Chicken Caprese and Pasta Aglio e Olio

Oct 29, 2012 by

You know that I am always looking for a reason to celebrate and incorporate themed dinners into my life.   Any excuse to throw a party and I’m all over it.

I am always looking for excuses to celebrate!

Taking into account my love for celebration, what did you expect me to do after being married for 72 wonderful days? I obviously celebrated my Kardashiversary with my husband!  After ten weeks of marital bliss, I decided to throw a celebratory dinner for being married longer than Kim Kardashian and Chris Humphries. This is a real milestone in any marriage, if you ask me. It was mostly me “celebrating” while Jason laughed at my ridiculous holiday. This menu will not disappoint your taste buds. Your plate will be cleaned quickly of the delicious, tender chicken with mozzarella and pesto, accompanied by a light pasta aglio e olio bursting with aromatics and smooth olive oil.

Chicken Cutlets Caprese (serves 2)

Ingredients:

  •  2 Chicken Cutlets
  • 1 cup of flour
  • a pinch of salt and pepper
  •  2 tablespoons of pesto
  • 1 tomato, sliced thinly
  • 1 large ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced thinly

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400. Dredge the chicken cutlets into the flour and put onto a pre-heated skillet with two tablespoons of olive oil. Drizzle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Let them sit and sizzle for five minutes.

Flip the chicken cutlets and arrange the pesto, tomato slices, and mozzarella cheese on top. Wait five minutes before putting into the oven for five more minutes.

Remove from the oven after five minutes, or when the cheese is fully melted.

Yum! Whats not to love! While this is cooking, you should also be working on your spaghetti aglio e olio

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb of whole wheat spaghetti (or regular, if you prefer)
  • Parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 c bread crumbs
  • 1/4 c freshly grated parmesean
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup of olive oil

Instructions

This recipe is too easy for words. Boil the pasta according to package instructions. While it is boiling away, sautee garlic cloves in a small pan with some olive oil. Remove from heat when they are golden and fragrant.

When the pasta is finished, drain and return to the pot. Add all of the ingredients and toss, seasoning to taste.

Not my best photography!

I also roasted up some brussel sprouts for something green on our plate…

And the final dinner was perfection! While Jason and I may not be dining like Holllywood stars, we are at least dining together, which is more than most starlets and professional athletes can say for themselves. Maybe if Kim K. could cook chicken like this, things might have turned out differently..?

We ate at our breakfast nook while drinking beers (an anomaly for me!) and watching the Thursday night shows that we missed last week. It was a perfect, cozy Sunday evening at home. Nothing makes us feel better than a home-cooked dinner! The cheesy, flavorful chicken balances perfectly with the nutty brussel sprouts and olive-oil infused pasta. You are going to wow your dining companions with this menu!

Lots of love,

Lindsey

Flashback from my old blog logo! Good times :)

 

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Pecan Crunch Waffles

Jul 14, 2012 by

One of the biggest joys in life is a Saturday morning at home. It is the perfect mix of relaxation and productivity. I can do the laundry while watching the Food Network. Polish the counters while sipping my coffee. Make the bed while two well-rested dogs tumble in the piles of pillows. You know the drill.

Another joy of Saturday mornings is that I get plenty of time to cook and plan our household meals for the week. I just love the time to meditate in the kitchen and organize ways for everyone to eat healthfully and happily throughout the week. It doesn’t happen on it’s own, you know! One of my favorite breakfast recipes to prepare while I research recipes and clean out the fridge is this one for pecan crunch waffles. They are sweet, crunchy, savory, and will put a smile on your face! Plus, they are a cinch to make, using ingredients that any well-stocked kitchen keeps handy.

No, this is not health food. If you are looking for that, try some overnight oats. A healthy lifestyle includes allowing yourself the flexibility to indulge in treats just like this. With that said, here’s how to make my favorite homemade Saturday morning breakfast… pecan crunch waffles.  I smile just thinking about them :)

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  •  1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  •  1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  •  1/4 cup milk
  •  1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  •  1 tablespoon sugar
  •  1/2 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

Start by plugging in the waffle iron. Then, in a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, corn starch, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

In a smaller bowl, whisk the egg, milk, buttermilk, vanilla extract and sugar until it bubbles and is frothy. We want lots of air in this mixture to create a light, fluffy waffle!

Bubbles = good!

Stir to combine the two mixtures and incorporate the pecans. I like the pecans cooked into the waffles because they add a great texture when you cut in for the first bite. Yum!

Stir to incorporate the pecans

When the waffle iron is ready, place 1/3 cup of the batter on the grid to make your first waffle.

Now you wait! While the waffles cook, I like to put away dishes and tap away on my iPad looking for new recipes to prepare that week.

The end result is like nothing you’ve ever cooked before. Light, fluffy, crunchy waffles with savory maple syrup… oh goodness! You haven’t enjoyed a morning until you’ve tried these.

The result of whisking the liquid ingredients before putting them in the batter is a taller, fuller waffle. See how thick they are? It has a great texture!

Good to the last bite!

I hope you have a great day everyone! Go out and do something great :) Thanks for reading!

