Who knew those Belgians can cook chicken, too?

I have been trapped in a cooking funk as of late. A big part of the reason is that my children are on some sort of demented hunger strike, refusing to eat almost anything that isn't chocolate or pasta.While on some levels this is a perfectly rational response to an uncertain world (why roll the dice on something new when you KNOW you love chocolate), it was driving me freaking berserk  With the the amount of advance planning and hands on time required in cooking a decent meal, it just becomes depressing when your diners refuse to eat it. And so maybe, just maybe, I was feeding the kids pasta every night and skipping dinner myself for the most part. Maybe.

However, the online grocery service I use actually has a recipes section, and they do this really cool thing where they link a recipe to the groceries needed. So if you want to try a recipe all you have to do is click on the ingredients you need and it is automatically added to your grocery list! Awesome. One day when I was shopping for say, pasta and chocolate online, I started browsing the recipes. My funk was broken. Inspiration struck in the form of a recipe for braised chicken and tomatoes, from a book called "Everybody Eats Well in Belgium" by Ruth Van Waerebeek . Of course, I had to adapt it. I used my slow cooker instead of an enameled dutch own, and used only fresh ingredients so it doesn't have that tinny, processed taste that many slow cooker recipes have. And unbelievably, my kids loved it.  I had to share.

Braised Chicken with Tomatoes and Mushrooms

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 whole roasting chicken (3 to 4 pounds), cut into 8 serving pieces, rinsed and patted dry, all visible fat removed
1 teaspoon paprika
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
1/2 pound mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and halved or left whole if very small
2 large cloves garlic, finely minced
1 1/4 cups dry white wine
2 ripe large fresh beefsteak tomatoes, peeled, cored, seeded, and chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook the chicken parts until golden brown all over, about 10 minutes. It's important not to crowd the chicken, because then the meat gets steamed instead of seared. Do this in 2 batches if necessary. Remove the browned chicken to a platter and season with salt, pepper, and paprika. This means sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper to taste and the 1 tsp of paprika. Set aside.
2. Pour out all but 1 1/2 tablespoons fat. Add the onions and mushrooms to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, over high heat until softened. This takes 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds. De-glaze by adding the wine and scraping up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken pieces and add the tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, and bay leaf.
3. Cook on the slow setting of your slow cooker for 6 hours.

More inspiration from the 67th St Farmer's Market

Earlier this fall, to my horror and delight, my 5 year old daughter marched confidently into her first day of kindergarten. She attends a New York city public school that has an extremely active and clever PTA. The PTA raises an enormous amount of money every year to pay for all the extras that the Board of Education cannot. One of their fundraisers is the 67th street Farmer's Market. http://east67thstreetmarket.org/

I go there nearly every Saturday to pick up some beautiful, fresh produce from local farmers. There is nothing like digging into an apple barrel to find that the apples are still wet with dew! 

This weekend I saw these little cippolini onions and couldn't resist buying them. These onions are very pungent but small and are heavenly roasted with potatoes. The recipe I used was adapted from Giada De Laurentiis of the Food Network. I prefer thyme to her rosemary, but feel free to use either. This is perfect to throw into the oven with a roast chicken. 

Cippolini Onions and Fingerling Potatoes

Serves about 6 people, or 4 people who really love potatoes.

You will need:

2 pounds fingerling or yukon gold potatoes 

1 pound cippolini onions, peeled

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cippolini Onions and Fingerling Potatoes- before cooking
and still need to be spread out more to brown perfectly.

Then I just toss all the ingredients together on a baking sheet, then spread it into a single layer.The single layer keeps the potatoes from steaming, so they brown up beautifully. I baked mine on foil so I didn't have to clean up. This is lazy and environmentally incorrect behavior which I do not condone, unless you are just really having a bad day.

Bake until the potatoes and onions are golden brown and cooked through, usually about 40 minutes. 

Hey Pumpkin

Pumpkin Muffins

I don't have to tell you that the days are getting shorter and the air is getting chillier. It's harder to get out of bed. You definitely need something to look forward to in the morning, and these moist, decadent muffins will do the trick. Normally I avoid recipes that call for things like buttermilk, because I never have it on hand. Ever. But I found this recipe on the Fresh Direct website, and since I was already shopping, I could just order it. I've altered it- of course, I am compulsive like that! But it really had way too much pumpkin pie spice in the original. However, I'd like to note that I was using brand-new pumpkin pie spice. If yours is infrequently used, then you might want to bump it up a bit.

Makes 18 muffins

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (unless it's been sitting around since last Thanksgiving, then 1.5-2 tsps!)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips (I really prefer mini- they add a bit of chocolate to each bite!)
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup molasses
2 large eggs
18 baking cup liners! Don't forget these- we had to run out in our aprons to get some.

