Medium & A Pinch and Other Things that Shouldn't Go Together but Do

Some combinations are sound strange and yet they go together so well.

Potato Chips/French Fries on Deli Sandwiches.

Cheddar Cheese and Apple Pie.

Peanut Butter, Bacon and Bananas.

Salt and Melon.

Pickles and Ice Cream.

Penn and Teller.

(Not sure how that last one got in there!)

Another one of those wonderfully wacky (and incredibly tasty) combinations can be found at Bahn Thai.

Actually Bahn Thai is is a rather wacky, yet wonderful, place itself as it is located in a funky old hotel on the south end of Gville. In fact, due to it's arrangement in the hotel, BT has no windows, instead they have framed old Thai motif printed wrapping paper hanging where windows would be. It's awkward to be sure but the food is so good that no one cares.

I actually chose what would become my favorite item at Bahn Thai based on what sounded like a random combination of things.

Gang Kua w/ Tofu Red curry sauce with coconut milk along with tofu and sweet potato, pineapple, bean thread noodle, snap bean, asparagus and black mushroom.   

Yep, you heard right. Sweet potato AND Pineapple AND Asparagus? Whoa. Of course I had to order it. It was during the ordering process that things got even more wacky, wonderful and combination challenged.

See, Thai and American spice tolerance levels are quite different.  For some reason they forgot to put "Thai Hot" on the Scoville Scale but I'm pretty sure it falls in somewhere around 2,000,000 units. Phew. (and yes, I just made that measurement up, but it sounds reasonable, don't you think?)

Now most Thai restaurants have a "star scale" that you use to order how hot you want it. Five stars is "American Hot" and well, you just order Thai Hot if you are Thai. (my boy bestie is...so I've been this move in action) For reasons unknown to this customer Bahn Thai isn't a fan of the star system. Or at least the star scale was missing on the menu.

When asked by the owner/server how spicy I wanted my Gang Kua I said "two steps down from American Hot, please." She replied "ok, how about medium with a pinch?" "Sure." I innocently replied.

See all the red flakes on the top of my lovely meal? I'm guessing it was the "pinch." Let's just say medium is sufficiently spicy for this gal. However, I discovered the odd sounding combination of flavors actually go together beautifully, and if I killed a few taste buds while savoring the sweet, tangy, green, sour flavor profile so be it.

But next time Bahn Thai, just medium will do it.

Love to all,
~the weird combination loving gal, Jess

Super Bowl Turned Supper Bowl

Oh, Super Bowl. What can I say...I have little to no interest in watching revoltingly overpaid men who still behave like small children on the playground pushing each other over and then having tantrums when they are not given enough attention/praise/more money. (I do love sports, fyi but prefer the collegiate level, where the players still have a soul)


But you all know this gal well enough by now that if there is food, I'll be there. And lordy does the Super Bowl incorporate food of all kinds.

Case in point, the spread that my family (of three) put together:

Queso, pita chips, Guac, Roasted Garlic Dip, Mini Crab Cakes, Veggie Tray, Assorted Dips and potato chips, (all with a side of mutt, obvs)

Wait, did you say Roasted Garlic Dip?

This cheesy dip (can you say asiago?) was a find on my first days of Pinterest and I'd been jonesing to make it ever since. Thus, the infamous roasted garlic dip became my contribution to snackfest 2012. (I did sub Greek yogurt and 2% milk for the sour cream and heavy cream respectively, fyi.)

Anyways, fast forward past the horrid lip-syncing half time show, the Giants win, and even the ticker-tape parade in NYC a few days later, and that damn dip was still in my fridge. Time to get creative, because I could not load up yet another cracker, pita chip or celery stick with the stuff, tasty or not.

Before and After

And thus Roasted Asiago Garlic Chicken Penne with Red Pepper and Broccoli was born.

If you too need to get rid of some lingering Super Bowl dips, or just want a really quick dinner idea (seriously, this took me 15 minutes to throw together) carry on my wayward Giants son foodie.

While water boils for the pasta, season boneless, skinless chicken breast (because it thaws quick...don't forget this meal come together faster than it takes for the Pats to lose their lead) with salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes.

Saute with garlic and red pepper in olive oil.

Steam broccoli florets over the pasta water in a colander until tender crisp. Toss in with the chicken mix.

To make the "sauce" I pushed the chicken and veggies to the edges of the skillet and then added the last 3/4 cup of the roasted garlic dip. (minus the mozzarella cheese topping-it doesn't melt well) As the cheesy dip melted down I added 2 large cooking spoonfuls of the pasta water.

Mix well to coat the chicken/veggie mixture, then drain the pasta and toss it in too.

Done and done. Just like the NFL season.

Now that is what I call a Super Bowl of Supper.

