Sunday, October 30, 2011

Zombie Apocalypse: Success!

Greetings from the aftermath of the Zombie Apocalypse! It was a success! Everything went off without a hitch, and the ghoulish goodies that follow pleased even the pickiest of eaters! Now, I've already posted the menu, but it was a bit cryptic, to say the least, and now, it's time to put a name with a face, so to speak!

For starters, we had the Crypt Keeper, our signature drink of the evening. While I don't have a picture of this, I did serve it in a big cauldron! It consists of apple cider, whiskey, and ginger ale, and it was delicious! I googled drinks using apple cider since this is definitely the season for it, and there's just something about apple cider that brings me into fall. This recipe is definitely a keeper...a crypt keeper!!
Ha!

On to the savory dishes on the table at this apocalypse, shall we? I'll start with the Cured Epidermis. Sounds gross, right? Well, it's simply proscuitto slices, heated in the oven for about 10 minutes, until crispy and sizzling. I've linked the recipe here, but I would definitely keep an eye on this while it cooks, because I found the timing to be a bit off. Salty, crunchy and delicious...with an equally disturbing title!

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On the same platter as the Cured Epidermis, I placed my Mummy's Bandages. This is simply a baked brie, that I made to look like a mummy. After wrapping the brie in a layer of rolled-out puff pastry, I cut the leftovers into strips and then wrapped it up. I used currents for the eyes, and this was probably my favorite item on the table. It just came out so great!!!

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The Sinister Salsa is merely a guacamole, with the addition of some black beans, making it look mucky and swampy. It still looked appetizing, and tasted just as great, but there's something about black lumps in something brightly colored to make it look a bit on the eerie side!

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The Bat Wings are, obviously, chicken wings, but I made three different kinds! The first kind had a soy sauce marinade, and the recipe called for black paste food coloring, which I couldn't find. As a result, the wings were brown, but not dark enough to really resemble bat wings, but still...I think my guests got the gist. The other two flavors came from the same recipe, that included a sauce for spicy wings, and a sauce for honey mustard wings. (for this second recipe, again, watch the timing...40 minutes is WAY too long to let wings cook under a broiler...I'd say they were ready in less than 15) I put them all in a bowl together, and I apologize for the quality of the photo...that one didn't work out so well!

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Devils on Horseback, you say? What could those possibly be!? If you guessed, bacon-wrapped dates and prunes, you'd be correct! These took a bit of time to prep but I used the time that my oven was busy baking all sorts of desserts to prep the savory items for cooking, right before the party started. There are many different recipes out there for this savory appetizer. To stuff or not to stuff, seems to be the question, but I opted for just the dried fruit, and the bacon. Yum!

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Now, we also have guest contributions to the table, and I took some pictures of my friend Sherlly's Eyeballs with Pasta. The "eyeballs" are made out of mozzarella balls, with olives! How creepy is that!?!?! My friend, Heidi, also brought some delicious calzones!

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And now, for all you sweet teeth out there, we have plenty of desserts decorating our Halloween table! First and foremost, my favorite - Pumpkin Pasties. Pasties are a British delicacy, and can have savory or sweet fillings. For this particular pastie, it's pie dough, wrapped around a pumpkin filling, to make little pies. Pumpkin pasties are also served on the night that Harry Potter and all his friends arrived at Hogwarts to begin each school year!

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Witches' Fingers are cookies, that I used a special pan to shape. You can use pretty much any cookie recipe, as long as you have the pan, and I tinted the dough with green food coloring before the mixing was completed. Once cooked, I used red gel icing to decorate the fingernail of each cookie, tying it all together. Before I put the icing on, they didn't look as much like fingers as they do in the final product!

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The cupcakes I made, and coined poisoned, are obviously not poisoned, but they do tend to insinuate the macabre. I used a yellow cake recipe, and then swirled in some raspberry jam for a yummy base, and used a vanilla icing before adding the decorations. They speak for themselves! :)

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As for the guest contributions in the dessert category, Heidi made this beautiful Spider Web Cake, with butter cream frosting and a raspberry layer within the cake! She also made some amazing zombie, haunted house and Dracula cookies that could rival any bakery! 

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As you can see, I love throwing a good themed party! Use your creativity to make ties between your theme, and the names of your menu items! It's fun for you, and it's fun for the guests, and it definitely makes for a more creative evening. If you want to throw a creatively themed party of any kind, but need a little help getting started, I'd love to help! Shoot me an email, and we can come up with an arrangement for me to help you plan your next shindig! Menu planning, time management, and shopping list generation are only a few of the things that can make or break a good event, and I'd love to lend a hand!

