Chicken Piccata...Engagement Chicken a la Jackie

According to pop culture legend, there’s a roasted chicken recipe that will inspire your man to propose marriage. I never made the legendary "Engagement Chicken" recipe but I do think that my Chicken Piccata had something to do with my Husband popping the question. It was the first meal that I ever prepared for him back when we were dating. I made it all the time back then, and sure enough, not too long after I perfected the recipe, the ring was on my hand and we were walking down the aisle. It’s been almost 4 years of marriage, and this is still the only meal that the Husband asks me to make on a regular basis. Not only is Chicken Piccata a sentimental meal in our house, it's a good weeknight meal because the ingredient list is small and it takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. Double the recipe to have a nice lunch the next day.

Chicken Piccata



2 Chicken Breasts
Salt and Pepper
¼ Cup Dijon Mustard
1 egg, slightly beaten.
Breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
¼ cup dry white wine
¼ cup chicken stock
Juice of one half lemon (Slice the remaining lemon half into rings)
2 Tablespoons capers
1 Table spoon unsalted Butter (optional)
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Pat chicken breasts dry and season with salt and pepper. Mix the egg and Dijon mustard in a medium-sized bowl. Toss the seasoned chicken in the egg and Dijon mustard mixture and then remove chicken from mustard bowl and place it in a medium-sized bowl of breadcrumbs. Toss chicken in breadcrumbs until the breasts are thoroughly coated.

Heat the oil in a pan on medium-high heat until very hot. Add chicken and cook for about 4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Remove the cooked chicken and set aside. Add the white wine to the pan and deglaze, scraping up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Then add the chicken stock and lemon juice and capers and bring to a boil. Boil for about 2 minutes, or until slightly reduced. (If you’re not counting calories, swirl in the butter here.) Turn down the heat to medium, then add the chicken back to the pan along with the parsley and lemon slices and cook until the chicken is heated through again, about 2 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired.

Serve over a hearty pasts such as spatzel or over Linguine or Pappardelle tossed in olive oil and Parmesan cheese.

Lettuce Wraps: Part stir-fry, part salad...whole lot a’ goodness

I love PF Chang’s as much as the next girl, but I can’t get out of there without setting the scale back by at least 3 pounds (damn you, Kung Pao Scallops! Why must you contain nearly 1200 calories!?!). So in an effort to be healthy, instead of ordering out, I’ve ‘invented’ my own Lettuce Wraps recipe to suffice when I have a hankering for Chinese.



Recipe:
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
½ of a medium onion, sliced
2 scallions, white and green parts sliced thinly
1 clove garlic, minced
5 baby carrots, julienned
¼ red bell pepper, thinly sliced
¼ green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 large chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 serving whole wheat spaghetti noodles
¼-½ cup peanut dipping sauce (recipe follows)

Peanut Dipping Sauce (makes a little more than ¼ cup)
Scant ¼ cup chunky natural peanut butter
2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
one pinch each salt, pepper, garlic powder, ground ginger, crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
Stir all ingredients together.

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the onions, scallions, garlic, carrots and peppers and stir-fry quickly for about 2 minutes. Add the chicken cubes. Stir frequently until no longer pink (about 7 minutes). While the chicken is cooking, prepare the peanut sauce. When chicken is cooked through, add it to a bowl with the drained spaghetti and the peanut sauce. Mix well until all the pasta is coated with sauce. Garnish with a generous serving of chopped cilantro and sliced scallions and serve with a head of romaine or iceberg lettuce for wrapping the chicken-pasta mixture. Serves 2.

Delhi Belly

I was fortunate enough to travel to the Indian subcontinent a few years ago but at the time I traveled there, I wasn’t a big fan of the food. However, now that I’m back, I can’t seem to get enough Indian food. Go figure, right? Since I won’t be traveling to India anytime soon, I attempted a classic Lamb Curry on my own.

This was a great meal to make on a Sunday afternoon after a long, cold winter weekend. Even though this is a low-fat meal, it has just enough spice and complex flavors that leave you with a satsified feeling. This Lamb Curry is a great meal for many reasons including the fact that it doesn’t require much attention past the initial set-up. It’s also nice for the Husband (my Assistant Cook and Chief Bottle Washer) because it is a one-dish meal.


Recipe:
2 pound lamb- chopped into 1 inch cubes
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 Tablespoon grated ginger
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
3 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon caynene pepper
¾ of a 28oz can of peeled plum tomatoes, cut into chuncks (just use kitchen scissors while they’re in the can)
¼ cup plain, low fat yogurt

Heat oil on medium-high until very hot. Then, add the onions and stir gently until they’re soft and translucent. Then add in the garlic and ginger and keep stirring gently. Next, add the spices and keep stirring (the mixture should be somewhat dry). Stir for a few minutes until your house smells like [Insert Your Name Here]’s House of Curry. Next, add the chunks of lamb and stir gently for about 5 minutes or until the meat has fully browned. Add the tomatos and the plain yogurt. Adjust the heat to high to bring it to a boil.

Once boiling, cover the pot and turn down the heat to to the lowest setting. Leave for 30 minutes, then come back and stir once. Leave for another 30 minutes and then come back and stir once more. Repeat one more time (about 1 ½ hours totoal should have passed). Now you’re done!

Add additional salt or cayenne to suit your tastes and then garnish with a generous handful of fresh cilantro. Served with naan or basmati rice (or be a piggie like me and serve with both).

Namaste!

Sir Mix-A-Lot

Santa knows who has been naughty or nice and according to Santa, I'm nearing sainthood because he brought me one of the greatest gifts of all time (besides diamonds)...yep....a 6 Qt Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer.

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet my new crush, Sir Mix A Lot....


