Quick and Easy - All-Clad to the Rescue!

Not long ago, I was not much of a cook.  I lived by myself, got home from work late and basically did not feel like putting in the effort to cook a meal and then be stuck eating that same dish for the next three meals!  Nick, on the other hand, actually enjoys cooking and is really good at it.  Not wanting to be outdone...and since cooking for two is way more fun, I decided to get my act together and cook some dinners.

However, there were more than a few road blocks in my culinary development.  While my mom had done an excellent job outfitting my kitchen with most necessities, I was definitely missing some things, like a cheese grater, which does not seem like a big deal until you attempt homemade Mac and Cheese that requires grating an entire block of cheddar.  Lets just say using a blender, in my head GENIUS!, was a big mess.  My other big issue was pans.  I only had two cheap non-stick fry pans: one was only for making eggs and the other at best 10 inches in diameter.  Neither was going to help me reach chef status.  Actually, the pans ended up causing more problems that anything - lets just say lots of problems were had!

I realized that it would be worth investing in some good cooking supplies to help me along - making dinner cannot be THAT hard.  Lucky for me, most of my friends had recently registered and done all the research on the different brands of pans for me!  Generally, before I even finished asking the question, they would all reply "All-Clad," they last forever and are totally worth the price.

After much hemming and hawing about whether to bite the bullet, we went to Williams-Sonoma, because whenever I have a kitchen question, they know the answer and have exactly what I need.  So a very pleasant lady at the store in the Copley Mall informed me that my friends were correct, All-Clad was the way to go.  The only question left was what pan to buy.  Only having two pans myself, I had no idea of the varieties there were in just pans, not even counting pots!

I played with lots of the different pans, picking them up, mimicking my "moves" in the kitchen to see if the pans would be too heavy - those big ones can be difficult to even take out of the drawer!  This is where the sales lady was really helpful.  Turns out, All-Clad had this package of two different pans that had only recently come out, one 9 inches in diameter and the other 11.  The set was not even out on the floor yet!

Pans from Williams-Sonoma

While smaller in size (I went in thinking I needed 12 inches), they actually had higher sides, thus held more and were a good combination fry and saute pan.  Even better, the package was on sale!  So I took the plunge and invested in some nice pans.  I can now say, six months later, they were totally worth it.  These pans still look great and really are not difficult to clean up!!  Just do not try pancakes or eggs in these - I still break out the non-stick for those guys.

The dinner I made last night is a perfect example of why these All-Clad pans work so well.  I made sauteed chicken with asparagus and mushrooms, a recipe I found on Martha Stewart's website.  I am a firm believer that Martha can do no wrong!  This recipe really only has three main ingredients: chicken, asparagus and mushrooms (four if you count the rice or pasta).  I added a little onion (as there was an extra in my kitchen) and garlic because some of the reviews say that the dish can be a bit bland.

the basics

So again, I chopped up everything that needed chopping in advance so it would all be ready to go!

ready and waiting

I generously salted and peppered my chicken and added about a tablespoon of olive oil to my 11 inch All-Clad pan and added the chicken.  I made sure everything was spread out with no overlapping in hopes of an even cooking job.  After the chicken was on, I started to boil some water for the pasta.

browning chicken

When I first browned chicken in my pan I thought I was ruining it - there was NO WAY those brown bits would EVER come off.  Turns out, not only are they supposed to stick they actually do come off later in the dish to add delicious flavor.  Even better, the brown bits actually have a name, fond!  In the picture above, you can really see the fond sticking to the pan, one of the main reason to use stainless pans.  After the chicken was finished cooking, I placed it in a bowl and set it aside to be added back later.
Next I added the onion, asparagus, and mushrooms to the pan.  Then I added about a cup of water.  Sure enough, after I added the water and did a few aggressive stirs, the brown bits came unstuck, which always amazes me and now were mainly responsible for adding all sorts of good flavor to the other components of the dish.  Then I sprinkled everything with some more salt and added a spoonful of minced garlic and stirred it all together. 

brown bits doing their thing

When the asparagus reached a nice "done," tender but still crispy (about 7 minutes) I added the chicken back in and let everything cook together.  I plated the pasta I had cooked.  After giving a few good final stirs I took the pan off the heat and topped the pasta making sure I got some of the juices as well.  This helps flavor the pasta better.

Finished Product!

This dish is a great example of how having my nice All-Clad pans keep what is a simple dinner actually simple.  The pans also help to make this dish much more flavorful!  While I would love to expand my All-Clad collection, due to some size restrictions in my kitchen and apartment, we have not added any others.  In general though, this package of pans has worked out great for most of our cooking needs.

Pasta with Vodka Sauce

This is a recipe I've been making for years. I put this recipe together by combining what I thought was the best of a few recipes I found online and in my cookbooks. This recipe makes a ton and it's what I use when I'm cooking for a crowd. It can easily be halved or make it all and freeze half of it (before adding the cream).