Happy Halloween everyone!!!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

The Big Reveal



I'm elbow deep in fabric, needles and thread, making our costumes for Saturday night. My fridge is on the empty side as I try to make room for the Halloween party goodies, and also clear things out so we don't have food going bad while we're on vacation! I'm sitting in front of a fire in the living room, in my thermal pjs, as I write this post. Winter is definitely upon us!

Since I'm not really cooking dinner tonight (we ordered Thai food - yum!) and I'll start posting about all the Halloween goodies as I prepare them tomorrow evening, I thought I would reveal my menu for the party! While some of my readers are close friends that will be less then surprised when they get here if I do this, I wanted to share with all of my readers, and so...here it is. I will leave the descriptions of each item off, until I've prepared them, and can show pictures....that way, there's still a hint of surprise!

Mummy's Bandages
Cured Epidermis
Sinister Salsa
Bat Wings
Pumpkin Pasties
Devils on Horseback
Witches' Fingers
Poisoned Cupcakes

As for beverages, I'll be concocting something special in my cauldron - something called a Crypt Keeper!

I'll leave you all to your wicked imaginations, dreaming up what these menu items could possibly represent! Fun, isn't it? :)

Monday, October 24, 2011

Whipping Up Some Dinner

Well, the Halloween Party preparations are in full swing, and when I came home from work today, there were talking skeletons in my stairwell! My husband had already started decorating! It made me smile, and I'm starting to get very excited for Saturday night. I made some labels for my ghoulish dishes, that look like they are on aged parchment, and I think the menu is set. We went out to gather some materials for our costumes, but the shopping trip was sort of a bust. The pet store didn't have the costume I wanted for Oia in her size, and the art supply store didn't have the fabric I was looking for, so...I had to get creative with some felt. We'll see what happens!

When we got home, it was already 7pm, and we hadn't eaten so I looked in the fridge for something I could throw together rather quickly. I had some mussels in the fridge, some zucchini and summer squash, and in the pantry, I found a box of penne. I did a little googling and found this great recipe on the Food & Wine website for Pasta with Mussels. Well, that works, let's give it a go!

While I waited for my water to boil, I debearded the mussels and set some white wine and bay leaves to boil in a dutch oven. Once it came to a boil, I steamed the mussels, covered, for about 5 minutes and then drained the broth into a bowl. The mussels got pulled from their shells and placed in a melted butter bath, while I sprinkled some saffron into the mussel broth.


I had also put some thickly sliced zucchini and summer squash into a 350 degree oven, seasoned with salt, pepper, olive oil and some dried thyme. I allowed that to just cook in there while I was doing everything else, since it's not dinner without a veggie side dish! Once the mussels were sitting in their bath of butter, I poured some olive oil into the pot and fried up some thinly sliced garlic cloves, until lightly browned, adding some red pepper flakes at the very end. At that point, the broth was added to the pot, along with some lemon juice, and I continued to reduce the concoction until the pasta was done. I drained the pasta, added it to the pot with the broth, and the butter and mussels, and tossed everything around until properly coated.


I served the dish alongside the roasted zucchini and summer squash, and voila, a meal in less than an hour! If you have ingredients, and you aren't in the mood to get creative, do some google-searching and I guarantee you'll find something you can throw together. If you always have some spices on hand, along with olive oil, garlic, onions, lemons and chicken broth, I find that it's pretty simple to find a recipe that can at the very least be improvised upon! There's even a little time to put my feet up and relax before bedtime! It was a very productive day!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Bluegrass and Brews

Today, I got in the car with my good friends, Kevin and Sherlly, and we headed out to Bolton, MA for Oktoberfest at the Nashoba Valley Winery. Aside from the locally brewed ales, there were delicious things to eat, winery tours and wine tastings, bluegrass music, and wonderful company! While chilly, we had a relatively good day, weather-wise, and we carved out our spot on the lawn, laying our blankets, opening our camp chairs, and of course, heading off to the beer line!


I opted for the Oaktoberfest brew. I was drawn to the description because it mentions vanilla as one of the undertones of flavor, and I found that intriguing.




I'm glad I went with the Oaktoberfest. I really enjoyed the taste and density. I don't know much about beer, but I'm trying to learn. I know I'll be learning quite a bit as we travel through Belgium and Germany, two weeks from now, and I promise to pass those tips and tricks on to all of you!

