Something spicy! ( and not soup)

Hello all!

I am a fan of winter, but I am not a fan of the arctic tundra that New England has turned into! I was debating making more winter comfort food today,and yet again I thought about soup, but a friend commented last night on how he doesn't like soup and won't try any of my recipes for it. I don't want people to just read this blog, I want them to actually try the recipes! So I then  decided to make something a little more tropical  and not soup related... wishful cooking.

To the aforementioned friend: I realize that you probably won't like this due to the spiciness and veggies and such, but you should really give it a try!  :)

Spicy Chicken with Mango Salsa and Rice

You need:
2 boneless chicken breasts
2 mangos
1 sweet red pepper
1 Serrano chile pepper
1/2 a red onion
3 roma tomatos
2 limes
2 garlic cloves
olive oil
salt and pepper
Jasmine rice

For the Salsa:
chop the tomatoes, red pepper, onion and mango. Cutting mangos can be very tricky! James found this video and then helped me out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvLdPjpELyU
Then mince about  3/4 of  the Serrano pepper.* Be SUPER careful when cutting this not to touch your face or eyes! The oil will stay on your hands, and it burns! James took care of this part for me, and he wore gloves while doing it.
Next mince the two cloves of garlic. Try laying the flat side of a knife against the clove and pushing down until it smooshes and then mince it.  Combine everything in a bowl. Next juice 1 lime into the bowl, and then add salt and pepper to taste.

For the chicken:
first mince up the remaining serrano pepper. Then cut away any fat on the chicken.  I chose to thinly slice my chicken, mainly because  I was running low on time ( I was really hungry!).  Lightly coat a frying pan with olive oil and heat it up! throw the chicken in the pan and juice 1 lime over the chicken. Also add the minced serrano pepper and then season with salt and pepper. let this cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When  there is no pink left on the inside of the chicken, its done.

So I must come clean. I was very lazy when it came to the rice. I had the option of buying the organic jasmine rice that needs to be boiled, and takes an hour to make, but instead I took the easy way out. I bought 2 packages of the Uncle Ben's 90  second microwave rice. I'm feeling a little guilty about it now, but hey it was still tasty!


When everything is done plate the rice first, then place a few pieces of chicken on top of that. Then cover it with the salsa and Voila! a yummy tropical dish to warm you up :)

So apparently I only like to blog about soups, because tonight I am making french onion soup!

A couple of weeks ago James convinced me to try french onion soup. Thats right me. I know that it is made from beef broth, but I LOVED it!  The gooey cheese, the sweet onion and the smokey beef taste. I loved every part of it! so tonight, I will be attempting to make it myself...  I yet again found a recipe off the censational girl website, but I'm changing it up a bit :)

I used:
2 lbs yellow onions
3/4 stick of butter
1 tablespoon veggie oil
1/4 cup merlot
black pepper to taste
32 oz  beef broth
as much gyuere cheese as you want
sour dough rolls

I started off by  slicing up  2 lbs of onions.  I then melted 3/4 a stick of butter in a large pot and added the onion in.  I let them caramelize for about 40 min, stirring frequently to make sure they didn't burn. I tasted them around the 40 min mark, and yummm, soft, sweet, oniony perfection! I added the merlot and black pepper, and then let the onions reduce for about 10 minutes. I added in the beef broth, and brought to a boil. After boiling for a few minutes,  I then brought the heat down and let it simmer.

At this point, you could probably  let it cool and then store it in the fridge, but I am impatient, and want to taste this asap!

A quick note on soup crocks: I was against buying them at first. I felt like it was something required for a Meme, but I broke down and bought a pair this fall. Best $12 ever, soup just seems to taste better from them.   you should invest as well :)

Now go ahead and spoon the deliciousness into a soup crock.  place some chucks of sourdough bread on top and then cover that with cheese. Place in the crock in the oven and allow the cheese to melt and brown a little....

Enjoy!

Same path my other blogs have gone down....

So I am disappointed that I am allowing this blog to go down the same path that previous blog did. I promise that i will work on this! In fact, I am going to do a special Thanksgiving version. Get ready!!

It's cold and I want soup!

Sunday, November 7
Minestrone Soup


I don't know about any where else, but here in Maine it is freezing .  It's been like this for a while now, and being the "cold blooded" creature that I am, am I craving something warm.  I'm a huge fan of the blog centsational girl  and she posted a bunch of recipes for soup. I'm going to try out one of them today!