Lots of love,

Lindsey

 

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Overnight Oats

Apr 23, 2012 by

Red solo cup… I’ll fill you up… proceed to party…Proceed to partyyyy….

Toby Keith speaks the truth. Red solo cups are good for many purposes. If you have any left over from a barbeque, this is a great way to use them for a portable, healthy, breakfast on the go. Try making overnight oats in them!

Overnight oats with chia seeds and rasberries

Overnight oats are quick-cooking oats that have been soaked in milk for at least six hours, topped with anything ranging from almond butter to frozen fruit. No cooking required! Just throw the ingredients together the night before, and you have yourself a healthy, filling breakfast waiting for you the next morning. I eat them often in the summertime because they are cool and keep me skinny during swimsuit season. Oats, chia seeds, unsweetend almond milk, and fruit are all foods that are amazing for us in the morning and keep our metabolisms revved up all day.

My favorite part about them is knowing that I have a healthy, delicious breakfast waiting for me when I wake up. Talk about motivation to get out of bed!

Breakfast: ready and waiting for you

Here is how you make this simple recipe. I like to prepare this recipe  in leftover solo cups because they fit in my car cup holder for my loooong commute to work, and I can recycle them later.  Sometimes I make a whole bunch of cups and Jason will bring them to his golf buddies on a Saturday morning! It makes my heart feel good to see everybody eating so healthy and loving it. Here’s how you do it:

INGREDIENTS

1 cup quick oats

1 cup vanilla almond milk (or milk of your choosing – this one just makes me feel good!)

1 pinch of chia seeds

1/4 cup frozen fruit (rasberries are my favorite)

1 tablespoon of almond butter, if desired

INSTRUCTIONS

Pour equal portions of oats and almond milk into the cup. I think one cup per person is a nice serving size.

The oats should be barely covered by the almond milk. They will soak up the liquid overnight and become soft and sweet.

Next, add your toppings. Lately, I am partial to a pinch of chia seeds and  a few frozen rasberries or blueberries. Jason likes his with a tablespoon of almond butter.

** Note: If you REALLY want to make someone fall in love with you, prepare a batch of overnight oats in a leftover jar of peanut butter or almond butter. The butter stuck to the sides gives the oats perfect flavor, and it feels awesome to eat out of a jar of peanut butter for breakfast!

Toppings are the jam

Finally, cover your breakfast and place it in the fridge to set for the night.

It has a unique taste and texture that will make you instantly addicted. I know that “cold oatmeal” sounds gross, but the slow absorption of vanilla almond milk into the oats makes them sweet, smooth, and perfect for a summer breakfast. I really do eat this for most of my weekday breakfasts and love the way they make me feel. I am alert and satiated for many hours, with no guilt.

And the red solo cup just says… it’s time to party! Even at breakfast!

Enjoy, y’all. Have a great Monday!

Lindsey

Being a bridesmaid is the BEST!

 

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Coq au Vin

Feb 15, 2012 by

Three years ago, I cooked dinner for a boy. It was our sixth date.

It was a great sixth date. I prepared a chicken recipe from my favorite cookbook, Molly Stevens’ The Art of Braising. We watched “Lost” on my apartment sofa. He asked me to be his Valentine’s date (I pretended to be cool and acted like I needed to cancel other plans). He also brought me flowers – totally a keeper.

He told me later that he could not forget me after that night because his jacket smelled like braised chicken and red wine. I had won him over.

For three years, that same boy has been asking me to prepare that dish again.

It was my Valentine’s Day gift to him this year to recreate that special memory. Here it is… the dinner that found me true love, Coq au Vin.

 

INGREDIENTS

Adapted from Molly Stevens’ The Art of Braising. Please, please go buy her book.

  • 1 four pound chicken, cut into eight pieces (ask the butcher nicely and he’ll do it for you)
  • 1 diced onion
  • 1 carrot, sliced at an angle
  • 1/4 lb slab bacon, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 3 tablespoons of butter
  • 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 750 ml bottle of red Burgundy wine
  • 2 tablespoons cognac (if you have it)
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 3 crushed garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoons parsley
  • 1 cup flour
  • salt, pepper, and a pinch of ground thyme

INSTRUCTIONS

This is not a “beginner” recipe. Roll up your sleeves and tie that apron tight. Then preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Use a large stock pot to render the fat of the bacon for approximately 15 minutes. The edges should be crispy, but the middle still soft. Set aside on paper towels, leaving the grease in the pot. Reduce the heat to low while you prepare the chicken.

Using a large bag (I used the one from my butcher), mix the eight chicken pieces, 1 cup of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Shake and coat the chicken very well.

My Version of Shake n Bake

Place one tablespoon of butter in the pot with the bacon grease and increase the heat to high. Place the chicken in the pot in small batches to brown the skin, turning occassionally. When the skin is golden and crispy, remove to a separate plate.

Remove browned chicken to a plate

Add the remaining tablespoon or two of butter to the pot and sautee the onions and carrots until the onions are translucent and flecked with brown (4 or 5 minutes). Keep the heat on high and add 2 tablespoons of cognac to deglaze the pan. Stir in the tomato paste. Simmer until all of the liquid is absorbed into the vegetables or evaporated.

