Good Chef, Bad Chef

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2011-03-19T07:10:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Laura and I actually cooked on Sunday since that's when we have time but it was definitely in honor of today!

Meredith
What could be more Irish than corned beef braised in Guinness? Probably one of the simplest recipes I've done in a long time and it turned out just delicious. In fact, I made it again ON St. Patrick's Day. Oh my... That means I've eaten two corned beefs in the last week. No wonder the scale was so mad at me this morning!

For me the roasted cabbage with lemon was just ok. I am huge fan of roasting things and the roasting itself was fine, but I'm not sure I loved the lemon here. It was fine but I don't think I'll do it again. I love cabbage and think I just prefer it traditionally done.

Finally, I baked my first loaf of soda bread. It was amazing! Just a little sweet with a wonderful texture, it was the PERFECT vehicle for butter.

Laura
Mmmmmm, corned beef. Everyone's Irish on St. Patrick's Day, right? I have to admit that I was a little skeptical about making corned beef. The recipe really couldn't have been any simpler. Three ingredients. One of them is beer. How do you NOT make this recipe? It came out great. I liked it so much that I used the broth that was left to make a beef stew. I don't know if it's authentic or not but it's how I'll be making corned beef for now on.

I loved the lemon in the cabbage. My issue was that I didn't slice the cabbage into even slices. Or, maybe I should have cut it into thinner wedges. At any rate, the outside of the cabbage was perfectly roasted and seasoned but the inside leaves of the bigger wedges could have used more oven time. Next time, I'll try smaller wedges when I roast the cabbage. I really liked the flavor.

Oh, right .... Irish Soda Bread. I used Splenda instead of sugar and whole wheat flour instead of white. I also didn't add any raisins. The verdict: Don't mess with a classic. It was denser than other Irish Soda Breads that I've tasted. It was still good but I think next year, I'll let someone else be in charge of the bread.

All in all, a very tasty meal. I'm certainly planning on making it again. I just hope it's not so far away as a year from now.

Guinness® Corned Beef
4 pounds corned beef brisket
1 cup brown sugar
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle Irish stout
beer (e.g. Guinness®)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Rinse the beef completely and pat dry.
Place the brisket on rack in a roasting pan or Dutch oven. Rub the brown sugar on the corned beef to coat entire beef, including the bottom. Pour the bottle of stout beer around, and gently over the beef to wet the sugar.
Cover, and place in preheated oven. Bake for 2 1/2 hours. Allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing.

Roasted Cabbage with Lemon
1 medium-sized head of green cabbage
2 T olive oil
2-3 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
generous amount of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
lemon slices, for serving cabbage (optional)

Preheat oven to 450F/232C. Spray a roasting pan with non-stick spray or olive oil.

Cut the head of cabbage into 8 same-size wedges, cutting through the core and stem end. Then carefully trim the core strip and stem from each wedge and arrange wedges in a single layer on the roasting pan (leave some space around them as much as you can.)

Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice (use the larger amount of lemon juice if you like a lot of lemon like I do.) Then use a pastry brush to brush the top sides of each cabbage wedge with the mixture and season generously with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Turn cabbage wedges carefully, then brush the second side with the olive oil/lemon juice mixture and season with salt and pepper.

Roast cabbage for about 15 minutes, or until the side touching the pan is nicely browned. Then turn each wedge carefully and roast 10-15 minutes more, until the cabbage is nicely browned and cooked through with a bit of chewiness remaining. Serve hot, with additional lemon slices to squeeze lemon juice on at the table if desired.

Irish Soda Bread with Raisins
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 cups all purpose flour
5 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons butter, chilled, cut into cubes
1 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 8-inch-diameter cake pan with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, 4 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in large bowl to blend. Add butter. Using fingertips, rub in until coarse meal forms. Make well in center of flour mixture. Add buttermilk. Gradually stir dry ingredients into milk to blend. Mix in raisins.

Using floured hands, shape dough into ball. Transfer to prepared pan and flatten slightly (dough will not come to edges of pan). Sprinkle dough with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake bread until brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool bread in pan 10 minutes. Transfer to rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Quinoa Pilaf and “Middle Eastern” Chicken

2011-03-19T06:25:00.000-07:00

Meredith
This “Middle Eastern” Chicken recipe from Gourmet Magazine was just ok. It wasn't anything special and honestly tasted like a quick go-to marinade I might typically do before grilling. The thyme, oregano and curry were simply lost in the soy. The whole thing was just muddled and boring. I wouldn't bother with it again.

The quinoa pilaf on the other hand was really good! I had issues with getting the water to all absorb - it took longer than the 15 minutes - but that was my fault I'm sure. I also over salted. When the recipe called for a teaspoon and a half of kosher salt, my gut told me that seemed crazy. I know better than to trust a Food Network recipe 100%! Regardless of all of this, the quinoa was still really good. I always love the combo of shallots, mushrooms and thyme. It reminds me of my chicken marsala and that was one of the first fancy dishes I ever made. I'd make it again.

*Pardon my photo this week. I'm not sure why my camera insisted on making things so yellow! This was the only pic I took that wasn't horrible and you can’t even see the quinoa!

Laura
I didn't enjoy the chicken. I'm already looking for something to do with the leftovers. Middle Eastern Chicken Salad? Eh... I wouldn't bother with that chicken recipe again.

But the quinoa... wow... I loved it. So delicious. Have I mentioned how much I love mushrooms? I would say that I used about a cup of mushrooms instead of the 1/2 cup that the recipe called for. I'm glad I did. Half a cup just didn't seem to be enough. Make this recipe! Just pair it with something other than the chicken.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go eat mushroom quinoa, then figure out what to do with leftover Middle Eastern chicken.

Middle Eastern Chicken
1/4 cup low-salt soy sauce
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons dry Sherry
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh gingerroot
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
2 skinless boneless whole chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 pounds), halved
vegetable-oil cooking spray
1 small onion, sliced thin

In a ceramic or glass container stir together soy sauce, 1/4 cup water, lime juice, Sherry, garlic, gingerroot, curry powder, thyme, and oregano and add chicken. Marinate chicken, covered and chilled, turning occasionally, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towel. Reserve marinade.
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray Heat skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and cook chicken 1 minutes on each side, or until browned. Transfer chicken to a plate. To skillet add 2 tablespoons water and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon and scraping up brown bits, 30 seconds. Add onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add chicken, reserved marinade and remaining 1/4 cup water and simmer, covered basting chicken frequently, 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Serve chicken over couscous if desired.

Quinoa Pilaf with Crimini Mushrooms
1 tablespoon kosher for Passover olive oil
1 small shallot, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup crimini mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups quinoa
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves removed from their stems
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cups vegetable stock, or water

Place a saucepan on high heat and get it hot. Add the olive oil and swirl it around to make sure the entire surface is covered with oil. Add the shallot and sweat (cook until translucent but not brown). Add the crimini mushrooms and cook until brown. Add the quinoa, thyme leaves, bay leaf, kosher salt and black pepper to the pan and stir. Let the ingredients heat up and roast a little to bring out all their fullest flavors. The steam coming up should be very aromatic.

Slowly and carefully add the vegetable stock (it will spatter because the pan and ingredients are hot). When it comes to full boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover and allow to steam for about 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, turn off the heat, remove lid and fluff the quinoa and then replace the lid and allow to sit for about 10 minutes.

Taste for seasoning and adjust, if necessary. Serve.

Chicken Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Mushrooms and Rosemary

2011-03-07T08:06:00.000-08:00

Laura
Sometimes in life, you just want to stuff a chicken. This was one of those times. My idea was to stuff chicken breast and Meredith wanted to use mushrooms and goat cheese. The final product was to take a Big Thick Pork Chops Stuffed with Rosemary, Mushrooms and Goat Cheese recipe and use chicken instead.

Goat cheese is yummy and gooey and delicious. Pair it with mushrooms and you can't go wrong. This meal was South Beach friendly, which was nice, too. I used a little Panko bread crumbs to top off the chicken and the rest is delicious history. (I'm just sad that the picture doesn't do this dish any justice.)

Meredith
What more can I say? The combo of melty goat cheese with mushrooms is really delicious. I could have done without the rosemary to be honest, but I really enjoyed this chicken. I paired it with a Tyler Florence recipe: Caramelized Onion and Potato Tart and sauteed squash. My photo doesn't do the dish any justice either. It's really very sad. But at least it doesn't look like an alien! Also- when did Laura start making gravies??

Enchilada Lentil Soup (nee Chicken Tortilla Soup with Lentils)

2011-03-06T07:49:00.000-08:00

Meredith
The appeal of this soup, I think, is in it's recipe instructions: add all ingredients to crockpot and cook for 6 hours. How can anything that easy taste anything but good? But apart from that I actually enjoyed the soup itself. Loaded with protein and fiber, it fits the heathy bill while being comfort-foodie at the same time. Ideally I'd dump the taco packet for some real spices but for it's simplicity, I still give it a thumbs up. Bonus: it freezes really well.

Laura
This recipe was originally called Chicken Tortilla Soup with Lentils but Meredith was kind enough to rename it since the original name "didn't make any damn sense". I can't say that I blame her, I mean... if something is going to have "tortilla" in the name, they should be in the recipe.

I enjoyed cooking with the lentils. It was my first lentil adventure. (I'm looking for something to do with the rest of the bag so if you have a great lentil recipe, let me know!)

This was a very cozy tasting dish. It was warm and perfect for a chilly day. I wound up freezing some of it, which makes me happy. Nothing makes me happier than knowing that yummy food is just a few microwave minutes away.

The verdict: Make the dish on a night when you want to eat on the couch, under a throw blanket while watching reality television. You won't be disappointed!

Hot Chocolate on a Stick

2011-01-15T21:34:00.000-08:00

Meredith
I originally stumbled upon this recipe for Hot Chocolate on a Stick and shot Laura an email saying I might make these as gifts this year for the office folks. She took it a step further and found a blogger (Foodie with Family) who’d made the recipe AND added homemade marshmallows. AND then convinced me to blog the whole thing. So here goes!

The fudge making itself- VERY easy. And very tasty. I snuck in a teaspoon of coffee extract at the very last stage, but to be honest I didn’t notice it in the end product. The marshmallow making - I definitely had my doubts. I’d never worked with plain old Knox gelatin before nor had I even used the whisk attachment on my stand mixer. Turns out that whisk attachment made the marshmallows for me! Once I poured the mixture into my pan to set, I swirled in some red and green food coloring to make the marshmallows a little festive.

Fast forward to the next night and the assembly of these things. Step one went just fine and I cut the fudge into 36 cubes (using a ruler of course) and arranged on top of little squares of Christmas cards I’d cut. The marshmallow cutting went just fine too – I’m still finding powdered sugar in random places in my kitchen though. Then I stuck the lollipop stick in, yadda yadda yadda...

All in all the assembly and packing wasn’t a huge deal. It’s just that there were 36 of them. To be stuck, packaged and tagged. And ribboned. And I started the whole process at 8pm- which means because I’m slightly particular about presentation, I was finally done around midnight. The fun part was handing them out the next few days and hearing the oohs and ahhs.

