Four things to do with holiday turkey breast

Four things to do with holiday turkey breast

I baked a stand-alone breast right after the Thanksgiving holiday because I missed the usual post-holiday meals. The turkey, from whole foods and Distel, was organic boneless, about 5 pounds, I think. The directions are clear and the turkey tasted fine.

Regular dinner: I had leftover gravy, served it on turkey slices with roasted brussels sprouts and roasted little potatoes. these were made at 425  degrees tossed first i olive oil and a clove of garlic salt and pepper. Basically, the recipe in Dave’s and Maria’s cookbook.

Sandwiches: Dave’s bread, turkey, avocado, lettuce, mustard, mayo—winning combo. Sliced sourdough with turkey, cranberry relish (or sauce, but we had relish to use up), neufchatel cheese, thin slice red onion, and lettuce tastes good to me but not Mark.

Soup:  turkey or chicken broth, mirepoix from TJs, egg noodles, chopped spinach at the end, shreds of turkey meat at the end.

Pasta: shells with peas and alfredo sauce, shredded turkey stirred in at the end, fresh pepper on top.

Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes with Tzatziki Sauce

Greek lemon Chicken and Potatoes with Tzatziki sauce

Friends returned from a trip to Greece with a gift of tzatziki sauce spices, and I wanted a delicious main dish to go with it, something more exciting than pita bread sandwiches.(For one thing, I wasnt up to making fresh pita bread--it sounds as hard as croissants). I hada recipe from my 1990s "Too Busy To Cook" book from Bon Appetit, and :I found this updated version that I liked a lot. Four pounds of chicken left lots for another meal, even though the recipe says "serves 4|" and I had six.

The quality of the chicken makes a difference--I got organic thighs from Whole Foods. The recipe was also substantially enhanced by the sauce, which I'd never served before. It took the dish from solid and presentable to something special.

I've made this with skinless, boneless chicken breasts, which taste okay--they are ready about 10 minutes faster--but are a pale shadow of the original dish. I've used fingerling (barely passing flavor) and unpeeled yukon gold potatoes (better but not as good as russets).

Ingredients:

4 pounds chicken thighs, bone in and skin on

1 tbsp kosher salt

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

6 cloves garlic, minced (I use TJ's frozen or minced in jar, also|)

3 russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

2/3 cup chicken broth plus a bit more to deglaze pan

fresh oregano for garnish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place chicken pieces in large bowl and sprinkle salt, oregano, peper, rosemary and cayenne. Mix it around. Whisk or shake oil, lemon juice and garlic to blend it. Pour it over the chicken and mix again. Add potatoes and mix until everythingn is evenly coaated.

Put chicken pieces, skin side up, in pan, reserving the marinade. Distribute potato pieces among chicken pieces. Drizzle with 2/3 cup chicken broth. Spoon remainder of marinade over everything.

Place in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Stir, keeping skin side up. Bake another 25 minutes until chicken is browned and cooked through. An instant-read thermometer should read 165 near the bone.

Move chicken to platter and keep warm. set oven to broil on high. Toss potatoes in pan juices and place under broiler until potatoes caramelize, about 3 minutes.

Place roasting pan on stove over medium heat. Add a splash of broth and stir up browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Strain; spoon juices over chicken and potatoes. Top with chopped oregano.

Thanksgiving 2019--Notes for next time

The location--Dobie Central, very lightly decorated for the occasion.

The guests: Shavers, Second Dobies (Emily, Kristin and Philip)|, Jane Rognlie, and Dobies Sr.

|The Menu:

This is my first year to try out the following dishes from Whole Foods:

Organic Turkey, 12 to 14 pound
Vegan Mushroom Gravy
Apple Cider Braised Brussels Sprouts with Pepitas
Maple Syrup Sweetened Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Herb Dressing

Emily and Kristin brought
Wild Rice Dressing (essentially mushrooms sauteed in butter plus wild and brown rices)
Three small Beckman's pies for dessert:  pumpkin, berry and apple

Carolyn made an extra-big apple crisp (see recipe on this blog) with cranberries and toasted nuts.

Abby and Julia made Cranberry-Orange relish in the morning. Stephen took on the carving (he always does) and got the carcass into my crockpot for delicious day-after broth--twice, because it was too big to fit in all at once. Whatta guy!!

I'd give the turkey and gravy five stars--everyone agreed, not just me, that the flavor and tenderness were top-notch. The turkey produced enough juice that I might have been able to combine it with a turkey broth and make my own sauce, but pouring some into the mushroom gravy worked perfectly.

I would give the maple sweet potatoes and herb stuffing a 3 1/2 star rating. Good, solid flavor. Easy enough prep--just tuck in the oven or microwave as though I'd cooked it earlier myself. With a little doctoring up, they were very presentable sides. The brussels sprouts were irretrieveable little rocks with no flavor. They b ear no resemblane to the delicious ones we've had in restaurants.




So why, one might ask, would a person who has years of experience with and has schlepped dozens of raw, big, heavy, gross, scary-looking turkeys plus sides from store to table, decide to let Whole Foods do it? Well, yes, all of the above. In the words of a note over one of my turkey and gravy prep plans from years past, "sounds so easy, looks so scary." There are the years the gravy failed, the turkey platter slid down the counter and crashed onto the floor, it was underdone in the legs or overdone in the breast (even on the same bird), the brining container wouldn't fit in the fridge, and on and on. Most years were fine. Like wine producers or farmers, I've had my banner years and my off years with the whole shebang. Lately I'd been thinking about a backup dish to have on hand just in case something major went wrong (like the year I didn't know I had to pick up the turkey at Dittmer's the Butcher's the day before, back when all the stores were closed for the holiday, except, it turned out, the local 7-11) or the year I simply couldn't fit everything in the fridge and was more than grateful for the key to the neighbor's front door. Even w;ith a relatively smaller group, the back=up meal is expensive and takes up fridge space just when I need it for the hope-it-won't flop food

This year,'s is a small, easy-to-seat, exquisitely manageable group, I thought as I planned it out. I might actually have time to enjoy their company myself. (I don't begrudge the years I watched my family enjoying each other--the Rule According to Carolyn says that renewing ties is the main reason to do these holidays.) But the idea of not worrying about any of it was irresistably seductive. As I was going online to check out the prices of Whole Foods organic turkeys (raw) and stumbled across the photo of the Whole Foods Organic Turkeys (deliciously prepared, delectably browned, sourced from the same farm as the raw one I would have purchased) I was in.