Love to all,
~the "you bet I cook play off worthy meals out of leftover dips" gal, Jess


Roasted Asiago Garlic Chicken Penne with Red Pepper and Broccoli

Ingredients

1/2 lb penne pasta, cooked according to the box
3/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
sea salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
1 small red pepper, finely sliced into strips
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
3/4 cup of leftover* Roasted Garlic Dip, mozzarella topping removed

1. boil water salted water for pasta-add pasta and cook according to directions upon boiling
2. while water boils prep garlic, red pepper and broccoli
3. add 2 turns of the pan of olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat.
4. season chicken with salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes
5. when oil begins to glimmer add the garlic and saute for ~1 minute, until garlic is fragrant
6. add the seasoned chicken to the skillet, turning to brown all sides.
7. add the red pepper strips to the skillet, while the broccoli steams over the pasta water
8. when the broccoli is tender-crisp add to the skillet
9. push the chicken and vegetable mixture to the outer perimeter of the skillet, adding the leftover dip to the center of the skillet, adding ~1/4 cup of pasta water to form the sauce.
10. add drained pasta and toss to mix.

*or substitute a mixture of 1/4 shredded asiago cheese, 1/4 cup cream cheese, and 1/4 cup Greek yogurt.

A Lucky Booster Shot

On New Year's Day, just like any other good southern gal, I had my lucky dose of blacked peas and greens.

Since then however, I've been really busy sharing my goals for the 2012, busting out Project: Snail Mail and generally survivin' and thrivin' in what turned into my busiest, most hectic January ever! (thanks early Beta Convention, additional position at work, training for a half marathon and learning web design, it's been blast.)

So, on February 1st I did the only rational thing. I made Black Eyed Pea Soup as a booster to my New Year good luck vaccination.

Yes, it's a bit nontraditional. And yes, I borrowed the idea from Boulder Locavore. But that's just how this nontraditional, idea borrowing gal likes to roll. Besides, who else eats black eyed peas again on 02/01? That's what I thought. Luck soup's (nearly) up!

These veggies were sauteed in butter, salt, pepper and curry powder. For luck. 

Luckily I had all these short cut items on hand. 

After the vegetable/spice mixture simmered in the coconut milk, tomatoes and Hoppin' John-my quick source of the black eyed peas-instant brown rice was add to the mix. (for texture and heft, not luck. I'm running out of lucky quips.)

 

Finally, to make this an authentically lucky soup, one bunch of red Swiss chard was rough chopped and tossed in to wilt.

The money lucky shot.

With garlic toast. I didn't have cornbread. I hope that doesn't break my lucky streak.

Love to all,
~the double your luck gal, Jess

Lucky Black Eyed Pea Soup
adapted from the Boulder Locavore

Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter
1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped 
1 tbsp curry powder
salt and black pepper, to taste
2 13oz cans Hoppin' John (or black eyed peas) 
1 28oz fire roasted tomatoes
2 13oz cans lite coconut milk
2 cups water
1/4 cup sugar (less if you prefer, I like it sweet)
2 cups instant brown rice, cooked (1 cup water, 1 cup instant rice)
1 bunch red Swiss chard (or green of your choice), rough chopped

For Luck:
1-saute the chopped onion and pepper in butter in a large soup pot.  Season with curry powder, salt and pepper
2-while the vegetables saute, prepare the rice according to the package, omitting salt and fat
3-add canned tomatoes, hoppin' john (including juices) and coconut milk
4-use 2 cups of water to rinse out the cans, if desired. Add to pot.
5-stir in sugar to taste and rice.
6-bring to a rolling simmer for 10-15 minutes
7-add the Swiss chard, allow the greens to wilt and remove soup from heat.
8-enjoy

Let's Talk Tofu

Hey you. Yes you. I'm looking at you. The one with the drumstick glued to your hand. Put.it.down. Now focus on the following picture.

Good job. Just take some deep breaths. I know it's easy to get sucked into the turkey leftover rut, but resist. And make the best tofu ever instead.

Need even more convincing? It won't take 10 hours to make, like that slightly disappointing, completely over-rated Thanksgiving Feast you are still trying to digest.

All snarky Thanksgiving comments aside, this is truly the best tofu I've ever made, and possibly the best I've ever eaten as well.

To make it, I basically followed this Cooking Light recipe for Udon Noodle Salad with Broccolini and Spicy Tofu, with a few modifications based on what I had on hand. In spite of the the fact that the tofu is mentioned last in the name of this dish, it is the real star.

Let's make tofu.

After pressing and cubing extra firm tofu, I marinated the cubes for ~15 minutes in a mixture of 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of Sriracha sauce.

After the 15 minutes of soak time, I spread the tofu cubes in a single layer on a cookie sheet (coated with cooking spray as instructed) and roasted them for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. (again, all per the recipe) When I pulled the tofu out of the oven it wasn't even close to being crispy. And trust me, successful tofu needs to be crispy.

I made the best decision of the day by cranking up a dry skillet to scoring hot and quickly searing all the cubes.

Perfection. I will never make tofu any other way. And neither should you. Yes, I'm bossy, but I'm right.

If you are wondering how the rest of the noodle salad came together, here it is:

Blanch bok choy and broccoli (which isn't scary at all...I'd never actually blanched anything before!) and toss with crisp radishes, crunchy cashews, tender noodles all dressed in the leftover marinade and a generous splash of rice vinegar.

This totally beats a leftover turkey sandwich any day!

Love to all,
~the, "even though an actual tofurkey freaks me out, I love tofu" gal, Jess

PS. If you were wondering how I press my tofu? Well, good ol' Joy comes in handy now and again!

Semi-Abnormal Barbequed Salmon

My local grocery store recently had salmon on sale. So, of course I bought a large fillet (~1 lb) and I'm fairly certain I had some fancypants idea for roasting this lovely, sustainable fish, with lemons and rosemary. (which actually isn't fancypants at all, it's my normal take on salmon...it just looks fancy!)

But then as I was driving home on that fateful day, I wasn't longing for lemons. Oh no. I was day dreaming about barbeque sauce. Sweet Baby Ray's Honey BBQ Sauce to be specific, but really, who cares about those details? (oh, you do? have I mentioned lately that I love you?)

So, I went to change-of-plans-town and decided I would grill the salmon and smoother it in bbq sauce. Yum-o.

Except my propane tank was empty. Ergo, no grilling. But I still wanted flaky, rich salmon smothered in sweet and sticky sauce. wahhhhhh.

Join me for plan C:

Poach the damn salmon with some dill. (you can do this in the microwave-just add ~1/2 inch of water to a glass dish and cover with plastic wrap. Yummy, BPA)

Then skin and shred the salmon. 

Mix with a generous amount of sauce.

And serve along side a zingy Asian broccoli slaw and classic mac n' cheese.

And that's just how this gal does barbeque, ya'll.

Love to all,
~the, I love when random cravings actually work gal, Jess

Chinese Takeout Pizza OR How we Make Up For No Delivery Service in the Boonies

I love visiting my bestie in Orlando for many reasons. One of which is the beauty of food delivery.

Don't want to go out in the rain for dinner after getting drenched 11 million times previously that day? No worries, just call the restaurant you were going to visit and they will bring your hot Pho soup to your doorstep. Ahh, now that is what I call service, and no, I don't mind paying a touch extra for delivery/tip if I can eat in my PJ's in front of a dumb cable movie, thank you very much!

At home however, I live 35 miles from the nearest restaurant that even offers delivery. And for some odd reason they aren't willing to make the 40ish minute trek out to my neck of the woods. (I literally live in the woods, fyi. That isn't just a cute expression.)

However, thanks to some inspiration from a Rachel Ray recipe for Mu Shu Pork Pizza, I can now satisfy cravings for both pizza and Chinese delivery with one make at home meal.

So, if you have a need for take-out delivery, or just a wacky fun dinner, give my take on this RR meal a try!

The Goods:

• 1 lb pizza dough (I did the Publix Bakery pre-made dough)
• 4oz thick cut pork chop (or loin)
• ~4oz white mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 a medium sweet onion, diced
• 1/2 head of escarole (or cabbage/ hearty green of your choice), rough chopped
• sesame oil
• hoisin sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil for grilling
  

 

Saute the onions and mushrooms in a drizzle of sesame oil.

After the onions and 'shrooms cooked down season them with S&P then toss in the chopped escarole.

Meanwhile, season the pork with sesame oil (mine was a butterflied chop) and grill it over medium heat, then smoother in ~1/3 cup hoisin sauce. Cut the seasoned pork into cubes and toss with the veggies. (now off the heat)

Fight Roll the pizza dough into something resembling 2 disks. Rub with a small amount of olive oil and grill until deliciously brown and puffed.

As soon as the dough comes off the grill, brush generously with more hoisin sauce.

Top the crust with the pork and veggie mixture and enjoy!

This tastes just like mu-shu pork, but with the satisfying chew of pizza, instead of those flimsy Chinese pancakes.

Chinese/Pizza Delivery cravings crushed!

Love to all,
~the "a girl's gotta do, what a girl's gotta do when living in BFE" gal, Jess

The Isn't Chowder

This recipe isn't light.

 

Don't let the veggies trick you.

This recipe isn't healthy.

This recipe isn't really made for a hot 'n steamy, stormy, summer evening.

This recipe certainly isn't vegan.

Hell, this recipe isn't mine.

But, this recipe IS damn good. And you should make it. No really, go make it.  

Are you still sitting there? Oh, you need the recipe. Mea culpa.

I stole this amazing corn chowder, topped with BBQ grilled shrimp and applewood bacon from another Jess, of How Sweet It Is. Oh, after she stole it from her mom, who stole it from a newspaper.

See, stealing is good sometimes sharing is caring.

I basically followed her recipe, only tweaking the heat, with the addition of a diced, fresh jalapeno pepper and some Louisiana style hot sauce. Oh and I ran the ol' "motorboat" immersion blender through it before serving, because I just had to get another item in my kitchen dirty.

Hey, they don't call me Messi Jessi for nothing!

There are a lot of things this chowder isn't, but a let down it's NOT.

Love to all,
~the "when isn't it a night for soup?" gal, Jess