chicken dressed to impress

It’s been a busy week. I started a new job that has me up at 5 a.m. and doesn’t get me home until about 6 p.m. and, when I do get home, I’m beat. So, until I get settled into my new routine, dinners will be quick and easy!

I’m sure there are many nights that quick and easy will equate to pasta and sauce or grilled cheese sandwiches, but there’s still plenty of opportunity to make a dinner that looks nice and tastes great.

Case in point… Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese.

I love to pair the sweetness of sun-dried tomatoes with the tang of goat cheese and the balsamic sauce pulls everything together beautifully.

I promise you…. weeknight dinners don’t have to be boring!

Chicken Breasts stuffed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese
(adapted from Cooking Light)
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, chopped*
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup chopped shallots, divided
1 teaspoons sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon flour
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1/3 cup shallots, sugar, and garlic. Cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Spoon into a bowl and stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar.

Combine chopped tomatoes, shallot mixture, cheese, basil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring well.

Butterfly each chicken breast half to form a pocket and stuff about 2 tablespoons cheese mixture into each. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan, cover and keep warm. Add butter and flour to pan and cook 3-4 minutes. Pour in broth, remaining shallots, 2 tablespoons vinegar, and thyme. Bring sauce to a boil and cook 2-3 minutes or until sauce is thick, stirring constantly. Serve sauce over chicken. (serves four)

(*Note: You could also use regular sun-dried tomatoes reconstituted for 30 minutes in hot water. We just happened to have some packed in oil on hand.)

I fought the pie and the pie won…

It’s Daring Baker Challenge time!

As you may recall, last month I joined the ranks of the Daring Bakers. Well, it’s that time again. And this time… the challenge was Lemon Meringue Pie courtesy of Jen over at The Canadian Baker. Another first for me, oh boy!

I decided to get a jump on things, so I tackled this one early in the month. After all, how hard could lemon meringue really be, right?

Follow me behind the jump for the rest of the sordid story…

Chop! Chop! Chicken Pockets

Puff pastry is one of those things that I steered clear from for years. Delicate pastry that you don’t want to work with too much or let get too warm lest it lose all of its wonderful puff? Yeah, no thanks. Sounds a little delicate to me.

Happily, I decided at some point to give it a try and discovered that it’s not the scary thing that I thought it was. In fact, it’s it’s a little bit of a miracle product… turning even mundane things into something special. After all, what doesn’t look and taste better when it’s accompanied by fluffy, flaky, buttery pastry? Exactly.

Of course, you can make your own puff pastry if you’re feeling adventurous. I’ve seen the videos… that’s somewhere I’m not ready to go yet. After all, I’m still trying to get my pie dough to come out consistently. So, I’ll be sticking with my perfectly fine puff pastry out of a box from the freezer section of my local grocer. You decide what works for you.

So. Why puff pastry? Because Ben mentioned it. Not only did he mention it, he attached a Food for Plastic challenge to it. We all know how I feel about challenges… and who can’t use a little more Tupperware in their life? And so, I present you with Chop! Chop! Chicken Pockets. (Cheesy name… I know… I couldn’t help myself.)

But, you see, the name serves dual purpose. Not only are these little dinner pockets easy to put together (as in “go fix dinner… chop! chop!”), but they’re also filled with all sorts of little bits of chopped ingredients. Still lame? Yeah, I thought so. But tasty! And pretty, too. (You could also make these smaller and serve them as two-bite appetizers at your next party!)

Chop! Chop! Chicken Pockets
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 cup crimini mushrooms
1 cup broccoli florets, halved
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3 tabelspoons cream cheeses
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
1 sheet prepared puff pastry, just thawed
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove one sheet of puff pastry and set aside to thaw.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Once hot, add chicken and sauté until almost cooked through. Reduce heat slightly and add mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms have released most of their moisture, about 2-3 minutes. Add broccoli and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add seasoning and cream cheese and cook until cream cheese has melted and coats entire mixture. Remove from heat and set aside.

Once puff pastry is thawed, carefully unfold the sheet onto a lightly floured surface. Press together any areas where the folds may have torn. Cut out two large squares (approx. 7-8 inches, depending on how big you want your pocket) from the pastry sheet, saving the excess puff pastry for other uses.

Place 4-5 tablespoons of the mixture into the center of each puff pastry square and top each with half of the shredded cheddar.

