Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

That is my least favorite Sportscenter expression but I it kinda works for the title of this blog entry. I made lots of chicken dishes! I dislike lots of expressions sports anchors use but that one pretty much takes the cake. For those of you who don't know, I wake up to Sportscenter and SportsDesk every morning. I kinda feel like my day isn't complete if I don't know what happened in yesterdays sports world. I do turn to the Today Show during commercials... okay on to food...

Here is a picture of Sunday nights dinner. I bought these pinwheels and just cooked them in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes.
Monday night I made Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken Stuffed with Monterey Jack Cheese. And its as simple as that. I took chicken breasts, made a slit at the top and the bottom and slid in the cheese. Then I wrapped the prosciutto around the chicken and seared it in a hot skillet. I seared it on both sides for about 5 minutes then transferred it to a baking dish and baked it at 350 for 20 minutes. I paired this with a salad.

In addition, I decided to make the rest of the chicken I had in the fridge, which was about 2 pounds. (What can I say? I love when Chicken goes on sale!) I made Panko-Crusted Chicken with Maple Mustard Pan Sauce from this months Bon Apetit. The one thing I did differently was I threw the Chicken back in with the sauce before it reduced so the panko on my chicken got soggy and then crispier as the sauce got thicker. I was worried at first but it ended up being a very yummy sweet taste that we enjoyed on Tuesday night. Tuesdays nights dinner consisted of the reheated chicken, swiss chard and brown rice from the lunches I made along with a salad with Annie's Goddess Dressing.

Tonight, I made Tomato Soup and Crispy Cheese Crutons.
I will post the recipe in the morning... but it included a little too many of these...

I mentioned this before, but I used one of these chipotles a few weeks ago and I've been trying to finish it up ever since. (I've been keeping it in the fridge in an air tight container). I love these peppers, but wish they came in a can half the size. Okay, here is the recipe for Spicy Tomato Soup.. and by spicy, I mean insanely spicy...

Ingredients:
-3 Large Fresh Tomatoes
-3 cups of Chicken Broth
-2 Chipotles in Adobo and their sauce
-1 clove of garlic
-1 medium red onion
-1/2 Cup of Light Cream
-Oregano, Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste

First thing to do is remove the skin from the tomatoes. To do this, I used a three-step process I found online. Score an "X" in the bottom of the tomato and place in boiling water for 1 minute. Place the tomatoes into ice water. Starting at the "X," pull off the skin. It came off so easily!!! Easy peasy technique. While I did that, I sauted the onions and garlic in a soup pot with EVOO. Then I sliced up the peeled tomatoes, and added them in while stirring. I added 2 peppers (CAUTION, only use one, the soup was beyond spicy!), the spices and the chicken broth and I let it come up to a boil. When it was done boiling, I lowered it to a simmer and grabbed my favorite kitchen gadget- the immersion blender and blended it up. Last but not least, I added the cream and lots of salt and pepper.

I also made cheesey toast to go along side the soup. All I did was throw some monterey jack cheese slices on top of the bread and throw into the broiler for about 7 minutes.

I received a jacket from Children's Hospital in the mail tonight! It's an awesome windbreaker and perfect to run in when its lightly raining. I was given this jacket because I raised $1500 before October 15th.

Truth is, I've already raised $3K before Oct. 15th! I have my fundraiser tomorrow night and any money I make tomorrow will be extra...

Also, today has been a full week since I've run. I've been going to physical therapy and I was basically told that my legs are having so many issues because I have weak hips. So I'll take a couple more days off and run Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Today I took spinning for the first time in probably 6 months. It was such an amazing class and I love this instructor!! Tomorrow I have PT again and I am going to ask if I can run Friday. Whatever she says, I'm definitely getting out there this weekend!

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Stef's Bachelorette!

Friday night was Stephanie's Bachelorette Party. There was tons of food, including an inappropriate cake, but I forgot to take pictures. It was quite a night with lots of barhopping and lots of drinking. And the night ended again with a late night must eat Pizza stop. This is becoming a habit! Good thing I don't go out that often. Here I am with the bachelorette!

