Holiday Appetizers... or anytime really

Back in October I took a trip to Bozeman with my friend Tamara. It was a quick trip and we made quite a few great meals.  My home girl, Sienna, came down to visit from Great Falls.  She is my homie; we have spent our life together and she is as close to me as my own sister.  We love enjoying ourselves and we love making delicious foods; and this visit was the first time in a long time that we had a throw down in the kitchen.  I have already shared one the recipes for our throw down in a previous post and now I want to share something that she made with you - which is reflected in the photo above.

Sienna's Salad Bruschetta with Artichokes and Brie

Ingredients:

1 loaf of Artisan Bread, a nice crispy crust kind
1 can of Artichoke Hearts, drained
1 14 oz round brie
1 bag of mixed green salad
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
a pinch of salt
a few dashes of ground black pepper

Whisk all of the above in a small bowl

For the rest.  Step  1: Make the Vinaigrette and set aside.  Step 2: Add the bag of mixed greens to a salad bowl.  Step 3: Drain the liquid from the can of artichokes and give them rough chop up and set aside. Step 4: Slice the Brie in 1/4" thick slices and set aside.  Step 5: Slice the bread evenly, about a 1/2 inch thick.  This should yield about 1 dozen slices.  Turn the oven to broil.  Put the slices of bread on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for about 1 minute each side.   Now, do not walk away from the oven because if you do - you will burn the hell out of the bread.  Depending on your oven it can take 1 minute to toast to a nice golden brown or it can take 30 seconds or it can take 2-3 minutes.  I did not realize that my oven would take 30 seconds and I burnt the hell out of the bread.

Step 6: Once done toasting, keep the bread on the cookie sheet and add evenly to each slice artichokes and add a slice or 2 of brie to the top.  Put it back in the oven and broil for about 1 minute.  Again, watch it so it doesn't burn. Once the brie is slightly melted and not quite golden brown in color, take out of the oven and set aside to cool.
Step 7:  Give the balsamic vinaigrette a quick whisk and poor on top of the greens.  Give it a nice toss so the greens are evenly covered in the vinaigrette.
Step 8: Transfer the bread to a serving plate and add the greens to the top of bread and poor yourself a nice glass of wine, if you have not already, and enjoy.
I had made this the other day as an appetizer, but my friend mentioned that it would also make a nice light lunch or dinner along side a piece of grilled meat.  And since Sienna made it the first time, I have made it a half dozen more times.  I have used arugula and spinach instead of mixed greens and one time, I used apples instead of artichokes.  Either way, it's darn delicious and makes a great addition to my arsenal of apps.  Thanks Sienna!

Thanksgiving Re-cap

This Thanksgiving we had some of the family out and in usual Mimi fashion, I went all out all weekend.  I pretty much had some sort of food plan for each day they were here.  I go pretty crazy over the Thanksgiving holiday.  I plan ahead...FAR AHEAD.  I have a binder and in that binder are recipes that have been successful, previous menus, and room for new menus and shopping lists.
The above photo is the delicious sticky buns that I made from a recipe in Cooking Light.  My plan for this post is to share my favs from the weekend and maybe you will make them too.   The holiday season is just beginning - so these recipes will be great from now until the new year!

Spiced Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Glaze  - the photo above.  This was very easy to make and they kept well as day olds.

This was a Graham Cracker Crust Pumpkin Pie with Marshmallow Meringue.  The original recipe is from Bon Appetit, but they made it with Sweet Potatoes.  You can go either way.  I followed the recipe for the crust and the meringue but filled it with pumpkin.  It was a great way to eat pumpkin pie and a good change from the norm.  Click here for the recipe!

Since I didn't take a picture of my stuffing that I made - I robbed it from Bon Appetit: Spinach, Fennel, and Sausage Stuffing.  I did make this, but substituted the sausage for a chicken and roasted red pepper sausage from Trader Joes. I also went all out and made the Brioche.   It turned out awesome!  I also fried it up the next day and added an egg over easy to the top - made for a dang delicious breakfast. 

Until the next time...Turkey Noodle Soup!

Chicken Tagine with Cous Cous

I was in Bozeman last month and spent 3 days cooking for my family and friends - which is my FAVORITE thing to do.  I made a version of the Bon Appetit recipe for Lamb Tagine with Chickpeas and Apricots (here is the link).  My version was made with chicken because not everyone can get down with lamb.  I followed the recipe in the magazine(except with my chicken substitution and I used canned chickpeas) and the recipe turned out GREAT.
Once we were done with dinner, we all had agreed that this would be great as a crock pot recipe.  When I got home, I decided to take the recipe and try to make it in a crock pot... and it worked out well.  So here you go - enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 can of chick peas drained and rinsed
• 5 garlic cloves (2 whole, 3 chopped)
• 1 large cinnamon stick, broken in half
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 pounds 1" cubes Chicken Breast and or thighs (or a combo of both)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large onion, diced
• 5 teaspoons Ras-el-Haonout spice blend (recipe below)
• 1 tablespoon chopped peeled ginger
• 1 cup canned diced tomatoes with juices (or 3 roma tomatoes diced)
• 3 cups (or more) low-salt chicken stock
• 1/2 cup halved dried apricots
• Steamed couscous
• Chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation 

Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown chicken on all sides, about 4 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken to crock pot. Add onion to heavy pot; reduce heat to medium, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until soft and beginning to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic, Ras-el-Hanout, and ginger. Stir for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and 3 cups stock bring to a boil. Transfer all the ingredients to the crock pot and stir in with chicken, reduce heat to low,  cover, and simmer... for pretty much the whole day.  If you are going to be gone ALL DAY, I would put 3 cups of stock and a cup of water.

When you get home drain chickpeas; add to medium saucepan. Add 2 whole garlic cloves and cinnamon stick. Add water to cover by 2". Bring to a boil, then transfer to the crock pot and stir in chickpeas; simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes. Stir in apricots; simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon couscous onto a large, shallow platter, forming a large well in center. Spoon tagine into center. Sprinkle cilantro over.

Ras-el-Hanout

Ingredients - should do this one day ahead

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander 
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

Mix all of that together in a bowl or blend together in a mortar and pestle.

Man, it's been a while! So Beef Bourguignon!

I have not posted a thing!  I am sorry... but I have been busy cooking. On Sunday, I made Beef Bourguignon.  I looked up the recipe in Julia Child, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and I looked at my Grandmother's notes she had made on that recipe.  She also had a copy of Ina Garten's recipe tucked in there.  I read over both recipes and then recalled the way I saw it on Anthony Bourdain's Techniques Episode and decided I'm going to combine the two.  So, here is what did.
On a side note: this will not take 8 hours.  I know my Aunt Chauna tried out the Julia Child way and it took her awhile.  In addition to this side note, I do not have a photo.  I am very sorry.

Beef Bourguignon - Mimi's way (takes about 2 - 2.5 hours total)

3lb Cubed Beef for stewing or chuck beef, each piece patted dry with a paper towel (I buy the pre-cut stuff from the butcher or the store)
1 chopped Walla Walla Sweet Onion or something similar
3 large garlic cloves minced
Bouquet Garni of Parsley, Thyme, and Bay Leaf all tied up with kitchen twine (Fresh is best)
3 strips of bacon, sliced up into 1" pieces
5 small carrots, I cut them in half length wise and then each stick in half - so they look like big sticks
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 tablespoons of flour
1-2 cups water
1/2 a bottle of Cote De Rhone, or Bordeaux, or Beaujolais
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a dutch oven over medium high heat, cook the bacon.  Once bacon is browned, remove from the pot and set aside.  Next brown the cubed pieces of beef.  You don't want to crowd the pot, so brown them in 3 batches: brown the first batch, remove from pot and then salt and pepper the cooked beef - repeat 2 more times.  You will notice the bottom of the pot starting to brown - do not be alarmed.

Once you are done browning the beef, add the 2 tablespoons of Olive oil to the pan and turn the heat down to medium.  Add the onion and cook until it starts to caramelize, which will be quickly because of the brown bits in the bottom of the pan.  Add the butter, garlic, and carrots and stir together until butter is melted.  Next add the beef cubes and bacon back into the pot and sprinkle the flour over top.  Stir it all together with the onion and garlic mixture.  Add the water (about 1 cup) to the beef a little at a time so that you are continuing to deglaze the pan, removing all of the brown bits from the bottom, stirring until it starts to become similar to a gravy (but a bit thinner). Add 1/2 bottle of wine, then poor yourself a glass if you have not already.  Add more water (about another cup) until it barely covers the beef.  Last, stir in the tomato paste and tuck the bouquet garni in amongst the stew.  Cover and simmer at medium-low for about 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, uncover and give the stew a quick stir, put the cover back on and transfer the pot to the oven for 1 hour or until the beef is tender. Once done, remove the bouquet garni before serving.

Serve with caramelized brussel sprouts, boiled potatoes and french bread.

My Potato Salad

I have been meaning to post this recipe for my potato salad since... well since 4th of July.  The photo above is the remaining potato salad from the McCullough Family Fourth.  It went over pretty good... well I think it did.  It's a combination of a Mexican recipe and another recipe I saw in one of my many food magazines I get in the mail.  I made them both separately of one another, but then they started running together in my head to make what it is now.  Having said all of that, this recipe can change with whatever herb you have.  I put dill, parsley, basil, tarragon, or chives in it.  It depends on what I have on hand and/or what I am pairing it with.   So, give it a try and make it your own!

