Bigger Fish to Fry

Prior to this, I had only had Chicken and Dumplings at Cracker Barrell before. I found the dumplings pretty bland and wasn't really interested in trying this traditional dish again. I came across, in my Fresh Flavor Fast cookbook, a version with dill in the dumplings... and I thought, "The dill must make it more favorful."

Chicken and Dumplings
Adapted from Fresh Flavor Fast by Martha Stewart's Everyday Food

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
5 carrots, cliced into 1 1/2 inch thick pieces
1/2 teaspoon of fresh thyme
1 cup of all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thights
1 14 1/2 oz. can of low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon of dry dill
1 3/4 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 cup of milk
16 oz. bag of frozen peas, unthawed

I started out melting the butter in my Dutch oven over medium heat. Once melted, I added the onion, carrots, and thyme to the pot.

I covered, but stirred the mixture often until the onions were softened. I then added 1/4 cup of flour, and cooked the mixture for just a few seconds.

I added the chicken broth and brought the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. I seasonsed the mixture with some salt and pepper.

I then nestled the chicken thights into the pot and reduced the heat to medium-low. I then covered and cooked the chicken for about 20 minutes. I stirred the mixture a couple of times throughout the 20 minutes.

While the chicken mixture cooked, I turned my attention to the best part-- the dumplings! I whisked together the remainder of the flour, dill, baking powder, and a dash of salt.

With a fork, I then slowly mixed in the milk to create a soft batter.

The orginial recipe stated that the batter should be thicker than pancake batter and should easily drip from a spoon. If it is too thick, you can add more milk as needed. Mine turned out fine and I used the spoon trick to double check.

I added the peas to the pot and returned the mixture to a simmer.

I dropped the batter into the mixture in heaping spoonfuls... try to keep the dumplings from touching. I then cooked the dish until the dumplings were firm... approximately another 20 mintues.

Ta-da! Chicken and dumplings! Now, I will admit I thought prior to cooking this dish that dumplings would be more complicated. All in all, it was a pretty easy dish to make. The end verdict was mixed for me though... the dumplings were very good and the veggies were cooked perfectly. I wasn't a fan of the chicken itself. It was kinda-rubbery... possibly just a result of using dark meat and pretty much just boiling it. Maybe in the future I will try again with chicken breasts cut into pieces next time.

Oh well... On to the next recipe! ~Michelle

When I was little, we used to take vacations to North Carolina where I discovered and fell in love with hush puppies.  They were perfect with a cup of clam chowder and dipped in ketchup.  Thank goodness my eight year old taste buds have evolved. 

I stumbled across this recipe when I was looking for something to bring to two potlucks I had this week- one at school (more on that in a future post) and one for dinner with my college friends.  When we first graduated from college and moved to DC, we used to have potlucks a few times a month.  Since then, we've come a long way in the quality of food contributed.  I knew our main dish this time was homemade pulled pork and thought that the hush puppies would be a good compliment to them. 

Having never deep fried anything before, I was a little nervous to attempt them but childhood nostalgia won out.  Good thing it did!
Hush Puppies
From Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

1 1/2 cups medium grind cornmeal (not sure if mine was medium, but it still worked well)
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used cayenne)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon minced fresh sage or 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
3 scallions, minced
Canola or other neutral oil for deep frying

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients.

Beat the egg in a smaller bow and add the milk and scallions.  Add to the dry ingredients and mix until moist.  Be sure not to over mix.

If you want to make the batter ahead of time, the recipe says that it's okay to refrigerate it for a few hours.

Add at least 2 inches of oil to a large pot with high sides.  Be sure to use one with high sides or you'll risk hot oil splattering all over your stove (or on you)!

The finished product lived up to my childhood memories.  The hush puppies were crisp and delicious.  The addition of cayenne, gave them a nice kick- it's not overwhelming, but if you don't like spicy, you may want to use black pepper instead.

While the hush puppies were great on their own, they would also be good with some sort of dipping sauce.  Indulge your inner child and dip in ketchup.  Or for something a little more refined, try a spicy mustard.  If you have a sweet tooth (like me), dip them in some honey or honey butter.  Divine.  

Happy Cooking!
Molly

This may be one of my favorite dishes that I've made.  Usually I'm sick of leftovers by the second day I'm eating them.  Not these leftovers. 

