Discombobulated.

Isn't that a great word? I've always loved it and I've felt a bit off schedule ever since we had a blissful Labor Day weekend with very dear friends. That reunion weekend was just meant to happen and came together so easily. For three days, all seemed very right with the world.

That means there was alot of good food, too. I have some great recipes to share with you soon for sure. And really, no gathering with these friends is complete until someone has a face smeared with melty chocolate and marshmallow. I bet you are shocked and amazed that The Boss took right to that. It was time to pass that baton.
But we've been back home for some time and I realize now that it doesn't take much to get me off kilter these days--ignore just one load of laundry and it's a slippery slope I tell ya! Getting back into the kitchen and to our old standbys helps set our well oiled machine (ha!) of a household back on track.

So, back to our regularly scheduled program.

Back when Hank and I used to eat out a lot a more than we have in the past three years, we discovered this little Chinese place in a strip mall-ish type shopping plaza one day. It turned out this place had the best sesame noodles we've ever consumed. They were so flavorful and married perfectly with crisp cucumbers, carrot, shredded chicken and a noodle with a good chew to it. Better than I've ever had in any Chinatown on either coast. We were mad about these noodles. We wouldn't order them anywhere else. Until they closed. We were forced to search again! Imagine our depression. When we'd see them on the menu somewhere Hank would ask "Should we try them?" and I'd say, "Don't do it, we'll just be disappointed." He always did anyway and yeah, we were always disappointed..

Magically, my favorite geeky cooking magazine, Cooks Illustrated, came to the rescue just months later! Great sesame noodles were no longer out of reach. This recipe is almost as good if you ask me. Hank claims it's better, but that's what a good husband always says! These noodles were known to my book club as crack noodles so if that doesn't say something, I don't know what does. I'll have to test my knitters next.

Sesame Noodles with Chicken
Cooks Illustrated October 2004 issue

This is not really a dish that can be put together far in advance because the noodles will soak up too much sauce and dry out. So, if you want to do this ahead, do each component separately and combine the noodles, vegetables, and sauce right before serving. There are a few ways to cut down on time and steps in the recipe. Notably, using a rotissierie chicken and purchasing sesame seeds that are already toasted.

I've found the key to this dish is the right ratio of noodle to sauce. If you are using dried chinese noodles or dried spaghetti noodles, make sure you use 12 oz of dried noodles, NOT an entire pound. I guarantee that you will be disappointed if you add more noodle. Trust me, I've been there.

Don't be scared by the detail of the recipe, it's Cooks Illustrated, they like lots of details, cause cooking nerds like lots of details!

¼ cup sesame seeds
¼ cup chunky peanut butter
2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed (about 2 teaspoons)
1 piece (1-inch) fresh ginger, grated or minced (about 1 tablespoon)
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon hot sauce (I use Sriacha)
2 tablespoons lightly packed light brown sugar
Hot water
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1½ pounds), trimmed of excess fat
1 tablespoon salt
1 pound fresh Chinese egg noodles or 12 ounces dried spaghetti (I use dried Chinese noodles, they are usually yellowish in color and square-easily found in an Asian market)
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
4 scallions, sliced thin on diagonal
1 medium carrot, peeled and grated on large holes of box grater (about 2/3 cup)

1. Toast the sesame seeds in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon sesame seeds in a small bowl. In a blender or food processor, puree the remaining 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, peanut butter, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, and sugar until smooth, about 30 seconds. With the machine running, add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until the sauce has the consistency of heavy cream, about 5 tablespoons; set the mixture aside (it can be left in the blender jar or food processor workbowl).

2. Bring 6 quarts water to a boil in a stockpot over high heat. Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to 6 inches from the broiler element; heat the broiler. Spray the broiler pan top with vegetable cooking spray; place the chicken breasts on top and broil the chicken until lightly browned, 4 to 8 minutes. Using tongs, flip the chicken over and continue to broil until the thickest part is no longer pink when cut into and registers about 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken into bite-size pieces and set aside. Add the salt and noodles to the boiling water; boil the noodles until tender, about 4 minutes for fresh and 10 minutes for dried. Drain, then rinse with cold running tap water until cool to the touch; drain again. In a large bowl, toss the noodles with the sesame oil until evenly coated.

