Sunday, March 27, 2011
Grilled Chicken - How difficult can that be!
Cut up a whole chicken - why not - it's much less expensive and easy to do once you get the hang of it. And grilled chicken on the bone really adds so much flavor. I halved the chicken and then just cut off the leg and thigh and kept them together. Sometimes I just cut the chicken in half. But tonight we had a combo of breast and wing and leg and thigh. I put the chicken in a baggie and added spices from the cupboard - garlic, salt, sweet red pepper, rosemary, thyme and two juiced lemons - throw the whole lemon in the bag too. Chill to marinate and take out and bring to room temp before grilling so you get an even bake. Grill about 40 minutes - grill each side to get a nice char and then move to indirect heat, close the lid and let em bake.
Pasta Salad - made with Brown Rice Fusilli
We wanted to cook healthier yesterday, so I said I'd bring a whole-grain pasta salad. (I admit, I've never made a pasta salad that I thought was worth repeating, but this turned out tasty.)
And, with the veggies, it was a pretty salad. Today (next day), the fusilli has a pink tint to it.
Windmill Farm's didn't seem to have any whole grain pasta, but they did have Brown Rice Fusilli. The package said it cooks in 7-9 minutes; I boiled the pound about 11 minutes, then gave us and decided it was to be VERY al dente. I decided to pretend it was supposed to be firm.
For the veggies, I cut up the following and put into a colander:
1 yellow, 1 red, 1 orange bell pepper
1/4 of a purple onion, chopped very finely
1 small head of broccoli flowerets, again, cut very small pieces.
Not in the colander, but in a separate bowl, some nice roasted beets that were already cooked and in a vinegary sauce, which I'd bought at the salad bar at Windmill Farms. The salad bar charges $4.99 a pound, and to save me the trouble of cleaning, roasting, peeling, saucing beets, I thought this was a good thing. (Regards, Martha)
When the pasta was "done", I poured the boiling water (and fusilli) over the veggies,just to get them a little tiny bit cooked. Shook the colander to get rid of excess water.
Dressed with this dressing:
3-4 tablespoons of good mustard (I used Maui Sweet Onion mustard), 3-4 tablespoons of mayonnaise, some rice wine vinegar, some honey. Mix, taste,add some more ingredients. Salt.
Tim tasted and said "Mom, the pasta's not done." I replied "It's supposed to be nutty." He bought it.
And, with the veggies, it was a pretty salad. Today (next day), the fusilli has a pink tint to it.
Windmill Farm's didn't seem to have any whole grain pasta, but they did have Brown Rice Fusilli. The package said it cooks in 7-9 minutes; I boiled the pound about 11 minutes, then gave us and decided it was to be VERY al dente. I decided to pretend it was supposed to be firm.
For the veggies, I cut up the following and put into a colander:
1 yellow, 1 red, 1 orange bell pepper
1/4 of a purple onion, chopped very finely
1 small head of broccoli flowerets, again, cut very small pieces.
Not in the colander, but in a separate bowl, some nice roasted beets that were already cooked and in a vinegary sauce, which I'd bought at the salad bar at Windmill Farms. The salad bar charges $4.99 a pound, and to save me the trouble of cleaning, roasting, peeling, saucing beets, I thought this was a good thing. (Regards, Martha)
When the pasta was "done", I poured the boiling water (and fusilli) over the veggies,just to get them a little tiny bit cooked. Shook the colander to get rid of excess water.
Dressed with this dressing:
3-4 tablespoons of good mustard (I used Maui Sweet Onion mustard), 3-4 tablespoons of mayonnaise, some rice wine vinegar, some honey. Mix, taste,add some more ingredients. Salt.
Tim tasted and said "Mom, the pasta's not done." I replied "It's supposed to be nutty." He bought it.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Capellini Pomodoro
This was tasty...don't let the amount of olive oil fool or scare you. It cooks very quickly and I suggest you get the water boiling for the pasta before you start cooking the sauce. Here's the prep:
Pour a small glass of red wine. Set to the cook's side.
Chop 8-9 roma tomatoes, or use 2 pints of cherry tomatoes.
Chop a big bunch of basil, and two teaspoons fresh parsley.
Smash, mince, squash 5-6 cloves of garlic
Chop up a few tablespoons of fresh thyme.
Grate 1 1/2 cups of good parmesan.
