My Head to Toe Makeover courtesy of The Blog Fairy!

So what do you think of my new look? I am very excited about it! If you receive my blog in your inbox (Mom, Dad, that means you guys!) please click here to check things out.

I want to send out a huge Thank you and hugs to Emily of The Blog Fairy! She was so patient and helpful! If you're looking for a blog makeover go check her out, she is a pleasure to work with!

Spaghetti with Olives and Bread Crumbs

Have you noticed that I love olives? They aren't just for salads, I assure you. I'm always throwing kalamata olives into my of my dishes. I just love the salty kick that they give. Most of the time you can leave the olives out if you don't like them but in this dish I think you would really be missing something if you didn't use them. I watched Giada De Laurentiis make this recipe a while ago and it went into my mental rolodex of recipes that I must try. I thought about it yesterday when looking for something quick to make for dinner. I went to The Food Network and pulled up Giada's recipe. WARNING : The next paragraph is a rant, skip to recipe if you don't want to hear it.

I read the reviews and had myself a good laugh. I apologize ahead of time if I'm coming off mean or as a food snob. I really don't mean to but it just amazes me how critical people can be. So for those people who gave this recipe a bad review...If you don't like olives why would you want to make this dish? You obviously wouldn't like it so why ruin it for others that might like it? That's the same as me knowing that I don't like shrimp and then cooking it anyway and then giving it a bad review because no matter what the recipe is if there's shrimp in it I'm not going to like it. It's just not right. Oh and if you are going to use canned salad olives it's going to be awful but why would you do that if you read the recipe or watched the show? Stepping off my soap box now.

Anyway, sorry about that little rant, it just upsets me. The recipe is great! I changed it up slightly but not because it wasn't good but because I like to make things that suit my tastes and my style of cooking.

If you want to see the original recipe click here.

Here is the recipe with my alterations.

Ingredients:

1 pound spaghetti
1/2 tbsp butter
Approx 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (use less you can always add more)
3/4 cup seasoned dried bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 cup pitted and roughly chopped kalamata olives
3/4 cup pitted and roughly chopped large green sicilian olives
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, red pepper and the bread crumbs. Stirring constantly, cook the breadcrumbs until golden brown, about 2 minutes.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Stir the pasta into the bread crumb mixture. Remove the pan from the heat and add the black and green olives. Add the Parmesan cheese and 3 tablespoons of the parsley. Gently toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time to loosen the pasta. Transfer to a large serving bowl and garnish with the remaining parsley.

Enjoy!

Ramps!

Ramps

I first heard about ramps last year when I started frequenting the farmers markets as often as I could, but didn't pick them up until this year. What are ramps, anyways? They're a wild leek that has the bulb of a scallion with leaves that remind me of sage (without the fuzzies). A member of the onion family, ramps definitely had more bite than any onion I've ever had! Almost reminded me of garlic in its strength, but definitely onion in flavor. In my online searches I often came across the terms 'pungent' and 'stinky' to describe them. I picked up a small bunch and tried them out in 2 recipes, both of which I really enjoyed! Might not be the best choice for a first date though ;)

First up was a simple scrambled eggs with ramps, inspired by this recipe. Since I didn't have morels and asparagus on hand, I just kept it simple :) It was amazing how much flavor these 'simple' eggs had!!

Scrambled Eggs w/Ramps

The next day Amy posted a recipe for Linguine w/Sausage & Ramps and I knew that was next! Instead of linguine I had some very broken fettucine, which don't do the recipe justice--go check out the original post!! And don't be afraid of new veggies at your local farmers markets :)

Pasta w/Sausage & Ramps

Two Fabulous Sides - Oven Roasted Broccoli and Oven Roasted Potatoes

These are the two sides I served with my Chicken Cordon Bleu. I know I promised to post it the next day. I'm really late with this one! Sorry about that!

I was very excited when I saw a bag of mixed baby potatoes in the supermarket last week. There were baby red, fingerling, yukon gold and purple potatoes in the sack. I prepared them quite simply and I'm glad I did. The potatoes were creamy and had a great flavor on their own.

