It'sa Lemon Butter Chicken, Mes Amichis

UPDATE: Got the pictures to work! Hallelujah!

Sorry, this was supposed to have posted overnight, but Blogger didn't want to cooperate. And apparently the pictures have disappeared. I'm in the process of trying to reload them, so bare with me please.

When the hubby and I first got engaged, we had planned this great trip to Italy for our honeymoon. Then the military called and we had to change our plans. We ended up marrying a year early and taking a much smaller honeymoon to Washington D.C. (its was absolutely gorgeous in October; if you ever have the chance to visit in the fall, definitely do it). As great as it was in D.C., it was still a bit of a letdown to not be able to feast on all of the great dishes that come from the beautiful country.

I wish I had known about this Lemon Butter Chicken Pasta four years ago. We would have been eating it at least once a week for dinner and a couple of times the following days as leftovers. It's oh so bad for you with the bacon and lemon-cream-butter sauce, but as long as you don't actually eat it once a week, you'll be fine.

This one got quite a few changes to it to suit my picky tastes. Obviously, you can still follow the original, and I'm sure you'll have just as good of results as we did. One thing though, if you do follow the original, still add the tomatoes like we did. It truly enhances the tartness of the lemon juice in the sauce and turns it a pretty shade of pink (very appropriate for Breast Cancer Awareness Month).

Lemon Butter Chicken with Pasta
Recipe from All Recipes, adapted by me

Lemon Butter Sauce:

1/4 cup white wine (I used chicken broth, but that's only because the smell of wine makes me sick right now)

5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (feel free to use the stuff int he little yellow bottle; I've tried it both ways and didn't notice the difference either time)

5 tablespoons heavy cream

1 cup butter, chilled

salt and pepper to taste

Chicken and Pasta:

1/2 pound dry farfalle (bow tie) pasta

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/4 inch thickness

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

salt and pepper to taste

4 ounces bacon

6 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I left this and the artichoke hearts out)

6 ounces artichoke hearts, drained and halved (substituted in a can of diced tomatoes, but you can also use a fresh one)

2 teaspoons capers, drained (forgot about these completely this time around, and I'm glad I did; they make it a bit too salty)

chopped fresh parsley for garnish

1. To make the sauce, pour the wine and lemon juice into a saucepan over medium heat. Cook at a low boil until the liquid is reduced by 1/3. Stir in cream, and simmer until it thickens. Gradually add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time to the sauce, stirring until completely incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Turn down the heat, and keep warm (I do this step closer to the end simply because I had it curdle on me the first time I made it when I did it first; still tasted good, just not as pretty).
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and set aside.
3. While boiling the pasta, make the chicken by heating oil in a large skillet over medium heat. In a bowl, stir together flour, salt, and pepper. Lightly coat chicken with flour mixture. Without crowding, carefully place chicken in hot oil. (If necessary, cook in batches.) Fry until cooked through and golden brown on both sides. Remove the chicken to paper towels. Stir the bacon, mushrooms, artichokes, and capers into the oil; cook until the mushrooms are soft.
4. Cut the chicken breasts into bite-size strips, and return them to the skillet. Stir half of the lemon butter sauce into the chicken mixture.
5. To serve, place pasta in a large bowl. Stir the chicken mixture into the pasta. Taste, and adjust seasonings. Stir in additional lemon butter sauce as desired. Toss well, and garnish with parsley.

Dorm Food

A few years ago, while attending a small Catholic university in the middle of Nowhere, Oklahoma, I began to experiment with cooking. It's actually when I really started to enjoy cooking. Senior year, my roommate decided to not have a meal plan. She never ate int he cafeteria, so why pay for it? As a way to avoid eating in the cafeteria as often as possible, I offered to do the cooking for her. She paid for the food, I chipped in when I could, and I cooked. We had some really awesome meals cooked in our microwave and various contraband cooking instruments (rice cooker, toaster, Express Cooker).

We ate cakes and muffins, fajitas and filet mignons, soups and chili. Thankfully we were smart and didn't advertise to everyone in our dorms what all the smells coming from our tiny room were otherwise we might have gotten in some serious trouble (see above with the contraband items). I still sometimes get a craving for red velvet cake made in the Express Cooker or Hamburger Helper made in the microwave. But by far, our favorite meal we ever made was White Chili.

Originally, the recipe came from the back of a can of beans. The brand no longer features that recipe on their cans so I had to improvise when I made this. I've since found the recipe on their site, but I think I like my version just a little better. It's considerably better for you then the version we used to eat in college (canned chicken, anyone?). We always topped ours with cheese, sour cream, and Frito chips, but feel free to use whatever toppings you like. I'm guessing freshly sliced avocados would actually be really good with this one. Enjoy!

