Iron Chef Strawberry: Chicken Thighs with Devil's Sauce

For these Iron Chef competitions, I usually like to pick one of the harder courses for the secret ingredient. Well, for a long time while I was searching for a recipe, I thought I outdid myself on this one. Savory strawberry dishes are pretty hard to find. So I asked my brother (who I’ve mentioned before is a great chef) what he thought. He told me about a sauce called Devil’s Sauce, which he makes with raspberries and serves over steak. He thought I could make a similar sauce with strawberries.

Well… as sometimes (ok, often) happens, I started to mess with the recipe. First, I decided to use chicken instead of steak, since we have a non-beef eater in the Iron Chef group. Then, I realized I didn’t have malt vinegar, and didn’t feel like running to the store. So I used balsamic, which actually pairs really nicely with strawberries. Finally, as I was measuring out the ingredients, the ratios just didn’t seem right to me. So I improvised. I’m sure that my brother’s Devil’s Sauce is amazing, and my version is like a redheaded stepsister to that sauce. But all in all, it turned out pretty good. So good that I used my leftover sauce a few nights later and made it for my husband. It didn’t taste a thing like strawberries, but outside of the Iron Chef competition that really doesn’t matter.

Strawberry Puree

Strawberries (about 20, give or take)

1 Tbsp sugar

3 Tbsp water

Devil’s Sauce

1 ½ cups strawberry puree

½ 15oz can Hunt’s tomato sauce

4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

6 Tbsp Worcestershire

Sriracha (to taste)

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs

First cut the green tops off your strawberries and quarter them. Throw your strawberries in a saucepan with the water on medium heat. After the water gets hot and is tinged pink with strawberry juice, sprinkle the sugar over the top and lower the heat. This isn’t to make the mixture sweet, just to cut the tartness. Stir often until there is a significant amount of juice and the strawberries are soft. Remove from heat and pour into a blender, or immersion blend. Make sure your top is on the blender; you don’t want hot strawberry juice flying around your kitchen. Blend to a pulp and then strain through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth (sieve is better) into a bowl. Don’t skip this step—you don’t want seeds in your sauce.

Clean out your saucepan and use it again for the next step. Or heck, if you want to wreck your kitchen use a whole new pan. Mix all the ingredients over low heat for about 15 minutes. I used about two teaspoons of sriracha and I personally could have used a little more, but since I was serving a crowd I made it a little less spicy. Taste it along the way and adjust until it’s where you want it.

I’ve touted the virtues of chicken thighs before, they are so juicy and cheap. But in truth you can use this on anything you’d use BBQ sauce on. Throw the thighs on the grill and brush them with sauce. The more layers of sauce the better. Turn them and keep saucing for about 10-15 minutes, keeping the grill around 350 degrees and shutting the lid in between. If you do go with bone-in thighs it will take longer.

We ate these with grilled corn on the cob, which is such a great way to eat corn. And I’m an Indiana girl so you better believe I know my corn. Just soak the whole cob, husk and all for about 15 minutes before grilling. Cut off the extra silk (it’ll burn) and place them directly on the grill. Turn them often, and when they are all nice and charred (10-12 minutes) they are done. Smear with butter and salt and enjoy! Sometimes I like to sprinkle a little cayenne on them as well. It’s a great summer meal to eat outside with a glass of lemonade or beer.

(Click here for printable recipe)

Iron Chef Strawberry Recap

I came into this battle not being a big fan of strawberries. I mean, I like them. I just always felt like they seemed too sickly sweet. Or if they weren’t sweet, they were overly tart. In short, I wasn’t looking forward to eating a bunch of strawberries for this battle. But from the very first dish to the last, I was pleasantly surprised. This battle changed my mind about strawberries, and opened my mind to all the possibilities. We had sweet dishes, savory dishes, strawberries with seafood, and even spicy strawberries. Emily, the lovely hostess for the evening, started off the evening right with her Strawberry Bellini, a mix of strawberry puree and champagne that was delicious, and pretty as well. It was a nice summery drink—and classier than a daiquiri for your next summer party.

This was Shu’s first Iron Chef battle, but she came in like a pro with her sophisticated endive cups with strawberry, walnut, blue cheese & balsamic filling topped with chives. I love the idea of using endive for a quick little bite, and this was a tasty appetizer (I had seconds). 