"This isn't like going to a restaurant with food from God knows where, or like the Safeway-prepared Thanksgiving Aurora and I shared when our children were mostly preschoolers" I thought to myself. Whole Foods knows what they are doing, they know their audience and they aren't going to mess around with any food failures--they've had years to work the kinks out of the system," I told myself. It became rather like having a neighbor make the turkey. |Yes, it would be cold, but a lot of folks I know make the turkey the day before, anyway.

Being Carolyn the Suspicious, I didn't just assume any of this. I dropped into the store and checked it out with the Holiday Foods Rep seated at their order-taking table, who clearly thought I was (a) from another planet or (b) a plant from Molly Stone's. Questions about the turkey were easy: Distel Farms in Sonoma County not only raises them, they also cook and deliver, and they have been doing it for many years. I felt really good about that. Questions about the freshness of the vegetables and the amount of time from farm to prep to my table were harder. I determined that the foods are mostly or probably hand cooked in giant kitchens in Emeryville and they try to keep the prep to three days before delivery date. "Do you have people working around the clock to meet that schedule? How do you find enough food prep staff to make that work?" I enquired cheerily. The Holiday Orders Lady took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and said "I think I need my boss to answer some of these questions and she isn't here right now...." I told her not to worry, I appreciated everything she had told me, and hoped she would have a happy holiday.

|Looking back, ours was  a happier holiday, if less dramatic and adventurous, for Whole Food's help. Even picking it up on Thanksgiving morning was a cheery, happy moment, with lots of people to say thank you do. I| would do the same turkey next year for sure, and the same gravy. Sides? Iwill make that call at the last minute, depending on who's here, what the weather is like, whether any major appliances are on the blink, and so forth.






 

Spinach and feta in saag paneer style

From the book Indian-ish.

Recipe:  https://www.thekitchn.com/saag-feta-indianish-22956242

We've made it twice now and it's really good!  Would also be good with real paneer instead of feta.

Slow Cooker Turkey Polish Sausage Soup

Slow Cooker Polish Sausage Soup

We had polish sausage soup for the first time in Central Europe-- probably Krakow. I found a recipe online for a more traditional stovetop version using  bacon, pork and beef sausage (relatively more of it), more and different ingredients, and a cornstarch thickening process. I like this slow cooker recipe without park just as well for flavor, and it is a lot easier to manage as a go-to winter dish. The flavor comes from getting a nice brown on the stovetop for the sausage, onion and cabbage. A nice, crusty, delicious, warm whole grain bread is perfect along side!

Ths recipe fills my 4 quart slow cooker to a couple of inches below the top.

6 to 8 main dish servings.

Ingredients

1 to 1 1/2 pounds red skinned or round white potatoes (|I used Yukon Gold, I think) . No need to peel.

1 to 1 1/2 pounds Polish Kielbasa sausage (I use turkey sausage and have used as little as 12 ounces if that's all I have around. I like the flavor of smoked and unsmoked)

2 tablespoons butter, plus a little oil if needed

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 medium cabbage, shredded or chopped

1 quart chicken stock, low sodium or unsalted

1 can (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes (optional)

4 to 6 strips bacon (optional)

1/2 tsp caraway seeds (optional)

1 to 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped (optional, mix in at the end)

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation

Dice the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes.Put the potatoes in the slow cooker. 

Dice the sausage into 1/2-inch chunks. I like to cut the sausage I buy in half, then slice.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced bacon if using, and cook until crisp. Drain on paper towels and add bacon to slow cooker. 

Put the skillet back on the stove, warm to medium-high, add the sausage and onion, and brown. I start with a little oil since turkey sausage doesn't produce much fat for browning. Stir while cooking until onions are soft and both have a noticeable brown edge. Put in the slow cooker.

Add the butter to the skillet, melt on medium heat, then add the cabbage and move the heat to medium high. Cook, stirring frequently, until the cabbage wilts and starts to  brown. Move to slow cooker. 

Add stock to the slow cooker along with tomatoes if using and caraway seeds if using.

Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours. If using, stir in the dill at the end.

Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.

Yum! Great winter fare!

Essential Apple Crisp

ESSENTIAL APPLE CRISP This and pumpkin pie are my go-to winter desserts. I also like the pear-apple deep dish pie filling with this topping or pie crust on the top only. The one time I made it with both crusts I thought the double crust made it seem not sweet enough. INGREDIENTS:* Topping 3/4 cup flour (I use light whole wheat) 3/4 cup old fashioned oats 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I don"t use organic for this because it packs differently) 3/4 tsp cinnamon 3/4 tsp nutmeg 1/2 c cold butter, cut in pieces Toasted nuts if desired. Filling 6 cups sliced, peeled apples, about six medium 2 tbsps sugar if apples are fairly sweet, up to 1/2 if tart 2 tbsps flour 1 tsp lemon juice dried cranberries or raisins, if desired. (small amounts of fresh berries, cherries that I'm trying to use up go well in this also. I tried pom seeds and thought the seed was too crunchy although the flavor was fine.) Steps: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Use a glass or ceramic baking dish, not a metal one. In a medium bowl, mix the first set of ingredients, except for butter. Mix until blended. Cut in butter pieces with pastry blender or forks until the mixture is crumbly, but not blended. I sometimes finish with my hands.) Set aside. If the kitchen is warm put it in the refrigerator so the butter does not lose all if its firmness. In a large bowl mix the filling ingredients until well coated. Spread in the dish and sprinkle topping to cover. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until topping is golden brown and juices bubbling around the edges. (I think my ceramic dish takes about 40 minutes.) *an earlier recipe has the same topping but just four sliced tart apples, plus add-ins with nothing else in the filling. It tastes good also, especially since I always add a little whipped cream or ice cream. A little whole milk is okay, also.

Quick pressure cooker chicken chili verde

Really rich flavor!  And pretty quick.

I followed this recipe:  https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/04/pressure-cooker-fast-and-easy-chicken-chile-verde-recipe.html

The recipe has you dump everything into the pressure cooker.  Instead I roasted half the peppers and half the onion at 450 in the toaster oven until it was blistered (though the white onion never did).

We used big thigh/drumstick combos and 15 min in the pressure cooker didn't quite cook them through.  Not sure how to fix this in the future.  We ended up putting it in the oven for another 20 min  (just to be safe).  Then we de-chickened it, chopped it (instead of shredding it) and re-added to the blended sauce.

Note:  This was quite spicy.  Probably need to cut it with rice and/or sour cream or both. 

To re-make:  Consider how to ensure chicken is cooked.  Use fewer serrano's.  Maybe try without roasting (since that's faster) to see if it's still good.