Since I was already turning on the oven at a high temperature I figures I might as well try roasting the broccoli as well. It seems to be a new trend on the food network and I have been meaning to give it a shot. The temperature may have been slightly too high for the broccoli or maybe I should have taken them out a bit sooner as some of them burned...um...I mean caramelized. Luckily, the broccoli still tasted great! When you make it check your broccoli after 10 minutes to check for desired doneness. I will make this again and get a more accurate cooking time.

Roasting is a great method for cooking veggies with little effort and lots of flavor. If you need another reason, it makes for a night of easy cleanup! My stovetop remained clean!





Oven Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 bag of mixed baby potatoes
4 cloves of garlic, cracked
Kosher salt and Pepper, to taste
Approx. 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Scrub potatoes and pat dry. Spread out on in a roasting pan or a cookie sheet. Something that is large enough that the potatoes aren't touching.

2. Season potatoes with oil, salt, pepper and garlic and toss around with clean hands. Spread out.

3. Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes or until a knife easily pierces the potatoes. Shake the pan a couple of times to make sure that they aren't sticking and are getting evenly browned.

4. Toss with parsley. Serve hot or at room temperature.






Oven Roasted Broccoli

Ingredients:

2 bunches broccoli, trimmed of most of the stem and cut into florets.
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
Approx. 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (I tend to go back and add more)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
kosher salt

Directions:

1. Toss broccoli with oil, salt, pepper and garlic and spread in a roasting pan or cookie sheet.

2. Cook for 10-15 minutes at 400 or until desired tenderness is reached.

Options:

Add some grated romano or parmesan cheese when it comes out of the oven.
Toss with browned bread crumbs (or bread crumbs and cheese).
Squeeze some fresh lemon juice on top just before serving.

PB Crackers

With the last of my PB2, I wanted to try and make some PB Crackers. I used this recipe as a guideline and they actually came out pretty well! A bit of a mild peanut flavor, but that's ok. They made for some yummy snacks!


They were also good paired with chocolate or honey-cardamom ricotta for dessert :) I bet a pumpkin dip would've worked well, too!


Peanut Butter Crackers
Adapted from Heaven is Chocolate, Cheese & Carbs



1.5c WW flour
1c PB2 (powdered peanut butter)
1t sugar
1 1/3t Vietnamese cinnamon
1t salt
1T agave nectar
1/4c canola oil (I used Smart Balance)
3/4c cold water, divided
cinnamon sugar and fine sea salt for topping

Preheat oven to 400F.

Mix together flour, PB2, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add agave, oil and 3/8c water and mix. Continue to add water until you get a rough dry dough (I only used another 1/4c). Knead (I did this in the bowl) until the dough becomes a cohesive ball.

Divide dough in half. Roll out one half of dough in between two sheets of parchment paper as thin as possible. Cut dough into squares, rectangles, or whatever shape desired! Prick with a fork, then sprinkle on cinnamon sugar and a little bit of sea salt. Bake ~15min, turning halfway through. Roll out the other half while the first batch is cooking. Let cool before breaking apart (I don't know how necessary this is, some of mine were apart even before cooking!).


Ricotta Dips

I used part-skim to make these sweet accompaniments to my crackers, but they could easily enjoyed on their own! I eyeballed the amounts, but this is what I think went in...

For the chocolate variation: 1/2c ricotta, 1/2T unsweetened cocoa, and 1/2-1T agave nectar
For the honey-cardamom variation: 1/2c ricotta, 1/2-1T honey, 1/8t ground cardamom

Oreo Truffles

As you all know I had my wisdom teeth extracted last week. I had a great experience thanks to Dr. Pirozzi, Dr. Ernst and the wonderful staff at The Center for Oral Surgery in Montville, NJ. Their smiling and welcoming faces made me comfortable from the moment I stepped through the door. I don't know about your experiences but I never seem to come in contact with many friendly faces at the offices I have been to. Usually they don't even look up from their work, speak in a monotone voice and have miserable looks on their faces. That is not the way this group is at all. They gladly answered all my questions (and I had many) and made me comfortable. This made a huge impression on me and I wanted to show them my appreciation. Since I was going to the office for my post-op appointment I decided to make them some oreo truffles. These fabulous little chocolate candies have been circulating bakespace and most food blogs for months. I'm pretty sure everyone has tried making them once. They are so easy and are very pretty. You can get creative by drizzling some white chocolate on top, topping them with colored sprinkles or other candies. It's completely up to you.

