World's Best Lasagna

Growing up I wasn’t the biggest fan of lasagna. I thought it was just okay, but it wasn’t something I craved. I think the ricotta cheese was something I didn’t enjoy. For me; it was a bit too tangy. Maybe if it had more cheese in it than ricotta I would have enjoyed it more. Fast-forward 20 years later; and I have become a big fan of lasagna. I think the reason for this is now I can look for my own recipes and try them myself. Plus, I can add a ton of cheese if I so desire. Well, a while back I came across this recipe.

It had great reviews, and though the recipe seemed a bit daunting with all the ingredients;I was eager to give it a whirl. I’m really glad I did. It’s probably the best lasagna I’ve ever had. You make your own meat sauce, it has a ton of cheese (and, yes, even ricotta), and it makes a ton of it. I made this the other night; and my Dad raved that it’s one of the best things he’s ever had even in restaurants. So, go make it and you will not regret it one bit. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 lb. sweet Italian Sausage (or just regular Italian sausage)

3/4 lb. lean ground beef

½ cup minced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste

2 (6 oz) cans tomato sauce

½ cup water

2 tbsp white sugar

1 ½ tsp dried basil leaves

½ tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tbsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

12 lasagna noodles

16 oz ricotta cheese

1 egg

½ tsp salt

¾ lb. mozzarella cheese

¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese

First, get out your Dutch oven or large pot; and sauté the ground beef, sausage, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Next, stir in the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water. Then, season with the sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and 2 tbsp of the parsley. Simmer, covered, for about an hour and a half. Stir occasionally.

About an hour and fifteen minutes into the sauce simmering; take out a large pot and pour water and a little salt to cook the noodles in. Bring to a boil and cook the lasagna noodles for about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl; combine the ricotta cheese, egg, ½ tsp salt, and remaining parsley. Stir well.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Get out a 9x13 baking dish and pour 1 ½ cups of the meat sauce into the bottom of the dish. Spread the meat sauce. Next, arrange 6 of the noodles lengthwise across the meat sauce and spread half the ricotta mixture over the noodles, evenly. Top with a third of the mozzarella slices and then spoon 1 ½ cups of the meat sauce over the mozzarella and sprinkle ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese. Repeat the layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Take some foil out to cover the baking dish; but first spray the foil with cooking spray so the cheese does not stick. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Ga Kho Chicken

I’m a sucker for chicken cooked in a killer sauce and served over rice. If you check out my past recipes, that’s definitely a theme. So I figured this recipe would be right up my culinary alley. It turned out… fine. A little sweet for my tastes, but I know there are people who love that. The comments on the blog where I found this, The Ravenous Couple, were nothing but raves, so maybe it was the fact that we couldn’t get our chicken to caramelize that made us miss out on some flavor. Anyway, this isn’t going to go into regular rotation for us, but if you like a sweet, flavorful sauce, then this might be the one for you!

4-6 chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup water

4 cloves of crushed garlic

2 tbs chopped ginger or lemongrass

1 large shallot minced

2 tbs soy sauce for marinade

1 tbs brown sugar for marinade

2-3 serrano chiles

2 green onions, sliced

fresh cracked pepper

2 tbs cooking oil

Start by marinating the chicken with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. The original recipe called for fish sauce, but as my husband so delicately put it, “It smells like feet.” Soy sauce is a good substitute, but go ahead use fish sauce if you know you like it. Marinate for a half hour at least.

In the meantime, you can make your sauce in a small bowl. Combine the brown sugar, soy sauce (or fish sauce), rice vinegar and water and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add in the shallot, garlic, and ginger and stir before setting aside.

Heat oil in a large pan and put in the chicken with the meatier side of the thigh facing down. This is where the original recipe wanted you to get some good caramelization, but it just didn’t work for us. Maybe because we have a nonstick pan? Anyway, allow it to sear without touching or moving the chicken for a minute or two and then pour in a quarter of the sauce. You’ll want to leave the chicken alone, again so that it gets a good sear on it (hopefully).

Cook for just a few minutes and check the chicken to see if it’s caramelized, or at least just nice and browned. Then you can turn it over and add the rest of the sauce. I also added in the chiles here because I wanted them to cook a little, although the recipe called to add them at the end. Top with cracked black pepper and serve over rice. The sauce will thicken even more once it is off the heat, and you definitely want the rice to soak it up. Like I said, it was very flavorful, just a little sweet for my tastes maybe. 

