What's for Dinner? Chicken Fried Steak!

I decided to cook my husband's favorite dinner tonight in celebration!  Of what you ask?  Something REALLY important.  Like, epic. The first NFL football game of the season, of course (so what if it is preseason?)!  We are really into football here, especially the NFL.  Sully is still celebrating his beloved New Orleans Saints Superbowl win two years ago!  He loves football and I shudder to think of what it would have been like around here, had there been a lockout.  So, indeed, we needed a celebratory dinner!  Chicken Fried Steak is one of his favorite splurges.  Yes, it is not the best for you, that's why we only eat it once in a blue moon, but it is delicious and relatively easy to make.  Ok, so he ended up cooking his "surprise" dinner himself (while I made sure the baby didn't get splashed with hot oil)... but he's so good at it!  If you ever crave comfort food, this is a keeper.  Give it a try and GEAUX SAINTS!

New Orleans boy to the core!

Chicken Fried Steak
Serves 4

1 1/4 cup flour, divided 
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon creole seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
4, 6 oz cube steaks
1/2 cup cornstarch
3 eggs, loosely beaten
canola oil for frying
2 cups milk
salt and freshly ground pepper

Add garlic powder, onion powder, creole seasoning, thyme, salt and pepper to 1 cup flour.  Combine well.

Set up flouring station by putting cornstarch in one large bowl or plate, beaten egg in another, and the flour mixture in a third. Coat steaks in cornstarch, making sure it is totally covered.  Then dip in egg, and then in flour mixture. Repeat for all steaks.

In a large frying pan or cast iron skillet, pour enough oil in the pan to reach 1/4 inch up the sides.  When oil is hot, begin frying steaks.  You will probably have to do in two batches.  Fry 4 minutes on first side and flip.  Fry another 2-4 minutes on second side until golden brown and done. Drain on paper towel.  If desired, place in oven on a cookie sheet on keep warm until the gravy is ready.

When last batch of steak is done, add 1/4 cup flour to oil in pan and stir to form a roux (if there is too much oil in there, you can drain a little out before adding flour).  Once well combined, cook 2 minutes more and then start to slowly add milk.  Whisk as you add milk and make sure no lumps form.  Scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan (this is where the flavor is!). Keep adding milk, a little at a time, continuing to stir. Once gravy is to desired consistency, add salt and more pepper to taste (it will initially be a little bland, so season well--add some of that creole seasoning, if you wish).  Top steaks with gravy and serve over mashed potatoes.  Enjoy!

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What's for Dinner? Fresh Tomato Sauce with Pancetta over Pappardelle!

Yesterday, when I made my gazpacho, I went ahead and prepped all the rest of my fresh, garden tomatoes for this sauce that I was making tonight.  It is such a simple, fresh sauce that tastes almost as good if you use a good quality, San Marzano canned tomatoes than if you use fresh tomatoes (but you didn't hear me say that!). If you use fresh tomatoes, you need to core them, cut an "x" in the bottom and drop them in boiling salted water.  Let them blanch for a few seconds (15-30) and remove from boiling water.  Let cool and peel off skin.

Now for the pasta.  I have discovered this dry pasta that I am in love with.  It is Cipriani Extra Thin Pappardelle and it is amazing.  It tastes ALMOST like fresh pasta.  Now, it is very pricey.  At the Teet, an 8 oz box is $7.99.  I KNOW!  It is expensive, but, in my eyes it is so worth it. When you think that it serves 4-5, that is less than $2 per serving of pasta.  You'd pay way more at a restaurant, and it is better! Ok, so enough about that.  If you can't stomach the price, fine...just use a regular old dried pasta.  Be that way.

I hope you make this sauce...with or without fresh tomatoes and with or without the best pasta ever!  :) It is such a simple, flavorful sauce--it has become a Sullivan house standard. Buon appetito!

Fresh Tomato Sauce with Pancetta
over Pappardelle
Serves 4-5

1 TBSP olive oil
6 oz, pancetta, finely diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced

2 lbs of fresh tomatoes, cored, blanched and peeled OR 1, 28 oz can San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste
10 leaves fresh basil, rolled and cut in a chiffonade
8 oz Cipriani Pappardelle, or other dried pasta


In a large sauce pan over medium heat, add olive oil and saute pancetta for 5 minutes, until it starts to brown.  Add onion and saute until soft.  Add garlic and saute 1 minute more.  With your hands, squeeze tomatoes into the pan, breaking them up (do this whether using fresh or canned).  Add all sauce from fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes.  Simmer for 10 minutes, further breaking up tomatoes to desired chunkiness with a wooden spoon. 

Boil pot of water and add pasta.  Cook to directions and drain.


Add red pepper to sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer 10 more minutes.  Right before serving, add fresh basil and stir. Serve over pasta and top with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.  Enjoy!


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What's for Dinner? Gazpacho!

It has been over 100 degrees here (with the heat index) for over a month.  It's been brutal!  So, when thinking about dinner tonight, something light and cool sounded good.  We have a ton of tomatoes in the garden and gazpacho sounded perfect!

I have two friends that sent me gazpacho recipes the same week a while back, so I kind of combined the two and the result was fantastic!  My friend Erin sent me her recipe...something special she made her dad for Father's Day.  And my friend Holly also sent a recipe. That recipe was created by a wonderful private chef her and her husband, Bill, so generously hired when several of us came to visit them in Chicago.  We had an awesome meal, that was like 10 courses, and this gazpacho really stood out.  She also served it in these adorable little hollowed-out cucumber cups...but I will stick to serving it in a good old-fashioned bowl!

Garnish the soup with whatever accoutrements you like...the more the better (I served it with sour cream and avocado...and the avocado really made it!).  And when served with a big crusty piece of bread...YUM!  Enjoy and stay cool!