Ingredients;

2 lb bag of baby red potatoes, quartered
1 lb of green beans (I cut the ends off, then cut each bean in half)
1/4 Cup Mayonnaise
1/4 Cup Dijon Mustard
1/2 Cup Sour Cream or Plain Greek Yogurt (either works for me, I used sour cream at the lake)
2-3 cloves of minced garlic (I love garlic, so the more the better)
2 tablespoons of freshly chopped herbs (so parsley, dill, basil... whatever you would like)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

1.  Boil the baby red potatoes for about 15 minutes or until tender.  You don't want them too tender or else it will just turn into complete mash.  Once the potatoes are cooked, drain the water from the pot and set aside the potatoes in the pot off the heat with a clean dish towel in the pan soaking up the steam of the potatoes.

2.  While the potatoes are off the heat blanch the green beans.  You want to cook them for about 5 minutes.  You can steam them if you would like to.  It's best to cook them enough that they maintain their color and crispness.  Once cooked, set aside to cool and make the sauce.

3.  In a small mixing bowl, combine the mayo, Dijon, sour cream or yogurt, oil, vinegar, garlic and herbs together until a nice creamy sauce/dressing.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Once the sauce is done, put the potatoes and green beans in a larger mixing bowl and toss the dressing in making sure that the sauce is completely incorporated.

Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy!!

A Long Time Comin' - The Pulled Pork Tacos

Photo Courtesy: Joe Bressler (I ripped it from Facebok)

Pulled Pork Tacos in my Grandma's Kitchen

A couple of months ago my Grandma Dody passed away.  It was a pretty sad time for all.  A lot of mixed emotions, or maybe I had a lot.  But there is always one good thing that comes from a loss of a family member: family comes together.  Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's scary, sometimes it's a learning experience - but no matter what it's good to be able to be surrounded by love. 

I used to talk to my Grandma a lot about cooking.  My Aunt Kelly and Aunt Chauna gifted me the set of her Julia Child's French Cooking books - notes n' all.  It was a great gift.  What was even greater was that I was able to cook dinner for my family in my Grandmother's kitchen.  I have never cooked in her kitchen, so it was fun for me and I think they all enjoyed it.  I think my Grandma enjoyed it.  So here is the recipe for all of you.  

Pulled Pork Tacos

(This is for a smaller portion - I made 6 pounds above and this is for 1.5 pounds)

1.5 pounds of Pork Shoulder Roast (can be boneless or bone in)

1 Pablano Pepper cut in strips

1 Jalapeno Pepper cut in strips

2 Tomatoes diced

1/2 yellow onion roughly chopped

3 whole crushed garlic cloves

1/4 cup of roughly chopped cilantro

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Cut the roast in half so it's in 2 slabs about 2" thick.  Put in a roasting pan/dish and liberally sprinkle with salt and pepper (about 1 tsp each). Add peppers tomatoes, onion, garlic,and cilantro on top of the pork.  Drizzle a generous amount of Olive Oil over everything (about 2 tblsp)

Roast uncovered for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes turn pork and putting the other ingredients around the pork and roast uncovered for another 20 minutes until the pork is a little brown on top.  

Turn the oven down to 375 and turn the pork one more time and cover the pan with either a lid (if the pan has a lid) or tin foil and roast for another 30 minutes. After 30 minutes the pork should be tender and will pull apart easily.  

Remove pork from the dish and into another dish to cool.  Next take all the remaining ingredients and any juice in the bottom of the pan and put in a blender or food processor and blend till a smooth sauce.  

Once the pork has cooled a bit (about 10 minutes) shred/pull the pork apart.  Next add the sauce to the pork and mix together. Serve with tortillas, shredded cabbage, or whatever you like.

In the photo above you will see cabbage, Mexican Crema (sour cream), guac, salsa... the works!  

Note: If you double the recipe, you can add about 5 minutes to each baking time.  

Well, it's been a long time coming!

Enjoy

Huevos Rancheros Frittata

I made this dish twice over the weekend. It is delish and very easy to make. It's a twist on the huevos rancheros/chorizo and eggs.

Huevos Rancheros Frittata

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
8 oz Pork Chorizo
1/2 bunch of green onions minced
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tomato diced
6 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Mince the green onions and garlic, dice the tomatoes, and chop the cilantro and set aside.

Over medium heat in a skillet, cook the chorizo for about 5 minutes. Add, all at once, the green onions, garlic, and tomatoes. Saute with chorizo, scraping the brown bits up from the bottom of the pan with the juice from the tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs and milk in a mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper to your liking and the cheese. Before adding eggs to the pan, push the chorizo/tomato mixture to the side of the pan and add butter and let it melt in the bottom of the pan. Once melted, mix with chorizo and tomatoes so that it covers the bottom of the pan. Next, pour eggs over the chorizo and tomatoes and let it cook for about 5 minutes shaking the pan like you are cooking an omelet. Take off heat and put it in the oven to bake for 10 minutes or until it is cooked and set throughout.

Serve with corn tortillas, avocado, and salsa... or whatever other accompaniment you would like.