Add the shredded chicken, scallions, carrot, and sauce; toss to combine. Divide among individual bowls, sprinkle each bowl with a portion of reserved sesame seeds, and serve.

Serves 4 to 6

It's all Greek to me.

Believe or not, I still cook these days! I know you wouldn't know it from this blog, but it happens. While on my daily inspection of "the garden", I realized that I never use the oregano that I grow very often. I wanted something to let it shine. And since it's summer, we're in grilling mode. Oh wait, we grill year round. Nevermind.

This is so ridiculously easy and very tasty. Really. If you haven't discovered Greek yogurt yet, I ask where have you been? You need to get on that bandwagon. Even the lower fat version is good (which is what I buy)--but it takes a lot of restraint not to buy the full fat version because it is so, so, good. No wonder why those Mediterraneans always look so happy. They are eating the full fat yogurt.

Chicken Souvlaki
original recipe source and inspiration found here

1 pound of chicken breast, cubed
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or regular ole plain yogurt works just as well)
3 TBSP olive oil
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
zest of one lemon
juice of one lemon
1-2 TBSP chopped oregano (I'm referring to fresh oregano)
Salt and pepper

Mix yogurt, juice, zest, garlic, olive oil, and oregano together. Add in chicken and stir to thouroughly coat. Personally, I'd let this marinate overnight, but probably a good 3-6 hours would be ok if you are short on time.

Thread the meat on to skewers. Don't rinse off the yogurt or anything, a lot of it will drip off while you are putting the meat on to the skewers. After all the meat is on the skewers, generously sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Grill to perfection. Depending on what size your chicken cubes are, this could take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes per side.

Serve in a pita with fixins', atop a Greek salad teeming with feta cheese and a lemon vinaigrette, or on top of rice and veggies. You choose.

Cooking with Grammy -The Pierogie Edition

Pierogie--Pierogy-Piroghy-Perogy-Perogie...

No matter how you spell it, they are delicious. While I'm sure there is some contention over their ethnicity of origin, they are definitely the Eastern Europe's answer to the ravioli, dumpling, gyoza, kreplach,etc. And really, could there be something better than a carb mixed with cheese stuffed into a carb? Oh, I think not.

The Boss demonstrates how you should stuff your face with 'em. Let it be known she will not eat any pierogie other than Grammy's. I am not even making that up.

It just so happens that my mother, a German Irish woman, learned to make these from my Polish preschool teacher back on the farmlands of Indiana. I don't remember her making these as often when I was really young, but when we moved to Pittsburgh (when I was 11), she found her niche making and selling these during Lent (sometimes other holidays as well) to friends and teachers at the Catholic school I attended. She can also tout that she is an award winning pierogie maker and you certainly don't have to twist her arm to tell you about the time she won her title.

When you live in Pittsburgh, pierogies are pretty ubiquitous due to the ethnic (largely Slavic) makeup of the inhabitants and certainly a staple during the Lenten season since the fillings are meatless. You can even find them on restaurant menus here. I've never ordered them though lest I be disappointed. In a pinch, I've succumbed to a box of Mrs. T's and just dealt with it, but it's so not the same and my kid won't touch them. In my opinion, the secret lies in the dough--chewy, but not too thick or too tough.

While I've known how to make the filling for quite some time--heck, my brothers and I had to peel countless 5 pound bags of potatoes in our day-I never knew how to make the dough. You see, it's one of those things that resides in my mom's head and done entirely by feel. I've now baked enough bread--maybe not always perfectly, but well enough--to think that I was ready to take on this dough. My mom couldn't have been more happy to share her skills. See that rolling pin in the picture? That was grandmother's rolling pin. I never knew that until that day! Now, back in my mom's pre-entrepreneur days, she crimped each one by hand, but when she started getting orders totalling up to 120 dozen or more a season, she started using a press that made six at a time. I personally don't feel this takes away from the handmade aspect at all and considering each full recipe makes a gazillion, I'm all for going as fast as possible. Of course as an amateur, I did not go very fast at all. Eating them, that is another story. I prefer mine lightly pan fried in a little butter with caramelized onions and sour cream. A sprinkle of salt and fresh ground black pepper for good measure. No doubt they will disappear quickly off of my Easter table. I may have to taste a few before they are served, for quality assurance purposes.

