Fake chicken, how I love thee

Here is a classic Hailey moment: I come home from work ravenous and all I want to do is order Chinese food. Specifically, fake chicken from Shanghai Cafe. Sadly for me, they are located in SLC. I haven't found a Park City comparison, YET. I stand defeated in my kitchen, depressed that I no longer have the convenience and deliciousness of my favorite eatery, pondering what else I can find before I eat my left hand. This is what I conjured on Friday night: broccoli, garlic, Campbell's cream of celery (I would have used cream of chicken if I had it), instant brown rice, cup of water, lemon pepper, a few shreds of parmesan cheese to make it less ghetto. Seriously, such a lame second to fake chicken, but it was filling, cheap and FAST. You could add meat, swap out the broccoli for another veggie, try curry powder instead of lemon pepper, use noodles instead of rice. Use your imagination! If anyone knows of a Park City remedy to my fake chicken fetish, please let me know!




Depressed because I can't order fake chicken broccoli and rice
1 can Campbell's soup (cream of chicken, celery, mushroom)
1 cup water
1 cup instant brown rice
2 heads broccoli, chopped into bite-sized chunks
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs lemon pepper
parmesan cheese

In a large pan with a lid, saute garlic and broccoli over medium heat. Add the soup. Use the soup can and fill it with water, scraping down the sides. Pour into pan. Add rice and lemon pepper. Turn heat to low and cover with a lid. Allow to simmer 15 minutes or until rice is cooked. Top with cheese. Dream of fake chicken.

Bye, bye tomatoes

One of the things I miss most about living in Salt Lake is my garden. For those of you saw it in year's past, it was a thing of beauty. An enormous, prolific and utterly awesome thing of beauty. One summer, I had 18 tomato plants. Yep, your eyes did not deceive you. 18 plants! I didn't waste my time with Early Girls or Big Boys; I planted heirloom beauties like Green Zebra, Brandywine, Black Krim, Cherokee Purple. To say I had an obsession over my garden is to say humans need oxygen to breath. I loved it. And I miss it.

So when my friend Christie started bringing tomatoes to the office from her Heber garden, I started hoarding all of her offerings. I could hear her coming down the stairs with bags of tomatoes, and I would quickly snake them all. Sorry office-mates. I have a disease. In fact, the name of this blog was almost TomatoEnvy. Here's an homage to the last of the season's tomatoes. Until next year.

Roasted Tomato Tart

Look mom, I made my own crust! Store-bought is fine, too.

Crust:

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 sugar

1 stick butter, right out of the fridge

3 tbs water

In a food processor, add flour, salt and sugar. Pulse to mix. Gradually add slices of the butter. Finally, add the water, one tablespoon at a time. Continue to pulse until dough forms a ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least half an hour. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove the dough from the fridge and start working into a disk. Place the dough into a pie pan and evenly press up the sides of the pan. Once evenly distributed, use the tines of a fork to poke holes into the dough. Bake 30-34 or until crust is golden. Set aside.

Filling:

10-15 plum tomatoes, sliced

1 cup goat cheese

2 tbs dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

3 large eggs

1/2 cup half and half

handful Italian parsley, minced

parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

Evenly spread mustard over the pie crust and sprinkle with goat cheese. Layer tomatoes around crust, overlapping as you go. In a large bowl, mix eggs, herbs, half and half, salt and pepper. Pour evenly over tomatoes. Top tart with parmesan cheese, minced garlic and parsley. Bake 1 hour or until the custard has set.

This would be a wonderful brunch or dinner meal. I ate the leftovers with an over-easy egg, and it was fantastic!

Meat, good. Cheese, good.

As of late, my social calendar has been filled with friends, which means opportunities for me to cook meals that are impossible for a single person to consume.  Jay, you can either invite your entire department over for this dinner or just cut in half :-)

I get no greater pleasure than cooking for people who I love, or in the case of these enchiladas, friends I barely knew.  None-the-less, it is so gratifying to enjoy a glass of wine and good company over a meal that I cooked.  It may be narcissistic, but if you have never fed people, I dare you to try it.  It is addictive.  You will want to feed your neighbors, your friends, your boss, your siblings, your congressman.  These enchiladas are a perfect for that opportunity!