It's been awhile

Honestly, I have no idea what I have been doing or where I've been. I haven't even been cooking all that much. Or painting at all. I did plant flowers on my deck and they look very nice. I will get a photo for you to look at.

I did cook a bit this weekend when the family came to town. And I do have a breakfast recipe to share - so don't give up on me!

It's BBQ Season and do not do....

In this month's issue of Bon Appetit they have an article called, "Let's Take it Outside! A Summer Cooking Manifesto"

I must share No.17 with all of you... it's really funny and I am on board!

"No. 17: Let's Please Never Grill Portobello Mushrooms Again.
Ad while we're banning things, how about we all agree to leave the following weekend-BBQ standards in the last century: cold fusilli salad with grilled vegetables; plain grilled chicken breasts; cheese platters going soft in the sun; crudites and dip. And no more skewers threaded with different ingredients requiring different cooking times. Those kebabs are always a disaster. Always."

Funny.

Starting Fresh

In my attempt to get me out of my cooking and, in general, creative rut - I will be cleaning out my cupboards and my fridge. I plan on creating a new pantry of great foods to have on hand and really will be trying to get rid of the junk and processed, high sodium, the high fructose corn syrup foods.

I am also going to make a serious effort at meal planning. It's been terrible how much I go to the grocery store and how much food is wasted - and how much money is wasted! If anyone has ideas, I welcome them!

GP Book Update

OK. I have started looking thru and reading the cook book by Gwenyth Paltrow. I think I might love it. There are a few variations I will make, as she doesn't eat red meat - but overall it is great and has a lot of healthy varieties. I'm really looking forward to cooking from it. It was just the cookbook I needed to help me get out of a rut. I also like that it has a section entirely devoted to breakfast. I love breakfast. But today I will be making 2 things from the book for a Mother's Day dinner for my friend. I will give my full report with photos.

I said I was going to do it... and I did

I bought it yesterday. I have no news to report to you on if it indeed is a good cookbook or not, but I will. Right off the bat, not crazy about the book cover - but I am overlooking that and not judging this book by its cover. (I know, I'm lame)

Seattle

I have lived in Seattle for 11 years now. I like it here and like any resident of this city, I wish for less rain. In the time that I have lived here, it does rain a lot but I think it has varied in amount over the years. This spring has been terrible though. Tons and tons of rain. And it has some effect over me. I don't want to do anything and I dream of living in Costa Rica or somewhere in the Caribbean...or Spain! But all of those thoughts go away when we are blessed with beautiful days.

Hollandaise....yum

I've been making this sauce for a long time now. I barely can order it in a restaurant because Anthony Bourdain RUINED it for me! RUINED. I read his book Kitchen Confidential... and there was this section about eating out do's and don'ts and Hollandaise sauce was included in the "don't you F**king dare order it unless you want salmonella poisoning" section. So unless I am going to a restaurant where I know it's good and fresh, like Portland City Grill, I just make it at home. SO, Brit - this is for you!

Hollandaise Sauce

4 Egg Yolks
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Teaspoon White Wine Vinegar (or just plain vinegar)
1/2 Cup (1 stick) butter, melted
Pinch of salt
Pinch of Pepper
A couple of Dashes of Tabasco (or a pinch of Cayenne)

1. Melt the butter in a heat proof bowl or measuring cup
2. In a double boiler over medium heat(or heat proof bowl a-top a pot of simmering hot water) whisk egg yolks with lemon juice, vinegar, salt, pepper, and Tabasco (or Cayenne) until completely combined.
3. Slowly add the melted butter, whisking butter into yolks vigorously until butter and yolk mixture are a creamy consistency. Serve immediately.

** If it's too thick for you, add a little bit of warm water until you reach desired consistency. If it's not lemony enough, add another teaspoon of lemon juice or for super zing, add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest.

*** To prevent curdle, do not have heat on higher than medium. If sauce does curdle, remove from heat and whisk in a teaspoon of water until sauce is creamy.

Enjoy!!!

Out for Brunch

I haven't been known to take photos of the food that I am about to consume at a restaurant. There is something annoying about it. I feel like I am hopping on a bandwagon carrying wannabe foodies. You know who I am talking about, those who think they are foodies but really don't know shit about it or what it is to be one. And really, what is a foodie?

I certainly am not a foodie, a gastronome, or a food-porn addict. I am a person who enjoys food, loves the art of making food, and enjoys beautiful presentations of food. I am not presumptuous nor am I overly critical. I either like something or I don't. BUT who cares - lets get to those photos above! We went for brunch yesterday and we were treated so kindly by the staff of Harvest Vine. They made us such beautiful food, that as an artist, I had to take a picture. (You like that, as an artist I will take a picture!)

On the top: Castillo, Sunny Side up egg, on top of celery root mousse, and braised short ribs
On the bottom: Huevos a la Flamenca, eggs baked with tomatoes, asparagus, and chorizo

Go there and enjoy brunch!

