Last week, I posted a meal I made for dinner guests: Parmesan Chicken with Provencal Tomatoes, by Ina Garten. I had several pieces of uncooked chicken breast and extra seasoned breadcrumbs that I didn't want to go to waste. Our fridge also has several pieces of various cheeses, so I decided to use the breadcrumbs to make a simple zucchini and yellow squash gratin.
In a bowl, I sliced the two smallish zucchinis and one yellow squash. I found half a red onion, so I sliced that and tossed it in. I make my own Italian style seasoning, from dried herbs-- basil, oregano, thyme, and a little marjoram so I added about a tablespoon of that-- a little kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
I found a little bit of the leftover Mascarpone substitute that I made the week before. I debated adding it, and then I decided to go for it. I think I added about 1/4 cup. I had a leftover piece of Gruyere cheese, so I grated that on top of the vegetables before adding the seasoned panko crumbs.
Remembering that the original breadcrumb recipe turned out to be too dry, I drizzled a little bit of olive oil to bind the panko crumbs a bit more. Into a buttered gratin dish, I layered the squash and then covered the vegetables with the leftover breadcrumbs. Perfect! I sprinkled the last of the Gruyere cheese on top and set the timer for 20 minutes.
While the vegetables were baking at 350F , I quickly dredged the leftover chicken breasts in seasoned flour and seared them in a little olive oil and unsalted butter for a few minutes. After removing them, and covering in foil, I set them aside. Next, I cooked cremini mushrooms in the same pan I had cooked the chicken in-- then I added some minced garlic, white wine and some chicken stock. I returned the chicken, and the juices, to the pan and let that simmer lightly.
I made my "no fail" garlic mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes, which takes about 20 minutes as well. I had started the potatoes cooking before I started assembling the gratin. The gratin smelled heavenly while it was in the oven. It looked pretty nice when it was finished, if I do say so myself!
From start to finish-- 30 minutes. Not a bad way to use up leftovers at all. I will definitely make this gratin again. I don't think I need to print a recipe-- it's pretty simple, don't you think?
I adore and appreciate my husband! Not only is he willing to have lunch with me at a tea room-- he willingly came to see the movie, Julie & Julia with me, this afternoon. Meryl Streep is Julia Child! She is brilliant, funny and we totally enjoyed the movie. I think Craig could relate to Julie Powell and her world of food blogging. I was surprised at how long the movie was, but we both enjoyed it a lot.
I did visit "The Julie/Julia Project" blog, when I returned home. Yikes! She definitely uses her share of profanity! Still, I found her style of writing interesting. I admire her for cooking that many recipe in one year. I don't think I could be that dedicated!
The movie makes me want to revisit Julia Child's TV shows. If you haven't seen the movie, I think it's worth the price of admission. But, don't go hungry. I walked out craving her Boeuf Bourguignon. Has anyone made it? To see movie previews, and an interview with Meryl Streep, click here:
Before I share this inexpensive and easy work night dinner I made, I wanted to share with all of you something really sweet that recently happened to me.
Yesterday, during my lunch hour, I drove to my favorite clothing store. They were having a sale I couldn't resist and I always find something that I like. I was chatting with a sales woman, and I kept noticing a woman with a very friendly smile who kept looking at me. At first, I thought it was my fresh hair cut (short and sassy), but then... she finally walked up to me and asked if I have a food blog!
Paula Deen, Ina Garten, Rachel Ray-- eat your heart out! I was tickled pink that a total stranger recognized my photo on my humble little food blog!
It didn't take long for me to narrow down that a mutual friend of ours sent my blog link to this lovely woman. I jokingly asked if she wanted my autograph-- I think, for a moment, she thought I was serious. Monterey, California is a small town, indeed. Still, our interaction made me smile for a long while... and, darn it, I forgot her name! Psssssssssst, if you're reading this, would you email me privately and remind me?
