Boiling More Than Water

Shrimp and Cheesy Grits - Eat them up Yum, Yum

2011-12-20T19:36:00.000-08:00

Who knew that shrimp and grits is one of the easiest recipes to make in the world. Thanks to Bobby Flay I was able to whip up this taste bud pleaser in 30 minutes. Yum, Yum!

Ingredients

4 cups water
Salt and pepper
1 cup stone-ground grits
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 slices bacon, chopped
4 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 cup thinly sliced scallions
1 large clove garlic, minced

Directions

Bring water to a boil. Add salt and pepper. Add grits and cook until water is absorbed, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese.

Rinse shrimp and pat dry. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until browned; drain well. Crumble bacon and save for later.

In grease, add shrimp. Cook until shrimp turn pink. Add lemon juice, chopped bacon, parsley, scallions and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes.

Spoon grits into a serving bowl. Add shrimp mixture and mix well. Sprinkle bacon bits on top. Serve immediately.

Chicken Tagine in the SLOW COOKER - Thanks to WS

2011-12-16T09:14:00.000-08:00

So, who doesn't love a great slow cooker recipe? Slow cookers are the gift that keep on giving and giving and oh wait giving. There are millions of slow cooker recipes out there, but this one comes from - William - Sonoma.

"William - Sonoma, White People Food" Thank's Maya Rudolph for that Genius line!

Enjoy!

Chicken Thighs - 6
Olive Oil - 1/4 Cup
Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
Ground Cumin - 2 Tsp
Cayenne Pepper - 1 - 2 Tsp (Depending on how spicy you like it)
Chicken Broth - 2 Cups
Fresh Cut Flat Leaf/Italian Parsley - 1/2 Cup
Cloves Garlic - 2 Crushed
Diced Tomatoes - 28oz Can
Lemons - 3 Cut into Quarters
Chickpeas - 15oz Can

Brown the Chicken -
Sprinkle salt and pepper generously onto both sides of the chicken thighs.
In a large frying pan, over medium heat, warm the oil.
Add the chicken thighs, skin side down, and cook until golden brown about 7 - 10 min.
Turn the thighs over and cook on the other side 2 - 3 minutes.
Place chicken thighs in the slow cooker.

Deglaze the Pan -
Pour off all but 1 TBSP of oil from the frying pan and return the pan to medium - high heat.
Add the cumin and cayenne pepper and stir briefly with a wooden spoon just until fragrant.
Pour in the chicken broth.
Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil.
Deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Pour the broth over the chicken in the slow cooker.

Cook the Stew -
Add the parsley, garlic and tomatoes to the slow cooker.
Tuck 4 of the lemon quarters around the chicken thighs.
Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 3 hours.
Stir in the chickpeas and cook for 1 hour longer.
Remove and discard the lemons.
Season the stew to taste with salt and black pepper.
Serve garnished with parsley and the remaining lemon quarters over couscous or rice.

Oatmeal Apple Crisp

2011-04-24T11:41:00.000-07:00

Quick, Easy & Yummy - Need I say more - This recipe comes from myrecipes.com by way of Cooking Light. The recipe calls for raisins, but I replaced them with ginger which I thought added a nice surprise in every bite.

You Will Need:
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar, divided
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
1/2 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
6 cups chopped peeled Granny Smith apple (about 2 1/2 pounds)
1 tsp minced ginger
Cooking spray
3 cups vanilla fat-free frozen yogurt

Prep:
Preheat oven to 375°.
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, oats, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a medium bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Combine 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, apples, and 1 tsp ginger in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with oat mixture. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until apples are tender. Top each serving with about 1/3 cup frozen yogurt.

Chicken Tortilla Soup in the Slow Cooker

2011-03-02T19:40:00.000-08:00

I finally got my act together on this one. This recipe comes from allrecipes.com and can't get any easier.

1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.

Chicken Tikka Masala

2011-02-22T13:02:00.000-08:00

I'm a huge fan of Aarti from the Food Network's Aarti Party and this recipe comes from her kitchen. It's a bit time intensive and as I learned last night perhaps not the best recipe to cook on a "school night."

Ingredients
Marinade:

1 cup plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, put through a garlic press or finely minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into large bite-size chunks

Ingredients
Sauce:

3 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
2-inch thumb ginger, peeled and minced
2 serrano pepper, minced (seeds removed if you don't want it spicy)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala
8 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups water
1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves, optional
1/2 cup heavy cream
Fresh cilantro leaves, minced

Serving suggestion: Cooked rice, warm naan bread or crusty bread.

For the marinade:

In large bowl, mix the yogurt, ginger, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Fold to cover and marinate at least 30 minutes, at most refrigerated overnight.

For the sauce:

In a large sauce pan add the butter and olive oil. When butter has melted, add the garlic, ginger, and serrano pepper. Saute until lightly browned around the edges.

Add the tomato paste and cook until the tomato has darkened in colour, about 3 minutes. Add the paprika and garam masala, and saute for about 1 minute to draw out their flavours.

Add the tomatoes, salt, and water. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook for 20 minutes. Take the pan off the fire, and allow the sauce to cool for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile pull the chicken thigh chunks out of the marinade and place on the sheet. Place under the broiler, and cook about 7 minutes on each side, until charred and cooked through. Cook's Note: Don't worry if the chicken is still a little uncooked, but very charred on the outside; you can finish cooking the chicken in the sauce.

Pour sauce into a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Pour back into the pan, and bring back up to a boil. Add the chicken and fenugreek leaves, if using. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes.

Add cream and stir through. Garnish with

minced fresh cilantro if you like, and serve over rice, with naan or a crusty piece of bread!

Chipotle Smashed Potatoes

2011-02-21T08:43:00.000-08:00

So this recipe is kinda made up. It's a great way to get the taste of mashed potatoes, but with much less fat and fewer calories. I used Chipotle flavored Laughing Cow Cheese, but I've also used the Blue Cheese wedges for this dish and it comes out really good as well.

6 Medium Sized Red Potatoes
1/4 - 1/2 cup of milk
4 Wedges of Laughing Cow Chipotle flavored Low Fat Cheese (Any flavor works)
1 - 2 TBSP of Annie's Goddess Salad Dressing
1 - 2 Tsp Kosher Salt
Ground Black Pepper

Boil potatoes for about 30 minutes or until soft and remove from the water
While still hot begin to smash the potatoes with either a masher or large fork
Once broken down add in the cheese, the milk & the salad dressing
Continue to mix until all elements are folded together
Add in Salt and Pepper for taste

Super Easy Tomato Garlic Pasta Sauce

2011-02-16T10:12:00.000-08:00

1 can diced tomatoes no salt added
½ Yellow Pepper
1 TBSP Black Pepper
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Sugar
1/2 Shallot minced
Handful of Fresh Basil Chopped
½ Clove of Garlic minced
2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup Riesling Wine

In a large sauce pan heat the EVOO
Once the EVOO is heated add in the garlic and sauté for 1 min
After 1 min add in the shallots and the basil and continue to sauté the mixture for another 1 – 2 minutes
Add in the peppers and continue to sauté until peppers become soft
Once the peppers are soft add in the tomatoes, wine, pepper, sugar & salt and continue to sauté for a few more minutes
Cover, reduce heat and let simmer on low for another 15 minutes

Ultimate Cheater Pulled Pork or Chicken

2011-02-13T08:03:00.000-08:00

This recipe is from the Splendid Cheap Eats collection of affordable recipes.

November 1, 2008

Reprinted from Cheater BBQ: Barbecue Anytime, Anywhere, In Any Weather by Mindy Merrell and R. B. Quinn (Broadway Books, A Division of Random House, Inc., 2008) Copyright 2008 by Mindy Merrell and R. B. Quinn.

I was so excited to try it that I decided to use Chicken instead of Pork since I already had chicken in the house. Next time I'll have to do the pork. Basically, all you do is drop the meat into a slow cooker, add the rub and liquid smoke & walk away for 10 hours.

Makes 12 to 14 servings

One 5- to 6-pound boneless Boston butt pork roast or same weight of boneless country-style pork ribs or chicken
1/4 cup Cheater Basic Dry Rub (recipe follows)
1/2 cup liquid smoke
Barbecue sauce of your choice

Cheater Basic Dry Rub

This recipe is from the Splendid Cheap Eats collection of affordable recipes.

Makes about 2/3 cup

1/4 cup paprika
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1. Combine all the ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake to blend.

Cut the pork butt into medium (2- to 3-inch) chunks (the ribs & chicken don't need to be cut up).

Put the pieces in a large slow cooker (at least 5 quarts). Sprinkle the meat with the rub, turning the pieces to coat evenly. Add the liquid smoke.

Cover and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours or on low for 10 to 12 hours, until the meat is pull-apart tender and reaches an internal temperature of 190 F.

Using tongs and a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a rimmed platter or baking sheet. Let rest until cool enough to handle. Pull the meat into strands. It should shred very easily. Serve the barbecue piled on buns with your favorite barbecue sauce.

Tuscan Lemon Chicken

2011-02-12T17:51:00.000-08:00

This one comes from my favorite - Ina AKA The Barefoot Contessa - Much like everything else I make it is super easy.

4 Chicken Breasts
Kosher salt
1/3 cup good olive oil
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, halved

Set Oven to Broil

Sprinkle the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt on each side. Combine the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, and 2 teaspoons pepper in a small measuring cup. Place the chicken in a ceramic or glass dish just large enough to hold it flat. Pour the lemon marinade over the chicken, turning it in the dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Turn the chicken 2 or 3 times while marinating.

Cook for 25 minutes or until fully cooked

Taco Seasoning Made Easy

2011-02-11T12:20:00.000-08:00

Easy to make and easy to keep. This spice can be used for ground meat tacos or just to add a kick to your cooking.

1 tbs chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp course salt

Thai- Style Tofu and Vegetable Stew

2011-02-10T18:00:00.000-08:00

This recipe comes from Men's Health, and what can I say - it was a bit on the disappointing side. It had a lot of promise but came up short. I"m not sure what I would add in, but it was missing that zing that makes you want to lick the scalding hot pan. Maybe it will taste better on day 2?

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 pound cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 can (14.5 ounces) no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon turbinado or light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
8 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes

If you have the time, drain the tofu to firm it up before adding to the stew. Serve the stew over freshly cooked brown jasmine or basmati rice.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the scallions and ginger, and cook, stirring frequently, until the scallions are softened, about 2 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are almost tender, about 4 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes, lime juice, brown sugar, and salt, and bring to a boil. Add the peas, mint, and basil, and simmer gently for 3 minutes to blend the flavors.

Stir in the tofu and simmer just until the tofu is warmed through, about 3 minutes.

Banana Bread Cake

2010-12-01T13:51:00.001-08:00

PREHEAT oven to 350

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup brown sugar

2 tbl sugar (evaporated cane juice or organic sugar)

2 eggs

1/2 cup olive oil

3-4 bananas, very ripe, mashed

2 heaping tbl sour cream (or you can use greek yogurt or creme fresh)

1 tsp vanilla

Optional Topping:

1 part pecans and 1 part walnuts (or whatever combo you like, just have the nut/sugar ratio 1:1)

2 parts raw sugar

Put a handful of walnuts and a handful of pecans into a food processor- pulse a few times until nuts look like crumbs. Toss with sugar

Directions:

Sift all dry ingredients together, put aside.

