Yellow Dinner and a New Camera Lens
Victor got his new camera lens, today. I have to say it is pretty cool. So while he was out and about taking pictures of everything under the sun - you really do need to practice with a new lens - I cooked dinner. What I didn't quite realize - because I didn't actually plan dinner - was that everything I was making was yellow.
Yellow carrots, yellow polenta, and a yellowish chicken cutlet. So much for that rainbow of color we're supposed to have on our plates!
But heck with dinner... isn't that picture of the polenta cool? I can see some fun photos coming our way!
It's rather obvious that I'm not a food stylist and this blog isn't an award-winning photo-journal of foods too pretentious to actually eat. This is plain ol' cooking that most anyone can do - with plain ol' pictures most anyone can take. While that's not really going to change, I do think I'll be asking Victor to take a few shots now and again when we make something fancy-schmancy. The first thing I'm thinking of is an Italian chocolate dessert I'm making for Easter.
Better yet, maybe I can convince him to shoot the entire Easter table - item-by-item!
Fun times, ahead!
In the meantime... the yellow dinner tonight was yellow carrots, steamed and then drizzled with honey, a tube of store-bought polenta sliced and sauteed in butter, and chicken cutlets dredged in flour, egg, and then flour, again. 
Simplicity.
Corn Flake Chicken
I brought home a bottle of ranch dressing the other day. Yes, it's true. I bought a bottle of salad dressing. Organic Ranch Dressing, to boot. Not that organic makes a bottled dressing all that superior. An organic pop tart is still a nutritionally-unsound meal choice regardless of where the sugar comes from. But I wasn't thinking in terms of salad. I was thinking chicken.
Once upon a time, chicken dipped in mayonnaise and dredged in crushed corn flakes was the dinner to make. It was definitely a childhood-type meal and one that is still surprisingly satisfying. I've made it before, but looking back through old blog posts, the last time I made it was in 2011.
Time for an updated version - of sorts. Not that this is even remotely original. I'm sure Hidden Valley has been making it for 50 years.
Corn flakes are always in the cupboard - they're Victor's cereal of choice. There is always chicken in the freezer. All I needed was the glue to bring it all together.
The simplicity of it all was astounding. Put the chicken breasts in a bowl with ranch dressing and cover them. Dredge the chicken breasts in crushed corn flakes and place on a parchment-lined sheet pan. No other seasonings required.
Bake in a preheated 425°F oven for about 20 minutes.
I was planning on frozen corn for a side when I spied fresh packaged ears of corn. They are not something I normally purchase, but I thought what the hell. I'm coating chicken in ranch dressing. It's kinda difficult to pretend I have standards all of a sudden.
The chicken came out excellent! It was moist, crunchy, and had a really nice, nostalgic flavor - probably because the corn flakes and the chicken were organic, as well. It reminded me of the days of my youth before factory farms made conventional a bad word. I can see more of this happening. The corn wasn't horrible, but it also wasn't summer-fresh. I think I'll pass in the future, but it was fun, tonight.
And now I have a half-bottle of salad dressing in the 'fridge... Any bets it turns into a science experiment?!?
Baked Crêpes Cacciatore with Parmesan Cream Sauce
I tend to toss cooking magazines, nowadays... I have subscribed to, read, saved, and otherwise consumed so many magazines over the years, I could star in an episode of Hoarders. I probably have 50 or so left - mainly La Cucina Italiana since they no longer publish - but there's a few others that have made the cut, as well - like the April 2012 issue of Fine Cooking.
It's a pretty good magazine and, unlike Bon Appetit, there's always something I feel like making. Sometimes I take a while to get around to it, but that's life, ya know?!?
The cacciatore crepes called out to me the first time I saw the recipe but that was about the time Nonna had moved in and things were in a bit of an uproar. And then another magazine arrives and another arrives, and the focus goes elsewhere.
I was culling the remaining magazines the other day - I really am trying to pare down - when I saw the recipe, again. This time, I knew I was making it.
