Soup Sunday

This soup recipe is easy, healthy, and so cheap. To increase its credibility, it's an Ina Garten recipe... she's considered queen in my kitchen!

Rosemary White Bean Soup
1 pound dried white cannellini beans
4 cups sliced yellow onions (3 onions)
1/4 cup good olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large branch fresh rosemary (6 to 7 inches)
2 quarts chicken stock
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, cover the beans with water by at least 1-inch and leave them in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. Drain.

In a large stockpot over low to medium heat, saute the onions with the olive oil until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook over low heat for 3 more minutes. Add the drained white beans, rosemary, chicken stock, and bay leaf. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the beans are very soft. Remove the rosemary branch and the bay leaf. Pass the soup through the coarsest blade of a food mill, or place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until coarsely pureed. Return the soup to the pot to reheat and add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve hot.

Sick with a cold, but I still write to you, my friends...

Grilled Orange Chicken Fingers
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
1/4 cup orange juice
1 1/2 T. Dijon mustard
1 1/2 T. honey
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Salt to taste

Cut chicken crosswise into 3/4-inch-wide strips. Whisk together orange juice, mustard, honey, sesame oil and pepper in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the chicken and toss to combine. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat grill or broiler. Lightly oil rack or coat with nonstick cooking spray. Remove the chicken from the marinade, and discard marinade. Grill or broil until no longer pink in the center, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Season with salt and pepper.

I am Lily Casey Smith

Today, one of my customers hit on me. He didn't touch me, but the way he looked at me made me feel cheap like a street corner hooker and not like a good-willed volunteer or a future physician. My level of discomfort was felt at the very pit of my stomach. On his way out the door, he said "I'll come back next Monday, just so I can see you again." Rather than cowering or feeling weak, I responded with zeal "No, no, don't act like that. You better maintain professionalism while you're here."

At that moment, I channeled a character in the book I'm reading... and I think Lily Casey Smith, from Half-Broke Horses, would be very proud of the way I handled the situation. As far as book characters go, I think she's my new favorite; she's a fighter and I like her spunk. I think AmeriCorps is making me a modern day Lily Casey Smith, thus helping me gain thick skin and a strong backbone. These are character traits that I always thought I had, but I'm actually proving myself on a regular basis these days. In the words of Lily Casey Smith, "You can't destroy me. You don't have what it takes to do that."

Snickerdoodle Muffins
(from In Praise of Leftovers)
1 1/2 c. + 2 Tb. flour
3/4 c. sugar
2 ts. baking powder
1/4 ts. salt
1/4 ts. nutmeg (freshly ground, if possible)
1/2 c. milk
1 beaten egg
1/3 c. melted butter

For topping:
1 ts. cinnamon
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. melted butter

Preheat oven to 400. Combine first five ingredients. Add milk, egg, and 1/3 c. melted butter, mix gently to combine. Butter a muffin tin, and fill muffin cups 1/2 full and bake for 15-20 minutes, until tops are light brown and springy to the touch.

While muffins are still warm, dip in butter and roll in cinnamon and sugar. Serve warm.

Soup Sunday

My Uncle Rich, who follows my blog, asked my dad if I was a vegetarian. That made me think that I needed to incorporate some meat into my soup for this week. I assure you all that I'm not a vegetarian. Decent quality meat can kill the grocery budget, so I don't cook as much meat as I would like. The way I see it is that I'd rather have a bottle of wine for my week than a steak. No worries though, Uncle Rich, I will always remain loyal to our meat-eating German heritage!

Sausage-and-Vegetable Stew
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon paprika, plus more for garnish
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 ounces kielbasa, cut into small chunks
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
14 ounces small red-skinned or new potatoes (6 to 8), quartered
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup sour cream
Crusty bread, for serving

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and glistening, about 6 minutes. Add the paprika and 1 teaspoon salt; cook until the oil turns deep red, about 1 minute. Add the flour and cook until just toasted, 30 more seconds. Immediately whisk in 4 cups water. Add the kielbasa, carrots, potatoes and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.

Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer; cover and cook until the vegetables are tender and the broth has thickened, about 20 minutes. Add the vinegar and season with pepper.

Ladle the stew into bowls; top with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of paprika. Serve with bread.