Brush the edges of each pocket with the beaten egg. Fold the corners to the center and seal by pressing the seams together with your fingers. Transfer to a baking sheet and brush tops with egg wash. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. (serves 2)

Oh, and wondering what do do with those leftovers? The easy answer is to just bake them up on a cookie sheet and make impromptu Napoleons, which is exactly what we did.

caffeinated

I love coffee. And I love cupcakes. How exciting is it, then, that this month’s Cupcake Hero challenge features coffee as the star ingredient? Pretty exciting, I say!

There were so many possibilities with this one, but coffee and chocolate is always a winner in my book. That’s how Mocha Cupcakes with Kahlua frosting were born. If you’re a coffee junkie like me, you’ll love these rich coffee cupcakes laced with chocolate – and what’s better than coffee with a little Kahlua? Oh my.

These are the perfect dessert cupcakes. You get your cake and your coffee all in one happy little package. And, really, it’s the rare person who doesn’t love their own little personal cake!

Mocha Cupcakes
2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
5 rounded tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
3.5 tablespoons espresso powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Insert liners into a cupcake pan.

On medium speed, cream together the sugar, butter, and eggs until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in the sour cream.

In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, cocoa, and salt.

In a measuring cup combine the water, coffee and vanilla.

Alternate adding the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar/sour cream mixture with the coffee mixture. Mix thoroughly.

Fill the cupcake liners three-quarters full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cupcakes comes out clean. Remove cupcakes to wire rack and cool before frosting. (makes 24 cupcakes)

Kahlua Frosting
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2.5 tablespoons Kahlua
16 ounces powdered sugar

Cream together cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Mix in Kahlua, then powdered sugar in one cup increments until frosting reaches desired consistency. Apply to cupcakes. (frosts 24 cupcakes generously)

Mélange? Mélange!

I asked my mom tonight why we never ate Brussels sprouts when I was a kid. She says that I didn’t like them.

Hmmm. I don’t remember not liking Brussels sprouts – in fact, I don’t even remember trying them. So, I have to take her word on it. Thankfully, this is another one of those instances in which it appears my tastes have matured and generally improved over time because, as an adult, I love Brussels sprouts.

I also love the many things I can do with these little green beauties. You can steam, roast, and sauté them. You can cook them whole, or quartered. You can even shred them. It’s all good. And this recipe? This recipe is GOOD.

How can it not be good when it starts out with all of these good things?

It just gets better from there. Fifteen minutes later, you’ve got a beautiful, and tasty mélange (that’s a fancy French way of saying mixture of foods).

Braised Potato and Brussels Sprouts Mélange
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup red potatoes (approximately 6), quartered
3/4 cup onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups Brussels sprouts, halved
1 cup red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2″ squares
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons parmesan or asiago cheese, grated

Heat oil in a large nonstick pan over medium high heat. Add potatoes and sauté 5-6 minutes until brown on all cut sides. Add onion and bell pepper and continue to cook until onion is soft. Add Brussels sprouts and chicken stock. Cover, reduce heat slightly, and cook 7-8 minutes, until potatoes and Brussels sprouts are just tender. Season with parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with cheese before serving. (serves two)

Celebration and experimentation…

I’m a sucker for reasons to celebrate. As much as I love to play in the kitchen in general, I love it even more when there’s a purpose in mind. Holidays, birthdays, milestones in life…

When I started this blog just three months ago I honestly wondered if I could successfully make a go of it. After all, there are so many wonderful food bloggers out there already – I knew I’d be a small fish in a very large pond. But, my love of food and my love of photography pushed me forward. It was something I had to try… and oh my, am I having fun! And I’m meeting so many great people along the way.

You can imagine my excitement, then, when I checked my stats yesterday and discovered that Culinography has already logged over 10,000 hits! Amazing! It’s a small milestone, but not one I expected to hit so soon. It’s also the perfect reason to celebrate!

I’ve been pining over Heidi Swanson’s Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies since the first time I saw them. I was curious about her use of mesquite flour and spent a long time looking around for a place where I might be some locally. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any luck in locating it. But, I still couldn’t stop thinking about these cookies.

I finally gave in a few weeks ago and ordered some from Casa de Fruta. And then I waited. When it finally arrived at our doorstep, I broke open the box, cut open the bag, and was greeted by the most wonderful, warm scent.

The mesquite tree grows in desert regions throughout the world and mesquite flour is made from the seed pods of the tree. The taste is often compared to mocha coffee, cinnamon, and chocolate. It can be used either as a spice or a flour, and can be used in soups, baked goods, meat dishes, and more. Because it’s not known for its structural characterstics, it’s used primarily for its flavoring qualities, so – if you plan to use it for baking, you’ll need to use it in conjunction with other flours. As if the taste isn’t enough to charm you (and it is), mesquite flour is another one of those “superfoods” – gluten free, high in protein and dietary fiber, and rich with magnesium, protein, and potassium. It’s also high in lysine with a low glycemic index. (Source: Casa de Fruta)

Intriguing, right? I know. That’s why I had to try it. Unfortunately, after all of my procrastinating, Heidi had removed the recipe from her site to put into her cookbook. The cookbook that I don’t yet have. How, then, was I going to make these cookies that I’d waited so long to make?