This recipe comes again from Cooking Light, this time the March 2011 issue.  At first, I wasn't sure if I wanted to try the recipe since I generally don't like dishes with sweet and sour in the name.  However, I LOVE fennel and chicken with rosemary is always a good flavor pairing, so I decided to give it a shot. 

Chicken with Italian Sweet and Sour Fennel
Adapted from Cooking Light, March 2011

1 small fennel bulb with stalks
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken broth (I used fat-free, low sodium)
1/4 cup dried cranberries (the recipe called for raisins, but I didn't have any and like cranberries better)
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted (As I didn't have any, and the smallest package I could find at the grocery store was almost $15 dollars, I decided not to use them this time)
Salt and pepper to taste

Begin by prepping the fennel.  Mince some of the fronds until you have about 1 tablespoon.  Set aside to use as a garnish.  

In a large skillet over medium-high, heat the olive oil.  

Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt (I always use Kosher salt for seasoning meats), rosemary, and pepper. 

When the oil is hot, add the chicken to the skillet.  The recipe said to cook for 3 minutes on each side.  Mine took a little longer since the chicken breasts were pretty thick.  Next time I think I might use cutlets or thinner breasts to reduce the cooking time. 

When the chicken is cooked through, remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.  Add the fennel to the pan and sauté in the chicken's juices for about 1 minute.  Add the wine to the pan, stirring to loosen up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan.  This will add a ton of flavor to your sauce.  Next, add the broth, cranberries, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.  Cover the skillet and cook until the fennel is tender, about four minutes.  Place the chicken back in the pan so it can absorb all that good juice.  

To serve, garnish with the pine nuts (if using) and the fennel fronds.  

The chicken was tender and not at all dry.  The fennel was delicious combined with the flavors of the rosemary.  There wasn't an overly sweet and sour tang to this dish, which for me was great, since I don't usually like that.  However, the balance between the sweet and sour was noticeable but not overwhelming and the rosemary enhanced the whole dish.  The pine nuts would definitely go with the dish, but I don't think the dish is lacking without them. 

I can't wait to make this again.  Enjoy!

Happy Cooking!
Molly

With recent spring-like weather (with the exception of this weekend- apparently there's snow in the forecast.  Snow!  I thought I'd escaped March snows when I moved away from Cleveland), I've been craving a good burger.  

My mom was cleaning house recently and gave me many of her old cooking magazines.  I spent one day going through all of them and pulling out recipes I'd like to try.   Since I knew I had some frozen turkey on hand, I was keeping an eye out for a turkey burger recipe.  Since I love feta cheese, this one sounded perfect. 

Greek Flavored Turkey Burgers
Adapted from Cooking Light, January 2005

1 large egg white
1 cup chopped red onion
3/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 pound ground turkey
1 red bell pepper (or one bottle roasted red peppers, drained)
salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray
hamburger buns

Lightly beat the egg white in a large bowl.  Add the onion, breadcrumbs, mint, feta, lemon juice, turkey, salt, and pepper.  Mix the ingredients well with your hands.  

Shape the meat mixture into even patties.  The recipe says four, but I got seven out of it.

Heat a large non-stick grill pan (or skillet or even an outdoor grill) over medium heat and coat with cooking spray.  Cook the burgers for about 8 minutes per side.  

While the burgers are cooking, you can make homemade roasted red peppers.  Cut the bell pepper into 1-inch strips.  Place on a baking sheet and coat with olive oil.  Roast for about 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  

Serve the burgers topped with the roasted red peppers.  Enjoy!

These were excellent turkey burgers.  Sometimes turkey has a tendency to get dried out, but these were deliciously juicy and hit the spot until grilling season is here.  

Happy Cooking!
Molly

When I saw this recipe in The Illustrated Step-By-Step Cook, I thought it was too easy to be true!

So I made my shopping list and headed to the grocery store. While at Whole Foods, I searched all over for minced lamb. I was able to find ground, but just to be on the safe side, I had to ask the butcher for help. Was ground lamb the same as minced? You should of seen the look he gave me... "uh, yeah", he said. Well, how was I supposed to know?