Pasta...delicious, delicious pasta

photo taken from Goop

I had some intention of dieting. I still have the intention - but I have decided to go the realistic for Mimi route. What route is it? It is the eat what I love in moderation or in alteration.

Moderation - sure, easy to understand. Alteration - I will do some altering of the recipe for a healthier option, whether it is cutting back on fats and salts called out in the recipe or substituting ground beef for ground turkey.

I love to eat. I love food. I am trying to love exercise so I can continue this love for food. And speaking of love of food - I LOVE PASTA. Mrs. Martin (aka Gwenyth) is at it again with awesome food on her website. The above photo is a Duck Ragu, recipe from her new cookbook, which I'll be sure to get! This particular newsletter also includes a duck taco. I will try both... most likely substituting the meat for chicken in the ragu and pork for the taco. I don't see myself making duck anytime soon. Not that I don't love duck, I do.

So go forth, look at these recipes on her newsletter.

Enjoy!

Learning from Recipes

I feel like I have been have been stuck in a cooking rut. I am feeling like I need to get back to the basics and learn some new things by cooking from recipes. I have decided to cook from the sources I subscribe to: Cooking Light, Bon Appetit/Epicurious, and (ahem) Martha Stewart.

I had recently bought a whole bunch of basil and I had some lemons that I needed to use up. I did a search on Epicurious for basil, lemon and chicken and it pulled up a quick and easy recipe. It turned out great! Sadly, I did not photograph it. Next time!

So try this dish - it is fast and easy! Enjoy!

Chicken with Lemon-Basil Sauce

Inspiration.

Inspiration can be fleeting and difficult and frustrating for creative people. There can be dry spells that last for years... well for me, it has been years. I wouldn't say that it has been a COMPLETE dry spell. I have been creating great food and really putting a lot of my creative energy in the kitchen. But I have been lacking in the fine arts department for, what seems like, an eternity. I have not picked up a paint brush in...years. Upwards of 5 years. That is depressing.

Why? It is a host of things. I do attribute it, in part, to a lack of inspiration. But it is spring and a change is coming. I've been gearing up and preparing for it. I bought a new easel and some paint. I have canvases all over the damn place. I will buy more. I have a plan. I bought an iPhone and bizarrely have really loved taking photos with it. That has partly been inspiring. I have also been inspired by a these little angels that have recently come into my life. They are... adorable. They have also made me realize that inspiration is everywhere...

Jewels

My friend Jenn Tapp is a really great artist/designer/crafts woman and has some really beautiful jewelry for sale on Etsy (visit her here). The earring shown above now belong to me!

Chili

The last couple of batches of Chili have been terrible. There was something off about all of them. But last night, I went back to basics: roasted poblano and jalepeno chilies, Jim Beam, fresh tomatoes, fresh oregano and cilantro, garlic, onion, chili powder, cumin, corriander seed, salt and pepper. And it all tasted just fine.

Sauce

I am convinced that you should keep certain things in your pantry. I always like to have cooking wine or sherry, Dijon and course grain mustard, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chicken stock, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, tomato sauce, lemon juice, unsalted butter, eggs, garlic, shallot, salt, and pepper. With those ingredients I can make about 5 different salad dressings, hollindaise sauce, barbecue sauce, aioli, and a few different sauces for chicken or pork dishes. Today, we will start with my mustard sauce that I use for both chicken and pork and that is featured in the above photo.

Mustard Sauce

2 Garlic Cloves Minced
1/2 Cup Chicken Stock
1/4 Cup Sherry or White Wine
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Tablespoon Course Mustard
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste

After pan frying either pork tenderloin chops or thin cut chicken breast, add the butter to the same pan, over medium heat. Let the butter melt and scrape up some of the brown bits from the meat. Next add the garlic and cook until fragrant and slightly browned.

Add the stock and wine, stirring constantly scraping up more of the brown bits from the meat. Add both mustard and stir until combined. You will want to watch over this and stir the sauce frequently. It will start reducing quickly and thicken up. Add the meat back to the pan and continuously spoon the sauce over the meat until the sauce is nearly evaporated and is mostly on the meat.

Remove the meat from the pan and plate it. Pour any remaining sauce on to meat. All done. And this whole cooking process takes about 15-20 minutes. This is a quick dinner, especially if you are using thin cut chops or cutlets.

Enjoy!

Sharing is Caring II

I just got another newsletter from Gwenyth Paltrow's website. Anthony Bourdain hates on GP in one of his episodes. It's funny because they have a mutual friend in Mario Batali and Bourdain rants about how he doesn't understand how Mario Batali can be friends with her. Me... I like all 3 of them. If I was in the world of the famous, I would want to befriend each of them and then make them all eat dinner with me.

Anyway, I digress - I got another newsletter with several delicious recipes from Mario Batali's new cook book. And all of you should just subscribe to her newsletters. She sends some good info most of the time. Goop Newsletter

Enjoy!

