Parmesan Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries

I had an interesting experience this week.  I was at Haggen (the local grocery store chain) and looking at the meat section.  If you read my blog (so probably just my mom, hi mom), you know I don't cook meat very often. It can be expensive, it can be messy, so I just don't deal with it.  However, in the meat display case, was a chicken breast coated with parmesan and mozzarella and it looked really good.  Imagine my horror when I cooked it, cut it open, and discovered tomatoes hidden inside, nestled between the cheesy breading and the chicken breast.  Well, I tried to scrape off the offending red stuff, but those sneaky tomatoes still gave me heartburn.

I was disappointed in the Haggen chicken, and I wanted to experience parmesan crusted chicken without the icky, hidden tomatoes.  I had my close friend, Roland, over for dinner last night, and we improvised a recipe.  Man-oh-man, do I wish there were leftovers, but there's not because it was just that delicious.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts

2 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
Grated Parmesan
Oregano
Garlic powder
Thyme
Olive Oil
2 eggs

1) Using a meat pounder or rolling pin, pound the chicken breast flat.

2) Beat the eggs in a bowl and set aside.  Combine the bread crumbs, liberal amounts of parmesan, and oregano, garlic powder, and thyme to taste.  (Add as much or as little as you'd like.  I think Roland added more parmesan every time my back was turned.)

3) Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.  Add the chicken (one breast at a time, no need to crowd the pan) and allow to cook until dark golden brown on each side.  Always remember to cut open the chicken to look for pink spots.

In addition to the chicken, I also made some sweet potato fries and a salad.

Roasted Sweet Potato Fries

2 small sweet potatoes
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Parmesan

1) Peel the potatoes and cut into wedges or sticks.  Put the sliced potatoes into a large ziplock bag.

2) Add about a tablespoon of oil, a healthy pinch of salt, and pepper to taste in the bag.  Close the bag and shake to evenly disperse and coat the potatoes.

3) Place the potatoes spaced out a foil lined pan.  Sprinkle parmesan on top.  Place in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, flip the potatoes over and put back in for another 15.

This was an incredibly delicious meal, and I thank Roland for helping me make and eat it!

Oven Baked Parmesan Risotto

I think risotto is one of the most delicious foods ever.  I've tried making it a couple of times, and I discovered something. I hate making it.  I absolutely loathe it.  You have to constantly stir it and time things just right and it burns super easily.  So I was ecstatic when I stumbled upon a recipe for oven baked Parmesan risotto from the blog Once Upon a Plate.  It doesn't require constant stirring!  I am home for winter break, and I wanted to cook dinner for my parents.  I thought this would be a great recipe for my dad to come home to after a long commute!  I ended up improvising a little. We didn't have chicken broth, so I used turkey broth.  I also added chanterelle mushrooms, which may or may not have been a good decision.

Oven Baked Parmesan Risotto

1 1/2 cups arborio or other short-grained rice suitable for risotto
3 cups chicken broth (or turkey broth)
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese or parmigiano reggiano
1 1/2 ounces butter
salt and pepper to taste

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2) In an oven-proof pot with a tight fitting lid, add the chicken stock and stir in the rice.

3) Cover tightly with foil and/or lid and place in oven.  Bake for 45 minutes or until liquid is almost all absorbed and rice is al dente.  (Check to make sure the broth is boiling, otherwise it will take longer to cook).

4) Remove from oven.  Stir in the Parmesan and butter until creamy, and season with salt and pepper.  Add more broth is the risotto is too thick.

For some reason, the risotto didn't start cooking for a long time.  But an extra 20 minutes later, it was delicious and my parent's loved it!

3rd Annual Latke Dinner

For the past two years, Chanukah has been so early that I wasn't able to celebrate it with my family.  In lieu of being with my family and eating my mom's delicious latkes, I started my own tradition of cooking this customary Chanukah recipe for my friends up at school.  Even though Chanukah is at a reasonable time this year, I've really enjoyed this yearly shin-dig and have decided to continue my new tradition! So put on your yarmulke, it's time for Chanukah...I hope I don't burn my apartment down.

Latkes

6 large potatoes (about 3 pounds)*
2 yellow onions
4 eggs
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cup flour
Peanut oil
*frozen shredded potatoes (hashbrowns) works just as well

1) Shred potatoes into a bowl of water (to help prevent browning).  Let them sit for a while, then drain well, keeping the starch at the bottom of the bowl.  Squeeze as much water out as possible.

2) Shred onions and add them to potatoes along with beaten eggs, salt/pepper, and flour.  Blend well.

3) Fry in hot oil.  If they fall apart, add more flour.

It tasted like home!  I am so thankful for the friends who came and ate my latkes! I also made some vegan latkes for one of my friends.  They were delicious too!

