Easy Creamy Tomato Goat Cheese Pasta

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2009

4.5 stars (out of 5 - great pasta sauce! And easy too!)

I had forgotten about goat cheese pasta sauce until today, so I thought I would try it again. I think it was LX who originally made it for me, but I can't quite remember. I decided to spice up the recipe this time by adding some of my own ingredients. We will see how it goes..!

Ingredients (for 2 people):

Tomato pasta sauce (about 1.5 cups)
Goat cheese (1 pack soft goat cheese.. I used peppercorn)
Fresh spinach
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped pecans (or any nut)
Sliced kalamata olives (optional)
1 tbsp olive oil
Pasta of your choice

1. I started this recipe when the pasta had 10 minutes left to cook. First I heated the frying pan with some olive oil, and threw in the pecans, attempting to brown them. I ended up "blackening" quite a few of them! Oops. But I just threw out the burnt bits and went on...

2. I then added the goat cheese, and melted it slightly.


3. I poured in about 1.5 cups of tomato sauce and mixed everything. I basically wanted it to be creamy, but not over-powering.


4. After this was all mixed up, I added the spinach and waited for it to cook.


5. Once cooked, I served over a bed of fettuccine, with some garlic bread.




It turned out delicious! I was very happy with it :)

Slow-Simmered Curry Chicken with Bruschetta Appy

TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2009

3 stars (out of 5 - okay, but could be improved (see notes below))

Today LX is coming for dinner, so I wanted to try out the slow-cooker again. I like to use it when company comes over because then I'm not running around the kitchen cooking while they are here. SB and I decided on this slow-cook curry recipe, but I'm not completely sold as its base consists of salsa. We'll see - but I'm nervous about how it will turn out.

Ingredients*:

1.5 cups coursely chopped onion
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-size pieces*
1 cup medium salsa*
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup fresh cilantro* (for dry see below)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp curry powder
3/4 tsp salt
Hot cooked rice

*{note. I used chicken thighs, as it has been my experience that chicken breasts are too lean to taste good after slow-cooking (too dry). I also only had dry cilantro, so I converted my 1/4 cup fresh to approximately 4 tsp dry... we'll see how that goes! For the vegetarian version, I followed the exact same steps, but used Yves Veggie Tenders (chicken) instead.

It was also suggested to me by LX and SB that it could be way less spicy - which I agree. Therefore, I would use mild salsa. I think as it cooked, the spices really came out and it was hot hot hot. Finally, LX suggested some additional spices to add flavour, such as adding a tsp or so of cumin. I also added quite a bit of curry powder in the end.}

1. First I chopped the onion and peppers and placed them at the bottom of my 4.5 qt slow-cooker.

2. I then placed the chopped chicken on top (I also have to thank SB for preparing the chicken yesterday - I just can't bring myself to cut off the fat and snip the meat up. Blaah).

3. I then combined the salsa, ginger, and garlic powder in a small bowl. By the way, does anyone actually know how to grate ginger? Impossible! I just turned to a juicy mush, and I was left with this weird stringy ginger in my hand. For my pot (my second prep of the dish), I ended up just "peeling" the ginger in with a potato peeler.

4. I spooned this combo over top of the chicken, and spread it out evenly. I added about 1/2 of the cilantro at this point- I think that dry herbs taste better cooked for a while, but I didn't want to add to much. I hope this is okay!

5. I placed the slow-cooker on high for 30 minutes, then on low for 5-6 hours, or until chicken was tender.

6. I then combined the remaining cilantro (2 tsp), sugar, curry powder, and salt in a small bowl and set it aside. I will add this to the slow-cooker for the final 30 minutes of cooking.

7. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, I added the remaining spices and started the rice. I ended up adding a lot more curry powder for flavour, and you could also add some cumin. When I opened the lid, it was very very liquidy inside, so I stirred it and let it cook with the lid off for a while. However, note that when you stir it, the meat is so tender that it falls apart a bit. I had to be careful!