White Chili
Recipe inspired by Bush's Beans

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 can (4-ounces) chopped green chilies
1 can chopped jalapenos (this is optional and depends on your preferred heat level; I used the whole can cause I love spicy food, but definitely cut it back to half if you use any at all if you're not so big on spicy)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 cans (16 ounces) BUSH'S BEST Great Northern Beans (the original recipe called for Navy beans, and that's what I use)
1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken broth
1 ½ cups finely chopped cooked chicken breast (about 4-5 breasts should do it)
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
Salsa (optional)

1. In large skillet, cook onion in oil for 4 minutes or until transparent. Add chilies, flour and cumin; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add beans and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken; cook until hot.
2. Garnish with cheese, sour cream and salsa, if desired.

Food Revolution: Pasta

I know it's been a little while since my last post. I've actually got a really great excuse this time. Are you ready for it? Deep breath... I'm tired. And my stomach hurts. And I'm pretty sure that my mattress has gone on strike because it's left me with this horrible pain in my back. And I've lost my will to do anything because it's so hot here. What? Were my excuses not good enough for you? Ok, those aren't my real excuses. My real excuse will come tomorrow. Why tomorrow? Because I have to do something very important tomorrow afternoon, then I can share with you.

For now, I bring you another Jamie recipe. This one comes from his 20 Minute Meals app for the iPhone (yes, again). Orecchiette with Broccoli, Chile, and Pecorino was easy to make and super tasty (although I had to use shells because I couldn't find orecchiette and next time I'll use parmesan because I didn't like the pecorino). I added chicken to the mix because I like meat and could really use the protein.

Honestly, I don't know what else there is to say about this meal. You lready know that it cooks quickly (hello, 20 minute meal). You know that it's got some great ingredients in it that are super good for you (broccoli anyone). You know that if hubby had two helpings and was ready for a third that it was worth it (ok, he does that with most meals, but I like to think that it's because I'm a good cook and not because he just loves to eat). What I'm trying to say is try it, you'll like it. Would I ever lie to you???

Orecchiette with Broccoli, Chile, and Pecorino
Recipe by Jamie Oliver, adapted by me

1 lb dried orecciette (or shells like I used)
2 heads of broccoli
3 garlic cloves
1 dried red chile (next time, I'm using 2)
4 oz pecorino cheese, freshly shredded (parmesan for us next time too)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Fill a deep pot with water, add a pinch of salt, and place on high heat to bring to a boil. Put a large saucepan on a medium heat. Chop the florets off your broccoli stalks, trying to keep them an even size. Trimt he base off of the stalks and discard, then finely chop the remaining stalks.
2. Peel and finely slice the garlic. Add the chopped broccoli stalks to the hot saucepan along with the garlic and a splash of olive oil. Crumble in your dried chile. Cover with a lid and cook slowly for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occassionally (this is the step where I cook my chicken; I just added it to all of these fun ingredients and cooked them all together).
3. Add the pasta and broccoli florets to your pot of boiling water and cook until the pasta is done the broccoli is tender (they should cook in about the same amount of time).
4. When the pasta and broccoli are cooked, scoop out a cupful of water and reserve, then drain the rest in a colander. Add the pasta and broccoli to your pan, toss everything together and remove from heat.
5. Season the pasta to taste with the salt and pepper, add most of the grated pecorino and mix well. If the sauce is a bit thick, add a splash or two of the reserved cooking water to think out.

Pesto Party in My Mouth

First off, I'd like to thank everyone for their wonderful comments on the last few posts. It's amazing to get such great feedback. I'd also like to welcome the two new Eaters I've gained over the past couple of days. Bienvenue, wilkommen, and mi casa es su casa! Now on to the fun!

 

Just this past week, my college roommate, A, was having a pretty rough go at life. She and I have been through a lot together, which tends to happen when you live together for 4 years. We've always been there for each other no matter what (me for her when she had some problems come up during our senior year and her for me when I'd cry myself to sleep waiting for the hubby to come home).

 

Anyway, I decided as a nice little surprise to have her over for dinner the other night. She had to work so I told her to just swing on by after she got off, and I'd have dinner ready for her. There's this Italian restaurant that we like to go to across the Arkansas River on the Riverwalk called Gina & Guiseppe's that has some amazing food. It never fails, when we get there A always gets the mostaccioli with pesto cream sauce. It's her favorite. I wanted to surprise her by recreating it for her. Since I knew the hubby had to be able to eat it too, I added some grilled chicken into the mix.

 

I watched as she took her first bite, her eyes closing and a long "MMMMMMM" escaped her mouth. "You know what this could use less of?" she asked me. I gave her a quizzical look and waited for her answer, worrying that I didn't do a very good job. "It could use less AWESOME!" Of course I grinned and had to make sure she wasn't kidding. The hubby agreed with her! Considering he's not a big fan of pesto (weird, right?), that was pretty amazing in itself. What made it even better was this was solely my own recipe! I hope you all enjoy as much as we did.

