Fettuccine With Salami And Zucchini

This dish is simple and rustic. The recipe comes from one of the first chefs I started watching on PBS - The Jeff Smith 'The Frugal Gourmet'. I was interested in the recipes and stories around the dishes he made. This, of course, is one of them.

This recipe comes from Jeff Smith's Uncle Vic. When his Uncle Vic fed him this dish he thought his Uncle just must be so wealthy. You don't have to be wealthy to eat this dish.

Fettuccine With Salami And Zucchini

2 small zucchini (I actually used organic yellow squash)
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 lb. Italian salami, sliced thin, cut matchstick style (I bought a 6-oz Genoa salami stick)
1 tbsp. capers, chopped
Fresh ground pepper
1/2 c. whipping cream (1/2 a pint)
Salt to taste
1/2 lb. fettuccine, cooked
Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Slice the zucchini; put several slices together and slice again into matchsticks. Slice the garlic very thin. Saute the garlic in the oil until barely browned. Add the zucchini and saute for 3 minutes. Add the salami, capers, pepper and cream. Simmer until all is very hot. You will need little or no salt in this dish. Serve over the hot pasta. Top with the cheese.

It was pretty tasty!

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Hash in a Dash

There is nothing like going shopping and having an idea for an easy dish. My idea was a hash. Simple, healthy, and easy to make.

Here are the ingredients I used - OreIda Has Browns Southern Style, Butter, Egg, White Onion, chopped Garlic and chopped Italian parsley, salt and pepper.

 Put the pan on the stove, I used a cast iron pan, heat it, add some butter than add the onions. Season them with salt and pepper.

Add the garlic and cook until the onions are translucent.

Add the hash brown potatoes and more butter.

Add the parsley. Cook until the potatoes are almost cooked through.

Add the egg. Put it a little more in the center of the pan than I did.

Cover the pan until the egg is cooked to your liking.

Here is my egg in the pan ready to take out. Season more if necessary.

Ta da! It was yummy. This is very easy to make, and if you have another things you want to add to this dish when you prepare it, go ahead!

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General Tsao's Chicken

I don't remember where I found this recipe but I made it the other night. This is one of my boyfriend's favorite takeout meals. I made this recipe with chicken tenders instead of chicken breasts. 

GENERAL TSAO'S CHICKEN
Prep Time | 20 min Cook Time | 10 min Level of Difficulty | Moderate
You can enjoy this Asian classic once again by sauting instead of deep-frying it. Serve it over rice to sop up every drop of the sauce.
¾ cup canned chicken broth, reduced-sodium
2 medium scallion(s), chopped
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
2 Tbsp sugar
½ tsp red pepper flakes, or 1 dried chili pepper, minced
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 pound uncooked chicken breast, boneless and skinless,  cut into 2-inch pieces
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
½ tsp ground ginger
2 cup cooked white rice, kept hot
2 tsp peanut oil
In a medium bowl, whisk together broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and ginger; set aside.
Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallions, garlic and pepper and cook 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook until browned all over, about 5 minutes.
Add reserved sauce and simmer until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes.
Serve chicken and sauce over rice. Yields about 1 cup of chicken and sauce and ½ cup of rice per serving.
Chef Tips
We renovated General Tsao's Chicken by:
Cooking the chicken in a small amount of oil, instead of deep-frying it. Eliminating the egg that would have been used in batter-fried chicken. Using reduced-sodium chicken broth and soy sauce.

This recipe was good, but we loved the Kung Pao Chicken I made with sherry. It is still worth a try for anyone who doesn't care to cook with alcohol. 

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Navajo Stew

Thus is my very first vegetable stew. I found the recipe in Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers.The part that took the longest was the slicing of the vegetables. I added some extra vegetables to my stew. I had a half of a red onion and half a leek leftover which I also added plus I added extra chipotles in adobe sauce.

Navajo Stew
Inspired by a Southwestern Native American dish, this is a sunny, colorful stew of roasted vegetables in a hot and smoky mole-type sauce.
SERVES 4
TIME: 55 MINUTES
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 red or green bell peppers
1 large onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 15-ounce can of tomatoes
1 tablespoon canned chipotles in adobo sauce
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 15-ounce can of butter beans or black beans, drained
flatbread (tortillas, lavash, or pita)
plain yogurt, sour cream, or Cilantro Yogurt Sauce
Preheat the oven to 450°. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Stem and seed the peppers and cut into 1-inch pieces. Peel the onion and cut it stem end to root end into thin wedges. In a bowl, toss the vegetables with the garlic, oil, cumin, salt, and pepper. Spread on the prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes. Stir and continue to roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender but not mushy.

