Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Cook Crook on Vacation

The Cook Crook is going to Los Angeles for the rest of the week and plans to return with many stolen goods!!!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Spicy Chicken Salad

Sometimes a yummy meal comes from stealing an ingredient from another dish. Case in point: I have already discussed how I will spice, cook and cut up chicken to freeze for later meals. Sometimes, however, the dish I planned to use it for doesn't quite hit me as what I want to eat. My husband, however, is less a slave to his hunger instincts. If the menu says, chicken nachos, chicken nachos it is.

One evening, after thawing out a package of particularly spicy (I used a new Mexican mix that had a little more kick) sliced chicken for said nachos, I realized I really wanted a sandwich. Husband was amped for thsoe nachos though so I had half a package to work with to appease my stomach's whim. A sandwich sounded good but I really wasn't interested in just a regular grilled chicken sandwich. Then, it occurred to me that chicken salad would hit the spot.

I cubed my portion of the chicken, added the mayonnaise, some diced celery and a small squeeze of lime juice. Served on a whole wheat baguette, it was apparently exactly what my stomach needed...and hubby still got to enjoy his nachos.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Chicken Tenders Part II

I usually reserve experimenting with food when my husband will not be having dinner with me. I suppose it's also good practice for a cook to try things out on herself before she subjects her family to it!

Background on this experiment: We keep tortilla chips in the house at all times and inevitably the broken chips and crumbs at the bottom of the bag get thrown away. I have said to myself many times: garnish for soup or chili! or use in a casserole! Then after my post on chicken tenders it occurred to me I hadn't thought about using them in place of breadcrumbs. Sure, i have eaten many things at restaurants with the phrase "tortilla encrusted" but never got out there and did it on my own. Then by chance, reading a copy of Rachel Ray magazine, I cam across her fun tip of the day: "try using crushed tortilla chips in place of breadcrumbs." so with the blessing of the chef who coined the term "Yummo!" I set my sights on something simple: chicken tenders.

I didn't want to just bread tenders and be done so I went back to some staples and favorite flavors. First I seasoned the tenders with my favorite Mexican seasoning. Next my "wet" ingredient was ranch dressing. Then I placed them in a plastic bag with the finely crushed tortilla chips and fried them in a skillet until golden brown. I think they would do very nicely if baked and I think next time I may increase the spices a little more because the salt from the tortilla chips can overwhelm the flavor in some bites. However, the chicken came out extremely moist and since I had some leftovers, they were fed to and got the husband seal of approval when he returned from work travel last night.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Crab Cakes and More Panko Love


I made crab cakes the Thursday before Easter because a local grocery store was selling a pound of lump crab meat for a ridiculous price and the husband loves crab cakes. This was actually my first attempt at the crab cake mainly because I used to live near a gourmet market that would sell them fresh for cheaper than I thought I could make them, and I would just take them home and cook them for my salivating other half.
But the urge to make them struck me and I made a traditional from the red and white Betty Crocker binder version substituting the ground mustard with Old Bay.
As you can see they turned out nicely (I kept them warm in the oven using the cooling rack on the cooling rack trick) and hubby loved but the breading was a little heavy for my taste. I never liked the saltines cracker version my great-grandmother made either so I made a mental note to ease back on the breadcrumbs for next time.
Imagine my delight when I was at Emeril Lagasse's demonstration at the Culinary expo yesterday and he prepared for us a crab cake coated in my favorite....you guessed it, Panko! This indeed solidified my feeling that Panko Japanese breadcrumbs are making a comeback. Granted that crab cake I ate yesterday came from Emeril himself (or at least his recipe and his very capable Sous-chefs) but the lightness of the exterior was exactly what my previous foray into the crab cake needed.
Have you tried Panko yet? I'd love to hear how you've used in the past or in a new way!

Woe of the Working Mom - The Cook Crook Returns

Well -obviously your friend the Cook Crook has not made it into cyber world recently - what with Easter and work travel I couldn't even believe it was Monday already! Easter dinner was success though that I look forward to sharing as was my trip to California which had it's own share of cook crook moments.

So much to catch up on but let me put in one quick comment about the Virginia Culinary expo I attended yesterday. So many vendors there with their personal creations (salsa, relish, BBQ sauce, seasonings, dip mixes, etc.) - it was truly inspirational that anyone is capable of creating something delicious that can be shared with the world. I also want to put in a plug for Top Chef and one of my favorites: Fabio from season 5 who gave a cooking demonstration yesterday and was not only honest and entertaining but inspirational in his own right in terms of the simplicity of food and how 10 minutes of time to cook doesn't have to mean "peel back cellophane and heat 3 minutes". Thanks for reminding all of us and for continuing to keep fun in cooking!

Friday, April 10, 2009

Herbs and Holidays

So it was a busy week for the Cook Crook and the Easter holiday is upon us. The parents are coming over for a holiday meal which means I will be creatively trying to find a way to please a meat and potatoes guy and a devoted low-carber. Should be interesting!
In the meantime, I am trying for the first time to grow my own herbs this year - fresh herbs are always something I appreciate and try to use whenever possible. They really bring the homemade taste to a jarred sauce and add flavor depth to meat and pasta. I started with chives, cilantro, parsley and basil this go round...I'll let you know how it goes!
My favorite use of fresh herbs will be incorporated into Sunday's menu: herb and horseradish encrusted beef roast - yum - slow roasted, medium to medium rare. I'll see what I can steal for side dishes between now and then!!
Until then, Happy Easter.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Chicken Tenders

If you have children or was ever a child and have no deep-seeded aversion to chicken, you have probably on many occasion enjoyed a chicken tender (or what for some reason is often called a chicken finger, which is what my daughter calls it and it still grosses me out!). I personally like mine Buffalo style while hubby likes them pretty much any way but that way. I can attest that like most things, a homemade version is 99% of the time better than a store bought or even a restaurant version and definitely probably more healthy.
I continue to experiment with different methods. Tonight was egg wash, Italian bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and pan fried in a little canola oil. In the past I have put the chicken in ranch dressing and then dredged and fried it. I have also baked them and found that Alton Brown's suggestion about baking things on wire racks almost eliminates the sticking and losing of breading. I have mentioned before that I am a big Panko fan (thanks Mom!) and using that as a breading instead of the standard bread crumbs has often been a nice surprise to the family. I may even go the extra mile and marinate the chicken in a sesame dressing or teriyaki sauce too before coating. One thing about the Panko - if you bake the chicken versus frying it will be lighter in color even if you spray it with the cooking spray as most recipes recommend. The husband was very skeptical about the white looking tenders until he tasted them.
I have yet to make my own buffalo tenders mainly because I am the only one who eats them - but there are quite a few recipes out there to steal from!

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Frozen Turkey Meatballs - Why I Always Have a Bag on Hand


The husband LOVES meatball subs, the step-daughter loves spaghetti and meatballs and I enjoy a simple cocktail meatball at any party I go to. I have made meatballs from scratch (my mother-in-law has an awesome recipe) but many times, especially for parties or quick meals, I used the reliable pre-cooked kind (frozen or meat case).
Like most beef and pork based items these days, meatballs are also available in the turkey variety. A word of caution that like most turkey products, not all of them are good (ahem, Armour) but those that are (I happen to especially enjoy Harris Teeter's store brand version) really are a great thing to have on hand.
Remember that crock pot marina sauce I made? Well, cooking that in the crock-pot freed me up some time to go the extra mile with the meatballs and bake them in the oven like I love. Thirty minutes from package, to pan to serving dish. Those meatball subs my husband loves are easy with a jar of our favorite sauce and add meatballs. I can even make a simple sauce, add the meatballs and leave in the trusty crock-pot all day.
I have also found some "cocktail" meatball recipes that make fantastic meals. Burgundy meatballs, for example, involve a simple sauce of onions, brown gravy mix and red wine and are delicious over egg noodles.

And did you ever think about serving sweet and sour meatballs with fried rice or in a poor man's Lo Mein (i.e spaghetti noodles and chopped veggies).
When I am preparing the menu for the month, that bag (or package) of meatballs has always proved to be a great go-to option and so far, everything I have made with them have been asked for again.

Friday, April 3, 2009

How I got the 9 Year-Old to Eat Spinach

Rachel Ray is one of my favorite chefs to steal from for two reasons: 1) her recipes tend to be simple and 2) the meals can be prepared rather quickly. When I saw this recipe - I was immediately interested. I had fried ravioli as an appetizer at TGIFriday's once upon a time and I remembered the husband being a big fan. So, I tried it out.

First, I decided to use good ol' Kraft grated Parmesan cheese. Yes, I am a huge fan of Parmigiana-Reggiano but it's not as cheap as the green can. I also found it hard to find a package of 12-large fresh ravioli. My warehouse club actually sells two packages of spinach and cheese ravioli that contain about 24 medium sized ones, so I went with those. I coat and cook the ravioli as Rachel suggests and then serve it with a nice dish of our favorite jarred pasta sauce. A few of these and a side make a very good meal.

The 9-year old loved these right away and her eating them resulted in one of my favorite family moments. One night she bit into one of the raviolis and decided to carefully examine the contents. I waited to hear her reaction to the very green insides. She looked carefully at both of us and said, "I'm eating spinach aren't I?". Her father smiled and asked if that was a problem. She popped the rest of the ravioli into her mouth and said "Not if it's like this". Needless to say the only obviously green thing you will ever see on my step-daughter's plate is peas but to this day fried ravioli is her favorite meal and she always eats her spinach.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

The Pre-Cooked Chicken

I remember when all of the pre-cooked, pre-seasoned, pre-sliced chicken first came on to the market. I bought them when they were on sale (and when I had coupons) and then when my local warehouse club starting carrying them all bets were off. Admittedly I was seduced by the convenience: my husband loved having them around to make super quick chicken nachos and quesadillas and I had something to bail me out when I needed a quick healthy lunch or again, got stumped for dinner.

