Something Old: Green Apple Chicken Couscous with Honey-Mint Dressing

Whew! Just typing that name made me tired.

Hi food friends! I hope the long name hasn't scared you off yet. This is actually a fairly easy recipe to make, and there are so many delicious flavors dancing together in it. If you want to impress some guests (or your own taste buds), check out this recipe.

Chase and I first made this last year when he was in Norman to visit. It's based on this recipe, but we made a few modifications, which are included in my recipe below. I usually leave out the cider vinegar. I'm not a fan of the flavor of raw vinegar (won't even touch pickles*), but if you like it, by all means leave it in!

Happy cooking!

*I'm constantly expanding my food horizons, but I fear pickles will never make my food map.

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Green Apple Chicken Couscous with Honey-Mint Dressing April 10, 2010

Ingredients

1-1.5 lb chicken tenders

1 cup couscous, cooked according to package directions

2 tsp cumin

salt and pepper to taste

Apple Salad

5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

3 medium Granny Smith apples, cored and diced

⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley

2 Tbsp cider vinegar (optional)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

Yogurt Dressing

1 cup plain yogurt (Greek yogurt is especially tasty)

2 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp chopped fresh mint

Directions

1. Begin cooking couscous according to package directions.

2. For the salad: in large bowl, combine apples, parsley and crumbled bacon.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil and mustard. Pour over the apple mixture, salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.

4. For the chicken: Heat a large skillet to medium-high and coat with cooking spray.

5. Season both sides of the chicken with the cumin, salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the heated skillet and cook through (about 3 minutes per side, depending on thickness).

6. While the chicken is cooking, whisk together yogurt, honey and mint to make the dressing.

7. On a large serving dish, construct your dish: Couscous on bottom, then apple salad, then chicken strips, then topped with the cool yogurt.

8. Serve and enjoy!

A (User)Friendly Blog Update

Hi food friends!

I just wanted to tell you all (y'all) about a little update I've been making to the blog. From now on, I'll include recipe serving sizes in the tags for a post. They'll tell you if a dish serves 2-3, 3-4, 4-5 or 6+. I made these serving sizes conservative, so a recipe that's categorized as Serves3-4 will serve 4 with a few leftovers likely. (No guarantees if you're serving an apartment full of college boys).

You'll also be able to click on any of these serving sizes in the Categories section on the right side of the page, and you'll be taken to recipes that fit that serving size.

Of course, recipes are always adjustable. I just wanted to make the blog a little more user-friendly. Hope you find the change helpful!

As always, happy cooking!

Something Extra: Lemon Drop Cookies

It's time for dessert, food friends!

I might feel a little guilty posting any other family Christmas cookie recipe, but this one only joined the arsenal a few years ago, and since then, Lexie and I have been assigned to making it. It feels more like a sister event than a holiday event, which is neat. Although, now that I'm living away from home, sister events are far between and feel like holidays.

In any case, I thought this simple little cookie would be a great one to share. It's the perfect cookie to have beside tea, or to share with friends for a little party. Or just to make yourself for a tart little treat.

And if you can swing it, this is the perfect recipe to make with your sister, too :)

Happy baking!

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Lemon Drop Cookies

Ingredients

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened

½ cup confectioners sugar

1 egg yolk

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Zest of 1 lemon (optional)

2 ¼ cup flour

Granulated sugar (about 2 Tbsp)

Yellow sugar sprinkles

Parchment paper

Lemon Glaze

½ cup confectioners sugar

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and confectioners sugar.

3. Add the egg yolk, lemon juice and zest and beat until smooth. Add flour and mix until well combined.

4. Form dough into 1 inch balls and set about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets.

5. Dip the bottom of a glass into granulated sugar, then use it to flatten each ball to about a quarter-inch thick.

6. Bake the cookies for about 10-13 minutes, until barely golden. They'll be lightly crackled on top.

7. Transfer to a wire rack or paper towel to cool.

8. While they are cooling, make the glaze. In a small wide bowl, mix together glaze ingredients until smooth and thin. (You may need to add a little extra lemon juice to get to the right consistency).

9. Dip the tops of the cooled cookies into the glaze. The cookies tend to be a bit crumbly, so hold gently. Top the still-wet glaze with yellow sugar sprinkles.

10. After the glaze has hardened, eat and enjoy.

Rolling the cookie balls.

Pressing the cookie spheres into cookie circles.

Out of the oven, golden and crackled.

Carefully dipping the cookies into glaze.

Making them extra pretty.

Happy cooking!

Something New: Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry

That's right! Chinese food!

I mentioned last week that Chase gifted me a wok for Christmas. We've been trying recipes ever since, and have had great success so far. I was quite nervous about trying out a new kitchen gadget, and about making from-scratch stir fry. Never should have worried, though. It's remarkably easy!

Also, fresh ginger may be my new favorite ingredient. Also also, you can buy jasmine rice at the grocery store and it tastes just like steamed white rice from a Chinese restaurant. Awesome discovery!

