Mom's Simple One Dish Meal

It seems like Russ and I have had a non-stop schedule lately, so we wanted a meal for tonight that would allow us lots of time to relax and catch up on laundry instead of spending most of our time cooking and cleaning up the kitchen. We also wanted something that would have enough for leftovers for tomorrow night since we are going to Thirsty Thursday (yes, dollar beer night at the Baron's), but want to eat at home beforehand. I did some thinking and thought of one of my Mother's recipes that I used to make a lot in grad school when I had little time for cooking, but have not made it since. It is her Italian Chicken and Rice.

This dish is super simple to put together and almost all of the ingredients are ones that I already have on hand. You add the water, rice, tomatoes, seasonings, onion, and mozzarella cheese to a casserole dish and mix it all up. You then place the chicken breasts on top of the rice mixture. Lastly, you add the cheese and seasoning mixture to the top and bake it. What makes this super simple is that the rice and chicken go in uncooked. You basically just dump and layer the ingredients and then bake it. If need be you can put it all together earlier in the day and then bake it later on.

As I mentioned before Russ hasn't had this dish before and he really liked it. He loves comfort food and this definitely falls in that category. The rice and chicken are moist from the water and juice from the tomatoes and the cheese and Italian seasonings give it good flavor. This is a great meal for anyone who is does not enjoy spending time cooking, is new to cooking, doesn't have much time on their hands, or just likes comfort food. It is a very hearty meal, so I served it with just steamed broccoli. Russ rates the meal a 8.

Italian Chicken and Rice (Mom's Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups of water
1 cup long grain white rice (uncooked)
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup (2 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 ½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 can chopped tomatoes with garlic and herbs, undrained

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (uncooked)

½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 ½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
½ cup mozzarella cheese
½ cup parmesan cheese (shredded)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine water through canned tomatoes in a 2 quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray.
Arrange chicken on top and push down into the rice mixture.
Sprinkle the top with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese.
Cover and bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
Uncover and cook for 15 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the cheese on top is a little brown.

Flank Steak with a Kick

I recently received the July Fine Cooking in the mail and it is filled with lots of yummy looking recipes including many for the grill. Since today is Memorial Day we decided to try out one of the grill recipes. It for a Argentine Spice-Rubbed Flank Steak with Salsa Criolla. As a confession I had this on the menu for last week and didn't realize it needed lots of marinating time, so that is part of why we ended up using it as our Memorial Day dinner.

For this recipe you create a spice rub that you rub on the flank steak. It includes mashed garlic, chili powder, salt, pepper, brown sugar, and fresh thyme. You then rub the steak with it and let is sit in the fridge for several hours. The recipe calls for over 4 lbs of meat and I did one smaller steak since it was just for the two of us. You then prepare the salsa which includes a chopped tomato, onion, half a red bell pepper, spices, olive oil, and white wine vinegar. This also needs to marinate in the fridge for several hours. After the marinating is complete you grill the steak for just a few minutes on each side. Russ did a great job with it and ended up with a perfectly grilled steak. After it rests you thinly slice it against the grain and top it with the salsa.

The rub gives the flank steak a very spicy kick. I should have used less of the rub to compensate for the smaller steak and I think this still would have given it the spicy flavor without being a little overpowering. The salsa accompanies it well and helps to cool off some of the heat from the chili powder while adding a fresh flavor and good texture. We served ours with corn and leftover green bean and tomato salad (that Jess made as a side for the rib cook off). We really enjoyed it, but I think if I had cut down on the rub it would have been even better. There was plenty of steak leftover that I think we will use in tacos tomorrow. Russ rates the steak and salsa a 8.

Argentine Spice-Rubbed Flank Steak with Salsa Criolla

Fine Cooking, July 2007

Serves 12

3 cloves garlic, minced and mashed to a paste with a pinch of salt

2 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme

1 Tbs. freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbs. chili powder

2 tsp. brown sugar

1 and 1/2 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. kosher salt

4 and 1/2 lb. flank steak (about 3 medium steaks), trimmed of excess fat

1 large ripe tomato, cored, seeded, and finely diced (about 1 and 1/4 cup)

1 medium yellow onion, minced (about 1 and 1/3 cups)

1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and minced (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup white-wine vinegar

In a small bowl, mix about two-thirds of the garlic paste with 1 Tbs. of the thyme, 2 tsp. of the black pepper, the chili powder, brown sugar, and 1 and 1/2 Tbs. of the salt. Arrange the steaks on the rimmed baking sheet and pat the spice rub all over them. Cover and let sit for at least 4 hours and up to 1 day in the refrigerator.