But now, we move on to the food! I followed my friend Kevin over to the "snack shack" first, where he purchased a caramel-coated, cider donut. This delicious, apple-y donut was drizzled with a thick, warm coating of gooey caramel. You had to eat it with a fork, and I got to have a bite! Because this winery makes most of their wines from apples, you will find that many of the items I speak of today include apple. At the "snack shack," I also picked up a caramel-coated apple, wrapped in tin foil, to bring home to my husband!


After our trip to the "snack shack," we settled into a very long line in the main food area, to await our turn to place an order. With burgers and hot dogs to choose from, the menu item that stood out to me was the Apple BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich...and it did NOT disappoint! There was a sweetness to the BBQ sauce that was just enough to give a richness to the tender pork, but yet, it was savory at the same time. I tend to lean towards pulled pork at events like this because it's less likely to be overcooked...and again, I scored there. The pork was delicious, tender and moist, and just oozing with the delicious sauce!


There was an offering of Macaroni and Cheese on the "Sides" menu, and I had to try it. I know I've told you all before, I have a weakness for Mac & Cheese, and this one was really good. The flavor that was noticable in this version was rosemary, I think. It might have been thyme, but I'm leaning towards rosemary, and I thought it added a really interesting twist to an otherwise generic dish for a BBQ. It was hot, gooey, and hit the spot on this chilly afternoon!



All in all, we had a really fun day at Nashoba Valley Winery. I bought myself a bottle of wine, enjoyed good eats, good drinks and wonderful company! This was certainly a weekend full of laughter and wonderful memories, and it was nice to sit back, and just relax.

Tomorrow, back to the grind, and getting ready for the Halloween party on Saturday evening. I think I have the menu in place, now I just have to start cooking...and put the finishing touches on our costumes!

P.S. Thanks to my friend, Drae, for the name of this post!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

An Impatient Evening

Let me tell you a story about what happens when a girl takes on too much on a Tuesday night! I came home from work yesterday and immediately left again for the local Whole Foods. With my list in hand, I entered the store and began to collect my items. Along the way, I ran into a friend, had trouble finding an ingredient, and got side-tracked by the Ben and Jerry's in the freezer aisle. Needless to say, I got home later than expected.

I knew the lamb was going to take awhile to cook...but I took the time to read all three recipes listed for this meal anyway. This meal comes from Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys. The "appetizer" of Savory Baked Eggs in Filo dish looks amazing, but unfortunately, my filo dough was fresh from the freezer section of the grocery store, so there was no way it would thaw in time to use it appropriately! Maybe I can make it for breakfast this weekend or something!


Moving on to the main course of Fragrant Lamb with Prunes and Almonds, I prepped my lamb according to the instructions. I added some thickly sliced onion to a pan with some butter and saffron, and allowed it to stew for the next five minutes. While that was cooking, I gathered the spices that would be added to the pan next! A cinnamon stick, some coriander and cumin seeds, chopped garlic, slivered fresh ginger, some powdered ginger, and a bunch of cayenne pepper! After all of that was incorporated into the onions, I threw some golden raisins and pitted prunes into the mix. I placed the lamb in an oven-safe dish and covered it with the onion mixture. I finally added a cup of tomato puree and poured a bunch of chicken broth on top, covering everything in the pan with the liquid. 


Into the oven it went. Covered with foil...but for how long? I used half the amount of meat so I cut the time in half, assuming that an hour would be long enough. Nope, it wasn't! I upped the temperature from 325 to 350 and gave it another 15 minutes. Was it done yet? Nope...my husband and I were both getting impatient! It was now 8pm, and we were hungry! I raised the temperature by another 25 degrees and gave it another 15 minutes, leaving it uncovered this time, to get a nice browning on the meat. Ok, now we're getting somewhere.


I could have probably let this dish cook for another 1/2 hour, allowing it to reach the fork-tender consistency that the recipe boasts, but the lamb was cooked through, and it already tasted really good (or was I just THAT hungry?). Instead, I removed it from the oven and distributed it to plates for serving. It was a spicy, homey, rustic stew and it was delicious! We may have had to use a knife to cut our lamb, but the heartiness of this dish shone through. I definitely got a feel for the Moroccan cuisine that this recipe was styled after! (I forgot the almond garnish too...eek!)