Roasted side things (mushroom, butternut squash, fennel, pepitas)

We had some left-over things because we bought too much, so here's what I did:

1 package brown mushrooms --> Sauteed in ~1 Tbsp butter until no more liquid
1 package TJ's butternut squash --> tossed in goodly amount of olive oil, salt, a little pepper, and some crushed fresh thyme and 1 minced clove garlic.
1 bulb fennel --> thinly sliced and tossed in olive oil + salt + a little pepper.

I roasted the fennel and butternut squash separately at 450 for maybe 15 or 20 min?  As it turns out they were about the same amount of time.

Meanwhile, toasted some (1/2 c?) pepitas in the toaster oven.

Tossed everything together.

Maybe add some kind of cheese??  Not sure what.

Really nice flavors.  The stringiness of the roasted fennel isn't ideal.

Pantry-only, quick Puttanesca

We followed this recipe:
https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/02/spaghetti-puttanesca-pasta-week-capers-olives-anchovies-recipe.html

Yes, you have to have anchovies and capers in your pantry, but it's still something you could stock up on and have as a backup.

Result was very flavorful and nice!

Might be nice to figure out what else could go in there besides just pasta.

Slow Cooker Coq au Vin

COQ AU VIN


I made this for Maria's birthday, with an apple-pear pie for dessert . I'd give it 4 stars on the second day and three on the first day (the day Maria ate it, sad to say). Reason is I forgot to put in the bacon! It didn't smell quite right all the time it was cooking, but I couldn't figure out what was just slightly off. (I hoped it wasn't the chicken....|). When I tasted it, I thought, It's flat.... no salt in the recipe was a mistake. So I gave it some of that. I moved the chicken and vegetables into another dish and boiled down the sauce a bit. I added a sprinkling of dried herb. I poured a little heavy cream in it. Only as I was packing everything up to head off to Dobies Jr. did I see the four pieces of extra-thick bacon, nicely sliced and browned, on a dish I'd placed them in until I needed them|...  Such is life with this enthusiastic but inconsistent cook. After the birthday dinner, I put the dish in the freezer for 10 days and was pleased to notice the texture of the dish did not seem to change. The sauce just got better with a slow, bacon-laden warming. This recipe is from Whole Foods. I left out the onion and added 20 small pearl onions, which was in Julia Child"s original recipe. I used this one because |Child also includes a slug of Cognac, which I did not have.

We had a nice, freshly baked crusty whole grain bread with it, which I liked a lot. The first course, several cheeses and several tiny chocolate  truffles, was a nice way to keep our mouths busy, although Maria decided to defer the chocolates to another time. Nadia would never get the idea of "just a tiny bite" her mom said, which is true. She probably would have polished off all the cheese if she'd seen it on the table.|Her reaction to the Coq au Vin was mildly negative. She took a couple of bites and didn't finish the rest. You can never tell with her--there are some surprisingly complex, unusual foods that she has no problem with

Ingredients


8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt plus more to taste
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 slices bacon roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil divided
• 1 (12-ounce) package white or baby bella mushrooms quartered
• 2 carrots chopped
• 1 yellow onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cup red wine
• 2 large sprigs fresh thyme
• a little ground black pepper

Method

Arrange chicken on a large sheet of waxed paper. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Lightly coat chicken all over with flour and set aside.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until golden and just crisp, 3 minutes. Drain bacon on paper towels and set aside. Discard drippings and wipe out skillet. Melt 2 tablespoons butter (or heat oil, if using) in same skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned all over, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a large plate as done and set aside.

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter or oil in same skillet. Add mushrooms and cook until edges begin to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add carrots, onions, garlic and salt and cook until vegetables just begin to soften. Transfer vegetables and broth to crock pot. Arrange chicken on top. Sprinkle bacon over chicken. Add wine and thyme sprigs. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. Season with salt and pepper, then serve.

Carolyn's Soup

Carolyn's Soup

This has been around for so long I don't remember where I got it. I think it morphed over time, like the Ur-Salad in Dave and Maria's cookbook. The two most important features in the flavor of the broth are the cheese rind and the blended beans. This is a one-pot meal if you serve it with  good bread for dunking and some fruit or salad if you want to get more courses on the table for some reason....


|Ingredients


1 cup pasta (short works best), cooked separately to almost done
Quart of  good quality chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 small onion, chopped
Italian bulk sausage (optional--I often use one hot and one mild raw turkey sausage removed from casing, mixed together.)
Parmesan cheese rind (|cut close to the wedge of parm if using your own, or get one from grocery, such as Whole Foods|)
2-3 chopped carrots
2-3 chopped stalks celery with leaves

(|I buy Trader Joe's mirepoix, which sacrifices the celery leaves but cuts down on time. I separate the onion and cook it first| as directions indicate)

2 to 3 cloves minced garlic (or frozen)
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning, or add extra spices if you have plain|)
1/2 small can tomato paste
2/3 zucchini
2 cups spinach, kale or power greens, chopped
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Fresh or dried basil and oregano
Fresh Italian parsley or cilantro chopped to sprinkle on top (optional)
Freshly grated parmesan to sprinkle on top (not optional)

Instructions

Use an 8 to 10 cup pot with heavy bottom and a lid, if possible.

Saute onion, garlic and meat if using until cooked through. Add broth, water, and tomato paste. (The tomato paste blends with the soup better if you start with some hot broth in a separate bowl and blend to tomato sauce consistency before adding to the pot|.)

Add parm rind, heat, then simmer 10 minutes.

Put about 2/3 of the beans with some hot broth in a blender (my preference) or bowl (the tomato paste bowl will do) and blend or mash. Add back to the soup pot.

Add herbs to taste and simmer 10 minutes. (You probably will need 1/2 tsp or so if the tomatoes had seasoning and at least double that if they were plain.)

Add carrots and celery and cook until almost done.

Add pasta, zucchini and spinach and cook until ready to eat. Adjust seasonings. There is no salt and  you will need it if you didn't use sausage, probably

Serve with fresh parm, and chopped parsley or cilantro if you wish.

crispy roasted brussels sprouts

These made a quite decent sprout and slight char was right on the sprout but too brown/black on the leaves for my taste.

Ingredients

2 pounds Brussels sprouts
6 tbsps olive oil
4 ounces panchetta cut in 1/4 inch cubes (I used turkey bacon)
2 tsps kosher salt1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp lemon zest (1 lemon)

Preheat oven to 425 with racks in upper and lower thirds. Trim sprouts ad halve lengthwise, pulling off and reserving outer leaves. Put sprouts and leaves in a large bowl  preheat two baking sheets, mix oil, salt, pepper, add to sprouts and meat and toss.  put sprouts on the baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate top to bottom and bake another 6 minutes or until sprouts are browned and leaves are browned and  Remove from oven and sprinkle with lemon zest Serve immediately or leave on the baking sheets up to 2 hours (I don't know about the meat...the recipe doesn't mention that!)

