Chicken Orzo Soup with Lemon

I started chatting with Cari, a few months ago when she asked me if she could use my recipe for Corn and Crab Chowder on her site Can I Get The Recipe.  I’ve been hooked on her site ever since.  Since we’ve been talking so much, I asked her if she would like to write a guest post on My Man’s Belly and when she said yes, I was thrilled!

Cari’s site, Can I Get the Recipe? dishes out free, doable, nutritious dinner plans that offer a variety of recipes complete with shopping lists every Friday. Delivered straight to the inbox of todays on the go families, Can I Get the Recipe? offers recipes from well known foodies, accomplished chefs, the coolest cookbooks and occassionally, fabulous restaurants. Can I Get the Recipe? also offers weekly reviews and giveaways every Wednesday as well as the latest info on kitchen and food related gadgets and products in our Monday sponsored ads.

A funny thing happens when food bloggers get together and start talking about our lives.  It’s always broken into 2 parts: BFB and AFB (kind of like when new mom’s get together and talk about what they did before they had kids…truth be told our blogs are like our kids – but that’s a story for another day).  Cari’s background is one that they make movies from…you have to check it out!

We’ve had a lot of colds in our house this year and it looks like we have a few more. Typical of this time of year, I know, but this particular cold just seems to be lingering on and on and on…

Well, they say nothing fixes you like a hot, steamy bowl of chicken soup so I thought I would make some for lunch. Noodles are always fun but also quite typical so I opted for some orzo instead. I love orzo. It’s cute. It’s yummy. And it’s very versatile.

The lemon zest was a last minute idea. And I’m glad I actually have a good idea once in awhile because it added a little somethin’ somethin’ to the soup. Feeling a little sniffly yourself? Make yourself some soup!

Relationship Advice

Remember that book, Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus? Well, I read it and it made sense to me. Men are different. They think differently, they act differently and they see the world differently. Take that basket of clean laundry sitting at the bottom of the stairs that they step over them as they head up. It’s not that his hands are full. It’s not that he is being lazy. He just doesn’t see it. Seriously. So, without getting snarky, us Venus women have to learn to simply ask, “Would you mind taking the laundry up on your way?” It’s like magic words that give them vision. And the response most likely will be, “Oh sure,” and up he goes with laundry in hand. The key is to remember to not take things personally and to understand that he really does not notice these sorts of things. Now, if you want it put away, you’ll have to ask again. But personally, I’m happy enough if he just takes it up.

Serves 4 – 6

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, diced small
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and diced small
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• handful parsley, chopped fine
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 4 small chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 cup orzo
• zest from one lemon (make sure to zest only the skin…not the white pith)

Directions

Sautee onion, carrots, celery, parsely, salt and pepper in olive oil over medium heat until onions are soft, about 8 – 10 minutes.

Turn up heat to high and chicken stock. Bring to a boil.

Add chicken. Chicken should be fully covered by the stock. If not, add a little more stock.

Once boiling again, reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Add orzo and lemon zest. Cook about 8 more minutes until orzo is al dente.

Serve with warm crusty bread! Yum!

Technorati Tags: Chicken Recipes, Easy Chicken Recipes, Easy Cooking, Easy Recipes, Healthy Cooking, Healthy Eating, Healthy Recipes, soup recipes

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1. Roasted Cauliflower and Leek Soup
2. Lazy Chicken Tamales
3. Roasted Carrot Soup For The Soul

Blood Orange Caramelized Tarte Tartin

I know, I know vampires are in style right now.  Twilight movies, Vampire Diaries television show, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner – I haven’t been under a rock for the past couple of years.  Although, I have to admit that I am not smitten with the whole creatures of the night phenomenon that seems to be never ending.  But I am a big fan of Blood Oranges and their seductive blood red color and sweet flavor.

Earlier, I posted a Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Blood Orange Salad Dressing.  You’ve got to love the deep red color the dressing adds to the dish.  Can’t get your kids to eat salads, make up this dressing and tell them its special Vampire Blood Orange dressing.  (Two can play the “I’m being difficult at dinner” game.)  But my favorite use of these little ruby gems, with a ridiculously short season, is making them into desserts.

Craig has recently become concerned with my obsession with puff pastry.  Every time he opens up the refrigerator he seems to find a box of the magical stuff. (What’s particularly funny about that is he can never seem to find his half and half, that’s always on the same shelf and he uses every day, and has to ask me where it is.)  But what can I say?  I really like the flaky buttery flavor of puff pastry and it works so well in both sweet and savory dishes.  He never seems to remember my obsession as he’s gobbling down whatever dish I put in front of him though.

