Happy 4th!

So, this year I wasn't planning on doing anything noteworthy over the long holiday weekend but, true to form, that wasn't how things worked out. At the last minute we were invited to a cook out with some friends and we responded with a hearty, "hell yes!" I had all sorts of things to eat in the works for our stay at home weekend, way too much for the two of us, and now I had folks to share it with, yay! The new item on the list came from a recipe over at Stacy Snacks. It is a dill pesto potato salad with green beans. YUM, right!? It was perfect because I had just gotten a bunch of fresh dill from my CSA. The other bonus for this salad is that it has no mayo or other ingredients that you need to keep cold at a hot summer picnic. It is also super quick and easy to make. Need I say more? My husband liked it better the next day but I actually liked it best right after I made it when the potatoes were still warm but thought it was great the next day as well. The only change I made to the recipe was to switch out the walnuts in the pesto for pine nuts. Walnuts are MUCH cheaper but they are not one of my favorites in the realm of nuts. So, I stuck with the original pesto nut.

Potato & Green Bean Salad w/ Dill Pesto: (adapted from Stacey Snacks who adapted it from Dishing up the Dirt)

1 bag new potatoes (yellow or red)
1-2 Cups fresh green beans, trimmed

For the pesto:

1 bunch fresh dill, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small package of pine nuts (lightly toasted)
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 Cup (approx) of parmesan cheese
1 tbsp lemon juice

In a food processor blend together the dill, garlic, and walnuts. Add in the oil and cheese. Process until desired consistency. Transfer to a bowl and add in the lemon juice. Can be made a day ahead.

For the potatoes and green beans:

Cook a potatoes (skins on) in boiling water for 18-20 minutes, during the last 3 minutes of cooking add green beans (this saves you from washing 2 pots!).

Combine potatoes and beans with pesto and serve. This can be served immediately, while still warm, chilled or at room temperature.

MEH

I should probably post a recipe, huh. I guess I am still wallowing in hockey blues. I have been cooking but nothing super awesome or innovative. Just slapping shit together in a pan, lately it seems. Don't get me wrong, it's all come out tasty but I certainly wouldn't post a picture of it, lol. With the Fourth around the corner I should be all fired up with things to make for family cookouts and the like but this year I don't plan on going anywhere or seeing anyone. I am turning into quite the cynical misanthrope. I do plan to make stuff for me and the hubs but that's about it. I still don't know what. I have tons of leftovers in the fridge to eat but yet still have tons of veggies from the CSA that I need to use up. It's quite a conundrum. I hate wasting food but don't want to make more when I have a bunch already that needs to be eaten. Good thing I have freezer space available. This is the recipe I am envisioning for tonight. It was inspired but something I saw on public TV. I think it was Lidia Bastianich who was making it but I can't remember. The lady seemed older than her but it looked so good that it has stuck with me ever since. I do remember her mixing it all up with butter and parmesan/romano cheese. Can't possibly be bad, right? This is my interpretation of what she did

Sausage with Orecchiette and Rapini (Broccoli rabe)

1.5 lbs quality Italian sausage
1/4 lb prepared broccoli rabe, chopped (yes I cheated and got mine already cooked from an Italian market/deli)
3 TBS butter
2 Tbs olive oil
2-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbs chicken base (add to 1 cup of the pasta water)
salt and red pepper to tase
1 lb orecchiette pasta
1 C parmesan/Romano cheese, grated

Prepare pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions. Remove from heat and drain just before fully cooked. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water before draining.

While pasta is cooking, add oil to a large saute pan and add crumbled Italian sausage. Saute until cooked through. Add broccoli rabe and garlic continue to saute. Add chicken base and pasta water. Add pasta to pan to finish cooking. When liquid is absorbed gently stir in half of the cheese and the butter. Season to taste. Turn on to a platter or into a large bowl to serve and top with remaining cheese.

If you are not a fan of broccoli rabe you could substitute with spinach, chard, any leafy cooking green, really or even straight up broccoli or broccolini

UPDATE: The Italian market near my office had fresh made Italian Sausage with provolone and Broccoli rabe in it t so I made this recipe again but added a little half and half to the pan at the end. OMG it was even better than the first time I made it.

Grinds My Gears!

You know what REALLY does! Food blogs with so many god damn advertisements, pop ups and other random shit on them that it takes 5 minutes to load the damn page and when I finally think it's loaded and start reading, it randomly scrolls all over the god damn place because the stupid ad at the bottom wasn't quite done loading after all. GAH!!! I understand that some of you actually try to earn money doing this shit but have mercy on your readers and stop being such whores. Enough with all the crap cluttering up your sites. I want your recipes and to read your stories. I do NOT, however, need a subscription to Asshat Magazine or whatever other crap is filling your margins and annoying me to death. Please, for the love of god, limit that shit! Thank you. Rant over.

Do or Die!

GO BLUE!

Heating Up!