 

Mostaccioli with Pesto Cream Sauce
Recipe by me

Pesto
2 cups fresh basil, chopped
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts
2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, peeled

Cream Sauce
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 Tbl butter
1 chicken bouillion cube
1 cup freshly shredded parmesan
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

16 oz mostaccioli (or desired pasta)
1 lb grilled chicken, cubed (optional)

1. For the pesto: Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until all the ingredients are incorporated. Set aside.
2. For the cream sauce:  In a medium-sized pot, heat the cream and butter to a gentle boil. Add the bouillion cube and a bit of the cheese, whisking until completely melted. Add the rest of the cheese a little at a time until all of it has been incorporated. Cook until thickened, remove from heat, and add the pesto sauce.
3. In a large pot, boil slightly salted water. Add your pasta and cook until just done. Drain and return to pan. Add the pesto cream sauce and toss to coat. Serve with a basil leaf and some freshly shredded parmesan cheese.

You Want (Pizza) Pies with That?

For May's pie challenge, Erin from Milk & Honey, chose for us to makea pizza pie. What an excellent idea! There are so many great pizzas out there to choose from and so many great pizzerias to visit, it's hard to pick a favorite. There also the debate of Chicago vs. New York style. Now, my family is from the great state of New York, and I'd probably be beaten within an inch of my life if I didn't say that NY style is the best, but I also think a nice deep-dish from the windy city is a great thing (one trip to Savastano's here in Tulsa would turn any hardcore NY enthusiast into a Chicago fan).

But my favorite pizza comes from a very famous chain that has no stores in Oklahoma: California Pizza Kitchen. The only way I can even get this pizza is driving all the way to Texas (a 3 hour drive for the closest location) or frozen. As much as I love a good road trip, I cannot justify a drive just for pizza (ice cream maybe). The thing that I find so amazing about CPK is the uniqueness of their pies. Back before it was cool to be a foodie and make familiar things more unique, CPK was doing just that.

It's funny that the first time I ever tried CPK was nowhere near California. In fact, I was on the other coast in New Jersey. If I remember correctly, CPK had a location in one of the many malls located in the garden state. I was a bit apprehensive, being that I was only about 12 or 13 years old. Different food was just weird at that age, but I tried something new and actually liked it (although I didn't like the onions on my pizza back then). I've decided to make CPK's most famous (and the one I tried way back when), the BBQ Chicken Pizza. I was even adventurous and made my own BBQ sauce and pizza crust (yes, I'm a glutton for punishment). My mama came over and had dinner with us, and I think she's a convert from NY to CPK.

CPK's BBQ Chicken Pizza
Sauce recipe from All Recipes, dough recipe from All Recipes, rest by me

BBQ Sauce

2 cups ketchup
1 bulb garlic, peeled and crushed
1 cup water
2 tablespoons hot sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
1 pinch paprika
1 pinch crushed red pepper
1 pinch ground white pepper
1 pinch ground black pepper

Pizza Dough

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1 cup warm water
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ (I couldn't find wheat germ, so I just substituted extra wheat flour)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey

Pizza Topping

1 lb chicken breast, cut into chunks
1 cup BBQ sauce
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/4 red onion, sliced and quartered
Cilantro

1. For the BBQ sauce: In a large saucepan over medium low heat, mix together ketchup, garlic, 1 cup of water, hot sauce, honey, molasses, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, salt, Cajun seasoning, paprika, red pepper, white pepper and black pepper. Allow the mixture to simmer approximately 30 minutes. I ran the sauce through my food processor to break up the garlic better then heated it again until it was bubbly. Remove 1 cup of the sauce and reserve for the pizza.
2. For the pizza crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. In a large bowl combine flour, wheat germ and salt. Make a well in the middle and add honey and yeast mixture. Stir well to combine. Cover and set in a warm place to rise for a few minutes. Roll dough on a floured pizza pan and poke a few holes in it with a fork. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until desired crispiness is achieved.
3. For the pizza: Cook the chicken in the BBQ sauce still in the pan until cooked through, about 10-15 minutes. On the prebaked crust, spread out the 1 cup of BBQ sauce within a 1/4-inch of the edge (I had about 1/4 cup left-over that we used to dip the pizza in). Strain the chicken and place on top of the sauce. Sprinkle as much or as little cheese as you like (for us, the more the better). Top with the onions and few leaves of cilantro. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Definitely Not Healthy

But oh so tasty! My hubby's friend, D, the one who used to come over and hang out with me, is moving to Canada. I didn't find out about this until yesterday afternoon when my hubby called to ask if his friend could coem to dinner (I've never felt more like a mom than right in that moment which is crazy since I'm not a mom at all).

