tarragon chicken over polenta.

just got back from a trip. missed my kitchen and decided to whip something out of the blue. never tried making polenta before so i decided to use this recipe. all in all, turned out to be a good dish. it's good to be home. :)

 
Tarragon Chicken
(serves one)

1 skinless boneless chicken thigh, chopped to small pieces
1/4 cup white onion, roughly chopped
1/8 cup fennel bulb, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 to 1 1/12 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp fresh fennel leaves
1/4 tsp paprika
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 to 1 1/2 cup low sodium chiken stock
1 to 2 tbsp cornstarch with water for thickener

Fry onion and garlic in olive oil until fragrant. Add chopped fennel and cook for an additional couple of minutes. Add chopped chicken thigh, tarragon, paprika, fennel leaves, and season with salt and pepper. Slightly brown chicken then add chicken stock. Let simmer for 5 minutes then add thickener. Cook additional 5 to 10 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. Serve over polenta.

 
Soft Polenta
(from La Buona Cucina)

2 cups chicken broth or stock
2 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup coarse or medium grind corn meal (white or yellow)
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated cheese*

*Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, Asiago, Gorgonzola...or a combo of all 3 totaling 1/2 cup.

In a 4- to 6-qt. pan over medium-high heat, bring the water and broth to a boil. Whisk in the salt and then the corn meal in a thin, steady stream, whisking non-stop until smooth.

Reduce heat to low and simmer, whisking pretty frequently, for a good 8-10 minutes or until smooth and thickened.

Remove from heat and stir in butter & olive oil, cheese (if desired), a few grinds of pepper, and taste for salt.

Now, you can serve this right away or you can cover and it should keep warm and soft for about 20 minutes.

fancy stroganoff.

today was one of those days were i really needed to de-stress and cook something that took some love and affection. and also, as always, to use up some left over ingredients that were hanging out in the fridge. so, whilst browsing through the internet to figure out what to do with a piece of meat in the freezer, i came upon this beef stroganoff recipe that seemed simple and tasty. also, it had a little bit of liquor which was definitely a plus for me! i love cooking with alcohol! :D

recipe was straightforward. the only thing i probably modified was adding garlic powder to the seasoning of the beef and that was pretty much it. oh, and i mixed it with pasta instead of over rice. the ending result was pretty tasty. lots of leftovers, which was what i wanted since i made this for tomorrow's dinner. i'm betting that it'll be even better after it's mingled together a bit. on that note, i thought it was super-duper tasty but the boyfriend thought it was okay. *sigh* difference of opinion. that's okay...more for me! XD

 
Beef Stroganoff
(from Wine Country)

1 tsp crushed black pepper
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 lbs beef chuck roast (i used leftover beef i roasted. :))
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, sliced
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 10.5 ounce can beef broth
1 tbsp Cognac or brandy
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

1. Clean fat off beef and slice into 2 inch long and ½ inch thick pieces. Season with salt and pepper. (skipped this since i had pre-seasoned beef already and just added the garlic powder)
Heat butter and olive oil in pan over medium heat. Quickly brown beef strips and then transfer to plate.

2. Add onions and mushrooms to pan and sauté until onion is tender. Add beef back to pan and sprinkle with all-purpose flour. Add broth and cognac and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower heat and add in mustard. Cover and simmer until beef is tender (about 1 hour).

3. Stir in sour cream right before serving. Sprinkle with parsley and serve over rice.

game time.

cornish game hen, that is. picked a couple of these up in walmart the other day and wanted to see if i can do anything with it. searched around on a few sites then saw a reference for cooking light's roasted cornish game hen. i happen to love cooking light's cookbooks and for the most part, their recipes have always been spot-on with me. so...decided to give it a try. :D


i followed the recipe for the most part. anything i didn't have, i substituted as usual. the glaze itself has a pretty similar base to the balsamic one i always do. so, to change it up a bit, i added a touch of rose water, a pinch of savory, and a dash of pepper give it a little bit of complexity. the side was just asparagus with crispy pancetta, garlic, and red onion sauteed in a little bit of olive oil. also, butterflying the hen turned out to be super-duper easy! thank you, youtube! and thank you, mr. ramsay, for showing how to do the drumsticks! XD

one thing i have to say tho...it definitely needed a starch of some sort. the portion still left me and the boyfriend a tad bit peckish and i think having some sort of starch would have probably fixed that problem. that or serve a whole cornish hen to each instead of halving it. who knew they were such small portions? :/ ah, well...c'est la vie.
 