Beat together eggs and sugar on medium speed, about 5 min until light and fluffy.

Drizzle in oil.

Add mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla.

Fold in dry ingredients BY HAND until JUST mixed. (you can't over-mix a cake batter before you add the dry ingredients- but once you add the dry ingredients- mix until JUST combined- lumps are ok as long as there's no visible dry ingredients. If you overmix, your cake will be tough)

Transfer to a buttered and floured 8x8 square pyrex baking dish (or whichever closest size you have)

Cover with nut topping (as much as you like- I like to cover the batter completely- but keeping the topping in single layer)

Bake 40 min- 1 hour (it's done when you stick a knife in the center and it comes out clean-- some soft crumbs are ok on the knife but no goo- so check after 40 min and go from there)

Baked Butternut Squash

2010-10-31T14:10:00.000-07:00

I went to the farmers market today and picked up a butternut squash and an acorn squash. I am a big fan of squash and lucky for me this is the season. I think the natural taste of squash is delish on its own so here is a VERY simple recipe for the purists out there.

Ingredients:

Fresh Butternut Squash

Coarse Cooking Salt - Kosher / Hawaiian

Prep:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cut squash in half widthwise and then again lengthwise

Remove any seeds

Rub a small amount of salt onto the "meat" side of each piece

Fill a baking dish with 1/2 inch of water

Place squash face down (skin side facing up towards you) into pan

Cover with aluminum foil

Bake for 40 min

Serve:

Either slice into individual servings or take squash "meat" and mash it up for a colorful alternative to mashed potatoes.

Hot Sausage with Pepper and Onions - Simple but GOOD!

2010-10-20T15:49:00.001-07:00

Well these days I've got very little to cook and when I get the opportunity it's got to be something v. easy. So here ya go -

1 Pack of Turkey Italian Sausage - Hot

1 Green Pepper

1 White Onion

White Rice

EVOO

Prep: 10 min

Slice Green Pepper

Slice Onion

Optional - Cut Sausage out of casing for faster cooking

Cook: 15 - 20 min

set rice to cook

heat 1 TBS of EVOO in a large pan

cook sausage until brown all the way through

remove sausage from pan and set aside

place peppers and onions in pan and saute for 2 - 3 min or until softened

add sausage back into pan and cook for 1 min

serve over white rice

Greek Yogurt Meat Marinade

2010-05-17T07:54:00.000-07:00

Well I guess you could say it's been forever and a day since I posted any new recipes, but now that we are entering summer I thought I'd share this quick, easy and magical meat marinade recipe. After making my tandoori chicken kabobs last year I thought - hmm the yogurt really helped to make the meat soooooooo tender so what if I did that with other meats and spices and voila - IT WORKED!

Greek Yogurt Meat Marinade

16oz Greek Yogurt (any brand)
2 TBS garlic powder
2 TBS kosher salt
2 TBS black ground pepper
1 TBS celery salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
After tenderizing the meat coat each piece in the yogurt mixture and set in a dish to marinate in the refrigerator for several hours.

To get the best results grill the meat on a BBQ but otherwise set to broil for about 15 - 20 min depending on what kind of meat you are using.

Zuni Cafe - Roasted Chicken and Bread Salad

2009-11-08T15:41:00.000-08:00

Now I try not to be too self-congratulatory on this blog, but I have to say that the chicken I made lat night, was one of the best dishes I've ever made. It was by no means an original recipe and comes straight form the SF establishment Zuni Cafe, but wow, I'm still reeling over how good this chicken tasted and so are my dinner guests. It is certainly not a difficult recipe to follow, just very time consuming so if you plan to make it - make sure it is on a Saturday or Sunday.

For the chicken

One small chicken, 2-3/4 to 3-1/2-pounds
4 tender sprigs fresh thyme, marjoram, rosemary or sage, about 1/2 inch long
Salt
About 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
A little water

For the salad

Generous 8 ounces slightly stale open-crumbed, chewy, peasant-style bread (not sourdough)
6 to 8 tablespoons mild-tasting olive oil
1-1/2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon dried currants
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar, or as needed
1 tablespoon warm water
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 to 3 garlic cloves, slivered
1/4 cup slivered scallions (about 4 scallions), including a little of the green part
2 tablespoons lightly salted Chicken Stock {page 58} or lightly salted water
A few handfuls of arugula, frisée, or red mustard greens, carefully washed and dried

DIRECTIONS
Seasoning the chicken (Can be done 1 to 3 days before serving; for 3-1/4- to 3-1/2-pound chickens, at least 2 days)

Remove and discard the lump of fat inside the chicken. Rinse the chicken and pat very dry inside and out. Be thorough-a wet chicken will spend too much time steaming before it begins to turn golden brown.

Approaching from the edge of the cavity, slide a finger under the skin of each of the breasts, making 2 little pockets. Now use the tip of your finger to gently loosen a pocket of skin on the outside of the thickest section of each thigh. Using your finger, shove and herb sprig into each of the 4 pockets.

Season the chicken liberally all over with salt and pepper {we use ¾ teaspoon of sea salt per pound of chicken}. Season the thick sections a little more heavily than the skinny ankles and wings. Sprinkle a little of the salt just inside the cavity, on the backbone, but don’t otherwise worry about seasoning the inside. Twist and tuck the wing tips behind the shoulders. Cover loosely and refrigerate.

Starting the bread salad (Can be done up to several hours in advance)

Preheat the broiler.

Cut the bread into a couple of large chunks. Carve off all of the bottom crust and most of the top and side crust. Reserve the top and side crusts to use as croutons in salads or soups. Brush the bread all over with olive oil. Broil very briefly, to crisp and lightly color the surface. Turn the bread chunks over and crisp the other side. Trim off any badly charred tips, then tear the chunks into a combination of irregular 2- to 3-inch wads, bite-sized bits, and fat crumbs. You should get about 4 cups.

Combine about 1/4 cup of the olive oil with the Champagne or white wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Toss about 1/4 cup of this tart vinaigrette with the torn bread in a wide salad bowl; the bread will be unevenly dressed. Taste one of the more saturated pieces. If it is bland, add a little salt and pepper and toss again.

Place the currants in a small bowl and moisten with the red wine vinegar and warm water. Set aside.

Roasting the chicken and assembling the salad

Preheat the oven to 475. Depending on the size, efficiency and accuracy of your oven, and the size of your bird, you may need to adjust the heat to as high as 500 or as low as 450 during the course of roasting the chicken to get it to brown properly. If that proves to be the case, begin at that temperature the next time you roast a chicken. If you have a convection function on your oven, use it for the first 30 minutes; it will enhance browning, and may reduce overall cooking by 5 to 10 minutes.

Choose a shallow flameproof roasting pan or dish barely larger than the chicken, or use a 10-inch skillet with an all-metal handle. Preheat the pan over medium heat. Wipe the chicken dry and set it breast side up in the pan. It should sizzle.

Place the center of the oven and listen and watch for it to start browning within 20 minutes. If it doesn’t, raise the temperature progressively until it does. The skin should blister, but if the chicken begins to char, or the fat is smoking, reduce temperature by 25 degrees. After about 30 minutes, turn the bird over — drying the bird and preheating the pan should keep the skin from sticking. Roast for another 10 to 20 minutes, depending on size, then flip back over to recrisp the breast skin, another 5 to 10 minutes. Total oven time will be 45 minutes to an hour.

While the chicken is roasting, place the pine nuts in a small baking dish and set in the hot oven for a minute or two, just to warm though. Add them to the bowl of bread.

Place a spoonful of the olive oil in a small skillet, add the garlic and scallions, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until softened. Don’t let them color. Scrape into the bread and fold to combine. Drain the plumped currants and fold in. Dribble the chicken stock or lightly salted water over the salad and fold again. Taste a few pieces of bread-a fairly saturated one and a dryish one. If it is bland, add salt, pepper, and/or a few drops of vinegar, then toss well. Since the basic character of the bread salad depends on the bread you use, these adjustments can be essential.

Pile the bread salad in a 1-quart baking dish and tent with foil; set the salad bowl aside. Place the salad in the oven after you flip the chicken the final time.

Finishing and serving the chicken and bread salad

Remove the chicken from the oven and turn off the heat. Leave the bread salad to continue warming for another 5 minutes of so.

Lift the chicken from the roasting pan and set on a plate. Carefully pour the clear fat from the roasting oven, leaving the lean drippings behind. Add about a tablespoon of water to the hot pan and swirl it.

Slash the stretched skin between the thighs and breasts of the chicken, then tilt the bird and plate over the roasting pan to drain the juice into the drippings.

Set the chicken in a warm spot and leave to rest while you finish the bread salad. The meat will become more tender and uniformly succulent as it cools.

Set a platter in the oven to warm for a minute or two.

Tilt the roasting pan and skim the last of the fat. Place over medium-low heat, add any juice that has collected under the chicken, and bring to a simmer. Stir and scrape to soften any hard golden drippings. Taste-the juices will be extremely flavorful.

Tip the bread salad into the salad bowl. It will be steamy-hot, a mixture of soft, moist wads, crispy-on-the-outside-but-moist-in-the-middle-wads, and a few downright crispy ones. Drizzle and toss with a spoonful of the pan juices. Add the greens, a drizzle of vinaigrette, and fold well. Taste again.

Cut the chicken into pieces, spread the bread salad on the warm platter, and nestle the chicken in the salad.

Grilled Salmon Kebabs with a Soy, Garlic, Ginger Citrus Glaze

2009-10-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

Well now that I'm a workin' woman again, my culinary exploration has been thwarted a bit, leaving me with time only on the weekends to cook. This weekend I was inspired to do Salmon Kebabs with a quasi-made-up teriyaki sauce. I was quite pleased with how they came out as were my dinner guests. As you can see in the picture I ended up dismantling my kebabs and placing the salmon over salad for my lunch the next day ie THESE ARE AWESOME FOR LEFTOVERS.

Grilled Salmon Kebobs

2 lbs skinless salmon cut up into 1 inch cubes
1 red bell pepper cut up 1 inch pieces
1 green bell pepper cut up 1 inch pieces
1 medium sized zucchini cut up 1 inch pieces
2 lemons juiced
7 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp ginger minced
8 Kebab Skewers

In a bowl mix lemon juice, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, garlic ginger and red pepper flakes
Put salmon cubes in a large container and pour mixture over salmon and let marinate for 6 hours
Soak kebab sticks in water for 5 minutes before assembling kebabs
Start assembling kebabs placing randomly the salmon and vegetables on the sticks
Use a grill pan or back yard bbq grill and cook for 20 minutes turning every 2 minutes or so or until salmon is cooked all the way through

Carrot Soup Scented with Sesame

2009-10-21T11:37:00.000-07:00

Well, after my beef stew mishap, I had many carrots left over and thought - hey, I"ll make carrot soup. Recently, I received a soup cookbook from William Sonoma and Carrot Soup Scented with Sesame comes from that book.

I modified it slightly but using non-fat plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream and half-and-half and It turned out totally awesome - to the point where I had to put it away so that I'd have some left for tomorrow. It's pretty easy to make - the most time consuming aspect would be the chopping of the vegetables.