Michele's Vodka Sauce

Ingredients:

2 onions, chopped

1 bunch scallions, chopped, (separate light and dark green parts)

5 cloves of garlic, chopped

Extra virgin olive oil

¼ lb Prosciutto di Parma, sliced into strips

1 ¼ cup vodka

2 - 8 oz cans tomato paste

4 - 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes

1 Qt heavy cream

Kosher salt

Black pepper

Directions:

In a large saucepan, sauté onions, garlic and light parts of scallions until soft on medium heat. Add Prosciutto and let cook for about one minute. Add vodka; turn up heat to medium high and cook until alcohol burns out about 4 minutes. Lower heat and add tomato paste and crushed tomatoes; stir. Add green parts of scallions, kosher salt and black pepper. Turn up heat until boiling, then lower heat. Let cook for 1 hour. Add cream; let simmer until starts bubbling and turn off heat.

        

This is enough sauce for about 4-5 lbs of pasta or more.

       

I forgot to take a picture after adding the cream.  I will update this post the next time I make it with that pic.

Fun and Fearless Reader Discount at Overstock

I was recently contacted by the folks at Overstock about providing a discount to my readers.  If you're not familiar with Overstock already, it is an online shopping site that offers lots of different items at discount prices.  This includes a wide variety of items, including anything from kitchen appliances to golf equipment - two things that I personally spend a lot of money on!  The best part is that the shipping cost is always $2.95, no matter what it is that you purchase!  

I've shopped on Overstock a few times before and I've always been really happy with the results.  Most recently, Bret and I have been searching for some new sheets for our bed.  I've taken a look at Overstock and found some great deals, like these:

Combed Cotton Jersey Sheet Set

Satin Sheet Set

So, Overstock wants to offer my readers a 10% discount on almost all Overstock products (excluding movies, books and electronics).  Just plug in 121745 in the discount section when you are checking out to redeem your 10% discount code.  While the discount code never expires, it can only be used once for each email address.

All the ideas and opinions expressed are my own.  No monetary compensation was received for doing this post, however, I was provided with a discount code.

Cousins Do Beantown Part 2

We did way too much to capture it all in one post, as long weekends tend to go. Picking up right where we left off, on Saturday morning, Carly, Cassie and I awoke with a craving for iced coffee and Bloody Marys. It was Boston Common Coffee Co to the rescue for craving #1 and from there we caroused the North End, shopping at local neighborhood boutiques. Among our Salem Street travels the Neptune Oyster merely provided a photo op background. (But if you are passing through and able to score a table or a seat at the bar, I'd recommend it!) We had other plans that included meeting up with Leah and checking in at The Liberty Hotel. I have spent some time at the historic Charles Street jail turned 5-star luxury hotel since its opening in September 2007, but never actually spent the night. Celebrations such as a bachelorette party are deemed worthy for booking a hotel less than a mile from where you live, especially when this hotel happens to be an architectural wonder where classic history meets contemporary travel. What I'm saying is, even if you don't book a room, this hotel is a must visit for locals and tourists alike. Entering into a commanding granite building, up a small escalator you are greeted by a stunning 90 foot octagonal atrium that features a vibrant scene with rich hues of purple and maroon complimented by soft creams and bold whites. The lobby with a breathtaking catwalk rotunda and adjoining bars Clink and Alibi showcase modern decor of sophisticated couches and banquettes, regal leather chairs, mahogany tables and granite counter tops amongst preserved wrought iron jail cell facades. Magnificent Christmas trees hang upside down from the ceiling capturing the spirit of the holidays. We were offered complimentary glasses of champagne (yes, please) at the reception upon check in before making our way to room 1512. The 15th floor view of The Charles River and surrounding city scape (from the hallway) was incredible! Craving #2, as previously mentioned, was satisfied and then some at Clink's extensive make-your-own bloody mary bar. A round two-tiered table next to an expansive light filled window offered every kind of hot sauce and garnish imaginable. Celery, olives, horseradish all obvious choices, but followed up with jalapeno cheese and mini shrimp cocktail now that is what I'm talking about!An impressive selection of salt and pepper to boot. The Liberty Bar which distinguishes itself from Clink, located in the lobby and not an actual restaurant is where we enjoyed our drinks and the company of Mitch the bartender. The Liberty Bar offers a small appetizer/bar bites menu. The girls munched on Skinny Fries with harissa aioli and Crispy Chicken Skewers with black pepper and lime that I photographed but inevitably couldn't stomach, as I retreated to nurse a delayed hangover back in our room. Yeah, that bloody didn't sit so well. Back in 1512.....I relaxed in the plush down comforter and pillows with the tranquility station on the TV, followed by an invigorating shower with earthy scented bath products. That night we Red Line-d it over to Central Square where I barely made it through the 40 minute wait for a table at Cuchi Cuchi. (They do not take reservations on Friday or Saturday nights). My readers, my friends, you know me well enough by now to know, I'm never the first to leave a party. I don't care if it's night #2 or #20, I pride myself on being able to hang, to keep the good times rolling long after last call, and I rarely encounter a hangover a Bloody Mary or greasy french fries can't cure. It pained my heart that I wasn't able to get it together long enough to stop vomiting in the bathroom at Cuchi Cuchi. (Sorry for the painful mental image! But understand why I have no photos of this dinner I'd so been looking forward to sharing with my cousins and blogging about.) Unable to imbibe in their signature hand muddled fresh fruit and herb infused cocktails, at this point I couldn't even keep down soda water and bread.I longed to sip a Thai Basil Cocktail pictured above from at a past outing. The flashy Victorian decor, antique statues draped in beads and a bar baked by stained glass windows creates a captivating interior that all missed the camera. Glitzy and glittered to the nines are everything from the bathroom essentials to the flapper dressed waitresses. Decadent, vintage, wildly fun and funky, I knew it was a fabulous spot to celebrate Carly's last days as a single woman. As we were seated the girls ordered cocktails round two and soon began the feast on exotic international small plates. Passing up this meal and night was a sad moment of my life indeed. But, I guess sad is relative. You live and learn even at 26! (Moral of the story: do not try to keep up with your 23 year old cousin who can down whiskey like a fish.) Extreme delayed hangover, whiskey induced sickness or otherwise, this was unlike any feeling I could remember as the lovely hostess called me a cab, I hugged the hotel toilet for awhile longer and slept it off. After some innocent fun out on the town at The Middle East and Beacon Hill Pub, the girls returned home. Another bottle of champagne was popped and late night room service in the form of $17 Vermont cheddar cheese burgers with sweet potato fries were ordered. I held down half a burger and was incredibly thankful for that.Lets see if I can wrap up day three in this post.......Brunch at Harvard Gardens across the street was just splendid. Eclectic American cuisine in a friendly atmosphere with breakfast cocktails hit the spot. Please note he fact that I can once again drink. And all is right in the world. In my hand would be a Peach Bellini prosecco and peach nectar.