Roasted Cornish Hens with Cherry-Port Glaze
(from Cooking Light)

1/2 cup cherry preserves
1/2 cup port
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 tbsp rose water
1/4 tsp savory
1/4 tsp paprika or ancho chile powder
2 (1 1/2-pound) Cornish hens
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet; coat rack with cooking spray.

Combine preserves, port, ginger, vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan (added the rosewater, savory, and paprika/ancho chile here as well). Bring to a boil; cook 9 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.

Remove and discard giblets and necks from hens. Rinse hens with cold water; pat dry. Remove skin; trim excess fat. Working with 1 hen at a time, tie ends of legs together with twine. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under hen. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Set on wire rack on baking sheet.

Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Brush hens with cherry mixture; bake 40 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the meaty part of thigh registers 165°, brushing with cherry mixture every 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Let stand 5 minutes. Remove twine; split hens in half lengthwise.
 

Asparagus and Pancetta Saute
(makes 2 servings)

half bunch asparagus, cut into thirds
2 to 3 slices of pancetta, roughly chopped
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
salt and pepper

Slightly caramelize onion and garlic together in a little olive oil. Add pancetta and cook until crispy. Add the asparagus and saute until tender, about 2 to 5 minutes depending on thickness. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

bangers and mash.

i don't know if it's just the fact that i'm addicted to watching gordon ramsay or if it's the head of cauliflower in my fridge that's about to go bad....whatever the case may be, i suddenly had a hankering to make some good 'ole bangers and mash. now i know he's scottish....but he's got a british accent, dammit! and yay for low-carb food!



started off with cutting the cauliflowers to size and then boiling them in salted water. after that was done cooking, i drained it and took some three cheese blend, paprika, pepper, and a little bit of half and half to make the mash. added some garlic powder and then some freshly chopped green onions. beaauuuutiful!



next, i pan fried the chicken sausages in olive oil, set them aside, sauteed some onions, then added some chicken stock, pepper, a little half and half, and thickened it with a little corn starch. then put the sausages back to simmer with the gravy and that was it!

one thing i think i would do differently is probably to have more gravy to cover the sausages with. and probably a less salty sausage. this particular one was a teeny bit salty for what i had in mind. but, overall, it was still pretty good. yay! :)
 

Cheesy Cauliflower Mash
(makes 2 to 3 servings)

1/2 large head cauliflower, cut to pieces
1/8 cup or so three cheese parmesan blend
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup or more half and half
salt and pepper
1/4 cup green onion, chopped

Boil the cauliflower in salted water until soft and tender. Drain and return to pot. Add the parmesan blend, paprika and garlic powder. Over very low heat, mash the cauliflower while slowly adding the half and half. When reached desired consistency, stir in the green onion. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
 

Sausage in Onion Gravy
(makes 2 to 3 servings)

4 chicken sausages
1 small onion, sliced or chopped
i clove garlic, minced
olive oil
1 tbs flour
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock
1/3 cup half and half
salt and pepper
1 tsp cornstarch mixed with a little water for thickener

Pan fry the sausages until browned in a little olive oil. Remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan, add the onions and the garlic and cook until onions are slightly translucent. Add the flour and onion powder and cook for a few of minutes. Add the chicken stock and half and half, stirring constantly. Add desired amount of cornstarch/water mixture slowly while stirring then add the sausages back to the pan. Let simmer until desired thickness (mine took 10 minutes) then season with salt and pepper to taste. If too thick, add additional stock or water to thin out. Serve sausages topped with gravy.

rusticky ham and veggie tart.

ah, tarts! one of the best ways to use up veggies going bad and little bits and pieces of other random stuff in the kitchen. :) this was a spur of the moment kind of thing and since i was home sick, cooking was an excellent make-me-feel-better activity. :D



let's start with prepping some pretty veggies. i decided to use three different kinds of onions for this one and caramelizing them before going into the tart. figured i'd add some basil and some sun-dried tomatoes to give it a little kick as well.



in to the pan the onions went with a little bit of garlic while i prepped the egg base. looking in the fridge, i spied a couple of leftover slices of canadian bacon and that was put into the mix as well. i was worried that the tomatoes would be too chewy so that was hydrated in olive oil for a few minutes. then all were mixed together with some salt and pepper and into the oven it goes!


