Tandoori Chicken Burgers

Last week, I blogged about some Spicy Jalapeno burgers that I am still drooling about (and am in fact planning to make again this weekend because Nick keeps talking about them too!). This week I made some Tandoori Chicken Burgers that were entirely different from the jalapeno ones. They were full of flavor and delicious but not something I’m craving again instantly. They are still great for adventurous dinner guests like the ones we had that night (from New York and the Netherlands, they are willing to try anything).

I loved the cucumbers and yogurt sauce that went on top of the burgers. The patties themselves were moist and full of ginger, garam masala, cayenne, and more spices. I don’t like the texture of ground chicken (it’s pretty sticky) so I wonder if these would taste better with ground turkey which has more of a burger texture instead of a meatball one.

Used Frozen Garlic Naan from Trader Joe’s. Love that stuff!

Tandoori Chicken Burgers

• 2 lbs of ground chicken
• 4 green onions
• 3 Tbsp of grated fresh ginger (I use my mandolin – does anyone out there have a better method?)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garam masala
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Naan bread
• Cucumber
• Cilantro
• Red onion, thinly sliced

Yogurt Sauce

• 8 oz of plain greek yogurt
• 1 Tbsp of chopped fresh mint
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp of lemon juice

1. Put the chicken and all of the spices in a large bowl and mix with your hands. Form into 4 patties (this could probably stretch to making enough for 5).
2. Mix yogurt sauce and set aside.
3. Slice the cucumbers, red onions, and cilantro.
4. Cook the Tandoori burgers on the grill or if you don’t have one (yet! I want a stovetop grill!!!), cook over medium-medium high heat in your cast iron. I did 3 minutes on each side and put it in the oven at 450 degrees for another 3 minutes at the end.
5. Throw the naan bread in the oven with the burger patties.
6. Top the naan with the patties, top the patties with the veggies and finally add the yogurt sauce.

Adapted from: http://bakedbree.com/tandoori-chicken-burgers

Oatmeal Pancakes (with no sugar, oil, or butter!)

These pancakes are not the most buttery, delicious pancakes I've ever had but they come pretty darn closer. I like that they're not sweet and are thick and fluffy (thanks to the yogurt and ground oatmeal). They are the perfect base pancake for toppings like berries, whipped cream, simply lemon juice and powdered sugar, or anything else you desire. 

I will be making these weekly and guilt-free because they are so healthy! 

So after all these years of blogging, I don't know how to make my picture turn the right way. Sigh. 

Until my blogging capabilities improve, here's the recipe! 

Oatmeal Pancakes

• 1 1/3 cups oats
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups of plain, nonfat yogurt (greek, European, whatever works!)
• Butter for frying

1. Grind the oats in a food processor or blender until fine as flour. Combine with remaining dry ingredients.
2. Beat the eggs and yogurt together. Stir the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture and combine just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Lumpy is okay! In fact, it’s good.
3. Heat a griddle over medium-high heat and brush with butter. Grill pancakes until bubbles start rising from the bottom to the top or for about 3-4 minutes.
4. Flip pancakes and cook with lid on for a few more minutes. The pancakes are done when you press the center and it’s lightly set.
5. Enjoy immediately!

Recipe adapted from: http://articles.latimes.com/2012/feb/23/food/la-fo-calcook-rec1-20120223

Little Kick Jalapeno Burgers!

I love how there are so many iterations of a burger. Asian-inspired flavors with a crusty sesame roll, BBQ flavored short rib with pretzel bun and coleslaw, classic burger with some fun toppings like peanut butter, avocado, and bacon, or an Italian-themed burger with mozzarella, pesto, and Italian-seasoned patty on a ciabatta roll. The list goes on and on. It’s great for a burger lover like me! Burgers are one of the few dishes I can eat every week without complaint. I even get tired of pizza sooner than I do a juicy, intense, creative burger.

The most recent one I cooked at home was not too hot but definitely had a kick to it. It’s appropriately called “Little Kick” burgers. I used 2 lbs of 85/15 ground beef from Trader Joe’s (I only trust meat from there and the local butcher…a weird personal bias) to make four half-pounders and doubled the spices called for in the recipe. I served these with caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, and mozzarella. Delicious! Definitely going to make it again!