The food was excellent. For Carly a Breakfast Sandwich ($9) egg, tomato, fontina and canadian bacon with hollandaise sauce on a croissant. For Cassie a Side of Seasonal Fresh Fruit ($4) & Marble Rye Toast ($2) And pour moi Nutella and Banana Thick Cut Brioche French Toast ($11) sweet french toast layered with Nutella and fresh bananas topped with a caramel maple syrupIf you caught my Best of Boston Eats in 2010 post, you know I loved this dish! I had not been to Harvard Gardens in ages (since before I technically lived in Boston) so it was nice to pay this neighborhood restaurant a visit and re-discover a quality Beacon Hill brunch spot.
After brunch we freshened up, packed our belongings and were ready to hit the town by 11:30 or so. Hotel check out is at noon, which makes for a leisurely morning. One last shot in the Lobby. We set off down Charles Street, and meandered through the Public Gardens.I realized my cousins, Florida girls born and raised, have never experienced a frozen pond nor had they been ice skating. They've only ever visited us in the summer on Cape Cod. (Next trip, we'll rent ice skates!) After we spent the afternoon shopping the entire length of Newbury Street, we were famished. Now that's a Bloody Mary ($6.50) and reasonably priced to boot, enjoyed at The Pour House located at 909 Boylston Street. The good old Pour House, a local standby with graffiti walls and a lively crowd (rowdy college kids watching football on a Sunday, check) is a spot I've visited many times before whether for breakfast, lunch, dinner or cheap beers, they never disappoint. Their Bloody Marys are some of the best in town and for less expensive quality bar food, I knew we'd be in good hands. For our last meal together, a serious plate of Nachos Pollo ($8.75) were inhaled. Crunchy tortilla chips smothered with melted cheddar and piled high with jalapenos, black olives, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, black beans and seasoned grilled chicken then topped with homemade salsa and sour cream.

I would absolutely recommend any of the above spots (round one included) for impressing out of town guests! Our cousin bonding weekend truly showcases a variety of what Boston has to offer from lunching at a modern boutique hotel, to spending the night in luxury at another one of Boston's finest. We were able to experience local neighborhood dive bars as well as the classic Irish Pub scene. You can never go wrong with an Italian dinner in the North End and the fact that we made it out to Cambridge for a taste of international small plates in a flashy extravagant Roaring 20's spot was definitely a highlight. No matter what type of food and fun you may seek as a traveler to this great city, Boston (and Cambridge) have so much to offer! Being able to spend these days with cousins is time I will always cherish. We'll be back at it in February for Carly's Wedding in West Palm Beach! I.can't.wait!