the ole standby

Everyone has that dish that they make over and over again. It's the meal you can rely on, the one that's quick to make, tastes delicious, and always hits the spot. It doesn't matter if your standby comes from a box, a bag, or you make it from scratch, it's there for you when you don't have the time. 


It's been one of those weeks... early mornings, late nights, hard workouts (ugh). When I'm having one of those days, or even those weeks, I turn to spinach chicken. No clever name, no complicated recipe... just quick, easy, simple food that hits the spot. About 2 years into dating Matt one of our friends asked him what his favorite dish I made was. He replied "Spinach Chicken". "What?!" I said. Really? He's so easy to please! I'll take it! 


If you're having one of those weeks, heck, even if you're not... spinach chicken can be your new best friend too!

Spinach Chicken
yields 5 - 6 servings


ingredients:
5-6 chicken breasts
1 shallot minced
2-3 garlic cloves minced
3 c. spinach leaves
4 T. (1 good glug) white wine - i like chardonnay, use what you have...
2 oz reduced fat cream cheese (about ¼ c.)
2 T. parmesan cheese
salt + pepper


Preheat oven to 350º. In a saucepan, heat a small drizzle of oil in the bottom of the pan. I use olive oil but anything to coat the bottom of the pan will do. Once pan heats up, add shallot. After 3 - 4 minutes add the garlic and cook one minute more. Add spinach and let it start to wilt. Once spinach starts to cook down a bit, add white wine (the steam will help it wilt completely). Finally add cream cheese and parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.


On a baking sheet, line your chicken breasts. Evenly spread cheese mixture over chicken breasts and cook in oven for about 15 - 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through. It may take more or less time depending on the thickness and size of your chicken breasts. 


Serve with your favorite side(s). I usually do roasted potatoes and veggies or brown rice. You can even chop it up and place it over your favorite pasta. 


improv style:
the recipe is very flexible... basically you're creating a flavor spread to bake chicken with. if you don't have cream cheese you can use mascarpone, goat cheese, ricotta, or even brie! full fat, fat free, any work... the only thing you sacrifice with fat free is texture and a little flavor (it all depends on what your preference is). add a dash or worsteshire or dijon mustard to add more flavor. you can substitute yellow or sweet onions for the shallots or leave them out if you're not a fan. LOVE garlic?! add more... don't like wine? don't put it in. you can usually substitute chicken stock or any basic stock when a recipe calls for booze. also, adding in some mushrooms to this mixture would be so tasty! you can add your favorite veggies... red bell peppers, arugula, kale, sun dried tomatoes, eggplant - you get my drift?! mix and match your favorites! it's a really flexible recipe and very forgiving.

NUTS for pie

A few weeks ago my family came to town for a little visit. It was the first time since moving to Chicago that they came to town. I was so excited for them to see our new place and our new city.


Growing up, whenever guests would come to visit, my mom always made sure to have their favorite foods stocked in our pantry. It was her way of making people feel at home in our home. And while our apartment is way too small to host my 3 sisters and my parents for 3 nights, I wanted them to feel the same way at our place. To say I'm my mother's daughter would be the understatement of the year.


My dad goes CRAZY for macadamia nuts. My mom can never keep a can in our house without him finding and depleting her entire supply. She even hides the container deep in the pantry. It's like my dad has a super mac nut radar. One year my dad found the can and left an IOU note inside the empty canister. When my mom went to bake her fully-loaded cookies she was short 2 cups of nuts, left only with a cheeky note from my dad. He is a piece of work... and I love him for it!


I knew when my family came to visit that I wanted to make something special for him. I decided to combine 2 of my dad's favorite things and make him his dream dessert (more like what I imagined his dream dessert to be)! He has a weakness for key lime pie so I combined the custard of a key lime pie with a macadamia nut crust, HELLO!


The look on his face when he ate that dessert was priceless. THIS is why I love to cook. To bring smiles to peoples faces and joy to their bellies. I had such an amazing time while my family was in town. I wish they could have stayed longer! 

