recipe: turkey tortilla soup

yet another t-day leftover recipe. i've never even considered making tortilla soup before since i always have seen it full of beans and corn (yuuuck), but i had the realization that it's my kitchen i can do whatever i want. beans be gone! so with that... my interpretation of it:

ingredients list:
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 large onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded & chopped
- 1 poblano, seeded & chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes (14.5 oz - i used Hunts)
- 2-3 cups leftover turkey, cut into small chunks
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1 & 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 cup instant brown rice
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 flour tortilla (i used Mission Cheddar & Jalapeno), cut into thin strips
- sour cream for serving
- green onion, for serving


to make: heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. add onion, jalapeno, poblano, and garlic and saute until the veggies start to brown. add next 9 ingredients, stir well, and bring to a boil. simmer on low heat for an additional 35 minutes. after 35 minutes, add rice, raise heat to medium-low, and allow to cook for an additional 15 minutes.


while soup is simmering, heat vegetable oil in a small pan. fry tortilla strips for about 1 minute, remove to a paper-towel lined plate, and set aside.


when soup is done, finish with a dollop of sour cream, tortilla strips, and green onion. done!


verdict: YUM! i was afraid this was going to be too spicy with the jalapeno and poblano, but they cooked down nicely, giving just enough kick to the dish. the slight sweet from the ginger and spices still came through with all that heat - i think having the rice/turkey helped take it down a notch. my ideal soups are creamy, but i didn't have the heart to do that tonight for calorie's sake... if it were up to me i would have added sour cream to the entire soup, forget just the dollop on top. even with that, it still gets a solid 7 *******. would make again fo sho.

recipe: pumpkin apple pancakes

sunday is big breakfast day... usually a sausage / egg / pancake fiesta of sorts. today we're still hopped up on t-day leftovers so decided to jack up the pancakes with leftover pumpkin filling, apples, and cinnamon. yummmz.

we used boxed pancake mix (it's rare we're that motivated to cook-cook on a weekend morning - i'm not gonna lie, i'm hungover a lot)... the recipe is following those box instructions, dropping in about a 1/4 cup of pumpkin filling (assuming you're cooking for 3-4 servings), a half a chopped granny smith apple, and about 2 tsp of cinnamon. we've been cooking them in butter lately... it doesn't help the calorie count, but once you get that buttery crispy crust on them you can't go back.

pumpkin makes it lil more moist (and brings juuust a slight pumpkin taste), apple & cinnamon are always great p-cakes. 6.5 ******~.

recipe: pilgrim panini

(even if my photo is ugly, i swear i'm still delicious)

it's day 2 of thanksgiving leftovers, and what better way to tackle them than in sandwich form.

i made this with (in order of layers): spicy honey mustard, turkey, stuffing, garlic sauteed mushrooms, swiss, and cranberry sauce, all on buttered sourdough. not to leave gravy out of the equation, i had a side dish of it for dips. served with pomegranate soda + vodka.  

not including the ingredients list or instructions, a panini pretty much speaks for itself (and needs to be customized based on avail foodages and personal preference... all's fair in turkey and leftovers : )

and verdict... really speaks for itself also. it's a thanksgiving party on bread, you can't go wrong. esp with the mix of stuffing/turkey with the sweet stuff... damn it's just good. 7 *******.

recipe: black friday pizza

more exciting than thanksgiving food is thanksgiving leftovers pizza. this year was the 2nd annual... mmm yeah. the title itself is pretty self-explanatory, so might as well just get into it:

the 2011

ingredients list:
- 1 recipe or store-bought pizza dough (i used trader joes wheat...see note below)
- 1 cup gravy
- 1.5 cups shredded mozz
- leftover turkey
- leftover mashed potatoes
- leftover stuffing
- leftover cranberry
- 1 cup baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic
- whatever else leftovers you want
- parsley
- salt & pepper to taste

to make: preheat the oven (with pizza stone in the oven also) to 450 degrees. while the oven heats, sautee mushrooms and garlic until golden & yum, then set aside. roll out pizza dough on lightly floured surface. lightly flour the hot pizza stone, then carefully transfer the dough to the stone. spread gravy onto the dough, then pile on first some cheese, the turkey, blobs of all the taters, stuffing & veggies, more cheese, and the seasonings. bake in preheated oven for about 14-16 minutes, then let it rest for a few minutes before cooking.

