i will not be shamed by this

sometimes when i cook i pretend i am hosting a cooking show. rephrase: almost every time i cook i pretend i am hosting a cooking show. i talk to imaginary cameras and give tips to an imaginary audience, even when i'm making grilled cheese. ridiculous? maybe, but when the food network offers me my own show, i'll be ready...

a tour of my kitchen

please forgive my absence, i have been busy preparing to move. again. i do that a lot. i have mixed feelings about this one though, there are some things i will totally miss about this place and there are things i most definitely will not. for example: my tiny kitchen. it's not the world's smallest by any means, there's actually plenty of room to move around, but there is very little cupboard space and even less counter space. this problem is compounded by the fact that i have roommates. plural. so here's my tribute/goodbye to this space and a little insight for you.

see why i'm glad to get out of here?

a fiesta for your fourth

summer is upon us and summer brings all sorts of wonderful things, including weather so hot you cannot imagine wanting to stand inside and cook a meal. so what do we do? we take it outside to the grill. ahhhh, the grill, the most manly cooking accoutrement since we emerged from the cave and stopped consuming raw dinosaur meat. ladies, don't let them fool you, you more than capable of holding your own out there (but if they're willing why not let them do all the work?). we have reached the height of summer, the fourth of july, and that means 2 things: fireworks and hamburgers. yeehaw! two of my very favorite things brought together on one fabulous day. but in a summer filled with grill marks, burgers can be a little mundane. worry no more, my friends, i am about to introduce you to the anti-mundane burger-well, one of them anyway...

fiesta burger with all the fixings

fiesta cheeseburger (and toppings)

1 lb ground beef

3 tbs fajita seasoning (that's 1 1/2 packets of the store bought stuff)

2 bell peppers, sliced (1 used 1 yellow, half a red and half a green, but do your own thing here)

1 small/medium or 1/2 large onion, any variety you like, sliced (use more if you like, less if you don't)

5-7 mushrooms, sliced (optional)

2 tbs oil (vegetable, canola, olive, i'm not picky)

1/4 cup water

sliced tomato, sliced avocado and sliced cheese (i use this great chipotle cheddar i found at winco)

mix 2 tablespoons (1 packet) fajita seasoning, water, and oil in a large ziploc bag, seal and shake to mix. add peppers, onion and mushroom slices, seal and shake again. set aside while you prepare the burger.

add remaining seasoning mix to ground beef and get handsy with it. combine well, but be careful not to over-mix because that will make your burgers dry and tough. form beef into patties (4 to be exact) and let them rest a minute while you tend to the peppers. now, i live in a small apartment, with a small kitchen, and no yard, which means no grill. so i'm using a grill pan and sauteing my vegetables in a large skillet over high heat. if i were grilling for realsies i would pop my veggies into a foil packet (just fold the foil in half and crimp the edges into something resembling an envelope) include the liquid from the baggie, and throw them on the grill while you cook the burgers. speaking over burgers, it's time to throw them on the grill too. i'm gonna go ahead and assume that you know how to proceed from this point and jump to the end. put your now cooked burgers on a bun and top with the cheese, your also finished veggies (they need the same amount of time as your burgers, and need to be flipped once, just like your beef), tomato and avocado. i find that tongs are the best tool for this job. this is not a ketchup and mustard kinda burger, so if you need a condiment stick with mayo-the creaminess can help counteract the heat in the seasonings and such.

chili spiced corn on the cob

4 ears of corn, in the husk

1 stick of butter, softened

1 tbs chili powder

soak the corn in water for 3-5 minutes. leave it in the husk. i know it sounds weird, but this is my favorite way to grill corn. now place your husky, soaked corn directly on the grill for 10-15 minutes. since i don't actually have a grill, i put mine directly on the rack of a 425 degree oven. you'll know the corn is done when you can smell it, or, for you visual people, when you pull the husk back a bit and it looks done. while your corn is cooking, mix up a little chili spiced butter by combined the chili powder and butter. that's really all there is to it. remove the husk, smother your corn with the spiced butter and enjoy.

classic creamy coleslaw

okay, not my recipe (i don't have one) so click the link and use that recipe.

orange/honey glazed chicken

confession: this recipe was invented because i had an orange that wasn't gonna last much longer, but i wasn't in the mood to just eat it. they say necessity is the mother of invention and, in this case, they were right.

