Eggplant and Chicken Parm

For some reason today I felt the urge to have eggplant. I was going to go to Russo's and pick up an order of their Eggplant Lasagna. Then I decided, why? I could make it myself. :) So, I went down to the supermarket, bought myself an eggplant and I decided to make Eggplant Parm. The recipe I used was kind of a conglomerate of all the different cooking shows/books I've watched and read.

After making my own sauce for the last couple of years, I got used to the taste of freshly made sauce versus the kind you get from a jar. Don't get me wrong most will do just fine, but I love the taste of fresh garlic and onions with a nice marinara. The sauce is basically comprised of garlic, onion, tomato paste, crushed tomatos with salt and pepper to taste. Since I like some spice, I added some crushed red pepper.

The breading technique I use is based off an episode of Martha Stewart I watched a few years ago. After watching the episode, I have used it ever since. I wasn't initially going to add chicken, but I had a frozen chicken breast that I wanted to use, and I didn't know if the boyfriend would go for a completely vegetarian type of meal.

So I cut the eggplant into medallions, laid them on a baking tray, salted them and let them sweat to get rid of the bitter taste. Next was the chicken, I thinly sliced it on a biased and let it soak in some milk. Thirty minutes later it was time to fry everything up.

I layered the eggplant with ricotta cheese, chicken and marinara sauce. I then topped it off with mozzeralla cheese to bake for 45 minutes. :)

The end result! Yummy! This was very easy to make. A little time intensive, but the end product was definitely worth it. :)

Sourdough Sage Stuffing

The picture above doesn't do the dish justice as I took the picture with my blackberry.

As of late, going out drinking and clubbing all night has lost its interest. So when my friend Corinna invited me to a friend's Potluck dinner I jumped at the opportunity. At the time, the main course was Roast Turkey (it later changed to Irish Beef Stew), so I decided to make a Sourdough and Sage stuffing. Initially I had wanted to make a Challah stuffing, but I could't find a loaf that was to my liking. Sourdough had to do. I threw in some freshly chopped sage and parsley with some stock and it was good to do go. I was unsure of the food that would be at the party so I chose something easy on the palate. I initially wanted to go with the spam masubi. Next time. :)

When thinking of which pot to use to make it, I decided on my trusty Le Cruset dutch oven. Although it was a drag to carry it via subway, it definiety retained the heat well (this was important as it was snowing outside when I left), as well as perfectly cooking the stuffing, while keeping the asthetic appeal. I used the rubber band from my Crock Pot to keep it securely closed during the trip.

I had a great time at the dinner. Lots of glasses of wine was poured. Many dishes of food were eaten. Its crazy with what a small world it is. Neil was the host. He knows Corinna since they were ex-coworkers. I know Corinna since we were interns at the same company (Almost seven years now). At the party I ran into a girl who went to the same high school. I only know her since I was a senior and she was a freshman and we both ran cross country together. Her boyfriend also went to the same high school and both were also friends with my brother. The boyfriend knew the host since he also worked at the same company as me, Corinna, my brother and Neil. My brother also worked at the same company for a short while.

Small world, eh?

Rachel's Taqueria

This place has decent food. I come here every so often for a quick bite. However...

My bf was in the mood for some tacos so we went over to Rachel's. It was a Tuesday and we noticed they have a Tuesday "Buy one taco platter get the second free" night.

We sat down and was looking at the little sign advertising the special on the table to see if there were any restrictions. The waitress saw we were looking at it and added that the special only applies to the Titos Taco Platter (Ground beef tacos) or the Lupe Taco Platter (Choice of meat or vegetable).

So fine, that was what we wanted to order anyway. It comes down to ordering, and I decided I wanted a California burrito and the boyfriend was going to get the special. Waitress comes over and I started first. The burrito comes with two choices of meat and/or vegetable so I opted for the pork and the corn. Then she asks the bf what he wanted. He says I want one Lupe Platter and one Tito Platter. The waitress then informs us that he can't get the second platter free since I ordered my California burrito.

So bear with me a second. According to the waitress, I ordered my entree already, said burrito, and the special only works if I ordered a taco platter and then he orders a taco platter, and then one of them is free. I gave her a really confused face, so she says, "Let me go ask the manager". OK. She comes back and reaffirms her position. I say, "But I'm ordering another entree, arn't you losing money this way?".

