Christmas Night Dinner

Ahhhhhhhhhh, the joys of Christmas!  This year I could say I am truly blessed.  I wasn't in need of anything, but somehow managed to get everything I wanted...and well, let's face it, a few things I didn't.  Yup!  I could have done just fine without the few pounds of food I packed on.  But hey, what the hell.  It's Christmas after all and what would Christmas be like if you couldn't feast on your favorites with family. So, marmalade glazed ham, baked turkey wings, braised collard greens, macaroni and cheese, yams, plus chocolate pudding with whipped cream for dessert, certainly got the festivities started.

With several items to prepare in making this Christmas captivating, dishes were designated.  Since Arron did such a wonderful job at preparing the macaroni and cheese for Thanksgiving, he took on that task.  This holiday, Arron also tried his hand at sauteed spinach, but it wasn't well received.  It was too salty for  Nana's taste and too lemony for mines.  Nana had the turkey wings pinned down, and I took care of the ham, yams, collard greens and of course, the chocolate pudding for dessert I took to my neighbors.

Seeing how the yams were the easiest dish to prepare, I got started on those the day before.  Like always, I peeled, washed and cut the yams before I tossed them into my sugary, buttery, syrupy, cinnamon sprinkled layered baking dish.   Baked until tender, I let them sit before placing them in the fridge.  Yams are all ready to be heated for dinner the next day.  Christmas afternoon, after a long nap after breakfast, I patted down to the kitchen to find the turkey wings just about ready.  They looked and smelled delicious.  Once Nana was done, I reduced the heat to 350 degrees, covered my ham with parchment paper and aluminum foil, then placed it in the oven to bake for one hour.  I was getting hungry just thinking about the marmalade glaze that would coat it once done.

While the ham was baking away, I got started cleaning and cutting the collard greens while Arron got started on the mac and cheese.  He's slicing and dicing cheese and I'm frying bacon, onions and red pepper flakes to give the greens a braised flavor.  Smelling good!  I'm adding greens and red wine vinegar to my fried mixture and Arron was adding the milk mixture to the pasta and cheese.  I'm cooking the greens down and Arron is stirring the pasta up.   All is well!  uhhhhhhhh, not so much.  Truth be told, we were fine until it came down to who was using the oven when.  Oh, what I wouldn't give for double ovens!   Before I could blink, Arron is stomping off,  throwing his hands up in the air, crying holy hell because I stole the oven from him.  Wait a minute!  I had the oven first.  Remember, my ham is cooking away.  While he's upstairs sulking, I'm downstairs, heating up the marmalade, sherry, lemon and orange juices, in preparation for glazing the ham.  Since I had to take the ham out to glaze and arrange orange slices over top, the nice wife in me tossed his mac and cheese in the oven for thirty five minutes in order to bake.  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Now that I have the oven to myself, I put my ham, now glazed, and covered with oranges, back into the oven at 425 degrees to bake uncovered for another twenty minutes.  Once that's done, I brush the remaining glaze over the ham and bake AGAIN until it's golden brown, about fifteen minutes more.

By this time I'm hungry and can't wait to eat.  Nana and I placed all the prepared dishes back in the oven, heat for twenty minutes, and Arron plated the food once hot.  I don't remember having much conversation at the table, but I do remember how fat I felt when the eating was over.  Malik didn't eat, but sat at the table just to be with the family during Christmas dinner.  He couldn't see pass his new video game to the hunger pains.  Nana didn't seem happy with her turkey wings and certainly not with Arron's sauteed spinach.  Arron was happy with all except for the collard greens.  He didn't even put any on his plate.  Every thing else he consumed.  And I was content with all except his sauteed spinach, which I took off my plate and heaped onto his, and I thought the turkey could have been much juicier.  Overall though, the dinner was delicious.

At the neighbors where we shared the chocolate pudding, it was finger licking good.  I never thought I could make it from scratch, but I had all the ingredients in the house and it was relatively simple to make. I topped it off with one of Nana's homemade chocolate chips cookies and whipped cream as an added bonus.  The neighbors loved it!

If you'd like to try your hand at this marmalade glaze ham, or make your stomach pleased with the creamy macaroni and cheese, click (or copy and paste) the links below for these and other joys of Christmas.  Happy Holidays!

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/marmalade-glazed-ham
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/macaroni-and-cheese
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/braised-collard-greens-mad-hungry
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/chocolate-pudding-with-whipped-cream

Stuffed Shells

A couple of nights ago I made this stuffed shells recipe and had to roll myself away from the table.  It was simply delicious!  Every bite was flavorful, stuffed with prosciutto, garlic, onions, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, drizzled with red wine vinegar.  I had to remind myself of all the possible weight gain to order to keep from heaping a third serving onto my plate.  Good thing I made a salad to offset the pasta and bread...uhhh, can't forget the bread.  Four shells, two pieces of bread and two fist full portions of salad later, I felt sick.  For the first time since putting on my chef's hat, I was sick of eating.  I guess it didn't help that I also had a scoop of vanilla ice cream covered in a fresh batch of homemade berry sauce for dessert.  Put a fork in me.  I was done!  

This recipe was easy to prepare and apparently, just as easy to consume.  I boiled my pasta for about ten minutes, drained, then set aside to cool.  Meanwhile, over medium heat, I cooked the prosciutto, garlic, and onions until all was soft and caramelized in olive oil.  Smelled so good.  Just before I was about to remove it from the heat, I poured in the red wine vinegar.  Since that needed to sit for a minute to cool, I poured marinara sauce into the bottom of my baking dish for extra flavor.   Now that my mix has cooled, it was ready to welcome the ricotta and mozzarella cheeses.   Once combined, I filled the shells with a generous portion, laid it in the marinara sauce, dotted each one with a pinch of butter, covered and let cook for 40 minutes for 375 degrees.  Yum!  When the 40 minutes were done, I uncovered, raised the temperature to 450 degrees, then let the shells get golden and bubbly for another 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, since I had tons of mix and shells left, I made another batch and placed in the freezer for another eating occasion.  

I served the shells with extra marinara sauce, garnished with parmesan cheese, garlic bread and a side salad.  It was so good, Malik had the shells for breakfast and dinner the next day.  Even today he devoured the last of it and left just one for Arron.  To get the full effect of the episode, of course I had to make the berry sauce to top my vanilla ice cream.  That sent me over the cliff.  I purchased a bag of frozen berry mix,  tossed in a saucepan over medium heat, and cook the berries until they formed a sauce-like consistency.  I mixed in some sugar, lemon juice, along with lemon zest.  Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum!

Which I could say the same for the batch of sugar cookies Malik and I baked the other day.  It was a mess.  It's hard to bake with a child only interested in eating the cookie dough.  Half way through the process, he was bored and hungry.  We forgot to add ingredients a few times and had to go back and read the directions.  In many cases, I just mixed in the missing ingredients and kept going.  No wonder the kids at his school were using them for frisbees.  I was told that even when one hit the floor, it didn't break.  Okay, so they were crunchy, but they weren't that bad.  Kids could be so cruel.

To enjoy the stuffed shells for yourself, and pack on a few pounds like I did, click (or copy and paste) the links below.  Don't forget the berry sauce and the sugar cookies.  What would the holidays be like if we didn't gain extra weight?  Ha!

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/stuffed-shells-recipe

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/berry-sauce-mad-hungry

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/old-fashioned-sugar-cookies backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/sugar-cookie-recipes#slide_1

Breaded Pork Chops with Thyme and Potato and Leek Gratin

It's been a long time since I had pork chops and was so excited by the idea of preparing it.  Too bad it was a bust.  First let me say, this recipe did NOT come from Lucinda or "Mad Hungry."  That could have been my first clue, right?  Well, Lucinda didn't have a recipe with pork chops and I wanted to make them.  So, I pulled this recipe from the Martha Stewart show.

To give pork chops or any other poultry tons of flavor, the brine technique was instituted.  This technique called for six cups of water, one cup of sugar, ten whole peppercorns, orange zest, and one cup of salt.  Yes!  That's where the trouble began.  I was fine with all the ingredients until it came to the ONE CUP OF SALT!!!!!  What the hell.....?  I was a bit nervous about all that salt, so I added more water hoping that would help.  Boy was I wrong.  Cautiously, I proceed by adding the pork chops to the brine mixture to let it marinate for a couple of hours in the refrigerator.

