I actually roasted a chicken last night

but that's not the focus of this post. I was at a loss of what to make for the side dishes, and I finally settled on broccoli with cheese sauce and modified ramen noodles. the noodles surpassed my expectations.

1 package ramen noodles, flavor packet discarded
1 green onion, sliced on an angle
olive oil
drippings from roast chicken
salt and pepper

1. cook noodles
2. put 1 tsp of olive oil in pan
3. cook green onion briefly
4. add noodles
5. add drippings
6. combine and season to taste

when the boyfriend went to dish the noodles, he asked "what is this, oil or butter?" it was SO shiny with flavor! and then he eat 3/4 of the package. and shot me dirty looks for eating any of it.

but seriously I'm going to die of heart failure with all the "flavor" I eat.

a sunday evening snack

I had a meeting at church last night, and I figured, "what the hey?" I'll go visit my parents. especially because they were concerned that I might have the swine flu.

they had decided to snack for dinner. I offered to whip something up for them. "quickly". I started pulling ingredients out and placing them next to each other on the counter to see if anything would come to me. I settled on chicken artichoke salad, croissant croutons, with a baked egg on top.

catchy name, right? here's how I made it:

1 can white meat diced chicken
1/2 can artichokes, chopped
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
4 slices bacon
mixed baby greens

dressing:
1/2 cup mayo
2-3 tbsp spicy brown or dijon mustard
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flake
salt, pepper

croutons:
1 can croissant dough
bacon drippings
dried parsley
salt, pepper

baked egg:
1 egg per person
1 dollop butter per egg

ok...let's break this down piece by piece.

1. heat oven to 300. cook bacon until crispy.
2. mix all dressing ingredients together. set aside.
3. cut croissants into pieces.
4. brush with bacon drippings [ or just olive oil if you'd rather not use bacon grease] . season with salt, pepper and parsley.
5. bake according to package directions. [well, not as long. they're in pieces and go fast]
6. mix chicken, tomatoes, artichokes and cooled, crumbled bacon in a bowl.
7. add desired amount of dressing. and let marinate. [don't use all the dressing! you'll need some for the salad greens]
8. generously grease a muffin tin for the baked eggs [only grease the number of cups for eggs you plan on making. it just makes clean up easier]
9. put a little butter on top of each egg. season with salt and pepper.
10. bake at 375 for 5-10 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs and the oven temp.
11. toss remaining dressing with salad greens.

to plate this, put a pile of greens in the middle of the plate. heap the chicken salad on top. place the egg on top of the salad. surround the plate with croutons. eat and enjoy!

not really the quick snack I intended to start off with, but is was delicious no matter how many steps it took.

lazy

I've been pretty lazy in the kitchen this week. we bought three papa murphy's pizzas and a salad on sunday and ran out last night. sometimes I'm just not "feelin' it".



however, last night I went over to my parents' house and made a birthday dinner for my mom. her direction to me was "I saw eggplant was on sale at reasors. maybe pasta? and a salad?" so I made up a menu and decided to go full force. even though I was wingin' the pasta and salad. the eggplant I could make in my sleep...

birthday dinner, part 1

eggplant parmesan "steph style"

I won't lie to you. this is basically fried eggplant with tomato sauce. but it's SO GOOD.

1 eggplant
flour
egg
breadcrumbs
parmesan cheese [grated or shredded, doesn't matter]
oil for frying

1. slice eggplant. I usually go with about 1/4 inch [actually, I have no idea. I'm really bad at measuring inches. just go thinner rather than thicker].
2. put flour in a bowl. season with salt and pepper.
3. beat egg with a little water to thin it out.
4. mix breadcrumbs and some cheese together. don't ask me how much. use enough that you won't run out mid-eggplant. [I'm so helpful, right?]
5. heat oil over medium heat.
6. dip individual slices into flour. shake off. dip in egg and then in breadcrumbs. pack it down so the breadcrumbs stay in place.
7. fry on both sides until golden brown. drain on paper towels.

bread all slices before frying the first. they go kind of quick, and I'd hate for you to waste any because they're burned. although in my house those just get a little extra sauce...

