Thirsty Thursday: Skinny Chai Tea Latte

Spoiler Alert:  This post is not about alcohol

Sorry about that - are you still with me?  Recently, I decided to make a concentrated effort to cut refined sugar out of my diet.  No fun right?  In my job,  I am currently faced with this on a day to day basis:

Yep ladies and gentleman, in the world of yachting we always have a candy drawer.  Guess who gets to stock it?  This girl.   I know that you all believe that I live a glamourous life but when I have worked 18 hours for a few days in a row, my ability to resist the allure of this is tough.

I really have tried to cut foods like this out and when I lived a "normal" life I did not buy this kind of junk food.  I much prefer to splurge on  "amazing" dessert.  I like to stock something like dark chocolate almonds and some fantastic gelato.  I feel like I live a very "healthy" lifestyle in general but when you really start looking at sugar hidden in food it really gets you.  I could dedicate an entire blog on our ability as Americans to allow our food companies to blatantly lie to us about healthy foods and what our food contains but I will skip the lecture and get to the point!   It is crazy when you realize that things like cereals, breads, and even certain "healthy" foods have so much sugar.  Before I lose you and you get depressed like I just made myself by writing this I am here to give you a Thirsty Thursday afternoon pick up!   Yeah!

I spend lots of time shopping and as many of you know Target & Starbucks joined forces to lead you into temptation.  I walk into Target and I want something to sip on for a little pick me up while I stroll down the aisles.   Unfortunately, you realize you are only supposed to take in 25 grams of sugar a day (this is not talking about naturally occurring sugar from fruit & veggies - I also include sugar in Red wine as naturally occuring).  You will be shocked to learn shaken ice tea/ lemonade has 33 grams and a Chai Tea Latte has a whopping 42 Grams of sugar.  It is enough to make this girl throw herself in the ocean (I know how to swim).

Here it is FINALLY!  I am getting to the point I promise.  I know we all like a little sweet pick me up in the afternoons and maybe even a tiny bit of caffeine.  I have stumbled on the answer (cue music).  A Skinny Chai Tea Latte without that fake sugar crap.  Yes!!!  

I stumbled on this beauty at the grocery store the other day.  I have already been a huge fan of Green Tea Blueberry Slim Life but this is the new addition.   I brew this tea bag, add honey (which has been getting rave reviews about weight loss), and put in a splash of unsweetened Almond Milk (I am sure skim milk would work the same) and then I pour it on ice.  Delish!

This drink was approved by my resident Sugar Addict on the boat (amazing I know) but he wants me to put a nice Spiced Rum in it for happy hour one day.   I realize this defeats the purpose of the drink and the cutting out of sugar that I just blabbed on about for way too long.  But one of these days I will need that kind of afternoon pick me up too…….

February Food Theme: Casseroles (and a Giving Challenge!)

The food theme for February is: Casseroles!  And you thought soup month was good…

I have always wanted to be better at casseroles. We didn't eat them when I was growing up like my husband (who is now slightly terrified of them).  But the concept is so practical! In fact, one of our Beauties is a part of a frozen dinner club, where they prepare multiple casseroles, freeze them, and then exchange them with the other members. That way you are preparing one huge meal and getting multiple various casseroles in return.

Even if you aren't organized enough to be a part of a meal club, you will surely know someone some day who has just had a baby or someone who just broke their elbow (me) and would love almost ANYTHING hot and made with love. You really should have one go-to casserole you can put together on short notice.

Thank you to our friend Hillary for inspiring me this month and delivering a home made shepherd's pie when I broke my elbow. We didn't even wait for it to thaw and my family ate it so fast it was slightly shocking (really, both children!).

So I challenge you this month to make two trays of your casserole recipe and pay it forward! Then report back on the giving.

Game Time Party Food

Did someone say something about a Super Bowl? Well, the Beauties are more interested in the commercials, half time show and of course the food. Here's a handy list of some great party foods you can easily prepare for the big game...