While the pork chops were marinating, I got started on the potato and leek gratin.  I wouldn't know a leek if it bit me in the butt, so while Nana was out, she picked some up for me.  It pretty much looks like a scallion, just bigger.  It's in the onion family, but doesn't give off the same strong flavor as onions do.  Interesting!  Another interesting point, only the white part of the leek is used.  There must be something I could make with the rest of the leek.  I'll have to research that!  From what Nana says, the price for a leek bunch is pretty darn expensive to the point that she didn't even want to tell me how much it cost.  Nevertheless, I melted butter over medium heat, then threw in the leeks and cooked for about five minutes. Then I added the cream, milk and nutmeg.  It smelled so yummy!  I couldn't wait to taste.  Prior to starting this mixture, I cleaned, cut, soaked, and laid the potatoes out in a shallow baking dish to await the yumminess.  After the mix came to a boil, I stirred it briskly, added it to my potatoes, then sprinkled gruyere cheese all over it.  That too (meaning the cheese) was pretty expensive too!  Thank goodness for Nana's that enjoy providing for her family and going grocery shopping.  I placed the potatoes in the oven until they were brown, bubbling and tender.   I could not wait to taste what smelled so delicious in the oven.

Now that the potatoes are done, I start on my pork chops.  Still not liking the whole one-cup-of-salt thing, I proceed with the directions anyway.  With my oven preheated to 350 degrees, I get my oil filled frying pan hot.  I start by removing and patting down the pork chops to get rid of the excess brine mixture.  The recipe calls for more salt and pepper, but of course, I completely skipped that step.  Instead, I went about the business of carefully dredging each pork chop in flour, eggs, and then finally in panko mix to coat, before I lay them down in my hot frying pan.  My excitement is returning and again, I can't wait to cut into one.  In about five minutes, once all three pieces are golden brown on the outside, I place them in the oven for another seven minutes to ensure that the inside is done.  Oh boy!  We're just about ready to plate.  Countdown!  Three.  Two.  Cut!  UGH!!!!!!!!!

All I taste is salt.  How disappointed!  My Nana tries to put up a good front, but watching her entire body tense from the overwhelming taste of salt pissed me off.  After two bites I finally told her to "step away from the plate."  I couldn't watch her gracefully try not to hurt my feelings by trying to consume a meal which even I, whom loves salt, could not bear to swallow.  Good thing she made a lamb chop for Malik.  She was able to eat some of that, but after sucking down salt for dinner, everything you put in your mouth thereafter was salty.  She could barely get that down.   Good thing we had the potato gratin.  With every bite of the pork chop, I had to bite into the gratin to chase the salt.  Not a happy camper right now.

Let it be known, I certainly gave my review of that recipe on Ms. Martha Stewart's website.  Stating exactly this:
One cup of salt is WAY TOO MUCH! I could barely eat the pork chop and my grandmother had to discard hers. What is the chef thinking when they decided to add one cup of salt? This recipe would have been delicious without all that salt.

Honestly, had the recipe called for a quarter, or even a half a cup of salt, the outcome would have been entirely different.  I'd be on cloud nine right now, having just enjoyed a lighter, crispier, crunchier pork chop, as opposed to feeling like I just gargled with salt water.


For your own take on this recipe, hopefully minus all that salt, click (or copy and paste) this link below.   
Let me know how pork chops are really supposed to taste.
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/breaded-pork-chops-with-thyme

Shrimp Scampi, Luca's Caesar Salad and Bread with Herb Butter

I know it has been a while since I posted a cooking blog, but it has also been a while since I cooked.  I could blame it on the holidays, or blame it on the amount of money it takes to prepare something fresh more than once a week, but honestly, there's no one to blame but myself.  I've been feeling lacks-a-daisy lately and cooking hasn't been high on the "to do" list.  Nevertheless, I'm still watching Lucinda.  I'm truly inspired to make her latest dish - Stuffed Shells - oh yum, but just haven't had the get-up-and-go spirit.  Besides that, once you cook any meal seen on "Mad Hungry," it's sure to feed an army, so one dish could last two, maybe three days and that's exactly what happened with this recipe.

Last week I made this shrimp scampi dish and it was good, but in the fourth quarter, I called an audible and changed it up a bit.  This recipe called for one pound of pasta or cooked rice, so I opted for pasta shells.  Since preparing pasta is like watching paint dry, I decided to get it boiling while I started cleaning and peeling the two pounds of shrimp.  Yup, I said it...TWO POUNDS!   I know it sounds like a lot of expensive shell fish, but trust me when I say, by the time it was all said and done, two pounds of shrimp made the dish full and flavorful.  After the shrimp hit the olive oiled pan for a few minutes, I tossed in some salt, pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes.  It had the entire house smelling like a seafood restaurant.  To make matters better, I added lemon zest and white white.  Oh my!  Can't you just smell it?  A few more minutes and the pasta was done.  I drained it and poured the one pound of pasta into my two pounds of shrimp.  For additional taste, presentation and per the instructions, I added my already finely chopped parsley, a pinch more red pepper flakes and a drizzle of olive oil.

For the bread with herb butter which I prepped earlier in the day, I combined the unsalted butter, parsley and oregano to make a paste like mixture to spread inside the slits of the french baguette.  The trick here is to cut the bread just three fourths of the way through to ensure that the butter will stick to each sides.  375 degrees and twenty minutes later, you've got Italian restaurant style gourmet french bread.  I tossed the bread in the oven just before I started making the shrimp.  This was so good.

Much like the bread, I also prepared the salad in the earlier part of the day.  I cleaned my romaine lettuces, wrapped them in paper towel to absorb all the water, and then placed them in the fridge until needed.  Even though it wasn't necessary, and I'm not certain if the family ate any, I prepared homemade croutons.  So along with prepping the salad, I had to prep the olive oil, garlic and cut bread cubes to make croutons.  The olive oil and the garlic, which I crushed, sat in a bowl for a couple of hours in order to infuse the bread cubes once in the frying pan.  When the time came, I put the bread in the pan, and in three minutes, my cut wheat bread cubes were golden brown and crunchy.  While I prepared the salad, I laid them out on a paper towel to soak up any remaining olive oil.

With the croutons ready and set aside, awaiting a salad, I retrieved my romaine lettuces from the fridge and poured olive oil all over them.  I flavored with salt and pepper, added two whole eggs, which I only cooked for two and a half minutes, and some lemon juice.   Since the eggs were soft cooked, it broke apart and made such a nice, tangy, creamy dressing when mixed with the lemon juice.  Once all combined, I added parmesan cheese, a little more salt and pepper, and my homemade croutons.  BAM!  Instant caesar salad.

Just before I set the table, I noticed that my shrimp and pasta tasted like it was missing something. The only thing giving the dish real sauce and flavor was the red pepper flakes, wine and the olive oil.  Knowing my family the way I do, I knew that I needed more sauce.  White creamy sauce would be perfect.  So I made basil pesto sauce in two minutes.  With the heavy cream I had left in the fridge from something else I prepared, I combined that, olive oil, and dry basil in a sauce pan under medium high heat for one minute, stirring constantly.  The aroma and the taste was spot on. I poured a generous amount over each portion and served it up.  Not one complaint!  Malik was the shrimp and pasta hog.

However, the salad wasn't a hit.  I love caesar salad, but Arron doesn't like anything green COOKED and my Nana just doesn't like croutons.  Nevertheless, they both added some to their plate, Arron shoving it down and Nana skipping the croutons.  Malik just dismissed the idea entirely.   For everyone else except Arron, the bread was delicious.  Silly man!  He knows nothing about real food.  Anything other than salt and pepper is a mystery.

For me, this recipe was good all across the board.  I would definitely serve this for a large dinner party. Two pounds of shrimp and one pound of pasta is a lot for this small party of four.  Five days later and we're still eating it.  Malik and I finished it for dinner just last night.

