Cashew Chicken March 21, 2008

Courtesy of Williams-Sonoma.

This is delightful Asian tasting dish! I often find that Chinese or Thai restaurants will drown the dish in sauce…but with this entree, the chicken, cashews and veggie are lightly but perfectly coated with a tasty Asian spice!

[Also...I should note here: I realize in the beginning I said I'd add lots of photos and videos and as you can see - there are none. I do have a plan to bring those into the blog, but currently I haven't had time to film, shoot and edit. I'm also hoping that when I move into an apartment soon, it will be better suited for video. That's my justification - but I appreciate you reading and sticking with it despite the lack of multimedia!]

Now onto the recipe…

Ingredients
(serves 4)

3 T. soy sauce

1 T. rice wine or dry sherry (or apple juice can be substituted here)

2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized cubes (I’m not a huge fan of chicken thighs, so I opted for boneless. skinless chicken breasts – worked great!)

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. Asian sesame oil

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. cornstarch

3 T. corn or peanut oil (I used canola oil…also fine!)

2 green onions, chopped thinly

1 cup salted roasted cashews

Steamed rice for serving

Directions

The Marinade

In a bowl, stir together: 2 T. of soy sauce, wine and ginger. Add and coat chicken. Cover and put in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to marinate.

The Sauce

In a small bowl, mix together 2 T. water and remaining ( 1 T.) of soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sesame oil, sugar and cornstarch. stir well, until sugar and cornstarch have dissolved.

Stir-Fry Time!

1. Heat a wok or skillet and pour in 2 T. of corn/peanut/canola oil, until very hot. Remove chicken from fridge, drain well (you can throw away the marinade), then add chicken to wok/skillet (careful of hot-flying-oil!).Stir fry until chicken is cooked all the way through. Since the pan is very hot, it shouldn’t take too long. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

2. Add another tablespoon or so of oil to skillet and turn heat down to medium. Add green onions and stir fry until soft.
3. Return chicken to wok. Add cashews. Mix all together.
4. Give the sauce a quick stir to mix all the ingredients together again and add to skillet. Coat the chicken mixture well with sauce.

Serve with rice and green veggie of your choice.

Voila – you’re done and enjoy!

Turkey Meatballs w/ cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes March 9, 2008

Woo! There’s a lot going on here – but the flavors are fabulous. And although you may think this sounds a lot like a Thanksgiving meal, it’s not quite like that. Key word here: flavors. The sweet, savory and starchy taste of the three combined just create a great meal. They don’t recreate another meal (which, by the way, is one of best meals all year!)

Keep in mind – that the proportions I use here are the original recipe. When I cook, it’s cooking for two so I change them accordingly.

The turkey meatball and cranberry sauce are courtesy of Williams-Sonoma. The mashed potato recipe come from The Washington Post.

Ingredients

turkey meatballs

1 T. unsalted butter

1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

1-2 green onions, finely chopped

1-3 small celery stalk(s), finely chopped (eyeball it in proportion to the onions)

salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

1 lb. ground turkey

1 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

2 T. fresh oregano

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

cranberry sauce

2/3 cup fresh orange juice

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

1/4 cup sugar

mashed potatotes

4 lbs. Yokon gold potatoes, cut into 3-inch pieces. (I didn’t quite understand what they meant by ‘3-inch pieces’, so I just cut the potatoes into chunky cubes.)

8 medium cloves garlic, cut in half

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3 T. butter

2 T. olive oil

1 1/4 cup low-fat milk

pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 425°F. Lightly grease rimmed baking sheet.

2. Melt the butter in skillet. Add the onion, green onion, celery and sauté until softened. Add little bit of salt, pepper and garlic powder. Spoon into a medium-sized bowl and let cool.

3. Fill pot with water and boil for potatoes.

4. While the water is boiling, wash and cut potatoes and garlic. Place potatoes, garlic and salt in boiling water. Turn down the heat to high simmer and partly cover. Cook until potatoes are soft, about 15-20 mins.

5. While those are cookin’…add turkey, egg, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, oregano to celery mix. Mix it all together! Form 8-12 meatballs and place them on baking sheet. Cover with saran wrap and set aside for a few minutes.

6. Drain potatoes. Transfer them to large bowl, using potato masher, mash them up! In saucepan, heat butter, milk and olive oil. Once heated, pour over potatoes, use whisk to whip them into shape.

7. Place turkey meatballs in the oven. Cook for 10-12 minutes, or until cooked all the way through.
8. Meanwhile…in saucepan (or frypan with high edges) add orange juice, sugar and cranberries over medium heat. Stir often until orange juice bubbles and cranberry’s pop open.

9. Spoon cranberry sauce over turkey meatballs and potatoes.

And voila! Enjoy!