2 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 1/2 cups diced carrots
2 chopped leeks, white and light green parts only
2 ribs of celery chopped
6 cups chicken stock
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup greek non-fat yogurt
1 1/2 tsp dark sesame oil

Heat butter in a large, heavy, deep sided pot over medium heat
When hot, add in carrots, leeks and celery and cook. stirring often, until vegetabls are softened for about 10 minutes.
Add chicken stock and salt.
Bring mixture to a simmer, reduce heat and cook at a simmer until the vegetables are tender, for about 30 minutes
Puree the soup in a food processor or blender and return soup t the pot. Gradually whisk in the yogurt.
Stir in the sesame oil
Add salt and pepper as needed.

Beef Stew in a Slow Cooker

2009-10-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

Well, this was not one of my best culinary outcomes. I got the recipe from one of Martha Stewart's food mags and I think that there were a few factors that lead to the downfall of this dish

1) I underestimated the amount of spice I would need because I actually used more meat than recommended in the recipe below
2) I didn't fully defrost the meat which meant that I couldn't cut the meat up into cubes which I think would have helped it cook a lot better
3) I didn't have tomato paste so I used canned diced tomatoes instead

Anyway, I think its worth another go and beef strew can be lovely if it's done right. Give it a whirl and see if it works for you.

3 lbs beef chuck, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 1 - 2 inch cubes
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
kosher salt
ground pepper
2 onions cut into 1 inch chunks
6 small white or red new potatoes
1 pound carrots cut into 1 and 1/2 lengths
6 garlic cloves smashed
2 bay leaves

Place beef in a 5-quart slow cooker.
Distribute tomato paste, vinegar and flour over beef; season generously with salt and pepper.
Add onions, potatoes, carrots, garlic and bay leaves.
Cover slow cooker and cook on high for about 5 hours or until beef is fork-tender.

Whole Roasted Rosemary Citrus Chicken

2009-10-18T10:22:00.001-07:00

Roasting a chicken is really the gift that keeps on giving. It's the perfect dish for a large crowd and works even better as sandwich left-overs if you are serving to a smaller group.

The other night, I was looking at the sad little lemon that was wilting in my fruit dish, and I was inspired to make some sort of citrus chicken thing. I figured why not help myself out for the week and go for the whole roasted chicken. It turned out delicious and is basically gone after 48 hours. It does take a bit of time so I suggest making it on a night that you have some flexibility in your eating schedule.

1 Young Roaster Chicken
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon - grated peel and juice
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
1 tsp cracked pepper
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Mix garlic, lemon peel, lemon juice, oil, rosemary, pepper and salt into a medium bowl.
Place chicken, breast side up, in a lightly oiled large roasting pan.
Drizzled garlic mixture over chicken coating evenly
Bake 20 to 25 minutes per pound or until internal temperature reaches 180 degrees F in thigh.
Let chicken stand 10 minutes before carving.

Indian Spiced Chicken with Wild Rice

2009-10-15T04:18:00.000-07:00

I have a cookbook called 100 best chicken recipes and although a lot of the recipes call for Velveta cheese and Lipton soup mixes to add flavor, there are some gems in there like this one - Indian Spiced Chicken with Wild Rice.

I won't lie - this is a pretty time consuming dish, but this is the third time I"ve made it and I"m always very pleased with the outcome. However, on this round the two things I would have changed would have been a) cook the chicken on the stove a little less b) coat the chicken in more spice.

Indian Spiced Chicken

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp tumeric
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 carrots sliced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz long grain and wild rice mix
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Combine salt, cumin, black pepper, cinnamon and tumeric in a small bowl.
Rub spice mix on both sides of chicken.
Place chicken on plate, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes

Pre-Heat Oven to 350 degrees
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot.
Cook chicken 2 minutes on each side and set aside once
Place carrots, celery and garlic in same skillet
Cook and stir for 2 minutes
Add rice and cook for 5 more minutes stirring frequently
Add broth and bring to a boil for 2 minutes
Remove from heat and stir in raisins
Pour mixture into 13x9-inch baking dish and place chicken on top
Add almonds to dish
Cover tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes or until chicken is done

Broiled Chipotle Shrimp

2009-10-08T05:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was watching Ina AKA the Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network where she was focusing on cocktail party foods one of which was broiled shrimp. She coated the her shrimp with olive oil, salt and pepper and in 8 - 10 minutes had delish on a plate.

I decided to try this, but change it up a bit by using a chipotle rub that I had recently bought, which again rendered delish on a plate. The point here really is that this dish is so easy to make it is almost criminal. You can use any type of rub or herbs or spices that you want because it will all turn out yum, yum, yum.

Broiled Chipotle Shrimp:

2 lbs shrimp (any size count you like)
extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 tbs chipotle rub (again any type of rub would work here)

pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
put shrimp in a bowl
drizzle EVOO over shrimp
sprinkle rub over shrimp
mix in rub until all shrimp is evenly coated
lay out shrimp on baking sheet
bake shrimip for 8 - 10 minutes

Rosemary Garlic Fennel Chicken

2009-09-22T07:09:00.000-07:00

So I decided to do an experiment last night and luckily for me it WORKED. Although to be fair you really can't go wrong with garlic, rosemary and olive oil. The fennel didn't really do much to add or take away so you could take it or leave it if you plan to make this dish.

It was quite simple and I paired the chicken with whole wheat pasta in a very light tomato sauce.

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 chicken breasts
2 tbsp rosemary (dried or fresh)
4 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp fennel

slice chicken breasts into 1 inch wide strips
mix all ingredients except for the chicken in a bowl
mix in chicken and coat all pieces evenly with mixture
using a stovetop grill pan grill each piece for 3 minutes on each side. Continue to flip each piece until cooked all the way through.

Kung-Pao Shrimp

2009-09-21T14:36:00.000-07:00

Not much to say about this except that it was really good. Like, I have no picture for my post because it all got eaten before I could take a picture good. It's a really simple recipe and clearly a crowd pleaser in this house.

Kung-Pao Shrimp

1.5 lbs raw peeled shrimp
1 tbsp dry Sherry
3 - 4 dried chili peppers
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp sugar
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp sesame oil
2 chopped sclaions
1/4 cup roasted chopped peanuts

Combine 1 tbsp sherry and shrimp in a bowl
Heat 2 tbsp canola oil and cook the dried chili peppers until slightly blackened.
Mince 2 cloves garlic and add to the shrimp mixture along with 1 tsp minced ginger.
Cook about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat. Add 1 teaspoon sugar and 3 tablespoons soy sauce.
Cook 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in 1 teaspoon sesame oil and a chopped scallion, and garnish with roasted, chopped peanuts.

Kinda Like the Other One but Different

2009-09-14T14:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I was away this past weekend and had no time to shop. However, what I did have were some shallots and limes left over from my Cilantro Lime Chicken and a whole hunk of garlic. I had no fresh herbs in the house so I decided that I would go with a shallot, lime juice, garlic, chili marinade for the tilapia that I had.

The great thing about all of these marinades is that you can pretty much for the most part interchange them with different proteins - meat, fish, chicken tofu and they all end up tasting really good.

So to make a long story short last night I made - Garlic Lime Chili Tilapia and although it wasn't as good as the Cilantro marinade it did the trick.

Garlic Lime Chili Tilapia -

4 pieces of Tilapia
1 shallot minced
3 - 4 cloves of garlic minced
1 lime juiced
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 - 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Pre-Heat Oven to 400 degrees
Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
Place half the mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.
Place tilapia filets on top of mixture
Add rest of mixture on top of tilapia
Bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through.

Spicy Cilantro Lime Chicken

2009-09-10T09:45:00.000-07:00

A BIG thank you to Men's Health for helping me break back into kitchen duty with some flair. After the crockpot incident of last day, I was a little wary of making din din last night, but figured I had to get back on that proverbial horse at some point. And get back on I did. This came out really good. I mean REALLY GOOD even if I did put in a touch too much of cayenne pepper (my lips have finally stopped burning BTW).

Broiled Spicy Cilantro Lime Chicken

4 medium sized chicken breasts
3 tsp cooking oil (you can use peanut oil, canola oil, vegetable oil - it doesn't matter)
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp chopped shallot
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (for more spice obvi add more)
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

Set the oven to broil on hi
Spread half the mixture in a pan and add the chicken
Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper
Add remaining mixture on top.
Broil for about 20 min or until cooked through

The Rain Made Me Do It: The Continuing Adventures of Mr. Slowcooker

2009-09-09T06:37:00.000-07:00

Sadly, it's been raining for the past few days here in DC and what else could you want on a soggy day than to have some fun with the slowcooker. I certainly didn't intend on building my comeback on that of the slowcooker, but the best laid plans...

Anyway that being said, I dusted off the old slowcooker last night and decided to make "Fajita Stew," a recipe from my Slow Cooker cook book. The recipe called for beef, but I decided that I'd use Pork. The dish came out ok. It was adequate. I wasn't hungry and I didn't want to spit it out, but it certainly was not what I wanted to come back to the kitchen with. The texture of the pork was off a bit (yes once again foiled by pork) and the flavor was good, but nothing spectacular. Although I wasn't jazzed by the outcome, I was happy to make my own fajita spice recipe, which is also below.

Fajita Stew
2 - 3 lbs pork chops cubed
1 medium onion chopped
2 Tbsp fajita seasoning mix***
1 can(14.5) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 red or green bell pepper cut into 1" pieces

***Fajita Seasoning Mix
1 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Cut meat into 2" cubes and combine with chopped onion in slowcooker
Mix tomatoes and fajita seasoning, add to slow cooker and top with green peppers.
Cook on low for 6 hours

Moss Beach Distillery = Fantastic

2009-07-15T09:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I can't say much about the food, because I didn't have any, but I can go on and on and about the view and the heavy pours from the bar tender. The restaurant is situated on the edge of a cliff with a stunning view of the Pacific and a rustically charming infinity deck (like an infinity pool but a deck). Hot or cold weather wise this haunt is a great place to spend an afternoon with friends. BTW dogs are welcome.

http://www.mossbeachdistillery.com/

Gorilla BBQ = Smoketastic

2009-07-14T08:41:00.000-07:00

BBQ is like religion in my household...well at least for my husband that is. He makes it his job to know and try every BBQ spot in town and in this particular blog-case, outside of town.

On Sat. we found ourselves traveling to Pacifica (about 20 min south of SF) to try Gorilla BBQ the one and only BBQ spot left on our SF list. A lone train caboose set in the middle of a parking lot, Gorilla serves food till it "runs out" which is often quite quickly with a line that snakes about three times over at lunch time.

Luckily enough for us we made it in time to try the reeeebs, pulled pork, brisket and hot links however, sadly for me personally they ran out of chicken right as we got there so no sampling of that took place. But the ribs were great, the pulled pork delish, the hotlinks - HOT and the sides scrumptious. For the novelty alone its worth the trip.

http://www.gorillabbq.com/

Tommy's Mexican Restaurant = Amazing

2009-07-13T17:17:00.001-07:00

Friday night brought me to the Richmond district of SF and an AMAZING Mexican place called Tommy's. Their tequila bar is award winning and the combo platter (Beef Taco, Chili Relleno, Chicken Enchilada) I got was seriously the best Mexican food I've eaten since moving to the West Coast. The margaritas are like candy (in a good way) and the chips, salsa and guac could be a meal in and of themselves. I highly recommend a jaunt to this outpost - as it is seriously the best Mexican in SF.

http://www.tommystequila.com/

Shalimar = F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S

2009-07-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

Well I'm not gonna lie, one thing is for certain you don't go to Shalimar for the ambiance, but you do go there for delicious Indian food that gets you fuller than full and all for ten bucks a head.