1/2 lemon, ready to squeeze
Have at the ready, some pepper to grind, salt, and some red pepper flakes. And 3/4 lb capellini, which cooks very very quickly.
Heat up 1/4 cup olive oil.Add the garlic and cook and stir for just 30 seconds. Don't burn the garlic. Add in the chopped tomatoes, parsley, basil, thyme, fresh ground pepper, and some red pepper flakes. At the same time, get the capellini cooking; it only takes a short time (maybe 5 minutes???) Cook and stir the tomatoe mixture. Think about what Dan Quayle is doing these days. (right? you forgot about him, too?)
When the pasta is al dente, drain it (but save a bit of the water), then put it into the tomato pan, then toss it with the grated parmesan which of course will get all melty. Squeeze in the lemon juice. If the pasta seems too dry, add a bit of the pasta water or some extra olive oil. Taste it, you might want to add a bit of salt or more pepper.
Serve immediately with extra parmesan and extra basil.
There's no red wine in this dish, that was for me. And if you've never tried it before, go to a liquor store and buy a bottle of Lemoncello, put it in the freezer, and sip a little shot of it after dinner.
Pour a small glass of red wine. Set to the cook's side.
Chop 8-9 roma tomatoes, or use 2 pints of cherry tomatoes.
Chop a big bunch of basil, and two teaspoons fresh parsley.
Smash, mince, squash 5-6 cloves of garlic
Chop up a few tablespoons of fresh thyme.
Grate 1 1/2 cups of good parmesan.
1/2 lemon, ready to squeeze
Have at the ready, some pepper to grind, salt, and some red pepper flakes. And 3/4 lb capellini, which cooks very very quickly.
Heat up 1/4 cup olive oil.Add the garlic and cook and stir for just 30 seconds. Don't burn the garlic. Add in the chopped tomatoes, parsley, basil, thyme, fresh ground pepper, and some red pepper flakes. At the same time, get the capellini cooking; it only takes a short time (maybe 5 minutes???) Cook and stir the tomatoe mixture. Think about what Dan Quayle is doing these days. (right? you forgot about him, too?)
When the pasta is al dente, drain it (but save a bit of the water), then put it into the tomato pan, then toss it with the grated parmesan which of course will get all melty. Squeeze in the lemon juice. If the pasta seems too dry, add a bit of the pasta water or some extra olive oil. Taste it, you might want to add a bit of salt or more pepper.
Serve immediately with extra parmesan and extra basil.
There's no red wine in this dish, that was for me. And if you've never tried it before, go to a liquor store and buy a bottle of Lemoncello, put it in the freezer, and sip a little shot of it after dinner.
Simple and Easy Asparagus, Brown Rice, Toasted Pine Nuts and Parmesan
Cook 2 cups brown rice in your steamer for this dish. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet. Add 2 tablespoons pine nuts and brown lightly. Add 8 ounces of asparagus sliced on the diagonal in 1/2 inch pieces and stir-fry until just crisp about 2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and 1 teaspoon minced garlic. Add the brown rice and combine. Remove from heat and top with grated parmesan cheese.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Four Pizza Toppings and a Terrific Movie
Pizza Dough: different than the last one I posted; this is a bit lighter crust. Must be the addition of eggs.
Warm one cup water to 105-115 degrees. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast and 2 tablespoons sugar. Set aside for 5 minutes. In your Kitchenaid with the dough hook, mix 4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 2eggs, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Mix until the four ingredients are mixed...Add in the foamy water. Oil your hands with more olive oil. Take the dough into a ball, smooth it with the olive oil, place in a clean bowl, put a clean kitchen towel over the bowl and put on top of a cupboard. Let sit for 1-2 hours; the dough will rise to double. Punch it down.
Heat your oven to 500 with a pizza stone in it. The stone has to become hot so the pizza cooks quickly.
Take baseball size pieces from the dough, roll it, put on floured surface, shape into a round. Let rest for 10-15-20 minutes. Put these rounds on parchment paper.
Top these. My suggestions:
* Mexican cheese (queso seco) and chopped green olives with pimientos.
* Parmesan and fresh basil
* Carmelized onions, thin slices of Bosc pears, and gorgonzola. Walnuts optional.
* Parmesan, thin slices of tomatoes, fresh basil
These small pizzas will bake in 7-8 minutes in the hot oven. Pull the parchment out, leave the stone in.