It wasn’t until late Sunday night after Christmas when I was all snowed in and cozy that I got to actually TASTE the Hot Chocolate on a Stick. So good. Just really really good. Now why didn’t I save myself more than one??

Laura
Don’t let Meredith fool you! She still has some left over. Moving right along...

These treats were easy to make and so much fun to give away. I really loved the idea of giving away a little something to people that I might not have normally given a gift to. I didn’t swirl any food coloring in my marshmallows. The hot chocolate was really easy to make... easy like fudge. The marshmallows were surprisingly a non-issue. I was scared of the gelatin. So much so that I had decided that I might just buy marshmallows for this recipe instead. Ever the boss, Meredith put the kabosh on that quickly. Don’t tell her, but I'm glad she did.

Lots of people asked for the recipe. That’s always a nice compliment. And honestly, it felt good giving away something so unique that I made. It was different enough to set itself apart from all the cookies, etc that go around this time of year.

"Healthified" Thai Shrimp and Quinoa Curry

2010-12-29T09:58:00.000-08:00

Laura
Mmmmmm quinoa. Where has this healthy, little seed been all my life? The quinoa was the star of this Healthified Thai Shrimp and Quinoa Curry dish. The shrimp was good but I wanted it to be a bit spicier. In my opinion, the coconut milk made the shrimp too mellow. I'd be interested in making more Thai dishes but I don't know that I'd make these shrimps again. I will say, that the dish was very filling. I'm attributing that to the quinoa. Over all, I was neither impressed nor repelled by the dish. It was just... eh.

Meredith

I tend to agree with Laura on this dish. The quinoa was delicious. I’d never made or had it before. Very very filling dish, but just lacked any flavor. More spices or a marinade on the shrimp would have definitely gone a long way. I’d make something similar again, but I wouldn’t bother with this as the recipe is written.

Asian Pork Roast

2010-11-24T11:04:00.000-08:00

Meredith
Ohhh Asian Pork Roast! Where did you go wrong? Could it have been the instructions to brown the meat after I just rubbed raw garlic on you? Could it have been the use of cloves? Whatever happened, I wasn’t a fan. Most of my roast was dry - I suppose I overcooked it. The onions sweetened to the point of tasting like apples. The whole thing was just not very good. I ate the leftovers throughout the week, but omitted the onions and went light on any sauce. There have got to be better recipes for Asian pork than this. Recipe was was Taste of Home and can be found here.

Laura
Asian Pork Roast sounds delicious, right? Okay, maybe it was a little weird that it smelled like pumpkin pie while it was cooking. I’m assuming that was the ginger and cloves that made it smell that way. Fine, it tasted like someone accidentally seasoned the pork with pumpkin pie spice. There. I said it. Not my favorite dish. Also, mine didn’t cut as pretty as the picture did. My pork shredded. So, what I wound up with was shredded pumpkin pie pork over peas and rice. And those are onions on the top of the pork. They had a weird texture, too. I'm not making this again. I should have allowed the last reviewer of the recipe to be a warning. Lesson learned.

Tuna Casserole

2010-11-22T13:16:00.000-08:00

Laura

Let me tell you how this tuna casserole blog came to be...

I was cleaning out my pantry. I had some things that I'm sure I got because they were on sale and I never managed to use them. For example, cream of celery soup. I don’t even LIKE celery. Add that to the cans of tuna and the 1 1/2 bags of egg noodles that I had and I had myself a tuna casserole.

I’ve never made tuna casserole. I had one experience eating it as a kid and I didn’t like it. It seems comforting though, like mac and cheese is. I mentioned thinking about making it and soon, Meredith was helping me find recipes that we might make.

That being said, I wound up making a hybrid of two recipes. The base of the tuna casserole, I made using this Cheesy Tuna Casserole recipe. Then for the topping, I used this Light and Hearty Tuna Casserole recipe. The only changes I made were to the base recipe: I added the aforementioned cream of celery soup and I accidentally left out the frozen peas.

Would I make it again? Sure. I’d maybe like to find a tasty but healthier recipe to use. I have a whole year to find out. I figure that's the next time I’ll be cleaning out my pantry...

Meredith
I grew up eating tuna casserole maybe weekly. I love the stuff. But it wasn’t until I was in my first apartment and asked my mother how to make it, did I find out that she HATED tuna casserole. My mom recently told me that she hasn’t made tuna casserole since I left home. My poor dad.

I loosely followed this recipe from Food.People.Want. with modifications, of course. I started by sauteing crimini mushrooms with garlic, onions, the celery and green (instead of red) peppers. To that I added the cream of celery soup, milk, mayonnaise, some cheese and the tuna. Finally I folded in cooked egg noodles and poured the mixture into my casserole dish. I used the same topping Laura did: panko breadcrumbs, butter, paprika and Italian seasoning – over top of more cheese though. This was a really good bowl of food and it just got better as the week went on. Next time I’ll have my dad over and I’ll try and remember the peas!

Steak San Marco . . . Polo!

2010-11-09T09:06:00.000-08:00

Laura
Where has Steak San Marco been all my life? Super easy and really delicious. I’m definitely making this again. It felt comforting and rustic. I put it over rice but next time, I’d put it over pasta. (Note to Meredith: Egg noodles are not to be considered pasta.)

I didn’t change a single thing since the recipe was so easy and straight-forward. This is the perfect way to make something delicious using items that you probably already have in your pantry.

Meredith
One of my favorite dishes that my grandmother makes is Steak San Marco. One day I said to her how much I would LOVE her recipe. She was beyond excited to give it to me. So she went to her desk and hand wrote it on a little piece of stationery that I tucked it away in a binder when I got home. When I was finally ready to make the dish, I Googled “Steak San Marco” to see if it was an actual thing or just something my grandmother had given a name to. Well wouldn’t you know it – her handwritten recipe was COPIED WORD FOR WORD from cooks.com!!! So much for being a family dish! Oh well, it’s super delicious and almost guiltily easy to make.

STEAK SAN MARCO

2 lb. chuck meat in cubes
1 env. onion soup mix
1 can (1 lb.) Italian tomatoes
1 tsp. oregano
Ground pepper
Garlic powder
2 tbsp. cooking oil
2 tbsp. wine vinegar

In a large saucepan arrange meat. Cover with dry soup and mix. Add tomatoes, sprinkle with oregano, garlic powder, pepper, oil and vinegar. Simmer 2 1/2 hours. Serve over rice.

Enchiladas Especiales Tacuba Style

2010-09-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

Meredith
Working our way down our “bucket list” of Sunday dinners, we reach enchiladas – on precisely the same week that Laura decides she wants to cook something “more involved.” And so here we have Rick Bayless’ Enchiladas Especiales. These chicken enchiladas are covered in a cream sauce that’s a vibrant green from roasted poblanos and fresh spinach. While there were quite a few steps, none of them seemed difficult. I like spending time in the kitchen anyway. The result was one amazing dinner. The enchiladas were rich and cheesy and chickeny – As good as I could get in any Mexican restaurant.

Laura
Let me just say that this is the best dish of food I've eaten in a while! I don't think that I'll ever be able to eat enchiladas in a restaurant after this. They were DE-LI-CIOUS! The poblano peppers gave the green sauce just a little bit of kick in the background. And there's spinach! While the enchiladas were "involved" as far as steps went, it wasn't like we had to do some weird cooking method or anything. They were easy and straight-forward.

So, if you're looking to wow your guests with a dish that tastes like you spent all afternoon in the kitchen, make this dish. The best part is that you can make the enchiladas ahead of time, clean up your dishes (you'll have a few), then throw them in the oven as your guests arrive. Your kitchen will be clean and you'll be relaxing knowing that deliciousness awaits.

Stuffed Pork Chops

2010-09-04T09:08:00.000-07:00

It was one of those weeks where we started with an idea and went off in search of our own recipes.

Meredith
I tackled Emeril Lagasse’s Homemade Andouille-Stuffed, Bacon-Wrapped Double-Cut Pork Chops with Awesome Ham Hock Gravy. Four kinds of pig on one plate? Yep- I went there! Firstly, I did NOT make my own andouille sausage. Other than that, I think I followed the recipe to a T. A couple of things: the stuffing to me was lacking in flavor. The andouille seemed wasted and superfluous; the cornbread stayed grainy; it just wasn’t very interesting. Next, the amount of bacon I was supposed to wrap these chops in? WOW. My saute pan was a pool of bacon fat and I had to pour most of it out before I went into the oven. About half the bacon would have been plenty rich. BUT the star of the show - The Ham Hock Gravy - OH MAN was that ever a winner! Absolutely delicious. I probably won’t bother with much else of this recipe again, but I’ll need to find places to put this gravy in the future.

Laura
Well, the recipe I used was supposed to be an easier version of the one Meredith used, but honestly, whoever wrote it neglected to reread it. (Yeah, this is the part where Meredith tells me that if I read the recipe more than once, I might have noticed it.) Moving right along . . .

The pork chops were really good. They were actually better the second time around. I find that happens a lot. I always seem to enjoy food the next day so much more. My only issue was that there was way too much bacon on the pork chops. I'm not convinced if the bacon was used to flavor or to hide the messy stuffing job. Look, I'm the only person on the planet that thinks that while bacon does have it's place in my life (BLTs, with eggs, maybe even on the occasional burger), I don't think it needs to be EVERYWHERE. This might be one of those times. I feel like everywhere I look, a baconista (just watch that word catch on) is putting bacon in cupcakes or some other similarly inappropriate place. Wait, I was talking about pork chops, wasn't I?

The end result was very good. I enjoyed the pork chop. I'm glad we made them but I'm still not over the bacon!

South Beach Diet Extravaganza!!

2010-08-08T12:19:00.000-07:00

This was an entire day of cooking. We made egg muffins to have for breakfast through the week and then dinner and dessert for that night.

Egg Muffins My recipe goes something like this:

12 eggs, beaten

4 oz low fat cheese, grated (I used pepper jack)
4 oz turkey sausage, browned
1 red/green pepper
1/2 onion

Brown, turkey with pepper and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners and spray VERY WELL with non-stick spray. Spoon sausage and veg mixture evenly throughout muffin tins. Top each with cheese. Pour eggs over top and bake at 350 for 30 minutes-ish or until eggs are set.

Spinach Souffle Stuffed Chicken
This is one of my tried and true South Beach Diet Cookbook recipes. It awesome every time. It’s something I’d consider eating everyday. It’s best served with mashed cauliflower and the sauce that the recipe instructs. Decadent even.

Mocha Creme Somethings
This is my second attempt at a South Beach Cookbook dessert. BLEH BLEH BLEH. Nothing I’ve ever made is any good. I will stick to my fudgsicles.

Laura
Here's the recipe I used for my Egg Muffins:
Kalyn's Kitchen Egg Muffins
(Note: I've used this website a couple of times now. There are a lot of healthy and delicious recipes on there. Definitely check out some of the other recipes on there, too.) So, the muffins are great. This obviously can be changed based on the vegetables, cheeses and meats that you have on hand.

The chicken recipe I used was the same exact one that Meredith used. South Beach has never tasted so good! I'm not sure if I did something wrong, but it was kind of a messy prep. Well worth it, though. The spinach souffle was surprisingly very flavorful. I'd definitely make this again. The best part was, when I brought it into work the next day, my friend commented on how delicious it looked. She couldn't believe that it was made with a frozen food product.