I also removed one item from the recipe-- mint. Meat and mint just don't go well together for me. If you like mint, you can add it to the kebabs when you add the other spices... the recipe called for 3-5 leaves chopped. I definitely didn't miss the mint...

Turkish Lamb Kebabs
Adapted from The Illustrated Step-By-Step Cook

Ingredients for the Kebabs:
1 large onion
2 1/4 lbs. of minced lamb
2 tsp. ground cumin
salt and pepper
3 tsp. garlic, minced
2 tsp. parsley
olive oil

Ingredients for the Yogurt Sauce:
1 large cucumber
1 tsp. salt
16 fl. oz. Greek yogurt
1 tsp. garlic, minced

I washed the cucumber well and removed the ends. I then shredded the cucumber using my grater. I think it is time for a bigger one...

I added  a tsp. of salt to the cucumber and mixed it in...

I then took the cucumber mixer and put it in a colander to drain for about 10 minutes.

While the mixture was draining I got to work on the kebabs themselves. I cut up the onion and finely chopped it in my food processor.

I mixed the lamb and onion together in a large bowl.

I then added the spices--cumin,

salt, pepper, garlic and parsley

At about that time, the cucumber had been draining for over 10 minutes. Look at all the excess moisture!

I put the cucumber mixture in a bowl and added the Greek yogurt.

I mixed in garlic and salt...

And set the yogurt sauce in the refridgerator to chill while I completed the kebabs.

The recipe in the cook book was photographed with wooden skewers. In the text, the directions clearly stated metal skewers... and of course, I hadn't read the fine print. I had purchased wooden skewers. I then started to worry that the skewers may catch of fire during broiling, so I soaked them in water for a few minutes.

I then shaped the meat on to each skewer and tried to keep each cylinder about 1 inch. The recipe had stated that this would make about 12 kebabs... I ended up with 9. I sprayed my broiler pan with some cooking spray and placed the kebabs of top.

I brushed each kebab with olive oil while my broiler heated up.

With the rack about 4 inches from the heat, I broiled the kebabs for 7 minutes...

and flipped them and boiled the other side for 7 minutes as well. They smelled absolutely wonderful. I served the kebabs with the yogurt sauce and a side of lima beans.

I was amazed how tender the meat remained and the sauce was a perfect accent to the meat. It was good and true!

Enjoy! ~Michelle

There are a number of Borders Bookstores going out of business in the Washington DC-metro area and you know what that means... new cookbooks! I got some great deals! One cookbook I picked up with Everyday Food's Fresh Flavor Fast. I always need quick meal ideas. The first page I opened to in the text was page 115-- Spaghetti Puttanesca. And you know about my love affair with pasta.

Spaghetti Puttanesca
Adopted from Fresh Flavor Fast

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound of spaghetti -- I used whole wheat pasta
1 tablespoon of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced -- I used pre-minced garlic
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
1 28 oz. can of whole peeled tomatoes in juice 
2 tablespoons of capers, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup of kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

The recipe called for 6 anchovy fillets. Um gross. Alex also prefers meat sauces with pasta so I added 3/4 lb. of spicy Italian sausage instead. 

I went ahead and started to cook the pasta with a generous amount of salt and I followed the package instructions. While the pasta was cooking, I started the sauce.

I heated the oil in a large skillet and added the garlic, red pepper flakes, and sausage. I removed the casings of the sausage prior to adding it. When the sausage was browned, I added the can of tomatoes and mashed them up with the sausage mixture.

I stirred in the capers and olives and brought the sauce to a boil. Once a boilin', I covered and reduced the heat to a simmer. The recipe instructed to cook until the sauce was thickened, stirring occassionally, 5-10 minutes. It wasn't close to thickened after 10 minutes, so I let it simmer on low for a while... well, until Alex came home from work.

The dish was delish! Alex, who isn't a fan of capers, even enjoyed this one. I loved it... the meat was also a welcome addition. It made the sauce a bit more hardy. In the warm summer months, I will probably cook this dish without the meat.

A good one! Yea! ~Michelle

I love good crab cakes, but I am still a little nervous about preparing crab myself. So when I found this recipe in the March 2011 Southern Living, I thought I would be able to tackle cakes with tuna instead of crab.

