Quantcast

Posts Tagged ‘Recipes’

Sparkly Strawberry-Lemon Sangria

My love for sangria is well-documented around these parts (I’ve previously posted recipes for Guava Sangria, Summery Red Sangria and Winter White Sangria), but this?

This is something special.

What you need: 

2 bottles white wine (I used Thorny Rose Pinot Grigio)

3 lemons, thinly sliced

1 green apple, thinly sliced

2 cups strawberries, sliced

3/4 cup white rum

1/4 cup grapefruit juice

6 cans Sprite

What you do:

1. In a large pot, combine sliced fruit, wine, rum, and grapefruit juice. Leave overnight.

2. Just before serving, add Sprite. Serve over ice.

(For best results, drink while swinging in a hammock on a Saturday afternoon.)



You Might Also Like:


May 8th, 2013 | Eat | 1 Comment »

Chinese Chicken Salad with Soy-Ginger Dressing

Alright, guys: this is really good.

Morgan introduced me to this recipe years ago (so long ago that the original photo I took of it pre-dates the launch of Ramshackle Glam and is thus MIA…which is probably a good thing because my food photos back then were several levels south of “terrible”). For awhile I made it all the time, but then I kind of forgot about it.

And whenever it did occur to me, I thought, you know: “Salad. Ehhh. Steak would probably be more delicious.”

But it’s not salad, it’s SALAD. With exclamation points! Tangy, garlicky, a little sweet, phenomenal. And it includes avocado and crunchy noodles, and let’s get real: that’s all you really need to know.

CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD WITH SOY-GINGER DRESSING (adapted from this recipe):

What you need:

2 packages chicken tenderloins

Garlic powder

Season salt

1 bunch asparagus

1 bag coleslaw

1 ripe avocado, cubed

3 mandarin oranges, peeled and divided (I used Cuties)

2 big handfuls chow mein noodles (the crunchy kind that comes in a bag)

For dressing: 

2 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 1/2 tbsp Sriracha (you can use more or less depending on how spicy you like things, but I’m not into spicy foods at all and this was the perfect amount for me)

2 tbsp orange juice

1 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/2 cup olive oil

What you do:

1. First, heat some olive oil in a saucepan. Season the chicken tenderloins generously with garlic powder and season salt and saute until cooked through. Let cool and then cut into smaller pieces. (You can also cut up the raw tenderloins into smaller pieces before cooking, but I find that cooking them this way makes them more tender.)

2. Meanwhile, roast your asparagus. Trim the ends, drizzle with olive oil and salt, and cook in a 400F oven for about 5-8 minutes, depending on thickness (test with a fork). Let cool slightly, then cut into 1/2″ pieces.

3. To make the dressing, combine the rice vinegar, soy sauce, Sriracha, orange juice and grated ginger in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.

4. In a big bowl, toss together the chicken pieces, asparagus pieces, coleslaw, cubed avocado, mandarin slices, and chow mein noodles. Pour over the dressing and toss to combine.



You Might Also Like:


April 16th, 2013 | Eat | 4 Comments »

Improvisational Crockpot Chicken & Beer Stew

Here’s my favorite thing about cooking, which also happens to be the reason that I hate hate hate baking (which requires precision and adherence to things like “rules”) with a passion: with cooking, once you know the basics, you’re probably OK. And you can adjust whatever it is that you feel like eating to suit things like time constraints and refrigerator contents.

My boys are all on their lonesome for an entire week, and while I’m sure they’ll survive, I’m also sure that Thai food (Kendrick) and scrambled eggs (Indy; what can I say? He’s obsessed) will play a major part in their diet for the next few days. So my plan on Sunday was to make this Easy Crockpot Chicken Stew to leave for them as, you know…a supplement.

Except we got distracted by trips to diners, romps around the backyard and naps, and I forgot that this was my plan until 3PM…which left me with about half the time the recipe requires.

Oh yes, and I couldn’t find chicken stock. Which is kind of important when you’re making chicken stew.

Anyway, no problem: that’s what improvisation is for. What I did: sped up the recipe by half-cooking the chicken in some olive oil before adding it to the crockpot, and then subbing in some beer and ginger ale for the chicken stock. And it totally worked.

IMPROVISATIONAL CHICKEN STEW (serves 3 with plenty of leftovers)

What you need: 

2 packages chicken tenderloins, cut up

3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2″ pieces

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2″ pieces

1/2 bag baby carrots

1 onion, sliced

3/4 bottle beer (go for the good stuff; the more flavorful the better)

1/2 can ginger ale

Season salt

Garlic powder

Salt & pepper

What you do: 

1. Season chicken pieces generously with season salt and garlic powder.

2. Heat a pan with olive oil and add chicken; cook, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes (until they just start to cook through).

3. Throw the chicken into the crockpot with the cut-up vegetables, and pour over the beer and ginger ale. Season with salt and pepper, and give it all a stir.

4. Cook on high for about 2 hours, then on low another hour and a half or so.



You Might Also Like:


April 9th, 2013 | Eat | No Comments »

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Artichokes (And Probably More)

A couple of years ago, I went through this weird phase where I ate steamed artichokes practically every single day. Basically, what happened was that I discovered that they are less vegetables than they are butter delivery systems, and boom: obsessed.

Anyway, I haven’t had one for ages and ages, and then last night, all of a sudden, I decided that artichokes must be steamed. Lemon butter must be made.

It was awesome (albeit not the loveliest thing in the world to photograph post-steaming, but what can you do?).

Look for one that’s heavy for its size and has tightly-packed leaves, with no discoloration. While you can technically find them all year round (especially in California), they’re best in the spring (March-May).