I'm sure during the Depression, American's didn't eat pizza. But these pizzas can be enjoyed during "Get Low". What a great movie!
Warm one cup water to 105-115 degrees. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast and 2 tablespoons sugar. Set aside for 5 minutes. In your Kitchenaid with the dough hook, mix 4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 2eggs, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Mix until the four ingredients are mixed...Add in the foamy water. Oil your hands with more olive oil. Take the dough into a ball, smooth it with the olive oil, place in a clean bowl, put a clean kitchen towel over the bowl and put on top of a cupboard. Let sit for 1-2 hours; the dough will rise to double. Punch it down.
Heat your oven to 500 with a pizza stone in it. The stone has to become hot so the pizza cooks quickly.
Take baseball size pieces from the dough, roll it, put on floured surface, shape into a round. Let rest for 10-15-20 minutes. Put these rounds on parchment paper.
Top these. My suggestions:
* Mexican cheese (queso seco) and chopped green olives with pimientos.
* Parmesan and fresh basil
* Carmelized onions, thin slices of Bosc pears, and gorgonzola. Walnuts optional.
* Parmesan, thin slices of tomatoes, fresh basil
These small pizzas will bake in 7-8 minutes in the hot oven. Pull the parchment out, leave the stone in.
I'm sure during the Depression, American's didn't eat pizza. But these pizzas can be enjoyed during "Get Low". What a great movie!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Mushroom Potato Gnocchi for Saturday Movie Night
Believe it or not, there's a major department store in Horton Plaza with a restaurant that has a really good mushroom gnocchi and here is my attempt to recreate it. Bake 2 large russet potatoes (about 2 pounds) in a 450 degree oven for an hour. Scoop into a bowl and add 1 egg yolk, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Mix in approximately 6-8 tablespoons of flour to form a soft dough. Divide into four portions and turn out onto a floured surface and roll each portion into a 1/2 inch log about 18 inches long. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces. You can get fancy here and add tine marks with a fork or just roll slightly. Add gnocchi in batches to boiling, salted water and cook until they rise to the top about 5 minutes. Gnocchi can be made ahead and refrigerated for a couple of days - you can freeze them too. You can either boil them now or later but if boiling then now, then just add them to a pot of boiling water for 3 minutes to reheat. If making right away, let them sit for a bit to room temperature, then sauce or refrigerate/freeze.
Gnocchi can be sauced up many ways but here is the mushroom sauce. Heat 2 T butter and 2 T olive oil in a pan. Add one sliced onion and cook until tender and then add 1 package cremini mushrooms and 1 package white mushrooms - sliced. You can add several types of mushrooms. Cook until tender and then add about 1 1/2 cups chicken stock and 1 T fresh chopped sage or fresh thyme depending upon preference. At this step you can add about 2 cups chopped cooked chicken if you wish to add some protein. Simmer and reduce liquid about 8 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 cup cream and cook about 3 minutes to thicken. Add gnocchi and heat through.
Plate gnocchi with sauce and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and an optional drizzle of white truffle oil. Wow!
Gnocchi can be sauced up many ways but here is the mushroom sauce. Heat 2 T butter and 2 T olive oil in a pan. Add one sliced onion and cook until tender and then add 1 package cremini mushrooms and 1 package white mushrooms - sliced. You can add several types of mushrooms. Cook until tender and then add about 1 1/2 cups chicken stock and 1 T fresh chopped sage or fresh thyme depending upon preference. At this step you can add about 2 cups chopped cooked chicken if you wish to add some protein. Simmer and reduce liquid about 8 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 cup cream and cook about 3 minutes to thicken. Add gnocchi and heat through.
Plate gnocchi with sauce and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and an optional drizzle of white truffle oil. Wow!
Tomato Spinach Quiche for the Friday Party!
