Cam: What is that you are peeling? An onion?
Me: Garlic. Wait! Are you being serious right now? You don’t know what garlic looks like?!
It has been 16 hours after our conversation, and I am still in shock that Cameron was clueless as to what garlic looked like. Boy roommates are the best.
Saving this recipe by Ina Garten for another lazy day. All you have to do is preheat an oven, prep the sauce, and shove the chicken in the oven. It’s so easy and so tender.
Ina Garten’s Lemon Chicken Breasts Recipe
Ingredients
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (6 to 8 ounces each)
• 1 lemon
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don’t allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish.
3. Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.
4. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn’t browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.
This recipe had my roommate, Cameron, claiming that gone are the days when vegetables were his worst enemy, and this is a man who hates his greens. It’s simple, it’s delicious. I’m assuming it’s relatively heavy, but then again I always borrow a page from Paula Deen’s book and add a tablespoon of butter once it’s done roasting… so maybe not.
Roasted Garlic Artichoke Hearts
(serves 4)
Ingredients:
- 2 packages of frozen Artichoke hearts. I buy these frozen ones from Trader Joe’s:
- 6 cloves of garlic (I don’t mess around), slivered
- 2 tbsp. of olive oil
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 lemon
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
Directions:
1. Pull out your frozen bags of artichoke hearts from the freezer to the fridge approx. 8-12 hours before you plan on cooking
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
3. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. I suppose this isn’t necessary, but I welcome easy clean ups with open arms.
4. In a large bowl, eyeball 1 tbsp. of olive oil and about half of the slivered garlic
5. Open up one package of artichoke hearts, throw it into the bowl, and mix with a large wooden spoon
6. Scatter the artichoke hearts and garlic onto the cookie tray. Repeat step 5 with the other half of the artichoke hearts and garlic.
7. Sprinkle freshly ground pepper and sea salt to taste
8. Roast in the oven for approx. 1 hour
9. After you pull out the artichoke hearts, add cut up 1 tbsp. of butter, dot the artichoke hearts with the butter allowing it time to melt
10. Squeeze lemon on top, give it all a quick toss, and serve hot
Super delicious. And easy enough to not write down or blog, but I figure that I should in the rare case of early onset Alzheimer’s. (You never know. I’ve probably just been watching too much Grey’s Anatomy.)
Cookie batch #1:
I followed the recipe from Cup of Jo word for word… well, minus all the fancy flours (amaranth, tapioca, brown rice). I ended up subbing in 8 oz. of all purpose flour instead. It turned out okay. The texture was wonderful, but it tasted like a health-cookie. Maybe I’m just super gluttonous, but I think that if you’re going to indulge yourself with a cookie that you need to make sure it’s laden with sugar, fluff, and all things wonderful.
Cookie batch #2:
I followed the same recipe with a few minor adjustments. I was too impatient to let the butter soften naturally, so I nuked it for 30 seconds. I only microwaved it long enough to soften the butter a bit. It was not melty by any means. I also was too antsy to let the egg cool to room temperature, so it got cracked in refrigerator-cold. I also added an extra 2 tbsp. of white sugar and let the dough sit in the fridge for two hours as opposed to one. I don’t know what the magic change was, but one of the steps (or all of the steps working harmoniously) made all the difference. Downside to this recipe? There are no cookies left, and I ruined my appetite. Dinner won’t be happening until 9pm.
I have dubbed spring of 2012 the era of trying to find my signature chocolate chip cookie recipe. Until the first weekend of summer, I plan on baking one batch of chocolate chip cookies each weekend based on recipes from my favorite food bloggers and friends.
The one I normally use substitutes vanilla pudding mix for sugar. I absolutely love the chewy texture, but I think it leaves a weird, artificial aftertaste in my mouth.
Today I am trying a recipe that uses muscovado sugar in place of brown sugar and fleur de sel. I am a huge fan of the salty/sweet combination, so hopefully this one doesn’t disappoint.
Next weekend I am going to try this one from Smitten Kitchen.
In other news, I got the new iPad and this adorable Marc Jacobs iPad case. Fancy, right? (How amazing is that picture up there? I took it with my iPad. The quality is perfecto.)
Dinner tonight: baked tofu with gochujang, sukju namul muchim, broccoli and sugar snap pea stir fry, and rice.
Bul-Tofu
Adapted from Burp and Slurp
1 pkg firm or extra-firm tofu (pressed for 15-20 mins. to remove extra moisture)
1/3 cup gochujang
6 cloves garlic, grated
1 inch ginger, grated
1/2 onion, grated
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 green onions, cut on the bias (for garnish)
Non-stick cooking spray
Preheat the oven to 450. Slice tofu into 1 in. cubes and press to remove extra moisture. I used two heavy cookie sheets as weights.
In a large bowl, mix together gochujang and next 6 ingredients. Add the tofu to the bowl and stir gently to coat the tofu evenly. Set aside and let marinate for 30 minutes.
Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray it with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange the tofu on the cookie sheet in rows. Bake for 40 minutes. Tofu should be firm. You can try to turn the tofu over about halfway through the baking time. If they stick to the pan, just leave them, it’ll create a nice char on the bottom.
Garnish with green onions.
Cheesy scalloped potatoes, adapted from a Tyler Florence recipe and served with a quick skirt steak and wild rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Butter
- 1 1/2 pounds baby golden potatoes, cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
- Garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, 1/8 cup shredded Parmesean
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a saucepan, heat up the cream with a sprig of thyme, chopped garlic and nutmeg.
3. While cream is heating up, butter a casserole dish.
4. Place a layer of potato in an overlapping pattern and season with salt and pepper.
5. Remove cream from heat, then pour a little over the potatoes.
6. Top with some grated Parmesan. Make 2 more layers.
7. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
8. Sprinkle shredded Parmesan and broil until cheese browns, about 5 minutes.
Wendy is officially 6 months and 11 days old! I still can’t get over how fast she grew and how much character she has. I have officially changed the command “shake” to “pound it!” and Phish transformed “spin” into “dance.” Our dog is pretty awesome.
Every so often, I decide to make a dinner that never makes it into my weekly rotation. Enter last night’s pork chops and garlic fries. I added some cauliflower so I wouldn’t feel entirely guilty.
Ingredients:
- 6-8 Breakfast chops (these are just VERY thinly cut pork chops. They make frying them a cinch, and I just like them better than thick slabs of pork.)
- 1 cup flour
- 1/8 cup seasoned salt
- 1/8 cup pepper
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup of canola oil
- 1 tbsp. butter
Directions:
1. Season the chops with salt and pepper.
2. Combine flour, seasoned salt, and pepper onto a plate.
3. One by one, place each chop onto the plate and cover with flour. Set aside the pork chops for frying.
4. Heat up canola oil and butter in a pan. Make sure it’s hot before step #5!
5. Fry for 2 minutes each side.
Super easy, quick, and delicious.
Today was my first day student teaching at Dos Pueblos High School. My first period is incredibly rowdy and my second period is extremely comatose. I really would have thought it would be the opposite… Anyway, my mentor is just awesome, and I’m very excited to be in the classroom again. Our curriculum is different than anything I experienced as a student and as a student teacher. Our focus is more on non-fiction as opposed to fiction, and since my students are comprised of all “prep” students that aren’t necessarily on an English lit. degree track, I think this is great! They’ll be learning how to analyze and summarize as opposed to reading work that won’t be too relevant in their lives in a couple years. Here’s to a good year of student teaching!
Enchiladas
Recipe yanked from The Pioneer Woman
Ingredients
FOR THE SAUCE:
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
1 Tablespoon All-purpose Flour
1 can (28 Ounce) Enchilada Or Red Sauce
2 cups Chicken Broth
½ teaspoons Salt
½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro
FOR THE MEAT:
1-½ pound Ground Beef
1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
2 cans (4 Ounce) Diced Green Chilies
½ teaspoons Salt
FOR THE TORTILLAS:
10 whole (to 14) Corn Tortillas
½ cups Canola Oil
TO ASSEMBLE:
3 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
½ cups Chopped Black Olives
1 cup Chopped Green Onions
½ cups Chopped Cilantro
Directions
Step #1 – The Sauce: In a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil and flour and whisk together to make a paste, cooking for one minute. Pour in the red sauce, chicken broth, cilantro, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30-45 minutes.
Step #2 – The Meat: Brown the meat with onions in a skillet. Drain off fat. Stir in 2 cans diced green chilies and seasoned salt. Set aside.
Step #3 – Tortillas: Heat canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat. One by one, using tongs, fry tortillas in oil until soft, not crisp – about 30 seconds per side. Remove to a paper—towel lined plate. Repeat until all tortillas have been fried.
Step #4 – Assembly: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour ½ cup red sauce in bottom of baking pan. Spread to even out. Dip each tortilla into red sauce, then remove to work surface. Spoon meat, a little grated cheese, a little black olives, and green onions in the center of tortilla. Roll up and place, seam down, in baking pan. Repeat until pan is filled. Pour extra red sauce over enchiladas. Top with remaining cheddar cheese.
Step #5: Sprinkle green onions and cilantro on top. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly.
These were 1) my first attempt at enchiladas from scratch and 2) ridiculously delicious. I made two modifications. I chose to add cilantro and green onions before I baked the enchiladas so the flavors would melt together more, and I also divided the recipe by 3. The boy has been complaining that I cook too big of portions. I served them with Spanish rice and binged while watching Mad Men season 1. Enjoy!
