So I bought a Nook from Barnes and Nobles a year or so ago after they first came out (it's an eReader for those of you who live in a cave), and I've been extremely happy with it. It's great for travel, especially, because if you can read more than one book on a trip, it was a pain to carry 2-3 books in a carry-on or luggage. Now I can have as many books as I please and it takes up very little room. I've been reading on this thing for a while and the books you can buy are way cheaper than hard covers, and still cheaper than paperbacks.
It's been a while since I have purchased a cook-book, but there was one I wanted today so I went to B&N and got it (cook books are not great on the eReader, in my opinion), and a book for my hubby, and a magazine. Well, silly me had forgotten what it was like to pay full prices for books! Holy moly! Even with my B&N membership, which gives you 10%, it was like $40!! For two books! Ridiculous.
So, the cookbook I bought is all about simple food, but good food, and it was kind of the inspiration for our meal last night. The recipe is for 2 people.
Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 0
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 2
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 3
Southwestern Salmon Bowl
1 cup white rice
2 pieces of salmon (individual portions)
1 can black beans
1/2 small can of whole kernel corn
1/2 small zucchini, sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2 in pieces
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 in pieces
1 slice of red onion, 1 in thick, then cut into 1/2 in pieces
5-6 mushrooms, sliced
1/2 of carrot, sliced thin
1 small can diced green chilis
3 limes
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbl olive oil
Salsa
Salt/Pepper
Toppings (optional): hot sauce, sour cream
Add minced garlic, juice from 2 limes, and olive oil to ziploc bag with salmon in it. Mix it all up and let marinate in fridge for 30 min or so. Cook rice as indicated. While salmon is marinating and rice cooking, heat black beans in small pan on stove. In large fry, heat remaining Tbl of olive oil over medium heat. Add all veggies and corn, season with salt and pepper to taste, and start sauteing veggies. While they are cooking, add a Tbl of salsa 2-3 times along with some lime juice, continually stirring into veggies. Heat separate small fry pan over medium heat. Add salmon and cook in pan 8-10 minutes, turning once in middle. Serve in bowl with rice on bottom, then beans, then veggies, then salmon. Top with additional salsa (and sour cream and hot sauce is desired).
This is a pretty simple dish, and very full of veggies, which I love. You can even omit the salmon, and just make a veggie bowl! And if you are so inclined, try a more intricate marinade on the fish. Or buy one of those Lawry's 30 minute marinades they have at grocery store (Tequilla-Lime one is good for this, or the Caribbean Jerk).
Easy. Breezy.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Greek Culinary Adventures: Part 1
I miss the days when I could sleep sleep sleep and sleep some more. Seems lately that during the week I can't sleep past 7:30am, even when I want to. I know some of you would dream of sleeping in until 7:30am, but I have a strange work schedule sometimes which keeps me working until 10pm (last night), and able to not work until 9-10am (rarely). Even on the weekends, when I can sleep in, 8:30am is when my body tells me it's time to get crackin'.
I don't know why I have been craving Greek food recently, but I can't get enough. So I started doing some research for ideas for Greek dishes and came across something interesting. James had this dish in Santorini at a restaurant called Ochre, called something or other "saganaki". I was googling saganaki and came across a shrimp saganaki dish on foodtv.com. I looked at who the recipe was submitted by, and it was none other than Captain Ted Stathis! He was the Captain on the catamaran boat trip we did on our honeymoon!
Apparently, Giada De Laurentiis did an episode in Santorini and one of the features was Captain Ted and Santorini Sailing. Random!
Captain Ted and his crew were soooo amazing! We did a 6 hour sunset cruise on his boat with like 4 other couples. Sailed, snorkeled, swam, and ate amazing food that I have been craving ever since.
If you ever make it to Santorini, call up Captain Ted at Santorini Sailing (www.santorinisailing.com) and book a trip. It was the highlight of our Greece adventure. (Here's a couple pics of us with Captain Ted and the amazing food!)
Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 4 but the cheese could be omitted if 100% life and death necessary
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 6, if you try the Ouzo part, 3 otherwise
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 3
Captain Ted's Shrimp Saganaki
1 Tbl olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small onion, chopped
16 medium shrimp, shell on (or 20-24 small shrimp)
Salt/Pepper
Dried Oregano
Dried chili flakes or crushed red pepper flakes
1.5 oz Ouzo
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 small can (16 oz or less) crush tomatoes
1 tsp olive paste
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 lemon, sliced
Heat olive oil over medium-low heat in saute pan. Add garlic and onions and saute until soft, but not brown. Add shrimp and season with salt, pepper, oregano, and chili flakes, all to taste. Once shrimp about done, remove pan from heat and carefully add Ouzo (will catch on fire so do with caution- or omit). Return to stove and simmer for another minute, then add wine to pan and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove shrimp from pan with slotted spoon, and place shrimp on dish to cool slightly. When shrimp are cool enough to handle, peel shells off. Add crushed tomatoes (not necessarily whole can) and olive paste to pan, and simmer for about 4-5 minutes. Return the peeled shrimp to the pan, and toss to coat in the sauce. Then sprinkle the feta cheese over the top of the contents of the pan, and force to melt by pushing down with the back of the spoon/spatula. Serve with sliced lemon as garnish.
This dish is actually super simple. The only things you may not have are olive paste and Ouzo (like a Greek vodka but way stronger). Olive paste can be found usually in your grocery store's "international" aisle, under the Mediterranean section. I was very excited to try the flambe with Ouzo part, but was unable to get my hands on Ouzo before making dinner, as they didn't have at my little corner liquor store as I thought, so had to live without. Contrary to popular belief, I don't have a full bar on hand at my house, complete with liquor from around the world. I suppose if you had 151 at your house instead, you could use that?? I just did without because I had to but you do what you like. Also, cooking the shrimp with the shells on was a new experience for me in a pan, but it was great in that it encapsulated all the yumminess from the onion and garlic and seasonings under the shell while the shrimp cooked.
In regards to the tomatoes, I added the whole can, and felt it was too much, so eye ball it and see what consistency of sauce you like. This tomato sauce concoction basically tastes like a Greek version of a spaghetti sauce, and I loved it. The only thing it was lacking for me, that maybe it was supposed to lack, was some sort of sweetness or acidity (in our spaghetti sauce usually have sugar or honey or pineapple)....but like I said, maybe this sauce wasn't supposed to have that. Anyway, that's why I added the sliced lemon garnish, so if you need it, you can squeeze a little lemon out on it.
I don't know why I have been craving Greek food recently, but I can't get enough. So I started doing some research for ideas for Greek dishes and came across something interesting. James had this dish in Santorini at a restaurant called Ochre, called something or other "saganaki". I was googling saganaki and came across a shrimp saganaki dish on foodtv.com. I looked at who the recipe was submitted by, and it was none other than Captain Ted Stathis! He was the Captain on the catamaran boat trip we did on our honeymoon!
Apparently, Giada De Laurentiis did an episode in Santorini and one of the features was Captain Ted and Santorini Sailing. Random!
Captain Ted and his crew were soooo amazing! We did a 6 hour sunset cruise on his boat with like 4 other couples. Sailed, snorkeled, swam, and ate amazing food that I have been craving ever since.
If you ever make it to Santorini, call up Captain Ted at Santorini Sailing (www.santorinisailing.com) and book a trip. It was the highlight of our Greece adventure. (Here's a couple pics of us with Captain Ted and the amazing food!)
Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 4 but the cheese could be omitted if 100% life and death necessary
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 6, if you try the Ouzo part, 3 otherwise
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 3
Captain Ted's Shrimp Saganaki
1 Tbl olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small onion, chopped
16 medium shrimp, shell on (or 20-24 small shrimp)
Salt/Pepper
Dried Oregano
Dried chili flakes or crushed red pepper flakes
1.5 oz Ouzo
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 small can (16 oz or less) crush tomatoes
1 tsp olive paste
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 lemon, sliced
Heat olive oil over medium-low heat in saute pan. Add garlic and onions and saute until soft, but not brown. Add shrimp and season with salt, pepper, oregano, and chili flakes, all to taste. Once shrimp about done, remove pan from heat and carefully add Ouzo (will catch on fire so do with caution- or omit). Return to stove and simmer for another minute, then add wine to pan and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove shrimp from pan with slotted spoon, and place shrimp on dish to cool slightly. When shrimp are cool enough to handle, peel shells off. Add crushed tomatoes (not necessarily whole can) and olive paste to pan, and simmer for about 4-5 minutes. Return the peeled shrimp to the pan, and toss to coat in the sauce. Then sprinkle the feta cheese over the top of the contents of the pan, and force to melt by pushing down with the back of the spoon/spatula. Serve with sliced lemon as garnish.