Sunny weather, good beer, and ricotta

Today, the weather was perfect. I enjoyed every second of driving in the car with the windows down, picnicking outside with the kids I babysit, and cooking with my backdoor open! Sipping on Annie's Raspberry Ale, I made 3 delicious recipes today. The first is one that you can already find on my blog: my marinara sauce. Another is a recipe that you can find on a fellow Raleigh chef's blog. The final one is mine!

Yesterday, I was browsing my regular blog favorites...the Wednesday Chef, Everybody Likes Sandwiches, Tea and Cookies, and, alas, GiustoGusto. Paul Tuorto is a talented chef, graphic designer, and blogger. His recipe that I tried today has me swearing that I will never, and I mean never, buy ricotta again. That's right... it's homemade ricotta. I would be a fraud if I posted his recipe on my website, so give my fellow Raleigh Blogger a visit and make his ricotta recipe! (http://www.paultuorto.com/giustogusto/)

I had a ton of leftover egg roll wrappers from my barbecue egg rolls, so I decided to use them for ravioli. This ravioli recipe was an excellent way of clearing out the fridge. Enjoy!

Goat Cheese and Ricotta Ravioli
Egg roll wrappers
1 egg + 1 Tbsp. water

Filling:
1/2-1 cup spinach
1/2 cup homemade ricotta
1/4 cup goat cheese
1 egg
a few slices of salami

Wilt spinach with about 1 Tbsp water over medium-low heat in a covered pot for 5 minutes. Combine all filling ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well mixed.

Cut a wrapper into 4 equal pieces on a cutting board. Brush 2 pieces with the egg and
water mixture. Using a tablespoon, arrange a dollop of the filling on 2 wrappers. Place other wrapper pieces directly on top, pressing around the filling and sealing the edges.

In a large pot, bring to a boil 4 quarts of salted and oiled water. Carefully add small batches of ravioli, about 2 to 3 at a time. This will prevent them from crowding in the pot and sticking together. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Using a spider strainer, carefully remove the ravioli and place on the plate. Tent with foil to keep warm and continue cooking remaining ravioli.

Top with marinara.

Pizza, pizza!

Lent began this week with Ash Wednesday. The priest described this time in the liturgical year as "The Spring in a Catholic's life;" well, I wish I could have a little bit more music to listen to in church during my Catholic Spring. For those of you who aren't Catholic, a lot of music is cut out of mass during Lent to increase the solemn environment.

This year, I'm attempting a Lenton promise, yet again. I've decided to counter all of this good eating by exercising BEFORE work at least 3 times a week. So far, so good. I'll keep you updated though, and I wouldn't start placing any bets in favor of my completion. I usually don't make it to Easter with my Lenton promises.

Anywho, enough talking about Lent. Let's eat some pizza to prepare for the 6:15am spinning class tomorrow!

Ham-Brie Pizza

Pizza crust (I had some frozen in the freezer from my barbecue pizza recipe)

2 oz. sliced ham

3 oz. brie, sliced

1/2 thinly sliced green apple

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Top crust with ham, brie, and green apple. Add olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake until golden, about 12-15 minutes.

Love and friendship was in the air...

Yesterday was a day dreaded by most single women in this world. Not me though; depressing is New Years. You spend all this money on a sparkly outfit and an expensive pre-set menu, and then you watch your friends smooch their loves at midnight. This year, I spent New Years at home with my parents and then headed to Asheville on New Years Day to visit my favorites...and that was perfect for me.

Valentine's Day though? Come on, gals! We have lots of people who love us. My Time Management Trainer said that we should have 4-5 kinds of relationships in our life. That means that missing out on the boyfriend/husband relationship shouldn't make us feel not loved...we have coworkers, friends, family, pets, etc...who care about us! So, chin up!

I decided during my Senior year of college that I would always love Valentine's Day. In college, I had invested in a relationship which turned out to be a complete bust, and, by Senior year, I was jaded by all things sentimental. On Valentine's Day, I joined about 10 sorority sisters at an unromantic Japanese Steakhouse where we had a blast. I still regard that night as one of my favorites in college (see above picture).

This Valentine's Day, I decided to continue the tradition of celebrating friendship. I had 5 friends over for a dinner party on Saturday. I will say that on Saturday afternoon I was worried that I'd gotten myself in over my head. I prepped more than a TV chef before a show, chopping everything and putting the chopped items in bags and containers for later.

