Chili-Lime Oven Roasted Corn on the Cobb

With summer here I have been trying to eat simpler and healthier. I needed a side dish for the tamales I was making (above) and with some suggestions from friends on the nest, I decided that I would make corn. I decided to oven roast the ears in their husks for more flavor. To add even more flavor I decided to make a spread them with a chili-lime and butter spread. I have never had corn prepared this way so I was really excited to see how it turned out. I loved the way the kitchen smelled with the corn roasting away in the oven.

After taking them out they were a little paler then I thought they should be. But after tasting (and brushing with the reserved butter) they were heaven. They chili-lime flavor was incredible, just as I was hoping.

Chili-Lime Oven Roasted Corn

2 Ears of corn

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

2 tsp. chili powder

juice of half a large lime or juice of one small whole lime

dash of salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375

Peel husks away from corn and remove the silk. Replace husks and soak in cold water for 20 or so minutes. Remove corn from water and let excess drip off. Peel back husks. Melt butter and add the other spices. Whisk until combined. Brush butter mixture all over corn and return husks. I you can remove one long husk and tie it around to keep the husks close to the cobb. Put in a pyrex and roast in oven for 30 minutes. Serve with exess butter if needed.

Asian Chicken w/ Sauteed Vegetables and Brown and Wild rice

Tonight Chad and I were in the mood for an Asian inspired meal. I decided that it has been quite some time since I've cooked with Asian ingredients so I would give it a go. I decided to make a quick marinated chicken with lots of vegetables and brown and wild rice.

Just to note, I meant to make this a rice bowl of sorts, but it ended up on a plate. Same difference right?

I decided to use brown rice because I want to try to eat healthier. I remembered I had some wild rice taking up space in my pantry so I added it to the brown rice for a goof. Let me tell you, this rice does not take the normal 20-25 minutes to cook. More like 45-50 minutes. Thank God I knew that ahead of time so I could prep/marinate while it was cooking.

I loved how this came out, especially the marinade-which was made into a thick sauce while it simmered with the chicken. This meal definitely was Asian inspired, just how we wanted.

Chicken Marinade/Sauce

1 lb. chicken tender tenders tenderloin removed and cut into cubes

1/3 cup lite soy sauce

2 Tbs. Hoisin sauce

2 Tsp. oyster sauce

2 Tbs. mirin

2 tsp. sesame oil (dark)

1 large clove garlic minced

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. Chinese 5 spice

1/2 tsp. ginger

Whisk all ingredients together in a glass or plastic bowl and add chicken. Let marinate in the fridge 30 minutes to an hour. (I doubled the marinade so we'd have more sauce)

Brown and Wild Rice

1 1/2 cups brown rice

1/2 cup wild rice

4 1/2 cups water

2 tsp. canola oil

Heat a large sauce pan over medium heat and add oil. Add rices and toast about 3-5 minutes. Add water bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Let simmer for about 40-50 minutes.

Veggies

1 cup matchstick carrots

1 can bean sprouts drained

1 can baby corn drained

2 cups Napa cabbage shredded

1/2 cup green onions chopped in 1/2 inch pieces

1 cup sliced button mushrooms

1 smallish garlic clove

1 1/2 Tbs. canola oil

2 tsp. sesame oil

1/2 tsp. salt

Heat a large skillet over med. heat and add oils. When heated add all vegetables except garlic. Add salt and saute for about 6 minutes. Add garlic and saute a minute more. Remove from pan to a plate and cover.

Chicken

Heat same skillet used for veggies over medium heat. Add chicken and marinade and simmer until chicken is done and marinade is thickened. About 8-10 minutes.

When all is finished you can serve in a bowl, or plate how you like. I mixed the components of my plate together. MMMMM.

Herb Infused Gnocchi with Parsley Garlic Brown Butter Sauce

I impressed myself tonight. I love gnocchi but I was always a little intimidated to prepare my own. Since I bought a potato ricer this past weekend I thought of all the recipes I could use it for. One that came to mind was gnocchi. I wasn't sure if I wanted to tackle something new this week, but then I though, what the hell? I am on summer vacation!

So I browsed some recipes looking for the perfect gnocchi but didn't find one. So I made up my own recipe using bits and pieces of others.

I decided to pan fry the gnocchi after boiling. It really gave them a wonderful bite. I topped with the parsley and garlic brown butter sauce and served with chicken apple sausage.

I am very happy with myself for attempting and conquering the gnocchi, it was not difficult at all.