Little Kick Jalapeno Burgers

Makes 4 half-pounders

• 3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely diced
• 4 Tbsp of minced cilantro
• 4 dashes of hot pepper sauce (I used Cholula)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp of cayenne
• 2 lbs of 85/15 ground beef
• 4 slices of mozzarella
• 4 classic burger buns from Trader Joe’s
• Tomatoes, romaine lettuce, caramelized onions, slices of avocado…

1. In a large bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients ending with the beef.
2. Form into 4 patties, about 5 inches wide.
3. Preheat cast iron over medium to medium high heat with 2 Tbsp of olive oil.
4. Add patties and cook for 3 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
5. Add cheese slices to top of patties and broil in oven for additional 2-3 minutes for a medium rare to medium done burger.
6. While patties are in the broiler, toast your buns.
7. Top with your favorite burger accoutrements and enjoy with a beer! Any of the ones below are great and only ~$3 from Trader Joe's! 

Recipe adapted from: http://www.stockpilingmoms.com/2012/03/little-kick-jalapeno-burgers-recipe/

Ricotta Gnocchi

Ricotta gnocchi is one of my favorite pastas. The soft, pillowy little pieces of dough are so tasty! I love this recipe because it adds some nice seasonings to the ricotta gnocchi itself and includes a great recipe for delicious homemade red sauce. I’ve made it several times and usually double it and freeze half of the gnocchi batch.

My favorite part of making the gnocchi is watching each little one plop to the surface while they’re cooking in a pot of boiling water. So adorable! They literally POP to the surface, ready to be eaten and gobbled!

I added prosciutto to this the last time I made it and it was a good move. I should actually make that my motto in life: “Add Prosciutto.” It has yet to do me harm.

The single recipe is enough for four people! Paired with a good bottle of wine and followed by some tiramisu, it makes for an ideal dinner party recipe.

Ricotta Gnocchi

1 8 oz container ricotta cheese

2 eggs

½ cup freshly grated parmesan

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 cup of flour

Sauce

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp of minced garlic

1 15.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes

6 basil leaves, finely shredded

Salt and pepper to taste

Shredded prosciutto to taste ;)

1. Stir the ricotta, cheese, eggs, parmesan, salt, pepper, and garlic powder together until combined. Mix in a cup of flour or more until a soft dough is formed.
2. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll each out into 1/2 “ thick rope on a floured surface. Cut the rope into ½” pieces. You can place these on a tray and refrigerate for a day (so you can make them the night before!) if you need to.
3. Bring water to boil. While water is heating up, heat olive oil in large sauce pan over medium heat. Cook garlic until softened. Pour in tomatoes and red pepper flakes and let simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Boil gnocchi until they float to surface (shouldn’t take long – about 1 to 2 minutes) and drain.
5. Add basil to sauce and add sauce to gnocchi. Sprinkle prosciutto on top. Drool.

Recipe from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/ricotta-gnocchi/

Bursting-with-Flavor Barbacoa Tacos

I made a slow cooker recipe for carnitas and barbacoa before but both recipes seemed to be lacking in flavor in the end. Sure the meat was tender but I still felt the need to disguise the lack of depth in flavor with a litany of toppings including guacamole, salsa fresca, sour cream, cheese, and hot sauce. I wanted meat that was popping with flavor but after 6-8 hours in the slow cooker, the meat seemed mildly affected by the sauce it was sitting in. In fact, the reverse had happened - the melted meat fat had inundated the sauce while the sauce had made little headway in intruding the meat.

I tried a new recipe a few weekends ago and it was significantly better. I think I've gotten within a yardstick distance of Chipotle's barbacoa beef flavor. I am so excited!

This recipe made enough to feed 6 for dinner (I'd say about 22 tacos), Nick for lunch two days in a row (4 big burritos), and then some (I ended up freezing a bunch). It cost $35 for 6 lbs of beef brisket from the Farmer's Market which was a surprise, but it did go a long way and tasted great. Just some logistics/costs to keep in mind :)

Recipe followed exactly from: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-for-a-crowd-big-game-day-barbacoa-165301

The sauce for this was amazing. I wanted to eat it by the ladle. The tangyness of lime juice and cider vinegar paired with the earthy spicyness of the adobo chipotle peppers and the aroma of cilantro, garlic, and onion was oh-so-enticing. I'm glad the meat actually soaked all that flavor up; all I did was top my tacos with some more cilantro and onion and I didn't need the usual creamy/cheesy goodness to add excitement to these tacos. Great for a summer house party because it won't heat up your apartment though it will spice up your life!

