Simple Alfredo w/ Cheesy Garlic Bread

Sometimes the simplest things turn out to be the best. Take for instance, if one is having a truly bad day and just one, just one person takes notice or even smiles in my direction... a part of my mood is instantly lifted. Simple gesture, big results? Right? That's what I think of alfredo. It's basically a simple sauce of cream and cheese, and it's one of my favorite pasta dishes to whip up!


Ingredients:

1 package fettuccine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, minced and divided
1 pint heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1 & 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese, divided
2 teaspoons oregano (optional)

Start a pot of water to boil. When at a steady boil, add some salt and then add in fettuccine. I found some great noodles at a local place here in Louisville, Lotsa Pasta. They have a great variety of gourmet products, specializing in cheeses and pastas, and lots of stuff they make from scratch. Definitely a great place to get relatively inexpensive spices also! Cook noodles according to package directions for al dente, mine were in there for about 5-6 minutes.

Meanwhile, you can start your sauce. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add in 2/3 of the minced garlic. Saute for about 1 minute. Then add in cream, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and 1 cup of cheese. Make sure your heat is low enough that the cream does not bubble or boil. If it does this, your sauce is "breaking"... and you don't want that. It's a slow and nurturing process, but just keep constantly stirring until sauce thickens a bit and cheese is melted throughout.

If you've got a helper, the cheesebread is a great job for them. Just slice a fresh italian loaf in half (I used a pretty small one since there's only the two of us) and top the slices with the remaining minced garlic. Coat each half with a light layer of butter/margarine and top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Can also opt to add some oregano for a finishing touch. Bake in oven at 400 F for about 5-10 minutes, depending on how crunchy you want your bread. I found that 5-6 minutes gave it a nice crusty exterior and still a soft interior.

When noodles are done, drain and add into sauce mixture. Coat noodles with sauce and serve hot.


This was delicious and definitely one of those meals that's so filling it puts you to bed soon afterwards. But I think all pasta dishes do that to me, so I don't know. Give it a go! What simple things make your life better?

Lazy (Wo)Man's Ribs

You know the keyword is "lazy" here. Lazy doesn't imply sloppy or not good either. Lazy just means that this is little to no effort... and what kitchen gadget provides that little or no effort appeal? You guessed it... THE CROCKPOT! I don't think these recipes are going to stop either, so you better get used to bringing out that thing and enjoying the food that comes out of it! These ribs are truly so easy you won't even believe how great they turn out.

Ingredients:

About 8 or more Pork Short Ribs
1 Cup Brown Sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/8 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder

Turn your crockpot on to the high setting.

Stack the short ribs in first. Then, one by one, just "dump" each of the above ingredients (and feel free to improvise, because that's exactly what I did here!) on top of the short ribs.

Once all the ingredients are in there, you can either use your hands and be primal with it, or take a spoon or tongs and just move the ribs around so that they're evenly coated with all the ingredients.

Then cover the crockpot and cook on the high setting for about 1 hour. Then switch to low and cook for about 8 hours, or at least 5.


Yeah... it was THAT easy. This was probably the best ribs I've made so far. The meat was tender and falling off the bone. There was a sweetness from the brown sugar and a savoriness from the rest of the spices. It was great and I hope you try this! Enjoy!

Red Beans & Rice

This past year was the first year, in 3 years, that my friends and I did not make the road trip down to New Orleans for their annual Jazzfest. If you haven't been to Jazzfest, or New Orleans, in general, I think you should plan a visit, like NOW. Jazzfest, in my opinion, wraps up the best that New Orleans has to offer in a 3 day weekend. The ecclectic mixes of music (I've seen anybody from Dave Matthews Band, to Bob Dylan, to even Ludacris!). And the food. Let me tell you. Every 5 steps, there's a new food booth with something different to offer than the last booth. Po' Boys, Crawfish Monica, big piles of Crawfish, Oysters, Pies of all sorts, anything your culinary mind can think of and relate to New Orleans... there's a booth for it. Music and food... my two favorite things, and the exact reason why I recommend New Orleans to anyone. Now to a humble Cajun classic... Red Beans & Rice.


