Homemade Pesto

Forgive me for the absence of my recent posts! Preparing for vacation, going on vacation, and recuperating from vacation has certainly been preoccupying. Though I have to say, I will have to do quite a few posts on the meals I had while in England and Scotland and my attempts at trying to recreate some of those awesome dishes: fish and chips, haggis, neeps, and tatties, steak and ale and kidney pie, the list goes on. In the meantime, I'd like to start off with a simple dish that will make your tummy thank you and your friends go yum, grilled chicken and pesto farfalle with a sprinkle of diced tomatoes. I'm going to focus on the pesto we made, since most of you already know how to grill chicken and boil pasta from a box! But in case you're wondering, all I did was cook the chicken in olive oil on the stovetop and sprinkle with kosher sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder. As for the farfalle, all it is is bowtie pasta so just the water boiling and add the pasta. Here's the pesto recipe!

What you'll need:
Basil leaves, about 3 cups worth - I don't know exactly how much we used, but I can say we had a ziplock bag full of the basil leaves we plucked right from our plant.
1/2 cup of cashew nuts - pine nuts are the tradition for pesto, but since it's so expensive nowadays, we use cashew nuts or macademia nuts. Walnuts and almonds are other great substitutes!
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
A dash of sea salt and pepper

Directions:
1) First, heat the oven to 350 degrees to roast the cashew nuts. This will bring out the cashew's maximum flavor.

2) While that's roasting, measure and then add the basil leaves, parmesan cheese, and garlic into a food processor. Once all the ingredients are added, mix in the roasted cashew nuts.
3) As the food processor is working, mix in the olive oil slowly.

4) Season with salt and pepper once complete!

For a complete meal, just mix with the farfalle pasta and add the chicken and fresh diced tomatoes. Everyone will be happy and satisfied at the end. I was!

Very-Berry Tart with Citrus-Infused Whipped Cream

It was 80 degrees out yesterday and I loved it. Even if summer was just teasing me with the warm air and blooms in the trees, it was the best day in April a girl could ask for. Driving home with the windows down and Cut Copy playing on my Ipod, all I could think about was how much I wanted summer to come. Oh, and how hungry I was (no surprise there)! I wanted something light and easy, something summery. Salad could do, but I get that pretty much everyday for lunch. Why not something sweet? Something with fruit! So that's exactly what I did. I came home and made fresh berry tart topped with citrusy-infused wonderfulness whipped cream. I loved it and so did Ty. Actually, he ate three of them, the crazy boy. But all in all, it was the perfect end to an almost-summery day. Here's the recipe, enjoy!

What you'll need:
1 package of frozen puff pastries - I actually made the puff pastry from scratch, but it's VERY time and labor intensive. Pre-made puff pastries are a perfect option, since we're all about minimizing the amount of work and maximizing the yumminess! But If you'd like the recipe, please let me know. I'll be glad to share it with you!
1 package of raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, or strawberries
1 tbsp water
3 tbsp red wine - I used Shiraz red wine since it compliments the tartness and sweetness of the berries so well
2 tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 muffin or cupcake pan

For the whipped cream:

1/2 pint of lite whipping cream
1 orange
1/2 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp sugar

Directions:
1) For frozen puff pastries, you'll first want to thaw your dough to room temperature. It'll make it much easier to handle when you roll the dough to your preferred consistency. I like my dough nice and thin to give it that flaky perfect texture. Other options for puff pastry include angel food cake and pound cake! Also, if you don't have a rolling pin (don't worry, I don't either), you can use a wine bottle. I actually chilled an empty bottle in the freezer and then sprinkled the exterior with flour to make sure it didn't stick to the dough. 

2) As your dough is thawing,  preheat the oven to 400°F. 

3) Ok, now let's work on making the berry compote. Take a little sauce pot and add a tbsp of water. While it's heating, start adding the berries and then the best part, the wine. Make sure to keep it on low heat though - you want the fruit to maintain its shape and texture. Once the fruit and juices have begun reducing, turn off the heat and add the sugar. Make sure you stir, burnt sugar is not sexy. This whole process should take no more than 5 minutes!
4) So the oven's probably ready by now. Get your muffin pans ready and grease.
5) Now, take your dough and roll to whatever thinness you'd like. Next, cut out squares big enough to cover each little individual muffin cup and place in the muffin pan.
6) If you'd like, you can make a nice cinnamon egg wash to give the puff pastry that something special. Just beat one egg and add a dash of cinnamon. Brush on to the puff pastry.