And here are some of my home friends out!

After being extremely hungover on Saturday, I finally got moving and got ready for Gretchen's Bridal Shower. Her shower was at Upstairs on the Square at Harvard Square and it was such a cute location! The room was decorated sooooo pretty with pink and zebra print. Check out the long table.

Food consisted of tea party sandwiches and tasty desserts. With some champagne and of course tea! The centerpieces were adorable!


And here is Gretchen, Carissa and myself! Gretchen is getting married in November in... are you ready for this... New Zealand! Her and her fiance decided they wanted to get married just the two of them somewhere far away and exotic. I'm jealous!
Saturday night, Dave and I went to dinner with Mike and Natalia and I was in bed early. Today, I researched tons of recipes and finally got to the grocery store around noon. For lunch, I made Dave and I Mac N Cheese with Kale. It was definitely a great addition to swap out spinach for another tasty green!
I also made lunches for us for the next couple days. Brown rice, grilled chicken breast and Rainbow Swiss Chard in a fruity, tangy sauce (1T butter, 1 T of Flour, Chicken Broth, Apricot Preserves and Worcestorshire sauce!)
And I saw these tiny Graham Cracker pie crusts and had to buy them. I made some mousse and filled them up! Perfect dessert!
For dinner, I made these salmon romelades with crab and lobster filling, creamed spinach and brown rice.
On the Menu for the Week- Lots of Chicken!
Monday- either Yom Kippur dinner in Brookline or Panko Crusted Chicken
Tuesday-Tomato Soup with Bacon and Cheese Sandwiches
Wednesday- Procuitto Wrapped Chicken with Swiss Chard
Thursday- Stromboni's
Friday- Leftovers

So last week, my achilles, lower calf area started hurting a lot. By Thursday, I was having trouble walking. So I went to my orthopedic doctor to get checked out. I was expecting the worst. From the research I found online on achilles injuries, I was scared. But he checked me out and told me to take 1 WHOLE WEEK off from running and then get back into the training. It's a relief the injury isn't anything too serious, and I'm not too worried about taking time off because I still have 2 20 milers left in my schedule. Plus, my doctor has run 7 marathons and he says he never ran above 17 miles and he has finished all of his. The fact that I've already run a 19 miler makes me feel good. Plus, I need to keep remembering why I am doing this marathon. I am not trying to break any records. I am running this marathon for Children's Hospital and for the millions of people who can't. I've said this before, but I am running because I CAN. It may be hard and I may struggle but I AM GOING TO SEE THAT FINISH LINE!!!!

So on that note, I think there are the people who see doctors when the smallest little thing is wrong (like me) and there are people who don't. I like to see doctors for reassurance and to always just *make sure* there is nothing seriously wrong. However, my friend Carissa gave me the same advice my doctor did. She said take a week off! So I'm finally listening. I am going to bike and spin and maybe take boot camp this week, depending how busy I am at work. Okay, that's it for me- my bed with nice clean sheets awaits- Night!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Food Update... but still sick : (

Sunday night, I made Chipotle Chicken and Rice from Everyday with Martha Stewart. Which basically started with saute-ing the chicken thighs (with skin- later removed), and prepping these pretty vegetables. It was a pretty simple dish made with Kashi microwavable instant rice, chicken broth and Chipotles in Adobo.


A few weeks ago, I used a chipotle in a dish I made and I've been trying to finish up the can ever since. Those chipotles are STRONG, but delic. On the side I made Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Cranberries and Kale Chips.

And here is my Sunday night dinner. Which was delicious! I cooked two pounds of the chicken and saved a pound and a half for meals later in the week.

On Monday night, I made two Rachael Ray Recipes. One was Thai Chicken Pizza using shredded chicken thigh meat from Sunday night and the other was Grilled Pork Meatballs with Pineapple-Chipotle Chutney. Both these dishes were fabulous and I recommend trying them out yourself! I put the meatballs in Bibb Lettuce and served it as an appetizer. The rock star of this meal was definitely the pizza. I love the sweet and tanginess of the duck sauce mixed with the cheese.