Think about it:

one taco platter + one taco platter + one Tuesday Special = one taco platter

OR

one taco platter + one taco platter + one Tuesday Special + one California Burrito = one taco platter + one California Burrito

So what happens if I was by myself and I wanted to order the special. Okay, I'm starting to get facetious now, let me stop.

Since I was starving at that point and I was irritated at this whole thing, I change my order to the Tito tacos and the boyfriend orders the Lupes tacos and peace is restored. (It should be noted, Lupes tacos typically comes with a choice of meat. The boyfriend wanted steak, but was told he could only get chicken or pork for the special.)

Overall this place is okay but what silly special restrictions.

Rachel's Taqueria
408 5th Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-788-1137

Ever wonder...

If your significant other really likes your food or just saying it so you don't feel bad...

My First Ever Bento Lunch Sans Bento Box :)

Salmon Skin Rolls with Scallion, Cucumber, and Cream Cheese

Brown Rice with Furikake and Tamagoyaki

Salmon Teriyaki topped with Sesame Seeds

Ham and Cheese Rolls with Cucumber Wedges

So after getting much inspiration from Lunch in a Box, Soy and Pepper and JustBento, I decide to make my first bento type lunch. I've been waiting for my new bento set I ordered from Ikiban to come to make a true bento, but after reading through their sites as well as many others and I decided I couldn't wait anymore. While sitting on the couch with the boyfriend watching some random show, it dawned on me I had a piece of frozen salmon with skin on sitting in my fridge. A light bulb went off. I could make some teriyaki salmon paired with salmon skin rolls. So, I got to work. I gingerly prepared my salmon, taking off the skin, slicing the meat, and the skin into even pieces, and let the meat marinade with a thrown together teriyaki sauce.

Much food pining insued.

It should be noted I had this epihany at 11 o'clock at night. By the time I was done preparing the fish, my stomach was grumbling and all I could talk to the boyfriend about was all the different food I wanted at that given point. It started with Salmon Canapes, then to Smoked Salmon with cream cheese and bagel, and then back to how I can't wait for my bento boxes to come. I was good though. I held out. I didn't eat. It was way past eating time. I just knew I would relish my meals the next day. I concluded the boyfriend must love me. He has to if he was listening to me talk about food for two hours while he was trying to go to sleep.

6:30 AM. After fulfilling my doggie duties bento preparation began. Two hours later and I had made my bento. Now according to Just Bento it should take me about 30-40 minutes to prepare a bento. I think it was because it was my first time. Hehe..I was expecting a quickie. :) However, I was never so satisfied with preparing a lunch. I was so proud. I was like a proud mommy. However, after I took the finished pictures, the boyfriend had woken up and took a look, I realized I had made a lot of food. So, I ended up packing another box for the boyfriend, giving him some rice with half the salmon teriyaki and a few rolls to try. Again, still working on expanding that Irish palate. :)

So as I write this, I'm thinking about my lunch. Oh look at that, its lunch time! Okay time to eat. :)

Pan Fried Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables

So at my attempts to not eat out, but eat in, I've been reading up on my Chinese cooking. I had an unusual craving for pan fried noodles. There is nothing like going to yum cha, having some little dim sum plates and then sharing this noodle dish with the family. I love how the sauce seeps into the noodles making them crunchy and soft all at the same time. With my attempt to get that crunchiness, I slightly burned the noodles a bit. Nonetheless, it was still delish.

My first attempt at one of the recipes in Eileen Lo's Chinese Kitchen. The sauce wasn't as thick as the ones in the restaurant but that could be due to the fact I didn't use as much corn starch. I also added some green chili's and some fish sauce. I may add more next time around as I don't think the sauce imparted that much flavor.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

The boyfriend had been asking for Chicken Cordon Bleu, so I finally decided to make it. The boyfriend was going to be away at his parents, so I made it him a lunch box for work. One can only eat so much McDonald's. At least he's eating something homemade instead of processed, right? Its nice to cook on a regular basic and for someone who actually enjoys my food!

The recipe was an adaptation of Tyler Florence's Chicken Cordon Bleu. Instead of cooking the chicken straight out of the package I butterflied the chicken breast, pounded them thin, and let them marinade in a mixture of milk, salt, pepper and thyme. I let the chicken marinade for a little more than an hour. I'm sure if I let it sit over night it would have been even juicier. I really liked this recipe. It was really easy to make and the panko crumbs really gave it a nice light crunch. I would probably let it sit in the fridge a bit after rolling it so it had some time to set.