the 2010

~~~
post t-day pizza is just the tits. the only complaint is the trader joes wheat pizza dough... it sucks. doesn't rise. as long as you don't make that mistake, this is the best pizza ever. we usually do half with stuffing, half without since i hate stuffing. last year we added spinach since i had it... but it's pretty much a garbage pizza with whatever you want on it. i love it, and i can't wait until 364 days from now till the next one. i'm sure there are more t-day leftover recipes to come... i have too much stuff to handle :o0 rating 8.5 ********~.

chesterfield restaurant

with granny living in Rochester right now, we all decided to do a meet up in Utica for a lil 89th birthday lunch. we went to Chesterfield's, an old (60+ year old) italian restaurant. lunch menu was a few pastas (all homemade), salads and sandwiches. aaand a burger special for lunch, bingo! it was the antipasto burger, which was roasted red peppers, onion, mozzarella, capicola, and garlic mayo on a fresh baked bun. i thought it was ciabatta at first and got a little nervous (i hate when it's hard to tear through the bun and the burger squishes out), but mmmmm hell yes it was a super soft, fresh baked bread with a lil parm.

this burger was a total mouth party. the burger was loosely packed, juicy as hell, which went so well with the fresh fixins and soft bun... they all blended together and partied nicely. and they cook to order when they cook to order - it actually came out at a perfect medium rare. i had no expectations, but am happy report it was one of the better burgers i've had in a while. 7.5 *******~.

recipe: apple crisp (t-day 4 of 4)

so i came to a realization... and that is that apple pie takes a really long time to make. but apple cake, and apple crisp, and many other an apple dish do not. the only difference is that the pie has a crust... and though the lattice top is very cute, i'm not that attached to it. esp when i had only 30 minutes to find a recipe & finish prepping this bad boy. i decided to go with the Apple Crisp II recipe from allrecipes.com (4.5 star rating w/ 90K ppl saving it... can't go wrong). i cut this back a bit by about 1/3, but am posting the original 12-serving recipe below:

ingredients list:
- 10 cups granny smith apples, cored & sliced (peeled only if preferred)
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup water


- 1 cup quick-cooking oats
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup butter, melted


to make: preheat oven to 350 degrees. place sliced apples in a 9" x 13" baking dish. mix the white sugar, 1 tbsp flour, cinnamon, and water together and pour over apples, mixing until apples are fully covered.


combine oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and melted butter together, and crumble evenly over the apple mixture (yes... that is so much easier than making a crust, rolling it, etc etc).


bake for 45 minutes until apples are totally soft and the crust is nice & toasty.
~~~
so. i had baked this last night so i could just heat & eat it today. but "what had happened was" the liquid from the apples & the water settled so it was a little runny at the bottom. the taste was great, still syroupy sauce on the apples, but the extra liquid was just annoying. so if you make this, make it day of (it looked just right when it came out of the oven last night... the topping was crisper as well. good quality to have in an apple crisp haha). i will make again, just with that one mod... i'll give it 5 ***** now, i'm sure it would be much higher w/ that mod tho.

recipe: turkey stuffing (t-day 3 of 4)

i won't lie... i hate stuffing. i actually hate most of thanksgiving side dishes (as a tiny tot i hated all condiments and vegetables, so i would eat plain turkey, biscuits, and potatoes ONLY for t-day, and then a slice of apple pie if i felt like having desert). as of high school i started eating gravy, but the mushy, vegetable-fulled sides are still gross to me. stuffing included. sorry but mushy bread with vegetables is just major texture issues for me.

anyway... it's still a must-have for all other humans on t-day, and i was on point to make it. the last stuffing i made was an elaborate cranberry/sausage concoction that reviews were just "eh" for, so i kept it simple and to the point this year. tried out the Pioneer Woman's Thanksgiving Stuffing. cooked it verbatim - i'm including her full-sized recipe below, although i had scaled it back by about 25% for our group.

ingredients list:

- 1 pan of cornbread (i used a box of Jiffy)

- 1 loaf of french bread

- 1 stick of butter

- 1 whole medium onion, diced

- 2 cups celery

- 4 cups lo so chicken broth, plus extra

- 1/2 tsp dried basil

- 1/2 tsp thyme

- 2 tsp rosemary

- 1/4 cup fresh parsley

- salt to taste

to make: chop cornbread & french bread into 1-inch cubes, and arrange in thin layer onto a baking sheet. if you're pre-prepping,  let them sit out for a day or 2 to get stale. if not, bake in the oven for about 1/2 hour until they are toasty/crispy.

