Month: April 2016

Okay, you try to find something that rhymes with Marsala and makes sense.  I meant my kids and husband, by the way.

Anyway, it was late Wednesday and I realized I had nothing, absolute bupkis, on the menu.  I ran to the freezer and found some chicken breasts I’d used the food sealer to separate and tossed the package into the pool.  Sadly, it’s already warm enough here to defrost this way in about 20 minutes without having to use the microwave.  Or maybe I’m lucky, but I can’t be sure.  I miss the seasons and I miss having a reason to wear sweats and fleece, but I like swimming and gardening already.  Oops, sorry.  Took you down the rabbit hole again.

Sooo, I decided on Chicken Marsala.  This is always a hit over here, but I don’t know why.  Let me explain: my house is divided.  Andrew and I adore mushrooms, but sadly, Jamie has always professed to hate them.   Apparently, they remind him of chopped up snakes and, no, he’s never eaten a chopped up snake.  Daniel has gone back and forth from mushroom lover to mushroom hater so often it makes my head spin.  Currently, he is a hater, but managed to eat thirds anyway.  Point being, don’t be afraid to try this even amidst a sea of mushroom loathers.  You can pick them out, if you must.

This is a super easy meal which you can sell as gourmet and a ton of work without anyone questioning you.  You can use fresh mushrooms, but I learned not to keep them around when there are only two of us committed to eating them.  The rosemary is optional, but so good.  Use fresh or dried and enjoy!

Chicken Marsala

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• flour, for dredging
• 1/2-1 tsp garlic salt
• 2-4 TBSP butter or olive oil (I usually start with butter and use the oil to prevent burning)
• 1-2 cans sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1 cup Marsala cooking wine
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 TBSP chopped parsley
• 1/4-1/2 tsp rosemary, optional
• salt and black pepper to taste
• cooked egg noodles to serve with chicken and sauce

Directions

1.  Pound the chicken breasts flat with a meat mallet between plastic wrap and then sprinkle with the garlic salt.  Coat with flour and cook over medium high heat about 4 minutes per side in 2 TBSP of the melted butter or olive oil.  Add more butter or oil as needed to prevent sticking or burning.  Remove to platter and keep warm.
2. Add butter or olive oil as needed and sauté the mushrooms for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the wine, water, parsley and rosemary.  Stir until all the bits stuck to the bottom are incorporated into the liquid then add salt, pepper and extra garlic as needed.
4. Serve over cooked egg noodles, spooning the mushroom sauce over everything.  Voila!  Awesome sauce, indeed.

It’s big time testing week here in Louisiana.  A time for parents, children and teachers alike to stress out over whether or not we all measure up.  One of the things drilled into our head is that we need to make sure our kids get a healthy breakfast, so I’m pulling out all the stops.  Okay, not really, but we’ve shifted from Pop Tarts and cereal to pancakes and these babies, which are the breakfast of choice around here.  I let Andrew make his own today and I should have taken a picture.  I could have fed a small village with his, but I’ll be darned if he didn’t eat the whole thing.

This is such a simple crowd pleaser and people never believe it’s as easy and fast as I tell them.  Here’s the proof, folks!

You can add chopped onion and bell pepper, salsa, extra chili powder and cumin or anything you desire.  Serve and dress them as you would a regular burrito, then sit back and accept applause.

Breakfast Burritos

Prep time: 5 minutes     Cook time: 10 minutes     Serves: 4-6+

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground sausage (we usually use Jimmy Dean Original)
• 1-2 can Bush’s Chili Beans in chili sauce, or other brand
• 1 can Rotel, or other diced tomatoes and chilies
• 10 inch tortillas
• Scrambled eggs
• Cheese, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, olives, avocado, taco sauce, etc. for garnish

Directions

1. Brown the ground sausage in a pot and drain any liquid.
2. Add the chili beans and rotel and cook until bubbly.
3. Scramble your eggs.
4. Warm tortillas, spread with eggs, chili, garnish and then roll into tortillas.
5. Done.  Told ya’ it was easy.

Who doesn’t love a good burger off of the grill?  Okay, not everyone.  Sometimes they are fabulous and sometimes just plain flat and flavorless.  These burgers do not have that problem.  As I get older, I have no interest in boring food and these are a party on your taste buds without actually burning them off.  They are definitely a crowd pleaser and even professed jalapeño haters, like my youngest, will devour these with great enthusiasm…unless they are my friend Allison, who will nibble on it for an hour.  I wish I could eat slowly, but I feel like the mother from a Christmas Story; if I don’t inhale my food, I’ll never see a hot meal.