Ingredients:

1 cup jasmine rice
1 cup chicken stock
2 large smoked sausages, cut into slices
1 onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 cans of chili beans, with chili sauce, undrained
1 can diced tomatoes, with juices
Cajun Seasoning, depending on how Cajun you like it (I used a little over a tablespoon)

Everything goes pretty fast in this, so you can definitely get your grub on real quick for this.

Start with your rice. Add rice and chicken stock to medium pot and cook under medium heat, or according to package directions.

In a large skillet under medium high heat, add sausage, onion, and celery. Cook until sausage starts to brown and onion and celery soften, about 5 minutes. These three ingredients I think really bring a whole lot of flavor to the dish and I wouldn't recommend substituting them or leaving them out.


Stir in both cans of beans and tomatoes. Then add enough Cajun seasoning to your liking. Lower the heat a tad, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes.

By then, your rice is probably done or close to it, so uncover bean mixture and stir in rice. Heat entire mixture until hot all the way through. Serve hot on a plate and dig in!


This probably took no more than 20 minutes total. The flavors reminded me so much of New Orleans that I'm seriously going to have to bring back the Jazzfest roadtrips this year. I need to. I really feel like New Orleans is a part of me (even though no part of my family is from there and I've never lived there), but I've had some of the best times of my life with some of my greatest friends there, and that's not just something you quit. What types of foods bring back memories for you? What types of road trips are unforgettable?

And just as an added bonus, this was for dessert. After all, it's National Brownie Day today, so get you one!

Shredded Chicken Gorditas

Louisville is definitely not known for it's streetfood like other cities. We're still experimenting with that area of food. I mean, I've seen various hot dog vendors on street corners downtown, and there's the Nathan's Hot Dog stand on Bardstown Rd. next to the bars. But if you go to Fern Creek, there's this hidden gem of a street food stand, that we like to call "The Taco Truck." I'm sure it has a real name, but there is no sign, there is no advertising. There's just a blue tent in front of a trailer pulled by a big F-150 Ford truck. And it sit in front of a Mexican grocery, so it must be authentic, right? The quesadillas were phenomenal, especially for about $2 a pop. A steal, right? One thing Andy did get, that he didn't like was their gorditas. Stuffed beef pockets that he said "tasted like a boot." I said that was a little harsh, and when I took a bite... he was right. So maybe Taco Bell has something on a good ol' fashioned Mexican gordita eh? I'd hope not. That is not even close. Actually, a gordita can be stuffed or topped. A common misconception among us Americanized Taco Bell loving beings. So when I saw this recipe for homemade gorditas in November's Food & Wine I knew I had to do the Taco Truck justice.


Ingredients:
From Nov. 2009 Food & Wine - "Gorditas"

2 cups masa harina
1 & 1/4 cups water (or a little more if your mixture is too dry)
1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for frying
shredded chicken (recipe follows)
salsa
sour cream
cheese blend


Ingredients for shredded chicken:
(I sort of just winged this one and put it whatever I thought would taste good)

4-5 chicken breasts
1/4 cup tequila
3 tablespoons honey
1 jalapeno, chopped (leave as many seeds as you see fit in there, if you don't like it spicy, either leave out or deseed)
1 onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 cup chicken broth

You definitely need to start the chicken first. I put all the ingredients in my slow cooker (love that thing!) and let sit on the high setting for a few hours. As the chicken cooks, start to shred it and let it simmer in the juices. WARNING: it's going to make your house smell AWESOME!

Ok, when the chicken is at or near done, you can start making your gorditas. In a large bowl, mix the masa harina, water, and 1/4 cup of oil. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and roll into a thick log. How thick? Well that just depends on how big you want your gorditas to be. Mine were about 3-4 inches in diameter (after flattening, so about 2-3 inch thick log). Divide the log into 1 inch slices. I got about 12 gorditas with this, and this was plenty for 3 people.