***

I apologize if the directions were confusing, but I tried to write them out to coincide with the right timing so everything comes out at once! But per usual – do what suits your style best!

Divine Minty Fudge Brownies March 4, 2008

Courtesy of Cooking Light magazine. Although I’m afraid to say these brownies probably aren’t the lightest things in the magazine…but delicious nonetheless.

Ingredients

for the brownie:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt.

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup egg substitute (i used egg whites instead)

1/4 cup melted butter/margarine

2 T. water

1 T. vanilla extract

2 large eggs, beaten

1 can (16 oz.) chocolate syrup (a squeeze bottle of chocolate sauce, usually, has the same amount)

for the mint layer:

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup melted butter/margarine

3 T. skim milk

1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

2 drops green food coloring

for the chocolate glaze:

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 T. melted butter/margarine
Directions
1. Preheat over to 350

2. In small bowl mix flour and salt.

3. In separate medium sized bowl, mix sugar, egg, butter, water, vanilla extract, eggs and syrup, until smooth.

4. Fold flour mixture into chocolate syrup mix. Pour batter into greased glass baking dish (recommended size: 13×9)

5. Bake for 2-25 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick can be inserted in the middle and come out clean. Cool completely.

6. The mint layer: in medium bowl, mix powdered sugar, butter, milk, peppermint extract and food coloring. Spread mint mixture over cooled brownies.

7. The final layer/chocolate glaze: combine chocolate chips and butter in small bowl. Microwave together for 1minute or until melted. Mix well until smooth. Let mixture cool before spreading gently over the mint layer.
8. Cover and refridgerate for about 10 minutes or so, cut and serve!
Can be served with a side of fresh strawberries and glass of cold milk.
Enjoy!

Creamy Fettucine with Porcini Mushrooms March 3, 2008

This recipe comes from the magazine Cooking Light.

The personal touches are indicated by italics.

Ingredients

1/2 cup boiling water

1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms (i used fresh, regular button mushrooms and it was still very good. vouched for by James)

12 oz. fettucine pasta

1/2 cup whipping cream (or half-and-half)

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

6 T. grated parmesan-reggiano cheese (i used just regular parmesan and it tastes delicious)

2 T. chives

Directions

1. if you’re using fresh mushrooms: Boil 1/2 cup water. Add mushrooms. Let boil for 5-10 minutes. Drain in colinder over a bowl, reserving the liquid. Put mushrooms aside.

if you’re using dried mushrooms: boil 1/2 cup water. add mushrooms to boiling water. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes or until soft. Drain in colinder over a bowl, reserving the liquid. Put mushrooms aside.

the purpose overall is to get the water to develop that mushroom taste so it can be used in the sauce later, that’s why I think it’s okay to use either fresh or dried mushrooms. Although I’m sure a wiser cook than I would say differently. Anyway…moving on.

2 . Cook pasta according to the package. When you go to drain the water after the pasta is done, reserve 1/4 of the water in a bowl. Cool off the pot, then return pasta to the pot.

3. Combine mushrooms and whipping cream in a medium saucepan, bring to a simmer. Stir in salt, pepper and reserved mushroom water. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened (you can also add a little bit of flour to help thicken the sauce).

4. Add pasta water. Add chives, half of the parmesan cheese and even throw in some garlic to taste.

5. Pour sauce over pasta and mix well. Add the rest of the parmesan cheese and garnish with thyme or extra chives.

Can be served with a side salad.

* * *

I also added chicken to make it a chicken alfredo – and to do that: take chicken tenderloins, sautee them. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Then cut them up into mite-size chunks and mixed it in.

Also, I found this made a little too little in proportion to the pasta. So if you’re using fresh mushrooms it’s easy to quickly boil water, toss in the mushrooms and add a little extra whipping cream and water.

Mama’s Cookin’ February 27, 2008

My mom is the best cook, simply put.

All those cooking tips so far in the blog post (as of Feb. 26), I heard her say at one time or another. She can look at a sauce and by the texture, color or aroma tell what’s missing. She also gives it the ol’ fashion taste test.

Her homecooking is exactly that – homey, warm, soothing.

As a family growing up, we made a point to sit down for dinner together every night. There was joy around the food, laughter around the table and lovely memories of dinners at my house. It was a time to relax, take 30 minutes out of a busy homework night, and just enjoy.

Every year she happily makes the brisket at Hannukah and the turkey at Thanksgiving (28 people last year!).

She’s happy when she cooks and that’s what I learn from her. She taught me how to be flexible, imaginative and courageous – in the sense of..what the hell, just try it! – when it comes to cooking.

Especially now that I’m not just eating granola bars for dinner anymore, I call her about anything (and everything else) cooking related. How do I shred chicken? How do I make a stir fry? What’s your recipe for kasha varnishke’s (recipe to come) again?

She’s a whiz. And there’s a whole lot more I plan to learn.

