January 15th? Nooo it was JUST the 13th!

Okay so I can't win. I either am stressing to get a Daring Kitchen challenge done at the last minute, or I get it done way early and then something happens where I can't get to my lil blog to post on the damn reveal date. WTF? The January 2010 Daring Cooks' challenge was hosted by Cuppy of Cuppylicious and she chose a delicious Thai-inspired recipe for Pork Satay from the book 1000 Recipes by Martha Day. Huge apologies to Cuppy - I feel as if I have failed our host(s) miserably when I'm late to get a post up.. this wasn't intentional! And now I am seriously pressed for time - but the good news is, there was no disaster this month, so I really don't have a long post full of expletives and "whoa is me" whining. ;) I made Chicken Satay using Cuppy's longer version marinade and it didn't even look remotely appetizing as I was transferring my chicken strips (breasts sliced into strips) from the bag of marinade to the broiling pan (grill was under 2 feet of snow..) all yellow and stuff. But I kept an open mind, Lord knows I've been happily surprised often in the past with these Daring Cooks challenges! I had made my peanut sauce earlier due to time constraints and was warming it up again, while the chicken was under the broiler, when it separated. I had a small pan of peanut solid and peanut oil. Ewww. I was very dismayed over it, but thanks to my experience of making buttercream 59 gajillion times, I decided not to panic and to just get out my trusty balloon whisk and start whisking. Luckily it all came together again - only now it was almost like peanut fudge, which isn't a bad thing - just something I wouldn't normally pair with chicken. ;) Thanks to the amazing support we receive on the private forums of the Daring Kitchen, my question of why it separated was answered by Robert of An Alaskan Cook's Exploration of Food and Technique - and he thought that I had too much heat going on. And he was most likely right, I did have the heat up pretty high now that I think of it. Stupid on my part. Again, I persevered and continued on with dinner, making a batch of Basmati rice to go with. Once it was all done, yeah it still didn't look that great. My chicken was even more yellow and my sauce was no longer sauce-y. At this point, I could have binned it all and declared it a disaster, but I was HUNGRY dammit. So I plated, called Hubbs to the kitchen and got a giggle from the expression on his face. He was not amused. He must have been hungry too. hehehe I decided to take my dinner into my office so I could watch a movie (and mainly because I wasn't in the mood to hear him bitch about how awful the food was). Surprisingly.. this dinner was OUT OF THIS WORLD. I cannot express how much I LURVED it! Suffice to say that it's been well over a week since I've made Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce and a day hasn't gone by that I haven't craved it. Unfortunately, Hubbs wasn't as impressed (most likely because he turns his nose up at any form of chicken. He'll eat it but not happily.) and that's the only reason I haven't cooked this dinner several times since my first taste. But my cravings will win soon - they ALWAYS do - and he'll just have to get over it. ;) I always thank our hosts at the end of my posts, but this time I really need to lay on the lurve. Cuppy jumped in when, at the last minute, our slated January host couldn't do it. Cuppy had NO TIME and yet she came up with a well written recipe and plan for all diets. This was a quick challenge, that was most gratefully received after the busy and hectic holidays and I now have a new favorite quick meal to throw together after a stressful day at work. And yes, this recipe has been "westernized" and is not an authentic Thai recipe, but it's delicious regardless. I seriously cannot wait to make it again! Thanks so much, Cuppy!! :) xoxo

Festa Italiana!

I don't get a chance to participate in many events these days and it makes me sad because there are so many great foodie events out there! But there was just no way I could miss this event, Festa Italiana, hosted by two beautiful Italian women, Marie of Proud Italian Cook and Maryann of Finding La Dolce Vita (beautiful, AND they've both got amazing blogs that I love to read!). Not only do these lovely ladies promise this to be a gathering of friends not to be missed, but Marie and Maryann are inviting us to join them in a "celebration of the sweet life!" - who could say no to that? Not I! I'm bringing quite the tasty dish to this party.. but I might be cheating on the Italian authenticity of it. Well, okay, there is no "might be" - I am cheating - the only thing Italian about this dish is the salad dressing. I KNOW! How can an Italian cheat on the Italian food?? The way I see it is.. this is a dinner my father would have LOVED. And if my Italian daddy liked it, then so will everyone else! :) Super easy to make (that's what I'm all about these days!) with only 4 ingredients ('kay 6 if you include salt & pepper)! Toss it all together in your crockpot and voila! 7 hours later you've got dinner! Oh and did I mention it's made in the crockpot? -=SHAMELESS PLUG=- Don't forget about WCC No. 26 - Pressure Cookers, Dutch Ovens & Crockpots! Submissions due March 26th! Hey! You don't even need a blog.. if you've got a great recipe.. cook 'er up, snap a few photos and email it all to me and I'll post for you! :D (lamiacucina AT adelphia DOT net) -=SHAMELESS PLUG=- So here I come with bells on, bottles of wine strapped to my back and arms loaded with succulent and savory wings for your enjoyment! "Italian" Chicken Wings and Potatoes 3 lbs. whole chicken wings, rinsed and pat dry 1/2 c. Italian salad dressing - I use Wishbone Robusto Italian 1 tsp. Italian salad dressing mix - I used Good Seasons packets 1-2 lbs. small (baby) red or yukon gold potatoes, cut into fourths salt and pepper to taste Lay the chicken wings on the bottom on the crockpot and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. of dressing mix and season lightly with salt & pepper, then drizzle with 1/4 c. of the Italian dressing. Lay the cut potatoes on top of the chicken and sprinkle the remaining dressing mix, seasoning lightly again with salt & pepper, then drizzle the remaining Italian dressing. Put the lid on and turn it on high for 7 hours. At the half way point, I usually go in and give everything a little toss just to make sure the wings aren't burning on the bottom of the pot. You will not believe how delicious the wings and potatoes turn out! xoxo

Mario Batali, Have I Told You Lately How Much I Love You?