Of course that meant that instead of going to the gym like I was supposed to, I needed to go to the grocery store so I could actually cook something that wasn't Hamburger Helper (yeah, we were going the processed food route last night, but at least I had good intentions of going to the gym). What I ended up making is truly worthy of being in a restaurant. It's the first meal the hubby and I ever made together. In fact, that was before he even was my hubby, and we were housesitting for his dad. That was an adventure.

Asiago Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo with Bow-tie Pasta is seriously one of my most favorite meals. It's got a rich, creamy alfredo, red onion, chicken, and bacon. I was good and lightened it up a little by doing half cream and half milk for the alfredo. Still, I had a very light dessert that I threw together to try to cut back on the richness that was dinner (and I served it with a salad so it was still have least a fairly balanced meal). This is one of those recipes that has a lot of ingredients and a bit of prep work but comes together super fast. You do have to keep your eye on multiple pots, and I tend to make a huge mess when I make this, but it's always worth it when two grown men groan in contentment and have to undo the buttons on their jeans after eating.

Asiago Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo with Bow-tie Pasta
Recipe from All Recipes, adapted by me

2 cups heavy cream (I did half cream, half skim milk here)
1 cube chicken bouillon
1 cup Asiago Cheese (I didn't really measure this)
1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with equal parts water
1 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 (16 ounce) package bow tie pasta
3/4 cup bacon (go for the whole package, it's worth it)
1 cup diced red onion
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup chopped chives
1 pound grilled skinless, boneless chicken breast, diced
1 cup heavy cream (again, half cream, half milk)
1/2 tsp each red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, and basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook 2 cups cream until just bubbling. Watch carefully, to ensure that it doesn't boil over. Stir in bouillon and Asiago cheese. Stir with a whisk until dissolved. Add cornstarch mixture, and simmer until sauce is thickened, stirring constantly. Mix in the sun-dried tomatoes. Set aside, or cover and refrigerate for later use.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. With some crumpled up paper towels, clean most of the grease from the pan and discard.
3. In same saucepan, saute red onion until soft and translucent. Stir in garlic and cooked bacon, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in chives, chicken and 1 cup cream. Cook, stirring, until cream is heated through. Add Asiago cream sauce, and heat through. Toss with cooked pasta until evenly coated, and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Daring Kitchen

Remember a post or two ago how I was telling you that I joined a couple of blogging groups? Remember how I said I'd be posting another one of those blogging challenges soon? Well here it is! Apologies to everyone reading. I  honestly had no intention of having two posts with challenge recipes in a row. Today was tax day which means this past week has been nothing short of crazy. All back to normal thought his weekend.

The 2010 April Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Wolf of Wolf’s Den. She chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make Brunswick Stew. Wolf chose recipes for her challenge from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, and from the Callaway, Virginia Ruritan Club. I went with the latter of the two recipes because it was a much quicker and simpler method. If I make it again, I'll certainly try the first one since it involves making your own stock.

 
I'm going to be completely frank with you. I was extremely hesitant to make this. I kept putting it off and waited to make it until the night before I was supposed to post it. It wasn't because I was afraid of my very first Daring Cooks challenge, oh no. It's because I have this serious obsession with corn being mixed into things. I used to never be this way, but now, just the thought of corn being mixed with stuff makes me shudder. Corn and I used to be the best of friends. Now it's all I can do to even eat it (sorry, mom, I'm not sure where it came from or when, I just don't like corn anymore). Anyway, I'm glad I did make the stew though. Even though I wasn't crazy about it, hubby went back for not one but two more bowls of the stuff. Said something like, "This is my ratatouille, takes me back to my childhood." He started to get up for a fourth bowl, but then I mentioned wanting ice cream and he backed away from the stock pot and grabbed the keys. Needless to say, he's pretty excited about having all of the leftovers to himself, and I'm pretty excited that something I wasn't too happy to make was such a big hit. Enjoy!

Brunswick Stew
Recipe by Virginia Ruritan Club

2 ½ lb TOTAL diced stewed chicken, turkey, and ham, with broth - yes, all three meats (we were told that we could make any changes such as vegetables we didn't like or switching out meats if we couldn't eat them; all I did was halved the recipe)

3 medium diced potatoes
2 medium ripe crushed tomatoes
2 medium diced onions
3 cups/ 689.76 grams / 24.228oz frozen corn
1 ½ cups / 344.88 grams / 12.114oz frozen lima beans (I also did not use the lima beans because neither of us would touch them)
4-5 strips crumbled bacon
½ stick / 4 tablespoons / ¼ cup / 56.94 grams / 2oz of butter
1 Tablespoon / 14.235 grams / .5 oz sugar
1 Tablespoon / 14.235 grams / .5 oz ‘Poultry Seasoning’
Dash of red pepper
2 diced carrots (optional)
Tomato juice

1. In large stock pot or Dutch Oven, mix all ingredients, heat until bubbly and hot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add tomato juice as desired. Cook until all vegetables are tender. Serve hot.