We made a full recipe and it turned out a good 12 dozen or so. Mama Q claims that normally she can get 8-10 dozen from a full recipe, but I think she was erring on the low side. You could easily half this recipe and still feed your city.

Grammy's (or Mama Q's) Pierogies

Filling:

5 lbs of potatoes, peeled and quartered or cut into large chunks

1 package of cream cheese, softened (full fat, please!)

1 stick of butter (I used salted)

1 pound of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

milk (I only used 1/4 cup, but sometimes I have to use more to get the texture I want)

salt and pepper to taste

Prepare filling: Boil potatoes just as if you were making mashed potatoes- until fork tender. I had to do this in two large stock pots to accommodate all of them. In a large mixing bowl (I had to do this in two rounds), mix the potatoes, butter, cream cheese on med to high speed to thoroughly mash the potatoes and mix the ingredients. You will want to add some milk to make the mixture more creamy and to help blend the ingredients. You don't want this mixture to be loose though. You're going for a thick mashed potato mixture. Add in cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Filling does not need to be refrigerated prior to filling pierogies, but can be made a day or two ahead. We made the potato mixture and let it cool slightly on the counter while preparing the dough.

Mama Q notes that this is no time to use the "light" or diet versions of any of the ingredients. The Spice Rack heartily agrees.

Dough (we did two batches of this)

1/2 bag of all purpose white flour

5 egg yolks

1-1 1/2 cups of water

1/2 cup of milk (again, we used 2%)

With a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (you could do this by hand, but we chose to do it the way my mom always did it and she's been using the same Kitchen Aid for 25 years!) Add your flour, water, milk and egg yolks on medium speed. When dough forms and starts pulling away from the sides (this took about five minutes) take a second to feel the dough. It should still be slightly sticky. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of flour to lightly cover the dough. Continue kneading until dough and adding more flour if needed until dough is no longer sticky and is very soft and elastic. This dough does not need to rest, it's ready to be rolled out at this point.

Take a handful of dough and cover the rest with a damp towel or else it will dry out while you are making your pierogies. Flour your work surface and your dough and roll out until it is about an 1/8 of an inch thick. Once you've achieve this thickness, lay dough sheet over the press and put slightly over a 1 TBSP of potato filling in the middle of each pocket. Trim excess dough from the press and lay another appropriately sized dough sheet on top and then roll over this with a rolling pin. This will adequately seal your pierogie.

Alternatively, use a drinking glass or biscuit cutter to make dough circles and place 1 TBSP in the center and then fold over the dough and crimp the edges with your hands or a fork, making sure your pierogie is sealed and free of air pockets.

Continue to do this until you are out of dough or out of stamina.

Mama Q notes that she likes to place the newly finished pierogies on a sheet with some flour and allows them to air dry for at least five to ten minutes. Then they are ready to be boiled.

To cook the pierogies: Bring a large stock pot (or two like I did) to a gentle simmer. You do not want to cook these in a rolling boil or they will bust apart. Add 1 TBSP of vegetable or olive oil to the water. Add in pierogies (we usually cook 6-8 at a time) and they will float to the top when cooked.

At this point, if you wish to freeze them or keep in the fridge for a few days, transfer them to an ice bath to cool and to stop the cooking process. If you wish to continue cooking and eating them, Transfer them to a skillet with some melted butter. Some people like them just coated in melted butter, but I like to pan fry them with minimal amounts of butter at this point.

Serve with sour cream and caramelized onions if you wish.

Enjoy and unbutton your pants.

Holidays in a nutshell.

Santa came! Of course he did, how could he resist this sweetness?

The Boss was so overjoyed. So were her parents. This was a ridiculously fun holiday. The play kitchen was so spot on for her age, too. Keep that in mind if your babe will be nearly two or so next year! She had been playing with her kitchen very quietly while I was cooking and I went in to find this:
She swiped a real cookie and put it in her oven! And like any good cook, tasted it for quality control.