So here's a big THANK YOU to my new friends! Hope you all enjoyed the truffles!


Oreo Truffles

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (1 lb. 2 oz.) OREO Cookies, finely crushed, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER'S Semi-sweet chocolate, melted


Directions:

MIX 3 cups of the cookie crumbs and the cream cheese until well blended. Shape into 42 (1-inch) balls.

DIP balls in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover melted chocolate can be stored in tightly covered container at room temperature and saved for another use.) Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.

REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm. Store any leftover truffles in tightly covered container in refrigerator.


Here are some tips:

1 - If you use the entire package of oreos you will have leftover oreo crumbs, save these in a ziplock bag and use them to top ice-cream or to top cupcakes.

2 - Refrigerate oreo balls before dipping them in chocolate so they stay nice and firm.

3 - You will have a lot of chocolate leftover. Don't be tempted to make these the next time with less chocolate (I did) because it makes it difficult to cover with chocolate.

Dine on Us!

When I was contacted by Foodbuzz to attend a blogger dinner on their dime, I couldn't say no ;) We met at Macchu Picchu for an evening of Peruvian cuisine this past weekend. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, as the online menu was not translated and I've never been to Peru. My fellow diners included Caitlin, Tia, Mark and Finance Foodie. A very interesting group of folks, their tales of food and travels made me want to schedule my next trip!

I'll do my best to describe what you I got to try, but go check out Caitlin's review here--she knew what she was talking about!! First up was a Pisco Sour, a regional favorite that I had to try... sorry no picture. We started with some appetizers- Fried Yucca with a cheese sauce, (huge) Corn on the Cob with a mild white cheese and a Ceviche w/Shrimp and Fish.

Yuca a la Huancaina

Choclo Peruano con Queso

Ceviche Mixto (i think that's the version we had)

Yucca was another first for me, but it kind of reminded me of a potato. The corn had very large kernals and was a bit starch-ier than that which I'm used to, but it was tasty, as was the cheese served with it. The ceviche was also pretty good. I got a kick out of our server, who, upon seeing us start taking pictures of the food, said she would've brought out a prettier piece of corn!

At this point they also brought out these...
Which looked like roasted corn kernals. While the fresh kernals were good with the slight starchiness, I didn't care much for the roasted ones as this made them very dry.

For my main course, I went for a dish that was shrimp and spinach wrapped in chicken, served with a mass of spinach mashed potatoes and some steamed green beans. I'm going to spare you the aweful picture of this that I took, but I actually quite enjoyed it. Not sure how "peruvian" the dish is, but that's ok! While I did like most of the dishes up to this point, I must admit I was underwhelmed at the flavors of the dishes, they weren't very strongly seasoned. Whether this is normally the case in Peru, I only wish I could tell you!

Luckily we all went home with some Alfajores. Sorry I didn't get a picture of these either, but think buttery shortbread cookies with dulce de leche sandwiched in between. Umm, yeah, fantastic. I had one at the table, one when I got home, then quickly gave them to a friend to enjoy so I didn't have to tempt fate :) Thanks again to Caitlin and Foodbuzz for an enjoyable evening out!!

Chicken Cordon Bleu with Roasted Potatoes and Roasted Broccoli

Well it's been a damp and rainy day here in Northern New Jersey so I thought it would be nice to turn on the oven and warm things up a bit. This entire meal was made in the oven! So nice not to have to scrub my stove for once.

I watched Tyler Florence make Chicken Cordon Bleu last week and his presentation is what really got me excited. I've made many different versions of Cordon Bleu but I just found my new favorite. I'll admit I'm not entirely happy with how my chicken looked compared to Tyler's but I think if I practice this method I will get better at it. So what's different, you ask? Tyler used plastic wrap to roll up his chicken jelly roll style and then twist off the ends so it looked like a compact little stuffed sausage. This eliminates the need for toothpicks and is an alternative to folden your chicken booklet style. My rolls were fatter which was probably because I didn't pound it thin enough and it took some handling for me to get the chicken rolled tight, not quite as easy as it looked on television but definitely worth trying and mastering. I wish I took a better picture, my creative juices were on low tonight and I just couldn't arrange the chicken well. More things to learn (but that certainly is one of the great things about this blog, I get lots of practice) and I'm taking it one day at a time.

