Giada's Lemony White Bean and Arugula Salad

I know! I know! I'm posting another salad recipe. But, it is summer after all, and I'm trying to get healthy. So, why not help you get healthy, too. Ha. In all seriousness, this is a really delicious salad. I found this recipe on The Food Network. And, it's a Giada recipe, so it has to be yummy, right? Right. Last year, I made a similar recipe here, but this one you eat on a crostini. Yeah, not as healthy, but just as scrumptious. For this salad, I added pine nuts to give it a bit more crunch, but I think it need even more of a crunch. Perhaps pecans would have worked better than the pine nuts. But, it certainly didn't take away from the flavor. The dressing was really good, too. I think I'm going to incorporate this dressing in more salads than just this one. Overall, I really enjoyed the salad, and I know I will be making it again. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Salad:
5 packed cups (5 ounces) arugula
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini or great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
3 tbsp Pine Nuts or Pecans (optional)

Dressing:
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Take out a small bowl, and add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and the olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste, and whisk well. Set aside. To make the salad; take out a large bowl and add the salad, beans, chopped onions, capers (if using), and any nuts you may be using. Pour the dressing onto the salad, and toss to combine. Enjoy.

Chocolate Cupcake with Strawberry Buttercream

The last couple posts have been fairly healthy; a couple salads and a pasta salad. Even the smoked wings are fairly healthy except for the ranch dip, perhaps. Alas, I'm here to post a so not healthy recipe but it's a so very good recipe!! Recently, a friend turned 35, and I offered to bring something for her celebration. I was told that if I brought one of my baked goodies they would be very happy. I found out that our friend loves chocolate and strawberries. I've seen several recipes floating around for cupcakes with strawberry frosting, and I thought it would be the perfect thing to bake. I decided to use this chocolate cupcake recipe. But, I shouldn't have started cleaning my bathtub while the cupcakes were baking, because they ended up a tad overbaked. Doh! I don't think anyone noticed. Hopefully. I found the strawberry buttercream from Sweet Lavender Bake Shop. It was quite scrumptious. Granted, the recipe calls for 4 sticks of butter! Yowza! Alas, this isn't a frosting you want to make every day, but once a year should suffice. Overall, I think the cupcakes were a big hit. The birthday girl approved, too! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Cupcake Batter:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Strawberry Buttercream:
5 large egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
4 sticks unsalted butter, almost room temp (cut into little cubes)
2 tsp vanilla extract
½-1 whole vanilla bean
3/4 cup fresh strawberry puree macerated with 2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cupcake pans with cupcake liners. Set aside. Take the bowl from your standing mixture and add in the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix together to combine. Take a medium sized bowl and add in your buttermilk, vegetable oil (I used canola oil), eggs, and vanilla. Stir. Slowly add the liquids to the dry ingredients while the speed of the mixture is on low. Once combined; slowly add in the coffee. Now, I was pretty concerned because the mixture was very liquidy (sorry, just made up a new word). Have no fear; just pour the mixture directly into your prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of a couple cupcakes. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Now to make the strawberry buttercream; take out your blender and puree the strawberries. I used a pint of fresh strawberries. Measure out 3/4 of the strawberry puree and pour into a small bowl. Add 2 tbsp of sugar. Stir and set aside. Next, get out a medium sized saucepan and add water about half way. Bring to a boil. Add the bowl from your standing mixer to the saucepan to create a double boiler. Add the egg whites and sugar and whisk constantly until the sugar melts. This should only take a couple minutes if that. Remove the standing mixer and attach it back to the mixer. Attach your wire whisk and whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. This takes about 10 minutes. Make sure they egg whites have cooled by touching the bottom of the bowl. Next, one square at a time add the butter into the egg whites. Continue to do this until the butter is fully incorporated. Add the vanilla and the vanilla bean. Lastly, add the strawberry puree to the mixture. Stir until full incorporated. Filly a pastry bag with a large star attachment and pipe onto the cooled cupcakes. Enjoy!

