"Timberlakes" (Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars)

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The other day, I was in my dad's kitchen making a snack and singing an N*SYNC song completely out of key (hey, party like its 1997.) The only witness to my crime was my 7-year-old sister who was playing a computer game nearby, so I didn't care, and I "sang" to my heart's content. After bearing what she could, she stopped, looked up, and asked me what I was doing. I asked her (without thinking,) "What? You don't know who Justin Timberlake is??" Immediately recognizing her reaction, I quickly followed up with "The Justin Bieber I had when I was your age." No more words were spoken; she understood. I picked up my snack, turned around, and swag-walked out with my head held high, like I just addressed the press Obama-style, after announcing that Bin Laden was no longer an issue.

Anyone that knows me well knows I truly believe that other than Jesus and my dad, there are very few men that can do no wrong, and JT is one of them. (Amen) Let's admit it -- not only does he have the looks, but he has the humor, the girl (omg,) and the voice. 15 years after I was singing "Tearin Up my Heart" with my friends in the parent-pick up line at my elementary school, the man is still making hits. Part 2 of "The 20-20 Experience" is due to be released tomorrow (Monday,) but some music blogs made my life complete and got a hold of it early. Therefore, it goes without saying that after being "enlightened" this past Friday, I spent all day at work with my headphones in, listening to the album (<---that was a link, thank me later) and cranking out deliverables. Trust me -- nothing could get me down. The album in my opinion was fantastic -- again, no wrong.

Justin Timberlake has very little to do with pumpkin in my mind -- but speaking of "Amnesia" (my favorite track on this album,) I had run across a picture of "Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars" when I searched for "pumpkin" on Pinterest (hey, cut a girl some slack, its officially fall.) I was super excited to try them out with what I had stocked in my kitchen. While baking, I was tuned into a certain album (cough, cough) hoping the perfection would fall from my speakers, through my apartment air and into the pan -- and sure enough, no wrong was done.

Trying out a new format this time, so here it is in PICTURES:

For this recipe, you'll need 1 twelve oz package of chocolate chips (I used half of a bag of mini chips that I had left over from a previous recipe -- use less like I did if you don't like too much chocolate!), 1 egg, 1 cup (or two sticks) of butter (leave it out for an hour or so, so its room temp when you're ready to bake), 1 cup of pumpkin puree (its canned and available everywhere these days!), 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice (on the spice aisle!), 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract (while nothing beats the real thing, imitation vanilla will still make a yummy end result), 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon of salt (a canister of sea salt from Trader Joe's costs like $1.50 and has lasted me for a year!), and 1 1/4 cups of sugar.

Line a 13x9 oven pan (typical rectangular brownie size pan) with foil -- or my personal favorite -- parchment paper. It's right next to foil in the supermarket. Line the pan so there's extra foil/paper on the sides -- that way the bars won't stick to the pan :)

In a small bowl, add the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.

In a bigger bowl, add the butter and sugar. I combined white sugar and granulated brown sugar. Maybe I'm superstitious, but I've been halving brown and white for years -- I think they blend well together and intensify flavor -- so after combining, I only used about 1/4cup less than the recipe calls for. But that's just my opinion :)

With an electric mixer, "cream" the butter and sugar.

Should look like this afterwards.

Add the egg and vanilla.

Mix together, then get a spatula.

Wipe down the sides. You want to do this to make sure everything is mixing evenly!

Next, add in the pumpkin.

Yes, the glorious pumpkin.

Mix together. It should look a little curdled.

Next, mix in a little bit of the flour mixture. Repeat until all of the flour mixture is mixed into the pumpkin bowl. (If you add in all of the flour at once then try mixing, the flour will fly into the air/the walls of your kitchen-- so much fun to clean up... not.)

When the flour mixture is completely incorporated into the pumpkin mixture, it'll look like this.

Next, add the chocolate chips. Fold them in instead of stirring them, so you keep the fluffiness of the batter in tact. (Folding is merely dragging a spatula down the center of a bowl, then scooping up what's on the left then flipping it over into the center. Then you rotate the bowl a little and repeat. That was my best attempt at explaining. If you want to see a Youtube video of how to do this, click here.)

