Cherry Marinade

For all those out there that love to eat meat, this is a great little marinade or glaze (I don't know the technical terms) that I came up with which was delicious on the pork loin roast I had thawed in my fridge. Though I think it would go great with a nice steak on the BBQ!

Ingredients:
1 small onion or scallion
1/2 c. fresh basil
1/3 c. fresh cherries (pitted or you will kill your blender)
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1/4 c. olive oil
1 T. balsamic vinegar

Place everything in a blender (liquids first) and whirl to your hearts content. Top over desired meat (that has been lightly salted) and prepare to liking.

A Kid, a Chicken, and a 30 something

You know you have an issue with something when you have to fight off the urge to tell a nine year old in Smith's Market Place the advantages of getting married later in life. Today, I recognized the fact that maybe I wasn't as prepared for my 30's as I thought. While I perused the most recent Rachel Ray cooking magazine, I overheard a child ask a woman. "What's your name?"

This is a basic question that seems harmless enough, but has the tendency to lead to more complex simple questions. The child followed with, "How old are you?" The woman's response, "I'm 30 years old, that's old isn't it." (No. It is not for those of you out there that are thinking the woman was right.)

And then came the fatal question, direct from the child's mouth. "How many kids do you have?"

"None."

It should have been fine, and I realize there are many people in this world that are thirty and don't have kids. But it must be stated that I live in Utah, were sad to say, it seems to be an anomaly to be 30, female, and not be married with children.

It was the child's way of saying, "None! You don't have one son or daughter?" as if she might go into shock at any moment. As I made the effort to control the urge to shout, "Come off it kid, we're not that old, we have plenty of time." I recognized a nagging issue I had put in the back of my mind, that even a nine year old could recognize.

Certain aspects of the last few weeks came sweeping over me:
1) I have been hit on by more older men (and when I say older I mean around 30 years older than myself) in the last few weeks. The typical response from them when asked, "And can I get you anything for dessert tonight?"--it should be stated that I am a server--is, "I'd love to have you for dessert." Really guys, at any age this is not the best pick-up line.

2) My attempt to cook a whole chicken turned into a chic flick fiasco. In short, I was running back and forth from my apartment to my neighbors with a chicken in a roasting pan, my downstairs in total darkness due to the fact that I blew an electrical fuse, my mother laughing hysterically at me while I ran, because, of course, I thought I should hold my cell phone between my ear and my shoulder as I carried a whole half cooked chicken across the lawn. I didn't have a date insight, and I realized that whenever the chicken was finished cooking I still didn't know how to carve the damn thing. (Book to be written for the future I'm sure :))

3) I had a strange feeling that being part of the High School Musical film would be fun, the only problem was that I didn't know if I could still pull off playing a giddy teenager.

And there I was, stunned as always at how much youth can teach an adult. You will be proud to hear that I did hold my tongue. I continued flipping the pages of the magazine, looking for my next culinary adventure, acting as if the child's words had not affected me. And I realized that 30 just brings a lot more questions and thus far not to many solid answers.

Dreams, Goals, and Applications

The past few days have been very interesting. I have been pushing myself to gain a career. This means resume after resume, cover letter after cover letter, e-mails after e-mails have been made. It's almost a full time job to find someone that will hire you. And lately the response has all been the same--NOTHING. No note to say thanks for your interest, but sorry we can't/won't be hiring you. Just NOTHING. It becomes a bit frustrating to say the least, and yet my pursuit continues.

Then last night, I sat on top of a mountain side late in the wee-hours of the morning with two wonderful friends, and a bunch of strangers, to watch as rocks came skidding into the atmosphere. Treats in a picnic basket, a blanket, and fresh baked cookies helped me open my eyes to the heavens. As we sat staring to the darkened sky, even the glitter of stars couldn't be as enjoyable, as laughing together when joke upon joke came from our mouths. I realized something. I was content. I came home and as I entered that portal of a door to my lonely sanctuary I call home, I spoke aloud and said, "Well, I just had the perfect day." And I realized it was true.

This morning I woke-up and took my time with everything I did. Even my morning cereal was a delight to be enjoyed. And as I followed my feet down the hill on 200 South, I thought about my dreams, my goals, and which applications to send out next in the sweltering heat.

My thought it is that I need to become something. It is probably everyones dream to be admired for what they do. To make a name for themselves. To be given the chance to shine. And then I sat outside with my raspberry Italian soda (with a splash of cream) and opened my computer to check my e-mail only to find yet again, NOTHING.

And so I walked home. Hot and sweaty, thinking what to do next. How do I get a response. A response of any kind. And as nothing came to mind I sat in my room, in the heat, and zoned in front of the T.V. Wanting cooler temps I found a movie to go to and drove downtown to sit in air-conditioning to watch Julie & Julia.