Ok, checking out now that I've added my line of corniness. See you soon!

Breakfast Goodies: Lemon Ricotta Pancakes and Overnight Waffles!

The first time I made Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, I thought “This is awesome! They taste so much better than the ones at LA brunch spots and they’re so easy!” So I made that same recipe a few more times for my friends and family and everyone loved it. Fluffy from the ricotta, tangy from both the ricotta and the lemon zest, these pancakes were amazing with just syrup, or even fancier with raspberries and lemon curd!

Well, I really had no reason to stray but I’m glad I did. I liked these better. They didn’t require the time of a meringue and were just as fluffy.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

• ¾ cup of flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

1. Combine the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk together the cheese, milk, lemon juice and zest,and eggs.
2. Whisk the flour into the milk mixture until just combined.
3. Heat a griddle or cast iron pan and melt some butter in it. Pour about ¼ cup of batter into the griddle and cook until golden brown.

So delicious and so easy!

Recipe adjusted slightly from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/lemon-ricotta-pancakes-with-lemon-curd-and-fresh-raspberries-recipe/index.html

On the flip side (hah, get it? Pancakes? Flip side?), these waffles require a bit of premeditation and time but they were indeed worth the effort. I’ve tried several waffle recipes and the overnight yeast ones are always better. They turn out crispy every time! This recipe calls not only for yeast but also a meringue so they were truly fluffy and light (unlike a liege waffle which has a thick brioche dough on the inside and a caramelized sugar exterior). I threw in some a box of blackberries that we had and ate a few of these waffles hot off the waffle maker without syrup – they were like breakfast cookies!

The recipe makes quite a few (I think we made about 12?) so we just chose to freeze the rest and pop some in the toaster oven when we want some for a quick breakfast.

Overnight Waffles

• 1/2 tsp of yeast
• 2 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 cups milk
• 8 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
• ½ tsp Vanilla extract
• 2 eggs (to be added in the morning!)

1. Combine the dry ingredients and stir in milk, butter, and vanilla. The mixture will be loose. Cover with plastic wrap and set at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight.
2. Separate the eggs in the morning and stir the yolks into the batter. Beat the whites to soft peaks and stir them into batter.
3. Pour batter into waffle iron and bake until done!

Recipe from the beloved Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything book: http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/161156/overnight-waffles

Happy Husband Recipes: Brownie Cookies and Peanut Butter Moose Tracks Ice Cream!

I think I’m a pretty good wife because for every dessert I make in the evenings for myself, I make a Nick-dessert as well. I like things like lemon bars, rice krispie treats, brown butter cookies – basically anything salty sweet or fruity. Nick? He will eat anything but he only truly loves stuff with chocolate in it (and to a lesser degree, nutella and peanut butter). But I recently realized that I wasn’t being a great wife or anything; I was just being a fair one. It would be cruel treatment to enjoy a dessert without him. So to go over the top and be a really GREAT wife, I made him two quintessentially Nick desserts the other night. Goodbye fairness, hello being spoiled!

These “better than brownie” cookies used ¾ lb of dark chocolate (I used Trader Joe’s Pound Plus Belgium Dark Chocolate as always). Enough said.

They were appropriately dense like a cookie yet soft and gooey like a brownie. They were also easy to make because they require just a  few ingredients. Definitely pocketing this recipe for a rainy day when Nick might be mad at me ;)

Better than Brownie Cookies

• 2 2/3 cups of dark chocolate
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ cup flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
2. Melt the chocolate with the butter in a sauce pan until smooth. Mix eggs, vanilla, and sugar with a hand mixer.
3. Whisk together flour and baking powder.
4. Add melted chocolate to the egg mixture and stir until combined. Slowly add in the dry ingredients and stir until there are no more streaks of flour. Add the chocolate chips.
5. Scoop 1 ½ Tbsp of dough onto tray and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops are no longer glossy.

Serve with Peanut Butter Moose Tracks Ice Cream (recipe below). And have a very happy husband.

