Winter Blues

You guys, it's cold. Like... beyond cold. Some people prefer to look at the world positively and see this kind of winter as a way to eat comfort foods (which is right up my alley), wear comfortable sweaters, and stay in to enjoy reading a book (or in my case, binge-watch tv), I do not. I shut down.

Shut. It. Down.

Hence the lack of blog posting recently. Have I mentioned that 25 minutes of my 40 minute commute is walking outside? No? Have I mentioned that my job does not allow me to be absent when the rest of the world shuts down due to a polar vortex? No? Have I mentioned that I love my job? No? Ok.

My life has basically been a game of survival lately. Wearing three pairs of pants, two pairs of gloves, and almost crying myself to sleep because my new heated mattress pad (trumpets!!!!) thaws me out every night. So, after walking home through cold, wind, snow, and slush, who wants to cook? Last night I cancelled gym plans AND proceeded to eat a whole pizza while I watched American Idol and Nashville. I told Pat to put the M&Ms on the dining room table so it would force me to get off the couch so I could fold the laundry. That he had put right in front of me. Woof.

Last Friday, I came home in the cold AND had a fantastic gym session AND did not eat take out. It's about the little victories, and this one should be celebrated. I ended up making tomato/mozzarella paninis (which we probably do about once a week), but I upgraded that shizz this time, and it was delicious. This sandwich is totally good for you and super easy to make; even when you are about to shut down. In fact, I would say this sandwich is exactly what should be consumed after a long, cold day or week.

I have a real obsession with salads. I love salads. I love finding new combos. I also love figuring out ways to add greens to anything and make it delicious. I found the most amazing product at Whole Foods last week, and had to share:

TA DA!!!!!!!

Power Greens! I decided to not buy my weekly tub of mixed greens, and decided on POWER greens. This eats just like mixed greens, except you get the way-better-for-you kale, swiss chard, and spinach. We ate it as a salad for a few nights, dressed in a lovely mustard vinaigrette (Salad dressings will come later. I believe bottled dressings are a Ponzi scheme and refuse to use them. I am a securities attorney and I can make that statement). But this week, I decided to add them to our tomato mozz paninis. Lordy, it was good! I sauteed the greens with some garlic and balsamic vinegar to save the step of seasoning the bread. The greens with the melty cheese was amazing! Of course, you can leave any part of the sandwich you don't like behind. The cheese with the greens would be a revelation on its own. You could also saute strips of eggplant in the balsamic and add. The world is your oyster.

Tomato Mozzarella Paninis with Balsamic Greens (makes two sandwiches)

Four slices of country bread or sourdough bread

Three tomatoes, sliced

4 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced into discs

1 T Olive Oil

2 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced

3 handfuls of POWER GREENS (or as much as you want-- remember greens cook down a lot!!)

1 T balsamic vinegar

Preheat panini press or skillet. Let sliced tomatoes sit for a few minutes with salt on them. This will allow some of the moisture to be extracted, and you won't end up with soggy bread. Place tomatoes and mozzarella on bread. Season with pepper.

Heat olive oil in another skillet on medium, add garlic, let cook for 30 seconds to a minute (until fragrant, but not burned). Toss greens into skillet and allow to wilt for 1-2 minutes. Pour balsamic over the greens, give a good stir. Remove from heat. Place warm greens over mozzarella cheese on bread. Top with unused slices of bread. Spray outside pieces of bread with cooking spray. Place on panini press or skillet. Allow to cook until heated through and melted. You want the bread crisp and toasty, and the ingredients hot. If using a skillet, flip halfway through cooking time. 

Remove sandwich from grill. Let sit for 1-2 minutes. Slice in half and serve!

I hope this sandwich makes you feel good on a cold winter's night. It really lifted our spirits!

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken

Well, this was delicious. And beyond easy.

In our home, we are definitely honey mustard people. The tangy/sweet combo is perfect with ANYTHING. Veggies, french fries, sandwiches, heck... I could probably find a way to make it taste delicious as a cupcake filling. My husband has an unusual affinity for chicken, however. It's chicken all the time. If we go out to dinner with my parents, and Pat does not order chicken, they think that something is wrong. I did my husband a solid last weekend by making this chicken after laboring through a rough weekend of blizzards followed by the **POLAR VORTEX**.

