What I Made for Dinner :: Chicken with Fragrant Rice

I'm a huge fan of one pot meals -- what's not to love when you get a great meal and very little clean-up? So I was immediately intrigued by this recipe that uses the rice cooker to make a complete meal. Oddly enough, this recipe for Chicken with Fragrant Rice is from movie critic Roger Ebert's book, The Pot and How to Use It: The Mystery and Romance of the Rice Cooker. Seriously. Mystery and romance!

The other beauty of this dish is that you can throw in any kind of vegetable you want. I chopped up carrots, baby bell peppers, snow peas, and green onions, but broccoli, green beans, peas, shiitake mushrooms, edamame, etc. would work equally well. I also increased the amount of chicken because I was making this as a main dish.

The thing about this dish is that, even though you cook it in a rice cooker, because of the amount of oil you use, it cooks up more like fried rice ... there was even some crispy rice on the bottom, which I loved about this dish. I'm definitely going to make it again, and it would work just as well as a side dish so it's pretty versatile.

What I Made for Dinner :: Garlicky Pork Ribs and Collard Greens

As part of my intention to do more meal planning, I'm also attempting to take advantage of the weekly supermarket sales and to diversify the foods that we eat. Country-style pork ribs were on sale this week so the meal ended up being pretty economical considering the amount of food we ended up with. Yay!

Today I made Garlicky Pork Ribs with Greens, and I think this was the first time I cooked collard greens. Instead of buying them by the bunch, I purchased two one-pound bags of the prepped greens and that was really easy to use. The greens do wilt down considerably, but it still makes a lot of vegetables. Luckily, since the kids also like kale, they didn't have any qualms about eating the greens. 

[It turns out two pounds of collard greens takes up a lot of room in the roasting pan!]

This is a good dish to make when you have company because it's pretty easy to make, the ingredients aren't hard to come by, and it makes a lot of food. 

What I Ate for Lunch :: Wildwood Kitchen

[Wagyu Beef Burger with White Cheddar, Mushrooms, and Mustard Aioli

served with fingerling potatoes]

We shared the Grilled Octopus with Pipperade and Red Wine Vinaigrette as an appetizer.

Wildwood Kitchen

10223 Old Georgetown Road

Bethesda, MD 20814

(301) 571-1700

What I Made for Dinner :: Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken and RoastedAsparagus with Miso Dressing

I'm really embracing the slow cooker lately, even when I don't have to be out of the house during the day. It used to be that I only pulled the slow cooker out when I knew I couldn't cook dinner in the evening, but why should I limit its usefulness? By using the slow cooker, I get my act together in the morning, prep the food, and then have the rest of the day to myself. It's a win, win!

Tonight's dinner of Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken was a hit with everyone, especially the Husband. I normally don't use chicken breast (I like the flavor -- and price -- of dark meat) but since this recipe calls for bone-in breast, it's not as expensive as getting just breast meat or chicken tenders. (And pulling the skin off of bone-in chicken breast is so much easier than deboning the darn things!). I used four chicken breasts, which meant some of the chicken wasn't entire submerged in the liquid. I moved the chicken around part-way through the cooking time so they would get even flavoring and coloring. 

I didn't use all of the sauce like the Notes section suggests -- it would've been too saucy, I think. Next time I just won't make so much so I don't have to waste ingredients making the sauce. I reduced the slow cooker liquid a bit before adding the cornstarch, and I enjoyed having the onion bits in there. And don't skimp on the sesame seeds and green onions.

To accompany the chicken and rice, I used the recipe for Miso Roasted Scallions and roasted asparagus instead. Unfortunately, I over-roasted the very thin asparagus and they came out like fries. But the dressing is easy to make and quite tasty; it would definitely work with other roasted vegetables. 

What I Made for Dinner :: Corned Beef and Colcannon

Happy St. Patrick's Day! For whatever reason, I grew up eating corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's day, even though my mother came to the United States from Japan in her early 30s and has no connection to Irish-American culture. So, to this day, I find myself buying corned beef in mid-March out of habit.

This year, I got the corned beef at Trader Joe's and I think I'm going to have to rethink that next year. It's expensive and the cut of beef doesn't have enough fat on it for my liking. I guess I could try curing my own corned beef someday but I wouldn't hold your breath if I were you.

I cooked the beef and vegetables in the slow cooker using a recipe (which I now can't find) that called for adding beer to the simmering liquid. Again, I'm going to have to rethink this one. The use of Guinness changed the flavor, and since I'm not a beer drinker, I didn't enjoy it that much. 