We've really been in a rut around here. Nonna's eating habits are a challenge, at times. She will zero in on something and want it all the time - and then, without notice, decide she no longer likes it. It definitely makes for some interesting mealtimes. The recipe as written had several things she's no longer interested in - mushrooms, red peppers, and chili peppers, to name but three - but the basic concept was sound.
She likes manicotti and other stuffed pasta, so I figured I could work this into a meal she - and we - would like!
First thing I did was make the filling. I used tomatoes from the garden, as well as some cooked, shredded turkey that was in the freezer.
Then it was time to make the crêpes. These use browned butter which adds a nice nuttiness to the dish. I don't flip my crêpes when I make them - they cook through just fine.
Then it was time for the sauce. Just heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Super easy.
Putting it all together was a snap, as well. They were rolled and in the pan in no time, at all.
And, finally, the finished product...
They really did rock the casbah. Even Nonna ate two of them! The crêpes were light and delicate and the sauce added its crowning glory. I can see lots of variations on a theme, here!
Here's the recipe as written at Fine Cooking. It looks long, but it really is easy. Just do it in steps.
Baked Crêpes Cacciatore with Parmesan Cream Sauce
adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine
For the filling:
- 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbs. unsalted butter; more softened for the baking dish
- 8 oz. cremini or white button mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 2-1/2 cups)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium (8 oz.) red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into small dice
- 1 large mild fresh green chile (such as Anaheim) cored, seeded, and cut into small dice
- 1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 Tbs. all-purpose unbleached flour
- 1 cup lower-salt chicken broth
- 1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice; more to taste
- 1/4 tsp. hot sauce
- 2 cups chopped leftover roast chicken or store-bought rotisserie chicken
For the cheese sauce:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 oz. (1-1/2 cups) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Freshly ground black pepper
For assembly:
- 12 8-inch crêpes, warmed if made ahead
- 1 tsp. sweet paprika (optional)
Make the filling:
In a 12-inch skillet, heat 1 Tbs. of the oil and the butter over medium-high heat until sizzling. Add the mushrooms, season with 1/2 tsp. salt and a few grinds of pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms release much of their liquid and begin to brown, 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and return the skillet to the heat.
Add the remaining 2 Tbs. oil, the bell pepper, chile, onion, rosemary, and 1 tsp. salt. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very soft and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes; don’t let them brown.
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook for a minute or so, stirring and scraping so the flour gets mixed with the fat and starts to toast a bit. Add the broth and let it come to a simmer, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, lemon juice, and hot sauce; bring to a simmer again and cook for 1 to 2 minutes to slightly thicken the sauce.
Add the chicken and mushrooms and simmer for a few minutes until everything is heated through. Remove from the heat and season to taste with more salt, pepper, hot sauce, or lemon juice. Cover the filling and keep warm.
Make the cheese sauce:
In a heavy-duty 1-quart saucepan, bring the cream to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a lively simmer and cook until the cream has reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the cheese, stirring until melted. Season generously with pepper. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
Assemble and bake the crêpes:
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Working with a few crêpes at a time, lay them on a clean work surface. Spoon about 3 heaping Tbs. of the filling evenly onto the bottom third of each crêpe. Fold the bottom edge of each crêpe up and over the filling, fold the sides in toward the center, and finish rolling up from the bottom. Evenly arrange the crêpes seam side down in a single layer in the baking dish.
Spread the cheese sauce evenly over the crêpes and sprinkle with the paprika (if using). Bake until the sauce is golden and bubbling slightly, 12 to 16 minutes. Serve.
Tomatoes
We have not had a bumper-crop of tomatoes, this year. I had visions of canning tomatoes, Victor making sauce with fresh tomatoes from the yard...
Ain't gonna happen.
I think part of the problem is the bed where we've been planting them. It's not getting the sun it used to... Too many big bushes and trees in the neighbor's yards are encroaching. One of those double-edged swords... They're perfect for privacy, but Mr Sunbeam is being blocked, as well. I've had to augment with store-bought heirlooms. At least they're local Pennsylvania, but it's just not the same.
