Almond Chicken

He picked me up at Port Authority and went with me all the way to Brooklyn, my new home. I had moved just one month ago, in January, but was getting back from a quick trip home to visit or maybe do some dance thing. Moving to NY was a big shift from small town Maine and I was thrilled to have him there, even if it was only for a few weeks. I clung to his company during this transition to new life. My new, urban, what-am-I-going-to-do, life.

Once in Brooklyn I did the usual: popped off the train, asked what he might like for dinner and went shopping for supplies. I don't remember him having had any preference of what we should eat, so needless to say, Almond Chicken was my decision. It also happened to be the one 'new' recipe I was kind of good at. I ripped it out of my Martha Stewart magazine to bring with me before the move. Being just out of college, any type of cooking was pretty darn impressive and my mind was set to knock his socks off- either with the outfit I put on after my shower or me cooking in it, whichever affected him first. Typically he could barely contain himself, jumping the gun before any key could unlock a door, but not this time. I guess that should have been a warning.

Quietly he sat while dinner was prepared, enjoyed and cleaned up after. Thankfully, before I started throwing myself at him, he launched into his speech, the speech he had obviously been trying to not get to all evening. Yeah, he dumped me. I'll spare you the details but let me stress- if you're going to break up with a girl, please be kind and do it before you spoil one of her favorite recipes!

Tonight, many years later, I gave it another shot and found it's still a great recipe. A favorite, even. Am I healed? Well, writing this story might prove something, but I'll leave it to the reader to decide.

Almond Chicken
from Martha Stewart Living magazine with my words in parenthesis

1/4 cup bread crumbs (mixed with coarse salt and pepper if you want)
2 lg eggs
2 tsps water (I forgot this oops)
2 boneless,skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
2 tbls unsalted butter
2 tbls canola oil (definitely use canola... I tried olive oil and it burned too quickly!)

(If your frying pan is not fit for the oven... like if it has a plastic handle or something, make up a baking pan with a bit of oil an butter in it also. You can transfer the chicken to it in order to bake in the oven. This is what I do and will always do. That is, until someone awesome chooses the new pots and pans for me off my future wedding registry...)

Preheat oven to 400. Place breadcrumb mixture in a bowl (plate.) (Place almonds on another plate.) Crack eggs into a bowl (big enough for the chickens!!) and beat lightly. Dip chicken first in egg, scraping off any extra with your hands (duh) then dip in bread crumbs. Dip chicken again in egg and then coat with almonds.

Heat oil and butter in skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken until nicely browned, about three minutes, and turn over. Cook one minute more then transfer to oven. bake until chicken is cooked through, about 10 more minutes. (I usually go a bit longer than that.)

Tonight I completed my meal with mashed potatoes, orange cranberry sauce and a watercress, bacon & blue cheese salad. Yum.

Giving Thanks

It all began on Wednesday when the turkey plopped in the brine:

  • 1 1/2 cups kosher salt
  • 1 Onion cut into large chunks
  • 6-8 Bay leaves
  • Sprigs of rosemary, thyme & sage
  • 10 black pepper corns
  • 1tsp or so of Mustard Seeds
  • 2-4 cloves of garlic ( I meant to put this, but forgot!
  • 24 cups cold water
Combine the salt, onion and spices in a saucepan with 4 cups water. Bring to a boil. Let cool. Basically, you're going to take the brine and mix it with the remaining water. I didn't want to pour hot liquid on my un-cooked turkey, so I filled my brining bag with half of the water first. Then I poured a little of the salt mixture into a measuring cup and filled the rest with cold water to temper it. I repeated that until all the salt mixture had been used and the Turkey was covered in water. (I don't think a little more or less water is that big of a deal here.) Then he just sat in the refrigerator until 11pm when I turned him over. I took him out to warm up at ten, prepared him for the oven with butter and herbs, and popped him in around 11:30.

Friend arrived early to help, watch A Christmas Story and keep each other company until the food was ready. Garth made an amazing trifecta of mashed potatoes: garlic mash, fennel mash & rutabaga & carrot mash.

I swear this photo is taken every year!