I never would have thought of pairing strawberries with scallops. In fact, I never would have thought of bringing scallops to an Iron Chef party. But Laura’s Strawberry Scallop salad was really good. With cucumbers, gorgonzola and a citrus-dijon vinaigrette, it was a surprising combination of flavors that worked well together.

And now, the Iron Chef strawberry winner: Cara! Homemade biscuits with strawberry jam—it’s a classic for a reason. But Cara gave it an Iron Chef worthy twist by making spicy strawberry chipotle jam and cheddar biscuits. The biscuits were light and fluffy, and the jam was just sweet enough and very spicy. We all were excited to get our own personal jars to take home. I’ve already broken mine out a few times this weekend. Congrats Cara!

Doan earned a runner’s up gift with her salmon and strawberry mango salsa. Another surprising combination of flavors that went so well together. Personally, I thought the addition of cilantro to the salsa was genius—who would have thought that cilantro and strawberries would mix so well? This would make a great summer dish for a cook out. It just felt fresh and light, with lots of flavor.

I had the other entrée and made chicken thighs with devil’s sauce—a strawberry barbeque sauce. It was pretty tasty, but it was missing one key element: it didn’t taste a thing like strawberry! Even so, I may put this sauce in my regular barbeque rotation.

Finally, the desserts. Arguably the easiest category for strawberries, but Jen and Greta didn’t go the classic route. Jen made a fun play on a pizza, with a sugar cookie crust, strawberry cream cheese and fresh strawberries on top. Plus there was a tasty strawberry drizzle.

Greta made a frozen dessert with alcohol involved, which is always appreciated. Her strawberry margarita torte had amaretto and tequila in it and did taste somewhat like a creamy margarita—with a graham cracker crust!

I would say that this round of Iron Chef was one of our better tasting efforts. There were definitely no flops, and everyone really stepped up in the creativity department. It was a great summer ingredient, and a really fun evening. Thanks to Emily for hosting us and congratulations to the winners! Our next secret ingredient hasn’t been picked yet, but we have a few really interesting options in the mix. So stay tuned for the next battle!

Guacamole

I know, I know, everyone has a guacamole recipe. But let me tell you a little story about why you should try this one. My brother is a really good chef. Like works in a restaurant…creates his own recipes…that kind of chef. And he’s pretty snooty about it. When I recently made a potato salad, he daintily sniffed a bite, looked at me with disdain and asked, “Is this fresh dill?” (It wasn’t.) He repeatedly turns his nose up at almost everything I make.

My guacamole… he requests. Every single time I come home he wants me to make it, and then he eats the majority of it himself. He even put a version of it on his menu. I feel like that’s both the best compliment he could give, and the best endorsement of how good this guac is. It’s so simple, relatively healthy, and easy to remember. It’s also massively customizable. I can make it without a recipe, but for you, because I like you, I’ll write it down.

Ingredients

Avocados (5)

Limes (2), juice

Jalapeno or Serrano peppers (2), chopped small

Small onion, chopped

Garlic, pressed or minced

Cilantro

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

So, you’ll notice that I haven’t given you very many measurements. That’s because this is what I’d like to call a tasting recipe. You mix it up, and taste it and make adjustments. Taste the pepper before you add it and decide how much heat you want. Just remember that you can’t adjust down, so put in less than you think and taste it before adding more.

I always start with the avocados, one of the most fun fruits (yes, they are fruit) to cut up. The best way is to slice it long ways all the way around, then CAREFULLY swing the knife into the pit and twist it slowly. This is the easiest way to get the pit out without destroying the avocado. Sorry I don’t have a picture of that to help the description, but maybe I’ll take it later and repost. Scoop the fruit out of the peel with a big spoon and put it in a large bowl.

If you have a citrus press, usually 1 ½ limes is enough. If not, use two. An cool way to get out more of the juice is to stick a fork into the fruit while you squeeze. Pour the lime juice over the avocados. Add in your chopped onion, pepper, and garlic. Then take a small handful of cilantro, chop that up and put it in as well. Add the olive oil. I usually just pour it in without measuring but it’s probably around ¼ cup. Put in about a teaspoon of salt and a ½ teaspoon of fresh cracked pepper to start and then mash it all up with a potato masher. You can leave it chunkier if you like, or mash it completely if you prefer. I like mine somewhere in the middle.

Now, taste it (with tortilla chips, since they add salt) and see if you need more salt and pepper, or more lime, or more heat. If you like yours with tomatoes, throw some in. Make it yours. Then, you’ll have your own guacamole recipe too. 