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Stir together the dry ingredients:  flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Stir in the chocolate chips.
3. In a separate mixer bowl, beat the brown sugar, pumpkin, buttermilk, vegetable oil, molasses, vanilla extract and eggs. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture, stirring only until moist.Don't over beat them- they get tough.
4. Fill the 18 lined muffin cups about 3/4 of the way up. Bake for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
5. Remove muffins from pans immediately and cool on a wire rack before serving.

Creamy Tomato Soup

Got a few too many of these bad boys? Well, luckily I am back and ready to help. Last week, I could not resist this display (on the left) at the farmer's market. I realized after a few days that I was going to have to make a big move, and fast, if I didn't want a pile of wasted tomatoes on my hands.

I pondered my dilemma. Should I make a mariana sauce? Meat sauce? But for some reason I just wasn't feeling it. Part of my issue is that I want my girls to expand their repertoire of foods, and they already eat those things. Then I figured yes, tomato soup! They already eat chicken soup, and various tomato sauces. And so I made this delicious tomato soup, which was so good I almost fainted. This soup makes about 4 servings.



You will need:
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
3 tablespoons of butter (or a mix of butter and olive oil)
1 carrot, peeled and diced
4 cups of cored, peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes
2 sprigs of thyme
1 cup of chicken stock  (I used low sodium canned)
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsps of sugar
salt and pepper

Take a big soup pot and put it over medium heat.  Throw in the butter and melt it. Then add the carrot and onion. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft.

Add the tomatoes and the sprigs of thyme and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the tomatoes break up.  Add the sugar and stir in. Remove the thyme sprigs.

Add the cup of chicken stock to the soup. Add the cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Please don't eat all the soup during this process. Carefully transfer the soup to a blender and process. Reheat if necessary.

You are done! This only took me about 30 minutes start to finish, including peeling and chopping tomatoes. It also would be a great thing to pack in a thermos for school lunches.

Hearty Corn Pudding

My sister, who is an accomplished cook, made this corn pudding as a side side for Thanksgiving. Yes, I am aware that was a long time ago, but really, I am doing the best I can over here. Now, I may have been dubious about this dish if I had heard of it before seeing and tasting it. What? Hot corn pudding? Sounds bizarre. Let me tell you- it is nothing short of heavenly. Although I am not in the business of making guarantees about what kids will eat, you can tell your kids it is corn mac 'n cheese and they may eat it as well. Mine did.

Makes about 8 servings.

Ingredients
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 5 cups fresh yellow corn kernels cut off the cob (6 to 8 ears), or frozen
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
• 4 extra-large eggs
• 1 cup milk (Low-fat is fine.)
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup ricotta cheese (Low-fat works fine. I would not try fat-free.)
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 6 ounces (3/4 cup) grated extra-sharp cheddar, plus extra to sprinkle on top

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease the inside of a 2 to 2.5 quart baking dish (such as Pyrex or Corning Ware). Now, melt the butter in a very large pan. Add the corn and onion and sauté over medium-high heat for 4 minutes. Let it cool slightly.

Your children can help with this part. Mine are excellent at whisking! Whisk together the eggs, milk, and half-and-half in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal and then the ricotta. Add thyme, sugar, salt, and twist or two of pepper. Add the cooked corn mixture and grated cheddar.  Pour the mixture into the baking dish. Sprinkle the top with more grated cheddar.

Here’s the tricky part. Place the dish in a much larger pan. (Make sure the larger pan is big enough so you can easily pull the hot pudding pan out of the other pan without burning your hand when it is done.) Now fill the larger pan 1/2 way up the sides of the dish with hot tap water. DO NOT fill the larger pan first, like I did one time. This is a bad idea, trust me. Bake the pudding for 40 to 45 minutes until the top begins to brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm, and enjoy.

Happy Eating! (P.S. You can add a little ham and it’s enough for a main course).

Monster Cookie

Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies

I must confess while I do love chocolate, it's not to the exclusion of other desserts. At restaurants I find myself choosing peach crisp with vanilla ice cream, or cheesecake over chocolate cake. My girls, on the other hand, are chocolate fiends. So when we were discussing what to bake for the Valentine's Day bake sale, I was thinking shortbread hearts or lemon bars. I was thinking wrong. My kids very clear that we would be making something very, very chocolately. I thought of those huge double chocolate cookies and knew it would hit the spot. I dressed them up with some cute heart baking decorations I found at Crate and Barrel to give them a little seasonal flair. The coffee's influence is light, but adds a little more flavor.