What I really enjoyed was the Colcannon I made as an accompaniment. It's a buttery, greeny Irish mashed potato. I cooked the potatoes in the slow cooker with the corned beef instead of boiling them as usual. I was hoping to impart additional flavor to the potatoes, which it did ... Guinness flavor. There was a slight bitterness to them that wasn't 100% awesome, but it was still quite good. In addition to the cabbage I added kale for extra green and vitamins.  

What I Made for Dinner :: Kotopoulo me Dendrolivano (Rosemary Chicken)

This Greek recipe for Kotopoulo me Dendrolivano (Rosemary Chicken) is so good and easy! All I have to say is, "You gotta make it!"

Trader Joe's didn't have reasonably priced leg quarters so I used just chicken legs. Between the four of us, we ate 12 legs! The pan sauce is really good, and thickens up just right because the chicken is floured before pan-frying and braising. The squirt of lemon juice at the end brightens up the sauce nicely.

I made Crispy Kale, Brussels Sprouts, and Potato Hash as a side dish, minus the eggs since we already had a protein. Not only is this dish tasty, but it smells so good when you're making it. The caramelizing Brussels sprouts have a wonderfully appetizing scent. Yummy, yummy!

What I Made for Dinner :: Lebanese Red Lentil Soup

 

 

This turned out to be a delightful meal, albeit a hodge-podge mix of food. The Husband's jaw was bothering him so he requested soup, and I wasn't in the mood for my usual chicken soup. Even though I was pretty sure the kids wouldn't like it, I opted to make Slow Cooker Lebanese Red Lentil Soup, accompanied by Crispy Sesame Green Bean Fries and the new Trader Joe's Shrimp Nuggets.

The soup was fantastic! The kids even liked it ... granted, they didn't ask for seconds but they didn't complain about it either. The recipe says not to cook this in the slow cooker on High, but I did (for three and a half hours) and it was fine (I did stir it every hour so it wouldn't stick/burn). I didn't use four cups of dried lentils; I used one package of Trader Joe's Red Split Lentils (two cups) and it totally filled my slow cooker when the soup was done. I did compensat for the lack of lentils by adding more chopped vegetables, but probably not an additional two cups' worth. I didn't have to add any additional liquid besides the 64 fl oz of vegetable broth I added at the beginning.

The green bean "fries" were OK but not as fantastic as the soup. There's a chance that has something to do with the fact that I used an egg instead of the coconut milk the recipe calls for for the binder. The breadcrumb (I used panko) and sesame crust wouldn't stick to the green beans after awhile, which might have something to do with the liquid binder being too thick, the breadcrumb mixture getting kind of moist, or a combination of the two. Also, it was a bit bland, so next time I would add some salt to either the liquid binder or the breadcrumbs.

The Shrimp Nuggets were actually pretty good, and they're a good alternative to the TJ's Fish Nuggets we get sometimes. There are only 14 to a package, which is either a good thing (we don't eat too many) or a bad thing (we each don't get enough).

What I Made for Dessert :: Pi Day Buttermilk Peach Pie

I like cake, but I LOVE pie, and I've been baking a bit more than usual lately. Pi Day is a wonderful excuse reason to bake a pie!

I was on a mission today to find a deep-dish pie plate and, after four stores, I finally found what I was looking for at Ross (for $7!). I was specifically looking for a deep-dish pie plate because I'm a fan of custardy/creamy pie fillings and I want to be able to pour in as much as possible. When I was making the Pear Pie the other day, I couldn't use all of the custard filling because my regular pie plate wouldn't hold it all. That won't be a problem with this new pie plate. :)

This recipe for Buttermilk Peach Pie is really simple and comes together quite quickly. I basically spent all of my time decorating the crust! Speaking of crust, I'm a lazy, cowardly baker and I'm afraid of making my own crust. So I usually buy the Trader Joe's frozen crust. For this pie I used both crusts that come in the package. The second crust was for the numbers and to add some crust up the side of the pie plate to avoid filling spillage/overflow. The rest of it I used to make the braid for the decorative edge. Having never done that before, I made the very rookie mistake of sticking the braid to the side of the crust without a binder.

As a result, the braid softened in the oven and fell into the filling:

It's still kinda pretty, so I don't mind the way it turned out, but next time I'll adhere any decorative edges properly. As for the top of the pie, pretty as it is with just the peaches, I was inspired by the decoration on this pie ... the large numbers are so cute:

[I can't seem to find the original photo source for this picture; I first came across it on Pinterest.]