Greek-Style Chicken Breasts

This recipe originally came from Cooking Light 2014. I have another that uses the oven but this is good for the times when I don't want to heat up the kitchen. I always forget that it generates a slew of pots and prep dishes. I could cut that down by using a brine bag rather than covered dish. (I think the brine is important, though--skinned, boned chicken breast gets dry and stringy if you walk post it with a normal frying pan. It would also help to have the orzo made in advance, and to chop the onion with the same knife and cutting board as the other ingredients.

If I'm going to do this I like to  make a lot, since I treat raw chicken like a poisonous substance requiring everything that touches it to go in the dishwasher and the sink gets washed with disinfectant. With that in mind, anybody following these directions, cut up the vegetables first, then you can use the same sharp knife and cutting board for the meat.

My brine process is 4 cups warm water, 1/4 cup sea salt, 4 cubes TJs frozen garlic, and a few peppercorns if you have them. I| leave it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, usually a couple of hours. I put the glass dish in the sink, lift the chicken out with some tongs (or plastic bags on my hands), put them on the cutting  board, slice to make 4 or 6 cutlets. You can slice them lengthwise at the thickest part if the breast is more than about 3/4 inch thick.

|Ingredients:

Cooking spray or oil

6 four-ounce or 4 six-ounce boneless chicken breast halves.
1/4 tsp kosher or sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tbsps olive oil
1 large onion, vertically sliced (|I substitute a small onion finely chopped)
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 ounce chopped kalamata olives (about 14|)
1 medium tomato, halved and sliced (|this time I used slow roasted tomatoes from freezer, plus their oil and juice (there goes the low calorie benefit)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tsps chopped fresh oregano (I've used fresh time from the yard, also|)
2 tsps fresh lemon juiice
at least 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled (I use a lot more.

heat a large skillet over medium high heat, add oil, swirl, add onion and garlic, saute 4 minutes (longer for chopped onion--just be sure it is wilted and not crunchy).  Add olives and tomato and cook about 3 minutes or until tomato starts to fall apart, if using fresh. Remove pan from the heat, stir in parsley, oregano and lemon juice. leave on simmer

heat a skillet or grill pan over medium high heat. Coat with spray, put the chicken parts in and brown--about six minutes on each side.

Have the orzo pot ready on a separate burner. Have the water close to boiling. When the chicken goes in the pan, start the orzo (|I use a cup uncooked for 4 servings of chicken...more for six servings)  Boil 9 minutes, take off stove, quickly add about a cup of ice to stop cooking.  When the chicken is done, drain in a fine mesh colendar.

west african peanut soup with rice

West African |Peanut Soup from Dave and Maria's "Eat It" Cookbook

I'd give it 3+ stars.

I made this to share with Anjarwalas after they returned from safari in Kenya--I thought it would be fun to have an African theme, and it fit with Dick's vegan diet.  I'd tasted it a long time ago at the home of somebody entertaining guests from Kenya, liked it then, and wanted to try it. I made it exactly like the recipe and liked the taste, but got it a bit hot. I put in some extra PB, tomato sauce and broth. Also, next time I would use tomato paste,--I had the sauce nandy and was out of paste Next time I would wait to put in the hot sauce. Also, the onions seemed undercooked right up to when I dished it up at the table. I guess that's okay but I might saute then a little in the beginning just to avoid any chance of an onion-y bite.

I served it with a seedy sourdough baguette and Dave's 22-grain bread, toasted., with a side salad and chocolate banana bread for dessert.

I served this the second time with a brown and wild rice pilaf I needed to use up (plus I didn't have brown handy). The flavor was fine and I had the soup spiced up with hot sauce to the point it needed that un-hot balance. I thought the whole thing was fine, and Nadia seemed really to enjoy hers! Usually she likes her food carefully separated these days and she seemed to enjoy dumping her rice, spoon by spoon, into the soup. I guess she has quite a tolerance for hot spices anyway, according to her Dada.

So here is the recipe:

6 c low sodium broth
l medium red onion chopped
2 T fresh ginger, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced (I used 4 1/2 cubes TJs frozen cubes)
1 tsp salt
1 bunch collard greens (or kale) with stalks removed, cut into 1-inch pieces (I used a combination of kale, spinach and chard, chopped)
3/4 cup unsalted peanut butter, chunky or smooth (I used smooth)

optional: 1/4 to 1/2 c tomato paste (I used tomato sauce because it was on hand--1/3 cup to begin with, then I added 2 tbsp)

Hot sauce ( used Tapico Sauce Piquant)
1/4 cup chopped peanuts for garnish

In a medium Dutch oven or stock pot, bring the broth to a boil.  Add the onion, ginger, garlic and salt. Cook on medium low heat for 20 minutes.  In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the PB and tomato paste, if using.  Transfer 1 to 2 cups of the hot stock to the bowl and mix until smooth.  Pour the peanut mixture into the pot and mix well. Stir in the greens and season with hot sauce to taste. Simmer for about 15 minutes more on medium-low heat, stirring often.

Serve over brown rice.

Vegan Choc Banana Bread

Vegan Choc Banana Bread

I think this can hold its own with any non-vegan dessert. We served it with vanilla ice cream and choc made with almond milk. I enjoy the challenge of finding food Dick and the rest of the non-vegan world can share without even mentioning the reasons for my menu choices. I've made the non-vegan version a few times--it has more than a thousand votes and is 4.5 stars.

I fell asleep before the oven timer went off and didn't awaken until it was 20 minutes past the 45 recommended. It still came out fine, not overcooked that I could tell at all. So, a fairly forgiving recipe!

• 2 cups overripe mashed banana
• 2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp white or cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup oil OR milk of choice (I used oil)
• 2/3 cup pure maple syrup, honey, or agave ( I used 3/4 C regular sugar)
• 1 3/4 cup spelt, white, oat, or bob’s gf flour

                

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used extra dark Hersheys for all)
• 2 tbsp dutch cocoa or additional regular
• 1/8 tsp uncut stevia OR 1/4 cup sugar (I used brown sugar)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp each: baking powder and salt
• optional 1/2 cup mini choc chips (I didn't use)
• I added about 1/2 cup toasted chopped almonds

Instructions

*The oil version will be richer and better textured; the oil-free version will be lower in calories. So it depends on your own personal preference.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan. Line with parchment. Whisk first five ingredients in a bowl. Whisk remaining ingredients in a separate bowl, then pour wet into dry. Stir until just evenly combined. Spread evenly into the loaf pan. If desired, sprinkle more chocolate chips on top and press down. bake 45 minutes, then turn off the oven but do not open the door even a crack! Let sit an additional 10 minutes in the closed oven before removing. (If still undercooked at this time, turn oven back on and continue baking—checking every five minutes—until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.) Let cool, then very loosely cover or refrigerate overnight before slicing and serving if you can wait, because the taste and texture are ten times better the next day!