If you're in the mood for a little seafood pasta, click (or copy and paste) the link below for the recipe and bring a little italian french flavor to your kitchen table.
http://blog.madhungry.com/2010/10/recipes-from-todays-show-restaurant-food-at-home.html

Comfort Food

Today I decided to prepare Arron's favorite dish; Chicken Parmesan and Creamed Spinach.  He's been kinda down and some what in a negative mindset due to lack of funds...who isn't.   In order to not be totally effected by his unhappy disposition or contagious negative attitude, I thought it would make me feel better to be in the kitchen preparing something and make him feel better to eat his favorite meal.  You know what they say, "it's the thought that counts."  But from the way the night played out, maybe thinking is not my strong suit; at least when it come to making something my husband likes to eat.

Arron was trying to make himself busy fixing Christmas lights, organizing the garage and painting.  I thought he needed a break so I dragged him along with me shopping for ingredients to prepare tonight's meal.  First mistake.  Leave it up to Arron, he would have made the frozen pizza we purchased a few days ago as opposed to spending money we don't have to prepare a real home cooked meal.  I wasn't going to let that stop me.  Ten minutes, twelve items and twenty six dollars later, I was back home getting ready to don my apron.  I was all set to start my chicken parmesan when Malik comes home with news that he's been invited to a party at a classmates house!  Hooray!  So, of course he can't go empty handed.  I quickly whipped up the no-bake peanut butter rice krispies cookies in fifteen minutes for him to take.  This recipe is pretty simple and quick.  I love the fact that no baking is involved.  Corn syrup, brown and granulated sugar, peanut butter, vanilla and rice krispies are combined to make this tasty treat.  Bring the corn syrup and sugars to a boil over medium heat and stir.  Once that's been incorporated well, remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter until that's incorporated.  After that, add the vanilla and rice krispies.  Pour out into a parchment lined baking sheet, spread out and let cool.  Wait fifteen, twenty minutes, then lift the entire lining out of the pan, cut into squares and serve!

Now that Malik is gone and Arron is busy doing something else, I can be about the business of cooking.  First, I made homemade breadcrumbs to coat my chicken breasts.  Anybody could do this in a cinch.  Cut the ends off the bread, cut into cubes, then place them into a food processor and pulse until you've reach the desired crumb size.   If you don't have a food processor, place dry bread into a sealed bag and smash with a rolling pin or wine bottle.  That aside, I add olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes to my hot  saucepan and stir.  Then I added the tomatoes I pulsed earlier and some salt for taste.  While that's simmering for thirty minutes I proceed to wash and cut my chicken breasts in half horizontally through the middle.  I grab my breadcrumbs, add some parmesan cheese and spread it out to cover the bottom of a baking sheet.  I brought my chicken to the mixture, added salt and pepper, then coat; one side, then the next.    Once all the chicken is done, I swirled some olive oil and butter in my hot skillet to coat the pan.  I added the chicken, cooked on each side for five minutes then repeated the process for the remaining pieces; adding oil and butter as needed.  Meanwhile, the oven is preheating at 400 degrees.  I greased a 9x12 baking dish, spooned some tomato sauce on the bottom and spread it out, layered the chicken, topped it with mozzarella slices and shreds, added more tomato sauce, then sprinkled some parmesan cheese to cover.   Just as I'm adding the top layer of tomato sauce, Arron appears with his comments.  "If it was me, I'd add an extra layer of that vodka sauce in the fridge to make sure it has a lot of sauce. You know how much I like sauce."  I just looked over at him with that, "who's-making-this" look, but added it anyway; thinking, who the hell died and made him Wolfgang Puck?  Go back to making yourself busy!  Nevertheless, I baked it for forty minutes until it was golden and bubbling.  Yum!  Once it was done the directions tell me to let it sit for fifteen minutes before serving.  Earlier I found out that this is to ensure that the juices are distributed or settled in all the cracks and crevices.

With the chicken in the oven and Arron back upstairs, I started on the dessert.  Lemon Souffle Pudding.  I never for once thought that the word "souffle" and "rochelle" would ever be in the same sentence, but here I was, souffle-ing.  The hardest part of this recipe was separating the eggs.  I beat egg whites until stiff, then put aside.  Then took the yolks and beat those until frothy and light in color for about five minutes.  Slowly I added sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice.  Once all combined, I gently folded the mix into the stiff egg whites, then added the batter to my buttered baking dish.  Twenty minutes later, this light and airy dessert was ready to be cooled; just in time to consume after dinner.

Since this was Arron's favorite meal, I asked him how he would like the spinach prepared.  "Whatever, creamed is fine."  So, that's what I did.  I steamed the spinach for three minutes, drained, then chopped.  While the spinach is waiting in the wings, I started on the bechamel.  That's the cream in the creamed spinach.  Butter and flour are whisk until combined, then milk is stirred in until fully incorporated.  Once that's done, I stirred in some salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Moments later, I folded the spinach in and served it immediately with the chicken parmesan.  Oh, the aroma was divine!  Only thing missing was the garlic bread.

I thought everything turned out great...a little too salty, but still good.  Arron had one spoonful of spinach and two helpings of chicken.  He mentioned the salt was a bit much, but overall it was delicious.  Guess I wasn't convinced considering yesterday he plucked all the rosemary off the "fish fillet with rosemary" during dinner.  Ugh!  I'm beginning to think that all this fancy cooking is wasted on my plain-jane of a husband who could eat nachos and frozen pizza for dinner every night.  He didn't even taste the souffle.  It tasted so good and felt so light going down.  Not like those desserts that leave you feeling bloated and guilty.

I thought making this dinner would lighten the mood, render a few laughs and make him proud to have a wife that can prepare a made-from-scratch meal.   Instead, I was left feeling like I couldn't do anything right and that I was wasting my talents cooking for someone who could care less about what he puts in his mouth.  Gourmet is not only lost, but forgotten on Arron.

This set back however will NOT impede my talents or stifle my desire to prepare gourmet meals; even if I'm cooking just for a party of one; ME!  Oh wait, my child thought it was "pretty good." And that's saying a lot coming from a thirteen year old.

For those that enjoy cooking, even if you're the only one tasting, click (or copy and paste) the link below and be your own food critic.
http://blog.madhungry.com/2010/11/recipes-from-todays-show-chicken-parmesan.html

Thanksgiving Meal Pictures

I'm not sure how food comes across when looking at pictures and not the real thing, but hey, you never know.

Roasted Cornish Hens with stuffing, braised collard greens and sautéed spinach

Macaroni and Cheese

Sweet Yams

Rice

Cornbread

Arron cutting the cornish hens

Thanksgiving Meal

Today turned out great!  We ate outside on the back patio with the sun shining bright and the temperature at a pleasant 75 degrees.  Thank you God!

Everything was delicious.  The hens were tender and flavorful.  I could have pulled them out of the oven a little bit earlier to retain more of the juice, but otherwise it was good.  The macaroni and cheese was absolutely the best.  Often times macaroni becomes dry from being baked, but Arron did a good job of making the inside moist and cheesy.  Lots of shredded and creamy cheese from velveta.  I was very proud of him.  The yams...yummy.  That was a no brainer.  The more sugar and syrup, the better.  The rice was just that....rice.  Nothing to write home about.  I didn't even put any on my plate.  Speaking of which.  Arron's spinach was boring.  I didn't want to bruise his ego, so I left him alone to make it.  Bad move on my part.  I watched as he poured olive oil and tossed minced garlic into a cold sauté pan.  Then moments later, he sliced lemons into round disc and added them to the oil and garlic.  What the hell?  Still, I sat quietly.  Before the oil could get hot or the garlic soft, Arron added the spinach.  What is he doing?  Just when I thought I couldn't take any more, he cut up some prosciutto and tossed it into the pan.  Sigh!  Needless to say, I passed up that dish when it came time for plating mines.  Instead, I piled on the braised collar greens which were tender and spicy.  The red pepper flakes added a kick that made you sit up and take notice.  Then to balance the plate, I added a slice of cornbread.  I should have added more sugar to the batter to make it taste more like cake, but the butter laid on in between the bread made up for that.  Sweet!  Just to make sure I gave an accurate account of the recipes, I went in for a second helping.  Oh so good!

