Customer Service and Mushroom Orzo

These two things have nothing in common, for the record.

I have been very impressed on two occasions recently with customer service. Maybe my expectations were low, as they usually are for customer service, but recently I have been noticing more and more great levels of customer service.

1) Some of you may know my mom became very sick recently, just before her and my dad and brother were planning their annual trip out here to visit. They had to cancel their trip the day before they were supposed to leave, and had to call Delta to make arrangements. Because it was for medical reasons, Delta waived not only my mom's change fee, but also my dad and my brother's (even thought my brother was coming in from a different city). They were so helpful and compassionate, it really took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting it and it made me feel good.

2) I have a slight obsession with Pottery Barn these days. Their marketing and advertising team are a bunch of genius's if you ask me. Case in point: they must have sent me one catalog a week with all their "Outdoor Living" crap, that I finally caved and decided to make something into our little side patio:

(I also got a big umbrella that goes over the space but you can't see it in picture.) They had a sale on the outdoor pillows, with free shipping, so I, of course, ordered like 15 pillows, because I couldn't decide which combination of pillows I wanted without seeing them in person. Anyway, when it came time to return the pillows I didn't want, PB credited me with a merchandise card instead of crediting my credit card. Needless to say, I wasn't very pleased. I sent their customer service an email and asked that they credit my card instead, and I was seriously fuming and expected them to tell me that I was SOL (sh-t out of luck). They promptly responded that they were sorry for the inconvenience, and that they were credit my card within 4 days. WOW. Once again, impressed.

It doesn't take much, in my opinion, to provide good customer service, and although this has absolutely nothing to do with food, I've been feeling the need to tell someone about this.

So, back to food. I struggle with finding new and easy side dishes all the time, but this is a good one:

Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 1
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 2
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 3

Mushroom Orzo
1 Tbl butter
6 mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1/2 tsp favorite fresh herb, chopped
1/2 cup orzo pasta
salt and pepper

In sauce pan, bring chicken broth and water to boil, add orzo, reduce to simmer, and cook as directed, or until soft/slightly al dente. While orzo is cooking, in a saute pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms, garlic, onion, season with salt, pepper, and herbs, and saute until soft. Once orzo is done cooking, drain and then add to saute pan, and toss to mix. Season with a little more salt and pepper, and toss again. Serve hot.

This doesn't sound all that exciting, but it's pretty flavorful. The orzo soaks up a lot of the chicken flavor, and the sauteed veggies and garlic with herbs mix in really nice. Overall, it's a pretty adaptable side dish that will go with whatever main entre you are serving.

OMG Cheesy Corn?!?!?!

The recipe I made is for 2 people, but it is so delicious, that I really wish I would've made extra. So, I am putting the recipe on here that will yield 4 normal size servings, or 2 Abby-Cheesy portions. It's seriously one of the most finger-licking good things I have eaten in a long time.

I think this was meant to be a Mexican side dish, but I can't imagine trying to eat it with anything else that's spicy. This is an immediate winner. A great pot-luck dish to please the masses. I mean, can you think of anything better than cheesy corn?!

Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 8 FINALLY!
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): the culinary challenged can't screw this up
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 3

Cheesy Corn
1 15oz can of whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 of an 8oz package of cream cheese
2 Tbl butter
8-10 jarred jalapeno slices, finely chopped
1.2 tsp garlic salt

Put all ingredients into sauce pan and mix, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring continually after cheese melts. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until heated through and blended well. Serve hot.

Oh, heavenly cheesy corn. How did I survive all these years without you? Spicy? Cheesy? And I feel less guilty knowing I am eating a vegetable?! It doesn't get much better.

I'd go so far as to say this is one of my favorite recipes of all time. It's that good.

Easy, Fast Chicken Kabob Marinade

This marinade is super random, but it is full of flavor, and the best part is: you only need to marinate for 30 minutes. There are so many amazing marinades, but so many of them require you to marinate for like 4 hours or something ridiculous. I'm not that organized most of the time, so I like ones that are quick and painless. This is also a great marinade in that most of the ingredients, aside from a fresh herb, you probably already have in your fridge and pantry!

Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 0
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 1
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 3

30 Minute Ranch Chicken Marinade
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 ranch dressing
2 Tbl Worcestershire Sauce
2 and 1/2 tsp minced fresh rosemary
1 and 1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp white (distilled) vinegar
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp white sugar
2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 in pieces (1 breast per person)

Put all ingredients (except chicken) into bowl and whisk together. Let stand 5 minutes. In plastic bag, combine chicken and marinade. Seal bag and put in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Put chicken onto skewers and discard marinade. Lightly oil grill grate, and then grill chicken skewers for 8-12 minutes or until cooked through center and juices run clear.