Where was I?  Oh, yeah.  You can serve these on Texas Toast or gourmet buns, but we were quite pleased with our plain Jane buns.  The avocado is the perfect compliment and the prep is painless.  Gourmet meal with fast food prep time.

Jalapeño Burgers

Ingredients

• 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 TBSP + 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 & 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 sweet red pepper, sliced
• 1 avocado, sliced
• garlic herb cheese spread
• Burger buns or Texas Toast
• Butter or olive oil

Directions

1. Mix the jalapeños, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper and ground beef and shape into patties.  Cook on the grill or in the broiler to desire completion.
2. Sauté onions and pepper in butter or olive oil until tender.  Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper if desired.
3. Top each burger with garlic herb cheese spread, sautéed onion and pepper and avocado and serve on a bun.
4. Take that first bite, close your eyes and sigh a happy sigh.
   

   

At least that’s what Daniel called them when he was 5 and this was his favorite meal.  Typically, I only smother when the weather is cold, because a rice and gravy can be pretty filling, but last night was stormy.  The damp chill made it a perfect night for this Cajun comfort food.  I’m a little nervous about backlash from my Louisiana family, and my grandmother might be looking down her nose at me from Heaven, because, once again, I do things a little differently.  It’s good, I promise!  And I’m totally kidding about my family coming after me.

These were actually inspired by Emeril’s smothered chops recipe, so they can’t be all bad, right?  Normally, I use boneless chops and cut them into bite sized pieces after cooking so we can make this a bowl meal, but I only had bone-in chops this time.  They still turned out awesome.

The best part of this recipe is that it is virtually impossible to screw up!  There have been times I’ve had to make it without celery, potatoes, green pepper or broth (used bullion instead) and it always turns out yummy!  Last night was no exception.  I was working like crazy, trying to finish before the power went out again during the storms, helping with homework and answering phone calls.  I realized that I had accidentally tripled the amount of flour, but saved it by adding extra olive oil.  I caught myself pouring in beef broth, but only after 2/3 of the can was already in the pot.  I doubled seasoned with Tony’s and Zatarain’s Blackened Seasoning, but this was a fantastically happy accident.  Somehow it ended up being one of the best ones I’ve made in a while.  Who knew?

You gotta’ love it when your kids say, “Hmm!  This is good!” like they are shocked you have it in you.

Smothered Pork Chops

Ingredients

• 6-8 thin cut pork chops
• 3 TBSP, or lots and lots of Emeril’s Essence Creole Seasoning (is it strange that the name of this kind of creeps me out), Tony Chachere’s or other Creole seasoning,
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• heaping 1/4 cup flour (in other words, not a level cup, 1-2 TBSP over)
• 1-2 large onions, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1/2 – 1 green pepper, chopped
• salt and black pepper to taste, or 1/2 tsp of each
• 1 TBSP minced garlic, or garlic powder
• 3-4 bay leaves
• 2 – 14.5 oz cans chicken broth
• 1 & 1/2 – 2 cups water
• 1 pound smoked sausage, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 cups potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
• cooked rice for serving

Directions

1. Season both sides of all the chops and rub them to get that flavor in there.
2. Heat your olive oil in a black pot or similar heavy duty pot on high heat and brown the chops for about 3 minutes per side.  Remove to a plate and keep warm.
3. Reduce heat to medium and add the flour, stirring constantly until you have a roux the color of coffee with a teaspoon of cream in it, about 5 minutes.
4. Add onions, celery, green pepper, salt and black pepper and cook in the roux, stirring constantly for 4-6 minutes, until veggies are soft.
5. Add the garlic, bay leaves, broth and water and bring to a boil.  I add an extra 2-3 TBSP of Tony’s or other Creole seasoning here, but season to your taste.
6. Put the chops back in and reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 35-40 minutes.
7. Add the sausage and potatoes and return to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low again and cook, uncovered for 30 minutes.
8. Remove the bay leaves and serve over rice.  Make tummies very happy.

Ten points if you got that song reference and thank you Frank, for getting that version of the classic song stuck in my head whenever I make this recipe.