Oh, by the way.  The eggnog was very sweet (almost too sweet for me) and yummy.  Not as thick as the ones purchased from your local supermarket, but good nevertheless.

One thing I did notice after dinner was that, for once, I wasn't tired.   Arron suggested that the chemicals injected inside turkeys have caused us to be sleepy during pass Thanksgiving dinners, but I'm not certain as to that.  All I know is that the dishes were washed, put away, and the kitchen was in order directly after eating; as if we hadn't prepared a thing. Now we had the reminder of the night to visit with new friends, play board games, watch t.v. and think of all the reasons to be thankful.  For the Lord has blessed our family with an abundance of love, health and happiness.

To add a measure of love, health and happiness to your family, click (or copy and paste) the link below to try out these recipes for yourself.
http://blog.madhungry.com/page/2
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/macaroni-and-cheese
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/eggnog

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Day Before Thanksgiving Prep

Today I was so excited to get the prep started for a number of reasons.  First being, I purchased a new cutting/chopping knife at Macy's by Martha Stewart.  Wow!  Chop, chop!  And chop I did!  Onions that  is; until my eyes were running.  Who knew I could be so damn happy to buy a knife?  Ah, the simply joys in life.

Second reason for being so excited about the prep; I had a sous chef in the kitchen this evening...and I don't mean Malik.  Arron was on hand this evening to help with the dirty dishes, measure out some ingredients and try his hand at making macaroni and cheese.  The votes are out until tomorrow on that one.

So here's the menu:
Two Roasted Cornish Hens with Herbs
Rice
Sweet Potato Yams
Braised Collard Greens
Macaroni and Cheese
Sauteed Spinach
Cornbread
and for a beverage; Eggnog

Let me share the ingredients and prep information of what we've accomplished thus far.  Since I wanted the cornish hens to ooze flavor and retain its juice and tenderness, I followed Lucinda's recipe to the letter with the omission of one thing...caraway seeds.  When Arron and I went to get the last of the ingredients, he frowned his nose at the thought of eating seeds with his hen, so I decided at $3.94 for a 0.5oz jar, and with all else that the recipe entailed, we wouldn't miss it.  With that being said, I placed the rosemary, sage, marjoram, thyme, chives, and bay leaves on the chopping board combined to integrate the spices.  Once all was mixed together I combined the herbs with salt and pepper (I know, more spices), lemon juice and olive oil to give it a paste like texture.  While the herbs were mingling, I cleaned the hens very thoroughly, then patted them dry with paper towels and then proceed to pour lemon juice over each one, inside and out.  After they were all juiced up, I rubbed the herb concoction every where, including the inside right before I tossed the lemon rinds into the cavity.  I covered the hens, placed them in the fridge and waved goodbye until we meet again in the morning.

Then I got started on the rice.  This recipe called Rice and Noodle Pilaf consisted of butter, onions, broken vermicelli noodles, chicken broth and long grain white rice.  While my local store (and myself for that matter) had no idea what vermicelli noodles were and Lucinda suggested spaghetti as a substitute, I when with that instead.  Don't worry!  I broke up the long strands of spaghetti into one inch pieces prior to mixing.  Once I had the butter, onions and spaghetti all combined, it was now time to add the rice and broth.  Thinking that I could substitute white rice for brown without missing a beat, I was in for a rude awakening.  First lesson learned; brown rice cooks at least thirty minutes longer than white.  Second lesson learned; don't listen to your husband when you're shopping for ingredients and he tells you it's okay to use brown instead of white rice.  "Rice is rice."  Needless to say, I had to scrap the entire dish because the brown rice never got tender and the spaghetti turned into mush.  So now, tomorrow I'm forced to make that already prepared come in a pouch microwave rice because we have no white rice in the house.  Ugh!

On to the sweet potato yams.  I've been making this all my adult life so another person's recipe wasn't needed.  I peeled my yams, washed them off, then cut them into round disc.  After all the yams were cut, I placed them into a 9x12 dish layered at the bottom with syrup, brown and cane sugar, butter and cinnamon.  Then again after all the yams were in, I repeated the sweet mixture to coat the top.  I tossed those bad boys into the oven at 375 degrees and wait for the sweetness to soak through.  About an hour or more later, the yams are soft, sweet and ready to be eaten.

Next up, the braised collard greens.  That was very easy to prepare.  This recipe called for onions, bacon, red pepper flakes and red-wine vinegar.  First I had to clean the greens.  I washed them good, removed the stems, then rolled them up like a cigar to cut into strips.  That put aside, I had to add my onions, bacon and red pepper to the oil.  Since I'm not a huge bacon eater, I substituted the bacon for prosciutto.  Yup, I sure did!  What a twist right?  Having learned just recently that prosciutto is just a fancy name for ham and bacon is the same thing, I figured it couldn't hurt.  I fried that all together until the onions were soft and the ham was beginning to render its fat and crisp up.  Y-u-m-m-y!  Fifteen minutes later, I added the greens.  I tossed that around for a minute then added the vinegar  to slowly be absorbed by the greens.  Another fifteen minutes later, the greens were tender and flavorful with a kick.  Nice!

For the duration of my yams and collard greens preparation, Arron has been on the sidelines all the while preparing his own dish.  His macaroni and cheese called for butter (of course), pepper, elbow macaroni, evaporated milk, regular or skim milk, eggs, salt, garlic powder, extra sharp and monterey jack cheeses.  I wasn't watching the process, but I can tell you the end result looked absolutely delicious.  He had to stop me and Malik from taking a fork to it.  Tomorrow I will render my verdict.  

Since the spinach only takes about five minutes, and because Arron likes it raw, he decided to wait until tomorrow to prepare it.  And because you can't make cornbread the day before and expect it to be all hot and buttery, I waited on that.  So instead, we decided to make our very own eggnog.  That's right!  We made it from scratch.  Milk, sugar, eggs yolks and heavy cream are the ingredients that makes up this holiday staple.  Bourbon was also an option, but I like my eggnog sweet, not spiked.  I have to admit, this recipe is better prepared with two people.  Constant whisking and pouring is made much easier if help is present.  Plus, when the mixture starts to look more like scrambled eggs and less like eggnog, you'll need that companion to tell you all the reasons why you thought this was a good idea to make in the first place.  Like the mac and cheese, I can't tell you yet how this one came out because instructions dictate to let it cool completely, then refrigerate until chilled.  Tomorrow I'll have that and all the recipes prepared to share as well.  If you can't wait, go the www.marthastewart.com and type in each dish name in the search box.

Until then, Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Rochelle

Lighter Beef Chili and Jasmine Rice

Tonight is our second day home from a long road trip and I'm exhausted and sick.  When we arrived yesterday my grandmother took out ground beef for dinner, but I was in no mood to cook, stand in front of a stove or chop anything.  Today is no different, but I had to make something with the ground beef before it went bad.  Since I hadn't seen a "Mad Hungry" episode in five days, I was thinking of what could be the easiest, fastest, don't feel like cooking meal to prepare, so I decided on chili.  Had I been more alert in preparing for this meal,  I would have known that the recipe was from Marthastewart.com and not one from Mad Hungry.  Oh well, the cooking must continue.  I chopped one onion, six gloves of garlic and eye-balled the rest of the ingredients of tomato paste, chili and unsweetened cocoa powder.  Once that was all mixed together in the frying pan, I added the ground beef for a five minute mix.  After that, I added the tomatoes and pinto beans.  I stirred it around for a few until it came to a boil, then let it simmer.  While the chili was at a simmer state, I got started on the rice.  That too was simple.  Fifteen minutes later, I plated my rice and chili, but could barely eat more than two spoonfuls.  It wasn't because it didn't taste good.  On the contrary.  From what I could taste, it was surprisingly chili-like.  LOL.  Too bad I'm too tired and sick to enjoy it.  According to my husband who could eat an entire bowl, it was "yummy."  Not that it means much...he could eat anything.

Today's cooking wasn't as much fun.  I'm hoping for a better tomorrow.  Nevertheless, there's always stick-to-your-bones-warm-my-insides-all-I-can-muster-up-in-case-I'm-too-sick-to-cook-tomorrow-chili.

