Busted Applesauce Pork

Well, tonight I made a meal for the family that absolutely no one (other than me) liked.  It made the oldest daughter cry, the youngest daughter say "no no no" and my husband grimace at every bite.  But don't take that as meaning the meal was terrible because in fact it was really very very good.  The family just has bland, steak and potato, chicken nuggets, slather everything in ketchup, teriyaki and BBQ sauce taste buds.  And, usually I will cater my meals towards this bland culture.  But every once in a while, I just have to make a meal for ME.  And tonight I did.  And I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I was at least hopeful, someone other than myself would enjoy it.  Boy was I wrong.

It was about 3:00 today when I decided on what I was going to make.  I had fresh parsnips from our own garden, and I just happened to come across a recipe today in Parents magazine for roasted carrots and parsnips.  Now it was just a matter of what should go with it.  Well, if I'm roasting veggies, why not roast the meat.  So into the freezer I went and lo and behold I had two of the biggest boneless pork cutlets cuts you'd ever see.  Just perfect for a 45 minute roast.  So into the cabinets I went for spices.  A little of this, and a little of that, using inspiration from my Aunt in California from earlier this year based off a roast pork cutlets she did, with of course my own twists.  And.. since I was already playing with veggies and the pork, I just grabbed a box of Rice A Roni wild rice to whip up on the side.

Looks good, doesn't it?  You wouldn't have known by the sounds and looks on the faces at the dinner table tonight.  But hey, I come from a different background than hubby, he's not used to out of the ordinary spices from another part of the country, and the girls, well, what did I expect from an almost 5 year old and an 18 month old?  Regardless, the almost 5 did eat the rice, and the 18 month devoured the pork, so that was a bonus. You can't please everyone all the time, and although I was insanely hurt by reactions around the table, I take away with the pride of actually making a good meal, last minute, whether THEY liked it or not.  Oh yeah, and this pairs very well with a hearty red wine.  So, here's how I played.

Cider-Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
(from Parents Magazine, November 2012, page 178)
2/3 c apple cider
2T olive oil
2T apple-cider vinegar
2T grainy dijon mustard
2T honey
2tsp fresh thyme (I used dry)
Salt to taste
1lb carrots, peeled, cut into sticks or sliced (I sliced)
1lb parsnips, peeled, cut into sticks or sliced (I sliced)

Preheat oven to 400degrees.  Cooking spray a roasting pan.  In a large bowl big enough to hold the veggies, whisk together all the ingredients except the salt. (my version)  Add the veggies and toss around to coat.  Spread the veggies into the roasting pan, with all liquid.  Sprinkle on salt.  Roast uncovered for 35 minutes or until veggies are tender, stir once half way through.  Liquid will evaporate.

Rice A Roni
Wild & Long Grain Rice
Follow directions on the box.

Apple Sauce Pork
Carraway
Coriander
Garlic Salt
Fresh Chives
Apple Sauce (Cinnamon is what I used)
Salt
Pork (I used fat sliced cutlets, you can use loins or a roast, adjust your cooking time, watch the internal temp)

In a glass roasting pan, place your pork cutlets.  Remember I don't measure, so taste and smell these flavors prior to putting them onto your pork so you can add more of one than the other if you feel you like them.  So, on I put the caraway, coriander, garlic salt and salt.  All sides, just sprinkle it on.  I use more caraway than coriander.  Rub it in.  I only used a handful of chives, not enough to overpower, but enough to give some flavor and aroma to the dish.  Chop them up, sprinkle them on.  Then pour the applesauce over it all.  I used whatever I had left, but I would estimate it was about 1 and 1/2 cups.  Put that into a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes.  Use a meat thermometer and cook until just under 170 degree internal temp.  Let sit before slicing.

Place everything on the plates and serve.  Just don't expect everyone to love it.

I, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed it!

Whatsa Matta... Chicken Piccata!?

Tonight, this is not a recipe that I played with, but more about how insanely proud I am about how it came out.  Having just recently finished the book Julie & Julia, I have been, of course, inspired.  Now, I'm not about to run out and buy Mastering the Art of French Cooking but I am inspired to try new things, more often.

My biggest obstacle in this however are the other residents in my home.  The 15 month old is typically a human garbage disposal and willing to eat anything I put on her plate.  Well, at least try it anyhow.  My 4 year old, she'll eat sushi, but she won't try a new BBQ sauce and grimaces if I ask her to try a slice of chocolate pie she's never before seen.  And my husband.... steak and rice, every day of his life with Teriyaki sauce and he'd be content to never have to consume "spices" ever again.  So finding just the right recipe to try out on the critics in my home can be a challenge.

