Birthday Celebration

Brian turned 29 today, so we celebrated with a wonderful home cooked meal. We started with a mixed green salad with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. I'm not sure if you have drifted into the wonderful world of homemade salad dressings, but if you haven't, please do. It is well worth the 5 minutes it takes to make them. This dressing is slightly tangy and with a hint of heat. I added some chopped tomatoes and buttery black olives to our salads as well. You will love it!

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients

2 tbls sweet hot mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup walnut oil

1/2 cup canola oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Mixed salad greens (I prefer spring mix)

Combine all ingredients together (except the greens of course) and whisk until fully emulsified. I like to pull out my magic bullet for this...so easy! Toss lightly with your greens and serve!

Next we dove into a beautiful roasted chicken breast over a bed of lentils. I made a quick garlic paste and mixed it with some unsalted butter. I rubbed the mixture all under the skin of the chicken and some on the outside so it would crisp up and become golden brown. I also added a basil leaf under the skin for added flavor, but you could use any herb, I just had basil on hand. The bone in the chicken really helps to hold in the moisture and keep the chicken juicy. Use a thermometer if you need to, pull chicken out at 160 degrees. 

I used Emeril's recipe for the lentils from his new show Emeril Green. He has easy and healthy recipes that really bring out the natural flavors of the fresh ingredients he uses. 

Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

2 bone in chicken breast halves

1 clove garlic, minced and made into a paste

1 tbls unsalted butter, room temperature

salt and freshly ground pepper

2 large basil leaves

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Mince the garlic and form a paste by adding a little bit of salt and running your knife over the mixture back and forth until a paste forms. Mix this with the butter. Pat the chicken dry and spread the garlic mixture under and over the skin of each chicken breast. Add a basil leaf under the skin of each breast and sprinkle salt and pepper all over. Place chicken in a baking dish and roast for about 25 minutes in the oven, until chicken is no longer pink. 

French Green Lentils

Recipe by Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

1 carrot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1/4 cup onion, chopped

Salt and Freshly ground pepper

1 cup French Green Lentils

1 cup Chicken Stock

Saute the carrots, celery, and onion in a medium sauce pan until tender. Add lentils and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer about 15 - 20 minutes until lentils are tender. Serve warm.

 

Sunday Night Feast

Tonight Brian and I had our Sunday night feast in preparation of our new habit to eat healthy. I think everyone I know eats a really unhealthy meal right before they start a new "diet". We think we are going to starve or be deprived of our favorite foods or something, which is usually not the case at all. Brain and I aren't starting a diet, we are just going to make an effort to make smarter choices. I have gotten a little carried away with my cooking lately and the "everything is ok in moderation" phrase has been recently changed to "everything is ok all the time"...so it's time for a change. Over the next few weeks I will share some healthier recipes that are also very satisfying...so let me know what you think! (I'm not sure we chose the best time for this change, as Brian's birthday is this week and our anniversary is just around the corner, which always means overeating and indulging in our favorite things...) 

Tonight however, I will share a couple of easy recipes that would be great if you are looking to have a feast or simply just need to enjoy some comfort foods. What is more comforting than Fried Chicken with Mac & Cheese? These dishes are so good independently, but they are even better together. The chicken is juicy on the inside with a crispy/salty crust on the outside while the mac and cheese is sharp, creamy, and extremely comforting. 

There are probably a thousand different versions of mac and cheese, and I think every family has their own twist on this classic. I love to use a variety of cheeses in mine and each time I make this dish I combine different flavors together. This time I decided to use Comté (which is basically a Gruyere, but is made in France), an Aged Wisconsin Cheddar, and a Roquefort Blue Cheese. I recommend using Cavatappi because the lines in the pasta really hold the cheese sauce onto the noodle...

Mac and Cheese (4 Servings as side dish)

Ingredients

4 Slices Thick Cut Bacon, cooked and crumbled

Kosher Salt

2 cups cavatappi (corkscrew pasta)

1 1/2 cups whole milk

2 tbls unsalted butter

2 tbls all purpose flour

1/4 lb Comté

1/5 lb Cheddar (recomm

ended, extra-sharp)

1/6 lb Blue Cheese (I have used Gorgonzola several times instead, works wonderfully)

Freshly ground pepper

Pinch nutmeg

Handful of breadcrumbs

2 tbls fresh basil chiffonade

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

Add pasta to a large pot of boiling salted water. Cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. 

Drain well.

Heat milk in a small sauce pan over low heat to prevent it from boiling. In another saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in flour. Cook on low for about 2 minutes. Add the hot milk and continue to whisk the milk until it has thickened. Take the mixture off the heat and add all 3 cheeses, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. When all the cheese has melted into a smooth sauce, add pasta and crumbled bacon. Stir well and pour into a medium baking dish. Mix together the basil with the bread crumbs and sprinkle over the top of the mac & cheese. Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the top is golden brown.