(Click here for printable recipe)

Margherita Pizza

There was a time when I was 12 years old, and I didn’t like pizza. That’s right, folks. A 12 year old kid didn’t like pizza. To be honest, I can’t really remember why I stopped liking pizza. I remember I stopped liking ketchup once because I had gotten hives, and it was right after I had eaten McDonald’s French fries with you guessed it; ketchup. I made up my mind then that I would stop eating ketchup for fear I might get hives again. But, quitting pizza? I don’t get it. I was a weird kid. I think it was a year or two later when I decided to eat it again, and of course I loved it. It’s been a love affair ever since. Of course, you might find it funny that even though I love pizza I only eat cheese pizza. I’m sure BBQ Pizza is great. I’m sure Meat Lovers is pretty special, too. But, for me it’s all about the sauce, the dough, and the cheese!!!! Recently, I stumbled across this recipe from savory seduction’s blog. Her pictures make the pizza look yummy. Plus, I love basil. So, I printed it out and made it this weekend. The key is having a pizza stone and a pizza peel. I had to go out to Target to buy a pizza peel for only $10. I have to say I loved the dough. It was perfection. My only complaint was I thought the basil was a bit over-cooked. But, overall this was a definite homerun. Enjoy!

Pizza Dough Ingredients:
2 cups flour ( I needed more for dusting and to help the dough be less sticky)
1 package Active Dry Yeast
1 cup warm water (105-110 degrees)
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Addition flavorings such as garlic powder/salt, dried basil, dried oregano (optional)

Pizza Toppings:
Fresh Mozzarella
Fresh Basil
Sea Salt
Fresh Black Pepper
Anything else you’d like to add

To make the pizza dough, first grab your mixing bowl and add the yeast, the warm water, and the sugar. Stir. Let sit for about 10-15 minutes until proofed. It should appear puffy and the yeast should be dissolved.
Take your mixing bowl and put it on your mixer, with your dough-hook in place, mix the flour, the yeast mixture, the salt, and EVOO, along with any extra flavorings ( I added about an 1/8th of tsp garlic salt) to the bowl. And mix at medium-high speed for 10 minutes. I added more flour as it mixed just so it wasn’t super sticky. The dough should eventually fling cleanly away from the bowl, and you’ll know it’s ready then. Take a large bowl and coat it with cooking spray. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm oven (around 85 degrees) for an hour or so until the dough has risen. I waited about 2 hours and it rose nicely.

While the dough is rising you can gather your ingredients together. Also, if you want to make a homemade marinara sauce now is a good time. I make my own by taking a small can of tomato sauce (flavored or not) and I add a bit of salt, minced garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, a little sugar, and dried cilantro. I just eye-ball it. Warm it over low heat.

Once the dough has risen, remove from oven. Turn the oven to the highest setting around 500 degrees. Place your pizza stone in the oven.
About 10 minutes later, get your pizza peel nicely floured. Roll out your pizza dough into a circle shape. You really need to make sure the pizza peel is nicely floured at this point otherwise the dough will stick to it when you transfer it to the stone. Add your tomato sauce, add the mozzarella, add your basil.
Once the pizza stone is nice and hot (I waited about 20 minutes) transfer the dough to the pizza stone and place in oven. Cook for about 5-10 minutes. You may want to rotate it half way thru so it cooks evenly. Cook until nicely golden-brown and the cheese is melted. Enjoy!


(Click here for printable recipe)

Ham, Cheese & ½ Spinach Quiche

There’s a Ukrainian word hospidiña (bear with my non-traditional spelling. Ukranians use the cyrillic alphabet). Hospidiña means one who takes great care with cooking, presentation, and being a great hostess. My grandmother was known as a great hospidiña. The tables she set, the flowers she arranged, the food she presented… it was all treated like an art. I like to think that I have a bit of my grandmother in me, or I at least aspire to.

Recently for Memorial Day weekend, my husband and I played host as family stayed with us. Perhaps I went overboard, but I was having a lot of fun. My onion flowers ("how-to" post coming soon!) even broke out amid the lettuce, tomatoes and onions for the burgers. But what I really had fun with were the breakfasts. Feeding 5 to 9 mouths is not the norm in my childless household, so I thought it was a great excuse to try a few new recipes. Here’s the first:

Ham, Cheese & ½ Spinach Quiche

This was the quiche to please the range of eaters in my family. What started out as a plan to make 2 quiches turned into an improvisation that blended the two.

