So a usual breakfast for me is toast or rice cakes with peanut butter and fruit (usually berries of some kind and a banana). It's typical because it's easy and I can even take it on the go if necessary.
This breakfast I'm about to tell you about is anything but typical, and, I will say, it was pretty freaking tasty, too.
One weekend morning when I had more time for breakfast (it was really brunch by the time I got around to making and eating it), I was wanting something a little different. I realized I had all the makings for french toast, but no maple syrup... which was ok, but not ideal. So instead this is what I came up with.
I started with two pieces of delicious multigrain bread and filled them with chocolate hazelnut butter (I had Justin's because it was a good deal at the market, but, of course, Nutella would be just fine and equally delicious).
Then in a shallow bowl, I cracked an egg, added some cinnamon, a splash of milk, and a dash of almond extract, and whisked it all together.
I tossed the sandwich in the egg mixture.
I heated a pan on medium heat and added a little butter and oil.
And then browned both sides of the sandwich, making sure it was on the stove long enough so the filling would be hot.
In the meantime, I also concocted a raspberry syrup recipe. I combined about a cup or less of frozen raspberries and a half cup of honey and popped it in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes on 50% power.
And, wow, this was beyond my ordinary breakfast. Just look at that.
No really, look at it.
I don't know if you get what I am saying, look at it!
Well, what was even better than its looks was what it tasted like. I fully enjoyed every bite. And if you make this, I'm pretty certain you will too (unless you don't like french toast, nutella, or raspberries).
I disappeared there for a little while; sorry if you stopped by looking for some good little tips or recipes these last few months. But I'm sure you know how it is, life gets in the way of living sometimes.
It's Vidalia onion season and, as a big fan of French onion soup, I bought a few pounds of the onions with the intention of making
some soup. Fortunately, the weather around here has been (mostly)
really nice, and hot soup hasn't really been something I've been
craving. Instead I decided to go ahead and use some of the base ingredients from the French
onion soup recipe I use, and make a dish with chicken and kale as well
(giving the healthy protein and greens that tasty sweet and savory onion flavor).
I haven't come up with the right name for it, so any suggestions for a name are welcome.
Ingredients
1 Tb olive oil
1/2 Tb butter (or smart balance, etc.)
1 tsp chopped chives
3 cloves of garlic (crushed)
4 (about a lb or more) Vidalia (or other sweet) onions, sliced into rings
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp (or cube) of bouillon (I used vegetable, but chicken or beef would be fine.)
2-3 cups chopped/ripped kale
3/4 cup of wine (dry red, dry white, or sherry)
2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 dash of Tamari (soy sauce)
2-4 thin (sliced or pounded) chicken breasts
black pepper
I began with sauteing three crushed cloves of garlic and a teaspoon of chives in a half tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan. Once the garlic was fragrant, I added four small to medium-sized onions sliced into rings.
Once the onions started to brown a bit I added about a teaspoon of dried thyme, and then began adding the kale, which I ripped into small pieces (no stems). As the kale began to turn bright green, I added about half a cup of white wine and about two tablespoons of red.* I let the wine reduce and then added some vegetable bouillon and about a half a cup of water.
To make this recipe easier on me, this is when I turned off the heat and moved everything into the crock pot. I added a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce, a half dash of Tamari, and a sprinkle of pepper to the onions and greens.
When I initially thought up this recipe I had intended to brown the chicken before putting it into the crock pot, but I spaced on that step when I was making it. Nevertheless, I placed two thinly sliced chicken breast on top of the greens and onions in the pot and set the pot to low. About an hour into the slow cooking I moved the chicken to the bottom of the pot (with the onions and greens on top of it).
As it cooked in the crock pot, the aroma was wonderful. Since the chicken was pounded thinly, I let it cook for 2.5 hours on low, and that was plenty of time--if you use more or thicker chicken you may want to add an hour or so.
The point of the crock pot was to try to ensure the chicken would be moist and absorb the flavors nicely. I am happy to say it was a successful plan. It was a very flavorful dish and the bitterness of the kale helped balance the sweetness of the onions, and both went very well with the chicken. The dish was somewhat reminiscent of chicken Marsala. So one thing that seemed to be missing, for both texture and flavor, was mushrooms. It also lacked color, so I might add some cut up carrots to make it more visually appealing. To make it even more like onion soup, I might even consider sprinkling some grated gruyere cheese over it...
I know you can't see the chicken, but it's there under all the kale and onions.
I served it over brown rice, but I think mashed potatoes would have been even better, because a gravy could be made out of the sauce left in the pot.