But every once in a while, I throw caution to the wind and pull out my standby bible of recipes The Joy of Cooking.  What?  You don't have a copy in your kitchen??  My binding is worn.  I'm surprised pages aren't falling out yet!  When I got married, I registered for this cook book and that cook book.  And several years back a chef at a hotel I worked for emptied her shelves for me and I added 20 books to my collection.  But do you think I ever open them?  Never.  My standby, the book that never, ever fails me is my Joy of Cooking.  It's not fancy.  It's back to the basics.  It's usually ingredients I can find in my cabinet.  (Usually.)  Even if I'm not going to rock a recipe directly, I continue to pull it out just for inspiration.

And this is how I came to Chicken Piccata.

Monday I was in the mood for chicken so I pulled out the book.  Flipped to the chapter "All About Chicken" and started perusing the recipes, and ingredients.  And wouldn't you know, none to be found.  Wait... I didn't even HAVE chicken in the freezer.  Did someone say hot dogs and macaroni and cheese?  So tonight, we stopped at the grocery store first and chicken breasts were procured.  Along with, a lovely jar of capers.  Which, I have had, but honestly they have never been stocked in my pantry, nor have I ever cooked with them.  Wow.  I hope I even LIKE capers...  When I got home I opened the jar and popped one in my mouth.  You can't cook with something you've never tasted.  Voila, ok, it's like an olive, only saltier.  I don't like olives.  At all.  But professional chefs SWEAR by cooking with capers.  I have to make this work.  They're small, I can stomach it.  Who knows, maybe the taste will change when I'm done.  And I've had chicken piccata before, I like it...I think.

Book out.  Scramble for ingredients.  Holy crap, that's a lot of butter!!  Dinner ultimately served 4 people, and I used 7 Tablespoons of butter for the whole meal, includes side dishes.  So, I guess Weight Watchers is out the door tonight.  Hello Butter, hello butt, oh I'll hate the scale Thursday, but it's gonna be worth it tonight!

Here's the Recipe:

Ingredients:
For the chicken:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves - and I sliced them into chicken finger size knowing that I was serving a toddler and a pre-schooler who would appreciate the size.
• Salt & black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter - make sure it's unsalted.  I used salted and could taste the difference.
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

For the sauce:

• 2-3 tablespoons minced shallots or scallions - I used dried scallions from my spice rack
• 1 cup chicken stock - BOULLION worked just as well!!
• 3-4 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice - totally used the concentrated stuff
• 2 tablespoons nonpareil capers, drained
• 2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened - unsalted, a must.

How to make them play nicely:

• Rinse and pat the chicken breasts dry. Trim any fat etc.
• Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper to tast
• Spread the flour on a plate and coat the chicken on both sides.  Shake off the excess flour.  You really don't want a lot of flower on it, you're not making "fried chicken"
• Heat the butter  in a heavy 10-12″ skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant and nut-brown, then add the olive oil.  DON'T BURN IT!  If you burn the butter, just toss it, wash the pan and start over.  No, I didn't burn it this time, but I have done so before and burned butter, is just bad.
• Swirl the butter and oil together, then add the chicken and cook @ 4 minutes each side.  Keep the pan as hot as possible without burning. - Chicken is done when it's firm to touch.
• Put it on a plate/platter and keep warm.  I used the microwave.

The sauce:

• Remove all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the chicken skillet. 
• Heat the scallions or shallots over medium heat and cook, stirring, until wilted about 1 minute. 
• Increase the heat to high and add the chicken stock.
• Bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon to dissolve the brown bits. (those lovely brown bits we call "fond" - remember?)
• Add the lemon juice, and capers and boil until the mixture is reduced to @ 1/3 cup, @ 3-4 minutes. 
• Add the accumulated chicken juices and reduce again.  Remove from the heat and swirl in the butter. - I didn't have any because I put my chicken on a paper towel to sop up excess oil. I am on Weight Watchers after all.
• Pour sauce over the chicken and serve immediately.

Now, I didn't pour my sauce over all the chicken that I cooked.  Remember my picky eater audience?  Yeah, both the 15 month and 4 year old recieved sauceless chicken.  And I knew that if husband really didn't like it, he could eat plain chicken.

End result?  I gobbled it up like it was going out of style.  It was by far the best Chicken Piccata I have EVER had.  Maybe because I made it, or maybe just because Joy of Cooking is that good, that simple, that yummy.  Or maybe it was all that butter....  Even my 4 year old asked if she could try capers when I told her they tasted like little olives.  She LOVES olives, the freak.

Can't wait to make this recipe again!

