Chicken Curry

I have no idea why, but the other night I was in the mood for chicken curry……and I have never had Indian food, or curry for that matter, in my life before. It was a random craving but I was determined to make it. This recipe is something I made up as I went along, so whether it is a true, authentic, Indian curry, you will have to be judge of that….but it tasted good to me!

[ If any of you have a recipe for any kind of Curry, please share! Would love to try it out 🙂 ]

Ingredients-

5 chicken breasts

3 carrots (peeled)

½ cup frozen peas

1 small yellow onion

3 garlic cloves

½ cup of cashews (chopped)

1 inch of fresh ginger (grated)

2 cups of chicken broth (plus a splash…1/3 cup)

1/3 cup of full fat coconut milk

1 tablespoon of cornstarch

1 ½ teaspoon of curry powder

1 teaspoon of fennel seed

¼ teaspoon of cardamom

Steps:

1. Using a separate cutting board, cut chicken breasts into 1 ½ inch pieces

2. Season the pieces of chicken with salt and curry powder

3. Finely chop onion and carrots, make them the same size and set aside

4. Finely chop garlic and set aside

5. Take the one inch piece of fresh ginger and use a hand grater, and grate the ginger and set aside

6. Once all vegetables are prepped, preheat a large sauce pan (or dutch oven) over medium heat. Add tablespoon of coconut oil

7. Once pan is heated, add pieces of chicken

8. Cook chicken for 6 to 7 minutes (you are not fully cooking the chicken right now, so don’t get scared if it is still raw!)

9. Take chicken out and place in a separate bowl and set aside

10. Discard any liquid in the pan

11. Bring the pan back to the heat, and add onions, carrots, garlic, and ginger to pan

12. Sprinkle 1 ½ teaspoons (or more depending on your mood) of curry powder and 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds to the mixture and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes on medium heat (if it looks dry, then you are doing it right)

13. Once the onions and carrots have softened, add in 2 cups of chicken broth. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. About 5 minutes

14. Once the sauce is simmering, take out about ½ cup of liquid and place into a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to the ½ cup of liquid and stir until the cornstarch is dissolved (will get thicker…that’s OK)

15. Add the ½ cup of sauce thickened with cornstarch back into the large sauce pan and stir to incorporate

16. Once the sauce has overall thickened, add in 1/3 cup of full fat coconut milk. Stir

17. At this point, the sauce may be too thick for your liking, that’s when you can add in a splash or so more of the chicken broth (I ended up adding about 1/3 cup more)

18. Once the sauce is at its desired thickness, sprinkle in ¼ teaspoon of cardamom and cashews. Stir to incorporate

19. Add chicken back into the sauce and let it simmer for another 5 to 8 minutes, or until it is fully cooked (All depends on how long you cooked it for step 8)

20. Once the chicken is fully cooked, add in ½ cup of frozen peas and stir until they are warmed through (wont take long- 2 minutes tops)

21. Serve with white rice, or by it self

Enjoy!

XOXO

Mrs. McHugh’s Down Home Macaroni & Cheese

I have always been in love with food, so when I was in the middle school, it came as no surprise that I spent all my free time in the Home Economics room. Mrs. McHugh was the teacher for home economics and was the best teacher I have ever had. Now, many many years later, my younger neighbors who are now in middle school, have her as their teacher for home economics. But now, the name of the class is Top Chef and everyone wants to take it. She has one of the best macaroni and cheese recipes, and I have making it over and over again for my neighbor when I babysit.