That's it! So simple! So yummy. And I don't even like ranch dressing, but it doesn't really taste like ranch at all. This marinade makes enough for 4 chicken breasts, but I make the full amount even if only make 2 breasts. And this is the one time I will say don't try and substitute dried herb for fresh herb. It really makes a difference.

Mommy's Recovery Beef Stroganoff!

I like to think of myself as spontaneous, and always able to travel at the last minute. But normally, I associate that scenario with fun things, and vacations, not emergency travel. Last week, my mom had to have a last minute surgery in Ft. Wayne, IN, and I decided the morning of the surgery that I needed to be there. So, at 2pm I bought a plane ticket, and at 8pm I left the house for the airport. It was not necessary the best packing job I have done, but it worked!

My mom's recovery has been going very well, but one of the side effects of being on morphine (yes, morphine) is loss of appetite. So, yesterday we got to take my mom home to Michigan, and my dad asks her what she wants for dinner. She said nothing has been sounding too great, but "maybe steak shishkabobs?" My dad says ok. Then he mentions rice as a side, and she says, "I want noodles". Beef and noodles? If I didn't know any better, I'd say my mom was hanging out with James too much. But I do know better, so I know she isn't talking Asian food, she is just being random.

I learned all my cooking skills from my dad, so I was not surprised when he immediately thought of beef stroganoff for my mom. I guess he makes it from time to time in the slow cooker, and I was curious as to how he was going to get the meat tender in 2 hours time. He didn't disappoint! It was soooooo amazing. I had 3 helpings, and I drank the sauce from my plate. I'm not exaggerating, and it wasn't lady like, but it was delicious and thus, completely necessary.

We all agreed, this was "company worthy", meaning, it's something we would serve if having guests over for dinner. I told my dad, "this was blog worthy".

Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): I'm not sure how something so delicious has no cheese
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 6 it's pretty dang long cook time, but not much prep time
Easy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): I didn't cook it, but dad says 4


Beef Stroganoff
2 Tbl olive oil
1.5 Lbs top sirloin steak, cut into 1/2 in pieces and seasoned with fresh ground black pepper
4 strips thick cut bacon, cut into 1/4 in pieces
1/2 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1.5 Tbl seasoned salt
1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
4 cups beef broth
1/3 cup red wine
1 package (8 oz) dry egg noodles
2/3 pkg fresh mushrooms, sliced
1.5 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp butter
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup cold water
1 (8 oz) container sour cream

In large dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add cubed meat, brown, then remove from pan. In the same dutch oven, add bacon, onion, celery, and saute until onions and celery are translucent and bacon fully cooked. Then add browned meat back to pan. Stir in seasoned salt, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, red wine, thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer (low to medium-low heat), simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours, until meat is fork tender. When meat is fork tender, take separate large pot, fill with water, season with salt, and bring to boil. Add egg noodles and cook 8-10 minutes, or until al dente. In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat, add mushrooms and saute 3-4 minutes, then add them to the meat mixture. Bring the meat mixture to a boil. In small bowl, whisk/mix together corn starch and water, then stir this into the meat mixture, stirring constantly while adding. Add sour cream slowly, constantly blending sour cream into liquid until creamy. Remove from heat, let stand 1-2 minutes, serve over egg noodles.


Yum yum yum. I just ate breakfast, and typing this is getting me thinking I may need a snack of left over stroganoff.

Summer Sliders

One of the many many things I love about summer is grilling! It makes me want to grill anything and everything. When I was moving to Indianapolis into my first big-girl apartment (many moons ago), my parents bought me a grill as a housewarming present. It was an Aussie grill, with a side burner and it was awesome! It traveled the states with me, moving from place to place, until April of this year, when, sentimentally, my parents replaced my old grill, with a new upgraded grill for my 30th birthday! It's huge, and what a difference a new grill makes! I love everything that comes with grilling too: eating outside, hanging with friends, fire-pits, etc.

Although this is kind of a repeat recipe, it's another way to look at an oldie but goodie.

Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): cheese optional
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 2
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 3


Summer Sliders
1 lb ground beef
1 package powdered ranch dressing mix
1 egg, beaten
5-6 saltine crackers, crushed
1/2 small onion, chopped
6 slices of bread, toasted
3 slices of cheese (optional)
Condiments

Heat grill to medium heat. In large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, ranch mix, 1/2 of beaten egg, crushed saltines, and onion, and mix well. Form mixture into 12 small patties. Grill over medium heat until desired doneness (add cheese towards end to melt if desired). Toast all bread slices, then cut each piece of toast into 4 pieces. Serve each slider in between 2 pieces of toast, serve with preferred condiments. Makes 12 sliders.


Like I said, kind of a repeat of a burger recipe, but a new thing to do with it. I actually have another slider recipe I want to try, and since it's summer, don't be surprised to see a lot of grill recipes coming up.

