Chicken with Mushrooms & Asparagus

I don’t eat a lot of red meat, ok I really rarely do so we have our fair share of chicken, fish & seafood on our table most nights. Chicken is one of those ingredients that’s always in the fridge but can be so unappealing until you mix it with really tasty things. Chicken is really a blank canvas so I try to be inspired when approaching chicken dinners. Last night I made this, chicken with mushrooms & asparagus. The sauce is creamy but not heavy & the asparagus still has a little bite to it so everything isn’t complete mush. I served it with rice but I think it would go great over pasta, mashed potatoes or just with some crusty bread.  It was surprisingly easy to make & I only used one pot to cook it (plus one more for the rice).

How do you cook your chicken when you want to change things up?

Simple Rice Pudding

In case you haven’t been watching the news because you live a warm sunny area & have been spending any of your free time outside & at the beach - it’s blizzarding in the northeast… again. Since I hit the grocery store on Sunday, our fridge & pantry were fully stocked & I headed straight home after work as opposed to standing on line to pick up some basics at the super market.

Fortunately, I stock up on basic things on a regular basis. For all those that don’t - this a practice I’ve adapted to in the past few years - so don’t worry if you’re not there yet.  Not too long ago I used the word “pantry” very loosely, as I used a bookshelf to store food in my 500 square foot little Italy apartment (man, that was a great apartment!). Said pantry also housed our silverware & other paper goods. Did I mention that it was actually a “street treasure” that I found on the side of the road & carried home with my sister - yeah I did & it was great.  Now that I’m (ahem) an adult, we have a pantry & it is built into the kitchen & I didn’t have to go out & hunt for it so now I try my best to keep it stocked.

Some easy things to stock up on are rice, quinoa, pastas, canned beans, raisins & other baking needs that don’t need to be refrigerated. I used some of these basics to whip up some rice pudding for dessert last night using this recipe. So grab some basics (milk, eggs, rice, raisins) on your next super market trip & try this recipe next time you are snowed in your house.

Cuban-Style Shrimp in Enchilado Sauce

The cookbook, The Food of Latin America: Gran Cocina Latina by Marciel E. Presilla has become a fast favorite for me. Not only is it written by the chef of two of my favorite restaurants in Hoboken (Zafra & Cucharamama) but it’s about 5 inches thick with recipes & stories & just the know-how of a seasoned Latin chef.  Growing up we ate mostly Italian or American Italian dishes with other random cuisines that my mom experimented with - but in the 80s & 90s that really translated into stir-fry in the wok. Since then I feel like I’ve had the absolute privilege to try many different worldly cuisines & Cuban is easily at the top of the list.  So when I got my hands on this cookbook (thanks for the great Christmas gift Chris!) I had to cook from it immediately.

The first recipe that I tried was the Cuban-Style Shrimp inn Enchilado Sauce but I had to ad-lib a bit because I refused to go out into the polar vortex.  I have to say it is one of the most flavorful dishes I have ever made & even with my substitutions.

And then the absolute best part was that Chris helped me prep. (Most of the time I resume my position as “queen of the kitchen” & kick Chris out & do my thing.)  It’s so fun to cook with your loved ones because then you all have added something to the dish & that’s what i think makes it taste the best!


PS: Happy Birthday to my long time bestie, Kara! I love you lady! & happiest birthday to one of my NYC soulmates, Natalie! xx

How-To Make Fluffy White Rice

I have a confession to make, until this weekend I never cooked white rice properly.  Yeah & I can't make hard boiled eggs. Laugh it up because now I can do both!

I don't know about you but when I was in college I used to make rice in a bag. You'd stick it in a bowl of water & nuke it in the microwave for a five minutes & you had some form of rice that with enough butter made for a great dinner.  Those days are past.  Up until recently I made rice by burning the bottom layer & serving from only the top. Pathetic. I know.

I figured it was time to learn how to make rice properly, even though, yes as my sister-in-law Marie pointed out the directions are on the bag.  For some reason those directions just didn't work for me, but these did & still do!

One of the key things I've always missed are rinsing the rice - it makes a huge difference so that it doesn't stick & clump together.  The other important step I always skipped was letting it rest so that the liquid can redistribute after you take it off the heat.  How could I have survived this long without knowing these simple steps to perfect rice?

Keep reading if you need some pointers, I've shared them with you so you too can have perfect rice & if you already know how - points for you :) What do you want to learn how to make? Maybe I can shed some light.

Saffron Rice with Carrots & Spinach

I really owe my rice skills to the cuban rice recipe I'm always talking about.  Lately, I seem to be a little short on specific ingredients for certain recipes so I find myself improvising.  This is my rendition of a saffron rice with carrots & spinach based on my favorite rice recipe.

What's your favorite rice reicpe?

Get the full recipe after the jump!

P dot S: Happy birthday to my gorgeous friend, Dawnie! I love you!

Cuban Shrimp

This past weekend was pretty low key. On Saturday night we dinned on some Cuban beans, yellow rice & shrimp.  Check out my recipe for shrimp that I came up with via a combo of recipes I found.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled & deveined (we leave our tails on but take them off completely if you like)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (or more to taste)
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Make it:

1. In a large pan on top of the stove, heat the oil over medium-high heat, and sauté the onions for 3 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients except the shrimp & parsley, cover the pot, turn the heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes.
3. Add the shrimp, cover, and cook over low heat for 6-8 minutes until shrimp are just cooked through.
4. Turn off heat and set aside until ready to serve with hot rice & top with chopped parsley.