Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on August 16, 2012

I’ve hit the point of summer where I don’t really want a huge meal for dinner each night. While I was perusing the August issue of Cooking Light, I came across this recipe that sounded really interesting- Corn Pancakes with Smoked Salmon and Lemon-Chive Cream. We ended up getting a ton of corn in our CSA last weekend so the timing worked out well to make it this week.

I loved the combination of flavors- the savory corn pancakes melded perfectly with the smoked salmon and the light sour cream topping was the perfect touch to top it off with. Baby T also enjoyed the corn pancakes (although I did not give him any of the smoked salmon- I did a little research online and the results were a bit iffy if it’s ok for toddlers.) I actually made this recipe in the early afternoon and stored each individual pancake in layers of wax paper and the smoked salmon and cream in separate containers. Then, at dinner, I reheated the pancakes in the microwave in 30 second intervals and then topped it with the slices of salmon and a dollop of sour cream. While we had these for dinner, it would also work out great for a light lunch or a party appetizer.

Corn Pancakes with Smoked Salmon and Lemon-Chive Cream

Author: m

Recipe type: Appetizer or Entree

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 3-6

Ingredients

¼ cup light sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, plus extra for garnish
½ teaspoon grated fresh lemon rind
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon ground red pepper
1¼ cups fresh corn kernels, divided (about 3 ears)
⅔ cup low-fat buttermilk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg
12 thin slices cold-smoked salmon (4 ounces)

Instructions

Combine first sour cream, chopped chives, and grated lemon rind in a small bowl and refrigerate.
Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, salt, and ground red pepper in a medium bowl. Combine 1 cup corn kernels, buttermilk, butter, and egg in a blender; process until pureed. Add pureed corn mixture to flour mixture, stirring until combined. Fold in remaining ¼ cup corn.
Spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Pour about 2 tablespoons batter per pancake into pan. Cook 3 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Carefully turn pancakes over; cook 3 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. For an appetizer serving: arrange 2 pancakes on each of 6 plates; top each pancake with 1 slice salmon and 1 teaspoon lemon-chive cream. Double or triple serving size for an entree size.

Source: Slightly adapted from Cooking Light, August 2012

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on April 29, 2012

Years ago, I had clipped an article from the now defunct Domino magazine detailing how to throw a weeknight dinner party. Last night, I finally decided to use the menu from the article for a small dinner party we were having. Granted, it was a weekend night, but it worked out for the best as I was a little short on time yesterday with a few other commitments we had during the day. The article has a full timeline of how Nathan Turner goes from work at 5:00 pm to dinner on the table by 8:00 pm. I find some of the details a little far-fetched considering he does not have any groceries, wine, or flowers when he gets out of work, and still finds time to buy all this, re-arrange the flowers into a more aesthetically pleasing look, set the table, and oh yeah, prep and cook all the food. However, it is a fairly simple menu to pull together for guests and I was pleased with the results.

The Menu:

Appetizers: Mixed olives, a cheese plate featuring 1 hard, 1 soft, and 1 semisoft cheese (I went with a brie, a Danish blue cheese, and an Irish cheddar), roasted red peppers, crackers, and 5-minute artisan bread

Dinner: Pesto-Crusted Rack of Lamb (recipe below), Potato and Leek Mini Gratins, and Roasted Tomato & Mixed Greens Salad

Dessert: Strawberry Rhubarb Slab Pie – This was not on the original menu from the article, but I saw it in a recent cooking magazine and thought it looked really good (and it was!) Stop back later this week on Fresh Produce Tuesday for the recipe…we are featuring Rhubarb recipes this week.

Pesto-Crusted Rack of Lamb

Recipe type: Entree

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 8 mins

Total time: 13 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 racks of lamb, frenched and cut into individual chops
½ cup pesto (you can buy store-bought or make your own)
1 cup bread crumbs
cooking spray

Instructions

Before the dinner party, spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Brush a small amount of pesto on each individual lamb chop. Pour the bread crumbs in a bowl and roll each chop in the bread crumbs. Cover with aluminum foil and put in the fridge.
About 10 minutes before dinner, turn the broiler on high. Cook the chops under the broiler until a nice crust forms (about 4 minutes a side).