Sharing is Caring

I like reading Gwenyth Paltrow's blog: Goop. She posts a lot of things that I deem relevant to my life style. I was just looking at a past newsletter and thought that I should share it. It's an easy recipe/instruction on how to make home made ricotta cheese! Yum! Goop Newsletter

Enjoy!

Cupcakes!

Litte Miss Chloe Mae Murphy turned 1! So, instead of a cake - I made her some butterfly cup cakes! And yes, PHOTOS!

Neglect

My home computer/laptop, where I do all of this business, is...sick. The "White Screen of Death" showed up while I was in Montana and it could not be fixed. It is going to the doctor today, so I should be up and running in a few days. I made some good dishes while in Montana and I will be putting up a recipe for enchiladas, hollindaise sauce, and a pollo guisado. Stay tuned!

Pictures would be nice...

It's funny, all the blogs I like are picture blogs. I have not put one photo up. I should get a camera that functions...maybe I will make some good food while visiting Montana and make the super duper photographer brother of mine take pictures of my food for me.
Yeah.

Another from the book

This recipe is a bit long. It doesn't take a really LONG time to make, but the instructions are just...long. This is where an editor would be helpful. But since this is just a blog, who cares.
I made this at Kim and Lee's wedding in 2008 (my sister and brother-in-law). I didn't have a name for it when I made it. After I put it all together, my mother-in-law, Sam says to me "Well, I had something in Belize that looked like that and it was called a Granache." So the whole rest of the time she called them Tuna Granaches and I went with it. Sam was one of my biggest fans. She always loved everything I made her. If she didn't, I never knew - that's how great she was. But this recipe, I know she liked. And Kim and Lee love this one too. I made it for them the last time I visited them in Florida. Try it out, let me know what you think!

Enjoy!


Tuna Granaches

1 lb Sushi Grade Tuna, cut into cubes
1 mango, cubed
2 avacados, cubed
The juice of one lemon
2 tbls chopped cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, minced
Dash of salt and pepper (or to taste)
1 cup shredded Queso Fresco

Cube the tuna, mango and avacado and put in a mixing bow. Add cilantro, garlic and shallot and squeeze the juice of one lemon over all ingredients and mix lightly. Add a dash of salt and pepper and Set aside

Wasabi Sauce:

2 tbls Wasabi (I used the variety that comes in a tube)
The juice of one lime
1/2 cup Mexican Crema

In a small mixing bowl whisk wasabi, lime juice and Crema and set aside

Tortillas:

You have to get Masa Corn Flour and just follow the instructions on the package to make toritillas (it's easy as pie)

1 cup Masa Flour
2/3 cup water
pinch of salt

Combine the masa flour, salt and water. Mix thoroughly until it forms into a soft dough. If it feels dry, add more water (one tablespoon at a time).
Divide dough into 12 equal, small balls (the tortillas need to be small about 3").
Line a tortilla press with two sheets of plastic wrap. Place each ball between plastic and press until tortilla measures to 3" in diameter. Carefully peel from plastic wrap.

Heat and ungreased skillet or griddle on medium-high heat. Cook tortillas one at a time for 50 sec and then turn and cook another 50 sec. Set tortillas aside to cool.

When tortillas are cooled add vegetable oil to just cover the bottom of a small frying pan. Heat the oil to about 350 degrees. Place the tortilla, one at a time, in the oil and fry for about 1min. and carefully turn it over to fry for another min.

Putting everything together:

Place tortillas on a serving dish. Add 1/4 cup of the tuna mixture on top of the tortilla. Next, sprinkle queso fresco over the tuna and then drizzle the wasabi sauce.

Makes 12 little granaches.

Dinner for Two

I am starting to get a bit better at making dinner for two. I used to make dinner for 6 for two and just have left overs for lunch every day, but making a new dinner every night for 6 eventually led to left overs over looked...and then trashed.

I used to make orange chicken all the time and haven't in a while. But last night, I made a new version using all these ingredients that needed to be used or they would parish in my fridge. And I made just enough for two! So, this one can be for my Auntie's!

Mandarin Orange Chicken

3 Mandarin Oranges, juiced (about 4 oz.)
1/4 Cup of Dry white wine or Vermouth
The zest of one whole Mandarin Orange
1 large boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 2 thin breast pieces
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 medium leak halved and sliced
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon whole pepper corn
1/2 teaspoon whole coriander seed
Couple dashes of Nutmeg (or 1/4 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon of Olive Oil
Cooking Spray

1. Zest one whole mandarin orange. Mince the garlic. Put the orange zest, garlic, pepper corn, coriander seed, nutmeg, and sea salt in a mortar and pestle and...for lack of a better term...smash the ingredients together. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil into the mixture and create a paste.

2. Juice the 3 oranges, then add the 1/4 cup of booze to the juice. Cut the leak down the middle and cut each half in slices. Set aside one half.