7) Once that's done, spoon in the berry compote. But don't forget to drain the berry juices. You'll need that later. Fold the puff pastry around to make a nice home for the berries.
8) Place in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes! When the crust is golden brown, you know it's done!
9) On to the whipped cream. You'll first want to take out your mixer and add the 1/2 cup of creamer. 
10) As it's beating, add the vanilla extract and sugar
11) If you'd like, you could also zest some citrus, like oranges and lemons. I ended up doing both!
12) The consistency of the whipped cream should be fluffy, but a little stiff. Add once the pastries are out of the oven and have had time to cool. And just a little warning, it may deflate a little by the time your pastries are done, but that's ok! No one will care. They'll be too busy devouring your berrylicious treat!

Chicken Nuggets

Just last night, I had some leftover chicken thighs that were in the process of turning a little iffy. I knew I needed to come up with something tasty and different, something Ty and I hadn't tried in the past week, and fast! I had already used it in the Thai soup and in a barbecue chicken sandwich earlier, so having a recipe that brought a new flavor profile was key. Luckily, my imagination was working for me and I made the gutsy decision to make chicken nuggets! Best decision ever, if I say so myself. In just thirty minutes, Ty and I had our Sunday night dinner. Here's how I did it!

What you'll need:
For the chicken nuggets:  

                                                           

1 or 2 skinless chicken breasts or thighs

1 or 2 eggs

1 1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs or cornflakes*

Lots of rosemary and thyme, chopped finely

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Italian seasoning

A dash of crushed red pepper flakes or paprika

A little Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Extra virgin olive oil

For the honey mustard sauce:   

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tsp honey or 3 tbsp brown sugar 

Directions:

1) First, prepare the breading! Mix the panko bread crumbs, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes in a bowl. You want to do this first, instead of handling the meat, so you don’t contaminate everything you touch. And on another note, I used Italian seasoning flavored panko bread crumbs, which are salty in itself. If you decide to use Italian seasoning flavored panko bread crumbs like I did, only add the herbs. DO NOT add additional salt or seasonings. It’s way too salty, your mouth will be begging for something to wash all the salty away.

2) Next get the egg “batter” ready.  Just beat the eggs, and set aside.

3) Get a large plate ready and place a paper towel on top. Don’t worry, you’ll see why soon.

4) Before we get to the chicken, let’s make the sauce. Real easy. Mix the honey and mustard together. If you’re like me and don’t have honey, you can always use brown sugar.  Just make sure to increase the amount of brown sugar so you even out the tanginess of the mustard. If honey mustard doesn’t work for you, you could use ranch, barbecue, mayonnaise and siracha, or sourcream and siracha. In college, I used to mix ranch and barbecue sauce to dip my fries. Delicious.

5) Finally, you’re ready for the chicken. If you’re using chicken breasts, cut the meat into 1 inch pieces. Don’t be afraid of using a good pair of scissors for a task like this. It’s just as efficient and effective as a knife. In fact, I have one just for cooking meats! If you’re using chicken thighs, remove any skin, bristle, or lingering unwanteds a.k.a fat. We’re not operating a McDonalds here, so no grade D meat! Once that’s done, cut the meat into 1 inch pieces. 

6) Now, heat the pan to medium heat and drizzle a bit more extra virgin olive oil than you would normally.     7) While the pan is heating, dip the chicken pieces into the egg wash, lift to remove any excess egg wash, and dip into the panko breadcrumb mix. Make sure the chicken is coated evenly on all sides. One by one, place the chicken into the hot pan.

8) As each piece of chicken turns crispy and golden brown, which will take approximately 4-5 minutes per side, transfer the chicken onto the large plate with the paper towel.

9) Transfer the chicken to a big family dinner plate and serve. I guarantee you no one will be asking for McDonalds.

Yummers!

* Panko bread crumbs should be a staple in every cook's kitchen. In case you've never heard of panko breadcrumbs, they are an ingenious substitute for traditional breadcrumbs. Made in Japan, they provide a lighter, more airy, crunch to whatever it tops. Not only is it less prone to absorb the oil, it is flavorless which makes it a great base for any seasoning you have in mind. Another option if you don't have panko are crushed cornflakes.   