Fried Chicken (2 Servings)

Ingredients

2 Chicken Cutlets

2 Chicken Legs

2 Cups Peanut Oil
(Marinade)

2 Cups Buttermilk

1/2 White Onion, sliced

1/2 tsp each dried thyme, parsley, oregano, paprika, cayenne pepper

Couple splashes of ho

t sauce

(Dredge)
2 cups flour

3/4 tsp garlic salt

3/4 tsp onion salt

1 tsp cayenne pepper

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

Directions

Soak chicken in marinade for several hours. 

Drain chicken and throw out marinade.

Combine dredge in a large bag. Meanwhile, heat oil in a cast iron skillet on medium high heat until the bottom of a wooden spoon bubbles around the edges. 

Place chicken in bag and shake until pieces are completely covered. Using tongs, carefully add chicken to the skillet and fry for 10-12 minutes on each side. Once the chicken is golden brown on both sides, remove it from the pan and let drain on a rack. Be sure to sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika.

Back to Reality

Well, I just got back from Chicago, and I must say it was awesome! My mom and I saw everything there was to see in the city and we ate everything there was to eat. The food was absolutely incredible! My taste buds are still dancing in my mouth waiting for the next treat. 

We started our trip with a traditional Chicago-style hot dog complete with a poppy seed bun. For dinner, we headed to Lou Malnati's in downtown. I briefly told you about this pizzeria before, but whatever I said did not accurately describe what I experienced...actually nothing I say even now can do the pizza justice. We ordered the "Lou" (I figured it must be their best if it was named after Lou himself). It had fresh spinach, mushrooms, sliced roma tomatoes and was topped with a blend of mozzarella, romano, and cheddar cheeses. (I added pepperoni, although this pizza did not need any help in the flavor department.) When the pizza came out, I still had no idea that I was about to consume the king of all pizza's. The waitress served me my first slice and I got so excited as I watched the cheese stretch from the deep dish pan to my plate as she placed it down. I already had my knife and fork in my hands in anticipation, so I proceeded to cut my first bite...I placed the bite in my mouth and that was it...the angels started singing. There was a choir in my head singing loudly as all the flavors exploded...the sauce was slightly tangy, the vegetables were fresh and perfectly cooked, the pepperoni provided a slightly spicy element, the cheese was ooey gooey and the 3 varieties were in absolute harmony, but the crust...oh the crust!  It was crispy and buttery and stood up ideally to all of the ingredients. I will forever remember my first bite (and all those thereafter) of the famous "Lou".  

Bistro 110 did not disappoint either. They are the creator of the best french onion soup I have ever had. The onions were tender, wonderfully seasoned and nestled below a firm crouton, which was all folded in under a thick layer of gruyere and provolone cheese. 

I made my way home, munching on my "Chicago Mix" of pop corn which is equal parts of cheddar cheese and carmel popcorn mixed together...I know I know, it sounds gross, but trust me, so delicious. 

So anyway, back to reality...tonight for dinner I made Shepherd's Pie even though it's not winter...it sounded good. See this recipe from Rachael Ray, I changed several things in mine, but this provides a great basic version to play around with, so give it a try.  Smoky Turkey Shepherds Pie 

Next week Brian and I are going to start eating healthier...so I am already thinking about the Sunday night feast we will have in preparation for the new habit...I'm thinking fried chicken with mac & cheese and maybe some fried okra...

Long Time Coming...

Well, today is the day! I have decided to start a blog after all of the encouragement from my friends over the past year. They seem to think that all of my random thoughts and love for cooking and baking will make a great blog...I guess we'll see! It may take me some time to get up and running to the blog status that I so admire from the daily blogs I visit, they seem to be so elegant and well designed, but I can't wait to see where my blog leads me...

I am leaving to go to Chicago this weekend, so all I can think about this week is the incredible Deep Dish Pizza I will be having in the windy city. My mom and I are going for a little girl's trip, so there will be a lot of exploring, eating, and laughing while we are there. (Don't you have those moments with your mom or best friend where you just get to laughing hysterically and hardly even remember what about when you finally catch your breath. I love those moments!)Anyway, I have mapped out a few places we have to eat at, and I can't wait to give you all an update when we get back, in case any of you are planning a trip to Chicago soon. First on the list is the all too famous, Lou Malnati's. Rumor is, they have the perfect deep dish pizza. I cannot wait to find out!! As long as there are fresh toppings and they use homemade pizza dough and lots of cheese I know I will love it.

Also on the list is Bistro 110. One of my favorite blogs, Simply Recipes, references this amazing restaurant often and I cannot wait to taste for myself what it is all about.

OK, I am going to keep planning our trip!