Speaking of Food Network celebs-- and this is my segway for mentioning Food Network's newest star, Melissa d'Arabian. I admit that I did "Tivo" this season's competition and that I watched most of the episodes in fast forward. I had a feeling that Melissa would win, because she is so "relatable" to home cooks (that would be me) who want to learn how to make meals that are budget conscious but have a touch of "gourmet" to them. Melissa shares useful tips so that viewers shouldn't feel intimidated about making her recipes. I thought Melissa had promising talent and she sure seemed to impress the judges with her pastry skills. I do question Food Network's wisdom in naming her show "Ten Dollar Dinners". I'm curious to see how she can pull off meals for under $10.00 that are nutritious and healthy...and don't come in a can or package mix like that other show...you know, the Semi-Homemade one with the gaudy tablescapes...
Her pilot show featured a recipe for a Potato-Bacon Torte. This recipe certainly isn't low in calories, but might be worth a try on a cold and rainy day.While Melissa seemed very nervous (and I winced at her digs about her mother-in-law), I think she did a pretty good job in showing how to make a butter based pie crust. I made a mental note to try this recipe, or at least just the crust... someday...
Lo and behold, I had another busy day at the office right after watching this show. I had not prepared a meal plan (which I usually try to do) and I didn't have time to shop. So, I thought of Melissa's recipe and I improvised a fast meal loosely based on her recipe.
Forgive me, but I didn't take a lot of photos and I really don't have a recipe to share. (Truthfully, I wanted to post something, because I miss having free time to post more often.) Anyway, here I go...
(Pretend I have photographed my mis en place. Thank you.)
I had russet potatoes, onion, bacon and eggs in the fridge. It was already 6:30pm and I was starved (having just finished 30 minutes of after work swimming).
Using a technique from Cook's Illustrated, I peeled 1 large russet potato and sliced it fairly thin with a mandoline. I microwaved the potatoes for about 5 minutes and then set them aside.
(Visualize a glass bowl with potatoes and plastic wrap on top. You're doing great...)
In the meantime, I chopped and cooked the bacon in a cast iron skillet and then minced one small yellow onion. I pushed the bacon aside, in the skillet, and proceeded to caramelized the onion until lightly brown (about 5 minutes or so). Using a slotted spoon I removed the bacon and onion and left just a small amount of bacon fat in the skillet.
The potatoes were layered, seasoned with kosher salt and pepper and then I spread the bacon and onion. I almost added sun-dried tomatoes, but my son doesn't like them.
I found a leftover wedge of Cotswold Cheddar cheese with chives and grated that on top. Gruyere would work really well, too.
NOTE:I wish I had thought to pick a bell pepper from my backyard. I think it would have kicked up the flavors.
I whisked 6 eggs with a little milk and poured this on top and let this cook on a medium-low heat for about 5 minutes...
Then, under the broiler until lightly golden brown and until the eggs seemed set. Set that aside for a few minutes. I decided to put a dollops of low-fat sour cream on top (what the heck...)
It was quick and filling, and very inexpensive. My boys hungrily polished it off. My son raved about it being one of the best things I ever made. Men! Give them bacon and the smell of caramelized onions and they're happy...
Hmmmm... could I be the next Food Network Star?
Not in your life! I could never make it past the first challenge. It's brutal! I admire any contestant who is willing to have their food criticized by Chef Royalty on national television. As long as my family is happy with what I serve them, I feel like a Home Cook Star. That's all that matters to me.
What do you think of Melissa d'Arabian? Who's your favorite celebrity chef?
PS: I'm going to do some serious cooking and baking this weekend. I have way too many tomatoes to eat, so I see tomato basil soup on my food plan! I promise to have my camera ready and I hope I post some new recipes that you will enjoy. It's such fun being a food blogger!
Finally! I'm readjusting from my summer vacation, and I'm rediscovering a balance between work and cooking most every night. I'm thinking more of fast and easy work night dinners, and waiting until weekends to experiment with new recipes. If you've been following my blog for a while (and I thank you for that), you've probably figured out that my idea of fast food involves fresh ingredients, no processed food nor canned soups nor fast food chain dinners. Pasta will always been my "go to" when I want to make something fast and fresh.
Our backyard is brimming with juicy, ripe, red tomatoes. Lots of them! One of my personal favorites are the Sweet 100's that have reached their peak of ripeness. They are so sweet, that I enjoy popping them in my mouth like candy.
No kidding! I am already sad, thinking that these will be completely gone within a couple of weeks.
