Quick Steamed Broccoli

Ok, so steaming broccoli isn't rocket surgery, but I've got a great way of doing it that never fails and always tastes good. The broccoli is always tender perfect without being too crunchy from being underdone or too limp and overcooked. And best of all, it only takes a couple of minutes of prep and 2 minutes or so in the microwave.

All you need is:
a head of broccoli
a bowl
some cooking spray (the butter flavored stuff works well)
some seasoning like Lawry's season salt
2 tablespoons of water
plastic wrap

Put the water in the bottom of the bowl.
Trim the florets from the broccoli head and arrange them in the bowl so the florets all face up (stems down).
Spray the tops of the broccoli with the cooking spray.
Sprinkle some seasoning over the tops of the broccoli.
Cover the bowl very tightly with the plastic wrap - you are creating a nice sealed "oven-to-table" steamer.
Put the bowl in them microwave a fire it up on high for about 2 minutes or so depending on the power of your microwave (ooh..."Fire On High", great E.L.O song from the '80's - this is a weird little anime video using the song which also has a great not-so-"subliminal" message at the beginning of it).

Enjoy - both the music and the Broccoli!
Lorence

Oven-Fried Mustard Chicken

Another old recipe from "First" Magazine from the early '90's, this is a good old standby for a tasty oven chicken breast dish. I've made it several times over the years and we always enjoy the tenderness of the chicken and the dijon flavor. Tonight's meal was made from a single chicken breast that weighed in at about a pound - they're just so large these days. I cut the breast up into 4 pieces and made the recipe below, along with some steamed broccoli and my son's favorite rolls - crescent rolls ( my piece of chicken came out a bit over-crusty around the edges, but I like the crunchy bits...).

Oven-Fried Mustard Chicken
Ingredients:
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup dijon mustard
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon butter
4 boneless chicken breast halves, about 1 1/2 pounds

Directions:
Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
Combine the bread crumbs, flour and paprika.
Combine the mustard, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 2 tablespoons water.
Melt the butter in a small bowl.
Line a shallow pan with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Dip the chicken in the mustard mixture, then coat with the bread crumb mixture.
Put the coated chicken in the prepared pan.
Drizzle the butter over the chicken.
bake he chicken until browned and cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes.

When I make this, I like to double the paprika, halve the salt, and drizzle with olive oil instead of butter.

Enjoy,
Lorence

Chicken and Eggplant - not Changs, but good.

I get a lot of hits on this site from people looking for the great PF Changs Eggplant and Ground Chicken recipe. Sorry folks, but I don't have it & I don't know who does. If you do, please let me know.
What I DO have is this recipe, though, for Chicken and Eggplant. I've made it many times over the years and while it's not Changs' it not bad at all. It's got some of the heat (you can add as much as you like), and the texture is ok, too. Thought the recipe calls for chicken breasts, I use usually use a mixture of breast and thigh meat.

I think using dark soy, adding some hoisin, and not sweeating the eggplant as long would put it closer to Changs'.

CHICKEN & EGGPLANT

From Good Housekeeing Magazine, September 1993, “Chicken Festival Cookbook”
Makes 6 servings
6 medium-size skinless, boneless chicken-breast halves (about I pound)
6 medium-size baby eggplants (about2 pounds) or 2 small eggplants(about 1 pound each)
2 tablespoons salad oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon grated, peeled ginger root or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup regular long-grain rice
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Oriental sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

1. Prepare rice as label directs; keep warm.
2. Cut chicken-breast halves length wise into ½ -inch-wide strips. Cut each baby eggplant lengthwise in half. (If using regular eggplants, cut each crosswise in half, then length wise into 1-inch-wide strips.)
3. In 12-inch skillet over high heat in hot salad oil, cook chicken until lightly browned and it loses its pink color throughout. With slotted spoon, remove chicken to bowl.
4. In drippings in skillet over high heat, heat eggplant, garlic, ginger and ½ cup water to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates and eggplant is very tender, about 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in cup, with fork, mix soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, Oriental sesame oil, and cornstarch until blended.
6. To eggplant in skillet, add cooked chicken, soy-sauce mixture, and crushed red pepper; over high heat, heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium and cook stirring until sauce boils and thickens slightly.
7. Serve chicken mixture with rice.


The nutritional information and the original recipe as it appear in print in 1993 can be found on the Good Housekeeping site.