While we were waiting impatiently for our meal to be completed, I could have focused my energy on the dessert: Blood Oranges and Pomegranate in Orange Flower Water, but the store had no blood oranges. I contemplated replacing the ingredient with regular oranges but the flavor profiles of these two fruits are different, and I didn't think it would make the same impact using plain, old navel oranges. Instead, we finished our meal with ice cream, and that was just fine by us!

Monday, October 17, 2011

A Few Days Have Passed

Hi everyone! I apologize for the lack of posts over the past few days. There's a lot going on in the next few weeks, and I've been trying to get ready for many of these things, rather than cooking nightly meals. Let me tell you about everything, so you have some things to look forward to in the next few weeks of posts.

Halloween
from Flickr - by Pedro J. Ferreira
Halloween is my favorite day of the entire year, and we throw an annual party! I love to try new, themed recipes for the occasion so I will definitely be writing about all the fun treats that I'll be making. I've already purchased a cookie tin which makes cookies in the shape of witch's fingers, and I found these really cool little sugar appliques, in the shape of knives. They can be added to the top of desserts, with some icing that looks like blood for a really cool murder-scene themed cupcake! The theme of this year's party is Zombies, too, so I'm going to try and do a bunch of appetizers with a play on zombies. I have a big cauldron that I mix drinks in as well, so stay tuned for this year's signature cocktail!

A few days after the party, we depart for a European vacation! I'm so excited about this trip, because we are going to three countries that I've never been to before: Belgium, Germany and the Czech Republic. My plan is to write each evening, in order to discuss all the food we ate each day. We're going to be in a different city almost every day, so it should make for some really diverse posts! I can't wait to see the sights and eat the food of three cultures that I have yet to really delve into! We're going to learn together!

thanksgiving turkey
from Flickr - by PDX Pipeline

A week or so after we return to the states and our daily lives, it will be Thanksgiving, and this year, I'm hosting! My family, and my husband's family, will convene at our place for a delicious feast. I've never hosted a dinner party this big before, but I'm really looking forward to it. I have some ideas for creative sides, and I might even make my own pies for the event! I'm sure there will be more than a few posts on the planning, the shopping, the prepping and the cooking that goes on the day of Thanksgiving! You all know how I love being host...and this one will be a doozy!

Holiday lights
from Flickr - by bbic
Just a month after that comes the winter holidays, and while I usually celebrate Hanukkah with my family by going out for a nice meal, my husband's parents usually come visit for Christmas Eve and the day of...which means another couple of fancy celebratory meals! I really have my work cut out for me this holiday season, but you know that I'm enjoying every second of it, and this year will be even more special because I can share it all with you, my wonderful readers!

'Tis the season for eatin'!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

The Carnivore's Dilemma

The Carnivore's Dilemma: This is the title of Tyler Florence's Vegetarian Night menu, in Dinner at My Place. A dilemma it may be, but Chef Florence made it look quite easy. We had some friends over for dinner...yes, you got that right - our vegetarian friends! I got to experiment, once again, with vegetarian cuisine...and this one was a great meal! Artichoke Fritters, Summer Squash Risotto with Crispy Fried Sage and Parmesan, and for dessert, Beet Cakes with Sweet Greek Yogurt.

I started with dessert because I could make the batter, prep it for baking, and throw it in the oven when we sat down to our meal. While the recipe called for diced, red beets, I wasn't quite sure whether I was meant to use cooked, or raw. I bought both, and after some thought, I opted for the already cooked variety, because the 25 minutes that the cake was meant to bake was not time enough to cook raw beets. I'm glad I made that choice! The batter also included flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, allspice, cinnamon, nutmet, pomegranate molasses (I finally found it at the store!), eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and some dark brown sugar. I also mixed up the Greek Yogurt topping, that just included plain, unsweetened yogurt, honey and some vanilla extract. I put the yogurt in the fridge, and while we enjoyed our dinner, the beet cakes rose to the occasion! I really loved this cake! For the small amount of sugar involved in this recipe, the cake was so sweet, and very moist. I loved the small pieces of beet that I got in each bite too. This was a really interesting way to end a meal...and start a post! :)



Once dessert was prepped, I moved on to the main course. I preheated the oven to 350 degrees, in order to cook a baking sheet full of zucchini and summer squash, as well as some sliced onion. The list of ingredients also calls for pattypan squash, my favorite kind of squash, but there weren't any at the store this evening. It's not yet the season for pattypans, but don't worry, I'll be using them quite a bit once they show up in stores! I sprinkled thyme leaves over the squash and onions, drizzled all of it with olive oil, and seasoned everything with salt and pepper. Into the oven for 20 minutes they go!

