Giada's Stuffed Shells

I made something amazing last week.  Really, truly amazing.  The best part?  It was so easy!  This is one of those dishes that's quick and easy enough that it's not intimidating to the average home cook, but it's also sophisticated and delicious enough that I would happily serve it at the snootiest of dinner parties.  Behold, Giada De Laurentiis' Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells with Arrabbiata Sauce. Get. In. My. Belly.

I more or less followed the recipe to a T.  The exceptions were:
1. Murder Kroger didn't have frozen artichokes, so I used the jarred ones.  Just be sure to rinse them since you'll be adding your own flavors.
2. They also did not have pancetta.  Come to think of it, I don't believe I've ever seen pancetta in a regular grocery store...  So, I used bacon.  Sweet, delicious bacoooonnnn...

 A tip and a thought:
1. Do follow directions and cook the shells for only 4-5 minutes.  I imagine a minute longer would ruin the dish and turn your shells to mush.  I also always buy Barilla pastas.
2. Next time I might try beef.  Ground turkey is no better for you than lean ground beef and I tend to think beef has more flavor.  I'd be curious to taste the difference.

It was heavenly and this recipe will be put into regular rotation!

Not a One-Potter

Last Wednesday I had the joy of getting my wisdom teeth removed.  I knew my mom would be bringing me chicken and dumplings to eat during my recovery, so I wanted my last meal before surgery to be something with texture, nutrition, and substance since I'd be on a mush diet for the next week or so.  Honestly, I was also getting a little bored with casseroles and wanted to have a few pots on the stove at the same time for a change.  I decided to make baked lemon chicken with baked potatoes, asparagus, and kale.  I mostly used Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken Breasts recipe found here. The only difference was that Kroger had chicken breasts on the bone on sale and I used those instead.

The best way to make baked potatoes, I've found, is the Alton Brown way.  My mom is an amazing cook, but the joke growing up was that she "doesn't know a damn thing about baked potatoes."  Microwaving them doesn't give them that crisp skin and since they're easy, no one really wants to wait an hour (plus some) to get one out of the oven.  But just do it, ok?  Cook them the Alton way.  I sauteed the asparagus-- salt, pepper, and EVOO.  The kale was cooked down in some chicken broth with salt and pepper.  Simple, quick dinner and I felt good eating it.

I'm happy to report that my surgery was a breeze.  I'm still struggling to eat things with texture, so I'm thinking about some stuffed shells for dinner tonight...

Le Creuset in Caribbean

It's been a crazy week with extra long work hours for me and Jason has been traveling anyways, so there's not been a lot of cooking taking place.  No one wants a post on the chili dogs I made for dinner on Sunday or the joy of $5 Moe's Mondays or the deliciousness that is Cameli's Greek salad.  So remember in my last post when I said, "Pour into your casserole dish (I'll blog about *that* topic later), top with the remaining cheese, and bake at 350 until nice and bubbly"?  Well, here we go!

My love for casseroles truly started this past Christmas when my brother got me this Le Creuset 14 inch oval casserole dish in Caribbean.  I knew Jason liked his food mixed together and topped with cheese and I obliged time after time, but there is something about this dish that makes my heart smile and makes me want to cook stuff to put in it.  I wanted to take a picture of me hugging it and post it for my readers, but it is so rarely empty that I'm afraid I would make a total mess if I tried!

Take a moment to look at the entire line in Caribbean.  I want every single pot, pan, skillet, bowl, casserole, utensil, stockpot, platter, wok, pitcher, kettle, etc. All shapes and sizes, please.  I would line them all up on the counter and sit and stare at them over a glass of wine.  So beautiful!

Here it is housing a homemade peach cobbler I made at 11pm one night because something needed to be in my dish stat!

Another awesome thing about my fabulous casserole dish?  It came in a box labeled "fra-gee-lay!"  It must be Italian!  (If you've never seen A Christmas Story and don't get that quote, shame on you!)

That's me opening it on Christmas morning 2010.

The moral of the story is, a yummy casserole is a yummy casserole.  But a casserole in a truly gorgeous dish that makes your heart smile is something special.  Find your perfect dish and the one pot shots will follow!