Enjoy,
Lorence

Creamy White Bean Soup with Kale, Garlic and Sausage

This is another of our cool weather favorites. The textures, aromas and tastes in this dish all combine to create a refreshing melange that's warming and incredibly flavorful. And it was a great way to use kale, which around here, is usually inexpensive and plentiful. I saw this recipe in Redbook Magazine's February 2000 issue. I didn't really notice the recipe at first & it wasn't really the kind of recipe I would normally have paid much attention to, but the photo...Oh the photo looked delicious. I saw that picture and I wanted a bowl of whatever it was! A few weeks later, I made the recipe and we've been hooked since. I wish I still had the original magazine so I could post that photo, but all I have left is a photocopy. I'll try to take a shot next time I make it (probably in a couple of weeks).

The remarkable thing with this recipe is that I don't change a thing (Well, ok, sometimes I use a bit more smoked sausage...). The recipe calls for 3 cloves of garlic. Finally! Why, oh, why would a recipe call for only 1 clove of garlic?!? What good is that? I love garlic,so I use a lot of it, and this recipe calls it right - 3 cloves. 3 LARGE cloves. Yum.

Creamy White Bean Soup with Kale, Garlic and Sausage
Ingredients;
8 ounces of Kielbasa, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 19 ounce cans of Cannelini beans, rinsed & drained
(great northern work, too, if that's all you can find)
2 14.5 ounce cans of chicken broth
4 cups of chopped kale


Directions:
1. Brown the sausage in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. I brown it until the bottom of the pan starts to turn brown with the cooked fat.

2. Remove the sausage from the pan to a bowl.
3. Add the oil to the pan and add the garlic. Cook the garlic for about 30 seconds. Don't let it brown! (it will turn bitter if it browns!)

4. Add some broth to the pan to deglaze it, scraping up as much of the browned bottom of the pan as possible, adding more broth as needed. Then add the rest of the broth.

5. Bring the broth to a boil.
6. Add the beans & reduce the heat to bring the beans and broth to a simmer.


7. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
8. Remove 1 cup of soup, including some beans, to a blemder and puree the mixture until smooth.


9. Stir the puree back into the soup.


10. Add the sausage back into the soup.
11. Add the kale to the soup and simmer util the kale is just tender, then serve.

This makes 6 1/2 cups, and goes great with a nice crusty bread.

Enjoy,
Lorence

A non-food related post - THE double play!

This has nothing to do with food, well other than remind me how good the hot dogs were at Shea stadium when I was a kid. Last night (Wednesday 10/4/06) the NY Mets catcher Paul Lo duca pulled off the greatest double play I've ever seen. I haven't been a big baseball fan, other than the October classic, for a long time. Seeing this play reminded me of how good the game can be. Just click to watch...

Amazing...

Enjoy,
Lorence

The weather's cooling down... Time for Potato Soup

I saw Jeff Smith prepare this recipe on his wonderful PBS show many years ago and thought it would be fun to try. The 'ribals', he explained, were little tiny dumplings and the entire recipe was a snap to make. Over the years I've updated it a bit, adding my own touches that I think make it the perfect potato soup. We have it often when the weather gets cold. The first pot is a sure sign that winter is on it's way! This is also one of those dishes that tastes even better after it's been in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days, if it lasts that long!

My additions to this recipe include the use of Yukon gold potatoes with the skin left on, boiled first in chiken broth. I added the garlic and onion to the recipe also. Adding a few strips of cooked chopped bacon is tasty, too.

My only warning is to watch the anount of salt you add. Sometimes the base the potatoes boil in and the stock the soup is made from can add enough for the entire dish.

enjoy!

Potato Soup with Ribals
From the "The Frugal Gourmet on our Immigrant Ancestors"
By Jeff Smith, With modifications by Lorence Sing

Ingredients: The Soup
1 quart of chicken stock
chicken base
6-8 cubed yukon gold potatoes, each about the size of billiard ball
3 1/2 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped
chopped celery leaves
salt & pepper
1 queart of milk

Ingredients: The Ribals
1 egg
1 cup flour

Instructions:
Boil the cubed potatoes in enough water to cover. Add chicken base to the boiling water so the potatoes are boiling in chicken broth. Boil until the potaoes are just fork tender.
Drain the potaoes in a colander.
Over medium heat in a stock pot, combine the 1 quart of chicken stock with the potaotes,onion, and butter.
As the mixture bigins to boil, slowly add the milk, stirring gently.
Make the ribals in a large bowl by combining egg and flour, initially with a fork then mixing with your hands until there is no "dry" flour left. You should have very tiny dumpling or flour balls.
As the soups heats back up to a slight boil, add the ribals, a handful at a time while stirring gently.
Add the chopped celery leaves, reserving a few for garnish.
Add a generoud amount of fresh cracked pepper and add a bit of salt if necessary - taste it first, though to be sure that the stock didn't add anough salt already.
If the soup gets too thick, thin it out a some with a bit more milk.