The recipe I am about to post, includes Velveeta….which I and not a fan of…ever, but I love this recipe

Ingredients-

1/4 cup of butter or margarine

1/4 cup of flour

1 teaspoon of salt

2 cups of milk

1/4 lb of velveeta cheese, cut up

8 oz of shredded cheddar cheese (about 2 cups)

2 cups of cooked & drained elbow macaroni (about 8 ounces)

3 tablespoons of bread crumbs (panko or italian)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit

2. In a large stockpot, bring water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt

3. Add elbow macaroni to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally for about 8 minutes (read package if using different pasta for cooking time)

4. Once pasta is cooked and drained, start roux for the cheese sauce

5. In a separate large sauce pan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over low heat

6. As the butter is melting, add in 1/4 cup of flour and stir constantly until flour is cooked (roughly a minute or two- do not want to over cook the flour, because it will have a burnt flavor)

7. To the flour and butter, add 2 cups of milk and stir with a whisk until it has thickened

8. Add in the velveeta and cheddar cheese to the sauce and stir with a wooden spoon until all the cheese is melted

9. Pour cooked macaroni into the cheese sauce and stir until all the noodles are covered in cheese

10. Pour the macaroni and cheese into a 1 1/2 quart baking dish and sprinkle the 3 tablespoons of bread crumbs mixed with 1 tablespoon of melted butter on top- this creates a nice crust on top

11. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown, and the cheese is bubbling

Enjoy!

XOXO

A Decadent Twist on the Classic Alfredo

I love all cheeses, especially if its melted and poured over my gnocchi. We had a family party the other weekend, so my refrigerator was filled with all sorts of cheeses. The classic cheddar, swiss, blue cheese, romano, gouda, and my favorite- parmesan. One night I decided to create my own alfredo sauce and it came out amazing. Here it is:

Ingredients-

              

3 Tablespoons of Butter

3 Garlic Gloves (2 smashed, 1 finely choped)

3/4 cup of Heavy Cream

3/4 cup of shredded Gouda

1/3 cup of Blue Cheese

1/4 cup of Parmesan

2 packages of Gnocchi

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Melt 2 tablespoons of garlic on low heat and add in 2 garlic gloves smashed.

2. After the garlic gloves infused the butter, roughly 5 minutes, take the gloves out and put them aside for now.

3. Now add another tablespoon of butter to the already melted butter, and 1 garlic clove that is finely chopped.

4. Once the chopped garlic is almost golden brown, pour in the 3/4 of a cup of heavy cream.

5. Let the cream thicken for roughly 15 minutes. Make sure the heat is low- you do not want to rush any part of this sauce.

6. While the cream in thickening, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add salt.

7. Once the cream has thickened, now add in the shredded gouda, parmesan and the crumbled blue cheese and one of the smashed garlic cloves from earlier.

8. Let all the cheeses melt and garlic infuse the sauce, roughly 8 minutes. Add freshly cracked black pepper to the finished sauce.

9. Add gnocchi to the salted boiling water and cook according to package.

10. Combine the cooked gnocchi with the sauce and serve hot!

Enjoy!

xoxo

Potato Pancakes- GLUTEN FREE

I remember years ago when I was much younger, my dad and I tried Rachael Ray’s recipe for potato pancakes. But for some reason we did not like how it came out- which was very odd because we loved her and were always pleased with her dishes.

Since then, I kind of forgot about it and never really tried making potato pancakes again, because I didn’t want to go through all the trouble. But last week I had a random craving for them. It was Labor Day, I had to babysit until well after dinner time and my family was a good family friends house for a BBQ.

Being home alone is great for me. I can create recipes and try things out without everyone coming into the kitchen asking me what am I doing, or sneaking a taste of whatever I might be making. So I decided to run to the store and grab 2 ingredients- Idaho potatoes and onions.

What I came up with was delicious and really easy. And only consisted of 4 ingredients (salt & pepper are always given). So here it is:

Ingredients- makes roughly 12 pancakes

1 Idaho potato
2 small yellow onions
6 to 7 tablespoons of GF flour
2 eggs, beaten
Salt to taste

Optional-

Apple Sauce

Fage Greek Yogurt (or sour cream)

1. Grate the potato with a hand grater and make sure to get the excess moisture out. Use a stack of paper towels and lay half of the grated potatoes onto of the stack of towels. Then place another small stack of paper towels on top and press down and squeeze the moisture out. Place the potato gratings in a bowl. Do the same with the other half of potatoes using new clean paper towels.

2. Grate 2 small onions on the hand grater and get the excess moisture out- do the same as the potatoes.

3. Once potatoes and onions are grated and the excess moisture is out- add in 2 beaten eggs. (beat eggs in a separate bowl and then pour into the potato and onion mixture.) Mix until everything is coated.

