Italian Sweet-and-Sour Chicken

OK, I have a confession to make. Some times I try new recipes and they don't turn out. As I've been cooking more and more, it's easier to look at a recipe and have an idea if the flavor work together or if it will be something I'll like to eat. Last week, I pulled a few recipes some higher-end cooking magazines that feature recipes from famous chefs. I had some success, but I also had a couple failed dishes. At one point in the week, I threw away two dinners in a row and we ate grilled cheese for dinner. I didn't burn the dinner, under cook it, or drop it on the floor. I just didn't like the way it tasted (my husband also agreed with me so at least it wasn't just me!).

This recipe was one of the successes of the week. I didn't have much faith given my previous experience last week, but I thought I would give it a shot. Surprisingly, it tasted REALLY, REALLY good. The chicken was super juicy from cooking it in a mixture of red wine, vinegar, and freshly squeezed orange juice. It was sweet, yet tangy and was perfect with the veggies that were braised in the same liquid.

LESSON LEARNED: Don't be discouraged when recipes don't turn out the way you expect them to.

Recipe for Italian Sweet-and-Sour Chicken

Hummus with Whole Wheat Flatbreads

This dish would make the perfect light lunch or snack. I've been experimenting with mixing up different homemade dips and healthy snack foods, so this recipe fits right in.

I started with dried white beans (I couldn't find dried chickpeas in my store, but I probably didn't look hard enough!), soaked them overnight, and cooked them the next morning. That's the hard way to do things, but you could easily use canned beans.

I was most impressed with my whole wheat flatbread. I let the dough rest for 30 minutes, so I was able to roll out the dough pretty thin. I cooked the flatbread in a dry cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. They cook up super quickly and can burn (the smoke detectors in my house might have gone off!), so watch them carefully. However, the brown spots on the bread really add a TON of flavor!

The bean dip is smooth, lemony, and slightly smokey from a bit of cumin. The flatbreads are soft and nutty from using whole wheat flour. YUMMY! We decided that they would make the perfect appetizer by adding a halved cherry tomato on top.

 LESSON LEARNED: These flatbreads cook up quickly in a dry cast iron pan!

Recipe for Hummus with Whole Wheat Flatbreads

Roasted Salmon with Whole-Grain Mustard Crust

Before moving to Arizona to attend graduate school, I never ate much salmon (or a lot of the other foods I've come to love!). One of my graduate school friends introduced me to oven roasted salmon at our weekly dinner get-togethers. Even though we now live hundreds of miles apart, I still think of her when I make salmon.

This recipe is super simple and can be easily adjusted to taste. The mustard crust only contains 3 ingredients: whole-grain mustard, minced chives, and olive oil. Once you season the salmon filets with salt and pepper, you spread as much of the mustard crust as you want on top and let it roast (i.e. bake) in the oven. Then, you finish off the salmon by broiling it so the mustard turns a deep brown. When we ate this dinner, I rounded out the meal with steamed green beans and buttered fresh fettuccine noodles. ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!

 LESSON LEARNED: Roasting is an easy way to prepare salmon! When it gets closer to summer, I'll share my favorite cedar plank grilled salmon recipe :)

Recipe for Roasted Salmon with Whole-Grain Mustard Crust

Pretzel Dogs

These little guys are perfect for a snack or lunch. My husband saw this recipe online last weekend and emailed me the link as a "hint, hint, want to try and make these?". I don't think I would have picked this recipe myself, but they were mighty yummy!

You begin by making a homemade pretzel dough and wrapping it tightly around pieces of hotdog (I cut each hotdog into thirds). Each piece of pretzel wrapped hotdog gets a quick bath in a baking soda/boiling water hot tub (i.e. large pot), brushed with egg wash, and sprinkled with salt & pepper. They are then baked until golden brown.