After the chips have been folded/completely incorporated, it should look like this.

Bring back the pan with the paper, and use the spatula to pour the batter on top of the paper.

Spread evenly in the pan, and bake for 40 min at 350 degrees F.

Let cool for an hour before lifting out of the pan (using the sides of the paper) and cutting into bars.

BAM.

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I do admit.

This recipe is not healthy. But neither is this guy's greatness:

Sorry, not sorry.

xoxo n

Recipe Pictures: N.Neilson
JT: Pinterest

Baked Cod & Black Beans

Yum, right?
This is the first dish I made after accepting Austin's "Eat Your Kitchen First" challenge, and it turned out wonderfully! Not only did it take 20 minutes to get on my kitchen table, but the flavors blended together seamlessly, and it was even better to know that I was eating clean and nutritiously.

Servings: Two (bag your lunch or feed a friend!)

What I found in my kitchen:

• Frozen Cod Fillets (thaw them before cooking, but if you have fresh fish, go for it!)
• Bell Peppers
• Can of Black Beans
• 1 cup dry quinoa (rice works too)
• Optional: Canned Chicken Broth
• Optional: Fajita Seasoning
• Optional: 1 lime

The Step-by-Step:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Heat 2 cups of chicken broth (or salted water) on the stove. When it starts to boil, add quinoa and lower heat to medium. Let cook for 15 minutes or until "tails" of quinoa separate from the seed (a sign its done.)
3. While quinoa is cooking, heat the black beans in a separate pan on low.
4. Spray a pan with cooking spray. Slice bell peppers and place on pan. Season cod with salt, pepper, and fajita seasoning. Place the fish on the pan next to the peppers. Place pan in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, until fish is no longer transparent and the pepper slices are nicely roasted.
5. To plate the dish: place 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa in measuring cup. Flip upside down on a plate so it makes a dome shape. Spoon black beans over quinoa. Layer on some roasted pepper slices. Lightly place baked cod filet on top. Slice a lime and put the "icing" on the cake.

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Challenge met. Happily.

xoxo n

I did it! + Other Updates

Hi, everyone.
It's been a while. I apologize.
But.... Quite a few things have happened since I've last posted.

Just a few:
I got promoted.
I made an awesome lasagna that I'm still dreaming about.
I ran a half marathon.

Important Note:
Yes -- I drug my body from Point A to a Point B approximately 13 miles away, finishing the Navy Air Force Half Marathon in DC two days before the fatal shooting at the Navy Yard. Incredibly humbling to run it with wounded warriors and dedicated civilians -- who -- at the time -- had no idea just how much we stood with the Navy. God Bless our Armed Forces both here and abroad.

Readers -- I do not love you any less.
Nor have I been eating any less.
In fact, I've been taking lots of pictures as you can see on my Instagram (so expect an onslew of recipes!) Not only that, but I have NOT fallen prey to the fall temptation at the grocery store yet (I'm sure I could eat a pumpkin-flavored sock if presented to me the right way, perhaps on a plate with an acorn pattern.) Austin has challenged me to eat everything I've been storing in my kitchen (guilty: I'm a "Cabinet Culprit") before going to the supermarket -- and I'm pretty proud of myself for sticking the course. Not only am I saving loads of money -- but its keeping me on my culinary toes and making me experience different combinations of flavors like I'm opening a basket on Food Network's Chopped (tonight for dinner, I made my own soup from fat free chicken broth, a black bean burger, edamame beans, and diced bell pepper.)

Just one last update -- add me on MyFitnessPal at @neilsonnata!

xoxo n

Green Skewers: Cilantro-Marinated Shrimp

A couple nights ago I was curled up on my couch -- picture this -- a yankee candle "harvest" candle burning, my feet propped, ready for fall -- when I cracked open one of the newest additions to my cookbook collection, Vegetable Love by Barbara Kafka. "Cilantro Marinated Shrimp" was one of the recipes that caught my eye first. You better believe -- the first opportunity I had to run to the market and get some fresh cilantro -- well, I took it. How did this happen?

