Chicken Sandwich with Citrus Remoulade

I made Pioneer Woman’s Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Apricot Sauce for dinner last night.

Except I didn’t.

See, I didn’t have all the ingredients to make it, so I had to improvise. Fortunately, it was still delicious.

If you wanna follow Pioneer Woman’s recipe, it is here, and it looks delicious.

If you wanna use my changes, here’s my recipe!

Chicken Sandwich with Citrus Remoulade

For two

2 chicken breast -pounded to even thickness

4 slices whole wheat bread

2 handfuls baby spinach

4 slices cheddar cheese

butter

Orange marmalade

Mayonnaise

Mustard (Dijon would be best, but I only had yellow)

Black pepper

Butter up a hot skillet and fry chicken breast on both sides until completely cooked

Meanwhile (’cause the frying will take a few minutes) mix 1/8 cup mayonnaise, 1/8 cup mustard, and 1/4 cup orange marmalade and pepper to taste. Now this is important: dip your finger in the sauce and taste…do ya like it? If not, adjust. Maybe you want more mustard? Squirt it in. Need more zip? Add some pepper.

Alrighty, now your sauce is done, so you can set that aside and wash your spinach. Pat it dry too.

When the chicken is cooked, turn down the heat and add more butter to the pan. Spread sauce on two slices of bread, and toss ‘em in the pan (sauce side up!). Pop two slices of cheese on each slice of bread, then add your cooked chicken breast. Let that crisp up, melt and warm -if the bread is cooking too quickly, and the cheese is melting too slowly, which for me, happens every time- toss the bread/cheese/chicken onto a plate and into the microwave for 10-15 seconds (the cheese melts FAST, and you don’t want it to petrify).

Smear sauce on the other 2 slices of bread, and fry those up as well. Divide the spinach between the sandwiches, and plop your sandwich top -with the cheddar and chicken- on.

I think this is a knife and fork sandwich. But if you’re not offended by finger-licking, then just pick the whole thing up and devour… oh, and ENJOY!

Blackberry Ginger Muffins

This time of year, with blossoms and tiny leaves unfurling, makes me want to bake with fresh fruit. Cobblers, pies, parfaits…Oh, my! the only problem is, fresh fruit is still expensive.  Ah well. I will make do with fresh flavor for a few more months.

Which is why I developed this muffin recipe!

They’re easy, quick, and oh-so-fragrant (seriously, bake a batch just for your home’s sake). And did I mention they taste good? well, let’s not leave that out. That’s the most important thing, don’t you think?

Now, I have to admit that one of the reasons I love these muffins so much is they use up jam quickly. It’s unfortunate, but I tend to have 3 or 4 bottles of jam open and wasting in the fridge at any given time. We like jam, and I really like the idea of jam, but we just don’t eat it fast enough.

Anyway, enough about the food I don’t eat, here’s some I eat too much of -enjoy!

Blackberry Ginger Muffins

Makes 12 generously sized muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cups sugar

1 egg

1 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup seedless blackberry jam -or any flavor you have plenty of

1 1/2 Tbsp fresh finely chopped ginger OR some of that handy ginger-in-a-tube you can buy in the produce section.

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl. Lightly beat the egg in a small bowl, add milk and oil, mix.

Pour egg, milk, and oil into the flour mixture, along with the jam and ginger. Mix gently just until ingredients blend. Don’t overwork the batter -it should be lumpy. Evaluate the batter -toss in some extra jam or ginger (or both) if you’re feeling spunky and stir a little bit more.

Measure batter into paper-lined muffin tins, and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown (mine were done in 22 minutes).

I really think any jam would be lovely with ginger…some ideas are orange marmalade, strawberry, blueberry, or apricot. Ooooh…apricot would be lovely.

One more thing  -my preserves were on the tart side…if your jam is quite sweet, try decreasing the sugar by 1/4 cup.

If the muffins turn out a little on the bland side, dip the tops in melted butter, then in sugar.

In which I encourage frequent eating

Snacking, the archenemy of diets everywhere, is my friend.

I love snacking because:

I don’t over-stuff myself at mealtimes

I can keep my blood-sugar levels in check

I have energy all day long when I snack

I’m not a nutritionist. Not. Even. Close. But, I have had a fair deal of experience being frustrated with how much/what/when I eat (or don’t eat, as the case may be).

So, partly for fun, and partly because I wish someone had told me this years ago, I’m sharing my personal rules for the eating a little bit, frequently.