There were two major lessons I learned while making this recipe. First, I experience cognitive dissonance while buying hotdogs (a nod to my training in social psychology!). I needed to buy hotdogs for the recipe, but they are typically not an item I would buy since I stay away from processed, pre-packaged food. I ended up buying an all beef, organic, no hormones added hotdog figuring they were at least a higher quality of ground-up meat. Second, if you make these, wrap and seal the dough very securely around the hotdogs. If you don't the dough will unwind when they bake. It's really no big deal because they taste the same, but they won't look as pretty.

LESSON LEARNED: These will freeze well too! Just heat in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until warm.

Recipe for Pretzel Dogs

Coconutty Chicken with Spinach & Pasta

When I first mentioned to my husband that I was making a coconutty chicken dish, he was not very excited. He absolutely hates coconut. It's one of the foods that he won't even try to eat, so consequently, I don't make very many sweet or savory dishes with coconut. So, needless to say, I wasn't expecting very great reviews of this dish. I was SHOCKED when my husband ate two helpings of this dinner!

I'm pretty sure that it was the sauce that made this dinner EXTRAORDINARY. I would describe it as a creamy, Asian inspired sauce. It contains coconut milk, cider vinegar, and soy sauce with garlic and an earthy flavor from bay leaves. The chicken is cooked in the sauce, then broiled to give crisp the skin. The sauce is tossed with spinach and served along side orzo pasta.

 LESSON LEARNED: A sauce can make a typical chicken dish taste special.

Recipe for Coconutty Chicken with Spinach & Pasta

Kiwi, Goat Cheese, & Toasted Walnut Salad

I'm always looking for new lunch ideas and this salad is the perfect way to re-invent your typical lunch. I could easily imagine this on the menu at a cute bistro. I would definitely order it!

The salad is a spring mix tossed with a kiwi-vinaigrette. It's topped with cubed kiwi fruit, toasted walnut halves, and small dots of goat cheese. The end result is a sweet, nutty, and tangy salad that will brighten up your day. At least it made me smile last week for lunch :)

LESSON LEARNED: A kiwi-vinaigrette is made by mashing a kiwi to extract it's juice, then whisking in olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, and salt/pepper.

Recipe for Kiwi, Goat Cheese, & Toasted Walnut Salad

Lobster Pot Pie

We decided not to go out to dinner on Valentine's day. Instead, I decided I would make a dish that I normally would never make: lobster pot pie. A while ago, I saw an episode on Food Network where Ina Garten made these adorable individual pot pies and I filed it away as something I wanted to make in the future. When I decided I didn't want to eat at a crowded restaurant, I immediately knew I would make lobster pot pie at home.

At first, I was intimidated because I haven't worked with lobster before. I knew I didn't want to get a live lobster and cook it at home, so I settled on lobster tail. I still had to cook it (I boiled it very briefly in salted water), but at least I wasn't dealing with a whole lobster. I only bought a single lobster tail because I only needed to make two portions, but the dish ended up with a BIG lobster flavor. The filling is a thickened seafood stock with sauteed fennel and onion along with peas, corn, parsley, and chopped lobster tail. Around the filling is a homemade pie crust which is thick, flaky, and buttery.

This was a DELICIOUS Valentine's day dinner at home!

LESSON LEARNED: We decided that making these pot pies (or any pot pies) in individual servings is the best way to achieve the perfect ratio of filling to crust.

Recipe for Lobster Pot Pie

Spinach Lasagna

Oh man! This is comfort food at it's best. This lasagna is super creamy and cheesy with layers of Parmesan bechamel sauce, pureed cottage cheese, and shredded Fontina cheese. Spinach, garlic, and shallots add to the flavors of rich lasagna.

This isn't a traditional lasagna with layers of meat and tomato sauce. My husband was skeptical at first when I said I was making lasagna sans tomato sauce. But, as I assembled the lasagna and the aroma of it baking filled the house, he quickly became a believer in the yummy-ness of this type of lasagna. The hardest part of the lasagna is waiting for it to cool after it bakes. You definitely need to let it set so you can cleanly cut a piece out of the pan. It WILL be a big mess if you don't wait - not that I know from experience or anything like that :)

LESSON LEARNED: Even though this lasagna isn't what you typically think of when you say lasagna (or as psychologists would say "your schema of lasagna"), it tastes wonderful!