Then Uncle Joe swooped in with her new set of wheels later in the day. She just needs another inch or so to reach the pedals. So close!The handknit gifts were very well received and I felt even happier giving them. I don't think I've ever anticipated giving gifts as much as I did this year. But the gift giving and unwrapping happened in such a flurry that I didn't get to photograph them with the exception of my mother-in-law's scarflet. She wore it the entire time she was at our house which I took to be a good sign!

Apparently, unwrapping gifts does not wait for blogging when it comes family, but my brother Steve's scarf was a big hit, so much so that Hank was even hinting he'd like one just like it.

All the food turned out great. We basically hosted three meals: Christmas eve with parents and siblings, Christmas brunch with Hank's parents, and then a very casual 'eat wherever you want in the house' Christmas dinner with my whole family. In an effort to go absolutely nowhere for Christmas, we have everyone here and I love it. It was really a ballet of just popping things in and out of the oven.

In addition, we had some fare that the guys deemed tradition a few years ago. Apparently someone mentioned that the meal would have been perfect with....sigh....I can't say it....ok, I will.....nachos. So, all the men folk vowed to include this in our Christmas spread and while they can't seem to remember anything any other day of the year, they certainly remember that nachos are on the menu.

If nachos are not a holiday food for you (and I promise to not tell the men in your family that they are a possibility), here are a few noteworthy recipes that were in one of the three holiday meals we hosted.

Hashbrown quiche (previously blogged). How can you go wrong with a hashbrown crust? This has many filling possibilities and I want to make it again and again and I will!

Pioneer Woman's shrimp I kept out the tabasco since my family doesn't appreciate our love for heat, used peeled shrimp, and just cut back on the amount of black pepper. I was swatting away hands as it came out of the oven.

Ruth's Chris Sweet Potato Casserole
We had this in the restaurant a few years ago and the next day I was searching for the recipe. This was hardly the first time I made this--Hank and my brothers made sure it was on the menu. I barely had any left to send home to a friend that had to work on Christmas eve! Make this for your next family dinner-people will love you for it! Oh and you can cut the butter in the potato mixture (not the crust) in half with no problem.

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 stick butter, melted

Sweet potato mixture:
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
1 stick of butter, melted (I used only half a stick)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine brown sugar, flour, pecans and melted butter. Set aside.

Mix mashed sweet potatoes with white sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter. Pour into a baking dish. Cover the potato mixture with topping and bake for 30-40 minutes.


Cooking Light's Orange Brined Pork Loin-I needed to do something other than ham for Christmas eve since I was baking a ham the next day. This was so, so good. So good that my brother Joe almost didn't even need ketchup and that's saying a lot. Went great with the sweet potato casserole, too.

3 cups water, divided
1 1/2 TBSP grated orange rind
4 cups orange juice
1/4 cup brown sugar packed
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 cups ice cubes
1 (3 pound) boneless pork loin, trimmed

Combine 1 cup water and rind in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Cool to room temperature. Add remaining 2 cups water, 4 cups juice, salt, sugar and soy sauce. Pour mixture into a 2 gallon bag and add ice and pork. Refrigerate for 24 hours.

Preheat over to 450 degrees. Remove pork from bag and discard brine. Pat pork dry with paper towels. Place pork on a roasting pan coated in cooking spray. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes adn then reduce overm temperature to 325; bake an additional 45 minutes or until thickest portion of pork registers to 155. Cover with foil; let stand 15 minutes before serving.


I hope your holidays were full of smiles and good eats!

Cooking with Mammy

Or if you aren't my toddler, you'd say Grammy or Mama Q.

My mom and I have very different cooking styles. Of course I love her down home, Midwestern style, but as I became a cook myself, I majorly strayed, explored, and ventured into the unknown (to me) ethnic foods. She calls my cooking exotic, even if I'm using something very mainstream. This is not to say that I don't fully love and enjoy her food, because I do, and there is definitely a place for it! And sometimes her cooking is exactly what I crave.