8. When the rice was ready (I used Basmati), I served it onto the plates and spooned the curried chicken over top. I served a lot of rice, since it was so spicy!

Here is the meat one:

And here is the vegetarian one:


Overall, it was good, but could use less spice and more flavour. In the end my worries about the salsa were unfounded - surprisingly it mixed well with the curry flavours and had enough liquid in it to make the meat very tender. My veggy meat also held up very well in the slow-cooker, and was nice and tender.

Bruschetta

I also wanted to do a quick appetizer for when LX was here. I needed something sans dairy, and also something I didn't have to run to the store for! I decided on bruschetta, as I had two tomatoes in my fridge. This recipe is a bit of a cheat, as I use a mix, but I love this mix and it's easy! My mom buys them for me, and I'll post a picture in case anyone ever wants to look for it.

Ingredients:

4 ripe Italian tomatoes
1 tbsp bruschetta mix
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh basil (or more... I love it!)
Fresh garlic (optional)

We actually had 1/2 a baguette left from yesterday, so it worked out almost perfectly (the baguette does not need to be super fresh, as you toast it before serving). The only thing I was missing was the fresh basil... so it should be good, but always better with the basil. As you can see below, I also halved the recipe, as it was only for LX and I.

1. I chopped the tomatoes coarsely, and placed it in a small bowl. It's okay if some of the liquids get in the bowl, as it helps dissolve the dry mix. I then added the mix and lemon juice (you would also add the basil here), and stirred well.

2. I covered and placed it in the fridge until tonight (the longer the better). DO NOT add any garlic to this mix- it gets very very garlicky on its own.

3. To serve, I sliced the baguette and threw the slices in the oven until toasted. Then I served them with bruschetta on top. There is also the option of rubbing some fresh garlic on the bread before adding the bruschetta, but the last time I did this, it was so strong it basically burnt my mouth. Therefore, do so with caution.

Spinach and Feta Quiche with Home-made Crust

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2009

3.5 stars (out of 5 - pretty good, but a lot of work when you make your own crust)

All-Butter Crust:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (see pic)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 to 3 tbsp ice water

1. First, I cut the butter into cubes:

2. I then placed the butter into a food processor, and added the flour, salt, and sugar on top. You can do it by hand, but I am lazy!

3. I pulsed the food-processor approximately 10 times, until the batter resembled little peas:

4. I then added the water, 1 tablespoon at a time. When it started to stick together, I scooped it out of the processor and molded it by hand.

5. I then put it in some saran-wrap and placed it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes (during this time, I started mixing the ingredients of the quiche).

6. When it was chilled, I rolled it out with a rolling pin. I tried coating the rolling pin with flour, but it still stuck pretty badly. I rolled it out until it was just a few millimetres thick. Notice how I didn't really care about the shape of the dough (just somewhat round). This is because when you try to transfer it to the pie plate, it just falls apart anyways.

7. I then transferred the crust to the pie plate. As it falls apart, I did this in pieces and then just molded it together with my fingertips. Looks gross, but it will be covered by the quiche anyways! I then pricked it a bunch of times with a fork to prevent it from rising during baking.

8. After it was prepared, I stuck it in the oven at 350F for about 20-30 minutes. The recipe calls for it to be cooked for 20 minutes with "baking weights", but since I have no idea what those are, and nor do I care, I just do 20 minutes, check it, and then add a few minutes when it is needed. Once out of the oven, cool slightly before adding the quiche mixture.

Feta and Spinach Quiche:

1 package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed (about 300g)
3/4 package of Feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup cottage cheese
Green onions (about 1/2 of a small bunch), chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dry basil (or a seasoning of your choice - I use Herbes de Provence)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder or garlic salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk

1. First, I defrosted the spinach in the microwave. I do this first so that it can cool while I mix the other ingredients. I then combined the feta, cottage cheese, green onions, olive oil, basil, pepper, and garlic powder. The recipe says to blend until smooth but I a) am too lazy, and b) like it chunky (especially the feta). I then squeezed the spinach until it was fairly dry and added it to the bowl. After it was all mixed up, I added the milk and egg.