Gazpacho

Serves 6-8

• 4 Roma tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• ½ cup good olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine or Sherry vinegar
• 2 cups low sodium vegetable juice cocktail (like V8)
• 1 cup diced, toasted or day old baguette
• 2 English cucumbers, seeded, peeled and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1 large handful cilantro
• ½-1 jalapeno (seeded if you desire less spicy)
• juice of half a lemon 
• 2-3 tsp hot sauce (to taste)
• Salt and pepper to taste  

In a food processor, combine oil, vinegar, and tomato juice.  Add all other ingredients and puree until smooth (you may have to do this in two batches and stir together).  Season to taste.  Chill for at least 2 hours. Serve with sour cream, avocado slices, croutons, boiled shrimp, chopped fresh cilantro, and/or fresh basil. 

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What's for Dinner? Chicken Roti!

The beautiful British Virgin Islands

In 2008 we took a wonderful trip to the British Virgin Islands with our good friends.  We rented an amazing house on Tortola and boated around the islands.  It was so fun and we discovered that pretty much everywhere we went to eat, they had this thing called Roti on the menu.  It turned out, that Roti is this delicious curried chicken or vegetable stew.  Most of the time, it was served wrapped in a sort of tortilla that was made from chickpea meal, and then topped with mango chutney.  The girls loved it so much, at least one of us ordered it every time we went out.  We got really excited once, near the beginning of our discovery of Roti, when one of the little hole-in-the-wall places we went declared that their roti was (insert Caribbean accent) "the best on the island, man". Well, we heard that at almost every other subsequent place we went!  Inside island joke, I guess. But, it was all good and I'm glad we discovered a new taste on that great trip.

You want me to eat WHAT??

I came up with this recipe when I got home, because I was craving that Roti!  The chickpea tortilla is impossible to recreate (especially for a non-baker like myself), so you can use any kind of flour tortilla you like, or I just serve it as a stew or sometimes put it in a pita pocket.  If you do try the "burrito" tortilla method and you are in to chutneys, buy a bottled one and spoon it over the top: the others in the group loved it (it just breaks my fruit and meat rule, so I passed on it!).  If you want to do a vegetarian version, omit the chicken and add cauliflower and chickpeas. I would love to tell you Finn ate his up, but that would not be the case.  Someday! 

If you ever get a chance to go to the BVIs, GO!  It is a wonderful place and I can't wait to go back soon.  Enjoy your new taste of the islands!

"Best on the Island" Chicken Roti

Serves 4

• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced or sliced
• 3-5 cloves garlic, minced (depending on how much garlic you like!)
• 3 chicken breasts, diced
• 1 large or 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 heaping tablespoon curry powder
• a few dashes of habanero hot sauce, to taste (I found a great Caribbean Scotch Bonnet hot sauce in the hot sauce isle at our grocery store)
• 1 teaspoon salt (omit if not using low sodium chicken broth!)
• black pepper to taste
• 2 cups chicken broth
• flour tortillas or pitas
• jarred mango chutney (optional)

Heat half of the oil in large saucepan.  Saute onions and carrots until soft.  Add in garlic and cook for another minute.  Transfer to a bowl and set aside.  In same skillet, add rest of the oil and saute chicken and potatoes together until they are browned and chicken is cooked through.  Add onion mixture back in.  Add curry powder, salt, pepper and hot sauce.  Stir to coat.  Add chicken broth (should just about cover the contents, if not, add water until it does) and turn down heat.  Simmer until sauce thickens and potatoes are fully cooked, about 30-45 minutes.  Add more broth or water if it gets too thick. Take off heat and let sit about 5 minutes prior to serving, to let the sauce thicken more.  Spoon on tortilla or pita and top with chutney (if desired). ENJOY!  

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What's for Sides? Spencer's Salsa!

Our friend Spencer makes the best salsa.  Whenever we have get-togethers, someone always asks her to make it.  I got the recipe from her a while back and ever since, I have not purchased any store-bought salsa.  Her recipe is so easy and so yummy!  It takes like, 5 minutes to make...less time than walking down the salsa aisle in the store. You definitely have to try it.  You will be a convert, too!

Tonight we had Taco Night and, of course, Spencer's salsa made an appearance.  I also found something new and tasty in the store.  I discovered this Frontera taco sauce (and no, I'm not getting paid to advertise this...I wish!). It is a sauce packet in the Mexican Aisle...the one I got was the Taco Skillet with Red Chile and Cumin.  I just added it to some lean ground beef (you can use turkey) and onion that I browned and simmered it for about 10 minutes.  Really good!  There is a whole line of these sauces (although my local store only had 2). It really was flavorful and made the tacos special. Give it a try and enjoy!


Spencer's Salsa

1 clove garlic, peeled
1/2-1 jalapeno, seeded
1 large handful fresh cilantro
1/2 medium onion
1 14 oz can fire roasted tomatoes, drained
1 14-oz can tomatoes and green chilies (like Rotel), drained (use desired heat level)
juice of 1/2 lime
pinch of kosher salt
grind of black pepper

In a food processor, add garlic, jalapeno and cilantro and process until finely minced.  Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until desired consistency is reached.  Enjoy!

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What's for Lunch? Bacony Egg Salad!

I love it when my food cravings coincide with items I have in my fridge! I had a dozen hard-boiled eggs I needed to use, and when I came home from my workout today I was seriously craving egg salad (very weird, I know...guess I needed a protein fix!).  I remembered an egg salad that my friends Kelly and Molly made when we went out to visit them in Denver that was awesome.  The key ingredient was bacon--because bacon makes everything taste better, of course!  It is really easy to make and really tasty.  Put it on some great crusty bread with some garden-fresh tomatoes, and you have a delicious lunch.  Enjoy!