This might be it, folks.  This just might be the favorite recipe in our house.  Every time I make it, people ask for the recipe.  Every time I make it, Jamie says, “You know, I really don’t love Shawarma, but this is amazing!” and he then proceeds to eat fourths or fifths.  Every time.  When I remind him that this happens every time, he looks at me like I am insane.  Every time.

Anyway, I fell in love with Indian and Middle Eastern food in my childhood thanks to my mother’s cooking and my father’s moving us all over the globe.  Tragically, as adolescence, and then adulthood moved in, I forgot about Shawarma.  It wasn’t until a few years ago that Tony Stark, in the Avengers movie, reminded me of its wonders.  My quest for the perfect recipe began almost as soon as we returned from the theater, but my need for that magical, taste bud-caressing curry flavor couldn’t be sated by the recipes I found online.   I began to play.

What follows is the latest version of an ever-evolving four year Chicken Shawarma research project that will make even professed curry-haters, like those in my home, beg for more.  I always double this recipe with the hopes that I might actually have leftovers enough to make another family meal, but am always denied that pleasure by the hungry masses.

I do this so unconventionally that some might say it’s not even Shawarma, but let them.  Instead of grilling an entire chicken breast, I actually cube my chicken and cook it in the marinade.  The spices infuse the chicken better and I am unwilling to sacrifice a lick of flavor.  I also have switched from a yogurt-based sauce to sour cream, but you can use fat free and it will not change the flavor.  Additionally, I use peanut butter in my sauce instead of tahini because it’s easier to find and stores better.  Andrew told me last night that the “sauce is boss” and he could drink it from a glass.  Daniel actually got busted eating the sauce with a soup spoon.

In the summer I will marinate the chicken for a longer time and grill it in strips on the barbecue because Shawarma is almost a weekly staple here when it’s hot out.  That mixture of seasoning and the fresh tomato and lettuce just screams refreshing during the sweltering months (that’s April or so through October or November in Louisiana).  When you grill, warm the pitas 1 min per side on the grill before filling.

I used wheat pocket bread this last time because the store was out of true pitas, but dinner was still a hit.  So without further ado, I bring you…

Saucy goodness!

I can almost taste it

Chicken Shawarma

Prep Time: About 30 minutes, plus 30 min-24 hr marinating time      Serves: My 4 if you double the recipe

Ingredients (Marinade)

• 2 TBSP lemon juice
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 3 cloves minced garlic, or sub garlic powder
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

Additional/optional marinade ingredients

• 1/2 tsp tumeric
• 1/2 tsp dried mustard
• 2 tsp vinegar
• salt and black pepper to taste

Sauce Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 TBSP peanut butter
• 3 & 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp + salt to taste
• 1-2 tsp garlic powder to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 1/2 small, peeled cucumber

To serve

• Pita bread
• chopped Romaine lettuce
• chopped tomatoes

Directions

1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl and add the cubed chicken.  Toss to coat all pieces and marinate for 20 minutes (great) at room temperature or up to 24 hours (greatest) in the refrigerator.
2. In large skillet on medium high, add the contents of the marinating chicken, cooking and stirring until the chicken juices run clear, about 6 minutes.
3. Drain the liquid and push the chicken to the sides of the skillet, then add a little olive oil or butter to the center of the skillet.  Turn your heat up and cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes, just long enough to crisp the outside of the meat slightly.  Remove from heat, but keep warm.
4. In a food processor or blender, combine all of the sauce ingredients, including cucumber and parsley, and puree.
5. Cut pitas in half and warm for 10 seconds in the microwave, or in a skillet coated with cooking spray.
6. Fill pitas with meat, lettuce and tomato, then top with sauce.
7. Hold onto your hat and enjoy!  Your taste buds will thank you.

Just look at this!

Eat me! I’m delicious!

Need more sauce, but I’m still yummy!

I played with this title for quite a while, finally settling on Spinach Arrrtichoke Dip, complete with the dip sculpted into a skull and crossbones on the plate as my featured image.  Sadly, someone who shall remain nameless stumbled upon the plate and ate said skull and crossbones before I could get the photo.  Heartbroken and giving up on my second choice, Asgardian Spinach Artichoke Dip, complete with horrible sculpted Mjölnir, I have opted for plain vanilla.  Darnit!  That skull was cool.

NAILED IT!!!