When the cognac and tomato paste has reduced, pour in the bottle of Burgundy wine, garlic, bay leaves, tyme, and parsley. Boil until the mixture has reduced to half. (Not shown – it is hard to take a decent picture of a steamy, boiling pot!) Don’t forget to remove the bay leaf before serving. They taste yucky.

After 10 minutes, or until the wine has reduced to half, add the bacon and stir. Place the chicken pieces in the pot in the following order: drumsticks, wings, thighs, then breasts on top. Place the chicken breasts skin side down – you will turn them back over later. Cover the pot with a lid and place in the oven for 15 minutes.

In 15 minutes, remove the pot from the oven and turn the chicken over – skin side up. Place back in the oven for 45 minutes.

I used this time to whip up a lovely appetizer cheese plate, homemade salad with my favorite vinegarette, and mashed potatoes. The wine pictured below is what I used to cook the chicken.

Appetizer cheese plate

When the chicken is done, remove to a separate platter. In her cookbook, Molly recommends a garnish for the chicken, but I prefer the dish without. Serve the chicken on top of mashed potatoes. Some people also prefer buttered noodles for this dish.

What a successful Valentine’s Day Dinner! The house smelled amazing, and the chicken is a real show-stopper.

The proper prenunciation is "Coq au Vah-n"

I will be cooking this dish for years to come, always remembering the first time I prepared it. What a great way to celebrate the time that he and I have spent together.

Try this recipe and let me know what you think. It is incredible!

Love,

Lindsey

 

 

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Cute as a Button

Sep 5, 2011 by

My dear nephew Mason is new to the world this week.

Although I couldn’t be there to meet him, I sent him a little keepsake to show him how much I love him already.

Mason reminds me of buttons. He is not only as cute as a button, but he binds his family together just like one. He is sure to be as charming, vibrant, and unique as each one of these tiny objects. This is why I made him a monogram out of some whimsical buttons.

I hope baby M loves his present! Buttons seem like a nice way to decorate a baby boy’s life! Assuming he knows they are not edible, at least…

Mason is loved. And just think -  all it took to show him that was a hot glue gun, a bag of buttons, and a memory box from Michael’s. Save the diamond-studded diapers and gold-plated bottles for Beyonce and Jay-Z’s baby!

there is a Diva in Training under that bump

Hope you’re feeling inspired! Love you baby M!

Lindsey

 

 

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Father’s Day Snickerdoodle Cookies

Jun 18, 2011 by

 

I bake quite a few things for my dad.  Almost every time I see him, I pass off a tupperware of homemade scones or cake balls as though we are doing some illicit deal underneath the table at Urban Taco. Father’s Day this year is no different: I made him a jar of homemade snickerdoodle cookies. The cookies are chewy, sweet, have a tinge of saltiness, and release the comforting aroma of cinnamon with every bite. Now that is a special occasion kind of cookie. Here is my recipe, adapted from the cookie expert herself, Martha Stewart.

Teaching me Basketball fundementals at an early age

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons of cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of salt

8 tablespoons (one stick) softened butter

1/2 cup of Crisco shortening

1 1/2 cup of sugar

2 eggs

2 1/2 tablespoons of cinnamon

1/2 cup of turbinado (raw) sugar

Instructions:

First, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. The cream of tartar makes the cookies soft and lightweight. In a separate bowl, use a mixer to combine the butter, Crisco, sugar, and eggs. Slowly combine the flour mixture into the butter and Crisco mixture to create the dough. It will be a thick dough – I actually broke my mixer during this step!  I tweeted this while I was cooking:

LindseyOvercookedGirlLindsey: My mixer is actually smoking!!! Time for a replacement, maybe?

I always use thirty-six hour method to preparing cookie dough. This means I let my dough rest in the fridge for a full day and a half before I got them ready for the oven. The thirty-six hour method guarantees that the dairy enzymes in the dough break down and fully absorb into the dry ingredients, producing a more favorable cookie texture.

Dough resting in the fridge for thirty six hours - no more, no less!

When the dough is ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350. Remove it from the refrigerator and mix the cinnamon and turbinado sugar in a separate bowl. Use a tablespoon scoop to make balls of dough, roll them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, and place on a baking sheet.

Scoop

Roll

Set

Bake for a mere ten minutes or until the tops of the cookies begin to crack. (Note, if you are not using the thirty-six hour method, your bake time might be less because the dough won’t be chilly when it goes in the oven.) Let the cookies cool for five minutes before removing them from the baking sheet, so they can continue cooking on the mat.

I put some in a mason jar for my dad, and painted the lid red. A simple, homemade gift to appreciate the man of the hour.

Nothing says love like a jar of homemade cookies.

These chewy, aromatic cookies will lift anyone’s spirits, no matter the occasion. I hope you enjoy this recipe, and most importantly, enjoy your Father’s Day this year.

Happy Father’s Day!

Lindsey

 

 

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