tasty! and pretty to boot. :D i paired this up with a side of baby spinach and arugula topped with a little bit of balsamic vinaigrette for a nice lunch. mmm....perfect! definitely love when spur of the moment works! :D

heart-y not-so-scones.

this morning, i woke up uncommonly early and had the urge to make some scones. now, i've never ever made scones in my life so i omgoogled for a bit and found a promising jam-topped almond scone recipe. It seemed simple enough to do so i decided to make a go for it.


so, being the person that i am, i of course didn't have the right ingredients on hand so i substituted this for that and crossed my fingers for the best. looking back now, i shouldn't of beat the batter so much and i wish these were more thicker when i made them. the ending result was a very doughy consistency much like thick bread and not light and fluffy at all like i hoped they would be. one redeeming quality of the experiment is probably the gooey globs of jam and the nice crunchy crust from the sugar i topped the "scones" with. next time, i would definitely go with a more traditional recipe made with chopped cold butter. :/

 

I Love You Scones
(from Celebrate with Style)

1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup applesauce
2 Tbs. butter or margarine, melted
1 tsp. almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 1/2 tsp. strawberry or raspberry preserves
Powdered sugar

Heat oven to 400ºF. Grease cookie sheet.

Beat egg slightly in medium bowl. Stir in milk, applesauce, butter and almond extract. Stir in remaining ingredients except preserves and powdered sugar just until moistened.

Drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls about 3 inches apart onto cookie sheet. Pat into heart shapes about 3 inches wide and 1/2 inch high, using fingers dusted with flour. Make shallow well in center of each heart, using back of spoon dipped into flour. Place 1/2 teaspoon of the preserves in each well.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar while warm. Serve warm.

poulet a l'orange...kind of.

well, i intentionally wanted to make gordon ramsay's sticky lemon chicken but i didn't have lemon....i had navel oranges. soooo, i did an orange chicken instead and made a side of sesame asparagus to go along with it. :D

when i go to bevmo to go shopping, i head straight to the minis and decide what liquor i can use in my cooking. i had actually bought a cointreau mini, which is an orange liqueur, a week ago and thought, great! this will go nicely with the recipe i was supposed to follow. it basically remained the same except i took out the water and subbed oj, and lemon juice for lots of orange zest, and cut the thyme in half. i let that sit for ten minutes while i prepped and cooked the chicken.

after that, it was making the glaze syrupy and tossing the chicken in it then making the asparagus side. so what did it taste like? like panda express without the breading but ten times better! XD i'm looking forward to making this again and maybe playing with different citruses and fruits. and i was surprised how well the thyme worked with the oranges...it would probably have been better if the thyme was fresh: the little bitty dry leaves slightly poked you in the mouth when you chewed, lol. also, one thing i think was missing was some sort of starch...maybe a rice dish? i don't know. but it was still pretty awesome. thank you mr. ramsay for this wonderful base recipe! now, all i have to do is see if i can make his other dishes! :D

 

Sticky Lemon Chicken
(from Gordon Ramsey and Food.com)

1 lb chicken leg/thighs, about 8-10
salt and pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 to 4 tbsp honey
1 head garlic, each clove sliced in half
1 whole lemon, Sliced
1/4 to 1/3 cup water
1 tbsp thyme
1/4 cup fresh parsley or 2 tbsp dried parsley

1 .In a large skillet pan, add the oil to Med/High Heat. Season the chicken well with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for about 5-6 minutes, turning each piece.

2. Add the garlic cloves, soy sauce, and honey to the pan, making sure to get all the chicken in the sauces. Coninue to cook for a 5 minutes.

3. Add the water and lay the slices of lemon on top of the chicken in the pan. Put a lid on the pan and continue to cook for about 10-15 minutes.

