Recipes

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons red curry paste
2 (14 ounces each) cans coconut milk
2 tablespoons fish sauce
4 teaspoons brown sugar
1 ¹⁄₂ pound flank steak, cut lengthwise and then into thin strips
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¹⁄₄-inch-wide strips
¹⁄₂ pound sugar snap peas, strings removed
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt

Instructions
1. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add curry paste and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in coconut milk, fish sauce, and brown sugar and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

2. Add beef and cook until pieces separate and turn firm, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and peas and cook until peas are crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and lime juice. Season with salt to taste.

Comments
This recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated 2007.  I ended up getting the curry paste from Amazon, since Art was unable to find it at our local grocery store.  I was really pleased with the quality of the Mae Ploy stuff and will definitely be trying their other pastes in the future. 

This was a great dish and we all really enjoyed it. The flavors were lovely and I served it with jasmine rice from the rice cooker.  This recipe was also super easy to make, which is always a plus.

Cook’s Illustrated 2007

Ingredients
¹⁄₂ cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, stems removed
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter
1 ¹⁄₂ cups chicken broth
¹⁄₄ cup heavy cream

Instructions
1. Mix Dijon mustard and thyme; coat chicken pieces with this marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.

2. Bring chicken to room temperature and heat oven to 350*F. Melt butter in a skillet. Add chicken and cook over medium-high heat, until well browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer breasts to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Transfer chicken to the oven; roast until juices run clear when pierced with a fork, 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, add chicken stock to skillet; bring to boil, scraping up any brown bits that have stuck to the pan; simmer until stock reduces to ³⁄₄ cup, about 10 minutes. Add cream; return to simmer for 1 minute. Pour sauce into hand blender cup and blend well.  Serve chicken with pan sauce. 

Comments
This recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated 1993.  The very first year of the magazine!  I think the flavors of the dish were great, but the sauce was way too thin.  Next time I’ll reduce it quite a bit more before blending it.  Otherwise, this is a nice way to prepare chicken with a nice pan sauce. 

Shown here with Linguine with Garlic Cream Sauce.

Cook’s Illustrated 1993

Ingredients
1 cinnamon stick
¹⁄₂ teaspoon cumin seed
3 quarts water
Salt
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions, sliced thin
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 ¹⁄₄ cups basmati rice
¹⁄₂ teaspoon saffron threads, lightly crumbled
¹⁄₄ cup currants or raisins
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, chopped

Instructions
1. Wrap cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, ginger, and cumin seed in small piece of cheesecloth and secure with kitchen twine. In 3 ¹⁄₂- to 4-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan about 8 inches in diameter, bring water, spice bundle, and 1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons salt to boil over medium-high heat; reduce to medium and simmer, partially covered, until spices have infused water, at least 15 minutes (but no longer than 30 minutes).

2. Meanwhile, season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper and set aside. Heat butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foaming subsides; add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and dark brown about edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Add jalapeño and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to bowl, season lightly with salt, and set aside. Wipe out skillet with paper towels, return heat to medium-high, and place chicken in skillet; cook, without moving chicken, until well browned, about 5 minutes. Flip chicken and brown second side, 4 to 5 minutes longer; transfer chicken to plate. Tent with foil to keep warm.

3. If necessary, return spice-infused water to boil over high heat; stir in rice and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain rice through fine-mesh strainer, reserving ³⁄₄ cup cooking liquid; discard spice bundle. Transfer rice to medium bowl; stir in saffron and currants (rice will turn splotchy yellow). Spread half of rice evenly in bottom of now-empty saucepan using rubber spatula. Scatter half of onion mixture over rice, then place chicken on top of onions; add any accumulated chicken juices. Evenly sprinkle with cilantro and mint, scatter remaining onions over herbs, then cover with remaining rice; pour reserved cooking liquid evenly over rice.

4. Cover saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes (if large amount of steam is escaping from pot, reduce heat to low). Serve with Yogurt Sauce. 

Comments
This recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated 2004.  I’ve been going through old issues trying to find neat (recipes to try and this one looked tasty!  Sadly, I had the heat up a bit too high in step 3, so some rice burnt to the bottom of the pot.  I’ll know for next time.  It also would have been nice to have had extra rice.  This recipe has a lot of merit; I think I just need to fidget with it a bit before I make it again.  The flavors were all tasty, though, and we enjoyed it. 

Sadly, I took the picture before adding the Yogurt Sauce, but it was really tasty too.