Palm Beach Brownies

When I was about 23 years old; I went to Vero Beach, Florida to visit my Aunt and Uncle. My cousin met me out there and we had a wonderful time. It was a lot of firsts for me during that trip. I went on my first boat ride, ate my first sushi, tried crab legs for the first time; saw my cousin in a play for the first time, etc. Eating brownies that my aunt had made wasn’t necessarily a first, but these brownies were to die for. They’re appropriately called Palm Beach Brownies. They have a crunchy outer crust and a soft inner layer. They are really good. I loved them so much that she gave me the recipe and I’ve been making them ever since. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy them, too!

Ingredients:

Makes 16 huge or 24 or more extra- large brownies
8 ounces unsweetened chocolate
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter
5 lg eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons dry instant espresso or other powdered (not granular) instant coffee
3 3/4 cups sugar
1 2/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour
8 ounces (2 generous cups) walnut halves (optional)

First, adjust your rack 1/3 from the bottom of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Next, take a 9x13 baking pan; turn it over and cover it with a piece of aluminum foil and press down the foil around sides of the pan using your hands. Remove the foil and turn the pan over then press the foil into the pan. Spray the foil with cooking spray.

Take a small saucepan and place over a large saucepan filled about ¼ of the way with water, then melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate over medium heat. Stir occasionally to help melt the chocolate and butter. Once melted removed the chocolate mixture from the heat and set aside to let cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, salt, dry instant espresso or coffee, and sugar at high speed for 10 minutes. Turn the speed down to low and add in the chocolate mixture. Beat only till just mixed. Next, add in the flour and beat only till just mixed. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the nuts, if using.

Pour the brownie mixture into your prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Bake for 15 minutes and then turn the pan to ensure even baking. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. If you insert a toothpick into the brownies it will come out wet even so it is done. Remove the brownies from the oven and let cool. Carefully, remove the brownie from the pan by lifting the foil. Cover with foil and refrigerate for several hours or leave it at room temperature over night. Use a serrated bread knife to cut into the brownies as they will be very sticky. Wrap brownies individually with foil or seal in an air tight container separating each layer with wax paper.

Weekend Bolognese Sauce (Updated!)

Update!
I revisited this recipe on a rainy Frankenstorm weekend and the updates I made were definitely worth re-posting. They took this bolognese from pretty tasty to amazing! Restaurant-worthy! I want to bathe in it! Maybe that's going a tad too far.... but you'll have to taste it to see. The main changes involved using pancetta instead of bacon and mild italian sausage instead of pork. I also added some onion powder. I've written in the updates below and I highly recommend you make this as soon as possible (and, maybe invite me to dinner?)

I have not always gotten along with the figurative old Italian grandmothers in the kitchen. Probably because of my habit of “cheesing the fish” (to great success as shown in this Parmesan Tilapia recipe) which is a cardinal sin in Italian cuisine. However, I think this Bolognese recipe will win them back over to my side. It took a full day of cooking, but it was worth it. You could make this meal in an hour or two, but cooking it longer lets the flavors really develop. I started this meal around noon, and we ate at 6:30, so it’s definitely a weekend recipe. Make sure to use a hearty enough pasta to go with this sauce—spaghetti just doesn’t work. Pappardelle is ideal if you can find it. I couldn’t so we used Campanelle, which was really good as well. I found this recipe at food.com, but there are tons out there.

Ingredients

4 oz diced pancetta

1 medium onion (finely chopped)

2 large carrots (finely chopped)

4 cloves garlic (minced)

4 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 lb lean ground beef

1 lb italian ground sausage

1 cup beef consommé/broth

1 cup dry white wine

1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon rubbed sage

1 tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup whole milk or cream

Start by chopping up the veggies and getting your bacon ready. Heat up the oil and butter in your Dutch oven and then add in the onion, carrots and garlic. This is also where you’d toss in your pancetta. Cook until the onions are translucent (8-10 minutes).