So, I was mostly pleased with this dish, but next time I make it, I may try using sherry wine (instead of the red and white), adding mushrooms and carrots, and serving it with mashed potatoes. :)
*I typically use only red wine when I make my French onion soup, but I
figured with the chicken, white might be a little more complementary. Also, typically most recipes call for sherry wine when making French onion soup and use beef stock--but the version I make is vegetarian and I've always found that the red wine gives the kind richness beef stock would normally add.
I've had Jamaican jerk chicken before and I used to really like it,
but due to my inflammatory digestive disease I can no longer eat highly
spiced (heat) foods, so it's not something I've really thought about eating in the last few years.
Recently, however, one of my favorite food blogs posted a recipe for jerk chicken wings so I gave them a try.
Holy crud were they good.
Wings
I think that the chicken wings came from high-quality chickens made a difference, but the marinade had such a wonderful sweet and savory jerk flavor, I devoured them. Additionally, the method by which they're roasted--first for 15 minutes at 400° then for 15 more minutes (for blackening) at 500°--cooked them to perfection: crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. In the past I've cooked wings in the oven and they don't end up crispy, but the method used by Comfy Belly was perfect--even if it did set off the smoke detectors in my apartment.
My stand-by taste-tester Andrea said that they were the best homemade chicken wings she's ever had.
A few night's later I was having some folks over for dinner, so I decided to make them again, and this time I also added some chicken legs to the marinade to roast along with the wings--the legs are cheaper and meatier and I figured they'd serve as a more solid "meal" star. I cooked the legs for about 25-30 minutes on 400° first, then for the 15 minutes on 500°.
Legs
To go along with the chicken I also made my standard cabbage slaw (just sliced cabbage with a simple vinaigrette made from apple cider vinegar, crushed garlic, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper, and good olive oil) and roasted potatoes.
Slaw to accompany the jerk.
I sliced the potatoes prior to roasting them so that they could be seasoned inside and out--slicing them just so they are still connected at the bottom, then tossing them in olive oil and sprinkling them with tasty seasoning. I used Montreal steak seasoning, but any seasoning you prefer will do.
Taters
It was a very tasty meal indeed, and one that will likely be in my regular rotation because it's also incredibly simple.
Think next time I make it, I might add some carrots to
the slaw to bring more color to this dish.
I served aged red Zinfandel with the meal (when I had company), but I think beer accompanies it better ...perhaps a Red Stripe. ;)
So, I had planned to make a meal this evening that was nothing special, but it involved making some brown rice. So I went ahead and got it in the pot and set the timer for 35 minutes, so I could go in the other room and do some reading. Usually it takes a bit longer than that, but I figured I could check on it then. Well... apparently I had the heat a little to high because right in the middle of a paragraph I started to smell burning. "OH CRAP!" Well, there was no fire, but the rice was definitely burnt. And in case you don't know, that's an awful stench. Despite the cold, I have my window open to air the place out.
Yeah, poor timing, etc. on my part. But I thought this snafu was a nice lead into a post I've been thinking about for a while: Food Fails. I've had quite a few of them. They're always so disappointing, especially when I had high hopes for the dish and put in more effort than boiling water and pouring rice into the water. Here are just four of my recent fails...
Food Fail 1: Savory Stuffed Roasted Acorn Squash
I love acorn squash roasted after being tossed with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar and rosemary (and then sprinkled generously with blue cheese). Admittedly, I hadn't made this before, but it was similar to a stuffed portabella recipe I had made, and thought it would be good. First I cut the squash in half, cleaned it, tossed it in some olive oil, salt and pepper, and balsamic vinegar, and roasted the two pieces for 25 minutes (face down) at 400°. Then I turned them over and let them bake for another 10 minutes at 375°. In the meantime I made the stuffing, which consisted of diced garlic, diced shallot, chopped spinach, chopped walnuts, sliced crimini mushrooms, and gorgonzola cheese. I sauteed the filling (before adding the cheese) for a bit to try and cook down the garlic and shallot. I should have tasted the stuffing before adding it, but... well, this is a failure story. Once I stuffed the two pieces of squash, I sprinkled some more gorgonzola on top and put them in the oven on 375° for 15 minutes. Verdict: way too much garlic and shallot, which tasted raw and overwhelming, and the squash wasn't entirely cooked through... though I had managed to stick a fork in it easily before stuffing it... that spot must have been cooked through. I imagine if I cooked the filling a bit more and mixed the filling, maybe with some breadcrumbs or rice it would have been ok. So I may try this again with those alterations (and make sure the squash is cooked through before stuffing it).
This is how I normally make acorn squash and how I will continue to...
Food Fail 2: Cabbage and Bacon Sauté
Seems pretty straight forward right? I mean I had a huge head of cabbage and though I typically love it raw dressed in a simple vinaigrette and salt and pepper, I wanted to try something new. I cut up a couple pieces of applewood smoked bacon and let it render, then I added some chopped garlic, the sliced cabbage, and about a 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper and let it all cook down. I thought it would have a nice smoky, sweet, slightly acidic thing that would go well with pork or roasted chicken. Nope... Boring... It wasn't terrible, but it was just totally meh. I guess I could have used some paprika or even dried mustard to give it a kick, but I think I'll just try and stick with my usual way of making cabbage for now... or until I find a recipe I want to try... where it's not total improv on my part.
Food Fail 3: Pesto Spaghetti Squash Bake
Yes, another squash... perhaps that's where I need to not experiment. I've made spaghetti squash numerous times and it always turned out pretty good. I had some pesto, ricotta, and some mozzarella cheese so I went for it. Cooked the squash, tossed it with the pesto and ricotta, sprinkled the top with mozz and parm, and baked it for about 25 minutes. Yuck... The textures were just off... and unlike pasta the squash doesn't absorb any of the pesto oil so it was pretty oily and just plain bleck. I guess I should mention, too, that it was then I had realized I've lost my taste for pesto. I used to love it, but for whatever reason it's something I have no interest in eating any time soon (or maybe even again).
Food Fail 4: Sauteed Chicken with Drunken Wild Mushrooms
This was perhaps one of my biggest disappointments. The recipe was basically an altered chicken Marsala recipe, but I used dried mushrooms and a dry white wine. When re-hydrating the mushrooms I cooked them in part chicken broth and part white wine. Despite my efforts I somehow over cooked the chicken and undercooked the mushrooms... it didn't taste bad, but the dryness of the chicken and the chewyness of the mushrooms left the dish... off. And it left me throwing out the leftovers. This is one I would try again, but I think I would just pay closer attention to the timing, etc. so I didn't over or under cook any of it.
So, though my grandma (and others) called me a good little cook, there is plenty of trial and error. Now to find a way to remove that burnt odor from my apartment...
Or... Mediterranean Turkey Patties with yogurt sauce and roast veggies
I used to make these all the time, but I haven't made them in while and I was craving them. I think I found the original recipe in a magazine, which included bulgur wheat, but I've made some alterations and actually find I like my recipe better.
Patties:
1-1.5 lbs ground turkey
1 T fresh minced garlic
2 Ts chopped green onion
1 T fresh lemon zest
2 tsps ground cumin
Salt and pepper
Making the patties is pretty straight forward: put all the ingredients in a bowl, mix them together well, and make them into patties. I cook mine in a nonstick fry pan on medium heat, until cooked through.
Yogurt Sauce
1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used nonfat)
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 tsp fresh minced garlic
pinch of salt
The sauce is best made ahead of time so that the flavors can meld together before serving. Greek yogurt isn't totally necessary, it's just what I always have on hand. If you want to make a salad you could easily make a yogurt dressing with regular yogurt (which is thinner) and add water or even a little bit of lemon juice to make it more "saucy."
There are varying sides that would be a good mate to these--chickpeas and tomato salad is just one suggestion. I made some roasted veggies (red onions, carrots, and mushrooms) to go along with them which I tossed with salt, pepper, olive oil, about a tablespoon of lemon juice, and a good bit of dried oregano.
The great thing about this recipe is that the patties are pretty
versatile. I tend to eat them either as part of a salad or just on top of
some romaine lettuce (like in the top photo), but they could easily be made into burgers or
sliders, or even meatballs. Also I use the 93% fat free turkey, but you
could use the 99%. If you do, I'd probably make sure you don't overcook
them at all since it's likely they'd dry out really quickly.
The turkey patties may seem a bit boring, but honestly this is one of my favorite meals. They're easy and have a fresh and healthy, but fulfilling flavor. Let me know if you try them!
Pork carnitas is perhaps one of my favorite Mexican dishes. There are numerous recipes out there for carnitas, and my old standby has always involved using the slow-cooker, which, I have to say, makes it a super easy dish to make. But I recently came across one where a dutch oven (and the actual oven) is used and I decided to try it.
The basic recipe I used, with a few minor adjustments of my own, was found here.
If you've never made carnitas before, or don't know what it is, basically, it's just spice rubbed pork (usually loin or butt), which is cooked with some liquid until it's tender and easily pulls apart.
One of the most appealing things about this recipe was that the pork was seared (on the stove top) on each side first, which usually seals in the juices and flavor. It can also give the pork a nice crust on the outside adding texture.
The pork searing in the pan.