Chinese Chicken Salad with Red Chile Peanut Dressing

Recently, I flew to Florida for a little vacation. It was a wonderful trip. I got to fly in a little 4 seater Cessna plane. I went out on a boat in the Tampa Bay Harbor with my aunt and uncle. I went to the beach for a day, and of course ate a cuban. I always eat a cuban sandwich whenever I visit my hometown. After-all, that's one of the few states where you can get a "real" cuban. Also, while visiting my cousin in Bradenton, we made a quick trip to the store to get ingredients for a salad and for my mango and pineapple salsa. Well, the mango and pineapple salsa was such a hit that we ended up getting too full on it, and never made the salad. Well, I really wanted to try this salad because my cousin said the peanut dressing that goes on it is delicious. When I got back home to Richmond; I sent my cousin a quick text asking for the recipe. I didn't realize it was a Bobby Flay recipe. I should have known it was good just based of that name alone. And, indeed, it's delicious. The salad had a nice crunch with the peanuts, and the dressing had a nice kick with the peppers. I highly recommend this dish. I know I will be making it again. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Dressing:
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
2 teaspoons chipotle peppers, puree
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup canola oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Salad:
1/2 head napa cabbage, shredded
1/2 head romaine lettuce, shredded
2 carrots, shredded
1/4 lb snow peas, julienned
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
2 cups shredded rotisserie cooked chicken
1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
chili oil (optional)
grilled lime, halved for garnish

Whisk together the rice wine vinegar, peanut butter, ginger, pureed chipotle peppers, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and canola oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Take out a large bowl and combine the lettuce, carrots, snow peas, cilantro, green onions, shredded chicken, peanuts, and mint leaves. Toss to combine. Drizzle with chili oil if using. Pour the dressing on the salad, and toss till well combined. Serve immediately.

Smoked Wings with Homemade Ranch Dip

It’s hard to believe it’s only been a year since we got our smoker. Since then we’ve smoked ribs, we’ve smoked pork butt, we’ve smoked salmon. And three times, we’ve smoked chicken wings. It all turned out fabulous, don’t get me wrong, but the wings are so easy (relatively) and so, so good. That’s why we make them so often. And I should clarify, when I say “we” I definitely mean the Hubs. The smoker is his baby and he handles everything from start to finish. I just make the sauces. Speaking of which, I have this great recipe for homemade Ranch dip that goes well with the wings. I found it on Carla’s Confections. It’s garlicky with a hint of dill, and a smidge thinner and slightly chunkier than the stuff you buy at the store, which makes it perfect for dipping your wings! The wings themselves are a tiny big spicy, with tons of great smoky flavor. We found the rub recipe on The Black Peppercorn.

WING RUB

¾ cup paprika

½ cup sugar

½ cup salt

¼ cup ground black pepper

3 tbsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp thyme

2 tbsp dry mustard

2 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp sage

This makes a ton of dry rub, so if you aren’t having a huge party, you might want to cut it down. Mix all the ingredients together well in a Tupperware container or mason jar. You can store leftovers in the fridge and use it for other chicken or pork or hey, more chicken wings.

The Hubs gets full wings and breaks them down instead of getting precut drummies. Cut it at the joints and toss the wing tips (unless you have some great recipe for them that I don’t know about). You’ll want to get the rub on the wings 24 hours in advance if possible. It just helps the flavor to seep into the wings a little bit. On the day you’re going to smoke them, put them in a single layer into a disposable metal tray (or two, or more) with a lip. The lip is important because your next step is to slice pats of butter and scatter them on top of the chicken. This is the Hubs secret for keeping the wings moist (and delicious!). I’d say roughly a stick of butter per 9 by 12 tray.

Hopefully if you are interested enough in smoking wings I don’t have to explain to you how to use a smoker. Get it up to 200-225 degrees and keep it there as you smoke the wings for around two hours. We use Mesquite wood, but I've also heard that any fruit tree is great for chicken. To make sure they are done, cut one open after the two hours and make sure the juices run clear. If you want to use a meat thermometer instead, just make sure the internal temp is up to 160 degrees. 

RANCH DIP

1 c mayonnaise

1/2 c sour cream

1/2 c chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

2 Tbsp green onion chopped small

2 large cloves of garlic

1/8 - 1/4 c milk (more if needed)

1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp white vinegar

1/2 tsp paprika

2 tsp fresh dill, bruised

1/2 tsp dried oregano

Salt and pepper, to taste

For the dip flavors to develop you want to make it ahead of time. At least two hours, but I think it’s better to make it a day ahead if you can. Mix all the ingredients together and stir well. I wanted my dip to be a little thinner so I was close to the ¼ cup of milk, maybe more. If the chunky texture bothers you, you can always make it in the food processor. This makes a good amount of dip, but if you have leftovers there are plenty of places to use good Ranch. I’m sure you’ll come up with something!

