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Truffle Mashed Potatoes

Steamed broccoli. Chicken thighs sprinkled with Baby Bam, then grilled and sliced. Truffle Mashed potatoes.

(I wanted the focus of this meal to be on the potatoes, so I thought the rest of the food should be simple. I thought using Baby Bam on the chicken would be fitting, since the potato recipe is also from Emeril Lagasse.) Potato recipe here.

I was thrilled recently a few months ago (cause I’m the most procastinating blogger there is) to find some beautiful black truffles for sale at Whole Foods. It was the first time that I had ever seen them for sale in Austin, although before having very liberal access to them on our family trip to Italy this summer, I was never quite so passionate about them. I grabbed them from the produce case without a second thought, knowing that I would be able to come up with something fabulous to use them in. There were three in the small, clear plastic deli box (I can’t BELIEVE that I forgot to take a photo!) and they were packed in arborio rice, which is typical, but is also controversial. I cooked some in a roasted chicken (more on that later) and made some into truffle butter (this link will also allow you to read up on the storage-in-rice controversy) and then used what was left to make these mashed potatoes. They were earthy and buttery and fabulous. Now that truffle season is over, I know that I will be craving them until next summer, when I plan to order some from d’Artagnan.

Fusilli with Spicy Chicken Sausage, Tomato and Ricotta Cheese

Yum. Savory and very kid-friendly. Recipe here.

Spring Rolls

Clockwise from top right: julienned red and green bell pepper, thinly sliced teriyaki chicken and halved grilled shrimp, shredded lettuce, sliced baby corn and red onion, avocado and bean sprouts (which I grew myself! how’s that for advanced meal planning!), julienned carrot and cucumber. Rice noodles in round center section.

This was an experiment, but has become a favorite family meal. Everyone loves to be able to customize and assemble their own meal and make it EXACTLY how they like it and it’s exceedingly healthy and low fat. This is a VERY popular meal with the kids. I usually am the person that’s on “wrapper duty” and make sure that there’s always a new wrapper soaking in the hot water, so that there’s one ready when someone needs it. We usually can eat at least three per person.

Basically, it can be anything that you like:

julienned or thinly sliced veggies: cucumber, bell pepper, carrot, lettuce, red onion, avocado

bean sprouts, baby corn, baby spinach

teriyaki-marinated grilled shrimp and/or chicken

thin rice noodles: I cut these into smallish pieces with kitchen shears and put them in a heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water over them (I use an electric kettle) and let them soak a few minutes until they’re softened. Drain before placing in your serving bowl.

Assemble all of the ingredients and fillings on a platter, in whatever configuration you choose.

Pour more boiling water (again, I use an electric kettle and keep refilling it, so that we can dump out the water and replace it as it cools during the meal) into a shallow and wide, heat-proof bowl (I use the salad bowl of my everyday stoneware.) Place one rice paper spring roll wrapper into the hot water at a time and let it soak to soften for a few seconds (10-15.) Remove quickly (using a fork or small tongs, if necessary, to avoid a burn) and place on your plate. Fill the wrapper with veggies or proteins of your choice and wrap up like a burrito. The rice paper will stick to itself and seal your spring roll. Two important tips:

1. Place the fillings in a tight, compact line about 1 and 1/2 inches wide, just off the center of the wrapper, stopping at least an inch away from each edge.

2. Gently compress the fillings as you roll up the wrapper, to make the roll as tight as possible. This will help it stay intact as you eat it. No worries, though, if your roll does come apart…just grab a fork!

Serve with your choice of sauces (duck sauce, soy sauce, my great homemade sauce recipe here) for dipping and maybe edamame on the side. Oh, and some riesling!

Asian-Glazed Chicken Thighs with Rice and Roasted Broccoli

Monday we celebrated our wedding anniversary here at FYK. I asked Hubby if he had any special dinner requests and he asked for some kind of chicken thighs (his favorite,) so I decided to make this upscaled version of chicken, broccoli and rice. Vegetarian Girl skipped the chicken and added some edamame for protein.

Asian-Glazed Chicken Thighs, from Sheila Lukins’ (RIP, such a talented lady) final cookbook, Ten. Recipe here. I made rice to accompany, because I used the last of our rice noodles to make spring rolls recently and keep forgetting to buy more. The marinade/sauce in this recipe tastes EXACTLY like the sauce used in P.F. Chang’s Orange Peel Chicken (my favorite thing there,) so it would be easy to adapt this recipe if you’re trying to recreate that (just stir-fry bite-sized chicken breast chunks until crispy, reduce the sauce a little to thicken it and then add some thick strips of orange peel.)