My mom holds a few recipes up in her brain (pierogies, ladylocks and her labor intensive cake icing) that I'm determined to get down before they are lost forever. You know, those recipes that are are all about the look and feel of the ingredients and less about what's written on the index card. For some reason, I was really craving cabbage rolls-or stuffed cabbage, halupki, whatever you want to call it. Definitely not something I'd ever order in a restaurant and certainly not even an attractive food by any means, but it's what I wanted.

I never learned to make them because well, I'm not sure why. I was too busy cooking with "exotic" ingredients. So when my mom lamented about some of the things she doesn't make much anymore because 1) she lives with my vegetarian brother and 2) the sheer volume of food she makes is silly for just two people (especially when one is my vegetarian brother), cabbage rolls came up. I said "come over, we'll make them." And so we did.

I kept telling The Boss we were going to cook with Grammy. So she chanted "cook Mammy" over and over until my mom came through the door. The Boss helped. By help I mean she was strapped in and out of the way!
I managed to actually write down the recipe once it came out of the oven tasting of my childhood. As I wrote it down, my mom said "Oh, and there's no place for cilantro in this."

Here's our family recipe. There are certainly other versions, I'm sure. No wonder why my mom always has enough to feed an army. You'll see why when you read the quantities we used. Scale back accordingly if you aren't feeding the entire U.S. population. My mom even brought her 56 year old roasting pan to bake these in and I still had to use overflow baking dishes. Needless to say, we fed a few families with this batch and a few for the freezer.

Mammy's Cabbage Rolls
3 heads of cabbage
6 pounds of lean ground beef
5 eggs
2 cups white rice, uncooked
1 enormo can of tomato juice (I can't remember how many oz)
1-2 15 oz cans of tomato sauce (not spaghetti sauce, just plain tomato sauce)-we used 1.5 cans
1 15 oz can sauerkraut

Prepare white rice.

Boil water in three large stock pots. Remove core from each head of cabbage and submerge whole head of cabbage in boiling water. Cook cabbage under leaves are tender and fall away from the head easily (you may have to remove the head, peel off the tender leaves and return the head back to the water a few times). Cool leaves slightly on a large baking tray.

While cabbage is cooking/cooling, mix ground beef, rice, eggs, salt, and pepper until thoroughly mixed.

In a large roasting pan or deep multiple baking dishes, pour a mix of tomato juice and sauce on the bottom.

Take a single cabbage leaf and place a small handful of meat mixture and place at the bottom of the leaf (you may have to cut out a wedge of spine/thick vein). Fold bottom up over the meat, then fold the sides in and roll until you have a firm cabbage roll. Place in the baking dish. Place a thin layer of sauerkraut (I made some without it, but it just wasn't the same) over top and then pour more tomato juice and sauce over top of the rolls. If you are using a large roasting pan, you can do multiple layers). Cover tightly with foil or the roasting pan lid and bake at 350 for two hours.

Enjoy.

Red or Green?

A few years ago...my husband (then fiance) and I went to New Mexico to attend a wedding and discover all things Southwest. We left with a great appreciation of the landscape, some great souvenirs, and a life long love of the green chile. In New Mexico there is but one question asked at every meal. Red or green? As in chile sauce. I was definitely a green. I'm certain I ate green chile in every single meal during that weekend, even breakfast.

I've yet to recreate anything as good as we had during that trip, but the green chile now works its way into our meals more than it ever did. I'm on a quest for a homemade green chile sauce so if you have one, send it my way!

This casserole version of green chile chicken enchiladas has won the hearts of many new parents (and of course this household!) as it has become one of those staple casseroles I throw together for my sleep deprived friends. The Boss gives it the toddler stamp of approval, just hold the sour cream and cilantro, she's not such a fan.
I usually serve this dish with a sweet corn cake mix made by a brand that rhymes with Chi-Chi's. Ooops! I know, how Semi-Ho of me. Don't hate.

Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole (adapted from Cooking Light)
1 TBSP olive oil
1 cup diced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb chicken, shredded (original recipe called for soy chicken)
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese or taco cheese blend (original recipe called for light taco cheese)
14 corn tortillas, quartered
20 oz green chile enchilada sauce
1 can green chiles, chopped and undrained
1 tsp chile powder
½ tsp cumin

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until soft and translucent. Add undrained chiles and sauté for another two minutes. Mix in shredded chicken.