heat large skillet over medium heat, and add 1 stick of butter. add onion & celery and cook until onions are almost translucent. add the chicken broth along with the basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley and bring to a boil. 

in a large bowl, slowly mix together the bread cubes and broth mixture. add a little bit of salt, as needed. 

if baking, bake in a greased baking dish at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until golden & toasty on top, adding additional broth if needed (i made mine a day before so needed additional after the bread soaked it up). if cooking in the bird, jam it up there and make sure it's FULLY cooked to temp.


the verdict (on behalf of kyle since i won't eat it (he's a picky stuffing eater, who leans toward the firmer stuffing... not the 100% moist turkey butt stuffing)): 6 ******. he's watching bad movies and really won't elaborate more on his "feelings" about it right now, but he did go back for 2nds if that helps.  

recipe: cornbread (t-day 2 of 4)

cornbread is one of those things that i've never been able to find a perfect homemade recipe... kind of like a macaroni & cheese. i'll be honest... i love jiffy boxed. it's perfect. not glopped down with butter, not to dry and cornmealy, but not too sticky or sweet. it's just right. i've tried and really enjoyed quite a few, but never one that is the quintessence of what cornbread should be (i.e. jiffy-esque). my best bud had made this recipe from Couldn't Be Parve which i think so far is the closest i've had to the ideal. so... it's officially stolen for today's t-day feast (just replacing all of its non-dairy ingredients with dairy... i don't do soy milk).

ingredients list:

- 1 cup corn meal

- 1 cup flour

- 1/4 cup sugar

- 4 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 cup milk

- 1 egg

- 1/4 cup butter, softened

- 3 tbsp butter

- 2 tbsp honey

- 2 tbsp water

to make: preheat oven to 425 degrees. grease an 8" x 8" baking pan. add all dry ingredients in a medium bowl and stir until totally combined. add milk, egg, and 1/4 cup butter, and mix until fairly smooth, about 1 minute. pour into the prepared pan, and bake for 20-25 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean).

while it's baking, make the glaze by heating the 3 tbsp butter, honey, and water in a small saucepan over low heat. 

when cornbread is finished baking, use a toothpick to poke holes all over, then pour on glaze.

verdict: tastes like jiffy. but a little better. YUM. i think you could get away with using 1/3 less of the glaze (there was a lot more than i expected... it covered the whole bread and then some), but if you prefer your CB a little extra sweet & sticky it will be just right. unless someone can out do this one, i think this -may- be my official go-to CB recipe, it was even better than i remember (and actually the only dinner thing i had 2nds of). 8 ********.

recipe: gingersnap pumpkin cheesecake (t-day 1 of 4)

(pardon the crack... so embarrassing)

i usually make a pumpkin cheesecake for t-day from allrecipes.com, but this year the Food Republic's version, Pumpkin Gingersnap Cheesecake caught my eye, as follows:


ingredients list:
crust:
- 1 & 1/2 cups gingersnap cookies, crushed
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts, finely chopped (the original recipe calls for pecans if you prefer)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 4 tbsp butter, melted


filling:
- 3 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened
- 3 large eggs, room temp
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 & 1/3 cups canned pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon


to make: preheat the oven to 325 degrees. prepare spring form pan (i used parchment paper on the bottom & greased the sides). mix together the crushed gingersnaps, nuts, brown sugar, and 4 tbsp melted butter. press the mixture into the bottom of prepared spring form pan, and place into the fridge to set.


mix the cream cheese, sugar, salt, and vanilla with an electric mixer. slowly mix in the eggs one by one by hand, stirring just enough until incorporated. set aside 1 & 1/2 cups of the mixture for the topping. 


to the remaining filling, add the pumpkin, heavy whipping cream, and spices and stir until well combined. 


pour the 'white' filling into the prepared crust, spooning it over the crust gently until it is fully covered. pour the pumpkin filling over the top, then bake for about an hour & 10 minutes (adding a waterbath if desired), until the top starts to brown and the center us juuust jiggly. 