Ingredients: 1 pastry shell (9 inches), roughly 2 cups diced fully-cooked ham, 8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese, minced onion to taste, 4 eggs, 2 cups half-and-half, ¼ tsp. salt, ½ tsp. pepper, 2 hand-fulls fresh baby spinach.

Directions:

Spray pie pan with non-stick oil. Unroll store bought pastry shell (see, I cheated here!) into pie pan - personally I use a Pampered Chef Pie Stone, which I love! Bake pastry shell at 400° for 5 minutes covered with foil. Remove foil; bake 5 minutes more. (The pastry shell needs more time to cook than the filling, so this makes sure the whole quiche is finished at the same time.)

After you pull out the shell, scatter ham, half of the cheese and onion on top of the shell. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, half-and-half, salt and pepper, and after it is blended pour it into the shell on top of other ingredients. Spread cheese over mixture and slowly stir with the whisk to blend it in evenly.

This is where the picky eaters come in. I didn’t put in any spinach until this point, because I tried to keep it on only half the quiche, with no spill over. (Important stuff!) Wash the spinach in a strainer, and then push it into the mixture on the one side. I dropped it on top and then pushed it deeper with the whisk.

Cover the edges with foil so they don’t brown more-so than the rest of the quiche. Bake at 400° for 35-40 minutes. When a knife is inserted in the center and comes out cleanly, it’s done.

Enjoy!

KSP

(Click here for printable recipe)

Iron Chef Melon: Herbed-Grilled Chicken with Watermelon-Feta Salad

Keeping with the watermelon theme; this particular recipe was from our Iron Chef Melon from last June. Kim Mackey made this recipe and it's very delicious. I made this all last summer and it's great with pork tenderloin as well as chicken. It has a wonderful herbed flavor and the diced watermelon with the feta works great to give it a little texture and coolness to the warm meat. It was probably my favorite dish of the night at that particular iron chef. Great pick, Kim!!

Herbed-Chicken Marinade:
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper 4 boneless
skinless chicken breasts no-stick spray

Watermelon Feta salad ingredients:
1 1/2 cups diced seedless watermelon
3/4 cup diced cucumber
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pitted kalamata olives
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 tablespoons reserved marinade
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

First gather all of the ingredients for the herbed-chicken into a bowl. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of your marinade for the watermelon-feta salad. Salt and pepper your chicken. Pour the marinade (along with the chicken) into a plastic zip-lock bag and marinate for an hour or so. While the chicken is marinating begin dicing the ingredients for your watermelon salad. Place all of the ingredients into a bowl along with the reserved marinade and place in the refrigerator. Get your grill to a heat of about 350 degrees and cook your chicken on each side for about 5 minutes. When chicken is ready remove from grill. Place some of the watermelon salad on top of your chicken and enjoy!

(Click here for printable recipe)

Watermelon Sorbet

You know it's summer when you start seeing buckets full of whole watermelons at your local grocery chains. Watermelons right now run about $2.99-$4.99 depending on which stores have them on sale. I bought a watermelon from Trader Joe's last weekend for $3.99. The best way to pick out a watermelon is to knock on the melon with your fist, and if it sounds hollow then you know you got a good melon. The other day I was perusing tastespotting's site and came across this watermelon sorbet recipe. Since, I knew I was going to buy an ice cream maker this weekend I went ahead and printed it. Plus, I already had the ingredients. Sur La Table gave me the incentive to buy an ice cream maker this weekend because they are giving away a $15 gift card with the purchase of one of their cusinarts. Fortunately, we have a Sur La Table at Stony Point Mall, so I didn't have to buy it online. After making my purchse yesterday, I put my ice cream thingy in the freezer so it would be ready today. It is so easy to make ice cream or sorbet. And, if you love watermelon you will love this sorbet. It reminded me of my watermelon daquiri I posted last year. Give this one a try if you have an ice cream maker. You won't regret it. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 cups seedless watermelon (diced)
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice ( I just used one lemon)

I cut this recipe down some, because I had way more left over than I needed. The original recipe calls for 4 cups watermelon and 3 cups water.

Take your water and sugar and pour into a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and set aside to cool. Add your watermelon, cooled simple syrup, and lemon juice into a blender and puree. I then placed this into a bowl and put into an ice bath to cool the mixture quicker. Once it was cool, I put into my ice cream maker and let it mix for about 20 minutes until it thickened. I then put my sorbet into an airtight container, and chilled for a couple hours. It was very yummy!