Serve with some nice fresh bread or rolls.

Other information on The Frugal Gourmet, Jeff Smith can be found at:
The Unofficial Frugal Gourmet page
Blog of Death
Teri's Kitchen
To me, The Frugal Gourmet was an inspiration to love and enjoy cooking. Watching him taught me to appreciate good food and good cooking. He made me realize that a recipe was more than just the ingredients and directions, but was also about the history and passion behind it. This is one of the reasons I love cooking and sharing my kitchen with all of you. I learned much from watching "The Frug", things I remember years later. I learned to appreciate and try making my own recipes. And above all I learned not to be afraid in the kitchen. Sure, there were some unsavory allegations about him that brought about his public demise, but those were far removed from his public persona and my impressions. I will always remember Jeff Smith as the Frugal Gourmet, a kitchen inspiration.

Enjoy,
Lorence

Sweet, Sweet, Sweet Potatoes

Last Tuesday, there was a post on my favorite blog The J-WalkBlog about the North Carolina Sweet Potato Recipe Club where they say theY are "THE SOURCE for Promotion, Information, Education and Service from North Carolina’s Sweet Potato Growers." They also have almost 150 recipes featuring the wonderful Sweet Potato. This recipe is one more...It was perfect timing seeing this post on J-walk, as I had just made the following recipe the night before. I posted this recipe on J-walk right away and now i'm posting it here, too.

Maple Roasted Chicken Thighs w/Sweet Potatoes
A recipe from Good Housekeeping Magazine, 9/06
Preheat oven to 450F.
Combine:
4 large skinless chicken thighs,
1 lb sweet potato (cut into 1" chunks),
1 onion (cut into 1" pieces),
8 oz baby carrots,
1 teaspoon salt,
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup maple syrup
in a baking dish (about 9"x13" or larger)) & toss to coat ( I line mine w/foil for easy cleanup).

Roast the chicken for 40-45 minutes (juices will run clear when thick part of thigh is pierced w/knife tip) & liquid in pan thickens slightly. Be sure to stir the veggies and turn the chicken over halfway through the roasting.

This was the second time I've made this dish and it was quite tasty. A Turkey breast would probably work well in this recipe, too.

Enjoy,
Lorence

Herb Chicken with Warm Vinaigrette

Balsmic Vinegar - I always like finding new recipes that make prominent use of balsmaic vinegar. This recipe is a new all-time favorite. We've made this dish several times in the past few months and enjoy it completely. I've served it with steamed fresh green beans or broccoli, buttered egg noodles, basmati rice...doesn't matter, the dish is yummy every time. Since the chicken breasts are so large these days, I usually cut them in thirds lengthewise or in half horizontally and adjust the cooking time accordingly, making sure to get a nice golden color on each side. This makes for a normal healthy sized portion. Below is the original recipe as published in Family Circle Magazine
The fist time I made this recipe, My son, who usually helps me prepare dinner, quickly left the kitchen and declined to offer any further help. telling me that it smelled way too bad. Of course, he devoured his portion when it was ready!

Ingredients
4 Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 pound total)
4 Tablespoons white or dark balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons dried Italian herb seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound Italian-style plum tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped (about 2 cups)
Mixed greens (optional)

Directions
1. Brush chicken with 1 tablespoon vinegar. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary to avoid crowding skillet, add chicken to hot oil; saute about 6 to 7 minutes per side or until browned (170 degrees F). Remove chicken to platter; keep warm.
3. Add remaining 3 tablespoons vinegar to skillet over medium heat, stirring with wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits from bottom of skillet. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to skillet. Stir in tomatoes; heat through. Pour warm vinaigrette over chicken. Serve with mixed greens, if desired. Makes 4 servings.
(Nutritional information can be found on the Family Circle Magazine web site)

Enjoy,
Lorence

An unusual seafood case dinner...