I had recently seen some random cooking show, when I was in Australia, where they used puff pastry as the base for a tarte tartin made with tropical fruit.  This tarte tartin is a perfect mix of sweet blood oranges (and a hint of marmalade flavor from the rind) combined with a deep caramel and all nestled on to a piece of buttery puff pastry.  Add a bit of vanilla bean ice cream and you’ve got a dessert that you might find in a restaurant for $8 or more.

Relationship Advice

There’s obsession…and then there’s OBSESSION, like Glenn Close…rabbit in a pot obsession.  I’m not talking about that kind.  I’m talking about really loving someone and letting them know from time to time.  For the most part everyone has a cell phone now.  I am not suggesting that you start sexting or even texting one another.  This can get annoying, dangerous, illegal and embarrassing.  Why not put a little calendar item on their phone and schedule it so that it goes off when they are on their way to work or lunch time.  Something like “Thinking of you” or “Miss You.”  If you’re not up for the technology bit.  Write a note on a small piece of paper and tuck it into their pants pocket, wallet, purse or lunch.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
• 1/2 Cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 3 Blood Oranges (sliced thin – use a mandoline or v-slicer)
• 1/2 Package Puff Pastry (1 sheet)
• Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (can also use whipped cream)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.

In a medium sized oven-proof skillet add butter, brown sugar and vanilla extract.  Heat over medium high heat.  Keep stirring while ingredients melt.  Contents will bubbly very strongly.  Keep stirring so that it doesn’t burn.  You will see it begin to turn brown and thicken.  You will also begin to smell it caramelize.

Once you begin to smell the caramel, turn the heat down to low and layer in the orange slices.  Arrange them in a circular motion starting from the outside of the pan working in to the center.

Let the oranges sit for 1 minute.

Unfold the pastry onto a lightly floured surface.  Roll the pastry into an 11″x17″ rectangle.  Cut the pastry in half (width-wise).

Lie the first piece of pastry over the caramel and oranges.  Lay the second piece of pastry perpendicular across the first piece of pastry.  Make sure that the entire surface is covered with puff pastry dough.

Slide the pan into the oven and cook for 20 minutes.  (Dough should be puffed and golden brown.)

Remove the pan from the oven and set aside until contents stop bubbling.

Put a large plate over the top of the pan.

While holding the plate, and the pan, flip the orange tarte tartin onto the plate.

Cut and serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Technorati Tags: Blood Orange Recipes, Blood Oranges, Dessert, dessert recipes, Easy Cooking, easy dessert recipes, Easy Recipes, Orange Tarte Tartin, puff pastry, Tarte Tartin

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Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Yes, Virginia, you can put roasted sweet potatoes into a salad!

Since when do vegetables, specifically cooked vegetables, have to be relegated to side dish status?  Let’s not be casting our vegetables into some imagined pigeon hole.  How unfair!  Let them out to play and explore with the other foods.  Okay, I know it sounds like I’ve totally flipped my lid but hear me out on this one.  When you roast vegetables, their flavor gets a bit sweeter and their texture gets a bit softer but still has a chewability (yep, I’m making up words now too), or tooth to it.  These characteristics are a bit like a piece of cooked meat.

When I first suggested to Craig that I was putting roasted sweet potatoes into his salad he told me I was crazy (he probably should have run for the hills then, but now he’s kind of stuck).  I told him to just try it and if he didn’t like I would never do it again (little white lie there – I knew full well I’d be doing it again). I also heard “sweet potatoes are for mashing and eating at Thanksgiving.”  The rhetoric continued throughout the cooking process.  When he finally settled down and ate his salad, he really liked the sweet potatoes in the salad.  He especially liked the contrasting soft texture that they brought to the crunchy vegetables on his plate.  We had a winner.

Relationship Advice

Ginger Rogers once said “Two people who love each other, they don’t look at each other, they look in the same direction.”  If you follow relationship guru Paula Abdul and her relationship advice that “Opposites Attract,” you may have found yourself in some pretty odd situations.  Does it always end with a fight about should we stay in or go out on a Friday night?  No, it doesn’t.  While you may be Laura Ingalls compared to his James Dean (or maybe you’re Dita Von Tease and he’s George Bailey) this kind of opposite attraction doesn’t spell doom.  But remember this: YOU ARE NOT GOING TO EVER…I MEAN EVER…CHANGE THAT PERSON!  Just had to throw that in there.  The main thing that keeps successful couples together, through thick and thin, is that they both have the same future in mind.

