Lemongrass Chicken Stir-Fry

I am pretty pumped about getting married.  Yes because the whole forever and ever, love of my life, marrying my best friend deal and all.  But if you were to ask Ben why I am so excited to get married, he'd probably be able to tell you the deep dark secret: I am most excited about getting married so that we can get a puppy and I can have a big kitchen.

Seriously, forget the pretty white dress, the flowers and unity candles (do you really need one of those??).  What I am most excited for starts after the big deal.  Ben, me, a house with a big kitchen and a puppy.  Really, that's all I want, all I need.

So instead of getting excited about centerpieces or worrying that our venue won't allow us to have lit candles on the tables, I spend most of my evenings thinking of our life post-big-happy-day.  Important things too, things like who's going to be the main dishwasher in the house?  Will I ever be able to get over my trust issues and let Ben do a load of laundry on his own?  Am I actually going to have to make real, balanced dinners every night?  Really?  No more bowls of cereal (me) or tall glasses of protein shakes (him)?

So, in order to put my mind somewhat at ease, the Chinese cooking has been on the uptake the last few months.  There are several hard and fast reason why this is the case.  To start with, anything stir-fired is by nature quick.  Also, after a few shopping trips to invest in things like fish sauce and rice cooking wine, I usually have all the ingredients on hand.  Plus, I can sneak whatever veggies I want in with the meat and ta-da! the meal has suddenly become a balanced meal.  Veggie, grain, protein, the works.  You know, if I could only learn to let go a little bit over my laundry-OCD-ness, I may be able to wrap my mind around the whole marriage/man/wife deal.  Just maybe...

Most of our adventures lately have come for the pages of Quick and Easy Chinese, a cookbook that was part of a gift from my future mother-in-law, along with a gorgeous cast iron wok.  True to the title, they are quick, easy and most importantly yummy.  We usually alternate serving the various stir-fries over brown rice or quinoa, but I have it in my mind to try a different whole grain soon, as I did just pick up some farro.  This little number came from Cooking Light's January 2013 issue.  As is the theme here, it was quick, easy and yummy.  It was not cut out from the big green cookbook though simply because it just wasn't unique enough.  But it is still definitely a great contender for Thursday night dinner.

Lemongrass Chicken Stir-Fry
Adapted from CL Jan. 2013

1 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp. chicken stock
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. sweet Asian chile sauce
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil (divided)
1 Tbsp. lemongrass, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 c. (or big handful) fresh green beans
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sliced to bite sized pieces
1/3 c. unsalted cashews
1 Thai chile, thinly sliced

Heat large wok over high heat.  While it is heating up, combine first 5 ingredients in small contained to make sauce.

Once wok is hot, swirl 1 tablespoon oil.  Add lemon grass and garlic, stir frying for about 30 seconds. Remove from wok with a slotted spoon.  Add remaining vegetables to wok, stir frying until bright and crisp, about 2 minutes.  Remove from wok and add to lemongrass mixture.

Add remaining tablespoon of oil to pan, swirl to coat.  Add chicken and spread into single layer.  Cook, turning as needed, until browned on all sides, 3-4 minutes.  Add cashews and chile to the chicken and continue to stir fry until chicken is cooked through.  Add in vegetables and toss to mix.  Pour sauce over top.  Bring the sauce to a boil, tossing the chicken and vegetables to coat.  Sauce will thicken (about 1 minute).  Remove from heat and serve immediately over rice or quinoa.

Beer Braised Carnitas

I got a little super nerd excited when I noticed that this post was number 144.  Why?  Because that is 12 squared.  Not that 12 has any real meaning for my either, I just think 144 is a pretty cool number.  Yeah, I am a dork.  One of my favorite books is Fermat's Enigma.  The college essay I wrote that got me into Notre Dame?  Completely 100% based on my love of math.  I am still absolutely certain that that is the reason I got accepted.  I just really like math.  Hopefully that wasn't too much of a weird insight into how my somewhat nerdy brain is wired, that's just what popped into my head as I opened up this post, so I decided to share... Anyways, on to why you are really here, the carnitas!

There are occasionally times when I feel like I let my last name down.  I am Mexican.  Alright, I am a quarter Mexican.  But even so, I always feel a twinge of guilt when I reach for a jar of salsa, especially when I have my great-grandma Tilly's recipe sitting in the homemade cookbook on the counter.  Which is, I will admit (oh, the guilt!), ridiculously easy to make.  When I am feeling particularly shameful about my cultural negligence  I usually make Ben take me to the local taquerio where I can find a little solace in ordering a proper Mexican taco (corn tortillas, none of this cheese, sour cream, lettuce nonsense, simply topped as it should be with diced white onion, cilantro and a hearty squeeze of lime).

Other days, things are little more drastic, and I can go no longer with besmerching my good Mexican last name.  Call me a drama queen if you will, but good things usually come from these drastic measures.  Good things like corn tortillas.  And, most recently, these carnitas.  These heaven sent, lightly spicy, fall apart melt away goodness, carnitas.  Now, this is something my one quarter Mexican self can be proud of, just please ignore the fact that I did use store bought corn tortillas...