Tuna Cakes with Creole Mayonnaise
Southern Living, March 2011
2 12oz. cans of solid white tuna in spring water
1 1/4 cups of Italian breadcrumbs
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp. lemon zest (I just used a splash of lemon juice)
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 cup mayonnaise, divided
1 1/4 tsp. Creole seasoning, divided
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 tsp. lemon juice

The directions in the recipe instruct you to start by draining and rinsing the tuna. I am not sure what the purpose of that step was, but I did it anyway. I mixed the tuna and breadcrumbs together in a large bowl.

I then mixed together the eggs, splash of lemon joice, mustard, 1/3 cup of the mayo and 1 tsp. of the creole seasoning.

The recipes said to make three inch patties, and that would lead to you have 8 patties. Mine were three inches and I ended up with 9.

I cooked 4 to 5 patties at a time in about 2 Tbsp. of hot oil in a large skillet over medium high heat for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

Let the cooked cakes drain on a paper towel.

While they were cooling and draining I put together the creole mayonnaise. To do that, I combined the lemon juice and what was left of the mayo and creole seasoning. I tasted the mayo and found it a bit blah. I like a little more seasoning, so I added a tad more lemon juice and seasoning. Then it was perfect!  

I served the cakes and creole mayo with steamed peas and carrots.

All in all, I did not like the tuna cakes. They were rather dry and you NEEDED the mayo to moisten them up. Alex liked them. But, since I am the cook, I doubt he will eat them again.

Here's to a hopefully better future recipe! ~Michelle

I love asparagus.  I didn't used to and then I was converted by a simple sauteed asparagus with garlic and olive oil.  Now, I look forward to spring when asparagus is in season.  Sure, you can find it in the winter, but it's just not quite the same.  So when I saw good quality asparagus last week at the grocery, I knew I had to get some.  And, I knew I had a recipe for asparagus risotto I'd been wanting to make.  Perfect!

This recipe comes from Cooing Light, April 2009.  Yes, I realize I make a lot of dishes from Cooking Light.  No, I'm not some health nut.  It's just the cooking magazine that I subscribe too, and I've been saving recipes for awhile.  Now that we've started this blog, I have a good excuse to start working my way through all the recipes I've saved.  

Spring Asparagus Risotto
Adapted from Cooking Light, April 2009

4 cups sliced (1 inch slices) asparagus
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups chopped shallots (the recipe calls for onion, but I like the flavor of shallot better)
2 cups uncooked dry Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup freshly ground black pepper

Combine water and broth in a saucepan and keep warm (do not boil) over medium heat.

Over medium heat, melt butter in a large, heavy, pot. Add the shallots to the pan and cook until tender, stirring occasionally.  Stir in rice and cook for about 1 minute.  Be sure to stir the rice constantly after you add it.  Also, be ready to add the wine right away.  The rice will stick to the pan if you stop to measure the wine now.  As my grandmother taught me, make sure you pre-measure your ingredients!

Next, stir in wine and cook until the wine is almost absorbed, about 2 minutes.  Again, make sure to stir constantly!  It's the key to a good risotto!

Add 1/2 cup warmed broth mixture.  Stirring constantly, cook (about 2 minutes) until the liquid is almost absorbed.  1/2 cup at a time, add the broth mixture until the liquid is almost absorbed before adding the next.  Add the asparagus before adding the final 1/2 cup of broth.  

If the rice is still a bit crunchy, add more water or broth 1/4 cup at a time until the rice is tender.  Stir in cup cheese, cream, salt, and pepper.  Enjoy!

This is a great and simple risotto recipe.  It's not too heavy (even with the cream) and really highlights the flavor of the asparagus.  While the flavor in the batch had great flavor, I think the rice was a little undercooked.  It definitely didn't spread like they say it should on Top Chef.  I think that if I hadn't been trying to take pictures the whole time, I would have been able to stir more "constantly" and the rice would have been more tender.  I will definitely make this again when I'm not distracted. 

Happy Cooking!
Molly

Cooking for one can be a challenge.  Most recipes are written for at least 4 people and even if you do make it, you end up eating the same leftovers for the whole week.  That's why I love to cook soups, stews, and sauces that are easily frozen to use later.  I also love anything spicy which is why I was excited to find this recipe for a spicy lentil stew.  