This quiche is so easy to make and delicious. I buy the extra large bag of spinach at Costco, which is about 8-12 loosely filled cups, and put it in a large pot with a large diced onion. Turn the pot on high, put the lid on, let heat for 5 minutes and then turn the heat off and let steam while mixing the rest of the ingredients. The spinach will fill the pot to the top and you will have to pack it down to get the lid on but once steamed, the spinach will wilt to about 2 cups. The onion will soften and become translucent. Add 1 1/2 cups milk, 6 eggs, 1 1/2 cups cheddar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp white pepper, 4 diced tomatoes, 1/4 cup chopped green onions and 1/4 cup Parmesan and mix in a bowl. Remove the spinach and onion from the pan and drain. Chop and add to the mixture. This makes 4 regular dish quiches and you can use the frozen pie shells if you wish. Place the shells on a sheet pan and fill with ingredients. Top with additional Parmesan Romano cheese and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes until lightly browned. When cooled, place in Ziploc and freeze some for later!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Chicken with Goat Cheese and Sun-dried Tomatoes, Creamed Corn and Baked Potatoes
I know it's Monday night but today was a holiday and it felt like Sunday dinner time so I decided to try this chicken idea I've had for my upcoming bunco. I like to test the recipes first for taste and presentation. I'm not the best presenter as of yet but I will get there. I took 6 boneless chicken breasts with the skin on and sliced some goat cheese and placed it under the skin with julienned sun-dried tomatoes. I drizzled some really good olive oil on top and just added salt and pepper roasted the chicken in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes until the skin was golden brown. I also threw in some potatoes in the bottom oven and made homemade creamed corn - not the kind we remember from the can. Creamed corn is so easy to make and wow - so good and simple. Just take a small bag of frozen corn and place in pot with 1 cup cream, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 tablespoons butter, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and add 1 cup milk shaken with 2 tablespoons flour. Stir to another boil and turn off heat and continue to stir until thickened. I'm telling you, the can will be a distant memory. The chicken turned out very moist and delish. I'd give this one a try again but will need to think about whether I can 'present' this for bunco. Everyone here loved it and plates were all clean!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Risotto with butternut and leeks and fresh basil
Wash and skin 1 medium butternut squash. Dice the flesh into about 1/4 - 1/2" dice. Wash 2 leeks, slicking little discs about 1/8" from the white end to the light green. Clean a large handful of fresh basil. Have 1 tablespoon thyme ready. Shred parmesan cheese, 1 1/2 cups (maybe about 6-8oz?)
Heat up a 28 oz box of chicken broth. Have aside.
In a large pot, melt 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil.. Add the squash and stir and cook 5 minutes. Remove the squash. Add the leeks and thyme, cook for a few minutes, the discs will separate. Remove these.
In the pot, you might need to add another tablespoon of olive oil, depends whether you left any behind when you removed the veges. Up to you. Add 1 1/2 cups arborio rice. Stir about 3-4 minutes, the rice will become a little toasty. Add 1/2-3/4 cup of dry white wine (Chardonnay works). Cook and stir until the wine is absorbed. Now start adding the hot chicken broth, 1 cup at a time, cooking and stirring while the chicken broth absorbs. Continue adding cupfuls one at a time, cooking and stirring between additions, until all the broth is gone and the rice is tender. This takes about 25 minutes.
When it's tender, put the squash and leeks back in, stir and heat up a bit, then add most of the cheese and most of the fresh basil, keeping a bit for topping the individual servings. Andiamo!
Heat up a 28 oz box of chicken broth. Have aside.
In a large pot, melt 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil.. Add the squash and stir and cook 5 minutes. Remove the squash. Add the leeks and thyme, cook for a few minutes, the discs will separate. Remove these.
In the pot, you might need to add another tablespoon of olive oil, depends whether you left any behind when you removed the veges. Up to you. Add 1 1/2 cups arborio rice. Stir about 3-4 minutes, the rice will become a little toasty. Add 1/2-3/4 cup of dry white wine (Chardonnay works). Cook and stir until the wine is absorbed. Now start adding the hot chicken broth, 1 cup at a time, cooking and stirring while the chicken broth absorbs. Continue adding cupfuls one at a time, cooking and stirring between additions, until all the broth is gone and the rice is tender. This takes about 25 minutes.
When it's tender, put the squash and leeks back in, stir and heat up a bit, then add most of the cheese and most of the fresh basil, keeping a bit for topping the individual servings. Andiamo!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
When I'm single, it will be beans all the way,
I love beans. I love every bean that God in His wisdom ever made. Childhood memories of Navy Beans and Hamhock tickle me pink. My dad liked beans and I visualized sailors in whites eating these.