Serves 2 – 4 (depends if using for side salad or main course)

Ingredients

For Salad

• 8 Ounces Mixed Salad Greens (baby arugula, mache, baby bibb, baby spinach, frisee, etc.)
• Handful of Parsely (chopped)
• 8 Mint Leaves (chopped fine)
• 6 Tablespoons Goat Cheese
• 1/2 Cup Pistachio Nuts (chopped)
• 1/4 Red Onion (sliced very thin)
• 1/2 Cup Dried Tart Cherries
• 1 Medium Cucumber (diced)
• 6 Baby Beets (roasted and diced)*
• 2 Medium Sweet Potatoes (roasted and diced)*
• Olive Oil (for drizzling)
• Kosher Salt

For Dressing

• 1/4 Cup Blood Orange Juice (can substitute regular orange juice)
• 2 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
• 1 Clove Garlic (mashed with 2-3 pinches of salt)
• 1 Small Shallot (sliced thin)
• 1 Teaspoon Herbs de Provence
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper (to taste)
• 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions

For Roasted Beets and Sweet Potatoes

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Farenheit.

Place baby beets in foil (tops removed), drizzle with olive oil and tightly close foil around beets.

Spread diced sweet potatoes on baking sheet – drizzle with olive oil (using your hands mix sweet potatoes and olive oil to ensure all sides of sweet potatoes are coated in oil) and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Once oven is heated, place foil packet of beets on one rack and baking sheet of sweet potatoes on the top rack.  Roast for 60 minutes.  Half way through the roasting time, stir the potatoes.

Remove both beets and potatoes from oven to cool.

Once the beets are cool open the foil packet.  Peel the beets, the skins will slip right off just using your fingers.  Cut off any rough spots and dice.

For Salad Dressing

In a small bowl add first 6 ingredients and stir to combine.  Be careful when adding the blood orange juice…this stuff stains.

Drizzle in olive oil while constantly stirring so that everything thoroughly mixed.

Set aside.

For Pistachio Crusted Goat Cheese

Place chopped pistachios on a small plate.

Roll one half of each tablespoon of goat cheese into a ball.  You can make these whatever size you like.

Roll each goat cheese ball into the chopped pistachios and set aside.

For Salad

In a large bowl add salad greens, parsely, mint, red onion, dried tart cherries, cucumber and roasted sweet potatoes.

If the dressing has started to separate, re-stir.

Drizzle the dressing onto the salad greens.  You can use as much or as little as you like (you can always serve the leftover dressing with the salad).  If you use too much dressing, your greens will get saturated and wilt.

Using tongs or 2 forks, lightly toss the dressing and greens together.

Serve greens on plates.  Add roasted beets (these aren’t added earlier because they will turn everything purple when you are tossing the salad greens).

Top with pistachio crusted goat cheese and serve.

Technorati Tags: Blood Oranges, Cheese, Easy Recipe, gluten free recipe, Goat Cheese, Healthy Cooking, Healthy Eating, Healthy Recipes, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Salad Recipes, Sweet Potatoes, Vegetarian Recipes

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Black Bean Soup with Citrus

Lately my head has been spinning in about 1,000 different directions.  I don’t know what happens when your brain goes off on its own, but mine has led me down some weird rabbit holes.  My keys have taken what seems to be a permanent vacation, my body is listening when my brain tells it to wake up at 3 o’clock in the morning, I baked one of my polypropylene cutting boards onto a burner and I realize that I have to have black bean soup for dinner, that night, when it’s already 2 o’clock in the afternoon.

Ordinarily, deciding the dinner entree at that hour would be a God send (that’s early for me), but with only bags of dried beans in the house I had to think a little bit to figure out how we would be able to eat that night.  Not to mention I had about 2 hours of errands to run, since I had been traveling for the previous 10 days.  At this point, Craig would have been happy with takeout pizza or burritos, but I just couldn’t do another restaurant meal.  I wanted something that I could be sure would taste good.  (I had not had good luck during this road trip with food, including a small bout of food poisoning – YUCK)

My favorite black bean soup recipe is based on the recipe found in my dogeared copy of the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen.  But it calls for soaking the beans for at least 4 hours and I just didn’t have that kind of time.  So I broke out the slow cooker (crockpot) to get the beans going.  I didn’t throw all of the ingredients into the slow cooker, because I didn’t want them to get mushy.  It worked out great – errands run, home cooked meal, Craig fed (but we all knew that would happen whether I provided the food or Taco Bell catered his dinner), and I finally got a good night’s sleep.  Now if I could only find my keys.