Iron Chef Grape: The Signature Salad

I hosted our 17th Iron Chef Competition. I decided that our "secret" ingredient would be grape. There was some contention concerning this ingredient. I think because there aren't a heckuva lot of recipes out there for grape. You really have to go digging to conjure up some recipes. Overall, I think it was a pretty darn successful competition. I wanted to make something delicious, but I didn't really want to win since I was the hostess. I decided to make a side dish, and tried a couple different recipes. Ultimately, I settled on this salad because I thought it was delicious and represented the grape well. Plus, it's a pretty dish which doesn't hurt. I've since made this salad and it's really scrumptious. Enjoy.
 


Ingredients:
8 ounces mixed greens
2 cups red grapes, sliced in half
2 pears, peeled, cored, and diced
2/3 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)
½ cup shelled pistachios
2 ounces gorgonzola cheese (I used Manchego cheese)

Sherry Shallot Vinaigrette
1 medium shallot, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup sherry vinegar (if you can't find sherry vinegar, substitute red wine vinegar)
½ cup olive oil

The recipe doesn't call for this, but I roasted my grapes. Set your oven to 350 degrees. Take out a baking sheet and add some foil on top. Place the sliced grapes on the baking sheet, and place in the oven. Bake for about 5 to 10 minutes until the grapes start to soften. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Now, let's make the dressing. Take out a small bowl, and combine the minced shallots, garlic, salt, pepper, and vinegar. Then, whisk in the olive oil until well combined. Now, onto the salad. Take out a large bowl and combine the lettuce, diced pears, cranberries, pistachios, cheese, and roasted grapes. Using salad tongs give a quick toss of the ingredients. Pour in the dressing and serve immediately. Enjoy.

Sesame Chicken Pasta Salad

This is a pasta salad that I made a long time ago. Before I really got into cooking. I found this recipe on All Recipes, and I took it to a party of my then-boyfriend, now-husband’s co-workers. And…no one ate it. Well, I did. And of course my “trying to impress” boyfriend did. But no one else did, and that still stings a little. But I actually really enjoyed it, so I made it again this weekend, 8 years later, for one of my own parties. And I can’t say that I set it out with much confidence, but that all changed when everyone started complimenting it. And eating it. In fact, by the time the night was over there was none left at all. So I’m not sure what was wrong with that first group of people, but clearly they don’t know what’s up! This is a fairly simple pasta salad to make, but it’s got a lot of great flavor, and it’s definitely different from your traditional summer pasta salads. Don’t be like that first party—try it!

1 (16 ounce) package bow tie pasta

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup light soy sauce

1/3 cup rice vinegar

2 teaspoon sesame oil

3 tablespoons white sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup chopped green onion

One thing to note right off the bat. I generally have to make a second batch of the sauce. The pasta and chicken just really suck it up. So usually, I make it as directed and let it spend the night in the fridge. In the morning I stir it up and test it, and almost always end up making another half batch of the sauce to add in. I definitely recommend making it ahead of time since the sauce really needs to get into the pasta and chicken to hold on to that flavor.

Boil your chicken breasts and shred them first. At the same time, you can boil your farfalle (bowtie) pasta to al dente. Rinse it under cold water to cool and put in a large bowl or Tupperware. In a jar or a Tupperware container (something that you can tightly close) mix the vegetable oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, ginger, and black pepper. Close the lid (tightly!) and shake the dickens out of it. Then pour it over the pasta and mix in the chicken, cilantro and green onion. Let it sit in the fridge overnight and then assess the flavor. If it seems a little bland or dry, make another half batch of sauce and pour it in. Let it sit for another fifteen minutes at least before serving.

Korean Short Ribs

So, the Hubs and I were at the grocery store trying to find some short ribs for this awesome looking short rib chili nachos (which we WILL make eventually, have no fear.) Well, there were no traditional short ribs but the butcher offered up plate, aka flanken cut, short ribs instead. At first I thought we could use them in the same recipe, but the more I thought about it, I realized that this cut wouldn’t be that great in a long braise. So we decided to switch up our plans and make “Korean” short ribs. I found the recipe on a blog called Food People Want (true that.) I do hesitate to fully call these short ribs “Korean” because I’m pretty sure this isn’t an authentic Korean recipe, so I don’t want anyone to come after me for that. What it is, though, is absolutely delicious. And insanely easy. We marinated them overnight and grilled them for a few minutes, and then devoured them. The only complaint is that there weren’t more of them.