Linguine Vongole
Adapted from a Tyler Florence Recipe
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound dry linguine
- 1/8 cup black truffle infused olive oil
- 4 minced garlic cloves
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 can of Geisha whole baby clams
- 1/2 cup of dry white wine (I used a Riesling)
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Freshly ground pepper
- Sea salt
- A handful of roughly chopped, Italian parsley
Directions
1. Boil and cook pasta in salted water, al dente.
2. In a medium sauce pan, heat the olive oil.
3. Add minced garlic and red pepper to olive oil. Saute for 2 minutes.
4. Add the white wine. Stir for 30 seconds.
5. Add drained can of clams to the sauce.
6. Squeeze lemon on top.
7. Drain pasta, add to sauce pan.
8. Add pepper and salt to taste.
9. Pull off heat, add parsley as a topping.
I’ve been slacking on recipe posting. This is a good, quick one that keeps my seafood loving stomach happy without warming up the kitchen too much on these hot, summer evenings. It’s delightfully salty, and the red pepper gives it a nice kick!
Project of the day:
Homemade Sashimi bowl with ahi, salmon, avocado, cucumber, and sushi rice with a side of lemon, wasabi, and pickled ginger. Topped off with some freshly toasted sesame seeds and finely chopped green onion.
It’s a bummer that the fish market was out of albacore, but it was still delish.
MmMmm-MmMM
I’m fairly certain Ina Garten is a goddess. This buttery, oniony dish was delicious. If scallops weren’t a whopping $20 a pound, I would eat my weight in them. Mmm. Scallops=love.
Scallops Provencal (adapted from an Ina Garten recipe)
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh bay or sea scallops
- Black truffle salt and freshly ground black pepper
- All-purpose flour, for dredging
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
- 1/2 cup chopped shallots (2 large)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1/3 cup dry white wine (I used a Sauvignon Blanc from a local winery)
- 1 lemon, cut in 1/2
Directions
1. If you’re using bay scallops, keep them whole. If you’re using sea scallops, cut each 1 in half horizontally.
2. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss with flour, and shake off the excess.
3. In a very large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over high heat until sizzling and add the scallops in 1 layer. Lower the heat to medium and allow the scallops to brown lightly on 1 side without moving them, then turn and brown lightly on the other side. This should take 3 to 4 minutes, total.
4. Melt the rest of the butter in the pan with the scallops, then add the shallots, garlic, and parsley and saute for 2 more minutes, tossing the seasonings with the scallops.
5. Add the wine, cook for 1 minute, and taste for seasoning.
6. Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon juice.
I cheat and use Rao’s Marinara Sauce bought from the store as sauce. But it is 10x more delicious than any marinara sauce I will ever make from scratch, but I should jot down my recipe for meatballs before my awful memory erases it from my mind.
Meatballs!
Makes 16 1” meatballs
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. of ground beef (>20% fat)
- salt
- pepper
- 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 cup of Italian bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
- 1 beaten egg
Directions:
1. Beat the egg
2. Add the rest of the ingredients
3. Mush around with your hands
4. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 12 minutes
Recently:
1. Our new roommate, Yoni, moved in last weekend, and we love him. He’s very intelligent and perfectly easygoing. Wendy adores him too, which is always a plus.
2. Wendy news: our little lady graduates from the Perfect Puppy Academy next Thursday night! She also had her first professional photo shoot today. (Trust me, we aren’t those kind of dog parents, but somebody who is building up their portfolio offered to take pictures of Wendy for free at a nearby boarding school with a HUGE field of grass. We absolutely couldn’t say no to the grass. That would have been denying Wendy one of her God-given rights as a pup.)
3. I am officially convinced that Santa Barbara allergies are 10x worse than allergies anywhere else. For awhile, I was blaming my head cold and congestion on a bug or the flu, but after talking to my neighbor, I took allergy medicine and voila! Clarity!
4. After stalking my brother’s Tumblr, I randomly picked up a book he blogged about. I am officially one chapter into Comfort Woman: A Filipina’s Story of Prostitution and Slavery Under the Japanese Military.
5. Phish had a bad day. Between work and other stuff going on in his life, Phish has been stressed out beyond belief, so last night, I decided to make him the ultimate comfort feast. It consisted of buttery, juicy, pan-fried chicken breast, our favorite baked mac and cheese with bacon, garlic mashed potatoes, and green beans and carrots, just so we wouldn’t feel too guilty. It didn’t fix all of his problems, but our tummies were sure happy.
With that said, here was my epic recipe for garlic mashed potatoes:
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- a whole head of garlic (don’t skimp.)
- salt
- 2 lbs. of red potatoes
- heavy cream
- butter
- 1/8 cup of roughly chopped parsley
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cut off the end of the garlic head, place on a sheet of aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil, then let roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
3. While the garlic is roasting, place scrubbed potatoes into a large pot, cover with cold water about 1/4” above the potatoes, and put it on the stove. Bring it to a boil, then let simmer for 30-35 minutes. When the potatoes are done, a fork should easily slide in and out of them without any tug.
4. Drain the potatoes, and peel and push all the garlic out of its skin. Put into a giant bowl, and start mashing.
5. Add 5 tbsp. of butter. Keep mashing.
6. Add desired amount of heavy cream. I usually put in 1/8-1/4 of a cup.
7. Season with salt.
8. Sprinkle with parsley, and give it a quick mix.
Ta da! Easy, delicious, and garlicky mashed potatoes that will win the heart of all garlic lovers.