4. Season the chicken with thyme and parlsey. Continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.

 

Sesame Asparagus
(from Delicious Dishes)

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons oriental sesame oil
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 pounds asparagus, ends trimmed, cut on diagonal into 2-9nch-long pieces
4 teaspoons sesame seeds

Stir soy sauce and sugar in small bowl until sugar dissolves. Heat oil in heavy large skillet. Add garlic and stir 15 seconds. Add asparagus and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Add soy mixture and toss until asparagus is coated, about 1 minute longer. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Serves 4-6

"what kind of sausage is this?" pasta.

the sweet thing about trying to get rid of stuff in your fridge, is that sometimes opportunity comes to do so. this i made on tuesday to feed the boys at work and that was the running comment. they were surprised it was chicken. :) it was definitely something a little healthier and different and, most importantly, used up some ingredients i had that was just sitting in my fridge: spinach, a can of diced tomatoes from a random shopping trip, sliced onions from last night's dinner, and sausage i bought on a whim.

i was actually kicking myself over this dish. i had made an excellent tomato sauce from scratch-ish and silly me, i added a dollop of ricotta cheese to the mix. this picture's before said dollop. it ended up muting the perfectly nice sweet taste of the tomatoes i was trying to go for. i fixed it a little and the boyfriend liked it a lot, but i think it would've been perfect sans the ricotta. *sigh*

 

Chicken Sausage Penne
(makes about 8 to 9 servings)

1 package savory-flavored chicken sausage, sliced diagonally
1 small onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5oz.) can diced tomatoes with green pepper, celery, and onion
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 cups fresh spinach
salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil

1 lbs penne pasta
water

Start pasta by boiling a pot of salted water on high heat. Once it comes to a rolling boil, add some olive oil and drop pasta. Cook until al dente.

Meanwhile, in a separate pan, add olive oil and saute the sausage, onion, and garlic until the sausage has browned. Add canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Drain pasta and fold into the sauce along with the spinach until combined. Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

Note: for an optional cheesier note, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup ricota cheese before simmering and top with additional parmesan before serving.

marmite.

ah marmite. this is one of those substances that's got so much potential in the kitchen. i was looking up things to do with it and a whole slew of recipes came up. in the end, i decided that i wanted to see what it would taste like if paired with something that would soak up all that yeasty goodness. sooo...mushrooms on toast it was!

the result? well, i was a little disappointed that it didn't turn out the way i expected it to. i was missing something...probably a meat of some sort to balance out the saltiness of it all. what i ended up having was just a little too salty batch of mushrooms and an overpowering taste of the marmite. definitely too much product. next time, less marmite, and more main ingredient besides mushroom and parsley.... :/

valentine's day.

ah, valentine's day. this valentine's day consisted of a candlelight dinner, cuddling, and spending time with the boyfriend. last year we went out and rather than deal with the hassle of waiting in line to eat, we decided to make dinner at home instead. i've actually posted this dish before. it's one of the boyfriend's favorite and so that ended up being what we ate for dinner yesterday. :)



start off with olive oil, fresh rosemary, minced garlic, paprika, salt and pepper as a marinade for the chicken. stab the chicken a few times to let all that goodness soak in and let stand for about ten minutes in the fridge. afterwards, arrange the chicken in an oven-proof dish (or foil pan if you don't want to wash, lol), top with thin slices of butter and bake at a pre-heated oven for 45-55 minutes at 350 degrees. you can forgo the butter if you want, i usually do if i'm just making it as a everyday thing. yesterday, tho, was something special. :D



first things first, cut the potatoes and boil them in salted water. while the potatoes cook, prep the chicken and the brussels sprouts. when they're done cooking, you can let the potatoes sit in the hot water and do the brussels sprouts like i did, or you can do the mashed potatoes. for these, i mashed it, added pepper and garlic powder to taste, added some butter, added milk till i got the right consistency, then finished it off with some spring onions.


you should get something that looks like this. yummm.... when i did the mashed patatoes, i turned the burner on low so that the mashed potatoes could stay nice and hot. hate it when food gets cold. :(




brussels sprouts. these i did between putting the chicken in the oven and before the mashed potatoes. start off with prepping them and cutting them in half. then i tossed them with olive oil and sprinkled salt and pepper. put them face down on the pan, then tossed and roasted them until they got a nice little crispness to them. now set these babies aside.


in the same pan, poured in two parts balsamic vinaigrette dressing and one part honey, sprigs of rosemary, onion powder and paprika . brought to a boil and let it simmer until syrupy. took my brussels sprouts and made sure to evenly coat every single one of them with the glaze. if a few ended up in my mouth, that's a-okay! ;D and that's it!


and we had dessert! just something nice and simple. stewed some apples in cinnamon sugar butter then added a bit of spiced rum. mmm..... and how did we have it?


with cinnamon ice cream of course! this actually paired really well with ben and jerry's cinnamon buns ice cream. delicious! all in all, not too bad a dinner. no, what in the heck do i make today?!