2 cans tomato sauce [the small ones. I'm not sure what size they are]
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flake
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
fresh basil, torn [or dried...it works too. just use a lot. dried herbs are pretty strong]
salt and pepper

1. heat oil over low heat.
2. add red pepper flakes.
3. add tomato sauce.
4. stir in garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.
5. add basil at the very end.

putting this together isn't rocket science. when the eggplant is done, add the basil and stir. then layer eggplant, sauce and repeat on your plate. feel free to add cheese to this meal. it only makes it better. shredded mozzarella or parmesan on top makes it look so fancy!

birthday dinner, part 2

for the life of me, I can't remember how I made my mom's pasta dish. I know it was lemon, parsley and parmesan cheese. it was delicious, but the details escape me. I'll play with that one and post it soon.

the salad on the other hand was mmmm...mmmm good. my original idea was to make a caprese salad [that's mozzarella, tomato and basil for the non-italian lovers out there], but the basil was looking terribly sad at the store. that did not stop the lady who elbowed her way up next to me from taking both packages of the brown and bruised herb as soon as a put them down.

but anyway, back to the salad.

I improvised and went with arugula, mozzarella and tomato. paired with a simple vinaigrette made it extra delightful.

grape tomatoes [or cherry, or cut up regular tomatoes]
1 ball of fresh mozzarella, cubed
1 package arugula
1 lemon
olive oil
salt and pepper

1. put arugula in salad bowl.
2. squeeze in lemon juice.
3. season with salt and pepper.
4. toss and leave it alone for a little bit.
5. drizzle in olive oil just before serving.
6. add tomatoes and cheese.
7. toss and serve.

so easy, but so good. this would be great during the summer. add more cheese, tomato and maybe a hunk of bread and you have a no-heat-in-the-kitchen dinner. who doesn't love that during an oklahoma july?

deep fried green beans

I read a lot of blogs. mostly of people I've never met. creepy, right? today during my online lurking I read about a poor soul who had never heard of fried green beans. I can only assume this means she has never experienced the delicious flavor that comes from the better-than-french-fry side.

well, maybe not better than french fries.

anywho. these are really simple to make:

canola oil [or your frying oil of choice]
deep skillet
1 cup beer [I don't think I need to tell you what to do with the remainder]
1 cup flour, plus more for dusting
desired seasoning
frozen or fresh green beans

1. preheat about an inch of oil in the skillet over medium to medium-low heat.
2. when oil is hot, combine beer, flour and seasoning.
3. dust beans with flour.
4. dip into beer batter.
5. fry until golden. flip to evenly cook.
6. drain on paper towels and season with salt.
7. DIE FROM HOW GOOD THESE ARE.

cook's notes: I love using salt, pepper and cayenne for these. but you could use anything you want. any grill seasoning would be tasty, or thyme would be good. mmm...I'll have to make these tonight. OH! there is a big difference between the fresh and frozen beans. fresh will be crisper than the frozen. if you choose frozen (and I often do), thaw them completely and pat them dry. they hold the flour better, which means they hold more batter. and that's what I'm all about.

leftover guilt

does eating leftovers depress anyone else? especially cold, right-out-of-the-fridge leftovers. I always feel a little bad for not taking the time to heat them up and have them taste right.

but maybe that's just me.

loaded mashed potatoes

mmmmmm.....

who doesn't love loaded mashed potatoes? I believe in a previous post I listed bread as a favorite starch. but anyone who has known me for any length of time knows that I'm a potato girl at heart. when I went low carb I had dreams about jack's urban fries. if any of you happen to be in the sacramento area, please rush to jack's urban eats and devour a plate of urban fries for me. I've tried to recreate them, and it's just never as good.

anyway.

back to the loaded mashed potatoes. here's what I did this time.

