con-cider-ing options...

So in order to get the Hubby off my back regarding random bottles of hard cider in the fridge, I decided to use it for cooking in addition to drinking it. I'm not much of a drinker. It takes me forever to finish just a bottle of beer... like to the point of it getting warms. Hard ciders, on the other hand, are much easier for me to glugg down. My favorite would either be Woodchuck's 802 or their seasonal Spring Cider. Another brand I really like is Crispin (formerly Fox Barrel) Pacific Pear Cider.

With that being said, sometimes I'll go on a buying spree of ciders and always end up with waaaay too many. Sometimes the Hubby has to help me drink them (by them, I mean most of it). I figure this time around I'll put them to good use, lol. The hard cider chicken turned out okay. My cider has ginger in it so it made the flavors all wonky. The veggie dish, on the other hand, was a little underwhelming. So, all in all, an okay dinner. *sigh*

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Hard Cider Chicken
(from Native Sun)

6 chicken thighs (no drumsticks, bone in)
6 oz hard cider (brand of your choice)
adobo seasoning (enough to dust both sides of the chicken)
1/2 tsp coconut crystals (or honey or raw sugar)

Heat the grill to high heat or preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a saucepan, combine hard cider and coconut crystals on medium-high heat until the coconut crystals are dissolved. Coat the chicken with a light dusting of the adobo seasoning on all sides and then pour the beer over the chicken. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.

Grilling:
Place the chicken on the grill (leave it open). This should take about 20 minutes total, and you should flip every 5 minutes (roughly, you will need to watch it).

Oven Baked:
Put a little oil down in the pan (or use an oiled grill pan, our favorite because it doesn’t allow the chicken to get soggy) and place the chicken on the pan.

Cook for about 30 minutes at 400, then turn the heat down to 350 and cook for about 15-20 minutes (again, it depends on how big the chicken is, you want the juices to run clear, not pink).

If your chicken is not browning enough, turn the heat up to 500 degrees (broil it) for 5 minutes. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then serve.

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Pan-Roasted Cauliflower and Zucchini.
(from Popular Paleo)

1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
2 zucchini, large dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt
pinch of red chili flakes
1/4 cup coconut oil
optional Italian flat-leaf parsley garnish

In a large saute pan or skillet, melt the coconut oil at medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower in first, moving often, and sauté for a few minutes or until the cauli has a little color to it. Cauliflower takes longer than zucchini, so we need to give it a head start.

Next add the zucchini, garlic and spices. Toss to bring everything together and continue to sauté for another 7 minutes or so until the zucchini has softened and taken on some color, taking care not to burn the garlic. Transfer to a serving dish and top with some fresh chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley, if you feel like it

comfy family meatloaf.

Meatloaf was something that I did NOT grow up eating. Actually, whenever I heard someone talking about meatloaf, I thought it was some kind of meat with bread around it. Meat with bread, what was all the fuss about? It wasn't much later that I found out that it was just a slab of formed meat with ketchup on it. Oh-kaaaay... For lack of better words, this was definitely "white people" food. :)

So it wasn't much of a shocker to me that one of the hubby's favorite food was his mother's meatloaf. Of course it was. Just like how sky is blue and the oceans are deep. What is up with this meatloaf??

I finally got to taste this magical meatloaf for the first time about three winters ago. We were in North Dakota and the hubby had requested meatloaf for dinner. I watched in interest while his mom put together this concoction of oats and meat, flavored with a little onion , salt, and pepper. Then there were squirts of ketchup then suddenly it was all put together and baked in the oven. Then she made kind of sauce, topped the loaf, then served it with some bread and some veggies. And that was meatloaf. Interesting.

So when I took my first bite, I was surprised that it somehow tasted familiar. It was like biting into lumpia except without the wrapper. Or maybe eating a piece of bola bola from a bowlful of misua. I could easily list off other dishes that reminded me of my own cultural comfort foods that had that similar particular taste to it. Except this was just covered with a tomato based sauce. maybe NOT so "white people" food after all...

The second time that I had it was just recently at our favorite restaurant here on Guam. Meatloaf was the special of the day and I decided to order it. The flavors of the meat once again made me recall those similar dishes and I was starting to get why this was one of the Hubby's favorite foods. It was warm, and filling...the kind that sticks to your bones. It was comfy...but most of all simple and good. I can imagine him growing up and eating this with his family.

