Friday, April 30, 2010

Top 10 "Can't Live Without"s: Ingredients

Do you sometimes wish you could step into a chef's kitchen and just peek around at what all's going on in there? What are their secrets for always having delicious food? Do they keep a little bag of "awesome" to sprinkle over their chicken, or a jar of "yummy" to spoon over their pasta? Or do they just go to the grocery store EVERY SINGLE DAY? Well, I don't know about them, but I'm inviting you in to MY kitchen to share some of my secrets with you. Pull up a stool and stay a while. Here are the top 10 ingredients I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT!


1. Lawry's Garlic Salt:

I would say that Garlic Salt is my ultimate "secret" for delicious food. I use it in place of regular salt on just about everything I cook. The parsley flakes mixed throughout add a little "pop" of color to the dish. I feel that the garlic flavor and the larger granules of salt take things to the next level of yummy-ness. Use it generously over roasted potatoes or marinated grilled chicken. You will never see my pantry without one of these green bottles.



2. Fresh Spinach:
Oh, don't give me that face. Like you, I'm not partial to the frozen junk that you have to squeeze all the green liquid out of for it to be edible. I mean FRESH spinach, that comes in the bag near the lettuces in your grocery store. If you don't already, learn to love it! Spinach is rich in iron, full of anti-oxidants, and, unlike other forms of produce, is available year-round. Um, and it's good! Taylor has become the spinach wizz in our house...he manages to pack so much flavor into it without wilting the spinach so much that it's mushy. I'll return with a recipe later. But I assure you, there is always a bag (or two) of spinach in our refrigerator. It is the perfect, super easy, and super delicious side dish to just about any meal. I would venture to say that we eat spinach every single night.



3. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (in bulk):
If you'll refer back to my "Two Breasts are Better than One" post, I give detailed instructions for buying chicken in bulk, stretching it as far as it will go, and making it last as long as you need it to. Chicken is quick, easy, healthy, easy to come by, is a fabulous source of protein, and can take on any flavor you can possibly think of. Try my "Easy Weeknight Chicken Paillard" recipe, marinate it in a taco seasoning packet for fajitas, marinate it with Teriyaki sauce and Italian dressing for a sweet and tangy chicken, bread it for Chicken Parmesan, grill it and serve with corn salsa, stuff it with prosciutto and goat cheese...the possibilities are only limited by your imagination. The day you open my fridge or freezer and don't find little Ziploc bags with chicken breasts in them...is the day Hel....well you know.



4. Adobo
My feisty Latina friend, Stacey, introduced me to the wonderful world of Adobo seasoning last summer. She was making her famous Empenadas for me, and explained that it is a common misconception that Latin food is SPICY, when in fact, it is all just very heavily seasoned. They use flavoring agents like "Sofrito" (which we are fortunate enough to have a giant jar of in our freezer- thanks Stacey!) and Adobo to infuse their dishes with as much FLAVOR as possible. Adobo is a spice mixture of salt, garlic, pepper, tumeric, cumin, onion, and oregano. It is bright yellow and might be confused for curry powder, but sprinkle some of this on your chicken or ground beef or eggs or potatoes or spinach....it adds so much flavor, it's ridiculous. You can find it at Publix. Pick up some today!



5. Cilantro
They say you either absolutely love cilantro or it tastes like laundry detergent to you. I feel so sorry for those who don't have the taste for it, because even the tiniest bit of fresh chopped cilantro adds so much freshness and brightness and depth of flavor to just about anything. Sprinkle it over pizza, stir it into scrambled eggs, toss roasted potatoes in it, marinate chicken with it to be grilled, combine it with diced tomatoes-onions-lime juice for an easy salsa, stir it into rice, toss it in pasta with shrimp and lemon juice....mouth is watering now. Cilantro is dirt cheap and always available in the herb section at any grocery store. Or do like we did and just grow it yourself and have bushels of it readily available to you at all times. :)



6. Tabasco

Again, this is totally a taste preference thing, but over here, we stir Tabasco into a little bit of everything. Cheese grits, sauteed shrimp, scrambled eggs, we even throw a few dashes into our mayonnaise on turkey sandwiches. Here is my FAVORITE use of Tabasco: DOUSE your hamburger patties in it before grilling them. Trust me. The heat from the grill tames the spiciness of the Tabasco and just leaves an incredible deep flavor into the meat. A friend of mine from high school had a few too many cold ones at the lake one summer....and thought it'd be hilarious to run up and pour Tabasco all over the hamburger patties I'd been slaving away on. I was furious, naturally, thinking they were ruined...but they ended up being the most delicious burgers any of us had ever had. Now, all my burgers get a nice Tabasco shower before hitting the grill. Yum!