2. I poured this mixture into the cooled pie crust and placed it in the oven for 35-40 minutes at 325F.

3. I let it cool for 5-10 minutes and...




4. ...voila! Serve with salad.

Delicious Asparagus Crepes w/ Cheese Sauce (Brunch)

SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2009

5 stars (out of 5 - Delicious Brunch!)

Today we waited until quite late to eat brunch, so we went for something substantial: asparagus crepes. This is my favourite brunch meal to indulge in. They are a bit of work, but SB and I work as a team (I do most of the prep/clean-up; he does the frying/stirring), which makes it easy.

The following is for eight crepes (we only made four and just halved all the recipes).

Here is what you need:

Approximately 32 stalks of asparagus (approx. 4 per crepe)

Crepes: (we just find recipes off of the Internet, but you can always use diluted pancake mix. Just make sure that they are THIN: they will puff up in the oven as well, and then I find it can be too "dough-y")

1 cup flour
2 eggs
350 mL milk
1 pinch salt
Oil to cook

Cheese Sauce: (note: we divide this recipe in half (except the cheese!) in order to make 4 crepes)

4 tbsp butter or margarine
4 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (maybe more!)

1. First, we broke the ends off of the asparagus, broke them in half, and stuck them in the steamer. We cooked these until they were tender crisp.

2. After they were cooked, I rinsed the asparagus under cold water, and divided and laid them on the (clean) counter (they need to be dry, and it makes it easier for later).


3. As the asparagus was steaming, we mixed up all the ingredients for the crepe batter, and heated a pan over medium heat to cook them.

4. We then spread the crepe batter VERY thin in the pan to cook: you DO NOT want it thick, as it will puff up further in the oven.


5. As the crepes were cooking, we started the cheese sauce. First, we melted the butter and flour together, stirring constantly.


6. When it thickened, we added the seasonings, and then slowly added the milk, and stirred until it was smooth. We then added the cheese, and stirred again until smooth.


7. As the cheese sauce was being prepared, I took the cooked crepes and spread the asparagus on them (in the centre). I like to cut off any excess crepe, so it's not too "dough-y". I then placed them into a greased pan.

8. Once the crepes and cheese sauce were all prepared, we poured the cheese sauce over the crepes and placed them in the oven for 20 minutes at 350F (enough time to clean the kitchen!)

Delicious!

(the picture didn't look so delicious, so I didn't post it!)

Chicken Cordon Bleu

SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2009

4.5 stars (out of 5 - an easy dish to mix things up!)

Sunday night I decided to go for an easy, but (apparently) fairly-delicious classic: Chicken Cordon Bleu. I find it's easy to make and is somewhat impressive.

For this you will need (this is for 1 person, adjust accordingly):

2 chicken cutlets*
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I use cheddar, but I think Swiss is the original recipe)
2 thin slices of cooked ham
1-2 tsp Italian seasoning
Salt and Pepper
1 egg
1 cup breadcrumbs
Toothpicks
Parsley for presentation

* You can also use chicken breasts. Simply slice them length-wise, and fold open (like a book). Then use a meat mallot to pound the meat until it's even. I find this a bit, ugh... gross, so I just buy the cutlets.

1. First I laid out the cutlets, and seasoned with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning (you can use what you want). With the Italian seasoning, I try to pick out the big rosemary stems because they don't soften and just stab people in the mouth. Not pleasant.

2. Next, I laid one slice of ham on top of each cutlet, and coated them with the shredded cheese. SB likes a lot of strong cheese, so I added quite a bit of extra-old cheddar. Do as you please. You can also use cheese slices.

3. The third step was to carefully roll the cutlets up. I made sure to tuck the end of the ham over so it doesn't stick out. I then secured the roll with a bunch of toothpicks. It's always good to remember how many toothpicks you used so that you don't forget to take one out and stab someone's mouth!

4. Next, I whisked the egg up in a bowl. I used the egg to help adhere the breadcrumbs to the cutlets, but if you don't have eggs, you can also use a mayo-water combo. I coated each roll with egg.

5. In a separate dish, I laid out some breadcrumbs and stuck the coated rolls into it, pouring extra breadcrumbs on top. I find this part a bit messy, but also I'm a spazz in the kitchen, so maybe other people have a better way of doing this.

6. Once coated I stuck them on a baking pan (sorry about the pic- apparently tinfoil doesn't photograph so well), and popped them in the oven for 20 minutes at 425F, or until cooked.

7. Once I removed them from the oven, I took out the toothpicks, placed them on the plate and served with a side of asparagus and mashed potatoes. You can also garnish with the parsley, but in the end my parsley smelled like dirty feet so I decided not to!

8. Here is a picture of the roll... I need a better camera!

Company's Coming! Provencal Lemon and Olive Chicken (with Baked Tomato side)

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2009

4.5 stars (out of 5 - highly recommended!)

We're having PT over tonight for dinner, so I wanted to cook something: a) delicious (!), and b) from the slow-cooker, as it was a gift from him (and others) for my birthday. I had previously made this chicken recipe for SB, who liked it quite a bit, so I decided to try it again, but this time taking into consideration SB's feedback (primarily, less lemon!). Hopefully, it goes well again!

This recipe called for:

2 cups chopped onion**
8 skinless chicken thighs (approx 2.5 lbs, but I use less)
1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeds removed (I use less!)*
1 cup pitted green olives
1 tbsp olive brine from jar or white vinegar
1 tsp herbes de Provence
1 bay leaf* (I skip this)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

*{note revisions. I use less lemon. Instead of doing full slices, I am going to use quarter slices. It was too "lemon-y" last time. Also, I can never find bay leaves, so I left it out. Might be good though, but I can't vouch for it!}

**{note revisions. After using a quarter slice of lemon, I now recommend 1/2 slices of lemon... rrr. Also, I only ended up using about 1 1/2 cups of onion - basically until the bottom of the slow-cooker was covered. It seems like a lot, but they are great after cooking for 6 hours!}

Just a small tip- get one of these: (Perfect for chopping copious amounts of onion!)

1. First I placed the onion in a 4.5 qt slow-cooker (the recipe calls for a 4 qt. but I want to use my good one!). I also put on my sunglasses because I was crying so hard after chopping that much onion. I also tried to cut most of the fat off of the thighs, but started to feel nauseous so I stopped (in the end it didn't matter). I arranged the chicken thighs over the onion, and placed a quarter lemon slice on top of each thigh. I added the olives (a lot, as SB is an olive-monster), brine, herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper, and slowly poured the chicken broth over top.

2. I then cooked the chicken on high for 1 hour, turning it down to low for 4.5 hours. The recipe actually called for it to be cooked on low for 5-6 hours, or on high for 3-3.5 hours, but I like to get the chicken hot quickly, as I'm afraid of giving people food poisoning! In the meantime, I could get everything all set up (or SB could!)

3. I was also able to make some sides. First, I decided on some baked tomatoes. They're the easiest thing to make, and I like the colour they bring to the plate. To make these, I sliced the tops off of three tomatoes, sprinkled with salt, pepper, Italian bread crumbs, and some parmesan (optional). What I did for this meal was to prepare them beforehand, place them on a baking sheet, cover, and place in the fridge until about 20 minutes before I wanted to eat. At this point, place in the oven for 20 minutes at 350F. As you can see from the picture, I also made myself my usual chick'n breast (I guess I'm really craving protein this week!).

4. After 5 1/2 hours, the chicken was ready. I served it with the tomatoes and a side of mashed potatoes. I served some of my couscous (not pictured - for recipe see previous entry), as I thought the tomato, olive, lemon combo would go well with the plate.

My version, looking a lot less appealing:

Overall, this meal is a great thing to cook when you have company over. It's quick, easy, and you can do most of the work in the afternoon (which I particularly appreciate- I'm not known for my ability to cook under pressure). Also, your house smells great!

Puppy: