Happy Halloween!

We had a party in school today. I brought cupcakes. All you need to jazz up your mini cupcakes are cinnamon candies, marshmallows, and twizzlers.

Spiderweb Pancakes!

I found this recipe for cinnamon roll pancakes which seemed deliciously fall-y and easily adapted into a halloween themed spiderweb pancake! However, we all know that I generally suck at pancake making so they didn't flip that nicely. I do however have a pretty picture of one before I flipped it so you can see the spiderweb pattern. These were good but really too sweet for breakfast....better as a breakfast for dinner night I think. They tasted exactly like a cinnamon roll!

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

(adapted from recipe girl)

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cinnamon Filling:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Glaze:
4 Tablespoons butter
2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl whisk flour, baking powder and salt. Add in milk, oil and egg.
2. In a small bowl mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scoop the filling into a small zip baggie and set aside.
3. In a small bowl heat butter and cream cheese until melted. Whisk together until smooth; whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla extract; set aside.
4. Heat large skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with nonstick spray. Scoop about 3/4 cup batter onto the skillet. Snip the corner of your baggie of filling and squeeze a spiral of the filling onto the top of the pancake. When bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more.
5. When ready to serve, spoon warmed glaze onto the top of each pancake.

Chili Snow

And we've come full circle! Way back in December my first post after moving to Philly was on Turkey Chili and here it is again! We used my original chili recipe as a loose guide but Mr. Lawyer requested spicy so that's what we did! All served up with Cabot Cheddar (I found some Seriously Sharp out in the suburbs....it might last the weekend!) and cornbread. It was the perfect dish for the first snow of the year! It was all blustery, freezing and snowing outside and inside it was nice, toasty and a crockpot of chili was making the place smell heavenly. mmmmm. I love it.

Jenni's Turkey Chili

(from my kitchen!)

Ingredients:
1 pound ground turkey
½ cup chopped onion

3 cloves chopped garlic

2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 can kidney beans
2 cans of chili beans
1 can undrained diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon or so of chili powder

A few dashes of red pepper flakes

Cheddar cheese and cornbread for serving
Directions:
1. Saute up the onion, garlic, and peppers. Add in the turkey, sprinkle with chili pepper and pepper flakes and cook until browned.
2. Throw everything in the crockpot on low and go about your day smelling the deliciousness as you putter around your house.

3. Serve with cheese and bread

Leftovers freeze wonderfully for a chilly (chili!) day pick me up!

Lemongrass Chicken

"In my book, it's a win" so says Mr. Lawyer. It was different, it grew on me, but I'm not itching to make it again. Of course I don't know how I stand on curry powder so I only used 1 teaspoon instead of a tablespoon. I just used one jalapeno instead of 3 chilies and I would increase that, it could have used more spice. It was an interesting combination of salty and sweet. It was fun to branch out and use lemongrass from my garden!

Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken

(adapted form Food and Wine Magazine)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast/thigh, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons cooking oil
2 fresh lemongrass stalks, tender inner white bulbs only, minced
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
3 chilies, seeded and minced
1 scallion for garnishingMethod:
Directions:
1. In a bowl, combine the fish sauce, garlic, curry powder, salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the sugar. Add the chicken meat to coat.
2. In a small skillet, mix the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar with 1 tablespoon of the water and cook over high heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Cook without stirring until a deep amber caramel forms. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of water. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Heat a wok over high heat. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the lemongrass, shallot, and chilies and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the chicken and caramel and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is slightly thickened. Transfer to a bowl and top with the scallion. Serve with steamed white rice.

Family Secret

There are two recipes that I know for sure that I won't post online. Because I'm selfish like that. Family secrets and all that jazz. They are Grandpa Norm's Zucchini Bread and Grandma Nancy's Pickles. I remember waiting with anticipation for zucchini season (my mom often grew her own) just so I could have this bread which only seemed to appear once a year. The zucchini plant would then explode and we had more zucchini than you could shake a stick at so she would freeze grated zucchini in muffin tins (1 cup per muffin spot) for future baking purposes. It seemed like a nice fall day to whip some up. Plus it made the apartment smell amazing.