orange/honey glazed chicken

2 boneless skinless chicken breast, or 2 lbs chicken tenders
2 oranges
4 tbs honey
1 tbs poppy seeds
1 tbs fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
pinch of salt
pinch of black pepper
zest and juice the oranges into the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish. add honey, poppy seeds, rosemary, salt and pepper. whisk to combine. add chicken, cover with foil and marinate for 15-30 minutes. bake (covered) in a 350 degree oven until chicken is cooked through, about 30-40 minutes (tenders will only need 15-25 min). remove foil and let rest 5 minutes before serving. the sauce will concentrate as it cooks leaving a delicious glaze on the chicken and the rosemary adds a great earthiness to an otherwise sweet glaze.
this glaze also works on pork and is delicious over a whole roasted chicken, although the application is a bit different in that case. look for a post about it in the future, or feel free to e-mail me if you just can't wait :)

a taste of the tropical

we've been hit by a heat wave, and that means i'm feeling tropical. as much as i would like an island vacation, i REALLY can't afford it right now (can anyone?). so, to satisfy my craving for something tropical and delicious.

pina colada chicken and dipping sauce

chicken

1 1/2 lb chicken tenders or boneless skinless chicken breast cut into strips

1 can coconut milk

1/3 cup pineapple juice (i reserve the stuff from a can of pineapple)

pinch of salt
2 cups shredded coconut flake (i like mine sweetened but unsweetened is fine. use what you like)
combine coconut milk, pineapple juice and salt in a deep dish or large plastic bag. add chicken and marinate for 30-45 minutes. remove the chicken and dredge in the coconut flakes. place on a lined cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes, flipping after 8 minutes.

dipping sauce
1 can pineapple (chunks, rings, crushed, anything will work really, you'll just have to do some extra chopping)
1 1/2 tbs corn starch
3 tbs apple cider vinegar (plain old white vinegar will work too)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp soy sauce

drain the pineapple and reserve the juice. add water to pineapple juice to equal 1 cup. whisk cornstarch into juice. pour juice into a skillet or saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. reduce heat to medium-low. add vinegar, brown sugar and salt. remove from heat, add pineapple. (i like a little texture and extra flavor to my sauce. this is where you'll need to chop any extra large pieces of pineapple).
i use this sweet 'n' sour sauce on all sorts of things (pineapple and all). i even add pieces of bell pepper sometimes for a little extra layer of flavor

extra special smothered steak and sides

i don't know about you, but i love a juicy steak every so often. something about a big hunk of meat is so alluring. maybe it's because i'm poor and a good steak is bit of a treat. the thing is, even a special meal can get boring if you make it the same way over and over again. this is my way of making a special meal extra special.

extra special smothered steak with roasted brocolli

steak
keep it simple here, season both sides with salt and pepper and cook to your personal preference. grilled, broiled, pan roasted, however you would usually cook it will work with this recipe, just remember that the sauce is pretty robust so don't overdo it on seasonings and things.

mushrooms
5-8 crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 tbs butter
1-2 sprigs fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
melt butter in saute pan. drop in mushrooms. remember, the mushrooms will only develop  color if they are in contact with the pan so try to keep them in a single layer and don't stir too often. color=flavor, so let it develop! let mushroom cook about 3 minutes, stir and let cook 3 more minutes on the other side. remove from heat and season with thyme leaves, salt and pepper. don't salt until you've finished cooking; salt draws water out of the mushrooms and soggy mushrooms don't develop the color we're looking for here. also, soggy mushrooms just sound gross. smother your steak with these perfectly sauteed, not at all soggy, flavorful mushrooms.

these mushrooms are great for other things too, so don't limit yourself to smothering a steak. they're great on chicken or pork, or on their own as a side dish or snack

creamy bleu cheese sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup bleu cheese, crumbled (any variety will do, just make sure it's something you would eat on it's own)
pepper to taste (the cheese is pretty salty so don't add any until you're sure you need it)
bring heavy cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium high heat. boil 1 minute.  remove from heat and add bleu cheese. stir until well incorporated. spoon over steak and mushrooms.

this sauce is also pretty versatile; chicken, pork, whatever! i've even spooned it over stuffed mushrooms and used it as a dip for vegetables and such.

roasted broccoli
1 lb broccoli florets
2 tbs extra version olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
heat oven to 400 degrees. toss florets in the olive oil, add salt and pepper. spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. roast in oven for about 15 minutes. remove and enjoy!
i LOVE roasted vegetables! they develop a ton of flavor without leaching nutrients. i use this method on everything from broccoli to asparagus to carrots to whatever else you can think of. give it a try next time you're looking for a simple side dish.