Bacony Egg Salad
Serves 4-6

• 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into small pieces
• 12 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 3 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 TBSP white wine vinegar
• 3 TBSP mayonnaise (I use light, olive oil mayonnaise)
• 1-2 TBSP dijon mustard
• pinch salt
• a few grinds of black pepper

In a hot skillet, cook bacon pieces until crispy.  Remove from pan with slotted spoon and let drain on paper towels. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine eggs, bacon, onions, vinegar, mayo, mustard, salt and pepper. Carefully fold ingredients together...try not to mash up eggs too much.  Serve open face on baguette slices or on crusty bread as a sandwich and enjoy!

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What's for Apps? Shrimp Summer Rolls!

Tonight we went to a cookout down on the Intracoastal at our friends Austin and Jenny's Club's dock. It was so fun and the breeze down on the water almost made us forget it was 100 degrees out!  I had to bring an app, and I wanted something that could be served at room temp and that was refreshing in the oppressive heat.  These came to mind.  I hadn't made them in a long time, but thought they were just the thing.  Now, these can be a little time consuming to do, but they are fun, and I suggest making them with a friend while drinking a glass (or two) of wine (advice I should have given myself before I started these). But in the end they are worth it because they are beautiful, delicious and seriously healthy.  Give them a try...they'll be the hit of the party!

Shrimp Summer Rolls
Makes 10 large rolls

• 1 lb 30 count shrimp
• 1/2 pkg vermicelli rice noodles (found in Asian aisle), soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and drained.
• 1 package Vietnamese rice paper (you can find these at the Asian market or sometimes in the Asian aisle of the supermarket--do NOT use egg roll wrappers...they are not the same thing!)
• 5 crab sticks, sliced in half lengthwise
• 1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cucumber, seeded and julienned
• 1 handful pre-shredded carrots
• 1 pkg enoki mushrooms (optional)
• 1/2 bunch green onion, chopped
• 1 bunch mint, leaves stripped and roughly chopped.
• 1 bunch cilantro, leaves stripped
• sweet chili sauce (store bought--in the Asian aisle)
• ginger soy sauce (recipe below)

Fill medium pot with water, bring to a boil.  Salt water and add shrimp.  Cook for 2 minutes, or until pink and firm.  With a slotted spoon, remove shrimp into a colander and rinse.  Slice shrimp in half. Turn off heat on burner and add noodles.  Let soak 10 minutes until they become soft.  Drain and rinse.  Set aside.

Line up all ingredients.  Fill shallow plate with warm to hot water. Cover another plate with a damp paper towel.  Dip rice paper in warm water and let sit for 10-20 seconds.  Make sure all areas are under water.  When soft (don't let sit too long--you don't want it soggy) carefully pick up rice paper and place on damp paper towel (if it gets wrinkled, don't panic! Just carefully smooth it out).  In the center of the rice paper, put 5 shrimp across, uncut side down.  Then layer all ingredients on top.  Fold side closest to you up over ingredients.  Fold sides in (like a burrito) and then tightly roll up until fully sealed.  Repeat with remaining rice papers and ingredients.  Do not stack the rolls, as they are very sticky! Slice in half and serve with dipping sauces.  Enjoy!

Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce
Add 2 TBSP soy sauce and 2 TBSP reduced sodium soy sauce (or you can do all one or the other) to a small bowl.  Add 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil. Grate peeled ginger into the sauce (maybe 1/4 tsp).  Grate 1/2 clove garlic into the sauce.  Add 1/2 tsp sesame seeds. Whisk together and let sit to allow flavors to come together.

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What's for Dinner? Summer Tomato "Pizza" Pie!

Home grown tomatoes sunning themselves on our sill

Man, I am worn out from this past week!  Finn was sick, turned one year old, we had BOTH sets of Grandparents in town and a big party on Saturday.  It was exhausting, but a lot of fun. We've been eating leftovers from the weekend for 2 days now (I had the party catered), so tonight, I wanted something else, and needed to use some of our garden tomatoes that were sunning in the window.  Some of the ladies at Sully's work were talking about this tomato pie recipe and I decided to try it.  I had all the ingredients on hand and seemed simple enough to do (as a general rule, I do NOT bake!). I adapted the recipe a bit, but it came out really good.  Sully said it tasted like a tomato pizza...hence the name.  If you have fresh tomatoes and basil, this is a great, simple dish to make...and it will impress your friends!  Enjoy!

Summer Tomato "Pizza" Pie

Serves 4

• 1 refrigerated pie crust (or can use frozen already in pan)
• 3-4 tomatoes, sliced (you can peel them first but isn’t a must)
• kosher salt
• 5 large basil leaves, rolled up and cut in a chiffonade
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 green onions, chopped
• ¾ cup shredded mozzarella
• ¾ cup shredded cheddar
• ½ cup mayonnaise (I use light Olive Oil Mayo)
• pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Roll pie dough on to 9-inch pie pan (spray with Pam) or put in a tart pan. If using pie pan, crimp edges of the crust so they look nice.  Prick bottom of crust with fork.  Prebake pie crust for about 12 minutes, until slightly golden (you may need to prick more halfway through, if you see the crust is rising up in the middle).  Lower oven temp to 350.  Set crust aside to cool.

Pie before cheese mixture is added on

Place sliced tomatoes in a colander.  Add a pinch of salt and let drain over sink for about 20 minutes to get a lot of the liquid out.

In a small bowl, mash together the cheeses and the mayo until combined.

In the pie pan or tart shell, layer tomatoes on the bottom.  Sprinkle with herbs and onion. Layer on the cheese mixture and spread evenly over top.  Add fresh ground pepper.

Bake for 30 minutes.  Broil for about 2-4 minutes (watch it!) until the cheese is golden and bubbly on top.  Let sit for about 10 minutes and slice and serve!

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What's for Dinner? Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Marinara over Spaghetti Squash!

