Soup Update

Um, if something isn't broken...please don't try and either fix it, or reinvent it. I tried reinventing chicken tortilla soup with a new recipe.

Eww. It was gross.

The recipe (which I will NOT post) called for beer as the main liquid and then canned tomatoes and tomato sauce.

So acidic....adding sugar didn't save it.

It was all kinds of painful.

In the garbage it went.

And I hate it when that happens.

Crazy Busy

You know how sometimes life gets just waaaaay to crazy busy? Yah, me too. Just a quick note to say that I have not forgotten about you all..I just have been neglecting cooking.

But that is about to change.

I am making soup today!

And will tell you all about it.....

Home Alone

Husband gone. Kids gone. Let the productivity begin!! How many of you ...when given some free time cram it with all the things you are either putting off, or just don't usually have time to do? My hand is raised high! Finding myself alone last weekend was obviously my cue to fill my dance card with cleaning and organizing. Holy OCD batman.

I:
Cooked
Cleaned
Organized
Went to the dump (all by myself!)
Got a crash course in photography from my niece Juli
Had one of "those" shopping trips (ex Target or Drug Emporium...remember them?) where you go for 1 thing...and bags of things later....(I did that at Central Market - boy, that salad dressing was spendy)
Took my kindle on a couple of field trips to the beach
Watched a couple of movies (have you seen Atonement? Good flick)

This is a cooking blog, after all and even though I haven't been the most consistent blogger I hope you are still entertained.

My friend, Sascha, got me on a goat cheese kick on my most recent visit to AZ. Now all I think about is how I can incorporate goat cheese into things. Cue - wicked scrambled eggs . So the night before this egg thing happened I plank barbecued some king salmon. Delicious, by the way.. and I thought it would be yummy to incorporate it into some eggs. It was.

Wicked scrambled eggs:
2 eggs
A bit of butter
Scallion or any onion chopped
Fresh thyme (I happened to have some so in it went)
Tomatoes chopped
Salmon
Goat cheese!

I saute the onions in the butter, then add the beaten eggs. When they are almost done everything but the cheese goes in to. Cook the eggs to desired doneness. Take off heat and add cheese. Let it sit in the pan stirring occasionally to melt it slightly. Eat!

Simple Soup

Even though it's technically May, where I live there hasn't been alot of Spring weather. Typically, people not living in Washington would be dusting off the barbecue...refilling the propane or brickets. Us, nope. We still have the furnace on. Today just so happened to be 60 or so degrees and even though it seemed like a heatwave to me - this soup recipe just beckoned!

I first saw it on Alexis Stewart's' blog. She is always cooking something delicious! The soup is called:Chickpea Vegetable Soup With Parmesan and Rosemary and it is very very good. I had just about everything on hand! The only thing I didn't have was the Parmesan rind. Fine by me. I made soup with one once and there was something "off" about the taste. Maybe it had something to do with the quality of the cheese? Well, since there isn't a Dean and Deluca around...what's a girl to do? So no rind. Oh, and I couldn't find dried chickpeas, but I had some canned ones which worked out just as good (I imagine) and it cut the cooking time down!

It's really very simple with no meat and little seasoning. I'm just linking to the site because, well...it's easier.
Chickpea Vegetable Soup With Parmesan and Rosemary

Cooking, instead of studying.....

Who says that procrastination can't be constructive? This weekend was pretty quiet so what's a girl to do? Homework in either Algebra or English? - no. Cleaning? - no. Cooking? - Yes!!! Side note - I did do the homework anyway, I just didn't want to.

It had been ages since I made chicken parmesan so, raise your glasses to the winner winner chicken dinner (get it?), Chicken Parmesan and it's side kick, pasta pomodoro! We begin with the chicken parm. I did something that I don't usually do...I winged it. Or rather, combined and winged a couple of recipes together to create what I wanted my chicken parm to taste like. I already knew that the nut crusted chicken was super juicy and moist...okaaaaaay. Change the spices around a bit and bam! You have a flavorful crispy baked chicken breast that can be easily turned into chicken parm (simply add sauce and cheese).