Methinks that next year we'll be doing a raised bed in a different part of the yard and expanding the offerings...
In the meantime, we have had a few good peppers that I canned and set aside for possible Christmas offerings - if we don't eat them all, first...
We've had a few lush years and hope to see a few more while we're here.
Tonight I baked chicken breasts with cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs from the yard and did a tomato salad with the store-bought's. I mixed the tomatoes and juices from the chicken with some really big, fat pasta noodles, hit it all with some cheese, and called it dinner.
Not bad, at all...
Chicken in Puff Pastry
I had chicken cutlets, I had bacon, I had puff pastry. I had dinner!
This was seriously a clean-out-the-refrigerator meal, tonight. Little pieces of this and that, combined into a pretty tasty dinner.
It started off with about 2/3 lb thin-sliced chicken breast. Next was 5 slices of bacon. Bacon and chicken are a natural combination. Add a bit of onion, garlic, bell pepper, and tomato, and it's a downright party.
I chopped up the bacon and threw it into a skillet. After it started cooking up a bit, I added the onions. The smell of bacon and onions cooking together is gastronomic heaven. Add a bit of garlic, and it is over the top perfection.
Into that went a bit of bell pepper and chopped tomato. Salt & pepper.
I cooked off the chicken breasts in the same skillet and let everything cool.
I had 2 sheets of puff pastry, so I cut them in half and centered about a half-cup of shredded cheese on three of the pieces. I next split the bacon mixture into thirds - one part on top of the cheese. Finally, the chicken. Since it was small cutlets, I just added two pieces per bundle. The last half of puff pastry I cut into thirds and just added it to the top of each. Waste not, want not...
I wrapped them up end-to end and crimped the sides with a fork. Then onto a sheetpan and into a 420° oven for 20 minutes.
Some parsley buttered noodles - just a few - finished the plate.
None of us cleaned our plates. It was just too much! I really could have cut one in half. The good news is we have lunch for tomorrow.
It really was a fun dish and one that is rife with possibilities. I just have to try and remember portion size next time...
New Year's Eve 2015
While Victor and I were eating dinner tonight, we realized we were on our third official New Year's Eve host.
When we were young, it was "Guy Lombardo, live from the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria." Those were definitely fun years. Pre-adolescent New Year's were exciting. Staying up until midnight was something we just never were allowed to do, and when you're a kid of 7 or 8, every new year was the start of something new. I remember thinking as a kid that in the year 2000 I would be the almost ancient age of 48. And here we are, about to usher in 2015. You do the math.
http://youtu.be/Q-ncPPArxEk
Here's Guy bringing in 1977. I was living at Tahoe and have no idea what I did that New Year's Eve - but I'm reasonably certain it included being at work at 5am on New Year's Day at The Old Post Office in Carnelian Bay - probably ridiculously hung over - or still royally buzzed. I didn't start at the Hyatt until June of '77.
2015 really doesn't seem possible - and it's definitely not what we were told to expect. The promises of the past have not kept up with the reality of the present - and there are definitely days when I see no hope for the future. But... here we are, in spite of it all.
I have no idea when Guy Lombardo left New Year's and Dick Clark took the reins. From the mid-'70s through the '80s, I was in the hotel business - I was working. Most of the time it was a lot of fun - the Hyatt years, especially. The Hyatt Lake Tahoe days are a bit of a blur... I do remember the first year I was in management that some maroon threw a glass in the fireplace at the end of the casino. Within seconds, glasses were being tossed from everywhere - in the general direction of the fireplace. It was broken-glass-freaking-mess. The next year, the casino switched to plastic at 4pm - no glass or bottles at all.
The Hyatt in Cambridge saw us all in our tuxedos with a suite reserved for the managers overlooking the atrium. It was stocked with a full bar and hors d'oeuvres for days. We'd walk in and out of the parties, being a part of the festivities without having to be a part of the festivities. It was great fun. Our biggest challenge was making sure the employees didn't get too drunk.