Ok, so we have more eggplant and peppers galore from the garden (holy cow, we are having a fantastic first attempt at a garden!) that we needed to use and I came across this recipe that looked really good.  We also had spaghetti squash from the garden as well.  Funny story...

Back in the early 2000s, Sully and I did the South Beach Diet for several months.  We both lost a lot of weight, mostly because we didn't eat many carbs for that period of time.  A substitution for pasta, according to the South Beach way of life, was spaghetti squash.  I used to make it every so often, and liked it.  Flash forward to this spring.  We were planting the garden and Sully bought a spaghetti squash plant because he thought I really liked it (I like it ok, but it wasn't something I ever would have thought about growing).  Anyways, little did we both know, the spaghetti squash is an unruly plant that completely takes over.  It grew out into our yard, up our deck trellis and every other which way.  When it was all said and done, we had 4 large squash and a crazy, cracked-out plant we had to get rid of!  But, I digress...

This recipe has a lot of steps, but I added some notes to make it a bit simpler, if you like.  You can't get away from roasting the eggplant, but you can buy jarred roasted peppers instead of doing it yourself.  This came out great and I did really like the spaghetti squash.  I didn't even miss real pasta (and I LOVE pasta).  But if you don't want to deal with the squash, by all means, use pasta!  I hope you try it, it's really good and doesn't get much healthier than this!  Enjoy (and beware of the man-eating vines, if you ever plant spaghetti squash)!

Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Marinara over Spaghetti Squash
Adapted from Rachael Ray
Serves 4

• 2 medium eggplants (or 4 thin, purple Japanese eggplant)
• 1 spaghetti squash, sliced lengthwise and seeds removed
• 1 red bell pepper (or 1-2 jarred roasted red peppers)
• 2 red chile peppers , I used overripe Anaheims from the garden (or 2-3
• jarred Piquillo peppers)
• 1 head garlic
• 1 sprig rosemary, minced
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 carton sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 28-oz can whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes, with juice
• 8 basil leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• grated Parmesan or Romano cheese  

Preheat oven to 425.  Cut top off of garlic bulb and remove outer skin.  Place on a sheet of tinfoil.  Drizzle with olive oil and top with rosemary.  Fold foil around bulb to form packet and seal tightly.  Place in oven.  Total cook time with be about 45 minutes (while eggplant is roasting) or until garlic is soft and removes from skin easily. 

Cut eggplants in half, lengthwise.  Brush cut side with olive oil and place, cut side down, on a baking sheet.  Roast for 30-45 minutes, until browned and very soft.  When done, set it and garlic aside and cool.

If roasting your own peppers, brush all peppers with olive oil and broil for 3-4 minutes, until skin is charred, and turn with tongs until all sides have been well charred.  Remove from oven and let cool.

Place spaghetti squash, cut sides down, on a microwavable plate.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap.  Microwave on high for 8-10 minutes, until flesh easily shreds with fork (be careful when unwrapping plastic...the steam is HOT).  Shred flesh of squash and put in serving bowl.

While squash is cooking, in a large saucepan, add 1 TBSP olive oil.  Sauté mushrooms until brown.  Add chicken broth and tomatoes.  With a fork or hand potato masher, mash whole tomatoes so they break up a bit (watch out, sometimes they will spit at you!). Let simmer.

While tomatoes are simmering, scoop flesh from eggplant and add to food processor or mini prep.  Remove skin, stems and seeds from peppers and add to processor.  Scoop garlic from skins and add to processor.  Process until smooth (or leave a little chunky, if you like).

Add eggplant mixture to tomatoes.  Stir well.  Cook for another 10 minutes, until sauce starts to thicken. Add oregano, basil and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over sauce over spaghetti squash and top with grated Parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!

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What's for Dinner? Smoked Chicken Pasta!

Sorry, I've been slack on the postings!  Between planning for Finn's 1-Year Birthday (BOTH sets of grandparents are coming in town) and then having a sick baby boy, it's been busy around here!  So...I do the best I can!  :)

Sunday, Sully engaged in one of his new favorite hobbies...smoking meat.  I got him a Weber smoker for our anniversary this year and he's enjoyed experimenting with it.  This weekend he smoked some chicken leg quarters (they were on special at the Teet for $.47 a pound!).  They came out really good...juicy inside and crispy skin on the outside.  We had leftovers, so I thought the smoked chicken would go well in pasta.  If you don't have a smoker, you can usually buy smoked chicken...Fresh Market has it in their rotisserie section.  You could use regular rotisserie chicken in this...just make sure to use the smoked mozzarella to add the smokiness that is so tasty in this pasta.  And, P.S., I highly recommend asking for a smoker for Christmas...it makes some amazing meat!  I hope you like it...GO MEAT!

An array of delicious smoked meat

Smoked Chicken Pasta
Serves 6

• 1 lb penne pasta
• 2 ears fresh corn, kernels cut off the cob
• 6 poblano or anaheim peppers
• 2 TBSP plus 1 TSP butter (I used Brummel and Brown spread)
• 2 TBSP flour
• 1 cup skim milk
• 2/3 cup light cream cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
• 3 smoked chicken quarters, skin removed and meat pulled from bone and shredded (about 2 cups)
• 1 can Rotel, drained
• 1 TBSP creole or blackening seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 oz smoked mozzarella, cut in small cubes

Cook pasta according to directions.

Heat broiler in oven.  Place peppers on a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.  Broil about 5 minutes on one side, or until skin starts to turn black and bubble.  Flip over.  Broil another 3 minutes on second side, until done.  Let cool.  Once cool, remove tops, skin and seeds.  Chop and reserve.

In a medium skillet heat 1 TSP butter and saute corn until it begins to char.  Set aside.

In a saucepan, heat butter until melted.  Stir in flour and combine to form a smooth paste.  Slowly add in milk and stir until sauce forms and thickens.  If too thick, add a little more milk.  Reduce heat and add cream cheese and Parmesan and stir until combined and smooth.