Key Lime Pie with Macadamia Nut Crust
from alton brown and cooking weekends
ingredients:
for the crust
1 ¼ c. toasted macadamia nuts
½ c. panko bread crumbs
¼ c. sugar
2 T. flour
¼ t. salt
4 T melted butter


for the filling
¾ c. key lime juice (about 10-12 limes)
1 T. lime zest (from 2 limes)
4 egg yolks
1 - 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk


for the topping
1 c. whipping cream
2 T. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 375º. For the crust, lightly toast your nuts in a pan on the stovetop or in an oven. Be careful not to burn your nuts! Set them aside and let them cool. Once cooled, place in a food processor and pulse until they're a fine powder. Add panko, sugar, flour, and salt - give it a few pulses until combined. Pour the melted butter over the mixture and dump in a pie dish (you can use a spring form or tart pan also). Press the mixture into an even layer that comes half way up the side of the dish.  Bake for 10 minutes. Note the crust won't be fully cooked, that's ok. It will finish cooking once you place the custard in it and bake it off!


While the tart is baking, you can assemble your filling. Squeeze juice from about 10 limes until you have ¾ c. of lime juice. In a medium bowl, whisk condensed milk and egg yolks together. Then add zest and lime juice. I like my filling really tart. If you like yours on the sweeter side you can use less lime juice. I find the zest adds a lot of flavor to the tart. If you don't like the consistency, you can definitely leave it out.

Pour the mixture into the baked crust and cook for an additional 15 minutes until the custard is set. It's done when the filling is firm but still jiggles. Let cool for an hour and then place in fridge for at least 4 hours (you want it to get cold... if it's cold enough for you after 1, 2... you get the idea). You can even make this the day before and add the whipped topping right before serving.

For the whipped topping, place heavy cream in a bowl and beat on high until soft peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla extract and continue whipping until firm peaks form. Place in a piping bag or ziplock bag with a hole cut in the corner and pipe onto the outer edge of the pie. You want to make sure your pie is all the way chilled or the whipped topping will just melt onto the tart. 


improv style:
the first place to change this recipe is the crust. you can do a traditional graham cracker crust, use vanilla wafers, or substitute the macadamia nuts for your favorite nut. i'm not a big fan of graham crackers so i'm always looking for new crusts to make. I took a crust recipe from one pie and combined it with the filling of another. BAKING IS NOT WRITTEN IN STONE, you can alter it any way you like! all you have to do is use common sense... keep the liquid equal and keep the dry ingredients equal. 


the second place you can improvise is with the filling. i actually cheated and used regular limes because my grocery store didn't have any key limes. it turned out just the same to me! you can leave out the zest or use less if the texture bothers you. i like A LOT of lime flavor to come through and the zest makes all the difference in the world for that. if you like your pie on the sweeter side, you can use ½ c. lime juice instead. also, you don't have to use fresh limes. you can buy the bottled juice and it will still turn out. i prefer fresh but that's how i like to cook. if you can't be bothered to squeeze limes, don't! 

tiraMOsu

I used to HATE tiramisu. I don't know why, something about soggy espresso soaked cake with cream that just didn't do it for me. When I moved to Rome,  I went from hate to love in 0 to 60 seconds.

I was out to dinner with a group of girls from my study abroad program. Everyone wanted to get some dessert at the end of our meal so they ordered a tiramisu for the table. Because I can't resist a little something sweet after dinner I decided to have a bite despite the fact that I didn't like it. What can I say, I ended up LOVING it. I don't know if I was just embracing all things Italy or if my palate changed but tiramisu tasted like heaven!

From then on, at every restaurant I went to in Italy, and I mean every restaurant, I ordered a tiramisu. It became something of a ritual for me and my roomie Ashley. Any time we went to dinner we'd order a tiramisu to share. Every time it came to the table we were shocked and surprised because no two tiramisu's were alike. We had it in pudding form, in thick almost frozen form, schlop it out of your mama's caserole dish form... you get the idea.

About halfway through our time in Italy a group of classmates and I took a cooking class. For dessert, the man taught us how to make, yep, tiramisu! I learned some key tricks in making the perfect tiramisu and I have to admit, it was VERY tasty. 