Beer Braised Carnitas
Adapted, in words only from Feb. 2013's Bon Appetit

There are 2 things you should take away from this recipe.  One is that carnitas, of any type, are usually  straight forward and easy.  There are only 5 ingredients!  Here's the gist: you take some pork, cut it up and boil it all day long until it melts apart.  Then you brown it in the very same pot after all the liquid evaporates.  For 20 minutes of prep work and a few hours on the stove, you get a pot of gorgeous, red, flavorful meat.  Two?  This is jaw-droppingly delicious.  Big Green Cookbook approved.

2 dried New Mexico chiles
4 lbs. skinless, boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2 inch hunks
12 oz lager (I used Modelo Especial)
4 garlic cloves, crushed
4 tsp. kosher salt

In large dutch oven, over medium heat, toast the chilies on both sides, until they have puffed up and darkened, about 2 minutes.  Remove from pot and let cool.  Once chilies are cool enough to handle, cut in half long ways and discard the stem and seeds (the more seeds you leave in, the more spice you'll find your dish has).  Return to dutch oven and add all the remaining ingredients, plus 1 cup of water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cover the pot and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until pork falls apart at the touch of a fork.  This took me about an hour and a half.

Once the pork is fork tender, remove the lid of the pot and raise the heat slightly, bringing the liquid to a slow boil.  Stirring occasionally, continue to boil until the liquid evaporates completely, about 25 minutes.  Using a wooden spoon, continue to allow pork to brown (it will naturally start shredding apart).  Stir continuously and scrape up the browned bits of goodness from the bottom for another 10-15 minutes.

Finally, add about 1 cup of water to the dutch oven.  Bring to a boil and scrape up any remaining browned bits of goodness from the bottom.  Serve with corn tortillas and a smile!

For instructions on making ahead of time (up to 3 days!), see BA's website.

Pork Chops with Roasted Apples and Pearl Onions

Sometimes I dread the day that I have to be an actual grownup 100% of the time.  One day in the hazy future, I am going to have to be somewhat more responsible.  And by responsible I don't mean having only a small scope of ice cream after a dinner of cereal.  I mean responsible like cooking a balanced dinner each night, eating a range of fruits and veggies, and not impulse buying ice cream in the first place.

People, we are not getting younger.  Responsibility time is just around the corner unfortunately.  Yours truly is about to turn a quarter of a century in less than a month.  Yes, I know, I know, maybe 25 isn't that old, but to me it's a scary number, round multiple of 5.  (PS - Mom, your youngest is about to turn 25! Ah!)  My days of sitting on the couch after a long day, eating cereal and watching 80's TV reruns are numbered.  I'm going to have to finish growing up eventually.  I'm going to have to make more things like pork chops roasted with apples and onions.  Oh the hardships....

Pork Chops with Roasted Apples and Pearl Onions
Cooking Light, September 2012

This wasn't a stand out dish.  It was good, but not amazing.  In other words, was eaten up completely, but not quite big green cookbook worthy.  Tuesday night dinner worthy though, you know, if you run out of cereal and ice cream.

2 1/2 tsp. olive oil, divided
1 1/2 c. frozen pearl onions, thawed, pat dry
2 c. Gala apple wedges
3 tsp. butter, divided
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
4 (6-oz) bone-in center-cut pork loin chops (about 1/2 in. thick)
1/2 c. chicken stock
1/2 tsp. flour
1 tsp. cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Heat large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp. olive oil to pan and heat.  Add onions to pan and brown for 3-4 minutes, stirring only once or twice to let the onions get some pretty brown on them. Add apples to pan and put in oven. Roast at 400° until apples are fork tender, about 10 minutes.  Toss immediately with 2 tsp. butter, thyme, salt, and pepper.  Transfer mixture to plate and cover with tin foil to keep warm.

Heat remaining oil in pan over medium-high heat. Season pork chops lightly with salt and pepper.  Cook pork 3 minutes per side, flipping only once to get a nice brown.  Remove pork from pan and tent with foil to keep warm. Whisk together broth and flour until there are no more lumps.  Pour into hot pan and bring to a boil, scrapping up any lose bits into the broth.  Boil until mixture is reduced to about 1/4 cup.  Add vinegar and remaining tsp. of butter, serve over pork and applies.

Lemon and Olive Chicken

It is no secret that I am a big fan of Everybody Loves Raymond.  My love of the reruns is well documented both here and basically every weekday night of my life.  Even typing this, miles away from Ben, I can hear his loudly resounding "duh".  I like to think my love of Everybody Loves Raymond is one of the quality he loves about me...

So when I decided to try this lemon chicken recipe from this year's January Cooking Light issue, I sort of, kind of had a secret day dream that I was making lemon chicken just like Deb.  For those of you not caught up on Everybody Loves Raymond reruns (might I add, what is wrong with you??), the first dish Debra cooked for Ray was lemon chicken.  In fact, really the only dish Deb could really cook was lemon chicken.  I got sort of excited that maybe, just maybe, I had found my version of lemon chicken.