Recipe from: http://technicolorkitcheninenglish.blogspot.com/2009/07/better-than-brownie-cookies.html

Peanut Butter Moose Tracks Ice Cream

• 1 ½ cups of 2% milk
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 4 Tbsp peanut butter
• 2 cups of heavy cream
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 1 ½ Tbsp light corn syrup
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup of creamy natural peanut butter
• 1 container of Trader Joe’s mini peanut butter cups

1. In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup of milk with the cornstarch.
2. In a large sauce pan, combine the remaining milk with heavy cream, sugar, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil and simmer over moderate heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Take the mixture off the heat and add in the cornstarch milk. Return to a boil and stir constantly over moderately high heat until the mixture is slightly thickened for a minute or less.
4. Stir in the 4 Tbsp of peanut butter until smooth. Whisk in salt and chill overnight in fridge.
5. Pour the chilled ice cream base into an ice cream maker and add the ½ cup peanut butter into the ice cream mixer in big chunks. Churn according to your maker’s instructions. Remove from maker and store in a freezer-friendly container. Stir in peanut butter cups. I used about 1 cup of the mini cups. Freeze until firm.

Recipe adapted slightly from: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-peanut-butter-ice-cream-89524

Fresh Fish Tacos

Nick recently went on a deep sea fishing trip with some of his guy friends and his brother. The fish that Nick and his brother brought home didn’t look like a lot but 2~ lbs of fresh fish lightly fried in a spiced batter turned out to be a feast fit for kings. The guys ate to their stomach’s content and expressed many accolades for this recipe! For someone who doesn’t like fish that much (except in sushi) and doesn’t like anything fried (besides French fries and churros), I thought they were really delectable as well! 

I think the freshness of the fish made this dish muy excellente. But I’m sure the recipe played a big part as well.

My favorite part of the recipe was probably the slaw – it was not to mayonaissey and creamy and I used arugula instead of cabbage which made it feel more gourmet and refined (arugula does that to everything, I think). I’ll definitely be making this again and again!

Fish Tacos

Serves 2 very hungry men or about 3-4 normal hungry people

Slaw

• About 4 cups of arugula
• 2-3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp of lime juice
• 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
• Honey to taste
• Salt and pepper

Fish

• 1 ½ lb to 2 lbs of tilapia, catfish, sole, snapper or whatever the men caught that day :P
• 1/3 cup flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp smoked paprika
• 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil

Garnish

• Cilantro, avocado, lime wedges (we didn’t use salsa or cheese because the flavor was great without it)

Directions

1. Whisk the lime, garlic, and mayo together. Set aside.
2. Mix the flour, salt, pepper, and paprika together. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a little sugar or honey if desired.
3. Heat a heavy (cast iron) pan over medium high heat. Dredge the fish in the flour mixture. Add oil to pan and heat until shimmery. Add fish to pan. Cook about 2 minutes on each side, flipping once.
4. Heat tortillas in another pan.
5. Toss the green onions, jalapeno, and arugula with the mayo mixture and serve with fish on tortillas. Garnish with cilantro, avocado, and lime juice.

Enjoy! 

Recipe borrowed from: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-fish-tac-15838

Lemon Currant Cookies and Orange Currant Scones

One of the hidden blessings of moving was discovering things I had forgotten about like Nick's box of baby pictures and a bag of currants in the back of my pantry. And what do you do when you find a bag of currants? You make cookies and scones with them!

That is precisely what I did for a July 4th party we went to. These cookies are pretty sweet (read: not my ideal) but the lemon and currants offset the sugaryness just enough. I'd probably reduce the sugar if I made them again but overall, they were very fresh tasting!

http://www.marthastewart.com/332629/lemon-currant-cookies

The only thing I did differently was use nonfat plain yogurt instead of sour cream! Yum!

I recently shared what were the best scones I've ever made (Ina Garten's rich, flaky, buttery Maple Oatmeal Scones with Maple Icing). Well, I may have to retract that statement or at least amend it. I got this recipe for Sweetie Pie's Orange Currant scones a while back from the LA Times Culinary SOS (I love how they post popular recipes from famous restaurants!) and finally got around to making them when I discovered my bag of currants. They're amazing. They have my ideal scone texture - slightly crumbly, extremely buttery, flaky, and not too sweet at all. They're glazed with a simple layer of heavy cream and sprinkling of turbinado sugar (I did not make the orange glaze).

These Sweetie Pie scones make me want to go to Napa for more than just wine now...

