the best saturday lunch

warmed flour tortilla.

hearty scoop of homemade pico de gallo.

half an avocado, sliced.

poached egg.

top with salt & pepper.

when you cut into the egg & the yolk goes everywhere, the first bite is saturday afternoon perfection.

panko crusted chicken

last friday, we left a bar to go home and make our own chicken tenders.

and i'm glad we did.



they were easy. fast. and tasted a heck of a lot better than the bar version.

panko crusted chicken tenders
adapted from food network's panko chicken nuggets

1 egg
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 pound chicken tenders
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
hearty pinch paprika & garlic powder
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
vegetable oil

1. pound the tenders flat with a mallet or bottom of a pan.
2. mix the egg & buttermilk and place the chicken tenders in the mixture.
3. in a separate square or rectangular pan, mix the panko and seasonings.
4. in a saute pan, add 1/4 to 1/2 inch vegetable oil and heat over medium.
5. lift one tender out of the milk mixture and let excess drip off. dip both sides in the bread crumbs and put into the hot oil.
6. cook about 4 minutes on each side, or until done. repeat with remaining tenders.
7. cool on a cooling rack set over paper towels so the excess oil drips off and the tenders stay crispy.

ravioli extravaganza

i didn't take pictures.

not a single one.

so you'll have to use your imagination on this one.

we had a ravioli tasting dinner last saturday. it was unbelievably good. so good we're trying to think of other tasting parties we could have...

i can't decide which filling i like better, but my favorite combination was definitely the cheese & basil filled wheat pasta. the nuttiness of the pasta with the cheese was perfect. stay tuned for the sauce recipe - a to die for light alfredo - you'll have to ask chris for his vodka sauce.

and after making close to three hundred (!) of these things, i figured out the best way to make them. roll out the pasta, precut into circles with a cookie cutter. fill half of the circles with the filling. take an empty pasta circle, brush the entire top surface with water, place over a filled circle and line up one side of the edges while the filled ravioli is on the counter. pick up the ravioli and use your fingers to pinch the edges closed.

or...

cut the pasta into circles. pick one up and brush one side with water. place filling in the middle of the wet side. fold the ravioli over on itself (like a pirogi) and pinch the edges closed.

either way works well. and this is definitely faster and easier than trying to lay a whole sheet of pasta on the filled ones and then cutting them out.

ground beef, mushroom, and tomato filled semolina ravioli

for the filling
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
12 ounces white mushrooms, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4-1/2 cup each of parmesan, mozzarella, & fontina cheese, grated or diced finely
1/4 cup marinara sauce

1. saute the beef in olive oil over medium heat until mostly cooked, but still slightly pink.
2. add the mushrooms & garlic and cook until the meat is brown and the mushrooms are cooked.
3. remove from heat and cool.
4. mix the cheeses and marinara sauce into the cooled beef mixture.

for the pasta
3 cups semolina flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
water - add it last, use enough to make the dough come together


artichoke filled egg pasta

for the filling - adapted from smitten kitchen
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
small onion, diced small
1 box frozen artichoke hearts
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup asiago cheese, grated
salt, pepper, nutmeg

1. heat the olive oil and butter in a saute pan over medium heat. add the onions and sweat, 3-5 minutes.
2. add the artichokes and cook until warmed through and starting to brown slightly. season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.
3. remove from heat and process in a food processor until artichokes are in small pieces. you can make your artichokes as large or small as you want. cool slightly so the cheese doesn't instantly melt when you add it.
4. mix the cheeses into the artichoke mixture. taste & season again if needed.

for the pasta
3 cups all purpose flour
3 eggs


cheese & basil filled wheat pasta

for the filling
12 ounces buffalo mozzarella, shredded
12 ounces asiago, shredded
1/2 cup basil, shredded
couple tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper

1. mix the cheeses & basil together.
2. add olive oil 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture comes together and holds its shape relatively well.
3. season with salt & pepper.

