Friday, September 30, 2011

Friday Night Bites: Easy Homemade Pizza

Some nights, especially Fridays I purposely plan for an easy meal using a mix of pre-made and fresh ingredients. One particular Friday, it was just me and the 4 year-old at home because my husband was out and I had "homemade pizza" on the menu (not to be confused with when I put "pizza" on the menu meaning we are hitting our favorite local pizzeria!). My son, like most little kids does love pizza, but it's all cheese or nothing at this point in his preschooler existence. So what's a mom to do? Do what they do at the pizzeria...make it a partial pizza!

I had some store bought tomato sauce on hand as well as pizza dough from my grocer's deli section. I also had al fresco chicken sausages on hand (as I do a lot I suppose), this time the roasted pepper and asiago flavor. the great thing for me with those sausages is that they are precooked and super easy to slice. I also had some grape tomatoes on hand and finished everything with some sprinkled Italian seasoning:
Notice I left about a quarter of the pizza "plain" just for my little guy! Topped with cheese and baked int he oven at 475 degrees for 10-15 minutes and the result:
I have always used the wheat pizza dough and really like the taste and texture. The only change it really needs is the use of a pizza stone or pan. I try and mitigate the soft bottom crust issue by baking my pizza first on my cookie sheet and then removing it and finish baking it directly on the oven rack. Then the next logical step is for me to start making my own dough....which is something I am working up to and can't wait to share!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Travel Spot: Las Vegas - Border Grill

The final Top Chef Masters restaurant of our Vegas trip was Border Grill one of 3 locations (plus a truck and a  "stop") operated by chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger. I had already gotten the info from the bride that her lunch there had been amazing so my husband and I were really looking forward to our lunch there. On Saturday and Sunday Border Grill does do a brunch but the main menu beckoned...as did the guacamole:
as did the strawberry sangria:
Then frankly I was stumped because there was so much to choose from. Luckily for me, the chef highlights on the menu his favorite selections so I went for the Poblano Chicken Torta which was grilled marinated chicken breast with jalapeño bacon (how could that be bad!), poblano aioli, saint andré cheese, roasted poblanos, caramelized onions and avocado with smoked paprika fries on the side.
My husband went for the Chicken Chilaquiles: crispy corn tortillas, tomatillo salsa, shredded chicken, manchego, panela and cotija cheeses with mixed baby greens with cilantro lime dressing.
He said it was like an extremely elevated version of chicken nachos...I explained if I made MY chicken nachos with manchego and other high dollar cheeses, mine would be elevated too!

Everything was sooo good and may ruin me on Mexican food for a while!

Monday, September 26, 2011

Travel Spot: Las Vegas - Aureole

Upon arriving in Las Vegas my fiscally responsible husband and I decided we were going to splurge one night for dinner and go all out. Obviously we had a myriad of choices but we finally settled on Charlie Palmer's Aureole...which if you are unfamiliar with you will be able to see from this picture, has a fascinating feature.

This beautiful restaurant houses a four-story, temperature controlled glass and steel wine tower which is the largest in the world. I fill these pages with food but I am a huge fan of wine as well so this was a huge hook for me! See it up close:
With literally thousands of wines to choose from my husband were curious how a person gets through a wine list like that! Here's how:


Yes, that's my husband perusing Aureole's wine list, conveniently housed on a notebook computer. You choose your color, region, type etc and create a wish list of sorts that you can discuss with your server. It is quite possibly one of the most amazing wine related things I have ever seen!


With our wine chosen, it was off to the food and we both decided the delicious Pinot Noir we chose begged to start our evening with a delicious cheese plate. Okay purists, technically cheese plates are considered "dessert" but I like my cheese prior to my meal as an appetizer and what a lovely and delicious one it was:
I can barely pronounce and could not spell the delicious varieties we had, but according to his online menu we had L'EDEL DE CLERON, IDIAZABAL, MONTE ENEBRO,CAPRI HERB GOAT, ROBIOLA, and CAPRICIOUS AGED GOAT. Sorry to shout but sooo delicious!

Then it was off to entrees. I really wanted steak (I mean Charlie Palmer sort of equals steak right?) so I went with the blue cheese crusted beef tenderloin conveniently served with a pinot noir jus!
Hubby the tuna lover went for the seared ahi tuna loin served with a citron potato gratin. It may look delicate and light but my husband said it filled him up and was incredible (a little secret, he made the "O" face!)
Our evening there was amazing and even though we didn't choose a dessert they still served us the house petit fours (which I regret to say were eaten so quickly I forgot to photograph them). A delicious evening and since Mr. Palmer also has a New York location, I believe we'll be enjoying his food again some day soon!

Friday, September 23, 2011

Travel Spot: Las Vegas - Rick Moonen's RM Seafood

One of my goals on the trip to Las Vegas was to try and hit as many Top Chef Masters' restaurants I could. So how convenient that my hubby and I stayed at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino which housed several delicious restaurants, many of which had chefs that have been a part of Top Chef or competed on Top Chef Masters. With so many options and so little time, we made the decision to try and go to as many restaurants as possible and so as not to break the bank, sample various items versus having full menus at every location. We started with a lunchtime meal at Rick Moonen's RM Seafood.