Meanwhile, I fried some sage leaves in a dutch oven with some olive oil until they were cracklin'! While they drained on a paper towel, I added a diced onion to the sage-scented olive oil, and allowed it to cook to translucency. I added the Arborio rice, and allowed it to fry for 2-3 minutes before adding half a bottle of wine. Once the wine had been absorbed, I added vegetable broth, a little at a time, until the rice was cooked through. We've done this before, we know how to cook risotto! :) I finished the risotto off with some butter and parmesan, and then seasoned it to taste with salt and pepper.

While the risotto cooked, I cleaned some artichokes down to the heart, and sliced them. I made a fritter batter, similar to a tempura, with soda water, flour, cornstarch, baking powder, egg yolks, and salt. I dipped each slice of artichoke heart in the batter, and then added it to a pot of hot oil, allowing them to fry until crispy. Now, these were delicious! Next time around, I think I'll leave them in the oil a little longer, allowing them to brown more. The recipe calls for serving them with some malt vinegar, and some Meyer Lemon salt. I did neither of these things because I served them as a side to the risotto, rather than an appetizer course. But, they were delicious. My friend asked me a valid question: can you buy fresh artichoke hearts? I did feel like I was wasting something as I peeled the meaty outer leaves away and put them in the garbage...but, what else could I have done? Does anyone know if there's a place to buy fresh artichoke hearts?


The risotto was extremely flavorful with the use of the vegetable broth. It even lended a richer color to the meal, and I found that the vegetable broth was thicker and richer in texture than other stocks. It was a really hearty meal, and the beet cakes were a wonderful addition to the meal. Another successful vegetarian meal!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Steak and Potatoes...of a sort!

This menu, from Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys by David Tanis, is entitled "Dead-of-Winter Dinner from the Supermarket." Now, wait a minute...it's not winter! I know, I know, but I was intrigued by this menu because of something the author says in the introduction to this group of recipes. David Tanis was upset by the amount of pre-packaged foods and pre-made condiments on the shelves at his local supermarket. "The companies that make all these prepared sauces prey on our fear of cooking, and on the notion that we somehow inherently believe we do not have time to cook." This sentence really struck a chord with me, because that's essentially what I'm trying to counteract with this blog! Anybody can cook from scratch, any night of the week, and this menu is a perfect example of fresh, easy-to-find ingredients being pulled together to make a delicious, well-balanced meal in the span of an hour. I thought this would take me much longer, but it really came together quickly and easily...a weeknight meal that anybody could put together!

First up on the menu, we have Romaine Hearts with Shaved Parmigiano and Lemon Dressing. This was a really simple one to pull together. You can buy romaine hearts in a package of three, at the grocery store. I only used two since there were two of us, chopped off the ends and cut them into large pieces. The dressing consists of fresh-squeezed lemon juice, dijon mustard, a garlic clove smashed to a paste with a bit of salt, and some olive oil. Once everything is whisked together, it can be seasoned to taste with salt and pepper. After tossing the lettuce with the dressing, I added some Parmigiano flakes to the salad and tossed again. This was a really delicious salad, along the lines of a Caeser, but not. It's simple, it uses ingredients that you most likely have lying around the house, and pulls together quickly and easily!

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The main course is a Pan-Fried Steak with Steak Sauce. The steaks you buy should be about an inch thick, but the recipe gives a lot of leeway for the reader to decide which kind of steak to purchase. After seasoning them with a bit of salt and pepper, I placed some sliced garlic on top of each steak, coated them with olive oil, rubbed everything into the meat and then allowed everything to sit at room temperature for a little bit. When it was time to cook, I heated a cast iron pan until it was really hot, and then placed the steaks in the pan, after removing the garlic slices. After 3 minutes, I flipped the steaks to find a beautiful sear on the first side. After two more minutes, I transferred the meat to a platter, and poured some beef stock into the pan, de-glazing with a wooden spoon. As the stock thickened, I threw in a few pats of butter and some parsley. This made a really delicious, and HOME-MADE, steak sauce that beats any pre-packaged sauce at the store. And what's even better - you can pronounce everything in it!