I don't like nuts in my zucchini bread. I mean, I'll eat it but I don't like it when crunchies interrupt my yummy soft bread.

Zucchini Bread and Dogfish Punkin Ale counts as dinner right?

RIGHT?!?!

Messy Meatballs

Provolone on your leftover meatball sub? Divine. Adds some class to a messy meal as Mr. Lawyer demonstrated.

Special Request!

I had a special dinner request from Mr. Lawyer: Spaghetti and Meatballs. This worked out perfectly as there was some frozen ground beef that I wanted to use up. I try to be diligent with the "first in first out" rule but sometimes cravings strike and this poor little package of beef got left behind months ago. I also write the date on everything and double wrap everything. I get laughed at for it but I'm paranoid about stuff like that. Anyway, it seemed like some Wegmans Meatballs were on the menu! It had been a while since I made them so I was excited.

Wegmans Meatballs

(from my lovely Wegmans!)

Ingredients:
1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
2 large eggs
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano Cheese
2 tsp minced Garlic
2 Tbsp minced fresh Italian parsley
1 tsp Italian Seasoning (or a dash of oregano/basil)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 lb 80% Lean Ground Beef
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
1. Add panko, eggs, water, cheese, garlic, parsley, seasoning, salt, and pepper to large bowl; stir to combine. Add beef; mix by hand until just combined (use the claw! overmixing will toughen meatballs). 

2. Scoop up about 3 Tbsp meat mixture to form balls; smooth by rolling in cupped hands. Arrange meatballs on baking sheet, about 1 1/2-inches apart. 

3. Bake 15-17 min or until internal temp reaches 160 degrees.

I also toasted up some garlic bread and as a little twist I added some finely chopped fresh rosemary to a couple of pieces. It was delicious! You only need a little, too much would be extremely overpowering.

Fridge Leftovers

There was a ton of leftover chicken. There were peppers about to go soft. What's a girl to do? Make Chicken Stuffed Peppers of course! This was pretty good. Not sure if I would make it again although I love the stuffing (heck it's just chicken and cheese, what's not to love!). I guess maybe it was the sauce? Good but a lot of work and I wanted something spicy! Mr. Lawyer broke out some tabasco. But it smelled so delicious and winter-homey while it was simmering. Maybe I need some new chili powder. 

Things I changed: I used bell peppers because that's what I had. Our chicken was already cooked so I just tossed it with some taco seasoning. Of course I changed the cheese. Everyone knows that monterey jack is weakling of cheese, I amped it up with some Cabot Cheddar (no surprise there right?).

Chicken Stuffed Peppers with Enchilada Sauce

(adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 cup water
4 large Anaheim chile peppers
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup diced onion
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons hot chili powder
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 (1 ounce) square bittersweet chocolate, chopped
8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
1. Place the chicken, taco seasoning mix, and water into a resealable plastic zipper bag, seal, and massage the bag with your fingers to mix. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to marinate.
2. Cut the stem and top 1/2 inch from the top of each pepper, and carefully remove the seeds without cutting holes or breaking skin of the peppers. Bring a large pot of water to boil, and immerse the peppers in the boiling water for 3 minutes; cool immediately in a bowl of cold water. Drain the peppers and set aside.
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, cumin, and cinnamon; cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the flour and chili powder, and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken broth, and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and stir in the chocolate until it melts and blends into the sauce. Allow the sauce to gently simmer, stirring occasionally.
4. Drain the marinated chicken breasts, and place into a skillet over medium heat. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink inside, about 10 minutes; remove chicken to a bowl, and set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken meat, and lightly mix in a bowl with Monterey Jack cheese, cream cheese, and cilantro. Stuff each pepper with 1/4 of the chicken mixture, and place on a baking sheet.
5. Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source.
6. Broil the stuffed peppers until blistered and hot, about 4 1/2 minutes per side. Serve with sauce.

Pre-sauce. Look at that golden cheddar. 

Condiment Fish!