In a 1 quart sealable container, combine the tomato, onion, red pepper, oil, and vinegar with 1/4 cup of water, and the remaining garlic paste, 1 Tbs. thyme, 2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. black pepper. Shake well. Refrigerate for up to 1 day before serving.

Heat a gas grill to medium high or prepare a hot charcoal fire. Grill the steak (covered on a gas grill) until it has good grill marks on the first side, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the steak; if using a gas grill, reduce the heat to medium and cover the grill. Continue to cook until done to your liking (make a slit in the steak to take a peek), 4 to 5 minutes more for medium rare; 6 to 7 minutes more for medium.

Let the steak rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes and then slice thinly across the grain. Stir or shake the salsa criolla and serve with the steak.

Breakfast and Dessert

Russ and I were both exhausted from yesterday's rib cook off, so the only cooking that went on in our house today was for a late breakfast and a late night dessert. One of the many perks of being married to Russ is that he makes me coffee on the weekday mornings and frequently makes me breakfast on the weekends. He has been getting into making omelets recently. They started out where they tasted wonderful, but looked like a cross between scrambled eggs and an omelet. However, in the past few weeks they not only taste great, but look perfect too!

For the omelet this morning he used chopped green pepper, onion, and cheese for the filling. He uses whatever we have around which is usually a mix of veggies. However, he has made a few more gourmet omelets that include leftover salmon and feta or leftover steak with peppers and onions. Today's omelet was wonderful and a great, late breakfast! Russ rates the omelet a 8.

The only other "cooking" that took place today is that I made some frozen yogurt. This is a recipe I found online that is adapted from David Lebovitz's book "The Perfect Scoop". This may be one I need to get sometime soon... The one I tried is for Coconut Pinkcherry Yogurt. Russ and I have a bunch of cherries in the fridge, so I decided to put them to good use. I have not made frozen yogurt before, but found it to be fairly simple just involving lots of stages and waiting. You first strain whole milk yogurt in the fridge for 6 hours. Then you put together the mixture and let it cool in the fridge for 1 hour. Then you follow your ice cream maker's instructions for the remainder.

We ended up trying it out as a late night snack! It was very yummy and smooth. We both thought it could have been a little sweeter, but I think this may have been that some of the cherries were a little tart. Russ liked this better than the pineapple sorbet, but I like the pineapple better. We put the leftover back in the freezer and it was very frozen the next day and didn't have the creamy texture it had when it was first made. Russ actually liked the more frozen texture better. Russ rates the cherry frozen yogurt a 8.

Coconut Pinkcherry Yogurt

Adapted from "The Perfect Scoop", David Lebovitz

Makes about 1 quart

3 cups strained yogurt* or Greek-style yogurt

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

3/4 cherries, pits removed and roughly chopped

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

Mix together the yogurt, sugar, almond extract, cherries, and coconut milk. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

*To make 1 cup of strained yogurt, line a mesh strainer with a few layers of cheesecloth, then scrape 16 ounces or 2 cups of plain whole-milk yogurt into the cheesecloth. Gather the ends and fold them over the yogurt, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

And the winner is....

And the winner of the first annual Rib Cook Off is.... Russ! That's right tonight was the rib cook off and Russ was the overall winner. Scott, Seth, and Russ all did a great job and used different styles and flavors that made it a very tough decision for the judges. More importantly the boys had a fun day of sitting outside barbecuing, drinking, and hanging out with the dogs. All the grills and dogs were brought over to our house, so that the boys and dogs could barbecue together. Meanwhile the wives in their respective kitchens were whipping up some delicious appetizers, sides, and desserts to complement the ribs.

While I cannot reveal Russ' secret rib recipes... I can tell you all about the other dishes that the girls made. I have had my eye on a pasta salad of Ina Garten's for a little while now and decided to try it out for tonight. It is called Pasta, Pesto, and Peas and it works great for picnic or rib cook since it can be made earlier in the day and is served at room temperature. To start the dish off you make a homemade pesto sauce that includes walnuts, pine nuts, lots of fresh basil, olive oil, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Once the pesto is complete you add frozen spinach (thawed and drained) and mayonnaise. This was a fun way to really put my food processor to work. The end result is a thick, tasty sauce that is tossed with cooked, cooled pasta. Lastly you add peas, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and a little salt and pepper to it.