After the pork is seared, you remove it from the pot and deglaze the pan with liquid (and then add the pork back in and cook it in the oven for a couple hours). This recipe was also a little different than my usual because it has beer in it (mmm... beer) along with fresh orange juice. I usually make mine with pineapple juice, chicken broth/stock, and fresh orange juice. My favorite beer to have with Mexican (and perhaps my favorite beer) is Negra Modelo, so that's what I choose to use for the beer in the recipe.
Her recipe calls for 12 oz of beer, but I split it with chicken broth (6 oz of beer and 6 oz of broth)... that way I had something to sip on while I was cooking. ;) Also, though her recipe didn't call for it, I added about 3 whole garlic cloves, a roughly chopped onion, and a bay leaf to the pot for a little more flavor.
It was one tasty orange--I almost regretted sacrificing it for its juice.
The recipe says to cook the pork for a half an hour with the lid on at 350°. And then without the lid for an hour and a half--turning the pork every half hour. I didn't have quite as much pork as her recipe called for (3 lbs, I had 1.75). So I cut the total time to just under 1.5 hours, and turned the pork every 20 minutes.
When I took it out of the oven to pull-apart, I struggled a bit. It didn't seem to be as tender as when I cook it in the slow cooker, but I admit, I cut some of the fat off of the pork before cooking it even though her recipe said not to... so that may be partly why (there was not enough fat to melt into the meat and make it more tender).
However, the flavor and texture were still out-of-this-world!
Though usually served as tacos--I figured I could forgo the tortillas and served the carnitas with shredded lettuce, fresh chopped grape tomatoes, diced avocado, salsa verde, sour cream, and lime wedges.
I have to say it was really freaking good. It was one of those things I was so happy to have leftovers from. My taste-tester and friend, Andrea, was even quoted as saying, "the flavor is outrageous!" Well... she might not have said that exactly, but it was close.
So, sooooooo good.
One of the appealing aspects of this recipe was that it is an all-in-one-pot dish, which is usually why I prefer using the slow-cooker. But I am thinking that the next time I try this I could just go through with all the steps (searing the pork and deglazing the pan with beer, etc.), but instead of popping it in the oven, I could just put everything in the crock pot and set it on high for 3 hours. It might make the pork fall apart a little easier, and since my kitchen is relatively small, keep my kitchen from getting to be 100°. Either way, I'll be making this again.
For the most part, I'm not really a huge fan of sun dried tomatoes, but I have found that sometimes I like roasted or grilled (and marinated) tomatoes. I like to have them with salads or even on a cheese plate.
Recently I found myself with an overabundance of grape tomatoes so I thought I'd give making some of my own a shot. After perusing the web and looking through some of my cookbooks, I came up with my own recipe....
1 lb of grape tomatoes (each sliced lengthwise)
1-2 Tb dried or fresh herbs (or a combo, which is what I did)--I used rosemary,
basil, oregano, and some parsley
1-2 Tb good olive oil
1 Tb balsamic vinegar
2-3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
Heavy pinch (or two) of sea salt
I chopped (or crushed if they were dry) the herbs and garlic. I thought that by cutting each of the tomatoes in half, length-wise it would make it easier for the juices to evaporate out of them and also make them look pretty when they were done. I mixed all the ingredients in a bowl to make sure the tomatoes were well marinated. And turned them out on to a baking sheet... making sure there was only a single layer.
To be honest, the tomatoes looked very tasty and perfectly edible before even putting them in the oven. I could see using this recipe (without roasting the tomatoes) on a hot summer day either as a salad on their own (or with fresh mozzarella pearls) or added to fresh cooked pasta with some grated Parmesan Reggiano.... just some ideas I had.
Add these little babies to freshly cooked pasta with some grated parm... yum!
However, I decided to go with my initial plan and popped them in the oven to roast on 400° for about 15 minutes (my house smelled fantastic after making these). After that, I took them out, shook the pan a bit and then put them back in the oven for another 15 minutes, but this time I lowered the temperature to 300° more to let them dry out some more. Sadly, I think that was a little too hot because many of them seemed to be a little too "dried" (aka a little burnt). Next time I'll probably try lowering it to 250° or 200° and keep them in the oven for 20-30 minutes after the initial roasting, nevertheless they were still really very tasty.
I enjoyed these guys for the next couple of days. As I mentioned before, they were perfect on a salad and great with a cheese plate, but I think they could also add a little something to almost any dish that calls for chopped tomatoes.
There are several recipes out there that just oven dry the tomatoes (no roasting) and those usually bake the tomatoes for up to six hours (for regular tomatoes though, not grape ones) on 225° and other recipes that roast the tomatoes for 20 minutes at 450° and that's it. My goal was to try and get somewhere in between the roasted and dried. They may not have come out perfectly, but they were still pretty yummy.