Last weekend, I made up the following recipe. If I were an empty-nester, this would have lasted me a week...but Tim had strapping friends over on Sunday night, helping in the garage, so i served this thick soup with homemade biscuits and it was gone in one sitting.
Anyway, quick soak 1 1/2 lbs navy beans. If you don't know how to do this...rinse and clean beans, put into stock pot with water, bring to boil, boil 2 minutes. Turn off, let sit 1 hour. Pour off water and rinse again.
Put the beans into a stock pot, covered with water 2 inches above top of beans. Added 2 packages of frozen (thawed) chicken thighs (from Costco), 2 cubes of caldo de pollo or bouillon cubes, about 1 tsp of marjoram, 1 tsp of thyme, 2-3 bay leaves, some fresh ground pepper. No salt, the caldo do pollo is salty enough. Bring to boil and simmer for 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking. Add water if it cooks down to threatening low level.
Last weekend, I made up the following recipe. If I were an empty-nester, this would have lasted me a week...but Tim had strapping friends over on Sunday night, helping in the garage, so i served this thick soup with homemade biscuits and it was gone in one sitting.
Anyway, quick soak 1 1/2 lbs navy beans. If you don't know how to do this...rinse and clean beans, put into stock pot with water, bring to boil, boil 2 minutes. Turn off, let sit 1 hour. Pour off water and rinse again.
Put the beans into a stock pot, covered with water 2 inches above top of beans. Added 2 packages of frozen (thawed) chicken thighs (from Costco), 2 cubes of caldo de pollo or bouillon cubes, about 1 tsp of marjoram, 1 tsp of thyme, 2-3 bay leaves, some fresh ground pepper. No salt, the caldo do pollo is salty enough. Bring to boil and simmer for 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking. Add water if it cooks down to threatening low level.
Fish Tacos, Two Ways
Fish tacos were on my mind on the drive home, mostly because I had defrosted three talapia fillets and didn't want to serve "fish".
So, based on DNA memory, I stopped at the market and bought ingredients for fish tacos.
Red sauce: a bit of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. Chop a bit up finely, and mix with regular salsa. Makes a spicy red sauce.
White sauce: plain, nonfat yogurt(1/2 cup) mixed with about 2 tablespoons mayo.
Chopped red cabbage
Tortillas Eden likes flour, so broke tradition for the sake of peace in the mid-eastern part of San Diego.
Fish: here's the two ways: a bag of Gortons fish fillets with beer batter cooked according to directions, and the three aforementioned talapia fillets sprinkled with seasoned salt and smeared with a bit of butter. Cook the talapia on the same cookie sheet as the Gortons fillets. Used a bit of parchment paper to make clean up easy.
Whoever invented parchment paper deserves to be knighted by the Queen Mum.
Very successful dinnertime.
So, based on DNA memory, I stopped at the market and bought ingredients for fish tacos.
Red sauce: a bit of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. Chop a bit up finely, and mix with regular salsa. Makes a spicy red sauce.
White sauce: plain, nonfat yogurt(1/2 cup) mixed with about 2 tablespoons mayo.
Chopped red cabbage
Tortillas Eden likes flour, so broke tradition for the sake of peace in the mid-eastern part of San Diego.
Fish: here's the two ways: a bag of Gortons fish fillets with beer batter cooked according to directions, and the three aforementioned talapia fillets sprinkled with seasoned salt and smeared with a bit of butter. Cook the talapia on the same cookie sheet as the Gortons fillets. Used a bit of parchment paper to make clean up easy.
Whoever invented parchment paper deserves to be knighted by the Queen Mum.
Very successful dinnertime.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Panama Honey Microlot
Oh my goodness!!! I stopped by to see Robin yesterday and she roasted a coffee bean from Panama that, as she describes it, 'has cinnamon caramelized pear and brown sugar notes'. I brewed a pot this morning and I immediately found those notes! I'm not a connoisseur of any kind but I'm finally understanding all of the knowledge that she has kindly passed along to me. You must go see her. This cup of coffee was so smooth and not too sweet or over-powering. I'm bummed that I only took one cup with me for my ride to work and can't wait to get home and brew another pot. Wow! That good.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
White Bean Chili
4 (15 ounce) cans white beans
1 (15 ounce) can green chilies
1 (16 ounce) package frozen corn
1 (15 ounce) can vegetable broth
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chipotle pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 (16 ounce) container plain nonfat yogurt
Cilantro
Pour beans, green chilies, corn and broth into large stock pot. Add the onion, 2 tablespoons cilantro and garlic and season with spices. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and spices if necessary. Can be made in the crock pot and simmered on low for 4 hours. I added additional cumin and chili powder. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day.