I Can't Believe Its' Not Hamburger Spaghetti Sauce

This is an old, tried-and-true, made lots of times, sometimes with hamburger, sometimes with Italian sausage. I made it with a pound of plant based hamburger and a large raw chicken sausage. I think it didn't hold up with the faux burger--much as I wish it would! I thought it lacked flavor.. And the beef didn't taste like beef--but Mark seemed to like it It especially didn't have the fennel and a bit of red pepper flake that is in the usual hot Italian sausage. If I try this again I might try the soy-based faux hamburger. The only reason to do so is to find a truly vegetarian sauce that could be vegan with the parm on the top. Yes, it's the PC| way to help get Carbon Dioxide out of the air. This recipe, made with turkey or chicken sausage, is already using the meat with the lighter footprint.

Pasta Sauce with Italian Sausage

l pound italian sausage*
1/2 pound lean ground beef
mushrooms (optional) and italian parsley (optional|)
1 tbsp olive oil
l copped onion
2 cloves garlic
l 16 ounce can chopped tomatoes (I used the 14.5 oz size)
1 16 ounce can tomato paste
1 tsp salt
healthy sprinkling of basil and oregano ( start with a tsp each they adjust to taste)
1 bay leaf
ground black pepper to taste
chopped kalamata olives

*I've used 4 raw turkey italian from Piazza's, 3 mild and 1 hot for a mildly spicy sauce. I also have used precooked organic chicken sausage from CostCo, and Whole Foods raw ground turkey sausage mixed to order with a nice flavor--the fennel shines through.

Directions

Take the casing from the sausage links and cut into 1/2 inch slices (if they are precooked). Brown for about 10 minutes.  Brown ground meat (or faux meat), onion, mushrooms, parsley and garlic in olive oil. Drain the fat if there is a lot. Pour in tomatoes and sauce, mix in salt, black pepper, basil, oregano and bay leaf. Add cooked sliced sausage if you are using it. Simmer uncovered for an hour.

Brownies!

I usually make brownies from a Ghirardelli box mix and they always turn out perfectly -- fudgy, almost as if they were underbaked, with an intense chocolate flavor, with chocolate chips sprinkled throughout. I always had trouble with "from scratch" recipes not being able to rise to that same standard. I've had so much good luck with other recipes in my Cook's Illustrated Baking Book that I decided to give their brownie recipe a try. They have several recipes, and I decided to start with their "Classic Brownie." They did not disappoint! I did make a couple of modifications that I want to adjust next time. Below is the recipe written to show how I intend to make it the next time.

1 1/4 cups (5 oz) cake flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
12 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into ~6 pieces
2 1/4 cups (15 3/4 oz) white sugar
4 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp espresso powder (optional, my addition)
1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional, my addition)
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped coarse (optional, in the book this is optional at 1 cup)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line the baking pan with a parchment paper sling.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl and set aside.
3. Melt chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl in the microwave: heat it at 50% for 2 minutes, stir the chocolate, add the butter, and heat in additional 30 second increments (stirring between each) until completely melted.
4. Gradually whisk in sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, whisking after each addition. Whisk in vanilla and espresso powder if using. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, folding with a rubber spatula until batter is smooth and homogeneous (if using chocolate chips and nuts, fold in with the last bit of flour).
5. Transfer batter to prepared pan; spread batter into corners of pan and smooth surface. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs attached (not batter, and not too dry/clean), about 30-35 minutes. Cool brownies on wire rack to room temp, about 2 hours, before cutting and serving.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Slow roasted tomatoes have an intense flavor that I like a lot but they are still moist, and very unlike sun-dried tomatoes in that way. It is worth waiting until they are in season and taste good fresh. My personal favorite is dry farmed early girl--possibly dry farmed any variety but the ones available now both at the farmer's market and the grocery happen to be that variety.

I've made this a lot --starting in the 1990s and always with Farmers Market tomatoes-- to mostly rave reviews and I have tossed them in the freezer for winter cooking. So, you would think it not too likely that I would wreck a batch (a dozen, to be exact) but I nearly did.  My recipe is for three large tomatoes and I had a dozen small ones, and I was way too hand-wavey in computing the garlic and herbs component. |It is good to have a lot of juice and olive oil in the bottom for pasta sauce or dipping bread for sandwiches. And |I had just made a batch of vegetable pasta with fresh cherry tomatoes that was sort of flavor deprived. So I mounded on those delicious items, thinking of the tang in the mouth when the mixture hits the tongue and moves slowly through the mouth. But what greeted me out of the oven had all the subtlety of a blaring car horn at a symphony. at firs I was going to toss them out--but I hated to admit I had completely destroyed those flavorful tomatoes. I scraped most of the herb-garlic covering off and saved it in a tupperware holder. It didn't eat its way through the plastic, so it couldn't be too powerful. And when I tok a gingerly, tiny bite on t he edge of a pasta bow the next morning,  only a pleasantly sweet, tangy, herby tomato-y sensation greeted me. Phew!!

Good note to self: Always remember the main reason you are making this dish in the first place. Tomato flavor, you dummy!! let it get richer and keep it juicy in the slow roast process. You'll never mask a bad tomato taste when  you roast it no matter what you add--not ground pearls or chopped truffles or Dom Perignon. A light touch wins, every time.

Focaccia Bruschetta with slow roasted Tomatoes

Serves 4 to 6 people, 2 pieces each

3 large plum or medium slicing tomatoes
sea salt
2 cloves garlic
2 1/2 tbsps good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsps dried oregano leaves, crumbled in your palm.
Plain focaccia or Herb Slab bread
Ricotta salata cheese
l doz basil leaves

preheat oven to 300 degrees. Core tomatoes.  Cut plum tomatoes in half lengthwise, then cut a very thin slice from the bottom so it will not sit crooked in the pan.  Cut slicing tomatoes crosswise.  Arrange them in a baking dish so they are just touching. sprinkle with sea salt. Mix the garlic and oregano with the oil and spoon over tomato tops.  Bake for about 3 hours, basting every 30 minutes or so with pan juices. When the tomatoes are soft and losing their shape but not collapsed, take them out. (|You can stop here and put in freezer or fridge for a few days.|)

To make sandwiches, preheat broiler. Cut herb slab into whatever size you want but slice in half.  Broil bread slices to toast a little on the sliced side.  Cut tomatoes to make 12 pieces. Let the bread soak up some of the juice, then distribute tomato pieces, then grate cheese, then garnish with a basil leaf. REALLY delicious.