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

http://beautiesandthefeast.blogspot.com/2011/01/party-poppers.html

World's Best Baked Brie

http://beautiesandthefeast.blogspot.com/2010/12/worlds-best-baked-brie.html

 Southwest Egg Rolls

http://beautiesandthefeast.blogspot.com/2012/02/wheres-kale-recipes.html

Easy Cheesy Bread

http://beautiesandthefeast.blogspot.com/2011/12/easy-appetizer-side-dish-easy-peesy.html

Award-Worthy Chili

http://beautiesandthefeast.blogspot.com/2012/11/ambers-award-winning-chili.html

Pizza Dip

http://beautiesandthefeast.blogspot.com/2011/12/ambers-top-3-potluck-party-solutions.html

 3-Ingredient Chocolate Turtles

http://beautiesandthefeast.blogspot.com/2011/12/3-ingredient-chocolate-caramel-oh-so.html

Antipasto Platter

http://beautiesandthefeast.blogspot.com/2011/12/ambers-top-3-potluck-party-solutions.html

 Sausage Balls and Mascarpone Chive Dip

http://beautiesandthefeast.blogspot.com/2010/12/sausage-balls-mascarpone-chive-dip.html

Quick Meatball Subs

http://beautiesandthefeast.blogspot.com/2011/05/busy-moms-version-of-mexican-meatballs.html 

Parmesan Gorgonzola Sticks

http://beautiesandthefeast.blogspot.com/2010/12/reason-we-gain-weight-this-time-of-year.html

Easy Phò

Yummy Final Product

The Beauties were lucky enough to get together last weekend and do what we do best: eat & drink! We were especially celebrating this Beauty and soon to be mama!

Beautiful Ems

Since I am in a month of retirement, after the weekend I got to go to Emily's to keep celebrating and I made dinner for her and Curtis since they both had to work. I love noodle soup and one of my very favorites is Phò.  Phò is a Vietnamese noodle soup but my favorite part is all the fresh herbs and condiments that dress it up. The biggest problem with finding a recipe that qualified as easy since they all seem to include strange cuts of meat (oxtail anyone?) and it takes hours to make the broth. Even in retirement, I don't have the patience to spend four hours making broth. But I was not deterred! There had to be a cheater way that is just as good and I think I found it!  This was yummy, easy, and a perfect meal on a cold winter night in the Northwest with some of my favorite people & furry friends.  You can also make it vegetarian very easily.  

You can find the original recipe here.

Ingredients in Cheesecloth

Easy Pho

Ingredients:

2 Boxes Beef Broth (could use Chicken or Vegetarian)
1/2 Tsp Anise
1/2 Cinnamon Stick
2 Whole Cloves
1 Tsp black peppercorns
1  slice fresh ginger root
1 T white sugar
1 T fish sauce

1 package cooked Udon Noodles (you can find in the fresh/veggie section usually)

2 packages thinly sliced pork (you could use chicken or mushrooms)

Toppings:

Sriracha
Hoisin Sauce
Chopped green onion
Chopped fresh cilantro
Chopped fresh basil
Bean Sprouts
Limes, quartered

Put anise, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, and ginger root in cheesecloth and tie up.  Side note: We had an adventure with this. Emily had the cheesecloth but we had to do a little searching for tying it.  I probably wouldn't have even had cheesecloth but I found these at Bed, Bath, & Beyond.  If I had a kitchen, I would get some for mine.

Emily doesn't it know it yet but I bought her some!

Simmer spices in the two boxes of broth for 1 hour. Add meat of choice and simmer for 1/2 hour. The udon noodles need to be warmed up or put in boiling water for just a few minutes. If you are more of a Missy cook (aka cheater), and like we did you can put the broth and meat on top of noodles and then microwave for a minute.   Add condiments and enjoy!   The longest part of this meal is the chopping.

2013 Challenge: Food Themes!

A new year, a new challenge

Wow. We at Beauties and the Feast can hardly believe we’re about to kick off our third year of food blogging. With nearly 220 posts and over 57,000 page views, we couldn’t have imagined having more fun while so many people tuned in to read about our culinary successes, disasters and life reflections.

We’ve had a new challenge each year. Our first was for each of us to claim a month and post a recipe, and have each one of us follow the recipe and post about the results. The second year we went Iron Chef style and chose an ingredient of the month, which challenged us to use something in a creative and delicious way. This year we’ve got a new challenge and we can’t wait for your participation.

In 2013 we’ll each be choosing a food theme in the beginning of the month. This way, we promise you’ll still have at least 4 new recipes (hopefully 6!) and hope that you’ll join in on the fun by sending your recipes to us, or volunteering for a guest-post!