Poor Hubby

The past couple of weekends I've been noticing that my hubby has had the sniffles. I asked him if he was getting sick and his reply was that he works in a freezer. True, hubby of mine. I let the matter drop (ok, I didn't really since I teased him about being Mr. Sniffles for the past week while gently suggesting he might want to take some medicine). You see, hubby works for the man stocking frozen foods for shipping to grocery stores. He spends roughly 40-50 hours each weekend, Saturday through Monday in the freezer. Anyone would get the sniffles doing that, but since my hubby is a man's man he doesn't think it could possibly be that he's getting sick. Today I received a phone call at work from my darling to please pick up some medicine. He never asks for medicine so I know he's really not feeling well.

 

To go along with his medicine, I picked up what i would need to make him some chicken noodle soup (I'll be eating grilled cheese since I'm not really a fan of this particular soup). I also made him some hot tea with honey and lemon. We're just going to spend the rest of the evening on the couch while the poor guy sniffles into his tea. I'm even going to let him have control of the remote (if he doesn't want to watch RuPaul's Drag Race, I'm not going to force him to tonight). What do you like to watch when you're sick?

 

Embarassing as it is, the only thing I ever want to watch when I'm sick is Barbie movies. I'll even admit to owning the entire collection of Barbie movies. I won't apologize for it either, even after my sister texts me to tease me relentlessly for letting the whole world know. With that, I leave you with this simple recipe. Mr. Sniffles and I are going to get lost in some Dr. Who.

 

Chicken Noodle Soup
Recipe by me (not that it's really a recipe since you just throw in the amounts you want)

Chicken
Chicken broth
Carrotts
Celery
Thyme
Bay leaves
Egg noodles

1. Chop the veggies into small pieces.  Place veggies and broth in a large pot and bring to a boil. While the veggies are cooking, cut your chicken into bite-sized pieces and cook until all sides are white. Add to the broth. Add a sprig of thyme and a couple of bay leaves. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Add the egg noodles and allow to cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes.

Pretty Bad News

So I got some bad news today via my dad. I'm not really at liberty to discuss it at the moment, but it's definitely made me not care too much about getting this recipe posted. So here are the pictures along with a link to the recipe (edit: ok, I couldn't link to it since it's not from an actual magazine like most of the recipes on Tastebook so I've copied it down for you). My aplogies to you all, but know that if it wasn't breaking my heart right now, I'd have something much better to write. I hope you've had a better day than my family.

Fontina Rissoto with Chicken
Recipe by Tastebook

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2½ cups arborio rice
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup dry white wine
Kosher salt
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup coarsely grated fontina cheese, plus more for garnish
8 ounces deli-smoked chicken breast, diced (about 1¼ cups)
¼ cup roughly chopped fresh parsley

1. Bring the broth and 4 cups water to a simmer in a saucepan; keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons butter in a pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion; cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the rice and thyme; cook, stirring, until the rice is glossy, about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed. Add 1 teaspoon Kosher salt. Ladle in the hot broth, about ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly, allowing all of the liquid to be absorbed before adding more. Continue until the rice is just tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Remove the thyme. Stir in the parmigiano, the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt and pepper to taste. Gently stir in the fontina and chicken. Divide among bowls; top with parsley and more fontina.

"Anyone Can Cook"

This past Sunday, I spent the day with one of my favorite little people in the entire world, my hubby's youngest sister B. B is nine years old, loves the color purple, and has a knack for making me laugh at some of the silliest things. We always play games, we always tell each other stories, and we always have fun together (I've been in her life since she was almost a year old). She's a more shy, younger version of me!

When I first got to B's house, she decided that she wanted to play Monopoly. Now this wasn't just any Monopoly, this was the Disney-Pixar Monopoly! The gamepieces were Nemo, Buzz Lightyear, that red car from that car movie I didn't like, Mike & Sully, and Mr. Incredible! You can't go wrong witha  cast like that! But the best one of all (and the one I got to play as) was Remy from Ratatouille. There's just something about a movie that has the message "Anyone can cook" that just tugs at my little heart.

I can't tell you what initially made me fall in love with the movie. We all know that the thought of a rat preparing a meal would make even the strongest stomach gurgle in protest. I can tell you that now that my favorite part of the movie, and why I watch it over and over again and get a tear in my eye (hey don't judge me!), is near the end when the food critic takes his first bite of Remy's ratatouille and is transported back to his childhood. The feelings of comfort and home overwhelms the great Anton Ego into waiting hours to meet the chef who is from very humble origins himself.

