New Site - Beginning of Operation Phase Out

Hey All,

My sister and I have joined forces (scary, I know) so the blog is only getting bigger and better.

Check us out at http://shecooksupnice.com/

I will still be posting here for awhile until we are solidly on our feet. Happy Cooking!

Wild Sea Bass with Red Potatoes and Broccoli

We cooked this excellent meal on Thursday night. It may have been about 10 degrees outside, but we braved the winter wind to go to Fish Tales on Court Street. It feels a lot more summery (pun intended) when you have fish cooking in your kitchen. They even give you a complimentary lemon when you buy fish from their store.

First I brushed and then chopped in half some small red potatoes, maybe about 8, and we still had some leftover. I placed them in a small frying pan with some olive oil, sea salt (c'mon, we are eating bass!) and rosemary and pepper.

While those sizzled I filled up a pan with an inch of water and got that boiling quickly with my vegetable steamer inside. I washed some broccoli and added that inside with a little drizzle of olive oil and salt. I put the lid on and reduced the heat so the water was just boiling. An inch of water doesn't need much heat. Save on gas!

Dan prepared the fish with some olive oil, lemon, and I believe salt and pepper (I have to double check this with him!). He cooked each side for 5 minutes in a big frying pan.

That gave plenty of time for the potatoes to be soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside and for the broccoli to actually break apart when I lifted it from the steamer. I sprinkled some shaved parmesan on top of the broccoli for a little extra somethin'.. It's smart to have shaved parmesan, especially if you are such a big pasta/pizza fan as I am. It is so much better than grated if you ask me.

Eat up!

Chicken Panini

Delish. A hot panini is up there on my list of comfort foods with soup on a cold night, homemade Mac & Cheese, and a spoonful of nutella. Hence Dan's occasional nickname for me - 'Ella.

This meal was Easy Peasy... Lemon Squeezy.

We shredded up some left over chicken from last night. We still  have some leftover too if you can believe it.

In a small skillet I sauteed up a red bell pepper in olive oil. If you try to avoid extra dishes like me you can just break up the pepper with your hands. Then on pieces of wheat I layered sliced fresh mozzarella, baby arugula, a drizzle of EVOO, the shredded chicken, and the red pepper. I lightly buttered the grill and got this hunk of burnin' love cooking. Really good.  It was one of those meals where we barely said anything to each other because we were all-consumed by what was going on in our mouths. Enjoy! I have a panino italiano with sopressata earlier in the blog and a tuna melt if you are in a grill/George Foreman kind of mood.

Rotisserie Chicken with Adobo and Paprika, Red Potatoes, and Honey-Glazed Carrots

 Before you start worshipping me as a false idol of Susie Homemaker (she worked all day and then whipped this up!? wow! I'm not worthy!) I have a confession. I bought the chicken already cooked at Union Market.

sshh.

From the time I walked in the door to sitting down and eating maybe took 10 minutes. While my chicken relaxed in his little heated bag, I cooked my baby carrots in honey and brown sugar. The red potatoes were cut up and mixed with olive oil, rosemary, sea salt and pepper. Serve. Eat. Score.

Breaded Tilapia and Brussel Sprouts

Normally this probably wouldn't tempt me as the most desirable meal in the world, I mean, good and healthy and all but not like... I must eat you now craving (like everything Italian...). But, after a week of gorging at home and in great Quincy/Boston restaurants (Fat Cat, The Fours, and Hot Pot Buffet) I felt like I was rolling home off the subway.

We cooked up these beauts before returning to work and let me tell you, it is a great detox meal. The tilapia is a nice, light, inexpensive fish and the brussel sprouts have been tempting me for awhile after eating a delicious gnocchi dish with them at Flatbush Farm. We steamed the sprouts with a little salt for about 10 minutes and Dan breaded the tilapia using some milk followed by bread crumbs. We fried those bad boy fillets up and were eating in no time. If your belt is feeling a little tight after the holiday try this. We had a little wheat bread toast on the side. Enjoy!

The Mother of All Burgers

Who knew? Who knew how much more a burger could be than American cheese and ketchup. This meal was so good. I think if Dan hadn't proposed yet he would have tonight. Seriously.

We had two patties left over from Grazin Angus Acres at the Carroll Gardens Market this fall. I started defrosting them last night so they would be ready for today.

Here is what you need for 2 people.

- 2 patties

- a block of pepper jack cheese

- 1 medium onion

- 1 avocado

- two buns

- Extra Virgin Olive Oil, salt and pepper.