7-8 red potatoes [this was for a group larger than two people. normally I would only use two taters. and less of everything else too...]
1/2-3/4 cup milk
5 tbsp butter
2 green onions
4 pieces of bacon
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup colby jack
salt and pepper

1. peel and chop potatoes. add to pan and cover with water. boil until fork-tender.
2. cook bacon, reserve drippings.
3. warm milk and butter together over very low heat.
4. chop green onion.
5. cook whites of onion in 1-2 tbsp bacon fat, reserving the tender greens to stir in at the end.
6. drain potatoes.
7. in mixing bowl, smash potatoes to desired consistency. season with salt and pepper.
8. add milk and butter a little at a time until the potatoes are smooth and creamy.
9. add bacon, cheese and green onion whites. stir until cheese is melted.
10. mix in sour cream and onion tops.

serving suggestions: a great side for any meal. or a meal in itself if you're in a starchy mood!

happy easter!

I hate baking. it could have something to do with my inability to be patient. or that I hate measuring [as you might have noticed from previous posts]. but every now and then I channel my inner pastry chef and want to make something sweet. this transformation usually happens around family holidays...

I always look for a short cut. there are many super easy and delicious ideas out there. for this easter, I decided to steal ina gardner's simple cheese danish filling for use in my holiday dessert. she baked hers in puff pastry, but I'm making it even easier. I found pre-made fillo dough cups! surely even I can't mess this up.

8 oz cream cheese, room temp
1/3 cup sugar [one tbsp removed before adding]
2 egg yolks, room temp
1 1/2 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
2 packages pre-made fillo cups

1. thaw fillo cups
2. cream the sugar and cream cheese until smooth
3. add yolks, vanilla, sweetened condensed milk, salt and lemon zest
4. mix on low until combined
5. fill cups, bake according to package directions

cook's note: the original recipe called for 2 tbsp ricotta cheese instead of the sweetened condensed milk. I didn't have any ricotta or cottage cheese [usually an acceptable sub for ricotta], so I removed a tbsp of sugar to keep it from being too sweet. these were super tasty. they were good right out of the oven and even hours later. I'll definitely be making these again.

the best garlic bread

I <3 carbs. I always have. pasta, risotto, and BREAD. bread is my weakness. don't get me wrong - sweets are good - but give me a hunk of crusty bread and call it a meal. too bad eating so much bread leads to a doughy exterior.

but I digress.

there are some great garlic breads in the frozen section. and hey, they're already prepared. I can't fault you for using them because I have too. however, if you want the ultimate garlic bread LISTEN UP.

1 french baguette [I love crusty bread. if you like a softer texture, opt for a french loaf bread instead]
butter
olive oil
garlic
parsley
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

1. preheat oven - 350 if you have nothing else in the oven. this can cook at any temp.
2. cut bread in half length-wise. [I portion mine first and freeze the rest. no need for a whole loaf to go bad waiting for two people to get around to it]
3. slather bread with desired amount of butter. hey - who am I to tell you how much fat to use?
4. crush garlic and spread over butter. again, it's your perfect garlic bread so use as much or as little as you want. [I use my garlic press to avoid large chunks of garlic. if you don't have one, chop it super fine or paste it with salt. just don't use any more salt if you paste it]
5. chop parsley and sprinkle liberally over bread.
6. season each half with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.
7. put two halves back together and place on foil.
8. drizzle with olive oil.
9. wrap tightly and place in oven.
10. bake until tender and crunchy, all at the same time. [10-15 minutes in my oven at 350, but my oven runs a little hot]

serving suggestions: this makes a great side dish to any meal. really. italian, meatloaf, chicken, etc. it also makes a lovely snack. if you're feeling lazy you can always put salt, pepper, red pepper flake and parsley in a bowl and add olive oil to dip bread in. dried basil, rosemary, thyme or any herb can be added. enjoy!

caper substitution

some people don't like capers. I don't understand these people. they are delicious! anyway, last night I was making quick pan-fried chicken cutlets for dinner. [take a normal chicken breast, butterfly it open, and pound it out. voila!] I had seasoned them with lemon pepper and planned to make an easy pan sauce to pour over [melt butter, add chopped parsley and done. I meant EASY].