Herb Infused Gnocchi

2 lbs. potatoes (I used russet)

1 egg beaten

1 1/4 + unbleached AP flour sifted

1 Tbs. finely chopped oregano

preheat oven to 400 degrees

Wash potatoes and pierce with a fork all over to let steam escape while baking. Bake potatoes for 40-60 minutes or until baked through.

Remove skin from potatoes and roughly chop. transfer potatoes to a ricer and rice the potatoes in a seperate bowl. Let cool to room temperature.

add egg and flour and use a wooden spoon to combine. sprinkle flour on a counter and work dough making sure all the flour is combined. When dough is no longer sticky, grab a chunk and roll into ropes about 3/4 " thick. Cut into 1 " pieces and roll on the back of a fork to make indentations (this is to capture sauce, but it isn't necessary).

Boil water in a large pot and drop in the gnocchi. When the float to the top they are done.

To pan fry add a little oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add gnocchi and saute until they are browned.

Parsley and Garlic Brown Butter Sauce

6 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley

1 clove garlic finely minced

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Melt butter over med low heat. Let it foam and bubble for about 3 minutes. Add parsley and garlic and let cook about 3 minutes longer. Serve on top of gnocchi.

Chicken Thighs w/ Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese

I may have mentioned this in another post but I LOVE Trader Joe's. So much so, that Chad and I usually can be caught there on a Sat. afternoon. This past Saturday something new caught my eye, a jar of roasted red pepper spread. But it wasn't just roasted peppers, it also contains eggplant and garlic. The jar said to use it as a dip for crudites, add to sauces or top chicken/pork with it. I stood there mid isle blocking everyone and envisioned the possibilities.

So for tonight's main dish I decided to use this jar of roasted red peppers with eggplant and garlic and put it on top of chicken thighs. As I was preparing the rest of the our meal (couscous and zucchini) I caught a glimpse of the goat cheese crumbles I had also purchased from TJ's. I thought "Hmmmm. Roasted red pepper chicken and goat cheese?", ABSOLUTELY.

After baking about 25 minutes in the oven I topped with the goat cheese (shaved parmesan for Chad) and knew immediately this was going to be good. And it was.

Chicken Thighs w/Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese

6 boneless/skinless chicken thighs trimmed of as much fat as possible

Salt, pepper and garlic powder for seasoning

2 tsp fresh chopped oregano

2 Tbs. canola oil

1/4 cup chicken stock/broth

About 4 Tbs. roasted red pepper dip/sauce from TJ's

goat cheese crumbles or shaved parmesan

Preheat oven to 375

Season chicken liberally with salt, pepper and garlic powder on both sides. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add oil. Sear chicken on both sides about 2 minutes each. Transfer to a baking dish (or use your oven safe skillet) and add chicken broth. Top with chopped oregano then the roasted red pepper dip and cover with foil. Bake for 25 minutes. uncover top with cheese and bake until goat cheese is toasted or parmesan has melted.

Israeli Couscous with Fresh Herbs and Pecans

This is one of those side dishes I cannot get enough of on my plate. I shamefully admit I went back for seconds, when I should have gone for seconds of the zucchini. Oh well, I probably could/would eat this as a meal in itself, and I may do that for lunch tomorrow.

I love the plumpness of this style of couscous it reminds me a lot of barley (one of my favorite grains) but softer. Although Israeli couscous isn't a grain, rather a pasta, I still like to substitute it in recipes that call for rice or small pastas.

Tonight I didn't follow a recipe, and I wasn't sure if I was even going to make the couscous. I started messing around in my kitchen, and found some ingredients that would go very nicely with it. I was very pleased with the results in both taste (hence the seconds ; p ) and time. It came together in about 25 minutes.

Israeli Couscous with Fresh Herbs and Pecans

1 cup Israeli couscous

2 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup finely chopped red/purple onion

1 clove garlic minced

1 1/2 tbs. olive oil

2 tsp. fresh chopped oregano

2 tsp. fresh chopped parsley

1/2 cup pecan peices

salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium sized sauce pan. Add onion and cook until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic, pecans and couscous and toast for a couple more minutes. Add fresh herbs, salt and pepper and chicken stock. Let come to a boil cover and simmer about 20 minutes or until most of the liquid has been asorbed and couscous is creamy.

Daring Bakers: Opera Cake

Key Lime and Strawberry Opera Cake

What a fabulous recipe, but so intimidating!