7. McCormick's Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning
Ever wonder why rotisserie chickens from the grocery store are so much better than your chicken? It's because 1- they are cooked to absolute roasted perfection, and 2- they use a special seasoning. Well, about a year ago, Mr. McCormick decided to share his Rotisserie Seasoning with the world, and I'm a devoted user of the stuff. Like the garlic salt, I use the Rotisserie Chicken seasoning on just about everything to make it taste that much better. This is by no means limited to just chicken. No no no. Stir some into your next Potato Salad and watch what happens. They're pretty crafty by saying "spices" in their ingredients along with salt, pepper, garlic, onion, paprika, and citric acid. I suspect a bit of cayenne, cumin, chili powder, and sugar.



8. Shredded Parmesan Cheese
A little sprinkle of the stuff goes a long way as far as adding flavor and richness to any dish. Spread some out on a Silpat baking sheet to make a Parmesan bowl for your next salad, mix some together with Panko bread crumbs and lemon zest for a yummy fish breading, sprinkle it over steamed veggies for a little kick, or sprinkle over a buttered piece of bread and top with garlic salt for quick garlic bread. Mix it into hamburger patties or meatballs for a great cheesy effect. I always have a tub or two of the stuff in my cheese drawer.



9. Balsamic Vinegar

This is another love it or hate it item. I happen to love it- actually, can't live without it! Make a delicious caprese salad with simply sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, a fresh basil leaf, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Simple. Add a few dashes to a pasta dish. Marinate chicken in it for roasting. Mix 1 cup of Balsamic with 1/4 cup of white sugar, reduce until it forms a syrup, and drizzle over anything that needs some extra tang: caprese skewers, grilled steak, broiled fish, or even berries for dessert. It's beautiful purple color and deep tangy flavor make it a staple in my kitchen.



10. New Potatoes/Fresh Garlic

I had a hard time deciding between the last two, so it's a tie. There is constantly a bag of New potatoes as well as a stem of fresh Garlic cloves in my produce bowl. Always always always. New potatoes are the smaller, less starchy, red skinned potatoes that are action-packed with flavor and much better for you than their bigger brown cousins. Cut 'em up, toss 'em in a bag with Olive oil, rotisserie chicken seasoning, and fresh garlic for awesome oven roasted potatoes. Leave the skins on, boil them, then smash them up with some butter and milk and various seasonings for smashed new potatoes. The skins are very thin and full of flavor and nutrients so they are much more enjoyable to eat than the Russet or Idaho potato skins. As for the garlic, refer back to my Top 10 "Can't Live Without"s: Kitchen Tools for the incredible garlic press. Start using it in any way you would use the canned stuff. You'll never go back.





Have a great weekend, everyone!

Cheers,

The Chef Next Door

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Chicken and Chorizo Pizza

For those of you who don't already know me, I will tell you that I am the proud big sister of two little brothers. Well, not exactly little, being that they are 6'3" and well over 200 lbs...I guess YOUNGER brothers is the better term. And without digging up too many Hale-family memories or boring you with too much "I remember when...", I'll just go ahead and say that my brothers and I didn't get along too well growing up. Yep, let's just leave it at that. :) And every once in a while, our poor mother would try her hardest to corral us into the same room and engage us in an activity that may result in laughter and smiles rather than scratch-marks and tears. Believe it or not, this room was the kitchen, and more often than not, the activity was a homemade pizza. Pizza is something that EVERYONE loves, it's something EVERYONE can agree on, and it's something that EVERYONE can enjoy making and eating together. Even annoying little brothers and eye-rolling, bratty big sisters.

Then (2003):



Now (2010):



The homemade pizzas of my childhood involved little more than pizza sauce, shredded cheese, and occasionally some pepperoni. (We were picky kids.) But now that little Margaret is all grown up and sporting a Chef jacket, the pizzas of today are a wee bit more gourmet. So paying homage to my upbringing, my brothers, and my mom (and Dad, too, I guess!)- here is my Homemade Chicken and Chorizo Pizza. It is easy, it's filling, and insanely delicious. If you can convince your kids that the "green stuff" AKA Cilantro isn't "yucky", then they will love it too! Enjoy.