I took a lot of pictures as you can see. Tuesday night was leftovers and this morning, I prepped tonights dinner which consists of greek style turkey burgers. The burgers are formed already just need to get grilling!

Training:
I ran 4.5 miles on Sunday, barely 2.75 miles on Monday and took off yesterday. Monday, my calf/achilles was bothering me and yesterday, I felt sick all day. Today I went out for a 4.5 mile faster jog on my lunch break with my work friend Kim. The calf area is still hurting. I'm going to see my orthopedic doctor Friday. God, I hope I'm okay! After being sick, I can't get injured too!

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Happy New Year


I ended up not working on Friday. I'm still not 100% better but by Saturday I needed to run. My doctor cleared me so I went to the gym yesterday to basically run as far as I could. I wanted to go somewhere that I had a controlled environment, so if I had to stop I could. My treadmill started over after an hour so that was annoying. I decided I wanted to run 14 but after 2 hours, I still needed to run a quarter mile so I had to start the treadmill over a third time. But I did it!


Date9 /19/2009
RouteTreadmill
Distance14.00 mi
Time2:05:30
Pace0:08:57/mile

I honestly felt pretty good. I had to stop to blow my nose a bunch of times but cardiovascularly, I felt fine. I'm excited I didn't lose my endurance. I read three magazines and watched tons of TV. After resting, I headed to my mothers to help her with the Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year) dinner. My mother made her mother's famous Brisket, her grandmothers candied chicken thighs, Kugel, Jello Mold, Carrot Ring cake thingie, brussel sprouts and matzah ball soup. The star of the day was my cousin's baby, Zoe. She is the cutest.

My dinner started with Matzah Ball soup, mmm this soozed my sore throat.

And then a full dinner plate of just about everything. Don't worry, I only ate half.
And with all the playing, Zoe was tired by 8pm!
Here are my mom's families recipes for tasty brisket and chicken!

Lucille's Famous Brisket

Ingredients:
Flat Beef Brisket
Soy Sauce
Onion Mix
Mushrooms
Water

Put brisket and baking pan, sprinkle with onion mix and soy sauce, cover completely and "cook it to death." (Mom's quote). Leave the fat on and cook for 2-3 hours until you can put a fork in it and its really soft. When that happens, take it out and put it on a cutting board, scrub off the fat with a fork or knife but make sure to leave the onion soup mix (scrape off mix into juice), then slice against the grain and put back in the juices in the pan. You can do this the day before.
Then add the raw mushrooms and some water and cook with cover for 1/2 hour and without cover for another 1/2 hour or until browned. Baste it as you go like you do a turkey.

My nana has been cooking this recipe for years. Last year, my MOH Ori's brother who now lives in Chicago was at his friends house celebrating the New Year. He started eating the brisket and recognized the flavor so asked his friend where he got the recipe. The friend said "some women in Nebraska named Lucille." My grandmothers recipe is FAMOUS!!

My mom also cooks chicken thighs until they taste like candy. They are A-MAZING!

Candied Chicken Thighs with Carmelized Onions

Ingredients:
Chicken Thighs
Lipton Onion Soup Mix
Sweet Onions

Spray oven proof pan and add the chicken thighs. Sprinkle chicken with onion soup mix. Saute in Onions in EVOO until they carmelize then add to the chicken. Put chicken in th oven with foil at 350 for an hour to an hour and a half. Then pour off the juice and put back in oven without the cover and if you have to turn over the chicken so both sides get browned. Add back in some of the juice if it dries out.

And that's it! I have a 5 miler planned for this afternoon and lots of cooking. But trying to feel better first... ahhh the never-ending sickness!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

SickaCook-A-Mania!