The pasta salad turned out to be really tasty. Russ who used to claim he didn't like pasta salads was excited that I had doubled the recipe as he knew there would be leftovers for him. When you make the sauce it is very thick, but when tossed with the pasta it covers it in a light layer that keeps it fresh and light tasting. I used a mix of bow tie and penne which worked well with the sauce. The peas add a nice additional flavor bust that keeps it interesting. I think you could make a meal out of it by adding grilled chicken or shrimp to it. However, I think it is truly perfect for picnic style events. I anticipate this showing up again this summer or for football season this Fall.

The pasta salad was only one of many wonderful sides last night. Jess made a really tasty and light Mixed Bean-Cherry Tomato Salad with Basil Vinaigrette from CL. She used both yellow and green beans which mixed with the cherry tomatoes made for a beautiful salad. Elizabeth made two sides for tonight. She repeated her Uncle Richard's Slaw that was such a hit last weekend. It really has become my favorite slaw now. She also made her hash brown (aka "Hassbrown") casserole that was hearty, cheesy, and yummy. I boiled some corn, Mom brought a huge tray of mixed fruits, and Elizabeth's Uncle Richard brought very tasty fresh shrimp on skewers that were marinated, grilled, and served with two homemade sauces, a remoulade and a cocktail sauce.

For dessert I made blondies. This is my first recipe to try out of the "How to Cook Everything" cookbook. This is a cookbook that was a bonus in marrying Russ. He had some great cookbooks books and utensils that I didn't have and wanted which I consider bonuses in marrying him. The blondies were fairly simple to put together and one of the great things about this cookbook is that it gives you the base recipe and then lots of options as to what you can add to it. I chose to add dark and semi-sweet chocolate chips and a dash or two of bourbon. While these seemed to be a well liked by most everyone at the cook off I felt like they came up short on flavor and texture. I think I should have added chopped walnuts to them, but even then I feel like there would still be something missing for me in these. Russ really liked them, so I may make them again or I'll try a different recipe for blondies.

Jess also made a dessert for tonight. She made homemade oreos. We both enjoy reading food blogs and one of our favorite blogs is Smitten Kitchen. The blogger is both an incredible writer, photographer, and cook. She recently made these oreos and Jess and I both drooled over our screens looking at them. Jess did an excellent job with these and they definitely tasted like a wonderful homemade oreo. The only thing that would have made them even better would have been to serve them with a glass of milk instead of a beer.

All in all the rib cook-off was a wonderful time with friends, family, and yummy food! I think that Jess, Scott, Elizabeth, Seth, Russ and I (and all our dogs) had a fun time planning and cooking for tonight. Russ rates the pasta a 7 and the blondies a 8.

(I have included a picture of Russ' grill, The Big Green Egg. I have mentioned it several times previously, so I wanted to finally show what it is in case anyone was curious.)

Blondies, "How to Cook Everything"

8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla or ½ teaspoon almond extract
Pinch salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

1. Butter an 8×8 pan
2. Mix melted butter with brown sugar - beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla.
3. Add salt, stir in flour. Mix in any additions (below).
4. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle. I Cool on rack before cutting them.

Further additions, use one or a combination of:

• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts, toasting them first for even better flavor
• 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon mint extract in addition to or in place of the vanilla
• 1/2 cup mashed bananas
• 1/4 cup bourbon, scotch or other whiskey; increase the flour by one tablespoon
• 2 tablespoons of espresso powder with the vanilla
• Stir 1/2 cup dried fruit, especially dried cherries, into the prepared batter


• Top with a vanilla butter cream or chocolate peanut butter cream frosting

Drumroll please.... the first 10!

After a weekend full of eating I wanted to go with a light and fresh dinner tonight. This for Russ and me usually means some type of fish and tonight it was tuna. We haven’t made anything out of the May issue of CL, so we decided to crack it open and try the cover recipe since it is both light and fresh. It is Grilled Tuna with White Bean and Charred Onion Salad.

To start the dish you make an easy marinade for the tuna and let it marinate for 30 minutes. While it is marinating you put together the bean salad portion. First you grill the onion slices. We used a Vidalia and it had great flavor! Next you whisk together a few ingredients to make a light vinaigrette for the salad. Then you rinse the beans, peel and chop half a cucumber, chop fresh Italian parsley, add the capers, and chop the onion once it has cooled. You then toss everything in the vinaigrette. Once the tuna has marinated you grill it for just a couple minutes on each side. This is all plated over a bed of spring greens. Even with the tuna marinating for 30 minutes this meal comes together very quickly and easily.