And not so much for your cooking - although it looks scrumptious. No, I love you for being one of the many celebrity chefs that put out their own line of cast iron cookware. Yours is affordable, well made and the colors in your line are perfect for my kitchen! So, thank you Mario Batali! Thank you for my gorgeous and sexy Dutch Oven that I heart so very, very muchly! :) Oh hells yes, the love of my Dutch Oven is another reason why I chose Crockpots, Dutch Ovens and Pressure cookers for the theme of this months WCC, just so I could show off the sexiness once again! Behold and be dazzled.. My GOD is that not the cat's meow in cast iron cookware?? Everything I make in this bad boy always turns out spectacular. I'm not exaggerating either. For instance.. my very Irish mother, makes the best Spanish rice ever and I've never been able to quite get it as good as hers - until just a few days ago. And I totally credit my success to my Mario Batali 4 quart Dutch Oven in Chianti (damn you Crate & Barrel for discontinuing to sell that color). This time it was perfect.. I dare say better than my mother's. *gasp* DON'T TELL HER!! It turned out creamy with such a fantastic flavor. You could really taste the tomato, peppers and onion this time. In the past when I've made it, we've always had lots left over for freezing (and then eventually throwing out because of freezer burn) but there was none left this time. We had it for dinner that first night as the main course and the next night we had it as an accompaniment to Ben's Enchiladas Verde uhh Rojo. Damn store didn't have one fakkin tomatillo in the place! So we had to go with tomatoes. Not that that was a bad thing, as the sauce turned out beautifully. Thanks, Ben!! Deeeelicious! :) Awww lil wilty Cilantro :P Mom's Spanish Rice 1 lb. lean ground round or sirloin 1 medium Spanish or Vidalia onion, diced small 1 medium bell pepper (whichever color that floats your boat), diced small 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 TBS. olive oil 1 32 oz. can of plain tomato sauce 1 32 oz. can of water 1 scant TBS. dried oregano 2 Bay leaves Salt & pepper to taste 1 TBS. garlic powder (optional) 1 1/8 c. short grain white rice, uncooked Sauté the onion, pepper and garlic in the olive oil until just translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the ground round and cook until browned, then drain any excess fat (although there shouldn't be if you are using lean round or sirloin). Once the meat is browned, pour in the can of tomato sauce, then fill the empty can with water and pour that in. Season with the oregano, bay leaves, salt & pepper and the garlic powder if using. Add the uncooked rice and let simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes or until the rice is tender. You should end up with a pot full of thick and creamy Spanish (Americanized) rice with not a lot of sauce left over. We love it this way as it resembles risotto, but it might be dry to someone else, so you can thin it by adding a little water or low-sodium chicken broth. And with Ben's Enchiladas.. Delicious chicken Enchilada, Rojo sauce, Spanish Rice and Corn Cake. *swoon* Another fantabulous, you won't be sorry, recipe to make in your sexy Dutch oven is Ina Garten's Beef Bourguignon - a big bowl of this with crusty bread for dipping.. let's just say you will want to make out with Ina afterwards. ;) xoxo

WCC No. 25 - Nigella! Plus! Petites Bouchées!

One of my very favorite events that I try hard not to miss often - although I do miss quite a few. :( - is Sara's Weekend Cookbook Challenge. This month is hosted by Ani of Foodie Chickie and she came up with the theme of Nigella Lawson. I loves me my Nigella. I have lurved her for many years. Ever since I had trouble sleeping one night and was flipping channels.. I hit the Style! network and saw this drop dead gorgeous woman cooking up something fantastic. I didn't know what she was cooking when I flipped to her show and I don't think I ever found out during the show.. all I know is that she made it look delicious, whatever it was. There isn't another cooking show shot the way Nigella's shows are shot. The graceful way she stirs a pot.. the sexy sizzle when the Extra Virgin hits the smokin' hot pan.. the way she can make a straight women, like myself, simply swoon while watching her shove a very large spoonful of something creamy in her mouth making it look like a delicate nibble.. Ahhhh yes.. I do loves me my Nigella. I think Brilynn will agree with my next statement. Many of Nigella's recipes suck. Yes, Yes, I know.. in some circles that could be construed as blasphemy, and for that I do apologize.. but it is a true statement for some of us! I've just not had much luck with some of her recipes. Bechemel sauce - chicken & ham dice (and last night's washed dishes) - filling ready to go - Hubbs and his master rolling skillz (nevermind his tattered old sweatshirt and the sink full of dirty dishes) :P But it's for a WCC and I haven't played in a while, so I hadda suck it up and try a Nigella recipe again. I could have went with a sure thing and picked one of her decadent cakes.. but instead I decided to be DARING (it's not just for bakers, you know) and chose a savory recipe. To be specific.. Nigella's Chicken Pot Pies. But I went singular.. only because I don't own smaller vessels to make individual pies. And lookie there.. I just bold faced lied to you all. I did not cook this recipe. Hubbs did! He had a day off yesterday due to the spankin' we got from Mother Nature, so he offered to make dinner.. bless his steel toed boots. :) He followed the recipe to a T.. almost.. the recipe only calls for peas, chicken and ham.. but we need more veggies.. so he added a carrot and a celery stalk. The rest was made by the book. It turned out quite lovely.. awwwwwwwwww! How romantic is that chicken pot pie?? :)) I enjoyed this, actually. The filling was creamy and tasty and I liked that we could add a lil smokey ham to the chicken and veg mix. The only thing I wasn't too keen on was the pastry. I think I would prefer puff pastry instead of the pastry called for in her recipe.. but even so, it was a decent recipe that we'll he'll make again one day. :) Unfortunately, it's wayyyyy past my bedtime and I've got a very busy morning tomorrow.. Daring Baker reveal day.. it's right around the corner! :) Not to mention, there is another very important bit I'd like to add to this post.. so I am not going to type out the 3 page recipe here. If you'd like it.. just drop me a line at lamiacucina-AT-adelphia-DOT-net and I'll send it to you. Thanks so much for hosting and picking a terrific theme, Ami! And thank you, as always, Sara my love.. just for being you. :) Okay.. I had to share with ya'll something that many of you might already know.. I've been excited since I first heard she was going through the process of getting licensed to bake for profit and it's lead up to what I received in the mail today. My Sis - the gal who shares my same brain and my love of scary movies - Veronica, of Veronica's Test Kitchen has launched a new baking business! Today, I was one of the very lucky recipients of a "test" package of luscious macarons. She wasn't sure how they would ship, so OF COURSE, I offered any assistance she might need in being on the disovery end of that shipment - seriously, what are friends for, right?? :D My package arrived by a very careless delivery driver who dropped the box on our stoop (totally ignoring the giant FRAGILE written all over the box). But after opening her very carefully packaged box, I found a small, sleek, brown box with a gorgeous slim pink ribbon tied around it. The little box was encased in a pretty cello wrapper with Veronica's business name and logo attached. I carefully opened the little bag and then slipped the ribbon off the box and peeked inside. Twelve perfectly shaped, colorful and sinfully delicious smelling macarons nestled in pretty tissue paper were inside. Out of the twelve, only one was marred by a couple small cracks. Excellent packaging, Sis!! I demonstrated the utmost in restraint by slipping the pretty box into my fridge until after we ate dinner. Later this evening when my sweet tooth started nagging me, I retrieved the box and first choose a Hazelnut with Salted Caramel Cream. Oh. My. God. Like no other macaron.. the cookie was crispy on the outside, soft, creamy and chewy on the inside.. different from other macarons I've had (that were delightful as well!) in that they weren't shells. Ya'll know what I mean? When you bit into these macarons, the cookie wasn't a crispy/chewy shell that screamed meringue and crushed nuts. These cookies had substance. And the filling? Just the right amount of salt in the caramel and it was creamy.. perfection. I next tried what I think is Pistachio with Chocolate Ganache that also had me swooning. Finally a Vanilla macaron with Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Buttercream filling. I could have died right then and been declared a very happy woman!! Yeah, some of you might be thinking that I'm saying all these wonderful things about Veronica's macarons because she is my friend, but you'd be wrong. These are some SERIOUS macarons and you shant judge me until you've tried one (or a dozen) for yourself! Click on over to her business site, Petites Bouchées and order yourself up a box.. You Will! Not! be Disappointed! Thanks for lettin' me be one of your testers, Sis.. you've done a beautiful job and you've definitely MASTERED the art of macarons! :) xoxo

Why yes.. you DO look good in that garlic!