4. Add in 6 to 7 tablespoons of gluten free flour. I love using Trader Joe’s All Purpose GF Flour, but any all-purpose flour is fine (GF or not).

5. Mix it all up until the flour is coating everything.

6. Heat vegetable oil over medium in a cast-iron skillet. (Just enough is coat the pan)

7. Once oil is ready, place a small handful of potato mixture onto the pan.

8. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Sprinkle with salt when they come off the pan.

9. Serve with applesauce or Fage Greek Yogurt (I like 0% plain)

Enjoy!

xoxo

Fried RIIIIIICE

I am obsessed with Benihana’s fried rice. I have YET to master the recipe, but I have one that isn’t that bad- its my go to when I need a fried rice fix. Here it is:

Ingredients-

2 cups brown rice

A quarter of a bell pepper ( yellow, red, orange, green), chopped

1 medium carrot, chopped

2 clove of chopped garlic

1/4 cup of frozen peas

1 egg (beaten)

1/2 tablespoon of sesame seeds

soy sauce

1. Cook rice according to box instructions

2. Melt tablespoon of butter in a sauce pan over low heat

3. Add carrots, and allow to cook for 5 minutes (they take the longest to cook)

4. To the carrots, add chopped bell peppers and garlic and cook for another few minutes

5. Once the vegetables are cooked, add the beaten egg and scramble along with the vegetables

6. Add the brown rice to the vegetables & egg, along with a 1/2 a tablespoon of sesame seeds and a few dashes of soy sauce (more or less depending on what you like)

7. ENJOY!!

xoxo

My Obsession- RISOTTO

Being Italian, I am obsessed with all food. Doesn’t matter what it is, or how it is cooked, I will eat it. The one thing I LOVEEEE more than life is risotto. To me, arborio rice is a blank canvas. I love experimenting with new flavors and different proteins. My go to recipe that I follow is below-

Ingredients:
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh chopped garlic
2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 can chicken stock **
1/2 cup of arborio rice
1/3 cup white wine ( I like to use Sauvignon Blanc)
1/3 frozen peas
3 sweet italian sausage links
1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
A splash of cream
1 tablespoon of butter

** (might need an extra 1/2 cup of chicken stock)

1. Pour 1 can of chicken stock into a small pot, along with the extra 1/2 cup, and place over low heat

2. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large stock pot and place over medium heat
3. Cook onions and garlic until they are translucent

4. Add the 1/2 cup of arborio rice to the garlic and onions and cook for a few minutes (just long enough to toast the rice)

5. Add 1/3 cup of white wine and reduce to medium-low heat, stirring often
6. Once white wine is absorbed, add 1 cup of chicken stock, stirring often

7. Cook sausage while rice is cooking (I like to use a cast-iron pan) and once it is fully cooked, slice it into bite sized pieces, and put to the side

8. Once the 1 cup of stock is absorbed, continue to add 1/2 cup of stock at a time, or until the rice is cooked fully, roughly 45-55 minutes. Turn off heat

9. Add a splash of cream, a tablespoon of butter and a 1/4 of grated parmesan cheese to the cooked rice

10. Add 1/3 of a cup of frozen peas and stir them in (they will defrost quickly) along with the sliced sausage

ENJOY
xoxo

Chicken Noodle Soup: A Sickness Cure

No matter how sick you feel, physically & emotionally, there is something about homemade chicken noodle soup that cures all pain. Recently, my neighbor who is eleven years old, has been feeling awful. He has been getting really bad headaches, even migraines. The other day when I was watching him, he was at his worse. The pillow he was laying on felt like it was hurting his head. He was nauseous and could not eat without getting sick.

Seeing how bad he was hurting, it inspired me to make something I have never made before.It is something that everyone loves to have when they feel under the weather. You guessed it, I made chicken noodle soup from scratch.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into…but it was so worth it! It is a very time consuming soup, but very delicious and flavorful.