Add cheese sauce to pasta and add seasonings.  Stir until combined.  Add chicken, peppers, tomatoes, corn and mozzarella.  Serve!

** This would also be good with black beans and/or crumbled bacon added in.

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What's for Dinner? Chicken and Pepper Stirfry

Tonight, after having spent all last week with my parents, I was feeling nostalgic and wanted to cook one of my mom's recipes from when we were growing up.  Back in the day, my mom was kind of your standard Baby Boomer Housewife cook...she made simple, quick dishes (including a lot of casseroles), but all were tasty!  This recipe was one of her more "adventurous" undertakings, as Asian food was not in her normal cooking repertoire.  I had some bell peppers (from the garden of course) that I needed to use and that made me think of this.  Ahhh, "memories...like the corners of my mind" (remember the scene with Tom Hanks in "Big", anyone?).  I hope you like it!  Enjoy!

Chicken and Pepper Stirfry
Serves 4

• 1/2 cup soy sauce (can use regular, reduced sodium or a combo of both)
• 2 TBSP cooking sherry
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 3 TBSP cornstarch
• 2 TBSP oil (olive or canola), divided
• 3 chicken breasts (about a pound), cut into bite-size pieces
• 3 bell peppers, cut in thin slices (use a combo of red and green)
• 1 onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
• 1 8 oz container sliced mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can sliced water chestnuts (optional)
• 1 cup water
• rice

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce through cornstarch and mix well.  Set aside.

Over high heat, saute chicken in large skillet and cook until brown and cooked through.  Reserve to bowl.  In same pan, add remaining oil and saute peppers, onions and mushrooms until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and water chestnuts, if using, and saute 1 minute more.

Add reserved chicken back to the pan and add sauce.  Stir to combine and cook about 1 minute.  Add water and let mixture simmer and thicken, about 5 more minutes.  When all is combines and sauce is thick, serve over rice.

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What's for Sides? Nan's Delicious Artichokes!

We have lots of parties...it's what we like to do! A lot of the time we do kind of a pot-luck thing, where all of our friends bring food over and/or we cook together.  But sometimes we have parties that we do all the cooking.  At one of those parties, our annual Mardi Gras fete, my friend Nan came and brought me a little hostess gift.  She knows my love of food, so she brought a hand-written card of one of her favorite recipes, with some of the ingredients that go in it. It was such a cute idea and the recipe sounded great.  I FINALLY got around to making her dish last night, and wish I hadn't waited so long.  There's a reason she calls them her "delicious artichokes".  This was easy and really good!  All the flavors go perfectly together.  It's great as a side dish, and Sully and I thought it would be awesome as a stuffing for chicken, as well (just dice the artichokes up smaller).  Give it a try.  And next time you go to a party, try Nan's idea for a hostess gift...your friends will be grateful!  Enjoy!


Nan's Delicious Artichokes
Serves 4-6

• 4 TBSP olive oil, divided
• 4 anchovy fillets (don't be afraid, when cooked here, they taste nutty, not at all fishy!)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 TBSP capers
• 4 oz fresh bread crumbs (take the extra time to throw some old bread in the food processor, it's worth it)
• 3 TBSP toasted pine nuts (throw them in the toaster oven for a few minutes...be sure not to burn!)
• 2 pkgs frozen artichoke hearts, thawed (or 3 pkgs of the fresh pack ones in the produce section at stores like the Fresh Market)
• 3 TBSP fresh parsley, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat 3 TBSP olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium low heat and add anchovies.  Saute until anchovies melt into oil.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the red pepper flakes, capers and breadcrumbs.  Stir and keep on heat until bread is toasted, crispy and golden brown. Add pine nuts, salt, and pepper (be careful, anchovies are salty, so taste before you add more salt). Pour mixture into bowl and set aside.  Add additional TBSP oil and saute artichokes until they take on a bit of color and are tender.  Add reserved breadcrumb mixture and the parsley.  If you want, sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese. Serve!

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What's for Dinner? Flounder Florentine!

After our heavier Pad Thai last night, I wanted something a littler lighter this evening.  My mom and I went to Fresh Market and (amid a complete Finn meltdown) found some great looking flounder.  It was actually called Turbot Flounder.  I had to look that up, because I had heard of Turbot, but didn't know it was a flounder.

So [quick flounder lesson], the Turbot Flounder or European Flounder is mostly found in Europe in the White, Black and Mediterranean Seas and was introduced to Canada and the USA by accident in ballast water on ships.  The Turbot Flounder I got at the Fresh Market today was from Canada.  The flounder we usually get here in the South is Southern Flounder.  There are also Summer Flounder and Winter Flounder in the Western Atlantic and Olive Flounder of the coast of Japan.  Now, you can go brag about your flounder knowledge to all of your friends.

I have this easy recipe that is really good.  You can do it with Flounder, Sole, Halibut or Grouper...pretty much any kind of mild white fish (not too thick or steak-y).  I served it with mashed potatoes and more sauteed garden zucchini.  Sorry guys, no photo for this tonight.  I don't have my usual setup since I'm not at home and the photos I took just don't look too appetizing...I couldn't do it to you!  Next time I make it I will update this entry.  It may not look good in photos, but give it a try...it's simple and really tasty!  Enjoy!

Flounder Florentine
Serves 2

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 TBSP butter, melted
• 1 TBSP mayonnaise
• 3 green onions, sliced (whites and greens)
• 2, 5 oz bags baby spinach (or you can use 1, but it cooks down a lot)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 lb flounder fillet(s)
• salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, mix together Parm, butter, mayo and the white and half of the greens of the scallion.  Set aside.