One of my most favoritest gals who just happens to write one of my most favoritest blogs is Danielle of Habeas Brulee. Danielle and her fiance, Dave are known for their creativity in the kitchen. They come up with some fantastic dishes that not only sound delicious but are rarely of the ordinary. Each post she shares features a fresh and new recipe, with a story of how the idea, and creation of, took place. I seriously look forward to reading each new post! I've even been known to try a couple of her recipes out and lemme tell you.. she's not just a excellent writer, photographer and lawyer - she's an amazing cook! (holy crap I haven't blogged about her Cocoa-Nana bread yet! DOH!) Anyhoo.. when I saw that she has decided to host a one-off event called "Yes, Of Course You Can Pair Garlic With That!", I knew I'd be participating. The premise of this event is to use an ingredient(s) that you'd not normally associate as pairing well with garlic. It's a way to be inventive, to play around with you food and quite possibly, come up with something amazing. Now the burning question was.. what the hell am I going to pair with garlic? Admittedly, I am not too adventurous in the kitchen. I mostly make staples that my mom or dad taught me, I chose recipe bases that are familiar to me - that I can almost taste before actually making it - and my idea of living on the edge is trying a brand new recipe that doesn't call for butter, mayo or chocolate. :P So I was pretty confident that whatever I did try, it wouldn't go too far out of my comfort zone - I mean, hell, I've got the Daring Bakers for that kinda recipe making right? Okay so not too far away from the zone but also something that I've never made before - this had to be a new recipe.. No.. not ice cream. No.. not lavender cookies with garlic chips. No.. not sweet and sour garlic - although, that doesn't sound too shabby. Hmm.. what about brown sugar and garlic? Garlic gets sweet when it's roasted.. brown sugar is sweet but not too sweet. Hmmmm... that's it! I got lucky quickly - I did a search for garlic and brown sugar on my favorite Recipezaar site and found a recipe for Crockpot Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken, with 208 ratings, and 4.5 stars I figured it's got to be good. I had also wondered where the hell have I been my whole life because, obviously, the old brown sugar/garlic combo was not a first. Duh. I did a couple things differently, but I doubt they made any difference in taste to the finished dish. I didn't have Sprite or 7-Up, so I subbed key-lime flavored sparkling water. My chicken was a lot smaller than the recipe called for, since there is just Hubbs and I, so my cooking time was drastically shorter - I think about 4.5 hours on low made my wee bird almost fall apart. And finally, since cooking in a crockpot does not promote crispy skin, I had to transfer the bird from the crockpot to a 450º oven for about 20 more minutes to attain delicious crispedy, lip smackin' & finger lickin' good skin. This chicken was delicious but the garlic wasn't as pronounced as I'd hoped it would be. I even added an extra TBS. of minced garlic, figuring I'd make it super garlicky, but no.. not so much. I served it with roasted vegetables in a balsamic sauce and basmati rice. FanFarkingTastic. This dinner will be made again in the near future - with more garlic, a little less liquid and 1/2 the sugar. I have a feeling it will be perfect then. I think Jaden should make it and let us know if I'm correct. ;) Check out Danielle's Habeas Brulee in the near future for delicious dishes featuring lots of garlic and lots of.. stuff.. that doesn't normally pair up with garlic! Yeah!!

Chicken Scallopini with Mushroom Cream Sauce

'kay this dieting thing is for the fakking birds. And you know what else? So is this heat with 176% humidity we're having. :P That combination does not make for a happy cook. Other than grilled chicken, fish and pork - my repertoire has dwindled down to practically nothing. We aren't enjoying our food these days - we've been eating to sustain. This heat doesn't even allow you to get fancy on the grill because who wants to stand in front of a 550º grill for longer than it takes to cook a chicken breast?? Not I, friends. Not. I. Oh I could go on for DAYS with my whining and bitching.. I am sooo damn good at that. But I won't bore ya'll with the same old "Oh it's so hot!" routine. But I still have not cooked anything worth sharing, so I figured it was time to dip into the stash of recipes I've made in the past but never got around to blogging about. Most likely I didn't feel they were blog-worthy, or I had made something fantabulous the same week and went with that recipe.. but hey, it's better than nothing, yes? I've got two chicken scallopini dishes that were pretty tasty, although not too visually appealing. Especially this first one I'm going to share, but it was delish and I really thought Hubbs wasn't going to be too thrilled, but he was! This is one of those dishes that I most likely read a similar recipe for in the past and mentally filed it away. I remember the gist of these "mental recipes" and it's enough to allow me to just toss stuff into a skillet or pan and create what I had visualized. The dump and go's, as I call 'em. =) There's nothing better than an evening pounding your meat, is there? *ahem* The satisfaction derived from taking out your frustrations on an innocent chicken breast is by far one of those activities that I look forward to after my 8 in the dungeon. All that's required is a couple sheets of plastic wrap, said innocent chicken mammories and a nice flat pummeling device. Personally, I like to whack my meat in beat to a song I am either listening to or a song that's been stuck in my head all day. Everyone once in a while, I'll even try morse code in the beating of my meat. It's always good to keep familiar - you never know when you might get stuck behind enemy lines with nothing but something to tap on, hoping some one will hear you and understand you are under duress. No, I don't really beat my meat in morse code. That's just plain silly. But I do like to take a running start from the opposite side of my kitchen, jump up right before I reach the counter so that I can slap the breasts kung-fu style. I even make that sound.. "Hiiii YAAAAAA" We should all have fun with our food, don't you agree? After I've squeezed every bit of stress out of my poor aching body, I dredge my flattened breast through a mixture of flour, salt and pepper. And then I fry - sweet fry - them in 2 TBS. butter and about 3 TBS. of minced garlic until they are golden brown and delicious. Next comes a quick sauce that's made with the pan drippings after you've removed the crispedy breasts. A cup or two of a good chicken stock and a little white wine, some sliced mushrooms and a handful of sliced green onion set to simmer until the mushrooms are tender. Finally I finish it off with a blurp of sour cream. Nope, no calories in this dish! I usually serve chicken scallopini over pasta of some sort - I think I went with Pappardelle this time. If I'm making a sauce with my scallopini I try to choose a pasta that will easily hold the sauce. Plop the pasta on the dish, lay the scallopini over it and douse with sauce. Oh. Yeah. Baby. A sprinkling of sliced green onion over top is all that's needed in way of garnish. Serve with a fresh salad and you are all set! Lisa's Chicken Scallopini with Creamy Mushroom Sauce 2 chicken breasts, pounded flat 1 c. flour salt & pepper, to taste 2 TBS. butter 3 TBS. minced garlic - about 5 garlic cloves? 1/2 c. sliced green onion, divided (Shallots would also work here) 1 c. chicken stock 1/4 c. white wine 1 c. sour cream (I use light sour cream and it works well) 1/2 c. chicken stock 1 TBS. corn starch Salt and pepper, to taste 1/2 lb. pasta, cooked al dente Pound chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap or in a large ziplock bag. In a large shallow dish, mix the flour, salt & pepper well. Dredge breasts on both sides. Cook pasta until al dente. In a large skillet, heat the butter until it's almost browned. Fry chicken breasts until golden brown on both sides. Remove to a covered dish to keep warm. Deglaze skillet with 1 c. chicken broth and the white wine, making sure to scrape up all the delicious bits. Add mushrooms and onions, simmer until mushrooms are tender - about 5 minutes. Add sour cream, salt & pepper, mix well. Test for seasoning at this point. Sauce will be thin. In a small bowl, heat the 1/2 c. chicken stock in microwave until it's warmed and then whisk in the TBS. of cornstarch. Pour into skillet and stir well until sauce has thickened. Return breasts to sauce and simmer until heated through. Split pasta between two dishes, spoon a small amount of sauce over pasta then lay breast on top and spoon more sauce over breast. Sprinkle with sliced onion and take pictures and dig in! xoxo