Over the years I have tweaked the recipe until I came up with MY perfect tiramisu. It's inspired by all the variations I had while eating in Italy. I took my favorite parts and replicated them. Heavy on the cream, a hint of booze, lots of chocolate and perfectly tender but not soggy lady fingers. I hope you enjoy my tiraMOsu!

tiraMosu

ingredients:

3 T. instant espresso powder

1 ½ c. water

4 T. dark rum

2 - 8 oz containers of mascarpone @ room temperature

1 t. vanilla extract

1 c. heavy whipping cream

8 egg yolks*

½ c. granulated sugar

1 T. dark rum

4 T. dark chocolate powder

6 oz dark chocolate

2 boxes (~60) dry biscuit lady fingers**

yields ~9 servings

Boil water and place in a shallow bowl. Add espresso powder and stir to dissolve. Add 4 T. of dark rum (or booze of your choice - see improv options below). Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, beat egg yolks with sugar on high until it becomes light and forms ribbons. Add 1 T. dark rum (or booze) and softened mascarpone and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. In a separate bowl beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to turn it to butter though! A trick for whipping cream faster is to place your bowl and beaters in the freezer before whipping. Gently fold half of the whipped cream mixture into the mascarpone mixture. Then add remaining whipping cream mixture, stir just until incorporated.

You're all set to assemble! I use a 9x9 glass container to put my ingredients into. Start by quickly dipping 1 ladyfinger in the espresso mixture. This is the key to the perfect tiramisu... make sure you don't dip the cookies for too long, they'll get soggy. Literally drop the cookie in, flip it real quick and pull it out. Place them in a single layer in the baking dish. Place layer of cream mixture on top and evenly spread. Lightly dust cream with dark chocolate powder and shave some dark chocolate on the layer. Add another layer of dipped ladyfingers and then another layer of cream, chocolate powder and chocolate shavings. 

Here's where I shock you... this is best if you make it 4 - 5 days in advance. I know, it sounds gross but all the flavors blend together and the texture becomes incredibly rich and thick and decadent. If you can't wait, by all means dive in. But patience is a virtue with this dish and I would make it a few days in advance if you can. 

* note i don't cook my zabaione (the cream, egg, marscapone mixture). you should use the freshest eggs possible to avoid getting sick.

** make sure you get the hard cookies, not the soft ladyfingers found in the freezer or refrigerator sections. They should have the sugar crust on one side and snap when broken in half. 

improv style:

i like my tiramisu heavy on the cream, if you like more of a balance or more cake, halve the cream mixture. if you don't have dark rum, you can substitute it for a brandy, cognac, marsala, kahlua or coffee/chocolate liquor. you can also leave the alcohol out if you're serving it to kids or don't like booze. if you like your tiramisu to be on the wet side, you can pour some of the espresso mixture over the lady fingers so that they get a little soggy. experiment with different techniques and flavor combinations until you make your perfect tiraMEsu!

BACONFEST!!

This weekend I officially had my mind blown by Chicago. They have a festival called Baconfest, yes, BACONFEST! How could I not love my new city when it has a festival devoted entirely to bacon?! To say I love bacon would be an understatement. And while I try not to eat it too often, Baconfest was definitely a great reason to splurge! 


Funny story about bacon... when I was about 8 years old I ate an entire package of bacon with breakfast. My mom joked with me that I was going to die an early death from clogged arteries. Me being stubborn as I am replied "Fine, I'm never eating bacon again!". And I didn't, for about 8 years. I don't know what I was thinking... bacon is too delicious to not eat and life is too short to live without bacon! 


On to the main event, Baconfest details! TONS of famous chefs and restaurants from around Chicago came to share their hog inspired dishes. The most innovative and my personal favorite from the event was the bacon cannoli. It BLEW my mind! Some other highlights were the crispy polenta cake with cheese fondue and bacon ragu, creole bacon sauce over cheesy grits with jalapeno bacon cornbread, maple bourbon ice cream root beer float with bacon jimmies, and bacon soup. I even got to meet Girl and the Goat's Stephanie Izard, Top Chef Season 4 winner - she ROCKS! Her bacon soup for the event was complex and bursting with flavor! Nom nom nom!

