Tomato, Cucumber and Mozzarella Salad

This side salad is a great summer staple for get togethers or just to keep in your fridge for several days.  The ingredients are few and simple, but pack a lot of flavor.  I just followed Shannon’s directions and after about 10 minutes, a delicious side to accompany any summer meal!

You will need:
1 1/2 to 2 lbs of Campari tomatoes (or similar)
2 to 3 seedless cucumbers, sliced however you prefer (we did half-moon shapes)
large container of marinated mozzarella balls
lots of basil
few tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette dressing
salt & pepper

Wash your veggies and peel the cukes.  Quarter the tomatoes and cut the cucumbers and toss in a bowl.  Dump in the mozzarella balls and as much of the marinating liquid as you feel appropriate (don’t want it too soggy).  Coarsely chop your basil and toss in, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with the balsamic dressing.  Toss well and taste.  Adjust your seasonings and flavor as you see fit and enjoy!
Serves: 6+
Recipe from: my friend Shannon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creamy Parmesan Polenta

I always love ordering polenta at restaurants but have actually never made it myself.  This idea seems crazy to me, since it’s not a complicated dish and the simple fact that it is oh so delicious!  After a friend of mine asked if I had any good recipes for polenta and if I could blog about it, I went on a mission.  I went to my standby “How Easy is That?” cookbook, and of course, Ina had a great recipe waiting for me.  It was yummy and easy and it is going to go in the “trusty sides” stack (in my brain of course).

You will need:
4 cups chicken stock
4 cloves minced garlic
1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone ground (I used Indian Head brand)
salt & pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling on top
1/4 half & half
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Place the stock and garlic in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and very slowly whisk in the cornmeal, whisking constantly to make sure there are no lumps.  Switch to a spoon/spatula and add in salt & pepper.  Let simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.  Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan so nothing sticks or burns.  Once the polenta is nice and thick, take off the heat and stir in the cheese, half & half and butter.  Taste for seasonings and serve with extra Parmesan on top!

*to keep warm if you’re timing isn’t right, you can put it in a baking dish and keep it in the oven at a low temperature til you are ready to serve!

Serves 6
Inspired by: Barefoot Contessa

 

Asian cole slaw

As the weather is getting nicer, I am craving picnic foods big time. This recipe is a summer stand by in our house, we love it!  This recipe is a combo of my Aunt Frankie’s and my mother in law’s.  I have been known to eat it straight from the container while standing by the fridge, it’s addictive.
You will need:

1 bag cole slaw (preferably angel hair)
8 scallions, thinly sliced
2 packages of ramen, just the noodles, broken up into pieces
3 teaspoons sesame seeds
2/3 cup slivered almonds
*if you want to add some protein, toss in 1 1/2 cups of diced chicken breast

for the dressing:
3/4 cup canola oil
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 tablespoons sugar
salt & pepper

In a small saucepan over low heat, brown the almonds and sesame seeds in a small amount of vegetable oil – takes around 8-9 minutes.  In a large bowl, mix the cole slaw and scallions together.  Put the crunched up ramen noodles on top, then add the toasted almonds and sesame seeds.  Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together well.  Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss well.  Cover and let sit in the fridge for at least 3 hours prior to serving so the noodles soften.

 

Orzo salad

Another picnic standby of ours, again sticking with the theme.  It goes great with anything really.  I served it with rotisserie chicken and pork loin this past week, but it would also be a great accompaniment to burgers too!  Funny story with where this recipe came from…when we were in college Matt and I would make visits back and forth from DC to Cleveland each month.  During one of my visits to Cleveland, we ate at a restaurant where this was one of the side options and we LOVED it.  So naturally we asked for a to-go cup and took to back to Pittsburgh to Mama Cheater Bite.  This woman can taste something and instantly know how to make it, genius I tell you.  So after several mouthfuls and jotting down thoughts, Bern came up with this recipe.  It has certainly become a family favorite!
You will need:

1 lb. box orzo
1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
1 cup corn, frozen & thawed or fresh, not canned
1 red & 1 yellow pepper, chopped finely
3/4 cup currants, chopped
3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
handful of chopped parsley
garlic powder, salt & pepper to taste
4-5 tablespoons Ken’s Sundried Tomato dressing
olive oil

Cook orzo and wild rice according to package directions.  While they are cooking, chop all of the other ingredients and set aside.  Once orzo is cooked, transfer to a large bowl and add a bit of olive oil.  Add in rice and the rest of the prepared ingredients.  Add garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.  Add in the dressing and stir.  Taste and adjust all of the seasonings as you see fit.

 

Rice salad

For my wedding shower my bridesmaids put together a big recipe scrapbook from all of the lovely women who attended.  I LOVE having it on my shelf; it’s so nice to pull it out and pick a recipe from a loved one and think of them while I make it.  One that I have made numerous times is Aunt Sally Logue’s rice, black bean and feta salad.  I change it around every time I make it, due to what I have in my fridge, but it’s always a great side dish for tacos/fajitas and rotisserie chicken.  Actually, I’ve been known to just eat a bowl of it for lunch, too.

You will need:
1 cup dry rice (I used Jasmine)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 yellow or orange pepper, diced
4 or 5 scallions, sliced thin
1 package crumbled feta cheese
handful chopped cilantro
Italian salad dressing (or something similar)
salt & pepper
*sometimes I throw in celery and cucumber if I have it

Cook your rice according to the package directions.  I like using Jasmine rice because of the yummy flavor, but you could easily use Basmati rice or even Minute rice, it doesn’t really make a difference.  Let the rice cool for around 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature.  Mix in all of the chopped veggies, black beans, feta and cilantro and toss well.  Season with salt and pepper and then start with around 1/4 cup of your salad dressing, then taste and season accordingly.  I like it still a tiny bit warm as well as cold…it’s very versatile.  It’s really yummy and goes with so much.  This is a great side dish to have in your fridge for the week…thanks Aunt Sal!!

 

Back in the kitchen…

After several days of being sick and miserable, surviving on soup and other take-out or restaurant food, I have re-entered my kitchen.  Tonight was sort of a compilation of what I had in my fridge and a craving for risotto.

Last week I made a great batch of roasted pepper sauce.  I served it with pasta last week and saved the rest for later on because it goes so well with so many things!  Tonight we had it with Herbed Risotto and chicken thighs.

Mama Cheater Bites Roasted Pepper Sauce

• 2 pounds small sweet red/yellow/orange peppers (we always buy the big bag from Costco), halved length-wise
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3 gloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 chile or serrano pepper, sliced thin
• 4 tbsp capers
• 1/2 cup (or more of you love olives) black olives, quartered
• salt & pepper
• olive oil

Preheat oven to 350.  Chop up all of the ingredients and toss in a large bowl with salt, pepper and lots of olive oil.  Put into a dutch oven or other similar baking dish with a lid.  Cover and cook for 20 minutes, then take of the lid and cook for 20 more.  I like the peppers cooked enough that I can cut them with my fork, so if you like more al dente peppers, cook for around 7-10 minutes less.

The recipe makes a lot of sauce, so I suggest that unless you are feeding 8-10 people, you break this up into 2 portions.  The first night I tossed this with pasta and topped with fresh creamy buffalo mozzarella cheese.  Then pack up the remainder for a meal like this one later in the week.  The sauce keeps well for a full week and reheats very well.

Herbed Risotto

• 1 1/2 cups loosely packed spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh flat parsley
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 medium leek (or 1 bunch scallions if you are like me and refuse to pay the $6 Giant wants for leeks)
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Heat medium saucepan over medium-low heat, add in butter.  Saute leeks (or scallions) until soft, 7 to 10 minutes.  Add rice and stir until heated, about 3 minutes.  Add wine and let simmer until absorbed.  Meanwhile, blend spinach, basil, parsley and garlic in a food processor so it is nice and finely chopped together and set aside.  Add in broth 1/2 cup at a time until absorbed, stirring constantly.  This will take about 30 minutes total.  Once the last batch of broth is almost absorbed, cover the risotto, remove from heat and let sit for 3 minutes.  Add in the herb mixture, some salt and pepper and the cheese.  I dare you not to take cheater bites of this before you serve it, it’s so good!

*The key to a good risotto is to never leave the stove…once the rice starts sticking to the pan, its all over!  Just make sure to stir consistently, you can leave it for a minute or so to do something else in the kitchen, but don’t get too sidetracked!

Yummy Chicken Thighs

• 4 chicken thighs (bone or no bone)
• salt & pepper
• olive oil

Preheat oven to 350.  Heat a skillet on medium high heat, add oil a couple turns around the pan.  Rinse and trim the chicken, season with salt and pepper.  Once the skillet is nice and hot, place the thighs in bone side up.  Sear for about 4-5 minutes per side til nice and brown.  Add in pepper sauce and stir.  Put in oven for around 25 minutes.

Not too shabby of a kitchen comeback if I say so myself!  Stay tuned later this week for my write-up of our weekend in Washington, VA and the delicious food and wine we had!

 

Skirt Steak and Sunchoke-Kale Hash

Skirt steaks and flank steaks are fast becoming my favorite cuts of beef for several reasons: they are relatively cheap, they are not fatty, and they cook fantastically in my skillet in a 425 degree oven.

Thanks to Food & Wine’s January 2010 magazine and my lovely Mum, this delicious dinner appeared on my table tonight.  After a fantastic weekend visiting family in Pittsburgh, I was sent home with a cooler full of treats.  The sunchoke-kale hash with farro was one of the treats…

Your first question may be “what in the world is a sunchoke?!” and rightly so, it was my very same question on Monday morning when mama Cheater Bite was cooking it up in her kitchen.  Well, for your information, a sunchoke is a root vegetable that is a cross between a rutabaga and a potato and a delicate flavor that is slightly sweet, yet nut-like (think water chestnuts or jicama).  I’d say the best place to find them is your local Whole Foods.  So this was my first experience with sunchokes, and I’d say I’m pretty impressed.  I’m also not a huge fan of kale, but combined with the farro and all of the other flavors, it had a great texture and flavor.

