Sticky Chicken

Chris really likes Sticky Chicken, so last time he visited for the weekend, I made him some. This isn't really a stir-fry, but it definitely includes some Asian flavors, like ginger and soy sauce. It's got quite a bit of sugar in it (that's what makes it sticky), but at least it's low in fat... It does need to marinate for awhile, so getting it started the day before is ideal.  I've also just let it sit for a couple of hours before, and it's still turned out fine.

It's kind of hard to see in the picture, but the chicken should end up covered in a fairly think syrup. Be careful not to burn it though- I've done that before, and it was pretty disappointing. The chicken goes really well with jasmine rice, which helps to soak up the sauce!

Candied Citrus Peel

I'm not much of a winter person, but I do love all the citrus fruit that's around this time of year. I came across this recipe for Candied Citrus Peel, and I thought it was worth a try. It was very simple- all you need is fruit, sugar, and water. To start, you just peel the fruit with a paring knife and boil the pieces for a bit. After that's dried off some, you boil it with some simple syrup until it's candied. Once it's dry, you roll it in sugar and consume!

Though it took awhile, once you've got the oranges peeled it's mostly hands off. I'm not sure whether it's a good or a bad thing, but the recipe didn't make as much as I thought it would (perhaps good because I can't stop popping pieces of it- it tastes almost exactly like those jelly orange slices). On the plus side, I was left with some tasty orange simple syrup to mix in tea as a byproduct.

Chicken Cutlets with White Wine and Garlic

One of my favorite ways to eat boneless skinless chicken breasts is to make Chicken Cutlets with White Wine and Garlic.  It's very quick to make if you marinade the chicken beforehand. I usually get it started the night before, but you can also freeze it or do it about half an hour before you plan to eat.  The recipe calls for fresh thyme, but I've always used dried, and it's turned out just fine.

I served my chicken with some egg noodles and green beans, but it's also really awesome with some sauteed mushrooms and a splash of marsala. This is a quick dinner that's on a pretty regular rotation for me.

Beef Stew

On a really chilly winter night, I tend to crave comfort food, and while I'm not a huge red meat eater, I've recently been wanting my mom's beef stew. It's very basic, but it really hits the spot. I started by dredging the stew meat in a mixture of flour, garlic salt, and pepper. I then browned the meat in a bit of oil. Once the meat was browned, I added some beef broth and a bay leaf and let things simmer for awhile. Once the meat gets tender, I added in some vegetables. I stuck with the basics- carrots, onion, and potatoes. 

I like the sauce to be a little on the thicker side, so toward the end I thickened it with a little broth and cornstarch. You could also use flour mixed with butter, but I usually just use cornstarch since it's easier. I ended up with a very simple and hearty stew that reminds me of home.

Six Ingredient Chicken Noodle Soup

It's been good soup weather in Iowa lately, so I thought I'd try this easy take on a classic- Six Ingredient Chicken Noodle Soup. As the title might suggest, it was pretty basic, and I actually made it even easier than the original recipe. Since I had some shredded chicken left over from making a roasted chicken awhile back, I just used that instead of poaching raw chicken in the broth. While poaching in the broth may have added more flavor, I thought the soup still turned out pretty tasty. I did stick with the recipe on the vegetables front and used only carrots and frozen peas. It'd be easy enough to add in whatever you like and have on hand though.

Overall, the soup was pretty good- not the best chicken noodle soup I've ever had, but a far cry from the worst, and  it was definitely better than canned. The main thing that I would alter if I make this again is substituting some egg noodles for the spaghetti- the spaghetti did not want to stay on the spoon.  As a bonus, I also discovered that it made way more than 4 servings- I'll get more like 6 out of it. As a result, I have some extra waiting in my freezer for a quick weeknight meal.

Bean and Cheese Burritos

I've been looking for more reasonably balanced vegetarian recipes, and so I decided to try these Bean and Cheese Burritos from Everyday Food. They sounded pretty easy, and I had a lot of the ingredients on hand. I did end up modifying it slightly- I had some leftover tomato sauce, so I added that to the rice for the filling. If you have extra tomato sauce on hand, it's a nice thing to throw in for more flavor.

Once the rice is cooked, all that's basically left is assembly of the burrito. This is the hard part for me- while I do understand how it's supposed to be folded, I almost always put in too much filling and have it all fall apart on me. I guess that's okay though- it tastes good when eaten with a fork too! In fact, with the leftovers I kind of gave up and just made a burrito bowl. While this recipe took a little longer than I thought, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of food that it made. It's supposed to be 4 servings, but I still had tons of leftover rice that's been thrown in the freezer for another day.

Ham and Cheese Puff Tart

I had some leftover puff pastry that I was looking for a recipe for, and when I came across this Ham and Cheese Puff Tart in the November 2010 issue of Everyday Food.  It's a very decadent and more elegant take on the classic ham and cheese sandwich, and it was a definite hit- Chris and I were fighting over the leftovers the next day. 