I have never heard of an Opera or a Clichy cake until the announcement of this month's DB challenge. Lis, Ivonne, Fran and Shea our hosts this month gave this description:

"For those of you that don't know about this cake, it's an extremely elegant and polished French dessert that is believed to have been created around the beginning of the 1900s. Many people credit a gentleman by the name of Louis Clichy with inventing the cake and that's why it's sometimes referred to as Clichy Cake. .......................................................................................

........a cake that is made up (usually) of five components: a joconde (a cake layer), a syrup (to wet the joconde), a buttercream (to fill some of the layers), a ganache or mousse (to top the final cake layer) and a glaze (to cover the final layer of cake or of ganache/mousse)."

After reading this description (and seeing photos of this eloquent cake) all I could think was "this is definitely going to be a challenge".

This month the challenge is being dedicated to Barbara from winos and foodies, who hosted a blogging event called A Taste of Yellow, which was an event to show support to LiveSTRONG day May 13th this year).

To coinside with the spring theme and LiveSTRONG Day, our hosts asked us to use light colors and flavors in the opera cake. Traditionally, an opera cake is flavored with dark chocolate and coffee liquors. I thought a while about what flavors I would use and I came up with strawberry and key lime, and a light rum. I ended up using the buttercream recipe from Dorie's Perfect Party cake. The recipe is a combination of Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets and Tish Boyle’s and Timothy and Moriarty’s Chocolate Passion

This was the order of my flavors: First the Jaconde

Buttercream----- Strawberry (1 cup pureed strawberries added)

Syrup----- Key Lime (about 1/4 cup)

Mousse/Ganache----- Light Rum (2 Tbs.)

For the Glaze----- Key Lime (I added about 1/3 cup)

This was definitely a very involved recipe. I wouldn't suggest doing this in one day since the setting time can take some time. I actually made the jaconde a day before, and made the other components the next day. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to learn about and bake this cake, it was fun and fantastically delicious. Thank you Lis, Ivonne, Fran and Shea!

Don't forget to check out the other DB'ers concoctions here

You can view the recipe for the Daring Bakers’ Opéra Cake here on Ivonne's blog.

Fish and Chips

A couple of weeks ago Chad and I had a casual dinner with some friends at a local restaurant/bar that was English pub themed. On the menu they had fish and chips, which Chad ordered. I forgot how much Chad liked this dish. I forget because Chad isn't a big seafood lover but he really likes cod fish, which is the typical fish used for fish & chips. I guess he likes this English dish because he had lived in England for a few years when he was younger. Or he just likes fried things. : - P

On my usual weekend trip to Trader Joe's I saw that they had some frozen cod fish for a resonable price. I decided to pick it up and make my husband happy with fish and chips at home.

I wanted to make this without any worries, so I looked for a recipe on Cook's Illustrated, a site I trust because I know their recipes have been tested. They haven't failed me yet, and their recipe for fish and chips was wonderful. I probably would add a little more of the spices to the batter only because I like spicy, but other than that this recipe is solid.

Fish & Chips

(CI)

3 pounds russet potatoes(about 4 large potatoes), peeled, ends and sides squared off, and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch by 1/2-inch fries

3 quarts peanut oil (or canola oil), plus 1/4 additional cup
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Table salt

1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 pounds 1-inch-thick cod fillet (or other thick white fish, such as hake or haddock) cut into eight 3-ounce pieces

1 1/2 cups beer (12 ounces), cold

1. Place cut fries in large microwaveable bowl, toss with 1/4 cup oil, and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high power until potatoes are partially translucent and pliable but still offer some resistance when pierced with tip of paring knife, 6 to 8 minutes, tossing them with rubber spatula halfway through cooking time. Carefully pull back plastic wrap from side farthest from you and drain potatoes into large mesh strainer set over sink. Rinse well under cold running water. Spread potatoes onto kitchen towels and pat dry. Let rest until room temperature, at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour.

2. While fries cool, whisk flour, cornstarch, cayenne, paprika, pepper, and 2 teaspoons salt in large mixing bowl; transfer 3/4 cup of mixture to rimmed baking sheet. Add baking powder to bowl and whisk to combine.

3. In heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, heat 2 quarts oil over medium heat to 350 degrees. Add fries to hot oil and increase heat to high. Fry, stirring with mesh spider or slotted metal spoon, until potatoes turn light golden and just begin to brown at corners, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer fries to thick paper bag or paper towels to drain.