allow to cool in the oven with the door open for about an hour before letting cool completely (1-2 hours) on top of a wire rack. finally, refrigerate for at least 5 hours, ideally overnight.
~~~
verdict: really liked it. i thought it would be very sweet, but it was pretty mild and light overall... lil pumpkin flavor, lil gingersnap & hazelnut, lil cream cheesy tang. not as dense/heavy as my last cheesecake which was good after a day of heavy eats. kyle review was also up there. only thing that sucks is that i got an equater-sized crack in it even after using the water bath, separating the springform ring from the cake post-baking, gently stirring eggs... baaah that's frustrating. presentation: fail; taste: seven *******. 

recipe: balsamic cream pasta

in prep for thanksgiving i've eaten (mostly) well Mon-Weds, and did an extra long workout tonight. i had no intention of eating a fatty meal the night of thankgiving eve, but a few stars aligned which really had to derail that plan. new balsamic vinegar (trader joes - cheap & delish), heavy cream in the fridge, and an insatiable craving for this recipe. it's from allrecipes.com's Balsamic Cream Sauce recipe, and i've made it at least 5 times now, loving it every time. the BEST version of it i made i had ran out of regular balsamic vinegar and had to tap into my stash of super-special forbidden balsmo... it was sick-delish, especially with fresh basil which is just sublime with the creamy balsamic. i just don't have the heart to use the good balsamic everytime, which is fine because it's still great without it. 

ingredients list: (for 2)

- 1/2 lb fettucine pasta

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 2 tbsp butter

- 1 small onion, cut into thin slices

- 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp chicken bouillon granules
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- chopped fresh basil (if avail)

to make:
heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. add onion, and sautee until carmelized thoroughly, about 15 minutes.

while onions are cooking, bring pot of water to a boil and prepare pasta.

after onions have finished carmelizing, stir in the balsamic vinegar, and let cook for 1-2 minutes before adding in bouillon, white pepper, and cream. simmer for 3-4 minutes until sauce thickens, then stir in the parmesan cheese until mixed through. add in pasta, then sprinkle on basil and serve.

verdict - i think it's already pretty clear how i feel about this pasta. the carmelized onions, the balsamic, the cream, it's just a match made in heaven (and i have no idea why balsamic pasta is not more popular... it's so simple, but whoever was the first on this was a genius). since my stash of fresh basil is gone, i unfortunately wasn't able to add that but i'd give it a solid 8 ******** without it. mmmmm.

recipe: asian roast pork (char siu)

ever since having one of THE best sandwiches i've ever had in my life in Puerto Rico, a "roast pork with i don't even know what on it but it was so good i blacked out the ingredients" sandwich, i've been dying to make roast pork. i picked up a small 2.5 lb roast on sale at PC this week, and started photo grazing on seriouseats.com for inspiration. i ended up straying away from puertorican / cuban realm into asian - the photo on My Asian Kitchen looked (and sounded) so good i had to give it a whirl. 

ingredients list: (note: the original recipe calls for a 4-5 lb roast... i used a 2.5 lb one but kept the sauce quantities the same so i had extra glaze)
- 2-3 lb boneless pork roast, rinsed and dried with ppr towels
- 5 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 cup sugar (no that's not a typo... 1 whole cup sugar)
- 5-6 tbsp lo so soy sauce
- 3-4 tbsp Chinese cooking rice wine (i substituted dry Sherry since i didn't have this... mental note added next time i'm at an asian market)
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp 5 spice powder
- 2-3 drops red food color (optional)
- honey for brushing

to make: combine all seasonings (which is everything EXCEPT the honey) in a large container or zip lock bag, and marinate pork for 5 hours or overnight in the fridge.

when ready to cook, preheat oven to 350 degrees. pork should be cooked for about 30 minutes per pound on a tiny roast (between 2-3 lbs)... mine took about 1.2 hours to get to 140 degrees in the center which is when i stopped it since it will also be broiled. make sure to flip the roast 30 minutes into baking, and pour some of the reserved marinade over top 1-2 times during baking.

when finished baking, set oven on broil, and roast pork for an additional 10-15 minutes, just until the roast has a slight char to it (after broiling, my roast was about 150 degrees which was just right - i'm skeptical to eat at the "new" minimal temp for pork, 145 degrees).

remove roast from oven, and brush with honey. let sit for about 5-7 minutes, then carve & serve.