Basically, the recipe involves making a simple bechamel sauce- with a twist of nutmeg. I changed the recipe here and used skim milk instead of whole and a little extra butter- it turned out just fine, though I don't think I lightened it any. The tart is filled with deli ham, gruyere cheese, and the sauce, and then baked until golden brown.

Since the tart was so rich, I served it with leftover Pasta e Fagioli. I just pulled the soup out of the freezer and added a handful of pasta, and it was just as tasty as the first time!

Chicken and Black Bean Nachos

While it's not the healthiest meal, every once in awhile, I love to have nachos for dinner. Of course you need tortilla chips for the base, and for the main topping, my favorite is a smashed together mix of shredded chicken, black beans, and some taco seasoning. Next, nachos aren't nachos without cheese- usually I just use some shredded cheese and throw the nachos in the oven so the cheese will melt, but this time I used some jarred queso. 

The toppings are also an important element in nachos. I like mine with some shredded iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes, green onion, and, of course, some pickled jalapenos. They definitely give the nachos a bite! Messy, but delicious.

Macaroni and Cheese

When I'm in the mood for ultimate comfort food, I reach for my mom's recipe for macaroni and cheese. It's incredibly simple, but it hits the spot for me every time. While I've never met a mac and cheese that I didn't like, I prefer baked and with plenty of sharp cheddar cheese. 

For this mac and cheese, you'll first need to partially cook about 8 ounces of macaroni and then let it cool. While the macaroni is cooling, melt a tablespoon or two of butter in the microwave. While I forgot to picture it below, an egg is a crucial ingredient- at this point, beat an egg into the melted butter. After this, you need around 2 cups of milk. This isn't exact, but you need enough to make a custard for the mac and cheese. At this point, I season the liquid mixture with some salt and fresh black pepper. I also like to add in a pretty good dash of cayenne pepper, but that's totally optional. Once the pasta has cooled off a bit, mix it with the liquid mixture and add some shredded cheese. For 8 ounces of pasta, I use an 8 ounce bag of cheese. Next, put the whole thing in a covered casserole dish and bake. I'd strongly recommend putting the dish on a rimmed baking sheet in the oven, since this has a tendency to bubble over and make a bit of a mess. 

After about 45 minutes, I like to take the lid off of the casserole dish and bake for about another 15 minutes so that the top gets a little crunchy. Bake the macaroni and cheese until the liquid mixture has set- generally an hour does it. After that, dig in and enjoy!

Cashew Chicken

Chris has been staying with me this week, and we both love stir fry, so we made Cashew Chicken the other day. I used to work at Hy-Vee in high school, and when I worked in the evenings, I would often get delicious, greasy cashew chicken for dinner. This recipe satisfied that same craving while being much lighter. The sauce ingredients weren't too exotic- it was all stuff that I already had on hand, like rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and ginger. 

Chris mixed the sauce while I chopped, and we were sitting down to dinner within about half an hour. I loved the nutty crunch of the cashews and the freshness of the green onions on top. It definitely satisfied my desire for takeout!

Marinara Sauce

One of my favorite Saturday projects is whipping up a nice big batch of pasta sauce. I love my mom's recipe for this, and it's very easy to adapt it and make a meat version. It's very simple, but I'm hooked on the stuff now, and jarred sauce just won't do anymore. It tastes so much fresher!

I started the sauce by sauteing an onion in some olive oil. Once the onion has softened, I add some minced garlic and give it a minute or two to incorporate. After that, I add around half a cup of red wine and let it reduce for a few minutes. The red wine is one of the key ingredients that makes this sauce for me.  Once the wine has been going for about 5 minutes, I add some canned tomatoes- my favorite blend is one big can of crushed tomatoes, 2 cans of tomato sauce, and a can of diced tomatoes. It really just depends on what you have in your cupboard and the sauce texture that you prefer. My blend is on the smoother side. At this point, I usually add some crumbled ground beef, but you could easily leave that out for a vegetarian version. I also add a little sugar, some red pepper flakes, and some italian seasoning.  At this point, the sauce doesn't taste too incorporated, but just give it at least an hour, and it'll be delicious. It makes a huge batch, but it also freezes really well- while it's a bit of a process to make, I end up with enough sauce for about 8-10 meals in my freezer. 

Herb Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

This recipe from the November 2010 issue of Everyday Food inspired me to try something totally new. I roasted my first whole chicken, which was an experience, to say the least. Apparently whole chickens tend to come with the necks and gizzards stuffed in the cavity, so I had to summon nerves of steel to take care of that... (I'll spare you the pictures)

After roasting, I discovered that my bird was upside down. I guess I was so relieved to get it wrangled into the pot, that I didn't notice that it was breast-side down before sticking it in the oven. It doesn't really matter, I guess, because the meat still turned out nice and moist. I don't think this will be my last roasted chicken, but I'll probably stick to chicken breasts for the most part, since I'm a white meat person.