Mango-Ginger Kabobs

So it's a Monday night and you have want something interesting to start the week off with. This dish was inspired by the end of summer and wanting to taste the tropics. Nothing is easier than sticking meat and veggies on a stick so I went ape and decided I wanted to make my chicken kabobs with mango somehow. So read up and if you're feeling inspired and in a chopping mood give it a try!

Mango-Ginger Chicken Kabobs w/ mango salsa

Marinade/Sauce
1 large mango peeled and seeded
1-2 inch long piece of fresh peeled Ginger
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp Honey
1/2 teaspoon habenero pepper(more if you're feeling brave)

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend till smooth. Set aside.

Kabobs
1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
Salt
Mango-Ginger Marinade
1/2 Red Bell Pepper cut into big chunks
1/2 yellow onion cut into half and peel off layers
1/2 zucchini cut into big chunks
wooden skewers

Directions
Cut chicken into medium bite sized chunks. Season lightly with salt. Place into a large zip-lock bag and cover with 3/4 of the marinade. Let marinate in refrigerator for at least to 4 hours and up to a day. Reserve the remaining marinade in blender in the refrigerator to be used later as dipping sauce.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place foil on the length of a large cookie sheet. Prepare you veggies right before assembling make sure all of them are of equal size to ensure even cooking.  Using at least 6-8 skewers averaging 4 pieces of meat per stick assemble your kabobs. Start with one piece of chicken, one chunk of onion, one chunk of red bell pepper, and one chunk of the zucchini repeat until at least 4 pieces of chicken are on the stick. Place kabob on lined cookie sheet and repeat until done. Bake kabobs for 15 minutes. Adjust oven to Broil on Hi and let broil for up to 3 to  minutes watching carefully so not to burn.

Remove kabobs and serve with mango salsa(recipe to follow) and remaining mango-ginger marinade.  

Mango Salsa
1 Large ripe Mango peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/4 cup on red onion diced
1 ripe vined tomato diced and seeded
2 tsp lime juice
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp honey

Directions:

Combine all ingredients  in  a medium sized bowl. Set aside until ready to serve.

Vodka!

So got a bottle of Vodka hanging around? Pull that bad boy out and jazz up a delicious pasta dish. A few easy steps and you have yourself an elegant pasta dish all will love..pair it up with  a side of grilled zucchini, and the salmon recipe!

PENNE ALLA VODKA

Ingredients

• 1 quart store-bought marinara sauce, blended until smooth
• 1 cup vodka
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 pound penne(whole wheat to bump of the nutritional value)

Directions

Simmer the tomato sauce and vodka in a heavy large skillet over low heat until the mixture reduces by 1/4, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Stir the cream into the tomato and vodka sauce. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and well blended.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and transfer it to the pan with the sauce, and toss to coat. Garnish with Italian flat-leaf parsley.

GRILLED ZUCCHINI

1 medium sized zucchini, sliced  1/4 inch diagonally 

2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 garlic clove, chopped finely

Salt and pepper

Preheat a stove top grill pan lightly coating with a drizzle of olive oil over medium high-heat. After slicing zucchini toss with 2 tsp olive oil, chopped garlic and a light sprinkle approx 1/2 tsp  salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Place zucchini pieces in pan and grill on each side for about 3 to 4 minutes until grill marks appear on each side. Remove and serve immediately.

Simple and Delicious

So I went to the market yesterday and purchased a beautiful salmon fillet. I said to my self...hmmm how can I play with this a little and aha! Use herbs!!I decided on a fragrant bouquet of Rosemary, Sage and Thyme. The recipe below lays it all out for you.

Ingredients

• 1 fillet salmon, skin-on, between 1 to 2-pounds
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 to 3 bunches fresh rosemary sprigs, sage, thyme, plus more for garnish
• Lemon or orange slices

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Using small fish tweezers remove pin bones from the length of the salmon and discard.

Place salmon skin side down on tin foil in a large roasting pan and season with a tablespoon of butter, salt and pepper. Place the sprigs of rosemary, sage, thyme and lemon slices over the salmon so that they are overlapping and form a tent over the salmon. Wrap each salmon in the tin foil and roast for 30-40 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.

Remove the salmon from the oven and bring to a well ventilated outdoor area. Light the oven dried rosemary on fire over the salmon. Let the ash fall over the salmon leaving streaks of concentrated rosemary flavor.

Using a large fish spatula, remove the side of salmon from the roasting pan and place on a platter. Garnish with sprigs of fresh rosemary and lemon wedges.

Strata!!

So you have bread, eggs, sausage, cheese...why not through all those together to make a creamy cheesy soufflelike dream?!  I was bored with eating these ingredients separately so decided to try a recipe out of a book given to me as wedding gift called, "The Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook" by Mary Corpening Barber & Sara Corpening Whiteford.  Please give it a try and you'll fall in love with this for a Saturday brunch  idea.

Sausage and Cheddar Cheese Strata

Serves 8 to 10

1 1/2 Pounds Ground Breakfast Sausage(12 oz hot, 12 oz regular)
4 eggs beaten
2 1/2  Cups Half-and-Half
1 Teaspoon Dried Sage
3/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
6 Potato Bread or other soft white Bread Slices Crusts Removed
2 cups(6oz) Grated Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Chives, Flat-Leaf Parsley, Or Green Onion, Both white and green parts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-by-2 baking dish.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Put the sausage in the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is thoroughly browned, 5 to 7 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, sage, kosher salt, and pepper in a  medium bowl.  Layer the bread in the prepared baking dish and top with the sausage.  Pour the egg mixture over the sausage and top with the cheese.  Bake until the strata is set in the middle, about 30 minutes.  Do not overcook. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Garnish with the chives just before serving.

Make it Special: French Toast

Today was a rather leisurely morning and so I decided to take advantage of it for me and my love.  French Toast is one of his favorites so I decided to take a little extra time and keep it simple but scrumptious.  I began with the syrup. Cinnamon Syrup.  I then used a patisserie Italian bread that I sliced to medium thickness and de-crusted. Italian bread you say! Yep that's right any good white bread will do the trick. This came out so decadent and can go a long way to make your loved ones feel special even on a regular day...

The syrup is as follows:

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup dark packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp Heavy cream
1/4 tsp cinnamon

In heavy saucepan heat water and sugar until boiling, stirring consistently until sugar is dissolved about ten minutes.  Remove from heat whisk in heavy cream and cinnamon. Set aside and warm up just before serving.

French Toast

6 to 8 Slices of Medium thickness any bakery white bread you like
3 eggs
1/3 cup Heavy cream
1/3 cup whole milk
1/4 sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter


Slice bread to medium thickness about about 1 and a1/2 inches thick; remove and discard the crusts. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl(except butter). Using a large non-stick griddle or skillet melt 1 Tbsp of the butter coating evenly over medium heat. Coat 3 slices of the bread in the custard mixture letting it absorb into the bread. Place onto griddle and let cook on each side for about 4 minutes until golden brown and slightly firm. Place French toast on baking sheet in oven to keep warm. Coat remaining bread, cook in remaining butter and keep warm until all the bread is finished finished.  Serve immediately with warm cinnamon syrup.

Yeilds approx 2 servings.

Burger Night...Make it Delicious!

So there are those random nights when you just want a dirty burger right? So why not shake things up a bit with a few simple ingredients.  What I did tonight was just regular chuck seasoned it up with salt, fresh cracked black pepper, garlic powder and a little of Emril Essence Creole seasoning. To make it special create a flavored mayo to put on your toasted buns! Tonight the stars of the show was fresh rosemary sprigs and garlic mixed in with some Hellman's mayonnaise....I can't express what a difference it made! Just trust me.  On the side make some homemade fries with whatever potatoes you have on hand. For some freshness I did some raw carrot sticks and topped my burger with sharp cheddar, crisp bacon, lettuce, tomato and pan seared onions! If you're gonna be bad I say do it with a twist. Happy eating.

Curry Anyone?

MMMMM Curried Chicken!  I get all excited just thinking about the smell of it cooking. I'm going to let you guys join me on the foolery journey of improvisation that led me to this delicious meal. So the challenge here was budget which meant using what I had in my pantry and a poor quality curry powder that needed some kick.  As a disclaimer All spice is not a traditional curry ingredient but hey it's what I had!

4 whole Chicken Thighs or Breasts(Diced into manageable pieces)

Season with:

2 tsp Salt

1/2 Habenero Pepper

1 Tbs White vinegar

2 garlic cloves minced

1 tsp garlic powder

3 tsp dried cilantro leaves

3 turns olive oil in a large skillet

Sauce:

1 whole yellow onion diced

3 garlic cloves minced

1/2 Habenero pepper

4 tbs tomato paste

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp all spice

4 to 5 tbsp of curry powder 

Juice of one lime

3 tbsp peach preserves

2 cups chicken broth

3 cups water

2 medium Russet  potatoes, peeled and quartered

salt and pepper to taste

Begin by seasoning the chicken with salt, the peppers, fresh and powdered garlic, cilantro leaves and believe it or not vinegar for acidity. Sear them in pre-heated olive oil in a huge non stick pan(medium high heat). Remove the chicken pieces and add diced onions, cook until just translucent. Add fresh garlic then tomato paste for richness and brightness in the sauce. Add spices and peach preserves and melt it all down in chicken broth and lime juice stirring to help it along.  Let that concoction boil for about 4 minutes.  Add water and boil for another 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Return golden chicken pieces back to the sauce and finish in the oven preheated at 300 degrees. After 15 minuets add peeled and quartered russet potatoes covering in the sauce and let cook until they are tender.  The flavor was rich, intense sweet and spicy. Serve over rice with fried ripe plantains.

My First Greens Experience

So here's the thing. I'm not American. Therefore I have never made greens....I have to admit I was a little intimidated because yes it seems a simple dish but if it's not right it would be terrible!  I was going to a group event and was requested to make these green leaves. There was only one thing for me to do: Investigate!  I asked every American friend I knew what they did to make it taste good. I got all kinds of things, chicken broth, smoked turkey wings, salted/smoked pork belly, creole seasonings, turnip greens, kale, mixed...cook'em to death!  I do know from my palette that pork was the way to go(nevermind that healthy business) combined with the chicken broth. I also decided to used mixed greens because I liked the idea of getting different textures and flavors going. I love to layer flavor and heat and so of course white vinegar and hot sauce were essential along with creole seasonings.  After hours and I do mean HOURS of cooking I achieved such a harmonious, delicious, smoky and spicy dish that I was pressed to get feedback.  They were a hit and I was SO relieved. So too all my foodie friends who  helped make this a success thank you!