For this recipe to beat a cold or to fight the cold weather, click (or copy and paste) this link below.
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/lighter-beef-chili

Roasted Chicken and Bushes Baked Beans

Now that I'm at the house in Maine, opportunities for cooking are slight or next to none.  However, after winterizing the house, I was beat and starving!  The only thing I had to eat all day was a blueberry muffin before church.  And trust me, after blowing leaves, crawling under the house to help fix the air conditioning unit, packing the truck with ten tons worth of fitness equipment and doing laundry, a muffin just wasn't cutting it. 

Since "winterizing the house" means shutting off the water, turning off the electricity and removing all perishables, everything in the fridge and in the cabinets had to go.  So, I made the only thing that was available in the house for me to make.  Chicken and Bushes baked beans.  A woman's gotta do what a woman's gotta do!  And roast I did!  Because I was so hungry by this point, I boiled the chicken for about fifteen minutes to get a jump start on roasting.  From past experiences, I have encountered some not-so-fully-cooked chicken when roasting because the outside has a tendency to be done before the inside.  Not this time. Too hungry to play around.  Once the chicken was done boiling, I popped it in the oven on broil for twenty minutes.  I figured, while I was cutting up onions to mix in the beans, (which had to be caramelized first otherwise Arron won't eat any) it couldn't hurt to get the chicken really tender.  I love that meat-falling-off-the-bone-oh-so-tender-and-crispy-skin-roasted chicken.

Same time as the beans are getting hot, I move the chicken from the oven to under the broiler to ensure skin crispiness.  Ten minutes later the chicken wingettes are done, the beans are hot and steamy, and my plate (and stomach) is ready to receive. 

This is not my typical Sunday night dinner, but hey, it served it's purpose...fulfilling my stomach, reducing the shakes and cutting off the migraine at the past.

Since we are hitting the road bright and early tomorrow morning, preparing any meals, other than peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or cheese wiz on wheat thins, I will not have much to convey.  However, when things get back to normal, I'll be cooking and sharing all that Lucinda has to offer.  Until then, bon appetit!

Broiled Salmon Teriyaki, Ginger Garlic Glazed Green Beans, and White Rice

Tonight I made salmon in a very different way.  Hey wait!  What am I saying?  Tonight I made salmon for the first time ever.  Period.  Normally my grandmother makes all the dinners, but since I've been trying my hand at this cooking thing, I had to see what making salmon was all about.  Piece of cake!  I whisked all the ingredients together, placed the salmon skin side up in the marinade for ten minutes and waited.  I'd like to say that while I was waiting for the salmon to soak up the juice I was making the rice and green beans, but not so.  Instead, I was busy yelling at my son for not washing his dishes.  Sigh!  Actually, I made the rice and beans much earlier this afternoon before I went out to meet a girlfriend.  Good thing.  Yelling at my son took the wind out of my sails and I only had enough energy left for making the salmon.   I even had to take a nap before composing this blog.

Let's take it from the top.  First, I started with making just plain white rice.  Lucinda's recipe gave directions for such, but also included a way to prepare a variation of this dish.  So, why not!  While the rice was boiling, I toasted some sesame seeds, chopped a scallion and some cilantro.  Tossed it all in and presto!!  Basic white rice with a Asian spin.

Second, I made the ginger garlic glazed green beans.  This was different again, but easy as well.  I love when it only takes fifteen minutes from start to finish to prepare a recipe.  These green beans were sautéed and stir-fried in oil, ginger, and garlic.  The aroma alone made me feel like I was sitting in a Japanese restaurant.  Four minutes later, under partially covered pan, I added the soy sauce and sesame oil.  Wow, what a kick.  It formed a glazy sauce that helped each piece of garlic and ginger stick to each green bean.  Nice!

Okay, now back to the salmon.  What can I say?  It was delicious and the rice and green beans was a great accompaniment.  The marinade was certainly something I would have never thought of.  Often times my grandmother would use mayo, but this soy sauce, honey, and lemon juice combo, along with the garlic and ginger, completed this Asian twist.  Under the broiler, the salmon doesn't has a chance to over-cook, but be very careful because if you step away for too long, you run the risk of burning it completely.  For this recipe, the key is to soak the salmon in the marinade for as long as you can prior to broiling and to base the salmon while cooking.  Fifteen minutes is all you need.

If you'd like to give your meal an Asian spin, click (or copy and paste) the link below.
http://blog.madhungry.com/2010/11/recipes-from-todays-show-asian-inspired-dishes.html

Tuna Tomato Pasta

Last night I made this Tuna Tomato Pasta.  It was quick, easy and just what you'd pull together from the items in your pantry.

I was a bit skeptical at first thinking...tuna with tomato sauce, ummmmmmmm, but hey, that's what this decision to prepare recipes was all about.  If I was afraid to try new things, I should have kept my butt out of the kitchen.

Literally, I just tossed the onion, garlic and red peppers in the hot olive oil for five minutes before adding my tuna and tomatoes.  I didn't really measure anything.  I kinda, as Lucinda would say, "eyeballed it."
I let that simmer for twenty five minutes while my pasta was getting tender.  Ten minutes later, I sat at my dining room table with a tossed salad topped with honey mustard vinaigrette and the tuna tomato pasta.  I must admit, at first I was a bit curious, but minutes after biting into it I realized that tuna definitely brings out the tomato flavor better than any ground beef.   The tuna was tender, the sauce was light and the pasta was nicely coated...not too rich, not too tomato pasty.

All in all, this recipe is one of those last minute, having uninvited guests, kids are picky, husband is no help, what the hell am I gonna make meal.  It's not the gourmet meal that I've been making these past several weeks, but it will do.

To feed your uninvited guests or to make your house happy, click (or copy and paste) the link below.
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/tuna-tomato-pasta-mad-hungry

Birthday Dinner Party for 10...

On Friday, November 5th my Nana turned seventy and I thought it would be nice for her to invite some friends over for dinner.  So on the following day I prepared a meal for nine of her friends.  Here's the rundown of the meal from soup to nuts.

For the appetizers:  Pepperoni, ritz crackers, cubed sharp cheese, cut celery and carrot sticks with ranch dip and Bruschetta Pomodoro.
For the starter:  Tossed salad with the Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette.
For the entrees:  Pan-fried Steak and Fish fillet w/Rosemary.
For the sides:  Carrots Agrodolce, Steamed String Beans, and Jasmine Rice.
For the dessert:  Watermelon, Strawberries, Grapes, Mangos, Cantaloupe, German Apple Cake, Classic Yellow Cake w/Strawberry filling covered in Buttercream icing, and last but not least, Devils Food Cake w/Milk Chocolate Icing and French Vanilla ice cream.
For drinks:  Red wine, white wine, orange/pineapple and ginger ale punch.
WHEW!
What was I thinking you ask?  Well, I was thinking that I wanted my grandmother to have a really nice seventieth  birthday since she made sure to mention (and several times I might add), that she was turning the big 7-0.  Initially, I thought going out to dinner would be good, but we could do that anytime.  Dinner with friends is always nice.  Besides, it gave me the opportunity to show off my newly found chef skills.

The smartest thing I did in preparing for this dinner was to cut all my necessary spices, fruits and vegetables the day before.  Onion, garlic, carrots, and cucumbers, PEELED and MINCED!  Watermelon, cantaloupe, mangos, tomatoes, celery and cheese CUT!  That being done, I must admit, wearing my chef hat still felt like a juggling act with four different sets.  Since the group arrived about forty minutes early, I still wasn't quite prepared...if you can believe that.  I had just showered and was about to ice Betty Crocker's Devil Food Cake with BC's milk chocolate icing, plus the made-from-scratch Classic Yellow Cake, strawberry filling with the Buttercream icing, when the door bell rang.  Oh boy!  I knew I had to get the cakes iced and harden before I could start on the appetizers.  With the invitation of help from two guests, I had one wash dishes and the other cut the German Apple Cake into squares while I put the finishing touches on the cake. Once that was done, I popped the cut italian loaf into the oven to toast for the olive oil, tomato, garlic and basil topping.  At the same time, I made the punch, put all my carrots, celery, pepperoni, cheese, crackers and ranch dip into the serving tray to buy some time and give the guest something to munch on until the Bruschetta Pomodoro was ready.  Trust me when I say, killing time was all I was doing because before I knew it, the guest were inhaling the German Apple Cake and the Pecan Bars (which Nana made the night before), along with the vegetable tray thirty minutes into the party.  By the time I presented the Bruschetta, they were half way filled.