I know I didn't follow Barbara's recipe exactly, because I didn't remember it when I was cooking. All I cared about was marinating some shrimp in some cilantro and spicing it up, and in that moment of inspiration, the following "green skewers" were born. Enjoy.

Servings: 6 Large Skewers

What You'll Need:

• 1 pound medium sized shrimp
• 1/2 a bunch of fresh cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic (or 1 tbsp garlic powder)
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp Plain Yogurt
• Salt/Pepper
• 1 green pepper, sliced
• 1/2 a large zucchini, cut into strips
• 6 Wooden Skewers (I got a pack of 50 from Giant for $2 and its lasted me 2 years)
• Small blender
• Cooking Spray/Flat Pan/Oven

The Step-by-Step:

1. In a blender, combine olive oil, yogurt, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Tear off the top half of the cilantro and add into the blender. Blend until you have a green sauce.
2. Put the shrimp in a bowl and pour in the cilantro sauce. Toss with your hands until all of the shrimp are well coated. Put the bowl in the refrigerator, and let the shrimp marinate.
3. After the shrimp has been in the fridge for at least an hour (up to overnight,) preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray pan with cooking spray.
4. Take the bowl out of the refrigerator and toss again with your hands, to make sure the sauce coats the shrimp.
5. Place a shrimp, pepper strip, and zucchini piece on each skewer. Repeat, then top the skewer with another shrimp. Place on pan.
6. Keep using skewers until all the shrimp are used up.
7. Roast the skewers for 15 minutes, then turn up the oven to 450 degrees for 5 minutes (or the "broil" setting for 3 minutes)
8. Optional: Rip up a few fresh cilantro leaves and sprinkle over the skewers for presentation.

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I'm so grateful for Barbara Kafka.

xoxo n

Table Haven's Fall Giveaway!

IT'S FALL, PEOPLE!
For scientific purposes, it's still summer until the 22nd -- but since I am a believer that seasons don't change until Starbucks says they do -- it's fall. Yup, read it and pumpkin spice weep.

To be serious -- I'd like to thank every reader. Since its inception last month, Table Haven has had over 800 views. It would not be possible if not for yall's support and encouragement. Most of all, I really love the engagement. The questions you all text me, the comments you all give on Instagram when I post my dinners (haha) -- It really feels good to know that I can share something I know a lot about -- and that's making healthy food easy to make, and easy to eat!

To celebrate the new season (and the Pandora's box of fall produce that's about to take over this blog,) I'd like to offer my first giveaway. As you know, I am a big believer in eating locally. A great service I've been using (for my life as well as this blog) has been From the Farmer -- a produce delivery business in the DC area that partners with local farms and delivers seasonal produce straight to your door, only a couple of days after the produce is picked (divine!) I have had nothing but great things to say about this company, as well as the produce I receive. The difference in taste when there's no airplane involved is downright amazing -- just think -- you have more days to enjoy your food while it's still fresh.

Well, to sum things up, the guys at From the Farmer are incredible. They read my blog (#1) and they included this cute note in my produce delivery last week (#2,) which references what I say in my "About Me" page right here on Table Haven. I was so touched!

Therefore, in honor of my readers, in honor of fall, and in honor of From the Farmer, I am giving away:

1. One From the Farmer delivery (on me) to your home, if you are in the DC area
2. One $50 AMEX gift card if you are outside of the DC area, of which I hope you will spend on fresh food :)

In order to win, send me an email at thehaventable@gmail.com, and mention:

1. A proposed name for my new scarecrow
2. An obstacle you think gets in your way to eat healthy, that you would like me to address

Indicate in your email whether or not you are in the DC area. At the end of the giveaway period (midnight; Sept 28) I will pick a random number using a number generator to identify which email wins -- and post the results. Remember, there will be one winner from the DC area and one winner outside of the DC area.