And finally for that disastrous dessert. Obviously, something went very, very wrong because my eggs tasted scrambled instead of custard-like. I won't make that ever again! Lesson learned!

July 4th Weekend YUM-O Food!!

2010-07-24T12:17:00.000-07:00

We did nothing but eat the weekend Laura was here for July 4th!!

Weber’s Real Grilling Grilled Crab Cakes
Salsa
1 ripe mango, about 1 lb, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 medium red onion. finely chopped
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp minced jalapeno pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Crab Cakes
3/4 pound fresh, frozen or canned lump crab meat
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 egg, beaten
2 green onions, white and light green parts, minced
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 Tabasco sauce
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp pepper

To make the salsa: in a medium bowl combine the salsa ingredients. Mix well and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to 3 hours until flavors blend.

Drain the crab meat in a sieve. In a medium bowl, flake the meat with a fork and discard any shells or cartilage that might remain. Add the remaining ingredients, mixing gently but thoroughly. Shape into 12 small cakes. Place cakes on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes until firm enough for the grill.

Grill over direct high heat until the bread crumbs are toasted, 6-8 minutes, turning once with spatula very carefully. Serve warm with salsa spooned on top.

There was also steak, bread and zucchini. But, really, who cares about that?

Also that weekend we had smoked ribs, caprese kabobs and Mexican street corn (inspired by our corn the week before in New York City) Dos Caminos. The ribs I smoked for about 5 hours with a rub and then threw them on the grill with sauce to finish them off. The kabobs Laura put together with mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. She finished those off with a balsamic glaze made by simply reducing balsamic vinegar on the stove. The Mexican Street Corn was kind a a creation made by looking a various recipes online and throwing together what I had on hand. I grilled the delicious sweet white corn to start. Then spread on a mixture of sour cream, a dash of heavy cream to loosen things up, chili power, garlic, chipotle puree, salt and pepper. Finally topped the hot corn with a squeeze of lime juice and grate queso fresco. OMG it was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good. Best thing I ate all weekend HANDS DOWN. (notice the paper towel and beer. Both necessary).

Laura
All I can add to this is that I've never had Mexican street corn before this. I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious corn can be. The crab cakes were awesome, too. Honestly, the whole weekend of food and fireworks was perfect. Especially since I got to throw together some skewers and Meredith did all the hard stuff. I'm sure she knew that I was too drunk to cook. Hey, where's the rum punch recipe?

Holy Chipotle Meatloaf Batman!

2010-07-24T11:50:00.000-07:00

Meredith
A friend of mine turned me on to a place around here that makes food for you. It’s not a restaurant - it’s a take home and heat kind of joint (Cena). I was looking through their menu and came across their “most requested” entree: Chipotle Meatloaf. That sent me on an internet search for the BEST Chipotle Meatloaf. Without a doubt Luna Cafe delivered with this. This was beyond a doubt the best meatloaf I’ve ever had for starters. And if you dig a little further they suggest a Potatao, Yam, Garlic, Smoke Cheddar Gratin Mashed Potato something to accompany it. I did a mash-up of the mashed potato and the gratin. OMG DELICIOUS. It was even better the next day. I sent plates home with my parents who happened to stop by. Mom called a month later to get the recipe. It’s a keeper. It might even be a once a weeker. (Luna Cafe’s pics are WAY better!!)

Laura
I love meatloaf. It's comforting and cozy and reminds me of when we all used to sit down together at the dinner table. Meatloaf gets some sort of bad rap but it shouldn't. Next time the family rolls their eyes at the thought of meatloaf, surprise them with this recipe. They won't be disappointed. I know I wasn't. It's just as comforting as I remember meatloaf to be with the added benefit of being more modernized. I agree with Meredith that it was so much better the second day. I'm thinking I might make this again real soon and just freeze individual portions of it. Who am I kidding? It won't make it to the freezer this time, either!

Burgers MY Way

2010-07-11T12:50:00.000-07:00

Meredith
I am iffy on burgers. I rarely crave them. When I do, It’s satisfied with just a regular homemade grilled burger. This day I made Chipotle Burgers with an Avocado Cream Sauce.

Burger
1 lb. ground sirloin
2 tbs minced chipotle with adobo
1/2 diced onion
1/2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

Mix all burger components together and form into patties. Grill to desired doneness.

Avocado Cream Sauce
1 avocado
1/2 Mexican Crema
1 tsp lime zest
Juice of 1 lime
1 garlic clove, minced
salt & pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients into food processor and mix until smooth.

Toppings
Pico de gallo
Grilled Vidalia Onions
Grilled ciabatta with olive oil and salt & pepper
Grill both after burgers come off

I’m so glad I sought out the quality sirloin. I think that it made all the difference in these burgers. Or else it was the chipotle kick that I’m on these days. In any case, this was a super delicious burger. 100% juicy, full of flavor and messy like a good burger should be. I had mine with some grilled sweet potato fries FTW.

Laura
In an attempt to go low carb, I made bunless Portobello Burgers. When making veggie burgers, make sure you drain all the extra liquid out of the vegetables or you'll wind up with a soggy mess! That's my tip of the day. Also, TVP is just vegetarian crumbles. I used Morningstar Meal Starters.

The burgers cooked up crispy and I thought they had a ton of flavor. I really enjoyed eating them. It almost made me sad to give two away to my sister. They're a little time consuming to make, but honestly, they tasted way better than any of those frozen vegetarian patties that I've tried.

Also, you're going to want to try this Bean Salad. It was the perfect match for the burger.

Carne Asada

2010-07-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

Meredith
I went to 1,000,000 stores to find skirt steak this week. I have to say it may have been worth the searching. We made Carne Asada from Simply Recipes. Turns out it was pretty simple! It’s a very basic marinade that gives HUGE flavor to a wonderful cut of beef. I tossed my meat on a super hot grill for for about 7 minutes total time and then let it rest before cutting it across the grain about 5 minutes later. I used the grill to warm my corn tortillas – almost turning them into hard taco shells. After topping them with shredded cheese and a quick homemade pico de gallo, they were ready to eat!

Laura
Skirt steak is not cheap, so my first piece of advice would be to buy it when it's on sale THEN make the carne asada. I used my cast iron skillet for the steak. It worked really well, but I think at some point, I want to buy a grill pan.

My second piece of advice would be to let the steak marinate for as long as possible.The flavor was really great, but I didn't get to marinate for the entire four hours. I bet it would have made the flavors way more intense.

Over all, this was a really great meal. It was very tasty and filling. I'd make carne asada again, but I'd like to experiment with different recipes.

Guy Fieri’s Coyote Quesadillas

2010-07-11T11:55:00.000-07:00

Meredith
This was a joint cooking attempt/venture since we were in the same place at the same time. I (Meredith) came to visit Laura in May at some point and we made THESE Coyote Quesadillas!

Holy crap they were good! After almost burning down Laura’s apartment, we turned out some pretty good food. I learned that #1 DON’T BLACKEN THINGS unless you're prepared for it. Man that’s a lot of smoke! and #2 Quit being so bossy. I’m kind of a terror in the kitchen – even if it’s not mine.

Since it’s been 2 months since we made these I can only *kind* of remember all the flavors. I know that I loved it and had seconds. I also know that it was a LOT of food. Have friends over. They will love you.

Laura
I think Meredith's always known she was bossy (in the kitchen). I also think that had she not had so much Sangria, she might not have smoked out my apartment. That's really not here or there . . .

These quesadillas were delicious! I was really happy to have extra black bean salsa. The chicken was flavored really well, too. I'd definitely make these again. Or, make them the first time, depending on your side of the story.

Mmmmm Nachos

2010-05-08T20:04:00.000-07:00

Laura
Nachos are the perfect food. I love them. The nachos I made are hard to blog because I didn't have a recipe. I don't even know how much of anything I used.

I bought a rotisserie chicken. I shredded it and threw it in a pan along with corn, jalapeno peppers, chipotle peppers, black beans, red kidney beans, diced tomatoes and some spices. I tackled the nachos like they were a lasagna. The chips were a mixture of blue corn chips and red bean and rice chips. I layered them in a casserole dish, added the chicken mixture and topped it with habanero cheese. I had 3 layers that reminded me a little of our Mexican casserole dish. They sat under the broiler until the cheese melted.

These were really yummy. And hot! I plated them topped with hot salsa, sour cream and avocado slices.

Meredith
Lucky’s Nachos are the perfect food. I was merely trying to replicate them here for Cinco de Mayo. I decided at some point I was GRILLING the nachos. I took my cast iron skillet and started with a layer of blue and white tortilla chips, topped that with a mixture or pepper jack and sharp cheddar. Next: the chicken. (I, too, used a rotisserie chicken, shredded it and added stewed tomatoes, sliced jalapeños, onion, garlic and some cumin, chile powder, etc. I’m not even sure). A black bean and corn salsa I threw together went on next and then onto the grill. They went about ten minutes until the cheese was all melty. I topped the platter with sour cream and green onions. OLÉ!

Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

2010-05-08T19:39:00.000-07:00

Laura
It shouldn’t really come as a surprise that Split Pea Soup follows our ham blog. It’s a great way to use up leftover ham and the ham bone. The soup was good. It was a little thick but still good. I gave most of it away. Honestly, it just kept reminding me of that awful ham. Further proof is the fact that there's no picture on my camera for the soup. Here’s hoping Meredith took one.

Meredith
Oh wow- you poor ham.... Laura really hated you, didn’t she? Aaaaanyway- split pea soup. It was good! Super quick and easy- I threw it in the crockpot and went to bed. I made drop biscuits when I got home from work and reheated the soup for a 10 minute dinner. I loved the homey-ness of something so simple and tasty. I did snap a pic before I chowed.

CRAP! I forgot to mention my super cute Pier 1 Easter/Spring dishes. I had the ham in them and then the soup!

Hamming It Up

2010-05-08T18:58:00.000-07:00

Laura
First of all, here’s a helpful hint. When someone from the south tells you to buy an uncooked ham, ask them if they mean fresh or smoked. I thought Meredith meant fresh. I was wrong.

I used Paula Deen's Fresh Ham recipe. I hated it. I’ve had fresh ham before. I liked it. Paula’s an accomplished chef. This leads me to believe that the problem lies with me. Maybe it’s because I’m not southern. Whatever the reason, I won’t make it again. It cooked for a little over two hours and it probably could have used more time. It was boring, bland and uneventful.

Meredith
This was my Easter ham! Typically, I go to my aunt’s house or to my mother’s for Easter and never manage to score any leftovers. I decided to switch it up a bit and try something different. This recipe for Glazed Smoked Ham from the Food Network kitchens is a keeper. I don’t usually like ham glazed with some sweet, sticky stuff, but the apricot preserves with the mustard and vinegar and then the clove and allspice... whatever the magic that happened in that oven was – wow. This was maybe the best ham I’ve ever had*. The gravy/sauce with the ham was a little different for me - tasted great but I’ve never actually put anything *on* my ham. I completed my Southern Easter dinner with my grandma’s potato salad and Paula Deen’s collard greens!