Add cumin and chile powder to green enchilada sauce, stir to combine. Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into the bottom of a baking dish. Lay ½ of the tortilla pieces over the sauce, overlapping them to make a solid layer. Add chicken/onion mixture, sprinkle half of the cheese over the chicken mixture and then ladle another 1/3 of the sauce. Top with remaining tortilla pieces, sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, uncovered.

Serve with light sour cream and cilantro.

Let the games begin.

I've said before that I love the Olympics, as does my husband, so I am bummed he's traveling and is unable to watch the opening ceremonies with me tonight. But ya gotta make lemonade out of lemons so I've been using his time away to cook things he doesn't care for. Do you have those foods in your house? The foods that divide you and your family? We do. Fortunately it's a relatively short list compared to some that I've encountered, but some of them are my very favorite.

Grilled shrimp is definitely one of them. So in honor of the Olympics, I present my own spicy and garlicky grilled shrimp. Spicy enough that it could in fact , light the Olympic torch. Light the Olympic Torch Shrimp
1 lb uncooked, peeled and deveined shrimp
1 large clove of garlic, minced*
1 TBSP chili garlic paste (or much, much less if you don't like heat)
1 TBSP sweet chili sauce
1 TBSP olive oil

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and marinate for 10 minutes. Thread on to skewers and grill over med-high heat until shrimp is opaque--this may take only take 5-7 minutes maximum depending on how big your shrimp are. Mine were relatively small and took less time.

The Boss had a much more tame version which means, pretty much nothing but the garlic and olive oil and we finished off the simple meal with some local sweet corn. I'm a huge sweet corn snob. I know, what a weird food snob item, right? That happens when you grow up across the street from a farm and the corn you ate was never more than 30 minutes off the stalk which is a stark contrast to what you find in most grocery stores. My husband didn't even know that corn on the cob wasn't supposed to be starchy and chewy which is what happens when you let it sit in a fridge for a few days. Fortunately, the farm market has been delivering me corn as good as I remember from my youth.
*I just wanted to offer up my favorite way of mincing garlic. I haven't actually chopped a clove or used a garlic press in probably ten years because I love how finely it can be grated on my microplane grater. This way you get all the great flavor of garlic without any chunks because it practically melts into the dish and you're not stuck with a single-use kitchen gadget!

Go U.S.A!

Crispy, Crunchy, Yummy

I grew up eating hearty, Midwestern meals of pot roast, meatloaf, roast chicken and pork chops. Ugh, pork chops. For some reason, my wonderful cook of a mother just could never get these right. I also grew up in a Clean Your Plate kind of house so tough and chewy pork chops sometimes left me chewing for some time after dinner was over. I know, double Eeew. I'd say for most of my adult life then, I've avoided cooking the other white meat.

We're riding a healthy cooking wave in this house and I've been sticking to lean protein sources, so when Cooks Illustrated featured a recipe for a crunchy baked pork chop (in the magazine, not my recipe testing thing so I'm allowed to share this one) I thought I'd give it a whirl. I contemplated making it for weeks before I actually cooked it because I think I was still a little leery and it included a few extra steps that made it seem fussy. Hey, I'm all for fussy recipes, but I had fallen in the rut of Quick and Easy since The Boss wants to be all up in my bizness all the time. As soon as she can stand on a step stool next to me at the counter, my cooking life will be much easier. The good news is that she seems so interested and they say kids who participate in food preparation are more willing to eat what is prepared. But I digress. If you are like me and have a little one between your feet most of the time, split this recipe up and prepare it in steps when you have time instead of making it all at once.

The Twists and Turns (the breadcrumbs and other coatings)--
I've always had some issue with those cannisters of seasoned breadcrumbs. Of course, I've used them but they aren't something I stock regularly. I was really happy to see this recipe called for homemade breadcrumbs (no, don't run away at the thought of doing this) and intrigued by the mixture this recipe called for. Let me tell you, once I took them out of the oven, I could have stopped right there. Forget the meat, these smelled so good I didn't want to go on. But I did, because I was committed to get a nice dinner on the table and a wholesome dinner is not comprised of spoonfuls of breadcrumbs. I ended up using whole wheat bread for the crumbs because that's what I had and I'm sure it didn't make that big of a difference. The difference is simply making your own and you won't go back to the canister after you've made these.