Next, add in the beef and sausage. Break it apart and mix as you cook, until it’s all crumbled and all the pinkness is gone. Now add in the wine and broth. The original recipe called for consommé, but I couldn’t find any and just used broth. Not sure there’s a big difference for this recipe. Turn the heat up and bring the liquid to a boil, cooking until most of it has evaporated. It took about 12-15 minutes for me. Turn it down to a simmer and add in all your seasonings, stirring well. Let it cook for 20 minutes to let the spices get all friendly with the meat.

After 20 minutes, pour in the crushed tomatoes and add the tomato paste. Stir it in well, and bring to a boil. Once it’s boiled, turn it back down to a simmer. Now the real cooking begins. Simmer for anywhere from 2-4 hours, partially covered. We left ours on for 4 hours, and the longer you can let it cook the better. I actually think that if you could delay gratification even longer, it’d be worth it. About ten minutes before you’re set to eat, add in one cup of milk or cream and stir it in (I recommend cream, it's worth it). Serve over a sturdy pasta with Parmesan Reggiano on top. Parmesan Reggiano is the way to go (not just parmesan)—it has such a sharp flavor that if you get just regular Parmesan you’ll be missing out. Try this recipe. Try it right now. 

(Click for printable recipe)

Iron Chef Chips: Ice Cream Chipped Pie

In my opinion; Iron Chef events should be all about trying new recipes.  I don't think it's much fun to make a recipe that you've made over and over and over. For this Iron Chef; we had 2 months to find and try some recipes. Well, I found many recipes, but tried about 7 of them. I really couldn't find something that wowed me until the very last recipe. I came across this Ice Cream Chip Pie recipe, and had a feeling that it could be a winner. Well, I wasn't very confident it would be a winner, but I thought it would at least be pretty darn good. I was right on both counts; it wasn't a winner but it was pretty darn good.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup crushed lightly salted potato chips
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup Breyers Snickers ice cream, very soft
8 large, unbroken, lightly salted potato chips
1 pint Haagen-Dazs Dulce de Leche ice cream, very soft
1/4 cup chocolate chips

First take crush the potato chips using a rolling pin and then combine the chips and the melted butter in a medium bowl; and then press the chips in a pie plate. Freeze for 10 minutes to set the crust. Take the softened snickers ice cream and spread over the potato chip crust. This isn't necessary, but place the potato chips around the crust to form a petal like look.  Then, freeze the ice cream for 10 minutes. Remove the pie from the freezer and then spread the dulche de leche ice cream over the snickers. Freeze for 45 minutes. Melt the chocolate ice cream and then sprinkle over the pie. Freeze overnight. Enjoy!!!

Thai Cabbage Salad with Chicken

In my ongoing effort to find relatively healthy recipes that are also wonderfully delicious, I came across this recipe for Thai Cabbage Salad with chicken on Snapfood. I’ve always enjoyed Thai in general, and Thai salads in particular, so I thought I’d give it a try. It turned out great! Full of flavor with a little bit of spiciness. The original recipe called for cucumbers and red pepper but I omitted them because of personal tastes. I also omitted the peanuts because my husband doesn’t like them. Even though this has a lot of ingredients it was fairly easy to make (especially if you use a mandoline). Oh, and just save yourself the trouble and buy the pre-shredded carrots.

Salad Ingredients

1 small head Red Cabbage, shredded
1 medium head Napa or Green Cabbage, shredded
3 carrots, julienned
1 bunch green onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup tightly packed basil, chopped
1/2 cup tightly packed cilantro, chopped

Dressing Ingredients
1/2 cup sunflower oil (or vegetable oil)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp, Sesame Oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
Zest and Juice of 1 lemon
Zest and Juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp Sriracha

Chicken Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, diced
1 tsp, turmeric
1 tsp, ground ginger
1 tsp, garlic
1 tsp, salt
1 tsp, cumin

Chop up all your vegetables and mix them well in a large Tupperware container (makes it easier for mixing as well as storing). Mix the dressing ingredients in a small jar or Tupperware and shake to mix and emulsify. Don’t pour over the salad until you are done with the chicken. Mix the spices in a small bowl and then add the chicken, stirring to cover evenly. Cook over medium heat while stirring until cooked (about 6-8 minutes). Add the chicken to the vegetables and pour the dressing over it all. Mix well. I put the lid on the Tupperware and shook it around and that seemed to work well. 

