Pineapple Polynesian Chicken

You've gotta love those tried and true meals that you know your loved ones will, well, love! Pineapple Polynesian Chicken is one of those. It's actually a recipe from a Weight Watchers cookbook that my mom shared with me years ago that I've adapted to make my own. My best friend Brittney can't get enough of it and I will probably be punished for making it when she's not around.

Pineapple Polynesian Chicken
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 garlic cloves
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal
1 red bell pepper, halved, seeded and diced
2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed
1 can sliced water chestnuts
1 can chopped pineapple, in its own juice
1/3 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high. Cook chicken until brown and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and cover with foil. Add garlic, ginger and red onion to the large skillet, saute for 3 minutes. Add carrots and bell pepper and sautee another 3 minutes. Add snap peas, water chestnuts and pineapple and simmer 2 minutes.

In the meantime, in a small bowl combine ketchup, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and cornstarch. Add to vegetable skillet along with chicken. Let simmer on medium low heat for 5 minutes. Add almonds and serve.

I love to serve this with ginger-infused rice. Prepare white rice according to the package (I usually substitute chicken stock for water). About half way through add a 1-inch piece of fresh peeled ginger and continue to cook. When done, remove ginger and serve.

My favorite thing about the meal is all the colors. They absolutely pop and add so much flavor. Plus, the snap peas, water chestnuts and almonds all add their own dimension of crunch that is so interesting. This is a real crowd-pleaser!

Eat Your Heart Out

I'm a huge fan of breakfast, but rarely do I take the time to make it on the weekends. I love trying new brunch places with friends and enjoying taking the morning off. This Saturday, however, the stars aligned and I had both the supplies and will to make breakfast. We made heart-shaped waffles and bacon, served with apple juice and coffee. The perfect hearty breakfast for a slow morning.

Waffles:
Waffle mix, prepared for directions
1 tablespoon sugar
Zest and juice of one lemon

Combine and cook in waffle iron (mine happens to be heart shaped). Just make sure you don't end up broken-hearted! hehe...

I'm love preparing bacon in a cast iron skillet. Not only does it really intensify the flavors of the bacon, but the bacon seasons the cast iron in a way that many things cannot. Check out this perfect (if not healthy) Saturday morning breakfast:

Southwestern Mac N Cheese

Well, it was only a matter of time before I made mac and cheese for the blog. This is one of mine (and my roomies') favorite go-to meals because it's delicious comfort food, but I've got a TON of fun variations to pack some nutrients in it to make it not quite so guilty. Tonight's is a southwestern spin on my favorite carb and dairy combo :)

Southwestern Mac N Cheese

Ingredients
1 red onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced
3 ears corn, kernels removed
1 red pepper, halved, seeded and diced

1 green pepper, halved, seeded and diced

1 can diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste 1 lb. elbow macaroni

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups 2% milk

1 cup parmesan cheese

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

2 cups Mexican cheese blend

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place a pot of water on high and boil. In the meantime, place onions and garlic in a medium sized skillet and sautee on medium heat about 3 minutes. Add other veggies and seasonings and cook another 5 minutes, set aside. Once water boils, salt the water and add pasta.

While pasta cooks, heat a large saucepan on medium low heat and melt butter. Add flour and whisk together, let cook for about 30 seconds to a minute. Add milk and whisk to remove clumps. Let cook until it thickens, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Next add parmesan cheese and stir; remove from heat and set aside.

Once pasta is done, drain and put in a large bowl. Add parmesan mixture and cooked veggies. Place 1/3 back in pasta pot (which has been greased on the bottom), then layer with 1/3 of the sharp cheddar/Mexican cheese. Continue layering, ending with the cheddar on top. Place in oven and let bake 10-15 minutes. When removed, add chopped cilantro on top.










I served this with a simple avocado salad to get even more delicious greens in, which turned out to be the perfect compliment:

Avocado Salad
1 bag salad mix
1 orange bell pepper, halved, seeded and chopped
2 small avocados, chopped
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup cilantro

Add all to a large bowl and toss to combine.










The happy vegetarian Brooks!

Italian Dinner Party

I know lots of people like to save big meals and dinner parties for special occasions, but I'll find any excuse to cook for friends. Last night was the new episode of Project Runway, so I had to invite the girls over to enjoy a hearty Italian meal while we bashed the designers, and so they could see my new house!