There have been a few parties in the past 25 years, but after working so many of them, neither of us have had much of a desire to go out. We spent Christmas 1999 in San Francisco and then flew back east for NYE Y2K - on New Year's Eve. Victor's mom played the sympathy card stating "I won't be around for the next millennium..." [[Earth to Mom: NONE of us will be around for the next millennium!!]] We flew in a practically empty plane and landed at empty airports. It was the best flight, ever!
14 months after this picture was taken, we were living here...
Nowadays, we have a simple dinner - tonight it was chicken parmesan - and follow Parisian New Year... The New Year strikes in Paris at 6pm eastern time. Therefore, if we stay up until 9pm, we're 3 hours into the new year. I really have no desire to try and stay awake for another ball-drop.
So... Happy New Year. And don't call. We'll be asleep!
Rice Cakes and Creamed Chicken
I was doing a bit of blog-maintenance, today, and came across a rice cake I made last year. It sounded good, so I decided to make them, again.
I need to check my back posts more often - there are a lot of fun things on this site. I guess I've been in a bit of a rut with the holidays and all... Plus the weather hasn't been cooperating... I'm in soup and stew mode but the weather isn't.
But January usually invigorates me. Not for the New Year Resolutions, because I don't make any. I've found the quickest route to failure is writing out resolutions. I just like the calm that comes after the holidays - and the weather is usually conducive to baking bread and settling down by the fire with a good book - or, my Kindle with a thousand or two books.
I'm beginning to find that while I love my Kindle for reading, I merely like it for cook books. I like it in the kitchen with a recipe, but I like holding a cook book for gathering ideas. Then, again, I like being able to have a score of cook books in my hand at any given moment, but sitting on the couch surrounded by cook books is heaven - until I have to put them away. It's a conundrum, for sure...
Cook books are great for ideas - as are websites, blogs, newspapers, and magazines. I usually find it easiest to take an existing idea and play with it, rather than sitting down and starting from scratch. It's why I have a difficult time making the same thing twice the same way...
Tonight's rice cakes are a prime example... last time I made them I used a shredded cheese and sage. this time I used Boursin. They came out great!
Rice Cakes
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 1/2 pkg Boursin cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 cup bread crumbs
Cook rice in 2 cups of lightly-salted water and a pat of butter for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
Place rice in a bowl and mix in cheese and egg. Add salt & pepper, if desired.
With wet hands, form into patties and dredge in bread crumbs.
Fry in grapeseed or other neutral oil until crisp on one side, flip, and cook the other side.
Leftover rice works, also.
The chicken is the most basic of basic dishes. I cut up 2 chicken breast and cooked them in 2 cups of chicken broth. I added a cup of heavy cream, a cup of frozen fava beans, and a cup of frozen mixed vegetables. A pinch of salt and pepper, and a pinch of poultry seasoning were all it needed, herb-wise.
I thickened it a bit more with some cornstarch. Simplicity.
2015 is just a few days away and I foresee another year of totally joyous recipes to talk about and share...
I can't believe it will be ten years since I started this. It's been a lot of fun. I wish I had taken screenshots of all of the various looks this blog has had in 10 years. I think I may have to look for some pictures...
Chicken and Sweets
Victor made a totally awesome hash for dinner last night - complete with perfectly-runny eggs nestled into it. I had just come in from a bit of physical therapy on my shoulder and didn't bother to grab the camera. I grabbed a fork, instead.
But it was so good that I wanted something else all kinda chopped up and sitting on a creamy bed of something... I originally thought polenta, but it takes too long to cook when I need to have dinner on the table soon after getting home. Besides, Nonna doesn't like it so I'd have to cook something else for her, anyway.
Mashed sweet potatoes came to the rescue.