It was not only light and fresh, but also very tasty! The white bean and charred onion salad had an incredible flavor that we both loved. I had bought crumbled feta to add to it, but I forgot to add it. It certainly doesn’t need anything as it was wonderful as is, but I do think I may try the addition of feta next time to see if it makes it even better. The tuna had a great citrus flavor to it from the lemon juice and zest. The salad, greens, and tuna all complemented each other perfectly. I do think if you don’t like fish that you could use grilled chicken instead. This will definitely be repeated at our house this summer.

This was a wonderful summer meal that has earned the first 10 for the blog. Russ rates the white bean and charred onion salad a 10! The dish as a whole receives a 9 from Russ.

Preparing our Victory Dance!

This coming weekend is the FIRST ANNUAL RIB COOK OFF! That’s right, Seth, Scott, and Russ have challenged each other to rib cook off which will take place this Saturday afternoon. They will each be making both dry and wet ribs. There will be judges, score cards, beer, friends, family, ribs, sides, and lots of fun.

So, tonight for dinner we did a practice run with our dry and wet rib recipes. There will be no pictures or recipes posted since this is for a major competition. All I have to say is that they were very tasty, so get ready Scott and Seth!

Jess, Elizabeth and I are going to do sides to go with the ribs and probably a dessert too. We haven’t talked yet about specifics, but I bet there will tons of yummy food on Saturday! Russ, Cash and I are all looking forward to it. Don’t worry… even if you aren’t going to be here to taste the ribs and sides it will be covered on the blog!

As promised I have included some pictures from Do Dah Day!

A Crazy Cajun Weekend!

Tonight Russ and I decided to have a few friends over for a crawfish boil. We’ll we actually decided this several days ago, but it happened tonight. Russ and I both love crawfish and last year we ate them on several occasions during the season, however, this year we have barely eaten any of them. So, we decided we would solve this by having a crawfish boil in our backyard.

I made two dips for appetizers. The first is Sumner’s Salsa which is super easy to make and very tasty. It includes two chopped tomatoes, black beans, green chiles, black and green olives, shredded monetary jack cheese, fresh cilantro, and fat free Italian dressing. I made it as soon as we got home from Do Dah Day (see below) to let it have time to marinate. The other dip I made is a new recipe for me from Ina Garten. It is her Sun-Dried Tomato Dip. It is also fairly simple to make with the help of a food processor. It is a creamy dip with cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise. It also as the name states includes sun-dried tomatoes and a few seasonings. I thought it turned out pretty well, but wished it had been a little more flavorful. Next time I think I will add a few more sun-dried tomatoes. I also think that in the future I will limit myself to one dip per party and do other non-dip appetizers to go with it. I love dips, but there are so many other good pick up appetizers out there that I should try.

Russ was in charge of the boil and crawfish. So, he ordered 35 lbs of crawfish and made a grocery list of everything else he needed. He includes fresh corn on the cob, red potatoes, garlic, lemons, and various seasonings in his boil. I think he did a great job and by the small number of crawfish left after everyone was done eating I would say that everyone else agreed. The crawfish were super moist and everything had great flavor. Russ thinks he can improve on it by getting the crawfish a little spicier. Next year he will up certain seasonings to accomplish this. The only other side we served with it was a wonderful slaw that Elizabeth made. It is her uncle’s recipe and it was the perfect side for the spicy boil.

For dessert I made Ina’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies. I made them in my beloved Kitchen Aid mixer. I still get excited using it and think it is a very fun kitchen tool. I am considering naming it…. Anyway, the cookies have peanut butter, brown sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, flour, and a couple other things. You cream the butter with the brown sugar, then add the eggs, then add the dry mixture. Last you fold in the chocolate chips. You bake these for 17 minutes and take them out when they look not quite done yet. They finish baking once you have taken them out. I think this is the key to this recipe as the cookies that were a little more done than the others were not as good. The ones that were done perfectly were very tasty! Russ and I both thought they were yummy. Sumner made brownies which were a very moist and tasty. I think that both desserts were well received.

I think that all the food turned out very well. This may just mean that we’ll have to do a crawfish boil again next year. Next time we will try to get the crawfish a little spicier and I’ll do the appetizers a little differently. However, this is not the last of the crawfish for Russ and me for this season. I will be making some etouffee soon with the leftover crawfish. Russ rates the boil a 6, the appetizers a 8, and the cookies a 9. I think Russ is being a little a little tough on himself with the 6 for the boil as I would give it a higher rating.

As I mentioned before we went to Do Dah Day today with Scott, Jess, Hugo, Allen, Blue, and of course Sweet Baby Cash. It is a super fun annual dog festival that takes place in a couple of the parks off of Highlands. It is always fun, but was especially fun this year as it was Cash’s first time. He had a blast! All the dogs had a fun time seeing all the other dogs, eating treats, and hanging out. Cash was worn out afterwards, but rallied for the crawfish boil in order to play with Thomas. Cash will be sleeping and resting for most of tomorrow!

(*Do Dah Day pictures will be posted with tomorrow's post since no food pictures or recipes will be posted... are we not cooking tomorrow night or is there something bigger going on...?)

Food Processor Slaw

(Uncle Richard's Recipe)

1 head green cabbage
1 head red cabbage
3 green onions
2 carrots
16 oz + of T. Marzetti's Slaw Dressing

Finely chop all ingredients and mix well. (You can use the food processor with the grating disk for the cabbage.) Add slaw dressing and mix well. Add more dressing to taste.

Sumner's Salsa

1/4 lb monetary jack cheese, shredded
2 (4 oz) cans of sliced black olives, drained
2 (4 oz) cans of chopped green chiles
2 large chopped tomatoes
2 green onions chopped (green and white parts)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup fat free Italian dressing

Put it all together in a bowl and let it sit for a couple hours or overnight in the fridge to marinate.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies (Ina Garten, "Barefoot Contessa, Parties!")
Makes 36 to 40 cookies

1/2 lb. unsalted butter at room temperature
1 and 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup good smooth peanut butter
2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt (my notes: next time I think I will cut this in half or possibly eliminate it, with the peanut butter I am not sure additional salt is needed)
1 pound good semisweet chocolate chunks

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and peanut butter, and mix. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and add to the batter, mixing only until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks.

Drop the cookie dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using either a 1 and 3/4 inch ice cream scoop or a rounded tablespoon. Dampen your hands, flatten the dough lightly, then press the tines of a wet fork in both directions. Bake for exactly 17 minutes (the cookies will seem underdone). Do not over bake. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Asparagus with a twist...

This past weekend my sweet sister went to a local market and brought Russ and me some fresh fruit, asparagus, and a plant. We decided to use some of these fresh goodies in tonight's dinner. I thought about cooking the asparagus using a CL recipe that we have done several times before and enjoyed, but instead I decided to try a new one. This is an asparagus dish that caught my eye in the April issue of CL. It is called Asparagus with Olive Gremolata.

I made a few changes to the asparagus dish including roasting the asparagus instead of steaming them and I used kalamata olives instead of picholine olives since that is what I had on hand. I used my mini food processor to make the gremolata which made it very easy. You chop the olives in it and then add the parsley, garlic, salt, and lemon rind and mix it all together. The olive topping is served over the asparagus.

While we didn't know what an olive gremolata was while we were eating it we really liked how it worked with the asparagus. It was a nice new to us flavor combination. It also complimented very nicely the steaks that Russ grilled to go with it. We did New York strips with just a little salt and pepper. They turned out very moist and tasty. I also cut up some of the fresh fruit from Jess to go with it. It was a very tasty summer meal. Russ rates the asparagus with olive gremolata a 8.

This picture of Cash is actually from this past weekend when I was making Russ' birthday cake. This is his spot in the kitchen where he hangs out while I am cooking. He is such a sweet puppy!

Curry Chicken

Tonight I made a recipe I found online that had great reviews. Russ and I both love Indian food, but I have only made Indian style dishes a couple times. When I have searched for recipes before I often find them very complicated or that they contain ingredients that I am not sure I'll be able to locate. When I ran across this recipe for Chicken Curry with Cashews I thought it would be a great one to try. It is not overly involved and contains ingredients that I either have in my pantry or frequently buy.

The recipe starts with sauteing onions, garlic, and ginger. Next you add the spices and then the chicken. I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts that I cut into large chunks. Once the chicken has cooked a little bit you add the tomatoes and cilantro. This simmers until the chicken is cooked through. Once it is done simmering you add the yogurt and cashews. I also added frozen peas at this point which I think made a nice addition. We served it over jasmine rice.

Russ and I both really liked this dish! It smelled wonderful and had great flavor with just enough heat to it from the cayenne. I am not an expert in Indian cooking (or any cooking for that matter) to know how authentic it is, but it tastes very similar to dishes we have eaten at Taj India (our favorite local Indian restaurant). This dish will definitely be repeated in our house. In my search for this recipe I ran across a couple other Indian dishes I'd like to try making, so hopefully a few of those will show up on the blog in the next couple of months. Russ rates the chicken curry a 9.