4. Reduce heat to medium-high, add remaining quart of oil, and heat oil to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, thoroughly dry fish with paper towels and dredge each piece in flour mixture on baking sheet; transfer pieces to wire rack, shaking off excess flour. Add 1 1/4 cups beer to flour mixture in mixing bowl and stir until mixture is just combined (batter will be lumpy). Add remaining beer as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking after each addition, until batter falls from whisk in thin, steady stream and leaves faint trail across surface of batter. Using tongs, dip 1 piece fish in batter and let excess run off, shaking gently. Place battered fish back onto baking sheet with flour mixture and turn to coat both sides. Repeat with remaining fish, keeping pieces in single layer on baking sheet.

5. When oil reaches 375 degrees, increase heat to high and add battered fish to oil with tongs, gently shaking off excess flour. Fry, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer fish to thick paper bag or paper towels to drain. Allow oil to return to 375 degrees.

6. Add all fries back to oil and fry until golden brown and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to fresh paper bag or paper towels to drain. Season fries with salt to taste and serve immediately with fish.

Citi's Chicken (Katie's gma's chicken)

Katie, a friend of mine on The Nest recently posted about her Citi's chicken recipe. When I checked out her blog I put it on my menu for the week. It is basically an oven fried chicken, but different than I've ever seen. The breading and marinade is what drew me to the recipe (and the fact that I love fried chicken). This breading consists of oats and corn flakes. The marinade uses yogurt and wine. All of these ingredients sounded wonderful together and I knew it would make a great chicken dish. I ended up marinading the chicken overnight to ensure it would have the most flavor.

Chad and I loved it. So crispy and delicious. Thanks Katie for a great recipe!

Citi's Chicken

(Good Things Catered)

Ingredients:

6 chicken thighs

6 chicken drumsticks

1 egg

1 c. yogurt

1/8 c. olive oil

1/4 c. white wine (of chicken stock if you don't use alch.)

2 tsp salt (I love Lawry's garlic salt for this)

2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/4 c. flour

3 c. cornflakes

1 1/2 c. oatmeal

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp fresh rosemary

1/2 tsp fresh thyme

1 tsp fresh oregano

Directions:-

Clean and pat dry chicken pieces.

-Place chicken into a large freezer bag.

-In a blender, combine egg, yogurt, olive oil, wine/stock, salt and pepper and blend on high to whip together.

-Pour mixture over chicken and seal bag.

-Make sure marinade is covering all pieces and sides of chicken and place in fridge to marinade.-Marinade chicken at least one hour and up to 24.

-Preheat even to 400 degrees.

-In bowl of food processor, combine remaining ingredients and pulse to a coarse meal, cutting the spices into the breading.

-Remove from bowl of food processor and place in a shallow dish or wide

-bottomed bowl.

-Line a baking sheet with heavy duty tinfoil and top with wire baking rack.

-Remove chicken from fridge and with a set of tongs, pull one piece of chicken out of the marinade, shake to remove excess and dredge in breading mixture.

-Cover completely in breading mixture, shaking lightly to remove excess, and place on wire rack.

-Repeat with all pieces of chicken.-Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and place baking sheet in oven.-Bake until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees, about 50-60 minutes.

Cheesy Grits with Roasted Corn and Shallots

Last Sunday after church Chad and I went to lunch. We wanted to try a restaurant near us that is said to have amazing brunches, unfortunately when we got there the wait time was like an hour. Both of us starving, we decided not to wait. I did however grab a to-go menu so I could see what I was missing out on that day.

The menu did look awesome. I was pretty disappointed that I wasn't able to have some grits, which was one item that caught my eye. I imagined them being creamy and cheesy and I wanted them. I still did tonight.

Tonight I decided to make grits. To dress them up I roasted some frozen corn kernels and sauteed some shallots and garlic. The best part is the cheese. Oooey gooey cheese and grits, what is not to like? I am a content woman.

Cheesy Grits with Roasted Corn and Shallots

1 1/2 cup grits

2 tsp. oil

2 Tbs. chopped shallots

1 Garlic clove minced

2 1/2 cups milk

3 cups chicken stock

1 Tbs. fresh chopped parsley

1 cup frozen corn kernels thawed

1 tsp. oil

1 1/2 cups cheese (you can use what you have on hand or like, I used colby/jack)

1 Tbs. unsalted butter

Heat a medium sauce pan over medium heat and add oil. Add shallots and garlic and saute a few minutes add liquids and bring to a boil. When liquid comes to a boil wisk grits in a steady stream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Lower heat, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes.

While grits cook, heat oven to 400. Toss corn kernels with oil and lay on a small baking sheet. cook 15-20 minutes until corn starts to brown.

Uncover the sauce pan and toss in the parsley, cheese, corn, and butter, stirring to combine. Serve immediately.