For the chicken, I took regular chicken breasts and dredged them in seasoned flour (you must season your flour), then egg (plain old egg), and then a combination of shallot, garlic, parsley and panko which had been slightly toasted in a fry pan. I think the trick is to toast the bread crumb mixture. It adds a nuttiness that you don't get otherwise. The panko is crunchy already, but it is essentially flavorless. Then bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 160 farenheight NOT celcius(refer to the salmon blog for the joke which is on me). Top with sauce and mozzerella cheese, broil and done!

Chicken Parmesan (I am making this up as I go along..)

4 Boneless chicken breasts 4 cloves garlic minced
1/4 onion minced (I put mine in a food processor with the garlic so Chris can't bite down into a piece of onion or he freaks out)
3 tbl fresh italian parsley minced(I never use the curly kind, yuck)
1/4 cup grated (not shredded) parmesan cheese
1-1/2 cups panko
3 tbl olive oil red sauce
mozzerella cheese
1 tbl italian seasoning
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs beaten
Ok, let me think.... Preheat oven to 350 Take chicken breasts, trim them of extra fat and yuckiness, sprinkle with kosher salt and stick in the refrigerator. I don't know why..the recipe I adapted just said to do it and it has always tasted good so I don't ask questions. Mince the garlic and onion and saute in the olive oil for about 5 minutes or so. You don't want it to get brown, just soft. Add the panko and cook on medium low heat stirring between constantly and occasionally until lightly golden brown. Once golden brown, remove from heat and let cool on paper towel for a bit. Add chopped parsley and parmesan cheese. Prepare three shallow dishes (I use pie plates). One with the eggs beaten, one with the flour and italian seasoning, and one with the panko mixture. Take your chicken breasts and first dredge them in the flour, then egg, then panko. Put on a wire baking rack set on a sheet pan. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes until an instant read thermometer says 160. Remove from oven. Top each chicken breast with whatever sauce you have, mozzerella cheese and broil in the oven until the cheese is melted and starting to become golden. YUM!

Pasta pomodoro..and also the sauce I put on the chicken.
Again, let me think.
Ingredients:
28 oz can of tomatoes
1 medium onion minced
4 cloves garlic minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
pinch of sugar 5 basil leaves
1/4 olive oil 2 tbl butter
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 lb buccotini(like spaghetti only like a tube) or spaghetti

Puree the tomatoes, set aside. Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft. add the red pepper flakes and pureed tomatoes. simmer until slightly thickened, about 5-8 minutes (totally guessing). Take off heat and add the basil leaves and sugar. Boil the pasta in salted water until almost soft. Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water. Remove the basil from the sauce, add the almost done pasta and a bit of the pasta water to loosen the sauce. Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce adding pasta water as needed to thin the sauce. When it's done (5 minutes later) take off the heat and add the parmesan cheese and butter. Stir until butter is melted. Serve. Oh, before I added the pasta to the sauce, I ladled some sauce on the chicken...

Chris stopped by Borrichinis today for supplies including fresh bread. What does fresh bread need? Roasted garlic butter, that's what!

Take 1 head of garlic (or more, whatever) and slice the top 1/3 off it. Drizzle with olive oil, wrap loosely in foil and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the garlic looks opaque and is starting (key, starting) to brown. I learned the hard way that if it gets browner than just "starting" then it's burned and bitter. Yuck. Ok, take your roasted, sweet - not bitey garlic cloves and mash them with softened unsalted butter and BAM! Roasted garlic butter to spread on your bread. Just like Lombardis only you can wear yoga pants to dinner!
The garlic and butter prior to the mashing...

Yummy dinner!

Foot note - My formatting has mashed itself together seriously 3 times while writing this!!! If you see places where it looks like there should be a space or new paragraph...you are probably right! I am seriously sick and tired of taking the time to make paragraphs only to have it become one large paragraph grrr..

Fish poaching - the results!

First off, there won't be any pictures for this one. Dig deep, way back to grade school and use your imagination to visualize the words that are coming out of my mouth. It's good for you.