Roasted Broccoli with Garlic and Red Pepper. Easy and surprisingly tasty and sweet. Recipe here.

Steakhouse Birthday Dinner for a Carnivore

Boy LOVES meat…just about any kind, so when we celebrated his 12th birthday recently, only a nice hunk of red meat would do. So, we made him some beautiful ribeyes, mashed garlic Yukon Gold potatoes and The Pioneer Woman’s easy and delicious creamed spinach. I made him a lemon birthday cake with raspberry frosting for dessert. He was VERY happy.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken (two versions) Gallo Pinto (Congri)

Jamaican Jerk Chicken, from Food & Wine magazine
click here for recipe
I recently bought Food & Wine’s new “Quick from Scratch Chicken” magazine/cookbook (there are lots of versions of this cookbook available from different years, some are hardback and some are magazine-style, but this is BRAND NEW and can be found at a magazine stand – it has an olive green cover with chicken and corn-on-the-cob on the front….I can’t find an online photo) and have been making all sorts of yummy things from it (Chicken with Avgolemono, Pad Thai and I’m planning to make Fusilli with Chicken Sausage and Rustic Garlic Chicken soon).
Well, last night was my brother and sister-in-law’s anniversary and since, due to 2.5 week old Baby Jack Henry, they’re still not back into full-fledged “going out” mode, I offered to make them a nice dinner over here (with the stipulation that they MUST bring the baby, of course!) It wasn’t really 100% intentional (Boy had already seen the recipe in the book and had requested that I make it, so it was already in my “make soon” folder,) but I decided to make this, because Little Brother and his wife went on a cruise to Jamaica (and other destinations) for their honeymoon, so I thought this was fitting for their anniversary.
Boy, was that ever a great idea. This stuff was lip-tinglingly DELICIOUS. It was saucy and moist and flavorful without being butt-kicking spicy. I didn’t do the leg quarters, but instead did some whole, boneless, skinless breasts and some boneless, skinless thighs. I wasn’t sure what the baking time should be, so I just used a thermometer and pulled them out when the temperature registered 175 degrees. Man, oh, man… I sliced the breasts up so that we could all taste a little bit of everything. The thighs absorbed more of the sauce and were a little spicier than the breasts. The allspice flavor was very strong, but not overpowering. If it’s not a spice that you really love, you might want to dial that down just a tiny bit. Boy, this was easy, too. Just blend it all up and then pour it over the chicken and bake. Simple and definitely do-ahead. Perfect if you’re having adventuresome dinner guests. I marinated for 24 hours for maximum flavor and I doubled the sauce, because I was cooking extra chicken pieces. If you don’t want it to be extra saucy and spicy, then I would pour off any excess marinade before baking, or simply remove the chicken pieces to another pan, and then I think the sauce would be more like a glaze, as is in the Food & Wine photo.
For the Congri/Gallo Pinto, I basically followed this recipe, but cooked the beans myself, and added a little epazote and, if you ask Little Brother (although he was polite about it), a bit too much cilantro (to me, there is no such thing as too much cilantro…)
All in all, a delicious and fairly simple dinner. Will definitely be a repeat, although I’ll need to tone down the cayenne for the little people that live with me…
For another kid-friendly Jerk Chicken variation, try this.

Menu Planning – 13 days worth

I’ve planned two weeks at a time this time around, because we’ve got Spring Break coming up and we’ve decided to stay in town this year (really – does it make sense to leave this city during the only time of year that it’s actually pretty here? methinks not). I’m going to do lots of cooking (because when I have free time, I’d rather be doing that than anything else in the world) and we will be at home A LOT because I’m also planning on painting a few rooms in the house next week. After spending the day on the ladder, it will be nice to come down and have a good meal.
The reason that we have 13 days here, instead of 14, is that today was actually Day 1 of this little experiment. We had leftovers for dinner tonight, but I made a fabulous dessert (Hey, it’s all about priorities, people!) See the next post for details.
Also, I will round out these menus when I actually serve them. I’ll scramble some eggs and cut up some fruit for breakfast; I’ll add a green veggie at dinner, etc, but I don’t usually figure out exactly what that’s going to be until it’s time to get to work – it depends upon what I have on hand and/or what looks good at the store. I don’t usually plan lunches, because we usually eat leftovers or will have a simple soup, salad or sandwich. With all of the heavy cooking that I’m planning to do, we may not even eat lunches!
So…here goes, if you want to join in:
Disclaimer: It’s entirely possible that I may be too exhausted and sore from painting that I don’t actually get any of this done and we have pizza for 13 days straight. I’m just sayin.
Day 1