for the pasta
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3 eggs


pasta instructions

1. put the flour in a mound in the middle of a cutting board (or in the bottom of a huge bowl). make a well in the middle.
2. mix the eggs & other liquids in a separate bowl.
3. add the egg mixture in the well and use a fork to slowly incorporate the flour into the eggs. for the wheat dough, you may need to add a little water, since the wheat flour is drier. i added close to 1/4 cup.
4. when the mixture comes together as a dough, use your hands to finish mixing.
5. knead for 8-10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and slightly elastic.
6. form into a ball, wrap in plastic, and let sit on the counter for at least an hour.
7. roll out using a pasta roller to the thinnest setting.
8. cut & form ravioli. place on a sheet pan dusted with semolina flour to prevent sticking.
9. boil immediately for 3-4 minutes or freeze.

to freeze - lay on a single layer on a sheet pan. place in zip top bags and freeze for up to 1 month. they might last longer, but not in my house.

to cook from frozen - boil frozen ravioli for 5-6 minutes and serve.

gruyere risotto

how did i get ready for the snow hurricane?



i watched the weatherman talk about the impending doom for an hour while i made dinner. but really, tonight wasn't the best night for it.

no snow.

no rain.

no hail.

no hurricane force winds.

no following behind pokers on the way into work tomorrow morning.

you get the picture. this is the perfect warm, creamy, feel good dish for those bone chillingly cold evenings we get right around this time of year. too bad i didn't wait until tomorrow to make it.

gruyere risotto with mushrooms & chicken
inspired by Cake, Batter, and Bowl

total time start to finish: 1hr, 4 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
12 ounces mushrooms, sliced thin
1 tablespoon butter
1 small yellow onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
4 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups shredded gruyere cheese
1/2 pound shredded poached chicken breast or tenders
salt & pepper

1. saute the mushrooms in olive oil over medium heat. season with salt & pepper and remove from heat when cooked through.
2. while the mushrooms are cooking, melt the butter over medium heat in a 3 quart sauce pan. cook the onions in the butter until translucent, about 6 minutes. add the garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. add the rice. stir until well coated and stir in 1 cup of the chicken stock. simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. repeat with remaining three cups of stock, but add the shredded chicken to the rice mixture before the rice has absorbed all the stock. remove from heat.
4. mix in the cheese until melted and evenly distributed. mix in the mushrooms.

ina's maple oatmeal scones

i always pick the scone at a bakery. they always look so good - nice and shiny, dusted with sugar or coated in glaze. and the flavors always get me - lemon cream, cranberry orange, almond. and it's almost always dry and bland. that's when i decided to start making my own and i've never looked back.

scones are unbelievably easy to make, as long as you remember a couple things -
- make sure the butter is cold when you mix it in. it should be incorporated, but you should still be able to see bits of it.
- don't overmix. mix the wet and the dry together just enough so it's a dough. it's ok if the dough is a bit lumpy.

i saw ina make these on "back to basics" on the food network a couple weeks ago. they are really good, nice and moist, but the maple flavor isn't very strong - if someone served them to me, i wouldn't guess they were maple flavored. could be the maple syrup i used. and i think a small amount of cinnamon would be good added to this recipe, or delete the syrup, increase the milk, and make cinnamon oatmeal scones. i'll try those sometime and see how they come out.



maple-oatmeal scones
adapted from food network magazine

time start to finish - 1hr (includes baking time), makes 8 hearty scones

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, diced
1/4 cup cold milk
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 eggs
1 egg mixed with a splash of water for the egg wash

for the glaze
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
splash half and half

1. preheat the oven to 400F. line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. combine flours, oats, baking powder, sugar and salt. using a mixer, blend in the butter.
3. in a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, syrup, and eggs together.
4. add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated. the dough is really sticky.
5. turn the dough out onto a well floured work surface and roll to about 1 inch thick.
6. cut into eight wedges and place on the baking sheet.
7. brush the tops with egg wash and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
8. while the scones are baking, make the glaze by mixing the confectioner's sugar, syrup, and vanilla. add a splash of half and half or milk to thin the glaze a bit and make it pourable.
9. when the scones are finished baking, let cool on the pan for about five minutes. remove and let cool on a rack.
10. when the scones are still warm, drizzle with glaze.