Memories

My dear, sweet friend, Ellie, is holding a one off Nostalgia event in hopes that everyone will share a story about a food that brings back memories.. so how could I let her down? Well duh. Of course I couldn't let her down. Sheesh. I've blogged a lot about my favorite dishes enjoyed in the years growing up but somehow this one slipped my memory - maybe because I'd never tried to replicate it in my own kitchen. I was sitting at the kitchen table with Hubbs discussing this very subject. Wondering out loud what the hell I was going to write about. And as we were going back and forth about favorite foods from our childhood (because that's what I wanted to hit upon) I stunned myself by actually "misplacing" this dish in the recesses of my memory! How could I forget it? It's not like my mom made this every once in a while - hell no, it was a staple in our family's weekly dinners and I love it! My mom's chicken & noodles.. you can't get more simple and delicious than this dish. I can't really say that I associate this dish with one memory only - instead, thinking about this stick to your ribs, comforting meal reminds me of many occasions. For example, this was the first dish that my youngest sister ate as a solid food and didn't actually spit out and fling back into my face. I remember her tasting it, as I instinctively held my hands up in front of my face, and her smiling and doing this grunt thing that she did when she was pleased with her food. That might have been the first feeding where I came out unscathed. I remember this being dinner the night our part of the state received the worst ice storm in it's history.. sittin' all cozy, eating this yummy chickeny noodley concoction in front of the tube - most likely getting my fix of The Fonz, Richie, Potsie & Ralph Malph (what can I say? I was a sucker for the bad boys, the good lookin but vacant boys and red heads!).. and then an hour or so later, no power. Dead of winter, nothing but inches upon inches of ice outside and us with no power for 2.5 days. I will NEVER forget the kind of cold you feel INSIDE your body when you've spent over 48 hours with no heat. And this is also the reason why, I give as much money as we can to Ohio's homeless funds.. I can't even imagine how those people survive our winters. *shudder* And finally, although the memories go on and on, the last one I want to share is that this was one of the last dinners my dad requested before he left us.. my mom came home from work (by this time, we'd shut the restaurant down and she had taken a job at the local Rite Aid) checked on him and then made this for him. And blah dee blah blah blah I can't write any more without getting all blubbery.. so yes! How could I forget this dish?? *ahem* So without further ado.. I'll share this recipe.. make it one night when you want something comforting - use whichever chicken part you'd like.. change up the egg noodles for klusky noodles or whatever floats your noodle boat.. add more veggies or substitute a vegetable for the sweet peas.. whot evah. Just make it, I'm pretty sure you'll like it. =) Mom's Chicken & Noodles The recipe below will feed 4 people with generous portions 8 chicken thighs, skin on & bone in 1/2 c. flour Salt and pepper Enough oil to just cover the bottom of your pan 4 c. chicken stock + enough water to make enough gravy - can't give an exact measurement, you'll have to "eyeball" it. Enough flour to thicken the gravy - I think I end up using 2-4 TBS. ? 1 can sweet peas 3 sm. cans of sliced mushrooms 1 lb. bag of egg noodles Garlic powder to taste Salt & pepper to taste Heat the oil in your electric fry pan, or very large skillet if you don't have an electric fry pan. I set mine on 350º F. Mix the flour with the salt & pepper in a shallow bowl or plate, dredge the thighs in the flour mixture. Place the thighs in the hot oil and brown on both sides. Remove and set aside. Add the stock, water and flour to the pan and bring to a boil, stirring often, until as thick as you desire. Add the peas and mushrooms. Allow to simmer for a few minutes. In the meantime, or even ahead, cook your egg noodles until al dente in salted water. Once your gravy is thickened and your noodles are cooked, add the chicken and noodles back into the fry pan and mix well. Heat this mixture until warmed all the way though - about 10 to 15 minutes. Done!

Thai Food - It's a First!

Firstly.. thank you all for the wonderful support and well wishes in comments and e-mail - ya'll are the best, thanks so much for caring about myself and my Mommie. =) Secondly - FOOD. Let's get back to our favorite subject, shall we? Not too very long ago, one of my closest friends, Morven, sent me a recipe for Pad Thai. I'd never had it (hell, I've never had Thai food period) but her description of it sounded so good and the recipe looked like something I could pull off pretty easily. So I printed it out in hopes to make it as soon as I had bought the ingredients. Specifically the rice noodles, as my local "mega" mart doesn't carry them. Go figger. One day after a trip to the farmer's market, we headed to an area in Cleveland that is predominantly Asian, in hopes of finding a Asian market. Low and behold, we got lucky and struck pay dirt. We spent about 2 hours in there just looking around.. it was fabulous. Never before had I been in such a culturally rich environment. Seriously. The wonders of all the food items that I was not familiar with, the smells of so many spices, seafood and fresh produce. It was all new and fabulous. Needless to say, I found several varieties of rice noodles and picked up quite a few of them. We also bought all the ingredients we'll need to make our own sushi - which we are very much looking forward to (it's our new food passion). We left with bags and bags of items and were already looking forward to the next time we'd visit. A few nights later, I took my new Pad Thai recipe out and set to work.. it was quite easy to put together and the end result was what I now refer to as my most favorite noodle dish of all time. I could eat this dish several times a week and be quite happy. Hubbs enjoyed it very much too and requested that I don't wait too long before making it again. I chose to use a wider rice noodle than what the recipe called for, mainly because I pretty much closed my eyes, stuck my hand in the bottom of the pantry and just grabbed a random bag of newly aquired noodles. I made sure to have all of my ingredients measured out and ready to go next to the stove so all I had to do was dump while putting it all together. This particular recipe called for both chicken and shrimp so it was quite a substantial meal. The flavors of rice wine, lime juice and the shrimp was predominant and lovely. There was a background hit of the salty fish sauce and the sweet addition of some sugar. The noodles were soft but firm and I found I really enjoyed the texture of them. I finished the dish off with fresh cilantro and a drizzle of sesame oil - which gave it that fresh factor that really brought out the other flavors. This, to me, was heaven in a bowl. I loved it and I wanna say again - THANKS, MORV! YOU ROCK! =) *Update* I just found out about Ruth's Pesto Pasta Nights and because I think that it's such a great idea (I'll be submitting often!) I figured that the first submission should be a damn good one - and here it is, almost 2 weeks later and I'm still dreaming about this dish - just waiting for a night where I can relax and make it again! So Ruth, if you'll have me.. I'd like to share this recipe for Pad Thai! =) Pad Thai Courtesy of Morven and adapted from Dish It Up by Simon Holst 150-200 grams rice noodles 1 TBS. canola oil 1 large egg, lightly beaten 3 cloves garlic, crushed, peeled and chopped 2 (about 200 grams total) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced 1 tsp. minced red chile/chile paste 200 grams shrimp, thawed and drained if frozen 1 TBS. canola oil 4 spring onions, sliced diagonally 3 TBS. fish sauce 2 TBS. rice (or wine) vinegar 1 TBS. lime (or lemon) juice 2 TBS. sugar 1-2 c. bean sprouts (we couldn't find fresh that day so I used canned - very good) chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) and roasted peanuts to garnish (I omitted the nuts) Place the rice noodles in a large bowl, cover with boiling water and soak for 5-10 minutes or until soft and flexible, then drain well. (Check after 5 minutes as different brands seem to soften at different speeds and some get too soft if soaked for too long.) Heat about 1 tsp. of the oil in a large wok or frypan, then add the beaten egg and cook to form a thin omelette. As soon as the upper surface looks dry, roll or fold the omelette and remove from the pan. Cut into 1 cm. ribbons and set aside. Add the rest of the first measure of oil to the pan, then add the garlic, cook over high heat until it begins to brown, then add the chicken and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until chicken has lost it's pink color and is beginning to brown. Stir in the chile and shrimp and stir-fry for a minute longer, then add the noodles, second measure of oil and the spring onion greens. Toss to combine, then add the fish sauce, vinegar, lime (or lemon) juice and sugar. Stir-fry until the liquid has almost disappeared then add the bean sprouts and cook for 1 minute longer. The recipe never did say what to do with that reserved omelette, so I just added it at this point as well. Serve immediately garnished with chopped cilantro and peanuts.

