Oct

18

2011

Chicken Pot Pie

Posted by amanda | Comments (0)

Category : cooking, recipes

Tags: , , , ,

There’s been a big change in me & Ve’s life: we moved in with my boyfriend! It’s been just over a month now, and we are all settled in at Brian’s house (our house!). It’s been an adventure, all of us adjusting, and it’s been really great.

All of us have been a bit sick the past few days. Me and Brian have colds, and Ve has yet another ear infection. It also finally cooled down, today was a perfectly crisp fall day in Chicago. Because of all that I was in the mood for some rich comfort food.

I used this Martha Stewart recipe and it was perfect. Fairly easy and all the flavors were just right. I used a mix of olive oil and butter (I tend to burn just butter), I left out the potatoes and peas, because we don’t have any, and added a few cloves of garlic. I also only had the little puff pastry shells, so I baked those separately and spooned the pot pie over them, so it was actually more like a stew, and would have been just as good with biscuits instead of puff pastry. I strongly recommend making your own chicken stock. It’s easy to do, far more flavorful than store-bought, and I feel good about using all of the animal.

Brian liked it so much he asked me to make a similar gravy next time we have mashed potatoes (I’m sure this is because the home made stock is so much tastier), but unfortunately Ve didn’t eat any. She’s recently decided to become a picky eater and it’s driving me crazy. I made her baby food, and as soon as she was on solids made sure that she ate a variety of foods, plenty of fruits and veggies and food from different cultures. I thought it was a fool-proof plan to raise a good eater and I was wrong. Most days she’ll announce that she now doesn’t like some new item that she’s always eaten without a problem. Yesterday it was bananas and today it was chicken. I never force her to eat anything, but the rule is that if she doesn’t eat dinner then she doesn’t get a snack later, and she always breaks down and ends up eating (although I’m sure that later she will ask for some cake and try to convince me that that is a proper meal!).

delicious!

Jul

16

2011

Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Ground Beef and Spinach

Posted by amanda | Comments (0)

Category : cooking, recipes

Tags: , , ,

For as long as I can remember I’ve hated macaroni and cheese. The powder packet, the color of it, the way it smells all disgust me. My mom used to make it when I was a kid and I’d refuse to eat it. She would occasionally buy the white cheddar variety, and I could manage a few bites of it. I know I’m in the minority here because everyone seems to love the stuff, but I just don’t get it. My daughter even loves it, especially Easy Mac, and I do keep some on hand for quick meals for her.

ewww! ditch the box!!!

About a year ago I decided to learn how to make my own. I’ll eat any kind of pasta, I like cheese, so I wanted to be able to enjoy macaroni and cheese. My first time making it everything was perfect, I finally understood the appeal! Unfortunately, I lost that recipe and subsequent attempts were only so-so, until today.

I viewed several recipes and combined parts of them to come up with this one. It’s rich and creamy without being too much, it was perfect for me. If you’ve never made roux before don’t be intimidated, it requires attention but is not difficult and is necessary to achieve creaminess and evenly distribute the flavor. I’m really happy I used some chicken stock instead of all milk this time, I think that’s what kept this from being too thick. This recipe is very versatile, you can leave out the meat or use bacon or chicken, switch the spinach to broccoli and use whatever kind of cheeses you like. It probably took me close to an hour to prepare, so this is not a dish for a quick work-night meal.

i forgot to take photos until it was on my plate, ready to be eaten!

1 package rotini (I tried tri-color veggie ones and will use them again)
ground beef (as much as you like, use 1/4 lb for just a bit of meat and go up from there)
salt & pepper
garlic powder
oregano
frozen chopped spinach (defrosted and with the water squeezed out, use fresh if you’d like)
3 Tablespoon butter (I prefer unsalted)
1 shallot, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup flour
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups whole milk
8 oz package of fresh mozzarella
1 cup cheddar
1/4 cup parmesan
1 cup breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 375

Boil water for the rotini, cook till al dente, drain

Brown the ground beef, I added salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano (a pinch or so of each) for additional flavor

To make the roux:

Melt the butter in a large skillet, add the flour, cook and whisk
Add the shallot and garlic, cook for a few minutes until softened
Add the chicken stock and milk, whisking often
Turn up the heat, let boil or almost boil until it thickens
Add the mozzarella and cheddar and keep whisking until they melt

Mix the beef, spinach, rotini and sauce together, pour into a casserole dish (I’m lazy and did this in the casserole dish), top with the parmesan and breadcrumbs

Bake for 15-20 minutes

Nov

15

2010

Homemade Bread Crumbs

Posted by amanda | Comments (2)

Category : cooking, diy

Tags: , , ,

Making your own bread crumbs is so easy! You can season them as you like, or leave them plain and they taste far better than store-bought. Plus, they are free, since you already paid for the bread.