The Radiator

The radiator in your car is designed to cool down your engine. If you have ever changed the coolant fluid, it's eclectic green. Today's recipe is to keep you cool during this heat wave.

I've been playing with the recipe for a while now and tonight's final tweak that turned it green made it just perfect!

So I present to you my drink of the summer: The Radiator

1 oz Barbados Rum
1 oz Captain Silver Spiced Rum
1 splash blue curaçao
Pour this right into the glass over 3 pieces of ice
Pour over to rim, pineapple juice
Stick in a straw
Enjoy!!

Now, my husband will argue that it's the "wrong color green.". But is that really the point? It's green, it's fun, it's rum... It's a strong drink. Does it really matter?

Burritos, Enchilada Style

We seem to do Mexican at least once a week.  Usually it's a last minute, "well I have ground hamburger and happen to have seasoning, oh yeah and tortillas, lets have tacos."  But every once in a while I like to take my time and plan Mexican night.  And by plan, I really mean take chicken out of the freezer ahead of time and say "huh, ok this might work" and then realize that I don't have tortillas, pre-packaged seasoning or sour cream.  So I pick up the phone and ask the husband to get tortillas and sour cream on the way home, it's Mexican night. 

Daughter wants black beans, I like rice and husband just wants meat and cheese.  So I decide to just toss them all into a tortilla, call it a burrito.  Oh, and I have salsa in the fridge, oh and CHEESE, so I'll bake them enchilada style!  But that still leaves me without taco seasonings.... why pay for pre-packaged when you can make your own!?  Oh yeah, let's play.

Ingredients

• Chicken Breast, Thighs
• I used 1 large breast and 2 thighs - adjust for how many you're going to cook for.  This made enough for 5 people
• Pre-packaged yellow rice
• 1 can black beans, drain and rinse
• A mirage of seasonings - what, your cabinets aren't well stocked?  Then, go stock them.
• Chili Powder
• Garlic Salt
• Onion Powder
• Salt
• Pepper
• Oregano
• Paprika
• Red Pepper Flakes (yay!)
• Chicken bouillon (3 cubes or 2T from jar)
• 8 inch flour tortillas
• Mexican shredded cheese, Cheddar shredded cheese
• Your favorite salsa

Rice & Beans

• Make the rice according to the package directions
• When just about all the water is gone, add the black beans, cover back and up and finish cooking.
• Remove from heat when done.

 Chicken

• Saute Pan - I use stainless, but non-stick would work, put in your chicken (frozen or thawed, doesn't matter) and fill with water to just the top of the chicken
• Salt, Pepper and Chili powder both sides of chicken
• Bring to a boil and add the chicken bouillon
• Why bouillon?  Well, it just seemed right to me.  Season every step of the way, add layers to your dishes.
• Let boil until chicken is cooked (turn them over from time to time for even boiling)
•  
• When chicken is done, remove from heat and set pan aside.  Put chicken on cutting board.
• Take 2 forks and start pulling the chicken apart and shred it.
• Discard of 1/2 the water left over after boiling (you should probably have just about 1/4 cup left in the pan) - add the chicken back to the pan.

Taco Spices

• I found myself without taco seasoning one time during Mexican night after I had ground the beef.  So to the internet I went searching for how to make my own.  From this recipe and from that recipe I took here and there, and then modified the ratios to my own taste.  I encourage you to do the same.  My level of spice in this recipe is set for my family.  They like a zip on the tongue but not fire hot.  I'd love to spice it up some time.
• In a small bowl combine the following spices.  Now remember, I'm not going to tell you Tablespoons or teaspoons.  This will all depend on your personal flavor preferences.  I will however this time give you how many parts of each. 

• 3 parts chili powder
• 1/4 part garlic salt
• 1/4 part onion powder
• 1/4 part oregano
• 1/2 part paprika
• 1.5 part cumin
• 1/2 part salt
• 1/2 part pepper 
• Stir/shake to mix

 Chicken Re-Do

• Return the chicken and 1/4 c of the boiling juices back to the stove on med-high and add your taco seasonings.
• Cook down until liquid is gone. Don't let it burn.  Take off heat when done.

Assuming that your rice and beans were cooking at the same time you were doing your chicken, you should now have 2 separate hot dishes.  Let's combine them.

Let's Get Rolling

1. Zap the flour tortillas in the microwave to warm them up.
2. Lay it out on the counter (you cleaned it right?) and add your rice and beans, then your chicken.
3. Roll, tightly.
4. Place in a baking dish.
5. Repeat 1-4 until you've made 4-6 rolls.
6. Pour salsa over and use back of spoon to make sure all tortilla is covered, otherwise it dries out and gets hard.
7. Cover them with gobs and gobs of cheese.  1/2 cheddar, 1/2 Mexican blend.
8. Place under a broiler until cheese is melted and has a slight crispy top.  DON'T BURN IT!