Spray a 9x13 casserole with cooking spray and layer spinach on the bottom.  Sprinkle garlic over top.  Lay flounder fillet(s) over spinach and squeeze lemon juice on top.  Brush on sauce mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes, depending on how thin your fish is (if not done, keep cooking until it is, but don't overdo...you don't want mushy fish)! Top with the remaining green onions and serve with rice or mashed potatoes.  Enjoy!

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What's for Dinner? Pad Thai!

This week I'm back home visiting with my parents in Apex (the Peak of Good Living).  My uncle is also up from Miami and he inspired me to make Pad Thai tonight.  (And yes, I might be the only person in the world that goes home and cooks for my parents, instead of my parents cooking for me...ha!) He was in the Air Force and stationed in Thailand during Vietnam in the late sixties, so needless to say, he knows good Thai food--I had a lot to live up to!  When researching recipes, I found that a lot of them call for some unique ingredients like cane sugar and tamarind paste.  I tried to keep it to ingredients you can buy in a normal grocery store.  I also wanted to make it healthier, since a lot of the Thai places use a ton of oil.  I think the flavor came out great and I didn't miss the extra oil.  My uncle had two big servings, and even my Mom, who declared earlier in the day that she didn't like Pad Thai, said she loved it.  On a side note, Dad loved it as well, but wished there was tofu in it.  Sorry, Dad, keep dreaming.  Enjoy!

Pad Thai
Serves 4-5

1 lb rice noodles
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup fish sauce
3 TBSP brown sugar
2 limes, one juiced and one cut into wedges for garnish
1 TBSP toasted sesame oil
2 TBSP peanut or canola oil, divided
3 eggs, scrambled
3 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch green onion, sliced diagonally in 1/2 inch pieces (green and whites)
1 large handful mung bean sprouts
1 large handful pre-shredded carrots
1 large handful cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped
Sriracha hot sauce

Place the rice noodles in a bowl and cover with very hot tap water.  Let sit for 30 minutes until soft (they will still be a bit al dente, you don't want them to get soggy).

In another small bowl, stir together 1 TBSP canola/peanut oil, soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar and sesame oil.  Whisk until well combined.  Set aside.

Heat remaining oil on high in large wok or skillet, and add chicken.  Saute until brown and cooked through. Reduce heat to medium high and add garlic, white and half of green parts of onion and carrots and saute for about 1-2 minutes.  Add sauce and noodles. Thoroughly toss together and cook for about 5-10 minutes, continuously tossing.  Once noodles are soft, move some of the noodles over to the edge to make an opening in the bottom of the pan.  Pour in eggs and let them cook.  Start scraping them up and continue until they are scrambled.  Once they are fully cooked, add bean sprouts toss with the egg and pasta and make sure everything is well combined.  Remove from heat and add to serving bowl.  Top with the rest of the green onion, cilantro and chopped peanuts.  Add Sriracha hot sauce to taste for some heat.

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What's for Apps? Lobster Roll Crostini!

We had a great July 4th weekend...lots of friends, fun, family and even more FOOD!  Yesterday we had a cookout with our Wilmington crew, and as usual, we had sooo much food.  Everything was delicious.  We had shrimp tempura rolls, sausage and cheese stuffed jalapenos, homemade pimento cheese, tomato and feta bruschetta and buffalo chicken dip.  And that was just the appetizers!  My addition to the spread was a "lobster roll" crostini.  I've been up to the Northeast and had their famous lobster rolls before...big pieces of lobster tossed with mayo and celery and spices, then put on a buttered roll.  I wanted to make an appetizer version of this so I thought crostini would be perfect.  I buttered and grilled the baguette slices, so they had a little bit of a smoky flavor.  It was really easy to make and they turned out great...I just wish I had made more!  But with all the other awesome food...we definitely did NOT go hungry.  Overall it was a great weekend and it made me even happier than usual to live in this great country.  Happy 4th everyone!

Lobster Roll Crostini
Makes ~20 Crostini

• 6 medium lobster tails
•  kosher salt
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup (loosely packed) chopped celery leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 baguette, sliced on the bias into 1/2" slices
• 1/4 stick butter, melted

In a large pot of boiling water, add the lobster tails and salt generously.  Cook for 8 minutes until they turn red and tails curl.  Remove from water and set aside to cool.

In a bowl, combine the mayo, celery, onion, celery leaves and celery salt.  Once lobster cools, remove meat from shells and coarsely chop.  Add to mayo mixture. Refrigerate for several hours.

Butter one side of baguette slices.  On low heat, place bread, butter side down and grill until golden (and grill marks appear on bread).  Flip and keep on heat briefly.  Remove to platter and top with lobster mixture.  Add more celery leaves for garnish, if desired.  Enjoy!

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What's for Dinner? Grilled Kielbasa and Pierogi!

I look forward to Christmas every year...not because of the presents, but because it is usually the one time during the year that I get Polish food.  My mother's side of the family are Polish, and it had a big influence on us growing up.  My Grandmother and Great Aunts all spoke Polish to each other when they didn't want us overhearing anything we shouldn't!  For days and weeks in advance of Christmas, they would slave over borscht, pierogi, golumbki (stuffed cabbage) and Hungarian Butterhorn cookies.  The torch has since been passed to my mother, sister and I, and we do our best to recreate the same dishes.

This week I got a magazine in the mail that had a recipe for kielbasa and pierogi, and I thought to myself, why do I have to wait until Christmastime to have this??  I don't!  This version had a vinaigrette made with whole grain mustard and apple cider vinegar that you toss with everything that made it a bit different.  It was really good, and although I don't usually like the sweet/meat combo (I'll go in to that at a later date), it was tasty!  It definitely gave the dish a little more of a German flair, but it was a nice variation on the standard.

Hopefully you will say, as my Grandmother taught us to say after each meal, "dziękuję za smaczny obiad" or "thank you for the delicious dinner".  Enjoy!