It's BYOB (we picked up a 6 pack at the store on the corner) and offers a never ending selection of Indian/Pakastani faves all printed very cleverly as a daily newspaper. We had the Tandori Chicken, Chicken Tiki Masala, Lamb Curry, Saag Chicken and of course Naan 4 ways. It was super yummy and worth the romp through the 'Loin for our yummy Indian feast.

www.shalimarsf.com

Flour and Water = Yummy

2009-07-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

Well as the week progresses and I continue to eat out A LOT more and cook A LOT less, I'm starting to feel like "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" when he goes through all that food like it's his job. Anyway, I'm not complaining, but enjoying all the love and FOOD.

So this past Wed. we ended up going to a new place in town, Flour and Water. They only serve wine and beer which is fine when you are eating mostly pizzas and pastas. They've created a rustic feel on the inside, big wooden tables and chairs, warm lighting etc... The pizza is marvelous and the pastas were great although the pizza really was the shining star.

We made a reservation which I highly recommend because although it's good it is not wait around for an hour + good.

http://flourandwater.com/

Pancakes with a Kick

2009-07-11T16:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess I was wrong...moving+cooking does sometimes work especially when we're talking pancakes. Now, to be honest I have to admit that I cheated a little. Instead of making the batter from scratch, I used the Aunt Jemima Complete mix, which basically is meant for 3 year old children as you only have to add water to complete the mix, hence the name "Complete."

Now, to alleviate my guilt over using the complete mix, I decided that I would give it a little kick by adding in Cinnamon, Ginger and All Spice and health it up a wee bit by adding in some oatmeal. I would say that it ended up 50% great and 50% not so great. The spices really gave it a warm kick, however adding in the oatmeal sadly did not work out the way I had intended. It totally ruined the consistency of the pancake. Instead of light and fluffy, I had hockey pucks on my hands.

So the moral of this cooking story...keep the spices...loose the oats.

Jasmine Garden = Marvelous

2009-07-11T09:35:00.000-07:00

So, continuing on in my SF food odyssey, Tuesday night brought about a trip to the Vietnamese restaurant, Jasmine Garden. A place that my Vietnamese friend sold me on when she told me that the food was better than her own mother's, and her mom can COOK!

The Dancing Beef is amazing as is the Lemongrass Chicken not to mention the best Garlic Noodles in town. It is a family owned restaurant and everyone there is very friendly. The service is great and and it is for sure on my top ten list of Cheap and Cheerful SF haunts.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/jasmine-garden-san-francisco

Emmy's Spaghetti Shack = Awesome

2009-07-10T11:04:00.000-07:00

Monday night was the kick off to my new kitchenless life and first on the culinary dinner list was - Emmy's Spaghetti Shack. It is one of SF's greatest gems and def one of my top ten cheap and cheerful restaurants. It's a tiny spot where DJs spin nightly, 40's are served up right next to organic agave nectar cocktails and the MEAT BALLS are off the chain. If you've never been it's well worth the trek.

http://www.emmysspaghettishack.com/

Moving and Cooking - The Disconnect

2009-07-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

Two things that don't mix well - moving and cooking. Two things that do mix well - moving and eating out A LOT with friends.

I feel so loved right now with all of the dinner invitations that my husband and I have been getting and so with my own cooking quotient down and my eating out quotient up, I've decided that until I can find a new kitchen to throw down in, I will share with you all of the great PROFESSIONAL meals that my friends and I have been enjoying around SF.

Smokey Turkey Rice

2009-07-06T16:04:00.000-07:00

Ok so this actually started out as a disaster (part of the reason why I have no picture) but ended up being a real savory success. This past weekend my husband broke out the smoker and I decided that this would be a great opportunity to make some turkey burgers.

Many mistakes later (over-defrosting the turkey meat- read cooking part of it in the microwave, using my meat loaf recipe to make burger patties, not greasing the foil I decided we would cook them on) I was basically left with turkey hash. It didn't look great but luckilyl enough it actually tasted really good. After hemming and hawing a bit over what to do with the meat, I finally realized that this would taste great mixed in with some rice and beans....and it certainly did.

No recipe for today - as I couldn't replicate this if I tried, but the lesson learned is sometimes you actually can salvage stuff - you just have to be a little creative.

Spellbinding

2009-06-30T10:59:00.000-07:00

Well I know that I will be accused of yet another product placement, but what can I say, I'm a maven and when I like something, I like to share it with the world.

Last week I was up in Napa with my sister and we happened to stumble upon the Folio Fine Wine Partners where we found a delicious 2006 Riesling. It's called Spellbound and for $14.99 you really can't beat the price. I paired it with my Tandoori Chicken and it was sensational. You can find the tasting notes below as well as the link to the website. It was, dare I say - Spellbinding.

Tasting Notes
For our newest white wine, stainless steel fermentation allows us to capture the essence of California Riesling. Small amounts of Muscat and Chardonnay were used in the blend to enhance the mouth feel and complete the finish. We enjoy the Spellbound Riesling chilled with a vast array of world cuisine. Specifically we recommend our Riesling with spicy Thai, Chinese, Southwestern and authentic Mexican dishes, as well as with the fresh and varied cusine of California and the savory cuisine of Germany. With all the possibilities there are no culinary limits!

http://www.spellboundwines.com/

Tandoori Chicken Kebobs

2009-06-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

Saturday night we had some friends over to celebrate another 90 degree scorcher in SF. I decided to get fancy and make some tandoori chicken kebobs on the grill. Well to be honest I passed the grilling part on to my husband, so this one was really more of a group effort.

I got the recipe from Women's Health (again I have to say that Men's Health and Women's Health have really SIMPLE and really GOOD recipes) adding a little more heat to the mix and adding in some marinated red onions to get a lil more authentic.

I have to say that this really turned out to be super spectacular and goes right up there as one of my best dishes yet. It was super easy to make a real crowd pleaser with its bright red color and smokey, sweet and spicy flavor. So yummy.

Tandoori Chicken Kebobs with Cous Cous and Marinated Red Onions:

Chicken:
1 lb of chicken
1 cup of plain non-fat yogurt
2 tbsp of masala spice (an indian spice mix - found in the ethnic aisle or spice aisle of your grocery store)
1/2 tsp ground giner
2 tsp chopped garlic jarred
1 tbsp red chili flakes
1/2 red onion cut into 1 inch chunks

***if you are using wooden skewers make sure to soak them for 20 minutes before spearing the meat)
mix all ingredients in a large bowl and let marinate for 2 - 3 hours
spear chicken and onion pieces onto skewers
place chicken onto grill and and cook, turning frequently until the chicken is cooked all the way through (about 15 minutes).
***note that you can also cook this on the stove with a grill pan if you don't have access to a bbq grill

Marinated Onions:

1/2 red onion slices
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

pour vinegar over onions
let marinate for 5 hours
sprtiz lemon juice over onions and serve with tandoori chicken

Whole Wheat Cous Cous:

follow directions on box.
add in golden raisens to sweeten it up

Rub a Dub Dub - Indian Spiced Rub

2009-06-25T09:52:00.001-07:00

So I thought that I would do a little experimentation today in honor of it being Thursday and all. That experimentation led me straight to a Rub. An Indian Spiced Rub to be exact. Today I used the rub on fish, but you can pretty much use it on any type of meat that you like. It has a smokey flavor to it from the cumin and some sweetness from the cardamom.

Indian Spice Rub:

2 tsp cardamom
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp red chili flakes (more if you like it extra spicy)
1 - 2 tsp salt (depending on how salty you like things)
1 tsp ground black pepper

My Lil' Helper - Behold the Mini Cuisinart

2009-06-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

So I have a little secret. I don't like to play favorites with my kitchen utensils and appliances but let's get real. There is one stand out and it's time I gave it some shine on this blog...My Cuisinart Mini.

I'm not quite the level of cook/baker to require the bigger and badder older sibling of this thing, but if you are a novice cook looking to just get some chopping help this is really the best thing to add to your kitchen. I haven't chopped anything in months and I can't accurately express how wonderful that is. So just take this as a friendly suggestion. Get a Cuisinart mini it will change your culinary life.

Magical Mystery Tour of Tofu

2009-06-17T15:03:00.000-07:00

May was my bday month which meant that it was all about Beats, BBQ and maybe just maybe a lil too much Booze. Anyay, that being said June is all about cleansing and thus I give you my magical mystery tour of tofu, which I have been trying to eat more of here and there.

I really do like tofu. It gets a bad wrap but you can basically make it taste however you like and if you get EXTRA FIRM it has a pretty good consistancy and texture. Anywhoo, my latest Tofu Try was to throw a some tofu, spinach, brown rice, tomatoes and garlic in a pan saute it with balsamic and see how it turned out. And all in all it didn't blow my socks off but it was pretty good. Would I serve it at a dinner party probably not, but it was satisfying and light and a nice break from meat. A good Tuesday night summer dinner.

Balsamic Tofu Saute:

2 cups spinach
1 cup grape tomatoes sliced into halves the long way
1 cup of cubed tofu
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic minced

***I had some left-over brown rice that I also threw in there. It was pretty good but not a requisite for the recipe.

The Importance of Being Herbist

2009-06-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

As I've written here before, I can't stress enough the importance of using fresh herbs while cooking and recently a friend of mine gave me one of the best B-DAY presents yet...an herb garden.

We went to our local garden store, picked out the top 4 herbs that I use in my cooking (French Thyme, Cilantro, Sweet Basil, Rosemary) bought a pretty clay pot and some soil and voila - my very own herb garden.

That was about 3 weeks ago and since then my herbs have doubled in size. They are very easy to take care of (totally self contained in their own pot and only needing water every few days) and the benefits are endless.

Chili Basil Fish

2009-06-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

This is a SUPER easy recipe. It's a modified Men's Health recipe, and it is quite a crowd pleaser as I found out the other night. As you can see, there was hardly any left for me to take a picture.

Chili Basil Fish:

***Please note that you can substitute the fish for any type of protein (beef, shrimp, scallops, any type of firm white fish, pork, chicken)

4 Tilapia filets cut up into large 2 - 3 inch chunks
3 cloves garlic minced
2 cups fresh basil
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 serrano chili minced
2 tsp cracked black pepper
1/2 tbsp peanut oil or canola oil
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tbsp red-chili paste

chop the garlic and chilies finely. Then use the side of your knife to press them together into a rough paste. (Add a pinch of salt to make this process a little easier)
preheat a wok or stainless-steel sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and the garlic-chili pasteand fry for 2 to 3 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic.
chop the fish into 2 -3 inch pieces and add them to the pan, cooking them until they're lightly browned, about 3 to 4 minutes.
add the soy sauce, fish sauce, chili paste, and sugar, and continue to cook until the fish is done all the way through, another 3 to 4 minutes.
add the pepper and basil and cook until the basil is just wilted, about 2 minutes.
Serve with jasmine rice.