In honor of Baconfest, I thought I'd share one of my favorite but simple bacon dishes, enjoy!


Arugula, Bacon + Date Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

ingredients:
for the dressing:
3 T. olive oil 
1 T. dijon mustard
½ T. aged balsamic vinegar 
½ lemon - about 1 T. juice
1 small clove garlic minced
salt + pepper


for the salad:
3 c. arugula
6 slices of crispy bacon
6 dates diced
¼ c. shaved parmesan


For the dressing mix ingredients together with a whisk until it emulsifies. That's a fancy way to say it becomes thick like a salad dressing. I use a 25 year aged balsamic vinegar because i find the flavor to be less harsh and the thickness adds great texture. If you don't have an aged balsamic you can make a reduction of regular balsamic vinegar to achieve similar flavor/consistency.


Throw your greens, bacon, and dates into a bowl and toss with the dressing. Be careful not to add too much dressing, you can always add more. Toss and top with shaved parmesan. Simple, quick, and so tasty! 


improv style:
if you don't have dates, candied pecans would be great as a substitution or in addition. you can do a reduction of regular balsamic vinegar if you don't have aged balsamic. try it with turkey bacon if you're trying to be healthy or leave it out to make it vegetarian. if you're not a fan of arugula i really encourage you to try it in this dish. I don't usually love it either but there's something about the pepperiness that works really well with the salty bacon and sweet dates. If you still aren't buying it, this salad would be great with mixed greens or an italian blend. 

feeling naked

I have some amazing friends. I know everyone thinks that they have great friends, but I'm pretty sure mine are better! 


I've been so busy with getting settled in this new city, with the new job, cooking, and trying to explore the city that I've been VERY good at procrastinating the design and branding of my site. My blog, to say the least has been incredibly naked. 


I wrote one of my amazingly talented friends from AD school telling her that when I finally got around to designing my blog's logo that I would be channeling her. She always had killer designs and ideas (I was always a little jealous of her talent). Seriously, check out her work, she's incredible! 


Well, I sent that email and a month came and went. Guess what I never got around to doing... Friday morning I opened my email and there it was with the subject line: "SURPRISE!". My amazingly talented friend decided to mock up an AWESOME logo idea. 

THANK YOU NICOLE, you made my day! Now I have to actually get down and dirty and lay this site out properly! Maybe I can get to that this weekend? Hopefully another month doesn't come and go before that happens! 


I am so overwhelmed by the love my friends and family have been sending my way. I'm so glad everyone is enjoying the stories and recipes I share here! Now if I can only get you all to post comments on my blog instead of my facebook posts about my blog, haha!


Have a great week everyone! 

boozy brunch

I LOVE brunch. It's my favorite meal of the week! One day I dream of owning a brunch restaurant. I often think of all of the awesome things that would be on my menu. A girl can dream, right?

My favorite brunch beverage is a bellini. There's nothing better than a champagne flute filled with bubbly and a kiss of peach nectar, mmmm. I had my first bellini in Venice at Harry's bar (where bellini's are said to have originated). It was one of Hemingway's favorite places to sit and write - or so I'm told. Regardless, I was introduced to the bellini and I was forever changed.

When I think of a boozy brunch the first two drinks that come to mind are mimosas and bloody marys. I love an excuse to pop open a little bubbly, and brunch is the perfect excuse! Bloody marys on the other hand aren't my favorite. Yes, I said it, I'm not a fan. To me it tastes like cold spiced tomato soup with vodka, yuck! That being said, I know that it's a favorite among many and making a good bloody mary is a desired skill. I was thinking about how to put a fun twist on brunch when suddenly it hit me... jello shots, BLOODY MARY JELLO SHOTS! No? Sound weird? SO!

To me it sounded like fun and I don't even like bloody marys. I decided to take my wacky idea and run with it. I've seen people make jello shots in orange peels so why not make a breakfast version and do bloody mary jello shots in celery sticks?! Maybe I'm crazy but I think it's fun. I know my sorority sisters would love them, too!