Team Brussel

During the cooking we decided we should take Thanksgiving Portraits. I think we really only got Garth & Niegel:


At one point I turned around to find my official Thanksgiving decorating committee raiding my room to make a beautiful display for the food. For some reason we always drag my dresser out to act as a kind of buffet. It looks quite charming with food all over it, I have to say, but I try not to imagine my socks and unders though! Kj & Niegel realy went to town with my trees, candles and even an old empty picture frame. (Check out the FLickr Set for more photos!)
Then came the FOOD!
  • Herb Roasted Turkey
  • Brussel Sprouts with Lemon & Walnuts
  • Roasted Cauliflower
  • Pumpkin Gratin
  • Pomegranate Carrots
  • Cranberry Sauce
  • Sweet Potato Pie
  • Mac & Cheese
  • Garlic Mash
  • Fennel Mash
  • Rutabaga & Mash
  • Stuffing
  • Buttermilk Biscuits
  • Gravy
  • Apple Pie
We ate and ate bits of everything with my new favorite beverage, Pear Cider! Our tums got so full! We played games and then ate some more! Three plates?

This years experiment: pomegranate carrots. First I cooked the bigger guys in a bit of butter. Then I added the baby ones and let them cook a bit. Then I added freshly made pomegranate juice made by tossing the seeds in my food processor and straining. I let this cook, then added some stock and brown sugar. It thickened a bit, but tried adding a little flour/butter mix to make the sauce more gravy like. I think next time I'll skip the flour adding. The dish was a savory alternative to candied carrots. Not my favorite, but a general thumbs up was given.

The next day was a riot. Everyone showed up again to lounge and work together eating left overs. Here we all are each on a computer. We spent a lot of time playing online scrabble! I think it's about 3pm here and I'm still in my nightgown!

We finished up our Brooklyn Thanksgiving with a rooftop photo shoot.

Pre-Thanksgiving Work Out...New York Style


  • Wake up and do laundry. Make it so you have to do two trips with heavy bags, resulting in going up and down your fourth floor walk up six times (four of those times with bags.)
  • Meet friends for bagel with lox and a latte. Head to Union Square area.
  • Run the pre-Thanksgiving Gauntlet at Trader Joes: grab all the items you want to save $$ on like butter, nuts etc, while avoiding the old ladies ramming you with their shopping carts. Take time to stretch while you wait in line for 20 minutes.
  • Head to the farmers market and fill your bags with vegetables (see diagram 1.) Feel free to sip a hot cider, you deserve it, plus it will increase your balance as you manuver through the crowds to get to Whole Foods.
  • Last but not least, pick out a good sized Turkey (12-18lbs) and hit the train.
  • Take two flights of stairs to get down, three flights to transfer and two flights to get out. Don't bother to sit down, not that anyone would give you a seat anyway. It's good to do this during rush hour, that way it's more of a challenge not to hit anyone with your bags.
    If you leave at 4:30, try to make it back to Brooklyn by 5.
  • Briskly walk to get home and up four flights to apt.
  • Take photo of yourself for blog.
  • Quickly shower and get out of the house by 5:15.
  • Rush back into Manhattan to show a bit of the dance you've been working on. (More flights)
  • Head back to Brooklyn stopping for more groceries. (see diagram # 2.)
  • Take another photo for blog.
  • Clean your house.

Stay tuned for a Post-Thanksgiving workout (not!)

Tis the Season...

My oven has been on a lot more often these day and the scent of cinnamon and apples fills the air... you know what that means!


I'm getting ready to stock up supplies for the Thanksgiving feast: butter, pie crusts, more butter, soup stock... most of the cooking happens the day before and day of. This year I think I want to brine my turkey. I've never tried that method before, but I just saw a recipe for a cranberry brine, maybe that would be lovely?? I usually just slather the thing with butter and fists full of rosemary, thyme and sage....

I have my favorite standard savory dishes: brussel sprouts, carrots, mashed potatoes, pumpkin gratin and cauliflower. Then of course we'll have the hand mixed buttermilk biscuits, orange zesty cranberry sauce and stuffing. I've yet to find my own favorite and simply magical stuffing recipe though. Last year my friend Anne made a brilliant bourbon soaked fruit & nut stuffing which was pretty effing awesome. I'd like to make that but am also on the look out for the bread variety, because it's just so great with gravy and biscuits!

This year I'm excited about the following...