Chicken and Orzo

It was time for my weekly one-potter last night.  I'd been craving orzo, probably because over the weekend the bro made Chef John Besh's Silver Queen Corn, Orzo, and Crab Macque Choux (with gluten-free pasta instead of orzo due to his girlfriend's very sad food allergies).  It was so good, but I was left thinking about orzo.  Sweet, tiny, delicious orzo!  Now, I've made my fair share of one-potters with just about every type of pasta since pasta = love.  I've also made my fair share of one-potters with all types of rice since the boyfriend loves rice.  But pasta shaped like rice?! Winning!

I knew I wanted chicken and orzo, but what else would taste good?  I almost always use onions and mushrooms.  Colorful food is important, so for some green I chose little green peas and the red was going to come from tomatoes.  What would hold it together?  I went old school family reunion mushy casserole style and grabbed a can of cream of mushroom soup and lots and lots of delicious Monterey Jack cheese.

TIP #1: As I was tearing apart the rotisserie chicken (aka chicken carcass), the boyfriend asked, "Why do you buy a chicken carcass instead of cooking your own chicken?"  Good question, Jason! You'll see that the chicken was on sale for $3.99.  Not only is that way cheaper, but the work is already done for you!  I mean, Big Brother was coming on at 8 and I didn't get started cooking until 6:30.  Rotisserie chicken usually equals money and time saved!

Step 1: Put a big pot of salted water on to boil while you get all of the chicken off the bone and chop your vegetables

Step 2: Saute the chopped onion in a tablespoon or two of butter or olive oil (I used butter last night) and season with salt, pepper, and whatever else you like.  I put a bit of seasoned salt because I felt like it.  Once the onions are soft and sweaty, add mushrooms and saute until those are soft and sweaty. After that, dump in a little chopped garlic and diced jalapeno for some spice.  Next add the tomatoes until they are warm and then the frozen green peas until they are warm.  Lastly, add the can of cream of mushroom soup and let the flavors meld while your orzo cooks.  Get your oven preheated to 350, too!

TIP #2: I always cook my pasta slightly under the al dente recommendation on the box.  You're going to bake it in the oven for a while and reheat it for leftovers later and the last thing you want is mushy pasta!

Step 3: Drain the pasta and mix it in with the vegetable concoction.  Stir in the chicken.  Add in a few handfuls of Monterey Jack cheese, leaving enough in the bag to top your casserole with.  Pour into your casserole dish (I'll blog about *that* topic later), top with the remaining cheese, and bake at 350 until nice and bubbly!

Since I realize that a big dish of ooey gooey cheesy pasta deliciousness isn't exactly the healthiest of dinners, I always throw together a salad.  Jason and I need our veggies and I always hope that if I eat a giant salad first, my portion of ooey gooey cheesy carby deliciousness will be less than Olive Garden size (it doesn't always work, but hey, I try).

I also roasted some asparagus to serve alongside the chicken and orzo.  Jason's dumb oven only has one rack, so I couldn't put it in the oven like I wanted.  Instead I sauteed it with olive oil, salt, and pepper until nice and tender.  Dinner time!

I think this one pot shot of chicken and orzo was a success.  If I make it again, I think I'll add more tomatoes and Jason requested less onions, but that's a common request of his.  Onions aren't his fav, but I continue to try to sneak them in because they add so much flavor!

Foodie to One Pot Shot

I come from a long line of excellent cooks.  When I first began cooking, I watched Food Network for ideas, printed the recipes I saw, then cooked and devoured them. Rinse, digest, and repeat.  I've tackled everything from Julia Childs' souffles to Bobby Flay's grilled lamb with fig-cascabel sauce and everything in between.  Then life intervenes.  Work days become longer, weekends shorter, and you get a boyfriend who appreciates delicious, fancy food but really just wants something he can dump on a plate and reheat for leftovers throughout the week.  And that, friends, is how this One Pot Shot came to be.

Each week I rack my brain on what I can throw together in one pot for the boyfriend.  I won't leave work until after 5.  I might want to squeeze in a quick workout at the gym.  Then I'll need to run to the store.  How can I get dinner on the plate before my trashy 8pm reality TV starts?  Mix some stuff together, top with cheese, and bake!

I'll keep track of my creations here and share some tips and tricks along the way.  Despite these soccer mom meals I'm still a foodie at heart, so I'm sure there will be some 5 star culinary adventure posts along the way too!