Cook’s Illustrated 2004

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
¹⁄₃ cup packed dark brown sugar
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground allspice
³⁄₄ teaspoon dry thyme
³⁄₄ teaspoon black pepper
¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground cloves
¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch cayenne
¹⁄₂ cup soy sauce
¹⁄₂ cup red wine vinegar

Instructions
1. Heat olive oil and canola oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic, cover and cook, removing lid to stir occasionally, until the onions are softened but not browned, 4 to 6 minutes.  Stir in brown sugar, allspice, thyme, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, and cayenne then remove from heat.  Stir in soy sauce and red wine vinegar.  Cool completely before adding to meat. 

2. Add marinade to meat and refrigerate until ready to cook.  (Marinating times: 15 to 30 minutes for seafood or tofu. 2 to 24 hours for chicken or pork. 4 to 24 hours for steak. Discard used marinade and do not reuse.  This recipe makes enough for about 7 pounds of meat.)

3. Cook chicken in desired method. We grilled it. 

Comments
This recipe is from [Healthy Seasonal Recipes](http://www.healthyseasonal(recipes.com/blog-table-of-contents/720-isabels-island-chicken-marinade.html) and was a huge hit with Art.  Why?  Because Art loves jerk and I don’t due to the heat.  He loved this recipe because it includes lots of the jerk flavors he loves, in a format I can deal with.  Lance and I really enjoyed it too!  This is a very tasty recipe and I’m sure it’ll do well on other meats – not just chicken. 

Shown here with Pineapple Fried Rice.

Internet - Healthy Seasonal Recipes

Ingredients
1 ripe pineapple, cut into pieces (I’m sure there are videos on how to do this.)
4 cups cooked long grain rice, such as jasmine, chilled
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
3 green onions, thinly sliced

Instructions
1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet.  Add onion and cook until soft, 3 to 5 minutes.  Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

2. Add remaining tablespoon oil, then add rice.  Cook, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes over high heat.  Then add 1 cup pineapple and fry 2 to 3 minutes more.  (Reserve rest of pineapple for munching.) 

3.  Add fish sauce and sugar.  Toss until ingredients are well combined and rice is heated thoroughly, about 5 minutes.  Add green onions and toss to combine before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from foodnetwork.com.  I pared it down a bit since I didn’t want to add the longbeans or tomatoes.  This rice was super delicious and we all enjoyed it.  I do wish I had made a bit more! 

Shown here with Island Marinated chicken.

Internet- Food TV

Ingredients
1 pound thick sliced bacon, cut into pieces
3-4 cups cold cooked rice
6 eggs
1 bunch green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
1. Heat large skillet over medium heat.  Add bacon and cook, stirring often, until crisp.  Drain bacon in sieve set over bowl. 

2. Return 2 tablespoons bacon fat to skillet and heat over high heat.  Add rice and cook, stirring, until heated through, breaking up any clumps, about 5 to 10 minutes.  Crack eggs into skillet and continue stirring to distribute and cook eggs. 

3. Add green onion, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame seeds.  Stir to combine then taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper if necessary. 

Comments
I make a silly version of fried rice from time to time just with leftover rice and eggs.  Art mentioned that he occasionally gets breakfast fried rice at one of the airports he travels through and that inspired me to make this for us one lazy weekend morning.  We both greatly enjoyed this as a breakfast but he requested that I add more veggies next time such as broccoli, peas, and red bell peppers.  Definitely a nice bowl of yum to start a day with!

Person - Gwen

Ingredients
1 pound large pasta shells
2 pounds Italian sausage, casings removed if cased
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14 ounces each) cans diced tomatoes
1 pound baby spinach
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 350*F.  Fill a large bowl with ice and cold water.  Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta shells according to package directions for baked dishes.  Drain well then transfer shells to ice water to keep them pliable until ready to stuff. 

2. Meanwhile, heat large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add sausage and cook, breaking up sausage with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 to 6 minutes. 

3. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds, then add tomatoes and spinach and cook until spinach has wilted.  (You might need to add spinach in batches depending on your pan size.)  Remove pan from heat and stir in ricotta cheese. 

4. Working one pasta shell at a time, fill each shell with pork mixture and arrange in a 9-inch by 12-inch baking dish.  Sprinkle tops with shredded cheese then back 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese has melted and tips of shells begin to crisp and brown. 