Pickling Adventure

There's an older lady whom I volunteer with at the hospital.  If you know me, then you've probably heard some of my crazy Carolyn stories.  Well despite some of her...faults, Carolyn is a sweet lady.  Maybe a little too sweet?  Last night she gave me approximately five pounds of cucumbers and a large dill plant.  I wish I was exaggerating.  Given the large amount of cucumbers I suddenly have, I figured it was time to try pickling again.  I say again because as a child, I would pickle the little cucumbers we grew in our vegetable garden. However, my mom later revealed that it had never worked, so she fed me store bought pickles and let me think I was the next Martha Stewart.  I found a pretty simple recipe for refrigerator dill pickles on cooks.com and, thus began the adventure.

Refrigerator Dill Pickles
6 cups water
2 cups vinegar
1/2 cups canning salt (or 1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon kosher salt)
pickling cucumbers
1 large bunch of fresh dill weed
1 large onion
2 or 3 whole cloves (I'm a rebel so I used 3)
Sliced garlic (2 teaspoons or whatever you feel like)

1) Combine water, vinegar, and salt in a large pot (if the pot is non-stick, make sure there are no cracks). Bring to a boil to make the pickling solution.

2) Wash the cucumbers.  Layer whole, unpeeled cucumbers, onion, cloves, garlic, and dill in jar.  Pour the pickling solution over the top.  Let the jars sit on the counter for 3 or 4 hours.

3) Refrigerate. They will be ready in 2 to 4 days.

One of many jars immediately after pickling. I will update in 2 to 4 days!

Vanilla Oatmeal Almond Cookies

I was bored and a tad peckish, so I decided to make cookies. However, my available ingredients were pretty limited.  I typed in almonds, oatmeal, and cookie into Google.  Lo and behold I found a recipe from a blog called Anja's Food 4 Thought for vanilla oatmeal almond cookies.  I still didn't have all the necessary ingredients for it (such as almond flour instead of all-purpose flour), but I improvised and it turned out pretty well.

Vanilla Oatmeal Almond Cookies

1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped or sliced almonds

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, combine the egg and sugar and beat until creamy.  Add the melted butter and the vanilla, stir until combined, and set aside.

2) In a separate bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking powder, brown sugar, and almonds.  Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix well.

3) Drop teaspoons of batter onto a lined baking sheet, leaving 2-3 inches of room in between.  Sprinkle with a little more almond.  Bake for 10 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown.  Let cool completely.

They smelled absolutely wonderful, but weren't very flavorful. I guess the moral of that story is always add more butter and sugar!

Pasta with Goat Cheese and Basil Oil

I volunteer at the local hospital where I go to school.  It's a lot of fun, but sometimes it can be excruciatingly boring.  Thus, the hospital is the only place where I read magazines.  Now these are waiting room magazines, like Family Life, Martha Stewart, Better Homes and Gardens, and Sunset.  Although I am completely not in the target audience of these magazines, they do have some really tasty recipes in them.  So sometimes when I come across a good recipe, I'll grab a piece of scrap paper from the information desk and scribble it down.  Last Friday, when I was working I found a recipe for a pasta with goat cheese and a basil infused oil for sauce.  It sounds delicious, and I'm always looking for non-red sauce pasta options.

Pasta with Goat Cheese and Basil Oil (for 4 servings)

gemelli, rotini, or some other short spiral-like pasta
2 cups basil leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
4 oz fresh goat cheese
salt and pepper

1) Cook the pasta according to instructions on the box.

2) Puree the fresh basil leaves with the oil.  Pour through a fine mesh sieve and discard the solids.

3) Toss the pasta with the basil oil, the crumbled goat cheese, a handful of fresh basil leaves, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Well that was super easy and quite delicious!

Upside Down Banana Cake

Doesn't that just sound amazing? Upside Down Banana Cake.  My friend, Alison, and I have been getting together to watch Batman related films and anime recently.  Some sort of baked good usually accompanies that. Last night we made this delicious cake to eat while watching an anime called Akira.  I stumbled upon the recipe on a blog named The Wicked Noodle, and apparently this dessert is very popular in Brazil. As far as cakes from scratch go, this one was really easy.

Upside Down Banana Cake

1 1/2 cups sugar (for the caramel)
5 to 6 ripe bananas
2 cups flour
1 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon baking powder
4 large eggs, divided
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups sugar (for the cake)
1 cup milk

1) In a metal baking pan (about a 10 inch round), place the 1 1/2 cups sugar and bring to medium heat to make a dry caramel.  When it is fluid and amber in color, distribute the caramel evenly along the bottom of the pan and on the sides. Set aside.

2) Slice the bananas lengthwise and place them flat side down over the caramel.  Place them close together and close to the sides of the pan.

3) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl, sift the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Set aside.

4) Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Set aside.

5) With an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and egg yolks until very light and creamy.

6) Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternative with the milk. Mix until flour is all mixed. With a big spatula, fold in the egg whites.

7) Pour the batter over the caramel and banana layer evenly.  Bake for 40-50 minutes until it is golden brown and passes the toothpick test.  Let the cake rest and cool a bit, but flip it out of it's pan while it is still warm so that the caramel will seep into the cake.

A bit of a warning: when you flip the cake out of the pan, molten caramel may drip on you! This cake was moist, light, and totally helped take the edge off watching Akira!  Thanks Alison!