ladies had never done anything like this before. Some others weren't the best dancers and some forgot the steps...but you know what? Everyone looked beautiful because they felt beautiful. It was a room full of women rejoicing in themselves as they were and not worrying about whether their thighs were too big, or their stomach too poochy, or all the other horrible things that women tell themselves every single day. Everyone in that room felt beautiful. And it was beautiful! 

My good girl burlesque name: Ginger Snap. My naughty girl burlesque name: Ginger Snatch.

Notes From the Recording Studio

I have found my one true calling!

I was meant to be a children's music recording artist! I can see it now: the accolades, the awards (watch out Adele, I am gunning for your Grammys), the platinum albums...the future stretches out in front of me as clear as the eye can see and it is glorious.

Ok, so maybe I am getting a bit carried away, but I did spent a weekend recording some songs for my nephew James and it was SO MUCH FUN. I first got the idea back in October. After all, James loves listening to music and I love singing music, so I figured what better Christmas gift than a couple songs from his Aunt Maggie? Luckily, my friend Andrew from college (a fellow ginger and overall musical genius) has a recording studio set up in his house and was kind enough to help me with the songs. Not luckily, we weren't able to get together in Williamsburg until just a few weeks ago, so the songs had to wait until after Christmas.

But the important thing is, Andrew and I were finally able to meet up and lay down some sweet tracks. The whole experience was so cool--I can't really think of another way to describe it. It wasn't easy--sometimes I had to sing the same part over and over to get it right, and Andrew had to learn two songs for the piano (just by listening!) and orchestrate a whole other song...but through the whole thing we had a great time. It was just like you see on tv: you wear headphones to hear what is being recorded and sing into a microphone...just so neat. And Andrew displayed infinite patience for dealing with me and my (what I think of as occasional) pitch problems and I was just blown away by his abilities.

I haven't quite figured out how to put the sound files here on blogger, which is a shame because I would love for you all to hear the three songs we recorded. The first song is actually one that I used to sing with my Mom all the time as a kid.  It's an old bluegrass number called Stealin' and it's sung in three part harmony. Which meant I had to sing all three parts myself and sing along with myself to record them! We got off to a great start--it's a capella so Andrew got to play producer through the entire process--and we got the alto and soprano parts recorded fairly quickly. The bass line was a little trickier (since I had never sung it before!) but we got the entire song recorded in about an hour.

And then Andrew accidentally erased the alto and soprano parts from the computer. Whoops!

But it wasn't the end of the world; I just had to record them again by singing along with the bass part. This was way harder than the first time we did it, it's always easier to match yourself when you have the actual melody line to work off of. But again, we got it done!

The second song we worked on is another favorite of mine--and another lesser known number. It's called On the Front Porch and it was originally sung by Burl Ives (you know, Mr. Christmas!) in an old Disney live action movie with Haley Mills. It's on my five disc Classic Disney CD collection (what?) and I've always loved it. So I played it for Andrew when we needed a third song and he was on board.

Of course, these things are always easier said then done, and it turns out the song is actually really hard to sing and accompany. It's full of minor chords and other oddities that made it, pardon my French, a bitch to sing. And it turns out I didn't know it as well as I thought and was getting a lot of the notes just plain wrong. But Andrew's genius saved the day again, and he was able to walk me through the rough patches and sort it out.

The last song we recorded was You Are My Sunshine (pause for awwwwwws). If you are familiar with the song then you know that it's actually hella depressing. If you don't know what I am talking about go watch the movie Beaches and then come back. I'll wait. Because of the depression factor, I decided to write some new James-centric lyrics. With a little help from Andrew, here is what we came up with:

You are my sunshine
My only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You’ll never know dear,
how much I love you
Please don’t take my sunshine away.

You are a young lad
And still you’re learning.
You love to run, and jump, and play.
And when you’re older,
you ‘ll go exploring,
But never far from our hearts will you stray.

You’ll have adventures,
And go exploring,
You’ll sail the oceans far and wide,
As for the mountains, you will climb them,
And the rockets you will ride.

Some day you’ll come home,
From all your journeys
To your family’s love and care
You’ll speak of clear days, and some of grey skies
In your songs and stories you’ll share.

You are my sunshine
My only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You’ll never know dear,
how much I love you
Please don’t take my sunshine away.

Ta-da! Not too shabby, huh? And the best news of all is that Bill, Amanda, and baby James love the songs and listen to them every night!

