Obama speaks on effects of government shutdown

President Barack Obama on Monday spoke about the effects of shutting down the government if Congress failed to act. With hours to go until the government stopped running, Congress appeared to be at a standstill. House Republicans have insisted that in order to continue funding the government for a couple more months, the Affordable Care Act, also known as "Obamacare," needed to be delayed another year. Senate Democrats and the White House have insisted that is a non-starter.

This stalemate means at midnight on Monday the government would shutdown. As President Obama said that would mean among other things hundreds of thousands of federal workers would be furloughed or would have to work with no pay. National parks and museums would close immediately and subsidies for millions of women, children and the elderly would be delayed if not even stopped. He said even if Congress were to vote in favor of the delay it would not stop it from going forward tomorrow. He insisted Congressional Republicans stop playing games and stop holding the economy hostage and do their job in funding the government and paying the bills.

President Obama announces plans to help reduce higher education costs

President Barack Obama continued laying out his vision for America's educational system during his weekly address on Saturday. He toured the country this week touting his proposals to help make higher education more affordable. The basic message of his tour and during his address was, "we cannot price the middle class out of a college education."

Among his proposals include a national affordability rating system. This system would tie federal financial aid grants to a school's ranking to encourage students to attend high-performing colleges. Essentially, the lower the ranking, the less federal money a school might receive. President Obama also pushed a plan called "Pay-As-You-Earn," which would cap student loan repayments at 10 percent to allow students and families to reasonably pay down their debt.

The efforts to reduce higher education costs come at a time when tuition has skyrocketed, the average student loan debt has topped $26,000 and many families have found obtaining a college degree to be unaffordable.

"[Higher education] shouldn't be a luxury," President Obama said. "It's an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford."

Carne bistec -- Colombian steak with onions and tomatoes

It's been quite a while since I last cooked so it felt really great to be back in the kitchen. Hot, because it is now the beginning of summer, but great. Of course I wouldn't go anywhere else to find a meal to get back into cooking than the Skinnytaste website. Tonight's meal was quick to make and really only took three ingredients. The original recipe can be found here. 

Review: As I said, this meal was quick and easy to make. It essentially included three ingredients and took about 45 minutes to an hour. The longest part was actually just slicing the steak and cutting the onion and tomatoes. The actual cooking time was about 10 to 15 minutes. If you like tacos you'll like this meal. What really gives it its flavor is the cumin. Without it, the meal might be a little bland and boring, but the cumin gives it that Latin taste that gives the meal some pop. The onions and tomatoes also added a bit of flavor but they also were not overpowering. It basically was just a meat meal, which I don't mind. While it is more of a "Hispanic" meal, you could add some steamed broccoli and it could easily become a "Chinese" meal. In fact, the next time I make it I think I'll do that. Not only to give it a different flavor profile but also to just add a little more to the plate for a more filling meal. Still, on its own it was quite good and I served it with brown rice to make it a little heartier. Oh and I also added more salt, pepper and cumin once I poured in the meat. The recipe just says to put in those ingredients after putting in the tomatoes, but I added them again when I poured the meat back in the pan. I did it to give the whole meal a little more flavor instead of just the tomatoes and onions.

Recipe:

• 1 1/2 pounds grass fed sirloin tip steak, sliced very thin (any sirloin steak is fine)
• salt to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• cumin to taste
• 4 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced thin or chopped
• 1 very large tomato or 2 medium tomatoes, sliced thin or chopped

Season the steak with salt and garlic powder. Heat a large frying pan until it is VERY HOT. Add 2 tsp of oil then half of the steak and cook less than a minute on each side (I actually cooked the meat a little longer until brown because I prefer my beef medium well). Set the steak aside, add another teaspoon of oil and cook the remaining steak. Set aside. Reduce the heat to medium and add another teaspoon of oil and then add the onions. Cook a few minutes and then add the tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper and cumin and reduce the heat to medium-low. Add about 1/4 cup of water and simmer a few minutes to create a sauce. Add more water if needed and taste to adjust the seasoning as needed. Return the steak to the pan along with the drippings, combine well and remove from heat. Serve over rice or for a low carb option with a sunny-side up egg on top.

Obama returns focus to economy, job growth

President Barack Obama used his weekly address to return his focus to the economy and job growth. He called on Congress to pass legislation that would help homeowners refinance their mortgages and save around $3,000 a year, put people back to work rebuilding the nation's crumbling infrastructure and fixing the country's broken immigration system. He said doing those things would help create good middle class jobs and grow the economy.

Broccoli and orzo

Tonight's meal is a definite keeper and one that is simple to make. It only took about 20 minutes to do so it's also one you could make after a long day at work. It should come to no surprise that I got the recipe from the Skinnytaste website. It can be found here. 

Review: This meal was quick and easy to make. It took about 20 minutes and took essentially two ingredients. While it is basically just rice and broccoli it has a little more flavor than rice because of the orzo. I have never had orzo before, or at least didn't know I was eating it if so, but I really liked the flavor. Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta. It tastes like it has a mixture of cheese and butter already in it so it gives it a more prominent flavor than regular rice. While it is not as healthy as brown rice, like I usually cook with now, it is a nice change up. I used a couple boxes of orzo and two pounds of broccoli so I would have enough to have multiple meals but if you go by the directions you should be able to get about four servings out of it. As far as the directions go, it says to steam the broccoli in one pot and then cook the rice in another but I cooked the rice and after a couple minutes poured the broccoli into the same pot as the orzo, put a lid on it and let the steam from that cook the broccoli. Doing it that way lets all the flavors mix together, saves time and more importantly as far as I'm concerned reduces the amount of dirty dishes. Oh, and I also didn't cut the stems off the broccoli before steaming it or chop them into smaller pieces. I felt like the florets were small enough that that was an unnecessary step. Although I used minced garlic in a jar, I still sauteed it in a pan and moved the broccoli from the pot to the pan for a couple minutes before putting the garlic and the broccoli back into the pot with the orzo. Overall though this was a really delicious and hearty meal that I can't wait to have more of and make again soon.