Dishes of Comfort

When I saw that my most favorite Cream Puff and my most favorite Italian gal living in Sweden had come up with the idea for an event that highlighted comfort foods, I mentally ticked off a long list of foods that I consider comforting. My problem was choosing which one to submit to their event! I have two requirements for a food to be "comforting". The first - something that my parents (especially my Mom) made while I was growing up. These dishes were always looked forward to when I was told as I was leaving the house for school what dinner would be when I got home. And secondly - any food that brings back memories of being made to feel special, loved and just happy. That list doesn't necessarily mean creamy, steamy, sink your gums into, stick to your ribs type fare that usually was made for you by your Mommie. The second list is more the type of foods where the occasion is more memorable. Like raw oysters. I love them. And each time I eat them, I think of being with my Dad as we were the only 2 in the family that liked them - so it was our special time to enjoy a dozen on the half shell, while the rest looked at us in disgust. hee! Or even just a plate of chunked up cheeses and pepperoni with a hunk of bread that we'd all share sitting on our back porch or at the bar of our restaurant before we'd open for the day. Now that first list.. wow, it's long. My mother's macaroni and cheese usually served aside her fried chicken wings. Her sweet and sticky ribs paired with Dad's linguine and clam sauce (my birthday dinner for many, many years!). Her cabbage rolls, her boiled dinners of cottage ham, cabbage and potatoes. My Auntie's pizza. My mom's meat loaf and the baked potatoes that were creamy on the inside of a crisp skin. Her pot roasts. Her chocolate cake with bananas sliced in the middle and chocolate butter frosting. Her wings and peppers. My family's marinara sauce and meatballs generously dousing any particular pasta that caught your fancy. My father's home made Christmas ravioli. My father's Christmas calamari sauce (of which I have STILL not found a recipe *sob*). I mean this list goes on and on and on.. my Mom's lasagna! Her stuffed shells! Her goulash! My father's fish salads - YES! FISH SALADS!! I can't stop listing! I had to walk away. Anyhoo.. what I've chosen to blog about is my Mom's roasted chicken. Flavorful throughout thanks to the lemons and garlic stuffed in the cavity and the herbed butter slathered both on top and under the skin of the breast, this chicken always comes out tender and juicy on the inside and the skin crisps up - always causing riffs between my sisters and I over who would get the biggest pieces. She would make this roasted chicken once a month throughout the Autumn and Winter seasons. Always accompanied by roasted potatoes and carrots as well as her warm and buttery dinner rolls. We'd eat this dinner at the back table of the restaurant's dining room with only the lights directly over the table lit, the rest of the huge dining room would be dark, making this table feel cozy. My father would always be in charge of carving and saying the dinner prayer. And then there'd be silence for the first few minutes as everyone blissfully engorged themselves. Soon the silence would be broken (most likely over the aforementioned fight between my sisters and I over a piece of crispedy skin) and we'd start talking about the week that passed or the week coming up. This had to be done, that had to be made, weren't those people who sat in the corner Saturday night a nice couple? How about that family who let their kids just run around and cause havoc? God. My father would ask each of his daughters how their week of school went and what had they learned? And with each story that we shared with him, he'd have a story from his days as a child - and oh the horrors he went through!! "Well Lisa, I understand that your friend Annie has the newest in Nike fashion and that you MUST have the same sneakers, but when I was growing up, there was one pair of sneakers that my 15 brothers and I HAD to SHARE, which meant that for 14 days in a row, I'd have to wear the cardboard box those sneakers came in!" hahahaahaaaa!! I remember the first time he made that comment and my mother about choked on her coffee. He always told the funniest stories - course they weren't funny back then - I wanted the damn sneakers and didn't care that he had to share with his 15 brothers, dammit. teee! And so, once a month during the Autumn and Winter months, I now make this roasted chicken for Hubbs. And although we usually sit in front of the God forsaken TV instead of at our dining room table when enjoying this bird, I've added to my memories of childhood - the comforting thoughts of snuggling up on the couch and laughing with him at whatever we're watching (usually Rachel Ray - YUM-O!), or just talking about whatever we feel like talking about. =) Mom's Roasted Chicken 1 fresh roaster chicken, approximately 7 pounds 4 TBS. butter, softened 1 TBS. fresh, chopped rosemary leaves 1 TBS. fresh thyme leaves 1 TBS. fresh, chopped sage leaves 2 tsp. sea salt 2 tsp. cracked black pepper 1 lemon, cut in half 6 cloves of garlic, smashed Optional: 3 med. yukon gold potatoes, large dice 1 lg. red garnet sweet potato, large dice 1/2 vidalia onion, large dice 4-5 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces 1 TBS. butter 1/2 c. water Preheat oven to 425º. Place a roasting rack into a roasting pan. Rinse chicken and thoroughly pat dry with clean paper towels. In a small bowl, combine butter, herbs, 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper. Cut lemon in half and smash each clove of garlic with the flat side of a knife to easily peel. Using a teaspoon, slide a good sized dollop of the butter mixture under the skin of the breast and with your other hand on the top of the skin remove the butter off the spoon and smoodge it around as far down the breast meat as it'll go. Repeat with the other breast. With your fingers slather the outside of the bird with the rest of the butter mixture. After washing your icky hands, sprinkle the remaining salt and pepper all over the bird's nekked body. Shove the lemon halves and the garlic cloves into the cavity and tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Place freshly slathered, not as nekked, bird onto the roasting rack (breast side up) and place in pre-heated oven. Bake for 30 min. While the bird is in the oven, peel and chop your veggies. After 30 minutes reduce heat in oven to 375º, and haphazardly arrange the veggies on the bottom of the roasting pan with the TBS. of butter (pinch off lil pieces) and 1/2 c. water. Bake another 90 minutes or until the internal temperature of the bird reaches 190º. Let set on carving board for 10 minutes before carving.