*My deepest apologies to Laura on the purchase of her ham. Had her phone not died while she was in the grocery store, I’d have surely told her to buy a smoked ham! I have no idea how to cook a fresh ham. Why would you?! Smithfield puts the smoke in there for a reason!!

Sloppy Joe.. Slopp-a Sloppy Joe

2010-05-08T18:19:00.000-07:00

Recipe courtesy Guy Fieri: Sloppy Joes with Maui Onion Straws

Meredith
So *this* is what sloppy joes should taste like! I get that Manwich is about convenience and this recipe has a million ingredients (really most of them are pantry staples anyway) but wow- these were really, really good. I didn’t do the “Maui Onion Straws” – it seemed too much effort for the end result – but I’d be curious so see what they add to the sandwich. Toasted bread is a must and I might try melting a piece of plain old American cheese on the leftovers next time. And there will definitely be a next time.

Laura
I love Sloppy Joes. I never had them as a kid, but I learned to like them as an adult. Guy’s recipe was so much better than the average recipe. The recipe made so much mixture, that when I got tired of eating it on a sandwich, I used it as chili and ate it with some tortilla chips.

Make this! It’s flavorful and comforting. Make some potato salad on the side. Oh, and my suggestion if you had to have cheese would be cheddar.

For fun:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_-KbstEG4E

Excuse the onslaught!

2010-05-08T18:03:00.000-07:00

We’ve been slack. You can blame it on me (Meredith) and my job. I’ve just finished my busy season and finally have the will to look at a computer in my down time again. So... in that crazy time, Laura and I still cooked together - we just didn’t get around to blogging it. So what follows is several weeks of backlogged dishes. Enjoy!

Chicken Cacciatore

2010-03-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

Laura
Okay, fine! I’ll share my chicken cacciatore recipe (it’s Emeril’s recipe). It’s also a slow cooker recipe which makes it great to serve to guests when you don’t want to be distracted in the kitchen. Serve it over some pasta with a side of garlic bread and you’re done!

Meredith made her Caesar salad dressing that I love so much. There’s so much garlic in it, that despite those books about vampires, I knew I had nothing to fear. Really though, is there ever such a thing as too much garlic? I'll let her tell you about the croutons she made.

We finished the meal off with chocolate wine and the world's easiest tiramisu recipe. Delish!

Meredith
I made croutons! Honestly- I don’t know why I’d ever buy croutons again. Wow- easy and SO good. I melted a garlic clove in some extra virgin olive oil with salt and red pepper flakes. Then tossed the freshly-cubed NEW YORK bread around in the pan until it was toasty and properly coated! OH- and the cacciatore was really yummy. I’d definitely keep in my recipe file as an easy go-to dish. But get the good cheese if you can. I’ve got a list of "must bring backs” for my next Long Island visit. It will probably require a large cooler.

Slainté! St. Patty’s Day Shepherd's Pie

2010-03-25T18:53:00.000-07:00

Is there a single person on the planet that doesn’t love Alton Brown? We didn’t think so. Picking his shepherd’s pie recipe as the one we made really wasn’t that difficult.

Meredith
I will start by saying that Shepherd’s Pie tastes 10,000x better than it looks. This dish was absolutely delicious. I used one pound of lamb and a half a pound of lean ground beef and took liberties/heavy hand with the amounts of spices, etc but I was pretty on point with the recipe as written. I did add a splash of Guinness to the pan just before I added the chicken broth. It seemed the dish begged for it and it was on hand anyway. Whatever I did, it was right. As soon as I finished my first helping, I went for seconds. I ate it for a week. THAT is the sign of a truly great tasting meal!

Laura
Wait, now I'm cooking lamb??? It was very delicious. I didn't even think I liked lamb. Maybe I just didn't like the idea of lamb. Well, whatever my misconceptions were, I'm over them. I'd make this again. When I do, please remind me to make a double batch so I can freeze some. I really wish that I had some right now!

Wasabi Pea-Crusted Chicken

2010-03-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

The Wasabi Pea Crusted Chicken* recipe

Laura
I originally ate wasabi pea crusted chicken at Second Street Bistro. I loved it so much that when we went back there a year later, I was disappointed to find out it wasn’t available. So, I asked if we could make it for our blog. It was delicious. So worth it! If I’m being honest, using panko bread crumbs was what sealed the deal. So Second Street, if you're reading this, don’t worry about bringing back that chicken. I'll just order some other delicious dish when I get there.

Meredith
Wow I made a mess of my kitchen! I should spare you the graphic images, but I won’t.

I was highly ambitious on the side dishes (fried rice and roasted brussells sprouts) - otherwise this would have been a relatively easy meal. The chicken itself was really yummy. I enjoyed the sauce, the crunchiness of the chicken and the surprising mildness of the wasabi itself. I have some plans for next time, though. I definitely will just oven “fry” the chicken. I don’t think it needed or benefited from the extra grease from pan-frying. It was fun shopping in my Asian market and playing with wasabi powder though!

*On inspection of the recipe Laura posted above, I have realized that I actually used a recipe from Bon Appetit on epicurious.com.

Smothered Pork Chops

2010-03-25T16:14:00.000-07:00

The show Big Daddy’s House on The Food Network gets kudos for introducing Meredith and me to Smothered Pork Chops.

Meredith
I got to use my cast iron skillet! That, I think, was my favorite part of this recipe. Not that the food wasn’t tasty. It was. And I’d been craving a pan fried pork chop for some time. The sauce turned out to be a sauce and I think I wanted a real gravy. I added mushrooms to the onion saute, but everything else was by recipe. I served mine with baby spinach sauteed with garlic, mashed Yukon Golds and this bread that Giada had made earlier that day on her show.

Laura
Truthfully, this might be my favorite thing we’ve cooked so far. I got a chance to use my cast iron skillet and made something that I don’t make very often. The pork chops were juicy and tender. The sauce was not the gravy that I was afraid it would be. (I’m going to strain the rest and use it as stock.) My sides of choice were red roasted potatoes with onion soup mix and a mushroom and zucchini saute. All in all, a very yummy plateful of food.

Risotto

2010-03-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

Risotto alla Primavera

Laura

Risotto . . . not something I’m planning on making again. The whole meal threw me off. I know we didn't cook the scallops correctly. Anyway, seeing as how this is about the risotto, I’ll just say that I love risotto, but I just hated making it. After cooking it for what seems like forever, it was still too undercooked. I would NOT make it for guests. We promised to blog about the good, the bad and the ugly . . . and this was definitely bad!

Meredith

Ok- the risotto was NOT as bad as Laura is making it out to be. Granted, it took forever and was still underdone, but the flavor was still there. In fact, the leftovers were much better (this recipe makes an ENORMOUS amount of risotto). I guess the nuking cooks the rice some more. For the broth, we used Culinary Creations vegetable and wine broth that was absolutely delicious. I will be using that again for sure. And you know what? I’m not giving up on risotto that easily. I’ll make it again.

Molasses Sleigh Cookies

2010-02-26T11:41:00.000-08:00

Thanks, Sandra Lee, for the molasses sleigh cookies recipe!

Laura
I don’t know that I can even begin to explain the frustration I had making these cookies. I don't bake. I’m sure I’ve mentioned that before. The dough was crumbly at first. Crumbly like I was attempting to make coffee cake topping instead of cookies. Meredith told me to add a little bit of milk. I’m sure it was my heavy hand that added the milk and turned it runny. So then, I added more flour. I had no idea how they turned out this way, but they were delicious. I took them to a Super Bowl party and had two people ask me for the recipe plus lots of compliments on them. I couldn’t dare tell these people that the dough was ruined twice before the cookies got baked. The bottom line: Make these cookies! Just make sure you have extra milk and flour on hand!

Meredith

I’m so sorry Laura had such a fit with these cookies. Ahem- READ your recipes! Mine came together as a dough just as they should have. My only beef with the recipe as written is that it says to roll into 1 1/2 inch balls. There’s no WAY you can get 30-40 cookies out of balls that big. I think I eeked out 17.

In any case, I thought they were absolutely delicious. At first I thought they weren't anything particularly different or spectacular - kind of like any spice cookie you might have around the holidays. But there was something in them that kept me grabbing one every time I went into the kitchen during a Super Bowl commercial break. They were both salty and sweet and a really good kind of chewy. I think the combination was just what I’d been craving. I’d definitely make them again.

Penne ala Vodka

2010-01-31T11:32:00.000-08:00

Meredith
I realized about four bites in that I’d never actually had penne ala vodka before. That’s probably a good thing – I can see this adding a good three inches to my waistline if I made it regularly! The recipe itself ended up being much easier than I’d anticipated. Everything seemed to work out timing-wise and came together at the end just as the recipe said. I did have to keep asking Laura, though, what things should look like as I went along since I had no reference. “It should be a salmon color, right? Kinda thin - not like an alfredo?”

I’ll be making this recipe again – with a few tweaks. The whole time I was eating, I kept feeling like it was missing something - salt for sure and maybe another herb flavor. I think when I saute the mushrooms next time, I’ll add pancetta and possibly a little thyme. One more layer of flavor in an already delicious sauce works for me. In any case, I can’t wait to have leftovers tonight – this time I’ll remember the bread!

Laura
I’ve always been very intrigued by penne ala vodka. I want to order it each time I see it on menus, but I never do. Any time I eat it from a catering place, the pasta is overcooked. I think that’s the reason why I don’t order it. I’ve associated penne ala vodka with overcooked pasta.

When we decided to make this dish, I was thrilled. I’ve been looking for a signature dish and I thought this might be a contender. The truth is that this dish isn’t all that hard to make. You just have to be able to multitask. It’s by no means a one pot meal.

My changes: I made (approximately) two thirds of the recipe. I couldn’t see making a pound and a half of pasta for just myself. I also used light cream instead of heavy cream. The penne were whole wheat. The mushrooms came in 8 ounce containers so I used two of them instead of only 12 ounces.

Changes I’d make next time: I felt like the dish was missing something. I had considered using pancetta or prosciutto, but changed my mind at the end. Sometimes, we should stick with our gut feelings. The dish was also missing an herb flavor. Next time, rosemary or thyme might make it into the mushroom mixture.

Meredith always says that a good gauge for any dish is to ask yourself if you’d serve it to guests and if you’d make it again. I would make it again and I would serve it to company.

Is this my signature dish? No. Baked ziti has always been my signature dish. I guess I was thinking that it was too easy or too commonplace to qualify as a signature dish. Meredith reminded me that after making my own sauce, adding sausage and making the meatballs to go in it that I’ve personalized it to a point where it should be my go to dish. I agreed. However, if something else comes along, I’m open to the idea of having a first runner up. This, however, wasn’t that dish.

Here’s the recipe: Fabulous Penne a La Vodka
Thanks, Koren!

Chicken Divan

2010-01-29T12:26:00.000-08:00

Meredith
When I was young, this was just called chicken and broccoli casserole. And I HATED it. Fast forward to me as an adult and a random evening at my mom’s. She pulls leftovers from the fridge and I grudgingly decide to make a plate. I was instantly converted! Everything I hated about it as a kid I now loved!

The Paula Deen recipe was a new one for me. I swapped fresh broccoli in for frozen, light sour cream and mayonnaise, fat free cream of soups (one celery/one mushroom) and 2% cheddar. You’d never know. I’ve been eating it all week and aren’t even sick of it yet!