As with most breaded cuts of meat, you do a flour coat and then an egg wash coat before rolling in the breading. The interesting part of this recipe is that the egg wash is made simply of egg whites, dijon mustard and a little white flour. this made a really nice and thick coating for the breadcrumbs to adhere to. This also added a lot of flavor and kept the meat moist.

A note on keeping it crunchy: make sure you bake the pork chops on a wire rack over a cookie sheet to ensure both sides of your chop remains crisp. You won't believe these weren't fried!

I served this with baked sweet potatoes and steamed green beans because we're keeping it healthy, kids!

Crunchy Baked Pork Chops
source: Cooks Illustrated

Table salt
4 boneless center-cut pork chops, 6 to 8 ounces each, 3/4 to 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat
4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1-inch pieces
1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup plus 6 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
3 large egg whites
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Lemon wedges

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Dissolve 1/4 cup salt in 1 quart water in medium container or gallon-sized zipper-lock bag. Submerge chops, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes. Rinse chops under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels.

2. Meanwhile, pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground, about eight 1-second pulses. Transfer crumbs to rimmed baking sheet and add shallot, garlic, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss until crumbs are evenly coated with oil. Bake until deep golden brown and dry, about 15 minutes, stirring twice during baking time. (Do not turn off oven.) Cool to room temperature. Toss crumbs with Parmesan, thyme, and parsley.

3. Place 1/4 cup flour in pie plate. In second pie plate, whisk egg whites and mustard until combined; add remaining 6 tablespoons flour and whisk until almost smooth, with pea-sized lumps remaining.

4. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Spray wire rack with nonstick cooking spray and place in rimmed baking sheet. Season chops with pepper. Dredge 1 pork chop in flour; shake off excess. Using tongs, coat with egg mixture; let excess drip off. Coat all sides of chop with bread crumb mixture, pressing gently so that thick layer of crumbs adheres to chop. Transfer breaded chop to wire rack. Repeat with remaining 3 chops.

5. Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of chops registers 150 degrees, 17 to 25 minutes. Let rest on rack 5 minutes before serving with lemon wedges.

The messy kitchen leek and swiss chard tart

We've all done it. You do a bunch of cooking over the weekend but what you didn't do was clean up along the way and you decided to just let everything 'soak' so that you could ignore the mess and move on to more fun things like knitting and play dates. Monday rolls around and you are left eating your cereal with the last spoon in the drawer which also happens to be one of the three that have been mangled by garbage disposal. What's a girl to do but make the kitchen even messier. It had to get worse before it could get better.

I still had some swiss chard left over from last week and it was looking like it might shrivel up in the fridge if I didn't use it ASAP. I was bound to send this chard into our bellies rather than the Earth Machine. My favorite food blog, Smitten Kitchen, just so happened to have a new entry with a leek and swiss chard tart. I had everything but the leeks and I never miss a chance to buy leeks. I'm not sure why I like them so much, but I do. So, I did the dirty pot shuffle to make some space on the countertop for the chopping board and in a matter of time, we had a delicious tart waiting for us. The recipe is so simple and I love the concept of using puff pastry as the crust. The 'real men don't eat quiche but still eat the crust off of it' husband of mine even liked it--but then again he was starving and doused it in hot sauce, because he's a condiment maniac like that.

I only made one addition to the recipe and that was adding around a cup of grated swiss cheese, you know, because it's good for the baby, not because I belong to the 'add cheese to everything' school of thought. No, no, I'm just looking out for my baby.

If you want to see pretty pictures of the tart, see them on Smitten Kitchen's site because my kitchen was way too messy to take pictures and I so did not need solid proof of it! I have to say, mine looked just as nice as hers did!