verdict: YUM! really liked this. the cup of sugar seemed insane to add, but it really carmelized nicely, giving a nice crisp sweet coating to the meat. the meat was nice and juicy in the center (and is not pink even at 150 degrees). solid 7.5 *******~, would def make again (next time with an asian-inspired side instead of potatoes).   

recipe: balsamic roasted red potatoes

i needed a side to make with pork roast tonight... which i was so happy about finally making the roast i hadn't bought any side ingredients or thought through a new recipe i wanted to test. i had a few red potatoes on hand and figured might as well make old-trusty Balsamic Roasted Red Potatoes recipe from allrecipes.com. i always fall back to this recipe, even though my fav potatoes ever are the simple seasoned roasted potatoes you get in little italy - i've just never ever been able to get that perfect toasty crunch to mine so avoid that version all together.

ingredients list:

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 2 lbs small red potatoes, quartered

- 1 tbsp chopped green onion-
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
- 1 tiny pinch ground nutmeg
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- salt
- cracked black pepper

to make:
preheat oven to 400 degrees. in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. add onion and garlic to skillet, and sautee for about 1 minute. add potatoes, thyme, rosemary, and nutmeg and stir to combine, cooking for about 3 minutes until potatoes are hot.  

add potatoes to a 15" x 10" greased baking pan, stirring in balsamic vinegar. bake for 35-40 minutes until potatoes are fully cooked through, stirring frequently. season with salt and pepper to taste.

verdict on this one... it's always solid and an easy go-to recipe, but it's never AS good as it should be. balsamic = amazing, roasted potatoes = amazing, but it's always really good, just not knocking off my socks (and maybe it's because i'm always comparing it to little italy roasted potatoes?). still a good recipe that i will make, but will continue to struggle with that expectation time and time again. solid fiver *****.

recipe: stuffing stuffed turkey burgers with gravy

din din last night... a take on that awkward time in between burger season and t-day.

ingredients list (makes 3 burgers):
- 1.25 lbs ground turkey
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 serving stuffing (Stove Top)
- 1 cup turkey gravy
- 3 slices cheddar cheese
- 3 burger buns

to make: preheat grill on medium-high heat, or warm cast iron pan in oven on 400 degrees for 10 min. mix together the ground turkey & garlic. divide into 6 even-sized balls, and smoosh into pattys (they should be about 1/4 inch thick/ea). place an even amount of the stuffing onto the center 3 of the pattys. top these pattys with the remaining 3 pattys, and smoosh together the edges to seal. season both sides of burger generously with salt & pepper.

lower oven heat to 350. lightly oil a cast iron skillet and cook burgers on the stove top for about 3 minutes per side, then bake in the oven for about 5 minutes until they are fully cooked through. place cheese on top of each patty during last 2 minutes of cooking. after you remove the burgers from the skillet and let them rest for a minute or 2, smash the buns onto the hot pan right into the burger drippings (adding a dollop of butter if needed).

pour gravy over burgers before serving. serve with Garlic Red Mashed Potatoes or sweet potatoe fries.

rating: yummy. turkey burgers by nature are a little boring and bland, but the stuffing def stepped them up a notch (particularly since it helped them from being too dry). next time  when i have more time/ingredients on hand, they'd be good with some rosemary and/or cranberry in the meat, or a bit of sliced apple. homemade gravy couldn't hurt either if we had it around. solid 6.5*****~.   

national vanilla cupcake day

this week is a big week. BIG big. yesterday, 11/9 was national chocolate cupcake day, today, 11/10 national vanilla cupcake day. mind: blown. now, i looove baking cupcakes (well, not so much baking, but dressing them up all cutesy and cooing at them after). and then i'll have one, and love every morsel of it, but yep that's it i'm done for a while... just not that into the sweety stuff. which leaves another 11 or 23 cupcakes sitting around all dressed with no place to go, unless i have somewhere to bring said cupcakes (which is hard when almost everyone you know is trying to "eat healthy"... we're getting so old & lame).

in lieu of all that, today i'm just posting a picture of some of my cuter cupcakes from my stash of cupcake porn. i had made these for a 60th birthday party... they are of the vanilla, chocolate, and blended varieties, which truly make for a quintessential representation of this glorious week.

some besties if you're in the mood to celebrate:

Baking: Vanilla Cupcake Recipe: Magnolia's Vanilla Cupcakes

