Neighborhood Christmas Party

This past Sunday my neighborhood held a progressive dinner. Each house prepared one course of a dinner and everyone walked to each person's house. At the end there was a gift exchange and everyone had a lot of fun and a lot of wine! haha. My house was responsible for the appetizers. I wanted to keep it simple for myself so I did 3 apps and some large cheese trays and made sure to split the prep into 2 days.

I've found the best way to throw a party and stay calm is to plan out everything really early in advance. Stuff like ingredient lists, day ahead prep and day of prep, last minute timing of when things need to be assembled or heated. One last tip- never try a new recipe for the first time the day of the party!!!!! Do things that you've tried before or if you want to do something new, test it a week before and serve it to your family or friends. That way if anything goes wrong it doesn't happen when you're trying to juggle 3 or 4 other things.

Apps:
Shea Dates
Caprese Skewers
Jalapeno Souffles
Cheese tray with grapes and salami/proscuitto
Nuts in bowls

SHEA DATES:
This is a recipe I learned from a friend at the Shea Center where I used to work. We serve them at all the parties we cater for charity. They're a bit time consuming to make but they're always a hit.

Ingredients:
Medjool Dates, pitted and cut in half
Goat Cheese
Basil Leaves
Proscuitto, cut into long thin strips

Directions:

1. Pit and cut the dates the day before. Soak wooden skewers in water so they don't burn later when you broil the dates.

2. On the day of, fill the dates with some goat cheese using a small spoon. Then wrap a small basil leaf around the date and a piece of proscuito around the whole thing. Use the skewer to hold proscuitto and basil in place.

3. Repeat step 2 50-60 times depending on the number of guests (I like to do 3 per guest). Wrap the dates in plastic wrap when your finished and leave in fridge until ready to serve

4. Right before the party starts, line up dates on a sheet tray. Broil for about 1 minute until proscuitto gets slightly crispy. Watch the dates because they can burn quickly and there will be some smoke from the wooden skewers. Place on a platter and enjoy!

CAPRESE SKEWERS:

This recipe is the easiest of all because it requires no cooking and is quick to put together. This is a great recipe if you have a crowd that is weight conscious and it's also a good vegetarian option. The key to this is picking good ingredietns. Since it's so basic the cheese needs to be really good. I like to go to the deli section and have the people behind the counter tell me which mozzarella is best and then try a slice before purchasing a big block which I cube up at home the day before the party.

Ingredients:
small tomatoes like grape or cherry tomatoes
mozzarella cheese cubes
balsamic vinegar
extra basil

Directions:

1. marinate tomatoes in a little bit of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir through out the day.

2. A few hours before the party skewer one tomato onto one cheese block. The "dressing" from the tomatoes will run down and flavor the cheese as well. Put the cheese on the bottom so the skewer has a stable base to sit on.

3. Repeat and make a lot of skewers. Place on a serving tray and your done.

JALAPENO SOUFFLE
I had to update the jalapeno souffle recipe just a bit. I really like these though because you can make them the day before and reheat them the last minute. They're a little spicy but really spongy and soft. If your serving alcohol it'll make people drink more haha.

I like to reheat a small batch at a time and keep replacing the souffles on the platter since they taste better warm but you can fire them all at once and leave them at room temp and they'll still taste great. Make sure to butter the tins first, then prep all the ingredients (grate cheese, measure milk and mustard, etc.)This recipe serves about 12 mini souffles so you'll need to increase it if your serving a lot of people.

Ingredients:

1 tbs. butter, plus extra for buttering tins
1 tbs. flour, plus extra for tins
1 small jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
6 tbs. milk
1/4 c grated gruyere cheese, plus extra for topping
1/4 t. salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 t. dijon mustard
1 large egg, separated

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 400

2. Butter a nonstick mini-muffin pan. Dust the tins with the flour and tap out the excess. Make sure everything is coated otherwise the souffles will stick later.

3. Melt 1 tbs. butter in a small sauce pan. Add jalapenos and sweat over low heat for about 2 minutes. Don't brown the jalapeno, we just want to draw out the flavors of it.

4. Add the flour to the pan and whisk continually. Cook for 2 minutes.

5. Whisk in the milk. Add the cheese, salt, pepper, mustard, and egg yolk. Cool to room temperature. You want this mixture to be slightly thick, like the consistency of mayonaise.

6. While mixture is cooling, whisk the egg whites with a hand beater until they are firm but not stiff. The way to tell is when you pull the beaters out of the egg whites, the whites clinging to the beaters will stand up straight. Don't over beat the mixture!

7. Immediately after whipping the egg whites fold gently into the egg yolk and cheese mixture. Start by taking 1/3 of the egg whites and just stir it in. take the 2nd 1/3 and fold it into the mix. Finally add the last of the whites and fold gently. Don't over mix or you'll lose the air in the whites.

8. Immediately spoon mixture into muffin tin, about halfway full.

9. Bake in the oven until puffed and golden about 7-10 minutes.

10. Cool in the tins and then run a small knife around the edge of each souffles. They will fall but that's ok. If not using immediately let cool completely, then wrap in a plastic bag and store in fridge

11. When your ready to serve them pull out of fridge and allow to come to room temp. Turn on your broiler as hot as it goes. Place souffles in a single layer on a sheet tray. Put a tiny bit of extra cheese on top of each souffle. Broil for 30 second or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Keep an eye on them because they can burn super fast! Place immediately on a platter and serve!

Pasta Carbonara- Updated

Serving Size: 1 person

Ingredients:
8 ounces dry fettuccine or spaghetti
2 pieces roughly chopped bacon
1 clove garlic, crushed with the back of a knife
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until "al dente."

2. Meanwhile, add bacon to a medium skillet and saute for about 5 minutes or until it has rendered its fat and bits are crisp. Remove bacon to a paper towel to drain. Add garlic to the bacon fat in the pan and cook over low heat for a few seconds. Remove skillet from the heat and set aside until pasta is done. (you can crisp the bacon while the water is boiling)

3. Whisk eggs and cheese together in a separate bowl and season to taste with salt and a lot of fresh ground black pepper.

4. When pasta is done drain well and return to the pot, off heat.

5. Place your pan with bacon fat and garlic back over the lowest heat. Thoroughly combine pasta with bacon and garlic in pan. Stir well and coat each strand with some of the bacon fat.

6. Stirring pasta continuously with a long wooden pasta fork or tongs, slowly pour in the egg and cheese mixture. Turn off the heat once egg mixture is in the pan and continue to stir until the eggs thicken into a sauce. Make sure to constantly stir or your eggs will scramble. If this happens don’t worry, the texture will be a little different but it will still taste delicious!