What you need:
3 tbsp olive oil
2 medium zucchini
3 yellow squash ( I used two big ones)
1/2 tsp fresh crushed garlic... yummm
2 cups frozen corn
5 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 can white northern beans
1/2 tsp garlic salt
parmesan cheese
bread

make sure you have a LARGE pot. I thought I was going to be ok using  a medium size one, I was wrong. I had to drive to my boyfriend's house to pick up a large one. That definitely interrupted the cooking groove......

Directions from Censational Girl:

"Start by dicing up your squash, then pour the olive oil into a large pot.  If you like a hint of garlic flavor, add 1/2 tsp crushed garlic to mixture.  Simmer or ‘sweat’ your squash on medium low heat for 5 minutes.  Add chicken broth and corn, bring misture to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add basil, thyme, salt tomato sauce, and white beans, then cook on medium low heat for another 15 minutes. "


I've got the squash and such simmering right now and my kitchen smells amazing. In the original recipe it says that the garlic is optional, I say its not. I love the taste of garlic mmmmm so good! It's a good thing my boyfriend likes garlic.  Little hint:  you don't have to worry about garlic breath if you're both eating it!  

I like a rich tomato taste, and after sampling I decided that the soup's wasn't quite enough. I halved about 15 cherry tomatoes and added it to the soup, and allowed it to cook for an additional 5 minutes. 

The finished product:

yummmm.... 

this is the perfect cure for a cold evening; cuddle up with a blanket warm and cozy soup. Serve it with parmesan cheese, bread, and a glass of wine! It's lick the bowl good :)

Getting started...

I love food. I love to smell it, taste it,  cook it, read about it. I just love food. Now this is probably a strange thing considering the family I come from. My dad is good cook. His hunting  buddies gave him the nick-name Betty, as in Betty Crocker. But he doesn't put his talents to use very often, and on top of that, he is the typical "man" chef; meat an potatoes.  Family dinners were generally a problem for me through out my teens. Being the pseudo-vegetarian I am, I was usually left fend for myself.

I love my mom dearly, but she is... well, not the best cook in the world. Her meals generally consist of something frozen, or from a can. I do have some positive culinary influences though, my Nana is the champion of holiday meals. I'm currently her thanksgiving dinner apprentice :)


I have always wanted to have a blog. I have tried a few times before, but never really kept up with it. This time I'm aiming to write weekly about the food that I make on Sundays. I'm hoping the third time will be a charm for this blog thing!

Here is a re-cap of  from the past couple of Sundays:

Sunday, October 24
Turkey Roll-ups


I know I said my Mom isn't the best cook, but she does come up with some good ideas. This one is a really simply meal, with all the  great things about thanksgiving rolled up into one!

What you need:
thick sliced roasted turkey from the deli (1.5-2 lbs)
1 box of stuffing* ( I'm a fan of the bell's brand)
*you may need additional ingredients depending on the stuffing you use
1 bag  of dried cranberries
1 can of gravy

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. cook the stuffing according to the directions on the box.
3. add as many or as few cranberries as you like to the stuffing. I'm a fan of their tartness so I add a lot!
4. place a heaping spoonful of the stuffing onto one edge of the thick sliced turkey and then roll it up. place into a baking pan. Repeat for all of the slices of turkey.
*You can save the leftover stuffing for later, or just eat it then like I do :)
5.pour gravy on top of the roll-ups - try to spoon it into the sides of the roll up as well so it gets into the stuffing!
6. place in the oven for 15-20 minutes. If you made very large roll ups then you may need to bake it longer ....
7. ENJOY!

Thanksgiving isn't complete with out  squash, so I made basked acorn squash as a side for this meal. A great recipe for it can be found here:food network.  I added a little more brown sugar than they suggested....


Sunday, October 31 - Happy Halloween
Toasted pumpkin seeds


In honor of the spooky day, my boyfriend and I made toasted pumpkin seeds after we carved our jack-o-lantern.

What you need:
pumpkin seeds
salt
* some people like to coat with olive oil, I chose not to.

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. remove your seeds from the pumpkin. Try to separate them from the gooey pieces.
3. wash your seeds - use a strainer with small holes, not slits as the seeds will fall out - personal experience
4. here's the hard part, you need to dry off your seeds. I don't really have any words of wisdom for this other than be patient. The seeds stick to paper towels and such, and I didn't want to wait for them to air dry....
5. place your seeds on a baking pan and spread them out into a single layer. Make sure to coat your pan with some type of cooking spray as the seeds will stick!
6. place them in the oven for approximately 10 minutes - listen for popping!
7. let the seeds cool -ENJOY!