I started thinking that capers would make a lovely addition to the meal, but my pantry is sad looking at the moment and there is no caper in sight. I opened the fridge to try and find a suitable substitution when my eyes landed on a jar of green olives. PERFECT! same salty bite, a little brine-y and similar texture. I chopped a few up and threw them in with the butter and parsley. I can't say it was just as good because I love capers so much. but it definitely opened my eyes to the world of cooking with green olives.

skirt steak with peppers and onions

I hate green bell peppers with a passion, and I really don't like onions much either. so you might be asking yourself why I have a dish with "peppers and onions". well, my friend, it's because I have fallen in love with the combination of poblano peppers and green onions. [mmmmmm] I used leftover skirt steak for this particular dish, but it was super easy to prepare:

1 skirt steak
olive oil
salt and pepper
grill seasoning
red pepper flakes

1. cut skirt steak into portion sizes.
2. marinate with remaining ingredients in gallon size ziploc.
3. brown on stove top until pretty.
4. finish in the oven (350 or whatever temp you are using for side dishes).

[it's important not to over cook skirt steak or it gets really tough. medium is perfect!]

like I was saying...I had some skirt steak leftover and I made it into another meal [even better than the first one]

skirt steak (sliced thin)
2 poblano peppers (seeded and sliced)
2 cloves garlic, chopped.
4 green onions (3 for steak, 1 for noodles. sliced on an angle [to be pretty])
olive oil
1 package ramen noodles [any flavor, discard (or save for a rainy day) seasoning packet]
2 tbsp butter

1. heat skillet over high heat .
2. add olive oil.
3. add peppers and garlic.
4. when soft, add meat. [if you were making the meat fresh, add meat first - then add peppers when meat is almost finished]
5. while peppers and meat are cooking, heat water for ramen noodles. when boiling, add noodles until soft. drain.
6. add green onions when meat and peppers are ready. soften onion.
7. heat butter in ramen noodle pan. add noodles back with salt, pepper and green onion. toss.
8. serve meat and veggies over noodles.

serving suggestions: this is a really good meal by itself, but a side of buttered snow peas or edamame would round it out.

bacon-wrapped artichokes

this is a perfect snack if you a.) love bacon b.) are watching your carbs or c.) need an easy appetizer. I find you can put them pretty close together [not touching] if you use a broiler pan with the slots in it. you know the kind, right? if you use a plain sheet pan, be carfeul how much grease is sloshing around when you removed the pan from the oven. it's easy to get too much, burn yourself and drop the pan. [not that I know this from personal experience...it just, could you know, happen :)]

1 can artichoke hearts [easier if you get the already quartered, but use the whole if you want to make this a side dish. or you can buy the whole and quarter them]
1 package bacon
[seriously. that's it.]

1. preheat the oven to 350.
2. drain the artichokes. you can use marinated here if you must, but still drain them.
3. cut the package of bacon in half. you'll use 1/2 a piece per artichoke.
4. wrap artichoke in bacon. place seam-side down on baking sheet or broiler pan.
5. bake until bacon is to your preferred crispy state.

serving suggestions: I like to eat these by the handful, but they do make excellent salad toppers. and like I mentioned above, wrap the whole heart for a great side dish to almost any meal.

mexican lasagna

I don't know where I got the idea for this recipe. I'm sure it was through food network osmosis, but I can't give anyone specific credit. it can be really easy, or a little more demanding depending on how you choose to make the layers. the layers go in this order (from the bottom up):

cheese sauce
tortillas
meat
tortillas
beans
tortillas
cheese sauce
tortillas
shredded cheese
sour cream/lettuce/olives/tomatoes/parsley/cilantro

like I said in my first post...I'm more of a method cook. but here is the recipe for what I made recently: [this filled my 8x8 pan, make more of everything if you want to fill a bigger dish]

preheat oven to 350.