  • Finding a great new pie to try along with apple of course!
  • Buying grown up wines. I'm planning on going to some tastings soon to pick out some nice simple bottles, even though my guests might not care all that much. Last year a guest brought a great bottle of whiskey that quickly disappeared! It was kinda, no pretty awesome, so I'll be on the lookout for that too.
  • Buying groceries with friends at the Farmers Market, always a great part. Picking out your perfect cheese pumpkin right along with famous chefs and every other inspired New Yorker!
  • Decorating my home to enhance our eating experience. This usually means moving furniture around and filling the room with Christmas lights to provide a warm glow. The wreath I made for my first Thanksgiving is still hanging on my wall, so perhaps it's time for something new....
I'll keep you posted on all developments!!!

Steak frite

Last night I made this for dinner. Steak, French fries and yummy salad. Then I watched two rented movies. Ahhhhhhhh
Here's what I did:

Fries
Usually people freak out over the thought of frying but I like to make my own fries and it's pretty easy. I use a wide skillet, so I don't have to use too much oil since I never know how to best dispose of it afterwards. I cut the potatoes with the skin on because it's yummy that way and make sure the fries relatively the same thickness and size. This is not just an anal, Martha Stewarty thing, it's essential in making sure they cook at the same rate. The oil has to get pretty hot, but once it's heated you might want to turn it down a bit so it doesn't smoke. This is highly unlikely if you use canola oil. For heavens sake, don't use olive oil! It has a much lower tolerance for heat and will burn if it gets too hot. I learned this somewhere, but notice it most when I try to make popcorn on the stove and all I have is olive oil. It pretty much always burns the popcorn. Anyway... toss the fries in and wait until they're golden on the edges. They get brown quite quickly after this, so be ready to remove them if you don't like dark fries! Work quickly, but carefully- you don't want to burn yourself. To get them out I use my pasta scoop. It's pretty amazing at grabbing the little guys and draining off a lot of the oil. (I'm the queen of using things for reasons other than what they were designed for) You should let them cool on a plate with a couple of paper towels underneath, just like you would bacon. Sprinkle on the salt. Then try to wait until everything's done to gobble them down- good luck with that!

Steak
Super easy!!!! Rub her with salt and stick her in a fry pan. Get both sides... to your liking. My steak happened to come with a peppered edge. I got it because it looked like a good cut, I didn't really want the peppered edge, but it turned out to be good! You could do that yourself, if you wanted.


Salad Dressing
I'll just do dressing because you can figure out on your own what you want in your salad, right? For dressings lately I've been doing a little bit of mustard, vinegar, salt/pepper, a dash of chili powder and finally olive oil. Put them all together and then shake or stir. The mustard acts as an emollient to keep everything together. I like the added spice of the chili pepper, especially with arugala in my salad! Spicy city! You can use lemon instead of vinegar, that's nice too. (Did you know that olive oil looses it's good-for-you qualities once cooked? It's really good to eat it in dressings or on bread then, isn't it?) Make sure your greens are dry so the dressing will stick to them. Salad spinners are good for that or you can do this little trick I learned from Martha- place your wet greens in a clean dry towel, draw edges together and then whip that sucker around!! I do it out the window...would Martha approve? I don't know, but I don't want my house covered in water!! It works really well!

Summer Favorites

Today I got totally inspire to make some of my very favorite summer flavors. It's pretty much all about the lime!!

Fresh Salsa!!!

I like it very limey with just a little bit of spice. I put it in my tacos and I love a very cold spoonful or two on my eggs in the morning! I don't cut anything up that small because I like it chunky. They key is adding salt, which draws the water out of the tomatoes and makes it all juicy. It's pretty great as soon as you make it, but gets better as it sits. Ingredients: 3-4 tomatoes, juice of 2 limes, 1 pretty colored pepper ( I choose yellow today), 1 onion, 1-2 spicy kind of pepper, cilantro (which the store didn't have today!) and salt. Mix it all up people, it's that simple.


Holey Guacamole!!!


For all of you sillies who think a pastry blender is just for making pie crust... think again! I use it all the time for 'creaming' ingredients like butter and sugar for cookies and guacamole! It is an awesome tool, as long as you get one with sturdy blades that are a little sharp. I love my grandmas vintage pastry blender, but the wires don't work as well as my newer, more modern version. See, you can use the side of the bowl to your smooshing advantage...