January's Food Theme

Photo courtesty of allthingschristmas.com

So to kick off January, the month of freezing weather, frosty window panes and weekend days spent indoors curled up in a warm blankie, I’m choosing to proclaim the month of January Soup & Stew month! Also, I just got a brand new dutch oven for Christmas that I can't wait to use.

Thank you to all of you who read about, comment on and try our recipes! We really enjoy your participation and inspiration.

Happy 2013!

Love,
Megan, Emily, Rachel, Jolie, Missy and Amber

Thanksgiving Recipes - Love, BATF

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is upon us, so we thought it would be nice to help you prepare a bit. Whether you’re the one hosting or you’re the one responsible for bringing a side dish, we’ve got all the popular (and some non-traditional) recipes below. All tested and approved!

Here’s wishing you a happy, family-rich holiday full of feasting and drinking!

Love,

Beauties and the Feast

The Traditionals…

1)      The Turkey:

2)      The Stuffing:

3)      The Mashed Potatoes:

4)      The Gravy:

5)      The Cranberry Sauce:

And some non-traditional, vegetarian-friendly side dishes:

6)      Slow-roasted Tomato Tart:

7)      Zucchini Gratin:

 

The Dessert! (we forgot to take a picture...must have eaten it too quickly)

8)      Old Fashioned Apple Crisp

Thirsty Thursday: Pumpkin Beer

Delivered to the boat by the local lobster -man

After Quebec City, we were lucky enough to get to spend some time in Maine.  It is so beautiful and amazing there.  We also got a big dose of fall.  I freaking love fall.  I love pumpkin, warm clothes, those sunny, cold days, and of course Pumpkin Beer!   In case you missed it, the beauties all love fall and put together some of our favorites from the last couple of years.   I have to admit we were very busy eating this:

And this:

And this:

Yes, I ate lobster 6 days in a row.

What else goes better with Lobster but Pumpkin beer?  I am not sure I can think of anything else.  If you remember my friend Jenna from her Rhubarb Gin Fizz, well she mentioned the other day about a Pumpkin beer with a cinnamon & sugar rim.  Sign me up!   It turns out that I didn't even have to do it myself.  I pulled up to one of my favorite spots in Fort Lauderdale called Tap 42 and they had already thought of it.   If you haven't tried this, do it.

1 Bottle Pumpkin Beer
1 frozen pint glass rimmed with cinnamon & sugar

Lobster is not included.

Fall Recipies and Cocktails

Is it bad that all we want to do at BATF is curl up with a mug of hot cider and watch a movie while a big pot of soup cooks in the kitchen? Here in the Northwest we should be happy that the forecast is still sunny for as far as the eye can see, but I was just a little bit thrilled this morning when I woke up and it felt like crisp fall in the air.

In celebration of Oktoberfest, Pumpkins, spiced lattes and Stews we thought we’d post some of the favored autumn recipes from past posts.

Bring on those brooding storms! We’re ready for them!

Our favorite fall foods:



     1)      Oktoberfest Beer Roasted Chicken

     2)      Cranberry Chicken

     3)      Zuppa Toscana

     4)      Penne with Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese

     5)      Dahlia Lounge French Toast

     6)      Ricotta Dounuts

The warmest of beverages:

1)      Mulled Cider

2)      Spanish Coffee

3)      Hot Ginger Toddy

Yacht Chef Spaghetti Carbonara

Megan Says:  You all requested a post from Michelle, our yacht chef, so here you go!  I attempted Kale Carbonara a while back but this carbonara recipe made with pancetta is even better! This is a crew and guest favorite. Bon Appetite!

Michelle says:  OK so Megan Me Crazy has asked me to write my first blog post ever. My apologies if this is not up to scratch but I will do my best. My mother taught me to cook when I was quite young. I had no choice. I just had to. It kind of stayed with me. I studied in Cork, Ireland and in 1999, after 3 years of studying 40 hours a week, working 40 hours and, what felt like partying 40 hours a week, I somehow qualified. After being verbally abused and suffering the chef’s wrath for so many years, I swore I would never step foot in a professional kitchen ever again. Well … 13 years later, here I am … still working in a professional kitchen/galley. I just hope I am a little bit nicer … sometimes!

My contribution to “Beauties and the Feast” is Spaghetti Carbonara with PANCETTA.

One of my selling points as a chef, is cooking healthy, with lots of taste, and less of the carbs and fat. You can “Americanize” this dish by adding some fresh cream but to be honest, it is so delish if made just right you really should not need to.