7. Pour everything into a bowl and garnish with crispy bits of bacon and extra parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Roasted Chicken with Gravy and Mashed Potatoes

I wanted something that was quick but really delicious so I did something simple like chicken and used my left over mashed potatoes. Since I used less time to cook everything I decided to make a sauce to bring a depth of flavor to the dish.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, boneless and skinless
dry spices- salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, paprika etc.
1 tbs. butter
olive oil
1/4 onion, rough chop
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tbs. flour
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
worchestire sauce
1-3 t fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 t tomato paste

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 350

2. Take chicken out of fridge. Combine all dry spices into a small bowl. Place chicken on a paper plate and rub spices all over chicken. Make sure everything is well seasoned.

3. Once oven is preheated put 1 tbs. butter and a splash of olive oil in a stainless steel skillet over medium high heat.

4. Add chicken to pan and brown for about 4 minutes, flip chicken over and cook for about 3 minutes. Stick a thermometer prob into the thickest part of the chicken and place entire pan into the oven.

5. Allow chicken to cook until it reaches 157. Remove chicken from oven and remove to a plate. Cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest.

6. Put pan onto medium heat and add onion and garlic. Allow to cook while scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon.

7. Once onions are caramelized, add the flour and whisk vigourously. Cook for about 2 minutes to lightly brown the flour.

8. Whisk in your chicken stock, a dash of worchestire and tomato paste. Allow to cook slowly until liquid has thickend. (while sauce is thickening I microwaved my mashed potatoes)

9. Once it is to the thickness you like add the lemon juice and taste to see if it needs more salt and pepper.

10. Slice the chicken and serve over a mound of mashed potatoes. Make sure to top everything with the yummy gravy!

Thai Chicken

I wanted to try something very different so I decided to cook a food style I never have before, Thai. This marinade had a lot of complex flavors to it which I liked. I had most of these ingredients already so trying this dish wasn't too expensive. So if you're feeling adventurous I say try some new things and make this dish!

Marinade Ingredients:

8 boneless skinless chicken Thighs or 4 chicken breasts
14 oz coconut milk
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tsp curry powder (sweet)
2 tbsp asian fish sauce (nam pla)
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp black pepper (ground)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp. Hot Chili Sauce (Siracha)


Directions:
1. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a small container. Poke chicken repeatedly with a fork and then place in a plastic zip-lock bag. Pour marinade over chicken and into bag. Allow to marinade for 3-24 hours.

2. Use broiler in oven or grill to char chicken. This should take about 5 -10 minutes. Once the outside is crusty and charred finish in a 350 oven til cooked through.

3. Once the chicken is finished, remove to a plate and allow to rest while covered in foil. Serve with rice or another thai inspired side dish.

Roasted Cornish Game Hen with Pan Gravy and Mashed Potatoes

When I was in the store about a week ago I found some cornish game hens that were on sale and I wanted to try to cook them since I haven't before. I've kept them in the freezer for a while and now I finally had time to cook them. I thought they would taste like chicken, and they did, but they had a really gamey taste. I'm not in love with the cornish game hen but if you are here's a recipe to try! You can also do this same recipe with a whole chicken too.


Ingredients:
1 cornish game hen per person
3 tbs. butter, room temp!
5 sprigs parsley, roughly chopped
1/2 of a medium onion, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Dry Spices: garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, dry thyme (anything you have on hand)
Worchestire sauce
1-2 cups chicken stock

Directions:

1. Take out the cornish game hen and rinse thoroughly then pat dry. Allow to sit at room temp while you make the butter rub.

2. Combine butter, 2/3 of the parsely, 2 tbs. lemon juice, salt, pepper, and dry spices in a small bowl. Use a fork and mix.

3. Preheat oven to 450.

4. Place cornish game hen in a roasting pan. Using your hands rub butter mixture all over outside and inside of hen. Once everything is covered well fill the game hen cavity with the roughly chopped onion, more parsely, and the lemon rinds from juicing. Anything that doesn't fit in the cavity, just sprinkle around the game hen into the bottom of the roast pan. Tie end of drumsticks together with a bit of butcher's twine for more even roasting.

5. Allow hen to sit until oven is heated. Place a probe thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh then place hen in the oven.

6. Cook until temp hits 160. Remove hen from oven and remove from roasting pan onto a platter. Cover with foil to keep warm.

7. To make Gravy: Place roasting pan back onto the stove. Pour in about 1 cup of chicken stock. Using a wooden spoon scrape all the lovely brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add some fresh lemon juice and a dash of worchestire sauce. Taste the liquid and see if it needs salt and pepper. Allow liquid to reduce by half then pour into a serving dish or gravy boat.

8. Place a hen on each plate and a big mound of mashed potatoes. I like to leave my gravy on the side so people can decide how much they would like. Enjoy Eating!

Pulled BeefTostada

A tostada, in Mexico, refers to a flat or bowl shaped tortilla that is toasted or deep fried. It's nice because its quick and simple to do and becomes the serving and eating utensil for the dish. I used a little of the left over pot roast, some beans from el polo loco, and some fresh avocado and lime. It was really yummy and satisfying as a quick lunch before work. You can add any other taco toppings you like such as lettuce, cheese, sour cream, salsa, etc.

What's great about a tostada is that it's a good vessel for all kinds of flavors. You can use chicken or beef, savory or sweet (put cinnamon and sugar on the cooked tortilla, yum). The possibilities are endless.

Ingredients;

oil for frying (canola or vegetable)
1-3 tortillas per person, dependso n how hungry
enough of your toppings for everyone

Directions:

1. Heat a saute pan with about 1/4 inch of oil.

2. Add the tortillas and fry until lightly browned on the edges. Turn over and fry the other side. Once both sides are browned and crispy, drain on a paper towel and season with salt while the tortillas are still hot.

3. Keep all of the tortillas in a dish towel until ready to serve. (serve ASAP so they stay crunchy).

4. When ready to eat just load on your topping the way you like and enjoy. This could be fun for kids because they get to create their own dish before eating it.

Pot Roast with Creamy Polenta

It's very rare that I have an entire day off so I thought I'd celebrate by cooking up a long cooking dish that could cook while I did other chores so I turned to my best friend-the braise. This time I wanted to try something brand new and braise some lamb shanks but when I got to the meat counter there was a sale on beef so lamb shanks are going to wait a bit.

I wanted to make this dish a little different so I made a really creamy and cheesy polenta. I tried to keep it light by using only a little cream, butter, and cheese but if you want it to be really luxurious load it up with that stuff haha.

I used a very similar braising liquid that I did for the short ribs a week or two ago. This time, to get more final sauce for the meat I used a little more liquid. I also push out all the liquid from the veggies and everything in the pot when I finaly strained it. After the meat was finished, I let it reest and cool in the liquid. Then I removed the meat to a platter and used a strainer and cheesecloth to take all the chuinks out of the liquid. Then I squeezed the cheesecloth filled with veggies to get out every last drop. Be careful when doing this because I squeezed too hard and got sauce all over me so take your time for this step.

