Artichoke chicken via hunch.com

so today I knew I wanted to cook dinner but I had no idea what I wanted to make. I googled "what should I make for dinner?" and hunch.com came up as the first result. A while ago, I had setup a hunch.com account but completely forgot about it. Hunch asked me a few questions and finally came up with the answer for me: Artichoke Chicken and gave me a link to a recipe on allrecipes.com. I did add a little nutmeg to the recipe for a little more flavor.

this was a great, easy meal. so here we go!

Artichoke Chicken
yield: 4 servings

1 14-oz. can quartered artichokes (not the marinated or brined ones, the quartered ones are cheaper than whole)
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic
pinch to 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg depending on taste
kosher salt to taste
fresh pepper to taste

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

preheat oven to 375°F

cut artichokes into bite-sized pieces. in a bowl combine artichokes, cheese, mayo, garlic and nutmeg. add salt and pepper to taste. be sure to taste because the mayo can add quite a bit of tang and you don't want to over season.

on a 1/2 sheet pan with a silpat or in a greased baking dish place the chicken breasts that have been patted dry with a paper towel. cover with artichoke mixture evenly over all pieces.

bake in oven for 30 minutes or until juice runs clear. let rest for a few minutes under foil to bring up to 160°F.

I served mine with sauteéd brussel sprouts and jasmati rice. see...

Sauteéd Brussel Sprouts

18 oz. of fresh brussel sprouts
2 tbsp butter (less if you're watching your calories, but if you are, srsly, don't make this meal!)
salt to taste

cut the sprouts in half making sure to cut through the bottom and making perfect halves that do not fall appart. blanch in hot, salty water for 5 minutes or until they are bright green but are still a but crunchy.

drain and transfer to a non-stick pan with the butter melted in it. sauté for 5 minutes, white insides down so they they get nice and brown. serve immediately.

another option would be to leave out the butter and instead chrisp some bacon in the pan. drain and set aside. use the bacon fat to sautee the sprouts. chop the bacon and add before serving. mmmmm now I'm drooling...

Dilly Deli Strand salad

Strand salad

This salad is my take on one served at one of my parent's favorite little restaurant, Dilly Deli. The salad mixes cool, sweet and spicy. I like to add a crispy element with salmon. They serve it grilled but since I don't have a grill (sad face) I pan-sear my version.

I really like the crispiness that the skin adds so I keep mine on. Make sure all the scales are removed and the whole thing is as dry as you can get it. They cook well in 4-oz. portions, which is around the size of a small fist, eyeball it. don't bust out the scale for this.

Strand Salad
serves 2
my version of Dilly Deli's


2 4-oz salmon filets with skin, on the thick side (around 1")
salt and fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 cups (again, eyeball this) mix of baby greens and romaine lettuces
1 granny smith apple, cut into 1-inch cubes (don't cut until right before you add to the mix)
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted in a dry skillet if you like
goat cheese, crumbled or in small pieces

Curry Vinaigrette:
So I'm gonna be honest, I almost never measure my vinaigrette ingredients. This is an approximation, so if you have a ratio that you like, stick with it.

1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp muchi curry powder (more for more heat, less for less)
1/3 cup oil
a few pinches of salt to taste
a few cracks of fresh ground pepper

Season the salmon lightly with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

In a medium-high pan (i prefer something NOT non-stick) with a tbsp of vegetable oil, place the fish skin-side down. With another heavy pan (wrapped in foil for easy cleanup) press the fish down. Let that cook for 3 minutes, then start checking. when the fish easily lifts up from the pan, flip it. Press, cook for another few minutes until the fish is firm and doesn't fall apart but is not mushy or too dry.

While your fish is cooking, prepare your salad.

I like to use a mix of romaine hearts and baby greens for contrasting textures. Mix the vinegar and garlic. let sit for a few minutes to mellow the garlic. Mix in mustard, curry powder and a pinch of kosher salt. Slowly whisky in the oil in a slow stream until emulsified and thickened.