Scones

1 2/3 cups (7 ounces) all-purpose flour

1 1/3 cups (5½ ounces) cake flour

1/4 cup sugar

3 3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp (1¼ sticks) cold butter, cut into cubes 

1/4 cup currants

2 Tbsp orange zest

1 egg

1/4 cup plus 3 Tbsp half-and-half (I mix 1 part heavy cream+2 parts 2% milk to make half and half) 

1 tsp orange juice

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup turbinado sugar

1. Whisk the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt together. 

2. With your electric mixer on low, add the butter cubes and mix just until the mixture resembles a coarse meal or about 3 minutes. 

3. Add the currants and orange zest and mix just to combine.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, half-and-half and orange juice. With the mixer running on low, slowly add the liquid ingredients until incorporated, careful not to over mix.

5. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Form the dough into a mass and then plop onto parchment-lined baking sheets (about 1/4 cup-sized plops) about 1 1/2" apart. 

6. Cover and chill overnight or freeze for an hour (or 40 minutes if you're impatient like me). Shortly before baking, heat the oven to 375 degrees.

7. Brush the scones with the heavy cream and sprinkle with generous turbinado sugar. Bake the scones until risen, the bottoms are browned and the tops are golden-brown in spots, 25 to 35 minutes. Rotate the scones halfway through baking to ensure even coloring.

8. Remove the scones and cool on a wire rack.

Recipe adapted from:  http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-sos-orangescones-20110707,0,4419843,full.story

Muffin-Shaped Food!

I made these mac ‘n cheese cups for a bonfire we went to and I thought they were such a cute idea! Portable and individually-portioned!

I based it off this recipe (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-mac-and-cheese-muffins/) loosely but added a ton of extra spices for an extra kick. They were scrumptious with a nice crispy, breaded topping!

• 2 cups of uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 1 ½ cups shredded sharp cedar
• 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella
• ½ cup panko crumbs
• 2 tsp olive oil
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp cayenne
• ½ tsp pepper
• ½ tsp onion powder

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Stir together the bread crumbs, olive oil, salt and garlic powder.
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook macaroni for 8 minutes so that it’s still slightly firm. Stir in butter and egg until pasta is evenly coated. Stir in all the cheese and milk minus ½ cup of cheddar cheese.
3. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cover with the bread crumb mixture.
4. Bake for 30 minutes.

The same night I made the mac ‘n cheese cups, I made some nutella donuts. These are not really donuts – they’re mini baked muffins rolled in cinnamon sugar but I honestly didn’t miss the fried aspect of a true donut. These had the flavor down to a tee! And the nutella inside was the perfect surprise for people!

I love muffin-shaped food items. It is safe to say that muffins are not only my favorite food group potentially, but they are my favorite shape. Anything in muffin form tastes better! Well, at least donuts and mac ‘n cheese.

Recipe taken from: http://usmasala.blogspot.com/2012/05/nutella-filled-baked-donut-muffins.html

Apple Walnut Cake

Another one of my close friends and coworkers left the firm I work at last week and I just had to send her off with a goodbye cake. I wasn't keen on making a tiered cake because of our move, so I decided to make this flat Apple Walnut sheet cake. It was a surprise hit. I think people loved the lightness of this cake (more like a breakfast muffin type of cake than a traditional birthday cake) and the flavors of nutmeg, cinnamon, and walnut.

It was awfully easy to throw together (minus the 10 minutes spent dicing 4 apples) and made enough to easily feed 15 ravenous coworkers.

My cuts of dessert always look so sloppy but I guess that gives them character? And makes them homemade? Hehe. I would love to have the patience and skill to make things look more uniform but alas, that would require a deep character change. 


Apple Cake 

• 2 sticks of unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups peeled, diced (1/2") apples (2-3 apples)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnut 
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Beat the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together. Stir in apples and nuts.

3. Whisk together the dry ingredients and fold into apple mixture.

4. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick or fork inserted comes out clean. 

I drizzled a caramel sauce on top that I made but I think it tasted perfectly tasty without it! 

Recipe from: http://www.beyondkimchee.com/apple-brownies/

Chicken Avocado soup

We ate out a lot during the weekend of our move (understandably). With all our cookware and utensils packed and with so many friends helping us move, we ordered pizza or went out at night to some great new hole-in-the-wall’s by our new place (I tried Burmese food for the first time and it was awesome!). The first week in our apartment, I prepared some healthy and green meals so we could treat our bodies right after an exhausting weekend. One of those dishes was Chicken Avocado Soup which Nick declared was in his Top 5 dishes of all time. Wow, that’s saying a lot!