My basil plants are also slowing down in growing new leaves, and I think that's another tell-tale sign that fall is coming. The basil plants are in containers (we have a bad gopher problem), so I decided to trim the plants to make pesto. I wish I had photographed these steps, but making the pesto was a total whim. You see, I had planned to pick a few basil leaves to make Margherita Pasta-- based on my absolute favorite pizza, which is Margherita Pizza-- a beautiful crust, olive oil or pesto, sliced Roma tomatoes, mozarella and fresh basil. Oh, yeah!
I wanted a super fast dinner, so I cooked a package of penne pasta. In a skillet, I heated olive oil and slowly heated these beautiful freshly picked tomatoes:
My original plan was to add fresh chopped garlic, the penne and some fresh mozarella. But then... I decided to quickly made my own pesto. Pesto is so easy to make, if you have a food processor. I made a classic pesto with fresh basil, pine nuts, olive oil, salt & pepper, freshly ground parmesan and fresh garlic cloves (the recipe is at the bottom). I like to freeze my pesto in an ice cube tray, then store it in a ziploc bag in the freezer. That way, I have it ready to go for a quick pasta sauce-- so that's exactly what I did...
This dinner took 15 minutes to make--
... and it was so delicious!
Do you see the melted mozzarella? I even found a quarter loaf of Pioneer Woman's Cheesy Garlic Bread that I warmed up in the oven. I ate only one piece, and my tall and lithe son happily polished off the rest of the bread. That really is a great recipe from Ree (The Pioneer Woman Cooks).
Ahhhhhh, fast food! My way!
This weekend, I'm baking. It's been too long since I've posted a recipe for something from my oven. Coming soon!
Last night, my husband and I attended a musical (Bye Bye Birdie) at our local college. We invited our friends for dinner, before going to the show. I had already scheduled a hair appointment (much needed). Suffice it to say that I had neglected my hair color and cut a tad longer than I should have, so it took three hours before I could head home. I had no time to shop during the week and I had not settled on what to make for our dinner guests.
Fortunately, I had just received Ina Garten's Cookbook that I ordered from Amazon, yesterday. I took it with me to the hair salon to read:
Last month, I checked this book out from our local library and I decided that I wanted to add this to my collection of cookbooks. I realize that I've been posting a lot of recipes from Ina Garten-- and I can assure you that I have not become an obsessed fan of hers. I just find that I can relate to most of her recipes. Like Ina, I enjoy cooking and baking, and I try to buy the best quality ingredients possible. There are times, however, when I can't quite afford her pricey selection of liqueurs, because we don't drink a lot of cocktails. But, for the most part, the majority of her recipes are right up my alley.
I zeroed in on Page 82 for Parmesan Chicken and Page 116 for Provencal Tomatoes. Fortunately, I had almost all of the ingredients on hand and we love LOTS of sweet, red ripe tomatoes in our backyard. All I needed to do was buy fresh chicken and I decided to pick up asparagus.
Our dinner guests are very easy to please, so I didn't feel pressure on what to make. I also felt confident that this dinner would not be too much for my exhausted, mental state of mind, after a very hectic two weeks at my job. It's a good thing, because I arrived home at 4:00 and our guests were due to arrive at 5:30... and I did not have a dessert, nor did I have time to stop and buy one! Yikes!
Since I was racing the clock, I didn't take my usual step-by-step photos, but these recipes are very simple to make.
First the Parmesan chicken-- the chicken breasts were boneless and skinless (to save time), so I butterflied them. I covered the chicken with plastic wrap and pounded them thin. I grabbed three pie plates-- one was filled with flour, seasoned with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. The second was filled with two eggs and a little water, then whisked. The third plate was filled with panko crumbs. Ina uses bread crumbs (and I make my own), but I really like the crunchiness of panko crumbs. To the panko crumbs, I added freshly ground Parmesan (using my food processor, since I buy my Parmesan in chunks). I seasoned the crumbs with about 1 Tablespoon of homemade Italian blend (dried thyme, oregano, basil and a little marjoram). Like an assembly line, I dipped the chicken in flour, egg and crumbs and set them in the fridge.
My husband picked the tomatoes but I had only one large one and the rest were medium sized. No worries-- I cut them in half and removed the seeds and juice.