I used Tyler's method but added my own flair to the dish. Instead of using Gruyere cheese I used delis sliced Provolone. I seasoned the panko breadcrumbs with garllic powder, romano cheese, Mrs. Dash Table Blend (I love that stuff!), thyme, paprika, salt and pepper. I skipped the Chicken Jus because I just don't have that kind of time on a week night but I would absolutely love to try it on a weekend.

Click here to see Tyler's Original Recipe.




Michele's Chicken Cordon Bleu
Adapted from Tyler Florence

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts skinless and boneless
4 thin slices prosciutto di Parma
4 thin slices provolone
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Approx 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Mrs. Dash Table Blend
1 tsp paprika
romano cheese, to taste
1 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 eggs
Extra-virgin olive oil


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Lay the chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet or heavy bottomed pan, gently pound the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. Remove the top sheet of plastic and lay 2 slices of prosciutto neatly over the top to cover the breast and then lay 2 slices of provolone over that. Tuck in the sides of the breast and roll up tight like a jellyroll inside the plastic wrap. Squeeze the log gently to seal and twist both ends tight to form a nice log. Repeat with remaining chicken. Refrigerate chicken for 20-30 minutes.

Season the flour with salt and pepper. Mix the bread crumbs with thyme, garlic and kosher salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash, paprika, romano cheese and melted butter. The butter will help the crust brown. Season flour with salt and pepper. Beat egg with a splash of water.

Remove the plastic wrap. Lightly dust the chicken with flour, dip in the egg mixture and gently coat in the bread crumbs. Lightly coat a baking pan with olive oil and carefully transfer the roulades onto it. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until browned and cooked through. The size and thickness of your chicken determines how long you will need to cook it. I cooked mine for 30 minutes and it was perfect.

Come back tomorrow to see the recipes for Roasted Broccoli and Roasted Baby Potatoes.




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Tiffany's Sour Cream Pancakes

Hi everyone! I'm back! Thanks for all your well wishes! I'm feeling much better now. Still slightly sore but I can chew more things now, thank God! I was going out of my mind eating eggs and pudding and mac and cheese every day.

This morning I decided to pull out a recipe for pancakes that was given to me years ago by my cousin Tiffany. I used the recipe once before and really liked it but I put it away and forgot about it since I don't get the chance to make breakfast that often. Well, let me tell you, I will definitely be making these again soon! They were so delicious and definitely worth the effort of making them from scratch. They aren't the most figure friendly since they are loaded with butter but I instead of using whole milk I used skim plus. I had some reduced fat sour cream leftover and I had a new container of full fat sour cream so I used both. It turned out perfectly so I wouldn't worry about making swaps.


Pancakes

2 Cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups milk
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, sour cream, eggs, melted butter, lemon juice. Pour the milk mixture into the flour and stir until combined. Batter will be lumpy.

Brush griddle with olive oil over medium heat and make the pancakes like you normally would.

Makes approx 20 pancakes


My cousin Tiffany has her own business making custom window treatments. She is extremely talented and constantly impresses me with her creations. Please check out her website www.tanahome.com. Thanks guys!

Brie!

Wow, I've been meaning to write this post for so long! But I just got to try out the recipe I had in mind, so it's finally time :) First I need to give a huge THANK YOU to Alex at Ile de France for giving me the opportunity to try their cheese!! I almost went with goat cheese, since I love it so, but decided to go for something i don't get very often--brie. I'm not well-versed in how to discern a high-class brie, but I do know that this was mighty tasty. It had a nice, uniform white rind and a creamy, mild taste. It sure did melt beautifully!! Here's what I have done with it so far...



First up were some amazing grilled cheeses (April is National Grilled Cheese month after all). The first used a nice ciabatta roll with some sliced grilled chicken breast and avocado slices. The brie almost disappeared into the bread, so luscious! I meant to add some dijon or grainy mustard, but forgot when it came time for assembly.