Chicken Curry with Cashews
(Gourmet January 2005 via Epicurious) Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 medium onions, finely chopped (2 cups)
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
3 tablespoons curry powder
2 teaspoons salt (I used 1 and 1/2)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 (3 1/2- to 4-lb) chicken, cut into 10 serving pieces (I used chicken breasts cut into large pieces)
1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes (I used no salt added diced tomatoes)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 cup cashews
3/4 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

Accompaniment: cooked basmati or jasmine rice

Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation: Heat butter in a 5- to 6-quart wide heavy pot over moderately low heat until foam subsides, then cook onions, garlic, and ginger, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add curry powder, salt, cumin, and cayenne and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook, stirring to coat, 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, including juice, and cilantro and bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes.

Just before serving: Pulse cashews in a food processor or electric coffee/spice grinder until very finely ground, then add to curry along with yogurt and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring, until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.

Russ' 29th Birthday!

Russ turned 29 today and tonight we had dinner at his parents' house to celebrate both his birthday and Mother's Day. Russ' favorite cake is a Chocolate Mint cake that was served at his Mother's surprise birthday party several years ago. We then had it as his groom's cake at our wedding. The guy who made both those cakes just recently passed the recipe on to Jane. She made it for Beau's birthday and it was wonderful! I decided to give it a try for Russ' birthday.

This was my first try baking a two tier cake on my own, so I was a little nervous about how it would turn out. The recipe is not very complicated, but it does involve three parts. The first is the chocolate cake. The cake recipe includes melted chocolate chips, sour cream, brown sugar, hot water, flour and a few other ingredients. The second part is a vanilla buttercream frosting. This is where the mint comes in because you mix peppermint oil into the frosting. According to the recipe author it is important to use peppermint oil instead of the extract. Peppermint oil is very potent and offers a mint flavor like what is found in a peppermint patty. He suggested purchasing it at a cake store. The third and final part is the chocolate ganache that is used to frost the outside of the cake. It is made out of chocolate chips, whipping cream, and butter. To build the cake you put the buttercream frosting in between the cake layers and then frost the top and sides with the ganache. I had a a little trouble frosting the sides and think I need a little more practice to get it to turn out smooth and pretty looking.

Since there are so many parts I made the cake part yesterday and made the icings today. Overall I think the cake turned out pretty well. The cake was moist and both icings had wonderful flavor! Russ and his parents rated the cake a 9. The only thing I would do different next time is to work on my icing skills. I have found a cake decorating 101 class at the cake store where I bought the peppermint oil that I am hoping to sign up for soon. This could mean the first of many cakes....

Bird Crisis '07 Update: The latest score is Cash 3 and the birds 0. Fortunately for me the dive-bombing has ceased...

Chocolate-Mint Cake

Don't be tempted to substitute peppermint extract for the peppermint oil used in this recipe. Peppermint oil, available from cake-supply stores, has an intense, highly concentrated flavor like that found in chocolate-covered peppermint patties.

Chocolate Velvet Cake Batter

1/2 recipe Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
1/4 teaspoon peppermint oil
Chocolate Ganache

Spoon batter evenly into 2 greased and floured 10-inch round cake pans. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire rack.

Stir together Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and peppermint oil until well blended. Spread frosting mixture evenly between cake layers. Spread Chocolate Ganache evenly over top and sides of cake.

Chocolate Velvet Cake Batter

1 and 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1 and 1/2 cups butter softened
1 (16-ounce) pkg. light brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
1 cup hot water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Melt choc. chips in microwave/on stove. Stir until smooth. Beat butter and brown sugar at med. speed about 5 min. or until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add melted chocolate, beating just until blended.

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to chocolate mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed, just until blended after each addition. Gradually add 1 cup hot water in a slow, steady stream, beating at low speed, just until blended. Stir in vanilla. Use immediately.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter, softened
2 (16-ounce) packages powdered sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add powdered sugar alternately with milk, beating at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.

Bourbon Buttercream Frosting: Substitute 1/3 cup bourbon and 1/3 cup milk for 2/3 cup milk.

Yield: Makes about 6 cups

Chocolate Ganache

Ganache [gahn-AHSH] is a rich chocolate icing made by melting semisweet chocolate with whipping cream.

1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons butter

Microwave semisweet chocolate morsels and whipping cream in a 2-quart microwave-safe bowl at MEDIUM (50% power) 21/2 to 3 minutes or until chocolate begins to melt.

Whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Whisk in butter; let stand 20 minutes. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture forms soft peaks.

