Versatile Freestyle

Having a handful of versatile ingredients on hand makes it easy to decide what’s for dinner on the rare occasion that I have a gap in the meal plan.  Because I meal plan and like to make just one trip to the grocery store per week (or longer), gaps don’t happen very often.  On days when there’s four inches of rain falling and I really want to skip the trip to the grocery store, gaps happen.  Gaps also happen when life gets in the way of my regularly scheduled “programming.”  Just this weekend, the meal plan went right out the window when soccer was cancelled on Saturday.  The weather promised to play nice, so we made a spur of the moment decision to visit Brooklyn.  I spent Sunday celebrating my cousin’s upcoming wedding at a great bridal shower.  By the time I came home (there was a total of eight hours of travel round-trip involved for me), dinner was the remnants of Friday night’s pizza.  Gaps happen.  Meal planning wasn’t always my “thing.”  Especially when I lived alone, I would go to the grocery store and buy a few things that I considered to be staples and then half of the excitement would be how to put them together when I felt like having an actual meal.  Now I meal plan because while I think it’s an adventure to stare at an open refrigerator while trying to visualize whether or not I have this or that other ingredient, we try to keep dinner time more consistent.

Life happens, the plan isn’t always perfect, and this is where my single-girl foraging skills, some basic ingredients, and creativity are a life saver.  Okay, so by “foraging” I really mean “standing in front of the open refrigerator like I used to,” but that foraging procured a jar of roasted red peppers that I had on hand to use as a sandwich topping, and a bag of tortellini that I had hanging around to use for a tortellini salad.  It didn’t take long for me to decide to turn that jar of peppers into a sauce, use it to top the tortellini, and avoid venturing out to the grocery store in the pouring rain.  I’m glad I made that decision.  This was a tasty dinner that took almost no time to prepare.  I added shrimp as an afterthought because I felt like the tortellini needed a protein to make it a more substantial dinner.  Okay, so I rarely need an excuse to add shrimp to anything, but shrimp wasn’t part of the initial plan here.  I’m glad I added it in, it cooks very quickly and was perfect for scooping up the sauce.  Chicken would have been great here as well.

Tortellini with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 14 oz. bag cheese tortellini
• 7 oz. jar roasted red peppers, drained (or roast your own red peppers)
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 C. milk or heavy cream
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 lb. large uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions:

Boil the tortellini in a large pot of water according to package directions, until al dente.  Set aside.

Blot as much excess moisture as you can from the roasted red peppers using paper towels.

Place the roasted red peppers and garlic into a blender and puree for 2-3 minutes until smooth.

Pour the red pepper mixture into a small sauce pan and stir in the oregano and salt and pepper to taste.

Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until the sauce comes to a boil and starts to thicken.  Reduce heat to low and stir occasionally while preparing the shrimp.

To prepare the shrimp, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.

Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over the shrimp, then add them to the heated skillet in a single layer.

Cook the shrimp for about 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook for 2-3 more minutes, until the shrimp are pink on the outside and opaque inside.

Add the milk to the sauce and stir to combine.

Cook for 2-3 minutes to heat through, then add the tortellini to the sauce and stir to completely coat the tortellini.

Top the tortellini mixture with the cooked shrimp (you can add the shrimp to the sauce as well and stir it in with the tortellini).

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Diana Dishes original

The Gravy Train

I know that with Easter coming up many people have ham on the brain and so it’s easy to wonder why I’m over here blabbering on about turkey.  I have hosted and attended Easter dinners where both ham and turkey were popular offerings so it doesn’t seem fair for ham to have the whole show.  Lamb and lasagna have long been traditions for one family I celebrated Easter with for years, without a ham in sight.  Not only in my family, but in other families that I’ve celebrated holidays with, it seems like the goal is for the host to serve enough food that we could be trapped in the house for weeks without needing to worry about nourishment, so long as the refrigeration holds.

As I mentioned yesterday it’s possible that you want to make a small turkey dinner without tying up (or even turning on) the oven, whether or not you’re entertaining and whether or not it’s a holiday.  Turkey for no reason at all always seems to taste a little better than turkey for Thanksgiving or Easter, I think.  It’s also possible that you’re serving a big turkey dinner and would rather not deal with having to whip up a gravy from pan drippings while your guests wait and the turkey is quickly moving from “well-rested” to “ice cold.”  It’s entirely possible to make delicious turkey gravy without roasting a whole turkey, and without keeping your guests waiting. Make-ahead turkey gravy solved the gravy dilemma for me at Thanksgiving, when fried turkey plus crock pot turkey breast equals zero pan drippings for gravy.  It’s every bit as fantastic as gravy you make after roasting a whole turkey, and roasted turkey wings take most of the responsibility for that.  Make-ahead gravy does take some planning ahead as you’ll make a turkey stock and that stock will need to refrigerate for at least two hours (but better to let it sit overnight) before proceeding.  At first, the gravy may seem very thin but have no fear- it will thicken considerably and quickly once it’s off the heat.  You can add a small amount of cornstarch mixed with water if it isn’t thick enough for you, but (as I learned the hard way when making this in the past) a little cornstarch will go a long way toward thickening this.  It’s a pretty forgiving gravy, though and if you over-thicken it, thin it out with some chicken or turkey stock until it has a nice, pourable consistency.

Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy

Ingredients:

to make the turkey stock:

• 2 turkey wings
• 4 ribs of celery (including leaves), roughly chopped
• 1 onion, cut into chunks
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 6 C. water

to finish the gravy:

• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 2 C. turkey stock, strained and defatted (from ingredients above)
• 1/2 C. whole milk
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• Kosher salt to taste

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large Dutch oven or roasting pan, roast the turkey wings, celery, onions, and garlic for 2 hours.

Remove from the oven and add the water to the turkey and vegetables (if you used a roasting pan, pour the vegetables and turkey into a large pot, add the water, and then proceed).

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the mixture over low heat for 1 hour, uncovered.

Strain the stock over a bowl with a minimum 4 C. capacity, then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Remove the fat that has accumulated on top of the stock.

In a large pan, melt the butter and whisk in the flour.

Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly for 2 minutes to cook out the flour taste.

Whisk in 2 C. of the turkey stock and cook until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.

If the mixture does not thicken enough (give it at least 20 minutes on the stove and remove it from the heat for 5 minutes before deciding if it’s thick enough), dissolve 1 tsp. of corn starch in 1 tsp. of cold water and slowly whisk it into the gravy.

Whisk in the milk, cider vinegar, and salt to taste.

Makes 2 1/4 C.

Source: Noble Pig

Pushed & Pulled

Home improvement projects manage to occur in groups for me.  It started on Friday when I decided I would finally deal with the vent cover in the living room that’s loose only to end up removing the first floor vent covers and scrubbing them.  Over the weekend we decided we’d finally get around to hanging stuff on the walls.  It was high time we got around to doing that, seeing as how we just finished discussing where we wanted to hang these items.  Just finished discussing it in October, that is.  Then, Lane replaced the toilet flapper and well, I couldn’t be outdone.  Around Thanksgiving, we acquired four chairs that we figured would work well with the dining room chairs we already have.  After giving them a scrubbing and replacing the hideous vinyl that was covering the chair pads, anyway.  So through the entire holiday season I kept saying that I’d get to these chairs.  Then I waited almost three more months, for good measure.  Armed with an Exacto knife and a scrubbie sponge (and various other implements that said “I mean business”), I managed to remove the aforementioned hideous vinyl (both layers), staples of assorted sizes, and a quantity of upholstery nails that could keep a Home Depot stocked for ten years.  So to recap, I now have sparkly clean vent covers, stuff on the walls, flappy flappers in the toilets (they’re supposed to flap, right? I don’t fix toilets . . .), and a total of eight dining room chairs that I love.

There is a limit, however, to my productivity.  When I’m fussing around the house and making sure the cat isn’t crawling into the vent where I’ve just removed the cover so that I can scrub it (who does this?!), I can’t be hovering over the stove at the same time.  Well, unless it needs to be taken apart and cleaned as well, but in that case I probably shouldn’t be making dinner on it at the same time.  So on days when big or little home improvements take over, it’s nice to throw a few things in the crock pot and have dinner ready when I’m done with all of the insanity home improvement.  Enter crock pot pulled pork.  Pork chops, onions, barbecue sauce.  Throw those three things into the crock pot, shred, and serve on hamburger buns or in tortillas or taco shells.  I could go on and on with serving suggestions but those are my favorites.

Crock Pot Barbecue “Pulled” Pork

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. boneless center cut pork chops
• 1 C. your favorite barbecue sauce 
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced

Directions:

Spray the inside of a crock pot with non-stick cooking spray or line with a crock pot liner.

Spread the onion slices evenly across the bottom of the crock pot.

Place the pork chops onto the onion slices.

Pour the barbecue sauce over the pork chops.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Remove the pork chops and shred using two forks.

Return the shredded pork to the crock pot and stir it in with the onions and sauce.

If needed, add more barbecue sauce.

Serve as desired (but I strongly suggest serving this on sandwich buns).

Makes 6-8 servings.

Source: Diana Dishes original

Across the Universe

After Friday’s blizzard, I am happy to have some good news today.  We’re twelve days from the Eighty-fifth Academy Awards and I have a new lineup of movies and recipes to share for this year’s 12 Days of Oscar feature.  This year, I limited the films to those that have at least been nominated for an Oscar.  In years past, this has been a popular feature and I’m thrilled to do it again for a third year.

This year’s first film is one of my guilty pleasures, Pleasantville.  The 1998 film finds teenage siblings David (Tobey Maguire) and Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon) transported into the fictitious 1958 television show Pleasantville.  In Pleasantville, David and Jennifer pretend to be Bud and Mary Sue Parker, characters on the show.  I won’t give away why it happens in case you haven’t seen the film, but slowly the characters on Pleasantville change from black and white to color. The town fathers dislike the changes to the town and begin to create rules including a ban on going to the library or using paint in colors other than black and white.  Pleasantville was nominated for three Academy Awards.   In the categories  for Best Art Direction- Set Decoration and Best Costume Design, Pleasantville lost to Shakespeare In Love.  In the Best Music, Original Dramatic Score category, Pleasantville lost to Life is Beautiful.

There are various scenes where Betty Parker (Joan Allen) who is the sitcom’s mother figure holds up plates full of pancakes or Rice Krispie treats to the camera.  This is reminiscent of a real 50′s era sitcom when blatant product placement was a common form of advertisement.  As a nod to the film centering around a 1958 sitcom I made a tv dinner classic, Salisbury steak.  Salisbury steak doesn’t have to be the hardly identifiable meat slab drowned in something that can only loosely be called gravy that used to be a tv dinner staple.  This is a much more modern and tasty take on the classic.  The onion gravy for this is amazing and so easy to make and the steaks cook in just ten minutes which makes this great weeknight comfort food.  In keeping with tv dinner tradition, I served this with mashed potatoes and peas and there wasn’t a plate on the table that wasn’t clean by the time the meal ended.

Salisbury Steaks

Ingredients:

for the steaks:

• 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
• 1/2 C. seasoned breadcrumbs
• 2 tsp. dry ground mustard
• 1 cube beef bouillon, crumbled
• 4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp. ketchup
• salt and pepper
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil, for frying
• 1 Tbsp. butter, for frying

for the gravy:

• 1 medium yellow onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
• 2 C. beef broth (plus more if needed for thinning)
• 4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. corn starch mixed with a little water to make a thin paste
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the steaks except for the olive oil and butter.

Knead lightly until thoroughly combined.

Form into 6 equally portioned, oval shaped patties.

Heat the oil and butter together over medium high heat in a large skillet.

Place the steaks into the skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes, then flip the steaks and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes until they are no longer pink in the middle.

Remove the steaks from the pan and pour any extra grease out of the pan.

Reduce the heat to medium and put the onions in the pan.

Cook, stirring, for several minutes until golden brown and somewhat soft.

Add beef stock, Worcestershire, and ketchup to the pan and stir to combine.

Cook, stirring, for several minutes while the mixture reduces.

If needed, add 1-2 teaspoons of the cornstarch mixture to the skillet to thicken the gravy slightly (you don’t want the gravy to be very thick, so only add up to 2 teaspoons if needed), or add more beef broth if the gravy needs thinning.

Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed.

Place the steaks in the pan with the gravy.

Spoon the gravy, including onions, and let them simmer for a few minutes until heated through.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: The Pioneer Woman

Sweet & Sour

Sweet and sour pork isn’t something I think of immediately when I order Chinese takeout.  I admit that battered and fried pieces of pork (or chicken or shrimp) have their appeal but having good health and pants that fit have more appeal and so I avoid it in favor of things that aren’t deep-fried.  Another complaint is that most Chinese takeout places around here mix the battered pieces of meat in with the sweet and sour sauce which would be fine if they didn’t drown the meat in so much sauce that all of the batter turns into a paste.  It’s easier for me just to avoid that and

Much more appetizing is making a great sweet and sour sauce and adding it to lean pork, then tossing in peppers and pineapple chunks (two things you almost never see in the takeout place’s offering).  What I love most about this is that without dipping the pork in batter, you still manage to get that same flavor and mouthfeel.  This was an incredibly quick dinner which makes it perfect for a weeknight.  If we had ordered takeout, we would have still been waiting for it by the time we sat down to eat this.  In order to make this dish quickly, make sure the pan you use is very hot before you put the pork in, and be prepared to stand at the stove stirring the pork constantly for a few minutes so that it doesn’t burn.  Also, be sure to reserve the juice from the canned pineapple when you drain it- you’ll need it for the sauce.  Speaking of the sauce, it’s amazing and I knew by looking at the original recipe that I needed more sauce so I doubled the ingredients for the sauce and my modifications are what you’ll see below.  Even doubling the sauce, it wasn’t enough to drown the pork which was perfect.  I used pineapple canned in natural pineapple juice and ketchup made without high fructose corn syrup because those are my preferences but this would work fine and still be better for you than takeout if you used “regular” ketchup.

Lighter Sweet and Sour Pork

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. center cut pork chops, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks (reserve juice)
• 1/2 C.  juice from the canned pineapple
• 1/2 C. white vinegar
• 1/2 C. ketchup
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp.  brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

Directions:

Combine the egg white, salt, and cornstarch in a medium bowl.