Chicken green chile and goat cheese enchiladas

5-6 chicken breast, skin removed

1 package small corn tortillas

2 cans diced green chiles

2 can green chile sauce

1 package mexican cheese blend

1 4 oz tub goat cheese

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbs cumin

1 tbs olive oil

1 tsp chili powder

2 tsps oregano

sriracha or hot sauce of your choice (add as much spice as you want)

handful cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup sour cream, more for garnish

salsa to garnish

s/p

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large pot, place chicken breasts and fill with water--just enough to cover the breasts.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer long enough for the chicken to be cooked through, about 20 minutes.  Cut/shred into chunks.

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high  heat.  Add onions and garlic.  Saute until translucent.  Add chiles and spices.  You may need to add some water (if I have a beer handy, I will usually use it instead) if the sauce looks to dry.  Add the diced chicken and minced cilantro Season with salt and pepper.  

In a large casserole dish, pour enough green chile sauce to cover the bottom.  Layer with tortillas.  Evenly spread half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas.  Sprinkle with goat cheese and shredded cheese.  Cover with green chile sauce.  Add another layer of tortillas, the remaining chicken and more cheese.  Top with tortillas, more sauce and more cheese.  Bake 45 minutes or until golden and bubbly.  Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Sorry Stoffers

My beautiful friend Jenn made a delicious pot pie on Friday night, and she inspired me to make my favorite version of this classic.  The fun thing about this recipe is you can add any root vegetables you like.  In my case, I enjoy including all of those strange turnip-looking-things in the produce section: rutabagas, turnips, parsnips.  Plus it's always fun to play stump the grocery checker :-) 

Chicken and root vegetable pot pie adapted from Epicurious

4 lbs chicken breats, skin removed

4-6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

3 potatoes, diced

2 turnips, peeled and diced

2 rutabagas, peeled and diced

2 parsnips, peeled and diced

handful spinach

1/2 stick butter

3 leeks, sliced

2 shallots, minced

2 tbs fresh thyme, minced

2 tbs flour

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup whipping cream

pie crust (I bought mine because I am afraid of pastry)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place chicken breasts in a large pot.  Add enough broth to cover breast.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook until chicken is just cooked through.  Remove chicken and reserve the broth.  Once chicken is cool enough to touch, cut into an even dice. Add the root vegetables to the reserved broth.  Simmer until vegetables are tender, about ten minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to a large casserole dish (or use two smaller ones).  Evenly distribute the spinach and chicken over the root vegetables.

Reserve 4 cups of the broth.  Melt butter in the same pot over medium heat.  Add shallots, leeks and thyme.  Saute until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add flour and stir 2 minutes.  Stir in wine and broth.  Increase heat to high and bring to a boil, be sure to stir constantly.  Add cream and boil until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour gravy over vegetable/chicken mixture.  Allow to cool before you place the pie crust.

Roll out the pie crust to ensure it is large enough to cover the entire casserole dish.  Trim any overhanging dough and seal around the edge.  Cut slits into the crust to allow the steam to escape.  Place pot pie in oven and bake until the crust is golden and the gravy is bubbling, about 50 minutes.  Let stand for 10 minutes before service.  

Sauerkraut: don't be afraid!

Growing up, my mom made dinner every night. She effortlessly managed our crazy household-shuttling three busy girls to soccer practice, girl scouts, piano lessons. And despite the mayhem, she made a point to cook homemade, healthy, delicious meals. One of my favorite dinners my mom made is pork and sauerkraut. The smell of the roasting meat permeates the house and makes you feel warm and fuzzy . . . and HUNGRY! I added some apples and onions to store-bought sauerkraut, and it was fantastic. Mashed potatoes, pork and sauerkraut with apple sauce on the side, I could die happy after a meal like this!

This photo is a little lackluster. Damn sunset at six-thirty.