Iron Chef Chips

A couple things we learned from Iron Chef Chips; a. space out when we eat each course; b. chips as a main ingredient really isn’t so bad; c. be sure to check with your fellow course partner to make sure you both aren’t making the same thing; d. make smaller portions; and e. Just Dance is a great way to break up the courses! Overall, I have to say that Iron Chef Chips was a really big hit! I, for one, was extremely nervous about this secret ingredient. But, I really had nothing to worry about. And, even though our main courses were both Frito Pies they ended up being very different. Overall, I think this was a big success, and congrats to Chelyen and Kim for their wins! Now, on to the dishes that were served:

We started out with Greta’s Roasted Tomatoes and Chips Bruschetta. It smelled divine, and tasted exceptional, too. Perhaps it wasn’t the most chip-tasting appetizer served, but it was really flavorful and had a nice garlic kick to it.

Greta's Roasted Tomato and Chip Bruschetta

Next up was Laura’s Zucchini Chips. Afterall, this Iron Chef was all about repurposing the main ingredient. Laura certainly tried to go that route with zucchini chips. She was a bit disappointed that the zucchini didn’t crisp up more, but overall they tasted great. Plus, serving zucchini chips with an onion dip is never a bad thing.

Laura's Zucchini Chips

The last appetizer round went to Cara’s tofu dish. She wanted to do something fun and interesting with her recipe. And, I definitely think she succeeded. I would say you either liked Cara’s dish or you didn’t…in other words, if you like Tofu then you loved her recipe. If you don’t like Tofu, well, you probably weren’t a fan of this one. It sounds like Cara may host the next Iron Chef in January! So, we will definitely look forward to that.

Cara's Chip Tofu

Now, onto the 2 main courses; Chelyen was up first, and she served a Frito Chili Pie in a bag of Fritos. Chelyen’s chili was a family recipe, and it was a big hit amongst our crowd. She served it in a bag of freshly opened bag of Fritos.

Chelyen's Frito Chili Pie

It maybe wasn’t the best use of repurposing chips, but her presentation and taste were certainly wow factors! She served it with cheese and onions were optional. Doan, on the other hand, made her Frito Pie with chicken and crushed fritos. It had a nice kick to it and served with avocados, cheese, and sour cream took it to the next level.

Doan's Frito Pie Casserole

Onwards to the desserts; both Kim and I thought we might have a decent shot at winning this particular iron chef. After-all who doesn’t like sweet and salty flavors? Well, Kim was up first; and she served a Peanut Butter Chip Cookie Bomb. Chips were not only incorporated in her cookie, but it was also mixed into the whipped cream that she made from scratch. She served it with Hershey syrup and it was simply divine!!! In my opinion, it was one of the best desserts served in a long time!

Kim's Peanut Butter Chip Cookie Bomb

Since everyone was pretty full, we decided to take a break from eating the next dessert and instead played a couple rounds of Just Dance. It was quite a lot of fun! I’m glad we decided to break for some dancing otherwise I don’t think anyone would have been able to eat my Ice Cream Chipped Pie.

Emily's Ice Cream Chipped Pie

The chips were incorporated into a pie crust and served with snickers and dulce de leche ice cream. I received good feedback from everyone, so I think it was a hit.

We will certainly look forward to our next Iron Chef, though, no ingredient has been set. Ideas, anyone? Till next time.

Mongolian Beef

So, I had planned on making this Mongolian Beef recipe for a Sunday night dinner. But after a filling lunch, we were both a little so-so on the idea of an organized dinner. We also had the added challenge of needing to eat a little early to make a 6pm appointment. (Okay, it was to play Call of Duty). But we decided to make it anyway and here’s a testament to how good it was. Despite not being that hungry, despite having to eat early, my husband still had seconds. I certainly would have as well, but I’ve been trying to have a modicum of self-control (or at least delude myself into thinking I have it). This was rich, meaty, with a really tasty thick sauce. The original recipe (which I found on Mrs. Schwartz’s Kitchen) is meant to imitate PF Chang’s dish, and not being a PF Chang’s regular I’m not sure if it did, but it definitely tasted great. The only think I would knock it for is just being meat and sauce. We added in onions but next time I think broccoli would also be a perfect addition, or any veggie you like, really.