Laura
This was new for me. I never even HEARD of Chicken Divan. It's a very comforting casserole dish. Next time, I might add sliced mushrooms to it. I'd definitely make this dish again. I'd serve it to my family; people I'm comfortable with. My suggestion would be to let it sit after it's done cooking for about 15 minutes. Actually, this is the perfect make-ahead dish so cook it, let it cool, refrigerate it and eat it the next day. It was much tastier the next day. I'm glad I learned about Chicken Divan.

Recipe is courtesy of Paula Deen

Breakfast for Dinner – Eggs Benedict

2010-01-23T09:06:00.000-08:00

The Eggs Benedict recipe we used was by Tyler Florence.

Laura
I didn’t make my own hollandaise sauce. I used a sauce packet that I had. Honestly, it was good but not like the hollandaise sauce you get when you get eggs benedict in a restaurant. I used Canadian bacon. Originally my plan was to use Taylor ham, but I seem to be the only person that knows what that is.

Let’s talk about poaching eggs. I poached it as per the directions in the recipe. The egg white was a little undercooked and the yolk was’'t runny enough because it was overcooked. Anyone know a foolproof way to poach an egg? Oh who am I kidding? I’m not going to poach an egg anytime soon.

The verdict: While the dish was good and interesting to make, next time I want eggs benedict, I'll just order it from a professional chef.

Meredith

Alright, I made my own hollandaise sauce! It’s a good thing my arms get a regular workout because the stamina was certainly needed here – oh man that was a lot of whisking! The end result was worth the effort I think, but the sauce packets are convenient in a pinch and taste good too. The poaching of the eggs will take some practice, on the other hand. My whites had some runny spots like Laura’s but at least my yolks were still runny. I can’t quite figure out why you’d poach an egg anyway. I mean, after you’ve covered it in hollandaise does it matter if it’s fried instead? For the meat I had one “benedict” with the traditional Canadian bacon and then on the other I tried Smithfield country ham. I won’t use the country ham again here – way too salty for this application.

On the side I had steamed broccoli and home fries – let’s call it my ode to Rockafeller’s brunch. I first boiled red potatoes and then smashed them a little bit before I added them to onions and red pepper flakes that I’d sauteed in olive oil. Then I smashed the potatoes to the pan letting them get browned before stirring and smashing again. These were DELICIOUS. So simple yet so full of flavor. A definite winner here. All in all, this was a yummy meal. I don’t know that I would put forth the effort very often when Rockafeller’s can put it on a plate for $5.95, but hey – at least now I’m not afraid of hollandaise!

Chicken Pot Pie

2010-01-14T17:50:00.000-08:00

Ingredients
3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 chicken bouillon cubes
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas (2 cups)
1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

For the pastry:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions and parsley. Mix well.

For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Meredith

This venture started with a recipe in my inbox from Eat Better America for "healthified" chicken pot pie. Unfortunately, that recipe used canned cream of chicken soup and that didn’t seem Good Chef worthy. So in my hunt to find another suitable healthy pot pie I ran across the Barefoot Contessa’s recipe that begins with a stick and a half of butter. I was SOLD. I followed Ina’s recipe as is, also adding crimini mushrooms to the vegetables. After all the cooking and dicing and stock-making and chicken baking – it was an all day affair – I have to admit it was worth the effort. The finished pie was warm, comforting and absolutely delicious. I’m not sure if I’d go through the trouble of making my own crust every time – the pies I made with the Pillsbury crescent recipe creations tasted yummy too.

I did the recipe as written +1/2 since I was making it for a potluck at work as well. This is how much filling I had!

One of the small pot pies with the Ina’s crust. This is the one I had cooking night.

The potluck pie with Ina’s crust

One of the small pot pies with the Pillsbury crust. I sent 2 of these home with my parents.

Laura

So here’s the story: I didn’t make my own stock. I didn’t make my own crust and the only thing that I used the recipe for was for the basic idea of how to make a chicken pot pie. I DID roast the chicken as per the recipe. Truthfully, I don’t think that chicken pot pie is something that requires anyone to follow the recipe exactly. I added soup vegetables instead of just peas and carrots. For my sister, I made a fake chicken pot pie and she really liked it.

What I liked about it: It was warm and comforting. I’ve needed that these last few days. The Pillsbury crust was delicious. (For me, making the crust seemed like too much work.) I liked that there were more than just two vegetables in it. Next time, I think I'll use LESS chicken and MORE vegetables. (Don’t tell anyone I said that.)

Danielle

(My sister started off as an innocent bystader and now she's a guest blogger.) Danielle's first blog....EVER

Picture it Long Island 2010. I come home and my house smells delicious. These things never happen to me. In the year and a half I've been in my house, this is the first time it smelled so good without me cooking anything! What a treat it was to walk through the door. Initially, I was disappointed to hear that it was "chicken" pot pies. Not because they aren't great but because I don't eat chicken. Then Laura asked me if I had any "fake chicken". That was when it all changed. That's when I knew I'd get to have a pot pie too. I don't know what the homemade crust was like, but the Pillsbury one was great. I loved that the inside was somewhat creamy without being as thick as a cream of chicken soup. I think it was a perfect consistency. Laura made my pot pie in a glass dish that should have been 2 good sized servings. It was not. I just kept eating....and eating....and eating. So my suggestion for next time is to make your sister's pot pie bigger so she doesn't have leftover envy.

Baked Ziti and Meatballs: Sopranos Style

2009-12-27T17:04:00.000-08:00

For the Meatballs
1 pound ground beef or a combination of beef and pork
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs, preferably homemade
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon very finely minced garlic
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine all the ingredients except the oil in a large bowl. Mix together thoroughly. Rinse your hands with cool water and lightly shape the mixture into 2-inch balls. (Note: If you are making meatballs for lasagne or baked ziti, shape the meat into tiny balls the size of a small grape.)

Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet. Add the meatballs and brown them well on all sides. Transfer the meatballs to a plate.

Note: The recipe goes on to say that you should finish cooking the meatball in the sauce . . . we didn't do that.

Laura
Thank goodness for comfort food. I imagine that when an Italian girl eats baked ziti, she feels the way some people (Meredith) feel about macaroni and cheese. I had made sauce a while ago and froze it, so I knew this wasn’t going to be an all day affair. It might as well have been. I defrosted two pounds of meat so I doubled the recipe. Anyone know how many grape sized meatballs that makes? A LOT! That’s how many. Also, I added hot Italian sausage to my baked ziti. So, after cooking three batches of mini meatballs, I cut up some sausage and cooked it in a frying pan. I've made this so many times before so I already knew how delicious it would be. What’s not to like about pasta, sauce, cheese, meatballs and sausage? I loved it, as always.

Meredith

Mmmm... mac & cheese! Oh wait- that’s not what we were making? Italian Mac & Cheese! Close enough I suppose. Let’s get down to it: I, too, had sauce already made and in the freezer (non-Italians do this too!) so that part was done. I made the meatballs for Christmas dinner so they were already done too. So what DID I do today? Oh- I boiled pasta and grated cheese. But let me go back to the meatballs – they were absolutely delicious. It took a batch, but I finally figured out how to get the meatballs browned on all sides and not to stick to the pan. That I’m very proud of. I may make them my signature dish. Don’t tell Tony.

Forecast: Chili With a Chance of Cornbread

2009-12-21T19:21:00.000-08:00

Laura
I’ve made chili before, but certainly not enough to wing it. Here’s the recipe I used. It's just a little different than the original recipe.

Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef
2 (16 ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with jalapenos, undrained
1 can Mexicorn with bell peppers
2 medium onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Light sour cream

Directions
In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Transfer to a slow cooker. Add the next ten ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4 hours. Garnish individual servings with cheese and sour cream if desired.

I love chili so I’m always going to have high hopes for it. It’s a really easy recipe. Next time, I’d either add more jalapeño peppers or maybe some cayenne. It was a little spicy but I definitely needed more heat for my chili. We also decided to make cornbread. This was new to me. I used the regular Jiffy mix and added a jalapeño to it.

The verdict: Chili was great but could have been spectacular with a little more heat. Cornbread was easy and super tasty.

I’d definitely make this again. I feel like chili is something that I’d like to research a little more. I’m thinking maybe try out different recipes until I find my favorite. Maybe it’ll replace my quest for the world’s best nachos. You know, now that I know where to find them. (Lucky’s at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT.) Anyway, maybe next time I’ll get up the nerve to try a recipe with cinnamon in it. Oh, and one more thing. Anyone know why we brown the meat before putting it in the slow cooker? We throw all sorts of raw meats into the slow cooker. What makes ground beef so different? Just curious, really. Whatever the reason, it works and it’s pretty yummy so I’m not going to go changing anything.

Meredith
I’ve never used a recipe for chili so I certainly wasn’t going to start now! I typically cheat and start with a packet of Chili-O but since I was blogging this batch, I figured I’d go au naturale and just spice it up from the cabinet. So- I started by putting 93% lean ground beef in the skillet and once browned I added random amounts of: chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, ground cumin, cayenne and salt & pepper. While that simmered, I sauteed a diced Vidalia onion and two jalapeños in olive oil. Then I combined the meat and the cooked veggies and let that hang out while I started opening cans. Into the crockpot went: two cans of diced tomatoes with green chiles and two cans of dark red kidney beans (all undrained). The same combination of spices went on top of the tomatoes and beans and stir. Next I added the meat and cooked veggies to the pot. Stir well.Two more cans of tomatoes and more spices in the pot. Stir again. Finally I add one more diced onion, a diced green bell pepper, two more jalapeños and a can of corn. Oh, and more of those spices! Stir well, simmer for at least 4 hours.

You know- this was probably one of my favorite batches of chili I’ve ever made. It was spicy, zesty, tasty, comforting, chunky, smoky, veggie-licious WITHOUT all that sodium from the spice packs! I had mine with shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, Fritos and a little dollop of (light) Daisy. OH! the cornbread! Saturday afternoon I picked up a bag of Southwestern-style jalapeño cornbread mix from the Napa Valley Pantry at Marshall’s on clearance. I would definitely recommend this to a friend. It tasted like corn cake with jalapeños in it. Really, really worth the three bucks. (P.S. Luckys! Luckys! I want nachos NOW!)

Salted Peanut Chews

2009-12-18T13:40:00.000-08:00

Base
1 1/2 cup flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 egg yolks
3 cups miniature marshmallows

Topping
2/3 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 10-oz package peanut butter chips
2 cups crisp rice cereal
2 cups salted peanuts

Instructions
Heat oven to 350. In large bowl, combine all base ingredients, except marshmallows, at low speed until crumbly. Press firmly into bottom of ungreased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle immediately with marshmallows. Return to oven and bake 1-2 minutes or until marshmallows begin to puff.
In large saucepan combine all topping ingredients except cereal and peanuts. Heat until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in cereal and peanuts. Immediately spoon over marshmallows, spread to cover.
Refrigerate for 45 minutes or until firm.

