Dinner for the BIG Game

Dean is a Colts fan, so you can guess how we are spending our Sunday night! Watching the the BIG game and he is hoping for a BIG Colts win! I am cheering for the Saints, you can imagine the banter going on in this house right now.

Today was nice a relaxing at home. I spent the morning working out, made steel cut oats with mashed banana and peanut butter, and got organized for the week. Nothing beats waking up knowing you don't anything on the schedule and you and do what ever you want!

I had a bit indulgent eating this afternoon including a small slice of lemon bar and some chocolate chips. Dean and I usually spend Sunday grocery shopping and making some food for the week. Today was not that kind of day. When dinner rolled around I had to come up with something that we had in the kitchen. I bought some organic chicken breast of Friday and figured I would pan fry them with a little Panko bread crumb coating and some mixed herb greens salad.

Here is how I prepared the chicken (since all the salad required was some mixing with balsamic vinaigrette!)

Ingredients
* 2 Chicken Breast, boneless and skinless
* 3/4 c. flour
* 1 egg, beaten and mixed with some water
* 1 c. Panko bread crumbs, pulverized in a mixer
* 1 1/2 c. grapeseed oil

Pound your chicken breast out with a kitchen mallet to about 3/4" to 1/2" thick. This might be my favorite part of the dish because if you are feeling any stress, you can hit it out! Make sure you cover your board with plastic wrap and the top of the chicken with plastic wrap to ensure your breasts peel off the board with ease.

Season the breasts with salt and cracked black pepper. Dredge the breasts in flour and then to the egg wash. Once the chicken is completely covered in the egg wash, transfer to the dish with the Panko bread crumbs.

Mean while, in a fry pan head the grapeseed oil on medium high heat. You will know your heat is ready when you can see a slight smoke in the pan.

Once your chicken are coated with the Panko and you pan is hot, put the chicken in the pan and cook for about 3 - 5 minutes each size, depending on your thickness. When they are finished, transfer to a paper towel lined plate and allow to cool slightly and the excess oil to come off. Enjoy!



My dinner was fantastic! I enjoyed with a little glass of sparking pomegranate juice! The balsamic vinaigrette salad with the chicken was simply delightful. Dessert was The Ultimate Cookie with a cup of tea. Maybe it was 2 cookies because they were so yummy hot out of the oven, will make sure to work out extra hard in the morning!

A Note on Panko: I use Panko bread crumbs in these types of dishes because they crisp up nicely and don't absorb much oil. The flakes are much lighter than your traditional bread crumbs. I have been cutting out most gluten from my diet, and don't feel as bloated from these crumbs. I find when you grind the flakes to an even smaller size, the coating sticks even better!

Lemon Bars...a work in progress

During the winter months, nothing beats the freshness of citrus flavors. Reminding you of the sun's warm heat beating down in your skin, working-out outside, and the longer days. Since Dean isn't the biggest fan of chocolate, and well it is one of my Achilles heals of eat, I thought I would satisfy my sweet tooth with some Lemon Bars. And when I am looking for a recipe, I always look to the one and only Barefoot Contessa (as you will notice in my blogs, I am kinda obsessed with her and everything she does!)

My search for the perfect Lemon Bar recipe lead me to foodnetwork.com! And of course, I took the Barefoot Contessa's Lemon Bar recipe to test my tiny kitchen!

So here is the recipe with my own tips and tricks.

I started by bringing all my cold ingredients to room temperature. I don't own any electric mixer at the time being, so I rely on my own strength and a whisk!

I turned the oven on to preheat to 350 and then started the crust.

For the crust:
* 2 sticks of butter
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 2 cups flour

I mixed all of the ingredients in a bowl. Once they started to mix together, I poured the crust into a 9" x 13" glass baking dish. And pressed it down to form a flat surface. The recipe says you should chill the dough back down. Now usually I skip this step, however, this time I didn't! And did it make a difference. My crust was light and flaky when it was complete! More on that to come later.

While the crust was baking for 15 - 20 minutes, I mixed together the ingredients for the lemon filling layer together.

For the filling:
* 6 eggs at room temperature
* 3 cups sugar
* 3 tablespoons zested lemons (about 6 - 7 depending on the size of your lemons)
* 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (I have a trick to make this easier)
* 1 cup flour
* Confectioners' sugar, for dusting when cool!

After the crust finished baking in the oven, you have to let it cool before you pour in the filling. So I mixed all the wet ingredients together and let sit while I waited. This is a something I wouldn't do again. Next time, I am going to make the filling right before I pour on the crust and put back in the oven!

Once your filling is complete, pour on top of the crust and bake for 25 - 30 minutes, or until it is set. My oven temperture seems to be off these days (see last post for more details) so my filling cooked and formed a slight 'skin' on top. I wasn't too thrilled with the results, but the flavor was there! I think there a couple reasons I had a 'skin' form, like making the filling too early and allowing it to rest. Not going to do that next time.