As a result,  I decided to wait forty five minutes before getting dinner started.  This did not go over well.  First, I was jokingly referred to as the "slow cook."  And was told by a guest that she "could whip up this kind of  meal in thirty minutes."   Second, because I was a "slow cook" unfortunately, they continued to eat the dessert and left little room for the main course.   Guess I could have made the side dishes the day before, but I wanted everything to be fresh.  No worries.  I proceed with my game plan.  As the guests are lounging, laughing, and drinking, I went about the business of preparing my sides.  Since I'm still new at this cooking thing, I made my dishes one by one.  I needed to focus to ensure necessary ingredients, proper cook time and lessen the risk of burning anything or anyone.  In view of the fact that I had more chefs in the kitchen than needed and my rambunctious child coming in and out, I quickly realized that cooking for ten is quite different than cooking for three.  HUGE!

After my sides were done, the last thing I started on was the fish and the steak.  Given that both only took about ten minutes from start to finish, I was feeling like I was approaching the home stretch.  I couldn't wait for the cooking to be over to present my dishes.  With the buffet server that was generously loaned to me by a neighbor-friend, I plated everything and made a five star restaurant presentation.  Complete with labels and all.  It was a proud moment for both me and my grandmother.  With all but maybe one guest, I'd safely assume that the meal was pleasing on the plate as well as to the palate.   This one particular person didn't really care for the fish and left a chunk on his plate.  Nevertheless, everyone else ate in silence while they savored the different textures and taste.  Some even left with extra sides, a second helping or just dessert.  Speaking of which...  To go along with the cake and ice cream, I put out an array of mixed fruit... watermelon, grapes, strawberries, mangos and cantaloupe.  Not one piece was touch!  Everyone was too stuffed to even consider adding fruit.  However, there's always room for cake and ice cream!  I placed the number seven and zero candles atop the cake, turned out the lights and sang happy birthday to my Nana!  She seemed pleased and that's really all that mattered.  All the guests suggested I start a catering business, but after standing on my feet for eight hours, cooking for the masses is not my idea of a good time.  Within the hour, everyone was gone and the kitchen looked as if I didn't cook a stitch or feed ten people.  I was so tired I didn't even blog.  I'm a little better now and have recovered in just enough time for tonight's dinner... Oven-Fried Chicken.  It was good, but there's nothing like chicken fried in hot oil stove-top.  To accompany the chicken, I made sweet potato yams, soaked in white and brown sugar, syrup, butter and cinnamon.  Lucinda made chilled sweet potatoes, but I prefer mines southern style.  I also steamed some green beans.  Very good, but very tired.

Check out some pictures from the dinner party.

 


If you'd like to try the Oven-Fried Chicken recipe, click (or copy and paste) the link below.
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/oven-fried-chicken

Oven Roasted Ribs w/BBQ Sauce, Tangy Sweet Coleslaw and Pasta with Cheese

Yesterday I was planning to prepare pasta with cheese and chicken tenders for my son's Halloween party, but not a single soul showed up.  That's right.  Twenty five kids were invited and twenty five kids didn't show.  I'll share that story another time...  Needless to say, I traded in the chicken breasts for baby back ribs.

So tonight, I prepared the ribs, coleslaw and the pasta.  I was taken with the idea of rubbing the spice mixture on the ribs.  I never thought to do that before, but more impressively, I never had the idea to place the ribs on wire racks over a foiled cookie tray.  In doing so, I didn't have to turn the ribs over to cook on the other side.  Of course it made perfect sense thereafter.  The spice mixture gave the ribs a nice red, flavored coating equivalent to a fried tomato.   Falling-off-the-bone pork ribs requires at least two hours.  Setting a timer is a good idea for those like me, that are doing a million things at once. Be sure to leave a little extra spice mixture for when you're in the mood for barbecue chicken.

After the ribs are in the oven, I started on the coleslaw.  This required cutting up the cabbage, grating the carrot, plus seeding and dicing up the tomato and cucumber.  Truthfully, cutting always makes me feel chef-like.  I'm not at the point where I'm chop chop chopping, but I'm getting there.   I'm still amazed how different ingredients combined make awesome flavors and the same holds true for the yogurt, mayo, honey, vinegar and salt mixture.  At first I was like, yogurt...not my thing, but sure enough, I didn't even taste it once everything else was added.  Outside of prepping, this recipe took all of ten minutes to pull together.

Since I had grated cheese on hand from the Halloween party that never happened, I figured I'd make the pasta.  Having seen Lucinda do this, I like the idea of feeding my son real mac and cheese, instead of that boxed or microwave junk.  It was relative easy to make.  I was pleasantly surprised.

Because we love bbq sauce in this house, once the ribs were done, I brushed some on and returned  the tray back to the oven for another ten minutes so the sauce could caramelize.  Yummy!   The ribs were so delicious.  The meat just melted in my mouth. With every bite I could taste the spice mixture soaked to the bone.  The pasta with cheese was unlike any powder or creamy cheese sauce you get in the store.  No siree bob.  This is the real thing.  It reminded me of Thanksgiving or Christmas eve dinner when I prepare baked mac and cheese, but only better.  This recipe is light and creamy.  Next up, the coleslaw.  This dish certainly holds true to its title; tangy and sweet.  As I mentioned, I couldn't understand how the yogurt would play a part in coleslaw with the sour taste it has, but it brings just the right amount of tangy to the mix.  The honey, mayo and apple cider vinegar further compliments and completes it.

This combination of ribs, coleslaw and pasta is a good dish to prepare for a backyard summer bash, a Sunday night football party or just to feed your need for bbq.

If you're not ready to let the summer go, click (or copy and paste) these links below for the recipe.
http://blog.madhungry.com/2010/10/recipes-from-todays-show-indoor-bbq-recipes.html
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/pasta-wheels-with-cheese

Happy Barbecuing!

Polpette and Chunky Mashed Potatoes

Today was crazy.  Preparing the house for my son's Halloween party, running him to boxing training after school and choosing his costume made for a long and tiring day.  It wasn't until 6:30 at night and two trips to Wal-mart before I could even get dinner started.  Making the Polpette (meatloaf in the united states) was easy breezy, 1-2-3.  I enjoyed mixing all the ingredients together and molding my oval shaped loaf of meat.  I wasn't sure how the end result would be, but I jumped in with both hands.  No pun intended.  Since I didn't even search for mortadella in my neck of the woods, I simply used the turkey bologna that was left in my fridge. Soaking the bread in the milk added such juice within the meatloaf.  Every bite oozed flavor and tenderness.  I knew I had a winner on my hands when my grandmother went back for seconds and on the way made a point to stop and say "I don't think I'm ever gonna cook again" and "it was the best meatloaf I have ever tasted."  I concur!  This meatloaf was everything Lucinda said it would be.  Because I'm used to some sort of tomato paste on top of my meatloaf, I quickly pulled together a little concoction of ketchup, dijon mustard and salt and pepper to taste as coating...adding just the right amount of zest.  I decided to forgo the spinach with this meal because one, I had it yesterday, and two...I was just too damn tired by this point.

While the meatloaf was doing its' thing in the oven, I proceed to peel my potatoes for the pot of water I had boiling on the stove.  45 minutes later, I was chopping them into chunks, heating up the milk and butter and then mashing them down until they were almost smooth.  Even though the recipe called for cottage or ricotta cheese, I forgot to pick either up on both my dashes to the store, so I just did without.  These potatoes were so much better than the store brought flakes that pretend to be made with "real potatoes" which I purchased all my adult life.  I have to be honest and say that mashing the potatoes with my new found utensil, the "potato masher" is the best invention ever!   I didn't even know we owned one.  And now I, Rochelle Lanphear,  having never made mashed potatoes from scratch a day in my life, was using this gadget that actually mashed potatoes for me.  I know, I know, I know, it's just a potato masher, but wow, when life has you traveling down a bumpy road every now and then, it's nice to know that you can always turn to your handy dandy potato masher to smooth out the pot holes of life.