Ingredients

2 pounds flanken-style cut beef short ribs

1 cup apple juice

¼ cup soy sauce

½ small yellow onion, thinly sliced

5 to 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp Asian sesame oil

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp rice vinegar

1-2 Tbsps brown sugar (to taste)

It’s pretty simple, just mix up the marinade ingredients and put them in a plastic baggie. I actually was super lazy and didn’t even cut up an onion or use real garlic. I just used about a teaspoon each of onion powder and garlic powder. In the future I’d do the real thing though. Momentary attack of laziness. Put your ribs in the baggie and marinate for one or two days. Then take them out of the marinade (toss the rest) and grill for just about 3 minutes on one side and 2 minutes on the other, depending on the thickness. Then devour! We were total animals and didn’t even use a knife. I think it tasted even better because I ate with my fingers. 

Cream Cheese Brownies

I've been getting a lot of slack lately at work. Not because of how I'm performing, or anything, but due to not bringing in any goodies lately. It's not that I don't want to, but I just haven't felt like baking. I think the warm weather has something to do with it. I mean who feels like turning on a hot oven on a 90 degree day? Personally, I would prefer firing up my ice cream maker and making some watermelon sorbet. Mmm. Alas, this weekend wasn't sunny and 90 degrees. Nope, try rainy and in the low 70s. Bleh. But, it worked out for my fellow co-workers, because I decided to try a new brownie recipe. I found this recipe in my handy Cook's Illustrated cookbook, and it was definitely yummy. The brownies turned out very moist and chocolatey (new word?). Plus, the cream cheese almost convinced you that you're eating a brownie cheesecake. Almost. I highly recommend this recipe, and if you bring it into work your co-workers will be most appreciative and complimentary! Promise!
 

Ingredients
Brownie Base:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
4 oz bittersweet chocolate or semisweet chocolate (I used semi-sweet chocolate chips)
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
8 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs
Cream Cheese Filling:
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk

First pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees. Take out your 8x8 baking pan and place foil inside so the edges hang over the pan. This will make lifting the brownie out of the dish easier. Spray with cooking oil, and set aside. Take out a small bowl and add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk and set aside. Now, take out a medium sized sauce pan and fill half way with water. Bring to a simmer, and then place a medium sized bowl in the saucepan. Place the butter and chocolate in the bowl. Stir occasionally, so the butter and chocolate melt and come to a smooth consistency. Remove the bowl from the saucepan, and then add the sugar and vanilla. Then, whisk in the eggs one at a time. Continue whisking until the mixture is completely smooth. Next, add the dry ingredients that you had set aside earlier, and whisk until just incorporated. For the cream cheese filling; beat the cream cheese in a small bowl with sugar, vanilla, and the egg yolk until just combined. Transfer half the brownie batter into the prepared baking dish. Then using a spatula add in half the cream cheese mixture. I just plopped about 3 spoonfuls into the brownie mixture. Then, add the remaining brownie batter and add the remaining cream cheese mixture. Then, use the tip of a knife and swirl the batter and cream cheese filling. Bake until the edges of the brownies have puffed slightly, and the toothpick inserted in center comes out with several moist crumbs attached. About 50 to 60 minutes. I believe mine took about 50 minutes to bake. Be sure to turn the brownie mixture half way thru baking to ensure it cooks evenly. Let brownies cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Then, remove the brownies from the pan using the edges of the foil. Let cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours. Cut brownies into 2-inch squares and serve.

Egg, Prosciutto and Gruyere Tartine

So, tartine… sounds all fancy, right? Well, don’t be afraid, it’s not that fancy. In fact, in this case, it’s really, really messy. Tartine is just a pretty way to say “open face sandwich.” This tartine was so pretty I had to try it when I saw the photo on the Simply Life blog. Plus I’ve been on the look out for some lighter dinner options, so this seemed perfect. And it actually turned out to be extremely flavorful and delicious. The Hubs definitely loved it. I have to admit that the prosciutto made it a bit too salty for me after a few bites, but that could just be a personal taste thing. I’m pretty sure cooking the prosciutto concentrated the saltiness a little as well since I’ve had plenty of prosciutto that wasn’t salty. Anyway, I think it’s worth a try. What’s really interesting is the layers of flavor. When you first bite into it you mostly get the egg and the lemony spinach flavor, but as you chew you start to taste prosciutto and finally the gruyere. This would make a great brunch meal, too!