To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with nonfat yogurt and cilantro. For non-vegans – add Annie’s Buffalo Chicken Tenders!
Game Day Chili!
2 pounds ground beef
1 (64 ounce) can baked beans, undrained
1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans
1 (15 ounce) can white kidney beans
1 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 green chili peppers, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chipotle pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground beef into the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.
Pour in the chili beans, kidney beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the onion and chili peppers. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and chipotle. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. The baked beans give it a sweeter taste while the spices give it a little kick and the chipotle and paprika gives it a smoky flavor. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day.
To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with sour cream and shredded Cheddar cheese.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Chicken and Rice made from leftover Buffalo Chicken Tenders
We all liked this on the MOnday night after SuperBowl Sunday.
(my fav commercial was Ozzie Osbourne and that Baby, Baby, Baby kid...the one who had a cover on Vanity Fair last month...can't stand him. Well, this isn't fair, I don't know his music. Or I should say, shame on his parents, because a 16year old shouldn't be exploited with lipstick kiss marks running all over his face and down his neck in a national magazine which doesn't edit out the F word...ok off my soap box of outrage).
For the rice: 1-2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet, then add 1 cup rice (I used combo of brown and long grain white), heat and stir while rice gets a little toasty. Heat up about 3 cups chicken broth, add the hot chicken broth to the rice, put a lid on it ("Edith!"). Let simmer about 20 minutes, check that the rice is almost cooked. While the rice was cooking, chop up the chicken from last night, at the end of the 20 minutes, add the chicken, stir, put the lid back on for just a few to heat through. I discarded the extra sauce, as I didn't want my chicken and rice to be too saucy.
And I'm not a prude; I am not offended when someone uses the word if it adds to the literary experience, but...after all, Vanity Fair isn't "Teen Beat".
(my fav commercial was Ozzie Osbourne and that Baby, Baby, Baby kid...the one who had a cover on Vanity Fair last month...can't stand him. Well, this isn't fair, I don't know his music. Or I should say, shame on his parents, because a 16year old shouldn't be exploited with lipstick kiss marks running all over his face and down his neck in a national magazine which doesn't edit out the F word...ok off my soap box of outrage).
For the rice: 1-2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet, then add 1 cup rice (I used combo of brown and long grain white), heat and stir while rice gets a little toasty. Heat up about 3 cups chicken broth, add the hot chicken broth to the rice, put a lid on it ("Edith!"). Let simmer about 20 minutes, check that the rice is almost cooked. While the rice was cooking, chop up the chicken from last night, at the end of the 20 minutes, add the chicken, stir, put the lid back on for just a few to heat through. I discarded the extra sauce, as I didn't want my chicken and rice to be too saucy.
And I'm not a prude; I am not offended when someone uses the word if it adds to the literary experience, but...after all, Vanity Fair isn't "Teen Beat".
Really good Chicken in Buffalo Sauce
I didn't want to deal with bones, or the work of getting meat off the wings, so I used white meat chicken tenders for this recipe. I tossed the tenders in a zip bag with a bit of canola oil, salt and pepper. Turned on the grill and cooked until ALMOST done. Oh, I used about 2 pounds of tenders.
For the sauce: in a large saucepan, mix 1 cup red wine vinegar, 2-4 tablespoons Dijon or horseradish mustard, 1 small can chipotle pepper sauce, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons chili powder, 6-8 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Heat all this up, the butter will melt, add in the chicken tenders and let simmer for at least 15 minutes. If you want to be fancy, use Ancho Chili powder. I didn't.
For the sauce: in a large saucepan, mix 1 cup red wine vinegar, 2-4 tablespoons Dijon or horseradish mustard, 1 small can chipotle pepper sauce, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons chili powder, 6-8 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Heat all this up, the butter will melt, add in the chicken tenders and let simmer for at least 15 minutes. If you want to be fancy, use Ancho Chili powder. I didn't.