Chicken and White Bean Soup with Herb Swirl
Parmesan Toasts
Dessert:Roasted Banana Bars with Browned Butter- Pecan Frosting
Day 2
Breakfast: Buttermilk French Toast
Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw (I’ll probably sub queso freso.)
Cocktail: Micheladas
Dessert: Flaky Blood Orange Tart with Salted Caramel Sauce (finally – yes, it’s been in the freezer this whole time, but it’s tightly wrapped and I’ve checked it – it looks perfect)
Sometime today: prepare kimchi-style cabbage to eat next week (it has to sit in the fridge for a week)
Day 3
Pork Chops Oreganata
Butternut Squash Polenta
Dessert: Chocolate Malted Creme Brulee, originally from the “R.S.V.P.” column in Bon Appetit
Day 4
Breakfast: This will be my Amish Friendship bread “baking day”, so we’ll probably do pancakes for breakfast.

Pepperoni Bread (with assistance from the kids, hopefully. I plan to let them make their own and adapt the fillings as they choose)
Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Dessert: Orange Sherbet (made with Cara Cara oranges, natch)
Day 5
Breakfast: OK, I’m ashamed to admit this, but I’m going to make…Cap’n Crunch French Toast. I knew when I saw it on the Serious Eats blog recently that I had to try it. I love the idea of breakfast cereal on French toast and it will be the first morning of Spring Break, so…forgive me, please. Actually, I already have the Cap’n Crunch in the house (it was on sale last week) and Hubby has already pulled the box out of the pantry and said “What’s the deal with this?”
Thai Noodle Salad with Sauteed Tofu
Dessert: Lemon Creme Brulee Tart (How in the world did I miss that one during my Lemon Dessert round-up?
Day 6
Breakfast: Orange Rolls (not sure if I’ll use this recipe or this one)
King Ranch Chicken Casserole (I have lots of versions and I’m still trying to figure out which one I’m going to use.)
Salad
Dessert: Ginger-Squash Cake with White Chocolate Frosting
Day 7
Summer Rolls (I have lots of versions of these, too, and will probably let the kids help make them and stuff them with whatever they like.)
Wok-fried edamame with garlic and chiles
Dessert: Lemon Ginger Cake with Pistachios
Day 8
Panuchos Yucatecos con Chorizo
salad, some version of Mexican rice
$100 pecan cookies (click on “related stories” to see the recipe…I’ll just apologize to my conservative friends now for this story…you know I love you!)
Day 9
Pan-fried Salmon with Mango-Cucumber Salsa
salad or green veggie
Dessert: Coffee Caramel Creme Brulee
Day 10
Chicken and Dumplings (some version – still deciding which one)
Espresso-Blackberry Macarons (I haven’t made these in a million years!)
Day 11
Korean Beef (still choosing between several recipes) and Kimchi-Style Cabbage (prepared previous week)
Day 12
Breakfast: The Greatest Waffle Recipe Ever (how could I not try that?)
I’m planning to watch the movie “The Big Night” on this night, hopefully to celebrate a successful (and completed!) painting job.
Italian Timpano (either this recipe or this one)
Tiramisu Affogato
Day 13
Breakfast: Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls
Banh Mi sandwiches (either this recipe or this one)
To my Catholic friends and family: feel free to sub out the vegetarian entrees (Thai noodle salad and summer rolls) to use on Fridays.