Enter David Lebovitz, who has sung the praises of Heidi’s cookies on more than one occasion. Luckily for me (and, perhaps, for you) he posted his take on her recipe. Perfect. I was back in business! Into the kitchen, then… let’s make some cookies!

These cookies made the house smell so amazing it was hard to wait for the first one to cool enough to taste it. I waited as long as I could and sampled one warm. Chocolaty, smoky, and sweet all at the same time, these cookies were quite the treat for my tastebuds. I congratulated myself for finally making the purchase and vowed to keep mesquite flour in my pantry for ever and ever, amen.

If you’re looking for something different to spice up your pantry, I’d highly recommend seeking out mesquite flour. I’m already dreaming of adding it to other cookies… and muffins… and something savory… and… well, you get the idea.

So, thanks to everyone who continues to stop in here. I hope you continue to enjoy your visits and that we can continue to share, learn, and celebrate lots of great little milestones together!

Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies
(adapted from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking by way of
Dave Lebovitz)
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup mesquite flour
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
8 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups rolled oats or a mixture
2 ½ cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

In a bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Beat the butter until soft. Add the sugar and beat until creamy. If using a mixer, stop it once or twice and scrape down the sides. Add the eggs one at a time until completely incorporated, then add the vanilla.

Add the flour mixture in three batches, incorporating it as you go. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips. The dough will be very stiff.

Drop mounds, about two tablespoons of dough each, evenly-spaced onto the baking sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until just beginning to set. (Be sure not to overcook! Mine were done at 10.)

Yield: About 50 cookies

comfort food

We live 1100 miles from my parents. It’s been almost five years since I could just hop into the car and drive up to their house… to the house on the little farm that I grew up on. Now, I’m an only child with a wonderful relationship with my parents and, before moving to North Carolina, the furthest I’d lived from home was about 100 miles. It was hard to leave the area I’d called home for most of my life and, as you can imagine, moving so far away was quite the adjustment. Though I love and treasure the relationships that I’ve built here, I still get a little homesick every now and then.

When I’m feeling homesick or just generally out of sorts, I usually start thinking about the foods that I grew up with. The best things in our house were usually ones that came from my Mom’s upbringing. German food will always be near and dear to my heart, and I enjoy now being able to cook it myself and to share it with the people that I care about. And… it’s seriously yummy!

I knew when I saw that Eve over at The Garden of Eating was hosting The 2008 Comfort Food Cook-Off that I had just the thing to share… Jaegerschnitzel served with Spaetzle (a seasoned pork cutlet that’s breaded and fried into crispy happiness, served with a basic no muss, no fuss dumpling and topped with a brown mushroom gravy). It’s the perfect comfort food when you’re looking for a warm, hearty meal and it always makes me think of home.

I decided I wanted to do this one as a pictorial, so if you’re interested in the step-by-step and the recipe, just follow along behind the jump.

Seafood stew over quinoa (the savory)

We’ve covered quinoa as a breakfasty sort of thing. Now let’s talk about quinoa in a more savory capacity. I’m telling you, folks, it’s good no matter what you do with it!

So, a little backstory. I got off on the wrong foot when I started trying to cook fish at home years ago. My first few forays into the fish world were less than successful and left me feeling pretty discouraged. So, I just stopped cooking it at home. But that’s no fun, now is it? So, in the last six months or so, I decided to give it another try.

I’m not sure what’s changed, but things are definitely going better than they did back in the day. I’m no longer afraid to cook fish at home and, as my confidence continues to build, I want to do it more. Consequently, one of the things I want to focus on in the new year is incorporating more fish and seafood into our diet. Not only is it quick, it’s healthy, and it’s a nice change to our usual staples.

Enter seafood stew…

We’re still trying to detox a bit from all of our holiday eating, so this is a great, healthy choice. It’s perfect as-is, served up in a bowl with a piece of crusty bread. But layer it over quinoa (yes, I’m obsessed) and it’s even better.

Not too fishy, but packed full of shrimp, tilapia, tomatoes, potatoes, and onions, this is a hearty cool weather food. If you want to play with the recipe a bit, you can certainly add whatever seafood you like as well as a host of other veggies.