Broiled Balsamic Veggie Medley

2009-06-01T10:51:00.000-07:00

I realize that I spend a lot of time giving recipes for main dishes and so I've decided to give some shine to some of my sides when they end up a little bit more interesting than just steamed veggies and rice. So with that - I give you :

Broiled Balsamic Veggie medley:

1 head of broccoli
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp cracked black pepper

set the oven to broil
cut broccoli into 1 - 2 inch spears
cut bell peppers into 1 inch strips
mix broccoli and peppers in a bowl with vinegar, EVOO, salt and pepper
mix for 1 minute and let sit for 10 minutes
pour mixture onto a cookie sheet and broil for 15 minutes

Chili Garlic Tilapia

2009-05-26T11:14:00.001-07:00

Recently, my husband and I received, from a friend, a meat smoker as a wedding present. Our friend proclaimed "It's the gift that keeps on giving!" and I totally agree with him. You can pretty much smoke anything in it - meat, fish, veggies, your wallet. Really anything that you would like to have a smokey goodness to it.

So the other night, as my husband was smoking some ribs I also threw in some Tilapia. As I've written before, I love Tilapia. It is relatively inexpensive and a pretty hearty fish. You can use it for fish tacos, grill it, pan sear it, broil it pretty much do anything to it. This time around I went for a Chili Garlic rub and wrapped the fish in foil packets. Handed them to my husband and voila smokey goodness.

Chili Garlic Tilapia

6 tilapia filets

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cracked pepper

extra virgin olive oil - EVOO

in a bowl mix all the dry ingredients together
lay the fish out on a plastic or glass cutting board (don't use wood) or in a baking dish
drizzle the EVOO onto the fish and flip to cover the back side with EVOO as well
sprinkle the rub over the fish so that it is coated evenly and flip over to coat the other side as well.
wrap each piece of fish in it's own foil packet
put on the grill or in the smoker for 15 minutes or until cooked through
***If you do not have a grill or smoker you can also cook these in the over. Set the oven to broil and cook for 15 minutes or until done.

Curry Roasted Red Potatoes

2009-05-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to make is roasted red potatoes. They are super easy to cook and are great at absorbing many different flavors. Usually I will use rosemary to season them but this time I went with Sweet Curry and voila -

Curry Roasted Red Potatoes:

6 medium sized red potatoes
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp sweet curry powder

set oven to BROIL setting
cut potatoes into 1 inch cubes
place potatoes in a bowl and mix in EVOO, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and curry powder
mix until all pieces of potato are evenly coated
place potatoes on a baking pan
cook for 15 - 20 minutes or until fully cooked
***Feel free to add more salt or pepper or curry at this point to make the taste to your liking.

Cock Sauce - Everyone's favorite hot sauce to eat and say

2009-05-25T13:40:00.000-07:00

Well, in the grand tradition of The New York Times (NYT) being a day late and a dollar short on their trend reporting, this past week they finally paid homage to what most hot sauce fans already know, that one of the best hot sauce for taste and vernacular is - Cock Sauce AKA Sriracha AKA Rooster Sauce.

http://bit.ly/CdOPu

I highly recommend the stuff and before I get carried away and start waxing poetic on it, I just want to say that it's worth a spot on your hot sauce shelves, that is if you can find it (On my last 2 trips to Safeway they were sold out).

A Gringa Tries Her Hand At Vietnamese Food AKA Vietnamese Claypot Salmon

2009-05-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

About six months ago I received a Claypot/American Oven from my mother-in-law. This, next to the slow cooker, has become one of my favorite things to cook with because much like the slow cooker, you throw a bunch of stuff in there, set it to cook, and walk away.

So last night, I felt inspired to try my hand at the AMAZING Vietnamese Claypot Fish. Usually you will find it made with catfish at a restaurant, but last night I decided that I would try it with Salmon.

It was very easy to make - as I wrote above, you throw a bunch of stuff in a pot and walk away - and although I was very happy with the overall flavor of the fish, the one disappointing thing was that the liquid didn't caramelize the way that I wanted it to. I think that I may have put in too much broth (I had a little more than 4 pieces of fish so I fudged the measurements a little) and so the sugar couldn't caramelize the way it should have.

My other mistake was that I thought that I would get saucy and add in some rice. I figured It would cook in the broth and all would be dandy. Um, in a word, no. So in addition to the soupy liquid I also ended up with bits of crunchy rice, which no matter how hard I tried to remove, just wouldn't disappear. So lesson learned. Cut down on the broth and NO RICE. I will reiterate though that the flavor was awesome.

4 skinless boneless salmon filets

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp sesame oil

3 cloves of garlic minced

2/3 cup fish, chicken or vegetable stock

3 tbsp fish sauce (This can be found in any grocery store where they have the "ethnic" aisle.)

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 crushed dried chile

1 tbsp fresh ground pepper

1 tsp salt

Pre-Heat Oven to 400 degrees

place fish into pot

cover with all ingredients

cover and cook in oven for 30-40 minutes

Pasta Salad - An Oldie but a Goodie

2009-05-19T10:08:00.001-07:00

Well seeing as it was about 90 degrees this past weekend in good ole SF, it seems as though BBQ season is officially upon us. (BTW - I'm not acknowledging the fact that it has gone back down to 55 around here - keeping high hopes that the sunshine will return this Sat.)

We all know that it's about the Reeeebs and the meat at a BBQ but what would a BBQ be without the sides - Potato Salad, Roasted Veggies, Corn, Cole Slaw, Baked Beans and of course good ole fashioned Pasta Salad. This past weekend was my big B-Day BBQ celebration and my contribution was - yes you guessed it - Pasta Salad. As you can see from this post it was a hit because I have no picture to show you due to the fact that there was none left.

It's quite simple and quite tasty so here goes -

1 box of multi-grain rotini pasta (you could also use penne or macaroni or any other small type of pasta.)
1 large green pepper
1 large yellow pepper
1 medium red onion
salt
cracked pepper
1/2 tsp - 1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/3 cup Newman's Own Balsamic Vinegrette Dressing (You can really use any type of dressing that you like or make your own using Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegrette)

set water to boil and add in about 2 tsp of salt
once water is at a rolling boil add pasta and cook until tender
dice peppers and onion into 1/2 inch pieces and set aside for later
once pasta is boiled drain pasta and run cold water over pasta to end the cooking process
mix pasta, salad dressing, peppers and onion into a large bowl and distrbute ingredients evenly
add in salt for taste and cracked black pepper and red pepper flakes
chill for 30 minutes before serving

Egg-Cellent Breakfast Sandwhich

2009-05-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

There is very little else that can satisfy a Saturday morning, breakfast siren call, than an egg sandwich. There's something about the bread, protein and salt that just make the world that much of a better place for those few minutes of egg-cellent goodness.

Now the problem with the traditional egg sandwich is of course the sodium, fat and caloric aspect of it and in that vein I bring you the healthier Egg Breakfast Sandwich:

1 whole-wheat english muffin

1/2 cup of egg whites (I find it easiest to just buy a carton of egg whites but for those of you who are going the old fashioned route crack about 3 eggs worth.)

2 strips turkey bacon

1/2 avocado sliced (you should get 4 - 5 slices)

handful of mixed greens

1/2 tsp hot sauce

cook the bacon first and set it aside for later.
set the english muffin to toast
while the english muffin is toasting start to cook the egg whites (you can either make them more of the scrambled variety - this creates a messier sandwich - or more of an omelette patty style)
once all the ingredients are fully cooked salt each side of the english muffin
place half of the avocado slices on the bottom english muffin piece
place eggs on top of avocado
salt the egg whites lightly and pour on the hot sauce
place bacon strips on top of eggs
place remaining strips of avocado on top of eggs
place handful of mixed greens on top of the avocado
place top of english muffin on top and voila

***You can also add tomato or really whatever you like to jazz it up a bit.

'Shrooms A Delicate Flower

2009-05-15T12:32:00.000-07:00

Well folks after my great success with portobello mushrooms marinated in balsamic vinegar I thought that I would give the mushroom thang another shot this time using a great chicken marinade that I've used in the past - Apple Cider vinegar and Frank's HotSauce.

In theory this seemed like a great idea. When I made this recipe using chicken it was the bomb, but this time around I learned something very important - mushrooms are like delicate flowers and when you go overboard on flavor the delicate flower becomes overwhelmed and you end up with a mushroom that is inedible, which was the case last night. So if you are going to cook with portobello mushrooms be sure to go easy on the marinades and stick to sweeter marinades like balsamic vinegar or ginger sesame dressing.

Baked Tofu - It's Good I Promise

2009-05-12T14:08:00.000-07:00

To mix things up a bit, I thought I'd add a tofu recipe into my bag of tricks. Now, I know some peeps out there think Tofu is - ew gross - or has no flavor or taste or has a weird texture and yes all of those things can be true, but the wonderful thing about tofu is that with a little panache you can make it taste however you like. It is a total flavor sponge, meaning that whatever you throw in the mix makes its way into the tofu and ultimately onto your tongue.

Normally, I use tofu in stir-frys but today I thought I'd do a bake. I thought it came out VERY GOOD, but the three things I would have done differently after tasting it are -

1) Use EXTRA FIRM tofu (I only used firm)
2) Baked the tofu on a baking pan instead of a baking dish
3) Pressed the tofu for an hour before I cooked it to get the moisture out - http://bit.ly/wEr8B

However, although the baking technique was a not quite right, the marinade that I made up was off the chain and you can find it below.

Baked Tofu

1 package of EXTRA FIRM TOFU
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
3 garlic cloves crushed
1 tsp ground ginger or 2 tsp fresh ground ginger (I would normally use the fresh ginger but I didn't have any)
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce or soy sauce

Press tofu for 60 minutes to get all moisture out (see instructions above)
Slice tofu block into 8 even pieces
lay pieces flat in baking dish and sprinkle on pepper flakes, garlic and ginger
pour in teriyaki or soy sauce and let mixture marinate for 60 minutes
place pieces of tofu on a grill pan and bake at 400 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes

Do-Overs - Good Ole Fashioned Banana Bread with Butter and Sugar - oh yeah!

2009-05-06T11:50:00.000-07:00

So if you read my post from a few weeks ago - you would know that I attempted to make a "low-fat" banana bread. In a word, it - sucked. The final verdict on my part was that sometimes you just need butter and sugar and that's just how it has to be. So here I give you banana bread part deux.

***As a side note for your amusement (maybe this was a sub-conscience slip up to make up for last time) but I realize now as I'm writing the recipe below that I actually ended up putting in 2/3 cup butter instead of 1/3 cup. The outcome - some super moist banana bread.

Banana Bread

3 -4 overly ripe bananas
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter or 1/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
***Feel free to add in chopped walnuts or chocolate chips or both.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

In a medium sized mixing bowl mash up bananas.
Add in butter, sugar, flour, vanilla, salt and baking soda.
Mix thoroughly and pour mixture into a loaf pan.
Bake for 50 - 60 minutes

Mimicry is the grandest form of Flattery AKA Balsamic Chicken

2009-05-05T12:23:00.001-07:00

So I was at my friend's house the other night and along with some AWESOME home-made humus, cilantro rice and asparagus she also brought out a favorite of mine - Balsamic Chicken. I can not get enough balsamic. I basically pour it over everything and use it in many-a-recipe. Anyway, her chicken turned out so great I thought that I would do a version myself. What I liked about her's was that she had also cooked the chicken with bell peppers and onions.

The main difference between the two chickens was the way in which they were cooked. My friend cooked her's in a glass baking dish with the chicken sitting in the balsamic vinegar while I made mine on a grill pan in the oven. The result - her's was much more balsamic tasting than mine - which made me sad, but made my husband happy b/c he is not as in love with the taste of balsamic as I am.

Balsamic Chicken

4 large skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 - 2 cups of balsamic vinegar
1 medium onion sliced
1 medium red or yellow pepper sliced

pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
Place chicken, balsamic, peppers and onions in a dish and marinate for 2 - 3 hours.
Place mixture in a baking dish or on a grill pan.
bake for 30 - 40 minutes.

Rat-A-Tat-Tat -- Too-EEEE (AKA) Ratatouille

2009-05-01T15:15:00.001-07:00

I have no idea why, but for some reason I couldn't stop thinking about ratatouille the other day. This is generally how I get ideas for dinner - they tend to find me. All of a sudden something will pop in my head and I'll think, hey I want to make that, which is how I ended up with a big pot of ratatouille on my stove this AM.

This recipe could not be simpler and can be a lovely side dish or a main by mixing with pasta and adding some chicken or pork or leaving it just as it is. The colors are beautiful, the taste is rich and rustic and its good for you too!

Ratatouille -

1 medium sized eggplant chopped
1 large onion chopped
1 large green pepper chopped
1 large red pepper chopped
5 cloves of fresh garlic minced
1 cup of mushrooms (white or brown)
2 medium sized zucchini chopped
2 tbs tomato paste
3/4 cup vegetable or chicken stock
1 can diced tomatoes drained
5 sprigs basil chopped
1 handful of italian parsley chopped
1 tbs Olive Oil

Heat oil in a large pot
saute the garlic for 1 min
add in onions and saute until soft
add in tomato paste and mix until paste turns brown
add in vegetable stock and bring to a boil
add the zucchini, eggplant, peppers and mushrooms
cook for 15 minutes stirring every few minutes to ensure ingredients cook evenly continue to do this until eggplant starts to fall apart and the other vegetables become tender.
drain the canned tomatoes and add them to the pot
lower heat and continue to cook and stir for another 10 minutes or until all vegetables are tender
add in chopped basil and parsley to garnish
serve and enjoy

As an alternative - I also sliced up some boneless/skinless chicken thighs sauteed them in oil until fully cooked and added the meat to the ratatouille mixture. I then let it cook for another 5 minutes.

Sometimes You Just Need Butter

2009-04-29T08:43:00.000-07:00

I've made banana bread a million times before and not for nothin' - I make a pretty stellar banana bread.

So we happened to have A LOT of over ripe bananas in our house and I thought hmmm banana bread time. Looking at my normal recipe with all its sugar and butter, I thought well let me try something new - a LOW FAT version of banana bread and I can make two loaves out of all the bananas we have.

MISTAKE #1 - When you are trying a new recipe for the first time putting all your eggs in the new recipe basket is not the greatest idea. What I should have done was 1 low-fat loaf and 1 regular loaf, but I got a little over-zealous with my new found recipe.

Now the difference between baking and cooking, as I see it, is that cooking is really an art and baking is a science. There is really no wiggle room for "interpretation" of a baking recipe unless MAYBE you go for extra cinamon or spice but when you start leaving out ingredients and messing with ratios that is where you get into trouble. (Obvi I know.)

MISTAKE #2 - I realize this sounds like a no-brainer but before starting to bake you should always check to make sure that you have ALL the ingredients. This time around I started to mix in all the stuff only to realize later on that I had a) no butter b) no baking powder. So I just left them out. I realize that I could have used vegetable oil as a substitute but the mixture was already so liquidy, I thought well it will be fine and even MORE LOW FAT - NO IT WAS NOT FINE.

MISTAKE #3 - Now the third mistake here was to change the ratio of ingredients just for the hell of it. I halfed the sugar (which I've done in the past) but I realize now that with low-fat cooking you actually need MORE sugar not LESS to make up for the low-fatness of it ( i.e. NEARLY ZERO FAT/OIL/BUTTERwhatever.)

So ladies and gentleman what I got was a ROCK HARD, UNSWEET, FLOURY tasting block of Banana Bread with a slight egg-white flavor. Sometimes you just need butter and that's the way it goes.

'Shrooms

2009-04-24T09:24:00.000-07:00

Recently, my Dad gave me a "gentle" suggestion that perhaps I've been too meat oriented in my postings and in thinking on that I give you - Balsamic Glazed Portabella Mushrooms. (BTW there are about a million and 1 ways to spell portabella/portobello/portabello/portobella - no one seems to have a consensus here.)

Balsamic Glazed Portabella Mushrooms:

This is about as easy as it gets. The recipe works with whole P.Mushrooms or sliced (I happened to buy pre-sliced shrooms from the supermarket this time.). P.Mushrooms are great because of their texture. You can slap them between two pieces of focaccia bread with roasted red pepper and goat cheese or mozarella, or add them to a salad in lieu of meat or even mix the slices into a dish of spinach or green-beans to spice it up a bit. Pretty much anything your little heart desires. They are a very versatile food and very good at taking on any flavor you give them.

2 whole or sliced portabella mushrooms
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Marinate the mushrooms for 24 hours in the vinegar
Broil for 8 - 10 minutes on HI or until fully cooked.

Voila you are done. Eat and ENJOY!

Chopped Granny Smith Apples with Balsamic Vinegar

2009-04-21T17:18:00.000-07:00

Well currently we are going through a real heat wave in SF - I mean we are talking high 80s and 90s, and folks here are going bananas - just loosing their minds. With all this heat of course comes the desire to eat only cool and refreshing snacks and there is nothing more refreshing and yummy than chopped granny-smith apples with balsamic vinegar.

1 Grannysmith Apple
2 TBS Balsamic Vinegar

Place the chopped apple in a small bowl
Cover the apples with the balsamic vinegar

If you want to get extra fancy you can sprinkle goat cheese or crumbled feta on top.

Or you could slice the apples instead of chopping them and lay them over some sliced brie cheese and then drizzle the balsamic vinegar over that.

ENJOY!

Shredded Chicken with Cilantro Lime Rice

2009-04-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

Rice-A-Roni is the San Francisco treat so maybe that's why I've been using rice so much. I realized as I was titling this post that I've now done two rice dishes in a row, but they are easy and tasty and last a while on the left-over circuit so it kinda makes sense.

Anyway, I was at a Peruvian restaurant a few days ago and one of the dishes was Arroz con Pollo but the waiter was telling us that what made it special was that the rice was cilantro rice. I didn't end up getting that dish, but as a cilantro LOVER I couldn't stop thinking about it so I decided thatt I would give it a whirl. This recipe is super easy and WAY YUMMY.

Sidebar - Strange But True Facts about Cilantro:
Cilantro is also known as "Leaves of Coriander"
Generally people either LOVE or HATE cilantro. The HATERS tend to hate because it tastes like soap to them and in fact there is medical evidence that that these people have some genetic difference that alters the sensitivity of their taste-buds.

If you are a LOVER read on:

Cilantro Rice:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup basmati rice
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 cloves garlic minced or crushed
1 lime juiced
1 tsp zest from the lime
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

In a pan heat the oil and saute the garlic and rice for 2 minutes.
Add in the vegetable broth and lime juice.
Let cook for approx 20 minutes or until rice is tender.

Chicken:
You can do a lot of things with the chicken part i.e. roast chicken and mix in with rice, slow cook chicken and mix in with rice, buy a rotisserie chicken at the store and add it in. You have a lot of options here since the real zing is in the rice. For this recipe I did the following:

4 - 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup thai coconut flavored chicken broth

I put all ingredients in the slow cooker and cook for about 3 hours. This makes the chicken very tender and VERY SHREDDABLE.

Paella - Fun to say and Yummy to Eat

2009-04-13T13:57:00.001-07:00

The other night my sister-in-law was in town so we decided to have a small dinner at our house with some friends. I decide that this would be the perfect time to try my hand at Paella. I will say this, although it is not difficult to make Paella, it is VERY TIME CONSUMING - almost 90 min from start to finish, but well worth it in the end. I made mine with skinless bonless chicken thighs, shrimp and chicken sausage sans muscles or clams as my DH is not a fan. But really you can make it with whatever you like it's the flavor of the saffron rice that makes the dish.

Chicken, Shrimp and Sausage Paella

1 - 2lbs of shrimp
8 skinless boneless chicken thighs
1 package chicken sausage
5 bacon slices
2 cups of Spanish rice
17oz jar of roasted sliced pimentos with juice or roasted red peppers with juice
Extra Virgin Olive Oil EVOO
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 - 2 medium onions chopped
5 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp crushed saffron threads
1 tsp cayenne pepper
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup frozen peas

Pre-Heat oven to 450 degrees
In a large frying pan cook the bacon for about 6 minutes. Take the bacon out of the pan and put on a plate with paper towels to absorb the grease. Make sure to keep the remaining bacon fat in the pan.
Lay the chicken out on a cutting board. Mix the salt and pepper together in a small bowl and sprinkle over the chicken on both sides evenly.
Bring the pan back up to a medium heat and place the chicken in the pan. Cook on each side evenly for about 6 minutes per side or until done. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside for later.
Slice up chicken sausage and set aside (this is pre-cooked so you don't have to cook it)
*If you choose to use uncooked sausage or chorizo this would be the time to cook it and set it aside for later as well.
Clean out pan and coat with EVOO. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and sautee for about 10 minutes or until they start to brown.
Stir in the rice, roasted pimentos with juice, saffron, cayenne pepper and chicken stock and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Simmer for 1 minute and remove from heat.
You will need to transfer the mixture to an oven safe baking dish appx 9x13.
Spoon the rice mixture into the dish and then add lay the shrimp, chicken and sausage on top and sprinkle with the reserved bacon and peas.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 - 40 minutes or the shrimp is cooked an the rice is tender.
Uncover the baking dish and let the Paella stand for 10 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Roasted Green Beans

2009-04-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

Sometimes eating steamed veggies can get a little old no matter how many ways you try to season them. So last night I decided that I would roast some green-beans and see how that would turn out. I covered the green-beans with a little olive oil and salt and pepper and then broiled them in the over. They were good, but I would have wanted them to be a little bit more crispy. This I think could have been achieved if I had played with time and temperature a little more.

2 cups green-beans
1 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
Place green-beans on a roasting tray.
Broil for 8 - 10 minutes (checking after about 6 minutes to make sure they aren't burning)

Spring in your Salad Step

2009-04-10T08:49:00.001-07:00

Its spring...well kinda depending on what day it is. So I thought what better way to celebrate my exodus from winter than create a zesty salad worthy of this time of year.

Citrus Mixed-Green Salad

6 large handfuls of Mixed Green Mesculin or Spring Mix (Any store has this these days)
2 naval oranges
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup crushed walnuts
1/2 - 3/4 cups cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper

The most time intensive part of this project would be the oranges. Otherwise you are just throwing all this stuff in a bowl and drizzling with the balsamic dressing.

Peel the oranges and as best you can as to remove the translucent skin covering each section. I found that if I cut the top of each section length-wise it was easy to peel the skin off. Once the oranges have been de-skinned, cut each section in half so that each piece is about 1 inch. This is a little time intensive and be aware that there will be come casualties along the way ie the orange slice totally falls apart.

Balsamic Dressing

Mix balsamic vinegar and EVOO in a bowl.
Add the salt and pepper.
Mix
Drizzle over salad.

Garlic-Ginger-Teriyaki Glazed Salmon

2009-04-07T10:04:00.000-07:00

I love salmon because it is so versatile. It has a great texture and consistency and really a lot of leeway to work with if you are a burgeoning cook. Anyway, this is a super easy, really tasty recipe that takes about 10 minutes to prep and 15 minutes to cook - when broiling it on HI.

Garlic-Ginger-Teriyaki Salmon

6 pieces of salmon
1/2 cup Teriyaki sauce
3 crushed garlic cloves
1 tsp ground giner (or fresh is even better - I just didn't have any)
1 tsp ground wasabi (you can get this in the spice aisle)
1 tsp cock sauce AKA Sriracha sauce

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl
Wash fish and pat dry
Place fish in a marinating dish
Pour mixture over fish
Let marinate for 1 - 2 hours
Put fish on an oven safe grill pan
Broil fish on HI for 15 minutes checking the last 5 minutes intermittently to make sure fish doesn't burn.

Sizzzzzzzla

2009-04-07T09:32:00.000-07:00

I know everyone loves the smell of bacon, and really I can't deny that next to fresh-cut grass or an ocean breeze, that the smell of sizzling bacon is one of the best smells in the world. However, what ain't so grand is the aftermath of cooking bacon. Sure your kitchen smells great for about 20 -30 minutes but after that you just feel as though you are walking through sludge as the acrid smell of old bacon grease starts to fill the air.

So, that being said, I decided to do a little experiment this AM. Instead of standing over a stovetop for 20 minutes flipping strips of shriveling bacon, why not take the work out of it and broil it. And what I got looked like bacon, smelled like bacon, tasted like bacon even felt like stove-top bacon going down and the bonus...my house smells fresh as a daisy.

Broiled Bacon:

Lay strips of bacon on a cookie sheet.
Set oven to broil mode (HI)
Cook for 15 minutes
Flip strips of bacon
Cook for 10 - 15 more minutes depending on how crispy you like your bacon.

Apple Cider Vinegar Pork Chops

2009-04-01T18:40:00.000-07:00

I just want to say how much I love cooking with Apple Cider Vinegar. It is great as a marinade for pretty much every type of meat and adds that tangy kick like nothing else.

So, with the help of my beloved SLOW COOKER and the ingredients below, I was able to make a tangy porky treat - all of which BTW was eaten before I could a) eat any of it myself and b) take a picture for the blog, hence no cooked food item pictured here today.

5 medium sized pork chops
3 cloves of garlic crushed
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried mustard
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chili powder
2 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

What is the feeling? Dare I name it? Can it be love?

2009-04-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

Well I've been bitten, Cupid's arrow has struck, I am, Ladies and Gentlemen, IN LOVE with my meat tenderizer. I can not begin to sing its praises enough. This special lil' ole kitchen item has saved me.

I've always had trouble with pork and beef interms of getting the texture right so the other night, as a few chops lay in front of me, I thought hmm maybe I'll try that thar meat tenderizer thingy and see if it makes a dif in my cooking, AND YES IT DOES!

OMG - this thing is amazing. I will never cook meat without it again. Please everyone go out and buy one today. Buy one tomorrow and maybe even a third the next day. This thing has changed my life. Yeah meat!

Great Balls of Fire

2009-03-31T09:15:00.000-07:00

As I've written before, I have A LOT of turkey meat in my house - yeah Costco! With all this turkey meat, I am constantly trying to find new ways to incorporate it onto the dinner plate and so with no further ado I give you - Turkey Meatballs with garbanzo bean dressing over whole wheat couscous. Yes very Cali I know.

This is a super easy recipe, very healthy and looks pretty on the plate as well.

Meatballs:

1 - 2 lbs Turkey Meat
1 egg
1/2 cup oatmeal (I like to use this instead of breadcrumbs)
2 cloves garlic crushed
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Sriracha Sauce AKA Cock Sauce
1 tbs salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients into a bowl.
Scoop out meat and roll into 2 inch balls
Heat Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a skillet
Place uncooked meatballs in skillet and cook evenly on all sides.

NOTE: Sadly, I have no technique skills for this part quite yet, my meatballs sorta looked like half sliders half meatball so let's just say try to keep them as round as possible.

Garbanzo Bean Dressing:

1 can crushed tomatoes (14oz)
1 can garbanzo beans (140z)
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp salt

Heat all ingredients together in a saucepan on the stove. Head until warm. Spread dressing over couscous and place meatballs on top. VOILA and YUM!

Mishaping aside, this did in fact turn out to be quite tasty and a new spin on the forever turkey meat dilemma. Also good reminder that meatballs don't always have to live on top of Mount Spaghetti.

Chicken Goop

2009-03-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

Ok so I was trying to figure out a way to post this last cooking attempt because it was such a disaster. My husband had gotten one of those late season colds and I thought hey, I'll make chicken soup. Well sadly my chicken soup turned out to be chicken goop meaning that what I thought was broth was in fact really coagulated chicken fat after a night in the fridge (and yes there is a reason that there is no picture posted here today.)

Unfortunately, with something like chicken soup you cant -

a) Make up your own recipe
b) Just eye the water level
c) Use a slow cooker to make the broth
d) Cook the mixture for 7 hours

So what I have found is that you should -

a) Use 2 quarts of water when boiling the chicken
b) Cook it all in a big pot on the STOVE
c) Cook it all for 90 minutes not 7 hours

Ingredients:

1 Young Whole Chicken
2 Bay leaves
4 Celery Stalks
4 Carrots Chopped in large pieces
1 Onion Quartered
3 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
3 Sprigs Fesh Thyme
3 Sprigs Fresh Parsley
3 Garlic Cloves Crushed

Combine chicken, water, onion, garlic and salt in a large stock pot and bring to a boil.
Simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour skimming off oil and fat as needed.
Test Chicken with a fork to see if it is fully cooked.
Remove chicken and shred it, removing bones, fat and skin.
Strain chicken broth.
Add vegetables and chicken to chicken broth and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

The Lunch Lady Returns

2009-03-24T16:18:00.000-07:00

Generally, because I use turkey meat so often in my cooking, I tend to buy it in bulk. Blasphemy to some, I know, but oh so convenient. So in opening my lovely freezer the other day, I found A LOT of turkey staring me in the face and it occurred to me that I hadn't made meat-loaf, well really turkey-loaf, in quite a while. Now, I know meat-loaf gets a bad wrap and all, but it happens to be one of the easiest things to make and actually can be quite yummy.

1 - 2 lbs Turkey Meat
1 egg
3/4 cut oatmeal (I like to use this instead of breadcrumbs)
1 small chopped onion
3 stalks celery chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup bbq sauce
1 tbs salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
Pour mixture into a loaf pan.
Cook at 375 degrees for 45 minutes

Corney, Corn, Corn

2009-03-16T18:34:00.000-07:00

Technically it is the rainy season in good ole SF but we had a bit of a rest on Sat. which prompted my husband and myself to break out the BBQ. One of my favorite things to make when BBQing is Roasted Corn. Not only does it taste good but it also adds a little visual flavor to your plate as well.

ROASTED CORN

Aluminum Foil
Schucked Corn on the Cob
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - EVOO
Cayenne Pepper
Salt

Tear off enough aluminum foil to individually wrap each piece of corn.
Drizzle the EVOO over each ear of corn.
Salt each ear of corn and cover with cayenne pepper.
Wrap each ear of corn up and toss on the grill.
Grill for 20 minutes
Squeeze some fresh lime juice over it and YUM!

Jazzercize Your Eggs

2009-03-15T09:39:00.001-07:00

So a really fun and simple way to JAZZ up your eggs is to add in some sort of hot sauce. My favorite is Franks RedHot sauce. Its tangy, vinegary and gives just enough kick. For those of you spice hounds who need a little more heat, try adding Cayenne pepper to the mix with salt and fresh ground pepper. Flavor 'splosion I promise.

Jumpin' Jumbalaya

2009-03-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

Its amazing what A LOT of time on one's hands can do and in my case it has lit a fire under my ass for - COOKIN'!

I don't know what inspired me, maybe it was the sausage and chicken staring me in the face, but I thought I'm going to make Jumbalaya - or at least attempt to make it and wowzers did it come out good. I mean this could be one of the best things I"ve ever made.

4 Large Chicken Breasts
Paprika (enough to coat chicken)
6 pre-cooked sausage links (chicken, pork, turkey - whatever you like)
1 Chopped Onion
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Chopped Green Pepper
2 Ribs celery chopped
2 cans stewed tomatoes (14.5 ounces each)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup rice
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Franks hot sauce
3 shakes of Tapatilo Hot Sauce

Cut chicken into chunks and coat evenly with paprika
Brown chicken in a pan for 5 - 7 minutes then set aside
In a pan sautee the onions, peppers, celery and garlic for 10 min or until soft
Add in the tomatoes, chicken broth, rice, thyme, salt, pepper and hot sauces bring to a boil and chicken.
Reduce heat and let simmer for 20 - 30 min or until chicken is cooked.
Add in sausage and cook for another 3 - 5 minutes.
Let mixture sit on the stove for 20 minutes cooking so that the rice can absorb the juices.

and YUM!

Slow Motion - Slow Cooking with a Slow Cooker

2009-03-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

The slow-cooker has to be one of the best inventions ever known to man. First of all any cooking device that allows me to throw a bunch of stuff into a pot, press start, walk away for 6 - 8 hours and come back to delicious food is my dream come true. So needless to say, I love my slow cooker and HIGHLY recommend to everyone getting one.

Yesterday, trying to beat my boredom I opened the freezer to find A LOT of chicken. The other good thing about the slow cooker is that you can put frozen meat in the slow cooker and it still comes out yum-E. So I decided that I'd finally use my William - Sonoma slow-cooker cook book and make Chicken Adobo - which happens to be SUPER EZ.

Chicken Adobo

8 pieces chicken thighs
4 sliced onions
4 crushed garlic cloves
1 TBS whole pepercorns
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 TBS sugar

Lay half of the onions, garlic, bay leaf, and peppercorns on the bottom of the slow-cooker.
Layer the chicken on top.
Cover chicken with the rest of the onions and garlic.
Pour in vinegar, soy sauce and sugar.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
Pair chicken with white rice

Voila! Yum_E

Recession Special: Fun with Leftovers

2009-03-04T08:37:00.000-08:00

The problem with leftovers for me is that usually after eating something 2-3 nights in a row, I'm over it. I want a different taste, I want something new and hence I end up with wasted food.

So in the spirit of reducing, reusing and recycling in the name of the recession, I've decided that leftovers are best used by turning them into something else which is exactly what I did last night.