For further confirmation of a job well done, my son who adamantly expresses his sincerely dislike for meatloaf helped himself to a slice so huge I had to stand guard.  All and all, it was a long, tiring, running around town, trying to do it all, tummy filled, and can't believe I just made mash potatoes from scratch kinda day!

To get your mash on, click (or copy and paste) the link below for this recipe.
http://blog.madhungry.com/2010/10/recipes-from-todays-show-italian-comfort-food.html

Stir-Fried Chinese Chicken and Peanuts with Celery Salad and Steamed Spinach

So now that I've returned from visiting my dear husband Arron at our home in Maine, I slipped right back into my chefs hat with ease.  I missed watching Lucinda every morning, but thanks to DVR, I'll be playing catch up on the weekends.  Funny how I went from doing a 187 (crime of murdering meat) in the kitchen to really building a relationship with my utensils and spices.  Who knew within me there was a cook of a caterpillar waiting to bloom into this butterfly chef.  As much as I love to explore different ingredients, expand my taste buds, and expound on this new side to me,  there just wasn't enough time in the day to play wife, worker and whatever else came to mind.  

However, I'm back on the saddle and couldn't wait to pour on the olive oil.  I thought a little bit of comfort food would set me straight from missing Arron and was so thrilled to find Lucinda preparing meatloaf, mashed potatoes and spinach this morning.  There's nothing like a good potato to fill the place of a loved one, but that recipe will have to wait.  I gave my grandmother the option of meatloaf or chinese chicken and she chose the latter.   If I must admit, she chose well.  

Just like Lucinda said, "all of the ingredients needed for the chinese chicken recipe should be a staple in your pantry", and thanks to my grandmother who has been cooking it up in the kitchen for decades, they all were.  While my chicken was thawing out and getting cleaned, I whisked all the liquid ingredients together for the marinade.  It had a good earthy aroma.  I was excited about pouring it over my diced up, pulled from the bone, skinless chicken thighs.  Since I had everything necessary for the chinese celery salad at hand, I got that ready too!  I wasn't sold on the salad, but I figured I'd try something new.  My grandmother found it light and refreshing.  I, however, did not.  With the salad done and put aside in the fridge to chill, I poured the marinade over the chicken and placed that too in the fridge while I ran to the farmers market.   Since I knew the celery salad wasn't quite my thing, my alternative green was spinach.  The farmers market is the absolute best place to pick up fruits and vegetables.  It's half the price of retail chains like Wal-mart or your local supermarket.  

Back at home, I'm ready to put my poultry to the pan.  But first, you know what they say, "when in Rome, do like the Romans."  And when you're cooking chinese anything, rice better be present.  For the first time every, I made something called Jasmine rice, but instead of using water, I used chicken broth.  It gave the rice such nice coloring and flavor.  Now, I'm ready for the chicken.  You'll notice I did not include peanuts to my version of this dish for which the recipe suggest...my son begged me to skip the peanut part and it's important that he loves the meal as well.  Plus, Lucinda did say it was okay!   To set the stage for the chicken, I proceed to stir-fry an onion (scallions were missing at the market), the red peppers and garlic.  Coated with cornstarch at the last minute, the chicken has finally made it's appearance at the party.   While I waited for it to be done, I quickly poured some olive oil in my heated pan, tossed in some minced garlic, and threw in the cleaned spinach.    Ten minutes later, I'm helping myself to another serving of everything, minus the salad.  The chicken is brimming with flavor, the rice is fluffy and the spinach is tender.   Not exactly comfort food, but I took comfort in knowing that I prepared yet another delicious dish, and it sure did hit the spot.  

Even though I miss Arron terribly, I'm happy to be cooking up cool cuisine again.  Can't wait to see what's in store for tomorrow.

If you'd like to tap into your Asian alternative, click (or cut and paste) the link below.

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/stir-fried-chicken-and-peanuts-mad-hungry

For those that have made this dish WITH the peanuts, I anxious to know if by omitting them I've completely missed the mark.

Please share your experience. 

German Apple Cake

I'm in heaven.  Tonight I made this German Apple Cake recipe and it was out of this world.  Normally, I'm an out-of-the-box cake maker, but never again.  After licking the bowl and my fingers, I was hooked.  Of course, my son agreed while he was licking the mixing paddle.  From this point forward, I'll be making all my cake batter from scratch.    Thank you Lucinda.

With every meal prepared, I learn new and different ways to compliment food...add a little bit of this and a little bit of that and BAM!  Fork full of fabulousness.  However, I didn't know that it could be done with sugar, cinnamon and lemon.  Once I cut the apples, tossed them in the lemon, then added the sugar and cinnamon, I was astounded by the texture, the smell, and the taste.  I'm in awe!  As I arranged the apple slices coated in this rich cinnamon-sugar mixture, I felt like a pastry chef!

The 45 minutes or so it took for the cake to bake, the aroma floating through the air reminded me of "granny's kitchen."  Not my granny of course, but someone's.  It took me back to the days when life was simple.  When you used to sit on your front porch until 2am hanging out with friends and family.  When life was more about living your dreams and less about reality tv.   When face to face was more important than Facebook.   Oh, the good ole days!

When my walk down memory lane was over, I put my cake to the plate, and sweet heavens.  I could close my eye and swear I was in a five star restaurant.  It was so good.  I ate a third of the cake in one sitting.  My grandmother had to stop herself from consuming more than a corner.  And my son gave me two thumbs up as he stole the middle piece with the most apple coverage.  To top it all off,  I had to top it off...with ice cream that is.  Yes!  There's nothing more fantastic than German Apple Cake and one scoop of butter pecan ice cream.  Sigh!  That's it!  I'm done!  There's no debating it.  I keep eating like this, and I'm gonna be FAT!!!

Earlier today, since I didn't want the bananas to go to waste, I made Lucinda's Banana Daiquiri.  That was very sweet and very yummy.  I didn't add as much rum as the recipe called for, but it was still good.  It's a nice summery kinda feel good drink.  Perfect for the Arizona weather or for those times when you can sit on your front porch, hanging out with your friends and family.

If you want to walk down your own memory lane, click the link below for this recipe.
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/german-apple-cake-mad-hungry

Until we eat again!

Bon Appetit!

The Three "C"s - Curry Chicken, Red Chard and Mango Chutney

Wow.  This was a crazy combination to prepare, but I think I pulled it off.  However, Top Chef will not be calling.

So, I started with the Curry Chicken, but I did things a little different this time around.  Since I had a little mix-up preparing last night's dinner due to hunger and lack of direction (totally on my part), I read the instructions very carefully, even twice this time, then got all my ingredients together.  Once I measured out what was necessary for the meal, I proceed to brown my chicken.  That, if you ask me, was the best part about the meal.  The aroma from the meat searing is divine.  I could have stopped right there and been satisfied.  Nevertheless, mush!  I had a meal to make.  Once the chicken was all golden brown, I retired them to a plate to await the concoction of onions, garlic and curry powder.  Wow!  Talk about senses...woke my nose right up.  After that was blended nicely, I added the tomatoes, plus the salt and pepper.  Since my local supermarket didn't have a clue as to what a Scotch bonnet pepper was (nor do I for that matter), regular ground pepper was just gonna have to do.  Seeing how this recipe did call for "chicken", I returned my earlier browned skinned chicken legs to the pan to soak up all the sauce I just made.  I let that simmer for 45 minutes until the meat is tender and get on with my Red Chard recipe.

Just so you know, Red Chard is a foreign object to me.  I'm looking like a deer caught in the head lights walking down the produce section wondering...what the hell is a chard and why is it red?  Once I finally found it, I was a bit hesitant to purchase for fear of selecting the wrong thing.  I know Lucinda's recipe is actually laid out for Callaloo, but she did say it was okay to substitute it for Swiss Chard or Mustard Greens.  Swiss Chard, Red Chard...it's all the same thing (so the very inexperienced supermarket associate swears to me).  Therefore, with the green light from Lucinda (and a "I'm positive" from the associate), I brought a bushel.

