I'm Back!

After a brief hiatus...I'm back! With more food! I bought an iPhone the other day and it has a pretty good camera on there so I'll be using that to take pictures of my food.

And...(drumroll) I'm working! Full time! So I probably won't be updating as much as a I used to. But I hope to keep up with this.

Coming up next: a recipe from "The Sriracha Cookbook." So you know its gonna be delicious.

Broken Camera

Yes yes yes. The worst thing that could have possibly happened to this young blog; my camera broke.

The lens isn't broken. I can still take pictures and they will end up coming out ok. But the screen is turning black. There are like all these crazy swirls and weird colors. Kinda trippy, man. Anyways, it's hard to take pictures when you can't see what your taking!

With that said, I'm going to try to take pictures of a soup I'm making early next week. Hopefully I can make due. If not...I will be on hiatus until I get a new one.

I'm not happy about this one bit.

But what I am happy about...I'm headed to IKEA! To fantasize about my future apartment with the love of my life. How sappy is that?

From The Mind of Mark

For ridiculously cute ideas, go to my boyfriend Mark. Also, for heart-stopping, artery-clogging recipes, also go to Mark.

Yesterday he decided to experiment in the kitchen. This is what he came up with:

First he cooked up some bacon...and of course saving the bacon grease for future use.

Then he started to make the panini. A layer of cheese and bacon.

A bit more cheese and roasted red pepper.

Top it with more cheese, a slice of bread, and copious amounts of butter.

Then grill it.

He wasn't done there though. Now...for an egg fried in that bacon grease.

Then put it on top so the runny yolk gets absorbed by the bread.

His comments: "Next time, maybe a little less grease."

No shit.

Pork Milanese

I was a weird child. I hated pizza, chocolate, and even cheese...all the good stuff. All the fattening things I obsess over now.

However what I did like is even more weird; green beans, applesauce, and pork chops. I couldn't get enough of them. And because I was the only child, I think we had this meal like...4 times a week. When my mother cooked, I really don't remember eating ANYTHING else but this. We humans are creatures of habit.

Somewhere along the line I grew up, my palate developed more, and I got F-in sick of that meal. I told my mom I never wanted to see a pork chop again. And I didn't.

That is until Tuesday.

I made pork milanese. Much like chicken milanese instead...I used pork. Breaded and fried, served with lemon. It was yummy. Reminiscent of what my mother used to make, but different...more grown up. Thank you Giada for this great recipe!

But what was even more delicious was this salad I found on the Whole Foods website. I was intrigued by this salad...grapes and feta? In a salad? I love both but having them together didn't ever cross my mind. Well...I've been missing out. The sweetness of the grapes, the saltiness of the feta and the tart lemon vinaigrette...a perfect combo. I'm making this salad again and again and again.

Salad with Red Grapes and Feta

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups halfed red grapes
• 5 ounce bag of mixed salad greens (about 7 cups)
• 6 ounces crumbled feta

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
   
   Add salad greens,
   
   feta cheese,
   
   and grapes.
   
   Toss well and serve.

Pork Milanese

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, for dredging (this doesn't have to be exact)
• 2 large eggs, beaten to blend
• 1 1/4 cups plain dried bread crumbs (I used panko because...they are so much better)
• 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Four 8-ounce center-cut pork loin chops about one inch thick (I used these cute pork cutlets I got a Trader Joes...no pounding required)
  
  
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Directions

1. Place the flour in a wide, shallow bowl. Place the eggs in another wide, shallow bowl. Mix the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, basil, and thyme in a third wide, shallow bowl.
   
2. Using a meat mallet, pound the pork chops on the work surface until they are 1/4 inch thick (again, I skipped this step because the ones I bough were already 1/4 inch thick). Sprinkle the pork chops with 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
   
   
3. Working with one pork chop at a time, dredge the chops in the flour to coat lightly, then dip the chops into the beaten eggs, allowing the excess egg to drip off. Finally, coat the pork chops with the bread crumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Set the pork chops aside.
4. Preheat oven to 150 degrees F. Line a baking sheet and put it in the oven. In a large, heavy saute pan with high sides, melt the butter in the oil over medium heat until hot.
   
   Carefully place 2 pork chops ( I was able to fit 4) in the oil mixture and cook until light golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side.
   
   Transfer chops to the baking sheet and sprinkle with more salt to taste. Keep the chops warm and repeat with the rest of the chops. Serve with lemon wedge.
   