Chicken Kiev with a Twist

I haven't made chicken breasts in a while and normally I'll marinate them and either grill them or chunk them up for tempura. But I wanted to stuff them this time. I had to think about this and search high and low for a recipe, as most stuffed chicken uses cheese, which Hubbs doesn't like. I remember seeing The Martha make Chicken Kiev once and thought it looked interesting. I liked the idea of the hidden pat of herbed butter infusing the chicken with it's flavor while also keeping the meat moist. The only thing I didn't like was the deep frying. Yes, me. I KNOW! But I don't really like fried chicken breast, go figure. This recipe is taken from bits and pieces of a few recipes I read - because not one single recipe tripped my trigger, if ya know what I mean. I also decided to give it a bit of a twist by lightly dredging the rolled breasts in ranch dressing in lieu of beaten eggs and also to use Panko instead of traditional bread crumbs. And finally, I decided to try to bake them instead of deep frying. This is a keeper for sure. The breasts were extremely moist and super flavorful due to the herbed butter and ranch dressing. The Panko baked up crunchy and took on a nice golden color. By placing the breasts on a rack over the baking dish, they did not cook in their own juices so the bottoms were just as crunchy as the tops. My only faux pas was forgetting to add the lemon juice to the herbed butter. Next time I'll do that as I think the lemon will brighten the flavors of the chives and parsley nicely. Oh yeah.. and might I suggest, when you make this recipe do NOT use the pretty colored tooth pics to help seal the rolls. As you'll see in the picture, although they did work in keeping the butter inside the rolls, they left a loverly dot of blue dye on the chicken. How attractive is that? heee! I served these with smashed sweet potatoes and steamed green beans. Chicken Kiev with a Twist 4 chicken breasts, pounded to about an 1/8th inch thick 4 TBS butter, softened 1 TBS. fresh, snipped chives 1 TBS. fresh, chopped parsley 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice 2 cups Panko crumbs 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1/2 tsp. paprika (I used sweet spanish paprika) 1/2 tsp. salt 2 TBS. fresh, chopped parsley 1 c. ranch dressing Preheat oven to 375º F. In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, chives, parsley, lemon juice and garlic powder. Transfer to a small piece of plastic wrap and shape into a small log. Place in freezer while working on the breasts. In a shallow dish or bowl, combine the Panko with the garlic powder, paprika, salt and parsley - mix well with your finger tips. In another shallow dish or bowl add the ranch dressing. Take the butter out of the freezer (it should have been in there for at least 10 minutes, allowing it to harden - but would be better if you made the butter ahead of time so that the flavors could meld even more.) Cut into either 4 disks width wise or 4 slices length wise. I went with the long slices. Season pounded breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Lay 1 breast flat in front of you and place a slice of the herbed butter in the middle of the breast. Roll the edge closest to you towards the other end, bringing up the sides half way through the roll. Use toothpics to secure. Dredge the rolls lightly through the ranch dressing and then through the bread crumbs. Place the rolls on a rack that has been placed in a baking dish. I used a small rack over a 8" square baking dish as I only baked 2 rolls and froze the other 2 for a quickie dinner another night. Continue on in this fashion for the rest of the chicken breasts. Bake them in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the juices run clear when poked with the tip of a knife.

I Think Paula Would Be Proud, Ya'll!

Looking in my recipe card box last night for something I haven't made in forever.. searching, searching.. there's a lot of cards to sift through. And then I came across this recipe that was given to me years ago by a friend's mother after they had invited me for dinner and I went bazonkers over her "fried chicken" dish. Which wasn't fried. I was amazed. It was baked - but it was so damn crispedy! And the coating? Like nothing I'd had before. So when I came across it last night I had to wonder if my friend's mom had somehow gotten this recipe from everyone's favorite butter guzzler (also known now as the Baroness of Butter har!), Paula Deen! If she didn't and Paula doesn't know about this recipe - I am so telling her about it when I see her in November (after I get her to sign my pound of butter, that is). And yes.. did you see? On FoodTV she's got 2 new shows for the new season.. Paula's Party something or other AND The Baroness of Butter! I larfed out loud :D Oh, and btw, Kevin? I think I told you in an e-mail, but not positive.. Nigella is coming to FoodTV too - I can't wait! Okay where was I? Ahh yes.. the best crispedy baked chicken ya'll have ever had. Your chicken pieces/parts are first dipped into a bath of Mmm Mmm good melty butter, ya'll. And then it's dredged in.. are ya ready? It's dredged in crushed saltine crackers!! Yes, I was amazed too. Saltine f'n crackers.. who woulda thunk it? Okay, so maybe it's not as shocking to some as it was to me. But hell, in my little world saltine crackers were for slathering butter (ya'll) on and dipping into your chili! Or for nibbling on with your raw oysters.. never as a coating for chicken. Up until that point in my life, I had obviously been sheltered, eh? Okay.. well her recipe was just chicken, butter and saltines. It was delish, but when I made it myself I found it to be a lil bland that first time - so I've since tweaked it by adding different herbs and spices to the saltine coating and I think I hit upon the best combination a few years ago.. I add sage and thyme as well as a good seasoning with salt & pepper (sometimes garlic salt). Give your arteries notice and then make this chicken - it's quick, easy and for little effort you definitely get a big payoff. Oh and one more thing.. you'll usually have a lil melty butter left over - try not to guzzle it, ya'll - just drizzle it over the already coated pieces. ;) Crispedy Baked Chicken 4 chicken thighs, skin on (Or whatever chicken pieces you so desire) 2 c. crushed saltine crackers 1 TBS. fresh or dried sage, chopped 1 TBS. fresh or dried thyme leaves 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. pepper 2/3 c. melted butter Preheat oven to 350º F. Dry your pieces/parts and then dip a piece into the melted butter. Season both sides with salt & pepper and then dredge in the saltine/herb mixture. Place in a baking dish. Repeat this process with all your pieces/parts. Bake for 1 hour in pre-heated oven. I baked for 70 minutes because I used bone in thighs - darker meat takes a bit longer. For boneless breasts, I'd check them at 45 - 50 minutes. *Note: For the herbs I used the sage and thyme that I had dried out in my dehydrator from my garden. If you are going to use dried, store bought, you might want to use a little less (especially if your sage is ground, then I'd suggest maybe just a teaspoon). If you are using fresh, then I'd go for even a little more - maybe an additional 1/2 - 1 tsp.

Chicken Breasts in Creamy Caper Sauce

I'm trying my hardest to use up what's in our freezer.. which truly means, I don't have to shop for meat or poultry for a good year or so. Sheesh. I swear, what is it with me and the fear of one day opening the freezer or pantry and NOT finding what I want? I live less than a mile from our grocery store, it's not like I've got to plan for the big trip into the city to buy some chicken or a steak when I want them. But no, God forbid I decide that morning that pork chops sound good for dinner and have to trek allllll the way to the store (2 minutes) to get them. Hubbs doesn't understand my stocking fetish either. I guess that's why he bought 3 freezers?? hehe Anyhoo.. getting rid of some chicken breasts sounded good yesterday. In an attempt to try to eat light for a switch and a change, I had hopes to just broil or grill them and serve with a salad. Yeah that lasted until about 3 p.m. I got stuck at work yesterday with no break so I was starving. What's the 2nd worst thing you can do while hungry, besides grocery shop? Go looking for recipes. I found this one, as per usual, on All Recipes. Another 5 star rated recipe with a boatload of reviews. The main reason I chose it was because it had dill in the recipe. I grow dill for pickling green beans, and that's the only recipe I use it for - so I thought using it somewhere else would be a nice change of pace. While making the pan sauce for the recipe, I tasted to adjust seasonings and it was delicious.. I was so happy with the results. The only ingredient that wasn't added yet was the dill - as per my lessons taught from Paula, Emeril, Rachel, Ina and other assorted celebrity chefs, I did not want to add my fresh herb until the end so that I'd get the most out of it. Mmmm 'kay? The sauce was perfect UNTIL I added the dill.. it gave it a twangy not quite right taste, unfortunately. Maybe it's because I like my dill in pickles and green beans? Could I be a dill snob? It smells so damn good it should be delicious in anything, right? Oh well. The recipe is a keeper but next time.. no dill. By pounding the chicken breasts flat, you cut your cooking time in half and get a more tender bite. The sauce was creamy, with subtle hits of garlic and lemon. The capers lent a salty and slightly fruity taste that made the dish that more special. I served this with my rice pilaf, a recipe I've used for many years and is still the best rice pilaf I've ever had to date. This is a quick dinner that comes together in a flash and really perks up boring chicken breasts. :D Chicken Breasts in Caper Cream Sauce with Rice Pilaf For the Chicken: 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin 1 c. all-purpose flour 1 tsp. kosher salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 3 TBS. butter 2 tsp. grated lemon peel (See note) 4 cloves garlic minced (See note) 1/2 c. heavy cream 2 TBS. capers, drained & rinsed (I didn't rinse mine) 2 tsp. fresh, chopped dill weed (See note) Place chicken breast in large ziplock bag (unsealed) or between two pieces of plastic wrap. Pound until they are about 1/4" thick. Heat oil in a large skillet. Season chicken breasts with salt & pepper, dredge in flour. Fry breasts until golden brown - about 4 minutes each side. Transfer to plate covered in paper towels to drain, cover with foil to keep warm. In same skillet, add heavy cream, garlic, lemon peel and capers. Whisk until the cream becomes a bit thinner, approximately 3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in fresh dill. Spoon over chicken breasts. *Note: The recipe called for lemon/pepper, dried dill weed and garlic powder. - I went with fresh grated lemon peel, fresh dill and cloves of garlic. For the Rice Pilaf: 1/2 c. chopped onion 1/2 c. sliced fresh mushrooms (or rough chop) 1/4 c. chopped celery or bell pepper (I used red bell pepper) 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 TBS. butter 1/2 tsp. kosher salt 1/8 tsp. black pepper 1 3/4 c. chicken stock (If serving with beef, use beef stock) 1 c. rice (your choice on which kind you'd prefer) In a saucepan, saute onions, garlic, celery or bell pepper for approximately 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute another 3-4 minutes. Stir in rice and stock, season with salt & pepper. Bring to boiling, reduce heat then cover, simmer about 15 minutes or until the rice is tender & liquid is absorbed. *Note: To add a nutty flavor to the rice, brown lightly in 1 TBS. of butter before beginning recipe.

Honey-Dijon Curry Chicken with Israeli Couscous

Following my cravings again.. I felt like baked chicken of some sort last night. I really, really wanted Hubbs' baked chicken, but that was one of his AWESOME dishes that he didn't write down what he did - therefore, it'll never happen again. *sigh* Eager to try my curry powder again, I decided to make one of my old standby's but with a kick (I had hoped). My Honey-Dijon baked chicken is pretty damn good, if I do say so myself, and I thought it might be made better with the addition of the curry. I was also hoping for that little spicy kick. Well the chicken turned out to be outstanding. The flavor was savory with a slight sweetness in the background and the curry really gave the chicken a depth of flavor that it hasn't had before. But no heat. I used TWO TABLESPOONS of the stuff.. nada. I definitely bought a sweet curry powder with no kick to it whatsoever. On one hand I'm okay with that, because the flavor it imparts is marvelous, but on the other hand, it's not what I thought I was buying. I absolutely need to get to the West Side Market or put that order into Penzey's that I keep meaning to do. I paired the chicken with Israeli couscous with sauteed veggies and balsamic. It was the perfect compliment to the savory & sweet chicken. Honey-Dijon Curry Chicken with Israeli Couscous For the Chicken 4 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in 1/2 c. butter, melted 1/2 c. honey 1/4 c. Dijon mustard 1 tsp. salt 2 TBS. curry powder For the Couscous 1 c. Israeli couscous 2 c. chicken stock 2 TBS. olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 c. bell pepper, diced (I used an orange bell) 4 green onions, sliced 1/2 c. grape tomatoes, halved 1/2 c. fresh basil leaves, chiffonade Salt & Pepper to taste 2 TBS. Balsamic vinegar Parmigiano Reggiano, grated Preheat oven to 350º F. Place chicken thighs in a shallow baking pan, skin side up. Combine melted butter, honey, Dijon, salt & curry powder in medium bowl. Pour over chicken thighs. Bake for 75 minutes, basting chicken every 15-20 minutes. This will give your chicken crispy skin. *swoon* While your chicken is cooking, bring 2 cups of chicken stock to a bowl then add the couscous. Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and turn off heat, let sit until ready to add vegetables. In a skillet, saute garlic, onions, peppers and tomato halves in 2 TBS. olive oil until lightly browned and the tomatoes are shriveled. Fluff the couscous with a fork and transfer it to a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Add the sauteed veggies, mixing well. Add the fresh basil and mix well. Top the couscous with the 2 TBS. balsamic and give it a slight stir. (Just enough so it's not pooled on top) Bake, uncovered, for the last 20 minutes of cooking time for the chicken. When everything is done, grate the Parmigiano over the couscous while it's still warm. Serve.