More than likely, what Deb was cooking did not have a Mediterranean riff on it.  I suppose we'll never know.  But mine did, with shallots, olives, rosemary and oregano.  It was yummy.  Ben liked it, thought it was a switch up from a normal baked chicken meal.  I enjoyed it too.  It came together pretty quick, baked while I cleaned up the kitchen and the leftovers heated up fantastically.  Not a keeper though, which may be my fault for not using fresh herbs.  Just a good, solid Wednesday night meal.

Lemon and Olive Chicken
Adapted from CL Jan. 2012

2 tsp. lemon zest (~1 lemon) 
1/4 c. lemon juice (1-2 lemons)
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried rosemary
15 oil-cured olives, pitted
1 large shallot, sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
Salt and Pepper, olive oil to grease

In large bowl, whisk together lemon zest and juice, olive oil and garlic.  Add chicken, flipping to coat.  Let marinade for 15 minutes, occasionally flipping chicken around in marinade.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Thinly slice shallot and lemon.  Halve olives (or pit them, I usually end up halving when I pit anyways...)  Very lightly grease ceramic baking dish (9x13) with olive oil.  Lay chicken in single layer across bottom.  Pour any remaining marinade over top.  Season with salt, pepper, oregano and rosemary.  Spread lemon slices, shallots and olives evenly over top.

Bake 30 minutes, until chicken is just before done.  Remove from oven and preheat broiler.  Broiler chicken for 5-7 minutes until chicken is browned and cooked through.

We served on a bed of orzo with a side of steamed green beans!

White Chicken Chili

It has started.  Did you notice?  It doesn't exactly sneak up on you, so I assume so.  Football season.  It is here.  It's starting.  Today!  Well, I guess college already started with a bang, my Fighting Irish taking care of Navy.  We won by quite the margin, even if I don't quite remember the end of the game, as might be expected by an 8 am kickoff time and an all you can drink special.  (Know what I do remember?  Hang overs that start at 6 pm are not fun).  And tonight?  The first NFL game of the season is tonight.

Are you ready?  Have you had your fantasy football draft?  And if so, do you have any clever left over fantasy football team names that maybe I could use?  Most importantly, are you stocked up on soup, chili and game-watching snack recipes?  Cause that is what football is.  A pot of chili on the stove, chips and salsa, and some beer cooling in the fridge.  Football season, here we come.

White Chicken Chili

This would be great for a Sunday afternoon football watching marathon.  It comes together quickly and the longer it sits, gently bubbling away, the happier your taste buds are going to be.  My mom has been making this ever since one day in the supermarket I peeled off on of those free recipes hanging up in the spice aisle.  The paper has long since been lost, but the recipe most certainly has not.

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
¼ c. chopped onion
1 c. chicken broth
2 cans (4oz) chopped green chilies (I use 1 mild, 1 hot)
2 cans (19oz) white kidney beans (cannelloni), undrained (I've also used chickpeas)
2 green onions, slices, to top
Monterrey Jack cheese, to top

Southwest Spice Blend:
1½  tsp. Garlic Powder
1 ½ tsp. Ground Cumin
1 tsp. Oregano Leaves
1/8 tsp. Ground Rep Pepper (or more depending on your heat tolerance)

In dutch oven, heat oil over medium high heat.  Add chicken and onions and cook until chicken is done, about 5 minutes.  Add broth, green chilies and spice blend.  Bring to a simmer for at least 5 minutes.  Stir in beans and return soup to a simmer for 5 minutes.  Ladle into bowls and tops with cheese and onions.

Honey Mustard Beer Chicken

I wanted to call this saucy chicken, simply because that is the best explanation.  Delicious, pan-saucy chicken.  But if I did that, then you might not be aware of the whole honey mustard beer party that is going on it that pan.  True, there is soy sauce too, but it got voted off the island because honey mustard soy sauce chicken is more an ingredient list, not a recipe title.

Few times have I made a pan sauce, although I'm not quite sure why, because I get it.  You take all those stuck on crunchy bits, all the juice that steeped out while the meat was resting, all that flavor, heat it up, cook it down and then just barely refrain from pouring it straight into your mouth.  I get that.  It works.  Ben, on the other hand, asks why I can just grill or bake the chicken for dinner at the first sign of a little smoke coming from the stove top.  Don't be Ben.  It'll be ok.  Pan-fry the chicken.  Make the pan sauce.  And if you sneak a spoonful or two while plating up, it'll be our little secret.

**UPDATE 3/13/13**   I made this again a few nights ago, the first time since I wrote the post.  I did double the sauce, and Ben and I were still wishing for more.  We served it on top of a bed of quinoa, ladling the sauce over top.  I am taking the liberty of updating the recipe below to reflect the doubled sauce.  It's by far the way to go!

Honey Mustard Beer Chicken
Adapted from CL September 2012

I served this with brown rice.  The sauce I was marveling about upstairs, pour it over the rice too.  Or if you're not concerned with silly things like picture taking before you eat (patience is never quite tested until you can't eat before getting a good picture...), go like this: rice, chicken, lot-o-sauce.  It'll make your rice ever-so-happy.  Trust me.  Speaking of, I plan on 1.5x or 2x the sauce on my next go round.  The sauce makes the dish.  Just in case that hasn't been clear enough...