Ratatouille is a comfort food, and lucky for me and my goal of trying to eat healthier, is fairly healthy. Of course because the hubby and I are meatatarians we did have some grilled chicken along with it. To round out our healthy dinner we had a small salad and a chunk of fresh bread with some goat cheese. I borrowed this lovely recipe from Deb over at Smitten Kitchen and for once did not feel the need to do a thing to to it. Enjoy!

Ratatouille's Ratatouille
Recipe by Smitten Kitchen

1/2 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 cup tomato puree
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small eggplant
1 smallish zucchini
1 smallish yellow squash
1 longish red bell pepper
Few sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
Few tablespoons soft goat cheese, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Pour tomato puree into bottom of an oval baking dish, approximately 10 inches across the long way. Drop the sliced garlic cloves and chopped onion into the sauce, stir in one tablespoon of the olive oil and season the sauce generously with salt and pepper.
3. Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. As carefully as you can, trim the ends off the red pepper and remove the core, leaving the edges intact, like a tube.
4. On a mandoline, adjustable-blade slicer or with a very sharp knife, cut the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper into very thin slices, approximately 1/16-inch thick.
5. Atop the tomato sauce, arrange slices of prepared vegetables concentrically from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping so just a smidgen of each flat surface is visible, alternating vegetables. You may have a handful leftover that do not fit.
6. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon olive oil over the vegetables and season them generously with salt and pepper. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs with your fingertips, running them down the stem. Sprinkle the fresh thyme over the dish.
7. Cover dish with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside. (Tricky, I know, but the hardest thing about this.)
8. Bake for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, until vegetables have released their liquid and are clearly cooked, but with some structure left so they are not totally limp. They should not be brown at the edges, and you should see that the tomato sauce is bubbling up around them.
9. Serve with a dab of soft goat cheese on top, alone, or with some crusty French bread, atop polenta, couscous, or your choice of grain

Jamie, Jamie, Jamie

You know, I tried to be nice when I broke things off with you, Jamie. I told you the recipe was good and that the meat was fantastic. I even said I'd make it again. Was it really necessary to have a recipe for Chicken and Leek Stroganoff? Did you think I'd come crawling back to you if I'd only just try this recipe? After all, it's much cheaper to make and ridiculously simple to make.

Well you were right. Please forgive me for breaking your heart. The way the leek compliments the cream, the heartiness of the chicken and rice, the lemon! It really was the way back to my heart. And the cookbook you included it in, Jamie's Food Revolution, purely genius! The pass it on pledge in your introduction telling anyone who buys the book to share a recipe from each chapter is perfect for this food blogger. You really know how to make me happy.

All My Love,

Sunshine

Chicken and Leek Stroganoff
Recipe by Jamie Oliver

1 large leek
A big handful of crimini or oyster mushrooms (you know I didn't use these)
2 chicken breast fillets
Olive oil
A pat of butter
A glass of white wine
Small glass of water
Freshly ground black pepper
A bunch of fresh parsley
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 lemon

1. Cut both ends off the leek, quarter lenthways, slice across thinly, then wash well under running water. Slice the mushrooms. Slice the chicken breasts into little-finger-size pieces.
2. Put a large frying pan on a high heat and add a good glug of olive oil and the butter. Add the leek to the pan with the white wine, water, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Let it bubble away for 5 minutes, covered loosely with a piece of aluminium foil. Meanwhile, finely chop the parsley, stalks and all. Remove the foil and add the chicken, most of the parsley, the cream, and the mushrooms. Stir, bring back to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Just before serving, cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice of one half in the stroganoff. Season to taste. Serve over a bed of rice with a quarter of the other half of the lemon and a sprinkling of the remaining parsley.

What Do You Call This Thing?

Lately I've been feeling extremely tired. I don't know if I'm getting too much sleep or if it's because I've been eating too much rice. Tonight's meal certainly didn't help. I actually got this recipe from my sister who used to make this all the time for me when she lived with me. Nobody really knows what to call it. I just tell people that it's basically an enchilada bowl. White rice, black beans, chicken, enchilada sauce, and shredded cheese come together to make an easy and tasty dinner.

I bought the wrong enchilada sauce tonight which made it a more bland than I would have liked (silly mild masquerading as the hot). I also put way more cheese on it than normal, but that's because I had way too much shredded cheese lurking in my fridge that was gonna go bad (and that I kept digging into...WHAT??? Don't judge me). I'm off to slip into a food-induced coma. Please enjoy!