Please note that while you may think I am horribly bourgeois for using shortening for part of the fat in this recipe, really big cookies hold up better if they aren't all butter. I promise you they taste amazing. Also, I have always cooked them on a silpat mat. This is also very helpful for monster cookies. The mat allows you to cook them through without burning the bottom. You can get them at Williams Sonoma, Amazon, or any cooking shop, and I think they make cookie baking much easier. 

You will need:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1/2 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco) 

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 tablespoons instant coffee, crushed to a powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

12 ounces milk chocolate chips

1 cup raisins (or walnuts. we've got nut allergies in the house)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Put a silpat mat on a cookie sheet. 

Beat the butter, shortening and sugars together well. Add both eggs and the vanilla and beat until all incorporated. In a separate bowl, combines the flour, cocoa, coffee, salt, and baking soda. Stir flour mixture into the butter mixture, and when well blended at the chocolate chips and nuts/raisins and stire. 

Take a 1/4 cup measure, and scoop out the batter. Place on the silpat mat/cookie sheet and flatten the dough a bit. Bake the cookies 12-15 minutes (really depends on your oven, but don't overcook). You'll know they are done when they are puffed up and cracked, but still give a little when you touch them in the middle. Makes about 18 huge cookies. 

Valentines Day Bake Sale Treats

You may be thinking WHAT? right now. After taking almost two months off from blogging, why is she posting two days in a row? I suppose it's because I've gotten most of my apartment unpacked by now from our December move. Regardless, I should really learn to pace myself. This is not the right time for pacing though, because next week is Valentine's Day, and at my kids' preschool that means the Valentines Day Bake Sale! Hooray! I love to bake. Love it. But there is the whole issue of eating the goodies afterward and health of my children and the size of my rear end to be considered, so sadly I don't do it very often. Bake sale day is awesome, because then I just donate the goodies and don't have to worry about giving my children heart disease before they hit elementary school.  Last year I made these little babies for the sale. I even have a picture of them, I was so proud of how I packaged them. There is nothing really special about the recipe. I just used a basic chocolate cookie chip bar recipe and substituted the special red and pink M&M's they sell around Valentine's day for the chocolate chips.

I'll include the recipe here. And I might even post what I decide to make this year as my next entry!


Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for the baking sheet
4 cups flour
2 tsps baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon real vanilla extract
12 oz of M&Ms (or to your taste)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. A note about this: when you are baking it is really important to preheat the oven. Make sure it is actually 350 degrees when you put in the cookies. Butter a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet. You can also use cooking spray, but the butter works a little better. Put the sheet aside. Combine together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set that aside as well.
Cream butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; mix until well combined. Add flour mixture and beat until they are just combined- you don't want to overbeat or they get a little tough. Stir in most of the M&Ms by hand so you don't break them. Leave some for putting on the top.
Put the raw dough into the baking sheet, and smooth it so it's even. Lick spatula. Add the remaining M&Ms to the top wherever things look sparse. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, depending somewhat on your oven. I recommend taking a peek halfway through and rotating it around so it bakes evenly. Yummmmmm!

Chicken Chili

Despite living in NY for 10 years now, I can't muster up anything but benign apathy for the Giants. Sorry Giants, but when you grow up in Steeler country you are a Steeler fan for life. So the Superbowl was not as exciting for me as it was for many of my fellow New Yorkers. The bright side is that no matter how indifferent you are to the actual game, Superbowl food is always awesome. One of the main features of Superbowl fare is classic meat chili. I love it, but I make a different version that is a little healthier. I think my version is even tastier with big juicy chunks of veggies and chicken, almost like a stew. I suppose in this way it is doing double duty as chili and stew. It is spicy and filling like chili, and healthy like stew. Almost like if Tom Brady could throw the ball and catch it too. It's easy to make and freezes well.

Ingredients
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 tblsps olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for chicken
1 14.5 oz cans whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
1 14 oz can of chicken broth (I use the reduced sodium kind)
1.5 cups of frozen corn
1 can of kidney beans
12 ounces of chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces (note: you can use raw or leftover chicken)
3/4 cup of salsa
Freshly ground black pepper
For serving:
Chopped onions, corn chips, grated cheddar, sour cream

Directions
Cook the onions in the oil over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne. Cook for 1 minute. Crush the tomatoes by hand or in batches in a food processor fitted with a steel blade (pulse 6 to 8 times). Add to mixture. Add broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the frozen corn, chicken, salsa and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Add pepper to taste.
Serve with the toppings, or refrigerate and reheat gently before serving. It's great with crusty bread and salad, or on top of rice