So when I finally decided to try and make this for the hubbs, I did a little bit of research. I've never made this before and I did not want to fuck it up. So along with the base ingredients of my mother-in-law's recipe, I added parsley and milk. I also decided to top the meatloaf about halfway through with the sauce so that it could have a chance to glaze the meat.

Mistakes: I baked this for an hour, overcooking it and making it a bit crumbly. Next time I make this, I'm going to start checking the internal temp at the 40 minute mark. Also, the onions were cut too big for my liking so those would probably be chopped a bit finer. Also, just a teensy bit under seasoned with just 1/2 tsp of salt...will go with more next time as the recipe says. And originally only did half the sauce with none reserved for topping.

But at the end of the day, I was more concerned about whether or not the hubby would like it. Verdict? He thought it was pretty damn tasty. Hooray!! All in all, not a bad try. :)

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Anita's Meatloaf
(adapted from my awesome Mother-In-Law's recipe <3)

For the Sauce:
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tsp yellow mustard
2 tbsp brown sugar

For the Loaf:
1 to 1.5 lbs lean ground beef
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup onions,, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh italian parsley, minced
3 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp milk
1 egg
a little less than 1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper

 
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Combine ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar in a small bowl to make a sauce. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine onion, parsley, egg, ketchup, milk, salt, and ground pepper. Stir in the oats until well combined. Crumble in the ground beef and mix until just combined (don't overwork the meat!).

Transfer meat mixture to a foil-lined baking sheet. Tightly pack and mold into a loaf then place in the oven to bake, setting the timer for 40 to 45 minutes.

Halfway through of cooking, remove loaf and spread half the ketchup sauce on top. Return to the oven to finish cooking (internal temperature should read around 155F to 160F). Afterwards, let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving with reserved sauce.

Makes about 4 servings.

orange with a hint of spice.

I've been juicing lately. As a result, there's a whole bunch of fruits and vegetables clogging the counter and waiting to be used. One such fruit are some navel oranges that I got on sale. I went a little crazy and got a little too much...sales on fruit here in Guam is something that I try to take advantage of. I just went a little overboard this time around...

So, what to do? Cook with it, of course! That's where this recipe comes in. I've made orange chicken before but I kind of wanted to do something a little different, flavor-wise. What struck me as interesting was the use of cumin and coriander. Cumin? Coriander? With orange?? I gotta try this!

Obviously I made some changes to what I had on hand. Navel for blood oranges. Chicken thighs for chicken breast. Also, dried rosemary as opposed to fresh. But what I ended up with did not disappoint! The spices gave the orange chicken a hint of exoticness which complimented the sweet orange sauce. The added zest I threw in also really kicked up the yummy orange flavor. I do, however, wished that I had fresh rosemary...my dried herb was starting to lose it's potency. To round out the meal, I paired this with some sauteed green beans and some creamy mashed potatoes. Yummy! Definitely worth making and hopefully again very soon!

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Spice Crusted Chicken with Blood Orange Maple Glaze
(from Simply Scratch)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp toasted and freshly ground cumin
1 tbsp toasted and freshly ground coriander
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp light olive oil
2 medium shallots, sliced
3/4 cup blood orange juice, strained {about 4 blood oranges}
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup maple Syrup
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp coarse ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl; combine the cumin, coriander and kosher salt. Season both sides of four chicken breasts using all of the spices in the bowl.

Add the two tablespoons of butter and olive oil to a large 12-inch oven-safe skillet and heat over medium-medium/high heat.

Once hot add the chicken in {top side down} and cook for 4-5 minutes or until a nice crust forms and it is easy to turn the chicken. If the chicken sticks, it needs more time.

Once the crust has formed, flip and slide the whole pan into your preheated oven. Bake the chicken for 20 minutes. Once the chicken is fully cooked, use tongs to transfer the chicken to a clean plate and tent with tin foil to keep warm

Heat the skillet over medium-high heat and add in the sliced shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally until they're soft and translucent. Next, pour in the blood orange juice, chicken broth and maple syrup. Add in the rosemary and black pepper and simmer until reduce by half to 75 % and a thick glaze remains... about 8-10 minutes.

Taste and season with kosher salt to taste {if needed} and add the chicken back it to warm up a tad more, then spoon the glaze over top of the chicken and serve.