Relationship Advice

Sometimes good enough is not enough.  When your significant other says “whatever is easiest is fine,” that’s when you need to step it up a bit beyond “easiest.”  This isn’t to say you have to go all over the top, but putting in a little bit extra goes a long way in their mind.  Maybe you’re not making dinner (tsk tsk – after all, you are reading this food blog) and you’re coming home from work and picking up takeout.  Take the time to make one more stop and pick up their favorite beer or wine to go with the food.  Just this one little extra step will be noticed and appreciated.

Makes 6-8 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 Pound Bag of Dry Black Beans
• 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Cumin Powder
• 6 Cups Water
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 1/2 Cups Onion (diced)
• 2 Medium Carrots (diced)
• 1 12 Ounce Package Soyrizo
• 1 Cup Orange Juice
• 1/4 Cup Lime Juice
• Kosher Salt
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• Cayenne Pepper

Toppings

• Cilantro
• Greek Yogurt (or sour cream)
• Salsa
• Roasted Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• Avocado (diced)

Directions

Place the beans, cumin and garlic powder into the slow cooker and add water.  Turn heat to high setting, cover and let sit for 3 hours.

In a medium saute pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add onions, garlic and carrots.  Saute until carrots just start to soften.  Keep stirring so that onions become translucent with only slightly brown edges.  Add soyrizo to the pan.  Keep over heat just until the soyrizo is heated through.  Add contents of saute pan to the beans in the slow cooker and thoroughly combine.

Stir in orange juice and lime juice.  Add salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste.

Cover and let cook for at least 30 minutes longer.

If a smoother soup is desired, use a stick blender or food processor to puree amount of soup desired.

Top with cilantro, yogurt/sour cream, salsa and pepitas.

Technorati Tags: bean soup recipe, Black Bean Recipes, black bean soup recipe, Easy Cooking, Easy Recipes, home cooked meal, Meatless Mondays, soup recipes

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Simple No Knead Bread

I haven’t made bread since I was 10 years old and in 4-H, my mother’s answer to Girl Scouts (not same btw).  But I digress.  It’s not that I don’t like bread, I do.  In fact, the smell of baking bread is one of my most favorite smells in the world.  I’m pretty sure that if they bottled a perfume called “Fresh Baked Bread” they’d sell out in minutes.  And just think of all of the romantic possibilities this fragrance could start…your significant other slathering some butter or jam on to your neck and going from there (digressing again – sorry).

I had heard lots of rumblings about no knead bread recipes lately, it seems that there is a new book out called Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, but I was motivated to actually try this when I was over at Hannah’s Honey and Jam website.  If your only familiarity with bread is the kind that is pre-sliced and encased in a plastic bag, you have no idea what you are missing.  Making this bread may take a bit longer than running down to your local supermarket, but it isn’t any more difficult.

Since my parents were coming to stay with us for a few days, I decided to whip up a batch.  Of course I timed it so that they got to smell the aroma of freshly baked bread wafting through the house.  Since they hear that I’ve been cooking, what better way to impress them than this?

Not content with leaving a perfectly good recipe alone, I split the dough in half to make two different kinds of bread.  I got 4 6″ round loaves from this recipe.  Two of the loaves were of the plain variety and two of the loaves received an addition of dried apricots and manchego cheese.  The apricots and manchego cheese loaves were perfect by themselves, but went especially well with beer and wine.

Relationship Advice

Sometimes doing simple things impress the people you care about most.  It doesn’t always require grandiose gestures to get someone’s attention or to impress them.  In fact, the simpler something is the more it shows you care.  If you haven’t noticed, in your day to day life, people don’t pay attention to the little things.  How many times has someone walked through a door, ahead of you, and actually held it for you?  How many times have you said “have a nice day” to the person behind the counter at your coffee shop?  It’s those kinds of things that make you a memorable person.

Makes 4 6″ Loaves

Ingredients

• 3 Cups Lukewarm Water (more water needed for cooking)
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Active Dry Yeast (roughly 2 packets)
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
• 6 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Cup Dried Apricots (diced)
• 1/2 Cup Manchego Cheese (diced)
• Cornmeal (for dusting)

Directions

In a large mixing bowl mix water, yeast and salt.  Let sit for 30 minutes.  You’ll see some foam on top of the water.

