Make- Up

Last week I went into a cooking frenzy. I cooked so much food I had to bring quite a bit into my office so it wouldn't go to waste at home. I think this frenetic activity was a way to make up for my utter lack of culinary attempts the previous week. See, I was recovering from a bout of stomach flu and just couldn't bring myself to do anything more then make a pot of Ramen noodles. As you can see below, I think I more than made up for my absence.

Saturday Night:

Chicken Thighs with Pineapple Relish, Quinoa Tabbouleh, 2004 Tili Assisi Grechetto

I chose these items because I was craving something fresh and light but packed full of flavor after a week of nothing but noodles and soup. The pineapple and the cilantro in the relish just sang and danced on my tongue. The pinch salt in the relish is critical as it actually brings out the sweetness of the pineapple, hides the acidity and actually ties all the other ingredients together. Do NOT eliminate this critical ingredient! I know there has been a lot of discussion about reducing sodium in our food but it's only a pinch folks!

The quinoa also has a heavy dose of cilantro. Cilantro is an herb I use a lot in the summer because I think it exudes freshness, which to me is the essence of summer. Plus, it is cheap and found in abundance at the grocery store during the summer. Makes sure you wash it carefully though, as the broad leaves can retain dirt and other grime. Once washed, wrap it in a dry paper towel and store.

I've only recently become a convert to quinoa. My first attempt, which involved trying to cook it quickly in the microwave, was an utter and complete failure. Now that I know how to cook it correctly (on the stove) I think it is awesome. It has a nice little "pop" to it that gives it a different, and thoroughly enjoyable, texture. It also takes on a nice slight nutty flavor by toasting it in a pan before adding it to the boiling water.

At first I was concerned the Grechetto would not work well with the pineapple relish. However, because the Grechetto had aged so much (and perhaps was a bit over the hill), it had a nice honey flavor that matched surprisingly well.

Chicken Thighs with Pineapple Relish

Ingredients:

• Boneless skinless chicken thighs (8)
• Palmful of garlic powder
• Palmful of ground cumin
• Salt & Pepper
  
• Dash, Roasted Paprika
  
• Fresh Pineapple (1/2 container from store), cubed
• 1/2 Corn Kernels (1 ear, fresh)
• 1/4 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• Handful fresh basil, torn (don't chop as it will bruise the leaves)
• 1/2 bunch Cilantro, rough chopped
• Handful finely chopped red onion
  
• 1 TBL Cider Vinegar
• 1 Tsp Salt
  

Directions:

• Combine the garlic powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper in a bowl. Rub onto both sides of the chicken.
• Place chicken on outdoor grill and cook until done
  
• If using your oven, place on a grill pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 5 -6 minutes on each side or until done.
• Combine all other ingredients in a large bowl.
• Serve relish over the chicken.
  

Quinoa Tabbouleh

Ingredients:

• 1/2 C Quinoa, rinsed
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 extra virgin olive oil
• Salt & Pepper
• 1/2 a bunch of Cilantro, rough chopped
• handful of fresh mint leaves, rough chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, fine minced and squished into a paste
• 1 pint Cherry tomatoes, quartered (annoying I know, but it helps with the texture)
• 1 cucumber, peeled and diced

Directions:

• Boil 1 cup of chicken stock in a saucepan
  
• Toast the Quinoa over medium heat until the the grains start to pop and they smell nutty.
• Dump the quinoa into the boiling stock
• Turn the heat way down, cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes.
• Let the Quinoa cool
• In a small dish, combine lemon juice, oil, salt, pepper and garlic
• Combine cooled Quinoa, cilantro, cucumber, tomatoes in a large bowl.
• Add dressing; stir to combine

Sunday Afternoon/ Evening:

Dark Chocolate-Raisin Oatmeal Cookies, Coffee-Rubbed Texas Style Brisket, Ranch-Style Potato Salad, Asparagus, Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake, 1997 Cakebread Cabernet Sauvingon.

Clint always says that when I don't know what else to do, I cook. That pretty much sums up my Sunday menu. Clint wanted to barbecue so we planned a menu around a Brisket (Teaser: Clint will be posting about Brisket and the Big Green Egg soon). Because Brisket must be smoked and then grilled low and slow, we're pretty much captives in the house for hours until it is done. To keep myself and Cecelia occupied I baked and cooked more food than usual.

I was enchanted by the idea of the ranch style potato salad, because it seemed lighter and more flavorful than the traditional Deli style. I like my potato salad with "zing" so I used cider vinegar instead of white vinegar, and added 2 more tablespoons to the base recipe. Tossing the warm potatoes with the mustard and vinegar before cooling them down and adding them to the mayo base seems to keep the potatoes more moist than in typical recipes. The recipe calls for buttermilk which is an ingredient I haven't used too often. The good thing about butter milk is that it is very flavorful, tangy and results in incredibly moist food. The main problem with buttermilk is that it isn't sold in small quantities (like a pint) around here. So, to prevent needless waste, I made 2 other recipes which used buttermilk, those being the Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake and the Marinated Chicken for Tuesday. Even after all that I still have 1/2 quart of buttermilk left in my fridge.

I originally served the Asparagus with toasted breadcrumbs and lemon zest on top. That idea flopped for three reasons (1) I had the proportion of breadcrumbs to asparagus way off ( I think I even said to Clint, "Would you like some asparagus with your breadcrumbs") ; (2) the breadcrumb mixture was too dry. It needed a swirl of olive oil to moisten and bind everything together; and (3) I wasn't actually cooking the breadcrumbs because I was putting Cece to bed. I think if I was manning the station I would have been able to remedy the disproportionate amount of breadcrumbs and dryness issue. As a result, I have opted to include my standard recipe for asparagus, rather then some tarted up version that I don't know will work for sure.

Baking cookies is a whole lot of fun with Cecelia. She helps me measure out the dry ingredients and stirs them all together. I love cooking with her because she is such an appreciative audience. Its great to get very loud "oohs" and "aahs" just for bringing out a hand-mixer and creaming butter and sugar together. The problem with involving her in the task is that she likes to eat all the ingredients and often, she doesn't wait until its all mixed together. She loves butter so I have to be quick to make sure she doesn't take a bite out of the stick I'm going to use. I typically use diversionary tactics like giving her dry ingredients to mix while I do the more complicated stuff, or sneak in ingredients that I don't want her to "test".

Dark Chocolate-Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 C Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
• 1/2 C brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 C granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 C rolled oats
• 1 1/2 C raisins
• 1 package (12 oz) dark chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375
• Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl
  
• In a large bowl cream butter and sugars together
• Add eggs and vanilla to butter mixture
• Add flour mixture in thirds, until just combined
• Fold in oats, raisins, and chocolate chips
• Use a small ice cream scoop with lever, large melon baller, or standard tablespoon measure to drop batter onto baking sheets
• Bake, rotating sheets halfway through for 12 minutes or until cookies are golden brown and soft to the touch.
• Cool briefly on the sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully
  

Coffee-Rubbed Texas Style Brisket

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbl ground coffee
• 1 Tbl Kosher salt
• 1 Tbl Brown sugar
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp ancho chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 , 41/2 lb flat cut brisket
  

Directions: See Next Post "Brisket and the Big Green Egg"

Ranch-Style Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 Lb Red Potatoes, cut into chunks of relative equal size
• 1/3 C Mayo
• 1/4 C Buttermilk
• 4 Tbl Cider vinegar, divided
  
• 1/4 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• handful Cilantro, rough chopped
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced and scraped into a paste
• small handful of dried dill weed
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1 Tbl coarse Dijon mustard
  

Directions:

• Boil the potatoes in salted water, just enough to barely cover the taters until tender, around 10 minutes
• Whisk mayo, buttermilk, 2 Tbl vinegar, peppers, cilantro, green onions, dill and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl
• Drain potatoes and spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet
• Whisk mustard and remaining vinegar together.
• Drizzle over potatoes and toss until evenly coated
• Refrigerate until cooled, around 30 minutes
• Dump the cooled potatoes into the mayo mixture and toss to combine.
  
• Refrigerate until well chilled (at least 30 minutes but can be kept up to 2 days).
  

Asparagus

Ingredients:

• Asparagus, stems trimmed
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper
  

Directions:

• Drizzle Asparagus with Olive oil
• Season with Salt & Pepper to taste
• Place in Medium-High Pan. Cook (without moving around to let each side caramelize a bit) 2-3 minutes; then flip and repeat. If you have a grill section to your range, use that instead of a pan.
  
• Serve and eat immediately

Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake

Ingredients:

Cake

• 2 C flour
• 2 C sugar
• 1 C Water
  
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 C (2 sticks) butter
• 1/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 C buttermilk
  
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 
  
• Chocolate Frosting:
• 1/4 C butter
• 3 Tbl unsweetened cocoa
• 3 TbL buttermilk
• 2 1/4 C confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 C rough chopped pecans
  

Directions:

Cake--

• Preheat oven to 350
• Grease a 13X9X2-inch baking pan; set aside.
• Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl
• In a medium saucepan combine butter, cocoa, and water. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
  
• With an electric hand-held mixer on medium speed, beat chocolate into the dry mixture until thoroughly blended.
• Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute (batter will be thin). Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

Frosting--

• In a medium saucepan combine butter, cocoa powder, and buttermilk. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat
• Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
  
• Stir in 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans.
• Pour warm frosting over the warm cake, spreading evenly.
  
• Cool thoroughly before cutting.
  

Tuesday Evening:

Buttermilk-Spice Marinated Chicken Breasts Steamed in Homebrewed Beer, Steamed Green Beans, Couscous Pilaf, Peach Crisp

I still had lots of buttermilk left over from the weekend, so Tuesday at lunch I came home and made this marinade and stuck it in the fridge. After work and daycare, Cece and I made the crisp together. She was particularly good at cutting the butter into the flour mixture with her hands. However, I was rushing around so much that I forgot to time the baking of the crisp with the way I intended to cook the chicken, which was originally meant for the broiler. Since the oven was occupied with the crisp, I improvised and decided to brown, and then steam the chicken with some of Clint's tasty Koelsch homebrew instead. The result of both the marinade and the cooking process was a very very moist bird. The breasts were so huge though, that neither Clint nor I could finish them. I picked the rest of the meat off the breasts and whipped up a casserole that we ate on Thursday.

I loathe mushy green beans so I always steam them. They were fresh and simply done using one of my standby "recipes." Couscous is a great weekday starch because it is done in around 5 minutes. I packed more flavor into mine by sauteing the grains with oil and onions first and adding some Cilantro (seeing a theme here?) to the cooking broth.

Clint and I each had a small bowl of the crisp (with a dash of vanilla ice cream) before turning in for the night. I would strongly recommend serving the crisp warm and a la mode. I brought the rest of the crisp into work the next day and was much rewarded for my efforts. Clint was a little miffed later on in the week that I didn't save any more back for us. Oh well, it's nice to spread a bit of cheer round the office.

Buttermilk-Spice Marinated Chicken Breasts Steamed in Beer

Ingredients:

• 2-3 split chicken breasts, skin on and bone in
• 1 C buttermilk
• handful smoked paprika
• handful cumin
• handful tumeric
• Dash of caynne pepper
• Salt to taste
  
• 1/2 bunch Cilantro, rough chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• juice of 1/2 lime
  

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients in a Large Zip-Lock bag
• Place in a large bowl or dish and marinate overnight in the fridge, turning at least once
• Shake excess marinade off the breasts and place in a large pan on high heat
• Discard the marinade (raw chicken gunk-ugh!)
  
• Sear both sides of the chicken (don't move it so it can carmelize) round 5 -8 minutes each side
• Pour 1/2 bottle of beer and 1 cup of water into pan, cover and steam for 10 minutes
• Flip chicken, add rest of beer and more water if the pan looks dry, cover and steam for another 8-10 minutes.
• Serve
  

Steamed Green Beans

Ingredients:

• Fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped
• Pat of Butter
• Lawry's seasoning salt to taste
  

Directions:

• Place green beans in a steamer basket in steam over chicken broth until tender-crisp, 'round 8-12 minutes depending.
• Place pat of butter and seasoning salt in a bowl
• Dump the bean in the bowl and stir to combine
• Serve and eat immediately
  

Couscous Pilaf

Ingredients:

• 1 C Couscous
• 1 C Chicken Broth
  
• Olive oil (couple of swirls 'round the pan)
• Handful of finely chopped red onion
• Handful of roughly chopped Cilantro

Directions:

• Boil chicken broth over high heat
• Heat Oil in pan over medium heat
• Add onions and sweat them a bit
• Add Couscous to onions and toast until it gives off a slight nutty smell
• Dump the Couscous mixture into the boiling broth
• Add the Cilantro
• Stir mixture quickly
• Cover, remove from heat and let sit for at least 5 minutes
• Fluff with a fork before serving
  

Peach Crisp

Ingredients:

• 1 C Flour
• 1/2 C granulated sugar
• 1/2 C brown sugar, packed
• handful of cinnamon
• dash of nutmeg
• pinch of salt
• 1 stick cold butter
• 5-6 peeled and sliced peaches
• Grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 big swirls of pure maple syrup (none of that fake stuff-ick!)
  

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350
• In medium bowl combine flour, sugars, spices and salt
• Cut cold butter into small pieces
• Add butter to the flour mixture and use your hands, fork or a pastry blenders to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles a coarse meal.
• Add the lemon zest, juice and maple syrup to the peaches in a bowl
• Pour the peaches into the pan
• Top with the crumb mixture pressing to even out the surface
• Cover tightly with foil and bake for 15 minutes
• Remove the foil and bake for 30 minutes or until the topping is crisp and golden brown.