Mr. Moonen is the champion of sustainable seafood and we had already heard how delicious his halibut was from the bride-to-be but upon looking over the menu, one item caught our eye: BBQ Pork Mac N'Cheese. As many times as I make pork barbecue in my house I never thought of putting it in macaroni and cheese?  Of course we had to have seafood and what better way to experience the freshness of seafood than sushi. We went with the Futo-Fireball roll: king crab, avocado, cucumber, spicy char, tobiko, kabayaki and wasabi citrus aioli. Incredible with the right amount of heat and definitely let the freshness of the seafood shine. We also ordered the crab cake which was light and of course delicious, but the star of that plate was the jicama with chipotle aioli...I almost licked the plate and cannot wait to find a way to recreate it at home! We finished our little smorgasbord with edamame served with Mediterranean sea salt and togarashi (a Japanese chili pepper spice that is now something else I need in my pantry!).

We loved our meal and if I ever go back to Vegas....I am coming prepared to dine there, and dine well!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Back from Vegas...and boy am I inspired!

Sadly I ended up with no computer access in Las Vegas but I had an incredible time (ha ha...not sure what made me think I would have the time or ability to blog from Vegas but I was hopeful!)! Mostly it was incredible because I spent time with my husband and some wonderful friends AND saw two of my wonderful friends get married but it was also amazing because I ate extremely well and met my goal of hitting as many Top Chef Masters restaurants as possible!! So this week I will be sharing my photos and experiences from those restaurants. For now, however, I am going to attempt to recover from a full day of work after a 12:30am arrival time!

PS. I know it's also Meatless Monday...check out these corn, black bean and pepper jack burritos!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Cook Crook Creation: Stuffed Pork Chops

Remember those roasted grape tomatoes? I was inspired to use them in an interesting way. I had put stuffed pork chops on the menu for dinner and had still been kicking around some ideas and I thought why not use those tomatoes? I had spinach and herb goat cheese on hand and those beautiful boneless chops were begging to be stuffed! So I sauteed the spinach and tomatoes in some olive oil and garlic, added the goat cheese and stuffed the chops they I had lightly salted and peppered until overflowing.
In the same skillet (oven safe by the way) I heated a little more olive oil on medium high heat and seared the chops 4 minutes on each side.
Once browned, I drizzled some balsamic vinegar generously over then and into a 425 degree oven they went for 10 minutes
The flavor was incredible! Definitely a Mediterranean vibe with the goat cheese, tomatoes, spinach and Balsamic so I will name them my Mediterranean stuffed pork chops! And you thought I just stuffed chicken!

Monday, September 12, 2011

Meatless Monday - More Roasted Tomatoes!

This year I discovered roasting my own tomatoes….who knew grape tomatoes that were still good but not quite fresh enough for a salad work just as well?! According to Claire Robinson of Food Network you can!
and according to my husband I am becoming obsessed with roasting!  I think I may even try my hand at canning these guys (I'll let you know if I get brave!)
This particular batch I was saving  to make my own savory pasta dish when hubby was on EMT duty since he's not a huge tomato lover, but I think I have an even tastier idea in mind that will be something we will both enjoy....stay tuned!

Friday, September 9, 2011

Friday Night Bites: MacGyver Night Recipe

Last night was MacGyver night at my house…no, not a DVD marathon (although I secretly wouldn’t mine owning the whole series!) but a night in which I simply put “pork” on the menu and I needed to come up with something. I have discussed my MacGyvering before and how it has become a big part of how I prepare dishes and end up coming up with new recipes. On this night, I am little late with the grocery shopping so my “fresh” options were severely limited but since I had thawed from the freezer about a 2 pound package of boneless pork chops due to the menu, I had that as my main protein.

A quick review of the cabinets and freezer and a dish was born. Say hello to pan fried teriyaki chops with jasmine rice and sautéed garlic spinach!

It took on half bottle of Lawry’s 30-minute marinade (teriyaki flavor), flour, olive oil, 2 table spoons of butter, 2 cloves of garlic, half a bag of frozen chopped spinach and 1 package of Uncle Ben’s 90 second rice.


For the record going forward if I am ever preparing a simple side dish of spinach, I will now ALWAYS prepare it sautéed in a pan! In this case, after I fried the pork, I used the reserved  hot oil, added the butter and garlic and then cooked the spinach until hot. Added a little salt and pepper and I could have sworn it was like the same dish I prepare using fresh leaves!

Have you had a MacGyver moment? Share with The Cook Crook!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Making Magic with Frozen Chicken!

Every once in a while I make a purchase at the grocery store that was fueled by a great deal but with little planning on my part. The grocery store recently had a buy one get one of a 5 pound bag of skinless, boneless chicken. Imagine my surprise when I went to open them for an emergency chicken situation (that makes me laugh to type that! Really I had no thawed chicken on hand and had promised two picky eaters at my table grilled chicken for dinner since they weren’t feeling that night’s turkey burgers) and discovered they were FROZEN TENDERS NOT BREASTS. And let me say, after thawing them slightly and grilling them for the “situation” I had no way to cook these things to put them to any good use…or so I thought.