I made my own pie crust!!! This is very exciting. I am still sick, but I feel better. I will definitely be at work tomorrow. Even though I'm sick, cooking is still such a release to me and I was excited to finally cook these two recipes. I had an eggplant I had to cook before it went back, so I made eggplant Parmesan and I've been wanting to make this Tomato Corn Pie ever since I saw it in Gourmet and on Gretchen's blog. The first thing I did was make the Eggplant Parmesan.

Ingredients:

  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
  • 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus 2 tablespoons for topping
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 cup of flour
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1 jar of Tomato Sauce
  • 2 large eggplants (2 1/2 pounds total), peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On three plates, set up an assembly line- whisk together eggs and 2 tablespoons milk. In another bowl, combine breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup Parmesan, oregano, and basil; season with salt and pepper, on the other plate, combine flour and salt and pepper.
  2. First, put eggplant in flour, then dip eggplant slices in egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, coating well; then pan fry in a hot skillet.
  3. Spread 2 cups sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange half the eggplant in dish; cover with 2 cups sauce, then 1/2 cup mozzarella. Repeat with remaining eggplant, sauce, and mozzarella; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted, 25-30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
This was soooo tasty! I've made eggplant parm a million times, but I've never made it by using the three step method of flour, eggwash and breadcrumbs. Usually I grill the eggplant first. But this way made the eggplant taste much tastier!

The next thing I made was a Tomato and Corn Pie adapted from Gourmet. The one thing I totally forgot to add was the mayonaisse and lemon. (Maybe that wasn't an accident since I'm not the biggest fan of mayonaisse!) I also used skim milk because I didn't have whole. If you want the original recipe, you can find it here.


Tomato and Corn Pie
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons salt, divided
  • 3/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus 2 teaspoons melted
  • 3/4 cup skim milk
  • 1 3/4 lb beefsteak tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 cups corn (I used frozen, steamed)
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped green onions
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
  • 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar (1 3/4 cups), divided

  • Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 3/4 tsp salt in a bowl, then blend in cold butter (3/4 stick) in a food processor. Add milk, stirring until mixture just forms a dough, then gather into a ball.

  • Divide dough in half roll out on counter top with flour.

  • Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.

  • Peel tomatoes, then slice crosswise 1/4 inch thick.

  • Arrange half of tomatoes in crust, overlapping, and sprinkle with half of corn, 1/2 Tbsp green onions, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper.

  • Repeat layering with remaining tomatoes, corn, green onions, salt, and pepper, then sprinkle with 1 cup cheese.


  • Roll out remaining piece of dough into a 12-inch round in same manner, then fit over filling, folding overhang under edge of bottom crust and pinching edge to seal.

  • Cut 4 steam vents in top crust and brush crust with melted butter (2 tsp).

  • Bake pie until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes, then cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Dave thought this was one of the best dishes and that the pie crust tasted really fresh. Making crust was easy, I will definitely do it again!

My dinner plate:
And last but not least, I wanted to make these Trailmix cookies, but Dave took the trailmix that was on the counter for his lunch. See what happens when I don't pack his lunch! So I basically made these cookies, only without any nuts and instead of trail mix, I added M & Ms and dried cranberries (all I had!)

M&M, Oatmeal, Dried Fruit Cookies


  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
  • 1/2 cup of M & Ms
  • 1/4 cup of dried cranberry
Mix first 6 ingredients in bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until mixture is fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour mixture until just combined. Fold in oats, M&Ms, dried fruit and coconut.
Using 2-inch-diameter ice cream scoop, drop dough onto sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Do Ahead For ready-to-bake dough, freeze dough on sheets until firm.
Preheat oven to 350°F. For freshly made cookie dough, bake until cookies are golden brown, about 13 minutes. (For frozen dough, arrange frozen cookies 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets; bake until golden brown, about 16 minutes.) Transfer to racks to cool.
These tasted great, but came out HUGE. I even used an ice cream scoop. They also came out pretty flat. Maybe I forgot some ingredient... who knows.

Okay its 6:30pm and I am going to get ready for bed. I NEED TO BE HEALTHY TOMORROW!

