Sweet, Sweet Valentine's Day!

I traveled back to Roswell to spend time with my mother and make delicious sweets!

Oh! They're so cute!

 They're also cute on this plate!

 And they're cute over here...

 And singularly!

Recipe coming soon! Enjoy!

Sopa de Pollo

Actually craving it as I write...
For some reason, the flavors of Mexico are soothing to me. I know the reason. My mother, whilst I was in the midst of her belly, ate a plethora of foods, from none other than the neighborhood Mexican restaurant. Now, maybe I'm stretching the truth a bit here when I say that it was a weekly outing for her, but I do know that once I was out of said womb, it was a weekly ritual to join friends at Cazadores on Friday night.

I know some of you cringe at the thought of American-Mexican food, and I concur that the state of Mexican food in this country is unjustly represented, but hear me out. My sister just LOVES the queso. It is always a perfect, unassuming bowl of cheese dip they fling on the table just scalding hot from the microwave, but it is also more than that. Then there's the Child's Plate No. 3 (my childhood favorite): a cheese quesadilla with bean instead of rice, please. But it's more than that. Then there's Carnitas...no longer on the menu, but always a GREAT standby. But it's more than that. Chile Verde, favorite meal to share with Dad. Taco salad, on lighter days. Nachos Supreme when I was in my prime. And chicken soup.

Little Sopa de Pollo, over there on the bottom of the left hand side of the menu, I see you. I see how (yet again) unassuming and simple you are. But ah! here is the perk of being a Regular. A perfect meal, but it's more than that. Those dishes really bring me back to childhood and the nostalgic reality of life. I try to go to Cazadores every time I'm home, but sometimes I don't make it. On my last trip, we ordered ToGo and I was about to leave to come back to my apartment. I got chicken soup. I was lost in my thoughts while I hastily gobbled down chunks of chicken and avocado. The perfect meal after an 8 hour car ride when you want something light. The perfect way to lift your spirits on a cold winter day. The perfect accompaniment to a long, sickly day spent on the couch. Why can't I make this? It felt like an epiphany. I mean sure, I can make a MEAN carnita and all the enchiladas in the world but THIS? Of course, it is REALLY REALLY simple.

Sopa de Pollo

shredded chicken from 2 cooked chicken breasts or meat from a rotisserie chicken

one-two boxes low sodium chicken broth

cooked brown rice (1-1.5c uncooked)

Pico de Gallo (make your own by FINELY chopping 2:2:1:1 onions:tomatoes:jalepeno:cilantro)

1-2 avocado, depending on taste

limes

chopped green pepper (my addition)

1. Cook brown rice according to the instructions on the package. Shred chicken into bite-sized pieces. Heat up in a saucepan with the chicken broth. 

2. Meanwhile, chop all your veggies. Slice the limes for juicing. Squeeze some lime on avocado so it doesn't brown.

3. When the broth is heated, scoop a bit of rice in your bowl, then some chicken and broth, then add all other ingredients. Squeeze fresh lime on top.

Great with a cheese quesadilla on the side.

Enjoy!

Pork Gyoza

For those of you who have never been to the wonderful land of Dim Sum, I pity you. You may not know, but you've missed out on the most wonderful food of your life. Don't fret, I'm here to help
I've only made gyoza (dumplings) on a handful of occasions, but that's enough times to know how to make them correctly and incorrectly.
Now you might be wondering, "Aren't pot stickers really difficult to master?" I will answer No. Maybe your first 25 dumplings wont look the greatest, but they will taste delicious!

Asian food is to me as Soul Food is to the south. It's what I crave, it's what I want on a perfectly rainy Sunday afternoon, and it's the only thing I want when I'm sick.

Now, you might look at the recipe and freak out at the list of ingredients, but honestly, you'll love these SO MUCH that you'll want to make them all the time. Those ingredients like Fish Sauce, Rice wine Vinegar (probably the most useful ingredient you'll have to buy for this) and Sesame Oil will probably not get used as frequently as you wish, but you should try to experiment with them. I use Sesame Oil on numerous things to finish them off.  Maybe add it to your favorite marinade for a new twist...

Pork Gyoza/Dumplings/Pot stickers

somewhere between 1/2 and whole pound of ground pork (as lean as you can find)

(For a vegetarian option, use sauteed cabbage)

sauteed spinach, finely chopped and squeezed in a paper towel to get out extra moisture

2 green onions

thumb-sized piece of ginger

2-3 garlic cloves minced and mashed

Few dashes of Fish Sauce

2 tsp sugar

2Tbls soy sauce

1 tsp rice vine vinegar

round wonton wrappers

Dipping Sauce

soy sauce

sesame oil

rice wine vinegar

1. Get out the wonton wrappers to thaw (if they are the frozen kind). Start by finely chopping all veggies and grating the ginger on a micro plane. Mix all ingredients into the pork and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.

2. Set up a workstation with a cutting board in front of you, the bowl of pork near your working hand, and get a small bowl of water for your fingers. Unwrap the wrappers and lay a damp paper towel on top.

3. Start with one wrapper in your hand and with the other hand, grab a very small (about a small teaspoon size, you might want to measure first to get the feel) amount of pork mixture. Place it into the center of the wonton wrapper. With the same hand that grabbed the pork, dab your finger into the water and run it around all the edges of the wonton wrapper, making sure every part is moistened. Then bring together two opposite edges of the wrapper, pressing to seal. Starting on the right side, bring the front part of the wrapper towards the center, making a pleat, and press to seal. You should have room for about two-three pleats before you get to the corners. When I get to the corners, I push the very end in towards the center and press to seal. Repeat on the other side. While making these, since you are taking more wrapper from the front side, your dumpling will start to shape like a half-moon. Keep working till you run out of pork and/or pot stickers.