Add the pork and stir to coat the pork evenly.

Set aside for 15 minutes at room temperature (or up to overnight, covered, in the refrigerator).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the pineapple juice, vinegar, ketchup, salt, and brown sugar.

Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat (drop a bead of water in, it should instantly sizzle and evaporate).

Carefully pour in the olive oil and stir to coat.

Add the pork and spread it out into one layer, and let it cook untouched for 1 minute until the bottom is browned.

Flip the pork and fry the other side for 1 minute (it will still be slightly pink in the middle).

Remove the pork to a plate using a slotted spoon and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the peppers and ginger and cook for 1 minute.

Add the pineapple chunks and the sauce mixture, stirring to combine.

Turn the heat to high and bring the mixture to a simmer, then add the pork pieces back in.

Simmer for about 5 minutes, until the pork is cooked through.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: adapted from Jaden Hair for Simply Recipes

The Golden Road

The Golden Globes entertained me last night on many levels.  Knowing what the big winners are helps me plan my 12 Days of Oscar feature better.  Tommy Lee Jones’ reaction during Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell’s presentation for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy or Musical was the most priceless reaction shot of the night.  I disagree with critics who say that Tommy Lee Jones just doesn’t know what funny is- I think he knows funny, and the presentation wasn’t funny.  The “who are you wearing?” chatter from the red carpet didn’t disappoint.  Yes, awards shows are a guilty pleasure.  I had a good chuckle during Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s opening when Tina Fey referred to The Hunger Games as “the six weeks it took me to get into this dress,” and Amy Poehler said that Life of Pi is what she would call the six weeks after she took her dress off.  I find it hard to believe that either of these ladies would need to starve for six weeks to fit into anything, but it was well-played just the same.

As far as six weeks of hunger in order to slim down, it’s not necessary if you know how to lighten up favorite recipes.  I’m all for lightening up a recipe whenever I can, but I have my limits.  I tend to stay away from low-fat or non-fat dairy (sour cream, cheeses) because I find that when I use the full-fat version, I get better texture and feel more satisfied with the outcome.  I won’t resort to what I call “foods that aren’t food,” that have chemicals and sugars added in order to trick you into thinking you’re eating a healthier version of something.  I don’t ban frying as a cooking method because when it’s done right and enjoyed in moderation, frying isn’t the worst thing for you.  For some dishes, “oven-frying” just doesn’t do it, and those dishes end up in the rotation with more moderation than some others.

For chicken Marsala though, I find that frying the chicken isn’t what makes this dish great.  The mushrooms and sauce actually steal the show, so when I don’t fry the chicken I don’t feel like I’m missing something.  I used half whole wheat flour to dredge the chicken, and there was no taste difference between this and my old chicken Marsala recipe.  Actually, the only differences are that I used some whole wheat flour, eliminated the butter and instead used olive oil spray (I use a Misto, but commercial olive oil sprays are available) to saute the chicken and mushrooms, and made the sauce with a mixture of Marsala wine and chicken broth.  Seeing as how I find Marsala wine to be a little overwhelming on its own, cutting it with chicken broth served two purposes nicely.  The resulting dish was every bit as good as my favorite restaurant chicken Marsala, and by making only a few minor changes, it was better for us and more filling.  I would make chicken like this for other dishes, but because the coating is light I would advise limiting this method to dishes with a thin or light sauce so you don’t end up with all of the coating coming off into the sauce.  I served this over pasta, but I love it over mashed potatoes or egg noodles as well.

Lighter Chicken Marsala

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp. whole-wheat flour
• 3 Tbsp. white flour
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 lb. chicken cutlets (butterfly chicken breasts and then pound them out to 1/4-1/2 inch thick)
• 3 C. sliced mushrooms
• 2 Tbsp. thinly sliced shallots
• 1/2 C. Marsala wine
• 1/2 C. low-sodium chicken broth 
• 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaf
  
• olive oil cooking spray (I use a Misto)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a shallow bowl, combine flours and pepper.

Dredge chicken in mixture and set aside.

Lightly coat a large, nonstick skillet with olive oil cooking spray and heat on medium-high.

Add chicken and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden brown. If the chicken is not cooked through after this, place the chicken onto the prepared baking sheet and into the oven while you prepare the mushrooms and sauce.  If the chicken is cooked through, turn the oven off, place the chicken onto an oven-safe plate, and put the plate into the oven to keep the chicken warm.

Add mushrooms and shallots to pan and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes.

Add wine to pan and reduce to a glaze, scraping any loose brown bits from bottom of pan.

Reduce heat and add broth and thyme.

Cook, stirring, until broth reduces by half.

Return chicken to pan and simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Adapted from Women’s Health