New Failures and Successes in 2011

Oh, 2011.  You've held some good food and some not good food for me in the short time you've been here. 

So, one of my goals in 2011 is getting healthier.  Yes, I am trying to lose weight (cliche New Year's resolution), but I'm trying to make it an all-around health plan.  I want to lose weight, but I also want to focus on eating things with more nutritional value.  So, I will choose the whole grain bread that is higher in calories rather than the light bread that I'm eating just to get skinny.  I'm hoping that focusing on more whole foods that have nutritional value that losing weight will be a side effect.  Yes, I am going to be throwing exercise into the mix as well, and I have cut out alcohol during the month of January (with the exception of using it in my cooking!). 

Highlights so far? 

Proscuitto and Goat Cheese stuffed Chicken, Parmesan "risotto", and roasted asparagus. 

Indian Spiced Beans with Jasmine Rice

And the lowlights? 

There was last night's dinner that I didn't photograph, but I made a smoky pan-grilled pork chop, steamed artichokes, and goat cheese mashed potatoes.  The cumin totally overwhelmed the pork chops, and I couldn't taste enough of the sweetness from the brown sugar in the dry rub.  I evaporated all of the water while steaming the artichokes, so the bottom of the pan burned horribly, and the artichokes just tasted like "burn" even though they were cooked fine.  And my goat cheese mashed potatoes just didn't measure up to the bacon and blue cheese mashed potatoes I made a few weeks ago.  Oh well, you live, you learn, you move on and cook more. 

My friend (or at least I'd like to think she would be) Ina Garten rarely leads me astray.  I tried her recipe for Weeknight Bolognese, and it just came out.... blech.  It called for wine, and I just don't think the sauce had enough time to cook the wine out.  It just tasted bitter and wine-y.  I used the same bottle of wine that I use for all of my cooking, so I don't think that was the issue, but I generally use it in my long-cooking stews and pot roasts.  I just don't think I want wine in my quick bolognese sauces.  I managed to get some down, husband opted for the leftover Indian spiced beans and rice. 

Tonight I'm going to repeat the chicken with prosciutto and goat cheese.  Husband actually gave me a complement last night that I keep our meals interesting by adding new meals to the mix all the time, which is probably true.  In an effort to stretch my groceries, I will be reusing some favorites of ours.  I have everything we need, husband loved it, and the goat cheese and prosciutto won't go bad.  Plus, an easy Monday night meal!  

Holiday Baking

Hello friends (all two or three of you!)

I've been a derelict blogger again, but I'm going to try and make it more of a priority in 2011.  It was a good holiday season filled with lots of family, friends, and of course, food.  I did a lot of baking, nad I'm pleased to say that most of it came out successfully.  The favorite dish was Monkey Bread.  This very tasty sweet treat has several variations, but I did mine simply, and it took a couple of tries to get the propotions correct.  But, when I got it right..... it came out beautifully!


 Monkey Bread1 cup sugarPillsbury biscuits (4 of the cans of small biscuits or 2 Grands Cans)1 teaspoon of cinnamon3/4 cup butter1/2 cup brown sugar Cut biscuits into quarters.  Mix cinnamon and sugar and place in large ziplock bag.  Add biscuit quarters and shake to coat.  Put biscuit pieces in a greased bundt pan.   Melt butter and mix with brown sugar.  Pour over biscuits and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.   It comes out glazed, gooey, and delicious. 


I also made a chocolate pecan pie (courtesy of the Neelys from the Food Network).  I actually didn't try this pie, brought it to Christmas dinner, and it seemed like a crowd pleaser!

Chocolate Pecan Pie

 I also made my favorite Bananas Foster Bread from Cooking Light Magazine.  This recipe always turns out so incredibly moist and delicious.  The best banana bread I've ever had.







Finally, the easiest, most decadent chocolate truffles from Claire Robinson's Food Network Show 5 Ingredient Fix.  I omitted her 5th ingredient, coconut, because I can't stand it.  It tasted fabulous without.  You could also dust it with cocoa powder or chopped nuts. 

Chocolate Truffles



 So, what to expect in 2011?  I'm hoping to focus on more fast, easy, and HEALTHY recipes!  I began 2011 with some delicious Indian Spiced beans yesterday (served with jasmine rice), and my favorite pot roast for dinner.  Here's to more great food and conquering my kitchen!

Risotto with peas and shallots

Risotto probably ranks as one of my favorite foods in the world. So creamy, cheap, and you can throw almost anything in it, and it works. Tonight I was suffering from I-didn't-go-to-the-grocery-store-itis, but I had some arborio rice, and my risotto was born. Risotto can be a bit time-consuming, and you have to stir it constantly, but the end result is worth it. My risotto had white wine, chicken broth, olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, frozen peas, fresh lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese. I made a bit of bacon for husband's dish, and he really enjoyed it.



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Big, fat, failure

Sometimes, despite the best of intentions, things can go awry.  I experience this in the kitchen last week as I attempted to make a smashed split pea and barley soup (a copy cat recipe from a California Pizza Kitchen dish).  I learned a valuable lesson, that sometimes you DO know better than a recipe, and that I need to learn to listen to my cooking intuition. 

I followed the recipe to a T, and I knew while cooking that there were a few things that just weren't right.  For one, the recipe called for way, way too much liquid.  Secondly, it told me to squeeze lemon in the pot in the beginning of the cooking process, rather than at the end for a fresh zap of acid.  The liquid turned what was supposed to be a thick puree into a green, over liquidy mess.  It was gross.  The lemon has soured and turned bitter after cooking for almost 2 hours, and it was also gross.  All in all, a kitchen failure that won't be repeated anytime soon.  YUCK!