No, no, no......not THAT Sir Mix A Lot.....the Original Sir Mix A Lot...





Ahhhh......what more can a girl ask for???? ...........Except for maybe a giant bag of slightly overripe bananas. Oh my goodness, at $.59 for the whole bag of bananas, it was like Christmas all over again!!!



Armed with the bananas, I put Sir Mix A Lot to the test. 15 bananas and about 10 minutes later, we were in business:



Homemade Banana Bread, the perfect snack.


Ingredients for 1 loaf:
1 1/2 cup All purpose flour
1 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Salt
1 Egg
4 Ripe bananas
3/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Oil

Put the peeled bananas in the mixer bowl and mix on low speed until slightly smooth. Add sugar, eggs and oil and mix for about 2 minutes. Add the dry ingredients slowly so as to avoid a flour explosion and mix until just combined. Bake in a buttered loaf pan at 350 for about 45-50 minutes or a until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Polish Cooking 102: Polish Christmas Eve

My grandma Em was Polish and taught us how to celebrate Christmas Polish style. The true Polish Christmas Eve Dinner is a 12-course meatless dinner, but with my sister, Kristen, mixing the Egg Nog, our dinner ended up being only 7 courses including one course of Advil, but what the hell…we had a good time! I hope your holiday was special too.

Course 1: Kristen’s Christmas Eve Egg Nog

1 quart Egg Nog
½ cup Captain Morgan’s Rum
½ cup Southern Comfort
1 cup skim milk
1 pinch nutmeg

Course 2: Polish Mushroom Soup

This is a staple at my family’s Christmas Eve Dinner. In the past, we’ve used mushrooms that our relatives in Poland sent to us but we lost our hook-up when Aunt Sophie moved to Boston so we’re stuck with the ‘shrooms they had at Harris Teeter. I won’t complain though since my soup turned out way better then Grandmas ever did (sorry, Em!!)



Recipe:
½ cup onions, chopped
1 Tablespoon butter
1 pound fresh sliced mushrooms (I used baby bellas, Portabellas and white button mushrooms)
6 cups water
5 teaspoons beef flavored bouillon
¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Cook onions in butter in a large stockpot until slightly brown and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper. Add flour and cook for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Shortly before serving, remove about 3 cups of the soup and put in the blender with yogurt. Blend until smooth. Add back to soup, mix, heat to desired temperature and then serve soup with a dollop of sour cream and sliced green onions.


Course 3: Kristen’s Christmas Eve Egg Nog

Course 4: Pierogies


Course 5: Kristen’s Christmas Eve Egg Nog


Course 6: Prosciutto -Wrapped Scallops

½ cup sun dried tomato pesto
24 medium scallops
12 slices prosciutto

Preheat the oven to 350. Toss the scallops in the pesto and let marinate for about 5minutes. Meanwhile, cut each piece of prosciutto in half lengthwise. Wrap each scallop in a slice of prosciutto (and secure with a toothpick if necessary) and place in a buttered baking dish. Bake until scallop is cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Course 7: Advil to ease the wrath of the SoCo.

Cookie Mania

Christmas time at my house means cookies--LOTS and LOTS of cookies! For the past several years, my sister, D, and I have hosted a Christmas Cookie Decorating Party to get into the Holiday Spirit.

Our Cookie Party is different than the traditional "Cookie Exchanges" that are popular today. Our Cookie Party is where we bake a million (OK--about a thousand, but it feels like a million!) sugar and gingerbread cookies and invite the women in our family to come over for an afternoon of sugar and spice and everything nice. We provide the cookies, sprinkles and icing and let the ladies go to town. It's a great time for the ladies and the boys sure don't mind the take-aways.

Here are some pics from the much anticipated, never duplicated, 5th Annual Christmas Cookie Decorating Party. What a fun-filled way to start off the Christmas Season!

Step 1 (a week before the party): Measure the Ingredients and Get to Work. It's going to be a long day.....




Step 2 (Day-Of): Set-Up


Step 3: Ladies, Grab Your Pastry Bags



This year, we added a special event The 'Gingerbread' House Decorating Contest. Congratulations to our winner, P, and honorable mentions K and C.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the 5th Annual Cookie Party Participants!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

There's nothing better than spicy food when it's cold outside so Drew and I treated ourselves to my "Better-than-Take-Out" Thai Chicken Satay for dinner last night. It's a 30 minute meal that doesn't require looking for a parking space. A winner in my book!

Outside the office: Snowy and Cold!!!!!
Inside the house: Hot, Hot, Hot!!!!

Thai Chicken Sate

Chicken
Slice 2 chicken breasts into strips and season with Salt and Pepper. Marinate the chicken in 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce and 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil. Let the Chicken marinate for at least 15-20 minutes.

Thai Peanut Sauce
1 Tablespoon Toasted Sesame Oil
¼ cup onion, minced
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup dry roasted peanuts
1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 Tablespoons Thai Curry Paste [If you use green curry paste, add about 2 teaspoons of “Sriracha with Galanga” (Thai Red Chili Paste)]
¼ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
¼ to ½ cup water, depending on thickness desired
Salt and pepper

Grind peanuts and sugar in a food processor for a few pulses. In a separate bowl, stir the curry paste and about ¼ cup of water together until the paste is dissolved. Next, heat the oil in a skillet over moderately high heat until hot, then sauté the garlic and onions, stirring, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Add the peanut and sugar mixture and crushed red pepper and cook for about 1 minute stirring constantly. Stir in curry mixture and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add water as needed to reach desired consistency.

While sauce is coming to a boil, skewer the chicken on bamboo skewers and grill the meat on a grill pan for about 3-4 minutes per side.

Serve this Thai Chicken Satay with jasmine rice and of course, a good beer. I had an Amstel Light.