So I poached the fish in the court boullion and it was really yummy! Truthfully, there aren't any pictures because there wasn't much to see. Poached fish on a plate. I didn't eat it for a meal I just tasted it and into the fridge it went! White fish on a white plate? I'm not so good with a camera but even I know that wouldn't have made a good picture.

The fish was tender, but not mushy. It has a subtle taste from the broth and it all is just very lovely. Now, the original reason for me cajoling this recipe out of Devin was for lobster tail. Since I was plumb outta those...fish was chosen. I will, however, be trying that next.

Thank you Devin!

Why it's awesome to have a friend who is a chef!

I was in cooking heaven last night! Our friends' Devin and Cassondra were up visiting Devin's mom with their two kids and we went over for dinner. The evening was simply delightful. The best part for me was two fold... 1. getting to know Cassondra better and 2. Getting to watch Devin cook dinner while peppering (pun intended) him with cooking questions the WHOLE time. He was very gracious and answered them all PLUS gave me a couple of recipes. Win Win Win!!

Another big THANK YOU! to Devin for answering so many questions and humoring me while I frantically scribbled notes so I wouldn't forget.....

I had asked him about the best way to cook (and not ruin) lobster tail. His suggestion was to poach it in court boullion. My French is rusty, and I asked him to translate it. Basically, it's a poaching liquid with:
1 part white wine
1 part white vinegar
1 part veg stock (homemade, of course)
1 shallot
A few peppercorns
A pinch of red pepper flakes
1 whole orange. Juiced and tossed in
1 whole lemon. Juiced and tossed in

Simmer that for 20 minutes and strain all the solids out. Then poach your lobster, fish, or whatever seafood you want in it. I am currently defrosting tilapia to poach in it even though I already have eaten dinner. I just am dying to see how it will taste.

Side note: I had a very zen start to the day....went to Bellevue Square to get some makeup I ran out of..stopped by Lucy to see what there was to see and then I hit Whole Foods on the way to 405 to get the ingredients for the stock and the boullion. Oahmmmmm.

The veg stock is as follows:
1 yellow onion chopped
About 5 or so carrots chopped
3-4 stalks of celery chopped The stems (no leaves) of flat leaf parsley chopped
10 or so peppercorns
1 bay leaf
8 cups of water

Peel the onion and carrots. Remove the root ends and any leaves (bitter) Chop everything so the pieces are small and you have what amounts to equal parts of the veg. Simmer, not boil ("no bubbles" as I was instructed) for about an hour then strain the solids and use for the bouillon or soup or whatever.

It made the house smell wonderful. Notice that there wasn't any salt? That was on purpose. Season the dish you are using the stock for...not the stock.

When I finished the court boullion (aka. poaching liquid) it has a vinegar/sweet smell. I am really interested to see how the fish turns out that I won't be eating until tomorrow...but I just couldn't wait. Veg stock simmering and those black specs are peppercorns.. The rest of the ingredients for the boullion. Boullion simmering Stay tuned for the poached fish in court boullion. Unless it's crap, then you will see nothing. :)

Not Yentl, but lentils.

It was the first word I could come up with that rhymed. Whatever.

I got this recipe from a gal who used to cut my hair. It's a healthy side dish or leftover snack. It's really easy and who doesn't need to eat more lentils? Besides lentil soup, I don't have a vast arsenal of lentil recipes...this is a good stand by.


Don't judge the picture too harshly. I didn't make this for dinner, I made it for lunches next week so the picture isn't so fabulous. The cheese blobbed in the middle and believe it or not, this was the best angle to take the picture. Don't go by the picture..just make it, it's yummy.

Lentil Casserole (from Bobbi - thank you!)