Homemade Chicken and Chorizo Pizza

Ingredients:

1 storebought Pizza Dough
Generous rub of Olive Oil
Generous sprinkle of dried Oregano (or Italian Herb Mix)
Generous sprinkle of Garlic Salt
Generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese
*Optional: sprinkle of crushed Red Pepper flakes

1 Tablespoon butter
2 chicken breasts- cut into bite-size pieces
1 package of sliced Chorizo-roughly chopped
1/2 White/Vidalia Onion- diced
Salt and Pepper

1 cup of Sun Dried Tomato-flavored Alfredo Sauce
1 cup of jarred Salsa (heat-level: your choice!)

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Crumbled Goat Cheese

Bunch of Cilantro, finely chopped


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread the pizza dough to all the edges of a round pizza pan. Rub it with olive oil, then sprinkle it with dried Oregano, Garlic salt, parmesan cheese, and crushed red pepper if you want some extra heat. Bake for 5-10 minutes, until it is golden brown and ALMOST completely done. Remove from oven and set aside.



2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet. Add the onion, chorizo, and chicken to the pan, and saute until the onion is translucent, the chorizo is beginning to crisp and curl up, and the chicken is cooked through- about 7 minutes. Stir often to ensure all the pieces are coated with the yummy Chorizo "juice". Season lightly with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.





3. Combine the Alfredo sauce and the Salsa until mixed thoroughly. May sound wierd, but when Alfredo sauce and Salsa get together and have a baby, it is DELICIOUS.





4. To assemble, spread the Alfredo Salsa mixture evenly over the pizza. Not too much, but not too little. Use your best discretion.



5. Spread the chicken/chorizo/onion mixture evenly over the sauce. Don't let too much of the oil get all over your pizza.





6. Cover the chicken/chorizo/onion mixture with the mozzarella cheese...



...then Cheddar cheese...



...then GOAT cheese! (My absolute favorite thing in the world- leave it off if it's not your cup of tea, but it really adds to the flavors of the pizza)



7. BAKE! Let all the toppings melt and come together for about 5-8 more minutes, don't walk away too long or you'll start to burn.



8. Remove from the oven when it is melty and delicious, and sprinkle with chopped fresh Cilantro. Slice in whatever way you desire and DEVOUR!







This pizza is "OMG-jaw hitting the floor-eyes roll back in the head" good! Ok, my mouth is watering....



Cheers,

The Chef Next Door

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Couldn't Have Been More Wrong

Um, so I just Googled "Lazy Gourmet" and there are about a billion and a half catering companies/books/twitter usernames/stores/ and so forth with that title. Man, I thought I was so clever! Oh well...can't win them all, right?







Sad day. Good thing there's not too many "Chef Next Door"s out there! Happy Sunday.

Cheers,

The Chef Next Door

Saturday, April 24, 2010

LAZY GOURMET

So I think I've coined a new term/concept: LAZY GOURMET. Lazy Gourmet means taking shortcuts or buying pre-made items and putting a little spin on them to make it seem as though you did a lot of work. Sounds fun, huh? I thought so, too. Lazy Gourmet was born a few days ago, when after a long day of running around town marketing my catering business/running a million errands/cleaning the house....neither Taylor nor I had any interest in making dinner. Our fridge was looking pretty sad, and we didn't feel like getting gussied up and going out to dinner (and spending a fortune). Hmmm....what to do.....what to do.... so I decided I'd just cruise Fresh Market to pick up a few of their pre-made side dishes and see if inspiration would find me somewhere in the isles of my favorite grocery store. :)

Well, their Lemon-Orzo Pasta salad with Spinach and Cherry Tomatoes is to die for. We've had it plenty of times and we both absolutely love it. So I went there first and ordered a pound of it. Ok, so now we have a side dish but no main....hmmmm....walking....walking.......Aha! Rotisserie Chickens. Give me one of the Lemon Pepper Flavored ones. I guess we could just eat a chicken breast with the Pasta Salad....that's kindof boring.....hmmmmm......walking.......The pre-made Caesar salads are HUUUGE! Think I'll grab one of those. Ok, now we have a salad, some chicken, and Orzo. Eh, I guess that'll do. Back to the house.

Upon returning to the house, feeling pretty uninspired and unenthusiastic, I discover that I have a can of pizza dough in the fridge. I remember back to a trick I learned from a coworker at the Hospital. Pizza pinwheels! But, I don't have the right ingredients, so I'm going to have to improvise. Finally, I have a lightbulb moment- and a meal is born. A very lazy but gourmet meal. LAZY GOURMET! And here it is.