Next was a Black Forest Grilled Cheese (although normally "black forest" conjures images of chocolate and cherries, this name stuck in my head when I came up with it!). For this sandwich I topped a nice russian rye with oats with some brie, deli ham, and spiced sour cherry spread. Holy moly this knocked my socks off!!! The spiced cherry spread was not homemade, but needs to be recreated as soon as it's sour cherry season! The ingredient list included: cherries (both fresh and dried), burgandy wine reduction, ginger, lemon juice and "spices". SO good.



The last recipe I have to share is for a Nutty Quinoa w/Brie, Asparagus & Sundried Tomato Pesto. I wanted something a little different to submit to the Ile de France recipe contest (click for details, you have until the end of the month to submit a recipe!).



Nutty Quinoa w/Brie, Asparagus & Sundried Tomato Pesto
Recipe by Shannon
Serves 1 as a main dish, 2 as a side



Feel free to use more or less asparagus or brie, another spring veggie, or different whole grain in this dish, depending on what you're feeling at the moment (or have in your kitchen)!

1/2 bunch asparagus, trimmed and rinsed
1-2T lemon-flavored olive oil
s/p
1/2c quinoa
1c water
1oz brie, diced
2T Sundried Tomato Pesto, see recipe below

Preheat oven to 450deg. Toss asparagus with oil, salt and pepper, then transfer to baking sheet. Roast asparagus for ~20min, or until desired doneness. Cut asparagus into ~1" pieces (I left some pieces for garnish)

Toast quinoa in a dry pot over low or med-low heat until it begins to pop. Keep an eye on it to prevent burning. Once toasted, add water and continue to cook over med-low heat for ~20min or so. The quinoa is done when you start to see 'tails' separate from mostly clear grains. Fluff quinoa with a fork, then mix in brie, asparagus and pesto. Transfer to serving dish and top with whole asparagus spears, if desired.

Sundried Tomato Pesto
Recipe by Shannon

This can be adjusted to suit your tastes-- I almost included some basil or other seasonings, mushrooms, and parmesan cheese.

10 sundried tomato halves
2T chopped walnuts
2-3T extra virgin olive oil

Pulse tomatoes and walnuts in food processor until crumbly and combined, then drizzle in enough olive oil for the mixture to come together.

Jicama & Butternut Salad

**Sorry for the repost, but I added a bit about jicama since so many of you asked! See the bottom of the post**

Well, I have been so busy I've been doing very little cooking :( All these ideas floating in my head for brie and herbs, and no time to implement them! Mom even had everything all set for Easter, all I got to do was throw together a mousse parfait for dessert :) I'm not complaining, and it was Easter bunny-approved!


This was really simple--I took the cupboard shortcut of some boxed mix (strawberry and lemon mousse) and fruit in the fridge (mom stocked up, she knows me so well!!) to create a nice dessert for our dinner. I crumbled up a gingersnap on top for a little crunch.

Right, so you're wondering about the title of the post?!? I did have a chance to throw something together that was fun and exciting... A combination of textures and flavors that really seemed to come together. I combined some maple, chipotle-roasted butternut squash with crisp jicama, then topped it with some roasted pecans and dried fruit. Yum!


Jicama & Butternut Salad
Recipe by Shannon



1 small jicama, cut into matchsticks
bulbous end of a butternut squash
maple syrup
cayenne pepper
salt
1-2T chopped toasted pecans
~2T dried cranberries (I had a mix with dried cranberries, cherries, pomegranate seeds, raspberries and boysenberries--from Trader Joe's)

Preheat oven to 450degrees.

Cut butternut squash into half rounds and toss with enough maple syrup to coat (I didn't measure but it was prob ~2T for a big squash). Season with salt and cayenne pepper (use your judgement for amounts on this one!). Roast at 450degrees until nice and roasted, flipping after ~15min or so.

Combine jicama and roasted butternut on a plate, then top with toasted pecans and dried cranberries. Dig in!


Sorry for the lack of accurate measurements, but I was just flying by the seat of my pants! I am SO happy that tomorrow is Friday, anyone with me??


What is jicama you asked? It goes by Mexican potato or turnip, but I can assure you it tastes nothing like a turnip! Jicama is the edible root of a poisonous vine called yam bean (which the root can also be referred to). Nutritionally speaking, it's a great source of fiber, Vitamin C, and water (it's 85-90% water). Jicama is mildly sweet (from inulin) but doesn't have an overpowering flavor. Crisp and crunchy, it is great to much on its own or to use in salads... I have yet to try it cooked though!