Tell your friends -- get creative -- Ready, set, go!!!

xoxo n

Cookies & Cream Cupcakes

I had the pleasure of spending Labor Day weekend at my father's house outside Philadelphia. The trees were nice and plush, and nights were still warm, reminding you that summer was almost over but God is doing you a favor -- so you should sip wine outside long after the sun goes down and thank Him for the life he's given you.

Baking has been a way I show thanks (and love) to those around me. That weekend, my stepsister Gillian hosted a party for her high school friends. I naturally became the sneak chaperone -- someone old enough to keep an eye on things objectively, but young enough to not be a buzzkill (hurrah! I've reached the sweet spot.) As part of the party prep, I accompanied my dad to Wal-Mart to buy snacks en masse -- but moreover, as I was looking for an excuse (ahem, hungry audience) to bake delicious treats -- I decided to whip up these Oreo cupcakes (lightened up a bit.) With the help of my baby sister, Christina, these were a smash hit -- and I don't think the teens cared or knew that they were reduced-fat! HOLLA! Big sister for the win!

Do I spy a little helper?

Servings: about 24 cupcakes

What you'll need:

• Any Vanilla cake mix (I used Pillsbury French Vanilla)
• Eggs (required by cake mix)
• Water (required by cake mix)
• Plain Unsweetened Applesauce (the same amount that the cake mix is asking for, for oil!)
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips
• 8 oreos for chopping
• 1 tub of Vanilla Frosting
• 12 oreos for blending
• Oven/Cupcake Pan
• Optional: Blender/Cupcake Papers

The Step-by-Step:

1. Preheat oven to the degree asked for on the cake mix box, and place cupcake papers into the cupcake pan (if you don't have papers, no worries -- just spray each cupcake hole with cooking spray -- make sure you get the sides of the holes too!)
2. In a mixing bowl, mix the cake mix with the required water and eggs (can do egg whites if you want! so maybe if its asking for 3 eggs, put 2 egg whites and 1 full egg.)
3. Instead of oil, mix in applesauce and mini chips! (more on the applesauce later)
4. With a knife, roughly chop 8 Oreos into pieces, and add the pieces into the batter. Stir well.
5. Pour the batter into the cupcake papers (only 2/3 of the way -- don't fill each paper to the top) and bake for the time it says on the box.
6. While baking, roughly chop 12 more Oreos. Place the Oreo pieces into a blender. 
7. Pulse until the Oreo's are a fine powder -- (it'll look like dirt!) If you don't have a blender, put the chopped Oreo's in a Ziploc bag, seal it, put it in another Ziploc bag, put it on the floor, and jump on it. Go to town!
8. Pour the Oreo "powder" into a bowl, and scoop the frosting right on top. Stir together until well combined.
9. With a spoon, scoop the Oreo frosting into a Ziploc bag.
10. When the cupcakes have finished baking, let them cool for an hour.
11. After the cupcakes have cooled, hold Ziploc and squeeze all the frosting towards a bottom corner with your hands. With a scissors, snip the corner off (not too far up!)
12. With the corner snipped off, you can squeeze the Oreo frosting onto the cupcakes (I used a circular motion for the picture above.)
13. Party!

What a teenage dream.
xoxo n

Wait.... Applesauce?

Did you know Applesauce is a substitute for oil in baking? 

Did you know that when Applesauce is baked, you can't taste it? 

Did you know that oil is fat -- and apples are not? 

Did you know that apples are already sweet naturally, so you don't need to buy sweetened applesauce? Now you know!

Shoutout to my friend Katy for getting this right on Instagram! :)

Cowboy Eggs (Huevos Rancheros)

So... I wasn't joking about this Mexican craze I'm on.

In all seriousness, between the corn, avocado, tomato, fresh cilantro -- Mexican people know how to get down with the summertime produce (I wasn't referring to the cheesy/greasy Taco Bell-type enchiladas that many of us think is Mexican food.)

Huevos Rancheros -- or "Cowboy eggs" as I endearingly like to call them -- is a TexMex style dish, kind of like a deconstructed breakfast taco (a Texas staple -- seriously, if you are ever in Houston, visit Soliz Casa de Tacos across the street from my old high school.) The flavors blend together so beautifully, Taco Bell will never again cross your mind. Not to mention, this is so easy to make a boyfriend can do it (no offense to the guys; see picture below.) All in all, this dish is perfect for a weekend breakfast at home complete with a cup of hot coffee in your favorite mug (think of me and sprinkle in some cinnamon to make it Mexican.)