I freehand cut my numbers using a paring knife and I didn't measure anything so the numbers aren't all the same size, but it came out OK. Maya cut the PIE "plaque" at the bottom. Because the filling is liquidy, I couldn't bake the raw dough numbers directly on top of the filling without them sinking. So I baked the extra pieces on a separate baking sheet for about 15 minutes and then placed them on the pie after I took the pie out of the oven. Maybe it was the deeper pie plate, but it took almost an hour for the pie to cook completely.

 

The verdict? Husband thought it was better than the professionally-baked blueberry pie he had at work for their Pi Day celebration!

What I Made for Dinner :: Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder Pasta

Nothing beats using the slow cooker when you're planning to be out of the house all day and you need to have dinner prepped for when you get home. I attended a Washington Tokyo Women's Club craft group out in Virginia today (I'm a prospective member) and I didn't want to stand in front of the stove after coming home, so I spent a few minutes prepping this Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder Pasta recipe early this morning after making the kids' lunches. Literally, it was a few minutes!

I couldn't find a whole bone-in pork shoulder, so I used bone-in pork shoulder steaks instead. I'm not a fan of fennel so I omitted the fennel seeds but I can imagine how it would change the flavor.

The sauce was pretty liquidy after almost ten hours. If I had the energy or inclination, it might be worth it to transfer the sauce to a pan and cook it down for a thicker saucer that clings better to the pasta. Instead of tube pasta I used pappardelle and it was good, but I know it would've tasted better if the sauce was thicker and coated the noodles more. I have tons leftover, so I think that's what I'll do. 

Oh, and don't skimp on the lemon zest! It really brightens up the dish. Parsley might also be a good garnish.

What I Made for Dessert :: Custard Pear Pie (and Baked Custard)

I hope my mother-in-law isn't reading this post because I have to admit that I used some very expensive pears she sent to make this pie. Since we moved to Maryland, she's been thoughtful enough to send us holiday treats from Harry and David. For Valentine's Day, the shipment included some of their famous Royal Riviera Pears, which I love. Unfortunately, I forgot to eat them and they got too squishy to eat on their own. So I decided to bake them in a Custard Pear Pie, and it was really, really delicious! Now, maybe the pie would turn out just as delicious with regular ol' supermarket pears, but I'm gonna go ahead and attribute the pie's yumminess to the pears. ;)

I used four (peeled) pears, which might've filled up the pie plate a bit too much. I had almost half of the custard filling leftover. As you can tell from the photo above, the filling didn't dribble down between the pear pieces, so the custard is really only a thin layer at the top. Next time I'll use fewer pears or a deeper pie dish ... because I like custard!

For the filling, instead of sprinkling the sugar mixture on top of the pears in the crust, I mixed it with the pears to macerate them (like you would for an apple pie filling). I wanted the sweetness to be evenly distributed.

Since I had custard filling left over, I made a baked custard as a little treat for myself. It's basically a crème brûlée filling, minus the hard caramel top. I added a tablespoon of sugar and few drops of vanilla extract, mixed it well, and then poured it into an oven-proof dish. I set that into a simple bain-marie (water bath) and baked it at 350 for 30-40 minutes until the custard set.

I was going to decorate it with fresh berries and get all fancy, but I ended up devouring it as-is after lunch!

What I Made for Dinner :: Chirashi-zushi

As a belated Girls' Day celebration, I made chirashi-zushi, a deconstructed sushi dish that's often served on this holiday. A fancy chirashi-zushi would be a seafood version, with sashimi and ikura, but I'm on a budget here so I added a bit of smoked salmon to give it an extra punch of brininess. As for the actual sushi flavor base, I cheat and use Sushi Taro, a seasoning mix you mix into freshly cooked rice. 

(I was astounded at how expensive the mix is at the Korean market ($8) compared to the price back in LA (or even online). I mentioned this to my mom and I think she'll bring some with her when she visits next month.)

I also added cucumbers, blanched snow peas, and egg (all thinly sliced). The egg is called kinshi tamago, "gold thread egg" since it's supposed to be very thin and narrow (mine, not so much). The recipe I linked to is way more complicated than what I do; I make a plain (i.e., unseasoned), thin omelet that I slice into threads. However, this time, I added half a tablespoon of the homemade shio koji I bought at the fundraiser I went to this morning. It adds a nice umami flavor to the egg without having to add dashi or salt. 