I did find some kitchen success, however, I forgot to take pictures.  I cooked with a friend on Saturday night, and we made a roast chicken.  It was delicious, stuffed with lemon, sage, thyme, rosemary and garlic, both under the skin and in the cavity.  We cooked it with potatoes and carrots, and added a little bit of water to the pan halfway through the cooking process which created a thick jus.  It was amazing, and such a winter comfort meal on a cold-ish night. 

Tonight the plan is a simply shrimp dish that I haven't made for a long time.... but, part of me just wants to either try the gnocchi again or simply cook up the tortellini that I have in the fridge.  I'm feeling a bit lazy again (Husband awoke at 4am which means I also awoke at 4am).  I may save the shrimp for tomorrow night when I'm feeling a bit more ambitious.  I also have to do some baking for my work Christmas party on Wednesday morning.  We are having a brunch, and tonight I need to start preparing my Banana Foster Bread (to-die-for), and then Wednesday morning I'm making a baked cheese grits casserole.  Hopefully it all comes together without too much trouble.  I can't believe the holidays are so close!

Braised beef short ribs

Running short on time, but wanted to post my Sunday night dinner-- slow braised beef short ribs. Really delicious, although I will take more care next time to trim more fat off. They got fall-off-the-bone tender. Served with a little orzo mixed with a pat of butter and some parmesan. The sauce from the ribs was great on top.



Searing the ribs.



Finished product in the pot.



And on my plate!

Will post recipe later.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Lazy cooking

Part of what makes cooking within reach on a (mostly) daily basis is having some stuff in your back pocket that can be whipped up in a matter of minutes after a long day.  Homemade pizza is my go-to meal. 

I do some cheating here.  I don't make my own dough from scratch.  I buy a package of 89 cent dough mix, and add a half cup of hot water.  Use some flour to roll it our, and BAM, dough!  Easy, cheap, not homemade, but fairly close.  I also cheated by not using homemade pizza sauce.  I really like the Barilla Tomato and Basil Sauce.  It has great flavor, low in calories.  I do make my own sauce from time to time, but when it's about quick and easy cooking, a good jar sauce works for me. 

You can top your pizza with anything you'd like.  I use part skim shredded mozzarella, part skim ricotta cheese, a sprinkle of goat cheese, and turkey pepperoni.  The end result tasted so good, even better than delivery pizza to me at a fraction of the cost.  Not the world's most beautiful pizza, but really tasty.  Two thumbs up from my husband. 

Please forgive the quality of pictures, I've been taking them on my phone to expedite the process instead of using my camera!

Comfort Food

I think everyone has different ideas of what constitutes comfort food, but I think most revolve around a few common factors.  Warm, hearty, traditional.  It's finally gotten cold here in Houston, so I was looking for a meal that embodied my idea of comfort food.  On the menu last night:

Beer Braised Chicken
Blue Cheese and Bacon Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Brussel Sprouts

The beer braised chicken was a recipe that I took from Claire Robinson's show 5 Ingredient Fix.  Some people might find 5 ingredients lazy, but I appreciate it.  I think that there is cooking that definitely involves building flavors using lots of ingredients.  I also believe in showcasing the real flavor of food, and if you use 5 fresh, tasty ingredients, sometimes that is all you need.  Salt and pepper don't count, since they are things that most people generally have on hand.  I made a couple of modifications based on what ingredients I had on hand.

Beer Braised Chicken
3 Chicken Breasts (original recipe called for a whole chicken in pieces with skin and bones-- I didn't have that on hand)
5 slices centercut bacon (original recipe called for 3 slices of applewood smoked bacon, center cut is leaner, so I used a couple more slices)
1 shallot and 1/2 of an onion (original recipe called for fennel, again, I didn't have it)
1 bottle of dark beer
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 400.

Slice bacon and crisp up in dutch oven.  Remove crispy pieces, and sear chicken on all sides.  Remove chicken and sweat onions and shallots until translucent. 

Add bottle of beer and scrape brown bits off the bottom of the dutch oven.  Add chicken back to the pan, cover, and place in the oven.  Flip chicken on the other side after 20 minutes, and cook for another 20-25 minutes.  Remove from oven, place chicken on a plate and cover with foil.  Simmer beer sauce and add vinegar.  Keep simmering until sauce thickens and reduces. 

Spoon sauce and crumble bacon over chicken and serve. 

It was good.  I used a bottle of Kona Pipeline Porter beer, which has some Kona Coffee in it.  It was a throwback to our Hawaiian honeymoon, and I thought it gave nice flavor.

As for the sides, they were easy-peasy.  I had some little potatoes on hand, so I quickly sliced and boiled them, used my potato masher, and added a bit of salt, pepper, half and half, and a dab of FF sour cream to taste.  Then I crumbled a bit of gorgonzola.... and stole some of the bacon that I rendered for the chicken and threw it in as well.  As my husband put it, I really hit on a winner.  Smooth, creamy comfort. 

Finally, I have been loving a veggie that I used to hate.  Roasting vegetables is an amazing way to bring out a nutty flavor and make them something special.  Both my husband and I used to hate brussel sprouts, but after having them roasted at a dinner party, I've fallen in love.  400 degrees (happily, the same temp as the chicken-- important when you only have one oven!), wash and slice them, a little olive oil, salt, and pepper...

 Roast them till the edges start getting a bit brown.  And ta-da, dinner is ready!