Here are the breakdowns and adaptations:

Sunchoke-Kale Hash with Farro (this recipe serves 8-10 and takes 1 1/2 hours total)

• 3/4 cup farro
• 2 1/2 pounds sunchokes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1 pound Tuscan kale, stems discarded
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 pound oyster mushrooms (halved if large)
• salt & freshly ground pepper

In a medium saucepan, cover the farro with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil, cover and cook over low heat until the farro is tender, about 25 minutes. Drain the farro and set aside.

While the farro is cooking, put the sunchokes in a large saucepan and cover with water and add a large pinch of salt. Boil over high heat until the sunchokes are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly, then slice the sunchokes 1/4 inch thick and set aside.

Fill the large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add the Tuscan kale and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Drain the kale and let cool slightly. Squeeze the kale dry and coarsely chop it.

In a small skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the sliced red onion and a pinch of salt and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 12 minutes.  At this point you can put the 4 prepared ingredients in containers and keep them in the fridge until tomorrow.

In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter with 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the sunchokes in an even layer and cook over high heat until browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn the sunchokes, reduce the heat to moderately high and continue cooking until starting to brown, about 2 minutes. Push the sunchokes to the side of the skillet.  Add 1 more tablespoon of oil and the oyster mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining oil along with the farro, kale and onion and cook, stirring, until heated through.

Skirt Steak with Paprika Butter

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 cloves garlic, sliced thin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked hot paprika – if you just have regular paprika, mix 1 teaspoon of that with 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (or a different ratio depending on how spicy you like things)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• skirt or flank steak (1 pound for every 2 people)
• olive oil, for rubbing
• salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 425 and heat dry skillet over medium/high heat.  Rub the steaks with oil and season with salt and pepper.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook over low heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the paprika and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and season with salt; keep warm until ready to serve.

Sear both sides of steak in the skillet, about 1 minute per side, then put in middle rack of the oven for 4 minutes.  Take out and let sit on cutting board for 5 minutes, then slice thinly across the grain. (If you have a grill, cook the steaks on high heat until nicely charred and medium-rare, about 3 minutes per side)

To serve, spoon the Sunchoke-Kale Hash with Farro on each plate and top with the steak. Spoon the paprika butter over the steak and serve right away.

Needless to say, this would not have been a weeknight meal in my kitchen if it weren’t for mama Cheater Bite doing most of the work for me, but if you have the time to spend, or take the time to do some of the prep the day before, I’d say this meal is worth it!  It’s going in my list of “keepers” for sure!

 

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Couscous

After a long day of work Thursday I still wanted to cook dinner, but didn’t want to be in the kitchen for too long, I was much too hungry.  I had defrosted a 4-pack of bone-in chicken thighs from Costco, so I decided to make those with my new favorite couscous recipe, thanks to my friend over at the Glass of Milk kitchen.  

Here’s the breakdown…

Val’s Bavarian Chicken Thighs:

• 4 chicken thighs (or more, depending on how many you are cooking for)
• Bavarian Seasoning (Penzy’s brand, or any similar spice blend)
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400.  Place rinsed and dried chicken thighs in an oven safe small-ish roasting pan (I used my new Le Creuset rectangular baker, which was thrilling…)  Drizzle olive oil on chicken and season generously with Bavarian Seasoning and salt & pepper.  Place in your oven on the middle rack and roast uncovered for approximately 40 minutes – mine took about 45, but de-boned thighs would take closer to 35 minutes.  The signal they are ready is when they are just beginning to brown and pulling from the pan slightly.

Couscous with Pine Nuts:

Like my girl Ina says in her newest cookbook, “if you can boil a pot of water, you can make couscous” and that is really how easy this recipe is.  I made an adaptation or two, but this is a great stand-by side dish, and I promise it does not disappoint.

• 3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter (depending on how much butter you like)
• 3 shallots, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup capers, drained (this is my addition, I love the acidity and depth of flavor the capers add)
• 2 cups chicken stock (Ina calls for 3, but 2 is plenty)
• 1/2 teaspoon each of salt & pepper
• 1 1/2 cups couscous
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1/4 cup dried currants (or cranberries if you don’t have currants)
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• freshly grated parmesan cheese

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.  Add shallots and cook over medium heat for around 3 minutes, until translucent.  Add capers and cook for a minute more.  Add chicken stock, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Add couscous, stir, cover and remove from heat.  Let sit for 5-7 minutes.  While couscous is sitting, toast your pine nuts: place them in a dry saute pan or skillet and cook over low-meduim heat for 5-7 minutes, tossing often until lightly browned.

Fluff couscous, add pine nuts, currants and parsley.  Plop a nice heaping spoonful on a plate with a chicken thigh or two, add some fresh parmesan cheese and enjoy!

This makes plenty for 2 people plus extra for leftovers!