Chicken Enchilada Bowl
Recipe by Honey Mim

1-1/2 cups rice, uncooked
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks
1 small can red enchilada sauce (we use Old El Paso's hot)
1 can black beans (sorry I forgot to check the size for this and the sauce; just use a small can)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or use one the fiesta/Mexican blends available at the grocery store)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Meanwhile get the rice cooking in a medium-sized pot (remember: 1 part rice to 2 parts water so 3 cups in this case). Bring to a boil while covered, lower heat and allow to simmer about 10-15 minutes until tender and no liquid remains.
2. Cook chicken chunks with the enchilada sauce in a medium-sized pan until chunks are completely white and fully cooked, about 10 minutes.
3. In an oven-safe baking dish, layer the rice on the bottom. Add the can of beans on top of the rice and spread out then add the chicken and enchilada sauce. Spread the chicken mixture evenly and top with the cheese.
4. Place int he oven and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is hot and bubbly.

Simple Meal Monday

After yesterday's disaster, I was a bit hesitant to go back into the kitchen., but they don't say to "get back on the horse" for nothing. I decided to go with something simple that required very little effort. I made chicken two ways. "What's that?" you say. Well, I made chicken two different ways: chicken stuffed with jalapenos and chicken cordon bleu. Neither of these were elaborate nor were they difficult to make. I kind of made it up as I went along, and next time I'll use some herbs to kick it up a little. For now, enjoy the simplicity that is chicken two-ways.

Chicken Two-Ways
Recipe by me (and every other cook who's ever not really felt like being in the kitchen)

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
6 jalapenos, seeded
3 oz cream cheese
6 thin slices of ham
3 oz shredded gruyere cheese (or swiss or provolone)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
6 Tbl butter melted

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Stuff the jalapenos with 1 oz of cream cheese. Place one jalapeno in the center of three of the chicken breasts. Roll up and secure with toothpicks. Place two slices of ham in each of the remaining breasts and top with the shredded cheese. Roll up and secure with toothpicks.
2. Place the rolls in two different baking dishes. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top of the rolls and pour the melted butter over the top.
3. Cook for 30-40 minutes or until juices run clear. Serve with rice or pasta.

Cajunman Would be...Confused???

It's been bitterly cold here in the plains. I don't think it got above 20F, but I could be wrong since I was stuck in the office all day. There's still snow on the ground from our Christmas Eve blizzard, and the ice in the parking lot of my apartment is treacherous. With that said, I wanted something hearty, flavorful, and a bit spicy for dinner. Enter Jambalaya.

Appropriately named Man pleasin' Jambalaya on All Recipes, this has it all: chicken, smoked sausage, rice, spice. It's certainly hearty and could easily feed an army. It lives up to its namesake too (at least the first part). I made this a few weeks ago, and the hubby said, "I wouldn't mind if we had this again. I think it's my new favorite." Now to be fair, every meal is his new favorite, but it's still nice to hear that he likes my cooking. I do realize that this is not a traditional jambalaya. It should probably have some shellfish in it and possibly some other things. It is a really good base to start with and personalize (which I did). Give it a try. You won't be disappointed (unless you don't like it, then I can't help you there).

Man Pleasin' Jambalaya
Recipe from All Recipes, adapted by me

8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, diced (I use the Tyson boneless, skinless tenderloins)
6 cups chicken broth
3 cups long grain white rice
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced (I use the all beef by Hickory Farm)
1 can diced tomatoes (I used a small can the first time and handful of fresh chopped cherry tomatoes this time)
1/4 cup olive oil 
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1-1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently until soft. Add the chicken and continue cooking and stirring so that it does not stick. When the chicken is browned, add the sausage and tomatoes.
2. Pour in the broth, and bring to a boil. Add the rice, and season with cayenne, cajun seasoning, salt and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, until rice is tender and broth has been absorbed.

Pineapple Chicken

Apologies are in order. I have been ill again and unable to bring myself to cook dinner in the past week. It has also been so sickeningly hot around here that the thought of turning on the oven (or even the stove) has made me want to jump into winter with reckless abandon.

For my penance, I bring you Pineapple Chicken, another recipe from my trusty fallback: All Recipes. A bit different, I found it to be quite tasty. There was definitely something missing that I couldn't put my finger on, but I plan to make this again and hopefully figure it out along the way.

More good news, I received my jam today. I plan on devoting an entire post to it later this week, but just know that it was super delicious and I can't wait to put it on some scones (I actually have a few ideas in mind for the jam, but right now I just want to eat it off a spoon).

Pineapple Chicken

Recipe from All Recipes

5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 1/2 (1 ounce) packages dry onion soup mix
2 cups water
1 (15 ounce) can pineapple, drained
1 large orange, sliced in rounds
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1. Spray large frying pan or electric skillet with vegetable spray. Brown chicken breasts in pan, meat side down.
2. Turn chicken over; add pineapple chunks, onion soup, and water.
3. Cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes. Garnish with cooked pineapple chunks and fresh orange slices.