Add all of the flour to the wet ingredients and stir to combine.  I used a long handled wooden spoon to thoroughly combine the flour.  You only need to mix the flour until you don’t see any more flour streaks running through the dough.  If you are having trouble combining all of the flour, you can add more water (a tablespoon at a time) and keep stirring.

Leave the dough in the bowl and cover loosely with a non terry cloth towel.  Sit the bowl in a place that is warm and not drafty.  Let dough rise roughly 2 hours.

Separate the dough into 2 halves.  With the first half of dough, cut dough in half again.

Cover your hands, lightly, in flour.  Take 1/4 of the bread and pull edges under, to the bottom of the dough so that you have a smooth dome.  Repeat with remaining 1/4 of dough.  Sprinkle cornmeal on cutting board and put both dough domes on board.

With remaining half of dough, mix in diced apricots and manchego cheese.  This is easily done by working the apricots and cheese into the dough with your hands.

Split this dough in half and turn out domes as with the plain dough.  Sprinkle cornmeal on cutting board and put both dough domes on board.

Let dough rest for 40-60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Farenheit.

Place a pizza stone, or cast iron skillet, on the middle rack of your oven.  On a lower rack place a broiler pan or half sheet pan (you’ll be adding water to this pan so make sure the pan has sides on it).

Lightly dust the top of each loaf and slash the top 1/4″ deep.

Place a loaf (or loaves) on the pizza stone or skillet.  Pour 1 cup of hot water into broiler pan/half sheet pan and quickly close the oven door, so that the steam stays in the oven.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until top is nicely golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool.

Technorati Tags: Bread, Bread Recipes, Easy Cooking, Easy Recipes, No Knead Bread Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes

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Baked Turkey Meatballs

Confession time.  We have been eating way to many things that are not too good for us and it’s starting to show.  I usually hate when this happens.  Well I still am not happy about the situation, especially since it means our clothes are fitting a little more snug than either of us would like and I’m going to have to stop with my glasses of wine (for a little while).  But for some strange reason I feel a calmness about the next few weeks.

I think the calmness is because the weather has finally started to break around here and I think I’m beginning to feel a bit more optimistic about Spring being right around the corner.  There are more types of fruits and vegetables showing up at the market now so I have started concocting more lighter dishes in my head.

As a kickoff for our self-imposed healthy eating changes (I suppose I should say that Craig had no say in this decision.  The dietary decision has been imposed on both of us by my singular self.  When his pants fit more comfortably, he’ll thank me.  Until then, he won’t be able to find the beer until I can start drinking wine again.) I made turkey meatballs because  I thought that would be a little more fun than a turkey meatloaf, and it’s an easy recipe.  They’re so round and cute.

Relationship Advice

So speaking of making things a little more fun…Let’s talk about making things a little more fun in the bedroom.  Explore your fantasies.  Of course, these need to be discussed with one another and agreed upon.  One person’s fantasy may be the other person’s nightmare (see “self imposed dietary decision above).  But how about a little dress up, or pick up some whipped cream and chocolate syrup or maybe even a copy of the Kama Sutra.  Just think fun and creative.

Makes 12 meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 Pound Ground Turkey
• 1/2 Cup Grated Carrots
• 1/2 Cup Grated Onions
• 1 Teaspoon Fresh Thyme
• 1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest
• 1 Teaspoon Parsley (finely chopped)
• 1/4 Teaspoon Ancho Chile Powder
• 1/4 Cup Crackers (crushed fine)
• 1 Large Egg
• 1/2 Cup White Wine (chardonnay)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper
• Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Olive Oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.

Use the olive oil to lightly oil an 8″x8″ square baking dish.

In a large bowl thoroughly mix all of the ingredients except for the Parmesan cheese and olive oil.

Pull a handful (about 1/2 cup) of the turkey mixture and toss back and forth in your hands to form a ball.  The ball should form rather easily.

Once the meatball is formed, place it in the baking dish.

After all of the meatballs are in the dish, cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.  After 40 minutes remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes.

Remove the meatballs from the oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Technorati Tags: Easy Cooking, Easy Recipe, Easy Recipes, ground turkey, Healthy Cooking, Healthy Eating, Healthy Recipes, Lite Cooking, Main Course, Relationship Advice

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Inside Out Chicken Pot Pie

Can you think of another dish that is so comforting and yet as versatile as chicken pot pie?  It truly is a one dish meal.  You’ve got your bread (the crust), you’ve got your meat (the chicken), you’ve got vegetables (the vegetables – duh) and an added bonus of a creamy sauce.  How can you go wrong?