Marnie Stern

I'd like to share with you my favorite band...

Marnie Stern.

We saw her live at the Empty Bottle in November and it was sooo much fun. Amazing live. And my drunk bf was close to getting up on stage and asking her out...ass. Luckily for me, they are coming back in March to Subterranean. Weeeeee! So happy.

Below is "For Ash"

Enjoy.

Baked Rigatoni with Kale

Before I write absolutely anything about food, I would like to say....GO BEARS!!! I was very skeptical of my home team, but after yesterdays beating against the Seahawks, I know we are Superbowl material. And now that the Pat's are out of the running (thank god) it makes our future that much brighter. Can't wait till next weekend to see 'em beat those hicks, the Packers!

To harsh?

Nahhhhh.

Change of subject; I love kale.

It may be my favorite veggie out there. And it's so good for you and so delicious, so why has no one eaten it before? And why do few grocery stores carry it? Mark and my friends had a confused look on their face when I said I needed to buy some kale for Sunday. Like, they haven't even heard of it. And then trying to find kale at my usual grocery stores like Jewel or Trader Joe's...forget it. They both didn't have it. I had to go to some little (but kind of amazing) produce market when I was out in the burbies to find it. Blows my mind why they wouldn't make this veggie more available to the public. Maybe it's just Chicago, I dunno.

For those that don't know, kale is a leafy green full of antioxidants and vitamin C. It's doesn't have a pronounced flavor but its super crunchy and provided a good texture is dishes. This sounds bad, but it reminds me of leaves...if you bake kale or let it sit out, it dries up like a leaf! It's kinda weird but I'm telling you, try it. This recipe is great way to introduce yourself to it. I found it at The Kitchen Sink Recipes during one of my food blog binges. Essentially, this just a yummy mac and cheese recipe with kale it in! It's super creamy but you get the nice crunch of the kale with every bite. And as far as mac and cheese recipes go, this one was on the easier side (however I was kinda stressed while making this due to the 100 degree temperature in my kitchen and missing the Jets/Pats game). And again...tons of leftovers. Go make it.

Baked Rigatoni with Kale

Ingredients:

• 1 lb rigatoni or other tubed-shaped pasta
• 1 bunch of kale, thick stems removed and leaves roughly chopped (the original says 2 bunches, but one seemed like enough)
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish
• 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups of milk
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• Salt
• Freshly-ground pepper
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
• 4 ounces of goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese, finely shredded (I used more like 4)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 2- to 3- quart baking dish and set aside.
2. In a well-salted pot of boiling water, boil the pasta until it is just tender (not yet al dente). Add the kale to the pot and cook for an additional 2 minutes, until the kale is bright green and the pasta is nearly al dente (I had to use a separate pot because mine was not big enough). Drain.
   
   Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
3. In a medium pot, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and then the milk.
   
   Add the garlic clove and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, whisking until the liquid has become thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Using a slotted spoon, remove the garlic clove, add the cheddar and goat cheeses, whisking until sauce is smooth.
   
   
4. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and kale and stir throughly to combined. Pour the pasta into the buttered baking dish and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and freshly ground pepper.
   
   Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the pasta and kale are lightly browned. Enjoy!

Black Bean Chili

Yesterday in Chicago was cold and snowy. Very snowy. So that means that:

1) everyone forgot how to drive

2) the streets wouldn't be plowed for another 24 hours

3) general chaos ensues

However, I wanted chili and cornbread soooo bad. Like pregnant woman cravings. So against my better judgement, I took my little Ford Focus out in the snow storm and got the ingredients to make this black bean chili. So worth it. It was so easy, so good, and I have tons of leftovers...hooray! You definitely won't miss the meat. I need carbs in every meal as well, so I made this cornbread that I got for Trader J's a while back and like everything else TJ's has, it was delicious. Completed the meal.

Before I give you the recipe, let tell you home much I love this cookbook. "1,000 Vegetarian Recipes" by Carol Gelles.

Obviously, there isn't a shortage of things to make, but seriously, every single thing I've made from here is delectable (do people use that word anymore?) Quiches, pastas, desserts, fruit salads, all so good. If you are a vegetarian or like me, you're not the biggest meat fan, please go buy this book.

Annnnnd here is the recipe! Enjoy!

Black Bean Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 3/4 cup chopped green bell peppers
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons of chili powder
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• One 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup of water
• One 4-ounce can of chopped green chilies
• 3 cups of black beans (cooked from dry; or canned and drained)
• 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt

Directions

1. In a 4-quart sauce pan (or dutch oven), heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, and garlic; cook stirring until softened, about 2 minutes.
   