Here are the ingredients:

2 packages of chicken ( 1 drumstick and 1 thighs)
3 quarts of Chicken Broth
3 medium onions
5 carrots
4 celery stalks
1 leek
2 garlic glove
2 sprigs of parsley along with a large handful (1 to 2 tablespoons chopped)
2 sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf
7 whole peppercorns
6 ounces of egg noodles

Pour all the chicken broth into a large stockpot along with the pieces of chicken and place over medium heat. Roughly chop 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks and an onion. Add them to the stockpot. Then crush 2 cloves of garlic, and add to the pot. Add the 7 whole peppercorns, bay leaf, 2 sprigs of thyme and parsley. Add water just until the chicken is completely covered. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer. Allow the chicken to cook, roughly an hour.

Once the chicken is cooked, take it out of the stockpot and place into a large bowl. Pour broth into a superfine strainer or sieve, allowing the broth to just go through- you do not want any of the fat in the broth. I actually used a normal sieve and put a paper towel in it to catch all the fat (almost like a cheesecloth). And it did the trick! I was left with perfect broth. I placed the reserved broth to the side and started on the vegetables.

What was used in the broth as the chicken was cooking, gets thrown away. You use the remaining vegetables for the actually soup. So now that the broth is strained and the chicken is cooling, start chopping 3 carrots, 2 celery stalks, 2 medium onions and 1 leek into quarter inch, or bite size pieces and place into another bowl.

I then took another stockpot (needs to be big enough to hold the broth- the finish soup will be made in this) and melted 2 tablespoons of butter and added the chopped vegetables. I cooked them for 5 to 7 minutes, depending on how big the pieces were. As the vegetables were sweating, I took the skin of the chicken, and shredded the meat and chopped a large handful of parsley. I then added the reserved broth to the pot along with the shredded chicken & parsley.

I let this cook until the carrots were tender, and then added the egg noodles along with the remaining parsley to the pot. The noodles took 8 minutes to cook. Once the noodles are ready, the soup is ready to eat!

Enjoy!

xoxo

Makeshift Pizza

The other night my roommate got a craving for pizza, but did not want to spend the time ordering and waiting for it to be delivered. Her boyfriend, being a chef, knew that he could make something healthier, more delicious and much faster than any pizzeria. What he came up with was amazing.

We have a small, cute convenient store by us, so he walked over and grabbed a few ingredients. On the shopping list? Pita bread, fresh mozzarella, mascarpone cheese, cherry tomatoes (but any type could work), spinach, arugula and of course garlic. Can’t forget fresh garlic when it comes to cooking. Makes a HUGE difference in my opinion.

Once he got back to the house, he went to the kitchen and got straight to work. He preheated the oven. As that was heating up, he began assembling the pizza. He took the pita bread out of the package, spread mascarpone cheese (a substitute for sauce), sprinkled mozzarella cheese, placed arugula, spinach & tomatoes on top. He finished the entire thing this a drizzle of olive oil, fresh garlic and freshly ground black pepper. Placed it in the oven for 20 minutes. What came out was a masterpiece.

Here is the recipe for what he calls, “Pita Pizza”-

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2. Spread mascarpone cheese on the pita bread

3. Sprinkle mozzarella and fresh garlic on top of the mascarpone

4. Scatter arugula, spinach and tomatoes on top of the mozzarella

5. Finish it off with a drizzle of olive oil and cracked black pepper

6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes

You will be in heaven with the first bite

xoxo

Simple Salads

If I could pick one thing to eat the rest of my life, it would be salad. I love everything about it. You can literally put whatever you want with lettuce and call it a day. When I have arugula in the refrigerator, I see what kind of meat I can add to it. Sometimes I cook fish (either tilapia, halibut, or even salmon) and add it on top, or I use prosciutto. And I always add some kind of cheese to it. Mozzarella and feta are my personal favorites because they hold up well in a salad, and they absorb the dressing. I love crunch so I add some kind of nut on top. Walnut, almond, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds. You name it.

The perfect salad to me would be: arugula, prosciutto, crumbled feta, pineapple, a little bit of fresh squeezed lemon juice for a dressing, a light drizzle of olive oil and freshly cracked black pepper