Ingredients
2 teaspoons canola oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
½ teaspoon ginger, grated
½ cup brown sugar
½  cup water
½ cup soy sauce
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1 lb flank or sirloin steak, thinly sliced
¼ cup cornstarch

½ cup white onion, chopped large
green onions, chopped for garnish

Broccoli Florets (optional)

Start by chopping your onions and broccoli and setting aside. Then thinly slice the beef, removing any large fatty pieces, and coat it lightly with cornstarch before setting that to the side as well.

Heat your oil in a medium sized saucepan over medium high heat. I just used vegetable oil because that’s what I had on hand. Add in the ginger and garlic and stir continuously for about two minutes or until fragrant. Then stir in the brown sugar, water, soy sauce and red pepper flakes. Wait until it comes to a simmer then turn the heat to low. It seems like a lot of sauce but it thickens up and reduces.

Heat a little more oil in a large wok or skillet over medium high heat and add in your white onion and broccoli. Stir fry for about 5 minutes until they soften just a little, then add in the meat. Make sure you keep it moving in the wok so it doesn’t burn. The cornstarch seemed to soak up all the oil for us so it was pretty dry in there. The meat should cook pretty quickly, about 4-6 minutes. Don’t overdo it.

Once the meat is cooked, turn down the heat to medium low and pour your sauce into the wok. Scrape any browned bits from the pan. Your sauce will thicken up because of the cornstarch and will continue to thicken as you cook. Once it is at your desired consistency, serve over rice and sprinkle green onions on top! And don’t be ashamed to take seconds.

Honey-Pecan Crusted Chicken

One of my favorite dishes to eat growing up was Fried Chicken. When I was a kid, my favorite piece of the chicken to eat was the leg. Now, my favorite piece to eat is the breast of the chicken. I've grown to favor white meat over dark meat. Lately, I've been wanting to make fried chicken. But, since it's so bad for you, unfortunately, I went looking for a healthier version. Enter the Cooking Light cookbook. Cooking Light offers several different versions of Fried Chicken, but the one that appealed to me the most was this Honey-Pecan Crusted Chicken. I have to say I was very impressed with this recipe. I thought it was very flavorful and I enjoyed the crusty outer layer. Give it a try and I think you will like it, too. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 (6 oz) skinned chicken breast halves (I just used 2 chicken breasts)
8 (4 oz) chicken drumsticks, skinned
1/4 c honey
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 1/4 tsp cups finely crushed cornflakes (I used frosted flakes)
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
Cooking Spray

First get your oven ready by pre-heating it to 400 degrees. Next, take out your chicken and evenly spread salt and pepper over each piece. Take out a small bowl and combine the honey, mustard, paprika, and garlic powder. Then, in a shallow dish combine the crushed cornflakes and chopped pecans. Brush both sides of the chicken with the honey mixture, and then dredge it in the cornflake mixture.

Place chicken on a large baking sheet that is coated with cooking spray. Then, lightly coat your chicken with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until done.

Calories: 336
Fat: 10 g
Protein: 36.5g
Carb: 23.5g
Fiber: .7g
Chol: 109 mg
Iron: 2.6 mg
Sodium: 482 mg
Calc: 22 mg

Spicy Rice Noodles with Crispy Pork

I’ve been out of town for quite some time (hence the lack of posts recently) and so my home cooking opportunities have been few and far between. But I have been able to come home every other weekend and usually try to make something that will yield some leftovers for my poor husband to eat while I’m gone. I thought this spicy Thai dish would be a good one. And it turned out to not only be good the day we made it, but the reports from my husband were that it was also good a few days later. The original recipe, which I found on The Kitchn, called for glass noodles but we were unable to find them and substituted rice noodles, which turned out quite tasty!

1 pound ground pork
1 package rice noodles
3 green onions, sliced into thin rounds
Handful roughly chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
3 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice (from 1 lime)

Optional (we omitted since Steve doesn’t like peanuts)
2 tablespoons peanuts, roughly chopped
Extra chopped peanuts for garnishing

Heat a teaspoon of canola or vegetable oil in a skillet over medium high heat, and then add the pork. Cook for 5 minutes and try to break up the pork as much as you can to get tiny crumbles. Ours was still probably a bit too big. Then cook for another 3-5 minutes while stirring infrequently to get a nice golden crispy crust on the pork. Set aside on a paper towel.