Welcome to India!

I recently replaced my cell phone with the iPhone (my spacebar quit working when I was texting, and it just got to be too big of a hassle). I immediately started adding aps so that it wouldn't be a waste of money to own. Most of the ones I loaded were free and are well worth the cost of my new phone. One of these aps is the All Recipes Recipe Spinner (it's actually one of the first ones I added to my phone). This thing is amazing! There are three "wheels": meal type, ingredient, amount of time it takes to cook. Just shake the phone, and the spinners do their magic and randomly select one from each wheel.

One of the times I used the spinner, I got the main dish option with grains as my main ingredient and less than a 40 minute cook time. Several recipes came up with those specifications, and I thought I might have made a bad decision by loading this onto my phone. Two recipes in and up came what I knew I had to make for dinner: Chicken Curry! Thank you All Recipes!

Lucky for you, this recipe can be found on the original website too. I have to admit, I've never had curry before this meal, and I was very happy with the outcome (my sister, who has had curry, liked it too so I have to assume that I came out well). For my tastes, it was the right amount of heat. For the sis, I'm sure she would have liked more. Others might want less. Served over a bed of steamed rice, this really was a great meal. Enjoy!

Chicken Curry

Recipe from All Recipes

1 (3 pound) whole chicken, skin removed and cut into pieces (I used a package of chicken tenders and cut them into bite-sized pieces before cooking them)

3 onions, chopped (I only used 1 since my sister doesn't like them; oh, and it was yellow)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf
2 cloves crushed garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup olive oil
water to cover

1. Fry the onions in olive oil until browned. Add the cinnamon and the bay leaf. Continue stirring and add the ginger, paprika, curry powder, sugar, salt, and garlic. Continue stirring for 2 minutes. Mixture will become much like a paste.
2. Add chicken pieces and tomato. Add enough water to just cover the chicken. Simmer until chicken is done, about 20 minutes.
3. Just before serving, add the lemon juice and the cayenne pepper. Simmer for 5 more minutes.

Dinner and a Movie!

Dinner and a movie got off to a horrible start tonight. I was cooking away in my kitchen, water almost boiling, my hands full of pasta ready to be thrown into said boiling water. Then...the power blows. The lights shut off, the TV is off, air condition has stopped blowing cold air. But the worst part? I have an electric stove...

So there I am, dinner almost ready to be served, and I can't cook my frickin pasta. I sit down int he living room with my sister and start reading a book sure the power is going to come back on. An hour goes by and nothing. By almost 7:30 we gave up and went to TGIFriday's for dinner. Then we ended up at a friend's house for an hour or two. When we finally came home, the power was back. Granted, it had only been back for an hour and a half, but it was back. I finished making dinner and put it away in the fridge for lunch tomorrow (and by lunch, I mean breakfast because I don't think I'll be able to avoid the temptation past then).

For dinner I made a Cajun chicken pasta. It's the only thing I'll eat at Red Lobster (no seafood, remember?). I had been craving this as I wandered the aisles at the grocery store and even splurged on some bakery-fresh garlic bread. This would be great with a nice salad and a glass of wine (perhaps a fruity rose to offset the spice or even a nice red to add to it). As for the movie, I never got around to watching anything (I barely got this finished before needing to go to sleep). I promise, next week I'll try to not have a power outage. Enjoy!

Cajun Chicken Pasta

recipe by me

1 lb chicken tenders

3 Tbl Cajun seasoning, divided

2 cups heavy cream

2 Tbl butter

2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese (I used a blend of parm, romano, and asiago)

1/2 tomato, diced

3 scallions, sliced

1 lb pasta (the amount depends on if you like a lot of sauce or a little; also, I used spaghetti because I forgot to pick up some fettuccine, but feel free to use some farfalle or even some penne)

1. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Use 2 Tbl of the Cajun seasoning to coat the chicken strips (you may use more or less depending on how spicy you'd like it). In a medium-sized pan, saute the chicken until cooked through.
2. In a large pot, boil water. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and place back in pot. Add chicken.
3. In a medium pot, place heavy cream and butter. Heat to a boil and lower temperature to medium. Add the Cajun seasoning and the shredded cheese a little at a time, stirring constantly until completely melted. After all of the cheese has been added, add tomatoes and scallions and cook until completely heated through. Add sauce to the pasta and chicken and stir until evenly coated.

P.S. Aunt Laura, thank you so much for the funny present (best "I Love You Day" present ever!). He sure is one fat bast...er...man. I have no idea why you would see that and think of me and Uncle Robert. Surely it had nothing to do with us watching that movie every day that summer I stayed with you. He's got a special place on my desk at work (I actually can't wait for Monday now). I love you!!!