Pizza Margherita
I've only been to Italy once, and didn't have a bad meal. Their pizza was extremely simple and light...very different from American pizza. Here's a good recipe that I like to make:
For the dough: warm 1 cup water to 105-115 degrees, add 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon yeast Stir and set aside for about 5 minutes. It will foam. This step means the yeast is alive and eating the sugar. In a big bowl mix 2 1/4 c flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and 2tablespoons olive oil. Add in the water/yeast mixture, turn on the beater and mix until the dough pulls away from the bowl...you may need to add a bit more flour (this depends on the humidity in the room, really!) turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead it, it shouldn't be sticky but it should be elasticky...elasticy...you know what word I am trying to spell. Put the dough into a bowl and rub it with some oil, put a clean dishtowel over the top, put the bowl up high (where it's warm) and let rise to double. Takes about an hour.
Now, put a pizza steel (or stone, or a heavy duty cookie sheet) in the oven and heat to 450-500. Punch down the dough, pull off baseball sized pieces, press onto a piece of parchment paper to about 6-7" diameter, and top with a very little bit of Parmesan cheese, grated, a few thin slices of tomatoes, and a few leaves of fresh basil. Put the pizza (on the parchment) onto the hot stone, bake about 7-9 minutes. Yumm!
Oh, and I'm not dissing American pizza, I love grease as much as the next patriotic American. Italian pizza, however, is almost health food, comparison-wise.
For the dough: warm 1 cup water to 105-115 degrees, add 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon yeast Stir and set aside for about 5 minutes. It will foam. This step means the yeast is alive and eating the sugar. In a big bowl mix 2 1/4 c flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and 2tablespoons olive oil. Add in the water/yeast mixture, turn on the beater and mix until the dough pulls away from the bowl...you may need to add a bit more flour (this depends on the humidity in the room, really!) turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead it, it shouldn't be sticky but it should be elasticky...elasticy...you know what word I am trying to spell. Put the dough into a bowl and rub it with some oil, put a clean dishtowel over the top, put the bowl up high (where it's warm) and let rise to double. Takes about an hour.
Now, put a pizza steel (or stone, or a heavy duty cookie sheet) in the oven and heat to 450-500. Punch down the dough, pull off baseball sized pieces, press onto a piece of parchment paper to about 6-7" diameter, and top with a very little bit of Parmesan cheese, grated, a few thin slices of tomatoes, and a few leaves of fresh basil. Put the pizza (on the parchment) onto the hot stone, bake about 7-9 minutes. Yumm!
Oh, and I'm not dissing American pizza, I love grease as much as the next patriotic American. Italian pizza, however, is almost health food, comparison-wise.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Trip to the Local Farmer’s Market!
http://www.hillcrestfarmersmarket.com/
This market is wonderful. Check out Divine Madman Coffee first (Hello Robin!) – pick up a pound or two of the best fresh-roasted, organic, bird-friendly, shade-grown, fair-trade coffee you have ever had in your life (she also ships). Grab a cup of Wild Divine and head out in search of veggies and other goodies.
I bought 6 red, yellow and green peppers for making stuffed peppers. I cut off the tops and removed the seeds and membranes and placed them in a 9x13 baking dish. Then I chopped the edible part of the tops and sautéed them in olive and grape seed oil with one diced onion and two diced yellow squash and a dash of salt and pepper. When the veggies were tender I transferred them to a bowl and then emptied a jar of oven-roasted tomatoes that I roasted about a week ago to the sauté pan to quickly warm. These tomatoes were already seasoned with garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper but I added some fresh basil and oregano as well. You could simply add a can of diced tomatoes or fresh diced tomatoes and season well. I added the tomatoes to the bowl with the veggies and then browned about 2 pounds of ground beef with salt and pepper. The pan still had the flavors of the veggies and tomatoes. You could substitute ground turkey or ground soy crumbles. Drain before adding to the bowl and combine. I used about 2 cups leftover Spanish rice and added that to the mixture but you can use any cooked rice. I've also stuffed these peppers with orzo, quinoa and flax seed and included any veggies I have on hand like corn, zucchini and mushrooms. Fill the peppers and add the remaining mixture to the bottom of the pan. Cover with your favorite tomato sauce (homemade or from the jar), sprinkle with cheese (I used Parmesan Romano) and bake for about an hour at 350. Baste with sauce and bake an additional 20-25 minutes until peppers are tender. Serve with crusty bread. Leftovers are even better. Time for another cup of Wild Divine!