Comments
This recipe is from Inspired Taste but I altered it to use fresh spinach instead of frozen spinach.  I believe that, next time, I’ll nuke the spinach briefly in order to remove moisture.  These ended up being a bit wet due to the spinach!  They were delicious, though, and Lance and Art loved them.  Leftovers were demolished before I even had a chance to look for them in the fridge.

Internet - Inspired Taste

Ingredients
2 cups cooked ham, chopped (I used deli ham.)
1 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
¹⁄₂ cup green onions, sliced
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
10 (8 inches each) flour tortillas
6 eggs
2 cups half and half
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt

Instructions
1. Spray a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray and heat oven to 350*F. 

2. In a large bowl, stir together ham, bell pepper, green onion, and 1 cup cheese.  Split ham mixture evenly between tortillas, roll, and place seam-side down in baking dish. 

3. In now-empty bowl, beat together eggs, half and half, flour, and salt.  Pour over tortillas.  Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese over top then cover with aluminum foil.  Bake 35 minutes.  Uncover and bake 10 more minutes or until eggs are set and cheese is melted. 

Comments
This recipe is from Inspired Taste.  I enjoy having eggs for the proteins in our meals; I just have a habit of forgetting!  I saw this recipe and thought it would make a tasty meal, which is certainly did.  Like quiche, It’s infinitely versatile, you could easily add mushrooms, switch the cheese to Swiss, use bacon, whatever you like.  I served these with salsa and sour cream.

Internet - Inspired Taste

Ingredients
Butter, for the baking dish
8 ounce loaf of bread, cut into ¹⁄₂-inch cubes
¹⁄₂ cup olive oil
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 ¹⁄₂ cups Parmesan cheese, grated
7 large eggs
1 cup whole milk

Instructions
1. Heat the oven to 375*F.

2. Butter a 9 by 12-inch glass baking dish. Add the bread cubes and set aside.

3. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper. Cook 2 minutes, until slightly soft. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the basil.

4. Pour the tomato mixture over the bread cubes, add Parmesan, and combine well.

5. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¹⁄₂ teaspoon pepper until smooth. Pour the custard over the bread mixture and gently toss to coat.

6. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until slightly puffed and golden. Cool 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

Comments
This recipe is from Weeknights with Giada.  I picked it because I had a bunch of leftover little tomatoes that I thought this would use up nicely.  This was a very tasty dish, a nice and savory strata type of thing.  The basil was lovely and all the flavors worked very well together.  Yet again, Giada delivers. 

Shown here with Mom’s Chicken.

Weeknights with Giada

Ingredients
3 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon yeast
1 ¹⁄₃ cups cold water
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for brushing

Instructions
1. Combine flour, sugar, salt and yeast in food processor.  Pulse until combined.  With machine running, add the cold water and process until the dough is combined and all dry ingredients are incorporated, about 10 seconds.  Let dough rest for 10 minutes. 

2. Add oil to the dough.  Process until the dough forms a smooth, tacky ball that clears the sides of the bowl, about 30 to 60 seconds. 

3. Remove dough from the bowl, knead briefly on a lightly floured surface, about 1 minute.  Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days.  (After this refrigeration you can wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months.  To use frozen dough, thaw in refrigerator for 8 hours before proceeding.) 

4. One hour before baking pizza, place pizza stone in oven and heat oven to 500*F.  Remove dough from refrigerator and divide in half.  Form each half into a ball and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.  Let dough rest at room temperature for 1 hour. 

5. Flatten each dough ball into an 8-inch disk and then roll or stretch into a 12-inch circle.  Transfer each circle to sheet of parchment paper.  Lightly brush top of each crust with olive oil then transfer one to pizza stone using parchment paper as a sling.  Bake 5 to 8 minutes, until crust starts to firm up. 

6. Remove crust from oven then top with desired toppings.  Return to oven and bake until toppings are bubbling and slightly browned, another 8 to 10 minutes.  Let cool about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.  Repeat process with remaining pizza crust. 

Comments
This recipe is from One Lovely Life.  Lance put in a request for pizza quite some time ago, and I finally got around to making it.  This recipe is super easy and makes enough dough for 2 12-inch pizzas.  I doubled it with no problems to make four pizzas.  I did one plain cheese, one with sautéed mushrooms, one with sautéed bacon, and the last with pepperoni. 

This dough met with Lance’s approval although he said I could have made them a bit thicker.  Transferring the dough on and off the pizza stone with parchment paper makes the pizza making process so much easier.  I highly recommend this method!  I used Classico’s pizza sauce and was quite happy with the flavors.  I look forward to using this dough recipe for other pizzas in the future.

Internet - One Lovely Life