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While I let the steaks sit with their olive oil and garlic slices, I prepared a Classic Potato Gratin, and put it in the oven. Here's where a mandoline comes in really handy. I quickly, and thinly, sliced 4 russet potatoes, and layered them in a baking pan that I had thickly slatered with some butter. As I completed a layer, I seasoned it with salt and pepper, before starting the next layer. Once all the potatoes were in the baking dish, I poured some heavy cream on top, tilting the pan to and fro a bit to distribute everything evenly. Finely, I dotted the surface with small pieces of butter before placing it in a 375 degree oven. I forgot to cover the pan with foil for the first half hour it was in the oven, but I think it's okay. The potatoes came out creamy, well-seasoned and delicious!

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Last but not least, of course, is the dessert! This was a really simple Broiled Pineapple with Rum. All I had to do was cut my pineapple, sprinkle the slices with some brown sugar, and broil them for about 10 minutes. Once the slices were slightly browned, I removed them from the oven and poured some rum on top. With a lighter, I gently lit the rum in order to flambe the pineapple slices. ready to serve! This was a really tropical dessert that was totally simple to make, and it only took 10 minutes! 

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This was a really simple meal to put together for a weeknight. I loved the simplicity of the ingredients, and the complexity of the finished flavors. And on top of all that, this menu proves, without a doubt, that we can make home-cooked meals without the use of pre-packaged, pre-made ingredients! Buy fresh, and make your own, because there really is no substitute for homemade!

Monday, October 10, 2011

Leftovers and Leeks

I didn't feel like going to the store for ingredients this evening, so I looked in my fridge for something I could piece together. I had leftover chicken from last week's Brunoise dish, and I also had a really pretty bunch of leeks from the farmers market that I needed to use before they went bad. My first thought was of a really delicious recipe for braised leeks with thyme and garlic, from Jamie's Kitchen, by Jamie Oliver. When I flipped to the page, however, I noticed a note at the bottom, directing the reader to add a little cream, a handful of parmesan cheese, and toss with pasta for a yummy main course.

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Okay, so left over chicken, with a side of spinach fettuccine mixed with this leek recipe! Sounds like a plan to me! I cut the leeks, and sauteed them with some butter, garlic, and thyme, before adding some chicken broth and wine. The whole pot went into a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. If you have large leeks, go for more like half an hour, but the leeks that I had were on the smaller side, and I didn't want to overcook them. Meanwhile, I put a pot of water on to boil for the fettuccine. 

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Once the leeks were done, and the pasta was cooked, I mixed the two, along with a touch of cream and a nice, healthy handful of grated parmesan. I seasoned to taste and voila! A really tasty pasta dish that paired really nicely with my already-prepared chicken breasts. If you can recall, there were even leeks in the chicken dish, so the flavors overlapped and tasted really nice together! And, I got to finish off the bottle of wine that I was using to cook with, too! That's a win-win for a Monday, if you ask me!

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Sunday, October 9, 2011

20,000 Hits!

Fireworks
from Flickr - by Birdman of El Paso

I would like to take a moment to thank each and every reader that has visited this site since January. Since it's inception, this blog has brought me much happiness, and enjoyment, and I hope that it has done the same for you. I can't believe that it's only been 10 months, and I've received 20,000 visits to this site! Thank you, all, for your constant support! Stay tuned for much more to come in the months and years that follow! I've only just begun!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

A Tropical Dish for a Summer-y Evening

I went to Whole Foods with a list of ingredients needed for the menu using lamb from the current list. I came home with swordfish and mango salsa. Let me explain. The current menu is chock full of meals for fall! I planned to fill our bellies with warming meals including heavy, stew-like dishes, and hearty meats because it's getting colder outside, but it was 80 degrees today! Originally, I was going to make lamb anyway, because everything to do with that menu sounds delicious, and it's a weekend, which means I can take my time with a meal that will take a few hours to prepare...but lamb shoulders are crazy-expensive right now at Whole Foods, so I scanned the weekly specials for a back-up plan. Swordfish is on sale for $9.99 a pound, for a savings of 50%!? Okay...let's start with that! When I think of swordfish, I think of mango salsa - I don't know why exactly, but I always associate the two, so after getting my fish packaged, I headed to the produce department. Alas, the mangoes were the opposite of ripe, so I then made a beeline for the salsa and chips aisle, where I picked up a jar of shelf-stable mango salsa. I know, I normally don't buy packaged items like this, but...this was an emergency! :)


I also grabbed a bottle of Caribbean mango marinade from the seafood department, and some berries and Mascarpone for a dessert I was contemplating. The rest of the ingredients...well, I had those already. Once I arrived home, I placed the swordfish steaks into a dish and coated each one with marinade, turning it a few times. I covered the dish with plastic wrap and threw it in the refrigerator to marinate for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, I pulled out some baby greens with herbs salad mix, some baby arugula and a giant red pepper that I bought at the farmer's market last week. Voila! Side dish - accomplished.

Saturday Night

I used another bottled product here, because I love these salad dressings! Cindy's Kitchen makes a line of refrigerated, all-natural dressings with some wonderful varieties, and while I usually only have one bottle at a time in the fridge, they come in very handy for quick salads! My husband found this new variety last time he came with me to the grocery store, and we both love it! The Fresh Avocado Vinaigrette has great flavor, coats the greens in a salad very nicely, and is a really cool green color too! It's delicious, and I highly recommend it...or any of the other flavors offered by Cindy's Kitchen!


When my broiler was preheated, I took the swordfish out of the fridge and placed it on a broiler pan. Into the oven it went, for about 4 minutes. When the timer went off, I took the pan out of the oven, flipped the swordfish steaks, and basted them with a bit more marinade before returning them to the oven for another 4 minutes. At that point, the steaks weren't completely cooked, so I put them in for another minute...and...perfecto! If you cut into the fish, you'll see that it's flaky, and can remain a bit pink in the very center. You don't want to overcook it! I served the fish with mango salsa on the side, although the marinade was very flavorful and it didn't need much in the way of extra sauce!


After we'd both enjoyed our meal, I went back into the kitchen to whip up a quick dessert. I had bought some fresh berries, and some Mascarpone. I added lemon zest and some confectioners' sugar to it, and stirred it all together...that part's done! I poured the berries into a pot with some more confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and a splash of limoncello (because dessert is always better with a little liquor!) After allowing that to cook down and macerate for about 10 minutes, I removed it from the heat and allowed it to cool for a bit before using some of our water glasses to assemble a very pretty sort of trifle. I layered the Mascarpone mixture with the berry mixture, and it made for a delicious, albeit very quick, dessert. I think the berries are at the end of their season though - they were a bit tart. It may be 80 degrees outside, but the effects of Fall can be tasted in most ingredients that are not native to this time of year. It must be time to move on to apples, and other fall-ripened fruits!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Blue Inc.

My co-worker/friend and I visited Blue Inc. today for lunch, for the first time. We were celebrating her birthday, as well her proclaimed "Mere-Day," which represented my birthday and Administrative Assistant's day, which took place a few months ago! I had told her that I really wanted to try this restaurant since it's recent opening in June, and so today, we finally took a walk down to Broad Street, and got ourselves a table. It's a good thing I made a reservation since every table in the place was booked as we enjoyed our meal! The atmosphere is fun and modern, getting most of their light from the giant windows at the front of the space. Gordon Ramsey's autographed picture greeted me as I walked into the outer vestibule, since Jay Santos, chef/owner, was runner-up on Hell's Kitchen a few seasons back. The blue-haired culinary master opened Blue Inc, after leaving his gig at Gargolyes on the Square early this year.

My friend saw a deliciously-pink drink arrive at a neighboring table, so when we were asked if we'd like something to drink, we ordered two of those! They turned out to be cranberry lemonade, which was tart and sweet at the same time, and wonderfully refreshing! The best part? They came around with a pitcher of the lemonade every few minutes and refilled our glasses!


The lunch menu boasts sandwiches, salads and burgers, with a special section on the menu for liquid-nitrogen milkshakes. While I didn't try one this time around, that Butterscotch and Black Truffle milkshake is calling my name for my next visit, I'll promise you that! We decided to start with a dish that doesn't seem to be on the online menu: Lobster Arancini. Oh my goodness, these are delicious! If you've read my blog before, I'm sure you are well-aware that I love lobster, in all it's shapes and forms. This appetizer was right up my alley, and did NOT disappoint. The four arancini came lined up in a lovely boat-like dish, on a bed of delicious dipping sauce. They were crispy on the outside, and creamy on the inside, with recognizable chunks of lobster in each bite. They were the perfect temperature, and the dish was definitely meant for sharing!


I was torn between a few things on the menu, but I think I made the right decision in the end. I went for something called "The Ultimate Grilled Cheese." This, too, is not listed on the online menu, so I think it's safe to say the menu changes frequently, according to the seasons. Nothing to complain about there! I love a rotating menu! The "Ultimate Grilled Cheese" is yummy, gooey cheese with chunks of braised short ribs and sweet, warmed apples. It is sandwiched between two pieces of hearty raisin bread that adds another unique element of sweetness to a very savory sandwich. The short ribs were tender and flavorful, just spot on! On the side of the plate, I found some chunky slices of pickle, and a small slice of jalapeno. Jalapeno-infused pickles? Oh yes, my goodness! They had the perfect amount of heat to leave the taste of jalapeno on your lips. It was not overdone at all, and they were delicious!

Blue Inc.


I will definitely be frequenting Blue Inc on a regular basis. It's affordable, delicious, and offers a lovely atmosphere for a break from the hub-bub of a work day! I'm looking forward to trying their dinner menu as well...the entrees look amazing, and I think the first thing I'll try is Grilled Salmon, served with Parma ham wrapped salsify, wild mushrooms, warm mussel and herb salad, and a vanilla veloute. I am absolutely intrigured by the creative flavor profiles that this menu offers and I can't wait to go back!

Blue Inc can be found at 131 Broad Street. You can reach them at 617-261-5353, or go to Opentable.com for a reservation.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

What's a Brunoise, anyway!?

A brunoise, according to Wikipedia, is "a culinary knife cut in which the food item is first julienned and then turned a quarter turn and diced again, producing cubes of a side length of about 3mm or less on each side." Now that we have the defining out of the way, brunoise is the main knife skill needed for tonight's recipe. This is the first meal I'm making from my new cookbook, The Boston Chef's Table: The Best in Contemporary Cuisine, which is a very cool compilation of recipes from restaurants in and around the city of Boston. Ironically, I chose a dish from a restaurant I've never been to before, but it sounded interesting. Coriander Bistro is located in Sharon, MA, and run by Chef-Owner, Kevin Crawley. His Boneless Chicken Brunoise, is approachable, and simple to make. I was pleasantly surprised by the ease of instructions, and even happier with the outcome!

The recipe is laid out very methodically, listing ingredients that need to be prepared, followed by the steps in cooking that portion of the meal, before moving on to another list of ingredients and instructions. The first step is the brunoise, and the step that took the longest to prep. I had to use the specific knife cut to get a 1/4 cup of each of the following: carrots, celery, onions, shallot, zucchini, red pepper and leeks. Once all of my vegetables were cut, I lightly sauteed them in a pan with some olive oil. When they had been heated through, and the onions were translucent, they were removed from the heat and set aside.

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The second step was to create a quenelle, or a sort of dumpling using pureed chicken mixed with egg whites and cream. This was an easy step! I cut a chicken breast into large chunks and put it into the small bowl of my food processor, along with an egg white, chopped shallot, some freshly grated nutmeg, salt, and pepper. After a few pulses to blend the mixture, I poured some cream in as it pulsed, until I had a paste-like consistency. This got set aside, right next to my brunoise.

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Now for the main part of this process...the CHICKEN! I placed 4 chicken breasts in between two sheets of plastic wrap before pounding them out so that they were an even thickness. Once ready, I placed them in a 13"x9" baking dish and began to spoon and spread the quenelle on top of each chicken breast. On top of that, I spooned the brunoise. Everything got drizzled with a bit of olive oil, and then I poured some white wine and chicken broth into the pan, before placing it in a 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. Mine took a few minutes longer than that, actually...but start conservatively and put it back in the oven if you have to. There's nothing worse than overcooked chicken!

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While the chicken cooked, I had to make the sauce that the chicken would rest on. This was simple! I added a cup of red wine to a saucepan along with a bay leaf, a thyme spring, some salt and pepper and some veal demi-glace. You can buy the Veal Demi-glace at specialty shops, and if you can't find it there, it's sold on Amazon.com, as well! All I had to do was allow it to simmer until it had reduced by half, and was thick, with a lovely sheen. 

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It was time to plate, and it hadn't even been an hour! I swiped a nice amount of the red wine sauce on to each plate in a pretty design and then placed a chicken breast, topped with the quenelle and brunoise, on top of the sauce. Yummy!

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Now, I was supposed to serve tonight's meal with a dessert, making it a menu. However, I couldn't find heavy cream at the store this evening, and I knew that I couldn't make a maple custard with light cream. I'm going to save it for another evening, when I can make it using the correct ingredients! Be on the lookout for a separate post on that one!