2 tsp.canola oil
4 6 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast
black pepper & salt to season
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 c. beer (used Leinenkugels)
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. whole-grain Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. honey

In large skillet over medium high heat, heat oil until it shimmers.  Season chicken liberally on both sides with salt and pepper.  Add to hot skillet and pan fry until chicken is cooked through, about 6 to 7 minutes per side.  Remove from skillet and tent with foil to keep warm.

Add shallot to pan and saute until translucent, about 1 minute.  In small bowl, whisk together remaining 4 ingredients that form the sauce.  Make sure honey has dissolved into the sauce.  Add to pan and turn up heat to high.  Using a wooden spatula, scrap bottom of pan to loosen brown bits.  Add any accumulated juices from chicken to pan.  Bring sauce to a boil and maintain heat until sauce has reduced and thickened.

Add chicken back to pan and turn several times in sauce, to coat and warm.  Serve over rice or whatever can use a good soak in some yummy sauce!

Sweet and Spiced Country Spareribs

Low and slow.  That is how you get here: to fall into pieces at a touch kind of ribs.  Low and slow.  Trust me here.  Don't ask silly questions like "cooking ribs in the oven for six hours?", or "who has that kind of time?", or even more bewildering "who actually plans dinner that far ahead??"

Because the answer is now you.  Follow me here, you cook ribs for 6 hours, in your oven, and you figure it out so you're not eating at 11 o'clock at night.  It's so simple, I promise you.  Because I did it.  And we ate dinner at 7.  Not 11.  Amazing, right?  Here's how it goes down.

In the morning, after sleeping in at least till 10, mix together the spice rub.  Slather and rub it very thickly on ribs.  Wrap in foil.  Ignore for an hour while you eat breakfast and watch TV.  If you feel like it, at some point before noon, preheat the oven to 200 degrees.  If you don't, no biggie.  It only has to get up to 200.  Remember, LOW.

At noon-ish, stick the ribs (which are in foil) in the oven on a wire rack.  Position your oven thermometer so you can actually see it when the oven door is closed.  Close the door, keep it closed.  Check occasionally to make sure your oven is staying around 200 degrees and isn't trying to creep up on you.  Go to the pool party hosted by your apartment complex and drink free pina coladas and beer from a keg hidden in the bushes.  Don't worry that you left the oven on and you're not in the house.  It's only 200 degrees and you're just across the way.  Besides, it's free booze.  You  don't want to be cooped up in your apartment all day, suffering from the smell of pure deliciousness, while the ribs cook for 6 lloonngg hours.  Remember, SLOW.

And these will be on your plate and down your gullet by 7 pm.  There are three key points to remember here: sleeping in, free pina coladas and an 200 degree oven that won't heat up your apartment even if you do keep it on for half the day.  Oh, and low and slow.  Cause it's totally, completely, mouth-wateringly worth it.  Now stop with the silly questions.

Sweet and Spiced Country Spareribs
Adapted from my crush, the Smitten Kitchen

1.  These are delicious.  According to Ben, they sort of smell like Christmas morning (thank you cloves!).  They taste hot and spicy (two different things).  They may cook for 6 hours, but there's about 20 minutes of actual work involved.  30 minutes, tops.  These are in the BGCB.

2.  Deb calls out for spareribs.  Which I thought I had in my freezer, when really I had country spareribs.  Is there a difference?  Apparently, because mine looked different.  Who knew?  The country worked splendidly, the normal spareribs looked like they did Deb proud.  I think you're safe either way here.

3.  In case you didn't notice, tomorrow is Sunday.  Sunday is a good day for ribs.  Just saying...

Spice Rub:
1 c. dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp. ancho chili powder
2 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

4-5 lbs. spare ribs
2 tsp. smoked paprika (I used Hungarian)
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

In small bowl, mix up the spice rub.  Lay out spareribs on enough foil to create a sealed packet (if needed, slice ribs into more manageable sizes.  I made 2 packets).  Slather on (seriously, nice and thick here) the spice rub all over the ribs.  Rub it in.  Coat it completely.  Fold up foil into packet around ribs.  Let sit 30 minutes or so.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  On rimmed baking sheet, place a wire rack.  Place ribs on top.  Cook in 200 degree oven for 4 hours.  If possible, drop temperature to 175 degrees, and finishing cooking 2 more hours, until it is easily fork tender.  Carefully open packets and set ribs aside to rest.

Pour accumulated juices into medium sauce pan.  Boil until reduce by half.  Add paprika and vinegar and cook until desired consistency is reached.  Deb says you can now put the ribs under a broiler to get a crisp grilled like finish.  We couldn't make it that long.  Generously spoon sauce over ribs.  Devour, making sure to have lots of paper towels nearby...

Cumin Spiced Fish Tacos & Mango Avocado Salsa

Happy Memorial Day!  Happy Unofficial, but every knows real deal, start of Summer!  (The technical first day of summer, for all you PC-lovers out there is June 20th).  But let's be honest here.  Summer and everything that embodies it - BBQ's, outside drinking games, picnics, lakes, tans - Summer.  Officially.  Starts.  Today.  I am quite literally humming with excitement.