Lemon-Orzo Chicken Salad with Pesto Pinwheels and Orange Caesar Salad


Ingredients:

1 pound of Fresh Market's Lemon-Orzo Pasta Salad
1 Rotisserie Chicken- Lemon Pepper Flavor
Sprig of Basil (from your garden!!) and 1 Cherry Tomato (stolen from the Pasta Salad) for garnish





1 storebought Caesar Salad
1/4 cup of Orange Juice





1 canned pizza dough
Container of Pesto
Generous sprinkle of shredded Parmesan Cheese
Generous sprinkle of Garlic Salt


Directions:

1. First, make the Pesto Pinwheels. Roll out the pizza dough onto a flat surface, spread it generously with the pesto, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and garlic salt.
2. Roll the dough up, jelly-roll style, nice and tight. Cut it in 1" slices. Lay the slices on a Silpat-lined baking sheet and mash them down a little bit so they spread out and you can see the pretty green spiral effect.
3. Bake the pinwheels at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.







4. While the pinwheels are baking, pick the chicken meat from the bones of the Rotisserie Chicken. BEWARE OF BONES!!
5. Shred/cut the meat into bite-size pieces, and mix the meat into the Lemon-Orzo Pasta salad.
6. Pick out a Cherry Tomato and quarter it for garnish. Find a pretty Basil sprig also for garnish.
7. Mound the Lemon-Orzo Chicken Salad in the center of a plate, garnish with the quartered Tomato and the Sprig of Basil. Tada! So pretty, and tasty.



8. Lastly, stir the orange juice into the Caesar dressing that came with your salad until it becomes more like a vinaigrette than a creamy dressing. Divide the salad between two bowls (or however many you are feeding) and drizzle lightly with the Orange Caesar dressing.

9. Remove the Pesto Pinwheels and serve them alongside the Lemon-Orzo Chicken Salad. Enjoy!!




Now that wasn't so hard, was it? Man on man, it was YUMMY and super, duper, extra super easy. I'm so dumb, I didn't take pictures but it was so pretty and colorful! I set the plates in front of Taylor (who didn't join me in the kitchen) and his face lit up. He said, "Well, look at you!!" thinking I'd been slaving away in the kitchen...for a total of 15 minutes. I replied, "This is a lazy, but gourmet meal at the same time!" LAZY GOURMET was born. It was filling, satisfying, delicious, and cost about $10 total. So skip the freezer isle next time you're feeling sluggish...head over to the Grab 'n Go section and incorporate a little Lazy Gourmet into your own life.


Cheers,

The Chef Next Door


Side Note: None of the photos in this blog are mine- I borrowed them from Yahoo Image search and Fresh Market's website. I just posted them to give you something to look at while reading!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Don't Drink the Paint Water...

...is the humorous "slogan" of Rebekah Bynum's My Spirited Art studio. Her delightfully "artsy" classroom and office is covered from floor to ceiling in paint swatches, colorful tissue paper pom poms, and a hodge podge of painted doodles which she lets students have their way with on her walls. A large gymnasium-style room with super high ceilings and a mini stage is filled with tables and easels and naked canvases...awaiting their artists. People come from all over Huntsville and Madison county to attend one of her art classes. It is casual, laid-back, and she even encourages you to bring good friends and even better wine.





At the start of every class, the instructor will go over some class guidelines, and ALWAYS finishes with..."And don't forget- DON'T DRINK YOUR PAINT WATER!" Apparently it is easy to confuse a glass of wine with a solo cup of Acryllic-filled water when you're in deep concentration over your masterpiece- or deep in a bottle of Zinfandel. :) I was introduced to Rebekah and her classes last summer, when she hosted a class at my place of work, back before she had her own studio. I instantly fell in love with the concept and have been a fairly frequent patron of My Spirited Art ever since. It is a great way to unwind from the day and unleash your creativity. Or, it's just a good way to hang with your friends and share some vino. I hope to one day integrate her awesome art classes with my soon-to-be awesome COOKING CLASSES! I hope the people of Huntsville will embrace me and my cooking lessons even half as well as they've embraced her painting classes!


Here are some of my paintings from My Spirited Art, and a few of my own:



Just in time for Spring...









"Grafitti Love" for my BFF's 24th Birthday






Paint-splatter Flowers



Coffee is Love



Wacky Abstract



Kandinsky Circles



Merry Christmas, Mom and Dad



Happy Birthday, Brothers!



Words to Live By





Grab some friends and your favorite Reisling and head over to My Spirited Art on Whitesburg Drive. Or, just pick up a canvas, some paint, some brushes, and do it yourself. THEN, call me and we'll do some cooking classes! :) :)

Cheers,

The Chef Next Door