Jamie is coming over?!

Jamie (my brother's friend) came over for the weekend and I haven't cooked for my brother or sister-in-law yet so I took this opportunity to cook for them all. hmm... a Sauteed Chicken with Mustard and Dill Sauce would be nice for dinner. Since we were still in November I thought a nice side to the chicken dish would be butternut squash. I had found this recipe in a magazine a couple weeks back that looked good so I used it. I had never cooked butternut squash before nor had I eaten it much in the past. I had no idea what this meal was going to taste like. As a matter of fact I never really know what these meals are going to taste like until I start smelling it as it cooks! It's a surprise not only to the family and friends willing to eat my cooking but to me as well!

Well it was a very good meal. The butternut squash with spinach came out good I just should have left it in the oven a little longer so it would come out softer. But the chicken and dill mustard sauce was great!
sauce:

• shallot minced
• chicken broth
• dry white wine
• unsalted butter
• fresh dill, chopped
• whole grain mustard

Tis the Season...

Thanksgiving came and went without me cooking...

 We had our fair share of turkey and amazing stuffing. peas and mushrooms,Mashed potatoes and gravey, sweet potatoes with marshmellows MMMMM!!!!!

Falling asleep after a meal always is a good sign!

But wait we can't forget about desserts. I baked Pumpkin Blondies which were a hit. There was pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin pie, apple pie, peacan pie, Italian cheesecake some cookies in case you didn't like the traditional pies and cakes!

One day I'll be able to contribute to thanksgiving

but until then, back to the kitchen!

I could eat this every day!

Glazed Chicken with Corn Relish
I make chicken a lot and I never realized how long it has to cook because I usually cook boneless chicken breasts not chicken on the bone. You would think it would be faster.
I learned from this recipe...
double the recipe (who ever made this book thought that 1 chicken was enough for 1 person) They were wrong about portions!
I never really go by the times they say in the book either because it always seems to be longer than they suggest.
They also suggest to cook the chicken on a skillet but maybe it would cook more thoroughly in the oven? You tell me!
Overall I did cook it all the way don't worry about that. There is an orange glaze over the chicken that consists of orange marmalade, orange juice and zest from the orange and minced chipotles in adobo... I used jalapenos instead because I can control the heat that way. I haven't used the chipotles in adobo yet...
I'm liking this cilantro and scallions trick they keep using a lot! it's so tastaaaay!

Quick Lunch

Chopped Salad with Apples, Bacon and Turkey

I needed to make a quick salad because I wanted to eat with my mother before I went to go make dinner somewhere else. I've been hopping from kitchen to kitchen trying to spread the taste of my cooking around. So I made this as simple as possible. It's the most tasty salad you will ever have and the dressing was tangy but when mixing it with the apples its such a sweet and sour taste it's delicious! I left out the bacon because I wanted to make it healthier and I just didn't have the time to cook the bacon.

here's the ingredients:

romaine lettuce

deli cut turkey breast

apples (macs)

for the dressing:

crumbled blue cheese

olive oil

cider vinegar

salt and pepper

What's the Soup of the Day?

Spicy Chicken Fideo Soup

I really wanted to make soup because I haven't yet out of this book. I think to make soup you have to be in the mood for it and it should be cold out. It was the first days of november when I made this but I had to work. I knew my family was getting together for dinner so I was nice enough to make it and they were nice enough to be my ginea pigs.

I never had to make soup in this way before. First off I had to double the recipe and I thought that would be difficult considering I really love to bake and it's always hard to double baking recipes. Anyway, I had to make the pasta golden brown on the stove in oil before adding it to the soup. I'm not sure what that does...

I've learned when making soup with any type of pasta you shouldn't add the pasta until you serve each portion. This helps the pasta to not over-cook when re-heating and the pasta is less likely to absorb all of the liquid in the pot.

The avocado, fresh cilantro and Monterey Jack cheese were a nice touch to each dish when serving.

This was a hit dish for the family. They loved it!! I was so excited to hear this and they even wanted the recipe.

Sandwiches?

Tuna Melt
I try to use the things that my mother buys before I go out and buy things that are seldom used in my house. I found a bunch of tuna and then opened the book and there it was "Mediterranean Tuna Melt." In the book it looks so much better than the way mine came out. And you would think that sandwiches are easy to make right?! well this one was. I didn't use tomatoes.. I'm not a fan (I think I've said that before)

This was a really good sandwich. The recipe calls for artichokes and I wouldn't have thought to mix the two but it comes out great! I think this would be good to have as a spread for crackers. It tastes pretty good. You should try it! I would suggest to combine it in a blender to make it a spread:

• canned tuna
• artichokes thawed and chopped
• red onion chopped fine
• mayonaise
• lemon juice
• salt and pepper

On the other hand...
I had an old friend stop by and I wanted to make something quick and easy. You would think that a sandwich would be ideal during lunch time.... Well it wasn't very good.
I forgot to take a picture but I made Oven-Grilled Reuben Sandwiches
I've never had a real Reuben sooo I had nothing to compare it to, but my friend aparently likes reubens and has had his fair share in his days. The reuben I made consisted of coleslaw, mustard, mayonaise, rye bread, swiss cheese and corned beef...

Can ANYONE tell me what a real reuben consists of???!!!!!

Crunch Time!

I apologize to all my readers out there who have been awaiting another creation to be posted. I've had quite a month with finalizing school lesson plans and working weekends that I've been neglecting the blogs. Needless to say I haven't been neglecting the cooking aspect. A girls gotta eat right?!
I have pictures and stories to share that are experiences nonetheless...

Keep reading because I haven't given up this project!! Despite the messes i've made, most have been delicious!!

Can't everything be as simple as the way Strega Nona makes it out to be?

-C