Meredith
When we decided we were going to do a dessert this week, I dragged out the little recipe book my mom made for me shortly after my grandmother died. I knew I'd find something in there that was both nostalgic and tasty. These salted peanut chews were exactly that. And so, I thank Mom (grandmother mom) for making these for us every Christmas. I think technically it's a Better Crocker recipe or something since you can find it all over the internet, but I'm sticking with believing they are a family treat!

Laura
These were really easy to make. Perfect for someone who can't bake. I mean, if you use 3 1/2 cups of marshmallows, you aren't going to ruin anything. It took no time at all to make them. The longest measure of time was the 45 minutes that I had to patiently wait while they cooled in the fridge. I loved them. They were chewy and delicious. I'm taking them to a party tomorrow, but I'm saving some here for me.

Green Chile Quiche

2009-12-06T18:09:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 green chile peppers, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, diced
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
4 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook peppers and onion until tender. Transfer to a bowl and mix with feta, sour cream and salt.
Spread bottom of pie crust with Monterey Jack cheese. Top cheese with pepper and onion mixture. Mix eggs and milk in a bowl; evenly pour over onion and pepper mixture. Top with Cheddar cheese.
Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is melted and eggs are firm.

Meredith

Would you serve this to company? UH HUH! It was SO good. Savory, buttery, cheesy... Delicious!

Even though this was my first attempt at a quiche, I was hesitant to follow the recipe as written - I'm such a rebel... I refuse to believe that feta had any place in this ingredient list and so I substituted it for some shredded Parmesan. A couple other tweaks - I used added garlic, 4 eggs, 1% milk, light sour cream and about half the cheese. I'm not quite sure how the entire recipe worth of cheese would have fit into my 9" pie pan. That being said, the recipe was easy and makes me want to try my hand at adding just about anything to eggs and throwing it in a pie crust. I will be the Top Chef of QUICHE!

Laura

I love quiche. I've never made one before, either. I made a few changes . . . I used jalapeno peppers instead of chile peppers. Whenever, the recipe called for cheese, I used 75% fat free sharp cheddar. Finally, I added a can of diced tomatoes with jalapenos. I drained them really well and cooked off the rest of the liquid with the onions and jalapenos.

I will say that I learned a few things during this process. Next time (and there WILL be a next time), I plan to cook the pie shell just a little bit before filling it. I feel like the bottom of the quiche should have been just a little crisper.
All in all, a very nice vegetarian option. It'd make a great brunch item, too. I had a salad with caesar dressing on the side. That's all I needed.

Pot Roast

2009-11-19T12:52:00.000-08:00

Laura
This pot roast was an issue from the get-go. For starters, how can one expect the Italian girl from NY to know what pot roast is? I picked up pork shoulder the first time around. That wasn't right. In my defense, it said pork roast. I was making a roast, wasn't I? On my second trip to the grocery store to rectify the situation, I had to text Meredith a million times to verify that I got the right meat.

I have no idea what it's supposed to taste like. I have no idea how to make it. Hell, I don't even know what pot roast is. The good news is that it's really easy to make. The recipe I used, I found here.

Ingredients
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
1 1/4 cups water
5 1/2 pounds pot roast

Directions
In a slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and water. Place pot roast in slow cooker and coat with soup mixture. Cook on High setting for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low setting for 8 to 9 hours.

See, it doesn't say "beef" or "pork". Anyway, moving right along . . .
I added carrots and celery to the bottom of the slow cooker. When there were 90 minutes left, I sliced some mushrooms and added them to the slow cooker, too.

I would definitely make pot roast again. Next time, I'll just make less of it.

Meredith

Pot roast might be my favorite meal ever. It’s a commonly requested birthday dinner. So the idea of not knowing what it is was just so bizarre to me that we HAD to make it. Laura HAD to know why I love/make/eat it so much. That being said, I tried to do a couple things differently than my old standard. This time, I actually seared the meat first and after taking it out of the pan added roughly chopped onions, baby carrots and garlic and roasted the veggies in the oven for about 20 minutes. Everything then went into the crock pot with beef broth, onion soup mix, salt, pepper, etc. A couple of hours later I dropped a handful of mushrooms in for the duration of the cooking. I don’t think I noticed much difference in that extra effort. I made green bean casserole and these weird potato pancakes on the side. And I blame the photo quality this week on the mimosas ;)

And Laura? Don’t make less next time... just give what you don’t want to me, ok?

Honey Grilled Shrimp

2009-11-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

Honey Grilled Shrimp

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 tablespoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons dry white wine
2 tablespoons Italian-style salad dressing
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails attached
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Skewers

Directions
In a large bowl, mix together garlic powder, black pepper, 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce, wine, and salad dressing; add shrimp, and toss to coat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Preheat grill for high heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard marinade.

In a small bowl, stir together honey, melted butter, and remaining 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce. Set aside for basting.

Lightly oil grill grate. Grill shrimp for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until opaque. Baste occasionally with the honey-butter sauce while grilling.

Laura

I've made this recipe before and I loved it. I didn't baste, though. I put the honey into the marinade instead. Also, I fake grilled. Yeah, I said it - FAKE GRILLED. I let George Foreman grill for me and he did a GREAT job. I sprinkled some red pepper flakes on top. It was a nice kick to counteract the sweetness of the honey.

As a side I made Pineapple Salsa and it was really yummy. I approve of both recipes. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to get one of those brownies that I made today. No, I didn't bake them from scratch. Hey, there are some things better left to the professionals. Baking is one of them!

Meredith

I was a little overzealous on this dinner plan! My “sides” for the shrimp were a New York strip, Crispy Smashed Potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts. As a result, I ended up slightly overcooking the shrimp, BUT the meal was delicious in any case.

To be honest, the marinade is almost identical to what I usually do for skewered shrimp. I added a little cayenne (next time I’ll add more), substituted olive oil for the Italian salad dressing and put some honey in with the marinade itself. I like using honey in grilled things – it does this kind of crusty, sticky glaze thing that is just heavenly. And yes - I “real” grilled of course.

The potatoes had some issues. They tasted good, but I couldn’t quite get the smashed part right. I think if I use smaller potatoes and cook them a little longer it might work out better. I’m not sure what the fix is, but rest assured I’ll keep trying.

The roasted Brussels sprouts really were the star of the show for me. I tossed raw sprouts with sliced shallots, garlic, bacon, olive oil, salt & pepper and roasted in a 450˚ oven for 25 minutes. I deglazed the roasting pan with a splash of white wine before serving. And as the star I believe they deserve a pic of their own!

Cheesy Tortilla Lasagna

2009-11-08T15:52:00.000-08:00

1 cup (3 medium) chopped plum tomatoes
1 cup julienne-cut zucchini
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
1 (15oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 (10oz.) can Old El Paso enchilada sauce
1 (8oz.) container southwest-flavor sour cream dip*
8 (6 inch) corn tortillas, halved
8 oz. (2 cups) shredded colby-jack cheese
1 tbsp. chopped cilantro

*can be made by mixing 1 cup sour cream with 1 tbsp. taco seasoning

Heat oven to 375ºF. Spray 13x9 inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In medium bowl, combine tomatoes, zucchini, onions and beans; mix well. Reserve 1/3 cup enchilada sauce; set aside. In another medium bowl, combine remaining enchilada sauce and sour cream dip; blend well.

Spoon 2 tablespoons enchilada sauce mixture in bottom of sprayed baking dish. Arrange 8 tortilla pieces over sauce, overlapping as necessary. Spoon half of the vegetable-bean mixture over tortillas, sprinkle with 2/3 cup of the cheese. Spoon half of the remaining sauce mixture over cheese. Repeat layers, reserving 2/3 cup cheese for top. Top with reserved 1/3 cup enchilada sauce. Cover with foil.

Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Uncover; sprinkle with reserved 2/3 cup cheese. Bake, uncovered, an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Laura
Let's see . . . I suppose I should start with the question on every Italian's mind: What the heck is a tortilla lasagna? It's a Mexican casserole. (Yeah, that answer didn't help me either.) Anyway, instinctively, I wanted to replace the tortillas with lasagna noodles. I would have too, if I could have found oven ready whole wheat noodles. Someone get on that, okay? The changes I did make were easy. I marinated chicken in a southwest marinade, then cooked and shredded it. I added yellow sweet peppers just because I had them and jalapenos because that sounded delicious. Had I remembered that I wanted to add corn, I would have done that too. Hey, leave me alone . . . I was out of my element here. I didn't have a southwest flavor dip so I used my Tastefully Simple Fiesta Party dip mix.

I made jalapeno corn bread in my bread maker as a side. If it was an Italian lasagna, I would have wanted bread so this made perfect sense to me.

The finished product was delish! I'm glad Meredith convinced me to make it. (Shh, don't tell her but I was totally on the fence with this one.) I would totally make this again. It will freeze well so I can freeze individual lunch size portions. I love that.

The only problem with the pictures of this lasagna is that you don't get a feel for how much stuff is in it. It looks prettier in person. If I was recommending other changes, I'd nix the zucchini and add corn instead. I think the chicken and jalapenos are a must. Then, with the extras (there will be extras) make a pretty plate and give some to your mom. At least, that's what I did. I should be on Top Chef when they deconstruct dishes. I could deconstruct Mexican casserole!

Meredith
To be fair, I've made this recipe several times. I've made it by the letter with no changes; I've added ground beef; I've swapped veggies; I pretty much do what I like and have on hand. This time I added corn, fresh jalapeños, a red pepper. I also marinated chicken breasts in Badia's Mojo, grilled, then shredded and sauteed them in taco seasoning with a half an onion. For cheese, I did the Mexican shredded mix and some pepper jack. On the side I had some quick nachos and a Mexican side salad. Yum!

Once I'd made all my additions, I had enough stuffing for TWO 9x13s. It's a good thing I love this stuff. I'll eat it all week and freeze an entire casserole for another time.

Fit to Be Thai’d - Spicy Thai Slow Cooker Chicken

2009-11-08T15:51:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts -- or a combination!)
1/3 cup reduced fat peanut butter
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
1/2 cup Sambal Oelek ground chili paste
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
Place chicken (trimmed of visible fat) into slow cooker. Mix together peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, ginger, sweet chili sauce and sambal oelek. Pour over chicken. Cook on Low 8 hours or on High 4 hours. Serve 1 piece of chicken and sauce with chopped peanuts and cilantro as garnish.

Number of Servings: 6
We Found the Recipe Here

Meredith

Umami! Yeah I have no idea if this was umami or not but I loved it. I ate it for a week straight and would eat it right now if I still had some left (I do have some left. It’s just in the freezer). I used the combination of boneless, skinless breasts and thighs, didn’t measure any of my ingredients and went for the red curry paste instead of the Sambal Oelek because that’s all I found. I also threw a couple dried red chiles into the pot on a whim. I ate mine with brown rice, sauteed broccoli and carrots and topped with green onions. I found the dish to have a slow, not so in your face heat that the peanut butter may have cooled. In any case, the PB added a creaminess and extra element of flavor (maybe umami?). I think this will end up being a go-to meal for me, especially since I don’t think that it necessarily NEEDS the crock pot. Thumbs up!

Laura

Ok, here's what I changed. I used more reduced fat peanut butter than what the recipe said. (I have an unnatural obsession with peanut butter, but that's an entirely different blog.) I used ground, rather than fresh, ginger. I couldn't find chili paste so I used an entire bottle of red curry paste because, well because it seemed like a good idea. Finally, I used the whole bottle of chili sauce.