Grilled Lobster Tails

For those of you that shop at Albertson's, they run a special once in a while on the small lobster tails for like $4.50 each or something. More often, they have them on sale for like $8.00/tail, but either way, it's a smokin' deal if all you want is a little taste of heaven.

I had never grilled lobster before, and it was easiest, and yummier, than I expected.

Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 1
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 2
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 2

Grilled Lobster Tails
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp ground pepper (black or white) 
4 small lobster tails

Mix lemon juice, olive oil, garlic salt, paprika, and pepper in a bowl. Using sharp knife, split lobster tail down the middle, leaving connected the two very ends. Heat grill to medium-high heat. Using basting brush, brush marinade onto flesh-side of lobster. Grill flesh-side down for 5-6 minutes, turn, grill additional 4-5 minutes. Baste again with mixture, then turn once more and grill for 3-4 minutes. Serve immediately. Discard remaining marinade.

The Best Lasagna Uncle Javier Has Ever Had!

Guinness has a special relationship with a couple of our friends. Erin Keller, the dog whisperer, always makes Guinness so excited when she sees her that she pees. Every time. Never fails. But probably her most special relationship is with her Uncle Javier. He often takes her to work with him for the day, and now knows him by name! I think Javier likes her more than us. For my 30th b-day, he brought her a gift, instead of me. It was a teddy bear, and her new favorite toy. Her new game is to try and get the arms of the bear out of the t-shirt. Weirdo.

We recently went on a vacation where we couldn't take our dog, Guinness. She isn't the easiest dog when it comes to sleeping, as she likes to sleep in our bed, instead of her own "big girl bed", so we debated about what to do with her while we were gone. She spends a lot of time with her BFF, Mini Panda, across the street, so we asked our friends the Norton's if they wouldn't mind watching her. They love and treat her like they do Mini, so we knew she would be well taken care of. The other options were a kennel, or her Uncle Javier, but until she sleeps through the night in her own bed, we didn't think Javier would stay sane for 5 days. We did list Javier as her "emergency contact", and when asked what relationship was, I said Godfather. Man, are we cheesy (pun intended). Here's a pic of the besties, Guinness and Mini.

This doesn't have much to do with lasagna. But when I thought about when I made the lasagna, I remembered that Javier had been telling me he made a mean lasagna, and we had invited him and Danielle for dinner when I made it, and I was very nervous. However, after eating it, he said it might be the best lasagna he's ever had! Best. Compliment. Ever. When we left for our vacation a couple of days later, we had tons of lasagna left, and I didn't want such hard work to go to waste, so I sent piles of leftovers with the Norton's when they came to pick up Guinness. James thought it was very strange to give our friends leftovers when they don't ask for them, but I hadn't really thought twice about it. Needless to say, they said they loved the lasagna! Yippee! I'm not a weirdo!

Back to the food: this is a labor of love, I will warn you. But it's worth the 4 hours it takes to make.

Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): you won't poop for a week
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 6-7
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 7-8 ugh

Palio's Lasagna
1.5 lb mild Italian sausage, ground (optional)
1/4 cup water
2 Tbs unsalted butter
1 leek, white only, finely chopped
1 small fennel bulb (Anise), finely chopped
1.5 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 lb zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/4in thick slices
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
1 tsp fresh oregano
1 Tbs fresh basil
1 Tbs flour
1 cup heavy cream
Salt/Pepper
2 eggs
15 lasagna noodles (no-boil type)
2 15oz. containers part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese
4 cups mozzarella cheese, grated or shredded
1.5 cups fontina cheese, grated
4 cups tomato sauce (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 deg. In large pan, add Italian sausage with 1/4 cup of water and cook over medium high heat, stirring to break up meat, until cooked through. Drain and set aside. Melt the butter in the pan, and add chopped leek and fennel and saute over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until tender. Add mushrooms and continue to saute until soft. Stir in flour, then add heavy cream, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the chopped spinach and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in the sausage, and set aside. Arrange sliced zucchini on non-stick baking sheet (or line sheet with parchment paper), season with salt and pepper, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. In large bowl, beat eggs and mix in ricotta cheese, season with salt and pepper. In separate large bowl, combine remaining cheeses. 

Spray 13x9 glass baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce over bottom of dish. Place 5 noodles over sauce, overlapping them a bit. Spread half of ricotta mixture evenly over noodles, then spread sausage mixture as well. Take half of baked zucchini and spread out over top of sausage mixture. Sprinkle 1/3 of cheeses evenly over zucchini. Repeat layering with 5 noodles, remaining ricotta, sausage mixture, zucchini, and 1/2 the amount of remaining cheeses. Arrange remaining 5 noodles to cover it all. Sprinkle remaining cheeses evenly over lasagna. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until hot and golden on top, about 20-25 minutes. Take out of oven and let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Tomato Sauce
3 24oz cans chopped tomatoes, preferably Hunts
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 medium size garlic cloves
1/3 cup canned tomato sauce
2 cups fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1.5 Tbs kosher or sea salt
2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 Tbs honey

In food processor or blender, puree olive oil and garlic. Pour the mixture into a sauce pan and heat over medium heat (don't burn garlic). Stir in chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low, simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in honey and fresh basil at end. Serve and freeze unused if desired.