This dish is actually super simple. The only things you may not have are olive paste and Ouzo (like a Greek vodka but way stronger). Olive paste can be found usually in your grocery store's "international" aisle, under the Mediterranean section. I was very excited to try the flambe with Ouzo part, but was unable to get my hands on Ouzo before making dinner, as they didn't have at my little corner liquor store as I thought, so had to live without. Contrary to popular belief, I don't have a full bar on hand at my house, complete with liquor from around the world. I suppose if you had 151 at your house instead, you could use that?? I just did without because I had to but you do what you like. Also, cooking the shrimp with the shells on was a new experience for me in a pan, but it was great in that it encapsulated all the yumminess from the onion and garlic and seasonings under the shell while the shrimp cooked.
In regards to the tomatoes, I added the whole can, and felt it was too much, so eye ball it and see what consistency of sauce you like. This tomato sauce concoction basically tastes like a Greek version of a spaghetti sauce, and I loved it. The only thing it was lacking for me, that maybe it was supposed to lack, was some sort of sweetness or acidity (in our spaghetti sauce usually have sugar or honey or pineapple)....but like I said, maybe this sauce wasn't supposed to have that. Anyway, that's why I added the sliced lemon garnish, so if you need it, you can squeeze a little lemon out on it.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Healthy-Healthy Taco Salad to Ease Angry Birds and Angry Abby
I really should have titled this "healthy-esque" taco salad, considering I usually top it with a gallop of sour cream and hot-sauce and cheese. But if you omit those things, this is a great healthy meal. Although, in my opinion, it's a very filly lunch, and a not-so-filling dinner. If serving for dinner, I would serve it with a quesadilla or something a little more hearty if you have a hungry bunch.
Completely off the topic of food, but my husband is obsessed with the Angry Birds app on the iPad. I thought I was obsessed as we were fighting over it and beat all the levels in what seemed like record time. But then I learned what obsessed really was: he is googling and downloading tips and codes on how to get to the secret levels and the golden egg levels and blah blah blah. I mean, I guess it's only fair since I am blogging that he have the iPad to play Angry Birds on, but this is getting a little out of hand. That game makes me want to throw the iPad out the window sometimes when those stupid pigs won't die and just get a black eye and then smile all smug at you. Stupid pigs. I hate them. Angry Birds = Angry Abby.
Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 1 (this must be a record: like 3-4 recipes in a row with no cheese)
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 3
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 2
Taco Salad for Two
1/2 lb ground turkey
1 package lettuce of choice
1/2 package of taco seasoning
Catalina Dressing
small can of corn
small can sliced black olives
shredded pepper jack or mexican blend cheese
7-8 grape tomatoes, sliced and diced
Tortilla chips
Sour Cream
1/3 cup of mix of chopped green pepper, red pepper, onion
chopped jarred jalapenos (optional)
Chalula hot sauce (optional)
In small sauce pan, heat corn. In saute/fry pan, add ground turkey, and pepper/onion mix. Brown meat, then add taco seasoning and cook as directed on package. In a large bowl, combine lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and dressing, toss to coat. Top with meat mixture, corn, olives, (probably won't need whole cans, so eye ball the corn and the olives), then top/garnish with jalapenos (to taste), hot sauce, sour cream, and crunched up tortilla chips.
This is really a hodge podge recipe as things are really too hard to measure out. But I am guessing if you are reading a cooking blog, you have made a salad before and can figure out the proportions of lettuce to everything else. If you use a package of lettuce, a half lb of ground turkey, and a half package of taco seasoning, I think you will be okay. Everything else, just eye ball it as you are mixing it together. It's dang good though. And it's a nicely deceptive dish, meaning it looks like you cooked, but really, all you did is brown meat and toss a bunch of crap into a bowl with it. Presto!