Preheat oven to 350

Crumble bread ends (either store-bought or homemade) into a bowl

Toss the crumbs in about a tablespoon of olive oil, add a bit of salt, pepper and fresh or dried herbs if you’d like (I used a bit of dried parsley in this batch)

Place the crumb mixture on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 5 minutes, toss the crumbs and bake for another 5 minutes or until browned

Remove from oven and let cool

That’s it! These should be okay stored in an air-tight container, but I always freeze mine because I want to ensure that they don’t go bad.

about to go in the oven

finished!

Aug

10

2010

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Posted by amanda | Comments (0)

Category : cooking, recipes

Tags: , ,

I am looking forward to fall. Everyday I look in my closet and dream about sweaters and boots. I want to go outside and feel a cool breeze on my skin. Instead every day I go outside to air so thick that it’s hard to move, and I’m tired of it. This summer is starting to drag.

I feel bad even saying that, I love the sun and I love the heat. This year there has just been an overabundance of it. I’m probably going to regret it, in January when I can no longer remember how glorious it is to walk around bare-limbed, but I’m ready for fall.

In anticipation of cooler weather, this week a made a yummy chili/jambalaya hybrid dish (I intended to post the recipe but kept throwing stuff in there and lost track!), and pumpkin cupcakes. I feel that pumpkin is totally underrated. It smells and tastes great, and fresh pumpkin really isn’t hard to prepare, and is easily freezable.

These cupcakes are good! They are a bit mushy (they really do resemble the texture of pie), but the proportions are perfect. Just enough pumpkin, just enough sweetness. Ve ate 2 and really wanted another, but I couldn’t let her (or myself) eat that many in one day!

raw batter should be a food group

a perfect cupcake

ve's tiny fingers going for another

Jul

17

2010

This is Summer

Posted by amanda | Comments (0)

Category : fun, recipes

Tags: , ,

Some of my friends and I have a Food Club. We planned it as a way spend time together even with our busy schedules, and we all like to cook so it’s also a great way to expand our skills. We meet every other month and take turns hosting, the host chooses the theme and prepares the main dish, everyone else brings a side or dessert. There have been many memorable dishes, like the time I made a Rick Bayless chorizo and chihuahua cheese dip that I had recently ate and loved at Frontera Grill, and the time Matt made the best hummus that ever existed for snack and board game night. We had a Julia Child night (flattened chicken, spinach quiche, chocolate-almond cake and plenty of red wine) and everything was amazing ~ the food and the entire atmosphere of the night was perfect, even though it was snowing and about 0 degrees out. Besides the obvious greatness of eating delicious homemade food, I love just relaxing and having fun with some of my best friends.

This month we had a pool party at Rich’s parent’s house. They have a beautiful home complete with a huge in-ground pool that I go swimming in every chance I get. They are also welcoming and fun to be around, and keep a great stock of toys for the kids ♥

The menu was toasts with a goat cheese and rosemary spread, toasted turkey sandwiches with arugula and pesto, couscous salad with fresh veggies and herbs, vinegared green beans, potato salad with yogurt and my contribution, lavender lemonade and basil lemonade (lavender and basil. Notes: I used 15 lemons for both, I added a cup of sugar to the lavender because it was too tart with just the honey and the basil won by just a bit).

The day was everything that summer should be. It was crazy hot but we got to cool off in the pool. The kids ran around playing together and making up games. The food was fresh and full of seasonal produce. Lovely.

learning how to play Connect Four

my sweet Ve

swimming!

this pool even has a basketball net!

Sebastian is a tiny daredevil!

Ve took a boat ride

lemonades

yum!

the littles are so cute!

Jul

12

2010

Bartering and Baked Chicken with Fresh Veggies

Posted by amanda | Comments (2)

Category : farmer's markets, recipes

Tags: ,

I get so excited every Saturday to go to work at the Homer Glen Farmer’s Market because I can make some great trades. It started with Benz Coffee, I traded them soap for a bag of their excellent coffee, and since it’s worked out on both sides we do it every week now, and I don’t have to buy coffee! Since then I’ve traded for flowers, vegetables and chicken. I love being able to get some of the things I want/need and paying for it in product. It’s also always pleasing that the other vendors like my soaps and continue to use them! Other vendors (like Anderson Sweets-try their Garlic & Rosemary nuts!) give me a good discount, so I in turn give all the vendors I’m not trading with the same discount. I think it’s really cool, we’re all out there working and it really makes me feel like I’m part of a community.