Rule 1 of snacking: Eat what you like.

This doesn’t mean every snack you eat should be junk food. May it never be! But, if you really want chocolate, eat chocolate! I find that if I want chocolate and eat carrots instead, I feel (mentally) unsatisfied and end up binging later. Just don’t forget rule #2…

Rule 2 of snacking: Portion, portion, portion!

When you do indulge in that chocolate craving, keep it to a small (and smart) portion. Just ’cause you’re craving chocolate, doesn’t mean you should eat that half pint of Triple Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream stashed in the back of your freezer. Instead, opt for a few dark chocolate covered almonds, which have an abundance of flavor but also provide antioxidants, vitamin E, protein, and fiber.

Rule 3 of snaking: Don’t eat just because you’re bored.

Just don’t. It wreaks havoc on the waistline (and I’m speaking from personal experience here…)

Rule 4 of snacking: When you’re hungry (or bored), drink a glass of water.

If you’re craving a snack, drink a glass of water, wait 20 minutes, and then see if you still need that snack. Why? because it’s hard to distinguish between being thirsty and being hungry (read more about this here). You might just need a nice, cool, calorie-free glass of water!

And that’s it!

…now go get yourself a snack! I’m going to.

Leftovers

Yesterday I defrosted 4 meals worth of chicken breast in preparation for dinner guests (who didn’t end up coming for dinner). I made Chicken Scallopini with half of it, and baked the other half. So, my husband and I will be eating chicken for awhile, but hey, who says that’s a bad thing? When you have recipes like these, there’s no need to get bored:

White Chicken Enchiladas, over at The Pioneer Woman…so, so, so very yummy. And if you haven’t seen Pioneer Woman’s website, take some time to do so…it’s lively and entertaining.

Napa Cabbage Salad

Chicken Salad with Orange and Fennel

And here are the recipes…

Napa Cabbage Salad

2 cups cooked, cubed chicken, or as much as you like/have

1 head Napa cabbage, shredded

5 green onions, chopped

Combine and set aside

2 packages Ramen noodles (just don’t use the seasoning packets)

½ cup sliced almonds OR chopped peanuts

Break up those noodles…you want ‘em to be nice and small…and lightly brown the noodles and nuts in butter in a pan on the stove. Cool completely.

1 cup oil (some sesame oil tossed in for subtle flavor is nice, if you have it)

2/3 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

¼ cup rice vinegar

Blend until sugar is dissolved. Then, toss everything together. I’ve also made this dish with Broccoli  -use about 4 cups of diced crowns.

Chicken Salad with Orange and Fennel, from Cuisine at Home

4 servings

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ Greek yogurt or plain yogurt

2 Tbsp. Orange juice

Zest of ½ and orange

4 cups diced cooked chicken

1 cup halved red grapes

¾ cup diced fennel bulb

¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted

2 Tbsp. Chopped fennel fronds

1 Tbsp. Chopped fresh tarragon

Kosher salt and pepper

Whisk mayonnaise, yogurt, orange juice, and zest together in a bowl.

Stir in chicken, grapes, diced fennel, almonds, fennel fronds, and tarragon.

Season salad with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately on a bed of mixed greens, or cover and chill.

So go use those leftovers!

Tomato Soup

Campbell’s tomato soup was my favorite lunchtime standby growing up. I liked to eat it with a generous handful of goldfish crackers to swim in the thin red broth.

Now, this isn’t Campbell’s bashing -I love Campbell’s products. BUT I had never had homemade tomato soup, so how could I know how much better homemade is compared to canned?

If you already liked the canned stuff, make this soup, you’ll love it.

Here’s the cast of characters, nice and simple

I think the secret to the flavor is in the caramelizing of the tomatoes…so simple, but such a difference

Of course, it could be the gentle sauteing of the onions and carrots…

Either way, it’s delicious. Toss some Parmesan on top and its stupendous.

Make it, you know you want to…

Homemade Tomato Soup

Adapted from Michael Chiarello

1 (14 ounce) can chopped tomatoes

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 stalk celery, diced

1 small carrot, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 450

strain the chopped canned tomatoes, reserving the juices, and spread onto a baking sheet, season generously with salt and pepper, drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil and roast until caramelized, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion and garlic, cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the roasted chopped canned tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, chicken broth and butter. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15-20 minutes. Add cream, puree with a hand held immersion blender until smooth.

Serve as is, or with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan.

By the way, this recipe is very forgiving. I have left out the cream, the celery, and the butter…no problems! It was still delicious.