Here is another method that takes longer but doesn't need basting, and has no herbs. Use a 200-degree oven and 5 pounds of tomatoes, any type or size |(sez the person that posted the recipe). cut in half, end to end, and put on a rimmed baking sheet, cut side up.  chop 4 cloves garlic and sprinkle over the tomatoes. Season with sea salt and pepper. Drizzle EV olive oil on every tomato. (you will use the oil later). Small tomatoes might cook in 5 or so hours; medium to large 10 to 12. (That must be for huge ones. Medium sized early girls take about 8 or a little longer, usually.) They are done when they collapse more than the above recipe but aren't drying out.

Lemony Farro Pasta Salad with Goat Cheese and Mint

I had some farro to use up and this recipe sounded good. I think it was! Melissa Clark, NY Times, has recipes I usually like. This was a "What to cook this week" suggestion. I made half and even so it was a H|UG|E| amount for Dobies and  Dobies Jr.


Ingredients


Kosher salt
1 C farro
2 Bay Leaves
1 pound orzo
3/4 C diced Apricots (left these out)
3/4 C thinly sliced red onion
34 C thinly sliced celery,
3 T lemon juice, freshly squeezed
3/4 C sliced almonds
(|I toasted whole and chopped them and stirred them in at the end with the herbs)
2 C baby spinach
1 C crumbled fresh goat cheese (four ounces)
1/2 C torn mint leaves (I divided this with fresh thyme from the yard)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add farro and bay leaves and let simmer 15 minutes  Add orzo and simmer to al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes

While farro cooks, make dressing. Grate zest from 1 1/2 lemons; squeeze their juice on top in a bowl.  Add salt, pepper and red-pepper flakes, whisking to combine.

|July 28 Family Get-Together at Mitchell Park

July 28 Birthday Party in the Park

The Venue:

10 am, Mitchell Park

Mitchell Park is great for large gatherings--Stephen's dad threw a fabulous rehearsal dinner barbecue for everybody on Julia and Stephen's wedding guest list. But that was 12 years ago, at a different time of year and different time of day.

My concerns for the birthday party venue, and how it worked out, and things to do differently next time, are below in no specific order.

Would it be too crowded? Would there be convenient parking|?|| Would the distance from car to picnic site be daunting? Short answer is no, yes and no. I checked the Sunday before and was surprised to find parking, plenty of available grassy, shady areas to throw blankets and sit, and a small enough group of people using Magical Bridge playground that the ambiance felt relaxed and the kids didn't have to wait in long lines for turns.  So that part worked out fine. 

Next time I'd reserve a table if we know far enough in advance. I'd consider bringing my own card tables to have something to more easily serve food. Serving from a picnic cloth works but is notoriously risky for spills and someone stepping in it.  I brought a quilt and tablecloth to throw on the ground. Next time I'd ask someone else to bring a quilt or two (in case we missed it at the last minute). We got ousted by folks who reserved the tables we set up on at first, and luckily found another nearby. Next time we might be bumped twice.  The  barbecues have no chairs. It is all sitting on the ground which was perfect ambiance for our 3-hour, relaxed, long visit.


Would the playground be too far away? I at least didn't think anybody felt stranded on kid duty. |Kids could easily navigate the distance without getting tired. Rashan and Rashi had a few things to do in the picnic space to amuse themselves while adults lounged around.  The space at the playground (which includes small picnic tables and lots of low seats facing the outdoor theater)  wouldn't be conducive to a 3-hour stay or bg group. I wouldn't make any changes next year


Would we be too hot? It was too hot in the sun (low 80s to mid 80s by 1 pm) but we were able to enjoy shade just about all the time. No changes needed..

The Menu:

Beverages: everyone brought something, and someone brought a big jug of water to share--good thing in hot weather. I brought an extra bottle to wash hands with, but we were right by a water fountain so that wasn't needed.

Foods: Pasta Salad, washed and sliced veggies, hummus and pita chips, roll-up sandwiches (turkey, avocado, havarti, tomato, hummus on lavash). Fresh fruit. birthday cake (strawberries baked in cake batter similar to plum torte batter with a substitution of almond flour for some of the regular flour) and cream . The cake pleased the Birthday Girl because it was all about the fruit and the cream--sweet, but not frosting-y. And it was more practical to serve, and leave out for an hour  or more on a hot day. Foods were definite winners for hot weather and unpredictable table space.

Coconut prawn curry

THIS was really really great.

Original recipe:  https://simply-delicious-food.com/coconut-prawn-curry/

We had some shrimp shells + heads in the freezer which I used to make the shrimp stock the day before (+ reduced). Then we used frozen TJ's Argintina red shrimp which we love the sweet flavor of.

Really, this would be a fantastic sauce you could use with other things. The reduced shrimp stock + coconut cream is an idea I'm going to experiment with for, e.g. something over pasta in the future.

Other than it being time-consuming to make + reduce the stock, it's very straightforward to make.

Cilantro-lime grilled chicken

This was very straightforward and a pretty solid recipe!  David thinks it's not enough flavor, but with the addition of his chili paste it's really good.  Maria and Nadia both think it's great as-is.

Original recipe:  http://www.olgasflavorfactory.com/recipes/cilantro-lime-grilled-chicken-thighs/ 

We followed it pretty much exactly.

Grilled pizza

This recipe comes from Cook's.  It's a little involved, but fun and a nice picnic food!

Dough
3 cups (16.5 oz) bread flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp instant or rapid-rise yeast
1.25 cups plus 2 Tbsp ice water (11 oz)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for counter
1.5 tsp salt

Sauce
1 (14 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained with juice reserved.
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp minced fresh oregano
1/2 tsp sugar, plus extra for seasoning
Salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Pizza
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
3 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (1.5 cups)
8 oz fresh whole-milk mozzerella cheese, torn into bite-size pieces (2 cups)
3 Tbsp shredded fresh basil
Coarse sea salt

Instructions
For the dough:
1.  Process flour, sugar, and yeast in food processor until combined, about 2 seconds.  With processor running, slowly add ice water; process until dough is just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds.  Let dough stand for 10 minutes.