For the potato and leek mini gratins, just cut the white part of 2 leeks and 4-5 small, peeled potatoes into thin slices. Pour a small amount of olive oil in each cup of a muffin tray and add a small amount of shredded gruyere cheese. Add a layer of potato, then a layer of leeks, and more gruyere cheese. Repeat these 3 ingredients until the cups are full. Pour 2-3 tablespoons milk over each mini gratin. Cover with foil and place in fridge until ready to make. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, removing the foil halfway through.

To make the roasted tomato and mixed green salad, start by putting 1 pound of cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes at 375 degrees. On a separate baking sheet, roast 1/4 cup of pine nuts for a few minutes until lightly toasted. Once tomatoes are done, take the juices from the tomatoes and pour into a small bowl to make the dressing. Put the tomatoes aside to cool. Add 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar, 3 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil, and a pinch of sugar and salt to the tomato juices in the bowl. Whisk together. Place mixed greens in a large salad bowl. Right before dinner is served, add the roasted tomatoes, pine nuts, feta cheese, and dressing and mix the salad together.

Source: Adapted from Domino magazine, October 2008

What do you like to serve for an easy dinner party?

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on April 26, 2012

I made chicken piccata for dinner last night and I remembered why it is one of my favorite dinners to make. It’s fairly easy to have all the ingredients prepped and ready to go, and then make it in 10-15 minutes once it’s dinner time. The flavor in the sauce is incredible! I like to serve it with egg noodles and roasted asparagus on one large platter. We could have eaten it all last night, but I saved some leftovers for my lunch today.

Chicken Piccata

Recipe type: Entree

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: 3

Ingredients

1 lb chicken tenderloins (or slice up a large chicken breast into thick strips)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup chicken stock
¼ cup brined capers, drained
¼ cup dry white wine (may be omitted)
2-3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 1 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate.
Add the lemon juice, stock, capers, and white wine to the pain. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk until melted and incorporated. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley. Serve with egg noodles on the same platter to soak up some of the excess sauce.

Source: Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on April 21, 2012

While I was visiting my parent’s house this past week, my mother and I shared a few dinners together while my father was out-of-town. She had created this recipe for a delicious vegetable pasta dish and I was excited to have a meatless pasta night since my husband prefers low-carb, high-protein dinners. She came up with this recipe to use up a few things in her fridge one night and I think the results were great. It’s very spring-like and a simple dish to pull together…just add a glass of white wine and it’s an instant girls’ night!

Girls' Night Pasta

Recipe type: Entree

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 9 mins

Total time: 19 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

6 oz. linguine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1-2 cups sweet baby lettuce, roughly chopped
1 cup tomato, diced and seeded
kosher salt, to taste
6-8 basil leaves, cut chiffonade-style

Instructions

Heat pot of water to boil. Add salt and pasta when the water is boiling. Stir occasionally and cook for 8-9 minutes. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water.
Place the hot pasta in a large bowl. Stir in butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus enough of the reserved pasta water to moisten. Toss in baby lettuces and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with basil.

What sort of meal do you like to make for girls’ night?

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on April 2, 2012

As I was scrolling through Pinterest yesterday, I came across a few pins for meal plan menus from once a month mom. They are a series of menu plans that allow you to cook a whole month of meals in one day to store in your freezer. I once went to a “meal assembly” franchise like Dream Dinners, My Girlfriend’s Kitchen, and Let’s Dish, but I don’t really need or want to pay the mark-up to have someone else prep all the ingredients for me. There are six different menus available each month- traditional, whole foods, diet, vegetarian, gluten/dairy-free, and baby food. I am going to attempt to make the diet freezer menu this week as we are back in diet-mode in our house and it looks pretty delicious!