And.... serve it on a plate with fork an knife with a dollop of sour cream.

Oh My Marinade - Chicken Thighs

Having had a kitchen torn apart since... January (?) most of my cabinet stock foods have been in brown boxes sitting in my dining room.  And because I have decided that when it comes time to put them back in, I will be weeding out the old and expired and using up what I can without buying new, I've tried to do as much "home made" as I can.  One of our biggest money wasting purchases is keeping a well stocked cabinet.  While this is great from one angle because I can then say I always have this or that on hand, it's also bad, as I lose track of what I really have.  I have found duplicate spices, having purcahsed Ginger recently because I didn't think I had it, so now I have two bottles of ground ginger.  Same with Curry.  At least it's two good spices though.  However I have about 4 bottles of cinnamon... why do I have so much cinnamon?  So before I put all my food items back into what will hopefully be a super organized, labeled and categorized set of cabinets, I'm trying to use and create and make what I can from scratch.  Which means, a lot of playing.

I first made this marinade a few weeks ago and applied it to chicken wings.  I really, really wish I had taken a picture then for you.  The wings came out FANTASTIC.  I mean, they could not have been more perfect.  They were crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside with just enough sauce to give you sticky fingers.  Oh they were divine!  But alas, I did not have my camera near by and so I did not get the opportunity to share this marinade with you then.  Last night however, I applied my new sauce to chicken thighs and behold, the same succulence came forth from my grill.


Now I present to you the ingredient list:

• Soy Sauce (I prefer low sodium)
• Sesame Oil
• Fresh or Dried Chives
• Ground Ginger
• Garlic Salt
• Red Pepper flakes (didn't I tell you I've been crazy about them lately, they go into everything!)
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Sugar

And you ask me, as always, but HOW MUCH Jenn?  And my answer to you this time... depends on how much chicken!  I served 8 chicken thighs with this.  And my combined amount of liquid could not have been more than just 1 cup.  I cook by taste.  Grab a bowl.  Pour in  some soy sauce and sesame oil.  Equal parts, that I know for sure.  Add to that sugar and the rest of your spices.  How sweet do you want it, adjust accordingly.  Note that your pepper flakes will give more flavor the longer they sit in the sauce and once they get heat up, so it may take you once or twice of making the sauce to get your heat adjusted correctly.  First time I made it, it had a nice zing on the tongue and last night it was just a soft undertone.

Now, I'm sure by now you've also noticed that I've said "sauce" and I also say "marinade" - well, you could use it either way!  This would be so yummy having let the chicken sit in it for an hour or more and I have a variation that includes White Wine Vinegar where I do just that.  But the last two times I've made this sauce, I have used it as just that, a sauce.

Let's get cooking.
Prep your chicken, trim what needs to be trimmed.  I used boneless, skinless thighs last night.  I have also used wings and drumsticks.  This is best with skin on, as you can get things nice and crispy.  Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken parts you have decided to use.

Get your grill nice and hot.  Get the chicken on.  What, Jenn, no sauce?  Oh nooooo... why get my grill all dirty?  Get the chicken on the grill naked (aka. no sauce).  Use your grill skills and make those lovely grill marks.  Turn the heat back a bit and flip them when it is time.  Cook your chicken to its desired doneness (you know, not pink).  If it's chicken parts with skin, keep an eye on them as you don't want flare up or burns.

When the chicken is just about done, that's when you bring out your sauce.  Douse those babies and make 'em happy.  They've been roasting under that hot fire and they are asking for some cool sauce.  Turn the heat to low and just let them sit for a few minutes under a closed lid, let the sauce start to caramelize a bit on top.  Flip, sauce the other side.  Let them sit.  Repeat this until you have sauced the chicken at least 2 times per side.  And as a side note, this is a good time to let yourself get sauced.  Any of my drinks from this blog go very nicely with grilling.  Stay cool while your meat heats.  LOL



Ok, when they're done, you should be out of sauce for the most part, and your chicken should be a beautiful amber brown and glistening. 

Serve with pasta or rice, and of course a vegetable.  Enjoy!

What's Better than Bacon?

Cooking Bacon at 9:30pm on a Wednesday night.

