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Main Event: What do I do with Lamb?

6 Apr

I get a LOT of newsletters in my email inbox each week.  One that catches my eye repeatedly is the South Beach Diet Newsletter (click on the link and scroll to the bottom of the page to enter your email to receive the newsletter).

This may sound weird, but they do have really great, healthy recipes and tips.  I don’t usually put them into practice unless they have less than 5 ingredients or are simple, easy to remember tips.

Here’s one you might like as we move into warmer weather (well, maybe not in Seattle, but other parts of the country for sure).

I’ve never actually cooked lamb on my own before…it’s just not a staple of my diet. I do love it when it’s done well (not to say it needs to be “well done”, but that’s another story….)

Here’s the tip I got today from the South Beach Diet Newsletter:

How to Prepare Lamb
From lean loin lamb chops and loin roasts to leg of lamb, this meat is gaining popularity because it’s not only lean but also has a very distinct, tasty flavor. Once thought of as the traditional meat of Easter, lamb is now a nutritious choice for meals year-round. If you plan to serve lamb soon, try one of the following cooking methods:

Broiling and Grilling
These techniques can be used for both chops and butterflied leg of lamb, as well as kebabs made from the leg. To broil lamb chops (or kebabs), place the well-trimmed lamb on a broiler rack about 3 to 4 inches from the heat and cook for 3 minutes per side, turning once, for medium-rare. Or cook on the grill over medium-high heat until done. To broil or grill a leg of lamb, have the butcher butterfly it for you and remove any visible fat. Grill or broil the lamb about 15 minutes per side, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 125ºF in the thickest part (the temperature will increase upon sitting). This will give you some lamb that is quite rare and also some that is nearly well done. Let the lamb rest before slicing.

Roasting
This technique uses dry heat and is good for a bone-in leg or a rack of lamb. Season the roast as desired and place fat side up in roasting pan. Place the lamb in the oven and roast for 30 minutes at 400ºF. Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF and continue to cook for about an hour longer for medium-rare or until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the center of the roast registers 145ºF to 150ºF (be careful that the thermometer does not touch the bone). Remove the lamb from the pan and allow to rest 10 to 15 minutes before carving. Remove any fat before eating.

This is NOT what I ordered: Blustery, Nasty Seattle Friday

2 Apr

I don’t know what bad karma Seattle has been piling up on the whole, but I’m fairly sure it doesn’t deserve this nasty weather!

Did you know it’s 70 degrees in New York today and 82 in Chicago?! IT IS!  How do I know? Well, besides checking out the weather online, I had a conference call today with people who are in those cities. And while I was frantically backing up my work on my computer as the screen flickered, they were saying things like, “Let me know if it’s too loud on my end, I’ll mute myself….I have the door open at my home office because it’s SUCH a nice day here today.”

Yeah, I’ll let you know. Thanks for the info. NOT.

So, I decided to drown my sorrows of weather in the following:

A piping hot bowl of chicken tortilla soup from the deli at Safeway, complete with oyster crackers from my childhood (not the same bag, don’t worry. I saw them at the store and couldn’t resist!)

Thanks to my crappy cell phone camera for (sort of) standing in for my (Crappier) regular camera, who is home sick today (although I’m fairly certain that my camera is just playing hookie, and is frolicing about at the market taking action shots of the fish being thrown.)

I hope you all are fairing better than I am here at my office. It’s cold. I’m going to make tea.

Have a GREAT weekend, cooking kittens!

Main event: Banana blueberry pancakes

19 Jan

On Christmas Day, we headed down to Salem, OR, to see my dad. We left late at night and got there in the wee hours, and the next morning, my dad and I decided it was time. To. Eat. Pancakes.

So, he pulled out his trusted bag of Krusteez Pancake Mix, and we went to town:

This is Dad in action, working the batter into a tizzy:

And here it is after we’ve lightly folded in the blueberries:

AH! These bananas are makin’ me hungry! Look how fresh they are, and they’re just begging to be mixed in with the blueberries!

Yeah, get that butter real nice and melty, then pour in your first round of pancakes. And while they cook, turn that oven on to 200 F to keep them warm while you make the full batch:

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnd, flip:

Just a reminder that sometimes heaven is only a bag and a banana away. :)

Thanks for the great pancakes, dad, next time I’ll make them from scratch (or not).

Main event: Turkey Lasagna

25 Nov

I know this has nothing to do with Thanksgiving, but it doesn’t even have to – that’s how good it is.

What am I talking about? Turkey Lasagna, kids, Turkey Lasagna.

My recipe is derived from our girlfriend, Ina Garden aka Barefoot Contessa (aka The Butter Queen).

Her recipe for spicey turkey lasagna is SO GOOD! But, it isn’t SO HEALTHY.

We can’t have that, now can we? NO!

Without further ado, I give you my altered recipe for Healthy Turkey Lasagna:

Turkey Lasagna

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound lasagna noodles
1 small package fat free ricotta cheese
1 small package fat free cottage cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling  (I just buy the pre-shredded bag)
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
1 pound fat free mozzarella, (again, I buy the pre-shredded bag)

TIP: Before getting started, I recommend that you make the meat sauce a day or two in advance, this really enhances the flavors and makes the whole dish about 10 times better, no joke.  See, since I’ve removed basically all of the fat from the dish, you need a way to replace the deep flavors. Letting things combine overnight (or two) really helps this dish regain its zesty richness.

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large (10 to 12-inch) skillet.
3. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent.
4.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the turkey and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork/spatula, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink.
5. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.
6. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, cottage cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan, the egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
7. Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch rectangular baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish.
8.  Then add the layers as follows: pasta (cover “wall to wall”), half the mozzarella, half the ricotta/cottage mix, and one third of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.

Main event: Thanksgiving Breakfast. What?

24 Nov

I know most people spend the whole day cooking for dinner, but I have to say, over the years, my favorite thing to do was wake up early with my mom (okay, so she woke up WAY earlier than me), and have a nice bite of breakfast (usually coffee and some pastry) while we watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This is, of course, long after she has already prepped and put the turkey in the oven.

Well, many years have gone by since I was waking up in that house, now of course I’m on my own, but Paul and I always end up splitting our time between the parents and their respective dinners.

This year, we’re doing breakfast at my mom’s house (Kate and Nathan and the Ri-guy will be there as well),

then we’ll head down to Issaquah (East of Seattle for the non-locals out there reading this), for a large group dinner at Paul’s parents house. And I’m extra excited this year because my dad is driving up from Oregon to spend the weekend with us. This is  VERY special year indeed.

(Riley in his new gear)

So, I told my mom I’d bring breakfast with me. And I’m really excited about what I’m making!

Goat Cheese Quiche with Hash-Brown Crust

Two items are on the menu: Martha’s Goat Cheese Quiche, and some sort of coffee cake pastry thingy (yet to be determined, can you tell???)

I’ll be asking my Tweeps later for recipes (EASY ones only!) for the coffee cake thingy, but for now, I wanted to share the BEST ever recipe for quiche.

I made this a couple years ago for Mother’s Day, mom really loves quiche, and we all enjoyed it. It was actually really easy as it turns out, so I’m going to make and take this year! Make it at home, take it to mom’s! (Hopefully it’ll still be hot/warm when we get there!)

Here’s the recipe:

Serves 6.

2 tablespoons butter, softened, plus more for pan
1 package (1 pound) frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
12 large eggs
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 1/2 cups reduced-fat sour cream
1 package (4 to 5 ounces) soft goat cheese, room temperature
4 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush a 9-by-2 1/2-inch springform pan with butter. Line the sides of the pan with strips of waxed paper (the same height as pan); brush paper with butter.

2. Squeeze excess moisture from hash browns. Mix in a bowl with butter, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pat into bottom and up sides of prepared pan, using a moistened dry measuring cup. Place on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until set, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, whisk sour cream, goat cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until well combined; whisk in 11 remaining eggs. Pour into crust, and sprinkle with scallions. Bake until set, 45 to 50 minutes. Unmold quiche, and peel off waxed paper before serving.

Main Event: Curried Chicken Casserole

16 Nov

Happy Monday morning, readers.

I’ve got a whole basket of posts for you this week.  That’s right, I’m back with the living, and have been taking lots of bad photos of delicious things I’ve been cooking and eating (Even a short video on one!).

First things first: Monday night dinner.  I just got another great email from my boss, Lori.  She passed on a recipe for Curried Chicken Casserol that sounds too good to pass up on a rainy, cold, Seattle day.

I just wish I had made it last night, so I had leftovers for lunch today! Oh well, tomorrow will have to do! (I love curry leftovers, it only tastes better as the days go on!)

Here’s the recipe!

Curried Chicken Casserole
(Compliments of Julie Callahan – typed by Pat)

1/2 pound small mushrooms sliced
2 tablespoons butter
6 cups cooked chicken breast cut in 1 inch pieces
1 can (10 1/2 ounces) cream of chicken soup
2 cups finely diced celery
1 cup mayo
3/4 cup sour cream
1 can (8oz) sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 tablespoons sherry
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 pound (1 cup) shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (3 1/2 oz) fried onion rings, crushed

YIELD:   10-12  SERVINGS

       ******************************************************

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease a 13 x 9 inch pan

In small skillet sauté mushrooms in butter until all liquid evaporates

In a large bowl combine mushrooms, chicken, soup, celery, mayonnaise, sour cream, water chestnuts, sherry, curry powder, onion, salt and pepper.

 Place mixture in prepared pan.

Top with cheese and friend onion rings

Bake 30 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned around edges. 
Serve immediately.

———

Of course, you know I can’t leave well enough alone. I’ll be using nonfat sour cream and instead of mayo, nonfat plain yogurt. I’ll also probably add a thin layer of rice at the bottom, to soak up all the yummy spices and flavors, to add a bit of heartiness to the whole dish, so it goes a bit further.

Stay tuned for some unappetizing, poorly lit pictures of this dish sometime later this week.

Main event: Squash soup

21 Oct

I posted the following almost exactly a year ago, and thought I’d bring it back out to remind everyone of the wonderful variety of squash available at ANY grocery store or market this time of year. I was thinking about making my first seasonal batch of squash soup soon. So, if I do, I’ll share any variations I make with you.

Enjoy, and let me know if you have questions or ideas on these or other types of squash!

——

This weekend, we’re having a couple friends over for dinner that we rarely get to see.  We’re very excited to catch up, walk the neighborhood and look at the leaves and pumpkins (Seattle weather permitting of course) and eat good food with good company.

Since it’ll be a Saturday evening, I thought something warm and familiar would hit the spot just right!

Butternut Squash

photo of butternut squash

So I’m making my famous “Siiri’s Squash Soup.” Now, it might only be famous amongst my family and close friends, but isn’t that the fame that really counts? Bringing the people you love something that makes them happy?  That’s what I love about the art of cooking!

I’ll give you all the juicy details after I cook the whole soup and other dishes, complete with pictures, but for today I’ll tell you what I’ve done so far.

The great thing about having dinner set up on a Saturday and making something like this hearty dish, is that you can start earlier in the week, and just do a thing or two one day, and then when weekend comes along, half your work is already done! (sweet, right?!)

Acorn Squash

photo of acorn squash

So last weekend, when Paul and I were in Lake Chelan enjoying the brisk lake air and beautiful changing leaves, we stopped at a produce market right up the street from the cabin. We go there every year. It’s great, good prices and the staff is really helpful and willing to cut into literally anything to give you a taste. Now THATS good marketing. There we bought apples, pears, and the squash I’ll be using for the soup.

Butter Cup Squash

photo of buttercup squash

I bought a HUGE butternut squash (I think between 6-8lbs), an acorn squash (little guy), and a buttercup squash (medium size, but lots of seeds, not so much pulp.

Here’s a great site that will tell you all you ever wanted to know about squash varieties and what to do with them, What’s Cooking America.

Last night, while I was doing laundry, trying to find something to eat at the house (fail), and watching Grey’s Anatomy, I roasted the squash.

It could not be easier. The thing about roasting much of anything is that you don’t need a recipe. It’s literally the hardest thing to mess up!

I just turned on the oven to 400F (you can choose any temperature you like, but the hotter it is, the less time it’ll take (of course don’t go too high, anything upwards of 425F and you could be asking for some charred black squash).

I cut them each in half, put a bit of olive oil on them, sprinkled with salt, put on cookie sheets (foil or silicone sheets covering so no clean up), and slapped ‘em in the oven for an hour. I checked them at the hour and the littler ones were done. I took them out and left the big butternut in there for another 45 minutes (they’re really dense, so it’ll take much longer).

After they’re done, I let them cool and scooped the flesh out, put them in containers in the fridge.

So now, all I have to do tomorrow is pull all the ingredients together! YAY!

Stay tuned for the recipe (which is really forgiving and changes every time I make it, depending on what I have lying around the house), and lots of pictures!

Stay out of the rain!

Main event: the best “fried” (aka baked) chicken

20 Oct

To go with the Squash Chowder I made on Saturday, I felt that a crispy, spicy chicken dish would really balance the flavors and textures. So I found a super easy idea (from Redbook) “Fried” chicken recipe.

It’s baked in the oven and of course, I barely followed the recipe and did no measuring….who needs it for stuff like this?

Here’s what I did:

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In a bowl mix about 3/4 cup plain, nonfat yogurt with a tablespoon or so of any hot sauce you have in the fridge and 1 egg white (or just the whole egg if you’re lazy).

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Tenderize your chicken by either pounding it a bit with a meat mallet or stabbing it with two forks. Add to the bowl with yogurt marinade. Let sit out for about 40 minutes, while you pre heat your oven to 400F and do any other dish prep for the meal.