I loosely followed a recipe from Williams-Sonoma that you can find here: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/mexican-lime-soup-chicken.html

Please excuse poor quality photos as we set up lighting at our new place :P

My version is posted below:

Chicken Avocado Soup

• 2 chicken breasts, ½” diced
• 4 cups of low sodium chicken broth
• 3 or 4 limes
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1tsp cumin
• ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 thai chili (or jalapeno), minced
• 1 ½ tsp dry oregano (Mexican if you can get it)
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 bunch of cilantro, diced

1. Juice 3 limes or until you have ¼ cup.
2. Cook chicken with 1 tsp of salt and ½ tsp of black pepper in olive oil. Cook until browned. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add garlic, chile, and sauté for 1 minute. Finally, add broth, lime juice, cumin, and oregano and return chicken to pan.
4. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for 30-40 minutes.
5. Serve with avocado, cilantro, lime wedges, cheese, etc.

This made enough for 4 single meals or for 1 lunch and 1 dinner for both of us. It was simple, light, and full of healthy broth, avocado, and just enough spice. 

Ina Garten's Maple Oatmeal Scones

Ina Garten. Her recipes are excellent. They are flavorful, homey, and the proportions of ingredients are always mathematically pleasing (whole parts of everything, never 1/8 or even 1/4 of something). I have always had great success with her recipes from baked chocolate pudding to Chicken Bouillabaisse. But her Maple Oatmeal Scones? They are the queen of Ina Garten recipes tried to date. They've been on "To Try" list for ages but I always have such a hard time using that much butter for one recipe because 1. It's a lot of butter to ingest and 2. Butter is expensive! I finally took the luxurious leap of faith and made some delicious, flaky, buttery, salty, sweet scones.

These are amazing. I thought I overmixed my dough because it was quite sticky but these babies turned out flaky and buttery and layered. Amazing!!!!

By the way, you could easily halve the recipe but I just did the whole thing and froze half the dough. Planning on defrosting it this weekend...can't get enough!

Recipe followed exactly from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/maple-oatmeal-scones-recipe/index.html

Have a great weekend y'all! We are looking forward to exploring our new neighborhood after a crazy hectic week of unpacking and shopping and furnishing our new place :)

Egg and Potato Scramble

In an effort to balance last week’s string of recipes on desserts, I want to start this week on a savory note. In order to kill two birds with one stone, I’m going to make up for not sharing a breakfast goody last week by sharing a savory breakfast dish! Yippee!

I love using my cast iron skillet but to be honest, I don’t think it creates better texture or flavor for my food. Maybe I’m not using it well, but I honestly don’t think it’s that much better than my nonstick skillet. And it’s a pain to clean. What it does do well is serve as a serving dish. Very rustic, very homey, very nice.

I made a potato and egg scramble for a brunch with friends the other day and it was simple yet fantastic. I usually don’t like thyme at all but it tasted good with red skin potatoes, parmesan, and scrambled eggs. What a pleasant surprise.

Oh, and I added prosciutto. Just because. 

I got this recipe from Cookie and Kate, a beautiful blog with healthy recipes. I highly recommend checking it out.

Picture does not do this dish justice. We had already eaten most of it at this point and proceeded to finish it! 

Egg and Potato Scramble

• 6-8 small red potatoes, skinned, diced, and layered in bottom of a pan
• 6 eggs+3 Tbsp of heavy cream (I usually do 1 Tbsp of heavy cream for every 2 eggs for extra fluffy scrambled eggs)
• ¼ cup of water
• 2 Tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup of parmesan
• 1 tsp of dried thyme or rosemary or whatever you have on hand
• Bacon or prosciutto optional but highly recommended 

1. Combine potatoes, water, salt, and olive oil in your pan. Cover and bring to a boil for 5 minutes or until water has evaporated. Scrape the potatoes from the bottom and continue to sauté until softened and browned.
2. Add your dried spices.
3. Toss in the eggs and scramble until you’re pleased.
4. Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.  

Adapted from: http://cookieandkate.com/2011/egg-and-potato-breakfast-scramble/