This market is wonderful. Check out Divine Madman Coffee first (Hello Robin!) – pick up a pound or two of the best fresh-roasted, organic, bird-friendly, shade-grown, fair-trade coffee you have ever had in your life (she also ships). Grab a cup of Wild Divine and head out in search of veggies and other goodies.
I bought 6 red, yellow and green peppers for making stuffed peppers. I cut off the tops and removed the seeds and membranes and placed them in a 9x13 baking dish. Then I chopped the edible part of the tops and sautéed them in olive and grape seed oil with one diced onion and two diced yellow squash and a dash of salt and pepper. When the veggies were tender I transferred them to a bowl and then emptied a jar of oven-roasted tomatoes that I roasted about a week ago to the sauté pan to quickly warm. These tomatoes were already seasoned with garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper but I added some fresh basil and oregano as well. You could simply add a can of diced tomatoes or fresh diced tomatoes and season well. I added the tomatoes to the bowl with the veggies and then browned about 2 pounds of ground beef with salt and pepper. The pan still had the flavors of the veggies and tomatoes. You could substitute ground turkey or ground soy crumbles. Drain before adding to the bowl and combine. I used about 2 cups leftover Spanish rice and added that to the mixture but you can use any cooked rice. I've also stuffed these peppers with orzo, quinoa and flax seed and included any veggies I have on hand like corn, zucchini and mushrooms. Fill the peppers and add the remaining mixture to the bottom of the pan. Cover with your favorite tomato sauce (homemade or from the jar), sprinkle with cheese (I used Parmesan Romano) and bake for about an hour at 350. Baste with sauce and bake an additional 20-25 minutes until peppers are tender. Serve with crusty bread. Leftovers are even better. Time for another cup of Wild Divine!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Turkey Tetrazzini...made this one up myself
I rubbed a turkey breast with salt, pepper, marjoram, and thyme. I roasted it until almost done. Then I put it in some water and simmered it to make it very tender. Cooled and shredded it. Discard the skin or feed to the dog.
In a non-stick, I melted about 2 T. butter, added 1/2 chopped onion, 2 carrots that I'd peeled and julienned, 3 celery sticks chopped up. Stirred for a bit, then added some sliced mushrooms and a crushed garlic clove. Added in the juice from the turkey, about 1 1/2 c water, a chicken bouillon cube, about a cup of dry white wine (chardonney, not white zin or sauvignon blanc), and a short splash of milk (to make it look like white sauce) and the juice of two fresh lemons. Cooked that maybe 5 minutes. Added the shredded turkey. Removed about 1/4 c of the liquid, mixed with about 1/4 cup cornstarch; be sure to whisk out the lumps. Returned the roux to the saucepan, continued cooking to thicken it. It now is the consistency of thin gravy.
Prepared 3/4 lb pasta (don't know what type I used, it wasn't vermacelli or linguini). Drained the pasta and mixed with the turkey mixture.
Put it all in a casserole dish --- oh, forgot to tell you, preheat oven to 375 --- topped casserole with shredded parmesan, maybe 6 oz. Bake about 30 minutes. The top can get a tiny bit crusty.
In a non-stick, I melted about 2 T. butter, added 1/2 chopped onion, 2 carrots that I'd peeled and julienned, 3 celery sticks chopped up. Stirred for a bit, then added some sliced mushrooms and a crushed garlic clove. Added in the juice from the turkey, about 1 1/2 c water, a chicken bouillon cube, about a cup of dry white wine (chardonney, not white zin or sauvignon blanc), and a short splash of milk (to make it look like white sauce) and the juice of two fresh lemons. Cooked that maybe 5 minutes. Added the shredded turkey. Removed about 1/4 c of the liquid, mixed with about 1/4 cup cornstarch; be sure to whisk out the lumps. Returned the roux to the saucepan, continued cooking to thicken it. It now is the consistency of thin gravy.
Prepared 3/4 lb pasta (don't know what type I used, it wasn't vermacelli or linguini). Drained the pasta and mixed with the turkey mixture.
Put it all in a casserole dish --- oh, forgot to tell you, preheat oven to 375 --- topped casserole with shredded parmesan, maybe 6 oz. Bake about 30 minutes. The top can get a tiny bit crusty.
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