2 thick slices of French, brioche or sourdough bread

Gruyere cheese, thinly sliced

2 tbs. + 1 tsp. olive oil, divided

1 cup spinach or arugula

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Sat and pepper

3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto

2 eggs

Pinch of red pepper flakes

I don’t think you really need to measure much for this recipe. Even for the spinach, just add a little oil, a little lemon juice, salt and pepper, then taste and adjust. I will say, we used ciabatta bread instead of the suggested breads, and although I love me some ciabatta, it wasn’t the right bread choice for this. You really need the bread to be manageable in a bite with all this stuff on top. Just think about that when you’re slicing your bread and don’t get it too thick.

Brush olive oil on both sides of the bread slices and put them on a baking sheet. Broil each side about one minute to toast them. Yes, I just gave you instructions on how to toast bread. I know.

Toss the spinach or arugula in a small bowl with the oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust to your liking. Remember that the prosciutto will bring a lot of salt to the table so you don’t need much here.

Cook your eggs sunny side up. The original recipe had an interesting method for making sure the whites get cooked all the way on top. They recommend covering the pan and cook for 4 minutes. I’ve never tried it, but my whites were a little runny this time so I may try it in the future. Let me know if you do.

Top the bread slices with thin slices of gruyere and prosciutto and broil for another one or two minutes to melt the cheese. When the cheese is melty, take them out of the oven, top it with spinach, and put your cooked egg on top of that. Season with (a little) salt and pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. There you have it, a fancy, schmancy tartine! 

Pasta with Garlic and Olive Oil

I contemplated whether or not to post this recipe from Cook's Illustrated. I have to say going into making it; I was pretty excited. I love garlic, olive oil, and pasta. I mean it has to taste divine, right? Well, I don't know. It was decent, but I wasn't crazy about it. I'm wondering if it's because I didn't quite follow the recipe to the "T." Or, is it because I don't have the best tasting olive oil? I'm thinking it's a little of both. Part of the problem was my pasta took forever to cook. Maybe a case of watching water boil instead of walking away and coming back later? I think because it was taking too long to boil; the sauce dried up a bit. Plus, I didn't transfer the pasta to a warm bowl and then add the remaining ingredients. Instead I added the remaining ingredients directly to the skillet, and added the pasta to it as well. I think that maybe why it dried up so much. Anyway, give it a try and let me know what you think. Enjoy.

 

Ingredients:
1 pound spaghetti
Salt
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
12 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp lemon juice
1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)

First, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the pasta and 1 tbsp of salt. Stir often. Cook until al dente and then reserve 1/3 cup of the cooking water. Drain pasta. Meanwhile, heat 3 tbsp olive oil, two-thirds of garlic, and 1/2 tsp salt in a large non-stick skillet over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until garlic foams and is sticky and straw-colored, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the remaining garlic, pepper flakes, parsley, lemon juice, and 2 tbsp reserved cooking water. Transfer the drained pasta to a warm serving bowl. Then, add the garlic mixture, remaining 3 tbsp oil, and remaining reserved cooking water to pasta. Toss to combine. Season with salt to taste and sprinkle with Parmesan. Serve immediately.

Iron Chef Grape: Sweet Potato Crostini with Goat Cheese and Grape Salsa

This little appetizer was the winner of Iron Chef Grape. Kim found this recipe on MyRecipes and decided to try it because it had really good reviews and there aren't a lot of ingredients to make it. It was the clear winner at Iron Chef. This little nugget of an appetizer has a lot of flavor and depth to it. The goat cheese gives it a nice tang while the grape adds a hint of sweetness. And, the sweet potato helps give it a nice crunch. It is a wonderful appetizer albeit a bit messy, so be sure you have some napkins handy if you serve. But, I guarantee it will be a huge hit at your next party. I mean it won Iron Chef, so you can't go wrong with it!