I am heading to the grocery store this afternoon to stock up on ingredients with the pre-made grocery list for the meal plan. I love how everything is linked up in Excel…so fun to see Excel being put to good use outside of financial spreadsheets. Along with the printable grocery list, there are recipe cards for each meal, instructions with detailed steps on how to cook all the meals in one day, and my favorite item- printable labels for freezer bags with heating instructions and nutritional information.

After I’m done cooking, I should have 6-10 breakfasts, 8 lunches, and 16 dinner for two people. While this is not enough for an entire month of meals, the plan takes into account that you will periodically be getting take-out, eating out, or preparing a meal fresh that night. You can however make enough for the full month if you double the recipes accordingly.

I am hoping to get the prep work done tonight (it’s recommended that you do the chopping and a small amount of prep work the night before.) I’m not sure I will be able to do the full day of cooking in one day as Baby T requires a lot of attention and would be jumping off my kitchen table if I left him unchecked all day. I’m also slightly concerned about the amount of freezer space I have, but I think I can make a lot more room with some organization and removing the ice gel packs that are taking up about a quarter of the space. I am hoping this will make evenings less of scramble to get baby fed and dinner on the table.

I am hoping to make the baby/toddler menu once we use up our current stockpile of baby meals in the freezer.

Have you ever made a huge amount of meals in one day? What was your strategy in planning all the meals?

This post is linked at:

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on February 10, 2012

You may have heard of Engagment Chicken or Jeffrey’s Roast Chicken, but you have not tried roast chicken until you have tried my Sunday Chicken. This recipe makes a great chicken and it also produces two bonus items- roasted garlic and crunchy bread croutons. The garlic and bread soak up the pan juices and are so addictive! If you are pulling your weekend menu together, put this one on the agenda for Sunday evening.

Sunday Chicken

Ingredients:
-1 chicken (3 1/2 pounds)
-6 thyme sprigs
-3 rosemary sprigs
-1/2 tsp kosher salt
-1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
-40 garlic cloves (approximately 2 heads)- loose paper discarded, but not fully peeled
-1 loaf of crusty bread, cut into approximately 1 inch squares

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Prepare chicken by removing giblets and neck from chicken. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Gently separate skin from meat on chicken breast and place 1 thyme sprig and 1 rosemary sprig under skin of each breast half. Place remaining sprigs inside cavity of chicken. Sprinkle salt and pepper on outside of chicken. Fold wing tips under back of chicken so wings stay in place. Using a piece of kitchen twine, tie chicken legs together. Place chicken breast side up on a roasting pan with a roast rack.

Roast chicken for 40 minutes. Add garlic cloves and bread squares to pan and roast about 30-40 minutes longer. Chicken is done when the juices run clear and when a meat thermometer registers 175-180 degrees inserted in the thickest part of the thigh.

Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let it sit out for 10 minutes before carving. You can serve the roasted garlic and crusty bread croutons on the side or mix it into a simple mixed greens salad.

-m

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on February 2, 2012

One of the more frustrating things about cooking is having little odds and ends of extra ingredients that are leftover from other recipes. However, it’s a great feeling when you can take all those extras and whip them up into their own little recipe. Certain types of recipes are great at using up whatever ingredients you have around- stir-fries, soups, and one of my favorites- quiche. I had a bunch of extra ingredients from the past week of cooking taking up room in my fridge: leftover pie crust, green onions, a few slices of bacon, and two types of shredded cheese. Along with a few staples I usually have on hand (eggs, milk, and half & half), I came up with this quiche recipe.

Bacon & Green Onion Quiche

Ingredients:
-1 refrigerated pie crust (half of a 15-oz package)
-4-5 bacon slices, preferably applewood smoked bacon if you can find it
-3 green onions, chopped
-1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
-1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
-4 large eggs
-1/2 cup half & half
-3/4 cup milk
-1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Set the pie crust out and allow to warm up to room temperature. Meanwhile, put the bacon slices on a baking sheet and cook for 12-15 minutes until done. Drain the bacon on paper towels. Crumble the bacon once it has cooled.