Flatten each gordita either with a rolling pin, or you could be more rustic and use your hands like I did. Be careful though, the dough will be VERY fragile so you kind of have to be gentle and loving with it.

Heat a large skillet or griddle under high heat and cook gorditas in batches (I found that 3 at a time fit in the pan nicely) for about 2 minutes per side. Set aside on plate as each one is done. When all gorditas are cooked, either wait until skillet gets cool or get out new skillet if you can't wait. Place enough oil in the skillet to bring it about 1/4 inch up the pan. If you do this with the hot skillet, you'll probably burn yourself, so that's why I said to either get a new skillet or wait until the other one cools. It's all about safety first, right? Right.

When oil is hot enough for frying, add the gorditas, in batches again, and fry for about 2 minutes per side, when they're nice and golden. When each is done, press the center with a spoon to kind of make a little indentation. Dry on paper towel-lined plate.

Top the indentations with the shredded chicken, sour cream, salsa, cheese, and whatever else you'd like to top it with. The toppings are really endless.


The verdict? I'm pretty sure I could sell these on the street. It's a compact little bite that can even be served as an appetizer, depending on how small or big you make the gorditas. They were crispy, and you could taste the corn in the flour, which for some reason, always reminds me of truly authentic Mexican food. I'd definitely recommend these for anyone! Enjoy!

Chicken Thighs Smothered In Gravy w/ Balsamic Roasted Zucchini

First off... I want to give a big shout out to my friend Cindy, it's her birthday today. She's going to the Colts game, and so is everyone else I know. I don't like the Colts. I'm an Eagles fan, of course. And speaking of the Eagles, my mother, father, brother, and soon-to-be sister-in-law are all going to the Eagles/Falcons game together. I'm sure I'll hear stories because I know it'll be an interesting experience for my little Filipino mother. Anyway, I saw this chicken recipe in Food & Wine's November 2009 issue.

Ingredients for Chicken:

Adapted from Food & Wine's 'Chicken Smothered In Gravy'

2 & 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
5 skinless chicken thighs
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 thick slice of bacon, cut into thin crosswise strips
1 & 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 tomato - peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 cup milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 parsley sprigs plus 2 teaspoons, chopped

I was really worried about this dish. I mean, tomato gravy? Kinda weirded me out. But as my house become infiltrated with the aroma of well... deliciousness, I put my skepticism aside and dove right in. And I'm glad I did.

Preheat oven to 375 F. In an ovenproof skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil under medium to high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add it to the skillet. Cook until browned all over, about 8 to 10 minutes, flipping once in between. When chicken is browned, transfer it to a plate and set aside.

Add the bacon to the skillet and cook until fat is rendered, about 2 minutes. Drain off the fat and add remaining oil to skillet. Stir in flour until incorporated. Add the onion and garlic. Cook until soft and translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato and tomato paste and cook until tomato is somewhat soft, about 5 more minutes. Add the milk and broth and bring mixture to a boil. Stir until it begins to slightly thicken, about 3 to 5 minutes. Return the chicken and any juices to skillet. Stir in parsley sprigs as well.

Cover the skillet and braise the chicken in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until cooked all the way through. You can't really go wrong with chicken thighs because as long as you don't burn it (which is practically impossible in a braising situation), then you can't dry it out, or cook it "too long".

Carefully take skillet out of oven with an oven mitt and remove chicken and place on a platter. Then, STILL wearing oven mitt, (I say this because I damn near burnt myself by grabbing onto the skillet handle without one), place skillet under moderate heat and stir mixture until smooth, about 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in the remaining chopped parsley and spoon the gravy onto the chicken.

I also made some Balsamic Roasted Zucchini to go along with the chicken. It was a REALLY easy side. Cut one large zucchini into thin rectangular slices. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss real well and bake in oven at 375F for about 15-20 minutes. It was great and went with the chicken well.