Spicy Ethiopian Red Lentil Stew
From Cooking Light

2 teaspoons canola oil
2 cups chopped red onion
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 tablespoons Berbere spice (I wasn't about to order this from online, so I made my own mixture, but more on that later)
3 cups vegetable broth
1 cup dried small red lentils (the grocery store didn't have any, so I used regular ones)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup finely shopped fresh cilantro
4 cups cooked basmati rice

Heat the canola oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the red onion and cook 15 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.  Next, add the ginger and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently as you don't want them to burn.  Stir in tomato paste and Berbere spice.  

Since I didn't have the Berbere spice, I looked up what was in the spice mixture.  There were various recipes out there, so I just decided to season the stew with the spices in the recipes that I actually had in my spice cabinet.  I used cinnamon, allspice, cumin, coriander, ground red (cayenne) pepper, ground cloves, turmeric, curry power, and garam masala,.  I didn't really measure them out, as when I cook, I like to season to taste. However, I put at least 1/4 of a teaspoon of each spice into the mix.  As it cooked, I tasted and adjusted the seasoning to taste.  

Let the mixture cook for a about 1 minute after adding the spices, stirring to combine.  Add the broth gradually and stir with a whisk to combine the broth and spice mixture.  Bring the heat to medium high to bring the whole thing to a simmer.  

Rinse the lentils under cold water and drain.  Add the lentils to the pot and simmer, partially cover, for about 35 minutes or until the lentils are tender.  Having never cooked lentils before, I didn't know exactly how tender they should be, so I cooked mine batch for about 45 minutes.  Be sure to stir the mixture occasionally so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.  

Finish by stirring in the salt.  Serve over the basmati rice and sprinkle with cilantro.  Enjoy!

Verdict?  The stew was excellent and flavorful, if a little spicy.  If I were to make it again, I would reduce the amount of cayenne pepper I add.  The recipe didn't make quite as much as I expected, so I ate it for dinner and a few lunches that week, but didn't have much leftover to freeze.  Overall, this was a good recipe, but I'm not sure I'd make it again.

Happy Cooking!
Molly

Chicken stock, not the most exciting thing to make.  However, chicken stock is one of those ingredients that is always good to have on hand and homemade stock beats canned or boxed stock any day.  Whenever I get a rotisserie chicken from the store, I usually make stock with the bones and any leftover meat.  If I'm feeling ambitious that week, I'll use the stock to make a soup; however, I usually just freeze the stock in pre-measured freezer bags for easy defrosting. 

I decided to use a stock recipe from Mark Bittman's The Food Matters Cookbook.  I looked around at a few others, but chose this one because it was simple and didn't call for  it to simmer for a long time.  Always a good thing on busy Sundays.  

Chicken Stock
From Mark Bittman's The Food Matters Cookbook

Around 2 pounds cut-up chicken pieces and bones
1 large onion, unpeeled and roughly chopped
2 large carrots, roughly chopped
3 celery stocks, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
1 small bunch of parsley, stems and leaves
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

Place all of the ingredients in a large pot (mine probably wasn't a big as it should have been, not having the benefit of fancy wedding gifs yet).  Cover with 3 quarts of water.  Since my pot was smaller, I just added enough water to cover the ingredients. 

Bring the ingredients just to a boil, cover partially, and lower the heat so that the ingredients bubble gently.  Cook, skimming off any foam (mine didn't foam that much) until the chicken falls off the bones, or about 45 minutes.  I let mine simmer for closer to an hour.  

Let the mixture cool a bit and then strain.  Press on the meat and vegetables to draw out as much stock as possible.  Skim off the fat and use right away, refrigerate (skim off any hardened  fat before using) and use within three days, or let cool completely and freeze.  I left my stock in the pot in the fridge overnight and froze, skimming off the hardened fat the next day. 

A note on freezing the stock:

I pre-measured the stock before I put it in the freezer bags.  This time I did two bags with 2 cups and one bag with about 3 1/2 cups.  I labeled them and then froze them flat by laying them on a baking tray and then freezing them.  

Overall, this was an excellent stock.  It was easy to make and didn't take much time at all.  The flavor was good and it froze very well.   I might add a few cloves of garlic just to add another layer of flavor, but I think this will be my easy, go-to stock recipe in the future.  

Happy Cooking!
Molly