 

Then we finished off our meal with a dessert of wagashi: sakura mochi and uguisu mochi. 

What I Made for Dinner :: Slow Cooker Chicken Gyros

Sometimes I feel like I'm running out of steam when it comes to ideas for making dinner, despite the fact that I've Pinned hundreds of recipes. What that frustration really means is that I haven't taken the time to review what I've pinned and planned dinners in advance.

But I'm getting better about that bit by bit, and trying new recipes in between our usual dinner stand-bys on those days I want to make dinner without thinking about it. This week I'm trying a couple of new recipes, including this one for Slow Cooker Chicken Gyros.

I had a meeting tonight so I needed a dinner that the Husband could put together after he got home. I doubled the recipe, dumped everything into the slow cooker, and let it do its thing. Before I left for my meeting, I shredded the chicken; cut up lettuce, cucumber, red onion, and tomato; and left out tzatziki sauce and pita bread.

When I got home, the kids had already polished off their share of the food and Husband was telling me I had to make this again, buy more pita bread, and maybe make a side dish (like rice pilaf). So, I guess it was a hit! There was a bit of chicken left over, so I plan to eat it on top of a salad for lunch in the next few days.

What I Read for Fun :: Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science

Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science

By John Fleischman

What I Made for Dinner :: Bibimbap

What the Husband Made for Breakfast :: Cheddar Broccoli Omelet

 

Husband used the leftover quiche filling and made an omelet for breakfast this morning. It was fantastic! He cooked the egg just the way I like it: still a bit runny on the inside.

What I Made for Dinner :: Cheddar Broccoli Quiche

Don't you hate it when members of your family don't like to eat the same things? And it's worse when you're trying to make meal planning easier for yourself by asking them to choose between two dishes and they can't agree. I learned long ago to avoid that frustration by just making stuff I want to eat. But, occasionally, I'll take requests (mostly from the Husband). 

For a fellow who doesn't like tomatoes, my husband is really fond of the tomato quiche I make. But, of course, the kids don't like it one bit ... and tomatoes aren't in season right now. So, when Husband requested quiche, I modified the Chicken Broccoli Cheddar Quiche I made awhile back: he's watching his cholesterol right now, so I omitted the bacon and chicken and added shredded carrots and more broccoli instead (nothing I can really do about the eggs and cheese since it is a Cheddar quiche!).

It came out really well, and I think we all liked it better than the original version. Maya, who insists she doesn't like broccoli, had seconds and requested that I put leftovers in her lunch (although, that didn't work out so well; cold quiche is no bueno).

What I Made for Dinner :: Slow Cooker Asian Chicken Soup

I love chicken soup; it's definitely comfort food for me and I've been making it a lot since moving to Maryland because it's been so cold this winter. Ever since I had my husband's grandmother's matzo ball soup 20 years ago, I've always added matzo balls to my chicken soup, even if I'm making chicken noodle soup. But, as with all of my Standards, I decided we needed a little variety.

I found this Asian-style slow cooker chicken soup recipe and it reminded me of Seolleongtang, my favorite Korean soup. It's made from beef bones and is rich and almost creamy from cooking the bones for so long. I've often had it with rice in it, and I like to season it liberally with salt & pepper and sesame oil.

The recipe I used is similar but you use chicken. It calls for chicken breast, but I used chicken legs, hoping the bones would add some flavor to the soup. I made the mistake of putting the slow cooker on Low for the first part of the recipe, but I cranked it up to High when I added the liquid, and I let it cook for an extra hour. I'm assuming, with the bone, the chicken takes longer to cook through.

I didn't salt the soup at all while preparing it, but I did add a bit of soy sauce. It wasn't enough, though, because the addition of the nappa [see below] probably diluted the soup just a bit. We all salted the soup fairly heavily at the table, and also used white pepper for an additional kick.

As for the additional ingredients:

• I conveniently had some leftover white rice in the fridge that was getting a bit stale so it was perfect to add to the soup.
• I only added half of the chicken back in. (I'm saving the other half to make chicken salad for my daughter's lunch.) 
• I parboiled frozen Trader Joe's cilantro chicken wontons before adding them to the soup. I made the mistake of adding the wontons to the slow cooker half an hour before serving; the wonton skins kinda disintegrated. 
• And I wanted to have more vegetables so I added shredded nappa cabbage half an hour before serving. For my own personal tastes, that wasn't long enough. I prefer the nappa cooked a bit longer. 

What I Read for Fun :: Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy
by Karen Foxlee