Then, at 7:45, I was freaking out because no one had shown up. What if I ended up like Carrie Bradshaw on her 40th Birthday at the restaurant alone (Sex and the City, of course)? Never fear, everyone arrived, and the night continued seamlessly...we even played Balderdash...my favorite!

I got the entire menu (minus the brownies) from Martha Stewart Living (2/10). You'll have to confirm with my friends, but I thought it was pretty darn delish. The sandwiches call for a lot of Gruyere which is expensive. I did half regular Swiss and half Gruyere. So here is the menu, and a plethora of recipes:

Warm Potato and Frisee Salad
Prep Time: 10 min. Total Time: 55 min.

8 baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved
3 T. red-wine vinegar
2 T. minced shallot
1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 head frisee, trimmed
4 fresh chives, cut into 1-inch pieces

Place potatoes in a medium pot of salted water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are fork tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain. Meanwhile, whisk together vinegar, shallot, and mustard. Pour in oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.

Toss warm potatoes with 3/4 of the vinaigrette, and let stand for 30 minutes.

Toss marinated potatoes with frisee and remaining vinaigrette. Sprinkle with chives.

Croque-Monsieur
Prep Time: 5 min. Total Time: 35 Min. Calories: Who Cares

2 T. unsalted butter, plus more for bread
2 T. all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese, plus 8 slices
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 thick slices rustic bread
12 slices ham
Dijon mustard, for bread

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Add milk; bring to a simmer. Cook, whisking frequently until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add Parmesan and Gruyere. Whisk until melted and smooth.

Butter bread. Arrange half of the slices on a rimmed baking sheet. Top each slice with 2 slices Gruyere and 3 slices of ham. Spread mustard onto unbuttered sides of the remaining bread. Place on top of ham, buttered side up.

Preheat broiler. Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium to medium-low heat, about 5 minutes per side. Return to baking sheet. Spoon 1/3 cup sauce over top of each sandwich. Broil until tops are bubbling and brown, about 3 minutes.

Caramelized Pears and Red Onions
Prep Time: 5 min. Total Time: 45 min.

2 firm, ripe red pears, such as Bartlett, cored and quartered
2 red onions, each cut into 6 wedges
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Drizzle pears and onions with oil. Season with salt and pepper, and toss. Spread mixture in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, turning pieces occasionally, until golden brown, about 40 minutes.


Mrs. Barker's Brownies
1 box brownie mix, and ingredients needed according to box

Cream cheese filling:
2 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
2 tsp. cherry juice
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup chopped cherries

Mix cream cheese filling ingredients together. Prepare brownie mix according to box directions. Grease a 9x13 inch casserole. Pour 1/2 brownie mixture on bottom. Add cherry cream cheese filling. Top with remaining brownie mixture. Bake until a knife comes out clean. Let the brownies cool completely before cutting them.

(Cherry juice can be used instead of water in the brownie mix. I forgot this fun tidbit when I was making them on Saturday.)

Soup Sunday

Today, I'm a little heartbroken. It has nothing to do with Valentine's Day and everything to do with withdrawing my acceptance from Brody School of Medicine.

I never thought I would be in the position to choose which medical school I was going to attend, and it was a wonderful terrible position to be in. On one hand, I got to decide where I would invest my time over the next 4 years. On the other hand, I had to choose between my Alma mater and the school that gave me the opportunity to prove myself in their Summer Program.

I'm heartbroken, because I love so many of the faculty and students at Brody. They are well rounded, brilliant individuals who are overflowing with support for one another. I don't think I'll ever find that level of support at another school. I'm sad that I won't be able to spend more time in the cadaver lab with my favorite professor from this summer. I'm sad that I won't return to my favorite room to study in the health sciences library. And I'm also sad that I won't be joining forces again with some of my Summer Program friends.

At the end of the day, I am confident in choosing UNC. It's a wonderful program with an amazing course schedule and great facilities (with the exception of the cadaver lab, which is a bit more crowded). I did weigh the pro's and con's and decided to remain loyal to my Alma mater. Today though, I'm allowing myself to be a little disappointed, and then I will look forward to the possibilities that are ahead of me!

Moroccan Chickpea and Vegetable Stew
(http://poppytalk.blogspot.com/2010/02/oldie-but-goodie.html)

1 T olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 large carrot, diced
1/2 lb green beans, trimmed & chopped
1 T cumin
1 T coriander
1 t cinnamon
1 t hot pepper flakes
salt & pepper
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 can of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
2 handfuls of raisins
juice of 1/2 lemon

1. In a large heavy pot, heat a small amount of olive oil over medium-high heat and add the diced onion and carrots. Saute for a few minutes and then add in the green beans. Stir in the spices and let them get fragrant.