And don't give me the bologna about ground turkey not tasting as good in tacos/Mexican dishes. You can't taste the difference in this, or most things, and you are full of it. I put you up to the taste test challenge any day of the week.
Completely off the topic of food, but my husband is obsessed with the Angry Birds app on the iPad. I thought I was obsessed as we were fighting over it and beat all the levels in what seemed like record time. But then I learned what obsessed really was: he is googling and downloading tips and codes on how to get to the secret levels and the golden egg levels and blah blah blah. I mean, I guess it's only fair since I am blogging that he have the iPad to play Angry Birds on, but this is getting a little out of hand. That game makes me want to throw the iPad out the window sometimes when those stupid pigs won't die and just get a black eye and then smile all smug at you. Stupid pigs. I hate them. Angry Birds = Angry Abby.
Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 1 (this must be a record: like 3-4 recipes in a row with no cheese)
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 3
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 2
Taco Salad for Two
1/2 lb ground turkey
1 package lettuce of choice
1/2 package of taco seasoning
Catalina Dressing
small can of corn
small can sliced black olives
shredded pepper jack or mexican blend cheese
7-8 grape tomatoes, sliced and diced
Tortilla chips
Sour Cream
1/3 cup of mix of chopped green pepper, red pepper, onion
chopped jarred jalapenos (optional)
Chalula hot sauce (optional)
In small sauce pan, heat corn. In saute/fry pan, add ground turkey, and pepper/onion mix. Brown meat, then add taco seasoning and cook as directed on package. In a large bowl, combine lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and dressing, toss to coat. Top with meat mixture, corn, olives, (probably won't need whole cans, so eye ball the corn and the olives), then top/garnish with jalapenos (to taste), hot sauce, sour cream, and crunched up tortilla chips.
This is really a hodge podge recipe as things are really too hard to measure out. But I am guessing if you are reading a cooking blog, you have made a salad before and can figure out the proportions of lettuce to everything else. If you use a package of lettuce, a half lb of ground turkey, and a half package of taco seasoning, I think you will be okay. Everything else, just eye ball it as you are mixing it together. It's dang good though. And it's a nicely deceptive dish, meaning it looks like you cooked, but really, all you did is brown meat and toss a bunch of crap into a bowl with it. Presto!
And don't give me the bologna about ground turkey not tasting as good in tacos/Mexican dishes. You can't taste the difference in this, or most things, and you are full of it. I put you up to the taste test challenge any day of the week.
Abby Kung Pao!
I have been slacking on the posting. But have been cooking so I will play a little catch-up now. However, that whole 30 day blog challenge thing? Not for me. I can't even remember to brush my teeth every day, let along blog. (Just kidding, I brush my teeth, don't worry.)
As part of my New Year's Resolution of cooking more "Asian" inspired dishes, I am on to dish #2: my version of Kung Pao Chicken and Vegetables. It's definitely Asian flavors, but I don't think I will be given any acclamations from PF Chang anytime soon. Buuuut, in all fairness, my pacific-islander husband, who also happens to be an all-asian-foods lover, said it was really good. So I will go off of that.
You will probably start to notice a trend in these "Asian" dishes: none of them contain ingredients I don't already have in my pantry. I am not quite ready to start investing in fish sauce, oyster sauce, hoisen sauce, etc. So, I am trying to encapsulate the same flavors, minus the strange ingredients.
On a really exciting note (you will probably only find this exciting if you have been to a Shabu Shabu restaurant- which is basically a Japanese fondu type of place): I FINALLY got my handles on a bottle of hot drops. Google "Shabu Shabu hot drops" and you will see what I am talking about. SO EXCITED.
This recipe is good for 2 hungry people. Serve over white rice.
Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 1
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 6
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 5
Abby Kung Pao
Marinade:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 Tbl white wine (use whatever you are drinking)
1 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tbl sesame oil
1 Tbl cornstarch, dissolved in 1 Tbl water
Sauce:
1 Tbl and 1 tsp white wine
1 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tbl sesame oil
1 Tbl cornstarch, dissolved in 1 Tbl water
1.5 tsp white distilled vinegar
2 tsp brown sugar
1 ounce chili paste OR 2 hot drops OR 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp honey
1 Tbl fresh garlic, minced
Veggies:
5-6 white button or baby brown mushrooms, sliced
1/4 sweet or yellow onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2 in pieces
Small can of pineapple chunks (in their own juice)
1 carrot, julienned
1 egg, beaten
Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix. In a shallow dish, put chicken, and then pour marinade over, and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. For sauce, add all ingredients in a bowl and mix. In a small sauce pan, heat sauce over low heat, stirring every couple of minutes. Once sauce thickens, remove from heat. Place large fry pan or wok over medium heat. Take chicken out of fridge, discard marinade, and add chicken to heated pan, along with mushrooms, onions, and bell pepper. Cook over medium heat until chicken cooked through. Add carrots and pineapple to taste (I like about a 1/4 of the can of pineapple). Continue to cook over low heat for about 1 minute. In a separate small fry pan, scramble and then shred the egg. In the large fry pan with chicken and vegetable, add the sauce, toss to coat everything, and cook for another minute. Add shredded egg and serve over rice.
NOTES/TIPS:
This dish is very good. It's pretty spicy, the pineapple makes it sweet, and the carrots give it a little crunch. It will smell heavily of sesame oil (which I personally do not like), but the taste of sesame oil won't be nearly as strong. If you know how to divide the sesame oil, that's even better, but if you don't, you aren't missing anything. For the white wine, just use whatever you are drinking. If you are blesses enough to have hot drops at your disposal, do NOT add more than 2 drops. You might die. Well, that's an exaggeration, but you might not feel your lips for a week and have some interesting stomach issues. Also, if you don't have the pineapple, it's not necessary, it just adds a little sweet spot to it. And although all of these steps sound difficult, they really aren't. I just make things sound more difficult than they are. It's what I do.
As part of my New Year's Resolution of cooking more "Asian" inspired dishes, I am on to dish #2: my version of Kung Pao Chicken and Vegetables. It's definitely Asian flavors, but I don't think I will be given any acclamations from PF Chang anytime soon. Buuuut, in all fairness, my pacific-islander husband, who also happens to be an all-asian-foods lover, said it was really good. So I will go off of that.
You will probably start to notice a trend in these "Asian" dishes: none of them contain ingredients I don't already have in my pantry. I am not quite ready to start investing in fish sauce, oyster sauce, hoisen sauce, etc. So, I am trying to encapsulate the same flavors, minus the strange ingredients.
On a really exciting note (you will probably only find this exciting if you have been to a Shabu Shabu restaurant- which is basically a Japanese fondu type of place): I FINALLY got my handles on a bottle of hot drops. Google "Shabu Shabu hot drops" and you will see what I am talking about. SO EXCITED.
This recipe is good for 2 hungry people. Serve over white rice.
Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 1
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 6
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 5
Abby Kung Pao
Marinade:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 Tbl white wine (use whatever you are drinking)
1 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tbl sesame oil
1 Tbl cornstarch, dissolved in 1 Tbl water
Sauce:
1 Tbl and 1 tsp white wine
1 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tbl sesame oil
1 Tbl cornstarch, dissolved in 1 Tbl water
1.5 tsp white distilled vinegar
2 tsp brown sugar
1 ounce chili paste OR 2 hot drops OR 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp honey
1 Tbl fresh garlic, minced
Veggies:
5-6 white button or baby brown mushrooms, sliced
1/4 sweet or yellow onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2 in pieces
Small can of pineapple chunks (in their own juice)
1 carrot, julienned
1 egg, beaten
Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix. In a shallow dish, put chicken, and then pour marinade over, and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. For sauce, add all ingredients in a bowl and mix. In a small sauce pan, heat sauce over low heat, stirring every couple of minutes. Once sauce thickens, remove from heat. Place large fry pan or wok over medium heat. Take chicken out of fridge, discard marinade, and add chicken to heated pan, along with mushrooms, onions, and bell pepper. Cook over medium heat until chicken cooked through. Add carrots and pineapple to taste (I like about a 1/4 of the can of pineapple). Continue to cook over low heat for about 1 minute. In a separate small fry pan, scramble and then shred the egg. In the large fry pan with chicken and vegetable, add the sauce, toss to coat everything, and cook for another minute. Add shredded egg and serve over rice.