(Click here for printable recipe)

Cinnamon Bread

There are certain things in life that put a smile on my face. Sunsets, hanging with good friends and family, mojitos, a nice warm day with a gentle breeze, my dogs, and the smell of cinnamon bread baking in the oven. Since it was a rainy and gloomy day I decided to make some bread. This particular bread will be ready the same day you make it. I’ve made this once before, and it was very delicious. I remember the first time I had cinnamon bread. I think I was about 17 years old, and it was when I baby-sat some kid in the near west-end. I thought it was sooo yummy. The cinnamon swirled throughout the bread made it heavenly. I’m pretty certain it was from the Montana Gold Bread bakery in Carytown. The only difference between their bread and mine is their’s might be more cinnamonny. I think I just made that word up. But, anyway, it’s a really easy bread to make. And, it’s quite good. Plus, if you want to put it away for awhile it will last up to 3 months in your freezer. I think you will really enjoy this bread, and it should definitely put a smile on your face!! I got the recipe out of New Best Recipe…my go-to cookbook. Enjoy!

Dough:
1/2 c whole milk (I just used 1%)
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 envelope instant yeast
1/2 c warm water (110 degrees)
1/3 c sugar
2 lg eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 1/4- 3 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface

Filling:
1/4 c sugar
5 tsp ground cinnamon
Milk for brushing

Glaze:
1 lg egg
2 tsp milk

First, you need to heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan until the butter melts. Cool until warm (110 degrees). While the milk mixture cools, sprinkle yeast over warm water in a bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle. Beat in the sugar and eggs and mix at low speed to blend. Then, add the salt, the lukewarm milk mixture, and 2 cups of flour. Mix at medium speed until thoroughly blended...about a minute. Switch to your dough hook, and add 1 1/4 cups of flour. Knead at medium-low speed, adding more flour a little at a time if the dough sticks to the sides of the bowl, until the dough is smooth and comes away from the sides of the bowl. About 10 minutes.
Then, turn the dough onto your work surface. Squeeze the dough with a clean and dry hand. If the dough is still sticky, then add some more flour. Transfer the dough to a very lightly oiled large bowl. I used spray. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm air-free area (I use my oven) for several hours. The dough should double in size. I set my oven to around 75 degrees.
After the dough has risen, remove from oven and punch down the dough. Turn the dough onto your unfloured work surface. Let the dough rest for an additional 10 minutes.

Now, for the filling mix the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Grease the sides and bottom of a 9x5 loaf pan.

Press the dough neatly into an evenly shaped 8x6 rectangle. With the short side facing you, roll the dough with a rolling pin into an evenly shaped 18x8 rectangle. Flour the work surface if the dough sticks. Brush the dough liberally with milk. Then, sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough leaving a 1/2-inch border on the far side. Now, starting at the side closest to you , roll up the dough, pinching the dough gently with your fingertips to make sure it is sealed. To keep the loaf from stretching beyond 9 inches, push the ends in occasionally with your hands as your roll the dough. When you finishing rolling, pinch the seams tightly to secure it. With the seam-side facing up, push in the center of both ends. Firmly pinch the dough at either end together to seal the sides of the loaf.

Place the loaf seam-side down in the prepared pan; press lightly to flatten. Then cover the top of the pan loosely with plastic wrap and set aside to rise. I put mine back into the oven. Let rise until the dough is 1 inch above the top of the pan, which is about 1 1/2 hours.

Prep your glaze. Remove the loaf from the oven, and gently brush the bread with the egg mixture. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Bake until the loaf is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer reads at an angle from the short end of teh pan into the center 185 to 190 degrees. Remove the bread from the pan and cool to room temperature on its side on a wire rack at least 45 minutes. If tightly wrapped the bread will last at room temperature for 4 days or frozen for 3 months.

(Click here for printable recipe)

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

In Richmond, Spring barely exists. It often feels like we just skip right from cold weather to hot, hot, hot. We should just retire the name Spring and call it Sprummer. But even if the weather isn’t as transitional as we would like, what we eat can be. This is a great, light meal for Sprummer. It’s filling without being heavy, and it’s healthy so we can fit into all our Sprummer clothes.