I got the Le Creuset Mini Cocotte set for Christmas and couldn’t think of a more appropriate way to break them in than with some puff pastry and creamy chicken pot pie filling.  Thankfully Craig agreed.  Craig more than agreed.  I made 4 so that we could have the rest the next day and he ate 2 of them before I knew it.

I’ve never been much of a fan of the top crust on pies.  I do like crust, but when breaking into the pot pie, sometimes you end up losing precious shards of dough as it breaks apart, especially when using puff pastry for your crust.  So I thought I’d swaddle that chicken and magic sauce in a blanket of puff pastry by lining the cocotte with the dough.  Didn’t lose a single piece of that yummy dough.

Relationship Advice

If you are reading my blog…which if you are here you obviously are…you probably cook.  However, I do know that a lot of you read this site to get ideas and bookmark recipes but never seem to get around to making them. Maybe this will motivate you.  Have you noticed how much you eat out once you are in a relationship?  That’s because we humans bond over food and restaurant food isn’t usually known to be low in calories.  But if you cook things yourself, you can control what you put in them and in turn how much of the food turns up on you.  Remember that bonding thing that I just mentioned?  Well the bonding can take place while preparing the food too, not just eating it.  So get into the kitchen and start cooking – if you know what I mean .

Makes 4 Pot Pies

Ingredients

• 1/2 Package Puff Pastry Thawed (1 sheet)
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
• 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Cup Milk
• 3/4 Cup Chicken Stock
• 4 Chicken Thighs (cooked and diced into 1/2″x1/2″ cubes)
• 1/2 Cup Onion (chopped)
• 1 12 Ounce Package Frozen Vegetables  – Thawed (I used an Italian vegetable blend)
• 1/4 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
• Kosher Salt
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• 1 Large Egg (beaten)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.

In a saute pan heat olive oil, over medium high heat and saute onions.  Once they have started browning on the edges, add the vegetables.  Saute the vegetables until they are hot all the way through.  (cut any vegetables that may be larger than bite size)

In a large saute pan melt butter.  Once butter is melted, stir in flour.  Keep stirring until the mixture is thick and begins to brown.  Once the mixture is browning, add in the chicken stock and keep stirring so that the mixture is smooth and free of lumps.

Add in the diced chicken, onions, vegetables, thyme and salt and pepper.  Stir to combine all of the ingredients (add salt and pepper to taste).

Unfold the pastry onto a lightly floured surface and roll the pastry into a 16″ x 16″ square.  Cut dough into 4 equal squares.

Lightly oil the inside of the cocotte (or ramekin) and place one square of pastry into each dish.  Make sure sides are covered with dough and corners are laid over the top of the cocotte.

With a fork, prick the bottom and side dough.  Any dough that hangs over the dish, do not prick with a fork.  (If you don’t prick the dough, it may rise when you cook it an force the chicken mixture out of the container and all over your oven.)

Put cocottes onto baking sheet and fill each of the dough lined cocottes (or ramekins) so that they are 3/4 full.

Brush dough with egg wash.

Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until dough is golden brown.

*Any leftover filling can be served over rice the next day and you’ve got another dinner.

Technorati Tags: 30 Minute Meals, chicken pot pie, Chicken Recipes, Easy Chicken Recipes, Easy Cooking, Main Course, One Dish Wonders, Relationship Advice, Sauce, Things to do with Leftovers, vegetables

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Crispy Mushroom Strudel

I will apologize now for my picture of the mushroom strudel.  I realize that it is rather difficult to see much of the details of the mushroom filling.  But how about those flaky layers of crispy crunchy phyllo dough?

Truth be told, the flavors and texture of this strudel defy any photographic evidence of its existence.  I took this to our Super Bowl party last week and watched it disappear in an hour.  There were no less than 4 requests for the recipe.  Needless to say, I was feeling pretty proud of myself.  I think the reason why I was relishing this little outpouring of praise is because this strudel is such a ridiculously easy recipe I was embarrassed when I brought it to the party.

When I was mixing up the mushroom filling, I had to beat both of my parents and Craig off of the saucepan with the wooden spoon I was using to stir it.  I’m not sure what the seducing aroma was, but they were relentless.  (It was like the sleestaks from the Land of the Lost.) What was really funny about all of this is that I thought Craig was the only one who did this.  Apparently your parents will do this when they are not in their usual habitat.  (This strange kitchen behavior of my parents hasn’t been limited to the kitchen.  It’s been fun seeing how different they are when they are in a different environment.)

Relationship Advice

So you are not going to believe that I am saying this, but here goes.  At the beginning of your relationship be very careful with how far you take the “wooing.”  By that I mean, don’t buy her flowers regularly every week or regularly buy her things.  You should not cook him dinner every night or buy him things regularly.  By doing these types of things so frequently at the beginning of the relationship you will be setting a precedent that can not be maintained and will lead to disappointment.  I am not saying that you should not do these things, I am only saying that you should not get carried away with them.

Makes 24 pieces

Ingredients

• 20 Sheets Phyllo Dough (1/2 package if there are 2 rolls per box)
• 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter (melted)
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1/2 Medium White Onion Diced
• 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
• 3.5 Ounces Shiitake Mushrooms (diced  to 1/4″ pieces)
• 8 Ounces Button Mushrooms (diced to 1/4″ pieces)
• 8 Ounces Crimini Mushrooms (diced to 1/4″ pieces)
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 4 Stems Fresh Thyme (chopped fine)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Lemon Zest
• 1 Package (5.2 Ounces) Boursin Cheese – Garlic & Herb Flavor
• Kosher Salt
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• Black Truffle Oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.  Add onions and cook until browned and beginning to caramelize.  Add in the mushrooms.

As the mushrooms cook, the oil will absorb into the mushrooms and the pan will appear to dry.  Add in the tablespoons of butter one at a time.  Continue sauteeing and stirring the mushrooms until they decrease in volume and are glossy looking.

Stir in the worcestershire sauce.  Then add thyme and lemon zest.  Stir to combine thoroughly.

Remove pan from heat and stir in the Boursin cheese.  Once the cheese is completely melted, add salt and pepper to taste.

Peel off one sheet of phyllo dough and lay out on a smooth work surface.  Brush liberally with melted butter.  Lay another sheet of phyllo dough directly on top of last sheet and liberally brush with melted butter.  Continue this sequence 3 more times. (You will have a stack of 5 sheets of phyllo dough.)  Cover the unused phyllo dough with a damp paper towel until you need the next sheet.

Spoon out mushroom filling 1/2″ from the edge of the long side of phyllo dough.  Drizzle black truffle oil along the top of the mushroom mixture.

Tightly roll the phyllo dough and mushroom filling.  Lay strudel roll onto parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Brush strudel with melted butter.

There should be enough filling for 3 rolls.

Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until phyllo dough is golden brown.

Let strudel cool before slicing it.

Technorati Tags: Appetizer Recipes, Easy Cooking, Easy Recipes, mushroom strudel, Relationship Advice, vegetable recipes, Vegetarian Recipes

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Congee for Chinese New Year

Having recently spent almost 2 weeks in China, I can say that I have eaten a fair amount of congee.  If you don’t know what congee is, the basic Chinese congee consists of boiled rice and water (sounds yummy huh?).  The rice is boiled in a high water to rice ratio to create a thin and plain slurry.  This plain mixture is usually eaten when you are not feeling well.  But most congee is served with various ingredients that are determined either by what you like or the healing properties of the ingredients.

Craig is not a fan of congee.  He likens it to gruel and can’t get that image out of his head of the poor orphan boy holding his bowl with his 2 outstretched arms and a look of undernourished anguish on his face saying: “Please sir, may I have another?”  Craig can be such the drama queen sometimes.

The best congee I had in China was at a small little place our guide (Vicky) took us to.  The rice and water were a creamy color and contained a few pieces of thinly sliced lamb, some kombu (seaweed), and a poached egg.  The broth had a rich flavor of various seasonings.  Since it was only about 36 degrees outside, the warm bowl felt really good in my stomach.  This is an easy recipe to make at home and the whole meal can be completed in 30 minutes.

Relationship Advice

In honor of Vicky and Chinese New Year, I thought that I would pass along a Chinese relationship saying that she told me about.  Treat them like  a guest.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 6 Cups Water
• 1 Cup Medium Grain White Rice (can use other types of rice except instant rice or wild rice)
• 1 1″ Piece of Fresh Ginger (peeled)
• 1/2 Garlic Clove
• 1/4 of a Medium Brown Onion
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 2 Large Eggs
• 6-8 Thin Slices of Pork, Chicken, or Beef
• 1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds (toasted)
• 1 Tablespoon Parsley (chopped)

Directions

In a large saucepan add water and rice and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat so that the mixture comes to a simmer.

Stir until the rice is soft and the liquid is thickened.