Overall, this was a fantastic meal. There was a complexity of flavor and a healthy component also. Great for any night of the week, I really think you should try this.... NOW! Enjoy!

Pot Roast

One of my favorite things about crockpot cooking (I know I've had a lot of crockpot posts, but seriously, for the busy student worker I am, it makes tasty meals with less work, so who can pass that up?), is that I can put something in there, go to work or school, come back home, the house smells absolutely amazing, and there's dinner just waiting for me to plate it. Seriously, with the fast paced world that we live in now, I don't know how I would survive without one of these contraptions! And pot roast is definitely a staple meal of the crockpot. The cold weather, crockpot, and pot roast are just a match made in food heaven.


Ingredients:

2 & 1/2 lb. pot roast (I used a chuck roast)
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 onions, chopped
1 bunch of celery, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons flour
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
pinch of sugar
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
15 oz. can of chopped tomatoes
6 oz. can of tomato paste
3/4 cup red wine (I used a cabernet sauvignon)
2 tablespoons olive oil

Heat your crockpot up on the "high" setting.

Heat up a large skillet under medium heat and add olive oil. When shimmering, add pot roast and brown on both sides, maybe 3-5 minutes per side. Place pot roast in crockpot.

In same skillet, add onions, garlic, and green pepper. Cook until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the vegetables with flour and stir continuously for 1 minute. The flour will create a subtle added starchiness and help to thicken the sauce.

Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, thyme, sugar, parsley, and red wine. Stir until tomato paste is well incorporated throughout. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 3-5 minutes to allow to slightly thicken.

Carefully add vegetable mixture to pot roast in crockpot. Cover and let sit at high for about 1 hour. Then turn to low and can leave for up to 8 hours. I let mine sit a working day, so about 8 hours.

About 30 minutes before you're ready to serve, add the carrots and celery. You could add these add the beginning if you wanted to, but they would be a little mushy. I like my carrots and celery to be slightly crunchy but still somewhat tender. When carrots and celery are to your liking, serve pot roast and vegetables with white rice, mashed potatoes, or just by itself!

I loved this dish. I brought leftovers into work the next day and the pharmacist I was working with even ate it cold. You know something is tasty when you don't even have to heat it up! He also said that the dish brought back a "normalcy" and comfort when he was eating it. I think I should pat myself on the back then because those are some pretty great compliments! Enjoy!

Curried Flounder & Rice

I'm not gonna lie, this was just okay. Kind of looks like a bunch of mush. Haven't really had anything good come about lately. Kind of depressing, but I guess I'll get back in the game soon... hopefully.


Ingredients:
Adapted from The Taste of Oregon's blog

1 cup spinach, washed and drained
1 egg
1 15 oz can coconut milk
2 flounder fillets, cut up into 1 inch cubes/slices
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 teaspoons red curry paste
1 teaspoon fish sauce
3 dried red chiles
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce, and egg. Beat the mixture until the curry paste is dissolved and well incorporated.

Add flounder pieces and let marinate in fridge for about an hour.

In a large skillet, heat up oil under medium to high heat. Add the dried chiles and cook until browned, about 1-2 minutes. Add the bell pepper and saute until soft, about 4-5 minutes.

Add fish/coconut milk mixture to pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes, when fish is white and mixture is heated through. Add in spinach and stir until wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with rice.

I don't really know how to describe this dish. It had flavors of a thai style curry, yes, but it just didn't have enough punch. The original dish was meant to be a custard-type deal steamed in a banana leaf boat, but I didn't feel like buying any banana leaves so I just heated the mixture up. I should have probably removed the egg since I wasn't planning on doing a custard. That was mistake number one. The curry may have been less chunky and more smooth that way. The rice I made was a little mushy too. Kind of made it runny. It was just sort of a plain jane dish and didn't get much depth of flavor. Oh well, try and try again I suppose.