NOTES/TIPS:
This dish is very good. It's pretty spicy, the pineapple makes it sweet, and the carrots give it a little crunch. It will smell heavily of sesame oil (which I personally do not like), but the taste of sesame oil won't be nearly as strong. If you know how to divide the sesame oil, that's even better, but if you don't, you aren't missing anything. For the white wine, just use whatever you are drinking. If you are blesses enough to have hot drops at your disposal, do NOT add more than 2 drops. You might die. Well, that's an exaggeration, but you might not feel your lips for a week and have some interesting stomach issues. Also, if you don't have the pineapple, it's not necessary, it just adds a little sweet spot to it. And although all of these steps sound difficult, they really aren't. I just make things sound more difficult than they are. It's what I do.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Mango Chutney Aioli....The Condiment You Want to Put on Everything!
Two positives today: the weather is amazing and finally back to typical SoCal! Finally! AND our house is officially done with construction from the flood so I can have my kitchen back! WOOOHOOO! First order of business: cooking. Cooking. Cooking. Cooking.
There is a restaurant downtown Huntington Beach called Duke's that we frequent all too often. However, they have an item that is only on their Saturday lunch menu, the Turkey Stack Sandwich, which drives me nuts, because that is the one time we hardly ever make it there. It is a sandwich with turkey, cheese, avocado, tomato, bacon, and a mango chutney aioli. Delicious! So delicious, in fact, that we crave it often, and thus, have decided to start recreating it at home!
So, this aioli was an interesting task as there are a lot of recipes for aioli (basically, it's a garlic mayo), and lots of recipes for mango chutney, but none combining the two. So, I created my own! Quite successfully, I might add, and now I want to put it on everything.
Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 0
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 1
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 1
Mango Chutney Aioli
1/4 cup Major Grey's Mango Chutney
1/2 cup mayo
Juice from 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Combine all ingredients in bowl, mix well. Taste and adjust ingredients to taste. Cover and put in fridge 30 minutes.
Soooo yummy! I actually added a little more garlic, and a little more Chutney, but make the recipe first, then adjust to how you like it. Major Grey's is the best mango chutney, in my opinion, but you can make your own very easily as well. Major Grey's can be found in almost all grocery stores though, and is usually in the condiment aisle, by the jelly's etc.
There is a restaurant downtown Huntington Beach called Duke's that we frequent all too often. However, they have an item that is only on their Saturday lunch menu, the Turkey Stack Sandwich, which drives me nuts, because that is the one time we hardly ever make it there. It is a sandwich with turkey, cheese, avocado, tomato, bacon, and a mango chutney aioli. Delicious! So delicious, in fact, that we crave it often, and thus, have decided to start recreating it at home!
So, this aioli was an interesting task as there are a lot of recipes for aioli (basically, it's a garlic mayo), and lots of recipes for mango chutney, but none combining the two. So, I created my own! Quite successfully, I might add, and now I want to put it on everything.
Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 0
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 1
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 1
Mango Chutney Aioli
1/4 cup Major Grey's Mango Chutney
1/2 cup mayo
Juice from 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Combine all ingredients in bowl, mix well. Taste and adjust ingredients to taste. Cover and put in fridge 30 minutes.
Soooo yummy! I actually added a little more garlic, and a little more Chutney, but make the recipe first, then adjust to how you like it. Major Grey's is the best mango chutney, in my opinion, but you can make your own very easily as well. Major Grey's can be found in almost all grocery stores though, and is usually in the condiment aisle, by the jelly's etc.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Caribben Chicken Kebabs and the 30-day Blog Challenge
My friend Jessica started doing this "30-day Blog Challenge", where there is a list of things to enter on your blog each day. Not sure I can keep up with it, especially since this is really a food/cooking blog, and not an Abby blog, but figured I would tie in some of the things if possible.
Day 1 and day 2 are to put a picture up of yourself, describe your day, and then put a picture of something you ate today.
This is a picture of me on our wedding day, in case you couldn't tell. Ha! My mom and dad had arranged as a special treat for us to be taken from the church to the reception in all these old, cool vintage muscle cars!