Recipe for Spinach Lasagna

Fajita Casserole

This dish has all the flavor of fajitas in the form of a casserole. It's been on our list of recipes to try for a while and we finally got around to making it late last week.

I thinly sliced sirloin steak (but you could use chicken or pork) and quickly marinated it in a mixture of onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and cinnamon. Cinnamon may seem like the one ingredient on this list that doesn't belong, but it provides a warm, slightly spicy note to the dish. I quickly cooked the steak in a hot pan, added some Mexican beer, and let the sauce reduce. Believe me, it had TONS of flavor!

Next, I stir-fried some red bell peppers, onion, and garlic. I added a splash of lime juice and chopped cilantro to the mix. While the veggies were cooking, I made some homemade tortilla strips by slicing flour tortillas, spraying with non-stick cooking spray, and baking until golden brown. Finally, I layered the casserole by placing the steak and veggies in the bottom of a dish, adding the tortilla strips on top, and shredded cheese. I think we went a little over-board with the cheese, but it didn't detract from the deliciousness of the casserole.  We served the dish with sour cream and salsa. Enjoy!

LESSON LEARNED: A quick marinade adds a ton of flavor to this steak!

Recipe for Fajita Casserole

Orecchiette with Roasted Brussels Sprouts

A lot of people that I know don't like Brussels Sprouts. I think I'm on a one-women mission to slowly change their ideas about this under utilized vegetable. I've already converted my mom and husband!

Most people think of boiled Brussels Sprouts, but they have so much more potential. One of my favorite ways to prepare them is roasting. This is simply tossing them with olive oil, salt, and pepper and baking at a high heat until they are brown and crispy. The browner, the better. However, if they turn completely black, you've probably burnt them :)

This simple dish combines roasted Brussels Sprouts with a creamy pasta sauce. The sauce is flavored with garlic, scallions, and wine (or chicken/vegetable broth). I used little "ear shaped" pasta, but any short round pasta shape you have on hand would work.

LESSON LEARNED: Roasting Brussels Sprouts is simple, easy, and makes this vegetable taste delicious!

Recipe for Orecchiette with Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Nacho Burgers

Yes - these YUMMY dish combines two of my favorite foods - nachos and burgers! They were quick and simple to prepare too...

First, I made a quick salsa with tomato, onion, a chipotle chili, and cilantro. Then, I whipped up a quick cheese sauce using Monterey Jack and Parmesan cheese. As I cooked the burgers, I let the cheese sauce cool so it became incredibly thick and spreadable. I pulled out our indoor grill pan to make the burgers, but you could easily grill them outside too.

The key to this burger is the assembly. Stack the burger on a lightly toasted bun, then topped with a generous amount of cheese sauce. Next, top the cheese with salsa and pickled jalapeno if you like a little spice. Finally, the burger is topped off with tortilla chips. I initially crushed up tortilla chips, but my husband and I both decided that adding whole tortilla chips was the way to go. The chips added a great crunch and really reminded me nachos.

LESSON LEARNED: Add whole tortilla chips on top of this burger to get maximum crunch!

Recipe for Nacho Burgers

Black Bean Patties with Corn Relish & Avocado Cream Sauce

Every once in a while, I prepare something for dinner that is completely different than what we typically make. This is one example. I thought this recipe sounded really good and my husband was pretty skeptical. Looking back, I probably shouldn't have framed it as healthy and vegetarian. :)

However, that statement accurately describes this dish. There are 3 components: black bean patties, a corn relish, and avocado cream sauce. You can easily prepare all three components ahead of time and they all keep very well in the refrigerator. The black bean patties have a TON of southwest flavor from cumin, roasted red pepper, and a chipotle chili. The relish really "brightens up" the dish by combining charred corn, tomatoes, jalapeno, and lime juice. Finally, the avocado cream sauce is slightly tangy from sour cream and cools down some of the heat from the chilies. It's really best to get a bit of everything in one bite!