Other jicama recipes I've featured
Jicama Fall Slaw
Shrimp, Jicama & Mango Salad
Grilled Corn, JIcama & Mango Salad

Just a note

Just wanted to let you all know that I'm not going to be able to post for a few more days. I had all four wisdom teeth taken out yesterday. That means only soft foods for me...boring! Don't think you want to see a photo of my scrambled eggs and pudding. :-) I will be back soon!

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter and Passover!

Empanadas

I made empanadas on the first Saturday night of April. It was Matt's and my last evening together before he reported for duty in South Carolina, the first leg of a long journey that will soon take him to either Iraq or Afghanistan.

We had been staying at his family’s home in Tennessee for the week. It was just the two of us and we had no schedule. We spent days maneuvering the Appalachian Mountains in tennis shoes and evenings watching movies on the couch. We shopped at Walmart, ate pulled pork sandwiches in empty restaurants off the highway, and tried hard to avoid the rain. I cooked a lot.

But on Saturday night – our last night – I wanted something special. As the sun went down and the vaulted ceilings of the house grew shadowy and dim, Matt packed his deep green rucksacks with uniforms and combat boots. I needed to distract myself. I wanted flour on my hands and my head in a recipe.

We had eaten empanadas almost daily while in Argentina, where we had traveled in order to escape the manic schedule of New York, the thoughts of war and the empty bags waiting to be packed. While there I loved the dish with origins in Spain: rich, spiced fillings nestled within crisp pockets of dough. We ate them with beef, with chicken and with cheese. We ate them baked, piled on metal trays and plopped on the table at cafes. We ate them fried, wandering through antique markets in Buenos Aires, the whorls of my fingers left slippery with grease.

I started cooking late on that warm Saturday night. We had spent the afternoon hiking and were moving slowly. Thoughts of the next morning, when I would drop Matt off amid a long beige line of barracks at an Army base in South Carolina, were cold in the pit of my stomach.

In the kitchen I concentrated on the movement of my knife, the temperature of the oven and the scent of butter. First I mixed the dough – a sticky, soft thing immediately sent to chill in the fridge. I sautéed onions and garlic. I watched the pink fade from a pan of crumbled beef. Olives and hardboiled eggs came later when, combined, I let it all cool on the counter.

“It smells good,” Matt called out from the living room where he was packing, surrounded by boxes of clothes and stacks of books.

I rolled the dough into small, flour-dusted circles. I filled them, pinched them, and brushed the sculpted mounds with egg wash. They came out of the oven crackly and brown. We ate them later with our fingers sitting on the couch.

These empanadas were good, though not great. I had miscalculated the ratio of dough to filling and could have used a bit more spice. That couch felt far from everywhere, especially Argentina. On our plates, butter replaced lard; bottles of Sam Adams took over for those of Malbec.

I woke up the next morning, like every morning, with my head in the crook of Matt’s arm. He smelled warm, like soap and fabric. But the now-familiar chill soon emerged from my stomach as I took a few deep breaths and remembered the day.

Before we left I took one last look at the kitchen. I emptied the dishwasher and brushed some errant crumbs of empanada dough off the counter.

That’s the end of it, I thought. No more distractions left.

Easter Babka

Wow, what a week! I am busy trying to come up with some good recipes for my brie and herbs, so I am withholding from you guys ;-) Don't worry, I'm not leaving you empty handed in this post--I made you some bread!



This one is another family recipe, a traditional Babka, that makes excellent ham sandwiches!

My great grandmother was quite the cook and baker, but she lacked a knack for formal recipes. When it came time to make this bread, I had 3 of her recipes in front of me, all of them a little different :) Different amounts of butter or different ways of combining the ingredients, I tried to use my intuition but I think i'd make a few adjustments next time (i'll note them in the recipe below). This is a basic sweet dough, that can be used as the base of Poppyseed or Date Bread (which were also staples at our table). I haven't tackled those yet though, one thing at a time!