While you’re cooking the pork, put the rice noodles in a bowl of hot water to soften up. Read the instructions on the box and follow them but this should take just 5-10 minutes. Then you’ll want to use kitchen shears to cut them into smaller more manageable noodles. Bring water to boil and finish cooking (according to package instructions) before draining and pouring them into a large bowl.

Stir together the pork and noodles plus green onions, cilantro, red pepper flakes and the optional peanuts. In a smaller dish combine the soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. The original recipe called for more lime juice, but I ran out and was actually ok with the final mix. But taste it and adjust if you want. Pour the sauce into the bowl with everything else and gently toss to combine. The noodles are subject to pack mentality and want to stay together and reject everything else, but try your best to combine them. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or so and then retoss and serve! It is a nice summery dish, light and cool but with a good Thai heat.

Baked Eggs in Portobello Caps

Man, this looks good, doesn’t it? The Portobello cap is just a perfect place for an egg to rest, and it looks so happy and delicious sitting in there. Well… sadly this is one situation where eating with your eyes doesn’t match up to eating with your mouth. We ended up overcooking the egg a bit (I think the temperature she called for was off), but the real flaw in this meal is the total lack of flavor. I found the recipe on Fuss Free Cooking, and I guess I’ll just chalk it up to a taste buds difference since she calls this her favorite breakfast recipe.

So why am I even posting it? Well, two reasons. One is that the spirit of this site is to post failures along with successes in the interest of learning to be better cooks. But two is that I think this could be saved. So I’ll post the original recipe below, followed by some tips that might make it move from the “looks delicious” category into the “tastes delicious” one.

Ingredients

2 Portobello Mushrooms

2 Eggs

2 small stalks of thyme

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

Here are the original instructions: gently clean the mushrooms and remove the stalks, making sure not to tear the sides of the mushroom (or your egg will just run out). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the mushrooms there. Preheat the oven to 300 (this seems really low to me). Drizzle olive oil over the mushrooms and season with salt, pepper and thyme leaves before carefully cracking your eggs into the caps. It’s easiest if you crack them into a small dish and then transfer them from the dish to the caps. Then cook for 15-20 minutes.

Here’s what I would do to make them better. Season the mushroom caps but also season the eggs with salt and pepper. You could put thyme on the eggs as well, I didn’t even taste it. If there’s room in the cap a tablespoon of cream wouldn’t hurt, and maybe even some parmesan on top for more flavor. I’d also start with the oven at 350 and cook for 15 minutes. I can’t say I’m going to try this again, but if you do and find that it’s better with these adjustments, let me know! 

Orange Chicken

Recently, me and some of my friends went to a local Chinese restaurant called Peter Chang's. Supposedly, he is a well-renowned chef that specializes in szechuan-style cooking. I had heard wonderful reviews about his food, so I really couldn't wait to try it out. Well, we had our reservation set because it's recommended since it's such a busy restaurant (with good reason). And, after a brief wait (while our party all arrived) we were sat down and had a wonderful time. We ordered the sesame chicken, a 3 peppered chicken dish, a pork dish, orange chicken, and a bunch of appetizers. Yes, the food was absolutely fabulous. I've been dreaming about it ever since and I would really like to go back soon. In the mean time, to satisfy my craving for the orange chicken I had; I decided to make it at home. I had seen this recipe from Annie's Eats a while back, and decided to give her version a try. I have to say it was very good. It doesn't quite live up to Peter Chang's Orange Chicken, but it was still really flavorful and had a nice kick to it. If you like Chinese food, and would like to satisfy your craving for orange chicken via a homemade recipe then this is for you.

Ingredients:
For the marinade and sauce:
¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
¾ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1½ tsp. finely grated orange zest
6 tbsp. white vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
½ cup brown sugar (dark or light)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1½ lbs. boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. cold water
8 thin strips orange peel (optional)

For the coating and frying:
3 large egg whites
1 cup cornstarch
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
3 cups peanut or canola oil

To make the sauce combine the ingredients from the chicken broth thru the cayenne into a small bowl. Stir well. Reserve about 3/4 of the sauce and pour into a zip-lock bag. Add in the chicken pieces to the bag and let marinate for 30 to 60 minutes in the fridge. Next, pour the remaining sauce mixture into a small saucepan and heat on medium-high until it comes to a simmer. Take  a small bowl and whisk the cornstarch and water together. Add this to the sauce.Continue simmering until the sauce thickens. Once thickened to your desire, remove the saucepan from the stove and add in the orange peel if using.