Just like with the ingredients for the Curry Chicken, I laid out everything I needed for the Chard.  This to was relatively simple.  Threw some oil and butter into my pan, tossed in the onions and scallions and let them do their thing.  I added my Chard, salt, pepper, water and covered.  Eight minutes later, done!  It was just that simple.

Now, here comes the party where I throw caution to the wind and combine all the ingredients necessary for the Mango Chutney.  What the hell?  Yup, that's what I'm really thinking as I toss mangos, ginger, onion, garlic, red pepper, raisins, sugar, salt, vinegar and water into my sauce pan.  I can't believe that what I'm about to make is actually edible.  Needless to say, I was amazed by the finish product, but more over, that I, yes me, the chick that just started cooking eight days ago, actually made it!  I was proud of myself for being able to venture outside my comfort zone of preparing just the dishes I knew how to pronounce.   Honestly, I never heard of Chutney or Chard before this morning.  Who knew!

Tonight's meal was very good.  The chicken was tasty, the chard was tender, and the chutney was blazing.  Chutney, for this chump, is a no-go.   However pleasing to the eye, it was too spicy for the tongue.  For those that enjoy spicy foods, this Chutneys' for you!

When everything was said and done, I was too hungry to wait any longer for the daiquiri, so tonight I choose my other favorite red wine; Casa Rossa Piedmont by Vino dei Fratelli.  Accompany your dish with this wine suggestion.  For $10 a bottle, it's worth a try.

If you want to wow your friends and possibly even yourself, click the link below for this recipe.
http://blog.madhungry.com/2010/10/recipes-from-today’s-show-jamaican-dinner.html

Bon Appetit!

Fish Fillet with Rosemary (Lucinda) and Grilled Scallops (Lanphear)

Okay, excuse me if my words are spelled incorrectly or my grammar is improper because I'm still floating on cloud nine after having prepared this dish.

OMG!  Where do I start?  Okay.  So I knew I was going to make this dish tonight instead of the German Sausages with Apples, Sauerkraut, and Onions that Lucinda prepared on today's show because my mouth was still watering from the fish episode.  When the fish hit the pan, it was love at first sight.  I dreamt about my first bite.

I already put my family on notice in regards to the menu for tonight, but while in route to boxing practice with my 13 year old son and his annoying ipod at max volume, he screamed "scallops mom, scallops."  So snapper and scallops was the meal I prepared.

First I got the scallops seasoned and placed in my very hot frying pan laced with olive oil.  Funny how all this time I thought the trick to grilling up scallops was butter.  Nope!  The butter just makes the scallops stick to the pan.  While my scallops are soaking up the olive oil, I pull out my other pan, heat it up, then proceed to get the red snapper seasoned, and dredged.  For those of you new to the cooking world like myself, "dredge", really means "to coat".  To give my fish a little extra kick, I like to season my flour with italian bread crumbs, salt, pepper and some paprika.  So, after I mixed my spices, I sprinkled some onto the fish, pat it around, turned it over to do the other side, then shook off the excess.  Now, my frying pan is hot and ready for oil and fish.

As I let the fish get nice and brown I dig out the garlic, white wine, black olives, rosemary, and butter.  Because I was hungry, but mainly because I didn't read the directions thoroughly, I made the mistake of adding the garlic, wine, olives, and rosemary before I flipped the fish to cook on the other side.  Not to worry though...you can't really mess up this easy dish.  I just stirred the ingredients around, let it cook for a minute or two, then flipped the fish.  I didn't get any complaints.  It was all good...trust me.

So while I let the fish continue to brown, I turned my scallops over so they can get grilled on the other side. Yummy!  The aroma is floating around like circles of smoke in the air.  Another four minutes and I'm ready to plate.  Here comes the best part!

At first I didn't quite understand what the butter was for.  I was thinking...all this olive oil and I still need butter.  Lord have mercy!  Nevertheless, I plated the fish, added the butter to that same frying pan with all the fish drippings and presto!  That sealed the deal!  I soaked the fish drippings and butter sauce all over everything.  I'm on a butter high right now.  I gathered up my scallops, laid them next to my fish and done!  This all time favorite dish was accompanied with a salad and that oh-so-yummy-three-mustard vinaigrette from yesterday's dinner.  Tonight I added my favorite glass of red wine called Adesso to enhance the flavors even more.  Trifecta!  Fish, Scallops and Wine.

Before I go, I must add that the peanut butter rice krispies I made yesterday was a huge hit at my son's school.  When I went to pick him up, he got in the car so excited about the line the kids made, not only to partake of Lucinda's delicious recipe, but also to give him some attention.  Go figure!

To add some deliciousness to your family, click the link below for this recipe.
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/fish-fillet-with-rosemary-mad-hungry

Bon Appetit!

Baked Chicken and Mustard Glaze

Today I attempted to not only make the Baked Chicken with Mustard Glaze, but I also got a little ambitious and made the Hash Browns, the Three Mustard Glaze and the salad vinaigrette.  Oh, lest not forget...the Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Cookies as well.

Let me just say, it's absolutely okay to not have all the ingredients.  I substituted the three mustards for just one.  I went to Wal-mart to find the whole grain and maple mustards, but no such luck.  Plus, with three jars of mustard in my refrigerator (that I just recently cleaned since starting my cooking quest), I figured why let them go to waste...so I just used the one I had, which happened to be Dijon.  With that aside, I was ready to rock and roll.

While I was at Wal-mart, I marinated the chicken in the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and herbs for an hour as suggested.  It was the most savory mixture marinate that I've ever seen...and tasty too!  If it tasted good plain, I just knew it would be delicious on the chicken.  After about an hour in the fridge, I placed the chicken in the olive oil covered pan, wrapped it up and stuck it in the oven.  I figured while I was in the chicken mood, I'd start the glaze just to have on hand.  No lie when I say, I could have eaten the mustard glaze right out of the bowl.  It's to die for!

While the chicken was getting its bake on, the glaze had been whisked into perfection, and I had all the ingredients needed for the mustard vinaigrette, I got busy.  Oh my, once I mixed it all together, I was surprised at the creamy texture and flavor that just lingered in the air.  This was the first time in years I was excited about a salad.  Oh, I couldn't wait to get my munch on.

With the salad dressing chilled in the fridge, I proceed to get the potatoes boiling.  That was a no brainer.  At the same time, I got my large sauce pan out and poured the ingredients together for the Peanut Butter Rice Krispies.  I didn't know sugar could do that!  By the time I poured in the rice krispies, I was licking the wooden spoon.  I poured the mixture into my 9x12 parchment covered pan, distributed throughout and waited for it to cool.  Heaven help you if you are a peanut butter lover.  These delectables can't stay in my house.  Once this blog is complete, I will pack up several zip lock bags full of these pb treats for my son to take to school.  Unless I don't want my husband to be able to tell the difference between me and Santa this Christmas, THEY HAVE TO GO!

Okay, so let's recap.  The glaze is done, the vinaigrette is chilling, the rice krispies are cooling, and my potatoes are ready to be shredded.  That dish was simple and oh so yummy.  I cut my onions, laid in my potatoes and puff, deliciousness has arrived!  I was even able to flip my frying pan over just like Calder did.  Wish I had a camera ready!  (ummmmmmm, now that's a thought)  However, when it was all done, it broke apart when I was trying to get it from the pan to the plate.;-(  Did you think that would stop me from consuming it?  Hell to the NO!  It took everything I had to keep my fork to myself.

In between flips, I checked on the chicken.  More than 25 minutes passed and it didn't look anything like what I saw on tv this morning.  No fear, I flipped it over and continued cooking.  After about another 10 or so minutes, still not as cooked as I preferred, I spread the glaze over the chicken then popped it down in the broiler for 5 minutes.  Since I love my chicken really done, I turned it over, coated that side with glaze too and gave it a few more minutes.  Needless to say, when it was all done, it was a golden brown crispiness with honey dripping off the sides.  Have m-e-r-c-y!

This combination of chicken, potatoes and salad was just the comfort food that the doctor ordered.  All it was missing was a drink.  Any ideas for something light and refreshing...with or without alcohol?