Red Lentil-Rice Cakes with Pico de Gallo

Red Lentil- Rice Cakes with Pico de Gallo

adapted from this recipe in Cooking Light magazine
Red Lentil-Rice Cakes:
5 cups water, divided
1 cup dried small red lentils
1/2 cup uncooked basmati rice
(or 1 and 1/2 cups cooked
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, crushed
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
Bring 4 cups water and lentils to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain. Place lentils in a large bowl.
Combine remaining 1 cup water and rice in pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 18 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Cool 10 minutes. Add rice to lentils.
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, onion, cumin seeds and garlic pan; saute 2 minutes or until tender. Cool 10 minutes. Add to rice mixture. Add cheddar cheese and remaining ingredients, stirring until well combined. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Wipe skillet clean with paper towels. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Spoon half of rice mixture by 1/3 cupfuls into pan, spreading to form 6 (3-inch) circles; cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Carefully turn cakes over; cook 5 minutes on other side. Remove cakes from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil and remaining rice mixture. Serve with pico de gallo.
Pico de Gallo:
2 cups coarsely chopped plum (Roma) tomato
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1 small squeeze fresh lime juice
3 pickled jalapeno slices, finely chopped
Gently fold all pico de gallo ingredients together. Add a small amount of salt, to taste. This stuff is GREAT as a chunky salsa to top quesadillas or dip chips into. You can also stir it into mashed avocados to make a mild, fresh guacamole. I could eat this stuff with a spoon if you let me.
Note: There is NO SUCH THING as too much cilantro. Cilantro is awesome.
The lentil cakes were really yummy and could easily be adapted to any flavor combination that suits your fancy. The original recipe has a more “Italian” flavor, with basil, mozzarella and fennel seeds instead of cilantro, cheddar and cumin seeds. You could probably easily go Mediterranean or Indian with these, too. These took a little time and prep, but were not difficult at all. The “5 minutes at medium heat” time was PERFECT: you really don’t even need to peek or watch them much as they’re cooking; just set a timer for 5 minutes and walk away (or work on the rest of your dinner or set the table, or whatever).

I served these with roasted chicken and a green salad with balsamic vinaigrette and Baby Bam croutons.

Warm Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad (with BBQ chicken thighs and sauteed spinach)

I recently discovered “Smitten Kitchen“, a cute little food blog that I HIGHLY recommend that you check out right away. When I read Deb’s rave entry about this salad, I knew that I had to try it right away. She’s definitely right; we loved it and it’s absolutely a keeper. It’s delicious right after it’s made, piping hot, but it’s, unbelievably, even better the next day, when the flavors have had a chance to meld. I cooked the squash a little more, so that it was a bit softer and took on an almost potato-salad texture. The leftovers are delicious re-heated, but are also wonderful when eaten cold (like a potato salad). Hubby and I both LOVED it.
NOTE: use good-quality, freshly made tahini; you’ll definitely taste the difference (sorry, Trish!). Lots of gourmet food stores or health stores actually make/grind it right on the premises. Look for it in the refrigerated section.

Ina Garten’s Asian Salmon and Crunchy Noodle Salad

Asian Salmon and Crunchy Noodle Salad
These two recipes are from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa show on Food Network. I LOVE watching Ina’s show, but I am actually pretty surprised to admit that this is the first time that I’ve tried one of her recipes. For as many time as I’ve watched her show, that really is kind of unbelievable.

So, the salad was an absolute success. I substituted whole wheat udon noodles for the spaghetti because, well…just because and I substituted black sesame seeds for the white ones because I think they’re prettier. I left out the parsley because it just didn’t seem “right” to me. If I had had some cilantro in the house, I would have added that, but I (strangely, for me) didn’t have any in the house, so I just left the chopped herb garnish off. Cilantro would have been really nice. This salad could easily adapt to whatever Asian (-ish) veggies you might have on hand: broccoli, water chestnuts, bok choy, snow peas, edamame, etc. It was delicious, as is, but wouldn’t have to be made exactly the same way. I also cut the amount of vegetable oil to 3/4 cup because 1 cup just seemed like SO much. I don’t like things that are really oily. My dressing may have been a little richer as a result (higher percentage of peanut butter), but it was perfect. Another 1/4 cup of oil would have been too much. If you’re calorie conscious, you could probably get away with leaving off the last 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the dressing (add some vinegar and a bit more oil and the remaining dressing would be GREAT on an Asian chicken salad). It was plenty “saucy.”
The salmon? Well…I think I did something wrong. I’m used to thinking of panko as being crunchy and this salmon, after being doused with the (delicious but waaaaaay too salty for my taste) sauce, was just, well…soggy. The flavors were still good and the amount of sauce that soaked into the fish itself was perfect, but the sauce-soggy bread topping was just too wet and salty for me, but Hubby loved it, so make of that what you will. Boy loved it, but he, too, scraped off the breadcrumbs.
So, the salad? A make-again. The salmon? Probably not in its current incarnation, but with some adaptations, maybe.