Glorious Pancetta

Pancetta is often called Italian bacon. That's a true enough description, but unlike American bacon, which is most often smoked, pancetta is unsmoked pork belly that is cured in salt and spices such as nutmeg, pepper and fennel. It's then dried for a few months. Pancetta adds a distinctive pork flavor to pasta and other dishes, without infusing into them bacon's smokiness. In the U.S., it's a common substitute for “guanciale,” which is the cured pork cheek that is the traditional base for many classic pastas, like carbonara.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Ingredients:
* 1 pound dry spaghetti
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (Here is a tip: don’t EVER skimp on good olive oil. Ever)
* 4 ounces pancetta, cubed or sliced into small strips
* 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
* 1 punnett baby bella mushrooms (optional)
* 2 large eggs
* 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for serving
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
* Red pepper flakes to taste if you like a bit of kick

The key here is to prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished. It is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (I always add the salt only after the water is boiling) add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender yet firm (as they say in Italian "al dente.") Drain the pasta well, reserving 1 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce if you wish.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Add the mushrooms and sauté for about 3 minutes. Set aside. Add pancetta and saute for about 3 minutes, until it is crisp and the fat is rendered. Toss the garlic into the fat and sauté for less than 1 minute to soften. Add the mushrooms and hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat.

Beat the eggs and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen.) Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency. Season the carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste.

Mound the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Pass shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and red chili flakes around the table and ENJOY!

Megan's Big Breakfast Post Part Un: Perfect Hash Browns

I LOVE summer and I have been drooling over all the amazing ingredients that have been featured here each month. I feel bad for my lack of participation, but here's my excuse: 

Update on the life of a girl working on a private yacht: We are currently in Quebec City waiting out Hurricane Leslie. Next on our itinerary will be working our way back through the St. Lawrence seaway on our way to Maine. In case you don't know how living on a yacht works, I have a private chef. Oh wait?  Have I told you that at least 100 times? Okay, there is a chef on board specifically for the guests but I have to eat too, so I get the bonus of sampling all the delicious food. Lucky for me, Chef Michelle is also my roommate, travel buddy, and when we get a chance, drinking buddy. She's an incredible cook, and takes care of us daily with a wide variety of food. Curry is one of her latest specialties that I'm addicted to. Since I no longer get to cook and rarely have the time, I have been dying to get in the galley. I obviously love food and cooking but I also quickly adapted to getting my meals made for me. Spoiled - I know. I promised Michelle I would make her some of my specialties and it turns out I excel in breakfast dishes.

Michelle & Megan. Not only is she pretty, but she can cook too!

 Traveling this summer has brought some unexpected culinary adventures. For example, when we were in Sheboygan, Wisconsin we had the  most amazing meal I have EVER had at a little place called Il Ritrovo .   Being in the service industry, I find that service really sets the stage for an amazing meal.   We met a wonderful bartender who recommended a delicious Italian wine.  The owner sends his staff to Italy.  We started with  Fonduta Al Forno which was wood-fired terracota filled with melted mozzeralla, smoked mozzarella, San Marzano tomatoes, topped with slices of prosciutto di Parma.   This was followed by the best wood-fired pizza EVER.  I have also had some of the worst meals I've ever had.  It gets a little frustrating when you pull up somewhere and are so ready for an amazing meal and fantastic service and it completely disappoints. The handful of times we have gone out for breakfast have been mediocre- okay I take that back they have been bad.  I have worked in restaurants for over 15 years now (gulp) and even I have been sending food back (which I thought I'd never do)!

When I go out to breakfast, this is typically how it goes:

Me:  "Can I please have the hash browns extra crispy?"

Whoever I am dining with - usually the whole table:  "Me too please!"

Waiter:  "Of course!"

How often have I ever gotten nice crispy golden hashbrowns?  I am sure a handful of times but I can only remember once at this little gem in Portland, Oregon: Pine State Biscuits.  Instead, what typically happens, is I get a pile of mushy potatoes with a couple of crispy pieces.  This is unacceptable!  I started cooking breakfast in beautiful Bridgeport, CA at Hunewill Guest Ranch many years ago. I continued this last year as a line cook in Dubois, Wyoming at Crooked Creek Guest Ranch.  I tell you this only to confirm that I have lots of breakfast cooking experience and it is possible to make crispy hash browns for the masses! It is so easy. Here's how it goes:

I often use frozen shredded hash browns. These are easy and organic versions are available too.  If you want fresh, you have to be careful. Potatoes retain a lot of water. One of my favorite food memories is my Aunt Donna shredding leftover dinner potatoes from the garden for hash browns in the morning.  This turns out to be the perfect way to do it and they are so amazing.  If you have the oven on the night before, throw a few potatoes in to cook.  They just need a good start.  Scrub them and throw them right in but no need to wrap them in tinfoil or anything.  Leave them uncovered for the night and shred in the morning.