However, as convenient as they were, there was something slightly artificial about them. The texture always seemed odd to me and when I would pull them apart into smaller pieces for things like nachos and the salads - I would shudder just a bit at the rubbery texture. Still convenience won out.

Then things changed, the costs starting going up and coupons were no longer readily available. The warehouse club stopped carrying the Southwestern flavor and I became more committed to monthly meal planning.

Yet, I could not get over the convenience of having seasoned, cooked ready-to-add-to-a-recipe chicken. So, I made my own! Tonight for example we are having chicken quesadillas using strips of chicken that were made from the leftover breast from the goat cheese sandwiches. I sliced the chicken, put the strips in a sealed plastic container and added a little fresh lime juice and a hearty tablespoon of my favorite Mexican seasoning mix. I gave it a good shake and it's been waiting for me in our fridge. Had I not been planning to have the quesadillas tonight, I could have just as easily transferred all of that to a freezer bag, labeled it and put it away for one of those emergency meal nights!

So now I make my own pre-cooked chicken to have on hand. Some is plain - for all of those recipes that call for two cups of cooked cut-up chicken and some Mexican flavored - fajitas, nachos, quesadillas, enchiladas, you name it! Next time you see chicken on sale, stock up, bake it, poach it, grill it, whatever your preference and then slice and store away!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

For the Love of Goat Cheese

I love Goat cheese - of course I love most every cheese known to man but I have a special affinity for the usual creamy, crumbly cheese that has so many different variations. (Did I mention I just found out that Gouda is a firm variety?)

My husband was not as sure about the sometimes strong cheese until we went out to dinner one night at nice restaurant and had a salad course that included a small piece of fried goat cheese on the greens. After that, the man who always wants a salad with dinner started asking for crumbled goat cheese to accompany his "roughage" to mix it up a little up from his usual.

Now with the door open to goat cheese, I could explore other recipe options that might include it. Different salad ideas abounded as did the pairing of goat cheese and chicken. Many of those recipes involved the stuffing of the chicken with the goat cheese. But personally, one of my least favorite cooking tasks is stuffing something unless it's for a special occasion. I was really looking for something quick and easy that would make a good weeknight meal to add to the menu.

Then, one day lunching at one of my favorite places Baker's Crust and reviewing their menu I noticed their veggie and goat cheese sandwich and thought, why not a chicken and goat cheese sandwich? The husband is quite a fan of chicken and a sandwich would be an easy way to get to good things together.

So, for the past few years, chicken and goat cheese sandwiches are on the menu once a month or as was the case the night before last, became a desperation dinner when I realized I didn't have what I needed for what was supposed to be Monday night!

I change this recipe all the time to suit what type of goat cheese is available (or what hubby may have purchased) , the dressing I have on hand and the type of bread. One word of note, I tried chicken cutlets once instead of regular chicken breasts and it was not as successful:

2 skinless chicken breasts
40z soft goat cheese (either crumbled or in the log)
Bread
Favorite Oil and Vinegar dressing ( I like Newman's Own)

For the chicken breasts, if I remember to plan ahead I marinate them over night in whatever dressing I have selected. Then I cook them either inside on the George Foreman (yep, I still have mine) or give them to the grill master to cook outside. If no marinating time, we will baste the chicken with the dressing and be sure to drizzle a little extra on the cooked chicken once it is on the sandwich.

Once the chicken is cooked, I slice it into strips. If I am using the log goat cheese, I carefully slice that as well. I preheat the oven to 375 and start assembling the sandwiches. On the occasion I use the big French loaf, I will make one huge sandwich and cut into pieces when it is done. Monday night I had wheat sub rolls leftover so I made individual sandwiches and saved the leftover chicken for a future dish. No matter what bread you use, slice the bread lengthwise into two halves. Drizzle your chosen dressing on both insides of the bread. Then add the cooked chicken to once side (enough to cover the side) and the goat cheese to the other. Feel free to drizzle a little over the cheese and chicken when done. Pop into the oven (still open-faced) and cook until bread begins to crisp and cheese melts. Remove, put the halves together and enjoy!

I have added spinach to this after cooking, roasted red pepper and arugula. the type of goat cheese also affects the final product. Monday night was red pepper and basil goat cheese which got an enthusiastic thumbs up form hubby! And since he's gone tonight and there is leftover chicken AND cheese, I think I may make another sandwich!