Anyway, few things can be as delicious as a good spinach artichoke dip, but few things can be a nauseating as a poorly made spinach artichoke dip.  Luckily, this easy take on a classic is a fairly difficult recipe to mess up.  I have played with it for years and, like most of the things I make, it’s rarely the same twice, but it’s always good.  We make it our meal because it’s filling and stands alone nicely.

You can play with the cheeses, adding extra and other varieties like cheddar, mozzarella and Parmesan, and you can also go fat free with the mayo, sour cream and cream cheese.  We, of course, love a nice helping of Tony’s mixed in with ours and I do the whole shebang in my food processor to keep it simple.  I always double the recipe, but try a single and have fun with it.

I’m actually laughing as I read my old recipe card because I certainly add extra seasoning and cheeses, having never, since the first time, actually stuck to the recipe.  Still good, I promise.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Oven 350°

Ingredients

• 1, 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1/2 (10 oz) package frozen spinach, drained and chopped
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayo or Miracle Whip
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1/4 tsp minced garlic

Other

• French or other bread, cubed or tortilla chips for dipping
• Mozzarella, Parmesan, cheddar, garlic salt, Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning, etc. for a little extra pizzazz.

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients well and then place in a baking dish, ensuring your dip is no deeper than 3/4-1 inch thick.  Cover loosely with foil and bake for about 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
2. Serve with a good bread or tortilla chips and enjoy. 

I believe I have mentioned that I am a sucker for Balsamic reductions, glazes, dressings, etc.  This recipe was one of my first attempts at a balsamic glaze and I love it, love it, love it!  It’s a fairly easy meal since the bulk of the work is done in the slow cooker.  I paired it with skillet rosemary potatoes and the boys were very happy with the results, as was I.  I usually double the glaze recipe because we like to pour it over our pork servings and smother our plates in it as well.

I’m sitting here ready to continue telling you how much I love this recipe, but suddenly the featured image is distracting me.  On one hand, I want to run and heat up the little bit I have left and eat it for lunch immediately because it was so yummy.  On the other hand, when I look away, out of the corner of my eye the picture looks a little scary.  Almost like…that is to say…I mean, I have 4 dogs and it’s generally time to run, not walk, to the vet when…Ok, trust me, the tenderloin tastes good.  Moving on.

Nope, I can’t.  The old 1974 Weight Watchers recipe cards keep coming to mind, Rosy Perfection in particular.  Why did I choose this as the featured image?  I can’t change it now since that would be cowardly.  Right?  I mean, half of the post is trying to decide if all of you might see vague images of…No!  This is my favorite tenderloin recipe.  It’s not just good, it’s fan-freaking-tastic!  Fran Tarkington amazing and the picture stays!

So, yeah.  Try to find one giant tenderloin, rather than two little guys, which will shrivel and look like…

Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Glaze

Prep Time: 15-20 min          Cook Time: about 6.5 hours (mostly, slow cooker)           Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 3 pounds pork tenderloin
• 1 – 1 & 1/2 TBSP garlic powder or paste
• 1 tsp sea salt, or other
• 2 tsp sage
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup water

The glaze

• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 TBSP cornstarch
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
• 2 TBSP soy sauce

Directions

1. Lay your dry tenderloin(s) out on a clean, dry surface (wax paper is a great idea) and sprinkle the side facing up with half of the garlic, salt, sage and pepper.  Rub the spice into the meat, flip the loin over and repeat.
2. Place 1/2 cup water in the bottom of your slow cooker, then place the tenderloins into it.  Cover and cook on low for 6 hours (if you haven’t tried slow cooker liners, you need to).
3. When the 6 hours is almost up, in a small saucepan, mix the cornstarch into the 1/2 cup of water until dissolved.  Add the remaining glaze ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer gently, cooking until thick and whisking often, about 3-5 minutes.  Set aside.
   1. DO NOT LEAVE THE SCENE.  Just saying, bubbly glaze in your stove is a bit of a drag. Do not run to the lavatory, water the garden or start chopping broccoli, while singing the song, with your back to the glaze.
4. Preheat your broiler to high and line a broiler tray with foil or use a disposable tray.  Remove the pork from the slow cooker, pat dry (without burning off your finger prints) and place into the broiler pan.  Brush with the glaze and broil for 2-3 minutes until it starts to bubble.  Remove and flip, brushing with glaze again, then return to broiler.  Repeat until you have a nice, caramelized crust.
5. Take a photo before applying extra glaze, then pour that saucy goodness over everything!   Garnish with cilantro, if desired.

I cannot get enough