I planned an easy dinner for today from Saturday’s bounty. I had chicken thighs from Nature’s Choice Farm, produce from Mom’s Farm, my own fresh herbs and some pantry items. I favor foods that are simple to make, getting flavor from fresh ingredients. This chicken is not at all fussy and came out delicious ♥

1lb chicken thighs
1/2 cup or so chicken stock
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 onions
1 small bunch carrots
1 summer squash
1 zucchini
garlic, to taste
fresh basil, sage and oregano, to taste

chopped veggies

chicken in the pan

finished!

Preheat oven to 350
Remove chicken from fridge to bring to room temperature before cooking
Chop all veggies, keeping onion & garlic separate
Heat oil in a dutch oven, or other pan that can go from on top to inside the oven
Add onions and garlic, cook a few minutes, until soft
Turn off heat, add chicken to the pan
Add chicken stock, veggies and herbs
Cover pan and cook for an hour

Jun

15

2010

Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream

Posted by amanda | Comments (2)

Category : Uncategorized, recipes

Tags: , ,

Strawberry and rhubarb is a classic springtime combination. Their harvest seasons coincide, and the strawberries provide a nice balance to the tartness of rhubarb. I’ve put them together in pies and crumbles before, but this year, since I want to become really really good at making ice cream I thought I’d try it out. I’m glad I did!

I went with this recipe because it’s modified from a David Leibowitz recipe, and he is a master. I’ve made quite a few of his recipes and they were all amazing. This ice cream is very creamy and the flavor is perfect. It’s just sweet enough and really takes advantage of the fresh flavors of the fruits. I ate a big bowl of it as soon as it came out of the ice cream maker!

the strawberries mixed with sugar

custard mixed with the fruit puree

yummmmm!

Jun

09

2010

Rhubarb Sweet Tea

Posted by amanda | Comments (0)

Category : Uncategorized, recipes

Tags: ,

I’m from Chicago, but as a teenager, I spent some time living with family in Alabama. The first time I went to a party there someone offered me a glass of sweet tea and I had no idea what they were talking about! Everyone thought it was really funny, the silly northern girl that had never heard of the southern staple. I was promptly educated on the deliciousness of tea, mixed with sugar, served over ice. Oh, how love sweet tea ♥ I didn’t stay down there very long, but I took the tea home with me.

I made a fresh batch of sweet tea, but wanted to do something a little different this time. I had some extra rhubarb that needed to be used, so I got right on Google and found this recipe from Martha Stewart and decided to combine the two for a fresh summertime beverage. This is a yummy way to use fresh rhubarb!

For the rhubarb:

1/2 pound rhubarb
2 cups water

Wash rhubarb and remove leaves, chop into 1” pieces
Put rhubarb in a pot and add water
Boil for a 45 minutes to an hour, strain with a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth
Push the remaining liquid out of the mushy rhubarb, discard rhubarb

For the tea:

Put 4 cups of water to boil and add 4 tea bags
Boil and let simmer for a half hour or so
Remove tea bags and add 1 cups sugar (or sugar to taste)

Mix rhubarb juice with the sweet tea, chill.

Serve over ice.

amazingly refreshing

Jun

08

2010

Green City Farmer’s Market and a Quiche

Posted by amanda | Comments (2)

Category : Uncategorized, farmer's markets, recipes

Tags: , , ,

Me and Ve recently went to Green City Market. We had a great time at our first trip there this season. I love Green City because of the great selection and the great atmosphere. It’s far bigger than the local markets, and you can get all kinds of fresh produce, free-range meats, seedlings to plant, baked goods…it goes on and on. There’s usually live music, and people hang around on the grass, eating, talking and watching their kids play.

I picked up a few bunches of asparagus. The first market asparagus each year is a special treat. So crisp, so flavorful, it makes Chicago winters worth it. I also got rhubarb, farm fresh eggs, a few tomato plants and herbs, and we split a smoothie from Seedlings made with their cider (best cider I’ve ever had ~ go buy some!) and rhubarb. Ve saw an older girl sitting in a tree enjoying a snack so she wanted to sit in a tree too. She was so cute!

I’ve made this quiche a few times. It’s truly delicious. I always use frozen potatoes, and just cook them a little bit before on the stove top before putting them in the pie pan to bake. It’s what I thought of making when I got home with the fresh eggs, and the asparagus was a great addition. I made it for dinner, and the leftovers are equally as good the next morning.

Quiche with rosemary, bacon and asparagus