I showed up to brunch at my cousins with these little bite sized shots and my whole family thought I was nuts. The only way to describe them is by saying trippy. I love when a dish can take you to a place you've never been before. Sort of like the first time I had jalapeno chocolate ice cream. It was cold and spicy and it totally confused and excited my taste buds. These jello shots are crunchy but jelly and a little spicy and cold... it's a unique experience!

They're very unique and fun. They take a little time to make but they're worth it for the wow factor. Try them and let me know if you think jello shots belong at the brunch table. They're sure to be the center of conversation among your brunchees.

Bloody Mary Jello Shots

Ingredients:

5 celery sticks

1 c. tomato juice

1 packet knox gelatin

¼ t. lemon juice

¼ t. garlic powder

¼ t. onion powder

¼ t. pepper

¼ t. salt

squirt of worcestershire sauce

squirt of tabasco sauce

¾ c. vodka

Mix all ingredients except the vodka, gelatin, and celery stalks in a pot over medium heat. When liquid is warmed, add gelatin and stir until dissolved. Pull mixture off the heat and let cool for 1 minute. Add vodka and then pour into celery stalks.

I put my celery stalks in a casserole dish so that the liquid wouldn't pour out. See the image below for reference. Some of the mixture will spill out but it's ok... you'll have plenty! I let my mixture sit for 3 minutes before I poured it into the celery stalks.

Place in fridge to set for at least 4 hours. Cut into bite sized pieces and enjoy! WARNING: do not attempt to swallow whole! These jello shots are meant to be chewed.

improv style:

you can use clamato juice or veggie juice instead of tomato. you can add your favorite bloody mary spices... jalapeno or pepperoni sticks would be an interesting twist. you can also make these in different vessels other than celery sticks, like inside of a jalapeno, pepperoncini or cherry tomato. you can also make them in regular cups if you don't have the celery sticks or the patience to make them. if you have a favorite spice style for your bloody mary's, use that instead. This is very flexible aside from the gelatin to liquid ratio... keep that the same. ginger would be a great spice to add in the mix.

lunchtime snoozfest

I try to be good and bring my lunch to work every day. Not only does it keep me healthy but it helps me save a TON of money every month. Ironically, I didn't bring my lunch today. The problem with packing a lunch most days is 1. I don't have a lot of time in the morning and 2. sandwiches, while easy, get boring day after day. My new mission is to come up with some tasty and easy lunches for work.

This recipe is my first solve for the boring sandwich blues. I love this pasta salad, it's easy and quick to make. It fits perfectly into a small tupperware container and I can get it ready the night before aka more time for me to sleep in the mornings! This recipe is packed with flavor and the whole grains fill me up!

Lime Cilantro Pasta Salad

ingredients:

for the dressing:

¼ c. red wine vinegar

¼ c. lime juice + zest

2 T. honey

1 small shallot minced

½ c. cilantro leaves packed

1 clove garlic

salt + pepper

for the salad:

1 c. whole wheat orzo pasta

2 chicken breasts (cooked and thinly sliced)

2 c. chicken broth

2 c. water

1 c. cherry tomatoes halved

cilantro leaves for garnish

yields 2 hearty servings

In a food processor, combine all the dressing ingredients and pulse until garlic, shallots, and cilantro leaves are pulverized (basically until you have your dressing at a consistency you like).

Meanwhile, heat chicken stock and water in a saucepan for the orzo. Cook orzo until al dente, drain pasta. Add lime cilantro dressing to the warm pasta. It will absorb more flavor this way. Combine chicken slices, tomatoes and cilantro leaves with the pasta. It's that easy! If you like, you can double the dressing recipe and marinade your chicken in it to add even more flavor.

improv style:

for the dressing you can substitute honey for agave nectar or a pinch of sugar instead. Also, you can make this with basil instead of cilantro and add mini mozzarella balls and tomatoes for an italian spin on the dish (think caprese salad)! the recipe isn't set in stone so substitute the herbs and veggies for ingredients you have on hand. don't have orzo? use a different pasta or even a quinoa or cous cous and make it gluten free! you can add some pine nuts or almonds for a bit of crunch too.