This was really flavorful. It was aromatic. It tasted like some sort of Thai / Indian fusion dish. It was spicy, but not hot. It was . . . umami? Okay, not umami. I guess I'm trying to say that the dish had heat but not in that hot, red pepper kind of way. My suggestion would be to either make less of it or serve it to people. It's a really tasty dish but not something that I wanted to eat for a whole week straight. I guess I could have frozen it, but there's no room in my freezer anymore. (Again, an entirely different blog topic.)

The bottom line: Very appetizing. The dish reminded me of take out. It had that kind of feel to it. I ate it as a wrap and with rice on the side. Either way, it was enjoyable. So go ahead, try it.

Smoke ’em if you got ’em! (BBQ!)

2009-10-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

It’s Smoker Week! (And apparently LOTS of pictures week) I spent some time last month building a terra cotta flower pot smoker à la Alton Brown on Good Eats. I went from Home Depot to Lowes to Taylors to the little Feed ‘n Seed on the corner in search of my parts and pieces:

16" terra cotta pot
standard hot plate
replacement grill grate
metal pie pan
16" round terra cotta planter (This was ridiculously hard to find*)
replacement grill temperature gauge
bricks and/or planter “feet”

It finally came together with a price tag of around $50. They had a metal smoker at Home Depot for about that price. I could explain why terra cotta is better than metal... heat insulation, blah blah blah - but you know what? Take a couple minutes to watch Alton's video up there and see what he has to say.

On to the build! Once I had gathered everything I needed, I started assembling. The best piece of advice I ran across on the Internet was from Dave Naffziger’s blog post regarding getting the heating element OUT of the smoker itself. A little tricky on the reconnect of the wires through the pot, but otherwise a piece of cake. We want the temperature knob outside where we can adjust it!

Next goes the metal pan with the wood chunks. I used applewood and soaked them overnight. The first time I used the smoker, I skimped on the soaking time and had some flare ups and more smoke than I’d have liked. The grill grate sits nicely in the lip of the pot near the top.

Place the lid on top, stick the temperature gauge in the hole in top and we’re done!

Plug it in and voila! Smoke!

My first attempt at smoking I brined and rubbed a turkey breast with average results. In my opinion, it was too smoky BUT the lessons I learned from this trial run definitely paid off for my hunk o’ pork.

Preheat the smoker! It'll take at least 45 minutes to get to 215˚F.
Don’t short yourself on wood soaking time. The longer the better... overnight won't hurt. You’ll have a slower, longer smoke and there is less chance of a random fire.
Have LOTS of aluminum foil handy. I don’t remember what for, but I know I ran out at 6am and wasn’t very happy about it.
Don’t keep opening the lid. You’ll only let heat out and if air hits that smoldering wood down there.... again with the fire. Not fun.

And without further ado, the pulled pork (ahem- BBQ) that almost made Laura cry...

Pulled Pork BBQ
I used Alton’s recipe for the brine and rub with a couple of adjustments for my tastes. Starting with a 7 pound Boston Butt, I brined it from Wednesday night to Friday morning in a huge container filled with pickling salt, molasses, water, minced garlic and black peppercorns.

When the alarm went off at 5:30am, I got the smoker set up and going and pulled the meat out of the brine to take the chill off. At 6:15 the alarm went off again and I trudged into the kitchen to apply the rub I’d made the night before: ground cumin, ground coriander, chili powder, onion powder, paprika, garlic powder and a little black pepper. I used already ground spices because that's what I had on hand. Alton grinds his own :P

Ready to go:

At this point the smoker was at temperature, so I added a couple of chunks of applewood, put the meat on and went back to bed! About halfway through the smoke (at about 5 hours), I replenished the wood. At 10 hours I started checking for doneness by trying to pull the meat with a fork. I decided to let it go for one more hour and took it off at the 11 hour mark, wrapped it in foil and let it rest for an hour.

And then the pulling began.... (and initial sampling that made me go “WHOA! That is GOOD!”)

All pulled, chopped and out on the platter. Turns out it didn’t need any sauce at all, so I served my two saucy concoctions on the side along with some Frank’s Red Hot.

Rounding out dinner, we had baked beans (also Alton’s recipe), macaroni salad (Laura’s specialty), and coleslaw for the BBQ, of course. Delish! I honestly couldn’t have hoped for it to come out any better than it did.

Next time Boston Butt goes on sale I’m stocking up my freezer. In the meantime, I’ll be plotting what to smoke next! Beef maybe? Oh and I’d be remiss to not mention dessert: monkey bread and homemade honey ice cream!

*at time of posting, I have since broken the impossible to find lid to my smoker. I know what I’m doing this weekend since I’ve promised my parents BBQ for their birthday dinner!

Laura
Really, WHO gets up at 5:30 in the morning to make dinner? Slow cookers are for meals that take all day, aren't day? Millions of cookbooks were based on “fix it and forget it”. Not a single cookbook that I’ve ever seen talks about how to spend ALL DAY making dinner for your friends by fussing every hour with temperatures and wood. Naturally, I rolled my eyes. As far as I was concerned, this was just some quirky idea that was just going to make everything taste like smoke. I have a hard enough time making things on the grill not taste like smoke. Do I really want that on purpose?

Fast forward to noontime. Smoked food smell is wafting through Meredith’s house. Wait, I think SHE smells like the smoker. Oddly, I’m not repelled by it at all. It’s delicious. I was expecting the smoke smell that cigarettes give off. I was pleasantly surprised.

The rest of the process is a blur because I wasn’t going anywhere near that thing. This was her baby – I was staying out of it. I was planning on politely nodding when asked if it tasted good. You can imagine my surprise when I actually got to taste it. It was absolutely delicious. I’m going to be honest with you; it took all I had to wait for everyone to get to her house so I could eat.

I learned a lot from that meal. First, pork butt is not bad. (Meredith’s aside: It’s not the pork’s BUTT! It's its shoulder!) It may not sound like something you want to eat, but made correctly, it’s worth it. Second, barbecue is NOT something you make by turning on the grill. Finally, monkey bread is awesome.

Let it be known that I mentioned wanting to set up a smoker at my house. Let it also be known that I’m not going to do it. I don’t know that I have the patience to wake up early and constantly check temperatures.

Here’s my bottom line: If you have a free day and want to make something that tastes unlike anything else, then by all means go for it. Otherwise, do what I plan to do and request it at Meredith’s house. Now if I could just get her to make me some banana ice cream.

Meatloaf Mania

2009-10-04T18:12:00.001-07:00

Laura
Some things are difficult to nail down with a recipe. For example, everyone makes sauce in different ways. The same applies for meatloaf. There was no way we were both going to agree on one recipe that we wanted to use. I have a standard recipe, but I thought that this would be a good time to try a stuffed meatloaf. My normal meatloaf is a comfort food for me. I wanted something out of the norm, but not too crazy. I've seen recipes for meatloaf stuffed with spinach so that's what I looked for. I found a Cheesy Spinach Stuffed Meatloaf recipe that I wanted to try. Here's the recipe with my changes noted:

Cheesy Spinach-Stuffed Meatloaf (Pinwheel meatloaf aka Tournade)

Meatloaf:
1½ pounds lean ground beef (I used meatloaf mix)
¾ cup soft bread crumbs (1/2 cup used instead)
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt (I omitted the salt)
⅛ teaspoon pepper

Topping:
3 tablespoons ketchup
¼ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (I didn't top the meatloaf with more cheese)

Filling
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, well drained
½ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (1/3 cup of cheese used instead)
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning (I used Mrs. Dash Italian blend)
¼ teaspoon salt (Again, no salt - the Mrs. Dash took care of that)
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder

1. Heat oven to 350°. In medium bowl, combine filling ingredients; mix well. Set aside. In large bowl, combine meatloaf ingredients, mixing lightly but thoroughly.

2. Place beef mixture on waxed paper and pat into 14 x 10-inch rectangle. Spread filling over beef, leaving ¾-inch border around edges. Starting at short end, roll up jelly-roll fashion. Press beef mixture over spinach filling at both ends to seal. Place seam side down on rack in open roasting pan.

3. Bake in 350° oven 1 hour. Spread ketchup over loaf; return to oven and continue baking 15 minutes. Top loaf with ¼ cup mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with additional Italian seasoning, if desired.

4. To serve, cut into 1-inch thick slices.

Okay, so the rolling of the meatloaf seemed a little odd. It certainly went a lot better than the Chicken Cordon Bleu rolling. Once I got the hang of it, the rest was easy. The next time though, I'd use less spinach. There seemed to be a lot of it in every bite. Other than that, I thought the meatloaf was delicious.

Meredith
I'm soooo tired! And yet I made THREE meatloaves? oy. I didn't plan very well for this other than having the ground beef thawed and so eventually winged (wanged? wung?) it once I got to the kitchen. I started with a basic mixture of lean ground beef, finely diced onions, minced garlic and a couple of eggs; split that into three bowls and went from there.

To the first bowl I added: some grated Parmesan, Italian breadcrumbs and a spoonful of the red pasta sauce I made last weekend. Formed a simple loaf and topped it the last 10 minutes of baking with a mixture of ketchup, dried minced onion, brown sugar, pepper and dry mustard. To the second bowl I added: diced green chiles, panko breadcrumbs and stuffed the loaf (no rolling- just layered) with roasted red & yellow peppers and some pepper jack cheese. It was topped at the end with salsa.

To the last bowl I added: Worcestershire, onion soup mix, panko and stuffed it with a couple slices of muenster cheese. I topped it with the marsala/mushroom sauce that I'd made yesterday at dinner. All three loaves were served with mashed potatoes and an assortment of roasted veggies.

I actually liked them all. The Italian-ish one was most like my mother's that she used to shape into a heart for Valentine's Day. The beefy, mushroom-y one was just that – bold, rich and paired very well with the potatoes. The Mexican loaf was the most interesting I think – great flavor, I see potential here for something really fun.

Pizza (That's Amoré)

2009-09-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

Laura's Pizza
Pizza? Hell yeah I'll make pizza. I love making pizza. I have a bread machine that makes the dough. Anyone who thinks it's a piece of equipment that just takes up space needs to taste the difference between premade dough and bread machine dough. Sure, I could make it all by hand, but I'll save that for the professionals.

My pizza of choice was pesto margarita. The layers are:
dough - pesto sauce (I made pesto months ago and froze it in ice cube trays for easy use) - diced tomatoes with jalapenos (drained well) - shredded mozzarella - fresh basil - minced garlic

To grill or not to grill. That was the question. If not for the rain, I would have (maybe) attempted to grill it. Maybe I would have made one personal pizza on the grill and the other in the oven. Weather conditions as they were, they both were baked in the oven, on a pizza stone. If you're going to make pizza, please invest in a pizza stone. The crust just crisps up so much nicer with one.

The pizza was delicious. I never made a pesto margarita pizza before. It came out better than I had expected. The crust was crispy enough to stand up to the bite test. (My pet peeve is when you order a pizza and you go to take a bite just to have all the toppings slide off the slice.) If people wonder why I'm not a fan of ordering pizza when I go out, this is why. So, bottom line, I'll definitely make this pizza again. I think I'm going to enjoy finding different toppings to use. I'd love to know what everyone likes to put on their pizzas. Doesn't everyone have a favorite?