2. Pour in the can of tomatoes and the can of chickpeas, turning down the heat to a simmer. After 10 minutes, stir in the raisins and simmer on low heat for 25 minutes.

3. A few minutes before serving, squeeze half a lemon into the stew for a bit of tang and mix well. Serve over couscous, rice or eat with crusty bread.

I Heart Annie Dog

The one individual who gives me love every day, whether I like it or not, is Annie Dog. Many of you have met my puppy, but others have not ever been around this little ball of energy. The side that just about everyone sees is this precocious and slightly obnoxious little dog who doesn't quite understand personal space. I can't help but love her though.

The moment that I love my doggy most is when I'm in the kitchen. She'll sit at my feet with her beagle nose in the air, and gaze at me with endless wonder and amazement. Annie makes me feel like a queen while I'm cooking, and it's a wonderful boost to my confidence.

This Valentine's Day, I'm going to give my gratitude and appreciation to Annie...maybe with a long walk or extra treats. I hope she knows how much I love her company, especially in the kitchen!

Pear-Raspberry Heart Pies
For the pastry :
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1 tsp salt
1 tsp granulated sugar
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp ice water

For the filling:
2 firm, ripe pears (Anjou, Bartlett), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/3 cup fresh raspberries, coarsley chopped
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten with 1 Tbsp heavy cream, for egg wash
Sanding sugar for sprinkling

Make the pastry: Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 5 seconds.

Evenly drizzle ice water over mixture. Pulse until mixture just begins to hold together, about 10 seconds. Turn out dough onto plastic wrap, and wrap. Shape into a disk. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight.

Make the filling: Toss pears with lemon juice. Melt butter in a medium skillet over med-high heat. Add pears, and toss to coat. Cook, adding sugar a little at a time, until pears begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in nutmeg. Transfer to a bowl, and mix in raspberries.

Divide dough in half, and roll out each piece to 1/8 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350. Drain pear-raspberry filling in a sieve. Cut out 20 hearts from dough unsing a 4-inch cutter, transferring them to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Lightly brush rims of half the hearts with egg wash, and top each with 4 heaping teaspoons filling. Top with remaining hearts, and gently press around sides to seal.

Brush pie tops with egg wash, and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 40 minutes.

Winter Blues

I just can't get very excited about winter vegetables. Give me juicy tomatoes and butter beans galore, but I'd rather not have the turnip. Today, I looked through an old July issue of Bon Appetite, and it made me long for summer and all the beautiful, colorful recipes that go along with it.

Unfortunately, here we are on a dreary February day, cooking another recipe with winter vegetables. This is not to say that they aren't packed with nutrients, and I do appreciate what they can potentially bring to a meal. Tonight, I made fried rice with mushrooms, onions, and mixed greens. I must admit that it brightened up my overcast evening.

Mom's Fried Rice

2 cups cooked rice

1 T vegetable oil

4-5 eggs, mixed

3-4 vegetables

Scramble eggs in a bowl and cook in vegetable oil until firm and beady looking. Add vegetables, starting with the firmest, at 1-2 minute intervals. Add rice and toss to combine.

Add the following:

2 T soy sauce - toss

Juice of 1/2 lemon - toss

2 T butter - toss

1 t sesame oil - toss

Enjoy!

Super Bowl (not Soup) Sunday

These are always a hit as an appetizer. Just make sure your vent is on high over your stove while you're frying!


Pork-Slaw Egg Rolls
2 1/2 cups chopped pork barbecue, heated
1 cup slaw
24 Egg Roll Wrappers
~1/4 cup barbecue sauce, plus more for dipping

Combine barbecue, slaw, and sauce in a bowl.
Place 1 egg roll wrapper on a clean flat surface with one corner pointing towards you. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush corners with water. Spoon 1/3 cup of pork filling in center of each egg roll wrapper. Fold bottom corner of wrapper over filling. Fold left and right corners over filling. Tightly roll filled end toward remaining corner, pressing gently to seal. The end result should look like an envelope.

In a deep-fryer or large Dutch oven, pour oil to a depth of 2-inches. Heat the oil over medium high heat.

Fry egg rolls, in batches for about 2 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with barbecue sauce.