Recipe:

• 4.5 oz uncooked orzo pasta
• 2 cups of fresh broccoli florets only (no stems)
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
• 3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• salt and fresh pepper to taste

Trim stems off broccoli, cut into small pieces and season with salt. Steam covered with a little water until cooked, careful not to overcook. When the broccoli is cooked, remove from the pan and chop into smaller pieces. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a medium pot of salted water as directed for al dente. Reserve about 1/2 cup liquid before draining. Drain orzo in a colander and add the oil to the pot. Saute the garlic a few minutes until golden, add the broccoli and season with salt and mix well. Add the orzo and stir to combine all. Add a little reserved liquid as needed so the pasta isn't dry. Serve with freshly grated cheese if desired (optional).

Spaghetti with sautéed scallops and peas

I had this recipe lined up to fix for the past week but didn't get time to make it until now. It was one I was a little skeptical about only because I've never had one of the ingredients but it turned out pretty good. I don't know how often I'll make this meal but I will make it again I'm sure. The original recipe can be found on the Skinnytaste website here. 

Review: This was a 15 minute meal that was flavorful and tasty. I've never had scallops before so I didn't quite know if I would like it but I like seafood and I know it is a healthy and popular ingredient so I decided to try it. Honestly I'm not quite sure how I feel about them even after trying them but I liked them enough to try them again. They kind of tasted a little like crab so if you don't like that you probably won't like these. Then again if I overcooked the scallops without realizing it that could be why it tasted like crab. It is absolutely an ingredient I will have to work with more often so I can get used to cooking it and cooking it properly. Still, when I ate the scallops with the peas and spaghetti as one bite they were wonderful. Alone not so much, with the other ingredients pretty tasty. Seeing, though, how this really was a three ingredient meal even a novice cook should be able to make this with no problem. I used larger amounts than what the recipe calls for so I would have some for future meals. I also used mini scallops instead of the large ones so I just bought a nearly 2 pound bag of them instead of just six large pieces. Oh, and my scallops didn't brown but it might have been because they were small. Don't cook them until they get brown or you will overcook them. Still cook them the recommended length of time whether they brown or not and if you use small scallops the cooking time might actually be a little shorter.

Recipe:

• 4 oz linguini, whole wheat or low carb (I used a whole box of 100 percent whole wheat spaghetti)
• 1 cup frozen peas (I used a 16 oz. bag)
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp butter
• 6 large sea scallops, cleaned (I used a 2 lb bag of small scallops)
• course salt (I used Kosher salt)
• ground pepper

Cook the pasta in a medium pot of boiling salted water until al dente, according to the package instructions. Add the peas to the boiling water 4 minutes before finished. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining, drain the pasta and return to the pot. Add the parsley and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Stir, adding the reserved pasta water a little at a time. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile while the pasta is cooking, season the scallops with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium flame. Cook the scallops until browned on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip, cook until opaque throughout, about 30 to 60 seconds more while their centers are still slightly translucent (you can check this by viewing them from the side). Be careful not to overcook or they will become tough. Serve over the pasta.

Chicken and turkey sausage

I've had this recipe saved for a while and finally decided to make it tonight. It's another one from the Skinnytaste website that can be found here. It's actually a fairly filling meal and simple to make. I'll certainly be making this one again especially because it doesn't require too many ingredients and doesn't take too long to make.

Review: As I mentioned above, this meal was pretty quick to make (about an hour total) and didn't require too many ingredients. The most time consuming part was chopping and cutting the vegetables and meat. The recipe calls for chicken legs and thighs, but I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts because they are healthier. I also used them because they are easier to eat with a fork whereas the other chicken pieces you'd have to use your hands, which would be messier. I also cut the breasts into pieces so they'd be bite-sized. The only things I didn't include were the scallions (green onion) and celery. I'm not a big fan of either, and while there wouldn't have been enough in the meal to make a difference, I would have had extras that I wouldn't have used. So instead of letting them go to waste I just left them out. If you like those products, though, then by all means buy them and use them. The flavor was quite savory and if you've ever had green beans, smoked sausage and potatoes, it tastes similar to that minus the green beans and potatoes. One also could describe the flavor as being similar to chicken broth or the liquid in chicken noodle soup. I also cooked brown rice with it to help make it a little heartier but it would be good just on its own. As far as ingredient amounts, I used one whole onion, one whole green pepper, two packages of chicken breast tenders and two packages of turkey polska kielbasa (instead of andouille sausage). I also made six servings of rice. The whole thing gave me seven helpings, including the one I had for dinner. The skillet almost overflowed because of it, but at least I have enough for multiple days.

Recipe:

• 2 tsp oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 14 oz. (4) lean skinless chicken thighs, with bone
• 12 oz. (4) lean skinless chicken drumsticks, with bone
• salt and fresh pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour (rice flour for gluten-free)
• 2 cups water
• 2 links (6 oz.) andouille chicken/turkey sausage
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup chopped scallion

Heat a large deep non-stick skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the oil, onions, peppers and celery. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring. Push the vegetables to the edges of the skillet and add the chicken, season with salt and pepper. Brown 2 to 3 minutes on each side, then sprinkle the flour over the chicken and vegetables. Add the water, sausage and bay leaf, adjust salt and pepper to taste, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 30 to 35 minutes, remove bay leaf and top with scallions. Serve with rice or quinoa if desired.