To prepare the coating for the chicken, get out a plate and a bowl. Whisk the eggs in the bowl until frothy. In the plate, combine the cornstarch, baking soda, and cayenne pepper. Remove the chicken from the fridge and drain in a colander. Pat the chicken dry and then add half the chicken into the egg mixture. Coat well. Remove from eggs, give it a good shake, and add it to the cornstarch mixture. Coat well. Set aside. Do this again for the remaining half of the chicken.

If you are going to make rice to serve with your orange chicken I would get this started before frying up your chicken. The frying process goes fairly quickly.

Take out your dutch oven or a heavy pot and pour in the oil. Using a candy thermometer heat up the oil until it reaches a temperature of around 350 degrees. Once the oil is ready, place half the chicken into the pot. It should only take a minute to cook the chicken thru. Carefully, remove the chicken using a skimmer and place on a plate covered with paper towels. Do this again for the remaining chicken. I double fried mine so it would have a crispier crust. I just placed the chicken back into the oil and fried for an additional 30 seconds. If necessary, reheat your sauce and then toss with the chicken. Serve with your rice and enjoy!!

The New Best Recipe's Quick Tomato Sauce

One of my favorite dishes to make is pasta. I should probably just make that trip to Italy one of these days to see how it should really be done, but in the mean time I’m going to stick to some of my favorite recipes. Now, I posted this recipe a while back and while it was delicious it was a bit cumbersome to make. Boiling tomatoes, dumping them in ice, and peeling the skin does take some time. Fortunately, The New Best Recipe offered a quicker version of that recipe, and this is the one I make ALL the time! I simply love it. It’s so flavorful, so easy, and so good. I made it for my family when visiting Florida last summer and they all loved it too. Seriously, if you haven’t purchased The New Best Recipe you are doing yourself a disservice. Get it. Now! I promise you will love it!

Ingredients:
1 28 oz can diced (or petite diced) tomatoes (preferably San Marazano)
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp sugar
Salt to taste
1/4 c. pasta water, reserved
Pasta such as spaghetti or angel hair

Take a large sauté pan and heat the olive oil. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant, but be sure it doesn’t turn brown. Once the garlic is fragrant, add in the diced tomatoes. Simmer for about 10 minutes or so until slightly thickened. Since I don't like a real chunky sauce, I take my potato masher and mash up the tomatoes. This is optional, of course.

While the tomatoes are simmering, get out your pot to cook your pasta in. Throw in some salt to season the pasta, and cook the pasta till al dente. Be sure to remove about a ¼ cup of the pasta water before dumping it in your colander. I have found that it is necessary to add some of the water to help make it a bit juicier. Next, stir in the basil, sugar, and if needed salt. I usually keep adding salt until I feel that it’s seasoned just right. I’ve found that it depends on the can of diced tomatoes you buy how much salt you add. Kroger canned diced tomatoes do not require as much salt as the San Marazano. Go figure. At this point; you may or may not need to add in some of the reserved pasta water. It just depends on how thick or runny you like your tomato sauce. Take the pasta from the colander and it into the tomato mixture. Serve and enjoy!

Rum Lime Chicken Fajitas

I think my love of fajitas and various forms of tacos has been well documented on this site (here, here, and here). And from the looks of it, my fellow contributors share the love as well (as evidenced here, here and here.) So it's no wonder my bookmarks folder is constantly full of different varieties of my favorite Mexican fare. And when I decided to start trying some of those recipes, it's really no wonder at all that a title including the words "rum" and "lime" immediately jumped out at me. I found it on a site called The Talking Kitchen, and the photos totally sold me. I did change it somewhat, using chicken breasts instead of thighs, sweet onion instead of red, and I added jalapeno to the marinade in an attempt to infuse some spiciness (didn't work). The chicken tasted great before we put it into the fajitas, but it unfortunately it kind of disappeared once inside. The veggies, however, were a big hit. Usually we just salt and pepper them, but this mix of spices was really intriguing. So, I think I'll keep trying on the fajita meat, but we probably have a winner on the veggie side.