Condiments are my weakness. I'm a self proclaimed "dipper". I love my proteins slathered in ketchup and bbq sauce, my salads doused in dressing, my sandwiches sloppy with add ons and it's impossible to have breakfast without maple syrup. In middle school my parents bought me a shirt that said "I put ketchup on my ketchup". The dork and I could easily go through half a bottle of sweet baby rays bbq sauce with a pork tenderloin and I definitely have more cheese than sauce on my pasta.
When we decided to revamp our diets this was a glaringly obvious place to start when it came to examining my own eating habits. Condiments can add on a ton of calories, sugar, sodium and fat. I took a peek in our fridge and the numbers are staggering! (all stats are for one tablespoon...but let's be honest: who actually only uses one tablespoon?!)

Ketchup = 20 calories

Horseradish Sauce = 60 calories!

Light Mayo = 50 calories

Reduced Sodium Soy = 20 calories (but still 19% of your daily sodium!)

Vidalia Poppy Seed Dressing = 55 calories

Sweet Vinegar and Oil Dressing = 35 calories (but 17 grams of sugar!)

Pub Mustard = 30 calories

BBQ Sauce = 35 calories

Parmesan Cheese = 20 calories

Maple Syrup = 50 calories

As a mentioned, there is no way I actually consume one tablespoon of any condiment in a single sitting. Except the soy sauce, I only use that for cooking not for dumping right on to my food as it moves towards my mouth. I decided that this would be a good place to start cutting back. Enter: CONDIMENT FISH!

Condiment Fish can comfortably hold 1 tablespoon of liquid or gelatinous saucy condiment such as ketchup. One must follow the rules when using Condiment Fish, they include but are not limited to, no overfilling or making a skyscraper of sauce, always being able to see his eye and no refills!

So Condiment Fish and I are embarking on a journey to reduce my extreme calorie intake when it comes to covering my food in yummy condiments. Hopefully Condiment Fish will make it more fun because let me tell you, I really wanted more honey roasted bbq sauce (1 tablespoon = 60 calories!) for my chicken tonight...but then I saw Condiment Fish staring at me. He's so judgemental. Damn it. 

Holy Grail of Chicken

Third time is still the charm! I have successfully roasted my third "Perfect Roast Chicken" using my Martha Stewart recipe. I cannot tell you how wonderful (and easy!) this recipe is. The first bite was so juicy and delicious it practically melted in my mouth. Phrases such as "this recipe is so freaking amazing" and other happy eating noises were issued. Mr. Lawyer had thirds and then when I was finishing my salad (I always talk while I eat so it slows me down, plus he inhales his food) he just started going at the poor chicken all caveman style from the serving platter. That good. The downside of the recipe is your house will smell amazing and you'll be ravenous before it's done!
Normally when I re-make a recipe I just link to my previous post but this one is worth completely reposting. I cannot urge you enough, next time you have a roasting chicken give this recipe a shot! Plus it's economical, around ten bucks for the bird and you'll have left overs for days to experiment with.

Perfect Roast Chicken

(Martha Stewart!)

Ingredients:
1 six-pound roasting chicken
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
1 lemon
4 large cloves garlic, peeled
4 sprigs fresh thyme (I used dry this time around)
Directions:
1. Let chicken and 1 tablespoon butter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove and discard the plastic pop-up timer from chicken if there is one. Remove the giblets and excess fat from the chicken cavity. Rinse chicken inside and out under cold running water. Dry chicken thoroughly with paper towels. Tuck the wing tips under the body. Sprinkle the cavity of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, and set aside.
2. In the center of a heavy-duty roasting pan, place onion slices in two rows, touching. Place the palm of your hand on top of lemon and, pressing down, roll lemon back and forth several times. This softens the lemon and allows the juice to flow more freely. Pierce entire surface of lemon with a fork. Using the side of a large knife, gently press on garlic cloves to open slightly. Insert garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and lemon into cavity. Place chicken in pan, on onion slices. Cut about 18 inches of kitchen twine, bring chicken legs forward, cross them, and tie together.
3. Spread the softened butter over entire surface of chicken, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place in the oven, and roast until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and the juices run clear when pierced, about 1.5 hours. When chicken seems done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the breast, then the thigh. The breast temperature should read 180 degrees and the thigh 190 degrees.
4. Remove chicken from oven, and transfer to a cutting board with a well. Let chicken stand 10 to 15 minutes so the juices settle. Untie the legs, and remove and discard garlic, thyme, and lemon. Carve and serve!