After the second rise

Babka
adapted from Babci's recipes



1c milk (I used Lactaid)
1/2c butter (I used salted here)
1/2c sugar
1t salt (increase if using unsalted butter)
2pkg yeast
1/2c warm water
scant 1T sugar
4-6c AP flour
1t grated lemon peel (can use dried lemon peel)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2c raisins (more if you want it to be more of a raisin bread)


In a small pot, combine milk, butter, 1/2c sugar and salt. Heat on low until butter has melted and sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm. This is important, you don't want to kill your yeast (I did this at Christmas time... oops!).

Sprinkle yeast on warm water in a small bowl and add 1T sugar. Let stand ~5-10min (or more), it should be bubbly!

In the bowl of a mixer, add cooled milk mixture and beat little bit so it is well combined, then add the eggs and mix. Add 2c flour, lemon peel and raisins, beat well. Mix in the yeast. At this point you can change to the dough hook and knead in the bowl, or do it by hand. I chose to do most of it with the mixer (the dirty part) and finished it off by hand, on a floured surface. While kneading, add in enough flour so the dough starts to come away from the bowl and becomes smooth and no longer sticky. Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until at least doubled.

Punch dough down after 1st rise. If you're making loaves, you can shape them however you want. If you were making Poppyseed Bread or other filled loaf, you would roll it out at this point and fill it accordingly. Let rise again 1.5-2hrs. Before baking, you can do an egg wash (I forgot for the first one, did for the second). Bake at 350deg for 30min + (depending on the size). The round free-form loaf I made took ~35min, while the tall one was done at 30min. They're done when they sound hollow when tapped. Then try really hard not to cut it before its cooled :)

Anyone else see someone smiling at you??

I've been so busy at work this week I'm behind on my blog reading, but I did come across a few contests... if you have any interest in Bob's Red Mill products, Barney Butter (just don't do this with it!!!), Everybody's Nuts, Mix My Granola, Zesty clothing, Jocolat and Glo bars, Honest Foods, or a Navan Foods gift certificate, you'd better get clicking! Phew, my fingers are tired, time to go rest :) Have a great weekend everyone!

My Italian Grandmother goes Mexican - Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

I'm not going to lie. My Italian Grandmother would probably never have gone Mexican. She wasn't into eating any cuisines other than Italian. Chinese food was the only acception and that was pretty much limited to lo mein, wonton soup and chicken with broccoli. She was old school, what can I say. I thought it would be nice for her to watch me though, so I brought her (photo) into the kitchen with me.

I'm usually a big cheater when it comes to Mexican dishes. I'm not afraid to admit that I've made tacos from a box or enchiladas with a seasoning pack. Honestly, it's fine for me because Mexican food isn't as near and dear to my heart as Italian food is. You'll never catch me cheating there (unless it's with a jar of roasted peppers or canned beans), I always make my sauce from scratch because that's what I know and it comes easy to me. Tonight I thought it would be nice to make enchiladas the real way. Okay, I did cheat a little but I work full time and I don't like eating very late at night. If you need more excuses, let me me know! ;-)

I picked up some tomatillos during my Fairway excursion on Friday. I have seen Chef's on The Food Network use them many times and I have been quite curious. I am pleased to say that I am definitely a fan! This salsa was the perfect combination of tangy and spicy. I did leave out the cilantro because it just hasn't grown on me yet. I can deal with it in small doses but I didn't see the point in buying a whole bunch if I'm only going to use a little bit. My cheating came from using a store bought rotisserie chicken. It's what the recipe called for and I was more than happy to oblige. You can use any leftover chicken for this recipe or you can poach a bit of your own with some cumin and any spices you like.

The recipe called for 10 large flour tortillas. I bought the biggest I could find and I made four of them and the rest I put in the fridge for tomorrow. I would have cooked them all but I didn't have enough tomatillo salsa or cheese. I bought 5 tomatillos so that was probably a little less than a pound so it would have made more sauce if I had the full pound but I can't imagine it making that much of a difference. I used one bag of shredded Mexican cheese and I could have used more to top the four that I made and I don't think I was heavy with the cheese. So keep that in mind if you do make this recipe from the original. I almost forgot...I was lazy and I did not toast the tortillas. Don't be like me! Steve thought they would be better if toasted and I trust him with this! I would definitely make this again. Maybe I would even make the salsa and freeze it or refrigerate it for use at a later date.