Once the pie crust has reached room temperature, unfold and press crust into glass pie dish. Press foil onto the crust and cover with dried beans/rice so it holds it shape. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Remove foil and dried beans/rice. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees.

While the crust is baking, whisk together the eggs. Mix in Monterey Jack cheese, cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, chopped green onions, milk, half & half, and salt. Once crust has baked for the first 10 minutes, pour the egg mixture into the crust. Bake quiche for about 45 minutes (until a knife comes out clean). Let quiche stand 5 minutes before serving.

6 servings

Source: adapted from The Bon Appetit Cookbook: fast easy fresh

What recipes have you pulled together using leftover ingredients?

-m

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on February 1, 2012

Jambalaya is a ridiculously easy weeknight meal that I make once awhile during the winter. It probably doesn’t even warrant a post, but I just wanted to throw the idea out there in case you have never made it before. This recipe uses a box of Zatarains Jambalaya mix, but I like to change a few things up from their recommendation to make it a bit more healthy. Once you are done cutting up the vegetable and meat, you throw it into the rice mix and let it cook. Some days you just need something that easy!

Jambalaya:

Ingredients:
-1 box Zatarains Reduced-Sodium Jambalaya mix
-2 and 1/2 cups water
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-13 oz turkey polska kielbasa links, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
-1 green pepper, diced

Directions:
Mix the water and olive oil in a Dutch Oven. Bring to a boil. Add the Jambalaya mix, kielbasa, and green pepper. Mix well.

Return to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

What are you go-to easy weeknight meals when you don’t feel like spending too much time in the kitchen?

-m

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on December 12, 2011

Every so often on Sunday evenings, Husband M likes to do the cooking for the night. I sometimes get a little nervous about the idea as I don’t like to give up control of my kitchen (and his methods are a bit more messy than mine!) A week or so after Baby T was born, he decided to re-create one of his favorite restaurant meals, Linguine Frutti di Mare. It’s basically pasta with seafood. Husband M prefers his with a lot of garlic (he uses a whole head of garlic) and a lot of seafood (no skimping here.) He decided to make this dish again last night for dinner and took pictures this time.

Linguine Fruitti di Mare

Ingredients:
-Jar of vodka marinara sauce or make your own (see below for our “half-homemade” version)
-12 oz. fresh linguine (you can also used dried pasta if you can’t find fresh)
-5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
-1 small sweet onion, chopped
-8 oz of clams (chopped or whole)
-1/4-1/2 lb scallops
-1/4-1/2 lb calamari, chopped into bite size pieces
-12 large peeled and deveined shrimp

No skimping on seafood or garlic in this house!

Directions
Prepare or heat up the vodka marinara sauce in a saucepan and keep on low heat.

Prepare the fresh pasta according to the package directions. Keep in mind that fresh pasta usually only needs 2-3 minutes of cooking time. Drain and keep warm

In a large skillet, heat up the olive oil on medium high heat and add the garlic and onion. Saute for 3-4 minutes until soft. Meanwhile, have all your seafood prepared (peel and devein shrimp, drain clams if using a jar/can, etc). Pat dry the seafood with a couple of paper towels. Once garlic and onions are soft, throw in all the seafood into the skillet and stir to combine. Cook the seafood mixture for 4-5 minutes until all ingredients are cooked to your desired level.

At this point, place the cooked pasta in a large serving bowl. Add the seafood mixture and heated vodka marinara sauce. Combine all ingredients and serve loudly singing an Italian song about how you just created the best pasta dish around.

Also, if you want to spruce up just a plain jar of marinara sauce, here is our partially homemade version of vodka marinara sauce:

“Half Homemade” Vodka Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:
-25 oz jar of marinara sauce
-3/4 cup of vodka
-1/2 cup heavy cream (room temperature)
-salt and pepper
-1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:
In a large saucepan, combine the marinara sauce and vodka. Cook over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring every so often. Once the sauce has been slightly reduced, add cream, salt, pepper, and parmesan. Stir together and serve.