Ingredients
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 lbs. chuck roast
Kosher salt
1 large Spanish onion or 2 small yellow onions, cut into 1-inch dice
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch dice
4 cloves garlic
3 tbs. tomato paste
3 cups hearty red wine
10 to 12 thyme branches tied together in a bundle
4 to 5 cups beef stock
4 bay leaves

Directions

1. Coat a large Dutch oven generously with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Season the roast generously with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Brown well on all sides. This is an incredibly important step; do not rush it.

2. Meanwhile, chop the onions, carrots, celery and garlic and set aside.

3. Remove the roast from the pan to a platter. Discard the excess fat from the pan. Add a little more oil to coat the bottom of the pan and add the veggies. Season with salt and pepper. Saute the veggies until they are very brown and aromatic, about 20 minutes. The brown veggies should form a sort of crust on the bottom of the pan, do not let this burn; it is where a lot of the flavor is! Don't rush this step either, since this is where you will develop the brown color and flavor.

4. Add the tomato paste and brown for 5 minutes. Stir in the wine, beef stock, and thyme bundle. Stir frequently and cook until the liquid has reduced by about half.

5. Add the roast back to the pot and pour in more wine and stock until the beef is covered. Add the bay leaves to the pan, cover and leave on the stove over very low heat. The cooking time will be about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

6. Halfway through the cooking time, turn the roast over. Check the roast every 45 minutes or so. If the liquid has reduced too much add more water. Defat as you go.

7. Remove the lid during the last 30 minutes of cooking time for maximum browning. When the roast is done the meat should be incredibly tender and flavorful. Transfer to plates with creamy polenta and garnish with strained sauce.


CREAMY POLENTA

Ingredients
2 2/3 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon salt, plus extra for seasoning
1 cups yellow cornmeal or polenta
1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup milk or cream, at room temperature
2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions


1. Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a large, heavy pot. Add the salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal.

2. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the cheese, milk, butter, and parsley. Stir until the butter and cheese have melted.

4. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the polenta to a bowl and serve.

Pumpkin Pie

It's not truly fall until I've made a pumpkin pie. This year I used my basic dough recipe (below) for the crust and for the filling I used the recipe that was on the canned pumpkin. I figured that if they canned the pumpkin, they probably had a good way to cook the pumpkin too. I used a Libby's can and posted the recipe below.

Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:

Ingredients
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 can (12 fl. oz.) Evaporated Milk
1 recipe pie dough
Whipped cream (optional)

Directions:

1. Make Pie dough and allow to rest in the fridge while you prepare the filling. Recipe below.

2. Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

3. Butter a pie pan and set aside. Flour a work board and roll out the pie dough until it is about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. You want to make the crust as even as possible. Poke holes with a fork all over the bottom of the crust once its in the pie pan. To make the pie look extra fancy you can crimp the edges of the pie with the fork.

4. Pour pumpkin mixture into pie shell.

5. Bake in a preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.


Basic Pie Dough:
Tips: make sure butter is ice cold and don't be afraid to leave it in largish chunks. This will make the crust extra tender. Don't over mix it. When the dough is just coming together, ball it up and refridgerate it.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon fine salt
7 tablespoons cold butter, diced
3-8 TBS, cold water

Directions:

1. To Make the dough by hand. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using your fingers, work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles yellow corn meal mixed with bean sized bits of butter. (If the flour/butter mixture gets warm, refrigerate it for 10 minutes before proceeding.)

2. Sprinkle up to 8 tablespoons of cold water over the mixture. Add water 1 tbs at a time to mixture until you can squeeze dough and it stays formed. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour until dough has had time to hydrate and rest.

Braised Short Ribs

This was one of the best dishes I have ever made. I've made short ribs before but this time I changed it up a little and the result was so good I couldn't stop eating it. I dream about the left overs all day at work and can't wait to eat them when I get home.

The problem with this recipe is that it is very time consuming and takes a few steps but if you put in the time and effort you will be rewarded with a rich and delicious dish!

Some things I did differently: I reduced the cooking liquids before adding them to the pot. This intensifies the flavor which then reduces and intensifies more as everything cooks. I made sure to deglaze all the brown bits with the liquid for extra flavor. Finally, I used a lot of fresh herbs. This added a big pop of flavor to the rich meatiness of the dish.

To go with the tenderness of the meat I like a creamy side dish like mashed potatoes or cheesy polenta. To add some texture I like to fry shallots or onions if I have the time and top the plate with them.

Ingredients
6 bone-in short ribs (about 3 pounds)
Kosher salt
Black Pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 ribs celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 carrots, peeled, cut in 1/2 lengthwise, then cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, smashed
3 tbs.tomato paste
2 to 3 cups hearty red wine
2 to 3 cups beef stock
1 bunch fresh thyme, tied with kitchen string
2 bay leaves

Directions:
1. Season each short rib generously with salt and pepper. Coat a pot large enough to accommodate all the meat and vegetables with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Add the short ribs to the pan and brown very well, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Do not overcrowd pan. Cook in batches, if necessary.

2. While the short ribs are browning, roughly chop all the vegetables and garlic. When the short ribs are very brown on all sides, remove them from the pan. Drain the fat, coat the bottom of same pan with fresh oil and add the vegetables.

3. Season the vegetables generously with salt and brown until they are very dark and the fond or brown bits have formed on the bottom of the pan, approximately 5 to 7 minutes.

4. Scrape the brown bits again and add the tomato paste. Brown the tomato paste for 2 to 3 minutes. Feel free to turn down the heat if things start to burn. You want yummy brown not burned black.

5. While this is happening in one pan put a small saucepan on the stove. Add the wine and allow it to reduce over high heat until it is about half what it was. Once veggies are done add wine to the large pan and allow to cook over low heat. Now add beef stock to the same side small saucpan and allow it to reduce by half over high heat.

6. Add the short ribs back to the large pot and then add the beef stock. Add extra wine or beef stock to the pan to make sure all the meat is completely submerged. (if it’s not submerged in the liquid it’s not really cooking with the rest of the meat).

7. Add the thyme bundle and bay leaves. Taste the braising liquid and see if the seasoning needs to be adjusted.

8. Cover the pan and place on the stove over low heat for 2 to 3 hours. Check periodically during the cooking process and add more stock, if needed. Turn the ribs over halfway through the cooking time. Remove the lid during the last 20 minutes of cooking to let things get nice and brown and to let the sauce reduce. When done the meat should be very tender but not falling apart.

9. Remove short ribs and set aside for a minute. Using cheesecloth and a fine strainer, strain braising liquid and return to a clean pan. Remove any fat and reduce the liquid until it has a nice nappe consistency (when you put a spoon in the sauce and look at the back of the spoon it should be well coated. Run your finger down the spoon and if the line you made doesn’t run then you now its reduced enough.)

10. Reheat short ribs in the strained sauce and serve with mashed potatoes or polenta.

Blackened Chicken

I've always wanted to make blackened chicken but didn't want to spend the money buying blackening spice. Luckily, I found out that you can make your own at home with very common spices. yay! I love always being able to learn new things about cooking.

Blackening spice works great on chicken and fish. You can also use this mix in small quantities to season other dishes like risotto or potatoes. I served my chicken with something creamy like mashed potatoes to help with the spice level of the chicken. If you want to make this dish extra special I suggest making a sreamy sauce that doesn't over power the rub on the chicken.

Ingredients:
Chicken Breasts
green onion

Blackening Spice Mix:
4 parts paprika
2 parts kosher salt
1 part white sugar
1 part garlic powder
1 part onion powder
1 part dried oregano
1 part cayenne pepper
1 part freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Combine blackening spice ingredients and place in a container. Store any of the mix that you aren't intending to use immediately.

2. Lightly coat all of the chicken pieces in olive oil. Pour plenty of the spice mixture onto the chicken breasts and rub to make sure everything is coated well. You need a slightly thick coating to get the right amount of blackening on the chicken.

3. Warm a dry saute pan over a medium flame. Place chicken in pan and saute each side for about 3-4 minutes or until chicken is crusty and slightly blackened. You don't want to burn the spices on the chicken but they should darken.

4. Put a thermometer in teh thickest part of the chicken. Place the chicken in the saute pan into the oven. Cook at 350 until the chicken reaches 147.

5. Remove chicken from oven and put on a plate and cover with aluminum foil to rest for 5 minutes.

6. Once the chicken is rested, slice thinly and serve on top of mashed potatoes.

Asian Marinated Chicken

Since I've started working full time I've found that I have no time to cook! This dish was great because I could marinate it the night before and cook it up when I got home from work. This marinade gave the chicken a lot of flavor.

I've also learned how to cook chicken really well so that it stays moist. I sear both sides in a saute pan on the stove then I insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the meat and cook it in the oven at 350 until it reaches 147. With carry over temperature the chicken cooks to a safe 155. I've tried this method a few times now and I've found that it works great every time!

For the rest of the dish I just made some white rice and mixed it with some fresh green onions. You can then use these same ingredients to make a chicken fried rice the next night with left overs.

Asian Marinade
2/3 cup of low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup of dark sesame oil
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1-2 tsp hot chili sauce
1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 green onions, sliced (divided)

Directions:

1. combine all the marinade ingredients together in a plastic bag. Whisk well to combine everything. The night before cooking add chicken to the marinade. I stabbed the chicken breast a few times with a fork to try to get the marinade to penetrate completely.

2. Remove from the fridge when you are ready to cook. Let sit at room temp for 15-20 minutes. Cook chicken using any method you like or the method described above.

Oven Roasted Salmon and Potatoes

After a long day of work I was craving something that was easy to make and didn't need constant attention so I could get stuff done while it cooked in the oven. I was also in the mood for something healthy so I bought some salmon filets and potatoes. You could always add a nice side salad or some other roasted veggies. I love this oven method because after I was done eating, the only clean up I had to do was throwing away the foil on the baking sheets.

Ingredients: (per person)

1 6-8 oz Salmon Filet
1 yukon gold or white potato
lemon
shallot
olive oil
salt
pepper


Directions:

1. Pre heat oven to 350. Wash and peel potatoes. Cut into medium sized chunks and put on a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over them, sprinkle some salt and pepper and toss well with you hands so everything is evenly coated. Cover with another piece of aluminum foil (to help potatoes steam) and cook for about 45 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Make sure to stir occasionally so they don't get stuck to foil.

2. While potatoes are cooking, Slice up 1 lemon and 1 shallot into thin slices.

3. Take out salmon filets and clean them. Make sure there are no scales or pin bones.

4. Place Salmon on another foil lined sheet tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place some of the shallots over the fish. Top with 2 lemon slices per filet. Do this for each filet. Place any extra shallots on the sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil.

5. The salmon will take about 15 minutes to cook so time it right so the potatoes and salmon finish at the same time.

6. When everything is done to your liking, allow salmon to rest for 2-3 minutes. Then put a pile of potatoes on a plate and top with salmon filet. A nice garnish is some extra lemon wedges and some caramelized shallots.

Cheesy Mediterranean Orzo

This dish came about because now that I've started working full time I want quick dinners than can be used for lunch the next day. I wanted something that was creamy and cheesy but not too fatty. To keep it healthy I decided to flavor the pasta with a really bright tasting lemon vinagrette.

For the cheese you can use mozzarella or feta. The mozzarella melted really well into the orzo but feta would bring a nice saltiness. For veggies you can keep it simple with two like I did or you can use other veggies you would find in mediterranean dishes like tomatoes, olives, eggplant, etc.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound orzo pasta
Cubes of cheese, mozzarella or feta
1 small english cucumber, cut into small chunks
1/4 red onion, cut into chunks

For Vinagrette-

1 Lemon, juice and zest
1/4 c good olive oil
2 t salt
1 T pepper
grated garlic or red onion


Directions:

1. Boil a large pot of salted water. Once bubbling vigorously, drop the orzo and cook according to package directions (about 10 minutes).

2. While pasta is cooking combine all the ingredients for the vinagrette and shake or whisk to combine. Also cut up cucumber, red onion, and cheese plus any other items you want to add to the pasta dish.

3. Once pasta is cooked drain and place in a bowl. Immediately add vinagrette so warm pasta soaks up all the flavor.

4. Slightly cool orzo by letting it sit on the counter for 5 minutes. Then add cheese and mix well to combine.

5. Finally incorporate all the veggies and stir gently so you don't break them up.

6. Spoon onto a plate and for extra luxury, sprinkle some fresh parmesan cheese right on top. Enjoy!

Creamed Peas

My Dad requested meatloaf, mashed potatoes and one of his favorite side dishes, creamed peas. I wanted to update these a little bit but still keep them simple. I normally hate peas but when they were smothered with cream they tasted delicious! haha

Ingredients

1 lb bag frozen peas thawed
1 small shallot thinly slice
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper
pat of butter

Directions:

1. Place thinly sliced shallot into a saute pan with some melted butter over medium low heat. Allow to cook until transclucent, stirring often so they don't fry or burn.

2. Once the shallot is cooked add the peas and a pinch of salt and pepper and saute for one minute until heated through.

3. Add cream and cook over low heat for 2 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the consistency is to your liking and then serve warm.

Pot Roast

I'm in the mood for something homey that I haven't made for a long time. I looked at my original pot roast recipes from a long time ago and I wanted to try to make it more sophisticated. This dish can be served with roasted veggies to be healthy but I love serving it with something creamy like mashed potatoes or polenta. I also like to serve something green and crispy with this dish since it can be quite rich. I used green beans but you could make a light salad or any other veggies of your choice.

Ingredients:

1 beef chuck roast (3 lbs)
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 carrots, roughly diced
2 ribs of celery, roughly diced
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 cups of red wine, I suggest burgundy
2-4 cups of beef stock
3 sprigs of fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage etc.
salt and pepper
olive oil

Directions:

1. Season the roast all over with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the roast and sear for 4 to 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Turn and sear the other side and then turn and sear the ends. This should take 4 to 5 minutes for each side. Remove the roast to a large plate.

2. Add the carrots, onions, and celery to the dutch oven and cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned.

3. Add the wine and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Allow mixture to boil for a few minutes to concentrate the flavor. Add the beef stock and fresh herbs.

4. Put the roast back into the pot, bring to a boil, and cover. Reduce heat and allow to cook on the stove (or in the oven) over low heat for 2-3 hours or until meat is very tender.

5. Remove the roast to a cutting board once it is cooked. Skim off as much fat as possible from the sauce. Transfer half the sauce and vegetables to a blender or a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree until smooth. Pour the puree back into the pot, place on the stovetop over low heat, and return the sauce to a simmer.

6. If you sauce isn't as thick as you'd like, place 2 tablespoons flour and 2 tbs butter in a small bowl and mash them together with a fork. Stir into the sauce and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring until thickened. Taste for seasonings.

7. Remove the strings from the roast, and slice the meat. Serve warm with the sauce spooned over it.

Sauerkraut

I made some schnitzel, cucumber salad, and potatoes for my Dad and he also requested this sauerkraut. I got this recipe from my grandma and it's super simple but takes about 2 hours to finish. The best part of this recipe is that it is better if you make it a day or 2 ahead.

Ingredients:

2 large 24 oz. glass jars of sauerkraut with white wine
1 onion, roughly diced
½ lb bacon, cut into lardons 
4 t sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Sauté onions and bacon together in a large pot.

2. Add cans of kraut with juice. Cover everything with cold water and put lid on pan, allow to cook for 1 hour over medium low heat. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.

3. Drain the kraut but do not rinse. Add any pan drippings and sugar and taste for correct seasoning. Adjust salt and pepper as needed. Tastes better if allowed to marinate for a day and reheated later.

Chicken and Pasta with Garlic Cream Sauce

I was in the mood for something creamy after I spotted the heavy cream in my fridge. I decided a nice hearty pasta after a long day of work would hit the spot. To flavor the cream I just kept it simple with garlic and it turned out really yummy.

Ingredients:

1/2 pre cooked chicken breast
1 handful thin spaghetti
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 small pinch red chili flake
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Put a large pot of salted water on the stove and bring to a boil

2. Pour cream into a separate pan and add garlic. Over really low heat let garlic infuse cream for as long as possible, stirring occasionally.

3. When water is boiling add pasta. Turn heat up to medium high on other pan.

4. Add chili flake and a few grates of parm cheese to cream. Continue cooking until sauce is thickened to your liking. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Once pasta is done, move into cream sauce to finish cooking. The pasta water will thin out the sauce so make sure to thicken it up again.

6. Put in a bowl and top with cooked chicken and extra parm cheese.

Chicken Caesar Salad

I love this dish because it fills you up but in an absolutely guilt free way. To make this dish super simple I used a bottled caesar dressing but go ahead and make it if you feel up to it!

One of my best tips for salads at home is to season the lettuce with salt and pepper! I found out a lot of chefs season the lettuce and the dressing and in my opinion it really adds a lot to the finished dish.

Ingredients:

Lettuce- I like romaine hearts
1 tbs caesar dressing
1/2 chicken breast- pre cooked
parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Heat up whole half of a chicken breast in a skillet over medium heat. Cook a few minutes on each side until warmed up and golden brown on the outside.

2. Place lettuce in a bowl. Season with a pinch of salt and fresh ground black pepper. Pour on 1/2 the dressing and toss with lettuce.

3. Slice chicken breast and fan on top of lettuce. Drizzle rest of dressing on top of the chicken.

4. Finish with parmesan shards- use a peeler and peel off small slices from the edge of a hunk of parm cheese or just sprinkle some grated parm cheese on top.

Chicken Taquitos

After making enchiladas yesterday I had some left over chicken, salsa roja, and cheese filling so I decided to throw it in another tortilla but instead of baking it, I fried it and ta-da a taquito! The filling worked for the taquitos because it was saucy but not overly wet. Since I had the filling done it took me only 15 minutes to roll and fry up a couple of taquitos so it was a great speedy lunch.

Ingredients:

1 cup chicken enchiladas filling
5 corn tortillas
tooth picks for sealing
pan with oil about 1/2 inch high (you want the oil to come half way up the rolled taquito so it frys evenly when it is flipped.)

Directions:

1. Pour oil in a pan and put over medium high heat

2. Warm corn tortillas either over a stove burner or by wrapping the tortillas in a dish towel and microwaving for 20 seconds

3. Take one tortilla and place 2 tbs of filling down the center of it.

4. Roll the tortilla around the filling and close them with 2 toothpicks to seal the open flap.

5. Fry one side of the taquito in the oil for about 3 minutes or until golden brown then turn and cook the other side until crispy.

6. Allow taquitos to drain on paper towels and serve with some guacomole!

Chicken Enchiladas

I found this recipe in a Mexican Cookbook I have and since I was looking for something new I went for this recipe. Chicken Enchiladas are something I always order when I go out to Mexican restaurants and it's something I will still do because making them at home was simple but time consuming. For the sauce I used a standard Mexican Red sauce or salsa roja. This sauce can be used as a taco topping or even a dip for chips. To make the dish a little healthier I only used chicken breast meat, I cut down on the cheese, and used whole wheat tortillas. For garnish I whipped up a little guacamole, a black bean and quinoa salad and bought a bag of tortilla chips for some crunch in the final dish.

Ingredients:

1 batch of Salsa Roja (below) or 1 jar bought enchilada sauce
1 cup grated cheese like monterey jack or cheddar
3 cups shredded pre-cooked chicken
salt and pepper
12 tortillas

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450

2. In a bowl mix 1/4 cup of enchilada salsa and 1/4 cup cheese with the chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Coat 1 tortilla in sauce by dipping it right into the pan of warmed sauce. Place on a plate and put about 1/4 cup of chicken filling. Roll up. Repeat until filling and tortillas are gone. Place each one in a 9 x 13 baking sheet.

4. Spoon the rest of the enchilada sauce over the top of the rolled tortillas and sprinkle with some of the remaining cheese. Bake for 20 minutes of until heated through and bubbling.


Salsa Roja

6 large, ripe tomatoes
3 serrano chiles
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves of garlic minced
1/4 of an onion, chopped
salt and pepper

1. Place the tomatoes and serrano chiles in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the tomato skins are peeling off and the tomatoes are soft but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Removes tomatoes and chilies with a slotted spoon and let cool for a few minutes, then peel off the tomato skins and stem and seed the chiles.

2. Puree the tomatoes, chilis, and chicken stock in a blender and set aside.

3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Saute the garlic and onion until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato mixture and cook, stirring until liquid has evaporated and sauce has thickened slightly.

-my tweek on this recipe is at the final step, I blended everything together because I didn't like the chunk of the veg. for the final enchiladas.

Bruschetta

For this appetizer, you can make the tomato mix before hand but you really need to buy fresh bread the day of and toast the bread the day of. Toasting bread under the broiler takes like 2 minutes max and the freshness of the bread adds tremendous flavor to the overall dish. When topping the bread make sure to wait to the last minute so bread doesn't get too soggy.

Ingredients:

2 loafs of fresh bread, cut on the bias into 1/4 inch thick slices
olive oil

Topping:
4 large tomatoes- halved and seeds removed
1 head of garlic
1 bunch of basil (save half the bunch for topping)
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
2 tbs olive oil


Directions:

1. Place tomatoes on a foil lined pan cut side up and broil for 5 minutes until tomatoes are slightly charred.

2. When tomatoes are cool enough to handle, chop and place in a bowl

3. Slice head of garlic in half and place in aluminum foil. Cup/tent the foil around the garlic and then drizzle a little olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Seal garlic well in foil and roast in oven at 350 for about 45 minutes-1 hr or until garlic is golden brown and soft

4. Squeeze garlic into a separate bowl and mash with some salt and a fork.

5. add garlic mash to tomatoes and combine other ingredients of the mixture. You can do this 2 days in advance.

Day Of:

1. Buy bread, slice and toast. To promote browning, drizzle bread with a little olive oil.

2. Right before the party starts top the toasted bread with the tomato mix. I strained the mixture to get rid of the extra liquid so the bread wouldn't get too soggy.

3. Garnish with a chiffonade of basil.

Stuffed Dates

These are the Shea Center appetizer dates that I have made numerous times and are ALWAYS a huge hit. TRY THESE!!!! You can pit and halve the dates the day before but they need to be assembled the day of. Luckily you can do them early in the day and all you need to do is broil them right before the party starts. These are best eaten piping hot but they're still delicious at room temp.

Ingredients (needed for each one)

1 half of a medjool date, pited
1/2 tsp goat cheese-easier at room temp
1 small basil leaf
1 strip of proscuitto

Directions:

1. fill empty date with goat cheese.

2. Wrap with basil and then wrap with proscuitto

3. Skewer date so everything stays on

4. At last minute, place dates under broiler for 2 minutes or until proscuitto is a little crispy and browned.

South-Western Salsa Cups

Another appetizer for Mom's party.



TIP: make sure to taste each appetizer before you start making a bunch of each one to make sure everything is seasoned right. Make one sample of the dish and try it then make 50-60 of them.

Ingredients:

1 cob of corn
1 can of black beans, drained
1 large tomato or 2 small, seeded and chopped
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 bunch of parsley, finely chopped
2 avocados
2 limes
1 bag tostido scoops or similar tortilla chip cup

Directions:

1. Peel and clean corn cob. Roast on the grill for 5-7 minutes and rotate until all sides are charred.

2. Cut kernels off the cob and place in a bowl. Add beans, tomatoes, red onion, parsley. Season this with the zest of 1 lime and some salt and pepper. You can do this part 2 days in advance.

Day of the party:

1. line up chip cups.

2. squeeze juice of lime. Reserve some for avocado but add some lime juice to your taste to add some freshness to the dish.

3. Right when you're ready to serve spoon bean and corn mixture into the tortilla cups.

4. Remove avocado half from the peel with a large spoon. Chop up on a cutting board and place into lime juice so avocado won't turn brown. Season avocado with a little salt and pepper while in the lime juice.

5. Place one small piece of avocado on top of each cup and serve.

Cheese Tray

I've learned a few techniques to make a cheese tray for appetizers.

1. use 3 different cheeses. it can be diff colors, flavors, textures, heights anything.

2. Slice a few pieces off the block of cheese and cube for easier eating. Leave a big chunk of the cheese for better aesthetics.

3. Use large green leaves on the bottom or green grapes for color

4. Keep items in large groupings. It looks better this way. I don't know why or how but it does haha

5. try to make different shapes to keep the tray interesting.

Caprese Skewers

These are a way to get a caprese salad in a small bite size way. You can either marinate the cheese and tomatoes with a balsamic vinagrette or drizzle the finished skewers.

Ingredients:

cherry tomatoes
basil leaves
mozzarella-cubed into small bite sizes

Vinagrette:
5 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. balsamic vinegar
zest of 1 lemon
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Combine ingredients for vinegrette. Whisk or shack together (can be done in advance. Pour over cheese or tomatoes and cover well or store dressing separately.

2. On day of, skewer 1 cherry tomato, 1 small basil leaf, and 1 piece of cheese.

3. Keep in fridge until ready to serve. Drizzle last minute if you didn't marinate prior

Tea Sandwiches

These are a great appetizer because they are filling and can be made way in advance! I suggest making 3-4 different types of sandwiches so there is a selection. I made chicken salad, turkey and cheese, and ham and cheese. Make sure to get really good stuff from the deli so all you have to do is take it home and assemble.

The way to keep these sandwiches fresh so you can make them early is simple! Make your sandwiches. Get a paper towel and wet it and then wring it out so it is only slightly damp. Layer a paper towel in between each sandwich and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Place them in the fridge until you are ready. When it's time to serve cut off the crusts and cut the sandwich in half or fourths so they are small and easy to eat.

Place them on a large platter in tall stacks so the table has extra height for the overall presentation later.

Mom's Summer Appetizer Party

It's become a tradition for my mom and I to throw a party once every summer. I cater this party for free/fun as a birthday present for her. This year's was the easiest yet and everyone seemed really happy with the food. I've learned to change the menu of the food based on my audience so for this party of all women talking and drinking wine I decided to make healthy finger foods. It's important for a party that the food selection is broad so everyone can get something they like, enough food to be hearty and filling so peopel don't feel gipped, and finally to make the food small so people aren't talking with huge chunks of food in their mouth. Also, when making appetizer selections make sure to think about the setting- are their knifes and forks or should everything be hand held.

Since this is the third year that I've catered this party I've learned a lot and I think the menu below was the best yet!!! I was also happy because I didn't over buy a ton of extra food.

To make this post not be insanely long I made each appetizer its own post. : )

Jerk Chicken

This is the same recipe that I used for the Shea Center parties but in a main course size. I love the flavor of this marinade! I want to try it on fish or beef to see if it's just as good.



When we serve it at parties we do a mango salsa but I personally am not a big fan of fruit flavors so I just served the jerk chicken with rice and a little of the jerk marinade which I reserved before adding to the raw chicken. I then added this marinade to mexican crema but you could use sour cream or yogurt. I liked adding a little fresh herbage to the Jerk Cream sauce for a little freshness for the dish.

I wasn't completely happy with my first version of this so I made some mashed potatoes and served the chicken with the raw marinade that I had reserved. I liked this better because it was spicier but I'm still not 100% satisfied. I think I'll cook the marinade a little so the sauce doesn't have such a raw and bold taste.

Marinade:
4 whole green onions, ends trimmed
2 tbs fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
3 serrano chiles, minced (include seeds for extra spice)
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup cooking oil
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs cider vinegar
Chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite size pieces

Directions:

Char green onions on the grill or stove burner. Chop when cool enough to handle. In a food processor combine all the ingredients for the jerk marinade. Add chicken and marinade over night.

On the day of the party, remove chicken from marinade and thread onto metal skewers. Grill for a few minutes until chicken is cooked through and has nice grill marks. Rest chicken on the metal skewers and when cool enough to handle place on small wooden toothpicks or skewers.

At the party we served the chicken with a pineapple salsa but you could also serve it with some marinade that you reserved originally. (don't use marinade that had raw chicken in it over night). This is better if its served warm but still tastes really good when its at room temp.

Cucumber Salad

I love making Czech classics, especially when I'm drinking good Czech beer haha. I used the recipe from my October 2009 post for the schnitzel and potatoes. The cucumber salad is a nice touch to the meal because it adds some acidity which cuts the heaviness of the rest of the meal. My grandma makes the best cucumber salad but sadly I'm not at my parents house so I couldn't find her recipe. Instead I used a recipe I found in a czech cookbook from the Czech Republic so it's got to be good still! haha. If you like cucumbers or pickles, this salad is for you!

Cucumber Salad:

Ingredients:

1 large english cucumber, peeled and seeded
salt and pepper
1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1-3 tsp sugar

Directions:

1. Thinly slice cucumber. You can use a food processor with a slicing blade if you plan to make more than 1 cucumbers worth.

2. Put in a small container and sprinkle with vinegar, sugar, and salt and pepper. Mix together and taste. If it is too acidic for you're taste, add more sugar.

3. Allow to sit in the fridge for a few hours before eating. This dish gets better the longer it sits and marinates.

Variations on Pasta

So I was still super excited about my pasta roller so I made a few other types of ravioli and pasta. To tell them apart I made them different sizes but another cool trick you can do is cut the edges of different ravioli in different ways. Ex: beef ravioli could be straight edged and cheese could have a cool fluted edge and a third type of ravioli could be a different shape.

My best tips from making all the pastas is to season them! Season the dough and the fillings and the sauce so when they're all together, they are delicious!!!


Pasta #1
Cheese Ravioli

For this pasta I used the dough and cheese filling from my egg yolk pasta and simply left out the egg yolk. The method and cooking were all the same, just an egg yolk less.



Pasta #2
Shredded Beef Ravioli

I had some left over beef stew so I shredded it, made sure it was moist with extra stew sauce and used it as filling for the pasta. Same ravioli technique but I cooked this one for an extra minute before serving with marinara sauce



Pasta #3
Spaghetti Marinara

I rolled one ravioli sheet thicker than the others so I used it to cut into thin long strip and serve as ravioli. It was difficult to cut even strips and I had to use lots of flour to make sure they didn't stick to eachother. They make fancy pasta cutters that make awesome noodles but since I'm cheap, I'll be sticky to a knife and lopsided noodles, they still taste great!

Egg Yolk Ravioli

I just ordered a pasta roller attachment for my kitchen aid mixer and I'm really excited to use it! I've seen the idea of putting an egg yolk in a ravioli a few times like on iron chef and it always looks delicious. I wanted to do a dinner time version of Juevos Rancheros which is a sunny side egg dish with beans, tortilla and spicy tomato salsa. I decided to do the egg ravioli with a cheesy filling and serve it with marinara sauce with extra red pepper flakes for more kick. The runny egg yolk combined with the marinara and the sauce was super rich and delicious!

Ingredients:

Basic Pasta Dough
1 tbs olive oil
2 cups All Purpose flour
3 large eggs
punch of salt

Filling:
1 egg yolk per ravioli
1 cup ricotta
1/4 cup grated parm
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbs chopped fresh herbs ex: thyme, chives, basil, parsley, etc.

Directions:

To make pasta dough:
1. mound flour into a pile on a clean surface like granite or a wood cutting board.

2. In separate bowl whisk eggs, oil, and salt with a fork.

3. Make a well in the middle of the flour mound and pour in the liquid mixture. Using the fork slowly mix flour into middle of dough.

4. Once liquid mostly incorporated with flour, go ahead and use your hands to knead the dough. You want to knead it for a bit until the dough is no longer sticky. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let rest in fridge for 1 hr. Don't skip the resting period!!!

Making the Filling:

1. Combine cheese, lemon, and herbs in a bowl and set aside. Make sure to season with salt and pepper.

Roll Out the Dough:

1. Divide the dough into 3-4 sections to make it easier to work with. Make sure to have extra flour out if dough starts to get sticky during rolling.

2. Using the pasta roller on its widest setting and at low speed, feed pasta through rollers. Roll again at this setting. Turn knob down one notch and repeat. Keep making the dough thinner until it is the thickness you desire. With the kitchen aid roller I liked #5 for ravioli and #4 (slightly wider) for spaghetti and other noodles.

Tips I found while rolling pasta: make sheets as wide as possible for easier filling later, do this by tri folding the dough into the right size on know 1 (thickest setting). Use back of hands to handle dough or you'll rip it. If you make any mistakes just ball up the dough, go back the widest setting, and try again.

3. Once you have a few pasta sheets rolled out place them on a lightly floured service. Pull out cheese filling, eggs, and an egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 tbs water) for sealing.

4. starting from one end of the dough, place a large spoonful of the cheese filling in the middle of a noodle. Make a well to hold the yolk. Crack and egg and use your hand to separate the white and yolk. Place yolk in well of cheese mix. Repeat this as many times as possible on one sheet. Try to make each mound about 1-2 inch apart.

5. Once all mounds are done, spread egg wash with a pastry brush or your finger around the mounds.

6. Line-up another sheet of pasta over the mounds. Work slowly, getting all the air out so they don't explode later. Use your fingers to seal everything really well. Cut out ravioli with as much extra pasta outline you want. You can use a knife, ring cutter, or fancy flutted edge roller.

7. Cook the egg ravioli in boiling salted water for 3 minutes. cook a minute or too longer if you like a more well done yolk.

8. Toss cooked ravioli in a separate pan with marinara sauce and cook another 30 seconds. Plate and top with extra parmesan cheese or to be extra fancy-crispy bacon and make it a play on breakfast!

Shrimp and Spaghetti with Pesto Cream Sauce

I wanted something simple that I knew would taste delicious. I always love shrimp and pasta and with the creamy pesto flavored sauce I knew I couldn't go wrong. There's tons of variations for this dish. You can add lots of flavorings to the cream like tomato sauce, chopped veggies, or just simply cheese.

Ingredients:

1 handful of pasta, any shape you like but I prefer a long noodle
1 tbs prepared pesto (can buy at most stores)
1/3 cup heavy cream (or mix of milk and heavy cream if you want a lighter version)
parmesan cheese
3-4 shrimp per serving, peeled and deveined
salt and pepper
lemon (optional)

Directions:

1. Boil a large pot of salted water

2. While water heats up season shrimp with salt and pepper and saute in a large pan that you'll later use for combining everything. Saute each side for about 2 minutes of medium high heat or until pink all the way through. Set aside.

3. Drop pasta into boiling water. Add pesto to the old shrimp pan and cook over low heat for 20 seconds. Add cream and whisk together. Season with salt and pepper (lemon is a nice touch too if you have it). Cook for 1 minute or until cream is slightly thickened.

4. When pasta is done, strain it and add to pan with sauce. Grate fresh parm cheese over the noodles and stir until combined. Cook another minute or two until sauce is the consistency you like- remember that it will thicken while it cools.

5. Add the pasta to a plate and top with pre-cooked shrimp. Add some extra parm cheese and eat!

Chicken Curry

I'm actually really proud of this dish. It tasted delicious but spicy, it's the first Indian food I've made, and the plating turned out well. It's really rare for me to be completely satisfied after cooking all day but this is one of those times. This dish is really spicy, like I'm literally sweating while I'm eating it. If you want to make it more mild you can add more heavy cream and if you want it spicier (I'm a whimp about spicy flavors)then add red pepper flakes but in my opinion the spice level is perfect for the Indian dish. I got this recipe from Aarti on the food network and made a few Klein twists.

Marinade:

1 cup plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, put through a garlic press or finely minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into large bite-size chunks

Curry Sauce:

3 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
2-inch thumb ginger, peeled and minced
2 jalapeno pepper, minced (seeds removed if you don't want it spicy) 1 with seeds
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons paprika
1 TBS curry powder
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups chicken stock or water
1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves, optional
1/2 cup heavy cream
Fresh cilantro leaves, minced
Serving suggestion: Cooked rice, warm naan bread or crusty bread.

DIRECTIONS:
For the marinade:

In large bowl, mix the yogurt, ginger, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Poke chicken with a fork, then add to marinade. Fold to cover and marinate at least 30 minutes, at most refrigerated overnight.

For the sauce:

1. When you're ready to make the curry, place a large skillet over medium heat, and add the butter and olive oil. When butter has melted, add the garlic, ginger, and jalepeno pepper. Saute until lightly browned around the edges.

2. Add the tomato paste and cook until the tomato has darkened in color, about 3 minutes.

3. Add the paprika and curry powder, and saute for about 1 minute to draw out their flavors.

4. Add the tomatoes, salt, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook for 20 minutes. Take the pan off the fire, and allow the sauce to cool for 5 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, fire up your broiler, and cover your broiler pan in foil. Pull the chicken thigh chunks out of the marinade and place on the sheet. Place under the broiler, and cook about 7 minutes on each side, until charred and cooked through. Cook's Note: Don't worry if the chicken is still a little uncooked, but very charred on the outside; you can finish cooking the chicken in the sauce.
Cook's Note 2: make sure to broil or grill the chicken because baking the yogurt covered chicken won't give it a good consistency, trust me. hah

6. Pour sauce into a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Pour back into the pan, and bring back up to a boil. Add the chicken and fenugreek leaves, if using. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes.

7. Add cream and stir through. Garnish with minced fresh cilantro if you like, and serve over rice, with naan or a crusty piece of bread! To plate the curry fancy like pour just the red curry in and then add the cream later for a color contrast. When you mix everything up together to eat it, it'll taste the same.

CheeseCake

Tomorrow I am going to a hang out with my cousins and make some Duck and Dumplings. My younger cousin, Jenna, really loves cheesecake so I thought I'd surprise her by making one. This recipe takes some time but the end result is so creamy and luscious. The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for the cheesecake to cool down for so long before you can eat it. haha

While waiting for my cheesecake to cool, I was reading some of my first blog posts and saw that I always ended it with Na Zdraví. I don't know when I stopped doing this but I think I'm going to try to bring it back!

INGREDIENTS:
Crust:

33 graham cracker squares, crumbled
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus additional, for brushing the pan
1 tablespoon sugar

Filling:

20 ounces cream cheese
1 1/4 cups sour cream
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 yolks
1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Brush some of the melted butter around a 9 by 3-inch cake pan. Adhere parchment to the bottom and the sides.

2. In a small bowl, combine crumbled graham crackers, the remaining melted butter, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Press 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of the parchment-lined pan. Place remaining crumbs on a sheet pan and bake both the crust and the remaining mixture for 10 minutes. Cool. Reserve additional crumb mixture for sides.

3. In a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat sour cream for 10 seconds. Add the cream cheese and sugar and mix on low for 30 seconds and then turn up to medium until everything is well mixed. Scrape the bowl.

4. In a separate container, combine vanilla, eggs, yolks, and heavy cream. With the mixer on medium, slowly pour the liquid mixture in. When half of it is incorporated, stop and scrape. Continue adding the mixture until the rest of the ingredients are incorporated. Once completely combined, pour into the cooled crust.

5. Put in a 300 degrees F oven. Place cheesecake into a preheated water bath, in the oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and open the door for one minute. Close the door for one more 1/2 hour. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and place in the refrigerator for 6 hours to completely cool before serving.

6. When ready to serve, place the entire cake pan into a hot water bath for about 15 seconds. Unmold onto a cake round or serving dish. Take the remaining graham cracker mixture and press into the sides of the cake.

7. To slice, place your knife into a hot water bath and wipe dry each time you make a pass through the cake.

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