For the tomatoes, I decided to use the rest of my panko crumbs, instead of bread crumbs. I didn't have scallions, so I improvised and used shallots. My Italian parsley isn't growing back, so I grabbed curly parsley from the garden-- which is plentiful. (You can use dried herbs, too.) I had LOTS of leftover crumb filling, by the way, so they are in my fridge for quick meals this week.
I filled the tomatoes and preheated the oven to 400F. NOTE: I didn't pay attention to how dry the crumbs looked. In retrospect, I think Ina missed an important step. I would definitely add olive oil or melted butter to the crumbs, to help them bind better. They were a little dry, in my opinion.
Last, I picked two fresh lemons from our tree and made Ina's lemon vinaigrette. Could it be any simpler? Lemon juice, kosher salt & pepper. I set a whisk and a bottle of extra virgin olive oil close by. I open up a package of fresh mixed salad greens into a bowl and chilled it.
I wanted to make garlic mashed potatoes, but the clock was ticking. Fortunately, I had purchased fresh asparagus so I used my fool-proof method of trimming them, seasoning them with kosher salt & pepper and drizzling them with olive oil. I set these on a baking sheet, lined with aluminum foil. I calculated that the asparagus would take about 10 minutes to roast, so I'd put them in five minutes after starting the tomatoes in the oven.
On a whim, I showed my husband how to trim a ripe cantaloupe into wedges and how to wrap thin slices of prosciutto (another refrigerator staple around each wedge). Whew! I had appetizers ready to go and the white wine was chilled. No photos, but they looked pretty and the combination of salty and sweet works very well. They disappeared fast.
My husband, bless his heart, helped by tidying up behind me and setting the table. I quickly changed my clothes and the doorbell rang at exactly 5:30pm.
I think that Ina's gift of entertaining helped me to pull off this dinner in a short time. I was able to chat with our guest for a few minutes, and then I was able to begin dinner. The tomatoes were put into the oven and I set up the stove to cook the chicken. I wanted to cook the chicken all at once, so I set my griddle on the stove and another large pan.
...I said a silent prayer of thanks that the rest of the side dishes would be cooked in the oven.
Using olive oil and unsalted butter, the chicken cooked about 3 minutes per side until golden...
Timing is everything, as my mother always preached to me. The asparagus were perfectly roasted in 10 minutes, and I squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on top. I added Gruyere cheese on top of the tomatoes and returned them to the oven for about 1 more minutes.
In the meantime, I drizzled olive oil into the season lemon juice and tossed it into the salad greens. Time to plate dinner-- 15 minutes after I started cooking!
I have to say, this looks pretty and impressive enough for company!
It is such joy, as many of you know, when dinner guests show delight in their eyes when I serve them a plate like this! Honestly, this was fast and easy-- and very delicious. I loved the freshness of the lemon vinaigrette and the salad greens, and the crunchiness of the chicken with the hint of Parmesan cheese. The tomatoes were outstanding, and roasted asparagus are always a big hit.
Still, I wanted to serve a dessert. Fortunately, I had purchased a box of LU Digestive Biscuits a couple of weeks ago. These can be a little tricky to find, but I found them at the grocery store where my son works. It was in the gourmet section. They're quite good, actually.
Ina, once again, inspired me with this easy version of S'mores. We made fresh coffee and I trotted off to the stove (again, thankful that it's a gas range). I simply melted marshmallows and put them in between two of these cookies..
We each ate just one of these, and they were ooey gooey wonderful and rich tasting.
How did I enjoy the musical? It was cute and the kids did a great job...but, by Act Two, my head was on my husband's shoulder and I was sound asleep!
I would venture that it's a safe guess that you'll be seeing more of Ina's recipe on my blog. This phase shall pass, but for now, Ina has rescued me by inspiring me with very simple recipes that never fail to please. OK, so I'm a huge fan of hers! Rachel who???
It's so good to be back in the kitchen, playing with new recipes!
I want my life back! Seriously... for the last ten days I have been working really hard at my school site, and I made the mistake of over-committing myself last weekend by driving to faraway places. As a result of my crazy schedule, my family has been subsisting on what's in the freezer, restaurants and foraging for food. My poor babies!
Our students have settled back into school as of yesterday (yes, we start early but we end school on May 28th). I'm still exhausted, but I am already gearing up to feeding my family some home cooked meals. I have so missed visiting my regular blogs, and visiting new ones.