Orange Chicken February 26, 2008

My mom’s recipe. This also gives me a chance to write about mama’s cookin’

Ingredients

1/2 cup orange juice

2 T. dijon mustard

1 tsp. worcestershire sauce

pepper and garlic powder to taste

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup bread crumbs*

1 tsp. paprika

3 chicken breasts

dash of rosemary or thyme

* simple bread crumbs: put slices of bread in a blender and mix away.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. In small/medium sized bowl, mix orange juice, mustard, worcestershire sauce and pepper/garlic powder.

3. In another separate small/medium size bowl, mix parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and paprika.

4. remove, rinse and pat dry chicken breasts.

5. One by one, place chicken in bowl with all the liquids. Cover chicken completely turning it over a couple times to make sure it’s completely covered.

6. Then dunk in bowl of dr ingredients. Cover chicken completely. Place in baking dish. Repeat with other pieces of chicken.

7. If there is some remaining dry ingredient mix, sprinkle over the top of chicken breasts. Garnish with rosemary or thyme.

8. Bake, uncovered for 40 minutes.

Can be served with long grain rice or green salad.

Quick Note February 25, 2008

I should say that all the recipes I’m putting up here have been tried and true.

That’s it – quick and simple. Have a great day!

Blueberry Yogurt Coffee Cake February 25, 2008

Courtesy of Washington Post food section.

This is great as dessert, breakfast or brunch item! And it’s relatively healthy considering it has minimal oil and no butter or other fatty ingredients. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnnamon

1 1/4 cups nonfat plain yogurt

1/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon brown sugar or dark brown sugar (any brown sugar works)

1 large egg plus 2 large egg whites

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1 cup low-fat granola

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 10-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking oil spray.

2. Combine and sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl, whisking to mix well.

3. In a separate medium bowl, combine the yogurt, canola oil, 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract, mixing well.

4. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the yogurt mixture, stirring just until the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter will be lumpy.

5. Pour blueberries into small bowl. Sprinkle all-purpose flour over the blueberries until all are coated. This helps prevent the blueberries from drooping to the bottom of the coffee cake while cooking.

6. Use a spatula to gently fold in the blueberries.

7. Transfer to the prepared pan and sprinkle the granola evenly over the top, then sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon of brown sugar.

8. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the center of the cake springs back when lightly tapped with your finger. Serve warm.

Flank Steak Panini February 25, 2008

Courtesy of Williams-Sonoma recipes.

Ingredients

For the marinade:

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

3 Tbs. olive oil

1 flank steak, about 1 1/2 lb.

1-lb. loaf herbed focaccia

1/2 cup caramelized shallots*

6 oz. mozzarella cheese, sliced 1/4 inch thick (I used brie and it was amazing.)

1 cup arugula

Olive oil for brushing (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

*caramelizing shallots: in a skillet, melt tablespoon of butter. let the pan get hot. Add sliced shallots, sprinkle a few teaspoons of granulated suga and stir. Done!

Directions

1. To make the marinade: in a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, mustard, vinegar, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and olive oil. Transfer the marinade to a sealable plastic bag and add the flank steak. Remove the air from the bag and seal. (add ingreidents as necessary to cover steak and have left over in the bag) Refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. While steak marinating, prepare carmelized shallots.*

3. Preheat an George-Foreman-type-grill

4. Remove the steak from the bag and scrape off the excess marinade. Place the steak on the panini press close the lid and cook for 5 to 6 minutes for medium-rare, or until done to your liking. (or on a skillet is fine)

5. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let rest for 3 minutes. Cut the steak into slices 1/8 inch thick. (thin slices are key!)

6. Cut the focaccia rolls in half. Prepare sandwich with caramelized shallots, steak, cheese and arugula. Season with salt and pepper.

7. Place 2 sandwiches on the panini press, close the lid and cook until the bread is crisp and the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes. Transfer the sandwiches to a cutting board. Repeat to cook the remaining sandwiches.

Voila…enjoy!

Cooking Tips February 25, 2008

This will update regularly. Hopefully it will show up under recent posts each time that happens.

The purpose of this section is as I experience and learn – I want to share! So…here are some already accumulated cooking tips from past experiences and of course, my mom.

And if you have any you’d like to share, please send in a comment.

1. Keep the kitchen clean before, during and after the cooking process.

2. Timing is everything!

3. Do all the chopping and dicing beforehand so that you’re not chopping with a pot of boiling water about to spill over, a skillet that’s about to burn and rice that’s about to char.

4. Be patient!

5. Read the recipe all the way through before cooking, then you can get an idea of how each ingredient plays into the meal. From there, the creative juices come flowing forth.

6. Taste as you cook! How will you know what flavor spice or aroma is missing without it?

7. Put some music on and get in the groove.

8. Have Fun!!