I-tal Curry

This recipe came from a cookbook we brought back from our honeymoon in Jamaica. We found that the local food was delicious (especially since we're huge fans of curry) and it seemed a perfect souvenir for our new home! We didn't have everything that we needed to make this, so some ingredients (sweet potatoes, pumpkin, green cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, green beans) we just skipped and it still came out tasting great!

1 lb potatoes (about 2 medium potatoes)

1 lb sweet potatoes

12 oz peeled and seeded pumpkin

1/2 small green cabbage

1 large carrot

1 red, green or yellow pepper, de-seeded

1/2 cauliflower

8 oz green beans

1 scotch bonnet pepper, de-seeded and chopped

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 spring onion

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1 onion, chopped

6 allspice berries

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tsp curry powder

1/2-1 cup coconut milk

1 tsp garam masala

1. Cut all the vegetables into 1-inch pieces.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet, add the spring onion, thyme, onion, allspice, garlic and curry. Keep stirring until lightly browned.

3. Add coconut milk, depending on amount of vegetables and your taste, and mix in. Add the potatoes. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes.

4. Add the rest of the vegetables and hot pepper to taste. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for another 5-10 minutes, until vegetables are just cooked. Add water at any time if needed, but only enough to prevent sticking. Sprinkle on the garam masala at the end.

Grilled Mustard Chicken with Green Bean Coleslaw

Paul and I are always on the lookout for quick dinners. It's becoming a bit of a problem to eat a variety of foods, make delicious, non-prepackaged meals, and still make it to our evening activities. When I saw this recipe in (big surprise) Bon Appetit, it definitely qualified. However, because it involves the grill, there's obviously some get-the-coals-hot time that needs to be built in.

Paul also already makes his own balsamic dressing, so we just used that instead of making more/buying white balsamic vinegar. It probably didn't look as pretty, but still tasted good. Additionally, the coleslaw would be much better with fresh green beans, so that is changed as well.

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
4 teaspoons mustard seeds, divided
9 oz fresh green beans, sliced thin
2 cups very thinly sliced green cabbage
1 small sweet onion (such as Maui or Walla Walla), very thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard, divided
1 large egg white
4 boneless chicken breast halves with skin

Coat grill rack heavily with nonstick spray. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat).

Toast 1 teaspoon mustard seeds in skillet over high heat until beginning to pop, 3 to 4 minutes.  Set aside. In a large bowl, add green beans, cabbage, onion, and tarragon. Place toasted mustard seeds on top.  Whisk oil, vinegar, and 2 teaspoons Dijon in bowl. Mix into slaw; season with salt and pepper.

Whisk egg white and 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon mustard in small bowl. Sprinkle skin side of chicken with salt and pepper. Brush thickly with mustard glaze; sprinkle with some of remaining mustard seeds.

Place chicken, skin side down, on grill. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; brush with glaze and sprinkle with remaining mustard seeds. Grill 5 minutes. Turn chicken. Grill until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Top with slaw and serve.

Penne with Hazelnut Gremolata and Roasted Broccolini

This was a very tasty side we made with the Roasted Duck Breast (I think it would be good even if you used pork). Can't find broccolini? I'd say you can substitute broccoli, but cut it in to small florets. We might even try making a pesto instead of a gremolata with all the herbs and hazelnuts. It can also be a little dry, so don’t be afraid to use the olive oil (plus some).

1/2 lb broccolini or broccoli
3 Tbs olive oil, divided
2 Tbs hazelnuts, toasted, finely chopped
2 Tbs finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tsp finely grated lemon peel
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 lb penne

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place broccolini on a large rimmed baking sheet (lined with parchment paper). Drizzle with 2 Tbs olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss, then spread in an even layer.

Roast broccolini until tender and golden brown around edges, tossing occasionally, about 18 minutes. Cool. Chop coarsely.

Mix hazelnuts, chopped parsley, finely grated lemon peel, and garlic in a small bowl.

Cook pasta until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain; return to saucepan.

Add broccolini and toss over medium heat to rewarm, if necessary. Add gremolata and remaining oil (plus some if dry); toss to distribute evenly. Season with salt and pepper.

Snow Peas with Toasted Almonds

This is a quick, delicious side for Five-Spice Roast Chicken.

1 Tbs unsalted butter
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 lb snow peas, trimmed
2 tsp minced shallot
1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Melt butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Add almonds and cook until golden and fragrant and butter begins to brown, stirring frequently, about 1 1/2 minutes.

Add snow peas and shallot; sauté until snow peas are crisp-tender, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat; add lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and serve.

Awesome Cornbread

At our wedding, we had some amazing cornbread muffins. Since then, Jess and I have been craving cornbread of the same caliber - soft, moist, sweet, and not gritty.

Today I may have stumbled upon the solution. Last week we tried the recipe off the back of the cornmeal bag. Blech. Gritty. Dry. NOT what we wanted. We looked at Alton Brown's recipe (in his I'm just here for more food book), picked up a few hints, and then modified his even further. The result was outstanding. It was very cakey- not very gritty.... and nice and sweet (though to get to the level of sweetness of the muffins at my wedding, we'd need even more sugar!)