Vegetable Soupy Stew

So, I've got this event tomorrow night that requires several people to bring a dish.  It's not exactly pot-luck since we all know basically who's bringing what.  And since I wasn't sure if I'd have an oven or not, my pot had to be stove top or crock pot.  I decided to make soup.  What kind of soup, well, I'd determine that later once the date got closer.  Now it's tomorrow and I'm not sure what to do.  I have a few "fancy" soups like I like to make like Leek and Potato, or Cream of Wild Mushroom (usually has at least 5 different mushrooms), a recent addition is a Spicy Pumpkin Soup, and of course the classic Chicken Noodle, which I tend to make more like a chowder.  (I'll put that one up some day.)  But then I found out that one of the people attending is a vegetarian.  I've cooked all veggie before and have not found it to be an issue, so I took this on as saying my dish would be the one true veggie dish they can have.  Heck, I think it's even Vegan.

Now, I tend to cook meals so that they have sustenance to them.  When you leave my table, you won't go away hungry.  So when I play, I play hard.  My meals are not usually for the meek.  I like big bites.  I like big flavors.  And I always incorporate something I learned from the last time, into the next big meal.

So tonight, we play with Vegetable Soup, and I say if it can't have meat in it, go big or go home. (Am I allowed to use that?  Didn't someone copyright it?)  So, here's my hearty Vegetable Soup with bites big enough for Stew.  Let's play.  Get everything ready and prepped ahead of time, I move fast.



Ingredients

• 1 Sweet Vidallia onion (1/4 finely chopped set aside, 3/4 sliced)
• 2 short stalks celery (1/2 of one finely chopped, the rest bite size)
• 8 carrots (2 finely chopped, the rest bite size)
• 1 small cabbage (1/2 sliced to 4 by .5 inch strips)
• 1 package baby portabella mushrooms (quartered)
• 2 yellow summer squash (drawn and quartered)
• 2 zucchini  (drawn and quartered)
• 3 cloves garlic (smashed and finely diced)
• Olive Oil
• Sweet Vermouth
• 4oz tomato puree
• 2 boxes vegetable stock

Spices (I don't measure, just pour 'till it looks "right")

• 2 bay leaves
• oregano
• basil
• salt
• pepper
• red pepper flakes (5 gentle taps on the back of plastic bottle)
• thyme

And Here we Go

1. Cover bottom of LARGE pot with olive oil
2. Toss in your finely diced onion, carrots and celery (this is the standard mirapoix), generously salt and pepper here.
3. Saute this on Med-Low, keep it moving.  Sweat it out and get it brown and good.  If food starts to stick to the bottom keep it moving, but don't scrape it off.
4. When things looks dark and melted away and beyond soft (but NOT burned), pour in about 3 splashes of sweet vermouth.  And stir it up and scrape off the brown on the bottom.  This is called "fond." which I have talked about in strangely enough another Vegetarian post (Veggie Chili) - We're de-glazing the pan.
5. Alright, everything happy in the pan?  Let those veggies soak up that vermouth for a few minutes (keep them moving)
6. Toss in your bite size carrots, your bit size celery and your sliced onion.
7. Bring your pan to High and get them hot and keep them moving.
8. While these are starting to sweat start dumping in your spices.
• In go 2 bay leaves
• shake, shake, shake that oregano
• boogy woogy your basil
• more salt
• more peppa
• 5 taps on the bottom of your red pepper jar
• and "probably" about 1T of thyme
9. Med-High heat and keep moving.  You're now getting the flavors of those spices into the veggies
10. When they start to glisten (yes, they actually somewhat shine when they start to get tender), add your summer squash and zucchini
11. Add your garlic
12. Stir and keep things moving
13. Is the squash starting to shine?  Do they look like they're starting to get tender?  Alright, then add your mushrooms!
14. Hit the heat to high, keep things moving and wait for stuff to sizzle.  Get the flavors of all that spice into those veggies.  They want it.
15. When the mushrooms look like they're about to start shrinking, add your stock.  Add your can of tomato sauce.  Add enough water to all this to get the veggies floating.
16. Cover it.  Keep it on High.
17. Bring it to a boil.
18. Let it simmer on Low-Med for about 10 minutes.
19. Add your cabbage after 10 minutes.  Turn off your heat.
20. Let it sit another 10 minutes.

It should be approximately 1 hour later than when you started.  Yes?  Less?  That's OK.  More?   That's OK too.

Now, one optional component to this I MIGHT add tomorrow when I put it in the crock pot would be pasta, that small round hole pasta, looks like it's made for kids, often found in minestrone.  I haven't decided.  ALSO, I considered adding beans.  I would choose Cannelloni beans if I did.  Both may be a bit much, not sure yet.  I plan on having this at lunch tomorrow to test out and see what's missing.  I will then alter or add to it once it makes it into my crock pot tomorrow night.