Inspired by Shelby Cuisine

There is this wonderful pizza place in my hometown that used to make barbecue pizza. The first time I had it, I thought it was the most brilliant thing ever created. Upon returning home to celebrate the holidays with my family, I was incredibly disappointed to see that Pleasant City had taken my favorite pizza off the menu.

Ever since the first (and only) time I had barbecue pizza, it has been on my mind as a possible adventure in the kitchen. Luckily, I had to buy a ton of barbecue and slaw from Cooper's Barbecue in Raleigh yesterday for my super bowl appetizer (stay tuned!) Last night, I made barbecue pizza, and it was just as perfect as I had remembered!

Pizza Dough
1 1/2 cups flat beer, warmed
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1 1 /2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tbsp. butter or olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. quick-rise active dry yeast

Dissolve yeast in beer. Mix ingredients and knead 10 minutes. Form into balls. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes, then roll out for pizza. Dough may also be made up the day before and stored overnight in refrigerator.

Barbecue Pizza
Barbecue Sauce
Mozzarella or Monterrey Jack cheese
Chopped pork, the best in Raleigh comes from Cooper's
Slaw

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out pizza dough and spread on barbecue sauce. Top with a very thin layer of cheese and pork. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Let pizza cool for 5 minutes and add dollops of slaw.

Workshops and Potatoes

It frustrates me so much that many young people in this nation don't have enough mentors and role models in their life. Why do I bring this up?

Today I helped give a workshop in resume building for at-risk youth who weren't much younger than myself. Honestly, it was a lot of fun. They asked great questions and absorbed the information beautifully. I would say that I need quite a bit of practice in public speaking, but I was encouraged by the fun audience. As tough as these 5 individuals seemed to be, they were so forgiving of my far from perfect presentation.

I just hope that these young people sieze any opportunities that come their way and find strength from within in their career development. There is so much potential in all of them, and I hope they see that in themselves!

Almond-Turmeric Potatoes
(Splendid Table)
Olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 to 2 lbs. red or Yukon Gold potatoes, very thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. chicken broth
1/3 cup chopped almonds

Generously film a 4-qt. saucepan with olive oil over medium-high heat. Layer in onion, turmeric, salt and pepper, potatoes, and more salt and pepper.

Let mixture cook, without stirring, until the onion starts to soften and brown. Don't stir, but peek under them to check color.

Add broth, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Again, don't stir, but shake the pan occasionally, and check to make sure there is still some liquid on the bottom of the pan. Add more liquid as needed. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until there is a syrupy brown glaze on the bottom of the pan, the onion is coloring, and the potatoes are tender. Pull the pan off the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.

Taste for seasoning. Just before serving, sprinkle with the toasted nuts. Spoon down to the bottom of the ban to get some of the glaze for each serving.

Dr. Cameron!

(Me, Cameron, and Laura before my first marathon and their first half marathon)

Tonight, I'm celebrating my favorite gal in Cincinnati, Cameron. She got into University of Cincinnati's College of Medicine, and I couldn't be more thrilled for her (except maybe if we were going to the same school... but oh well, I can visit Cincinnati!)

Cameron and I worked at LabCorps together, and this dainty girl skipped into my life at the time I needed her most. Having been turned down by all the medical schools to which I applied, I was frustrated and disillusioned by the whole process. Then, here comes Cameron, someone with similar disappointments but a mature and inspiring attitude to uplift any spirit!

We've gone through a lot together... She was even there for my first marathon. We've worked together, shared frustrations, gossiped plenty, and now we are celebrating...and, oh my, this celebration is so sweet!

Knock em dead, Cam!

Ginger-Caramel Shrimp
Splendid Table's "How to Eat Supper"

Brine
1/2 cup kosher salt (not iodized)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup medium chili powder
2 quarts warm water
1 1/2 lbs large frozen shrimp (in or out of their shells)

Saute
1/4 cup canola oil
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
4 inches piece fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (to taste)
Salt
4 teaspoons sugar

For Brine: In a medium bowl, combine the salt, sugar, chili powder, and warm water. Add the peeled shrimp and set aside for 20 minutes. Drain the shrimp and pat them dry.

For Saute:
In a large deep skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, pepper, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Blend in the sugar and continue stirring until the garlic is pale gold; do not let it get dark brown.

Drop in the shrimp and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes or until they are bright pink and barely firm.