Since we wouldn't be eating dinner until somewhat late, I decided to prepare my go-to appetizer, Baguettes with fig jam and brie cheese. This is inspired by my favorite panini at Whole Foods which features fig jam, brie cheese, turkey deli meat and a spring mix. My appetizer is so easy to prepare- just cut the bread, slather on about a tablespoon of fig jam, and then add a slice of brie cheese. Toast in the broiler for about 2-3 minutes until the cheese starts to melt and serve hot!

The main course, Herbed Chicken Parmesan, comes from the Cooking Light Italian cookbook, which I tried once this spring and absolutely loved. The two different cheeses add dimension, and I love the idea of adding balsalmic vinegar to pasta sauce to jass it up. I also sauteed 4 or 5 garlic cloves to add to the sauce.


Ingredients

1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 pound chicken breast tenders
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups bottled fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce (I used Central Market brand Basil and herb)
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) shredded provolone cheese
*Note, I doubled this recipe as I was serving 8 people, not 4

Preparation

Preheat broiler.

Combine 2 tablespoons of Parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, basil, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a shallow dish. Place egg white in a shallow dish. Dip each chicken tender in egg white; dredge in the breadcrumb mixture. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Set aside.

Combine 1/8 teaspoon salt, pasta sauce, vinegar, and pepper in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; vent. Microwave sauce mixture at HIGH 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Pour the sauce over chicken in pan. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining Parmesan and provolone cheese. Wrap handle of pan with foil, and broil 2 minutes or until the cheese melts.

I know it's cliche, but I served this with a big pot of spaghetti with plenty of the extra balsalmic pasta sauce to go around. To add some greenery, I created a fun new Italian salad to go with it:


Balsalmic Italian Salad
8 oz. romaine lettuce
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into disks on the diagonal
1/4 cup sliced red onion
1/2 cup grapes, cut in half
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 lemon, zested then juiced
3 tablespoons balsalmic vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Combine in a large bowl and toss to combine dressing. Note that the amount of vinegar and olive oil can vary depending on your tastes. I love using the citrus to brighten the flavors and add some zest!










The final product, served of course with champagne in honor of Project Runway. What a great first dinner party!

What's your go-to appetizer for simple, but impressive, entertainment?

A Taste Adventure

Well the time has come for the apron adventurer to step outside the kitchen and attempt new food in a new place. Recently some coworkers and I have started a boot camp run by our very fit/ambitious/inspirational office manager Kim. We run from our office building in downtown Austin to Town Lake, do some drills and run back. While running back a few weeks ago we noticed a wine bar we'd never heard of- Taste.

The ambitious wine drinker/happy hour lover that I am, I couldn't wait to try it after checking out their menu and wine list. Kristen, my coworker and friend, and I went yesterday and had sort of a mixed experience.

First on the list was of course picking the wine. They have a $5/glass happy hour special on weekdays, but I was all that intrigued by what they had to offer, so I tried the Waters Winery Viognier ‘07 that my boss Emily said I HAD to try.

I have to say- it was delicious!

Kristen was in a red wine kinda mood, so she had Alamosa Wine Cellars' El Guapo Barrel Reserve (Tempranillo) ‘01, a Texas wine!

After we had some wine to make us happy, it was time to try some yummy new foods. Their menu was pretty diverse and interesting, so there were several things we wanted to try. Lucky for us 3 out of the 4 "small dishes" we wanted to try were happy hour specials too!

First up, the cheese: There was no way we were going to a wine bar without having a cheese plate, so we went for the small one in order to squelch our cheese craving without ruining our appetites. The plate included a pretty strong fontina cheese and a very different small granual-like cheese that was very sweet like honey. (Note: our server was very incompetent and I'm fairly certain he knew less about wine than ME- which is pretty tough to do. Enough to say he didn't know what cheese he was serving us either :( )

I decided I wanted to be adventurous, so I insisted we try the smoked ostrich. I was not disappointed! Wrapped around buffalo mozzarella, served with cherries and drizzled with a smoked tomato vinaigrette, there was a ton of flavor packed in this small little dish.

Kristen is currently going through an Ahi Tuna phase, so we had to include that on our list. Served with a watermelon salad and melon vinaigrette, this was a refreshing and simple piece of fish that was really fun to eat- and look at!

Finally we had the salumi plate, including speck, salami, & other assorted dried meats with house mustard. I have to say this was less than inspiring, definitely not my favorite.

Overall, I'm glad we went, but I don't think I'll be making a ton of repeat visits. This was a bit overpriced for happy hour, and the expertise (at least from our waiter) was somewhat lacking.

Question: What is your favorite wine tasting trick/technique?

My Big Fat Greek Lamb Burger

My girlfriends and I like to get together for mini dinner parties from time to time, and for this occasion we were planning on catching up on the latest episode of Project Runway. In honor of the crazy challenges the contestants have to do on the show, I decided to challenge myself with something new as well-ground lamb.

I've long been intrigued by the art of the lamb burger (especially since cheeseburgers are one of my all time favorites), but for some reason I've made burgers out just about everything except lamb: beef, chicken, turkey, salmon and black beans. My boss Emily brought me some great cookbooks with several lamb burger recipes in them, so I decided to take inspiration from those and try my own recipe.

My fellow apron adventurer Karen

Ingredients
Oven fries
2 russet potatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
Cumin

Lamb Burger
3/4 lb. ground lamb
1 shallot, diced, divided
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons cumin
2 roma tomatoes, diced, divided
Fresh mint, divided
Salt and pepper
6 ounces fresh spinach
1 cup button mushrooms
Feta cheese
4 whole wheat pitas

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash potatoes and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Place in a foil-lined baking sheet and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle cumin on as well, about 1 1/2 tablespoons. Drizzle with olive oil, about 1/3 cup. Toss to evenly coat potatoes. Bake in oven about 20 minutes.

Spray a skillet with cooking spray and place on medium high heat. Combine lamb, 1/3 cup shallot, garlic, cumin, 1 diced tomato, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint and salt and pepper in a bowl. Shape into 4 patties. Place patties in skillet and cook 5 minutes on one side; flip and cook until done on other side (about 4 or 5 minutes).

In the meantime place a smaller skillet on a medium heat burner. Saute remaining shallot and mushrooms 3 minutes. Add spinach and fresh mint. Stir around and place lid on skillet to wilt spinach, about 2-3 minutes.

Warm pitas and then add patties (but into chunks for easier eating), spinach mushroom mix, feta cheese and extra tomato.

The final table including champagne (because you can't watch Project Runway without it!)

So now my question for you - what's your favorite kind of burger?

Move In Day

Move in day has come and gone without anything (or anyone!) getting broken. I was excited/anxious to use my new kitchen. The appliances are all new and nice, but the space is much smaller than my last, which made me pretty nervous. The test run tonight went well though, so I think it will work out!

I had 6 hungry people to feed tonight (my self and my two roommates, the boys in the other half of the duplex, and Christine's friend Mark whose staying with use for a few weeks), so I wanted to make something special, yet substantial. Central Market had a great coupon for salmon, so I decided to make an Herb Crusted Salmon from Cooking Light April 2008 that I had tried once before with great success. I replaced the parsley with fresh basil, but other than that actually followed the recipe.

Fresh basil, oregano and rosemary- mmmmm
Ingredients
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick), skinned
Cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation
1. To prepare salmon, combine the first 7 ingredients in a shallow dish or pie plate. Lightly coat both sides of fillets with cooking spray, and sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Dredge both sides of fillets in breadcrumb mixture.










2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add fillets to pan; cook 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; carefully turn fillets over. Cook 4 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

The salmon was very lightly coated giving it the perfect crisp. The fresh herbs filled the house with delicious scents (it was smelling pretty funky in here from the previous tenant...) as well as tons of bright flavor.

Since it was move in day, I made my roommate Rachel's favorite side dish, Herbed Basmati Rice. I realize I posted this recipe last week, but I can't help it if it's her favorite! I served this with a side of steamed broccoli to even out the meal. For dessert there was mango sorbet and/or vanilla ice cream, and some fresh watermelon. It was the perfect meal after a weekend of moving during the heat of August. Be on the lookout for my other culinary adventure this weekend with lamb, coming soon!