Seafood Stew
(adapted from Sunset)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 pound red potatoes, quartered
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
cayenne pepper to taste
1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp, rinsed
2 medium (approx. 4 ounces each) tilapia fillets, rinsed and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Cooked quinoa (cooking instructions HERE)

Heat oil in a 5- to 6-quart pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and 6 to 8 minutes. Add tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups water, potatoes, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. (If cooking quinoa, start it now.) Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until potatoes are fork tender, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

Stir in seafood. Cover and simmer until shrimp and fish are opaque but still moist-looking in the center of thickest part, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in parsley. Spoon quinoa onto rimmed plates and top with stew.

Serves four.

on making new friends and the wonder of zucchini

A few weeks ago, while making my daily stop over at Dine and Dish, I noticed that Kristen had taken it upon herself to organize an “Adopt A Blogger” event which would allow food blogging newbies like me to be matched up with a veteran blogger for the purpose of gleening tips, tricks, and just generally making a new friend or two. The blogosphere is a big place and there has been more than one occasion that I wondered how in the world I was going to hold my own in it. This event seemed perfect! I immediately signed up and waited with great anticipation to be adopted.

Did my blog look okay? Was it dressed to impress an adopting blogger? I hoped I have enough game to play with the big kids.

And then… the e-mail came in. A match had been made! I’d been adopted!

Kristen matched me up with Katie over at Thyme for Cooking. She’s a blogger living in France, creating some really amazing looking food which she dishes up with a great stories and a serving of wit. She also runs an impressive menu planning service.

After trading e-mails with Katie and reading back through her blog, I decided what better way to really get to know her than to try out one of her recipes? On my last grocery trip, I found some lovely whole grain rolls that I thought were just begging for a juicy little hamburger trimmed out with everything good – tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and a melty slice of colby-jack cheese. And on her blog I found the perfect accompaniment to my burger… Courgette Sticks (or zucchini sticks for those of us lacking in our knowledge of the French language).

If you’re looking for an occasional alternative to fries, these are perfect. Crispy and crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside, they provide a similar texture to fries while providing better nutritional content. (Don’t worry, I’ve not gone all health food on you… just trying to mix things up a bit. Stay tuned for more than your fair share of high cal goodness!)

Thanks, Katie, for a winner of a recipe!

Baked Zucchini Sticks
(adapted from Katie’s Baked Courgette Sticks)
2 medium zucchini
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 egg
1/4 cup dry Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated asiago cheese

Wash zucchini and slice off ends. Cut it in half or thirds the short way. You want pieces 2-3″ long. Cut each section into sticks about 5/8″ square. In a flattish bowl whisk the mustard and the egg together. In another flattish bowl or plate mix the crumbs and cheese together. Roll the zucchini sticks in the egg, then the crumbs. Place on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees F for 35 – 40 minutes, until coating starts to brown. Remove and serve.

Serves two.

an herbal celebration… seriously

I was late getting on the Grey’s Anatomy train. Way late. Almost four seasons late, in fact. And then, on a whim, we put season one on our Blockbuster queue and wham! Suddenly we’re Grey’s Anatomy junkies. We blazed through disk after disk, season after season, waiting anxiously for each new fix to arrive in our mailbox. We’ve lost more than one Sunday to Grey’s Anatomy marathons. And… just about the time that we get caught up… the writers strike happens.

Horror.

And so… we’ve been waiting. Watching the DVR for an episode that’s not a re-run. Finally! Tonight… in a few minutes, actually, we’ll get a fix. A small fix, since this is probably the season finale, but I’ll take what I can get.

That means it’s time to celebrate! Out come my new Joe’s Bar glasses (I have a thing for bar glasses, so these were a logical addition to my collection). Now, what to put in them? Perhaps something I’ve been meaning to try for some time… the Barefoot Contessa’s Herbal Iced Tea.

I kicked up the number of tea bags since I typically find herbal teas a bit bland. The modification worked wonderfully and this tea doesn’t disappoint. Sweetened only with apple juice, it’s a nice alternative from your typical iced tea. And, since it feels more like spring than winter here in North Carolina, it seems perfectly appropriate in spite of what the calendar says. This is something we’ll definitely make again soon.

Herbal Iced Tea
(adapted from Barefoot Contessa Family Style)
5 Celestial Seasonings Lemon Zinger tea bags
5 Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger tea bags
4 cups pure apple juice

Steep the 10 tea bags in 4 cups of boiling water for about 10 minutes. Discard the tea bags. Combine the tea with the apple juice and refrigerate until cold. Serve over ice. Enjoy! Seriously.