As the sides, I served the chicken with some pan seared carrots and a mushroom and pea risotto. The carrots were how my mom used to make them when I was a kid, but the risotto was a first for me. I stood there stirring and stirring. It was okay. Not great. Next time it'll be better. Maybe if I didn't have a cold I would have been able to taste it better, but oh wells. I need to improve my risotto making technique.

The boyfriend said it was yummy. However, since because my cold was preventing me from really tasting the food I can't vouch for the tastiness. :( I wish my cold would go away. It sucks when everything you eat tastes like cardboard.

I've been pretty good with keeping up with my three times a week bring my lunch in. I havn't been eating out much at all. However, I think I've been spending a lot on ingredients. I wanted to start making Thai and Malaysian food, however the required ingredients are completely different from Chinese ingredients. Now that I have all the basic ingredients I think my costs will go down. I'm slowly trying to get the boyfriend's Irish palate used to the Asian flavors I'm used to. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy my fair share of burgers and pasta. However, my mainstay cuisine will always be Chinese. Who doesn't enjoy a nice bowl of rice with a nice fried egg? Yumm!

Meatloaf, Knitting, & Cookbooks: in no particular order

So I have this obsession with cookbooks. I found that I can go onto Ebay and find almost all the cookbooks I was looking for, gently used at a nominal cost. Since my discovery, and many deliveries later it has become an obsession. One that needs to stop. :) My last purchase will be Kylie Kwong's series of books and Kitchen Confidental. Can't wait!

Knitting. I got it in my head that I was going to make a hat for the boyfriend. So on Saturday Brian took me to this yarn store in Sayville, NY called Rumpelstiltskins Yarns. Cute place that had all the necessities. If they were closer to Brooklyn I would be tempted to take a spinning class. Maybe when I move I can take the classes. I will update more on the status of the hat later.

Meatloaf. The boyfriend asked me to make a meatloaf, however I was daunted by the fact it may not compare to his mom's. So, after going through various websites and my new cookbooks, I decided on an adapation of America's Test Kitchen and my mom's recipe. I also found that my saltine's were no longer good, so I toasted the leftover loaf of whole wheat bread in the oven and ground it up in the food processor. I also didn't have light brown sugar so I subsituted for dark brown sugar and I used distilled vinegar for the glaze. The boyfriend liked it. At least he said he liked it. It was juicy and had the peas that I remember my mom putting in her meatloaf. His mom puts cheese in the middle and in lieu of a glaze, wraps her meatloaf in bacon. A little bit too fatty for me, but I think I'll just ask his mom for her recipe. I served the meatloaf with Garlic Mashed Potatos.

Wheaty Meatloaf

2 1/2 lbs Ground Beef
5 slices Whole Wheat Toast
1 cup Frozen Peas
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Ground Pepper
1 tsp Thyme
2 Tbs Tomato Paste
1 Onion Diced
3 Cloves Garlic Minced
dash Paprika
2 Eggs
3/4 cup Milk
2 Tbs Butter
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

Glaze
3/4 cup Ketchup
1/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Distilled Vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Take toast and put into a food processor until grainy.

In a skillet on medium heat add the butter and let melt until foamy. Add the onion, thyme, and Paprika. Let cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, tomato paste, salt, pepper, worcestershire sauce.

In a large bowl, add the beef, peas, and bread crumbs. Loosely combine. Create a well in the meat and add the wet mixture. Loosely combine until mixed. Don't overmix.

In another small bowl, combine ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar and whisk together.

I cooked this in my Le Cruset Dutch Oven. I'm sure this can be baked on a baking pan. Place the meat mixture in the dutch over and mold into a loaf. Brush half the meatloaf with the kitchen mixture.

Bake in oven for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, brush with the rest of the mixture and continue to bake until internal temperature reads 160 degrees.

Garlic Mashed Potatos

2 lbs Potatos Peeled
1/3 cup Sour Cream
1 Tbs Chives
3 Garlic Cloves Minced
1 cup Milk (add more as needed)
2 Tbs Butter
1/2 tsp Paprika
Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil a pot of water with salt. Once boiling add potatoes and cook until soft. Once soft remove water.

In a saucepan, add the butter and cook until foamy. Add the garlic, chives, paprika. Once fragrant, add milk and sour cream and whisk together.

Mash potatos to desired consistency. Add the milk liquid to the potatos and mix together. Add salt and pepper to taste.