Like I said, new career, right? I'm hoping Andrew and I can do it again sometime this summer and work on getting a whole album recorded. What it could happen!

Christmas 2012

Well, here we are in 2013. And all I have to say is, THANK THE LORD.

Even numbered years are typically not the best ones for the Rileys. In February of last year, I experienced the unexpected loss of my Uncle Tom in February. That was probably the only truly tragic thing to happen during 2012, but I don't know-- by the time December rolled around it was time for a change. And I have a good feeling about 2013.

But before we could make it to the new year, we had to make it through the holidays. It's funny how Christmas is my favorite time of year and yet it still often feels like something you need to "make it through." I think the problem with this year was several members of our family were out for the count (due to health problems or distance) so I volunteered to take on some extra duties. Not that I'm complaining--I'm happy to help--but it just makes for a lot of running around, baking, wrapping (dear god, the wrapping), purchasing, decorating, and all the other kinds of things that are needed to make a successful holidays nowadays.


But we did it! In the past, Christmas has been something of a quiet affair because I usually end up spending the day just with my Mom. This year my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew were in town so we had 9 adults all running around being slaves to the schedule of a 13 month old. And let me tell you, in case you ever have any doubt, having children is EXHAUSTING. We had one kid who wasn't even mine and I was ready to fall over by the end of the day. I feel like it's almost blasphemous to admit (since I'm 33 and *gasp* unmarried), but it made me so thankful that I don't have kids. For reals, you guys. It's just too tiring. I mean, I am sure someday it will happen (hopefully before my eggs all dry up), but for now I like being able to sleep.

Despite the griping, we had a really wonderful holiday and having everyone around for it made it all the more special. Per usual, we had the typical Riley family orgy of consumption with enough food to feed an army and enough presents that we probably single-handedly kick-started the economy. It's starting to embarrass me how much STUFF we give each other, but every time I suggest drawing names or setting money limits I get shot down. Maybe next year?

And now for some precious memories....that will live on forever here on the internets!

 James enjoys his first cinnamon bun on Christmas morning! Cinnamon buns are a tradition at Mom's house--it's been our Christmas morning breakfast for...oh, say 30 years. 

 CHRISTMAS IS SO FUN ALL THE PRESENTS OMG YOU GUYS I AM A BABY!

 Amanda and I model our matching cupcake aprons. Now I can be an OFFICIAL cupcake baker. Before I was just a wannabe.

 My Christmas tree. As Mom put it, "it's the prettiest one you ever had!" Of course, she literally says that every year.

 OMG A LEGO ORGANIZER HOW DID YOU KNOW THANK YOU SO MUCH! (We didn't have the heart to tell him it was for the baby)

I told you it was a lot of food. Next year I vote that we limit the spread to cookies and cocktail weiners. Oh, and booze. 

Bill models his new kilt-towel, one of the gifts I brought back from Scotland. And in his words, "the present of the year."

Cookie MAAAAAAAAAADNESS!

Last year I started the tradition of having a cookie swap before Christmas. It's a fun excuse to do two of my favorite things 1) bake cookies, and 2) hang out with my friends. If you haven't been to a cookie swap before the rules are simple. Everyone makes a batch of their favorite cookie recipe and gets to take home a bunch of cookies from everyone else's. All your holiday baking = DONE.

It's like the opposite of Thunderdome--one batch of cookies comes in, but 12 types go home.

This year I didn't participate in just one cookie swap, but two! One here at the house and one at work. While we didn't quite have the numbers of last year at the cookie swap here at home (which is kind of a good thing because finding seats for 23 people was a challenge) we had about 15 types of cookies which is a VERY successful swap. A table loaded with cookies, good friends chatting and catching up, mulled cider on the stove...what else do you really need to get into the holiday spirit?

The whole spread.

We're swapping fools!

I made two of my most favorite cookie recipes, one new and one old (recipes are below). The new recipe was from my favorite cooking magazine, Cook's Country, and was one of their annual best cookie recipe finalists. Chocolate Mint cookies--a chewy chocolate cookie with a melted Andes mint on top. That's right. a MELTED ANDES MINT. Your mind has been blown.