In a large bowl combine lettuce, pine nuts and apple pieces. Toss in the dressing. Plate the salad and top with goat cheese. A lot of goat cheese with help to cut the curry's spiciness. Top with your crispy salmon and dig in.

beef stew

Sunday's are great for stews and soups. Especially if you have some time to yourself due to some sports game being on somewhere. Don't make this if you don't have a good 3+ hours to spend at home. if you do, you're in luck because it's quite good.

The recipe is adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, the test kitchen of Cook Illustrated Magazine. They also have a show on public access. It's a good one! Its full of really useful tips on everything from brands of chocolate to best non-stick pans. The book is amazing and I can't think of anything I have made from it that hasn't been delightful. So kids, let's get to it!

Beef Stew
serves 6-8
prep time 30 minutes
total time: 3 hours (includes 2 hours of simmering time)

Serve with crusty break or mashed potatoes. Since the flavor of beef stew improves with time, plan on making it a aday or 2 before serving

1 1/2 lbs beef chuck roast (trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 in cubes)
1 1/2 lbs beef round roast (same as above)
*the original recipe calls for 3 lbs beef chuck roast only, but I'm was too lazy to go to whole foods so I'm used whatever I could find in my dumb gristedes
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup dry red wine (I used a homemade zinfindel)
2 cups low-solium chicken broth
1 tsp dried thyme (you could sub for 1 tbsp minced fresh)
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 plbs red potatoes (5-6 medium) scrubbed and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks (skins on!)
4 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
1 cup frozen peas (NOT CANNED PEOPLE!)

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F with the rack in the lower-middle position. Dry the meat with paper towels throughly, then season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large dutch over over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half the meat, about 10 minutes (mine only took about 8 minutes) then transfer to a plate. Return the pot to medium-high head and repeat with 1 more tbsp of oil and the remaining beef.

2. add the remaning tbsp oil and return the Dutch oven to medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, and garlic, cook for 30 seconds. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Things will really start to thicken up now! Slowly stir in the wine, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom and sides. Stir in the broth, thyme, bay leaves cooked beef and any accumulated juices. Bring to a simmer, cover and transfer the pot to the oven. Cook for 1 hour.

go knock out a few things on your DVR.

3. 10 minutes before the hour is up, prep the carrots and potatoes.

Stir in the potatoes and carrots. Cover and continue to cook in the oven until the beef is tender, about 1 hour.

4. remove the pot from the oven and remove the bay leaves. Stir in the peas and let stand off the head for 5 minutes. season wth salt and pepper to taste before serving. I suggest a healthy few cracks of freshly-ground black pepper

TATKFC gives some tips for cooking ahead: This stew can be prepared through stop 3, cooled. covered, and refrigerated for up to 3 days or fozen for up to 1 month. Reheat over low heat, adding additional water or broth to adjust the consistency, before proceeding with step 4.


FYI, This tasted AMAZING 3 days later.

Introduction/disclaimer

I did it. I finally started a food blog. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lesley and I'm midwestern transplant to New York city. I have been cooking my whole life but I am not a professional. My wonderful Mom taught me the basics of cooking. I love learning about new techniques, combinations, history etc... of all things food related.


Now for the disclaimer. If you read this blogamajig be aware that I'm NOT a professional cook. I have a day job and many hobbies so this thing may not get updated as often as I'd like. I don't claim to be a food photographer, but some "food porn" may pop up on here. Sometimes when I am lazy I'm just not going to bust out my big camera to snap shots of my food so there will probably be iphone pictures in the beginning.

I'll try as much as possible to have complete and accurate recipes on the things I make. If they don't work out, or you have a variation by all means share it in a comment.

Oh, and in this quest to make yummy food, I am also going to expand my horizons. For example, I SHOULD like olive, but as of now, I do not. I need to try to introduce them into my palette.

That's it for now. Stay tuned for yummy foods!