Biggest: World's Largest Cupcake (it's really not that big (that's what she said))

Blinging: Tiffany Cupcake Necklace

Browsing: Cupcake Project

Buying:(Albany, NY) Cupcake Bakery: Zacharys Pastry Shoppe

recipe: mushroom risotto

after a week of many quick dins, for sunday dinner today i was in the mood for a little something with a lot of hands-on time. decided to make the Gourmet Mushroom Risotto recipe from allrecipes.com, which i've had a few times before and just love. i've tried making it with chicken, and with sundried tomatoes, but it really is good just leaving alone... it's so simple with just a nice subtle mushroomy flavor (i want to say earthy flavor, but that makes me sound like an a-hole) that adding anything else just gets in the way. the original recipe is so good there's really nothing to change (besides adding garlic, of course).

ingredients list (serves 4):

- 6 cups chicken broth (i had homemade broth in stock from when i made beer can chicken... one of the few times i've ever had it available when i needed it)

- 3 tbsp olive oil*, divided
- 1 lb mushrooms (i used baby bellas, white or portobello or combo of all also work)

- 2 shallots, diced

- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 1.5 cups arborio rice

- 1/2 cup dry white wine

- kosher salt to taste

- fresh ground black pepper to taste

- 3 tbsp finely chopped chives

- 4 tbsp butter

- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

to make: warm broth in a large saucepan until it comes to a gentle boil. in a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. stir in mushrooms and cook until golden & soft, about 4-5 minutes. remove mushrooms to a plate and set aside.

lower skillet heat to medium, add 1 tbsp olive oil, and stir in the shallots and garlic. cook for 1 minute, then add rice and stir unil the rice is covered in oil and most of the oil is absorbed off the skillet (about 2 minutes). pour in wine, stirring rice until the wine is fully absorbed. add 1/2 cup broth to rice, and stir until it is fully absorbed. repeat this until all of the broth is gone, stirring CONSTANTLY. add butter when you add the last 1/2 cup of broth to the rice. this cooking process will take between 30-40 minutes. (the starch of the rice will break down, and it should be bloated beyond belief with chicken broth. it may seem done 20-25 minutes into the process (like regular rice would be), but you want to keep working it until it can't possibly hold any more broth... it's at that point that the creamy goodness comes out.)

remove from heat, and stir in the mushrooms, chives and parmesan, seasoning with salt & pepper to taste.

i have to give this recipe a solid 8 ********. it's so easy (though time consuming), and tastes as good as a restaurant risotto. always a fun din.

* i used Mushroom & Sage flavored olive oil from Saratoga Olive Oil Company... it was so perfect for this. if you are in Saragota, this place is worth checking out. the store is lined in their specialty olive oil & balsamic vinegars... and yes they have dishes of bread every few feet so you can sample every one. we probably tried at least 20 on our impromptu olive oil tasting... SO delish.

recipe: eggs biscuidict

on the way back from CT yesterday we drove past Otis Poultry Farm in Otis, MA. the place is super cute from the outside with little chicken coups & signs everywhere, so i was happy i finally got to pop in. since we had freshidy-fresh eggs, it was a perfect occassion today to make some hollandaise and poached eggs (i'm usually too nervous to make any of that with grocery store maybe-fresh eggs).

i used Tyler Florence's Hollandiase Sauce recipe, from foodnetwork.com, followed verbatim but cut in half. we made sorta eggs benedict, except no english muffin (not really a huge fan) and no ham. we served it over pillsbury buttermilk biscuits (the flakey kind), which i think beats a lousy english muffin anyday.

ingredients list (for 2 ppl / 4 biscuidicts):
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- pinch cayenne
- pinch salt
- 4 pillsbury buttermilk biscuits
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- 4 eggs
- cheese for sprinkling (shredded cheddar or parm)
- pepper to taste

to make:

preheat oven to 350 degrees, then bake biscuits according to package directions (they should take about 13 minutes total)

start hollandaise while biscuits are baking: vigorously wisk the 2 egg yolks and lemon juice in stainless steel bowl until mixture has thickened and doubled in volume. place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water, making sure the water is not high enough to touch the bottom of the bowl. continue to wisk, making sure eggs do not start to cook/scramble. slowly pour melted butter into the bowl, continuing to wisk until the saucee becomes thick. remove from heat and mix in cayenne and salt, adding a dash or two or warm water if it becomes too thick.