Today, I was supposed to post a blog with the Barefoot Bloggers. The recipe was for Ina Garten's Mango Banana Daiquiris. I so wish I could have made these, because I could use six or seven of these tonight! I hope that the Barefoot Bloggers will not excommunicate me from the group, so I am offering an alternative Ina Garten recipe that I did make before my life went into a tailspin.
I love risotto, and I don't know why I don't make this more often. I think of risotto as comfort food, and it's so versatile in what ingredients you can use. I always have homemade chicken stock in my freezer, and white wine is pretty much a staple in my fridge. I had purchased a lovely bunch of asparagus, and so I decided to make this dish that Ina had on her show a couple of weeks ago. I was intrigued by the addition of mascarpone cheese.
My dilemma was that I didn't have mascarpone cheese! I quickly surfed the net and I found several recipes on how to make my own mascarpone-- using cream cheese, sour cream and heavy cream. Once again, I usually keep these ingredients on hand, so I was in luck.
I think that this mascarpone substitute recipe is a winner, and much cheaper than the real deal -- like a fraction of the cost!
The next step for me was to start a pot of water boiling and I blanched the fresh asparagus for 2-3 minutes. I wanted a bright green color and then I plunged the asparagus into an ice bath, to stop the cooking process...
Then I set them aside...
Then I got busy with the rest of my mis en place-- that would be "ingredient's prep". This is how I roll, because there is nothing worse than finding out you're missing a key ingredient and you've already started cooking! I didn't photograph the chives, because they are growing right outside my kitchen window!
I am thankful to have a lemon tree that is providing this beautiful zest. I decided to use only one lemon, instead of the two that Ina recommends. I read recipe reviews and many people said that two lemons was too overpowering-- you decide!
Risotto isn't hard to make at all! If you've never made risotto, just remember that you need to use Arborio or Carnaroli Rice-- because you want a starchy rice. Plain ole white rice just doesn't work. Trust me.
Traditional risotto uses chicken stock (heated up) and white wine. I had to adapt the recipe a bit -- Ina's recipe uses fennel, but I didn't have any. Truth be told, I'm not crazy about fennel so I wasn't going to race to the store for any. I didn't have leeks, and I do love them. I did have shallots, so I decided to substitute with those. Either way would be great.
Using good olive oil and butter, I sauteed the shallots and then the rice-- and then I began adding the heated chicken stock a few ladles at a time, stirring constantly.
You can see that there is still some liquid left in the pan, but the rice has released a lot of starch. This is when I added my fresh lemon zest (from my wonderful lemon tree) and I seasoned the rice with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
I don't like overcooked asparagus, so I only allowed 5 minutes of cooking time once I added the blanched asparagus, thawed peas, mascarpone cheese, fresh Parmesan and fresh chives (as opposed to Ina's instructions to cook this for 15 minutes).
The beauty of living in California is that I can make a spring risotto in late summer! As Ina would say, how good is that?
Now, that's comfort food! (Pssssssst, you can always serve this as a side dish)
I have missed my food blogger friends, and I cannot wait to see what all of you have been up to!
I found a little bit of the leftover Mascarpone substitute that I made the week before. I debated adding it, and then I decided to go for it. I think I added about 1/4 cup. I had a leftover piece of Gruyere cheese, so I grated that on top of the vegetables before adding the seasoned panko crumbs.
Remembering that the original breadcrumb recipe turned out to be too dry, I drizzled a little bit of olive oil to bind the panko crumbs a bit more. Into a buttered gratin dish, I layered the squash and then covered the vegetables with the leftover breadcrumbs. Perfect! I sprinkled the last of the Gruyere cheese on top and set the timer for 20 minutes.
From start to finish-- 30 minutes. Not a bad way to use up leftovers at all. I will definitely make this gratin again. I don't think I need to print a recipe-- it's pretty simple, don't you think?
I adore and appreciate my husband! Not only is he willing to have lunch with me at a tea room-- he willingly came to see the movie, Julie & Julia with me, this afternoon. Meryl Streep is Julia Child! She is brilliant, funny and we totally enjoyed the movie. I think Craig could relate to Julie Powell and her world of food blogging. I was surprised at how long the movie was, but we both enjoyed it a lot.