Yummy Dinners & Horrible Strep Throat

Tuesday night I made a Rachael Ray dish: Honey Mustard Pork Chops and Broccoli, Cheddar Mashed Potatoes and of course a dinner wouldn't be complete with some greens... so I made Kale Chips. I changed around her recipe quite a bit but the concept was the same.

Broccoli & Cheddar Mashed Potatoes


Ingredients

  • 4 large yellow potatoes
  • 1 bag frozen broccoli, cooked
  • 1 cup skim milk
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Halve the potatoes and add to a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the potatoes for 10 minutes while you trim and chop broccoli into 1/2-inch dice. Add the broccoli to the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes more. Drain and return to the hot pot to dry. Stir in the milk, butter and cheese and mash until the cheese melts into potatoes and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and transfer to a serving bowl, to serve.
Honey Mustard Pork Chops
Ingredients:

  • pork chops
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup grainy Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup bread crumbs(fresh)
  • 2 tablespoons freshly dried thyme
  • 1 lemon, zested
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons orange marmalade
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a shallow dish combine the mustard, honey and vinegar. Add the chops and turn to coat in sticky sauce. On a plate combine the bread crumbs with the thyme and zest of the lemon. Press chops in the crumbs to coat evenly. Heat the extra-virgin olive oil, a couple turns of the pan, in large skillet over medium heat. Cook the cutlets until crisp, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Arrange the chops on the baking sheet with the rack and put in the oven to keep them crisp. To the skillet, over low heat, add the butter and melt. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the preserves, then whisk in the stock. Cook for a couple of minutes to thicken and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the chops from the oven to a serving platter and douse with sweet-savory gravy before serving.

The glaze was amazing. Very tasty dinner. However as soon as I sat down on the couch, I started to feel horrible. I had some tea, but my throat was hurting. I went to bed but could barely sleep. I decided to stay home from work yesterday and see a doctor where they informed me I had strep. I'm on meds today and feel better physically but my throat still hurts. After I took my first dose of antibiotics, I got up and made my planned spicy crab cakes.

This recipe was inspired by Emeril Lagasse.

Spicy Crab Cakes

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup finely chopped yellow onions
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
  • 1/4 cup seeded and finely chopped red bell pepper
  • 1/4 cup of portobello mushrooms
  • Salt
  • Cayenne
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over to remove shells and cartilage
  • 1/4 cup chopped green onions, green parts only, plus extra for garnish
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • 3 tablespoons Creole mustard or mustard mixed with hot sauce
  • Juice of one fresh lemon (or 3 tablespoons)
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Hot pepper sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups dried fine bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • Essence, recipe follows
  • 2 eggs
Melt butter in a small saute pan over medium heat. Add onions, celery, mushrooms and bell peppers. Season with salt and cayenne. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft and slightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine the crabmeat, green onions, Parmesan, parsley, mustard and lemon juice. Mix the mayonnaise, Worcestershire Sauce and hot pepper sauce together. Combine vegetable mixture with crab mixture. Fold in the mayonnaise mixture and 3/4 cup of the bread crumbs. Divide combined mixture into 10 equal portions and form into 1-inch thick round patties. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour and season with Essence. In another bowl, whisk the egg with the water. In a third bowl, combine the remaining 3/4 cup bread crumbs and season with Essence. Dredge the crab cakes first in seasoned flour, tapping off excess, then in egg wash, letting excess drip off. Lastly, dredge cakes into seasoned bread crumbs, coating cakes evenly. In a large saute pan, heat oil. Gently lay the cakes, 3 to 4 at a time, and pan fry until lightly golden, about 4 minutes on each side.

Then I made a spicy mayonnaise sauce which combined mayonnaise, hot sauce and dijon to spoon on top.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients.

And my plate:
I actually was only to eat one crab cake. Then I went back to eating the ice cream Dave brought home for me. It soothed my throat! Now off to rest more. Need to get healthy!