The old recipe was one of my Grandmother's favorites and one she made every year. Ricotta cookies, a delicious puffy light but slightly savory cookie topped with a sugar glaze. As I baked them, I spent a lot of time thinking about my Grandmother. How she made the exact same cookie year after year...albeit without the aid of a Kitchen Aid mixer. But following her recipe, making something that she loved, I felt really close to her. I never expected to get moved by a cookie, but there's just something really special about these holiday traditions...and the cookies are by far the sweetest ones.

But enough of this sappy stuff! Let's get to the part you really care about--the recipes!

Grandma Riley's Ricotta Cookies

Cream together 1/3 cup margarine and 2 cups sugar. 

Add 1 pound (1 15oz. container) ricotta cheese. 

Add two eggs and two tsp. vanilla. Mix.

Sift together 4 cups flour, one tsp baking soda, one tsp salt. Add to other mixture. Drop by spoonful onto cookiesheet and bake at 350 degrees 12-15 minutes.

Frost with a glaze made from 1 ½ cup powdered sugar, 3 Tblsp lemon juice, and zest of one lemon. Stir until smooth. Spoon 1 ½  tsp on each cookie and use the back of the spoon to spread and let it dry.

Cook's Country Chocolate Mint Cookies

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons water

2 cups (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

45 Andes mint

Combine butter, sugar, and water in a medium saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted, about 3 minutes. Add chocolate chips and stir constantly until chips are melted. Transfer mixture to bowl of stand mixer and let cool for 10 minutes. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.

Fix mixer with paddle, add eggs to bowl with chocolate mixture, and beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture in 3 additions and mix until just combined, scraping down bowl as needed. Refrigerate until dough is firm, at least 1 hour or up until 2 days.

Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Working with half the dough, roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls and place 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake until just set 7-9 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking.

After removing cookies from oven, immediately place 1 unwrapped Andes Mint in center of each cookie. Let stand until chocolate is softened, about 5 minutes, then spread chocolate over top of cookies. Transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool completely, about 30 minutes. 

Fairy Tale Murder Mystery

In the past couple years, my friends and I have gotten into the habit of throwing murder mystery parties. This all started because birthday girl in December, Selvi, thought it would be fun to try it. So we put on our finest 1920s duds, used one of those box sets, and had a party. We had a blast, but when it was over, everyone couldn't help but think, "we can do better than that."

Since then, every six months or so we all get together and throw a big party....where one of the guests is murdered. Selvi, Mac, and Priya have alternated coming up with the stories and everyone is more than happy to strap on a costume and put on their detective hats to solve the crime.

This past weekend was Selvi's birthday so what better time to have another mystery party? This time the theme was Fairy Tales: Once Upon a Crime. From the evite (and Mac's brain)

When the curtain falls and the book closes, the fairy tale world does not simply end. Those who dwell in this land must still live with each other, and good and evil are never black and white. It is the Queen's birthday, hosted by her brother, the Dark Wizard, and all throughout the land are invited, even those who believe or flat-out know that the Queen herself is somewhat wicked, and the Wizard's charm is only skin deep.  

Still, it's a party that likely won't soon be forgotten. Basic murder mystery rules: one person will die. The Queen, Selvi Sri, will be tasked with using her brilliant intellect to determine whodunnit. A select portion of the cast will be suspects, and a few others will, for their own purposes, act helpful in her quest. Some of these people will be genuine, and others will lie. The rest of the crew will be there to have fun; any and all are encouraged to partake in the mystery, but you should feel no pressure to if you don't feel like it.

We assembled in the Sky View party room at Selvi's apartment in Rockville (fancy!). The cast was large; in attendance were the Evil Queen, the Dark Wizard, Cinderella (yours truly), Prince Charming, the Fairy Godmother, Hansel, Gretel, the Wicked Witch, the Big Bad Wolf, Granny, Little Red Riding Hood, the Woodsman, the Ugly Stepsister, and the Huntsman. There were three suspects: Cinderella, Gretel, and the Woodsman. But who could have done the crime??

Some of the assembled cast.

I was Cinderella, one of the suspects. Here's my character description:

You are a Suspect. You are NOT the Killer.

Years ago, you married Prince Charming, with the aid of your Fairy Godmother. You are now Princess of the land, showered in wealth and adored by all. You even magnanimously allow one of your stepsisters, maimed by her attempts to fit in your shoe and blinded by doves at your wedding, to live in the castle.