Fast forward to a request for chicken nachos placed on the menu and again…no chicken. (Still not sure how that happened. We always have chicken...we also have chicken typically on our menu 3 nights a week so perhaps there in lies the problem!) Anyway, surprisingly I never threw those frozen tenders away and reading the package (AGAIN) the instructions say they can be rinsed in hot water to remove the ice and then cooked in a pan.

Following the instructions I rinsed the remaining tenders (probably about 4 pounds) in their plastic bag and then heated some olive oil in a large nonstick pan. I added the tenders and began cooking them…and was quickly less than pleased with the results. Faced with white sautéed tenders that didn’t look good for anything let alone nachos, I remembered a recipe I had found and clipped from a magazine (and of course can't get my hands on now!) and prepared years ago that called for cooking the chicken first and then grinding it up for nachos! So I finished cooking the chicken, allowed it to cool and used my food processor to create this:
I added this back to the original pan along with cumin, chili powder and one can of Rotel tomatoes and green chiles.
Then I built my nachos like I always do chips, cheese, meat and more cheese.
And this time I dressed them up extra special with sour cream and lettuce. 
What’s even better is that there was enough chicken left over to make some tasty wraps for everyone the next night!Good thing I have one bag of frozen tenders left to use!

Monday, September 5, 2011

Steal of the Week: Mexican Coleslaw for Meatless Monday-Update

Remember that Mexican coleslaw recipe? I decided to Cook Crook the recipe up a bit and amp the flavor. I decided to use my Chipotle infused extra virgin olive oil from Savor the Olive!
And for a recipe like this if you don't already have an angled measuring cup like this one, you should get one! So much easier to measure!
The flavor was fantastic using the spicier oil! I think it would be super easy to add a little spice on your own too! It holds up well in outdoor situations and it's light flavor doesn't overpower other dishes.
Pretty isn't it? Oh and P.S. I cheated....I used the bagged coleslaw mix!! This will be a potluck and picnic staple for years to come.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Friday Night Bites: Labor Day Weekend Recipes

Labor Day weekend is upon us! And many of us will probably be grilling:
Check out these links with recipes and grilling ideas for your Labor Day holiday weekend!

Paula Deen Great Grilling Recipes

All Recipes Best BBQ Recipes

Cooking light Backyard Smoker Recipes

We are having a BBQ and attending another so I'll have lots to share on the other side of the holiday! Enjoy your weekend!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Dinner From the Sub Shop: Made at Home

I possibly have a sandwich obsession. Granted not to the level of the newest Food Network Star but when I was pregnant with my son I ate my weight in Italian subs and I remain the queen of the breakfast sandwich. The hardest thing for me in the past was whenever I started a low-carb diet. I had to remove bread form my diet in the very beginning stages and then was only able to add it back in small quantities as I continued. A recent medical issue has forced me out of my low-carb ways and has me now eating the “ balanced diet” way so while I am still working to understand the new food plate as opposed to the food pyramid we were all so familiar with for so long, I am happy to reintroduce bread (specifically whole grain varieties of course) back into my diet. I have always looked to reduce the fat and caloric content of food when I can mostly because of my husband’s cholesterol issues so it’s not a huge change and I hope to have fun with it.

Fast forward to a shopping trip I took when I found fresh hot Italian CHICKEN sausage prepared by the grocery butcher. My love for Al Fresco sausage will never die but finding freshly made chicken sausage and in a spicy variety both my husband and I enjoy, is a real treat. Originally I was going to put it in a pasta dish, but much like the meatball night, a sandwich sounded much better! Check out my prep:
Whenever I make cook Italian sausage and leave it whole, I always cook it in a skillet with olive oil heated to medium high heat. I brown the sausages all over. If I am going to continue cooking them in a sauce, I only cook them until they are about ¾ done. If they will be sliced for later, I cook them entirely.

In this case, I removed the mostly cooked sausages and set them aside on a plate lined with a paper towel.  I added to the same pan with the leftover oil a sliced green pepper and sliced white onion. I cooked the vegetables for about 10 minutes, reduced the heat  to low and then to the pan added 1 and half cups of jarred pasta sauce (Bertoli Olive oil and garlic remains are personal fave). I gave it a quick stir and then added back the sausage to the mixture. I covered the pan and allowed to simmer for 15 minutes.
Whenever my local grocery store has wheat baguettes buy one get one, I buy extra and freeze them. Thaw them on the counter when ready to use and they toast nicely! I split one of these baguettes into 4 pieces and each piece I cut almost in half, leaving part of the bread connected together to form a “boat” for the filling. Once the sausage mixture was done, I filled each piece of bread with one sausage, some of the onions, peppers and sauce and topped each now sub sandwich with 2% mozzarella cheese. 
Popped into a 375 degree oven until the cheese is melted and slightly browned….delicious!

And possibly in need of a knife and fork to eat!