My kitchen missed me almost as much as I missed her :)

Awwww.. I got to spend time with her tonight. No planting.. No grilling.. just glorious one on one time with my dear friend, Kitchen. I have not cooked anything new since, what? The night Hubbs came home? That was a week ago today! I've cooked for him every night since then, but everything I've made were things I tried while he was gone - therefore, blogged about! Anyhoo, I made a promise to myself that I was going to try to slowly get into this "heat" thing that seems to be all the rage with the rest of the free world. After asking a few people which dish I should make to ease into this adventure, I was told a curry would be a good way to make something where I could really control the spice. I found two recipes that looked outstanding (how could they not.. created by two outstanding people!) and perfect for my first curry dish. Now which one to make first? Well I ended up going with Marianne's recipe for Creamy Roasted Vegetable Curry because I did not grocery shop this week and didn't have the coconut milk to make Kevin's Chicken with Coconut Curry Sauce. But now that I've had my first curry.. oh yes.. I will be purchasing that coconut milk for my second variation of such a tasty lil spice dish! The Creamy Roasted Vegetable Curry was absolutely delicious. It was tangy and robust, and there was just a hint of sweetness from the roasted carrots and orange bell pepper. The rice was a perfect compliment and Hubbs agreed. My only disappointment was that there was no heat whatsoever. This is not the recipe or recipe author's fault, it was mine. I used a heaping teaspoon of curry powder and tasted the sauce. I thought I detected a slight burn, so I added another heaping teaspoon full and tasted again. My lips and mouth did not immediately turn into a firery inferno as I had expected, but now I was in a quandry. Do I add even more curry? Am I pushing this too far? Will yet another heaping teaspoonful push the heat level over the edge where I won't be able to eat dinner tonight? When I pour the sauce over the chicken and veggies and heat it all through, will the flavors develop then and wake up the heat? It was a scary proposition - I was starving! So I opted to just leave it alone at 2 heaping teaspoonfuls. I should have went for more. There was no heat, but the flavor of this dish was just spectacular. I will make this again and I will start with a tablespoon of curry and then go from there. When I imagined cooking this dish for Hubbs, I thought I'd be able to get to the farmer's market on the West side where there is a nice spice store to buy my curry powder. Unfortunately, I never made it out there so I picked up some McCormick curry powder. It is yellow in color. Did I buy a sweet curry powder? Wouldn't it have said "sweet" on the label? Or really, does it take a large amount of the stuff to bring on the heat? Or maybe McCormick just has crappy spices. I need opinions and advice, please! :D Please keep in mind, regular everyday black pepper causes my lips to go numb and my nose to run.. so it's not like I'm immune to spices lol Creamy Roasted Vegetable Curry Recipe written by Marianne as found on The Unemployed Cook 1 boneless chicken breast, cubed* (I used 3 small breasts) 2 medium carrots, chopped* 1 red or orange pepper, chopped* 1 medium leek (white and light green part), sliced* 2 cloves garlic, grated or minced 4 oz. sliced bamboo shoots 4 oz. sliced water chestnuts 4 oz. mushrooms, sliced and sauteed 1 medium Yukon Gold potato, cubed* .5 cup reduced fat sour cream (I doubled the sauce so I used 1 c.) 1 Tbsp oyster-flavored sauce (I used 2 TBS.) 1 Tbsp soy sauce (Again, 2 TBS.) curry powder (or paste), to taste (I used 2 heaping tsps. of the powder only) olive oil sea salt freshly ground pepper 1 cup cooked rice, any variety *I chopped all of these into about the same smallish bite-size. I wanted to be sure that you could get several flavors into each bite, and it worked really well. If you chop into a larger dice, you will need to adjust cook times. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss the potato chunks in a little olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and place them in a baking dish. Roast them for 10 minutes, since they take a little longer to cook than the other vegetables. Toss the pepper, carrot, and leek in a bit more olive oil and salt, and add them to the pan with the par-roasted potatoes. Roast for 30 minutes more, until tender and just beginning to brown around the edges. The leeks might get a little more brown than everything else, but they are crispy and wonderful. I kind of want to eat roasted leeks every day now. I agree with Marianne, the crispedy leaks were delish! :) Back on track, set aside your roasted vegetables. Season your chicken with a little salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat up a splash or two of olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken chunks on all sides, then reduce heat to medium. Add the garlic, shoots, and water chestnuts, saute for about 1 minute, until warmed through and fragrant. Be careful to not burn the garlic. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and curry paste/powder (Marianne used a combination of the two). Adjust curry seasonings to desire spice level, and add a splash of water to thin. Pour over the chicken mixture, toss well to combine. Add mushrooms and roasted vegetables to the pan, toss several times to coat in the sauce. Cook for about 2 minutes more, until everything is warmed through and the sauce has thickened slightly. Serve over rice.

Japanese Wings

I realized that I haven't posted a new wing recipe in a while. So I decided to make a variety that I love and find totally addicting.. but Hubbs finds them a lil too sweet. (Even tho' he slathers them with a hotsauce that promises a firey bowel movement right on the label - eww. I just don't get the appeal of some of those hot sauces lol) These wings are scrumptious. The recipe includes ingredients that most have on hand in their pantries, they are super easy to fix and the flavor you get when they are done is outstanding. These are on the sweet side.. almost like a candied wing, but savory at the same time. The sauce reminds me of Orange Chicken that a lot of Asian restaurants offer. Yet there is no orange in the recipe. I also taste honey, where again, there is no honey in the recipe. Your wings turn out crispy and sticky at the same time, which for me, is heavenly. This sauce can be applied to all chicken pieces, not just the wings. I've used it on breasts and on tenderloins with great success. My only suggestion would be, if you try this sauce on larger pieces of chicken, double the sauce so that you can drizzle it over some rice to go with your chicken. Yum!! Japanese Wings 3 lbs. chicken wings - See Note Below 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 c. all-purpose flour for coating Salt & Pepper to taste 1 c. butter - I've never been able to bring myself to fry in that much butter, so I usually use canola or peanut oil and it works fine Sauce 3 TBS. soy sauce 3 TBS. water 1 c. white sugar 1/2 c. white vinegar - Apple cider vinegar works well too 1 tsp. minced garlic or 1/2 tsp. powdered garlic - or to taste 1 tsp. salt Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a roasting pan that has at least 2 inch sides with foil - you really don't want to skip this step as clean up is a true bitch if you don't line your pan and then IMMEDIATELY wash it when cooking is done. Seriously. You can keep your wings whole as I do, or cut them in half, then dip in egg and coat with flour, salt and pepper. I've skipped the egg part and just dredged the chicken in a mixture of flour, salt & pepper - you don't miss the egg at all. Heat butter or oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Fry wings until brown. Place in a shallow, foil lined, roasting pan. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, water, sugar, vinegar, garlic and salt. Pour over wings. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, basting wings with sauce often - I usually baste every 5 to 10 minutes. I also bake them closer to 45 minutes to get that super carmelized sticky result. *Note: I normally cook about 8 whole wings, I have no idea what the poundage is. But for 8 whole wings, the sauce is just enough. I don't think those 8 equal out to 3 pounds, so if you were going to make more than that, double your sauce. The sauce will stay thin. If you prefer a thicker sauce then mix 1 TBS. cornstarch to the soy sauce and water before adding the sugar and other ingredients. Also.. when you open the oven to baste, the vinegar will take your breath away.. but don't be alarmed, these wings are not vinegary in the least.