   Stir in the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and cinnamon; cook, stirring until absorbed.
2. Stir in the tomatoes, water, and chilies (undrained); bring to a boil.
   
   Add the black beans, sugar and salt. Return to a boil.
   
   Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and simmer 15 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Serve and enjoy!
   
   

P.S. I'm typing this from my brand new MacBook Pro. I couldn't be happier with it. Not going to lie, I love Photo Booth. Because on drunken night, we take pictures like this:

Yup.

Polish Sausage

Our family is Polish. No, where not from Poland; both my parents and I were born here. But all of my grandparents were born there and came to American when they were very young. They all have done a pretty decent job of keeping up they're traditions. As I child, I would go to their house and wasn't able to just have a grilled cheese sandwich. Nope. How about borschet (beet) soup? Polish sausage, sauerkraut, rye bread, etc. are always on our table at every holiday as well. And I absolutely look forward to it every year. Polish sausage and sauerkraut is...my favorite meal of all time. I know that is a bold statement, but it's true. And because it's so damn fattening and delicious, I definitely have to limit myself.

So last week I broke that rule of having it sparingly and...cooked up some leftover Polish sausage. I mean, I packed on all that holiday weight already, why not just splurge again? Until last week, I've only eaten it one way; grilled sausage and sauerkraut cooked up with onions and bacon. I love eating it this way, but I wanted to try something a bit different. Maybe something a little less fattening. After some research I stumbled upon this recipe. I don't know if it's "traditional" but...it was damn good. The caramelized sugar with the caramelized onions and the tang of the sauerkraut, SO YUMMY! And pair that with the garlicy, porky, smoky flavor of the sausage...it made me so happy.

For you Chicagoans, I got this sausage at Gene's Sausage Shop up in Lincoln Square.

It my first time trying their sausage and let me say, everyone loved it. It wasn't fatty at all and had a great flavor. Gene's itself is kind of like heaven; tons of different sausages, lunch meats, tons of wine and beer (priority for me), and many different European candy's and food products. If you love trying different things...I highly suggest you go.

Here is the recipe. Hope you love it as much as I did!

Grilled Kielbasa with Sauerkraut and Onions

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs smoked Polish kielbasa
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 3 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 onion, sliced
• 3 cups of sauerkraut, drained (I thought it could have used a bit more, but I LOVE the stuff)
• 3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cut kielbasa into 3-inch lengths and butterfly lengthwise.
   
   Place on hot grill and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side turning frequently, charring all sides.
   
   Remove from grill. Transfer kielbasa to a baking sheet and place in oven to cook for another 5 to 6 minutes.
   
   In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add butter and sugar.
   
   Allow sugar to cook to a golden brown color.
   
   Add onions and cook until caramelized.
   
   Stir in the sauerkraut and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until onions and sauerkraut are wilted and colored.
   
   
3. Remove kielbasa from oven and cut into 1-inch pieces. Add to pan of sauerkraut and onions. Toss together and cook for 1 minute.
   
   Transfer to a platter, garnish with parsley and serve with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce. (Note: I didn't make the sauce but I'll add the recipe below in case you'd like to)

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

• 1/4 cup yellow mustard
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of black pepper

1. Just mix all ingredients until combined.

Here's the link for the recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aaron-mccargo,-jr./grilled-kielbasa-with-sauerkraut-and-onions-recipe/index.html

Marmalade Muffins

I've been cooking and baking my little heart out lately. And I've never been happier. A lot of the time, I think "I could do this for a living", but then I feel guilty that my parents paid for four years for an EXPENSIVE college and not try to find a job in that career field. It's been quite the dilemma for me for the past 6 months. But I keep coming to the conclusion that I'll keep trekkin along with this job search and hopefully something will come my way (for the 2nd time).

Enough of that, here are muffins. The Pioneer Woman's muffins. I just recently started reading her blog (http://thepioneerwoman.com/) after I saw her on "Throwdown". She seemed so cute and I feel like she connected with me in a way. Her food is so simple, but always looks so delicious. Mark had noticed me ignoring him for days as I started reading her blog, so for Christmas, I got my her cookbook! I pretty much wanted to make everything in there, but these marmalade muffins realllly stood out. I love oranges, I love muffins, seems like a no brainer. So I made them, and they were soooo tasty. The orange glaze, the pancake-ish texture, the orange zest flavor...delicious. And here is ze recipe. Happy baking, lovelies!