After I made the meal, I thought the black bean patties could easily be made smaller and turned into an appetizer for a dinner party. I thought the dish was good, but it was a pretty big portion. As for my husband, he ate about half and made himself a sandwich :)

LESSON LEARNED: If you scaled down the size of the patties, this would be a perfect appetizer.

Recipe for Black Bean Patties with Corn Relish & Avocado Cream Sauce

Chicken & Noodles

When the weather is cold, I feel like comfort food. One of my favorite comfort foods is chicken and noodles served over mashed potatoes. My family and I used to travel to Amish country in Indiana and one of the restaurants we always ate at featured chicken and noodles. This dish definitely reminds me of my trips to Amish country.

You begin by making homemade egg noodles. I love these noodles because they require very few ingredients and take just a few minutes of work. Even though I have a mixer with a dough hook I normally use for kneading, I prefer to knead these by hand. It's very therapeutic! After the dough is kneaded, it's rolled out thin, and cut into strips. You let the strips dry while you bring a pot of chicken stock to a boil. Next, you add the noodles, cooked chicken, and dried thyme. Everything is gently simmered for 15 minutes and you are ready to serve! I mashed up Yukon gold potatoes to serve with the chicken and noodles. YUM!

LESSON LEARNED: Homemade egg noodles are a snap to make!

Recipe for Chicken and Noodles

Orange Cashew Chicken

I love making my own Chinese takeout at home. It's such a fast dinner to whip up and, for the most part, tastes a lot better than ordering Chinese takeout. At the very least, it's fresher and piping hot when you want to eat it. One of my favorite dishes is Cashew Chicken.

This recipe mixes up a typical stir fry by adding orange marmalade & hot sauce in addition to onions, red peppers, bite size pieces of chicken, and cashews. The end product is half sweet and half spicy with the nutty, buttery flavor of cashews. This dinner disappeared fast in our house!

  LESSON LEARNED: I've found that a 3:1 ratio of vegetables to chicken works well. It makes the dish healthier by adding more veggies and you'll never miss the chicken - especially when you add cashews.

Recipe for Orange Cashew Chicken

Orange and Soy-Glazed Ribs

In my cooking repertoire there are certain proteins that I feel very comfortable working with. Give me a chicken breast, pork chop, or ground beef and I have no qualms about trying a new recipe. I can't say that I've ever worked with an entire rack of ribs before. When I first saw the recipe in a magazine, I thought they looked delicious but then I read the recipe I saw I had to cut ribs and use a few different techniques to cook them. Let me tell you, it was not as big of a deal as I imagined.

Most of the recipe is pretty hands off. Of course, once you cut the rack into individual ribs! My advice is to use a sharp knife and take your time. Then, the individual ribs are poached in a flavorful liquid which includes soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and cumin seeds. Once the ribs are tender, you make a glaze which includes more soy sauce, fresh orange juice, and a touch of honey. Finally, the ribs are broiled for a few minutes with the glaze. It was actually pretty easy and definitely not the trickiest recipe I've tackled.

The ribs reminded me of summertime in the middle of winter. I would describe them as having a spicy orange Asian flavor and they were incredibly tender. By broiling them for a few minutes, the ribs became a little charred and developed a nice smokey flavor. Enjoy!

LESSON LEARNED: Don't be afraid of using different cuts of meat.

Recipe for Orange and Soy-Glazed Ribs

Butternut Squash Apple Soup

I decided to make this soup after I saw a version of it in my local supermarket. I almost bought the soup, but I turned around the packaging and saw it had a crazy amount of sodium in it. I thought I could surely make a less salty version if I controlled the quality of ingredients.

I first sauteed an onion in some butter, added in flour, and de-glazed the pan with white wine. Next, I added homemade chicken stock and chopped butternut squash and apple and let the soup cook for half an hour. I then pureed the soup in a blender and added a touch of cream. To garnish the soup I used homemade croutons and chopped chives.

The soup was thick and creamy with tons of flavor from the squash and apple. It would be perfect for a cold winter day!

LESSON LEARNED: When you make a dish at home you can control the amount of sodium in it.

Recipe for Butternut Squash Apple Soup