Warm, sunshine, FINALLY! I have to say that it is about damn time. Of course, with the warm up the schedule inevitable goes beyond crazy. It's been so bad that I missed the submission deadline for Round 2 of the chopped at home challenge. Figures, because I had a really great recipe this time. I called it Fiesta Pasta Salad. But seeing as it is Cinco De Mayo, I guess it's appropriate for today and all is not lost. This dish can be served as a side or as a meal in itself. Here is how it goes:

Fiesta Pasta Salad

For the chicken
1 pound chicken tenders, diced small
Juice of 2 limes
1 heaping Tablespoon adobo seasoning
2 Tbs olive oil

Combine ingredients and allow chicken to marinade for at least 1 hour. Once marinaded,  add chicken and marinade to a frying pan and saute until cooked through. Set aside and let cool.

For the Salsa
2 Mangoes, peeled and diced
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped fine
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt to tase

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and salt to taste. Add additional lime juice if necessary

For the Salad
1 8.8oz box Israeli pearl cous cous, cooked according to directions  (do not rinse)
1 Tbs sugar
1/4 chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1 lime

In a large bowl combine cooked cous cous, chicken with cooking liquid and salsa. Add sugar, cilantro and lime juice and stir to combine.  Refrigerate overnight  and adjust seasonings to taste before serving. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Springtime in my Bowl

Yep, still cold. At least it's sunnier! Still, this 40 degree weather has got to go! It's almost Easter and I still can't put the winter coat away. It's beyond old and I am so done with it! Last night I figured if it doesn't feel like spring outside, it can at least taste like it inside! This recipe features sweet corn ravioli. I buy it in NYC whenever I am there. I first tried it on a whim and now I am totally addicted to it. I think I may try to make it from scratch this summer if I am feeling adventurous. But for now I love knowing that I have an endless supply thanks to Piemonte Ravioli Company! I teamed it up with fresh pencil thin asparagus (in season right NOW!), red bell pepper, broccoli, chicken and some real good feta (Bulgarian sheep milk feta) that my dear mother brought back from the city for me. Thanks mom! Since making this was a last minute decision, I hadn't thawed the chicken out before I left for work. So, I threw the frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot with a little water to save me a step when I got home later. The bonus was this left me with the fresh cooking liquid to use in the sauce. It worked out perfectly but you could certainly just chop and saute your chicken on the fly and throw it in. I also meant to put some chopped sun dried tomatoes in this but I totally forgot. Once things got cooking in the kitchen, it came together crazy fast and I totally forgot about them. I'll add them to the leftovers. Yeah, that will be good!

Springtime Ravioli Bowl

1 box sweet corn ravioli, cooked according to directions

 2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped

2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic. sliced
1/2 bunch asparagus, trimmed
2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 large head broccoli florets
1 Cup good feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 C white wine
1 Cup chicken stock
1 Tbs chicken base
Juice of 1 lemon (Always use fresh)
1 Tbs cornstarch mixed with 1/4 C water

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan and add onion. saute until soft. Add red peppers and garlic, continue to saute, add broccoli. When veggies are almost cooked add chicken and wine. Add asparagus. Added chicken stock, lemon juice and chicken base. Stir to combine. Add feta, stir and place lid on pan to finish cooking off veggies. Add the cornstarch mixture to thicken pan liquids. Carefully fold in ravioli. Enjoy!

I REALLY need to work on my photography skills, lol! That picture is terrible but I assure you the food was delicious. LOL!

A Little Bit o' Chicken Fry (Sharron, I finally remembered what I wanted to post!)

It's no secret. I love, love love me some good old fashioned fried chicken. I prefer it boneless but I will scarf down an extra crispy breast on the bone just as fast as any strip or nugget. I am still working on MY version of this American favorite and have yet to get the flavors just where I like them. I firmly believe that mastering fried chicken is a personal journey that takes a long time to complete.  This version was good but still not quite there. I think bumping up the marinade seasonings would have been a good thing as they didn't really carry over much in the meat despite the overnight marinade. I'll try that next time. I'll probably bump up the flour seasonings as well to give it more oomph.  Regardless, it was still good and I will keep working on it to get it just the way I like it. When I do make fried chicken, I always make a ton of it because 1, its messy and kind of a pain in that ass and 2,  it's delicious and the leftovers, no matter how much there are, never stick around long in my house.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Strips

1 pound chicken breasts, cut across the grain into strips


Marinade
1 Cup buttermilk
2 tsp salt
1/4 tst cayanne pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Breading
2 Cups flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp baking powder
3 Tbs buttermilk

Combine marinade ingredients and chicken strips in a large zip lock bag and marinade overnight

In a heavy bottomed, deep pan heat 3-5 Cups (depending on size of pan) frying oil to about 350F

Combine breading ingredients in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken strips in mixture to thoroughly coat and  CAREFULLY drop into hot oil. Turn strips to brown evenly. Once cooked through, transfer to a wire rack underlain with papre towels to drain and cool. Ejoy.

Like I said make extra as the leftovers make great sandwiches and are also delicious on top of salads!