Don't you dare desecrate this with ketchup.

Directions:

Start carmelizing your onion first. Cut up your onion into four pieces, drizzle it with EVOO and sprinkle it with salt/pepper and beginning cooking it in a small frying pan on medium to medium low heat. You might need to add a little olive oil if it looks thirsty--but not too much. During the carmelizing the onion sections will break apart (you will be mixing them occassionally, so you don't need to worry about huge chunks). After 10 minutes you can start cooking your burgers.

While the burgers are cooking, whether in a large frying pan, on a grill, etc, you can cut up your avocado and slice some pieces of the pepper jack cheese. I had never cut an avocado before, it's really fun. You'll see what I mean (don't forget there is a huge pit).

Right before the burgers are done top your meat with the cheese slices so they can start to melt, toast your buns, yeah baby, and then start piling it on. Enjoy! A great party recipe to try for this summer's first grilling party. People will be impressed ;)

Chicken Saltimbocca

So this was a first tonight. I wanted to make something that would be filling for the fiance and so I was flipping through a Giada cookbook my sister gave me for Christmas last year when I came upon this.

Apparently it's a very traditional Italian dish. Usually it is done with veal, but based on some of the research I did (oh yah, I went that far) the veal tends to be overshadowed by the spinach and prosciutto, so why waste the money? Also eating baby cow is an abomination and one of the major sins on my list of How-to-be Moral. It's up there with armed robbery and pit-bull fighting. No-Nos. I cooked enough for 3 servings.

Ingredients
-1 box of frozen chopped spinach thawed (10 oz)
-olive oil
-salt and black pepper
-2 chicken cutlets pounded flat
-4-5 slices of paper-thin prosciutto
-1/2 cup of freshly shredded Parmesan cheese (seriously... buy the block)
-1 can or container of chicken broth. About 14 oz is good. Low sodium!
-the juice of one lemon

First you squeeze out any water from the thawed spinach and add a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper to the spinach. I'm not going to give measurements because unlike the Barefoot Contessa I don't think these things need to be exact. Just add what FEELS right. haha.

Next pound out your chicken cutlets. I placed mine in-between two sheets of clling wrap and had the man flatten them out by banging them with a rolling pin.

Remove the cling wrap and sprinkle some salt and pepper on the chicken. Then lay the prosciutto pieces on top and follow with the spinach mix on top of the prosciutto. Make it as even as possible and press it down. On top of this spread your grated Parmesan.

Roll the whole thing together like a jelly roll by starting at the narrowest end and rolling it tightly. Shut both rolls using toothpicks (try to remember how many you use so you can remove them all later!). I think I used about 6 in each.

Now this is where I got a little confused by Giada and other recipes. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to chop each roll into little pinwheels or put the whole thing on the frying pan. I did the whole thing because I think if I sliced it the whole roll would have fallen apart. Maybe in a few years I'd be advanced enough to do that but for now... nope.

In a large/deep skillet or pan heat up some olive oil on high and cook your rolls for about two minutes on each side until they are brown. Then add in your broth and the lemon juice, let it come to a boil, and then turn it down and let it simmer covered until the chicken is cooked all the way through. We took about 10 minutes and probably could have used a little more time even. Giada says 4 minutes but that sounds crazy to me... unless she has hers perfectly sliced into tiny pinwheels rather than two huge rolls.

Take out and serve hot. Check first to make sure the chicken cooked on the inside too. Some spots it can be hard to tell because the prosciutto can look like uncooked chicken but it's not. Give it extra time if you aren't sure. The chicken will stay moist because it's in that simmering broth.

Enjoy!

Garlic Bread

Follow these tips for perfect garlic bread. Preheat the over to 350 degrees.

1. Buy fresh bread. I purchased Pane Siciliano at Union Market. Use something thicker rather than thin like a baguette.

2. Crush several cloves of garlic.

3. Melt about 3/4 a stick of butter (for a full roll of bread).

4. Mix the butter with the crushed garlic and some parsley.

5. Slice the bread without letting the knife cut through fully. Brush the butter mixture on both sides of each piece. Any excess can be brushed on top of the roll.

6. Cover the bread loosely in aluminum foil and bake on a cookie sheet for at least 30 minutes (more to get it crunchier). Let it sit a few minutes before serving. mm.