The kinda all chopped up part was easy. I had taken chicken out of the freezer last night, and we had tomatoes and several types of peppers fresh from the garden - along with some broccoli that needed using up asap.
A dinner was born!
For the three of us, I diced two chicken breasts, 1/2 cup onion, 1 bell pepper, 2 cups broccoli, 5 plum tomatoes, and 2 long hot peppers.
I sauteed the onion and pepper, added the chicken and browned it a bit, added a splash of white wine, the broccoli and the tomatoes. I then pulled a bit out for Nonna and added the hot peppers to the pan. Nonna doesn't like spicy.
Meanwhile I boiled the sweet potatoes and mashed them with a bit of butter, sour cream, salt, and pepper.
The mashed went on the plate and the chicken and peppers went on top.
Start-to-finish about 25 minutes.
It was creamy, spicy, comfort-foodish, and just what I wanted.
Chicken and Spinach Pesto
Tomorrow is the first day of Spring. It is pouring rain outside, but it may be sunny and get up to the low '50s tomorrow. Oh joy.
I loved the snow, but with winter officially over, I'm officially ready for some warmer weather - and a bit of a diet change. I'm really looking forward to the spring produce.
I realize that just about anything can be bought at any time, nowadays. Berries and watermelon are in stores during blizzards in January. I very rarely buy them. I really want to experience that first in-season strawberry, savor that local produce. Things just aren't special if you can get them anywhere and anytime.
I think that's why I enjoy the snow so much. It puts the seasons in perspective. I can really enjoy the budding trees, plants and flowers, after seeing everything blanketed in snow for months. It's time to clear the cobwebs and get out and start enjoying the lengthening days.
Of course, it helps when it's not pouring rain. On those days, I sit inside and wax poetically about how nice it's going to be.
Soups, stews, and casseroles are going away and I'm starting to think salads and grill. Tonight was a bit of a hybrid.
I had seen a recipe in Fine Cooking magazine for a Mozzarella and Spinach Pesto Melt and thought the concept was pretty good - but I really couldn't see Nonna enjoying one for dinner. I thought that deconstructing it a bit would give me the flavors I was looking for in a meal that would be pleasing to all.
Instead of crusty bread, I went with a chicken breast. I spread a thin layer atop an almost-cooked breast and topped it with mozzarella and melted it in the oven. Diced tomatoes on top.
I then cooked up some penne and mixed it with more of the spinach pesto for a great side dish.
And I got my crunch from a sourdough roll hot out of the oven.
Spinach Pesto
- 1 6oz bag baby spinach
- 1 1/2 cups freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1/2 cup pistachios
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp good olive oil
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Pulse the spinach, cheese, pistachios, lemon juice, salt & pepper in a food processor until finely chopped. With the motor running, drizzle in the oil to make a smooth, creamy pesto paste.
Use as you would any pesto - as a spread, in pasta, or as an ingredient in eggs, potatoes, salad dressings...
Use your imagination. And c'mon Spring!
Roast Chicken and Chicken Pot Pie
A roast chicken is the meal that keeps on giving. I love that the day after there is always another meal waiting to be created - a soup, a stew, or, as we did last night, a chicken pot pie.
Roasting a chicken is pretty much the easiest thing in the world to do, yet... it is also often the first thing an aspiring French chef is asked to cook during an interview. Any roasted chicken is good - a perfectly roasted chicken is... well... perfect.
I tend to lean towards the any roasted chicken is good category. I don't fuss with them. I'll rub a bit of butter or olive oil on the outside, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and into the oven on a vertical roaster at 425° for however many minutes it takes for the juices to run clear - or 165° if I use a thermometer. A good chicken tastes great with minimal fuss and a mediocre chicken is going to be mediocre no matter what you do to it.
I started doing beer can chickens a while ago and when we received an actual vertical roaster as a gift, it pretty much cemented my like for them. The neck and innards boil down for broth and mix the drippings to make gravy.
Waste not, want not, and all that...
Victor is a huge crispy-skin fan - me, not so much - so the vertical roaster really delivers for him.
So... un-stuffed chicken, mashed potatoes, and gravy with oven-roasted cauliflower on Saturday became Chicken Pot Pie on Sunday.
I do a double crust because we all really like the crust and it's easier to clean the dish! I made my standard pie crust but I used half lard half butter and for the vodka, I used Absolute Peppar that has been in the bar cabinet for what seems like an eternity. No idea where it came from but I need to start using it - I'm tired of looking at the bottle.
The filling consisted of onions, fresh carrots and celery, and lots of frozen mixed vegetables - along with the chicken meat that just slid off the bones from the long-simmering carcass.
The pot kept growing - as is typical when I'm making something like this - and I ended up with a huge pot pie - enough for dinner last night and lunch today - as well as TWO containers for the freezer! I have dinner for a couple of lazy winter nights...
Definitely the bird that keeps on giving...
Chicken Pot Pie
Baby, it's cold outside.
Around here, that means it's time for something hot and comforting - and a double-crusted pot pie fills that bill, completely.
These are my favorite kind of meals... easy to make, flavorful, filling... and total comfort. My mom used to make a lot of casseroles and pot pies and the like when we were kids. Feeding six kids was a challenge on a fireman's salary and she knew how to stretch her shopping dollars. I still marvel at how she was able to do it and make it appear so effortless. Then, again, she ran the house - not us.
Meals like thbis are easy because there's no recipe involved - they're usually just clean out the refrigerator-type meals. Throw it all in a pot, thicken it up, pour it into a crust, and bake.
It doesn't get easier.
This pot pie started off as a vertically roasted chicken. I boiled down the carcass and picked it clean. The meat went back into the broth with potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and frozen mixed vegetables. Frozen mixed veggies, by the way, are great to have in the freezer at all times. They go into soups, stews, casseroles... A perfect add-in for so many things.
I thickened it with a bit of flour and butter, added some French herbs, and a bit of salt and pepper. It really is that easy.
And so is making the crust...
I've been making pie crust for years and they always come out. I'm constantly disappointed when I break down and buy a pre-made crust and always swear I'll never do it again. I think I have finally learned my lesson.
This particular recipe really is good. I just tweaked it to add some vodka. It's better than ever.
And I really do believe that any homemade crust is better than any store-bought crust. Even a less than perfect or tough homemade crust is superior.
Really.
A Deconstructed Chicken Cordon Bleu
Last week I picked up some brie-stuffed dates and a small wedge of a saga blue pecan caramel torte at the grocers.
Victor consumed the dates over the course of a few days, but the wedge of torte just sat there in the 'fridge. It was a total impulse-buy at the store - and neither of us are wine-and-cheese-appetizer folks. It looked really good - it was an impulse buy I didn't need.
So... after looking at it in the 'fridge for a week, I decided I needed to do something with it. We have a no remorse rule at the house. If we buy it - we eat it. A chicken cordon bleu came to mind - and I ran with it.
Now... a sweet caramelly cheese isn't the most natural accompaniment to a cordon bleu, but - what the heck. I've done weirder...
And this is one weird that worked well! I put the wedge of torte in a small saucepan - it was about 4 ounces - and added a bit of heavy cream. I'm already dealing with cheese and caramel - I'm not worrying about a couple more calories at this point.
I let the tote melt into the cream and then let it simmer just a bit to thicken.
Meanwhile, I breaded some chicken cutlets with panko and corn meal and fried them. I then fried up some thin slices of ham.
The ham went on top of the chicken, the sauce went on top of the ham.
We both cleaned our plates. We practically licked them clean. There was a definite caramel undertone to the sauce but it wasn't overly-sweet. It was just sweet enough. The saga blue came through but it didn't overpower, either. Everything balanced - the crunch of the chicken, the saltiness of the ham, the sweet and tart of the sauce.
Spinach and farro on the side.
I probably won't be picking up any tortes in the near future, but if I do and I have leftovers, I know what I can do.