What's cookin'?

August means my herbs are full grown and lots of fresh veggies from the farmers market so we're having some fresh favorites this week.

• Sunday
  Lobsterfest - See the detail two posts down (with a glamour shot of our three clawed friends)
• Monday
  Grilled chicken marinated in a puree of fresh basil, a hot green chile, garlic, scallion, sherry vinegar, EVOO, salt and pepper
  Served with spicy saffron rice and grilled yellow and green zucchini
• Tuesday
  Chipotle grilled pork chops, fresh corn on the cob and couscous
• Wednesday
  Chicken with garlic and white wine over angel hair
• Thursday
  Take-out - we're going to see Eddie Vedder live...!
• Friday
  Steaks! Filet mignon to be exact. Sides are still being determined but I found a recipe for cannelini beans with bacon and swiss chard that I might just have a go at. I'll post mroe on this meal later in the week.

Leftover Banana Makeover

Two quickly ripening leftover bananas led me to look for something new to make. I typically make Banana Bran muffins but was in the mood for a change. I found this recipe on Epicurious... Moist and very easy to make!

Banana coconut muffins

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 45 min
Makes 8-10.
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 very ripe bananas, mashed (3/4 cup)
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Chopped walnuts (optional)

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Line muffin cups with liners.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together bananas, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and 1/2 cup coconut in a large bowl until combined well, then fold in flour mixture until flour is just moistened. Stir in walnuts.
Divide batter among lined muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup coconut. Bake until muffins are puffed and golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer muffins to a rack and cool slightly.

Who says three's a crowd?

For some reason lobsters are now cheaper per pound than deli meat. So tonight was lobster night at our house. The lobsters were a bit small so I got 2 for Jeff (he ate every bite!). Served with sweet corn fresh from the farmer's market, an arugula salad with fresh mozzarella and aged balsamic vinegar, artisan French bread and a Rosemary potato galette. De-lish!

To cook lobsters, bring an inch and a half to two inches af water to boil in a large pot. Put the lobsters in - head first! Cover the pot and let them steam - 13 minutes for the first pound and one additional minute for each pound after. Perfect every time!

At this price, we may have to have lobster more often!

My first Daring Bakers Challenge: Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream

My first Daring Bakers Challenge was certainly just that. A recipe more than 4 pages in length and 6 hours in the kitchen. Although the bigger challenge may have been sharing this delicious cake. I did dole out portions to my sister and her husband, my boss, my parents (who conveniently forgot to deliver an extra slice to my brother... a mistake or perhaps more cake for Dad???). The rest was for me and my husband and we certainly enjoyed.

3 layers of a filbert based cake layered with praline buttercream and smothered in rich bittersweet chocolate ganache. Every inch of it from scratch. My kitchen has not looked such a mess in a long time!

Here's the cake fresh out of the oven. It was then sliced into 3 layers each topped with praline buttercream. MMM!

After smothering it with ganache, I let it sit for awhile in the fridge before trying my hand at piping. Try piping buttercream when it's 100 degrees outside. A very challenging endeavor indeed! The final product came out tasty, even if I need to work on my decorating skills.

Not a crumb remains (nor a dollop of buttercream, nor a drip of ganache...)

I eagerly await my next challenge. Come back next month for more pictures and adventures.

Yucatecan Chicken with Roasted Fresh Chile Salsa

A few years ago for Christmas, my sister gave me Rick Bayless's Mexican Everyday. I've tried a number of the slow-cook recipes, but this is the first grilling one. I marinated the chicken in the morning so all I had to do when I got home was grill it, boil some corn on the cob and make some rice.


For the Yucatecan Garlic Spice marinade:
1 head garlic, broken into individual cloves
1/3 c. olive oil
6 Tbsp. cider vinegar
Pinch of ground cloves
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. kosher salt


4 Chicken breast halves, skin and bones intact
1 cup chicken broth

For the salsa:
4 oz. fresh hot green chiles
4 garlic cloves, peeled
juice of 1/2 lime (about 2 Tbsp)
Salt, to taste


Make the marinade:

• Cut slits in the sides of each garlic clove. Place in a microwaveable bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Cool until you can handle and then slip off the papery husks. Drop them one at a time into a running blender or food processor, letting each get chopped before adding the next. Stop the machine and add the rest of the marinade ingredients and process until smooth.
• Pour half the marinade over the chicken, rubbing it all over. Cover and marinate for several hours. Refrigerate remaining marinade until ready to cook.

Make the salsa:

• Preheat broiler.
• Slice the chiles in half lengthwise, discarding the stems.
• Arrange in a small baking sheet skin side up and toss the garlic among them.
• Broil until the skins start to bubble and turn dark.
• Puree the chiles and garlic in a blender of food processor, adding the lime juice and 1/4 c. water.
• NOTE: Mine was SO HOT I had to add a roasted green bell pepper and 1/2 tsp sugar and we like hot food. I bought my chiles at the Scotch Plains Farmers Market. Who would have known such hot chiles grew in the Garden State!

Cook the chicken:

• Heat the grill and grill according to your taste. We did them on high, 5 minutes per side, then turn the heat to medium and cooked another 5 a side.
• While the chicken is grilling, combine the remaining marinade and chicken broth in a pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes and keep warm.
• Drizzle a spoonful or two of the chicken broth mixture over the cooked chicken.
• Serve with salsa

Polish fest!

Although I'm mostly Irish, my grandfather on my dad's side was Polish so we always ate Polish food growing up. One of the easiest and most typical Polish dinners is Kielbasa - Serve it with Sauerkraut and fresh pierogi!

In NJ, there are several areas with high Polish populations. If you're looking for great kielbasa, forget the big brands you find in the supermarket. Instead try to find a local Polish deli or meat market. We love Pulaski meats in Linden. We throw it on the grill til it starts to char and then have it with a little brown or yellow mustard.

For the pierogi, I like to use Mom's method - brown a little chopped onion in a pat of butter in a skillet, then add the pierogi and turn them tey get just a little bit golden on the outside.

This week's menu

I'll be adding some recipes this week so check back if something sounds tasty!

• Sunday
  Vietnamese beef with crispy potatoes
• Monday
  Polish fest! Kielbasa, sauerkraut, potato cheese pierogi!
• Tuesday
  A new recipe - Grilled chicken with Yucatecan spices and roasted green chile salsa
• Wednesday
  Leftover Vietnamese beef - I made lots!
• Thursday
  Pasta night! Angel hair with shrimp, feta and fresh tomatoes
• Friday
  Going out or going to Mom's for filet!