Enjoy!

Tennessee Rice

For nearly as long as I can recall, my mom has been making Tennessee Rice. It’s one of those creamy, cheesy, and altogether comforting concoctions that sticks to your ribs and warms your soul.

During my visit with my folks this weekend, my mom set aside lots of delicious frozen meals for me to take home…including a pan of  Tennessee Rice. Now, I haven’t cooked it up yet, but it is waiting there, in my freezer, for the moment that calls for a forkful of good feelings. Here’s the recipe so you can enjoy it too:

Tennessee Rice

1 cup wild blend rice (not wild rice)

1 cup white (Calrose) rice

4 cups water

Cook the above together until done

Add to cooked rice (while hot):

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 small white onion, diced

1 small jar diced pimentos

1/2 pound cooked, drained, and crumbled Italian sausage

Mix well and pour into a 9×13 pan.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour (the top should be lightly browned).

Share this dish with your loved ones and they will love you all the more.

My opinion is that this makes for a great lunch or dinner, but it’s also lovely as a breakfast food. With some fried eggs, perhaps? Mmmmm.

Back to my roots

This weekend the mister and I are visiting my family…or my roots, as I too dramatically phrased it in my title.

My family, my mom, sisters and grandma in particular, and the kind of comforting people who have to feed you. Do you know what I mean? they feed you when you’re sad, they feed you when you’re celebrating,  they feed you when you’re hungry, they feed you when you’re not hungry.

When my mom found out we were coming to visit, her first question wasn’t “what do you want to do when you’re here?” or “what time do you have to leave?” it was “what do you want me to cook for dinner?”.

It’s wonderful actually, a rich part of my culture that has shaped me as a person in a way you might not guess that food could.

So, as I prepare for the trip I consider how much I am like my family…how much I need to feed people. And I am glad that I inherited the feed gene.

How has your food-culture shaped the way you eat/cook/entertain ?

Eggs Benedict

I didn’t realize how much time had passed until I remembered I’d said I’d post the outcome of my breakfast-food-for-dinner last Thursday -Eek, embarrassing!

Well, the dinner turned out great…it was one of my misters favorite breakfast foods: Eggs Benedict.

I used Pioneer Woman’s recipe and step by step directions -so helpful! all of her pictures and recipes are delightful, so go give her site a look-see.

I started out with some bread, and toasted that up real nice.

I also made some bacon…Mmmm!

And after following the steps for poaching eggs (my first time, word of advice, don’t use eggs with broken yolks!), and making the Hollendaise sauce, I had what looked like a tasty dish.

But the real test was my mister’s reaction…would he like it?

Yep, yep he did.

My momma always said

Before I got married, my Momma told me “Girl, if you don’t get yourself out of bed with your man every morning and make him breakfast, you’ll be hearing from me”.

Does breakfast at 6 PM count? ’cause I have a great dinner planned, but I didn’t make breakfast this morning.

It may take a day to get tonight’s dinner into a blog post, but I was just too excited to wait… here are the key ingredients:

If anyone’s reading this, take a guess at what I’m making, ‘kay?

Last Nights Dinner

Hello world!

My name is Albion. I like to cook. And here’s what I cooked last night for dinner: tomato sauce with butter and onion.

Now, this isn’t your typical pasta sauce…it’s not meaty, it’s not over-seasoned. It doesn’t have a single Italian herb in it. But it is so delicious. So. Delicious.

The ingredients are simple: butter, tomatoes, and an onion. That’s it!

So, first you simmer the tomatoes, butter, and onion in a saucepan, crushing the tomatos against the side of the pan every now and then.

Then, 45 minutes later, when the sauce has reached perfection, you remove the onion and serve the light and silky sauce over your favorite pasta.

As a side note, you may want to eat this in the company of friends because it is hard (nearly impossible) to resist licking the dish to retrieve every last droplet of sauce.

Here’s the recipe, enjoy!

Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onions
From Smitten Kitchen, adapted from Marcela Hazan’s Essentials of Italian Cooking

Serves 4 as a main course; makes enough sauce to lightly coat about a pound of pasta

28 ounces (800 grams) whole peeled tomatoes from a can (I used diced tomatoes)*
5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter (there is no substitute for this…use real butter!)
1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved
Salt to taste

Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free of the tomatoes. Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, discard the onion, add salt to taste and keep warm while you prepare your pasta.

Serve with pasta, with (or without) grated Parmesan cheese