Once thickened, stir in soy sauce and add in the pieces of meat.  Periodically turn the pieces of meat so that they cook on both sides.

Remove ginger, garlic and onion.

As the meat is close to being cooked through, gently slide eggs into the mixture.  If they do not submerge into the congee, gently spoon the warm congee over the top of the egg until it becomes opaque.

Dish out the congee and include half of the meat and one egg in each bowl.  Top each bowl with 1/2 of the sesame seeds and 1/2 of the parsley.

*Feel free to add in a piece of kombu when you add the ginger, onion and garlic (and remove at the same time).  You could also make this with chicken or vegetable broth if you would like a stronger flavor to the congee.  You may have to adjust the amount of salt and soy sauce.

Technorati Tags: 30 Minute Meals, chinese new year, Easy Cooking, Easy Recipes, Fast Dinner Recipe, gluten free recipes, Healthy Cooking, Healthy Eating, Healthy Recipes, Relationship Advice

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Phyllo Artichoke Triangles

I actually feel sorry for artichokes.  They aren’t the easiest thing to figure out how to eat, most people don’t know how to cook an artichoke, and the vast majority of these little jewels get pureed into oblivion and buried in a sea of mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese.  Or they play the redheaded stepchild to spinach swimming in the familiar mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese pool.

When vegetables are used in our house, you can actually taste them.  I guess that’s kind of an unspoken rule around here.  You may not be able to pick out their flavor, front and center, but you can taste and feel them in whatever dish I put them in.  It’s a good thing that Craig likes vegetables.  Although, when we first met there were lots of veggies that he had never tried.  So putting on his best child impression, he would tell me that he didn’t like this vegetable or that one.  I have since figured out that when he tells me he doesn’t like a particular food, it means he’s never tried it before.  The vegetables, and fruits, that he was most adamant about not liking he now loves.

I have been on a bit of a phyllo dough kick around here.  It’s usually something I go through in the fall, but this year it’s the winter.  There’s a lot of swearing when I break out the phyllo dough because it’s so fragile and has to be handled pretty specifically, but the end results are worth it.

Oh, and even though I was bashing artichoke dip, the leftover filling from these phyllo triangles can be used as a dip.  (For the record: I’m not against dips – I’m against vegetable dip recipes where you can’t taste the veggies that are in them.)

Relationship Advice

Surprise your special someone with a dinner of just appetizers.  This is how they regularly eat in Spain (they call the dishes tapas).  For dinner you have little plates of lots of different kinds of foods.  Everything is just one or two bites and you share.  Break out a bottle of wine, or a couple bottles of beer and have some fun with it.  Make a couple of things (like the artichoke triangles above) and maybe some meatballs, and a bowl of edamame.  Then pick up some nuts and either grapes or strawberries.  Put everything on its own small plate or bowl and sit on the floor for a casual dinner.  You will get full and you will have fun eating lots of different things.  Since everything is small, you can forgo using silverware and just feed each other with your fingers.  This is bound to have some very positive results.

Makes 24

Ingredients

• 20 Sheets of Phyllo Dough (this is usually 1/2 of the box when there are 2 packages in the box)
• 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter (melted)
• 1 14 Ounce Can of Artichokes
• 1 8 Ounce Package Neufchatel Cheese (light or regular cream cheese will also work)
• 3 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
• 4 Small Cloves Garlic (peeled)
• 1/4 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
• Kosher Salt
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.

In a food processor, add the artichokes, cream cheese, Parmesan Cheese, lemon juice, garlic and thyme.  Pulse until the artichokes are in small pieces and all of the ingredients are combined.

Add kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste.  Stir to combine.

Carefully peel off 1 sheet of phyllo dough and lay out on your work surface.  Liberally brush it with the melted butter.  Peel off another sheet of phyllo dough and lay on top of the first buttered sheet.  Liberally brush it with butter (you will have 2 sheets of phyllo dough stacked).  Keep unused phyllo dough covered with a damp paper towel.

Using a sharp knife, cut the phyllo (on the long side) into 2 inch wide strips.

Place 1/2 – 1 Tablespoon of artichoke mixture 1/2 inch from the end of the phyllo strip.  Fold up corner into a triangle.  Repeat the fold up the length of the dough strip (just like folding a flag).

As each triangle is folded, place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, seam side down and brush with melted butter.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Technorati Tags: Appetizer Recipes, Easy Cooking, Easy Recipes, phyllo triangles, Relationship Advice, vegetable dip recipes, Vegetarian Recipes

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