Phew! I'm tired just writing this, let alone cooking it. No notes here. Don't substitute on this one. It's perfection. And don't even think about using jarred sauce to save time. The sauce makes this dish. And you've already committed, so don't skimp out now. You can thank me later.   

Abby Gets an 'F' in Blogging.....and an Asian Invasion in the Kitchen

My friend Jessica told me the other that I get an 'F' in blogging. I couldn't argue. I didn't quite realize when I got into this blogging thing that people expect posts often. However, it's a little different with a cooking blog. I don't know anyone who cooks who makes 365 different recipes a year. There are going to be lots of repeats, and I am not going to blog about something I have already told you about.

I'm not making excuses for the last month though, I just haven't been cooking as much to be honest. So, just give me a 'D' or a 'C-' instead of an 'F', pretty please.

No big news in the Melad family worth noting while I talk about food, but I will keep you updated, and promise to cook more.

Here is another episode in the "Asian food for white people" book (it's a joke, don't take offense, I'm not a racist). I'm getting better and better at these thanks to my in-laws who teach me everything I know about Asian/Pacific Island cooking.

Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): If by cheese you mean soy sauce, then 5. Otherwise, 0.
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 4
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 4

Spicy Chinese BBQ Chicken
1 Tbl toasted sesame seeds
2 Tbl cracked white, pink, or green peppercorns
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 tsp hot pepper flakes
1 Tbl garlic salt
2-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup KC Masterpiece Original BBQ Sauce
2 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tbl peanut or canola oil
1 Tbl rice vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground ginger

In a small sauce pan, combine, the BBQ sauce, soy sauce, oil, rice vinegar, garlic, and ground ginger, mix well, and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Let simmer for about 5 minutes. Pre- heat grill or saute pan over medium heat. In small mixing bowl, combine sesame seeds, pepper, poppy seeds, pepper flakes, garlic salt, and mix well. Rub mixture on all side of chicken breasts. Remove BBQ sauce from heat, and transfer sauce to serving bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. Spray non-stick spray on grill, or lightly oil grill grate with olive oil. Grill chicken breasts over medium heat until cooked through and juices clear, turning 2-3 times, basting with BBQ sauce each time you turn. Save remaining BBQ sauce for serving sauce.

Fried Rice
2 cups cooked white rice (preferably 1 day old)
1/4 cup finely chopped vegetables (carrots, onion, green pepper, peas, etc.), sauteed in butter
1 egg, fried
4 Tbl butter
3-4 Tbl soy sauce
salt/pepper
Toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Heat large fry pan over medium heat. Once pan is hot, add rice and allow to fry for a few minutes. Add butter, soy sauce, and sauteed vegetables. Mix well in pan (after mixing, rice should be light tan/brown color). Continue frying rice. Chop up fried egg and add to rice. Season rice with salt and pepper (and sesame seeds if using), continuing to stir and fry for about 2 minutes. Serve hot. Serves 4-6 people.


I made the above two dishes with the pea pods and mushrooms recipe posted a while back for an all over yummy meal. Here are my notes:
- A lot of recipes call for sesame seeds, and then add an extra step to have you toast them in fry pan. Just make it easy on yourself and buy the already toasted sesame seeds in the spice section at the store. They taste the same.
- Pepper: not sure what to tell you here. Hopefully, you magically have a spice mill to grind the peppercorns. If not, you can use a coffee grinder. Otherwise, you are SOL like I am and have to put them into your pepper grinder and grind by hand. Makes for strong (sore) forearms.
- BBQ sauce: I'm sure you can use whatever BBQ sauce you have in your fridge, but I like the KC Masterpiece Original
- You can save your leftover Chinese BBQ sauce covered in the fridge for several weeks
- If you remember/have time to make the white rice the day before, that is best. But if you want to make white rice day of, just give it time to cool in fridge for a little before frying it up.
- If you can handle managing multiple pans and one time, you can fry the egg in a small fry pan while doing everything else, and also saute veggies in another small pan at same time as well. Otherwise, just do it quickly before you start cooking so it's ready to go.
- Eye-ball the soy sauce when you're adding it to the fried rice. Add 3 Tbl, mix it all up and see if it's enough or not enough. Rice should be slightly covered with soy after mixing up.
- Don't give me crap about not adding sprouts of whatever else to the fried rice. I hate sprouts. You can add whatever you want to yours, I like mine without.

Easy Chinese food. You can even get some fortune cookies in International aisle at grocery store if you want to get fancy.