Ingredients: 20 large frozen waffle-cut sweet potato fries
2 tablespoons red pepper jelly
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 cup quartered seedless red grapes
1/4 cup finely diced yellow bell pepper
2 tablespoons finely diced green onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 (4-oz.) package crumbled goat cheese

First set your oven to 425 degrees. Bake your sweet potatoes according to the manufacturer's instructions. Mine needed to bake for about 25 minutes. I turned my sweet potatoes half way thru to ensure even cooking. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Next, take out a small bowl and add the red pepper jelly and lime juice. Stir in the grapes. Then, add the next 3 ingredients. I used chives as I couldn't find green onions at the grocery store (go figure). Take a sweet potato and add a teaspoon full of the grape salsa on top. Then, sprinkle the goat cheese on top of the salsa. Enjoy!

Ginger Peanut Chicken Pasta

I was kind of wanting to go out to dinner tonight instead of making dinner. I asked my dad if he wanted to grab dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, and he was up for it. But, unfortunately, around 5:00 he said he wouldn't be able to make it due to having to work late. Fortunately, I had stuck chicken in the fridge to de-thaw earlier that morning. And, I came across this recipe earlier in the day that I thought sounded delicious. Boy, was I right! Sometimes, I think you can have a restaurant quality meal right in the comfort of your home. I really think this recipe is restaurant quality. It was very flavorful and even better it was super easy to make. Give it a try, and people will think you should try out for the next Top Chef on Bravo! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 lb penne pasta
3 boneless chicken breasts (skinned and chopped)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2/3 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 limes, juice of
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 cup chopped chives (optional)

First, take out a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of the milk and the corn starch. Stir well. Then, add the remaining milk into the bowl. Stir. Next, take out a medium-sized skillet and add some olive oil. Then, sautee your chicken till it's cooked thru. I sprinkled some salt and pepper on both sides of my chicken while it was cooking. Once the chicken finishes cooking; remove from the skillet and set aside.  Add the milk mixture to the skillet and cook for one minute till it thickens and bubbles. Reduce the heat to low. Next, get out a small bowl and add the peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, honey, garlic cloves, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Mix well and then add this to the milk mixture. Then, add the chicken, cilantro, and chives (if using). Meanwhile, boil your pasta. Once the pasta is al dente pour into a strainer. Then, add the pasta to the sauce and mix well. Serve and enjoy.

Arugula with Pine Nuts and Manchego Cheese

Recently, I visited my sister for dinner. She made Shrimp Scampi, but minus the pasta. Instead of the pasta we decided to have a salad and bread. I offered to bring the ingredients for the salad. She suggested that we make arugula with pine nuts and manchego cheese and a simple vinaigrette. I thought that sounded delicious, and I was right. The shrimp was wonderful, but I really enjoyed the salad. So much so that I decided to make this salad again at home. It's really simple and very delicious. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
7 oz bag of baby arugula
2 oz block of Manchego Cheese (about 1/3 cup shredded)
1/4 cup Pine nuts
1/4 cup of good Olive oil
1 lemon
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt
pepper

Take out a large bowl, and add the arugula. Add the pine nuts. Add the cheese. Then, add the juice of one lemon. Drizzle the olive oil over the salad. Add the red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste. Toss the salad to evenly coat the greens. Add more salt and pepper to taste. If necessary add a bit more olive oil or lemon juice. Enjoy.

Spicy Pineapple Glazed Drumsticks

This blog has been on quite the pineapple kick lately. Maybe because the weather is getting warmer and we all just want something a little tropical and summery sweet. These chicken drumsticks with a spicy pineapple glaze caught my eye on a blog called Juanita’s Cocina, because I am a sucker for something that pairs heat with sweet. And I love a sticky glaze besides. Although we had a few issues in the cooking of these drumsticks, they turned out really good, and all it will take is a few tweaks to iron out those wrinkles. They are definitely finger-licking good and should be served with a side of damp paper towels. I also think this glaze would be fantastic on wings or chicken thighs, yum!

Ingredients

8 chicken drumsticks

¼ cup flour

1 ½ Tbsp cornstarch

½  Tbs. salt

1 ¾ cup pineapple juice

½ cup brown sugar

1/8 cup soy sauce

1/8 cup rice vinegar

1 Tbs. fresh grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/8 cup Sriracha

Start by preheating the oven to 425. The original instructions had us line a baking pan with foil, but the foil ended up being a huge pain, as the chicken kept sticking to it. So next time I might just spray the pan with non-stick spray instead. It will be a bigger clean up, but it’s worth it to keep the skin on the drumsticks instead of the foil!