Eggplant Pasta - Revisited

 Had this tonight. O. M. G. so good. We have done this three times now and a couple pointers to add (the original recipe is a few back).
Go light on the olive oil when you are frying up the eggplant. Eggplant seems so dry when you put it in the pan, and it sucks up the oil so it seems like it needs more but it doesn't. A rough chop is also ok - big pieces aren't a problem.
Crumble up the cheese more and go heavier on the hot pepper flakes and the mint. Heaven.

Breakfast Burrito

While this dish may appear in some restaurants/diners, I have never ordered it.

The last time I had one of these was in the eighth grade. We made these in Home Ec... excuse me, "Family and Consumer Science."

I remember being horrified that I was going to have to try it, I took a bite.. and I liked it! However, the act of making one of these in a group setting at the age of 13 was probably so traumatizing that I haven't dared face my past.

We made these the other night (I'm behind blogging a few recipes). If you know me at all then you know "the other night" could mean anything from last night to close to a year ago. I'm not telling.

Anyway, I feel like I am ranting and that might be because Dan and I have been having some of Adam's organic vino. Led Zeppelin isn't helping either.

To make the breakfast burrito you will need the following ingredients!

1) flour tortillas (this is actually why I made them - we had Mexican the night before and I am trying to expand my food dollar)
2) eggs
3) bacon
4) green pepper
5) onion
6) cheese (mozzarella or a combination of cheeses)
7) a dash of hot sauce (my mom recommended this)

For the first time ever I microwaved the bacon. I wanted to see how it worked and I also was trying to avoid more dishes to wash. It's pretty easy. You just lay a few strips on a paper towel, cover them with more paper towel, and nuke it until it's crispy. Do this a few times, keep changing the paper towel, and you should have close to 12 strips. I only use Boar's Head because I think Oscar Meyer is nasty, greasy.

Will negotiating the bacon, chop up some peppers and onion and saute in a frying pan. Scramble some eggs.

Combine together with the cheese, a dash of hot sauce, etc in the flour tortilla and enjoy! It's quite good. Excellent for when you want something really really filling.

Guest Blog: Sizzlin' Swordfish and Fried Potatoes

Seafood...there's nothing quite like it. In the summer, a lobster roll or some fried clams is about as decadent as one could get. As the seasons change and the weather gets cooler, however, we tend to crave something a little heartier, a little...bigger.

That brings us to the subject of today's entree...1.25 pound swordfish from Fish Tales on Court Street. These guys have duked it out with Bobby Flay, so you know that they are for real. Sum and I had one of their $20 Maine lobster rolls over the summer, and it was phenomenal--huge chunks of lobster meat oozing out of every bite.

Anyways, back to business. For a poor man's seafood dinner, we've cooked tilapia a few times recently. It's an easy to cook fish and, with some grilled veggies, a quick plate. But tonight, we had some wine to burn and were looking for something a little more luxurious.

Summer fried up some red bliss potatoes for an excellent side dish. We had four of them altogether. You'll definitely want to start the potatoes well before the fish. She sliced them up (not too thin) and dropped them in the frying pan with a combination dusting of olive oil, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic.

The manager at Fish Tales recommends a one pound cut for two adults (naturally, ours was 1.25 pounds). Without prodding, he gave us the lowdown on how to cook it:
Add:

• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Fresh parsley
• Salt (we use sea salt)
• Pepper

Cook each side on medium-high heat in a grill or pan for 3-5 minutes. Our man behind the counter prefers it charred a bit, so he goes for 5 minutes. In his words, "You can't mess this up."

We followed his directions as best we could, and we were not disappointed. In my humble opinion, this might be the best "meat" dish we've cooked since moving to Brooklyn. The fish came out juicy and soft, with wonderful flavor. With the right amount of fresh garlic and parsley seasoning, this is one fish you won't let go.

If you listen closely enough, you'll hear the sizzle. Don't let the juice hit you in the eye.

Eggplant, Tomato and Mozzarella Pasta with Mint

This was so unbelievably good - the pictures don't do it justice. I would eat it for a week straight. seriously. This is probably the best meal I have had in weeks - minus that crazily spicy appetizer I had at Char No. 4 that made my lips swell and my eyes tear up and that I think about while I lay in bed. Mmmm. hot.

I AGAIN found this in Real Simple. Shout out of thanks to Nicole for buying that bridal edition this summer which in turn got me a whole year free. The only thing I did differently was I used rigatoni instead of penne - sometimes I get tired of penne and like to change it up. You can use any type of pasta.