to poach the eggs, bring a large saucepan of water to a gentle boil, and add in vinegar. CAREFULLY drop in the 4 eggs, one by one, and let cook for about 3-3.5 minutes each. carefully remove with a slotted spoon. 

place poached egg on top of toasted biscuit, and drizzle with hollandaise. sprinkle on a little cheese & salt & pepper to taste.

this was great. my hollandaise was not as creamy as what i've had out before, but it was still tasty. not sure if it was the temp of my butter or the eggs over the water which is why they didn't combine right? while it tasted fine, they just didn't drip over the eggs like the should and have that super-creamy appearance like you'd except. biscuits were GREAT with it since they had a nice buttery flavor that you can't go wrong with with eggs & cheese. yummmmz. 6.5 ******~.

coalhouse pizza

we were down in Stamford, CT today to wander around United House Wrecking and needed a little nosh. based on a few recos from Serious Eats we decided to give Coalhouse Pizza a whirl. as the name would imply, their pizzas are cooked in coal-fired ovens (which smell amazing), and they use fresh ingredients, along with many toppings/fixings that are all made in house. kyle & i split 2 of the 12" pizzas - one Kicker (fresh tomato sauce, mozz, basil, sliced jalapenos & poblanos, and hot oil infused with garlic cloves. we also added their house-made spicy sausage to it), and a Time Out (mozz, parm, basil, garlic, olive oil, fresh chopped plum tomatoes, and balsamic vinaigrette reduction). they were both awesome... the thin, crispy smokey crust, the fresh ingredients... all a total mouth party. hard to pick a fav since they were so different - one spicy madness the other light & fresh, but overall experience was a 7 *******.

recipe: tex mex burgers

scarily, it's been a while since it's been burger night in this hizouse, and even the shortage of propane is no excuse. i had pre-prepped pattys from the summer ready to go in the freezer, so it seemed like the right thing to do today to thaw out a few of these puppies. these burgers are a fusion of my 2 favorite (to date) tex mex burgers, Cream Cheese Jalapeno Hamburgers and Tex Mex Burger with Cajun Mayo, both from allrecipes.com. the cajun mayo may seem like a bit much on a cream cheese stuffed burger, but if you jack this baby up with enough spice it all really holds its own (we popped even more jalapeno on top for kicks. this is a complete burger-purists nightmare, but this is the stuff dreams are made of if you're in the mood for a party pants burger).

ingredients list (makes 4 burgers):
- 1 lb ground beef (i think i used 85%)
- 4 jalepenos, seeded & chopped
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp worcestershire
- 1 tbsp & 1 tsp cajun seasoning
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1 tsp chili paste (or oil)
- 1/2 package (4 oz) cream cheese
- 4 slices pepperjack cheese
- 4 burger buns
- kosher salt & fresh cracked black pepper
- lettuce & tomato (optional)

to make: preheat grill on medium-high heat, or warm cast iron pan in oven on 400 degrees for 10 min. mix together the ground beef, 1 jalapeno pepper, onion, garlic, worchestershire, and 1 tbsp cajun seasoning. divide into 8 even-sized balls, and smoosh into pattys (they should be about 1/4 inch thick/ea). mix together cream cheese and remaining 3 jalapenos, and place an even amount of the mixture onto the center 4 of the pattys (you may also choose to use whole sliced jalapenos for this step... i find that they are hard to bite into and slip out of the burger this way though). top these pattys with the remaining 4 pattys, and smoosh together the edges to seal. season both sides of burger generously with salt* & pepper.

mix together mayo, chili paste, and 1 tsp cajun seasoning in small bowl, and set aside.

lightly oil grill or cast iron skillet and cook burgers for about 4-5 minutes per side (or to desired doneness... i'm usually a medium rare girl but we did this medium - not used to skillet cooking burgers), placing cheese on top of each patty during last 2 minutes of cooking. don't forget to toast up those buns - if you're using the cast iron skillet, just smash the buns onto the hot pan right into the burger drippings after you take off the burgers, adding butter and/or garlic to the pan first if you're feeling extra crazy.

once burgers & buns are done, top them with the mayo goodness (and lettuce/tomato if you're feeling that), and go to town. rating has to be an 8.5 *******~ here for me... i can't count how many times we've made this recipe and we love it everytime. particularly with bacon only thing that would make it better would be if i was using a prime cut of beef, but it seems a bit grandiose to use that with spicy ingredients... like having a grey goose and soda. mmmmm, goosen soda, sigh...

*note: check out The Burger Lab's article on Salting Ground Beef. those pics are burned in my mind on what not to do. i'm not too proud to admit i used to add salt to my patty mixture before i had any idea the effect it had on the fat. one of a bazillion helpful tips learned there from Kenji.

