Steak Chili

Recipe # 25: Steak Chili

We've had a very long winter this year, so I've been making lots of soups and stews to keep us warm. Matt always requests chili, and this time I decided to mix it up a bit and use steak instead of ground beef.

My only confusion with this recipe was the ingredient of "chili starter." I hadn't heard of this and couldn't find it in the grocery store, so I added a can of chili beans in sauce and a packet of chili seasoning. Whatever I did worked, because it turned out really good! I ate mine over Fritos with cheese, because I didn't feel like being healthy (do I ever?). Matt just ate his plain, and raved about it all week.

Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Recipe #8: Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

When making this tasty recipe, I failed to read the text at the top: "Each baking dish serves four; bake one tonight, and freeze the other for a ready-made dinner later on. When ready to cook, bake it straight from the freezer."

So, I ended up with TWO casserole dishes of pasta. Luckily, Matt and I both enjoyed this meal, because we'll be eating it as leftovers in our lunches all week long... Er, *I* will be eating it; Matt will be traveling on business and likely eating steak and lobster for all of his meals. I should have frozen one to bake later, but thanks to Costco, I didn't have room in my freezer. Hey, I needed that box of frozen cookie dough!

The only change I made to this recipe was that I used three chicken breasts instead of two, and shredded it instead of slicing it. The cheeses and Paula Deen-like quantity of butter (6 tablespoons!) in the sauce made it very rich, but the addition of the tomatoes added some tartness. Matt doesn't like mushrooms, so I cut them up very small and didn't tell him they were in this recipe, and he didn't even notice. I think he likes mushrooms and just doesn't know it. If I made this again, I would add some salt to the sauce, because it definitely needed it!

We ate ours alongside some steamed green beans.

Golden Gate Grilled Cheese

Recipe # 4:  Golden Gate Grilled Cheese

One of my favorite foods is grilled cheese. Actually, I love any combination of a carb + cheese: grilled cheese, nachos, quesoadillas, macaroni and cheese, potatoes au gratin, cheese fries, etc. I'm sort of a health freak.

So, when I saw this recipe I was naturally drawn to it. It is the illegitimate lovechild of two of my favorite foods, french toast and grilled cheese, with some recessive genes of turkey and avocado thrown in. Back when I first heard of  Monte Cristo Sandwiches, I have been dying to try one. It's basically a ham and cheese sandwich dipped in an egg batter (like french toast), then fried.

This sandwich was love at first bite. It has several of my favorite ingredients: sourdough, avocados, cheese, turkey and of course, butter. Matt gobbled up his sandwich before mine was even out of the pan, proclaiming that it deserved 9 out of 10 stars--a high rating from him.

The parmesan crust was very salty, but the nuttiness of the avocado balanced out the flavor. The only change I made was the addition of some red onions.

Next time, I'm going to add a strip (or three) of bacon. My only tip for this recipe is to use fresh parmesan; the crust has a starring role in this sandwich, and the stuff in the green canister just won't cut it. I got mine at Harmon's, a local grocery store here in Utah, which has an amazing selection of cheeses.

I recommend serving it with a bowl of tomato soup or a nice spinach salad.

Gnocchi Mac n' Cheese and Panko breaded Chicken Strips

Recipes #1 and #2:  Gnocchi Mac n' Cheese and Panko breaded Chicken Strips

This past weekend I broke one of my own cooking rules*--I made some substitutions in a first-time recipe. I partially blame my local grocery store for not carrying a variety of cheeses (their most exotic cheese was monterey jack), but it was really my own fault because I was too lazy to drive to another store.

So, my first home-cooked meal of 2010 was Panko Chicken Strips and Gnocchi Mac n' Cheese.

It's the grown-up version of chicken nuggets and that nasty blue boxed crap Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. The aforementioned substitution was the cheese in the Gnocchi Mac n' Cheese; I had to use cheddar instead of the decadent Gruyere and Fontina. I also used chicken strips instead of nuggets, because I wanted to make myself feel like I was making a meal for an adult, not a toddler.

The verdict? While it definitely wasn't the fanciest meal, Matt and I agreed that it was pretty tasty. The gnocchi was a lot fluffier than macaroni, and the sauce was really rich. The gnocchi, which I bought pre-made, is made of potatoes, so I expected it to be really dense and sort of like potatoes au gratin, but they were very soft and surprisingly noodle-like.

The chicken was good, but not amazing. It is a good generic chicken tender/nugget recipe, but it might disappoint someone who wants more spice or something out of the ordinary, and they definitely needed some salt. The panko breading is a lot crunchier than your normal breadcrumbs, and the buttermilk made it very tender (I think? Or maybe something else made them tender?), but if I made this again I would use my mom's famous "meat rub" as the seasoning.

Now that I think about it, I probably should have made some sort of vegetable to balance out my fatty meal. But, since this is my first recipe post, you can cut me some slack. Comfort food is definitely needed every once in a while (or more often).

So, 2 recipes down, 98 to go! Here's hoping my cooking and photography skills improve!


*In case you were wondering, here are my cooking rules (subject to change as I learn more or get lazier):
1. Always pour yourself a glass of water (or other drink of choice) before you start cooking. It gets hot in the kitchen and you'll likely get thirsty after sampling your creation. I usually put a straw in my beverage so I don't have to touch my glass with messy hands.
2. Never try out a new recipe on guests, unless your guest is your 24-year-old brother. In that case, he'll eat anything.
3. When trying a new recipe, always follow it exactly (or as close as you can) the first time. You can tweak things and make substitutions the next time you make it.
4. Have a backup plan, and improvise if necessary. Your cake that stuck to the pan and came out in chunks? It's now a trifle.
5. Read the recipe all of the way through before you start. You don't want any surprises.
6. Wear an apron, even if you're just making some Rice Krispy treats in the microwave. If you feel fabulous, whatever you're cooking will seem extra-decadent.