2.  Add oil and salt to dough and process until dough forms satiny, sticky ball that clears sides of the bowl, 30 to 60 seconds.  Transfer dough to lightly oiled counter and knead until smooth, about 1 minute.  Divide dough into 3 equal pieces (about 9 1/3 oz each).  Shape each piece into tight ball, transfer to well-oiled baking sheet (alternatively, place dough balls in individual well-oiled bowls), and coat top of each ball lightly with oil.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap (taking are not to compress dough) and refrigerate for at least 24 hours or up to 3 days.

For the sauce:
3.  Pulse tomatoes in food processor until finely chopped, 12 to 15 pulses.  Transfer to medium bowl and stir in reserved juice, oil, oregano, sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper flakes.  Season with extra sugar and salt to taste, cove, ad refrigerate until ready to use.

4.  One hour before cooking pizza, remove dough from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature.

For a gas grill:
5.  Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes.  Leave all burners on high.

6.  While grill is heating, transfer sauce to small saucepan and bring to simmer over medium heat.  Cover and keep warm.

For the Pizza:
7.  Clean and oil cooking grate.  Pour 1/4 cup oil onto center of rimmed baking sheet.  Transfer 1 dough round to sheet and coat and palms, gently press and stretch dough towards edges of sheet to form rough 16 by 12- inch oval of even thickness.  Using both your hands, lift dough and carefully transfer to grill.  (When transferring dough from sheet to grill, it will droop slightly to form half-moon or snowshoe shape.)  Cook covered until grill marks form, 2 to 3 minutes.  Using tongs and spatula, carefully peel dough from grate, then rate dough 90 degrees and continue to cook (covered if using gas) until second set of grill marks appears, 2 to 3 minutes longer.  Flip dough and cook (covered if using gas) until second side of dough is lightly charred in spots, 2 to 3 minutes.  Using tongs or pizza peel, transfer crust to cutting board, inverting so side that was grilled first is facing down. Repeat with remaining 2 dough rounds, adding 1 Tbsp oil to sheet for each round and keeping grill cover closed when not in use to retain heat.

8.  Drizzle top of 1 crust with 1 Tbsp oil.  Sprinkle one-third of Parmesan evenly over surface.  Arrange one-third of mozzarella pieces, evenly spaced, on surface of pizza.  Dollop one-third of sauce in evenly spaced 1-Tbsp mounds over surface of pizza.  Using pizza peel or overturned rimmed baking sheet, transfer pizza to grill; cover and cook until bottom is well browned and mozzarella is melted, 3 to 5 minutes, checking bottom and turning frequently to prevent burning.  Transfer pizza to cutting board, sprinkle with 1 Tbsp basil, drizzle lightly with extra oil, and season with salt to taste.  Cut into wedges and serve.  Repeat with remaining 2 crusts.

Thai Chicken Tacos

This was a promising one!  Great flavor; a little too saucy, and we think the carrot slaw could be replaced with something more imaginative, but generally quite good!  (and pretty fast to come together).

Original recipe here:  https://carlsbadcravings.com/thai-chicken-tacos/

Doing it over again, I'd maybe cut the liquid marindate ingredients to 2/3rds the amount, and cut the peanut butter in half.  I'd cook the chicken without the cornstarch, and add a slurry after the peanut-butter to thicken if necessary.

Was extra good with an extra squeeze of lime while serving.

Here are a few photos!

Plum Torte

Plum Torte

A most-requested recipe from New York Times collection. It is really popular for plums because you don't have to peel them. It also is good with nectarines or peaches (you would need to peel the peaches), and with odds and ends of berries tucked in around the fruit, so it is quite a practical dessert in that way. Freezes well--serve by thawing and reheating briefly in 300 degree oven. I've also microwaved leftover, refrigerated torte.

I made it for Dave's birthday, 6-20-19, and served with whipped cream that had a touch of cinnamon, since forgot to put it in the cake.

Ingredients list
3/4 C sugar
1/2 C butter
1 C unbleached white flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
2 eggs
4 large nectarines, cut in quarters or smaller. (original recipe is for a dozen small plums, cut in half. WHen I've made this 6 or eight plums was plenty.)
Sprinkling of raspberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Cream sugar and butter (I used food processor)  Add flour, baking powder, salt and eggs, and blend.

3.  Spread the batter in an 8 or 9 inch springform pan or cake pan (not as pretty when you serve it, but it works).  Sprinkle with cinnamon

4. Press nectarines, skin side up, around cake and add raspberries until top is more or less covered. Sprinkle with

5.  Bake 40 to 50 minutes. Cool to lukewarm and serve with cream.

Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini

|Middle Eastern Stuffed Zucchini

Recipe from:

themediterraneandish.com

I had eight zucchini to use up--six of them fat enough to stuff. I liked about this recipe that it didn't require an oven---it cooks on stovetop. I substituted one stuffed tomato for the three in the recipe and spooned the rest around the sides.The first night, it lacked flavor and soupy. It really didn't form meatballs at all. around the sides of the zukes, and the meat inside, while firmer, was still too bland. I did not use fresh dill, which could  have contributed lack of flavor but I used an equal amount of fresh thyme. The meat was half turkey, half beef.  On the second night,last night, I added more meat to the sauce, and a lot more of the flavorings, plus chopped kalamata olives. I cut open the zukes, spooned over the sauce, and melted cheese (Italizn mixture)  on top in the microwave right before serving. I served it with garlic naan, TJ's, and it was much better.

I wonder if I mis-measured the rice.  I found some extra in the washing bowl. That would surely account for the soupiness. 

I'm not sure whether I'll make this again or not. If I do it again, I think I will try a half-recipe in a smaller pot. First, I want to check some other stuffed Z recipes for spices. Maybe Turkish.

Banana Blueberry Nut Bread

Banana-Blueberry--Nut Bread

The goal here was a tasty, healthy recipe for breakfast. This was less than successful, in part because it was not cooked through even though a toothpick appeared to come out clean and it appeared done to the touch.  The part I sampled didn't taste as wonderful as my good 'ole Sunset Magazine banana bread recipe that just about everyone enjoys. I attribute that to the healthy addition of light whole wheat flour for  half the flour. I used this recipe because I had a big container of yogurt, not Greek, which is what most baking recipes specify. Might well explain lack of done-ness!

I also added about a cup of large, sweet blueberries and half a cup of toasted, chopped walnuts, not called for in this recipe but I've done it often in the other one .

https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/classic-banana-bread

I don't recommend it and won't make it again. I might make a half-recipe of banana-blueberry-nut muffins with yogurt just to see if is done and tastes better. If it isn't better than Dave's |killer bread with peanut butter and low sugar fruit spread or a drizzle of honey, there is no reason to make it!