You can find this recipe in it's entirety here.


Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Adapted from Tyler Florence

Salsa

Ingredients:

5 tomatillos, husked
1 white onion, peeled, sliced, quartered or whole
4 garlic cloves
2 jalapenos
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves or parsley
1/2 lime, juiced


Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

On a baking tray, roast tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapenos for 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the roasted vegetables and any juices on the bottom of the tray to a food processor. Add the cumin, salt, cilantro, and lime juice and pulse mixture until well combined but still chunky.


Enchiladas:

Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock, storebought
Chopped cilantro leaves or parsley
1 deli roasted chicken (about 3 pounds), boned, meat shredded
Salt
4 large (burrito size) flour tortillas
1 package of shredded 4 cheese Mexican cheese mix (plus a little more if you like it cheesy)
sour cream, for serving
Chopped tomatoes and cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and caramelized - this should take 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin then cook for a further minute. Add the flour and stir to ensure the flour doesn't burn then gradually add the chicken stock. Continue stirring over a low simmer until the flour cooks and the liquid thickens. Turn off the heat, add half of the roasted tomatillo chile salsa, some additional fresh chopped cilantro and fold in the shredded chicken meat. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Turn oven temperature down to 350 degrees F and begin assembling the dish. Take a large baking dish and smear the bottom with some of the reserved tomatillo salsa. Now take the flour tortillas and briefly flash them over the stove-top flame (or put them briefly under the broiler if using an electric stove). Using a shallow bowl, coat each tortilla lightly with the reserved salsa mix. Put a scoop of the shredded chicken-enchilada mix on top of the tortilla followed by a sprinkle of the shredded cheese. Fold the tortilla over the filling and roll like a cigar to enclose it. Using a spatula place the tortillas in the baking dish and continue to do the same with all the tortillas. Finally pour over some more of the salsa and top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes until bubbly and cracked on top. Garnish, cilantro and tomato and sour cream.

Grilled Lemon Chicken and Crazy Brown Rice

If you're looking for something quick, easy and tasty for a weeknight meal look no further. Serve with a salad and you have a very tasty, healthy meal. Chicken cutlets cook up very quickly but you could also use chicken breasts and they will cook up pretty fast as well. My chicken cutlets were pretty small so I didn't need to use a lot of liquid. If you use breasts you may want to increase the amount of lemon juice.

Crazy Brown Rice...weird name, isn't it? That's the nice version of what Steve suggested I call it. Oh, he liked it, don't worry he just felt like busting my chops! The brown rice is something new that I bought from Trader Joe's. The rice comes in a box with three packages of two servings each. There are two ways to cook it, microwaved in the bag it comes in (like those veggies in a steamer bag)or in a pot on the stove top. I cooked it on the stove for about 10 minutes. If you have another brand of brown rice feel free to use it. You can use white rice as well. I was trying to be healthy and get Steve to try something new.

So here you have it. Grilled Lemon Chicken with Crazy Brown Rice. Delicious!


Grilled Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

1 package thin sliced chicken cutlets
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp Mrs. Dash Table Blend
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Combine, lemon juice and zest, garlic, parsley, olive oil, Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper in a bowl, add chicken and allow each piece to get coated with mixture. Let chicken marinate for one hour.

Heat grill pan and drizzle with a little oil or cooking spray. Cook chicken on both sides until browned and cooked through.



Crazy Brown Rice

Ingredients:

1 package of Trader Joe's frozen brown rice (2 serving package)
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 zucchini or 1 small baby zucchini
2 campari tomatoes, chopped
approx. 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
a splash of dry white wine
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup parsely, chopped


Directions:

Cook Rice according to package directions. While rice is cooking saute onions and garlic in oil. Add

Meanwhile, saute onions, peppers and garlic in olive oil. Once softened add zucchini and let cook for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and let them cook down, about 3-4 minutes, add wine and reduce, season with salt, pepper and parsley. Add cooked brown rice and toss with veggie mixture. Add more oil if it seems dry. I can't believe I forgot to take a picture of the rice before I arranged it on the plate. I really thought I did but the picture is nowhere to be found so I guess I didn't. Sorry!