But, unfortunately, your dreams are not as perfect as they seem. You've long known that Charming is less than faithful; there was that tart in the glass coffin, and you're sure that he keeps some hairy woman in a tower in the woods, but you tried to rise above it. After all, you are adored and are in a position of political authority. But recently you learned something that's slightly beyond the pale. 

Prince Charming is gay.

Obviously you have no problem with this, and it does explain why he first fell in love with your shoes. The unfortunate political reality is that once he works up the courage to come out of the closet, he'll find true love with his own Prince Charming, and you'll be out of the castle. That can't be; you look too good in a tiara. But it's all right; you and he have an understanding. You're looking for another Prince to marry, and once you do, he'll come out of the closet, pass equal right laws, marry Phillip, and you'll still get to be a princess. Everyone wins!

Well, they would, if it wasn't for that pesky Dark Wizard. He somehow found out (you suspect that your Prince hit on him but you can't prove it) and he's threatening to reveal your secret. You can't let him, not now when you're so close to snagging that Prince Eric with the lovely castle on the coast! He LOVES red-heads who can sing! Fortunately, all the Dark Wizard wants is a bribe. You've secretly snagged a few crown jewels, including a ruby the size of your fist, and paid him off. That should keep him quiet while you work out your living arrangements! Also, you fill the lonely nights in the arms of the Woodsman and Gretel, both of with whom you are in a stable relationship.

*gasp* Such drama! Closeted princes, three-way relationships, political maneuvering! And yet, I wasn't the killer? So who was it?

Surprise! It was the Woodsman. I can't recall what his motive was (mostly because I was drunk), but I do remember this happened.

He killed her brother, after all. 

The thing I love most about these parties is how much everyone gets into it. There are costumes and role-playing and mock fights and murder most foul! Everyone has a great time and it's a different way of getting together and hanging out. We're all giant nerds anyway, so adopting alternate personas and wearing weird outfits is kind of up our alley.

But will I ever get the chance to be a killer? We've had four or five of these things now...and still. No murder for Maggie. Maybe next time....

Thanksgiving 2012 and Slow Cooking Heaven

Thanksgiving this year was a quiet affair; Bill and Amanda stayed in California with James in preparation for his first birthday on Sunday (you may recall he was born on Thanksgiving Day last year), and my step-sister and her husband also decided to celebrate at home. That meant it was just four of us on Thankgiving Day--me, Dad, Linda (stepmom), and my Aunt Kim. AND since everyone but me was leaving town the day after Thanksgiving...I was getting all the leftovers!

But what to do with 3 pounds of turkey? My family doesn't do the whole bird; we like the white meat best so we always just do a turkey breast. But the smallest breast I could find was 6.5 pounds which meant there was a lot that went home with me.

Cook's Country to the rescue! Don't know what I'm talking about? It's from the same people who do the America's Test Kitchen tv show on PBS and they have the BEST recipes I have ever made. Better than Martha Stewart, better than any of your Food Networks chefs, just great classic cooking. They also do equipment reviews, teach the basics of techniques, and getting their once every two months magazine is a big highlight for me. Seriously. Love it.

Their most recent issue had what sounded like a great slow cooker chicken and dumpling recipe. So I decided to sub in the turkey for the chicken--which meant I got to skip the step where you pre-brown and season the chicken. Since the turkey was also already cooked, I let the slow cooker go for the minimum cooking time and it ended up really tender, but not dry. I also left out the dumplings, since I had a roll of Pilsbury's biscuits to use up.

The finished product!

Here's the recipe if you want to give it a try! Some other changes I made--I used only one onion and left our the peas. Because, ew.

Stew

--3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

--salt and pepper

--3 tablespoons vegetable oil

--2 onion chopped (I used one medium onion)

--2 celery ribs, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

--2 carrots, peeled, quartered and cut into 1/4 inch pieces (I used chopped baby carrots)

--4 garlic cloves, minced

--1 tablespoon tomato paste

--2 bay leaves

--1 teaspoon dry thyme

--1/4 cup all purpose flour

--1/2 cup dry white wine

--4 cups low sodium chicken broth

--1 cup frozen peas 

Dumplings

--1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

--1 tablespoon baking powder

--1 teaspoon salt

--1 cup whole milk

--4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1) Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of chicken all over, 5-8 minutes, transfer to slow cooker. Repeat with 1 tablespoon oil and remaining chicken. 