OK, so my son and I are at Kroger and he loves the seafood case. He spots something different this time, though... Frog Legs. Yeah, sure we can try them, I say as he insists we should have them for dinner. But wait, first we have to get crawfish, too. So dinner was interesting. We had crushed oyster cracker crumb and parsley coated frog legs pan fried with shallots, cajun spiced crawfish, quick pan seared scallops and steamed broccoli...
I thought the legs were pretty good, decent flavor, and yes, yes, they did taste a bit lke chicken. The first one I had was a bit tough and a little stringy, but the second one (and the third) was just right. My wife wasn't all that interest after a few bites and ate some scallops, crawfish and broccoli. Boogie was a different story, though. While he was very enthusiastic during the purchase and preparation, he was somewhat hesitant when it actually came time to put the amphibian's leg in his mouth. I asked him to just try it - he will try eating almost anything once - and he did!

Yes, he is indeed wearing a hat to dinner, but not just ANY hat, that's his "Steak and Shake" hat. He got that last week when we went for Sippable Sundaes and Side-By-Side Shakes.
Mmmm....shakes...




After a bite or two, though, he decided it didn't taste quite enough like chicken for his taste, so he finished up the crawfish, had some broccoli, and asked for a "Little Debbie" Cosmic Brownie for dessert.

As a family dinner, lsat night's dinner was a bust. I thought everything was tasty and cooking it all up so it was all ready at the same time was a great challenge. Of course, I'm the only one here that thought that and enjoyed it. bummer. tonight was much different. I'll post that next. 'Til then,
Enjoy,
Lorence

The Family Stroganoff

When we first got married, my wife cooked Beef Stroganoff for me one night. I came home late (I worked second shift then) and didn't even eat any. She was kind of insulted and rightly so - she still reminds me of that night almost 20 years later...
She used a recipe from the label of a jar of Heinz Homestyle Gravy and saved the label so she could make it again. When I finally tasted her Stroganoff, I was glad she saved that label, it was quite tasty! Over the next nearly 2 decades, we've made this dish many times, and have added our own little twists to it, adding fresh mushrooms, more red wine, a touch of sherry...We even went through our "low-fat" period with this recipe, modifying it to fot that crazy diet fad, and it still turned out pretty good.
This recipe has real history for me, too. It was the first dish my wife cooked for me (even though I didn't eat it that night) and it's one of our favorites still, even my for my son. Of course he'll eat almost anything with noodles!

The Sing Family Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds boneless sirlon or round steak, sliced into thin strips

2 Tablespoons butter
1 large onion (about 1 cup), coarsly chopped

8 ounces fresh mushrooms,sliced (I like them that way) or diced
12 ounce jar of mushroom or brown gravy (we always use Heinz Homestyle gravy, either Mushroom, Savory, or something like that)
1/4 cup (or a bit more) dry red wine
a few table spoons of sherry (use decent sherry, not that nasty cooking sherry)
1 to 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
about 1/3 cup real dairy sour cream
Hot cooked wide egg noodles
Salt
Pepper
Chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
In a large skillet, brown the slice steak in the butter.
Add the onions and cook 'til limp.

Stir in the mushrooms.
Stir in the gravy, wime and tomato paste.
Season with a bit of salt and pepper.

Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and let it stand for about 10 minutes.

Stir in the sherry.
Stir in the sour cream until smooth and a nice tan color - I always check with my wife to confirm that I've addd enough sour cream. She know what color the sauce should be (I've included the picture below for your reference).

Serve over hot noodles (buttered if you like), and sprinkled with parsley.

The picture below is the original recipe from that first jar of gravy. It's prett special to us and I'm glad to show it off here. Click the image to see a larger view (It's more readable).


Enjoy,
Lorence

I'm Back!

I've been away for a while, vacation, some medical stuff, work (that work stuff keeps getting in the way of all my fun!), but I should have some new posts very soon.

Chicken Cacciatore, the real deal.

Tonight's dinner was chicken Cacciatore, a recipe from my new cookbook, "Who Has Nana's Recipe?, by Regina Sullivan (see the previous entry). This was an extremely easy recipe to make and brought back memories of my childhood when my mother would make this dish. The flavor of Regina's recipe was much more intense, though. I used boneless chicken thighs in it and they came out so tender that I had a hard time getting them out of the pan without the thighs falling apart. Served with orzo, it made for a very satisfying meal.

As good as it was, I'm not going to put the recipe here on my site for you, though. I'd rather you order the book for yourself and get the full beneifit of Regina's detailed instructions and family history behind each of her 56 or so recipes. It's worth every penny.

Enjoy,
Lorence

A New Cookbook!