Ingredients

3-4 chicken breasts

1/2 c. rum

2 limes, juiced and zested

1 jalapeno, chopped

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

freshly ground black pepper

2 bell peppers (your choice)

1 large sweet onion

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp garlic

1/2 tsp oregano

1/8 tsp cinnamon

freshly ground black pepper

olive oil

Additional: tortillas, cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese

Mix the rum, lime zest and juice, jalapeno, sea salt, garlic powder and black pepper in a bowl. Make sure all of the rum goes into the bowl and not in your mouth (you can pour your own on the side). You can pour it into a plastic bag to marinate the chicken, or keep in in the bowl if you like. Make sure the chicken is covered, and flip it over after 30 minutes. Marinate about an hour. 

Slice up your peppers and onion into strips. Drizzle on a little olive oil and all the spices, stirring to coat everything evenly. 

You could absolutely cook the chicken on the grill, but we tried something a little different. We used our cast iron skillet on the grill. Spray it with non-stick spray (they make one especially for the  high heat of a grill) and let it get really hot on the grill. Then remove your chicken from the marinade and place it in the skillet. It should sizzle satisfyingly when you set it down, or else it's probably not hot enough. Throw away the extra marinade! I know it's rum, but you've got to draw the line at raw chicken. 

Let the chicken sit on one side, grill closed for about 5 minutes. Then flip and do the same on the other. From there use your grill-skills to make sure it's cooked through, depending on the thickness of your cut. Probably another 3-6 minutes. Set it aside under foil and start on your veggies. Toss them into your still hot skillet and let them stand for about 3-4 minutes before stirring. Stir and cook for a total of about 7-9 minutes, getting them nice and brown and tasty! Cook less for more crunch and more for softness. 

Slice your chicken into fajita size strips and serve with tortillas, sour cream, cilantro and cheese. You can add salsa or tabasco as you wish. It really isn't spicy at all, which is probably why it's not a total hit at our house, but it is flavorful and the hint of cinnamon on the veggies adds a really interesting flavor dimension. This won't be the last fajita recipe on here, but it is definitely a good addition to our mix.

Spicy Italian Meatballs

Everyone should have a good meatball recipe. We’ve tried a few but haven’t found one that really impressed us until we tried this one from Keely Marie’s blog. I have to say, I had my doubts when we were making this. At first the mixture seemed incredibly dry. Then it seemed too wet and sticky. But in the end, it turned out perfectly delicious. It’s not all that spicy, although it does have a nice subtle kick. So often meatballs just taste like bland hamburgers to me, but these have a definite depth of flavor, nice texture, and stand on their own in a plate of spaghetti and sauce. We doubled the batch and have about two servings frozen to make an easy meal later. (Single batch below).

1/2 ground beef

1/2 pound italian sausage (I used Hot)

1 medium onion, diced small

1 large red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, diced small

1 jalapeño, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup Italian breadcrumbs (I did half Italian, half panko)

3/4 cup grated parmesan

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano (or basil)

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

I admit, I used a jar of sauce instead of being a good little cook and making my own. I felt like focusing on perfecting the meatballs first would be better than trying to juggle too many spoons at once. But hey, if you are ambitious and want to do both, there are a couple great tomato sauce recipes on this site! Here and here. 

Start, as always, by doing all your prep work and chopping. The veggies will be in the meatball, so dice them pretty small. If they get too big it changes the flavor profile of the meatball, and can also make them harder to stick together. Heat your olive oil in a pan over medium heat and then sauté the onion, peppers and jalapeño for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté another 30 seconds before setting aside to cool.

In a separate bowl mix up your meats, breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano. This is definitely one of those where you have to use your hands to make sure that it’s totally mixed. No one likes to get a big lump of garlic powder in their meatball! Once the sautéed veggies are cool, add them into the mix and combine well. Add the egg and milk and keep mixing with your hands until the mixture is uniform.  

Your next step is to roll the balls and put them on a greased (or non-stick) baking sheet. I made mine so it they were about walnut size. If you’re going to freeze some, you should roll them out and place them on a separate pan and freeze them. Once they are frozen you can put them in a freezer baggie. Bake the balls for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees. I rolled them over halfway through. Once they are cooked you can add them to your sauce and let that warm up for ten minutes or so and they’ll suck up some saucy flavor. Serve over spaghetti and enjoy! Now you can end your search for the perfect meatball recipe.