While the vegetables roast, purée the tomatoes, chipotles, and cilantro in a blender until smooth. Set aside. When the vegetables are tender, put them into a 2- to 3-quart baking dish, stir in the tomato-cilantro sauce and the beans, and return to the oven until hot, about 10 minutes. A few minutes before serving, warm the bread in the oven. Serve the stew in bowls topped with yogurt or sour cream, with warm flatbread on the side.
INGREDIENT NOTE You can substitute 1 tablespoon of Cumin Salt for the cumin and salt in the recipe. You may need to add more salt to taste. serving & menu ideas.
This is a filling stew, but Corn on the Cob makes a wonderful side dish, and if you’ve still got room for dessert, consider Warm Plums with Mascarpone.

I have also been busy writing Where are the Professional Managers? I wrote this after seeing an article where it was seemingly pointing out that just employees behave unprofessional. In reality they both are at fault.

I leave you with this quote:
A man's character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation. 
Mark Twain 

Salmon Pan-Seared with a Honey Soy Glaze with Almonds

I had dinner planned when I went to the grocery store, and I changed my mind in the middle of shopping. I didn't have any idea what I wanted to make so I created my own recipe.
1 lb salmon fillet
1/8 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup honey
1 T minced garlic
1 t Chinese five spice
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup slivered almonds
Mix together the soy sauce, honey, garlic and five spice in a shallow bowl or pan and marinate the fish for half and hour or so.
Meanwhile heat up a large skillet ( I used cast iron) and add the sesame oil on medium-high. Place the salmon, skin side up, in the saute pan, include the marinate ingredients. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the salmon is seared on the top, about 10 minutes. Once seared, add the chicken stock and continue cooking. Turn the salmon over and continue cooking about 10 minutes or so. Cook down the sauce. When the sauce is quite thick in the last few minutes of cooking add the almonds, and stir to brown a little and heat.

Here it is in the pan nearly finished. It was quite tasty.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
Audrey Hepburn

Bead Curiosities

Lemon Herb Roast Chicken like Tastspotting

Here is my chicken...drum roll please!!

It is such a wonderful golden color. Perfect for eatting.

Lemon Herb Roast Chicken

The instructions here are for one chicken. If you’re smart like we are, roast two. If your oven has the space, go crazy and roast three.

1 chicken can serve 4 for dinner. Or one person 5-6 successive meals. You choose. Of course, with two chickens, you don’t have to.
Ingredients

1 whole chicken, giblets removed, rinsed, and patted dry with paper towels
about 2 tablespoons salt
black pepper
2 lemons, cut in halves
5-6 cloves garlic, peeled and gently smashed
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Generously sprinkle inside chicken cavity with about 1 tablespoon salt. Place lemon halves, garlic cloves and fresh thyme inside cavity. Truss the chicken, loosely closing up the cavity and tying the legs together.

Sprinkle the outside of the chicken with the rest of salt (more if needed) and a few hard turns on the pepper mill. Place the chicken breast side up in an oven proof pan, and roast for about 1 hour, or until juices from the thigh run clear (or until a thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh registers at about 175°F).

Remove pan from oven and allow chicken to rest/cool for about 10 minutes.

The chicken was so good that when i attempted to pull the chicken leg off the chicken and the bone. Cooked to perfection.

Able to Get in Some Writing and Steak

I have been keeping busy. I wrote two articles recently, Role Model: Kurt Hummel of Glee, Role Model: Brittany Pierce of Glee, Role Model: Rachel Barbra Berry of Glee.

For dinner I had steak tonight...

I marinated this steak with extra virgin olive oil, Balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Garlic, fresh parsley and cilantro, and A1 Steak Sauce. I marinated it for 4 hours and then I grilled it, and added a little butter on top. Oh the cholesterol it must have. It was yummy!

Purchases

I went shopping yesterday and look at what I bought for myself -- a garlic keeper. Something handy to have around the kitchen. It looks nicer than putting your garlic in a brown paper bag on the counter. I could just see it being accidently thrown out.

 Has anyone ever tried Stacy's All Natural Pita Chips? I have never bought pita chips before. It was a new experience for me. The one thing I know is that they are for the health conscious. I put myself in that dietary category.

 Here is a picture of the chips. They taste nothing like potato chips are crackers. Their is no flakiness to them. They don't taste bad or anything, but I won't rush out to the grocery store and purchase more.

 Try new things and whip things up in the kitchen.