Guacamole

So I’m embarrassed to say it, but I used to be one of those people that ran to the store to buy some guacamole, scooped it into a nice glass bowl, and then brought it to a party and said "yep, I made that!" The ease and convenience of buying pre-made guacamole was just too darn irresistible. But after watching Ty make his homemade guacamole recipe one day, I never turned back. How could I? In just one crunchy, scoopable Tostito, I was overwhelmed with the freshness and powerful flavor of the avocado, cilantro, lime, and cumin.  Now, it’s my turn to convert you and trust me, you will. You can use this guacamole as a traditional dip or add it as a garnish or sauce to other dishes like hamburgers, omelets, tacos, baked potatoes, and deli sandwiches. Trust me, it's a much tastier, healthier, and refined substitute for whatever you may have normally added. Enjoy!

What you'll need:

2 Avocados, Halved and seeded

3 vine tomatoes, diced

1 lime, juiced

1 quarter of an onion

1 jalapeno, seeded – keep the seeds if you like your guacamole super spicy

LOTS of chopped cilantro

A sprinkle of kosher salt and pepper

1 tsp of cumin

Directions:
1) Blend the avocado and lime juice in a food processor. Mixing the lime with the avocado first will help maintain the bright green color of the avocado. No one likes a brown goopy mess. Also, if you don’t have a food processor, which is perfectly alright, mash the avocados by hand and chop everything else a bit finer so it’s easier to mix and eat.

   2) Now work on dicing the tomatoes, onions, and jalapenos. Make sure you drain the tomatoes of the juice. Ty just cuts them in half and squeezes them over the trash can. Otherwise, your guacamole will be too watery.

   3) Once everything is done, fold in the diced tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, and cilantro. But don’t over-blend.  The chunky texture will give it that extra yummy homemade taste and I guarantee you, it'll set it apart from all the store bought guacamoles out there.

     4) Season with salt and pepper and cumin. Make sure to do a test taste, just don’t taste too much!

P.S. Be playful with this recipe. If you think of something to add or something to take away, do it. Making it your own is the beauty of cooking. 

Tom Kha Gai

I was strolling through the supermarket the other day and somehow I ended up in the international aisle. It must have been fate, since I had never really cooked outside of my comfort zone a.k.a mac and cheese, spaghetti and sauce, the occasional ramen noodle package, and of course, my favorite breakfast foods, eggs and bacon. It was daunting at first, but when I saw the cans of coconut milk on the bottom row hidden all the way in the corner, I instantly remembered some of my favorite savory Thai dishes, like panang curry and thai red curry chicken and my ultimate go to, tom kha soup. It was too late to go out for Thai, so adventurous me decided Ty and I were going to have tom kha soup for dinner that night.

Once I got home, I ventured far from my familiar and comfortable culinary world. I was definitely nervous. Some experiments in my kitchen have ended up in late night runs to the nearby Wendy's. But once that gas stove was lit and I started adding those fantastical ingredients of lime and lemongrass and ginger and chili, beautiful and intoxicating flavors filled the room. And let me tell you, each spoonful was even better than the last. Here is the recipe. Enjoy!

What you'll need:

1 can (14 fl. oz.) of Thai Kitchen Lite Coconut Milk, shake well before using

1 cup  of low sodium chicken broth

1 or 2 stocks of lemongrass, peel the layers away and slice very thin

Several slices of fresh ginger or ginger powder, use sparingly – pro chefs use galangal root instead, which is in the same family as ginger (I used ginger and it turned out great)

1 diced hot red pepper or a thai chili or even red chili powder - whatever your tastebuds prefer/can handle

1 or 2 tbsp of fish sauce - if you don’t have it, that’s ok! I didn’t and it still tasted great.

1 or 2 limes

1 or two chicken breasts or 1 pound of chicken thighs, which are cheaper, still considerably lean, and moister

1 tbsp of cornstarch

1 tsp of water

A package of white mushrooms

Dash of salt and pepper

A handful of cilantro

Directions:

1)      Add coconut milk, chicken broth, lemongrass, ginger, peppers, fish sauce and the freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime into a pot. Bring to a simmer.

2)      While heating the broth, prepare chicken into bite size pieces, approximately 1 inch .

3)      Once that’s complete, mix the corn starch with water. Coat the chicken sections with the corn starch mix to make the chicken extra tender and yummy.

4)      Add the chicken into the pot. Stir regularly.

5)      After a few minutes or so when the chicken begins turning white, add the mushrooms.

6)      Once chicken is cooked thoroughly, which should only take another few minutes, add a dash of salt and pepper. Taste to see if more lime juice or additional seasoning is needed.

7)      Remove from heat. Serve with cilantro on top. And if you dare, add some more chili for that extra kick.