recipe: fajitos (ghetto taquitos)

so... didn't really know what to do for din tonight. had a piece of chicken breast, jalapeno, and tortillas (but no peppers) so decided to give ghetto taquitos a whirl. this isn't so much a recipe as it is an quick assembly of food, but it was still a good lil snack-dinner so it's worth sharing... they came out too big to be called a taquito, but not they're quite a burrito so we're going to roll with 'fajito' on this one.

ingredients list:
- 3 tortillas
- 1 boneless chicken breast
- 3 tbsp cream cheese
- 1 cup monteray jack cheese, shredded
- 1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 2 jalepenos, seeded & diced
- 2 tbsp hot sauce
- 3-4 tbsp canola oil
- cracked black pepper to taste
- ranch for dippin

to make: bring small pot of water to a boil, and heat chicken in boiling water for 10-15 minutes, until completely cooked through. remove chicken and shred with 2 forks. 

sautee onion & jalapeno in 1 tbsp canola oil in large skillet until soft. remove from skillet, and mix with cream cheese, shredded cheeses, hot sauce, and chicken. add remaining 2-4 tbsp canola oil to skillet, and bring to medium-high heat. while skillet is heating, roll up cheese/chicken/veggie mixture into the tortillas, as thin as you can get them. add to skillet, and crisp up for 1-2 minutes per side until nice & toasty. serve w/ ranch or more hot sauce.

rating: yummy. 5.5 *****~? if i had more veggies/seasonings and gave these puppies a real frying they would be epic... but veggies=grocery store and frying=effort AND fat. as-is though, good for a quick dinner, minimal effort/ingredients. would be a good thing to make in large quantity for an app, IF they were slimmed down to actual taquito-width.

sometimes...

the best part of being an adult is doing whatever the H you want. like eating ice cream for dinner. last night... we wanted a toddler feast for dinner. so be it. fish sticks (frozen Gorton's battered tenders), french fries (frozen Price Chopper seasoned), and mac & cheese (Kraft Spongebob*). shout out to my sister for making the tarter sauce run... it made the meal, and to paper plates for letting us take lazy to the max.

*you may notice there are no Spongebob shapes in the mac & cheese. this is because Kyle decided to sub the SB noodles with mini piccolini. i love buying the shapes (i can't help myself), he always bitches that the shapes don't taste as good as the noodles. and it's true... but i can't pick up a boring-looking box of 3 cheese (delicious as it may be) with that fun packaging in front of me. now i have a leftover baggy of spongebob to make into something swell. PITA.

recipe: spicy chicken stir fry

after a long quest, i finally found dried chili peppers - they appeared in the impulse-buy section of Roma's when i was waiting in line, heaven. one of the best / easy stir frys i've tried making was Pioneer Woman's Beef with Peppers so i decided we'd give that a go tonight, except with chicken since that's what i had around (though the flank steak version is awesome). 

ingredients list:
- 2 boneless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup lo so soy sauce
- 3 tbsp sherry
- 2 tbsp packed brown sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp ginger paste (or fresh ginger if you have it)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon red chili oil
- 2-3 tbsp canola oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, cored & sliced into thin rings
- 7 dried chilis (more or less depending on your spice factor)
- 1/2 (14 oz) box thai rice noodles
- toasted sesame seeds

to make: thinly slice chicken, then place in a medium-sized bowl with next 7 ingredients, marinating for next 1-8 hours. rehydrate chilis in small bowl of water for a least an hour before cooking. when ready to cook, prepare rice noodles according package directions and set aside while they soften. meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp canola oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. add onions & peppers, and cook until they get a nice toasty finish on the edges. remove from skillet and set aside. add remaining 1 tbsp canola oil, and sear/saute chicken until cooked through, reserving marinade. return onions & peppers to skillet, and pour in reserved marinade and dried chilis. reduce heat to low, and let simmer for a few minutes (ensuring the marinade is FULLY cooked through) before adding the prepared rice noodles. add a dash of toasted sesame seeds and serve. 

verdict: yum. we go through a lot of chicken, pasta, and chicken & pasta combos for dinner during the week because it's all we have time for, and this tasted more like a PF Changs din that it did a super-quick throw together (i had pre-prepped the marinade to save time post-work). not sure why we don't make it more often since we usually have these ingredients on hand. love it. 8 ********.