Grilled Kielbasa and Pierogi
Adapted from Food Network Magazine
Serves 4

• 1 lb kielbasa (I used turkey), cut into 4-6 large pieces 
• 1 1/2  TBSP whole grain mustard
• 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar (use white wine vinegar if you don't like sweet)
• 3 TBSP olive oil, divided
• 1 large onion, sliced in half moons
• 1 pkg sliced white mushrooms
• 1 lb frozen potato and cheese pierogi, keep frozen (I found a brand called Cheemo that is pretty good)
• minced green onion for garnish
• sour cream

Grill the keilbasa until marked and heated through.  Set aside.

Whisk the mustard, vinegar and 1 TBSP of the olive oil together.  Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 1 TBSP of olive oil, and saute the onions and mushrooms until browned and soft.  Set aside.

In the same skillet, heat the remaining olive oil and add frozen pierogi.  Saute a couple of minutes on one side and then flip over.  After another couple of minutes, add a couple of tablespoons of water and cover.  Let steam until they are cooked. Uncover and add in kielbasa, onions and mushrooms.  Add vinaigrette and salt and pepper to taste. Combine thoroughly. Make sure everything is hot and put on serving platter.  Top with chopped green onion and a dollop of sour cream.  Enjoy!


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What's for Dinner? Fish in Parchment!

After a tough spinning workout this morning, I was feeling good and healthy.  I wanted something that was also light and nutritious for dinner. This fish in parchment recipe is just the ticket.  If you have never cooked in parchment before, you have to try it!  It seems scary, but there is really nothing to it, and everything comes out super moist and delicious.  The first time I encountered this cooking method was when I was working for Whole Foods and we did a photo shoot for a similar recipe (developed by my pal, Cindy).  I was in love ever since!  This recipe is for fish, but I have done chicken and it is awesome as well (you would just need to cook it for longer than the fish).  The key is to cut the veggies very thin, so they cook in the same amount of time that the fish does. And feel free to add in any veggies you like...there are so many ways you can do it.  I hope you like it as much as I do!  Enjoy!

Fish in Parchment
Serves 2

½ large or one small zucchini, julienned in fine strips

1 small carrot, julienned (or a small handful of the pre-shredded carrots!)

1 small fennel bulb (white bulb only), very thinly sliced (remove the tough core from center)

1 small leek, white part only, thinly sliced

1 small onion, halved, then thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Juice of ½ lemon

2 (6-ounce) snapper, grouper, kingclip or salmon fillets

2 TBSP pesto

Parchment paper

Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine zucchini, carrots, fennel, leeks, onion, garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper into a large bowl and toss well.

 Lay an 18-inch piece of parchment paper on a work surface. Fold in half (like a book). While folded, cut through both paper layers to form a heart shape (make this as large as possible). Open the paper and place ½ of the veggie mix on half of the heart, as close to the fold as you can. Top with fish, 1 TBSP pesto and a squeeze of lemon.  Fold the second side of the heart over the fish and veggies so it is closed.  Beginning at the rounded top of the heart, roll up and keep folding over the edge of the paper toward the fish, working your way around the side of the half heart. When you get to the heart's tip, firmly twist and tuck the end underneath the package (make sure it is sealed tight, so the steam from cooking will not escape). Repeat with second fillet and remaining vegetables.

Put both packets on a sheet pan and bake until paper is puffy and starting to brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove to serving plates and cut open (be careful, the steam will come pouring out). 

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What's for Dinner? Thai Red Curry with Chicken and Eggplant!

We have more and more veggies sprouting up every day in our garden.  My mission for tonight: use the Japanese (Ichiban) eggplants that we have.  I have to say, I am usually not a huge fan of eggplant, but I do like it in Asian dishes for some reason (or fried, but again, what ISN'T better fried?).  I thought a curry dish sounded just about right.  This recipe turned out great (mine was a bit too salty, but I adapted the recipe to fix that issue).  It had amazing flavor and if you are a fan of Thai food...you have to give this a try (just make sure you add no extra salt to anything).  Definitely a keeper.  It isn't too spicy, even with the red curry paste, so if you want more heat, add some Sriracha hot sauce or garlic chili paste.  Enjoy!

Thai Red Curry with Chicken and Eggplant

Serves 4-6

• 1 ½ tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1 (14-ounce) can lite coconut milk
• 3 TBSP Thai red curry paste
• 1 cup low sodium chicken stock (important to use low sodium here…there are several other ingredients that have a high salt content)
• 3 TBSP fish sauce (don’t be turned off by the smell, it tastes so much different)
• 1 TBSP lemongrass paste (found in herb section of produce dept)
• 3 kaffir lime leaves, stalked and cut into strips, optional (these can be hard to find, but they do sell bottled lime leaves in the Asian section…use about a TBSP of these already shredded leaves)
• 1 inch piece ginger, cut in half
• ½ tsp turmeric (if you don’t have this spice, just leave it out)
• 1 pound chicken cutlets, sliced into thin strips
• 3 Japanese eggplants (the purple ones that are about 10-inches long), cut in half and then sliced (if you can’t find these, use a regular eggplant and dice it up in 1-inch cubes)
• 1 ½ cups green beans, cut in half
• ½ can baby corn, cut in half
• ½ can sliced bamboo shoots (I like to julienne them, but you definitely don’t have to)
• ½ lime, juiced
• Cilantro, for garnish
• Jasmine rice 

In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil on high and add chicken.  Cook until browned and cooked through.  Reserve to bowl.  In same skillet, reduce heat to medium and add the rest of the oil and the coconut milk and bring to boil. Add curry paste and stir until well combined (with no lumps). Add chicken stock, fish sauce, lemongrass paste, lime leaves (if using), ginger and turmeric. Bring back to a boil and then add the reserved chicken and the rest of the ingredients except lime juice and cilantro. Reduce heat and simmer about 30-45 minutes until the eggplant and beans are tender and the liquid reduces down a bit (the longer you cook it, the better!).