P.S. here is my baby; my brand new, green KitchenAid stand mixer. I'm in love with it. Expect much more baking now...

Marmalade Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 oranges
• 1/2 lbs (2 sticks) of butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup firmly pack brown sugar (I used 2 cups of confectioners because my brown sugar was literally a rock)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Begin by grating the zest from the oranges.
   
   Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl. Crack in the eggs and mix until well combined. Sift the flour onto a sheet of wax paper and add it to the bowl. Gently stir in the mixture using as few strokes as possible (the more mixing, the tougher the muffins).
   
   
3. In a small measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and baking soda.
   
   Add the mixture to the muffin batter and mix until just combined.
4. Add the orange zest and mix until just combined, again be careful not to overmix (BAD).
   
   
5. Grease 24 mini muffins tins (I used 12 regular sized) and fill each 2/3rds full with the batter.
   
   Bake for 12 to 17 minutes until light brown. Watch to make sure they don't get too brown.
6. While they are baking, prepare the glaze but juicing both oranges that you zested. Add the orange juice and brown sugar to a medium bowl and stir together just until combined. It will not dissolve and that ok; the glaze should be grainy.
7. Remove the muffins from the oven and immediately drizzle the glaze over the top. Coat throughly. Serve warm.
   
   

Here is the recipe on her blog: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/orange_mini-muf/

World's Greatest Pot Pie - Literally

When deciding what to make for dinner, it's usually my choice. Sometimes I'll ask the boyfriend whether it sounds good or not, but even if he says no thanks, I'll usually end up making it anyways. This probably because I'm an only child and suck at compromising/sharing; it's all about me lololol. I'm working on it...kinda. So because of this, I decided to be nice and make something Mark wanted, even if it wasn't my favorite dish ever. His choice? Chicken pot pie. Definitely not my favorite meal, but I'd be willing to give it a go. I'm not sure why I'm not a fan. It has a lot of my favorite components. Maybe because that frozen crap hardly does it justice. Maybe because creamy dishes (with the exception of mac and cheese) are not my thing. Whatever the reason, my expectations were low.

Man was I wrong. This pot pie was delicious...my god. Way to prove me wrong. There are literally a million pot pie recipes that really all sound very similar. However I got this recipe from the "Throwdown" cookbook. Bobby Flay's recipe won the pot pie throwdown, but Sandy Pollock's and Crystal Cook's pot pie sounded much more appealing to us. Potatoes, carrots, peas, chicken, yum! I really don't have much more to say about it besides how uhhh-mazing this was. Nor do I really want to keep typing cause the Bears game is on. Below is the recipe. Make it. Now. Byez.

The Greatest Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

• 2 cups plus 1 tbsp whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package instructions
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup diced red pepper
• 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp dried tarragon (I used thyme cause I don't love tarragon)
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups shredded roasted chicken (from one 3 lb chicken)
• One 10 ounce package frozen baby peas, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups diced carrots, blanched and drained (how to blanch veggies: http://www.ehow.com/how_13887_blanch-vegetables.html
• 1 1/2 cups diced russet potato, blanched and drained (see link above)
• 1 large egg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine the 2 cups of milk and heavy cream in a large bowl.
3. Roll the puff pastry slightly if necessary so that it measures 9 x 13 inches.
   
   
4. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bell peppers and shallots and cook, stirring frequently until the pepper is tender, about 5 minutes.
   
   Add flour, tarragon (or thyme), salt and pepper, and stir to coat the vegetables in the flour. Add the wine and let bubble for a bit. Raise the heat to medium-high, and stir in the milk mixture.
   
   Cook, stirring, until thickened and bubbly, about 7 minutes. Stir in the chicken, peas, carrots and potatoes and simmer, stirring until heated through, about 2 minutes.
   
   
5. Transfer mixture to 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
   
   Place puff pastry over the hot chicken mixture. Beat the egg with the remaining 1 tbsp milk, and brush over puff pastry. Then cut slits (about 3) in the pastry to allow steam to escape.
   
   Bake until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

P.S. Hope everyone had a great New Years! Mine was spent at the Metro seeing Yeasayer (who are up in my top 10 favorite bands). Best NYE yet. Massive hangover yesterday. Anyways, here's Yeasayer for you listening pleasure. Enjoy babies!