Heat up your pan and put in a good amount of oil.  I put in a generous amount - about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of vegetable oil.  You aren't eating hash browns to be healthy and for them to get nice and crispy you have to do it. Get over it. Get the oil really nice and hot. This is very important. Once the oil is really hot, put in a thin, even layer of hash browns, fresh or frozen.

Raw, frozen spuds

Here is the  MOST important step of perfect hash browns.  Are you listening?  Okay, here it goes.  DO NOT TOUCH THEM!!!!!!  I am serious. The quickest way to ruin your hash browns is to touch them.  I know as home cooks, chefs, and newbies we all have the urge to move things around in a hot pan.  I know this urge - resist it. You can put the heat on Medium to Medium Hot. If you need to peek to see how they are cooking (so they don't burn), just lift up the corner. This step will ensure a perfect crispy crust. When they are as brown you desire, you should be able to flip the whole amount over in the pan in one or two pieces.

You get extra points if you can flip them all at once!

This is why it is important to use a good amount of oil.  They may seem oily at first but the potatoes will absorb it.  It will also move to the bottom and coat the other side.  Make sure and use a lot of sea salt and pepper. I often like to add fresh, finely chopped Rosemary to them (this counts as my rosemary post!). Get the other side nice and crispy and voila, you have perfect potatoes!  You will never be disappointed again. If you have to keep them warm, put them uncovered in the oven. If you cover, they will steam and you will lose the crispiness.

Perfection!

As I write this, it gets me all worked up. I am obviously passionate about crispy hash browns as seen by the essay I just wrote about them.  I also think EVERYONE loves crispy potatoes as you can see by my conversation above. I think as consumers in this economy we need to demand better quality for our breakfasts when we actually go out to eat.  I go out to eat significantly less than before the recession and I am sure many of you are the same.  That is why eating out should be truly a treat and not a chance to eat crap potatoes and be dissapointed.  I think we should start a movement.  I am calling it "People Against Mushy Potatoes" or PAMP.  Maybe I should do stickers?  Facebook page? We can always slap the stickers on the bill when we get this offensive problem. What do you think? Who is with me?

Thirsty Thursday: Con Chartreuse

Because our boat chef, Michelle makes such amazing food, the guests do not eat off the boat very often. And when they're on the boat, we're on the boat taking care of them! So when we get a chance to get off the boat, we run for shore as fast as we can!  The opportunity for us to go out to eat presented itself in lovely Montreal and we jumped on it. This city is amazing and feels very European. We stumbled on this gorgeous restaurant, Barroco.

It was quaint, had a small menu, and was packed.  This has become our criteria for finding the best spots when traveling. The rumor in Montreal is that old buildings can not be renovated which means they really have their historic, original charm. This particular restaurant was HOT (guess we're lucky present day buildings have A/C!) and we were sweating in uncomfortable places (keeping it clean for Ivadell). This made this drink even more refreshing and I really loved the little cocktail glasses they were served in.  

This drink was light, refreshing, and very unique. I will definitely be making this for my sister when we finally reunite! The base of it is a liquor called Chartreuse, a French herbal liquor. Very interesting - good thing my little cabin has fantastic storage with room for liquor. The other ingredient is Tequila, and according to my Cinco De Mayo post, the beauties love them some tequla. Since for once in my life I was not the bartender, I have to take a guess on how it was made. Here is my best approximation.

Con Chartreuse: 

1 Shot Chartreuse

1 Shot Tequlia

Few sprigs of fresh Basil

1 Lime cut into pieces

1 Tsp Simple Syrup

Muddle the lime, Simple Syrup, and fresh basil in a martini shaker.  Add ice, Tequila, and Chartreuse.  Strain into a glass over ice. Garnish with a lime. These probably will taste better if you have adorable little european glasses to serve these in.  Salut!