Meredith's Pizza

OH Today was BUSY! I have no clue why I decided to build a smoker, smoke a turkey, make pasta sauce, grill some chicken AND make pizzas. I'm exhausted!

I made two different pizzas. I took the easy road and used two doughs I bought at Trader Joe's. On the first (whole wheat) dough I did: my homemade sauce (spicy!), pepperoni, roasted onions, roasted red peppers and mozzarella. I tossed fresh red peppers and a vidalia onion with some olive oil, salt & pepper and roasted at 375 for about an hour. I think the pepper was my favorite part of the entire meal.

The second crust (garlic and herb I think?) got a white treatment. I made a white sauce by sauteing onions and garlic in olive oil and then stirring in some light cream- finished with a little salt, pepper and fresh thyme. This went on first followed by a ricotta mixture (ricotta, thyme, garlic), caramelized onions, roasted garlic, prosciutto, and mozzarella.

To be honest I preferred the traditional red sauced pizza. The white pizza came out heavier than I'd have liked and the prosciutto ended up being moot- I think it was too delicate to hold up to the richness of the cream sauce and the ricotta. Bacon would have gone nicely here. The grilling of the pizzas is something I'd like to perfect in the future. My first attempt proved slightly undercooked in some spots- I feel the right temp on the grill and a better stretching of the dough is key.

(I couldn't decide on a pic)

Steak and Sweet Potato Fries

2009-09-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

Laura
Let me start by saying that the reason why we didn't cook apart this weekend was because we were together. Then, please allow me to continue on by saying that I'll never master the art of grilling steak. I'm learning to grill, but it seems to be a slow and painful process. So, that being said, I present to you the steak and sweet potato fries that we made for my mom before we went out to dinner. (Hey, you didn't think we'd spend our weekend cooking for this blog, did you?)

Meredith made the steak on my grill. I have no idea what went on it. You'll have to hope that she'll share that secret with you. I made the sweet potato fries, sort of. I put them in the oven and left them. Meredith turned them and made sure they were done.

My mom loves steak. That's where this whole steak thing comes from. Last time she (Meredith) was here, she made a steak so good that my mom STILL talks about it. So, Meredith thought it would be a nice thing to make mom dinner before we went out. How'd it taste? I took a bite and was jealous. How'd my mom like it? Well, her response should say it all. After taking a bite, mom said "How do you DO it?". That, should say it all.

Finally, I wanted to mention that Meredith is planning on making a smoker for when I go there in October. Maybe if we're lucky, she'll take us through the process. Meredith? What do you say?

Meredith
I don't have a lot to add to be honest. The steak got a little Worcestershire, salt, pepper and minced garlic and then was grilled over high heat for about 5 minutes per side. That's the BIG secret answer to the "How do you DO it?" question.

As as for the smoker, I have an entire blog entry in mind complete with pictures, step by step instructions and diagrams :)

Macaroni and Cheese

2009-09-13T20:23:00.000-07:00

Ingredients
6 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp vegetable oil
1 lb small elbow macaroni
2 tbsp and 1/2 tsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
1/4 tsp freshly ground black (or white pepper)
1/2 lb smoked gouda cheese, grated (or 1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese)
6 oz bacon, chopped

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put the water, 1/2 tsp of salt, and oil in a large, heavy saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook — stirring occasionally, until tender for about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse under cool water — set aside.

In a large sauté pan cook bacon until crispy for about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Set aside. In a small-heavy saucepan — melt 2 tbsp of the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook — stirring constantly — for 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Add the remaining 1/2 tsp salt and pepper and continue whisking until the sauce is smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 8 minutes. Remove the white sauce from the heat and stir in the 6 oz of the cheese. Add the bacon. Continue stirring until the cheese melts.

Lightly grease a 6 1/2 x 10 inch dish casserole dish with the remaining 1/2 tsp. butter. Combine the cheese sauce, macaroni, and bacon in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Taste and season , if necessary. Pour into the prepared casserole and sprinkle remaining 2-oz cheese on top. Bake until lightly golden on top, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve hot.

We found this recipe here.

Laura's Macaroni and Cheese

I don't understand how I never knew about homemade macaroni and cheese. I mean, I knew it could be made, but it seemed silly when all I need to do was add milk, butter and a cheesy powder to some macaroni. And let's talk about the bacon. I don't even LIKE bacon. I've always felt like the place for bacon was on a BLT and little else. Well, let's add mac and cheese to the list of places where I will always want to see bacon.

I did make some changes. I used all the gouda in the sauce and topped the casserole with extra shredded cheese. Then, to make it really perfect, I sprinkled beautiful panko bread crumbs on top of that.

Now, when I think of the perfect macaroni and cheese, I imagine a gooey mess. It might be the Italian in me that wants to see the cheese melted and stringy as the mac and cheese goes from the casserole to the dish. Whatever it is, I didn't feel I could accomplish that by drying it out in the oven. My answer to that was to combine everything as directed and then broil it until the panko bread crumbs browned. It was a perfect plan. The only problem, it still needed more cheese. Other than that, I'll never eat macaroni and cheese out of a box again and you shouldn't either.

Meredith's Macaroni and Cheese (TWO WAYS)

Alright, alright..... I've made macaroni and cheese a THOUSAND times. I mean- I live in Virginia- Hello!! It's a Thanksgiving staple. But I have NEVER made Patti Labelle's Over the Rainbow Macaroni & Cheese. It is HANDS DOWN the best mac & cheese I've ever eaten/made. That's saying a lot. I pitted it against the Emeril recipe above and Patti wins!! PLUS bacon went into both! Did you hear me? I said bacon!

All 4 stove eyes going, I accomplished macaroni & cheese two ways. Both delicious. However, Patti's recipe will now become mine around November. (Oh- and I posted two pics because, you know, it's mac and cheese TWO WAYS!)

Chicken Cordon Bleu

2009-09-06T18:10:00.000-07:00

Ingredients
4 double chicken breasts (about 7-ounces each), skinless and boneless
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 thin slices deli ham
16 thin slices Gruyere or Swiss cheese
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup flour
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp olive oil
2 eggs
2 tsp water

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lay the chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, gently pound the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. Take care not to pound too hard because the meat may tear or create holes. Lay 2 slices of cheese on each breast, followed by 2 slices of ham, and 2 more of cheese; leaving a 1/2-inch margin on all sides to help seal the roll. Tuck in the sides of the breast and roll up tight like a jellyroll. Squeeze the log gently to seal.

Season the flour with salt and pepper; spread out on waxed paper or in a flat dish. Mix the breadcrumbs with thyme, kosher salt, pepper, and oil. The oil will help the crust brown. Beat together the eggs and water, the mixture should be fluid. Lightly dust the chicken with flour, then dip in the egg mixture. Gently coat in the bread crumbs. Carefully transfer the roulades to a baking pan and bake for 20 minutes until browned and cooked through. Cut into pinwheels before serving.

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence & The Food Network

Laura’s Chicken Cordon Bleu

First of all, I hate my camera. I'm just putting that out there. Moving right along . . . I'm in love. Yep, I said it: IN LOVE! I don't know where panko bread crumbs have been all my life, but I've seen the light.

The preparation of this dish was messy. First of all, I don't want to pound out chicken. After pounding the chicken for what seemed like an eternity, it seemed like they still weren't thin enough so I cut down the amount of ham and swiss. Then came the breading part. I know all about not using the same hand for the egg as you do for the bread crumbs, but I couldn't avoid it here. I kept feeling like the chicken was going to unfold and I did all I could to not let that happen.

I had roasted garlic and pecan rice and some asparagus to go along with it. We had debated on sauce and finally decided on a mornay sauce with some mustard added in.

The chicken was delicious. I was really glad that we decided to use a sauce because it would have been a little too dry otherwise. Honestly, I'd make it again just so I'd have an excuse to use the panko bread crumbs one more time. A really delicious dish, just extend the cooking time and be prepared to get a little messy with the bread crumbs. Trust me, it was worth it!

Meredith’s Chicken Cordon Bleu

I'm going to second almost everything Laura just said (except I LOVE my camera). The pounding... oh the pounding! As soon as I started, I remembered why I don't stuff/roll/roulade things. If anyone has the secret to getting a piece of chicken from one-inch thick down to a mere 1/4"-inch without decimating it, please share. I'm all ears.

Despite the messiness in preparation, the finished product surprisingly held together well on the pan. I ended up extending the cooking time to about 35 minutes. My (super delicious, wonderful golden gems of) Panko never got as brown as I'd have preferred. I'd actually recommend upping the temperature to 400˚ and cooking for about 20-25 minutes.

I topped mine with a white sauce made with swiss, dijon and a little thyme. Is it still a mornay if I embellished? I cooked up some yellow squash with onions and garlic and a little rotini with some of the cheese sauce to finish the plate.

All in all, it was tasty. Next time, I'd use more ham, skip rolling it up and just top the breaded chicken at the last minute with the ham and cheese. And would just have a mound of toasted Panko crumbs as a side ;)

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

2009-08-30T06:28:00.000-07:00

Ingredients
2 pounds cubed beef stew meat
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed golden mushroom soup
1 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 pound cream cheese

Directions
In a slow cooker, combine the meat, soup, onion, Worcestershire sauce and water. Cook on Low setting for 8 hours, or on High setting for about 5 hours. Stir in cream cheese just before serving. (Makes 8 Servings)

Based upon this recipe, using many of the recommended recipes tweaks from the reviews (see first reviewers notes).

Meredith's Stroganoff

This Sunday meal was my idea. I've, for some reason, been craving a saucy beefy concoction. My mother used to make a hamburger "stroganoff" and it was always a real comfort dinner. This was WAY better – I've forwarded her the recipe.

I doubled the original recipe and followed most of the changes. I added criminis sauteéd in extra virgin olive oil with garlic, a little onion and some thyme. I deglazed the pan with a little marsala wine before adding to the crockpot. These were thrown in about 30 minutes from dinnertime and right before the addition of the cream cheese and sour cream.

The end result was just what I'd wanted: comforting, rich and delicious. I added a simple salad and some crusty bread to finish the plate.

Laura's Stroganoff

The changes: I switched out the water for ¾ of a cup of beef broth and I used a package of onion soup mix, as well. I added a BIG dollop of sour cream with the cream cheese at the end, too.

The process: This definitely started to look delicious once I added the cream cheese and sour cream to the stroganoff. I was leery about how soupy it looked, but Meredith assured me that the cream cheese would thicken it up. She was right.

The verdict: It was REALLY good! I had it over whole-wheat egg noodles (I know, I’m such a dork. The cream cheese and sour cream were fat free, too.) The beef was tender and came apart easily, which is to be expected when it cooks in the slow cooker for 5 ½ hours. The sauce did thicken up, but I thought there was too much of it. It was very filling and surprisingly good. Having never had it, I didn’t know what to expect.

I bet this freezes well so next time I might add more meat. There was certainly enough sauce to warrant it. The bottom line, I’m glad we made it. Now I can say that I made beef stroganoff and it was good!