Actually, singing.  Cause that is what I do.  In the summertime, I sing oldies.  Because summer belongs to the golden oldies.  Trust me on this one.  Just this morning, it was a verse of In the Summertime, which went into the whistling from Dock of the Bay, and ended in a little ditty about Jack and Diane.  It was wonderful.  I am so ready for some sunshine, some water, a lazy round of beersbee, and, oh yeah, fish tacos.  Ready or not, Summer, here we come.

In the summertime, when the weather is hot

you can reach right up and touch the sky

When the weather's fine, you got women

you got women on your mind. 

Have a drink, have a drive,

Go out and see what you can find.

P.S. - This was so me on Friday.  And quite literally I checked it at 3:12 PM Friday afternoon.  It feels nice to feel so connected to someone feeling the Exact. Same. Way.  Camaraderie.  I love the internet.  Well, sometimes.  I love three day start of summer weekends all the time though.  Hope yours was fantastic!

Cumin Spiced Fish Tacos & Mango Avocado Salsa

Adapted, hardly, from Cooking Light's.... 

YUM!  These guys right here is how you want to start your summer.  They take less than 30 minutes to throw together, they are cool and spicy,  and you can eat them with your hands.  Plus, they taste especially great washed down with a cold beer.  And the mango salsa?!?  FANTASTIC.  Make extra.  And then eat like you would any salsa, on tortilla chips.  And it will totally disappear before nightfall.  The tart mango with the smooth avocado?  I don't even like avocado that much and I'm telling you.  YES.  Make these.  Tonight.  Have a cerveza.  Toast Summer.

(These guys, in case you were wondering, are totally 100% BGCB material)

Mango Avocado Salsa:
1 medium mango, peeled and cubed
1 medium mango, pitted and cubed
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 small jalapeno, diced
5-10 sprigs of cilantro, chopped, no stems
1 1/2 limes (for juice)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Juice limes over avocado (this will help with keeping the avocado green and not brown).  Toss all ingredients together.  Let sit 10 minutes so flavors marry.

Cumin Spiced Fish Tacos:
1 Tbsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 lb. tilapia fillets
1 Tbsp. canola oil

In large skillet over medium heat, toast cumin seeds for 2 minutes until fragrant.  Shake pan often to keep from burning.  In spice grinder, grind cumin with salt and peppers until finely ground.  (Leave a comment if you want a tip on how to clean out the spice/coffee grinder afterwards!)  Add cumin mixture to garlic and use as dry rub on tilapia fillets. Let sit 5-10 minutes.

Return skillet to burner and heat oil over a medium high flame.  Add tilapia and pan fry for 2 minutes.  Flip and cook for 2 minutes more, or until fish is cooked throuogh.  Remove and flake into large bite sized pieces.

Warm corn tortillas.  Lay a few chunks of fish and cover with mango avocado salsa.  Eat, drink, repeat!

Chilaquiles

 

Now, I know that you have waited, breathe baited, for the last 3 days wondering just what in the world was special enough for my special bloggerversary dinner.  Did I finally make the lovely lobster dinner that I promised Ben for his birthday 3 months ago?  Did I conquer crepes?  Rule over a roast chicken?  Cross another line off my kitchen bucket list?  Or rather, did I slather some red sauce over store bought tortilla chips and tell Ben "It's basically Mexican lasagna"?

I know, I know, it's not.  But the boy was bugging me and making weird faces and just annoying me to wits end and I had to give him something to shut him up.  The quarter of myself that is Mexican cringes when I admit that, but the other 75% doesn't care.  Because it got this to the table faster.

This dish made a wonderful bloggerversary dinner.  One, because it was delicious and two, because it made me happy.  Back when I lived in McAllen, TX and there wasn't too many reasons at all that I was happy to live there, the cafeteria at work would occasionally make this for breakfast.  And while I have relatively few good memories about McAllen, I remember the chilaquiles.  And how they could turn a crappy morning into something exciting, even if just for 15 minutes.  They just made everybody happy.  

But the ultimate icing on the um, chilaquiles, came the night before, when I was making the sauce (which I would suggest, because it makes dinner the next night ridiculously easy).  I poured boiling water over the dried chiles and then just a few moments later, suddenly, it smelled like my grandpa's house.  I just sat in my kitchen inhaling and smiling to myself.  It brought back such a vivid memory of being in my grandpa's kitchen, the whole big family coming over to help make tamales, a yearly Christmas time ritual, and my grandpa elbow deep in a huge vat of chili con carne.  It smelt just like that.  If chilaquiles sound weird, or if you think it'll just be strange soggy tortilla chips, that's fine.  Just know that this sauce, if nothing else, this sauce is killer.

One day in the future, when I have my act together and don't rely on tubs of Greek yogurt for my dinners each week, I want to have cups and cups of this sauce tucked away nicely in the freezer.  Then I could always be minutes away from a breakfast of chilaquiles.  Or enchiladas for dinner, or chili con carne...