I've gotten a new cookbook, and if you love Italian food, real Italian food, then you MUST order "Who Has Nana's Recipe?, by Regina Sullivan. It's a very nicely put together collection of southern Italian recipes from her family and also includes wonderful stories about her family and why these recipes mean so much to her. If you've read any of my entries below, you know that I think the story behind the recipe is important to appreciate the end product.

Go visit Regina's web site, "Who Has Nana's Recipe?, and place your order. It'll only set you back a mere $18.95 (USD) + $3 (USD) shipping & handling, and she accepts paypal and credit cards.

What are you doing still reading this? Go! Go order it now!

and as always...
Enjoy,
Lorence

Updated Jones Soda blog entry...

I've updated the Jones Soda Photo Submission entry to include Boogie's entry photo...Please take a look and vote.

Thanks!
Lorence

Devilishly Good Dijon Deviled Eggs

Deviled Eggs – Do people still bring them to parties like they used to? I never seem to see them anymore, not that I go to that many parties… We still make them, though, particularly for holiday gatherings, like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. Especially Easter. We’re boiling eggs anyway, so why not make some deviled eggs, too, right?


I’ve had some pretty nasty tasting deviled eggs. People put all kind of stuff in them, like pickle relish, chutney, or the nastiest of all nasties, miracle whip ( I know it should be capitalized, but I just can’t bring myself to do it…).


This is my version of the hors d'oeuvres, refined through many iterations of trial and a few errors. I usually make a dozen halves, plenty for our usual gathering of the 3 of us and Karen’s folks, but I always cook seven eggs instead of just the required 6 (I’ll do the math for you: 6 eggs = 12 deviled eggs). Why seven? Simple – after years of boiling eggs, I’ve learned that I will ALWAYS have one egg that cracks in the pot and turns out all ugly. Making seven assures me of 6 pretty eggs to halve, plus (BONUS!), it gives me one extra yolk to use to make the filling. And with the extra yolk, I can overstuff the eggs a bit. After all, it’s all about the filling, isn’t it?


Deviled Eggs
Ingredients:
7 Large Eggs
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
3 Tablespoons Mayonaise (Real Mayo, please, not that nasty Kraft M.W. stuff)
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
Paprika
Remember:




Directions:
The first step, of course, is to hard boil the eggs. Sounds easy, right?

Not so fast… If you do it wrong, you’ll get runny under cooked yolks or over cooked super hard eggs, or a dark green, chalky, sulfer filled, stinky outer layer around your yolks.

Oh, so many things that can go wrong, but there is one really easy way to fix them - and we can thank Julia Child for spreading the gospel on that…(See the Georgia Egg board site for her inspiration).


How To Boil Your Eggs (as described by the Late Great Julia Child, from The Way To Cook, 1989):
The cooking: Lay the eggs in the pan and add the amount of cold water specified. (water should cover the eggs by 1 inch). Set over high heat and bring just to the boil; remove from heat, cover the pan, and let sit exactly 17 minutes.
The 2-minute chill: When the time is up, transfer the eggs to the bowl of ice cubes and water. Chill for 2 minutes while bringing the cooking water to the boil again. (This 2 minute chilling shrinks the body of the egg from the shell.)
The 10-SECOND boil: Transfer the eggs (6 at a time only) to the boiling water, bring to the boil again, and let boil for 10 seconds - this expands the shell from the egg. Remove eggs to the ice water, cracking the shells in several places.
Preventing that dark line around the yolk: Chilling the eggs promptly prevents that dark line from forming, and, if you have time, leave the eggs in the ice water (adding more ice if needed) for 15 to 20 minutes before peeling. Chilled eggs are easier to peel, too.


Alright, back to the Deviled Egg Recipe…


-Dry the peeled eggs gently on a paper towel.
-Slice the egg in half lengthwise with a sharp knife.
-Remove the yolk with a small spoon to a bowl. Be very careful not to damage the egg white. (the bowl should be big enough to hold all the yolks and the fillings with enough room to blend them well).
-Put the egg white half on a large clean plate (or your deviled egg plate if you’ve got one.
-To the yolks, add the Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, salt & pepper, then mash and mix until blended and smooth. Very smooth. If the mixture seems a bit too dry, add a bit more mayo.
-Fill the egg whites with the yolk mixture by piping the mixture into the whites. I do this by putting the yolk mixture into a Ziplock bag and cutting a small piece off the corner (no more than ¼ inch), then using the Ziplock like a pastry piping bag (Don’t use a cheap sandwich baggie – it’ll split from the pressure).
-Sprinkle the filed eggs with paprika (generously, if your me…), then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy,
Lorence