3. Fillet the chicken breast so that you have 2 thin cut pieces of chicken breast fillets. Rub both sides of the chicken breast with the paste.

4. Coat a frying pan with cooking spray and fry the the chicken breasts on medium high heat. About 3 minutes each side. Remove chicken breasts from pan and set aside. Add another teaspoon of olive oil to the pan and quickly saute 1/2 of the sliced leaks, about 1 minute. Add the orange juice and booze, scraping all the brown bits up. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer for about 2 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken. Add the chicken back to the pan and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Turn the heat down and continue to spoon the sauce over the chicken for about 2-3 minutes or until sauce is reduced.

Serve with steamed broccoli and potatoes mashed with other 1/2 of the leaks sauteed with butter. Yum.

Enjoy!

Crunchy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

My original plan here was to make a "healthier" cookie. I don't know if I quite accomplished that, but it is certainly not ALL bad for you as it is made w/low gluten flour, flax seed, and oatmeal. It is Damon tested and he said they were good, but they do not flatten out like other cookies and they are very crunchy. So try it and low gluten flour is not required. I used it because I wanted to try it. I most likely will do 1/2 cup low gluten and 1/2 cup regular flour next time.

OK, here we ago: a ton of ingredients!

1 Stick unsalted butter
3/4 C. brown sugar
1/3 C. Peanut Butter
1 Egg
1 cup Low gluten Flour (or 1/2 cup low and 1/2 cup regular)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 C. Steel Cut Oats
4 oz. Dark Chocolate Chips
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
A dash or 2 of Nutmeg
1/3 C. chopped almonds
3 Tablespoons Flax Seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter, egg, sugar and peanut butter until smooth. Add flour, baking soda, powder, oats, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and salt. Blend until ingredients are totally incorporated. Next add the almonds, flax seed and chocolate chips until incorporated.

Make into 24 even balls 1.5" in diameter and then slightly flatten. Bake for about 12 minutes or until slightly golden on top.

I did the calculations and they are about 160 calories per cookie but each cookie has around 7 grams of fiber and protein in them. Plus all the other good stuff that you get from the ingredients naturally.

Please feel free to tweak it and let me know any other variation or if something worked better for you.

Enjoy.

Left Overs

I kept the left over chicken and it's bones, and made stock with it. I originally was going to just keep it for stock, but I was not in the mood to make dinner - so stock became Chicken Soup.

I put all of the left over chicken in a stock pot, covered the whole thing with water. In goes, 1 teaspoon of salt, couple pinches of pepper, a couple of chopped up carrots, a couple of chopped up celery, 1 bouquet garni (parsley, thyme, oregano, wrapped up with kitchen twine), and 1 chopped up onion. I even like to throw a 1/2 cup of White wine if I have it or if I just so happen to be drinking it while I am cooking...

I turn the burner onto Medium and cover the pot and let it go for about an hour.

This last chicken soup consisted of carrots, celery, whole wheat egg noodles, and mixed chard (swiss chard, kale, red chard). I cut up a whole bunch and added it to by soup broth... now this is after I strained the broth and separated bones from meat and threw the meat back into the broth.

OR just keep the broth for chicken stock... to use in other stuff!

Sunday Dinner

I remember, back in the day, when Damon and I were still living in Bozeman - we had a family frat house going. It was fun. We did a lot of Sunday dinners. It was great food and friends, and music, and hanging out. I don't get to do that a lot here in the city, but this year, I'm going to try.

I have also been reading this book by Barbara Kingsolver: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. It's about growing food and eating seasonally, and where our foods come from. It's eye opening and sad - but good at the same time. It's gotten me to shop locally at farmer's markets and eat more seasonally. So yesterday was a Sunday dinner of seasonal vegetables and a roast chicken. It only takes about 2 hours start to finish. This meal would also suit the busy person by allowing the art of the multi-task; fold your laundry while the stuff is in the oven...

Roasted Chicken w/Orange and Garlic (from Martha Stewart, don't judge)

1 garlic clove, minced
Coarse salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 navel oranges (preferably organic), 1 zested, both cut into 2-inch wedges
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme, plus a few sprigs
1 whole chicken (4 to 4 1/2 pounds)
2 red onions, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch wedges (I didn't have red onions so I used Shallots, worked out nice)
Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mash garlic and 1 teaspoon salt into a paste.
Combine garlic paste, butter, zest, and chopped thyme. Gently separate skin from breast of chicken, and rub half of the butter mixture under the skin on each side. Season with salt.
Fill cavity with 2 orange wedges, 1 onion wedge, and thyme sprigs. Place chicken, breast side up, on a rimmed baking sheet, and tuck wings under. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Scatter remaining oranges and onions around chicken. Dot oranges and onions with 1 tablespoon butter mixture.
Roast for 30 minutes. Brush chicken with remaining butter mixture. Flip oranges and onions. Rotate sheet, and roast for 15 minutes more. Remove oranges and onions if caramelized. Roast chicken until juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh reaches 165 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.