I found this recipe on Pass the Sushi, and unfortunately I had thought we had hoisin sauce, but we didn’t. So instead, we added some spicy Szechuan sauce and sesame oil, and just kind of adjusted the recipe to taste. It actually turned out great—a happy accident. So, I’ll share the recipe as it was originally, but feel free to play with it and taste along the way. You could use any ground meat you want—but chicken and turkey are healthy options.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 lb ground chicken (or any other ground meat)

1 medium shallot, diced small

1 garlic clove, minced

3 scallions

2 large stalks lemongrass-tender pale inner core only, minced

1/2 cup chopped cashews

1 teaspoonful seasoned rice vinegar

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoonful garlic chili sauce

small handful of cilantro, chopped

lettuce leaves

Pull out your Wok if you have one, or a deep skillet pan if you don’t, and heat the oil over medium heat. We used olive oil because we didn’t have canola oil and I’m not sure it made a difference. Toss in the shallot and garlic and cook quickly for 15 seconds before adding the chicken. Stir and break up the meat until it’s cooked through, and drain any grease that comes up.

Add the cashews, scallions, rice vinegar, hoisin, soy sauce and chili sauce. Also the lemongrass if you have it. We couldn’t find it at Kroger. You could also throw in water chestnuts if you’re feeling crazy. This is where we added sesame oil, which I really like and think added a lot, but it’s something that needs to be used sparingly. Toss it all around and cook for another 2-3 minutes until everything is coated. Then take it off the heat and sprinkle the cilantro. Serve in clean lettuce leafs. We used just green leaf lettuce because that’s the best that Kroger had, but butter lettuce or bibb lettuce is probably the best if you have it. Iceberg can also work in a pinch.

Anyway, this was a great meal, healthy and surprisingly husband approved. Next hot Sprummer night when you’re looking for a light meal, try it! 

(Click here for printable recipe)

Tartine Brownies w/ Nuts

I started my diet back in March, and haven't done much baking at all. 12 pounds lighter I thought why not try baking something that sounds delicious. And, I can just bring in the majority of it into work. My co-workers would either love me or hate me, but at least I wouldn't be eating them. ;0)


One of my favorite baking food blogs is diving baking. Amira's pictures are just beautiful. Plus, I've already tried one of her recipes, and it was heaven. I've seen her post this brownie recipe before, and just recently she updated it. It looked super good from her pictures. I know. Sometimes pictures can be deceiving, but she was right. This is really a delicious and fudgy brownie. It's a whopping 6 points per WW Points+. So, I'm really glad I only ate one of them. But, man was it chocolaty and fudgy and yummy. It was really simple to make, and I highly recommend it if you are in need of a chocolate fix. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
1 pound bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 large eggs (the original recipe calls for five eggs, but Amira doesn't like tall brownies)
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups nuts, optional for topping




I didn't have bittersweet chocolate on hand. So, I just used the chocolate squares from the grocery store that I had in my cabinet. I used about 8 semi-sweet squares and 8 unsweetened squares.First thing I did was get my butter and chocolate, put it in a small sauce pan and simmer it over low heat until chocolate is melted. I then took my flour and sifted it into a bowl. Set this aside. Next, take your remaining ingredients put into your mixing bowl. Mix on high speed for about 5 minutes. Take your cooled chocolate mixture and pour into the egg mixture. Stir until combined. Then, take your sifted flour and gently fold into the chocolate batter. Pour this into a 9X13 greased pan and spread evenly. Amira suggested pouring your nuts over the brownies at this stage. However, I think the next time I make them I will just incorporate them into my chocolate batter.

(Click here for printable recipe)

Strawberry Mojito

It's getting closer to those warm summer months, and my mint is growing gloriously. So, what's the best way to use mint by making mojitos that is. About a year ago my sister sent me a blog for a strawberry mojito recipe. It's taken me a year, but I finally got around to making this recipe. My only complaint was that the mint overpowered the strawberries. So, next time I'll be sure to add more strawberries and less mint. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped strawberries
1/4 cup mint
1-2 shots of white rum
2 tbsp to 1/4 cup simple syrup
Splash of Club soda or Soda Water
Splash of fresh lime

Directions:
Take a glass and add your strawberries, mint, and simple syrup. Use your muddling tool and crush the strawberries and mint. Add rum. Add ice close to the top of your glass. Add soda water or club soda. Add a splash of fresh lime. Garnish with strawberry and lime.