1. First, wash them and cut off all but about about 1/2″ of the stem. (Some people also cut off the sharp-ish tops, but I don’t have the patience for that. Just, you know, don’t eat the bits that hurt. Obviously.)

2. Place the artichokes stem-side-up in about 3/4″ of boiling water (use a vegetable steamer if you happen to have one), cover (leaving the top slightly at an angle so some steam can escape), and steam on low heat for 40 minutes or so, adding a little more hot water if the level gets too low. If a fork can easily be inserted into the base of the artichoke, it’s ready to eat.

I’m serious: do not serve an artichoke without lemon butter, because it will be a mistake. To make lemon butter, just reduce the juice of 1 lemon in a small pot for a couple of minutes, and then add 3/4 of a stick of butter cut into smallish pieces. Let the butter melt gently, and then allow the lemon butter to cool a bit so it thickens up before serving.

Or, you know, melt a bunch of butter in the microwave and squirt in some lemon juice straight from a bottle. Whatever.

For those of you who’ve never eaten an artichoke, I get it: the things look intimidating. But all you do is peel off the leaves one at a time, dip the tender ends in butter, and then use your teeth to work off the delicious part (the leaves get increasingly tender as you head towards the center; the very outermost ones may not be edible at all).

Once you hit the hairy part (ssh, I know, but don’t worry: it’s worth dealing with the creepy factor to get to what’s underneath) just use a spoon to scrape it off and what you’re left with is the heart, which is so wonderful that I have been known to get all obsessive and hoarder-y about them.

Enjoy.



You Might Also Like:


April 2nd, 2013 | Eat | No Comments »

Mom’s Spinach Lasagna

Weekend Snapshots are coming up in just a bit, but in the meantime: this lasagna deserves its own post.

It’s kind of labor-intensive what with all the spinach-chopping and layering, but you’re going to have to trust me when I say that it’s worth it (and it makes so much that you’ll be able to freeze lots of leftovers for later).

I mean…you know something’s good when it requires a two-spoon approach.



You Might Also Like:


April 1st, 2013 | Eat | No Comments »

Three-Bean Salad With Mint

Lately we’ve been eating so many green beans that we should probably be turning into them.

Honestly, 99% of the reason that we’ve been eating them so often is that they come in very handy steam-in-bag pouches that let me feel virtuous about giving my son green things with a minimal outlay of effort, but fortunately they also happen to be extremely delicious once things like butter, garlic and salt are added.

But there are only so many times one can eat the same exact side dish in a given year, and so it was time for a little switch-up. I’ve written before about how much I love the recipes you find in People, and I continue to be a big fangirl about them: they’re prettily photographed, unlikely to be completely despised by anyone in the family, and usually more or less foolproof. I tweaked this recipe a little to suit my tastes, and it’s a must-try: so fast, satisfying enough to make a great next-day lunch if you have leftovers, and fantastically fresh and tangy.

THREE-BEAN SALAD WITH MINT (Adapted from People Magazine).

Serves 4

What you need:

1 package steam-in-bag haricots verts

1 15-oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup coarsely chopped mint

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup sparkling water (yay, Sodastream)

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Maldon sea salt

What you do:

1. Steam the beans according to package directions. When they’re done, combine them in a bowl with the cannellini beans, chickpeas and mint. Toss well.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, sparkling water and olive oil; pour over beans and toss to coat. Season well with sea salt and serve immediately, or let cool and serve as a cold side dish.



You Might Also Like:


March 20th, 2013 | Eat | 1 Comment »

Pork Chops With Homemade Applesauce

I’ve never been that into pork chops – they’re just a little “blah” for me. I do love my Apple & Mushroom Pork Medallions recipe…but it’s a touch labor-intensive for a weeknight dinner, what with all the marinating and such. But we’ve been eating a ton of chicken and steak lately, and the other night I got to thinking I wanted to mix it up…and remembered my mom’s pork chops from when I was growing up: they were super-straightforward, just seasoned and topped with jarred applesauce, and they were delicious. 

And so I made a Jordan-ized version. (Even Kendrick, who agrees with me on the “pork chops are blah” thing, said he’d like them to go into the steady rotation.)

PORK CHOPS WITH HOMEMADE APPLESAUCE (serves 2; based on this recipe)

What you need:

1-2 boneless pork loin chops per person (we just split three chops between the two of us)

3 Golden Delicious apples

1 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp light brown sugar

2 cups apple juice (get the good stuff)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

2 tbsp butter

What you do:

1. First, peel and chop the apples. This part is kind of a pain (the rest isn’t, I promise).

2. Throw the apples into a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat along with the lemon juice, brown sugar, apple juice, and cinnamon. Cook about 10 minutes, until the apples are tender and a sauce has formed (it’s OK if it looks like it’s bubbling; you can reduce the heat to stop the sauce from splattering but you don’t want to turn it down too low).

Note: What you’ll get at the end of this is a very chunky sauce (pictured above), so if you’d like it a bit smoother just puree half of the batch in a blender and then mix it back into the non-pureed half (thanks for the tip, Alejandra!).

3. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in another pan over medium-high heat. Season your pork chops well with salt (and pepper, if you like) and add them to the pan. Cook about 9-10 minutes, turning the chops every so often, until they’re cooked through (check to see if the juices run clear). Remove the chops to a plate to let them rest.

4. Deglaze the pan that you cooked the chops in by adding a splash of apple juice and the butter to the pan, and then pour the pan sauce over the chops.

5. Serve topped with your homemade apple sauce.

YUM.

Pictured: Noritake Hertford China.



You Might Also Like:


February 22nd, 2013 | Eat | 1 Comment »

« Older Entries