Pork and sauerkraut

(You can either roast this in the oven for 3-4 hours or use a crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours)

1 pork roast, 4-5 lbs

1 large jar sauerkraut

1 apple, sliced

1 onion, sliced

1 tbs olive oil

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat a skillet over high heat. Season the pork roast liberally with salt and pepper. Add olive oil to pan and allow to get hot. Carefully sear the pork on all sides. Resist the urge to flip the pork too early--leave it alone! Allow it to get brown which will add flavor and lock in all the juices. Meanwhile, drain the sauerkraut and evenly spread with the onions and apples along the bottom of a casserole dish. Place the seared pork roast on top of sauerkraut, cover with foil and place in oven. Roast for 3-4 hours or until the pork shreds easily with a fork. Serve with mashed potatoes and apple sauce. This makes the best leftovers!

Leek love

You will see a common thread here, vegetables repeated in several dishes.  I try my hardest to creatively incorporate vegetables into every meal without the feeling of "eat your vegetables!" One vegetable that I was always leery of is the leek.  Partially because of the movie Witches where the grouchy dinner insists on eating the cress soup instead of the cock a leeky soup.  I am sure this makes no sense to most of you, but Heather, remember?!  

Moving on, I always passed them up in the produce isle because they looked fancy and unapproachable.  Really, a leek is like a really big green onion, and they are lovely!  They have a mild onion taste and are really beautiful.  You do have to be careful with dirt, as the grit gets into the leaves and can be an unpleasant surprise in your dinner.  All you have to do is place the the sliced leeks in a colander and rinse with cool water.  I challenge you to buy a leek.  Try using a leek in place of an onion, and let me know what you think.  I think you'll like it!  

Roasted chicken with leeks and squash

(The number of chicken breasts can be adjusted, I just happened to have three in my fridge)

3 chicken breasts, skin removed

6 slices bacon

1 crookneck squash, sliced

1 zucchini, sliced

1 leek, sliced

1 tsp olive oil

thyme sprigs

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Toss leeks, squash and zucchini with olive oil and salt and pepper. Evenly spread out on the bottom of a casserole dish.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and wrap with two slices of bacon.  Place a thyme sprig on top of each breast.  Bake 40 minutes or until bacon is crispy.

Better believe they're from Idaho

I tend to ask a lot of questions, especially when I am getting to know a new person. One of my favorite questions to ask is "If you had to eat one for the rest of your life, what would you eat?" It is always fascinating to hear what people choose--black olives, UGH. My answer always changes: sushi, ice cream (Grandma, I know we share this!), pasta, bacon. Today, it's potatoes. No coincidence I am from Idaho.

Au gratin Potatoes

8-10 small potatoes, sliced (I used small red and yukon gold)

1 cup 1/2 and 1/2

1 cup milk

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1 cup italian blend cheese

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 tsp fresh thyme, minced

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small sauce pan, steep the milk and cream with the garlic slices over medium heat. Be careful not to burn. Layer the potato slices in a casserole dish, sprinkling with cheese and salt and pepper along the way. Evenly pour the milk mixture over the potatoes and top with cheese and thyme. Bake about 45 minutes or until the potatoes are bubbly.

Hope you're hungry!

I had the realization that in order for this blog to proliferate, I need to actually post. How novel! So here we go:

There is something incredible about the evolution of summer to fall, beyond the yellowing of the leaves and the excitement of refreshing your wardrobe with clothes unworn for months, but if you are like me--the overwhelming desire to nest. I feel like a squirrel preparing for winter, stowing as many nuts in my cheeks as I can! All I want to do is be cozy, read, eat comfort foods. Unfortunately, being that I am unable to exercise right now, this behavior has been a bit detrimental to my waistline! Oh well, that's where those chunky sweaters come in handy.

Summer Squash and Corn Chowder

*you can add whatever veggies you like, or make it vegetarian, but bacon makes everything taste better*

6 slices bacon, cut into chunks

1 leek, sliced

3 small potatoes, diced

2 crookneck squash, diced

1 zucchini, diced

2 cups frozen corn

3 cups chicken broth (more if you like it soupier)

1 cup 1/2 and 1/2

1 tsp fresh thyme, minced

Salt and Pepper

In a large stockpot, cook bacon over medium-high heat. Once crispy, remove the bacon and drain the grease. Add the leeks and thyme and saute until wilted. Add the remaining veggies. Saute until they get some color. Turn the heat up and pour in the broth. Bring to a simmer and then turn the heat down to medium-low. I thicken the soup by blending about two cups in a blender or food processor. Pulse the removed soup for a few seconds until you can no longer identify the veggies and CAREFULLY pour back into the pot. It will be hot! The longer you simmer the soup the richer the flavors will be. About ten minutes before service, pour in the half and half, add the bacon and season with salt and pepper to taste. Be sure you have crusty bread to dip. Enjoy!

Smells of fall

This past weekend I found myself housebound a great deal. Partially because I was puppy sitting and partially because the weather was quite dreary. I enjoyed it wholeheartedly! It gave me a great excuse to stay in my pajamas all day and drink wine way before five o'clock and not feel guilty about it. I love days like that! Or to be honest, weekends like that!

One thing you should know about me, I LOVE to chop vegetables. It is one of my favorite things about cooking. Most people find it dreadfully tedious, but it is very meditative for me. You will see a product of my obsession in this next dish. I suppose if I ever lose my job in HR I could always rely on my mad prep cook skills.

On to the food . . . I love when I have the time to roast my meals. It makes the food taste so rich and the smells. Oh the smells! As I chilled out waiting for this dish to cook, I was overwhelmed by all the memories and emotions that came to the surface just from the smells wafting from the oven. For the first time since I moved to Park City in May, I experienced a glimpse of my old self--someone who cooked daily for the people she loved and was constantly surrounded by people and dogs and laughter. In the warmth and light of my tiny apartment I was transported back to those times . . . by those smells. It made me smile and appreciate where I have been and where I am going with my life. I didn't feed an army of hungry friends with this meal, but I can share it with you. My internet friends :-) Food is powerful, people!

Roasted chicken and vegetables with parmesan polenta

2 split chicken breasts (skin removed)

(I used the vegetables I had in my fridge. Feel free to improvise with whatever you have on hand)

1 zucchini, sliced

1 yellow squash, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

1 celery stalk, sliced

1 onion, chopped

1 orange pepper, chopped

1/2 eggplant, diced

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 cup water

3-4 tbs flour

3 tbs olive oil

1 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp chili flakes (more if you like it spicy)

salt and pepper

Polenta (adapted from Giada's Everyday Italian)

3 cups chicken broth (makes it more flavorful, you can use water, too)

1 cup cornmeal

2 tbs butter

1/2 cup grated parmesan

FYI: You will need three pans and a large bowl for this dish: a saute pan to seer the chicken in, an oven safe-dish to bake the chicken and veggies and a pot to cook your polenta.

Start with prepping your vegetables. You want everything the same size so they cook evenly. Once everything is diced, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Take the skin of the chicken breast and season fairly liberally on both sides with salt and pepper. Preheat the saute pan over med/high heat with 2 tbs olive oil. While your pan is heating up, dredge the chicken in the flour. Once the chicken is fully coated with flour place both breasts into the hot pan and leave them alone! Let them sizzle and brown in the hot olive oil goodness. Once the are adequately brown on both sides place them into your oven-safe dish.

In a large bowl, toss all of your veggies with 1 tbs olive oil, 1-2 tbs flour, the basil and oregano and salt and pepper. Then add the can of crushed tomatoes and stir again until coated. Poor the vegetable mixture evenly over the chicken and add the remaining cup of water. Cover the chicken and veggies with foil and bake for thirty minutes. Then turn the heat down to 350 degrees and relax. The longer you cook this dish, the more the flavors will develop and the more tender the chicken will be. (As long as you keep moisture in the sauce, otherwise you will have dry, hard to swallow, shitty chicken). I baked mine for nearly two hours.

When you are about fifteen minutes away from service, cook the polenta. Bring the broth to boil, gradually stir in cornmeal and turn the heat down. Stir, stir, stir. Clumps are ugly. After about ten minutes the polenta will have thickened. Take it off the heat, add the butter and parmesan. Salt and pepper to taste. YUMMMMMM.

Serve the chicken over a pile of polenta with veggies on top. So, so good. Thank me later.

Side note: I added a bit of flare to my dish with a gremolota (equal parts minced lemon zest, garlic and FLAT LEAF or ITALIAN parsley. If you have never tried the combo, it brightens up the braised meat and veggies and tastes like HEAVEN in your mouth. Try it. I dare you).

Reduce, reuse and recycle. Well, just reuse in this case.

I had some veggies and sausage remaining from last night's lasagna and with my new lease on using leftovers, I used them for Saturday morning breakfast.  How does the saying go?  Teach a man to fish, feed him for an eternity . . .  Teach a woman to use her leftovers, spare her fridge from smelly, moldy tupperware.  Works for me!  

Baked eggs with leftover sausage goodness
Leftover artichoke, spinach, sausage mixture

3 eggs

1/4 milk or cream

1/2 cup shredded cheese

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spread veggie/sausage mixture on the bottom of an oven-safe dish.  (How I love thee, Ikea).  Whisk eggs with milk.  Season with salt and pepper.  Poor eggs evenly over goodness.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake until set--about fifteen minutes.  Easy and impressive!  

Lazy man's lasagna

Let's get this out in the open: I loathe Rachel Ray. I can't stand her.  Her voice, her annoying abbreviations--EVOO--it's olive oil, Rachel! ugh--the mania of her show.  She makes me anxious and makes my blood pressure rise.  I will, however, give her credit for a FEW of her shortcuts.  Like the recipe you will see below.  It is easy, fast and delicious.  I would probably feel weird enjoying anything wholly created by her, but I tweaked this recipe enough that I feel comfortable eating it.  Enjoy!

Rachel Ray's, I mean, Hailey's shortcut lasagna

2 8 oz packages ravioli, any kind you like

1 package mild or spicy sausage, casing removed

1 yellow onion,  diced

2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

1 can artichoke hearts, quartered

4-5 large mushroom caps, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbs olive oil

1 cup italian blend cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tbs butter

1 tbs flour

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup half and half

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat a pan to medium/high heat.  Break sausage up in pan; cook until done and drain fat.  Reserve sausage on the side. Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Cook ravioli briefly--about two-three minutes or until tender.  In the same pan the sausage was cooked, add the olive oil, onions and garlic.  Cook until translucent.  Add the mushrooms, artichoke hearts and spinach.  Saute until the liquid evaporates.  Add the sausage.  Season with salt and pepper. Layer the ravioli with the the sausage/veg. mixture, as well as cheese, alternating until the pan is filled.  Meanwhile, with the same pan as the sausage and vegetables, create a rue with the butter and flour.  Melt the butter and stir in the flour.  Allow to cook for about one minute, being careful not to burn.  Gradually add the chicken broth, whisking to prevent clumps.  Once this is thick add the half and half and cook reduce until sauce has thickened.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour over the ravioli mixture.  Top with more cheese and cover with foil.  Bake 30 minutes or until brown and bubbly.  

On the mend

For those who don't know, I had surgery last week to close an 11 mm hole (just shy of half an inch) in my heart.  I am starting to regain my energy and the nausea from the blood thinners is dissipating.  I feel so loved and appreciate all of the well wishes I received from my friends and family.  Thank you, thank you to my awesome parents and sister Heather for being such good care takers.  Love you!  Because of the nausea, I didn't have any desire to eat, or cook for that matter, but I have a renewed sense of taste this morning and plan to cook up a storm this weekend so look for lots of new recipes in the next few days!  Below is a recipe for the easiest homemade curry I have found. Buen provecho!

    Two of my favorite ladies: Liz and Maxine.

           Beautiful flowers from my sweet baby sister.

Potato Curry with Peas and Carrots

3 smallish potatoes, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

3 large tomatoes, diced (or one can crushed/diced tomatoes)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup frozen peas and carrots

1 tsp tomato paste

1 tbs olive oil

2 tbs curry 

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder (more if you like it spicier)

sour cream or plain yogurt and cilantro to garnish

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add diced potatoes and cook until just tender.  Meanwhile, saute onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat. Once translucent, add the spices.  Stir well to incorporate and cook for about a minute to let the spices come to life.  Add the potatoes, frozen veggies, tomatoes and paste.  Simmer for about ten minutes or until the juices have reduced making a thicker consistency.  Serve over rice and garnish with sour cream/yogurt and cilantro.