In a shallow dish or a plate with a lip mix the flour, cornstarch and salt. Roll your drumsticks around in it until they are covered by the mixture (you may have to sprinkle a little), shake off the excess and put them on the baking pan. Bake them for 15 minutes, flip them, and bake them for another 15.

While the chicken is baking you need to make the glaze. Combine all the other ingredients from the pineapple juice all the way to the Sriracha in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Then you want to take the heat down to simmer and keep it there until the first 30 minutes on the chicken is up.

This is where we ran into trouble, I think because we have had trouble maintaining a simmer on our new stove. We’re still figuring out what temperatures do what. So by the time the chicken was ready, the sauce wasn’t thick yet. You’ll want to keep it at a pretty high simmer in order to get it to thicken. Once it’s thick, you want to coat the chicken with the sauce and then bake for another 30 minutes (so it will bake for 60 minutes total), flipping and reglazing at 15 minutes. We actually ended up not being able to glaze until about 45 minutes in, and then we poured the sauce all over the chicken, so if that happens to you, don’t worry—it still turned out great! Anyway, after 60 minutes, the chicken should be cooked through and the glaze will be all sticky and nice. You can always broil your chicken for a minute or two if you want some caramelization, although we didn’t find that we needed any. Towards the end, keep an eye on things as the sugar in the glaze can tend to burn. I bet you could even finish these on the grill for the last 10 minutes or so if you wanted some of that smoky flavor. Serve with a delicious side (we turned to our favorite Spicy Corn Salad) and some wet naps if you have them! 

Chicken Fried Rice

The Hubs and I are really bad about leftovers. I always have the best intentions when I save something. Especially since there are a few nights a week where our schedule means we aren’t having a formal meal together. That would of course be the perfect time to take care of that leftover soup, or make that leftover meat into a sandwich. But what usually happens is I end up eating pita chips and ice cream, and the leftovers eventually get thrown away. So, I really like the idea of something that actually uses leftover rice as a main ingredient. The only problem was that we didn’t actually have any leftover rice, so I made some before work in the morning, and we had it that night. Still, I definitely know what I’m making next time we have a take out carton of rice leftover, because this was phenomenal. So good, and I am not exaggerating, that the Hubs claims that he’ll never get fried rice at a restaurant again. Yeah. Big words. Anyway, we took a basic fried rice recipe from the Bite SizedBlog and added chicken and a few other ingredients. The great thing about this form of meal is you can pretty much add in any vegetable or meat you want and it’s going to come out great.

2 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded

3 tbsp oil

1 onion, diced

1 chile pepper, minced (we used a Habanero)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp ginger, minced

2 cups old rice, room temperature

2 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

2 tsp sesame oil

2 eggs

4 scallions, chopped

Small handful of chopped fresh basil (Thai basil would be great, too)

Now, we did not use a wok because we’ve had trouble with them in the past. But apparently, the secret is using it over a flame and not an electric burner. So if you can make that happen, you might want to try the wok since it will get your rice a little crispier than we were able to get ours.

I boiled my chicken first and shredded it, then seasoned it with salt and pepper and set it aside. Next heat up the oil so it’s good and hot. We used grape oil but I might try peanut oil next time for a little extra flavor. Then add in the onion and chile pepper and sauté them until they are brown and crispy. Then lower the heat and add in the garlic and ginger just for 30 seconds to a minute. Add in your rice and butter and stir in as the butter melts. You want the rice to get a little crispy as well, which was hard for us. A little tip from the Hubs… be patient. We have a tendency to always be stirring, and that’s going to make it hard to get crispy rice. So don’t worry about letting the rice be still for a minute or so between stirs.

Use the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil to deglaze the pan and get all those tasty brown bits up. Then add in your eggs. I actually think we could have used one more egg, but see what feels right for you. You want to stir them in right away, making sure to break the yolk. Do it one at a time if you have to. You don’t want the egg to just cook where you threw it in. We added the chicken in at this point, and also another tablespoon or two of soy sauce since the chicken seemed to suck up all the liquid. Then we stirred in the scallions and basil for another minute and we were done! We enjoyed it so much that even though we made a lot, there were definitely no leftovers.