Breaded Chicken, Spinach & Pepper Salad

So that pepper kick we've been on lately - the next night we had the same pepper combo with breaded chicken & spinach as a salad. Similar flavors, but why not since we liked the fish the night before & it was easy :)

Ingredients:

• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 poblano pepper, sliced
• 2 chicken breasts, pounded thinly
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 egg for breading
• 4 cups spinach
• olive oil
• lemon juice & olive oil as a light vinaigrette
• salt & pepper for seasoning

Preparation:

I pounded out the chicken thinly and breaded the breasts in egg & panko (with seasoning: salt, pepper, garlic salt, whatever you'd like). I sauteed the veggies in olive oil until soft and moved them to the side of the pan and quickly sauteed the chicken, a couple minutes on each side over medium/high. Then, I sliced the chicken and assembled the salad (tossed the spinach in lemon juice & olive oil as a light vinaigrette) with peppers & onions on top. Nothing fancy, but fresh & fast :)

Orange Roughy & Poblano Peppers

My favorite smell -
onions, garlic & peppers sauteeing away.

We have a Mexican grocery store nearby that sells all sorts of fun colorful peppers. (I've planted some in my garden for summer so we'll see how they turn out.) The store's been a great introduction to inexpensive & unique produce, Mexican cheeses & breads, and I recently bought black corn which we popped on the stove and shaved pecorino over; was yummy. We've been on a pepper kick, so this dish is nothing fancy, but fresh & fast. My new favorite poblano pepper (great in scrambled eggs, skewers, wraps, etc) is popping up everywhere.

Ingredients:

• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 poblano pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
  
• 2 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
  
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 2 orange roughy fillets
• panko bread crumbs
• olive oil
• butter
• salt & pepper
• red pepper flakes
  
  
  
  

Preparation:

I simply sauteed the veggies, garlic & lemon in olive oil (with a few red pepper flakes, salt & pepper) until they were soft. I lightly breaded orange roughy in panko bread crumbs and moved the pepper mix to the side while the fish cooked through on medium, ~ 3 mins on each side of the fillets. Was nice & light. Can you tell we like to pile on the peppers?

Back in the Saddle

Amaretto Bread Pudding with Berries and Bluebell

We're getting settled in our new house and have really enjoyed cooking (despite the 'take & bake' blog post right below this... 'twas delicious, by the way!) This past weekend we had my parents over for dinner and enjoyed crab cakes, marinated flank steak, orzo with roasted veggies and amaretto bread pudding. I didn't really get pictures, but you can see we had a good time :) here are recipes - the flank steak marinade is to die for, really flavorful.

Mom & Dad
(and orzo & flank steak)

Orzo with Roasted Veggies

Ingredients:

• 1 box Barilla orzo (1lb)
• 1 giant red onion
• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled, leave whole
• 2 red bell peppers, diced
• 1 yellow pepper dice
  
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1 cup shredded parmesan
• 1 cup crumbled feta
• olive oil
• sea salt & pepper
  

Preparation:

On a sheet pan, toss onion, garlic cloves, and diced peppers in olive oil, sea salt & pepper. Roast at 400 for ~40 mins, or until desired doneness. Meanwhile, prepare the orzo by boiling & seasoning water. Cook until tender, drain, and drizzle in olive oil. While warm, toss in cheeses and wilt in fresh spinach. Gently mix in roasted veggies, season to taste and serve warm. This pasta is really nice with the sliced flank steak... and is even gets better for leftovers.

Emeril Lagasse's Marinated Flank Steak

Ingredients:

• 1 (2 to 3 pound) flank steak
• 1/2 cup dry Sherry or red wine
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Creole seasoning, recipe follows
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Place the flank steak in a large, plastic resealable bag. In a 2-cup measuring cup combine the remaining ingredients. Pour the marinade mixture into the bag with the steak, seal and marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours in advance.

Preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Remove the steak from the marinade. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer the marinade for 10 minutes. Remove saucepan from the heat and keep warm. Place the steak on the grill and cook to desired doneness, about 6 minutes per side for rare. Transfer the steak to plate and let stand for 5 minutes before carving. Cut the steak across the grain into thin diagonal slices, and serve with the marinade sauce.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

Giada's Amaretto Bread Pudding
*I used cinnamon challah & Sock it to Me cake instead of panettone

Pre-dolled up, right out of the oven

Ingredients:

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup amaretto liqueur
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Bread Pudding:

• 1 (1-pound) loaf panettone bread, crusts trimmed, bread cut into 1-inch cubes (I cubed cinnamon challah and sock it to me cake instead of panettone.)
  
• 8 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• *I toss in a handful of chocolate chips
  

Preparation:

To make the sauce: Bring the cream, milk, and sugar to a boil in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. In a small bowl, mix the amaretto and cornstarch to blend and then whisk into the cream mixture. Simmer over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Set aside and keep warm. (The amaretto sauce can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before serving.)

To make the bread pudding: Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Arrange the bread cubes in the prepared dish. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, milk, and sugar to blend. Pour the custard over the bread cubes, and press the bread cubes gently to submerge. Let stand for 30 minutes, occasionally pressing the bread cubes into the custard mixture. (Recipe can be prepared up to this point 2 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake until the pudding puffs and is set in the center, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Spoon the bread pudding into bowls, drizzle with the warm amaretto sauce, and serve.

Super Suppers

I just had the most quixotic encounter with the wacky chef at lakewood's super suppers. I had no idea this place even existed until we got a free coupon in the mail :) so I stopped by after work and picked up a fabulous King Ranch Chicken dish that's bubbling in my oven as I blog this - yay. Check it out - they're a national concept, so chances are there's one near you, too :)