Serves 2 with leftovers
Ingredients

-1/2 box/bag of pasta
-olive oil
-1 medium eggplant cut into 1/2 inch pieces
-cherry tomatoes halved. I also used some cocktail tomatoes
-1 clove of sliced garlic
-crushed red pepper
-salt and black pepper
-fresh mozzarella cut into slices
-torn fresh mint leaves

Cook the pasta. While the water is heating up chop the necessary ingredients.

Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant and cook it until golden brown and tender - probably 8 to 10 minutes. Don't let it burn - keep it moving. Do the hustle! Add the tomatoes, garlic, red pepper and salt and pepper. The crushed red pepper gave it excellent heat while eating it, so base how much you add on how hot you like it - that's what she said. Toss all together for about 3 minutes or until pasta is done cooking.

Plate your pasta and add the skillet mixture on top with the mozzarella. Add any olive oil if necessary. Sprinkle the mint on top.

Wild Berry-Glazed Chicken with Spinach

This was a great dish! I again was inspired by something I saw in Real Simple, but I decided to change it up a little bit. The original recipe called for red-currant preserves instead of mixed berry preserves and golden raisins instead of candied pecans. I couldn't find red-currant preserves at the supermarket, although they did have black-currant preserves. I didn't know really what I was getting myself into though, and I fearfully pictured some horrendous tasting black chicken that would cause Dan to run for the hills. As for the pecans, well, I explain that below. They are DELICIOUS and I had to try it. So glad I did.



Ingredients (Serves 2):
-1/2 cup mixed-jelly preserves (or other type)
-a dash of crushed red pepper
-2 pieces of bone-in and skin-on chicken
-a few tbsps of olive oil
-salt and pepper
-1 clove of garlic sliced
-1/2 cup of candied pecans (recipe below) or golden raisins for ease
-1 5oz package of fresh spinach

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the preserves and red pepper.

Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet (my interpretation of this is a cake pan, am I wrong? oh well) and rub it with olive oil and season it with salt and pepper. Bake it until it is cooked through, probably about 30 minutes or more. After about 25 mins baste it with the jelly mixture. I just brushed mine on with a pastry brush.

While the chicken finishes cooking, heat some more olive oil in a large frying pan. Toss in the sliced garlic and let it cook for about 2 minutes. Enjoy the smell, mmmm. Add the spinach and toss it until it wilts. Serve this with the chicken and with the candied pecans on top. yum. yum. yum. GREAT meal.

Candied Pecans

I made these tonight. wow. I went to a wedding labor day weekend and in the salad were candied pecans. Anyone who knows me knows I'm not a huggee salad fan. I can choke it down to be polite, but I have never in my life craved a salad. Or even wanted a salad. However, these pecans at Darby's wedding helped disguise, for me, the more ominous beings on my plate - like lettuce.

It is so easy too - I am definitely going to be making these around the holidays.

Steps
-Preheat the oven to 275/300. Have a cookie sheet ready with parchment paper on it.
-Beat one egg white in a bowl until it is stiff. If you don't know what that means you should look it up. It will take a few minutes.
-Add about 1/2 cup of brown sugar
-add about 1 tbsp of cinnamon
-add a dash of vanilla extract.
-mix together

-Add regular pecans to this mixture. (When I made it I only had one bag which is about 1 1/2 cups of pecans. Ideally you would want more like 3 bags since I definitely had a lot of "candy" on my "candied pecans." I think it would definitely be better with a smaller ratio between the mixture and the pecans. You can see from the pictures that I could have used more pecans.)

-Deposit on parchment paper and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or more if necessary. Enjoy! Great gift idea!

Green and Kidney Bean Pasta "Salad"

I threw this together the other weekend when Steph and Alan came - I just have been soooo busy that I hadn't posted. I found the recipe in Real Simple and basically followed it to a T - so not a Summer original.

I made this actually during that little heat wave, so it was kind of appropriate because it had a light "summer" (ahh thank yah, thank yah very much) feel to it.

It is a quick dish so do this when you are crunched for time.

Total time: 20 minutes. Serves 2
0
Cook 4 ounces of penne. (Oppure, penne rigate per i chef italiani come me)
Add about a cup of halved green beans during the last 3 minutes or so of cooking. Drain. If you want this dish served cold, rinse with cold water. Otherwise set aside. Toss the pasta and green beans with 1 cup of rinsed kidney beans and chopped parsley (about 1/4 cup), grated Parm cheese (say 2 tbsp), 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix and eat.