As far as a day description, I will do yesterday. We woke up at 5am (on a Sunday!), and drove to Snow Summit to go snowboarding! The weather was good, and the snow was awesome. We rode hard from open until about noon, when it started to get busy, then hopped back in the car and drove home, just in time to watch the 2nd half of the football game. Our friends Javier and Danielle watched Guinness for us, and she had a very fun day playing. We came home, ordered some Chinese food, and were asleep by 8:45pm! It was great.
A picture of something I ate today? Well, I will conveniently use this opportunity to post on the blog what I am making for dinner tonight instead: Caribbean Chicken Kebabs!
This is a recipe I have been wanting to try from Coastal Living magazine. (PS, if you live by water, you want this magazine. It's awesome!)
Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): zilch
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 2
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 5 but only because of marinating
Caribbean Chicken Kebabs
1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp fresh minced ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1.5 in pieces
1 sweet onion, cut into 1.5 in pieces
2 bell peppers (red or orange) cut into 1.5 in pieces
1 pineapple, cubed
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 cup butter
1.5 Tbls fresh lime juice
1.5 tsp cayenne pepper
1.5 tsp garlic salt
Combine first 4 ingredients in bowl, mix. Pour marinade, chicken and onions into plastic ziploc and put into refrigerator for 3-6 hours to marinate. Take out, discard marinade, and skewer onions and chicken along with remaining veggies. In small sauce pan, melt butter, and stir in lime, cayenne, and garlic salt. Use this as butter-baste for skewers. Grill skewers over medium heat 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through, turning and basting with Lime-Cayenne butter multiple times.
I am going to serve this with a wild rice mixture and a side salad. All while watching the Ducks win!
Day 1 and day 2 are to put a picture up of yourself, describe your day, and then put a picture of something you ate today.
As far as a day description, I will do yesterday. We woke up at 5am (on a Sunday!), and drove to Snow Summit to go snowboarding! The weather was good, and the snow was awesome. We rode hard from open until about noon, when it started to get busy, then hopped back in the car and drove home, just in time to watch the 2nd half of the football game. Our friends Javier and Danielle watched Guinness for us, and she had a very fun day playing. We came home, ordered some Chinese food, and were asleep by 8:45pm! It was great.
A picture of something I ate today? Well, I will conveniently use this opportunity to post on the blog what I am making for dinner tonight instead: Caribbean Chicken Kebabs!
This is a recipe I have been wanting to try from Coastal Living magazine. (PS, if you live by water, you want this magazine. It's awesome!)
Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): zilch
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 2
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 5 but only because of marinating
Caribbean Chicken Kebabs
1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp fresh minced ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1.5 in pieces
1 sweet onion, cut into 1.5 in pieces
2 bell peppers (red or orange) cut into 1.5 in pieces
1 pineapple, cubed
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 cup butter
1.5 Tbls fresh lime juice
1.5 tsp cayenne pepper
1.5 tsp garlic salt
Combine first 4 ingredients in bowl, mix. Pour marinade, chicken and onions into plastic ziploc and put into refrigerator for 3-6 hours to marinate. Take out, discard marinade, and skewer onions and chicken along with remaining veggies. In small sauce pan, melt butter, and stir in lime, cayenne, and garlic salt. Use this as butter-baste for skewers. Grill skewers over medium heat 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through, turning and basting with Lime-Cayenne butter multiple times.
I am going to serve this with a wild rice mixture and a side salad. All while watching the Ducks win!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Grilled Shrimp and Feta Orzo Pasta Salad
Let me tell you, this construction in our house is getting to be a little ridiculous. It was supposed to be completed while we were gone. Instead, they started when we got back and NOW they are telling me won't be completed until next week some time??? How am I supposed to live like that? I can tell you I have now had to microwave my morning eggs not once, but twice. Actually, they didn't turn out too bad but not really what I had in mind for the new year. I seriously feel like this is a cooking challenge and I am failing miserably. I am no whiz with a microwave.
So, I did the obvious thing last night and invited myself and James over to our friend's house to cook for them, so that I could use their kitchen. Ha! Kill two birds with one stone. It's always strange to cook in someone else's kitchen, without your stuff, not knowing where everything is and how their range/stove reacts, etc. But I, fortunately, have cooked over at Javier's house many a time, so I didn't feel too lost.