Limeade & Coffee Ice


I totally can't make it without my summertime iced coffees! What makes them even better are coffee ice cubes! There's a place on Grahm Avenue called Cafe Capri, right across the street from Treehouse that makes the best iced coffee ever. They crush up their coffee ice and serve it up with milk and sugar. I think I'm going to start doing that...

Limeade: 8-10 limes, 1/2- 3/4 cup sugar, water. I usually squeeze all the limes, fill half way up with water, add 1/2 the sugar, mix it and then taste. Then I know what more to add. Usually a little of both!

!!!!!!TACOS!!!!!!!

I put all of these fresh, limey items to good use in my dinner tonight! T-A-C-O-S Tacos!

What I made today

Well, yesterday, actually.

A "Bloomers" prototype. I will most likely use a more subtle fabric, but this is all I had enough of at the time. (I really need to update my fabric stash.) This sample is hastily sewn together but the real bloomers will be much nicer. Drawstring waist and elastics at the cuff. The photographed version doesn't have elastic yet.

Pizza!!! I love homemade pizza for all the reasons!!!

Nests

The best meatballs EVER!!!!

With the help of friends, I've developed the best meatballs EVER!!

It all started when Niegel and I decided to make meatloaf one night. I mentioned our plan to someone... "Oh, you've gotta use this..." she said and so it began. I'm totally stealing the best parts of all these family recipies and secrets.... but I guess that's what this is all about, so enjoy.

I'll tell you my way, because I think it's pretty jiffy. I'll do the whole meal, it makes more sense ingredients wise.

THE BEST MEATBALLS & SAUCE EVER!!!!!

Preheat oven to 400

Ingredients:

1lb ground sirloin
1 lg hot Italian sausage
1 lg sweet sausage
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg (beaten)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 can whole peeled tomatoes

Fresh Basil
Olive Oil
Coarse salt
Your favorite pasta...
Parmesan cheese

In a large bowl mix onion, parsley, sirloin, sausages (remove casings), 1 clove garlic, some salt, 1/2 of the beaten egg, bread crumbs, some parmesan and a little of the juice from the can of tomatoes (about 2 Tbl). Mix with your hands until just blended. Don't over mix or the balls will be tough. Mix just enough so that sausages are incorporated, the breadcrumbs are spread around and every ball has a bit of everything in it. Roll into 2" balls and set aside.

In a frying pan, heat olive oil over med-high heat. Place meatballs in oil and cook, flipping until at least three sides are browned, about 3-5 min. per side. Remove from heat and pour meatballs into baking pan, juices and all. Place the pan in the oven to bake until everything else is ready, or about 20 min. (Meatballs should be cooked through)

Using the same frying pan (don't worry about brown bits etc. it adds flavor!) add a little more olive oil, and place over med heat. Add remaining onion and garlic. Cook until onions are tender. Add can of tomatoes. Simmer over medium heat. Do not boil. Stir occasionally. (I use my spoon to cut up the tomatoes and press them a little bit while they cook.) Add salt and basil to the sauce to your liking. The salt will help draw out more liquid in the tomatoes, plus it tastes good.

Now is the time to make the pasta.
Once pasta is done, pour a little bit of the pasta water into the simmering sauce. (This adds a little starchiness to the and helps it grip to the pasta better)

Basically, you're done.
Put all the pieces together and in your tummy!!!!!

You can cook the sauce anywhere from just ten minutes to an hour. The longer you cook it, the thicker it'll get. I like it more on the less thick side... so that's more of what you'll get here. If you want it to cook longer, wait to make your pasta and keep the balls warm in a low temp. oven.

Have fun and tell me what you think!
It's totally worth a try!

When life throws you lemons...


Make Lemonade...

Or in my case, Banana Bread.
I'm a bit bummed today and am not in the spirit to dig to deep into making things. I needed something simple and satisfying.
Luckily I just happened to have three, very ripe bananas lying around.

Yum.
Here's my family recipie:

3 mashed bananas
1 egg
3/4 cup sugar
2T melted butter
2 cups flour
1tsp baking soda
1tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mash it all up together and bake at 350 for 1 hour.
Oh yeah, grease the loaf pan.