Chilaquiles

Adapted from March 2012's Bon Appetit

I served this with a fried egg over top, the runny yolk just adding amazingness to amazingness.  I am used to chilaquiles with shredded chicken mixed into the sauce, which will be my next approached when I make this next.  Also, Ben found it a little too spicy, I thought it was perfect.  So adjust your chile input accordingly (I used 7).  BA has you make your own tortilla chips.  I was lazy and used store bought.  I don't really regret that decision, just get the nice thick cut ones, because they have to put up with a lot!  

Lastly, and most importantly, when working with hot peppers (and these guys are!) it's never a bad idea to wear plastic gloves.  And NEVER, EVER touch your face or eyes until you have very thoroughly washed your hands.  I tell you, you make that mistake once as a 7 year old and you never forget it the rest of your life.

Red Chile Sauce:
5-7 dried guajillo or New Mexico chiles
1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes, drained
1 medium white onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped (with seeds)
1/8 tsp. Hungarian sweet paprika
2 Tablespoons canola oil
2 tsp. honey
Kosher salt, pepper, to taste


Chilaquiles:
Tortilla chipes (~ 6-8 c.)
4 ounces quesco fresco, crumbled (~1 c.)
4 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (~1 c.)
4 large eggs (optional)
Shredded chicken (optional)
Cilantro, for topping (optional)

To make the red chile sauce, place dried chiles in large glass bowl.  Cover with 2 cups of boiling water, making sure chiles are submerged.  Let sit at least 15 minutes, until they are softened.  Inhale deeply and enjoy the smell!  Once softened, remove chiles and reserve soaking liquid.  Discard stems and seeds (seeds = heat!) and roughly chop.

While chiles are soaking, combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeno and paprika in food processor.  Add chiles and 1 cup of reserved soaking liquid, process until sauce it smooth.

In large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat oil.  Add sauce (careful: splatter alert!) and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and let sauce simmer, lid only partly on, stirring occasionally.  Simmer until sauce is reduced and thickened.  Stir in honey and season with salt and pepper.  Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly (a tortilla chip works great for this, just don't eat too much of the sauce!)  Remove from heat.  If preparing the sauce before hand, cover and refrigerate up to three days.  Warm sauce again before assembling chilaquiles.

To make chilaquiles, preheat broiler.  In large bowl, toss tortilla chips with 1 - 1 1/2 cups sauce.  Coat chips, but you don't want everything covered, leave some chip showing.  If using shredded chicken, toss with chips and sauce to coat.  In large broil safe dish, lay out half of chips.  Sprinkle half of each cheese over chips.  Layer remaining chips on top, drizzle 1/2 c. more sauce over top, followed by remaining cheese.  Broil until cheese is melted and golden, 5-6 minutes.  Top with cilantro, fried eggs, etc.

Sausage & Spinach Rice Bowl

Recently, I came across the apparently infamous single lady pancake.  And let me start off by saying that I feel a little cheated that I am just finding out about this now.  That means for a good year and a half, when I have spent the majority of Saturdays and Sunday alone, I could have been eating this.  Because, really, on a weekend morning, what is more fabulous, more wonderful than a pancake?  Nothing.  I'll repeat that for you.  Nothing.  Hmphh... now I want a pancake.

Anyways, back to the point of this post, sometimes those of us who live in apartments with no roommates in strange new cities and towns, sometimes we are alone.  Which means that sometimes we sleep with the closet light on because we scare ourselves by identifying strange noises right before climbing in bed.  And that sometimes we don't put real people clothes on the entire day long.  And that we don't always have to immediately clean the hair out of the bottom of the shower, because it's just ours and there's no one else to get grossed out by it.  Sometimes it means we have to man up and kill the damn bug because there is no one to call for help.  And it also means that, more often than not, we are in our small apartment kitchens cooking for one.  Well, at least on those night's when we, the roommate-less, choose to eat a dinner that is more than a spoon, a jar of peanut butter and assorted things to slather peanut butter on.  What I'm saying here is that sometimes, we need things like single lady pancake recipes.

I kind of considered this a single lady kind of recipe.  First and foremost, it comes together in roughly 10 minutes and it is yummy.  On top of that, tt's very scale-able, you could make it for four or for one.  It uses leftovers, which is awesome.  And, finally, like most things that contain twice-cooked rice, it's incredibly comforting.  A warm bowl of this, a bottle of hard apple cider and reruns of Sex and the City?  That's one heck of a single lady night in.

Sausage and Spinach Rice Bowl
Adapted from the April 2012 Cooking Light 

CL suggests pairing this with some sort of side, sauteed mushrooms or the like.  Personally, you got your vegetable, protein and grain in here, so I say you're good to go.  One bowl of this, a (maybe smaller, but since you're alone, who's to know?) bowl of ice cream, a good drink and it's all you need for a good single night in.  The proportions below will give you a skillet full which is two very solid servings (I like leftovers...).  Divide or multiply as needed!

I also used leftover brown rice that I have frozen from a previous brown rice making shindig.  It worked great.  I thawed in the fridge overnight and then microwaved to warm, fluffing with a fork every 45 seconds or so.