Lemongrass chicken (we have a winner)

I finally found a recipe that works!  Here it is!

https://carlsbadcravings.com/lemongrass-chicken/

I cooked it as described, but I left used ~ 5 Tbsp chopped lemongrass instead of 3, and omitted the chili sauce (because Nadia).

Brothy meatballs with peas, fennel, and tiny pasta

Maria cooked this one from:  https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/brothy-meatballs-with-peas-fennel-and-tiny-pasta

She disliked several aspects of the original recipe, but the results were unusual and delicious!  They worked great as leftovers, and like many soup-y things got better over several days as the flavors melded.

Few things for next time:
   - Their meatball recipe didn't have any binding agent for the meatballs, so they were /very/ delicate.  Next time we should "use a real meatball recipe" (in the words of Maria).
    - Maybe make the meatballs slightly smaller and brown for less time.  There was a LOT of fond.
    - Use a little less vinegar than called for by the recipe.  It gave the soup a very bright flavor, but was, in my opinion, a little overbalanced  (although this got better over 2-3 days).

Here's right after adding the broth.  All the fond from the bottom made the clear chicken broth very brown.  I was worried it was a bit too much, and maybe it was, but it was still delicious!

The "tiny pasta" in the bowls

 Finished product with the fresh greens on top.

Curry hot pockets

This is my first (recent) attempt to make something like an Indian calzone that doesn't take too long to make.

The Filling
1 yellow onion
1-2 tomatoes
2 small/med golden potatoes
1/2 lb ground meat (we used lean beef)
Frozen mix of carrot, peas, green beans
1 red bell pepper, chopped
Midas vindaloo paste

In an effort to make this easy, I wanted to use as many frozen/jarred things as possible.
Heated 2 Tbsp oil and fried chopped onion until golden.  Added 2 Tbsp vindaloo paste and cooked for a minute.  Added ground beef and cooked until done.  Added chopped tomato (which also served to deglaze a little bit) and then frozen veggies and red bell pepp.  Cooked until all heated through.

Took about 20 min start to finish.  Want to add cilantro and toasted cashew next time, but forgot this time.

The Calzones
Used 2 packaged TJ pizza dough.

On a clean floured surface, cut each dough into 3rds (for 6 pieces).

Shaping it was a challenge.  Did a combination of rolling and throwing.
Tried to make a rectangle with each, spooned in filling, and folded over.  Did the "roll from bottom" trick on edges.
* Be careful not to make it too thin...I did break at least one.
* If counter not well floured, can break when you try and pick it up.

Making them took probably 20-30-ish minutes (I didn't time it).  Most of the time is just that pizza dough is hard to work with.

Put them in oven @ 375 for 30-40 min.

Came out tasting great, though! =)

Greek-Style Chicken Breasts: five stars from Mark and me

Greek-Style Chicken Breasts: five stars from Mark and me

I'm looking for a nice, moist breast with enough flavor to hold over for a day or two in the fridge (because I like to keep the serious cooking down to three or so days a week). This one really works and gave me a chance to try a goat-sheep milk feta cheese (Earth Day was last weekend and I'm told even goats and sheep beat cows for Earth friendliness. Presumably they aren't ruminants and are less frequent belchers.)  In summer I like that it doesn't require an oven. I can finish up the thing in about 1/2 hour.

First, the brine:
4 cups warm water
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tbsp whole peppercorns
4 cloves garlic, smashed

Put in a glass dish and put the chicken breasts in (|4 skinless, boneless breast halves, about 6 ounces each. Put it in the fridge for about 1/2 hour. This is a great time to make The Sauce.

l large sliced onion
1/1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 ounce chopped pitted kalamata olives, about 14
1 large tomato or a lot of cherry tomatoes (good way to use up the cherry ones)
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley or, when I have a lot of fresh thyme in the yard, I use that
2 teaspoons fresh oregano or about 1 tsp dry
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
feta cheese to sprinkle on the top (about 1/2 tablespoon per serving but it varies a lot)

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat* (not as hot as chicken pan), add oil, swirl it around and add onion. Saute four minutes.  Add olives and tomato, saute 3 minutes or until tomato begins to break down. Remove pan from heat and stir in parsley or fresh thyme, plus oregano, and lemon juice. The original recipe calls it done at this point. Since Mark does not like onion if he can see it, I put it in my food processor and grind it up until the chunks are fairly small . Put it back in the  pan, take a taste, and add more of whatever it seems to need (usually I add more tomato, sometimes a splash of broth or a little water). Set it on warm.

Now for the chicken:

Heat a heavy skillet to medium high and coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle breasts with salt and pepper. When the skillet is good and hot, put in the chicken and brown about six minutes per side. (Obviously, smaller breasts cook faster.)

While the chicken is cooking, make |Orzo according to package instructions. I often make it with chicken broth, using about two to one orzo and both. When it is done, just drain it and leave it with the lid on until the chicken is ready.

While all this is going on, make a vegetable or dessert and clean up the kitchen. This recipe seems to create a lot of mess!

Chai tea recipe

Halved this recipe (since Maria doesn't like Chai):  https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/bas-best-masala-chai

Pretty good, but not as good as the aunties.  Not sold on the use of maple syrup.  Will keep trying and post back here...

Aji-Amarillo Coconut Milk Chicken

So we made this very delicious braised chicken for Sunday night dinner. Goes with a recent theme of exploring bone-in skin-on thighs, crisped in a heavy pan/pot, and then baked to perfection with a (hopefully) still crispy skin crust.

Started with this recipe:
https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2017/12/braised-chicken-aji-amarillo-coconut-milk-recipe.html

with these modifications:

• I used our large oval dutch oven for this but I think it would have been OK in a smaller pot, try the 5 quart dutch oven next time.
• Ended up being a lot of coconut oil, I think we could reduce it to 1 TBSP since we get a lot of oil from the chicken fat being rendered.
• Our Aji Amarillo paste is pretty hot so we were nervous to put the 1/4-1/2 cup noted on the recipe. We used 1 TBSP blended with 1/2 a yellow bell pepper (fire-roasted on the gas stove). When mixed with the coconut milk, there was almost no heat at all and the flavor was mostly of coconut milk, so next time we will probably go 2-3 TBSP and a whole fire-roasted bell pep.
• The sauce was a little thinner than we would have liked. We might simmer the sauce a bit longer in step 3 (before adding the sweet potato/squash) to concentrate it a bit before continuing with the recipe.  We thought this is better than adding a thickener because we want to increase the flavor as well.
• It's springtime so we didn't have access to butternut squash. No problem, swapped for a large sweet potato which worked great.
• We chose to eat this over asian-style steamed rice, yum! Even Nadia gobbled it up (sort of).

Pictures: