Italian Wonderpot!

It has been raining ALL weekend. That, paired with Seamus being gone makes me want to stay inside and just take it easy. On weekends like this, I like to cook a big pot of comfort food that I can eat all weekend and even into the next week.

I actually heard about this recipe for the first time on BuzzFeed. It made sense to me; recipes always say to add pasta water into your sauces, so why not just cook it all right in? Turns out, it makes a tasty, velvety sauce, and there is no easier meal out there (plus it is CHEAP to make)! Give it a try!

Italian Wonderpot!

Courtesy of BudgetBytes at http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/05/italian-wonderpot/

Ingredients

• 4 cups vegetable broth $0.52
• 2 Tbsp olive oil $0.32
• 12 oz. fettuccine $1.33
• 8 oz. frozen chopped spinach $0.79
• 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes $1.73
• 1 medium onion $0.43
• 4 cloves garlic $0.32
• ½ Tbsp dried basil $0.07
• ½ Tbsp dried oregano $0.07
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes $0.02
• freshly cracked pepper to taste $0.05
• 2 oz. feta cheese $0.87

Instructions

1. Add four cups of vegetable broth to a large pot. Break the fettuccine in half to make stirring easier later, and then add it to the pot. Also add the canned tomatoes (undrained), olive oil, frozen spinach, onion (thinly sliced), garlic (thinly sliced), basil, oregano, red pepper, and some freshly cracked black pepper.
2. Make sure the ingredients are submerged under the liquid, place a lid on top of the pot, and then turn the heat on to high. Allow the pot to come up to a full, rolling boil over high heat then remove the lid and turn the heat down to medium.
3. Allow the pot to continue to boil over medium heat, without a lid, for 10-15 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir the pot every few minutes as it cooks to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom, but avoid over stirring which can cause the pasta to become sticky and mushy. The pot must be boiling the entire time.
4. After the pasta is cooked, crumble the feta cheese over top and serve.

Slow Cooker Soy-Braised Chicken

Believe it or not, it is St.Patrick's day and we are having a snow day here in Washington DC! I spent the weekend drinking outside in the sunshine celebrating my birthday and St. Patrick's day all weekend, and we were suddenly hit by 4 inches of snow that shut the whole city down today. There is nothing better on a cold, snowy day than using the slow cooker, so luckily I had some chicken thighs on hand to make this dish!

I was drawn to this recipe because it reminded me of two things that I loved to eat in Hawaii; pork adobo (basically pork boiled in vinegar) and chicken shoyu (basically chicken boiled in soy sauce). I decided to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they were on sale at the store, and I added some fresh ginger to the recipe. After about 5 hours of cooking, the chicken was tender and flavorful. It's no corned beef, but I'm still happy to be eating it this St. Patrick's day!

Slow Cooker Soy-Braised Chicken

Courtesy of Real Simple at http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/chicken-adobo-with-bok-choy-00000000050978/

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 bay leaf
• black pepper
• 8 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs (about 1 3⁄4 pounds)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 1 large head bok choy, cut into 1-inch strips
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

1. In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the onions, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, bay leaf, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Place the chicken on top and sprinkle with the paprika.
2. Cook, covered, until the chicken and onions are tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours (this will shorten total cooking time).
3. Twenty minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.
4. Ten minutes before serving, if the slow cooker is on the low setting, turn it to high. Gently fold the bok choy into the chicken and cook, covered, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve with the rice and sprinkle with the scallions.

Beef Burgundy with Egg Noodles

This week for my Tuesday night dinner with Nazo, I decided to make something easy and delicious. This recipe is essentially just a pot roast, but served over egg noodles (yum!).

I got the entire dish prepped and ready in about 10 minutes in the morning before I went to work, and when I got home all I had to do was make some noodles and chow down. I would definitely make this recipe again!

Beef Burgundy with Egg Noodles

Courtesy of Cooking Light at http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/beef-burgundy-egg-noodles-50400000124208/

Ingredients

• 2 pounds lean beef stew meat 
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour (about 1 3/4 ounces) 
• 2 cups (1-inch-thick) slices carrot 
• 1 (16-ounce) package frozen pearl onions, thawed
• 1 (8-ounce) package mushrooms, stems removed
• 2 garlic cloves, minced 
• 3/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium beef broth
• 1/2 cup dry red wine 
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces uncooked egg noodles 
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh thyme

1. Directions
2. 1. Place beef in a large bowl; sprinkle with flour, tossing well to coat. Place beef mixture, carrot, onions, mushrooms, and garlic in an electric slow cooker. Combine beef broth and next 6 ingredients (through pepper); stir into beef mixture. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.
3. 2. Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Serve beef mixture over noodles; sprinkle with thyme.

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchilada Skillet

As you probably know if you are reading this blog, Seamus is in Greenland until June. As you also probably know, Seamus and I love to cook together and for each other.

The first night that Seamus was gone, my friend Nazo invited me over for a delicious dinner. We had an absolute blast, and decided that we would start having dinner together once a week. This is the recipe that I decided to use for my first weekly dinner night with Nazo, and it turned out really well.

While of course I miss Seamus around to cook with, but I have to admit that I am excited to cook more new recipe's for Nazo!

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchilada Skillet

Courtesy of the Ambitious Kitchen blog at http://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/2013/01/butternut-squash-and-black-bean-enchilada-skillet/

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3 cups 1/2-inch-diced, peeled butternut squash (from about a 2-lb. squash)
• salt and pepper, to season
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 – 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 8 yellow corn tortillas, cut into thick strips
• 1-15 ounce can red enchilada sauce
• 1 cup reduced-fat colby jack or mexican cheese (or whatever you prefer), divided
• cilantro and low-fat sour cream, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in large oven-proof skillet. Add onions, garlic, and jalapeno and cook 2-3 minutes until onions become translucent and garlic is fragrant. Add cubed squash, cumin and chili powder and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is slightly tender, 8 to 10 minutes. You want the squash to be fork tender, but not so tender that it starts to fall apart and become mush.
2. Next add the black beans, corn tortilla pieces, and can of enchilada sauce and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low and sprinkle in 1/2 cup of cheese. Stir again and simmer for a few minutes. Turn on your oven broiler to high. Sprinkle an additional 1/2 cup of cheese over the top of the enchilada mixture and place in oven under broiler for 3-5 minutes until cheese melts and tortilla edges become a tiny golden brown. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Feel free to add in cilantro. Serve with sour cream, guacamole, or hot sauce! Enjoy!

Stuffed Jalapenos

It's that time of year again... the Super Bowl! Last year we made Short Rib Nachos, and they were a huge hit. This year, Seamus (the real football fan of the house) was in Greenland, so I didn't go quite as all-out.

I love jalapeno poppers, but if I eat too much of them I inevitably get sick. This recipe is lighter than most out there, and cutting out the seeds and membranes really does help to keep these to a reasonable heat. They have a little bit of a bite, but aren't going to blow your taste buds.

I forgot to take a picture of these when I was at home, and they were eaten up right away when I got to my friend John's house for the party. So instead of a picture of the food for this one, you will get a picture of my friends at the Super Bowl party! Enjoy!

Stuffed Jalapenos

Courtesy of "Cook This, Not That" by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding

Ingredients
4 oz fresh Mexican style chorizo, casings removed
1 cup cremini or button mushrooms, diced
1/2 onion, minced
1/2 cup shredded Montery Jack cheese
1/2 cup whipped cream cheese
12 jalapeno peppers

Directions
1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cooke the chorizo in a skillet over medium heat, using a wooden spoon to break up any clumps that form. Once cooked through, remove the meat and drain off all but a thin layer of fat. Add the mushrooms and onion to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the mushrooms are lightly browned. Stir back in the chorizo.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the chorizo mixture, cheese, cream cheese, and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
4. Halve the jalapenos vertically. Use a paring knife to cut and scrape out as much of the white membranes and seeds in each pepper as possible.
5. Stuff each pepper half with a spoonful of the cheese-chorizo mixture. Line up the stuffed peppers on a baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the peppers are soft and the cheese browns and bubbles.

Homemade Mozzarella Cheese

Yesterday, DC schools had a snow day! By the end of the day, we had about 4 inches of snow, which is more than we have gotten here since I moved to DC. It actually wasn't that bad out, but I will always take a snow day when I can get it!

My friend Lauren also had the day off, so we decided to have her over to help us make some homemade cheese from a kit that I bought a couple of days earlier. We read the instructions carefully, and jumped right in. I used a gallon of milk that I bought at the grocery store, and I didn't have any bottled water on hand, but it still worked.

The process of cheese making was tons of fun; Lauren even made a snowman out of cheese (because I didn't want to go outside to make a real snowman!). The cheese itself was tasty, but under seasoned and a little bit tough. If I were to make it again, I would add more salt and would try to stretch the cheese longer than we did.

If you have a day off and are feeling adventurous, give this recipe a try!

Homemade Mozzarella Cheese

Courtesy of Roaring Brook Diary Homemade Mozzarella Kit

Ingredients
1 gallon pasteurized, whole, or 2% milk (NOT ultra- pasteurized; as fresh as possible)
1 1/2 level teaspoon citric acid
1/4 rennet (enzyme) tablet
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

Equipment
Thermometer
Rubber Gloves
Measuring spoons
Stainless steel or strong plastic slotted spoon
One or Two quart microwave safe mixing bowl
Colander
1 gallon stainless steel pot or any non-aluminum pot

Preparation
1. Wash your hands
2. Make sure your equipment (pots and utensils) are completely sterilized and clean
3. Have a timer near your stove
4. Prepare the rennet water solution by dissolving 1/4 tablet of rennet in 1/4 cup cold water (chlorine free/bottled). Set aside. Wrap the remaining pieces of tablet and store in freezer for future use.
5. Measure 1.5 teaspoons of citric acid into 1 cup of cold water. Stir to dissolve completely and set aside.

Heating the Milk
1. Gently pour the milk into the pot
2. Heat the milk over a medium-low flame. Using the cooking thermometer, check the temperature of the pot. At 85 degrees F (it could take about 10 minutes to heat up), add the citric acid. Stir with a slotted spoon or whisk slowly for 20 seconds.
3. When the milk reaches 100 degrees F (this could take about 5 minutes), stir in the rennet-water solution and add it to the milk. Use a slotted spoon to gently stir the milk in an up and down motion for approximately 30 seconds.

Developing the Curds
1. Heat the milk a little more to 105 degrees F and then turn the heat off. Cover the pot and let it sit for 10 minutes. You should see signs of coagulation. The curds should look like shiny yogurt and begin to pull away from the side of the pot. The whey should look like it has a yellow tint to it.
2. To check if the curds are ready gently press the back of a teaspoon into the curds. If it leaves a dent, the curds are ready. If it does not, allow the curds to sit undisturbed for another 2 minutes.

Draining the Curds
In the following steps, the goal is to drain as much whey as possible from the curds. Always handle the curds gently.
1. Place the colander over a large microwaveable safe bowl.
2. Using a strainer or a slotted spoon, gently lift up the curds and let the whey drip back into the pot. Then place the curds in the colander.
3. When all the curds are in the colander, gently press the curds with the palm of your hand to push out as much whey as possible. When there is almost no whey coming out of the curds (this could take a few minutes), place the curds in a microwaveable bowl.
4. Again, using the palms of your hands, press down gently on curds and remove as much whey as possible.

Cooking and Kneading the Curds
1. Microwave the curds for 1 minute.
2. Put on the pair of gloves to protect your hands from the heat. Remove the bowl of curds from the microwave. Drain the whey and then gently fold the curds over to distribute the heat. Continue to drain out the whey.
3. Microwave the curds for an additional 30 seconds. Drain and knead the curds again. If it is still too hot to touch even with the gloves on, use a large spoon to fold the curds over. Knead the curds until it begins to look smooth, shiny, and is firming up (this can take 3 minutes or so).

IF you don't have a microwave.... (like me!), substitute the following directions for the Cooking and Kneading section:
1. Heat the reserved whey to 175 degrees. Shape the curds into several small balls, rolling them between your palms. Put them, one at a time, into a ladle and dip them in the hot whey for several seconds. Then gently fold the cheese over and over (as in kneading bread) with a spoon or your hand. You will want to wear gloves at this point because the cheese is extremely hot. This distributes the heat evenly throughout the cheese, which will not stretch until it is too hot to touch (145 degrees inside the curd).
2. Repeat this process several times until the curd is smooth and pliable; mix in salt after the second time. When the cheese stretches like taffy, it's done. If the curds break instead of stretch, they are too cool and need to be reheated.

Stretching the Cheese
1. Try to stretch the cheese now. It must be 135 degrees to stretch properly. If it isn't hot enough, microwave for another 30 seconds. Add the salt and any other herbs and begin to work into the cheese by stretching and folding, and repeat this movement. Holding the cheese up, let it fall on itself. If you prefer a softer texture, don't stretch cheese as much. As soon as it is smooth and shiny (will feel and look like taffy), shape it into a ball. You can separate the cheese and make two mozzarella balls.

Forming the Cheese into a Mozzarella Ball
1. Form a ball by pulling and tucking the edges underneath the cheese and smoothing the top and sides. If you want to eat it warm, just wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Or, if you want to keep the shape, place each ball in a large bowl of ice water for about 15 minutes.
2. Remove from the ice water, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

Seamus and I hadn't had friends over in a long time; the past two weeks we were out of town, and before that we were both bogged down with work and school. Now that it is time for the playoffs in football, we figured it would be the perfect time to whip something up and have friends over to watch the game.

Neither Shea or I had ever made paella before, but we both love it. We thought we would give this recipe a try because it had the combo of sasauge, chicken, and seafood we were looking for, but wasn't as complicated as some of the other recipes we looked at online. We added pimento peppers at the end for extra flavor and color; this was a huge hit!

Seafood-and-Chicken Paella with Chorizo

Courtesy of Food and Wine at http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/seafood-and-chicken-paella-with-chorizo

1. 4 ounces fresh chorizo, casings removed
2. 1 small onion, thinly sliced
3. 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
4. 1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes
5. 1 cup arborio rice
6. Pinch of saffron threads dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water
7. 1 1/2 cups water
8. Salt and freshly ground pepper
9. 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
10. 1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
11. 1/4 cup dry white wine
12. 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
13. 1/2 pound mussels, scrubbed and debearded
14. 1/2 pound cockles, scrubbed and rinsed
15. 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, preferably dark meat (8 ounces)
16. 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
17. 1 scallion, thinly sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a 10-inch paella pan or ovenproof skillet, cook the chorizo over moderate heat, breaking it up with a spoon, until some of the fat is rendered and the chorizo is browned, 4 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook over low heat, stirring, until softened and just beginning to brown, 8 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, rice, saffron with its liquid and the 1 1/2 cups of water. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat, without stirring, until the rice is al dente and the liquid is absorbed, 15 minutes.
2. In a large skillet, heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil until shimmering. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, add them to the skillet and cook over high heat, turning once, until pink and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to the rice. Discard the oil.
3. Wipe out the skillet. Pour in the wine and lemon juice. Add the mussels and cockles, cover and cook, shaking the skillet, until the mussels open, about 3 minutes. Pour the mussels and cockles and their cooking liquid over the rice.
4. Stir the cooked chicken into the rice. Cover and cook in the oven for about 5 minutes, until the paella is just heated through. Garnish with the parsley and scallion, drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and serve.