1 1/2 c. brown rice
1 Tbsp. Grapeseed Oil (or Olive.  I wanted to use Grapeseed.  So I did)
6 oz. hot Italian Sausage
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
6 oz (basically 1 package) baby spinach
Parmesan cheese to top

Warm rice.  In large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat.  Add sausage (casings removed if using links) and red pepper.  Brown sausage, breaking up with spoon, 5 minutes or until brown and cooked through.  Add garlic, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add spinach and cooked until it has wilted down, about another minute more.  Add rice and stir to distribute all ingredients evenly.  Let cook for a minute undisturbed before "flipping over".  Let other side cook for another minute undisturbed, until everything is warmed through.  Move to bowl, top with cheese, eat while sitting on couch enjoying TV that you only watch when you're home alone.

Apple Cider Pulled Pork

In the most uncharacteristically Northern Illinois way, it has been warm here the last few days.  My heart wants so badly to believe that the warmth is here to stay, but unfortunately my brain knows better.  My brain knows that it is only a matter of time before Mother Nature plays what must be known as the cruelest April Fools' Day joke there is... Spring is coming!  Go for long walks, sit in the sun!  What, 2 feet of snow?  Gotcha!  April Fools!

I promise, living in the Midwest has only made me a little bit bitter.  And even if I do know better, I can't help but daydream on this beautiful 70 degree day of the better things to come: spring, warmth, sunlight past 6 pm in the evening, fresh corn and tomatoes, cooking in a tank top and trying your best to minimize the amount of time your oven spends heating up your apartment just so your AC can cool it right down again, and lots, lots and lots, of pulled pork sandwiches.

Ben and I are both big fans of the pulled pork.  We were spoiled quite a bit with me living in South Carolina for awhile and any trip to the south isn't quite complete until we've had a BBQ pulled pork sandwich.  So when I told Ben all week long that I was making pulled pork for our Wednesday dinner together, his mind saw shredded pork smothered in some sort of BBQ.  And even though I gave him this instead, he was still quite happy.

Ben thought immediately that it was BGCB material, however I have my suspicions he's just trying to fill the thing out.  I think it has potential.  It's different and good, but the tang I was expecting from the apple cider wasn't there as much as I had hoped.  I used Simply Apple and Hornsby's Hard Cider, so I might play around with my ciders.  There was also A LOT of onions.  The initial recipe called for 4.  Being the kind, considerate girlfriend that I am, I cut it down to 3 (Ben is still convinced he doesn't like onions but only when he can see them...) and sliced them up the night before.  When I was assembling the next morning (did I mention this was a slow cooker meal!?  Perfect for those warm days...), it just looked like way too much.  I used a little more than half the onions I sliced up the night before.  And there was still a lot of onion.  The taste doesn't over power or anything, there was just onion every where you looked.  In the end the verdict was quite good:  I had a happy boyfriend and a full stomach myself.  I just need to tinker a bit more...

Bloggerversary....  Hey!  In case you didn't notice, someone's bloggerversary is coming up... (I've been debating about celebrating it the way I do my birthday... all week long!)  I've ordered myself a nice little bloggerversary gift just for the occasion.  Excited?  Me too.  I'll break it out on the big day!! (March 31st, just in case you were planning on sending gifts...)

Apple Cider Pulled Pork
adapted from Food 52

1 bottle hard apple cider
1-2 c. 100% apple cider
1 c. ketchup
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. siracha
2 onions, thinly sliced
4 lbs. pork shoulder

To make sauce, measure out hard cider and add enough apple cider to measure 3 cups of liquid.  Whisk in ketchup, brown sugar, paprika, cumin, garlic powder and siracha.

Place half of the onions in 4.5 qt or larger crock pot.  Place pork shoulder on top (if you have time, brown pork shoulder on stove top first).  Pour sauce over top and cover with remaining sliced onions.  cover slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours, until pork is fall apart with forks tender.

Remove pork from crock pot and set aside.  Turn crock pot to high heat and let sauce boil, reduce and thicken, skimming any fat from surface that shows up.  Using hands or forks or both, shred pork.  I kept mine separate (to help Ben with his onion fear), but you could also mix the pork back in the sauce and onion mixture.  Scoop pork and onions onto buns and make sure to top with sauce.  Enjoy!

Parmesan Chicken with Roasted Romaine Hearts

I never once had a doubt about this chicken.  What was there to worry about?  Chicken baked with a Parmesan Panko crust?  Yes please.  And so what if it called for fresh parsley?  What else do I have a spice cabinet full of bottles for if not to avoid having to use not so yummy stuff like parsley?  This chicken, as far as I was concerned was going to be good - easy, peasy, lemon squeezey.  (What a truly horrible phrase...)

As not to be too much of a tease, I will start right off by saying, I was right.  It was terribly delicious.  A simple sub-in of 1 tablespoon herbs de Provence and bam.  Exactly what I expected.  What I did not expect was to be so utterly enthralled by the player occupying the other half of my cookie sheet.

 I was very close to not even bothering with the roasted romaine.  I was pretty sure it would be strange and weird and something I would end up eating simply to not waste food.  But then I remembered the whole "try new things!  blog!"  thing I've been trying to pull off for almost a year now, and decided to go for it.  (I did chicken out on the chopped anchovy toppings.  One hurdle at a time...)