(Click here for printable recipe)

Mushroom Risotto

My husband and I watch a lot of food television. Top Chef, Iron Chef, Chopped, and Next Food Network Star, to name a few. One show we used to watch was Hell’s Kitchen. Eventually we stopped because it seemed like the talent of the competing chefs was pretty low. But one thing stuck with us: the sound of Gordon Ramsay yelling “BLOODY RISOTTO” in his Scottish accent. It was always a harrowing moment, with his face turning red and veins popping out of places I didn’t know veins existed, while the chef who had ruined the risotto cowered in fear of life and limb. Maybe that is why, although risotto has always been a favorite for me in restaurants, we had never attempted it at home. But hey, I’m not afraid of a challenge. And it’s not like Gordon Ramsay is going to find me and call me a plank (which is actually an insult he used on that show).

Making a risotto wasn’t as hard or scary as I expected, although it is somewhat time consuming. You have to constantly stir for about 20 minutes once things get started, so plan ahead. But the results were pretty good. I would say the only downside is that risotto is good as a side dish, not so much a whole meal on its own. But with so much time and energy invested in it, it’s hard to make an entrée to go with it. That said, it was very good. Probably could cut the amount of mushrooms in half, but it was definitely tasty. I found this recipe on How To: Simplify, and probably liked it because the author is just as afraid of Ramsay.

6 cups chicken broth

Extra virgin olive oil

1 pound sliced Portobello Mushrooms

1 pound sliced white mushrooms

2 shallots, diced

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

4 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

I had a little trouble finding the Arborio rice, but finally found it on the top shelf at Kroger. It’s somewhat more expensive than regular rice, but it’ll probably last for four or five risottos. Start by chopping up your mushrooms. We kept them relatively large, but do as you will. Also put the chicken broth in a saucepan and heat. In a large deep skillet or pan over medium high heat, heat some olive oil and sauté the mushrooms 3-4 minutes until they are soft and then set them aside. Chop your shallots and add them with a little more oil to the pan. Cook for about a minute and then add the rice (uncooked). Stir the rice constantly until it starts to turn a pale golden color and then add in the wine. Keep stirring (this is a theme here) until the wine is absorbed. It won’t take very long.

Next, add a half cup of broth and stir until it’s fully absorbed. Repeat this step a half cup at a time, until the rice is al dente which should be around 20 minutes. You’ll notice that the rice takes the broth pretty quickly at first, and it slows down more and more as you go. Once the rice is at the point you want, remove it from the heat and add the butter and cheese. We added more cheese because…well, it’s cheese. Then stir back in the mushrooms and their juices. Season with salt and pepper, and serve! I think this recipe could be a good base for a lot of different kinds of risotto, so don’t be afraid to have a little fun with ingredients. This would be a nice side to serve to company. Just as long as it’s not Chef Ramsay. 


(Click here for printable recipe)

Carne Crudo

I have to start this out with two apologies. First, I’m sorry I haven’t posted in awhile. A project at work is keeping me busy, and when I’m not busy, I’m out of town. This isn’t likely to change in the next month or two either. And second, I’m sorry that this recipe isn’t very good. In fact, it’s barely a recipe at all. I wasn’t going to even post it, but this blog is supposed to be about failures as well as successes, so here goes.

My work took me to Birmingham, Alabama a few weeks ago. Not really a mecca for great food but we were able to find a couple decent places to eat. At one of these restaurants, Bottega, I got the Carne Crudo. Now, I am a big fan of raw beef and tend to get steak tartare or beef carpaccio any time I can. I know that not many people are fans, so I don’t expect this to appeal to everyone who reads this. Anyway, while my companions weren’t pleased with their meals, the crudo was fantastic! Lemony, without hiding the meat. Just salty enough. And served with microgreens and crostini to make the perfect little bites. It was so good, in fact, that I decided to try to recreate it at home so my husband could try it.

Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out that great. It was a little too lemony, and although the first few bites tasted ok, it got saltier and saltier the more we ate. I think because we used kosher salt, it melted as we went. Anyway, we ate as much of it as we could, and then vowed to leave it to the restaurants from now on.

Asian Peanut Noodles with Chicken

Ever since I learned about Gina's awesome website, I peruse it just about every day. Recently she posted this Asian Peanut recipe. I thought it sounded really delicious. Well, I was right. I made this dish tonight, and man was it good. It was very spicy thanks to the siracha, and so flavorful. It didn't take that long to make; around an hour. I had all the ingredients already since I went to Whole Foods this weekend and stocked up in preparation for making this entree. I didn't use the peanut butter that Gina suggested. I just used regular reduced-fat crunchy peanut butter. Be prepared to have left-overs unless you are feeding a big family. It makes a ton. Also, I didn't use the asian noodles. I didn't know what they were, and when I asked someone at the store he said the Asian Sticks would work. As you can probably tell from my picture those "sticks" are really tiny. Smaller than Angel hair noodles. I didn't mind it, but I definitely want to get the right noodles next time. Enjoy!