Ingredients:
3/4 c buttermilk
3/4 c cornmeal
1/2 c cakeflour (you could also use all-purpose flour, just use about a tablespoon less).
2 Tblspn butter, melted
pinch salt
1/3 c sugar (1/2 cup if you want it to be sweeter- more like a dessert muffin)
1/4 c vegetable oil
1.5 tsp baking powder
1 egg, beaten

Add 3/4 cup buttermilk and 3/4 cup fine cornmeal to a mixing bowl. (If you need to, blend or food process your cornmeal to get it finer - this will help keep it from being gritty).

Let your buttermilk/cornmeal mixture reast for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425.

To the soggy cornmeal mixture, add the beaten egg, the oil, and the butter. Whisk it all together.

Add the sugar, then the dry ingredients.

Once everything is mixed well, PAM a 7" round cake pan... or double this recipe and use a 9" round, or use a bunch of muffin tins... who cares. The 7" round should be checked at 15 minutes, and will probably need another 3-5 minutes. We settled at 20 minutes for a beautiful golden brown. It yielded what would have been about 8 muffins, and they were DELICIOUS!!!! I'd have taken a picture, but... there aren't any left!

Potato Salad checks out of the Mayo Clinic

I blame this recipe for my general dislike of most potato salads. It seems that a lot of people think of potato salad means of getting mayonnaise to your stomach (hmmm... someone tell Rodger!). Now, to me, mayo has it's place, on a burger (only a bit) and a turkey sandwich, and in tuna salad. However, it doesn't belong anywhere near potato salad!

My folks don't like gloopy potato salad either, so my mom came up with this recipe years ago. What sets this potato salad apart is its distinct lack of mayo. Instead, the salad is dressed with oil and vinegar to keep it nice and light, while giving it a tasty zing without the goopy nastiness! So, here's how it's done...

What you need:
4-5 Yukon Gold Potatoes
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
1 onion, julienned (or diced, your choice)
salt and pepper to taste

What to do:
- Boil the potatoes for ~15 minutes with the skin.
- Make the dressing by combining the remaining ingredients.
-Peel and slice the potatoes into ~1/4 inch slices
-Toss it all together and serve!

Yes, you can make this with Idaho potatoes, but they tend to fall apart really easily, so a more waxy potato like the Yukon Golds are HIGHLY recommended. Keeping the potatoes roughly the same size means they will all cook through at about the same time making life easier. Take care not to overcook them, otherwise they will turn to mush later when you mix everything.
We've found the julienned onions tend to stand out little more and don't get quite so lost in the salad, giving it more crunch. Also, this can be served warm or cool depending on your preference. I think it's best when it's just made and still a little warm. Enjoy!

Asparagus with Cream Sauce

2 pounds fresh asparagus spears
1 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup half and half
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp pepper

Snap off tough ends of asparagus. Cook asparagus, covered, in a small amount of boiling water for 6 to 8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Keep warm.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth.

Gradually whisk in chicken broth and half and half. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly, about 1 minute. Whisk in mustard, lemon juice, and pepper. Spoon sauce over asparagus. Serve immediately.

When we made this, I added extra dijon mustard to give it a little more flavor (more like 3 Tbsp). I also feel this recipe needs something a little more, but can't quite put my finger on it. If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them.

Mexican Rice

This goes really well with tostadas or enchiladas but it also is quite tasty just on its own. Make sure to use decent rice (Meijer's own doesn't work well with this) and the tomato sauce IS essential.

Olive oil
1 cup uncooked rice your choice
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
2 cups cold water
Coarsely chopped small roma tomato, chopped into about 4 pieces
Hot pepper of your choice, sliced lengthwise
Tomato sauce (I'd say a little less that 1/4 cup)
1 Tbsp chicken bouillon
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt, to taste

Put a little olive oil (Tbsp or so) into a medium-sized pan and heat to a medium temperature, add the rice, uncooked, and brown in the oil. Make sure all the rice is lightly coated with the oil. You do not have to stir the rice around very much at first, while browning, but as the rice becomes browner you want to be stirring it around to make sure it all browns evenly and doesn't burn. It will turn brown, but it's not burning unless it's turning dark/black. Towards the end of the browning, add the garlic so that it is sort of sauteed/browned.

Next, dump the water on the rice (it will steam up loudly) and add the remaining ingredients. Stir well and cover (with a small air escape). Reduce heat to medium-low to medium, and let cook for 20-30 minutes. (Cooking time and temperature varies with your stove. Check after 20 minutes to make sure you don't burn.)The essential rule of this recipe is "Do Not Peek" while the rice is cooking. When it is ready, all the water will be absorbed, the rice will fluff, and each grain will be "split open" because of the browning. It should be dry, not saucy. You can adjust the spices/peppers to your taste. The recipe can be changed by keeping with the 1 cup rice/2 cups water ratio, and adjusting remaining ingredients.