It was a good movie, a good one. Maybe it was the love of cooking, maybe it was the refreshing air, maybe it was the buttered popcorn. Who knows but when I walked out of the theater and into the cool summer night air, I realized something. It's not about becoming someone, its recognizing that you already are someone. I do shine. I am somebody.

I already have a name for myself, and it is one that people don't usually forget. On the mountain top last night, I was me, laughing, eating, and gazing into an environment I hold so dear, and a friend told me I was her Mom away from Mom. In the past I hated this statement. I didn't want to be the Mom of my friends. But this afternoon I realized it's not about the title, it's about the nature. I am a caring person that wants to experience and share the world around them with others. I am a girl who tries to always put others first. And I am a person who wants to help others achieve their dreams.
Now all this might sound very ME, ME, ME, but as Julie said in the movie, "Isn't that what a blog is." So this blog is for me. My name is Denver and I already have more than NOTHING.

Fresh Cherry Far

So there is a long story behind making this dessert, but I will spare you the details here. To make a long story short, it was more than worth the wait. This is probably my favorite dessert I have made in my life, and that is saying something because I like my desserts. Hope you find it delicious too.

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
5 T. unsalted butter
1/2 t. vanilla extract
dash salt
3/4 c. flour

1 c. fresh cherries (pitted and cut in half)
1/3 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. Triple Sec

Powdered sugar

In a blender place milk, eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt. Blend for one minute. Add in flour and whirl around until mixed. Place in your refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours or over night. (I recommend over night).

In a sauce pan place cherries, cranberries, and water. Bring to boil and cook until water is almost all evaporated. Add in triple sec. Return to boil. Place fruit mixture in bowl and let sit until at room temperature. (This can also be done the night before).

Butter cake pan and dust with flour. Place parchment paper on the bottom. Re-blend flour mixture and place in cake pan. Sprinkle fruit mixture over all the mixture. In a 375*F oven, place cake pan on bake sheet on center rack. Cook for an hour or until a knife comes out clean from the center.

Cool completely. Run knife along edge of cake and then transfer to serving dish. (This is a two step process. Place plate over cake, tip over until free of pan, then place serving dish on bottom of the dessert and tip over again.) Dust the top with powdered sugar and serve. Makes a great breakfast too.

Basil and Apple Rolled Chicken

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast (makes enough for 2)
1 apple (sliced thin)
1 clove garlic (minced)
fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper
oil

Butterfly chicken all the way through. Pound out each half until flat. Salt and pepper each side of chicken. Sprinkle on one side with garlic. Place apple slices along with basil on chicken and roll. Pinch chicken together with toothpicks. Heat oil in skillet and place chicken inside. Brown each side of chicken. Press down with pan lid, or such, until chicken is fully cooked. Enjoy.

I sided this with an easy cucumber and tomato salad that was drizzled with red wine vinegar and oil with a bit of salt and pepper to taste.

Cornmeal Chicken with Fresh Salsa

This is by far the easiest recipe I know. Plus the fresh salsa is perfect for using your summer garden.

Ingredients:
1 Chicken Breast (serves 2)
corn meal
water
Plain yogurt


Fresh Salsa:
Tomato
Jalapeno
onion
garlic

Take chicken breast and cut butterfly all the way through. Pound out each side until flat. Place in water and then move to cornmeal and coat each piece of chicken. Fry in skillet until well browned and cooked through.

Make Salsa. Cut everything in chunks and stir together.

Place chicken breast on plate. then side with salsa. Add small dish of plain yogurt to dip chicken in when eating.
Enjoy!

Herb Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Breasts (Butterflied but not cut through)
1/2 cup cottage cheese
Fresh rosemary
Fresh Chives
1/2 to 1 Garlic Clove (minced)
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Splash oil


In a bowl place cottage cheese, rosemary, chives, and garlic. Stir together and add lemon juice.

Butterfly chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper. Stuff each chicken breast and then pinch shut (toothpicks can really help with this). In a skillet brown each side of chicken. Place in baking pan and cook at 350*F until chicken is cooked through. Add lemon wedge to plate to top over chicken when eating. Enjoy.

Southwestern Chicken Goulash

When you are tight on money, my best advice to you is: Look in your cupboards and your fridge and have fun creating something for dinner.

This might not look that great, but it sure tasted good. Plus, it made enough that I was able to eat for a few days and give some to my hungry neighbor.

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast (cut in pieces)
1/2 can corn
1/2 can diced tomatoes
1/2 can black beans
1 c. rice
3/4 c. white wine
3/4 c. water
1/2 c. salsa
1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
splash oil

Brown chicken in large sauce pot. Remove chicken and place rice in pan. Allow to heat then add wine and water. Allow to boil. Add in tomatoes, corn, black beans, and salsa. Season with cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring back to boil and top with chicken pieces. Cover and cook until rice is done. (Around 30 minutes).

Stir and cover with cheese. Heat for another 10 minutes on warm. Then serve and eat.