Light Peanut Sauce Ingredients:
14.5 oz fat free chicken broth (vegetarians use vegetable broth)
5 tbsp better'n peanut butter
1 tbsp Sriracha chili sauce
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce (use Tamari for gluten free)
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced

Chicken Marinade:
16 oz chicken breast, cut into thin strips
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 tbsp Sriracha chili sauce (more or less to taste)
juice of 1/2 lime
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tbsp soy sauce (use Tamari for gluten free)
1/2 tbsp sesame oil

Additional Ingredients:
8 oz. Asian Noodles
3/4 cup green onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups shredded carrots
1 1/4 cups cup shredded broccoli slaw
1 cup bean bean sprouts
2 tbsp chopped peanuts
1 lime, sliced
cilantro for garnish (optional)

First, I took out my dethawed chicken and pounded it till it was about 1/4 inch thick. I cut the chicken into thin strips. I seasoned it with salt and pepper. Next, I took a whole lime and squeezed out the juice into my bowl. I added the siracha, soy sauce, grated ginger, crushed garlic, and sesame oil into the same bowl. I then placed the chicken into the bowl and stirred together. I set this aside. Next, I combined the ingredients for the peanut sauce which consists of: siracha, peanut butter, soy sauce, minced garlic, honey, and grated ginger into a sauce pan. Heat this over medium low heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir. Set aside. Next, take your chicken and sautee it in a pan heated with 1/2 tbsp sesame oil over medium-low heat. Took about 10 minutes. While the chicken was cooking, I took a pot and added water. I heated the water and added my asian sticks. I covered the pot and turned off the heat. This cooked for about 10 minutes. I just followed the directions on the bag for this. Once the chicken is cooked; remove the chicken from the pan. Then add your veggies to the same pan. This is when I wished I had a wok. My veggies were flying all over the stove. Cook for 5-10 minutes until heated thru. I took about 2 tbsp of peanuts and chopped. Set aside. I grabbed about 1/2 cup of cilantro and chopped. Set aside. Next, I took my pot of noodles and poured them into a strainer. I grabbed a big bowl and added the peanut sauce to it. I dumped the noodles into the bowl and stirred together. I added the chicken to the bowl and stirred together. Then, I added the veggies and stirred together. I added the chopped peanuts and chopped cilantro. Enjoy!

(Click here for printable recipe)

Rosemary Ranch Chicken

I haven’t posted in awhile because we’ve been making a lot of our old favorites that are already on the site. I’ve been busy at work and so not able to spend my typical hours poring over recipes. Last night we made one of our favorite meals, and I assumed I had written it up for The Dinner Club, but was shocked to see that I hadn’t. Time to right that wrong! Or write that wrong, I guess. Oy, bad puns.

One of the hardest things about making chicken is not letting it get dry. That’s the best part about this recipe—it makes the juiciest chicken around. It also imparts a lot of tasty flavor. However, it’s not exactly healthy. I know, I know, you’re not surprised, since this is coming from me. But if you have it just every once in awhile and not every week, it should be ok. I found this one on allrecipes.com.

Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup ranch dressing

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

First, cut your chicken into bite-sized cubes. We actually like to use tenderloins because they are already small so half the work is done for you already. In a medium bowl, measure out the olive oil. If you do this first, you can use the same measuring cup for the ranch and it will all come out, instead of sticking in the cup. The last time I made this I cut the oil in half, and it was still good, but slightly less juicy. So, add all the ingredients into the bowl and mix it up until it’s fully combined. Then put in your chicken cubes and cover them with marinade. You can let this sit for as little as a half hour, or up to an hour.

We cooked ours on skewers, but we’ve also cooked them in the oven and that’s good too (just make sure to take them out of the sauce). If you’re grilling, it should take about 8 to 10 minutes for them to get done through. Make sure you throw away the excess sauce. In the past, we’ve also thrown in chunks of sweet onion and put them on the skewers as well, and that’s pretty tasty if you are an onion fan. Enjoy!

(Click here for printable recipe)