-m

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on December 1, 2011

No…not us! I was referring to the two different turkeys we made for Thanksgiving this year, but we have been a bit fowl (teehee) for not posting in so long! The M family has recently moved to the burbs and it’s been a crazy few months of packing, unpacking, and settling into our new place with Baby T. I think I was also on the sidelines deciding whether or not I wanted to continue this blog, but I’ve suddenly been motivated to get going again as we approach our two year anniversary of the 2 Sisters 2 Cities blog! (It doesn’t hurt that Husband M also decided to write most of this blog entry to get me going…)

We hosted our first Thanksgiving in our new home this year with my parents and all 3 sisters making the trip to the Boston area (including Sister K!) A few years ago, we had purchased a turkey fryer to keep a large batch of gumbo warm for a football tailgate. It had sat sadly in storage for many years. This year, we decided to bring it out for a battle of the two turkeys…fried vs. roasted! Here is Husband M’s rendition of the fried turkey tale:

Frying a turkey for Thanksgiving was something we had always wanted to do because we heard how good fried turkey tastes. We had been somewhat cautious after hearing how dangerous this can be, as some serious accidents and fires have occurred as a result of improper turkey frying (search the internet for turkey frying.) However, after following directions properly and using caution, we are happy to report that our fried turkey was a great success. We had one slight distraction- an unexpected and ironic guest, which we will discuss in a minute.

Ingredients:
1) One small to medium-size turkey, depending on pot size (we used 11 lbs).
2) Some type of dry spice rub to put on the turkey before frying (we used Paula Deen’s version found here)
3) Peanut oil (we bought a large vat at Costco)

Anyone doing this should consult the proper instructions that come with the proper equipment, but here is a description of the steps we undertook that lead to a successful outcome

-Using proper equipment and being located outside, at least twenty feet from any structure.
-Filling the oil only partially (measuring displacement with water first). You don’t want hot oil overflowing out of your pot and on to the flame- this will cause an explosion.
-Not letting the oil temperature exceed 350 degrees.
-Making sure the turkey was completely thawed and dry. This required four full days of defrosting. This is a key step as throwing a frozen turkey in boiling oil will result in a fiery explosion (see results of internet search mentioned above).
-Turning the heat off while placing the turkey in the pot. This way, if the oil were to boil over due to a mistake made in one of the points above, the overflowing oil would not fall on a hot flame and ignite.
-Letting the turkey fry for approximately 3.5 minutes per pound.

Again, these are just an illustrative description and not a complete set of instructions. This is a potentially dangerous process, and anyone looking to fry their own turkey should follow the full instructions that come with the equipment and/or speak with their local fire department. We are not responsible if you melt your face off or burn your house down.

The result was a fast cooking time and a tender bird with great taste. It was not oily at all, contrary to what one might think. I guess the oil just seals in all the moisture.

Here is a picture of our guest….look carefully. A wild turkey ran by our yard while we were cooking our turkey. Perhaps he is thankful he is not in that pot.

Our new house has a lot of turkey visitors…we all found it very funny that they decided to show up as soon as we started frying up his cousin from Butterball County. Sorry bird!

Here’s a final pic of the fried turkey…yum!:

We also did a basic roast turkey just in case Husband M botched up the friend turkey, ergh, I mean in case we wanted more turkey. We used this recipe in this year’s Cooking Light. My mom brought the gravy so we did not make the version in the recipe. We also used a Reynolds oven bag to cook the turkey in to seal in the moisture. Here’s a picture of me with the two finished birds sitting side by side:

The final verdict: we loved both of them! The skin on the fried turkey was amazing, but the oven bag really helped keep the roasted turkey moist. It may be a tale of two turkeys every year for Thanksgiving going forward.

-m