Well, I def indulged last night and had a slice topped with some fresh blueberries (Ah-MAZ-ING). You can tell I had a slight larger serving, but I didn't eat sugar the entire month of January, a girl has got to indulge sometimes! And Lent is just around the corner and there is going to be no more sugar again (more on that to come later)! Can you see where I went a little OCD with the peeling the 'skin' off the lemon bars? I was so bummed about this! Last time I made them (which was a couple years ago) I don't remeber that happening!

My work-out this morning made them worth it! Plus feeding the doormen in my building with treats keeps them happy :)

Roasted Chicken Dinner

So, this week I have been taking comfort in cooking organic, nutritrious foods. Work has thrown a couple curve balls my way and I usually stress out and eat anything and everything in sight! Well, that isn't happening in 2010. I am too informed about what is good for me. I have too much knowledge about what works and what definitely doesn't work (like a cupcake a day, but a girl can dream!)

This past Tuesday's dinner was Roasted Chicken (adapted from Ina Garten's Engagement Chicken), Roasted Cauliflower, and quinoa. I don't just make any roasted chicken. I always start my chicken with a brine. The mission of a brine started years ago when I was living at home after college. My mom and I spent the winter testing various spices, slats, sugars to get the perfect brine recipe. I have a few I love, French Provencal Brine, Italian Herbs Brine, and Moroccan Spices Brine.

This week's brine was a Moroccan Spice Brine. I put my whole bird in the brine and then off to work! After leaving the chicken to bathe for 8 hours, I patted it dry and stuffed it with a garlic head and lemons. Now pulling from Barefoot Contessa's recipe, I sliced Spanish Onions to place in the roasting pan. Well these onions were the ripest I have chopped in a long time. Evidence: my tissues filled with all my eye make-up!



The chicken was placed in to its' roasting pan and surrounded by the bed of onions and some lemon slices and then into the oven! I roast my chicken around 425 degrees for about an 1 or so (however, I have decided I need to head to the hardware store and purchase an oven gage, I don't think my temp is so accurate these days...tomorrow's outing!) The chicken skin cooked a little too much, but the meat was juicy and flavorful!



Then it was on to the cauliflower roasting. I chopped a whole head, drizzled with a little olive oil and into the oven for 30 mins (at the same temp of the chicken) When it comes out, sprinkle with capers, red pepper flakes, and capers. This recipe is from on of my favorite cookbooks Two Dudes, One Pan. Thanks mom for introducing it to me!



Meanwhile, the quinoa cooked on the stove top in organic chicken stock. Gotta incorporate those super foods into our diets! It was Dean's first experience with the whole grain. I don't think it was his favorite, but going to keep trying! Can you blame a girl for trying?!

The complete meal was delicious and satisfying. My spin on healthy comfort food!

So here goes nothing

I am not really sure what the direction of this blog is going to take me, or if anyone is going to read what I have to say. But I do know I have a unique point of view and am going to share my life here. A couple things about me. I have red hair, am in my mid-twenties (OMG that is so weird to type), living with my main squeeze in a box in the sky, working as a marketing maven (at this point in my life), and volunteer my time to the causes I believe in and support!

I am simply in love with food. Anything to do with food and cooking. I am fascinated by how our bodies process the nourishment we eat. Eating naturally is becoming a passion. I started out 2010 with a goal to change the way I feel about my body. In order to do this, I have started incorporating more organic produce and meats into my diet. I feel so much better and have so much more energy. I haven't jumped all the way on the clean diet, but slowly working on cutting out dairy and sugars (ok, not all sugars, just not nearly as much as I was consuming!). To say the least, nothing beats coming home and cooking an amazing healthy balanced meal! And I love to bake a sweet treat to satisfy my HUGE sweet tooth!

Learning about how other cultures live, in particularly, eat is also a passion of mine. It all started when I was living in Italy almost 6 years ago. Another part of my 2010 goal is to become more educated about the way other cultures live and eat. And I mean read book, online articles, and anything else I can find to absorb this information. We can all learn a lot from people around the world.

Working out is a major part of my life. Nothing beats waking up at 5:30 in the morning and hitting the gym for some cardio and weight work. The energy you feel when you are done gets your body going for the day! The early morning hours are the perfect time to clear your mind and thoughts getting you ready to tackle what is thrown your way. (I dislike when people say 'whatever is thrown your way' because let's be honest, some days are just harder than others!).

Interior design and decorating are other activities I love. I feel like I am constantly defining my style and taste. But one thing I know for sure is I LOVE antiques and treasure hunting for that perfect picture from an estate sale. There is something about the hunt for that next item to fill your home and make it feel more complete, homey. It is the excitement of the deal found or that one plate that is missing from the wall! I simply can't get enough of the rush you feel when you find your treasure.

That is just a little about me...I already think I know what tomorrow night's post is going to be about! Hopefully a little more focused!