A few days ago my husband made chicken thighs in our slow cooker, which as a side note is truly one of the BEST appliance anyone can have, but I will post on that later.

Anyway, back to the chicken. So I was on day 3 of looking at the big pot of chicken in my fridge when I remembered a recipe from a cooking show that would be perfect for my left-over chicken.

White Meat Sauce - Called this because of the use of chicken over beef

1 lbs slow cooked chicken thighs peeled off the bone (you can also buy boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts and cook them on the same day if you don't have leftover chicken)

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary chopped
2 handfuls of basil chopped
2 - 4 medium sized bay leaves
1 carrot grated
1 chopped onion
4 chopped garlic cloves
1/2 cup white wine
4 cans whole tomatoes
1 tsp sugar

Put chicken and grated carrot in a pan and start to heat up
Add garlic, rosemary
Add onion and basil
Add 4 cans of tomatoes and break tomatoes up in to big chunks
Add 1/2 cup of wine and sugar

Let simmer for 20 - 25 minutes
Add over pasta or rice.

Voila - A brand new dish for all to enjoy.

Foiled Again

2009-03-01T22:13:00.000-08:00

One of the easiest ways to cook is with foil. In fact it is so easy it almost feels like cheating. Basically you take your meat or veggies throw it in with some seasoning wrap it all up in a foil pouch, pop it in the oven for 20 minutes a voila a meal in under 30 minutes.

Tonight, was one of those nights where I didn't feel like standing over the stove so I went for some fun with foil using Talapia fish, fresh garlic, cilantro and salsa.

I love working with Talapia. It is a white fish that takes on any flavor you add and has a really good texture. Not too flakey yet not too meaty.

4 Large Pieces of Talapia Fish
4 cloves fresh pressed Garlic
8 sprigs of Cilantro
1/2 cup salsa
1 TBS EVOO
1 TBS ground pepper
1 TBS salt
4 sheets aluminum foil

I coated the fish evenly on both sides with the EVOO, salt, pepper.
I then placed each piece of fish on its own sheet of foil.
I sprinkled 2 sprigs of Cilantro over each piece of fish and pressed 1 clove of fresh garlic for each piece of fish and sprinkled that over the fish as well.
I added 2 TBS of Medium spiced salsa to the fish and rolled up each foil sheet to create an individual sealed pack.

I set the oven to Broil and put the fish in for 20 minutes and it was delicious.

All the flavors melded and popped so nicely and it was all SO EASY. I added red potatoes and brussell sprouts on the side and it was a delectible meal done in under 30 minutes.

Hot Sauce + Apple Cider Vinegar + Chicken = Good

2009-02-27T08:19:00.001-08:00

Well as I've written before, I do like to experiment in the kitchen and sometimes it works and sometimes - well it just doesn't - but I guess when you are dealing with chicken, Franks RedHot Sauce and some vinegar you really can't go wrong.

I'm the type of person who eats lemons, asks for extra pickles on her burger and has a jar of pickled hot peppers ready to go at any time in her fridge, so yes you could say that I am indeed a fan of the sour/vinegar side of the food spectrum.

Anyway, I was in one of my I want to just eat pickles for dinner when I came up with my idea for the evening.

2 Skinless/Boneless Chicken Breasts (preferable 1 inch thick)
1 cup Franks Redhot Sauce
1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2 TBS EVOO
1 TBS salt
1 TBS ground black pepper

So I placed the chicken in a dish and rubbed each side with the salt and pepper. Then I added the Franks sauce and the vinegar and let it marinate for about 20 min.

The thing that you have to mindful of is not to marinate too long with vinegar because it will actually start to "cook" the meat and I can tell you from experience - not a good scene.

After marinating for 20 minutes I took out my grill pan (If you don't have a grill pan I highly recommend getting one - they are such a great thing to have to add variety to your cooking style.) and started to sear the chicken 3 minutes on each side and then flipping back to the other side.

Now normally this should take about 20 minutes of cooking and helps to cook the meat evenly, but my mistake was as follows - my chicken breasts were TOO THICK. They were probably about 2 inches thick and really what I should have done was cut them in half length-wise so that they would cook faster and more evenly.

Instead - after about 20 minutes I ended up cutting and splicing and dicing the chicken just so that I could get it cooked and although the flavor of the chicken was great (yeah vinegar and hot sauce) the look left a bit to be desired.

So lesson learned - Hot Sauce + Apple Cider Vinegar + Chicken = Good, but chicken over 1 inch thick not to be cooked in a grill pan.

Steak It's What's For Dinner

2009-02-27T07:58:00.001-08:00

Sorry, sorry, sorry - for taking such a long time to post, but I just got back from NYC where people don't cook. Sadly, however, I can't say that NYC rubbed off on me all too well.

Over the holidays, my Grandma sent me a CHEST full of meat - Omaha Steaks to be exact. It was crazy, burgers, filets, good-ole fashioned steak, dover sole, even a chocolate lovers cake. All freeze dried and packed to perfection.

My husband and I have been doing our due diligence at chiseling away at the meat, and last night was the night to complete the transaction. I thought this is so easy. I'll go real simple and it will be a smashing success - um in a word - NO!

Now as we know from my other post - cooking real meat is not exactly my forte. I'm pretty damn good when it comes to chicken but all other meats - not quite there yet and just like with pork I'm still finding my way into the wooly world of beef.

So I put the oven on broil, put some salt and pepper on the steak put them in a drip pan and called it a day. I thought 15 min will be good threw it all in and walked away. After 15 min I came back and the steaks were pretty much raw inside and this is where I made my MISTAKE.

This is steak ladies and gentlemen. I know it comes off as all tough but it actually quite delicate and you must be very careful when cooking it because one false move and you are eating shoe leather, which is pretty much what I got.

Now under normal circumstances I would never say - hey I'm gonna put this steak in for 25 min but something came over me, maybe I was distracted by the broccoli or the rice or maybe I just wanted to eat already but when I took the steaks out and they were still raw I put them back in for 10 min. Yes I know, 10 whole minutes - crazy, but I did and sadly shoe leather was what I got.
(However for the record I will say that the broccoli was cooked perfectly and the rice did not burn so score 2 for me on that front.)

In hindsight I really should have put them in for another 4 -5 minutes and then just kept putting it back in till done, because as I said above beef is very sensi and needs a lot of coddling.

So the moral of the story is less is more when cooking beef.

The Other White Meat

2009-02-12T12:29:00.000-08:00

Ok, so, here's the deal, I feel like I've got mos def got my head wrapped around chicken and fish and kinda sorta beef (I can fake it if I have to), but the one meat that still alludes me is my kitchen nemesis of four letters - Pork.

Its the texture, the consistency, the look and feel that all escape me. I either over-cook it (like last night) or under-cook it which then sets me on a tizzy of over-cooking so that I end up with the proverbial rubbery pork chop. Now I didn't grow up eating Pork and I've always had an aversion to Pork Chops, but my husband L-O-V-E-S them. He can't get enough of them and so I figure this is something I should probably learn how to cook. Ah young love :)

Anyway, last night I embarked on a Rachel Ray recipe for Pork Chops in a Balsamic Vinegar glaze. For the record, I find Rachel Ray to be one of the most annoying people on the planet but if you are looking for SUPER EASY recipes that are generally a crowd pleaser I highly recommend Rachel Ray 30 minute meals.

Anyway, the recipe was easy enough -
Season the chops with salt and pepper
Cook for 5 minutes on each side in a skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Then put the chops on a plate and set aside to in order to make the glaze.

1 chopped onion
3 cloves of fresh garlic
1 sprig of Rosemary
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup balsamic

So I sauteed the onion, garlic, rosemary, and thyme for about 5 minutes and then added in the chicken stock and balsamic. I let the mixture reduce by half as the recipe called for and then added the chops to coat with the "glaze."

So it was all so simple, and the glaze was really good (although I would have done 1/2 cup of balsamic instead - I do love me some vinegar) but the chops, as I wrote above were sadly rubbery. Top that with the fact that I overcooked the broccoli, shattered the plate of potatoes by accidentally dropping it on the floor and you had a meal that was not quite cordon bleu worthy.

Anyway, the lesson here is that practice makes perfect and I guess I'll be doing some 1:1 sessions with the kitchen, me and some chops.

Funky Fresh

2009-02-12T12:10:00.000-08:00

I really can't stress enough the importance of using fresh ingredients when cooking. Now, many of you may already know this, but for a time I really didn't see what the big dif was. Back in my microwave maven days I would take a bag of frozen veggies zap them and it did the trick. I had always thought that herbs were herbs and veggies were veggies and so who really cared if they were fresh or dried or whatever. However, after many a ribbing by my boyfriend at the time, I decided to take the plunge and see what this whole fresh thing was all about, and believe you me it made a world of difference especially when it came to the herbs. Fresh rosemary, basil, thyme, cilantro, ginger - just POP so much more when coming from a fresh source. So try it. Do an experiment. Cook a dish with fresh herbs and veggies and cook a dish with dried herbs and frozen or canned veggies and you will never go back to the land of frozen or dried.

Last Night's Chicken - Garlic Cilantro Chicken

2009-02-11T18:20:00.001-08:00

So there are two ways that I tend to cook, one is to follow a recipe to the T which generally guarantees that the food will be pretty good and sometimes if I'm lucky really good. The second is to kinda make up a recipe in my head based on something that I've eaten before or just a pure experiment. This generally yields good food, sometimes great and a lot of times disasters...i.e. shrimp marinated in lime juice for an hour is already cooked - no need for fire.

Anyway, last night I had some chicken and didn't feel like looking for a recipe so I just made one up in my head - Garlic Cilantro Chicken.

I took 2 LARGE chicken breasts and sliced them into strips.
Then I added about a teaspoon of oil, 2 teaspoons of salt (in hindsight I would have just used 1 teaspoon of salt), 6 sprigs of fresh cilantro and 3 pressed garlic cloves.
Then I mixed it all up in a bowl and added 1/2 a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and a few shakes of the bottle of chili flakes (someone in my house likes spice).

With all the ingredients mixed in the bowl I dumped the chicken into the skillet and sauteed for about 15 min and voila it was donzo.

In another pan I took a whole cut up onion and sauteed the onion until it was nicely browned.
Then I added it all to brown rice and added some cut up some tomatoes and cilantro on top.

And amazingly it was a SUCCESS!

Kosher Salt

2009-02-11T18:16:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I just wanted to say a few words about Kosher Salt. I love it! If you are cooking and a recipe calls for salt, Kosher is the only way to go. I've tried other salts, sea salt, regular old Morton's salt, special grindable rock salts, but again and again, I find that Kosher salt gets the best flavor out of the food - so YEAH KOSHER SALT!

The Premise

2009-02-10T14:34:00.001-08:00

There was a time not too long ago when the idea of boiling water was a bit on the daunting side for me and sadly with no personal chef to pick up the slack, my options were none too many. So, for the sake of my wallet, and waist line, I had no choice but to take door number three and start to cook.

And what better way to embark on my magical mystery cooking tour than to share all of my own trials and tribulations of kitchen drama with the world. So enjoy the blog and look for fun easy breezy recipes for those of us making baby-steps towards kitchen confidence.