Squeeze lime juice into curry mixture and give a stir.  Spoon curry over hot rice and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.  Enjoy!

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What's for Lunch? Macaroni & Cheese and Smoked Rib Grilled Cheese!

Ok, now this is a strange one!  Sully has a new love of brewing beer with our friends.  Today we had some of them over for another brewing session.  The boys brew the beer and the girls play with the kids, drink a little wine and read entertainment magazines (or smut as we like to call our oh-so-guilty pleasure). My friend Missy called in advance and told me that if I was up for something wierd, she had a recipe she wanted to try.  I assured her I am always up for interesting food!  She came over with a tray of homemade mac and cheese, some smoked baby back ribs and a loaf of bread.  WAH?  She said she was watching the Food Network and there was a show with a food truck that made these macaroni and cheese and baby back rib grilled cheese sandwiches.  Crazy? Yes! Delicious? YES!  Make the Mac & Cheese in advance (this Joy of Cooking recipe is my fave), eat half and then refrigerate overnight.  If you want to make the ribs yourself, great, if not, hit up the Fresh Market and get 1/2 a rack of their freshly smoked ribs.  It is a crazy mish-mash of ingredients, but the end result is awesome!  Enjoy!

Macaroni & Cheese and Smoked Baby Back Rib Grilled Cheese
Adapted from Food Network
Serves 4

• 8 thick slices country or sourdough bread
• 1/2 stick butter (or equivalent of lower cal spread)
• 9x9 tray of mac and cheese (cut into 1x1x4 inch planks)
• 1/2 rack of smoked ribs (meat pulled from the bone)
• 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Barbecue Sauce and Ranch Dressing for dipping

Arrange cold mac and cheese "planks" on a plate and microwave for 1 minute to take the chill off (there should be 12 planks, 3 for each sandwich).

Butter one side of each piece of bread. Arrange four of the slices of bread, butter down.  Sprinkle half of the shredded cheese over the slices.  Then layer the rib meat and the macaroni and cheese pieces on top.  Top with the rest of the cheese and then place the other slices of bread, butter side up on top.

Grill on a grill pan or in a large skillet until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden brown.  Serve with barbecue sauce and/or Ranch dressing for dipping.

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Baked Macaroni and Cheese
From the Joy of Cooking
Serves 4

• 2 cups (8 ounces) elbow macaroni
• 3 tablespoons butter – divided plus extra for greasing pan
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups whole or skim milk
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 2 1/4 cups grated sharp Cheddar or Colby cheese, divided
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

Bring 6 cups water and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt to rolling boil in medium saucepan. Add macaroni and cook until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and put in large bowl.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Stir in onion, bay leaf and paprika. Simmer gently, stirring often, 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaf.

Stir in macaroni. Pour half of mixture into greased, deep 1 1/2-quart baking dish and sprinkle with half of remaining cheese. Top with remaining macaroni and remaining cheese.

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in small skillet over medium heat. Add bread crumbs and toss to coat. Sprinkle buttered crumbs over top of macaroni.

Bake at 350F. until bread crumbs are lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

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What's for Apps? Fava Bean Puree Crostini!

Two years ago we had a great trip out west.  We spent a couple of days with our good friends in Denver and then headed over to Lake Tahoe where we spent another week celebrating our friends' engagement.  One of the nights in Tahoe, we hired a private chef to cook dinner for our group.  It was amazing and I distinctly remember these little crostini with fava bean puree being outstanding.  Since then, I've been wanting to recreate it, and last week, I got a recipe in my inbox from Chow.com that seemed similar...I just adapted it a little bit.  It turned out great, but now I realize why we have only ever had this when a private chef was cooking...fava beans are way labor intensive!  They come in a long pod that you must break open and remove the beans.  Then you have to put the beans in salted boiling water and cook them for a few minutes to soften them up.  Then you have to plunge the beans in an ice bath to STOP the cooking and THEN peel off the outer skin of the bean to expose the soft inner bean. Sound like a pain?  It is!  So, although the final result was very tasty and looked great when plated, I would stick to having a private chef cook these for you (OR if you can find them already shelled and peeled, then you are good to go).  If you DO decide that you have an hour with nothing better to do than tend to beans, here's the recipe! If not, make the white bean puree recipe I gave you a couple of weeks ago, slap it on some crostini and call it a day.  Enjoy! 

Fava Bean Puree Crostini

Adapted from Chow.com

Makes 1 1/2 cups

• Salt
• 3 cups fava beans, removed from their pods (from about 3 to 4 pounds of favas in their pods)
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 medium thyme sprig
• 1 (6-inch) rosemary sprig
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1/2 medium lemon)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Parmesan cheese (cut into shavings with potato peeler) 

Prepare an ice water bath by filling a large bowl halfway with ice and water; set aside. 

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the shelled favas and boil until the bean inside the outer skin is bright green and firm but not hard, about 1 to 2 minutes. Drain the favas and immediately place in the ice water bath until cool. Peel the light green skin from each bean to reveal two bright green inner halves, discard the skins, and place the beans in a medium bowl. 

Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the garlic, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the reserved favas and stir to coat with oil. Add the water, thyme, and rosemary and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, about 10 minutes more. (Add more water as needed, a tablespoon at a time, to keep the beans from sticking to the pan.)

Remove and discard the thyme and rosemary sprigs. Transfer the fava mixture to a blender and blend on low until coarsely chopped. Transfer a third of the chopped fava mixture to a small bowl. Continue to blend until the remaining fava mixture is finely puréed. If the purée is too thick, add water a tablespoon at a time to reach the desired consistency. Transfer the purée to the bowl with the reserved chopped favas. Stir in the lemon juice and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with additional olive oil if desired. Top with Parm shavings. Serve warm or at room 

temperature. 

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