Roasted Root Vegetables and Greens

6 red potatoes, quartered
6 mixed carrots (orange and purple - or if you don't find the purple ones just the old fashioned kind will work)
1 Bunch of Kale
3 cloves of garlic chopped
1 Shallot chopped
1 teaspoon fresh chopped Oregon
1 teaspoon fresh chopped Parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/4 Cup of Chicken Broth

Preheat Oven 400 degrees

Throw everything into a bowl and toss with the olive oil. Pour onto a large casserole, add the broth, and cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes and then remove foil and roast for another 10 minutes.

NOTE:

If you decide to put the chicken and the Vegetables together to roast in the oven, add about 30 minutes to total roasting time. For the veggies, you will want to keep the foil on for about 45 min and then remove the last 10...just to brown the veggies. Mind the greens, you don't want to turn them into crunchy fall leaves.

Enjoy!

From the actual Cook Book....Appetizer Section

OK, here it goes. I am actually doing this!

I can’t have a dinner party or any kind of party with out having appetizers.
This is a fact about me that almost everyone knows that has come to dinner or a party at my home: I am NEVER on time. I really want to be on time with dinner. I REALLY do. But there is some kind of force of nature that does not allow me to be on time. That is why I always make appetizers. At least when my guests arrive I have something to feed them. They have to have something to eat! I always have something for them to drink and I’ll be damned if their drunk before dinner!
Tip from Michelle: Serve appetizers if you don’t want your guests drunk before dinner.

Curried Shrimp

Ingredients
1 pound Shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 tbls butter
1 tbls Yellow Curry Powder
1 tbls Garlic finely chopped
2 tspn minced fresh Ginger
1/4 cup Rice Wine

In a medium skillet or sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter but do not let it separate. Add the garlic and mince ginger and saute it for about 1 minute. Add the curry and wine, frequently stirring until smooth.

Add the shrimp, folding the shrimp into the sauce and frequently shaking the pan for 5 minutes until the shrimp are pink and firm. Serve immediately with sliced pita bread or baguette.

Apples for Dessert

I love dessert. I love it too much. Because I love dessert so much, I have been trying out things that are maybe...more healthy choices. It's all about the choices this year. So the following dessert is an adaptation of something I saw out of (don't judge me) Martha Stewart's Living.

Apples for Dessert:

2 Granny Smith Apples Cut in half and the core scooped out, so there is a small bowl in the center of the apple.
2 Tablespoons of Butter cut up into small cubes
2 Tablespoons of Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup of chopped mix nuts (I used almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds)
1 Tablespoon Flax Seed
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Honey
1/4 Cup of Oatmeal

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl mix all of the above ingredients together, except for the apples, until the butter is incorporated. The consistency should be similar to a crumble topping.

Cut the apples in half and scoop out the core so you have a small bowl in the center of the apple. Turn each half over and slice a piece off so that the apple can sit flat in a baking dish. Do not peel apple.

Put the 4 halves in a small baking dish. Fill each apple with the mixture. You can completely cover it, so it's not just in the core. Bake at 375 degrees until apples are soft and topping is crisp - about 30 minutes.

It's delicious by itself, or with ice cream. It's also a VERY easy dessert to make.

Enjoy!

Crock-Pot Time

I have been trying to make sure that we eat dinner at home at least 5 days a week. So, far we have been pretty successful. It definitely makes us feel a lot better to know that a) We are saving money by eating in and b) We are saving calories and potential weight gain by eating in.
Today, I am a little bit cramped for time and will not be home to make dinner. To keep up with our eating at home, I opted for a crock-pot meal. I looked up several varieties on line last night and decided on Chicken Cassoulette. I looked over the recipe and decided to change it up a bit to my liking. So with that, finally, my first recipe!

Chicken Cassoulette in a crock-pot

2 15oz Can of Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup water
3 cups Chicken Broth (low sodium)
4 Boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into 1" cubes
8 oz cooked bacon (I use the end piece bacon, they are chunkier)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
2 tomatoes diced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Sherry
2 tablespoons Molasses
1 small can tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Chop the bacon up into medium sized chunks and fry in a saute pan over medium-high heat, for about 2 minutes. Add all of the yellow onion and cook until slightly carmalized.

Turn the crock pot on low and add the bacon and onion. Put the pan back on the burner, add the chicken, browning all sides. While the chicken is cooking add all of the rest of the ingredients to the crock pot. Once the chicken is browned, add it to the crock pot. Give everything a good stir and cover. Cook on low heat all day long (about 7-9 hours). Serve w/a nice crusty artisan bread.

Still...nothing.

I am trying to decide whether or not a blog is a good idea for me. I REALLY like the idea of it, but I am no good at the maintenance. I think this year, I am going to try. I am going to put forth an effort and try to get some recipes up. I have to really accept my creative energy AND my flakiness. This thing may evolve, into God or Sam only knows what!