Yield: Makes about 2 cups

New Cookbook / New Pasta Dish

As I mentioned before our cookbook collection is ever growing and the most recent addition is Giada’s new cookbook “Everyday Pasta”. While I have browsed through it several times I still have not made anything out of it… until tonight. While the title indicates that it is only pasta it actually has a fare number of non-pasta dishes too, however, I opted to try a pasta dish. I wanted a lighter pasta dish that wasn’t too creamy, so I selected her Roman-Style Fettuccine with Chicken.

This is a fairly simple dish that includes chicken, red and yellow peppers, diced tomatoes, capers among a few other things. I did make a few changes to the recipe. I did not use the prosciutto and we had leftover chicken from Sunday night that we shredded and used. This came together very quickly and is a colorful and tasty dish. The sauce is light and the flavor of the peppers is really able to come through. The capers add nice extra layer of flavor to the dish. For such a simple dish it packs a nice, fresh flavor. We did add a little salt and pepper to it, however, had we used the prosciutto this most likely would not have been needed.

We really enjoyed the pasta and look forward to trying more recipes out of the cookbook. We have all of Giada's cookbooks now and have really enjoyed almost ever recipe of hers that we have tried. Russ rates tonight pasta a 8. He felt like had we included the prosciutto it would have bumped it up to a higher rating. Next time I may try it with the prosciutto and just cut it in bigger chunks for those of us who would rather not eat it.

On a different note one of the blog contributers had pretty big day yesterday and requested that his accomplishments be included on the blog. Cash managed to get not one, but two birds yesterday in the back yard. Cash is extremely fast and has had many close calls with squirrels and birds in the past, but this was his first day to catch them. He was very proud of himself and I think Russ was too. I, however, was slightly freaked out by it. Despite my dislike for birds I really don’t like seeing dead things… The other birds are apparently not too happy with Cash and now when he goes out back they start squawking and flying around trying to dive-bomb him. While it keeps me from wanting to be in the backyard while hysterical, mad birds fly too low and too close for comfort it doesn’t seem to bother Cash. So for those keeping score of the bird crisis of ’07 it is now Cash 2 and the birds 0. (Disclaimer: If this ruined your appetite in any way then we apologize and you may take it up with Cash and Russ who insisted that the bird crisis of ’07 is blog worthy.) Cash is a tuckered out little pup in the picture from all the bird hunting!

Roman-Style Fettuccine with Chicken
(Giada De Laurentiis, "Everyday Pasta") 4 - 6 servings

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves
2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced
3 ounces prosciutto, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 and 1/2 pounds fresh fettuccine
2 tablespoons drained capers
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken until brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the bell peppers and prosciutto and cook until the peppers have browned and the prosciutto is crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and their juice, wine, thyme, and oregano. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the broth, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the fresh pasta, stir, and cook until tender, about 1 minute. Drain.

Remove the chicken and let it cool slightly on a cutting board. Using a fork and knife, gently shred the chicken. Return the chicken to the pan. Stir in the capers and parsley.

To serve, spoon the pasta into serving dishes and top with the chicken and sauce.

BBQ for Two

Russ and I have a small and ever growing cookbook collection. Russ actually had quite a few of his own before we got married, but since then most of the new additions have been ones I wanted. However, we did get a cookbook as a wedding gift that has become one of Russ’ favorites. It is the William Sonoma’s Essentials of Grilling. We decided to take advantage of the great weather and a relaxing Sunday night together to grill out and use the cookbook. The recipe we picked from it is the Classic Barbecued Chicken.

I was excited about making the barbeque sauce and Russ loves any opportunity to use his Egg. The sauce came together fairly easily despite having quite a few ingredients. It then simmered for around 25 minutes. Russ then salt and peppered the chicken breasts and basted them with the sauce while they grilled. The only deviation from the recipe is that we used only bone in split chicken breasts instead of a mix of pieces and it took a lot longer than the allotted 20 minutes to grill them. The sauce was good, but had too strong of a vinegar taste for us. Next time I think we will play with the recipe a little more and either drastically reduce or eliminate all together the vinegar and possibly add some brown sugar and other seasonings. The sauce did work well with the chicken and Russ did a great job grilling them. They were very moist and flavorful.

For the sides we did corn on the cob, roasted green beans, and Ina Garten’s Garlic and Herb Tomatoes. Yes, that is a repeat on the tomatoes from just last week. I enjoyed the tomatoes so much last week and since we still had the fresh herbs for it I decided to do it again. It was just as tasty this time around! The green beans got a little over done while waiting on the chicken to finish cooking and turned into what Russ named “green bean French fries”. They were actually kind of good! However, next time if they need to wait on the other food then instead of turning off the oven and leaving them in there like I did tonight I will take them out and cover them with foil. The corn we simply boiled using Russ' technique that always turns out perfectly cooked corn. You bring a pot of water to a boil, add the corn, bring it back to a boil, turn off the heat, and leave it covered for at least 10 minutes.