And it was good.  Crunchy, flavorful, so simple to make.  Even after heating up my leftovers the next day for lunch, a task I was sure would yield soggy lettuce leaves amidst my chicken and potatoes, I remained pleasantly surprised.  It still had some crisp, some crunch to it.  It was shockingly exciting.  I never would have guessed that throwing romaine hearts in the oven would get me so excited, so pumped, but here we are.  I have gone and spent the majority of this post raving about lettuce.  Who would have known?

 The star of this dish is really the Parmesan chicken, but there was never really any doubt about that.  And even if it's not brimming with originality, it is still very good.  Which might just make it the perfect partner for an exciting new discovery like roasted romaine....

Parmesan Chicken with Roasted Romaine Hearts
Adapted from Bon Appetit March 2012

My grocery store had skinless chicken breasts on sale cheap, but they were not boneless.  A fact I did not discover until I was home and about ready to pat some topping on them.  They worked, but required additional cooking time.  Boneless would work much better and would probably let you eat leftovers at work a bit more civilized.  I listed BA's cooking time, because mine was thrown off by the bone-in breasts.  If you don't have herbs de Provence, any dried spice would do nicely... rosemary, oregano, whatever you got hanging out in your spice cabinet.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to season
1 1/2 oz (~1/2 c.) grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 Tbsp. herbs de Provence
2 garlic cloves, minced, divided
2 large romaine hearts

Preheat oven to 450.  Line large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Season chicken breasts thoroughly on both sides with salt and pepper.  Place on baking sheet.

In small bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, panko, 2 tablespoons olive oil, herbs and 1 garlic cloves.  Mix to combine, seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.  Pat mixture onto top side of chicken breasts.  Put chicken in oven and bake until topping begins to turn golden, about 10 minutes.

Halve romaine hearts length wise.  Season with salt and pepper and drizzle evenly with remaining tablespoon of olive oil.  Sprinkle with remaining clove of minced garlic.  Remove chicken from oven (once breadcrumb mixture has turned golden).  Add romaine halves to sheet and return to oven.  Continue to roast until chicken is thoroughly cooked and romaine had browned around the edges, about 5 minutes more.  Enjoy!

Southwestern Pulled Beef Brisket

There is a 5 cup Tupperware in my freezer right now full of this shredded beef brisket in it's pretty mahogany sauce.  I'm pretty excited about that.  One day in the future, dinner is going to be so freaking easy.  So quick.  So humdrum?  I really am in love with the fact that I have a full on dinner locked and loaded, ready to go.  It's just not a very exciting dinner.  It doesn't have me mumbling with every full-mouthed bite "this is good, this is like really good".  Which is especially disappointing when I really thought it was going to be.

It had all the makings to be a fantastically dinner: One, it came from the cooking blog demigod known as the smitten kitchen, about whom I have not been bashful professing my love for (like here, or here, or here!).  Two, it was going to be my first meal cooked in my first Crock Pot ever and so was destined for greatness from the beginning.  And finally 3, it was meant to make tacos.  Tacos make everything taste even more amazing than they would taste alone.  Tacos have a magical power, it's hard to do wrong to the taco.

Yet, even with all of those fantastically factually points, dinner was not fantastic.  It did not provoke any unconscious, food-induced chanting.  It was just good.   No fireworks, all socks stayed on, good.  The pros?  Besides 20 or so minutes of prep before it get's thrown into the slow cooker, that's all your doing and dinner is cooking for you, waiting to welcome you home and fill your tummy with warm nutrition.  And, as stated above, it can be made into tacos, and tacos, 99.98% of the time, are fun, messy and delicious.  The only real con may be apathy, but really, dinner can't knock your socks off every time.

So, if you have a Saturday that is chock full of errands (like hanging your TV on a wall mount that is (WOOHOO!!) still hanging up!) and you want a warm dinner at the end of it, this is the way to go.  Well, at least until I find a crock pot meal worthy of whispering sweet nothings to as it gets shoveled into my mouth...

Southwestern Pulled Beef Brisket
From The Smitten Kitchen, circa 2010

3 lbs. beef brisket
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp. Canola Oil
5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. cumin
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 c. water
1/4 c. molasses
1 14.5-oz can whole peeled tomatoes
2 chipotle peppers from a can with a little adobo sauce
2 bay leaves

Season both sides of brisket well with salt and pepper.  In large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil until it just begins to smoke.  Add brisket and sear on both sides, about 5 minutes on each side.  Transfer to crock pot.

In same skillet, add onion and spices, and toast until fragrant, about 1 minute.  With head FAR away from skillet, pour in vinegar.  With wooden spoon, mix onions and vinegar, scraping bottom of skillet to pick up all browned bits of goodness from the meat.  Add water.  Pour mixture over brisket in crock pot.  Add molasses, tomatoes (crushed by hand), tomato juices from can, chipotle peppers and bay leaves.  Place lid on cooker.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours (longer is probably better) until brisket is easily shredded by hand. Once done, remove brisket from crock pot and shred.  Remove bay leaves from crock pot and discard.  Return shredded beef to crock pot, stir thoroughly with remaining juices and serve with warmed tortillas and pickled jalapenos, shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, pickled red onions, etc. as taco toppings!