Servings: Two

What you'll need:

• 1 whole egg
• 6 egg whites (you can crack the eggs and remove the yolks yourself, or you can use the liquid egg whites that come in a carton in the dairy aisle -- your choice)
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh cherry tomatoes (I used around 12 and cut them into small pieces -- you can always substitute for salsa if you have any lying around)
• 1 can black beans
• 1/2 an avocado, cut into cubes
• 1/2 an onion, diced into small pieces
• Cooking spray/frying pan/sauce pan/stove
• OPTIONAL: fajita seasoning (not necessary to make this taste great, but if you have it, use it!)
• OPTIONAL: a couple spinach leaves
• OPTIONAL: any seafood leftovers you have in your fridge (I put some scallops and shrimp to good use here.)

Step-by-Step:

1. Heat small saucepan on low heat; pour in black beans.
2. While black beans are heating up, mix eggs, egg whites, salt, pepper, and onion (optional: fajita seasoning) in a small bowl.
3. Heat a small frying pan on medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray. Add the egg mixture (Optional step: if you have any cooked seafood, or even leftover chicken, add this to the pan first and let it sizzle for about 2 min before adding the eggs right on top.)
4. After the egg mixture starts to cook (30 seconds at most,) start to stir with a spatula. The eggs should be half-runny (raw eggs) and half-clumpy (cooked eggs.) Let cook a little longer, then stir again. Repeat until there is no more raw egg moving around in the pan (about 4-5 min total.) Remove the egg mixture and set aside.
5. To serve, spoon half of the black beans neatly in the center of the plate. On top, place half of the egg mixture, following with some avocado chunks and tomatoes. If you have any onion pieces left on your counter, sprinkle them on too. If you have some spinach, slice the leaves into small strips and gently place on top of your haystack (get it? cowboy? no? ok fine.)

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By the way, I'm coming back to Houston for Thanksgiving this year -- Soliz, I'm coming for ya! Do y'all do call-in's two months in advance? I'll take two Darlene's, please -- you know what to do.

xoxo n

Hold on a minute...

Did you know that two whole eggs has about 140 calories, while three egg whites (the clear part of a raw egg) has about 50 calories? Egg whites have less cholesterol, calories, and fat than whole eggs, but in substituting, you miss pretty much 0 flavor. Last time I checked, none of us know what just an egg yolk tastes like versus the rest of the egg. Everything tastes like, well, an egg! There are some things that an egg yolk is good for, and those things are iron, vitamins B12 and D for starters. So for this recipe, I left in one egg yolk and subbed the rest for whites. Great way to have the best of both worlds (and saving your calories for better things -- like chocolate.)

Source: fitsugar

A Lesson in Presentation

There's an episode of The Cosby Show that I love where Cliff (Bill Cosby) reprimands his daughter for introducing her new fiance to the family at dinner on a whim (remember swearing you had such great teenage judgment? yikes.) He makes an incredible metaphor of serving steak on a garbage can lid. The daughter had no right to get upset at her family's reluctancy to like her fiance, because even though he probably was a great guy with impeccable character, the way she presented him made him incredibly hard to like. Food presentation is often the same thing (please don't take my word literally and serve anything on a garbage can lid EVER -- this is lethal.) Metaphorically, how you choose to present the exact same food with the exact same ingredients, flavors and steps can affect how appetizing it looks -- and according to human psychology -- even how good it tastes to the person eating. We've all heard that "it all gets together in the stomach anyways," but I advise to craft your food with the same elegance that you expect it to taste like. Contrary to popular belief, this doesn't take much work -- just attention to detail. Food presentation is something that I've learned over the years, and I am more than happy to share it with you all going forward. After all, you can do all the same steps but if you dump it on a plate, it's lost something.

 

Watch the amazing clip here and party like its 1991: