Pistacio Covered Cheese Log

It's Christmas. I've been asked to bring an appetizer to my BigBro's house for our Christmas celebration. I didn't want to bring to old stand by. Or one I've made before. I looked at this as an opportunity to try a new appetizer.

It couldn't require being cooked (the oven would be in use). Or it couldn't need to be re-heated. I wanted to make it something simple, inexpensive, and good. Enter Pistachio Covered Cheese Log.

I love pistachios. Love the flavor and texture of them. They add a nice little added texture to this cheese log.

Pistachio Covered Cheese Log

Serves 8

• 1 bar (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup coarsely grated sharp white cheddar (4 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 cup shelled unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped - I couldn't get unsalted. I love my salt.
• Crackers, for serving

In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, cheddar, Dijon, and Worcestershire until well combined; season with salt and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate until slightly firm, 1 to 2 hours. 

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, toast pistachios over medium, stirring frequently, until fragrant and golden, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate; let cool. 

Transfer cheese mixture to a piece of waxed paper; using paper, shape into a 6-inch-long log. Cover with pistachios, pressing to adhere. Wrap log in a fresh piece of waxed paper; chill until firm, 1 to 2 hours (or up to 1 day). Serve with crackers.

Nutella Fudge

Its hard to believe that for the entire month's of October and November I didn't cook. I'm sure I did, I just don't recall trying any new recipes. November I had to have a surgery and so couldn't really do anything. And then post surgery had no appetite - so why cook. But I assure you the new year will ring in the desire to cook and eat again.

The during the Thanksgiving season I did have a craving for Nutella fudge. So I pulled out the recipe and the pot and got down to business.

The only side note on this recipe, do not use semi-sweet chips. That chocolate is too strong and over powers the Nutella.

Nutella Fudge

• 1 bag Milk Chocolate chips
• 1 can Sweet condensed milk (14oz)
• 1 dash salt
• 2 tsp Vanilla

Butter an 8" square pan. In a 1 quart glass bowl, combine the chocolate chips, Nutella, sweetened condensed milk, and salt in a bowl.

Microwave (HIGH) mixture for 3 minutes, taking it out halfway through and stirring well and returning it for the remaining time. I needed the whole 3 minutes. (Side Note: I'm not a big fan of microwaving chocolate. I always burn it. I used a double boiler instead and it worked just fin.)Carefully remove hot bowl and stir in vanilla. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Chill for 2 hours. It sets up almost immediately.

After it's been chilled, score and cut fudge into bite size pieces. Enjoy!

Yogurt Marinated Chicken

There's something about marinating chicken in yogurt. Every single recipe I've tried I love it. I am a big chicken breast fan. And marinating with yogurt almost guarantees I will have a juicy chicken breast.

I had to search several stores for Garam Masala spice...ended up finding in my local grocery store just 1/2 a block away. Go figure. Love this spice. Love the smell and the flavor. I have to watch myself though because I know I could go overboard with it.

One thing about this recipe, you have to plan. It calls for 8 hour to one day of marinating.

Yogurt Marinated Chicken
Serves: 4

• 1 large White onion, 1/2 chopped, 1/2 thinly sliced
• 3 cloves Garlic, smashed
• 5 tablespoons Fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons Chopped peeled ginger
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon Garam masala
• 8 Skinless chicken drumsticks
• 2 teaspoons Olive oil, plus more for grates
• 1 Cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced crosswise
• 1/4 cup Fresh cilantro
• Naan or pita for serving

1. In a blender, combine chopped onion, garlic, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and ginger. Puree until smooth, scraping down sides of blender as necessary, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in yogurt, garam masala, 2 teaspoons salt, and teaspoon pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours (or up to 1 day).

2. Heat grill to medium; clean and oil hot grates. Remove chicken from marinade, wiping off excess. Grill chicken until cooked through, 12 to 14 minutes, turning occasionally.

3. In a small bowl, combine cucumber, sliced onion, cilantro, oil, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice; season cucumber salad with salt and pepper. Serve chicken with salad and naan if desired.

Beef Rendang

I've had this recipe since 1995 and never had an opportunity to actually try it. It sometimes surprises me how long I've harbored some of these recipes just waiting for the right moment to make the dish. That "right moment" seems to never come around.

Which is why I went to the brandy snifter of recipes. There need not be any "right moment", it just needs to be a day of the week.

Ironically enough, after so many years, I can't say it was worth the wait. The recipe was just okay. I'll keep it though because I may - at some point - make it again - it'll definitely be in the yearly cookbook.

Beef Rendang
Serves: 4

• 1 pound Lean boned sirloin steak
• teaspoon Vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup Chopped shallot
• 1 tablespoon Grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon Minced peeled fresh lemon grass
• 1/2 teaspoon Crushed red pepper
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 cans Fat free beef broth, divided
• 1/2 cup Unsweetened light coconut milk
• 1/8 teaspoon Salt
• 4 cups Cooked rice
• 4 teaspoons Chopped fresh cilantro

1. Trim any fat from steak, cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add steak; cook 4 minutes or until steak loses its pink color. Drain well and set aside. Wipe drippings from skillet.

2. Place skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Add shallots, ginger, lemongrass, crushed red pepper flakes and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Return steak to skillet. Stir in 2 cups broth; bring to a boil.

3. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for 45 minutes.

4. Stir in remaining broth; cover and simmer 45 minutes or until steak is tender. Remove from heat. Stir in coconut milk and salt.

5. Serve over rice; sprinkle with cilantro

Baked Manicotti with Meat Sauce, Garlicky Broccolini and Crispy Garlic Bread

I'm not usually a fan of manicotti. But I saw this photo and it just looked so dang good. I knew I had to make it. My BigBro, my Seattle Sister-in-law and Blueberry are all walking in the Breast Cancer 3 Day 60 mile walk this coming weekend. They were coming to dinner tonight to discuss logistics as I will be their "walker stalker" for the 3 days. I figured they needed to "carb load" for the walk. Pasta is a good carb, as is bread. The broccolini was thrown in because I LOVE broccolini and just knew they'd love it too.

Baked Manicotti with Meat Sauce
Serves 6-8 Easily 8 unless the 6 haven't eaten for days.

• 1 Onion, chopped
• 6 ounces Sliced pepperoni
• 1 pound 85% lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon Tomato paste
• 5 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
• 2 cans (28oz ea) Crushed tomatoes (recommended San Marzano)
• 3 cups Ricotta cheese
• 2 1/2 cups Shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 1/2 cups Shredded provolone cheese
• 1 large Egg, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
• 1/4 cup Finely chopped basil
• 16 No boil lasagna noodles (these are the bomb. If you've never used them they quite frankly ROCK)

1. Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and heat oven to 375F. Pulse onion and pepperoni in food processor until coarsely ground. Add beef and pulse until thoroughly combined.

2. Cook meat mixture over medium heat, breaking up mixture with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Transfer 1 cup beef mixture to paper towel-lined plate and reserve.

3. Add tomato paste, garlic and pepper flakes to remaining meat mixture and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the cans of crushed tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Combine ricotta, 2 c mozzarella, 1 c provolone, egg, salt and pepper, basil, and reserved meat mixture in a large bowl. Pour 2 quarts boiling water into 13X9 inch baking dish. Soak noodles until pliable, about 5 minutes. Drain noodles on kitchen towel.

5. Spread half of meat sauce over bottom of baking dish. Top each soaked noodle, one at a time, with 1/4 cup cheese filling, roll, and arrange, seam-side down, over sauce in baking dish. Spread remaining sauce over manicotti.

6. Cover with foil and bake until bubbling around edges, about 40 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and provolone. Bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Let cool 15 mins.



Garlicky Broccolini 
Serves 4

• 1/3 cup Water
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 2 bunches Broccolini (about 1 lb), trimmed
• 2 cloves Garlic, grated
• 1/8 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons Grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring water and salt to boil in large skillet. Add broccolini and cook over medium low heat, covered, until bright green and tender, about 5 minutes. Remove lid and cook until liquid evaporates, about 30 seconds.

2. Stir in oil, garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to platter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.


And last but not least...

Crispy Garlic Bread

• 12 tablespoons Unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cloves Garlic, grated
• 1/4 teaspoon Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
• 12 slices Garlic bread

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 425F. Using fork, beat butter, garlic, sugar, slat and pepper in small bowl until combined. Spread butter mixture evenly over both sides of bread.

2. Arrange buttered bread on heated baking sheet and bake until golden brown on first side, 8-10 minutes. Flip and bake until golden brown on second side, about 5 minutes. Serve.

Panaeng Beef in Red Curry Peanut Sauce

Que delicioso! I'd say that in Thai if I could, but I cant'.

I'm a big fan of red curry. BIG FAN. I can't say that this tastes any different than my normal red curry favorite (chicken, red curry and coconut milk), and yet this was sooo good. The recipe called for 2T of red curry paste and I thought, "Good Lord I'll never feel my tongue again." So I opted for 2 tsp. Wasn't enough. I added 2 more tsps and then added just one more. That was perfect. And almost 2T.

I did some research on this an panaeng is one of Thailand's signature dishes

Panaeng Beef in Red Curry Peanut Sauce
Serves 4-6

• 1 cup Unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 lb Boneless beef, such as flank steak, thinly sliced crosswise into 2 in strips
• 2 T Panaeng curry paste or red curry paste
• 2 T fish sauce
• 2 T brown sugar (the recipe calls for palm sugar - but I can never find that)
• 3 T finely chopped peanuts or peanut butter
• 3 wild lime leaves torn or cut (yah, never could fine wild lime leaves, so skipped this)

In a medium saucepan, stir together 1/2 cup of the coconut milk and the water and bring to a very gentle boil over medium heat. Sprinkle in the sliced beef, stirring to keep the pieces from sticking together, and simmer 5 minutes, until meat is tender. With a slotted spoon, scoop the meat out into a bowl and set aside, leaving coconut milk in a pan to return to a gentle boil.

Stir in the curry paste and cook, pressing and stirring to dissolve the paste, 3 to 4 minutes, until the sauce is fragrant and smooth. Return the beef and any juices to the pan, adding the remaining 1/2 cup coconut milk, and bring back to a gentle boil.

Add fish sauce, brown sugar, peanuts and lime leaves, if using. Stir well and simmer 3-4 minutes more until the sauce is smooth.

Serve with rice.

Pasta with Chicken and Mushrooms

This is one of my all time favorite dinners. It's super flavorful and super easy. It makes for leftovers that I'll actually eat. It's great cold too. I am not a fan of reheated chicken - so I make this a pasta salad for day 2. Delicious!

Pasta with Chicken and Mushrooms
Serves: 4

• 3/4 pound Bowtie pasta
• 1 pound Chicken tenders, halved lengthwise, then again crosswise
• 2 tablespoons Butter
• 1 pound Mushrooms, stemmed and halved
• 1/2 cup White wine
• 1/2 cup Heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Chopped fresh parsley

1. Cook pasta. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.

2. Meanwhile, season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet melt butter over medium heat. Add chicken; cook turning once until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to plate.

3. Add mushrooms to pan; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat until mushrooms release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Uncover; cook until liquid has evaporated, 3-5 minutes. Add wine, cook stirring until evaporated 2-3 minutes.

4. Reduce heat to low. Add cream and chicken; stir to coat. Transfer to pot with pasta; add parsley and pasta water (if desired - sometimes there's enough liquid). Toss to combine. Season as necessary.

Country Captain Chicken

As I've undoubtedly mentioned before there are a couple recipes that hit me right in the "OMG" zone. This recipe...it's 1) a keeper and 2) an instant remake (as in the next couple weeks).

I've made a version of this before, but this one was way better. It could be I'm a better cook now than I was when I tried the Rachael Ray version, or it's just that I followed the recipe. Either way, I highly recommend this recipe.

I mixed white rice in with this entire dish and served it. It doesn't really indicate if mashed potatoes or rice is better with it. I liked the rice because it makes a great left over. You know how I feel about left overs right...? I LOVED this as a left over.

Country Captain Chicken
Serves 4

• 8 bone in, skin on chicken thighs, trimmed of excess skin and fat
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 tsp Vegetable oil
• 2 large onions, chopped coarse (I only used one large and it was fine)
• 1 medium green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped coarse
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1 1/2 T Sweet paprika
• 1 T Madras-style curry powder (I couldn't find Madras style so I used yellow curry powder)
• 1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
• 3 T All purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Adjust an oven rack to the lower middle position: heat the oven to 300 degrees. Dry the chicken thighs thoroughly with paper towels, then season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large oven proof Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add 4 of the thighs, skin side down and cook without moving them until the skin is crisp and well browned, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces and brown on the second side for 5 minutes. transfer to a large plate. Repeat with remaining chicken thighs.

Discard all but 1 T of fat from the pot; when the chicken has cooled, remove and discard the skin.

Add the onion and bell pepper to the pot and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, paprika, curry powder and cayenne and cook until the spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the broth, scraping up any browned bits that may have stuck to the pot. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, raisins, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chicken pieces and any accumulated juices, submerging the chicken in the liquid. Return to a simmer, cover and place pot in the oven; cook until the chicken offers no resistance when poked with the top of a pairing knife, but is still clinging to the bones, about 1 1/4 hours. Remove pot from oven.

Stir in parsley and discard the bay leaf.

Fettuccine with Sausage, Garlic and Mushrooms

About 2 months ago, QFC was having some tasting stations. At one of those stations I tasted this chicken Italian sausage. It was in links and so delicious. I didn't buy any then because I had no idea what I'd do with it.

Enter this recipe. I went back and bought - thankful I could even remember what it was called - a package.

HikerGirl and Blueberry joined me for dinner and they both took home the left overs. God I love my friends...

I can't say this was a favorite. In fact, it was kinda boring. I didn't like just the wine as a sauce, so I added a tablespoon of Dijon mustard. Made a much better flavor. I did, accidentally, overcook the pasta...I hate when I do that. blech!

Fettuccini with Sausage, Garlic and Mushrooms
Serves 6

• 3/4 pound Cooked low fat smoked chicken or turkey sausage
• 1 tablespoon Olive oil
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 pound Fresh mushrooms, brushed clean and thinly sliced
• 1 cup Dry white wine
• 1/4 cup Chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound Dried fettuccine

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2. Slice sausage into rounds about 1/4 inch thick. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, warm the oil. When hot, add the sausage slices and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 3-4 minutes.

3. Add the garlic and mushrooms and stir until the mushrooms have softened and released their liquid, about 3 minutes.

4. Add the wine and boil over medium heat until mushrooms are tender, about 3 minutes longer. Stir in parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. While the sauce is cooking, add the fettuccine to the boiling water, stir well and cook until al dente.

6. Drain fettuccine and place in a warm shallow serving bowl. Pour the sauce over the top and toss briefly to combine.

Grilled Mexican Steak

I am in a desperate search of that perfect Mexican flavored steak. No, not flavored with Mexicans, but that flavor I remember having while in Mexico. Tried this new recipe and still don't have the right flavor I want.

First off, I'm not a big fan of oregano. I didn't put as much in as it said, but I could still taste it.

AND I found this new steak that's WAY cheaper than flank steak. Look around your grocery store for flat iron steaks. In my QFC it comes in a sealed manufacturer looking type package (not your normal meat package stuff). It's way cheaper and has the same basic structure as flank steak.

Grilled Mexican Steak
Serves 8

• 1/2 cup Lime juice
• 2 tablespoons Dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons Olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt and pepper each
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 Beef flank steaks

1. Mix all ingredients except beef together in a shallow glass dish. Add beef; turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes - turning beef once.

2. Remove beef from marinade; discard marinade. Grill to desired doneness (10-15 minutes for medium). Cut beef diagonally across grain into thin slices.

Chicken Curry in a Hurry

Oh.
My.
God.

I know. I know. I say this all the time - but wow what a recipe. This one is going into the Chez Jenn rotation for great, quick food. Delish!

This was the third recipe I made this week out of one rotisserie chicken. I suppose hind sight being what it was, I could have easily purchased a whole fryer and baked it for less than a rotisserie one, but I'm not so good at baking whole chickens. I'll leave that to the Parental Units.

You've got to try this recipe. It's quick, it's simple and it is a filler. I'm a big fan of yellow curry, but let me tell you, you can get too much...I'm just sayin'. And now my entire house smells like an Indian restaurant.

Chicken Curry in a Hurry
Serves 4

• 1 1/2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 small Yello onion, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons Curry powder
• 1/2 cup Plain yogurt
• 3/4 cup Heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
• 1 can (14.5 oz) Diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 Rotisserie Chicken
• 2 cups Cooked white rice
• 1/4 cup Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes.

2. Sprinkle in curry powder; stirring for one minutes.

3. Add the yogurt and cream and simmer gently for 3 minutes.

4. Stir in salt and pepper and tomatoes. Heat through.

5. Remove from heat. Slice or shred chicken; discarding the skin and bones. Divide rice and chicken among individual bowls, spoon sauce over the top and sprinkle with cilantro.

Asian Noodle Salad with Chicken and Cilantro

This wasn't such a success for me. First I bought the wrong noodles. It calls for cellophane noodles - you know the skinny clear asian noodles? Yah well I bought skinny noodles, but the ones I bought are the ones that when they hit grease they puff up to look like styrophome...not so great in a salad. So I compromised and used wide rice noodles. Still the recipe wasn't so great for me.

I did buy one rotisserie chicken this week and used it in three different dishes. Now that's a bargin.

Asian Noodle Salad with Chicken and Cilantro
Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon Olive oil
• 1 Jalapeno chile pepper, minced; peeled; ribs removed
• 3 tablespoons Minced fresh ginger
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup Dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup Rice vinegar
• 4 cups Shredded rotisserie chicken, skin and bones discarded
• 1 package Cellophane noodles, prepared according to package instructions
• 1 English cucumber, cut into 3-inch sticks
• 2 cups Fresh cilantro

In a small saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add jalapeno, ginger, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until garlic is golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add sugar and vinegar and cook until sauce is slightly thickened, about 6 minutes. Refrigerate until cool, at least 15 minutes (or up to 1 week).

Combine chicken, noodles, cucumber, and cilantro. Drizzle with dressing just before serving.

Chicken Chilaquiles

I have some very fond memories of my time in Mexico. Most of them happen to be around the food. The exchange family I lived with was blessed with a mother who could cook like no other. At first it was hard for her to let me in the kitchen to "help" - it was just my nature. In Mexico the mom's, especially in traditional environments, did all the cooking and maybe any daughters help out. Still, I eventually convinced the mom, Adrianna, to let me help. She taught me some wonderful dishes. Many of which I wish I could recreate like she did.

Chilaquiles is one of those dishes. The "legend" is that this recipe was created to help finish off leftovers. And it's frequently served for breakfast with eggs. Even knowing that I knew I had to have it for dinner. And, I've been searching since 1991 for a recipe that even comes close to Adrianna's. This recipe was close, but not quite it. Still the flavors and the smells vaulted me back to September 1990 when I first tasted Chilaquiles.

Chicken Chilaquiles
Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes in puree
• 2 canned chipotle chilies in adobo, finely chopped (about 1 heaping tablespoon), plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from same can)
• Coarse salt
• 1 small cooked rotisserie chicken (about 1 3/4 pounds), skinned and shredded (about 4 cups), carcass discarded
• 1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves, chopped, plus 4 sprigs for garnish
• 4 cups (about 3 ounces) tortilla chips
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1.75 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/4 cup) I'm not a fan of feta, so I used Queso fresco - which is a traditional Mexican cheese.

Combine oil and garlic in a large (3-to-4-quart) saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and sizzling, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add tomatoes with their puree (breaking tomatoes up), chipotles and adobo, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil; season with salt. Reduce heat and simmer rapidly until lightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add chicken and cook, stirring, until hot, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in chopped cilantro.

Divide chips among four shallow bowls; top with chicken mixture and sauce. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, sour cream, and feta. Serve.

Slow Roasted Salmon with Coconut Rice

Its odd to me that one of my all time, go to recipes, hasn't ended up on this blog. But I'll fix that right now.

I made a comment on facebook about making this meal and was surprised by how many people emailed me asking for recipe. It's a nice lo-cal option for a hearty meal too, so that's always helpful. The other benefit is the flavor combination in the sauce. The lime and curry paste to me is just an explosion of flavor. I make this recipe a couple times a month - though admittedly I don't do the coconut rice each time. I generally just make white rice and save the coconut rice for special occasions.

Slow Roasted Salmon with Coconut Rice
Recipe from Cooking Light, 2005
Serves 8

• 8 6 oz salmon fillets
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups Uncooked basmati rice
• 1 1/2 cups Light coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cups Water
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Chopped Green onion

SAUCE

• 1/3 cup Fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup Seasoned Rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Chopped cilantro
• 3 tablespoons Brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Fish sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Red curry paste

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. To prepare salmon, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place salmon skin side down on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

3. To prepare rice: Rinse with cold water; drain. Combine rice, coconut milk, water and salt in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Let stand for 10 minutes, stir in onions.

4. To prepare sauce: Whisk together: Lime, rice vinegar, cilantro, brown sugar, fish sauce and red curry paste.

5. Pour over salmon when serving.

I generally put the rice as a bed and put the salmon on top of the rice. Then pour the sauce over that. Delicious!

Chocolate-Chip Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cherries

I'm not, by nature, a baker. I used to try to be. Unfortunately my lack of desire to follow a recipe exactly drew me away from baking. With baking you HAVE to be exact. Where as cooking I don't have to...so I went that direction.

Every now and then though, I come across a cookie recipe that I feel compelled to make...immediately. And so yesterday, I found myself walking to QFC for ingredients.

The one adjustment I'd make to this recipe is to chop up the dried cherries. The ones I got out of the package I bought were too big to me. So I chopped them down to be about the same size as the chips. Oh and I used the whole bag of chips...who just puts in part of a package?

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cherries
Makes about 4 dozen - use a T to shape the dough.

• 1 cup Unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup Packaged light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 2 Large eggs
• 2 cups Old fashioned oats
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 1/4 cups dried tart cherries (6 ounces)
• 1 1/4 cup Semisweet chocolate chips

Position 1 rack in bottom third and 1 rack in top third of oven; preheat to 375F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Blend first 4 ingredients in processor 30 seconds. Add eggs, process to blend.

Add next 4 ingredients. Using on/off turns, process until oats are coarsely chopped and mixture is blended. Transfer to a large bowl. Mix in cherries and chocolate chips.

Spoon batter by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart (cookies will spread). Bake until tops of cookies are golden brown, rotating baking sheets after 7 minutes, about 14 minutes total. Transfer cookies rack; let cool. (Or eat one really quick like me and burn your tongue). Repeat with remaining batter.

Right, so I had some problems with my electrical equipment in the kitchen. I didn't realize I had thrown a circuit and so some of my outlets weren't working. I thought it was my food processor. So I didn't process everything in a food process. I did process my oats in my small chopper though. Everything else I did in my mixer.

Seared Steak with Roasted Mushrooms and Spinach Salad

I was in the mood for beef tonight. Last week was a chicken-fest for me, so I needed some beef. Thankfully the recipe that came out of the bowl was a steak recipe.

Now, there's a couple of things with this recipe. It's designed so that you should have left overs. The original recipe indicated all left over steak could be used in tostadas or steak tacos. Makes sense to me. Too bad I'm not a left over girl.

Also, I didn't use spinach. I had a baby red mix (which I love) and so did that with the vinegar and oil listed below.

Finally the mushrooms, I didn't put them in the oven. It was too hot today for the oven to be on, so I sauteed them on the stove. Oh and I BBQ'd the steak instead of put it in a pan. I made sure the grill was nice and hot though so I could get that seared look.

Seared Steak with Roasted Mushrooms and Spinach Salad
Serves 4

• 2 pounds White mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
• 4 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
• 5 tablespoons Olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Paprika
• 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
• 2 Flank steaks (1.5 lbs each)
• 2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
• 10 ounces Baby spinach

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Divide mushrooms, garlic, and 1 tablespoon oil between two large rimmed baking sheets; season with salt and pepper, and toss. Roast, tossing occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and browned, 15 to 20 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, combine paprika, oregano, red-pepper flakes, and 2 teaspoons salt. Rub steaks with 1 tablespoon oil, then spice mixture.

3. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Sear steaks in two batches, 5 to 7 minutes per side for medium-rare (lower heat if skillet gets too dark). Transfer steaks to a plate. Tent steak with aluminum foil to keep warm.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar and remaining 2 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper. Add spinach; toss to combine. Thinly slice steak against the grain; serve with mushrooms and spinach salad.

I served this with Parmesan mashed potatoes. Simple little recipe. Just make your mashed potatoes and toss in a handful of Parmesan cheese. I tend to load up on the pepper too when I put in Parmesan, there's something about the parm and pepper flavor together. Delicious!

Roasted Broccoli with Garlic & Red Pepper

I'm forever looking for ways to spice up broccoli. Broccoli is the chicken of vegetables I think. It's an easy vegi to fix, but man after a while you gotta do something different with it.

The thing I like about this recipe is the crowns of the broccoli get all crunchy from the roasting.


Roasted Broccoli with Garlic and Red Pepper
Serves 4

• 1 1/4 pounds Broccoli crowns, cut into florets
• 3 1/2 tablespoons Olive oil, divided
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• Large pinch of dried crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss broccoli and 3 tablespoons oil in large bowl to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Roast 15 minutes. Stir remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil, garlic, and red pepper in small bowl. Drizzle garlic mixture over broccoli; toss to coat. Roast until broccoli is beginning to brown, about 8 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Jamaican Chicken Curry

Mmmm...I love curry. I rarely get a chance to cook with yellow curry though, so tonight was a treat. My house smells like an Indian restaurant, but man it was good.

I can't figure out what's "Jamaican" about this, but I really didn't care it was good. I served it with rice and Roasted Broccoli with Garlic and Red Pepper...delicious!

Jamaican Chicken Curry
Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
• 4 Bone-in, skinless chicken breasts halves
• Salt and pepper
• 1 medium Onion, chopped
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 3 tablespoons Curry powder
• 4 Carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 can (13.5oz) coconut milk
• 1 package Frozen peas (10oz), thawed
• Cooked white rice

1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Working in two batches, brown chicken, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, garlic, cumin, curry, thyme, and 1/2 cup water and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Add carrots, coconut milk, 1/2 cup water, and chicken with any accumulated juices. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover partially, and cook until chicken is cooked through and carrots are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peas. Serve curry over rice.

Potato Gratin

I love potatoes au gratin. I don't even mind the box variety. Except the box variety makes too much. Then I found that actually making potatoes gratin from scratch is actually real easy. But it still made way too much. Then I found this recipe. One of my cookbooks is just for cooking for 2.

This recipe was way easy and tasted quite good. I made the full recipe, and had the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Potato Gratin
Serves 2

• 1 large russet potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick
• 1 T unsalted butter
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp minced fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp unbleached all purpose flour
• 3/4 c heavy cream
• 1/4 c grated Gruyere cheese

Note: Slicking potatoes 1/8 inch thick is crucial for the success of this dish; use a madoline, a v-slicer or a food processor fitted with a 1/8 in slicking bade. Do not slice the potatoes too early and soak them in water to keep from browning. That causes the potatoes to retain that water and it comes out in cooking causing it to be watery.

Adjust an oven rack to the upper middle position and heat the oven to 400F. Coat an 8/5 X 5.5 inch baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Place the potatoes in a medium bowl and set aside.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and salt and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic, thyme, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook until incorporated, about 10 seconds. Whisk in the cream and bring to a simmer, and cook until beginning to thicken, about 30 seconds.

Pour the sauce over the potatoes and toss to coat thoroughly. Transfer the mixture to the prepared dish and gently pack the potatoes into an even layer, removing any air pockets. Cover the dish with foil and back until the potatoes are almost tender, 35-40 minutes.

Remove the foil and sprinkle with the cheese. Continue to bake uncovered until the cheese is lightly browned and the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes.

** I substituted Parmesan cheese for Gruyere and it tasted just as good.

Crusted Salmon

Last year mom and dad went to Alaska for their yearly trip. They asked if I wanted some salmon - see they fish when they're up there - I said, "Sure why not." I didn't realize I'd get 21 lbs of salmon. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. But I did have to get created on how to fix said salmon. This is one of the recipes I tried this week...it was pretty darn good.

Crusted Salmon
Serves 4
For the Vinaigrette - whisk together

• 1/4 c Fresh orange juice
• 1/4 c Olive Oil
• 2 T White wine vinegar
• 1 T Dijon
• 1 T Honey
• 1 T Orange zest, minced
• 1 T minced fresh taragon
• 1 T Shallot, minced
• salt and pepper

For the Salmon - combine; brush over

• 2 T Olive oil
• 2 T Dijon
• Salt and Pepper
• 4 Skin on salmon fillets
• 1/2 c Panko crumbs
• 1/4 c Chopped fresh parsley
• 2 T Olive oil

Preheat grill to medium. Whisk all the ingredients for the vinaigrette together in a bowl and set aside.

Combine 2 T oil, Dijon, salt and pepper in a bowl, then brush the mixture over the top of the fillets. Stir panko, parsley and 2 T oil together in a bowl. Top each fillet with some of the crumbs, then carefully place fillets on the grill, skin side down. Cover with a foil pan and cook 4-5 minutes, or until fish is firm to the touch, checking often for flare ups.

To serve; spoon vinaigrette on the bottom of each serving plate followed by spears of asparagus. Top asparagus with salmon and slightly drizzle with vinaigrette again.

Grilled Chicken Cutlet Parmesan

I love Chicken Parmesan. LOVE LOVE LOVE it! And it's one of those guilty pleasures for me. Cuz not only do you get pasta with it, but the chicken is dredged in bread crumbs, fried and then smothered in marinara and mozzarella cheese. How glorious is that?

I hate to make it. It's way too much work. Until tonight.

I came across this recipe somewhere - oh maybe it's a Rachael Ray - and thought, "huh, easier and maybe a bit more low cal." And now that I've made it, delicious.

I had a few girlfriends over tonight and they all agreed it was quite tasty.

Grilled Chicken Cutlet Parmesan
Serves:4

• 2 pounds Thin cut chicken cutlets
• 4 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 small Yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 can Fire roasted diced tomatoes (28 oz)
• 1 cup Fresh basil, shredded
• 1/2 cup Parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• 1/2 pound Smoked mozzarella, thinly sliced

1. Heat outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to high. Season chicken with salt and pepper and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil to keep it from sticking to the grill. Cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side and transfer to a foil covered platter to hold. If you are using a grill pan, cook the chicken in 2 batches if necessary. While chicken cooks, make sauce.

2. Place a medium pot on the stove over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Add garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and chopped onions. Cook 10 minutes, stirring often. Add tomatoes and heat through, 2 minutes. Wilt in the basil and season the sauce with salt and pepper.

3. Preheat the broiler to high.

4. Layer the chicken with fire roasted sauce in a casserole dish. Top the casserole with Parmigiano and mozzarella. Brown the casserole under the broiler 3 minutes.

I made a bit more sauce and served it with pasta and the extra sauce. Delicious!

Dijon Green Beans

Yum. Yum. Yum.

I made this tonight with BBQ Chicken in Foil (and I might add it's the first meal I've had in a long time that didn't have a carb in it. No starch either for that matter.). Anyhow, this recipe was delicious. I like to find new and different ways to make use of something that can be as boring as green beans can be. I could see making this the night before and letting it sit in the vinaigrette - it'd be delicious.

Dijon Green Beans
Recipe from Taste of Home
Serves: 10

• 1 1/2 pounds Fresh green beans, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons Red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Olive oil
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
• 1 cup Grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup Red onion, sliced
• 2 tablespoons Grated Parmesan cheese

1. Place beans in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender.

2. Meanwhile, for dressing, whisk the vinegar, oil, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Drain beans; place in a large bowl. Add tomatoes and onion. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

BBQ Chicken in Foil

I'm kinda a snob when it comes to BBQ sauce. My mom's BBQ sauce is the best and really the "only" I really love. All others are just okay. This particular recipe was 1) easy and 2) quite flavorful considering it wasn't mom's BBQ sauce. It would have been even better if I hadn't over cooked the chicken. I never can cook it just right. I'm usually too afraid of it not being cooked enough that I think over cook it.

BBQ Chicken in Foil
Serves 4

• 3/4 cup Chopped onion
• 1/2 cup Ketchup
• 1/4 cup Fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons Butter
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon Yellow mustard
• 1 Chicken split in half - I used a chicken breast as I'm not a big fan of bone-in chicken
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon Cider vinegar

Combine onion, ketchup, lemon, butter, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and mustard in medium saucepan and mix well.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low, simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut 2 pieces heavy duty foil large enough to enclose the chicken halves.

Place 1 chicken half on each piece of foil. Spoon 1/4 of the BBQ sauce over each chicken half. Fold foil to close chicken and seal tightly.

Place foil packets in large baking pan. Bake for 1 hour.

Brownie Cookies

I'm not a baker anymore. I used to like to bake, but then I realized I don't like to measure exactly. I like to add dashes and pinches. Baking is way too exact for me.

For a fundraising event I decided to make these Brownie Cookies. They were quite good. If I do them again, I'd add chocolate chips to them to add some texture and sweetness. As they are, they aren't that sickly sweet that brownies can sometimes get. They were good and had just enough sweetness for me.


Brownie Cookies
 make about 3 dozen depending on the size of your scoop.

• 12 ounces Bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 6 tablespoons Unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup Granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup Light brown sugar
• 3 large Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted, then let cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until lightened in color. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until combined. With mixer on low, alternately beat in chocolate and flour mixture; mix just until combined (do not overmix).

Drop dough by heaping tablespoons, about 2 inches apart, onto two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cookie comes out clean, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

I'm a big fan of alfredo sauces...the more flavorful the better. Alfredo, all too often, ends up with very little flavor at some places. And alfredo as a sauce isn't very hard to make, its just one I rarely make. It's a treat really. So when I came across this recipe I thought, "Huh, an interesting combination of ingredients to make a supposed alfredo." I was shocked to find it was pretty darn good.

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo
Serves 4

• 12 ounces Linguine
• 1 cup Fresh or frozen broccoli florets
• 2 tablespoons Butter
• 1 pound Skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes
• 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground black pepper

Prepare linguine according to package directions. Add broccoli during the last 4 minutes of cooking. Drain well.

Heat butter in a skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken and cook until well browned, stirring often.

Stir in soup, milk, cheese, pepper and linguine mixture. Cook until mixture is hot and bubbling. Serve with additional parmesan.

Grilled Flank Steak with Hoisin Sauce and Ginger Broccoli

Yum Yum Yum...that's about all I can say about this marinade. It's a heavier, thicker marinade, but so full of flavor.

Broccoli is one of my favorite vegi's...it's also becoming one of the most boring for me. The Ginger Broccoli recipe added a new flare to a boring old vegi.

Grilled Flank Steak with Hoisin Sauce
Serves 4

• 1 pound Flank steak
• 1/2 cup Hoisin sauce
• 3 tablespoons Fresh orange juice
• 3 tablespoons Sherry
• 2 tablespoons Grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon Honey
• 1 tablespoon Dark sesame oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Ground pepper

Combine all ingredients except steak together. Reserve 3/4 cup hoisin mixture. Pour remaining hoisin mixture over steak in a ziploc bag.

Marinate in fridge 4-8 hours. Remove steak from bag and discard marinade.

Prepare grill. Place steak on grill and grill for 4 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove steak. Let it stand for 5 minutes.

Cut steak diagonally across the grain. Pour remaining sauce over steak before serving.

GINGER BROCCOLI
Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 heads broccoli (about 2 pounds), florets separated, stalks trimmed, peeled, and thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1 piece fresh ginger (1 inch long), peeled and slivered
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• coarse salt and ground pepper

In a large skillet with a lid, heat oil over medium; add broccoli, garlic, and ginger. Cook until broccoli is bright green and ginger is fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup water; cover, and cook until broccoli is crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat; add lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper; toss to combine. Serve.

Chicken with Poblano Cream Sauce

This recipe was surprisingly good. I'm not a huge pepper fan, well bell pepper anyhow. But for some reason that only my brain understands, I really like the flavor of poblanos. I've wanted, for some time, to try a recipe with them. And thankfully I found an easy and tasty recipe.

My biggest thrill was roasting the poblano over my gas stove. I felt like I couldn't do this recipe in the past because I didn't have a gas stove. It was only as I was roasting it I thought, "Huh, I suppose I could have used the BBQ."

The dish sounds like it should be spicy, but roasting the pepper takes some of the heat away. In fact, I was surprised at how sweet the sauce was. I'd actually prefer it to have a bit more of a kick to it. The only thing I'd change about this is I'd use 1/2 and 1/2 next time. The heavy cream made it too sweet. I served this with white rice that I had chopped cilantro and green onions into. It made a nice accompaniment.


Chicken with Poblano Cream Sauce
Serves 4

• 1 poblano chile
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Roast chili over a gas burner or under the broiler, until charred all over. Wrap in paper towel; steam 5 minutes. Rub off skin; remove seeds and ribs. Chop coarsely.

Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a small saucepan over medium heat; add onion and garlic; cook until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add chili and cream.

Puree in blender; add water if too thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat remaining tablespoon canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until golden and juices run clear, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Serve with sauce.

Potato Salad with Sour Cream and Scallions

I have actually cooked since my last post. I just can't remember what I've cooked, which only means it wasn't that memorable.

This recipe however was/is quite memorable. Super simple, very basic flavors, but really a nice twist on potato salad.

Potato Salad with Sour Cream and Scallions
Recipe from Everyday Food

Serves 4

• 2 pounds White new potatoes, quartered, and cut into 3/4" chunks
• Salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup Reduced fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup Light mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Thinly sliced scallions, plus more for garnish
• 4 slices Bacon, cooked and crumbled

1. In a large pot, cover potatoes with salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp paring knife, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain well.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together sour cream and mayonnaise; add warm potatoes, and gently fold to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

3. To serve, season salad again with salt and pepper, if needed; fold in scallions. Garnish with bacon and more scallions, if desired.

Thai Rice Noodles

I can always tell when I got into a recipe because the recipe is usually covered with splatters, spills and gunk from the cooking. As simple as this recipe was, I'm shocked to look at the page in my cookbook.

Despite that, it was delicious. I'm a big fan of Thai food in general. But I usually don't like how heavy it can be. This recipe allowed me to have the Thai flavor without the heft.

I use Fish Sauce in so many recipes I cook that I thought it might be good if I described it and what I think about it. It's a Southeast Asian equivalent of Worcestershire sauce. It has a pungent, salt flavor to it and adds a hit of complexity to most dishes. The best part of it is despite it's name it doesn't taste fishy - instead it has a unique, unmistakably authentic flavor to it. Fish sauce actually is derived by fish that has been fermented...great rotting fish. It got an amber, translucent look to it and you can find it in most supermarkets around the Asian food. We have several Asian markets in our area so I usually buy it there. It's way less expensive.

Thai Rice Noodles
Serves 4

• 8-10 ounces medium thick rice noodles
• 3 T Fish Sauce
• 3 T Sugar (I used brown sugar cuz I like it better with these flavors)
• 3 T Soy Sauce
• 4 scallions
• 1 jalapeno
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 T Peanut oil
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 2 handfuls fresh basil (mint can also be used)
• 1/2 cup peanuts or cashews
• 1 lime

Put the rice noodles in a bowl with hot water to cover. Soak until tender and pliable, about 30 minutes. (Or follow the instructions on the box if you have them).

Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together the fish sauce, sugar and soy sauce. Set aside.

Thinly slice the white and green parts of the scallions. Set aside.
Roughly chop the jalapeno (seed it first - or leave the seeds in if you want the heat), set aside.
Roughly chop the garlic. Set aside.

Drain the noodles and set aside. Heat the oil in a wok until hot. Add scallions, jalapenos, and garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Do not over cook the garlic. Add the sauce mixture; gently swirl around the pan. Add the noodles and toss t ocoat. Remove from the heat and coarsely tear basil (or mint). Sprinkle with nuts and squeeze lime over it if you like.

Pasta and Easy Italian Meat Sauce

I love Spaghetti Bolognese. Love it. I also love to try any and every recipe I can to find one that is easy to cook and doesn't require all day long cooking. Now, don't get me wrong. I do love my all day long Bolognese sauce, but once in a while I'd like a quicker version. I may have found it.

This recipe seems to be styled after the famed Ragu alla Bolognese (sauce in the style of Bologna). Adding the milk to this sauce may seem unusual, but I assure you a real Bolognese has milk in it as it's a traditional ingredient to the Northern Italy classic.

Cook time is about 30 minutes and anyone who can turn on the stove can do this one.

Pasta and Easy Italian Meat Sauce
Note: Reserve some of the pasta cooking water, and add a little to the sauce if it seems too thick. The water is ideal for adjusting the consistency of the sauce, and the starch in the water helps the sauce adhere to the pasta.

Serves 4

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 carrot, grated (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3/4 pound ground beef
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 pound fettuccine
• Grated Parmesan, for serving

Heat butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium. Stir in carrot, onion, and garlic. Add ground beef, and cook until it turns from pink to brown, about 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes and their liquid, crushing them with the back of a large spoon. Stir in milk, bay leaf, thyme, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Simmer 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook fettuccine until al dente according to package instructions, about 12 minutes. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water; drain fettuccine, and return to the warm pot. Add meat sauce, and toss. Add pasta water as needed if the sauce seems dry. 

 

To serve, sprinkle with Parmesan.

 

Don't fret about the nutmeg. I've found a lot of Italian recipes call for nutmeg. It adds just a hint of sweet.

Sirloin Beef Burgundy

It seems I took a week off from cooking. It was so blasting hot here last week I just couldn't. So I made salads all week. I'm now addicted to this salad dressing - who's name I can never remember. And so I ate salad after salad last week.

This week, however, we are kicking it off right. This was a deliciously rich and beefy flavored dish. I made it with egg noodles and they fit together like a hand in a glove.

Sirloin Beef Burgundy
Serves 4

• 3 slices Bacon, chopped
• 3 tablespoons Unsalted butter, divided
• 16 White mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 cup Frozen pearl onion, defrosted and drained
• 2 pounds Lean sirloin, cut in 1" pieces
• 3 tablespoons Flour
• 1 cup Burgundy wine
• 1 1/2 cups Beef stock

Heat a large deep skillet with a heavy bottom and a lid over medium high heat. Add bacon to the pan and brown. Remove crisp bacon bits with slotted spoon. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons butter to the pan and melt into bacon drippings. Add mushrooms to the pan and turn to coat evenly with butter and bacon drippings.

Season the mushroom slices with salt and pepper. Sauté mushrooms 2 to 3 minutes and add onions to the pan. Continue cooking onions and mushrooms 2 to 3 minutes longer, then transfer to a plate and return pan to the heat.

Add remaining butter to the pan and melt it, then add meat to the very hot pan and brown evenly on all sides, keeping the meat moving. Add flour to browned meat in the pan and cook the flour 2 minutes. Add wine to the pan slowly while stirring. When the wine comes up to a bubble and you have scraped up the pan drippings, add the stock and bouquet of fresh sage and thyme sprigs to the pot. Cover the pan.

When the liquid boils, reduce heat to medium. Cook covered 5 minutes, remove lid and add mushrooms, onions and bacon back to the pot. Simmer with the cover off until sauce thickens a bit. Adjust seasoning and remove herb bouquet.

Balsamic BBQ Chicken

I know it's been a couple of days since posting a recipe. But I haven't had any opportunity to actually cook the last couple of weeks. I did manage to cook Balsamic BBQ Chicken which is a friends recipe. I can't even remember why she gave it to me, but I'm glad she did.

It's a good recipe. I made rice with it, and any side would go with it. It's like BBQ chicken, but in a pan and with balsamic vinegar. Nummers!

Balsamic BBQ Chicken
Serves 6

• 6 Boneless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon Olive oil
• 3 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 1 can Tomato paste
• 1 can Low sodium chicken broth (14.5 oz)
• 2/3 cup Balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Honey
• 4 Green onion, sliced

Wash and slice green onions, separating tops from white bottoms. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Salt and pepper the chicken to taste.

Add chicken to skillet and brown 1-2 minutes per side. Remove chicken and keep warm. Lower heat to medium-low and allow skillet to cool slightly.

Add garlic and white part of green onions to skillet and sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in tomato pasted and chicken broth and mix well. Increase heat to medium-high; add vinegar and honey and cook to boil.

Reduce heat to low, return chicken to skillet, cover partially and simmer about 30 minutes or until sauce thickens and chicken is no longer pink in the center.

Thai Style Chicken Stir-Fry

This is a recipe from last week. I got a bit behind on my recipe blog. Not that anyone reads it? Is anyone reading this?

In a spur of the moment decision, I had my boss who was here from the UK, over for dinner and made this for her. I had to change it up some because of the ingredients I had on hand but it was quite good. I'd make it again if I ever get around to making a recipe a second time.

Thai Style Chicken Stir Fry
Serves: 4

• 1 1/2 tablespoons Fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon Low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Bottled minced fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons Fresh lime juice, divided
• 1 pound Skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tablespoon Canola oil
• 2 cups Zucchini, sliced ( added asparagus too since it was on hand)
• 1 cup Onion, sliced
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 Jalapenos, seeded and minced
• 1/4 cup Cilantro, minced
• 1/4 cup Sliced fresh basil
• 1/4 cup Chopped green onion

Combine fish sauce, soy sauce, fresh ginger, 1 1/2 T lime juice in a ziploc bag. Add chicken; seal and marinade in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Remove chicken; reserving marinade.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; stir fry for 2 minutes or until chicken begins to brown. Add zucchini, onions, garlic and jalapeno. Stir fry 5 minutes or until chicken is done.

Add reserved marinade and cook 1 minute - make sure it boils for a minute. Remove from heat. Stir in the remaining lime juice, basil, cilantro and green onions.

Delux, Devine, Chicken Devan

This is a Rachael Ray recipe that she did on a 30 Minute Meals episode. I am a fan of Chicken Devan, and liked the way she adjusted this to not be so casserole-y. (Yes, that's a word). All the recipes I have for Chicken Devan, while good, make a ton. And as a single girl who's not a fan of left overs, they really don't work too well for me.

It should also be mentioned I didn't make the rice the way she suggests below for two reasons: 1) I didn't have any lemon and 2) making rice on the stove lately has been an issue for me so I resorted to a mini rice cooker. Which doesn't mean I couldn't have made it this way in the rice cooker, I just chose to make plain old rice.

Deluxe, Divine, Chicken Devan
Serves 4

• 1/3 cup Sliced almonds
• 1 quart Chicken stock
• 1 Lemon, zested
• 2 sprigs Fresh thyme
• 4 tablespoons Butter, divided
• 1 1/2 cups White rice
• 8 Chicken cutlets
• 1 teaspoon Poultry seasoning
• 2 tablespoons Plus 1/2 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons Olive oil
• 1 pound Fresh asparagus, trimmed
• 7 large Button mushroom, sliced
• 1/3 cup Half and half
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 Scallion, chopped

Toast almonds in a small skillet until golden. Set aside. Bring 2 3/4 cups chicken stock, the zest of 1 lemon, thyme sprigs and a tablespoon of butter to a boil in a medium pot with a tight fitting lid. Add rice to water, stir. Return the water to a boil then reduce heat to simmer and cove the pot. Cook 18 minutes or until tender, remove from heat. Remove the thyme sprigs, the leaves will have fallen off in the rice.

While the rice cooks, season chicken with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Dredge chicken in about half cup of flour then discard the rest. Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, and 1 tablespoon butter to the large skillet. To the hot butter and oil, add the cutlets and cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove the meat to a large platter and cover with foil to keep warm.

Bring an inch or 2 of water to a simmer in a shallow pan and season with salt. Add asparagus and cook 4 minutes until just tender but green. Remove and add to chicken platter to keep warm.

Return chicken skillet to the heat and add 2 tablespoons butter. Melt butter, add the mushrooms and sauté for a couple of minutes. Whisk in 2 rounded tablespoons flour. Cook the flour 1 minute then whisk in 1/3 cup white wine, a couple of glugs. Cook off wine, 30 seconds, then whisk in 1 1/4 cups of chicken stock (remainder of the quart) then the half-and-half. When sauce bubbles, stir in mustard and tarragon and let sauce simmer and thicken 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir scallions into rice and fluff with fork. Make a bed of rice on each dinner plate. Top with a serving of steamed asparagus then 2 cutlets of chicken. Cover the chicken with the tarragon sauce, allowing the gravy to spill over edges into asparagus and rice. Sprinkle the plates with toasted nuts.

Green Curry Chicken with Zucchini

I'm a big fan of curry - generally speaking - only I realized I had only tried red curry and yellow curry. So in order to say I'm a "fan" I figured I should try a few more curry types. I'm not brave enough to try something when eating out now days because of cost, but I can cook and try new things.

The green curry is quite flavorful. Its called green curry because of the profusion of fresh hot green chilies in the curry paste. I've heard it's the hottest of all curries, but I'm not convinced just yet. Next time I'll use more curry and make it a bit warmer and a bit more flavorful.

There are a few things in this recipe I had no idea what it was and/or where to get it. So I didn't use them (aka the wild lime leaves).

Green Curry Chicken with Zucchini
Serves: 4-6

• 2 medium zucchini or 2 long purple Asian eggplants (ick on the eggplant - I used zuc's)
• 1 1/2 cups Unsweetened Coconut milk
• 2 to 3 T Green Curry Paste ( I only used about 1 T so not to overheat it...I'll use more next time)
• 1/4 lb boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut in big bite sized pieces
• 1 1/2 cups Chicken broth
• 2 T Palm sugar or brown sugar (Yah, I have no idea what palm sugar is, so I went with brown)
• 6 to 8 Lime leaves, torn or cut in half (Optional)
• A handful of fresh Asian or Italian basil leaves, plus basil springs for garnish

Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and then crosswise into 1 inch chunks; set aside. In a medium saucepan or heavy skillet, bring 3/4 cup of the coconut milk to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until it begins to thicken and becomes fragrant. Add the curry paste and cook 2 to 3 more minutes, pressing and stirring to dissolve it into the coconut milk. Add the chicken and cook 2 minutes more, tossing to coat it with the sauce.

Add the remaining 3/4 cup coconut milk, the chicken broth, zucchini, fish sauce, palm sugar, and about half the wild lime leaves, if using, and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer and cook, stirring now and then, until the chicken is cooked and the zucchini is tender but still firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining lime leaves and the fresh basil leaves. Garnish with a few sprigs of fresh basil and serve hot or warm.

Serve with rice.

Sesame Noodles with Chicken and Asparagus

Yummy Yum Yummersome! This was a super simple dish - ready in the time it takes to boil noodles and very flavorful. When I do it again, I'll go a little less on the peanut butter as I like just a hint of peanut butter more so than the full flavor of peanut butter.

Sesame Noodles with Chicken and Asparagus
Serves 4

• 2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
• 1 pound Linguine
• 1 pound Asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
• 1/3 cup Peanut butter
• 5 tablespoons Rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup Oyster sauce
• 2 teaspoons Chile garlic sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Grated fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Toasted sesame oil

Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot.

Pat chicken dry with a paper towels. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until no longer pink, 1-2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Add pasta to boiling water and cook until just beginning to soften, about 8 minutes. Add asparagus to pot and cook until bright green and pasta is al dente, about 4 minutes. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, drain pasta and asparagus, and return to pot.

Whisk peanut butter, vinegar, oyster sauce, chili garlic sauce, ginger, sesame oil and 1/2 cup pasta cooking water in bowl until smooth. Add peanut butter mixture and chicken to pot and toss to combine, adding reserved pasta water as needed.

Hint: With the asparagus, don't put it in too early. It really doesn't take any time too cook. I slightly over cooked it and I hate mushy asparagus.

Stewed Beef with Rice

So this one I'm not so sure about. I think I may have to do it again and not use so much tomato sauce. Actually I didn't use any tomato sauce, all I had on hand was pureed tomatoes. Which, I think made it too tomato-EE. If you know what I mean...

Stewed Beef with Rice
Serves 2

• 1 small Onion, chopped
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 1 T Olive oil
• 1 Beef flank steak (3/4 lb), cut into small pieces
• 2/3 c Tomato sauce
• 2 tsp Red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Dried oregano
• 2 T Sliced pimiento stuffed green olives
• 2 c Hot cooked rice

In a large skillet, sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add beef; sauté 2-3 minutes longer.

Stir in the tomato sauce, vinegar, oregano and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until meat is tender and sauce is thickened. Stir in olives. Serve with rice.

Spicy Pesto Chicken and Pasta

I took a couple of days off from cooking new recipes. Cooked an all time favorite one night and had Spaghetti O's the next. I know, weird right?

Tonight I made a quick little diddy that was ever so good. I'm not a HUGE fan of pesto. I can take it very small quantities. Usually the basil flavor is almost over powering to me. I had some pesto from scratch for some other recipe a couple of months ago. Instead of tossing the left over pesto I froze it. A little bit of pesto goes a long way in my book.

So when I found this recipe that was a spiced up version of pesto I thought I had to certainly give it a try. I only made a few adjustments to the recipe for simplicity and because of the EWWW factor.

Spicy Pesto Chicken and Pasta
Serves 2

• 1/4 package Uncooked farfalle (bow tie) pasta (didn't have bow tie pasta so I used penne)
• 2 1/4 teaspoons Olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon Hot chili paste
• 1/4 pound Skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces
• 1 tablespoon and 1.5 tsp Prepared Basil pesto
• 2 tablespoons Grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons Chopped cilantro

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place farfalle pasta in the pot, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Mix in the chili paste and chicken. (Jenn Note: I didn't add the chili paste here. I cooked the chicken first, then when it was cooked I added the chili paste and cooked it for about 30 seconds before adding the pesto from the next step.) Cook and stir chicken 10 minutes, or until evenly browned and juices run clear.

3. Toss the cooked farfalle, pesto, Parmesan cheese, and cilantro (Jenn Note: This is the EWWW factor. I just couldn't mix cilantro with pesto. Ick. If you do, let me know how it was.) into the skillet, and continue cooking just until heated through.