Leek and Swiss Chart Tart
Bon Appetit, October 1999 by way of smittenkitchen.com

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
3 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 bunch Swiss chard, ribs removed, leaves chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 1/4 cups whipping cream (I used whole milk)
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg

1 cup of grated Swiss cheese (my addition)

Roll out pastry on floured work surface to 12-inch square. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim overhang to 1 inch. Fold under; crimp edges. Cover; chill.

Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add leeks and thyme. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover; cook until leeks are very tender but not brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add chard; saute until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cool.

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 425°F. Whisk cream and next 5 ingredients in large bowl. Mix in cooled leek mixture. Pour filling into crust.

Bake tart 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake until filling is puffed and just set in center, about 15 minutes longer (this took my oven a total of 25 minutes once oven temp was reduced). Transfer to rack; cool 10 minutes.

Food for new parents (and not so new parents, smug marrieds, singletons, etc.)

In two days, two sets of friends had babies! The best thing you can do for a new family is feed them. They don't need you to help hold the baby--but they just might let you if you bring them a meal! Here's one of my favorite meals to make new parents. It's also one of my absolute favorite Italian dishes and yes, it has greens!

Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Shells
1 box of jumbo pasta shells
1 container of ricotta cheese (mine was a little over two pounds and I had some extra)
1 box of frozen, chopped spinach--thaw and squeeze out excess water
2 eggs
1 cup shredded mozzarella (I tend to buy the shredded Italian blend cheese)
1/4-1/2 cup parmesan--I usually just do a small handful
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Tomato sauce-your choice of jarred or homemade. If using jarred, you'll probably need two jars.

Cook pasta shells until al dente. I typically cook them a few minutes less than the directions call for since they will be baked. Drain and rinse under cold water so that you can handle them easily. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, eggs, parmesan, mozzarella, garlic powder and spinach. Mix well.

In a baking dish (I used a 9x13 dish), ladle some tomato sauce so that the shells can nestle into the sauce. Spoon cheese and spinach mixture into each shell and place in baking dish side by side. Spoon additional sauce over top of the shells (I usually don't cover them entirely, but do put some on top of each row of shells). Sprinkle the top with additional parmesan or mozzarella if you choose. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling. Let sit out of the oven for 5-10 minutes before serving.

If you are making this dish for new parents, prepare up until the shells should be baked. Assemble the dish in a disposable foil pan so they don't have to scrub out any baking dish and remember to return it to you. They kind of have their hands full with that new bundle of love.

Gotta eat your greens!

That's what Paula Deen would say before adding a sprig of parsley to fried butter. I won't go there. This recipe though, truly does make you eat your greens in a really delicious and comforting way. If you've always passed by those leafy greens like kale or swiss chard, give them a try! C'mon, you know eating more super foods was a resolution. I might add this dish was baby approved as well!

Curried Lentils With Sweet Potatoes and Swiss Chard(adaptations are in italics)

New York Times 11/14/07

Yield: 8-10 side-dish servings; 6 main-course servings.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded if desired, then minced (I omitted this since I forgot it at the grocery store)
4 to 5 cups vegetable broth as needed (I used 5 cups low sodium chicken broth)
2 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into
1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 cups dried lentils (I used a mix of orange, yellow and brown lentils but the yellow and orange ones kind of melted away, so I will stick with brown lentils next time)
1 bay leaf (omitted because I ran out..who runs out of bay leaves? Apparently I do)
1 pound Swiss chard, center ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced (if you are really scared of this, use spinach you scaredy cat)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/3 cup finely chopped tamari almonds, for garnish (optional), available in health food stores
1/4 cup chopped scallions, for garnish.

1. In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, garam masala, curry powder and jalapeno. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

2. Stir in 4 cups broth, sweet potatoes, lentils and bay leaf. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, partially cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. (If lentils seem dry, add up to 1 cup stock, as needed.) Stir in chard and salt and pepper, and continue cooking until lentils are tender and chard is cooked, about 30 to 45 minutes total.

3. Just before serving, stir in cilantro, lime zest and juice. Spoon into a large, shallow serving dish. Garnish with almonds if desired and scallions. (or if you live with a cilantro hater like I do, chop some up on the side for yourself and then taunt cilantro hater with it!)

4. If you want to carbo load, serve with basmati rice (or Jasmine rice like I had on hand)