4. Heat a large, flat skillet on medium and spray with good amount of oil. Place filled dumplings onto the  hot pan and cook until the bottoms turn brown (you can lift them up to peek). Then add about a 1/4-1/3 cup water to the pan and cover quickly with a lid. Steam pot stickers until they are cooked through and most of the water is cooked off. (Note: the wrappers may look transparent when cooked completely) You might have to try one to see!  :]

5. For the sauce, start with about 1/3 c soy sauce, drizzle in 1 tsp sesame oil and 1 tsp rice wine vinegar. Garnish sauce with chopped green onions.

ENJOY!

The College Cook, An Entrepreneur

It's never enough to just love to cook. It helps if you love to give. That way, both parties benefit. But why not reap more benefits? Say we throw money into the situation...

Vanilla Roasted Pears

While looking at my favorite place to find recipes, Smittenkitchen.com, I stumbled upon these roasted pears. And can I just tell you that they are such a wonderful dessert if you are watching your figure. (and even if you aren't!) They are so easy to make and would be great for a large dinner party.

This works for ripe pears and under ripe pears alike. Maybe it is better if the pears a slightly under ripe so they hold up to the baking, but I've had fine results either way. These pears would be AWESOME dolloped with whipped cream or with a serving of vanilla icecream. mmmm...hot pears and cold vanilla icecream!

Vanilla Roasted Pears

2-4 pears, depending on the serving size and amount of people

2 Tbls fresh lemon juice

2Tbls water

1 tsp vanilla extract

1-2 Tbls brown sugar or splenda

2 Tbls unsalted butter

1. Preheat oven to 375. Peel and core pears, also removing the stems from the inside (you can leave some outside stems for decoration.) Squeeze lemon, add water and stir in splenda (not brown sugar, if using) and vanilla.

2. Pour this mixture over pears, coating every crevice. If using brown sugar, add on top of the pears (cut side up) after they are coated with the liquid.

3. Dot with equal pieces of  butter. Cook for 30 minutes on each side, every fifteen minutes or so baste with the liquid that runs off of the pears.

Enjoy!

Tilapia with Spinach Salad

It's nice to switch it up a bit, especially if "switching it up" means buying fish instead of chicken and beef. There's really not much else to say about this dish besides it's deliciousness...

So my favorite part about this dish is how the flavors all work together. First of all, spinach and cranberries were a match made in heaven! Secondly, and most importantly, goat cheese goes perfectly well with a light, mellow fish such as tilapia. I once saw on a show, and have made it myself, tilapia with goat cheese pucks, where both were breaded and pan fried then served on a bed of spinach. YUM!

 

Yesterday I found myself at Your Dekalb Farmer's Market in North Decatur and I had the most spectacular time! They had large tanks packed with live tilapia and catfish and blue crabs. BUT I didn't want to reach my hand in and grab a whole fish (they don't let you do that anyways) and there was a long line at the fish counter so I grabbed some at Publix on the way home. 

Tilapia with Spinach Salad

1-2 Tilapia filets

1/2 c flour (I used whole-wheat of course) seasoned with salt and pepper

3-4 Tbls veg oil

baby spinach

handful of walnuts (toasted) and craisins

1-2 oz goat cheese

Newman's Own Oil and Vinegar Dressing

1. Heat oil in a large skillet. Combine flour with salt and pepper on a plate. Run the filets under water and shake off excess. Coat with flour on the plate. 

2. Once the skillet it hot, cook the tilapia for about 4-5 minutes on each side (depending on the thickness). While it is cooking, mix together the salad. Break up small chunks of goat cheese on top or mix in.

3. Take out fish, sprinkle with more salt (if desired) and serve on top or along side the salad.

Enjoy!

Winter Waldorf Salad

Ever had a craving for a really yummy salad? Well, I'm sure this salad will be the one you crave and your new favorite! It's fairly easy (especially if you have leftover chicken). So the supermarkets are now packed with pears! They are such a glorious fall treat. Here's a helpful hint on picking out pears: with any pear with a thin skin (most except Bosc) feel for a slight give, but don't bruise them. It's best to buy them a couple to a few days in advance, depending on how ripe they are in the grocery store. Secondly, since Bosc pears have a tougher skin, they wont ''give'' as much when you press on them. Also, I have found that if I wait until they do "give," they are too ripe. [Stay tuned for a  Bosc pear recipe!]

Also, my favorite salad dressing is used. Newman's Own Oil and Vinegar is so delish and its very simple.  

And can I just say something else? I LOVE fruit, especially craisins in salad because it gives you that sweet bite that is so unexpected, but OH SO GOOD! All of the different textures in this salad make it a delight to eat: crispness of apples, smoothness of pears, tender chicken, chewy and succulent cherries and craisins, and crunchy walnuts.

Winter Waldorf Salad

1 roasted or leftover chicken breast

1 peeled and diced apple

1 peeled and diced pear

handful of each: dried cherries, craisins, walnuts

little bit of Lemon Juice

Newman's Own Oil and Vinegar (or whatever dressing you like)

spinach and/or any greens you want

1. Start out by toasting the walnuts on a dry pan and set aside.

2. Chop chicken, dice the apple and pear and add to mixing bowl. Add the cherries, craisins and walnuts. 

3. Take a small piece of lemon and squeeze it over the ingredients and stir so all the fruit is evenly coated with lemon juice. Then add dressing to taste.

4. Serve over dressed greens. Makes 2-3 Servings.