All in all it was a good barbeque dinner that could have been even better. We did have fun sitting outside eating with Cash. Russ rates the barbequed chicken a 6 mainly because the sauce was just okay and could have been better.

Classic Barbecued Chicken
"WS Essentials of Grilling"

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 cup bottled chili sauce
1 cup tomato ketchup
1 cup beer or ginger ale (we used Bud Light)
1/4 cup molasses
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 and 1/2 lbs mixed chicken parts such as breasts, thighs, drumsticks and wings (we used breasts)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

To make the quick barbecue sauce, in a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and saute for 1 minute, until fragrant. Stir in the chili powder, mustard, paprika, and cayenne. Add the chili sauce, ketchup, beer, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar. Simmer, stirring often, until the sauce is lightly thickened, 20 - 25 minutes. Use the sauce immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week. You should have 3 to 3 and 1/2 cups. Reheat the sauce before using.

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct grilling over medium heat. Oil the grill rack. If using chicken breasts and they are large, cut them in half crosswise before grilling. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Have ready about 1 cup of the barbecue sauce, reserving the remainder to serve separately or for other uses.

For the charcoal: Grill the chicken thighs, skin side down, and drumsticks over the hottest part of the fire for 5 minutes, then add the breasts and wings. Grill, turning once or twice, for 10 minutes. Brush the chicken with some of the sauce and continue to grill, turning occasionally and brushing with more sauce, until the juices run clear when a thigh or breast is pierced with a knife tip, about 10 minutes.

Serve the chicken hot with reserved barbecue sauce, if desired.

Another shrimp and pasta recipe...

Tonight I made yet another of Ina Garten's recipes, Linguine with Shrimp Scampi. I am not quite sure how I ended up putting so many of her recipes on the menu this week, however, I think this will be the last one for the week.

As I have mentioned before I enjoy cooking shrimp because they tend to make for a quick meal since they cook in minutes. This recipe does not let me down in that it is quick and easy to prepare. When the most time consuming step in a recipe is boiling the water for pasta and cooking it then you know you have a quick and easy one. This recipe also calls for very few ingredients and most of them are ones that we tend to keep around anyway. To prepare the shrimp scampi you saute the garlic and then add the shrimp and saute them for a few minutes until they are cooked through. You then remove the pan from the heat and add the remaining ingredients. Lastly you toss it with the pasta and you are done. I decided to keep things simple and serve it with some simple boiled broccoli.

This recipe is similar to the Hot Garlicky Shrimp with Asparagus and Lemon that I made back in March. While both are quick and easy to prepare, involve similar ingredients, and taste great; Russ and I both agree that the Hot Garlicky Shrimp with Asparagus and Lemon is just a little better. Tonight's Linguine with Shrimp Scampi gets a 8 from Russ.

Salmon for the Beer Bottlers

Tonight Allen came over to bottle the beer with Russ (the second step of the process), so I cooked dinner for the three of us. I have been wanting to try a recipe in one of Ina Garten's cookbooks for Eli's Asian Salmon, so I decided to try it out tonight.

The salmon recipe is very quick and easy since you put together a few items for a simple marinade that you pour over the salmon and then you add the panko and pour the remaining marinade over it. The salmon then bakes at a high temperature in the oven for about 18 - 20 minutes. The only issue I had with baking it is that the sauce that ran off the salmon burned. The fish itself didn't burn and was moist and flavorful, but the house smelled like the burned sauce. To go with the salmon I decided to serve sauteed spinach and to try another of Ina's recipes, Garlic and Herb Tomatoes. The tomatoes are cooked on the stove top with a few fresh herbs and minced garlic. They are also very quick and easy.

Allen loved the salmon and Russ and I both liked it a lot. The topping was a little on the salty side (despite using reduced sodium soy sauce) and it didn't crisp up as I had hoped it would. I did like the flavor and I enjoy using Asian sauces / flavors with fish. All in all I think I may repeat the salmon, but at the same time I may keep going and look for other Asian style fish recipes. The tomatoes on the other hand I absolutely loved and the boys thought they were good, but not great. I thought the fresh herbs, garlic, and olive oil really brought out the flavor of the tomatoes. I really could have eaten a bowl of the tomatoes with crusty bread and been perfectly happy. The tomatoes are definitely a repeater for us. Russ rates the salmon a 7 and the tomatoes I give a 9. All in all it was a simple and fast meal that was tasty.