(since I used turkey leftovers, I just dumped them frozen into the slow cooker--easy)

2) Heat remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions, celery, and carrots and cook until soft, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, bay leaves, and thyme and cook until fragrant and tomato paste begins to brown, about 2 minutes. 

3) Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in wine, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan. Whisk in 1 cup broth and bring to a simmer, transfer to slow cooker. Stir in remaining 3 cups of broth. Cover and cook until chicken is tender, 4 to 6 hours on low. Stir in peas. (I cooked mine for just about 4 hours on low, then reduced to hear to warm for another hour before serving).

4) For dumplings: whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Stir in milk and melted butter until just incorporated. Using greased 1/4 cup measure drop 8 dumplings around perimeter of stew. Cover and cook until dumplings have doubled in size, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve.

Edinburgh (cont): Down the Royal Mile to Holyrood Palace

After leaving Edinburgh Castle, Wendy and I made a lot of little stops. There was a writer's museum right down the street that had some really cool artifacts from three of Scotland's most famous authors; Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson. It wasn't quite as interesting as we had hoped, so we only spent a few minutes there poking around.

Outside the Writer's Museum.

We then hit a bunch of shops, as souveniers and gifts to take home were a must. Especially since Edinburgh was the largest city we would be visiting. After shoping, we paused for a quick photo-op of the Royal Mile itself and headed down the hill, passing by St. Giles Cathedral. The cathedral dates from the 14th century (but was extensively restored in the 19th century). It has been a site of worship for over 900 years and is now the center of the Church of Scotland. It has a distinctive crown steeple which is easily recognizable from pretty much anywhere on the Royal Mile. The cathedral is dedicated to St. Giles, who is the patron saint of Edinburgh.

Looking down the Royal Mile.

St. Giles Cathedral

The cathedral also has a really great kind of hidden cafe in the basement (you have to walk around to the back from the touristy side to find the entrance) where Wendy and I had a delicious and cheap lunch...well, cheap for Scotland. We kind of get hosed on the exchange rate, so even a 7 pound lunch ends up costing over 10 bucks. Sigh.

Once we had refreshed a bit, we took a little detour down one of the streets that leads off to the Royal Mile. I was on my way to the Edinburgh Royal Museum and I think Wendy was in search of a knitting shop she had encountered the year before. Our wandering led us right past The Elephant House, the coffeehouse where JK Rowling famously spent her days writing Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. I have to admit it was kind of exciting to linger outside the shop and envision her sitting at a small table with a cup of coffee dreaming up one of my favorite book series of all time.

And this is where the magic all began...

From there, it was just across the street to the museum. Unfortunately, this is where things got a bit sticky. It seems the Edinburgh Royal Museum and the Royal Museum of Scotland used to be two separate museums--and this was the indication in my guidebook. But in the last year the two museums merged into one building. So I spent about 20 minutes wandering around scratching my head and asking random Scots where a museum was that didn't exist anymore. Finally, I went into the actual museum and there I learned of the merger. 

So what's the Millennium Clock? I first ran across it on my initial visit to Edinburgh back in 2001.

The clock was created by four master craftsman for the Scottish Millennium Festival. It's not exactly a cheerful piece, as it commemorates human suffering throughout the twentieth century, as we stood trapped in the neverending prison of time. It's divided into four sections, the crypt, the nave, the belfry, and the spire. Each one contains unique and highly symbolic figures. The most disturbing are near the top, where charactures of Hitler and Stalin pass a large saw back and forth; sawing through the lives of humanity in the century. But not all hope is lost--at the very top of the clock stands "the pietà, in the shape of a cross. A female figure carrying a dead man. She is the mother, the wife, the daughter, the sister, the friend. Pietà is Italian for pity, compassion."

Coming to view the clock has become something of a pilgrimage for me every time I visit Edinburgh. It's beautiful and horrifying and it serves as a reminder for what people are capable of--both in terms of terror and compassion.

After leaving the museum and walking back down most of the Royal Mile, I needed a rest. I headed back to our apartment (which you might recall was less than a block off the main road) and took a bit of a break. I met back up with Chris, Kent, and Wendy, and we set out for our last stop of the day--the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

It is the official residence of the Monarch in Scotland and is mostly used for state ceremonies and entertaining. Next to the palace are the ruins of an abbey that was founded by David I, King of Scots, in 1128, and Holyrood Palace has served as the principal residence of the Kings and Queens of Scots since the 15th century. Queen Elizabeth II spends one week in residence at Holyrood Palace at the beginning of each summer, where she carries out a range of official engagements and ceremonies.