This recipe is based on a recipe from the cookbook Chase got to accompany the wok. The book suggests that this recipe can also be made in a deep pan. We of course used the wok (and I encourage everyone to get one! They're cheap!), but if you don't have one, you should try this recipe anyway.

Another helpful kitchen tool on this one is a food processor, but don't be afraid to commit to a little hand chopping for this one. It's worth it.

Happy adventurous cooking!

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Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry

Ingredients

1 lb steak, cut into thin strips (I used top round steak)

2 cups broccoli, cut into long thin segments

1 cup carrots, cut to thin strips (optional)

½ cup baby corn, cut to thin strips (optional)

2 Tbsp peanut or vegetable oil (don't use olive oil!)

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 cup sliced onion

½ tsp salt

1 tsp soy sauce

Jasmine rice, prepared according to package directions

Marinade

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp rice wine or sake

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp cumin

¼ tsp pepper

Directions

1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Place the beef in the bowl and toss to cover with marinade.

2. Refrigerate and marinade for about 1 hour. Meanwhile, start cooking the rice.

3. A few minutes before you're ready to stir-fry, blanch the broccoli for about 30 seconds. Drain and set aside.

4. Place the wok over medium-high to high heat. Add 1 Tbsp of the oil to the pan. Stir-fry the garlic, ginger and onion for 1 minute.

5. Add the broccoli and stir-fry for an additional minute. Remove from wok and set aside.

6. Add the last 1 Tbsp of oil to the wok and stir-fry until the beef is almost cooked through.

7. Return the broccoli mixture to the pan. Add carrots, corn, salt and soy sauce and stir-fry until the beef is finished cooking.

8. Serve immediately over rice.

Frying in the flavor. Look at that beautiful patina we got on our wok!

Bright delicious broccoli.

Jasmine rice, my favorite!

Fast frying!

Happy cooking!

Something Old: Tater Tot Casserole

Good morning, food friends!

Hope everyone has had a lovely weekend. Chase and I spent the weekend furniture shopping, and ended up with an awesome new kitchen table. It has drawers in it! And it looks classy.

This recipe is completely unrelated to that story, but it's a great dish. My friend Reneé will attest to that. Every time she makes this dish, she tells me (as far as I know!), and she's told me many times. I grew up with this recipe, although it showed up rarely, probably because my mom's not one for frozen fried foods like tater tots. Chase was a little shocked when we first made this recipe together and I told him it was a recipe from my mom, since he knew I came from a healthy food family. It's not totally unhealthy, though. There are vegetables in it!

Anyway, this recipe is a quick, simple, tasty dish for a dinner or dinner party. Serve with ketchup and you're ready to go.

Happy cooking!

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Tater Tot Casserole June 13, 2010

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

¼ cup chopped onion

1 can corn, drained

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

1 bag of frozen tater tots

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. In a large skillet, brown the beef and onion.

3. Add corn and soup to the skillet and mix.

4. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish. Cover the casserole with frozen tater tots, small side down.

5. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

6. Serve with ketchup and enjoy.

Browning beef and onions together.

Soup and corn in with the beef.

Taters layered on top of the beef mixture.

Baked and ready for eating. Happy cooking!

Something New: Dad's Five-Bean Chili

First new recipe of the year!

My dad concocted this recipe sometime when I was a kid, combining lots of beans for flavor and taking the chocolate idea from the Skyline chili he ate in Cincinnati back in his residency days. It all comes full circle back to Ohio!

Then, while Chase and I were in Oklahoma over Christmas break, we made this recipe for his Mema & Pa and family. I hope this becomes a tradition: last Christmas, Chase and I made soup for his family, too! Food is a happy gift to give.

(To the Bolligs: Sorry it took a couple weeks to get the recipe up!)

This recipe can also be done in a slow cooker. Cook sausage in a large skillet, throw everything into a crock pot, and cook all day on low. Easy as that.

Happy cooking to all!

ps- The recipe for the bread pictured can be found here.

pps- Because this is a bean-heavy chili, it's easily vegetarian. Just skip the pork!

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Dad's Five-Bean Chili

Ingredients

1 lb country-style ground pork sausage

2 32-oz cans diced tomatoes

1 can black beans (16 oz for all beans)

1 can kidney beans

1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

1 can white northern beans

1 can chili beans

1 Tbsp chicken bouillon crystals, or 2 bouillon cubes

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp chili powder

1-2 tsp dried onion flakes

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp garlic powder

2 squares Dove dark chocolate

Shredded cheese

Directions

1. In a large pot, cook sausage through.

2. Add tomatoes, beans and all liquid in cans (Do not drain!) to the pot.

3. Mix in spices.

4. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook uncovered at a simmer for 2 to 3 hours, until thick.

5. Serve topped with shredded cheese.

It took two pots to feed the Bolligs!

The secret weapon: chocolate!

Happy cooking!