cheese sauce
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
hot sauce, salt and pepper

1. melt butter
2. stir in flour for a minute or two
3. whisk in milk, let it thicken
4. add cheese when it just comes to a boil
5. dash in hot sauce to taste. add salt and pepper

this can sit on the stove on low until the other layers are ready. just keep stirring occasionally to avoid the skin on top. yuck.

beans
1 can pinto beans
1 tbsp bacon fat [or olive oil or butter...I just happen to reserve bacon fat for these occasions]
1/2 cup chicken stock
salt, pepper

1. drain beans and rinse
2. take half the beans and mash them with potato masher
3. melt your desired fat source on low
4. add beans, mashed and whole
5. when warm, add chicken stock
6. season to taste

[don't let these get too dry. you can thin with more stock or water if they get gummy]

meat
1 lb ground beef [I like 80/20, but use your preferred meat/fat ratio]
2-4 tbsp chili powder [start with less, and add until you like the color of the meat]
1-2 tbsp cumin
2 tsp onion powder
3 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne
salt and pepper
2/3 cup water
brown meat

1. drain if you're against flavor...or watching your calories
2. return meat to pan and add spices
3. allow seasonings to toast for a minute
4. add water, stir to combine
5. simmer until water evaporates [usually 8-10 minutes. stir constantly to keep from burning]

tortillas
flour tortillas
vegetable oil

1. in small saute pan, heat oil over med-low heat
2. soften tortillas by soaking them in warm oil until they start to puff [avoid them getting too crispy]
3. drain on paper towels

now it's time to assemble! just layer as you please (with the shredded cheese on top).

bake at 350 until cheese on top is melted. everything is cooked, so you just want the cheese sauce to bubble a little.

I made it with sour cream, olives, and parsley on top. just top it with what you like on your tacos.

modifications: if this seems a little overwhelming, adjust! canned refried beans, melted velveeta and packaged taco seasoning would work just fine.

chicken alfredo

my boyfriend really likes the chicken alfredo from zio's. and because we've been attempting to save money these days, I thought I'd try to recreate it. here's my version:

1/2 pound pasta of choice [I used fettuccine...and I was only cooking for two. increase as needed]
1 pint heavy cream [16 oz if you hate pint measurements like me]
1/2 stick of butter
1 cup grated parmesan cheese [please not from the green shaker. they sell good pre-grated cheese at the stores if you look for it]
1-2 tbsp of olive oil
1 big chicken breast, butterflied and cut into bite-sized pieces [again, only cooking for two]
6 medium sized mushrooms, white or cremini, sliced
3 green onions, chopped
Handful of chopped parsley [maybe 2 tbsp? I'm bad at judging "handfuls"]
Seasoning to taste

1. put water on to boil for pasta.
2. heat olive oil in skillet, add chicken (season with salt and pepper).
3. brown chicken and move to sides of skillet.
4. add mushrooms. allow them to fully darken before seasoning.
5. once mushrooms are dark, add green onion to soften.
6. when the water comes up to a boil, salt it and drop the pasta.
7. add the heavy cream to a different skillet than your chicken [one you can whisk in]
8. heat cream over med-low, and whisk in butter as it melts.
9. add the cheese and stir [or whisk if you don't want to dirty another utensil]
10. I add tons of black pepper here, but season to your taste.
11. drain pasta when it's cooked to your liking and transfer back to pot you cooked it in.
12. add chicken, mushrooms, green onion and alfredo sauce. mix well and serve immediately.

delicious!

serving suggestions: I served this with french bread drizzled with olive oil, wrapped in foil and heated through in the oven. along side was roasted asparagus:

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. trim asparagus.
3. drizzle with oil on sheet pan. add salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes if you like it spicy.
4. roast until tops are crispy and stalks are tender. [15 to 25 minutes depending on size of asparagus]

we still had leftovers, but it will make for a tasty lunch tomorrow.