Holrood Palace.

 Keeping an eye out for invaders...

The Abbey ruins, just outside the back of the Palace.

The ruins from the garden surrounding the Palace.

Right next to the Palace is an inactive volcano crater. It's one of the seven hills of Edinburgh.

On our way back from Holyrood, we stopped at another pub for dinner that was right around the corner from our apartment. The food was yummy, but Kent found a small bug in his salad (the horror!) and we all ended up getting our entire meal comped. Score! Thanks for taking one for the team, Kent!

Coming up next time: St. Andrews!

Edinburgh, Day 1--Edinburgh Castle

Our first full day in Scotland dawned clear and chilly. Due to a combination of factors (but mostly jet lag), I was up early and decided to go for a run. It was a Saturday and early enough that the tourists hadn't come out yet and the Great Edinburgh Run wasn't due to begin for a few hours so I had the streets pretty much to myself. It was a bit cold, but I warmed up quickly--especially when the route I took had the first mile completely up hill. It was a slog, but I made it and was rewarded with a stunning view of the Royal Mile.

And this makes a good time to get into some history, no? I wonder if anyone who reads this blog is actually interested in this but I know when I go back and read this blog in 10 or 20 years, I'll like it. So suck it up, people.

Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, the seat of the Scottish parliament and government, the largest city by area and the second largest by population in the country. Located in the south-east of Scotland, Edinburgh lies on the east coast of the Central Belt, along the Firth of Forth, near the North Sea. The city was one of the historical major centers of the Enlightenment, led by the University of Edinburgh, helping to earn it the nickname Athens of the North. The Old Town and New Town districts of Edinburgh were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 in recognition of the unique character of the Medieval Old Town and the planned Georgian New Town.

See, wasn't that interesting? Getting back to my more personal story, after I made it home and got cleaned up from my run, we all headed out for a day of sight-seeing, starting with Edinburgh Castle. Edinburgh Castle is located at the top of the Royal Mile, the main street that runs through the Old Town District. It connects the castle with Holyrood Palace, the Queen's residence when she is in town. Hence, the name Royal Mile (it also happens to be almost exactly a mile long). 

We made it to the castle just a few minutes before opening, and Wendy and I opted for the audio tour since we wanted to get the full experience. I hadn't been to the castle in about 10 years and they had opened up some new buildings and exhibits. It has a long history, and you can bet your ass I'm going to make you learn some of it.

Edinburgh Castle!

Kent, Chris, Wendy, and me in front of the castle.

From wiki:

Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear. There has been a royal castle here since at least the reign of David I in the 12th century, and the site continued to be a royal residence until the Union of the Crowns in 1603. From the 15th century the castle's residential role declined, and by the 17th century its principal role was as a military base with a large garrison. Its importance as a historic monument was recognised from the 19th century, and various restoration programs have been carried out since. As one of the most important fortresses in the Kingdom of Scotland, Edinburgh Castle was involved in many historical conflicts, from the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century, up to the Jacobite Rising of 1745, and has been besieged, both successfully and unsuccessfully, on several occasions.

Few of the present buildings pre-date the Lang Siege of the 16th century, when the medieval fortifications were largely destroyed by artillery bombardment. The most notable exceptions are St Margaret's Chapel, which dates from the early 12th century and is the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh, the Royal Palace, and the early-16th-century Great Hall. The castle also houses the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish National War Memorial, and the National War Museum of Scotland.

Inside the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle (with Victorian decorations)

The apartments where Mary, Queen of Scots gave birth to the future king of both England and Scotland, James VI (or I depending on how you look at it).

View of the city from a cannon.

Looking towards the train station from the castle.

St. Margaret's Chapel, the oldest building in the castle grounds.

More views from the castle.

Most of what we saw in the castle dates from the 17th and 18th century. When it was used as a garrison, the military ripped out a lot of the medieval decor and replaced it (sadly) and it wasn't until the Victorian Era that the Scots really began to care about restoring their old buildings. And let's face it, to Americans things from that long ago still seem pretty old. After all, we don't go tripping over 1000 year old ruins every time we go for a walk outside the suburbs. 

Wendy and I spent about 2 hours in the castle, and then spent some time wandering down the Royal Mile and stopping into various shops and museums. But I think that might be the subject of the next post....