2 cup lentils (1 package) rinsed.
2 1/4 cup water - I use chicken stock
2 teaspoon salt - I don't add the salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon marjoram
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
15 oz. canned diced tomatoes
2 cups thinly sliced carrots
1 cup thinly sliced celery - I don't add this, Chris would have a hissy fit.
1/2 cup diced green pepper (I always leave this out)
2 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

In 9 X 13 inch pan, combine lentils, water, salt, pepper, marjoram, thyme, bay leaf, onion, garlic, and tomatoes. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Stir in carrots, celery, and green pepper. Cover and continue baking for about 40 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender. Sprinkle cheese over top and return to oven uncovered just until cheese is melted. Serves 8.

Realistic note - Depending on how hot your oven bakes things....you may need to either lower the heat to 350 or add more liquid. I, should have lowered the heat because the edges all dried out and stuck to the pan. This is why the picture is the way it is....I wanted to hide all the dried up parts. It's still yummy though.

Same, same, same.

Oh, hi there. My name is Jannell, nice to meet you! You may not remember who I am but I am the one who writes this blog albiet sporatically at best. I just haven't cooked anything whoop-ed-dee-doo lately. Today, I thought I would get back into the groove of things with a weekly dinner staple at our house. It's a throwback to your school cafeteria days. Excited? On the edge of your seat? Waiting with bated breath?

Well, don't be. It's rather ho hum. It is nostalgic though....

Chris' mom calls it "slop" ...we call it "turkey gravy" (and it sounds a little better our way). Oh, and I just finished quarter one out of years and years worth of college quarters. If my English teacher saw this, she would make this blog absolutely bleeeeeeeed red with all the gramatical errors. But hey, it's my blog...and I can just write how I want to here. I'm not worried about comma splices and misuse of verb tense at the moment. Maybe I should be..

It's a safe space.

I should really do a series on the dishes that my family wants me to make on a weekly basis. No, really..there are like, 5 or so dinners that they expect to have each week and after a while I start losing my mind a bit. It's to the point where we will sit down to eat (insert dish here) and someone will start with "..did you do something different to the (insert same dish here)?" Oh, for the love....

So for lack of anything else to blog about, other than maybe a different OCD way I assemble my lasagna (I don't rinse the noodles anymore)...I bring you - Turkey Gravy over Rice (or you could do mashed potatoes, or noodles). Oh, the versitility. Pfft. (Extreme sarcasm....)

Ingredients:

1 package ground turkey. You could also use ground beef, but we don't.
2 cans Campbells Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can of milk
Salt and pepper to taste or Chris' seasoning to taste. I use Chris' seasoning.
Prepared rice, mashed potatoes, or noodles. @Sasch, I don't know how much of this ingredient...enough for your family should be the measurement. :)

Brown your meat in a large skillet. I use a chicken fryer. It's like a fry pan but it has higher sides. I seriously make everything in that pan. Come to think of it, I need a new one. Ok, once your meat is browned, add the soup and milk and simmer until the desired consistancy is reached for your liking. This recipe is also a good one to double and use for lunches or leftovers. It reheats very well and is quite comforting when it rains.

Serve over your favorite starch. We also serve frozen peas on the side. And, in case you are wondering...it's always served with peas. If I run out of peas, it causes an incident. It's really quite rediculous.

Below is my portion for tonight. No peas, salad instead however, you can be sure that there were peas. Oh yes, there were peas.

Chicken Party

Whether you are in the mood for a chicken pattie or a chicken party...this baked chicken recipe is moist and juicy goodness. Who would have thunk it?

(The term "chicken party" is an inside joke. Don't take too long trying to figure out what it means.) - Thank you

What comes to mind when you think of boneless, skinless chicken breasts? Dry, way too dry, oh...and dry some more. I swear the only time they weren't dry for me was when I either - cooked them in sauce OR on my George Foreman for 8 minutes (not one minute longer).

I stumbled on this recipe from Cooks Illustrated and thought it would be worth a try. Wow. Moist on the inside and crunchy on the outside. What's not to like?

Again...an adaptation.

Ingredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup roughly chopped nuts (I happened to have cashews)
4 TB unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces
1/4 of an onion, minced. About 3 TB.
1 cup panko
2 tsp finely grated zest from 1 lemon, zested lemon cut into 4 wedges.
1 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves (don't use dry, there is something special about fresh herbs)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3 large eggs
2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup flour

Oven to 350 degrees.
Using a fork, poke thickest half of each breast 5 to 6 times. Place on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and evenly sprinkle each breast with 1/2 kosher salt. Refrigerate, uncovered, while preparing coating.

Process nuts in food processor until they resemble coarse meal. Heat butter in skillet over midium heat. Cook, swirling pan constantly until butter turns golden brown and has nutty aroma 4 to 5 minutes. Don't burn the butter. Reduce heat to med low. Add panko and ground nuts. Cook stirring frequently until golden brown. Transfer panko mixture to shallow dish and stir in lemon zest, thyme and cayenne.

Lightly beat eggs, mustard and pepper together in second shallow dish. Place flour in third shallow dish. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Dredge chicken breast in flour, shaking off excess, then coat with egg misture, allowing excess to drip off. Coat all sides of chicken with panko mixture, pressing gently so that crumbs adhere. Transfer breaded chicken to clean wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and repeat with other chicken.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 160 when inserted into the thickest part of the breast. Let rest 5 minutes.

What a difference a year makes!

Who remembers the "hot mess" birthday cake of 2010? I do. Why in the world would I want to make that cake again? I am glad you asked that question....because I bought the correct cake pans! Ta daaaaa!

Always, always have the right tool for the job. I needed 9 inch cake pans, I bought 9 inch cake pans.

Although, I still refer to this recipe as the "hot mess" carrot cake....it's no longer a hot mess, really.

Just "meh" Mahi Mahi with tomatoes and olives

So I have alllllll this Mahi Mahi. I tried a couple of things with it, and they were ok. Maybe what I needed was an actual "recipe" for mahi mahi? I have just been adapting my favorite tilapia recipes thus far. My final verdict is no. No, you don't need a special mahi mahi recipe to make a good fish dish with this stuff. Just don't cook with it. Ok, back it up...yes, it tastes fine. Yes, to all the whatever questions. I just don't think I care for the texture. Don't misunderstand..the recipe is good, and I would and will make it again but once I run out of the mahi...it's gone for good. It just can't compete with my tilapia loins from Costco. Geez, my intro must really make you want to read further and make this right? Hahaha. Just keeping it real. But seriously, it is a good recipe. I made a big batch and ate it all week for dinner.

Mahi-Mahi in tomato-olive sauce (as adapted from Bon Appetit)

Ingredients:
2 tbl olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup dry white wine
1 tsp anchovy paste (seriously...not even sure what this ads to the recipe)
2-14oz cans diced tomatoes
4 6oz mahi mahi fillets
1/2 cup large green olives. Pitted and quartered
3 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1 tsp (packed) finely grated orange zest

K. So you saute the onion in the oil until it starts to turn translucent. Add wine and anchovy paste. Again, not sure what the anchovy paste does. I happened to have it (go figure) so I added it. Reduce it until the liquid is about 3/4 cup. Add tomatoes, juice and all and bring to a boil.

Lightly salt and pepper the fish. Place the fish on TOP of the tomato mixture. Reduce heat to low, cover and gently simmer until fish is cooked. 7-9 minutes. How do you know when the fish is done? I just took a piece out and cut it in half. Mine wasn't ...so back in the pot it went. Oh, by the way..this fish is reeeeeealy easy to overcook as I have done so each time I have tried to cook it. Whatever, I am just dealing with it until it's all gone.

Fish on top of simmering sauce..

When the fish is done take it out and put on a plate tented with foil to keep it warm. Mine got cold, but the sauce kind of heats it back up a smudge. Add the olives, oregano and orange peel to the sauce and reduce on high until it is thickened. Season to taste with salt and or pepper. Serve over fish.

Seriously, if anyone makes this and doesn't agree with me about the texture of the fish please let me know what the error of my ways is. I am over it at this point. The picture didn't turn out so good because I just noticed that you can't even see the fish. Trust me, there is fish under there.

Sorry mahi mahi, I am just not that in to you.