Monday, June 19, 2006

Curry Chicken

Chicken
I pounded the chicken- SO MUCH BETTER! Used a hammer and wax paper :) Put some EVOO in a frying pan with a clove of garlic, some paprika, salt, pepper and cumin. Rubbed a little lemon juice and spices on the chicken and stuck them in the pan, along with half a cup of sliced onions, heated on low. Mixed up a sauce with 1 C ricotta cheese, 1/2 C miracle whip, curry, paprika, salt, pepper and threw it into the frying pan after the chicken was cooked. Now, mom doesn't like curry, as it turns out. And...maybe neither do I. It was good, but maybe curry is not my fav. I think peanut would be a really good flavor for it; I really liked the consistency of the sauce. Mom boiled broccoli, from the garden, yuuum. I ate it with a salad. I've been making dressing with dijon mustard, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and sugar. Good, but I need to perfect the proportions. Maybe a drop of almond? Since mom doesn't like curry, I made her ginger chicken- hers was SO moist and tender because I barely let it cook, I need to be more careful about cooking the chicken too long. I made this last night and winged it tonight.

1 T lemon juice
1 1/2 t grated fresh ginger
1/2 t black pepper
2 cloves garlic
4 chicken breast halved.
Pour mixture over chicken and refrigerate for 30 min-2 hours. Spray a frying pan and cook about minutes on each side.

I added some extra spiced and sprinkled mozzarella cheese on top. Yummmm

Also I tried these interesting cookies.
1 egg
1/2 C natural peanut butter
2 T ricotta cheese
2 t vanilla
pinch of cinnamon
2 T coccoa powder
1 C sugar
1 T butter
pinch of salt
pinch of baking powder

They're kind of fun, but need more sugar, and I need to press them down next time, and cook only 8 minutes or less (at 325)- they're for me, and if I want 'em doughy, so be it! Maybe more cinnamon, and a drop of almond?
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Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Company lunch at Hilgraeve today. I am sooo full but that's besides the point. I made broccoli salad, cake, and buckeyes.

SALAD

I just tossed a lot of stuff together. I used two bunches of broccoli, 5 oz of sunflower seeds, half a bag of shredded colby cheese, raisins, chopped walnutes, 8 pieces of bacon (I definitely burned some of the bacon- I need to watch it next time, fry it on low heat), a can of mandarin oranges. I made a peanut vinaigrette, as follows:
1/2 cup peanuts, blended
1/2 C olive oil
1/4 C red wine vinegar
1/2 C water
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
Whisk it all together like you mean it and pour it on the salad. I liked this whole thing. Maybe a different nut besides walnut, and maybe more nuts and no sunflower seeds? People liked it. Cranberries instead of raisins?

Buckeyes
Use less peanut butter, or bigger pretzel- you could do pretzel sticks- or nuggets!! DON'T BURN CHOCOLATE.

















Cake
I liiiiked. But I wanted it to be moister! What makes cake more moist and dense? Putting water in the oven? Less egg? Investigate. Also, get better at frosting, you currently suck at it. And make sure the frosting is warm! Otherwise it looks all chunky, and not glossy.
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Sunday, June 4, 2006

SALAD

Vegetable cooking spray
1 small navel orange, zested and juiced
1 small lemon, zested and juiced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
2 large hearts romaine lettuce
3 scallions, chopped

Whisk citrus with garlic, mustard, tarragon and salt. Stream in oil to combine.

Spray romaine hearts with cooking spray and place on grill 2 minutes, charring the outside leaves. Remove and cut each heart in half lengthwise, using tongs to help hold on to the charred lettuce. Cut away core at stem. Cut each half heart in half again lengthwise. Place 2 quarters of charred romaine on each dinner plate. Drizzle with dressing, working back and fourth, strapping the lettuce with dressing. Set salmon on top of the salad. Garnish with chopped scallions and serve.

POTATOES

4 large Yukon gold potatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons grill seasoning blend, 2 palm full (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick Grill Mates)
2 tablespoons rosemary leaves, 3 sprigs, stripped and chopped
2 navel oranges, peeled and chopped
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
4-5 cups arugula, chopped, 2 bunches
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Place potatoes in large bowl and toss with about 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons grill seasoning and rosemary. Grill potatoes 4 to 5 minutes on each side.

While the potatoes are cooking, combine oranges and red onion and dress with red wine vinegar and some extra-virgin olive oil.
Remove the potatoes from the grill to the dressed oranges and onions, toss to coat. When you grill potatoes they will be slightly drier than when you use other methods of cooking. By adding the potatoes to the dressing while they are hot, they really will soak in the dressing.

When ready to serve, add the arugula to the potatoes and toss to distribute.

STEAK

1/4 C Oil
1/4 C red wine or sherry
1/4 C soy sauce
2 T sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
2 t powdered ginger or 1 T grated fresh
1 1/2 lbs flank steak
Combine oil, wine, soy sauce, sugar, garlic and ginger.

Marinate steak for at least 3 hours, turning occasionally. Remove steak from marinade and pat dry. Grill 4-6 inches from hot coals, turning every minute or so for 6-8 min rare, 10 med or 12 well-done



DESSERT

Oil, for rubbing grill or cooking spray to prepare surface of grill or grill pan
6 pieces stone fruit, plums, peaches or nectarines, apricots cut around the pit and separated in halves
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 small, peeled chunk ginger root, 1/2-inch
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper

Heat grill or grill pan to high. Coat the surface of the grill with oil or spray to avoid sticking. Place fruits cut side down on grill and cook 3 to 4 minutes until warmed through and evenly marked.

Heat the remaining ingredients (for the glaze) in small pot over medium-high heat or place on grill next to fruit. When the sauce reduces, it will become syrup-like in no time - less than a minute. If you burn food often or get distracted easily, cook it over lower heat. Otherwise, let it rip. When the balsamic sauce coats the back of a spoon and reduces by half, remove the pan from the heat and discard the ginger chunk.

Arrange fruits on a platter and drizzle liberally with the glaze.


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