During this time, take a few cups of corn flakes and in a different bowl crumble them up to a medium consistency. Add about a teaspoon each of paprika, dried thyme or oregano, garlic powder and salt.

When other dishes are about 20 minutes from being done, dredge the chicken (that means coat) with the corn flake spice mixture completely. Place on greased cookie sheet (or greased tin foil. You can use PAM spray or something, or a bit of olive oil or butter).

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Bake at 400F in top third of oven for 20 minutes. Don’t open oven till done.  It will be done. I haven’t had a bad batch yet.

Serve immediately so the crust on the bottom doesn’t get soggy. 

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And here’s their recipe:

INGREDIENTS
 • 1/2 cup fat-free buttermilk
 • 1 large egg white
 • 2 tsp hot red pepper sauce
 • 4 (6 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
 • 1 cup prepared cornflake cereal crumbs
 • 2 tsp paprika
 • 1 tsp each dried thyme (or oregano if you don’t have thyme), garlic powder, and kosher salt
 • Olive oil cooking spray

DIRECTIONS
• 1. In medium bowl, whisk buttermilk, egg white, and hot sauce until blended; add chicken pieces and turn to coat. Let marinate at room temperature. Preheat oven to 400° F.
• 2. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with nonstick foil. Combine cornflake crumbs, paprika, thyme, garlic powder, and salt in a shallow pie plate or bowl.
• 3. Lift chicken pieces, one at a time, from buttermilk mixture and coat in seasoned crumb mixture Lightly spray crumb coating with cooking spray.
• 4. Bake 16 to 18 minutes, until browned on the outside, chicken is no longer pink in the thickest parts, and crumb coating is crusty.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
• 1 serving: Calories 290; Carbohydrates 22g; Fat 4g

Main event: Siiri’s famous squash soup

20 Oct

Good Tuesday Morning, Readers!

So last week, I shared my squash hunting experience with you, from the crisp and windy shores of Lake Chelan, Washington. I showed you how I roasted the squash to prepare them for my famous soup, which I was going to make for our dinner guest on Saturday night.

And indeed, squash soup was created and devoured. (I now think I may call it Squash Chowder, because it’s so hearty and thick, and slightly chunky, it resembles a chowder more).

I’ll share my “recipe” with you below, which of course is like most of my dishes in that the recipe is forgiving, loose and adaptable, so you can really just use what you’ve got with almost little to no ‘store run’ purchases.

I also will show you my favorite Fall decor accessories that I’ve been dying to use since I picked them up on Crate and Barrel discount at the end of last Fall. (please excuse the blurry photo)

Crate and Barrel pumpkin soup bowls

Ingredients
1 Acorn Squash
1 Butternut Squash
(other squash optional, I used Buttercup, known for it’s sweetness)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1-2 cans low sodium, fat free chicken or vegetable broth
1 bag frozen corn, about 16oz. (yellow is sweeter, I like this)
1 cup fat free or regular half and half (or nonfat plain yogurt, which is what I used this time since I had it already)
2 tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
1.5 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. Chili powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 medium sweet potato (optional)
1 cup pumpkin (optional)
½ tsp. Poultry seasoning
 
Directions

carmelize your onions

In a large soup pot (10-12quarts) chop onion with 1 tsp olive oil. Keep on low heat, and caramelize. Should take about 20 minutes. Once caramelized, add half the broth and all the yogurt, bring to a simmer. Lower temperature to keep warm, but not simmering. Add all spices.

add your spices to the carmelized onions and let toast for a few minutes, stirring constantly

Puree corn in small batches with remaining broth to a paste consistency; add to mixture, stirring occasionally. (lumps are good, leave ‘em)

roasted squash and pureed corn with broth

Add your roasted squash, no skins. Use whisk or spatula or potato masher to break up flesh.  Stir and bring to simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to the lowest setting. Cover for about 20 minutes. Stir in half and half. If need be, add flour to thicken or water to thin.
 
Tip: Use a whisk to incorporate each new ingredient. The whisk will help break up clumps of squash or anything else that enters the soup as a paste. Your goal is to have a well blended soup that still has some chunky consistency, but is well incorporated.
 
Add more spices to taste. Will stay in pot in fridge for up to two weeks. Can freeze if desired. The flavor definitely gets better as the days go on. So my advice, make at least this much (sometimes I double the batch in a huge stock pot.) You’ll thank yourself on day 7 when you can’t stop filling your face with this healthy and hearty Fall staple.

(Here’s a bad picture of our dinner table. I need a new camera, this is a joke!)

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