This dish was interesting for me. It's Bobby Flay recipe I found online. I don't really care for some of the ingredients, but figured I would give it a whirl anyway. It turned out really good. However, I am going to modify the types and quantities of ingredients a little from the original, as it said it was 4 servings, but it was more like 8, and the proportions were off slightly. So this is now my version :)
Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 7 very very cheesy
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 4
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 5
Grilled Shrimp with Feta Orzo Salad
1/2 lb Orzo pasta, cooked al dente
1 large cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, seeded, then sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
2 Tbl rice vinegar
3 Tbl fresh lemon juice
3 Tbl dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil, plus a little extra for shrimp
Salt and pepper
8 oz crumbled feta cheese
20 medium shrimp, peeled, and de-veined
Cook orzo pasta as directed. In a large bowl, combine cucumber, spinach, and tomatoes. In a blender, add the dill, vinegar, lemon juice, and dijon mustard, and blend. With motor running, slowly add olive oil and continue to blend until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Preheat grill to high heat. When orzo is finished cooking (remember to cook al dente), drain, and add orzo to cucumber/tomato bowl, and pour the vinaigrette over all and mix well. Then gently fold in all of the feta cheese to the mixture. Skewer your shrimp, brush will olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Then grill over high heat about 2-3 minutes each side. Serve shrimp over the orzo salad on plates.
This dish is super good, actually, and I don't even like shrimp. Or dill very much. But it's a mildly "zesty" dish, and actually, the cheese and dill and mustard actually blend very well together so none of the ingredients are over powering. I know it seems like a lot of cheese too, but don't worry, add it all. I was worried too, but it all worked together in the end.
If you don't have rice vinegar or lemon juice, substitute them both out for white wine vinegar.
But overall, this is a good dish. Something different, not difficult. Don't be scared. I won't like shrimp or dill particularly and I liked it so there. :)
So, I did the obvious thing last night and invited myself and James over to our friend's house to cook for them, so that I could use their kitchen. Ha! Kill two birds with one stone. It's always strange to cook in someone else's kitchen, without your stuff, not knowing where everything is and how their range/stove reacts, etc. But I, fortunately, have cooked over at Javier's house many a time, so I didn't feel too lost.
This dish was interesting for me. It's Bobby Flay recipe I found online. I don't really care for some of the ingredients, but figured I would give it a whirl anyway. It turned out really good. However, I am going to modify the types and quantities of ingredients a little from the original, as it said it was 4 servings, but it was more like 8, and the proportions were off slightly. So this is now my version :)
Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 7 very very cheesy
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 4
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 5
Grilled Shrimp with Feta Orzo Salad
1/2 lb Orzo pasta, cooked al dente
1 large cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, seeded, then sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
2 Tbl rice vinegar
3 Tbl fresh lemon juice
3 Tbl dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil, plus a little extra for shrimp
Salt and pepper
8 oz crumbled feta cheese
20 medium shrimp, peeled, and de-veined
Cook orzo pasta as directed. In a large bowl, combine cucumber, spinach, and tomatoes. In a blender, add the dill, vinegar, lemon juice, and dijon mustard, and blend. With motor running, slowly add olive oil and continue to blend until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Preheat grill to high heat. When orzo is finished cooking (remember to cook al dente), drain, and add orzo to cucumber/tomato bowl, and pour the vinaigrette over all and mix well. Then gently fold in all of the feta cheese to the mixture. Skewer your shrimp, brush will olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Then grill over high heat about 2-3 minutes each side. Serve shrimp over the orzo salad on plates.
This dish is super good, actually, and I don't even like shrimp. Or dill very much. But it's a mildly "zesty" dish, and actually, the cheese and dill and mustard actually blend very well together so none of the ingredients are over powering. I know it seems like a lot of cheese too, but don't worry, add it all. I was worried too, but it all worked together in the end.
If you don't have rice vinegar or lemon juice, substitute them both out for white wine vinegar.
But overall, this is a good dish. Something different, not difficult. Don't be scared. I won't like shrimp or dill particularly and I liked it so there. :)
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