This dish is basically perfect. You can also pair it with sublimely simple sides. I just made roasted sweet potato wedges and paired it with a mixed green salad dressed in a basic mustard vinaigrette. Followed by er... a chocolate chip cookie cake and Downton Abbey premier. Ok, we have to slip in some guilty pleasures sometimes.

The original recipe was found via pinterest (http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2013/03/easy-honey-mustard-baked-chicken.html#_a5y_p=1124097), but of course I had to tweak it for our taste buds. This recipe calls for chicken tenderloins, which I used, but kind of wish I had used whole chicken breasts pounded down. Also, since we are not onion people, I used a shallot to give it a similar flair. We had no rosemary, and I was not going to trek out into the snow just for that, but we had some thyme left over. In the end, I think the thyme suited the dish better, but feel free to use any herb you prefer. I also downsized the recipe to serve 2 (no leftovers here!), but kept the amount of sauce the same, since... you know... we'll just dip stuff in it all night. In our case, it served as a delicious dipping sauce for the sweet potato wedges.

Sauce:
1/4 C. grain mustard
1/4 C. Dijon mustard
1/2 C. honey
2 t. olive oil

Whisk all four ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Chicken:
2 shallots, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
olive oil
1 lb. chicken tenderloins, or two breasts
sprigs of thyme (or rosemary, or any herbacious goodness you prefer)
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In an oven-proof saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots and cook almost until translucent. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, but not burnt (1 minute). Place the chicken on top of the shallot/garlic mixture. Pour the sauce over the chicken, ensuring every nook and cranny is filled (if sauce is your thing). Save some for dipping after the chicken is cooked. Season with salt and pep. Toss your herbs into the pan, surrounding the chicken.

Place pan into preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes. If you use small tenderloins like I did, your chicken will be done now (but check to be safe!). If you are using whole breasts, baste the chicken with the sauce and pop back in the oven to another 10-15 minutes.

Make this immediately! It really will put a pep in your step. I mean... it's honey mustard.

Quatro Formaggi Pasta

Gooey. Cheese. Sauce. There is nothing more satisfying on a cold winter's day than such a sauce. I made this pasta a few weeks ago and (of course) shared the finished dish on Instagram. My friends' responses actually spurred the creation of this blog, so I think it is only fitting that this dish christen LAW in the kitchen.

As I sit here, the current temperature is -14 degrees Fahrenheit, -38 degree windchill. My office is probably a whopping 50 degrees, so I decided to blog this dish as a warming mechanism. Situated under my Snuggie, I will demonstrate how to make an ultimate comfort pasta dish.

I adapted this recipe from Bon Appetit's Fettuccine Quattro Formaggi. Our home only had farfalle, and I had to add a green vegetable to the mix. I also halved the recipe to feed two people and give Pat leftovers for lunch the next day, and replaced the cheeses with what our fridge had. Mix up the cheese you use! Particularly if you have random wedges in your fridge (as I tend to do). Cheddar would be a good one, and make it a bit more mac-and-cheesy. Brie would add some fancy flair too. 

Four Cheese Pasta with Spinach (makes 3 large servings)

1/4 cup pine nuts

8 oz. farfalle (or whatever noodle you prefer)

Salt

1 cup whipping cream

4 Tbs. butter

1/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled

1/3 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated

dried crush red pepper

nutmeg

spinach

Place pine nuts in skillet over low heat. Toast for 5-6 minutes, or until fragrant and remnants of the oil can be seen in the pan.

Fill small pot with water for pasta. Add 1-2 Tbs. salt to water. (adding this much salt to the pasta water is key to delicious flavor when the dish comes together). Boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente (chewy, but not hard).

While pasta is cooking, add butter and cream to a large skillet over medium heat. Let butter melt into cream as it warms. While cream is warming, add cheeses to pan. Stir every so often as cheese melts into a sauce. Add as much red pepper as your tastebuds allow. Grate nutmeg into sauce. Give it a good stir.

Add drained pasta to sauce. Stir to coat. Season with salt and pep. Turn heat to low. Add handfuls of spinach to pasta. Give the leaves a second to wilt from the heat of the pasta, then stir spinach into the pasta. Turn heat off. Sprinkle pine nuts over the pasta. Continue to stir. 

Once the pasts has gotten into whatever serving receptacle you prefer, give it another dusting of grated Parmesan. Serve warm! Your tummy and your broken cold spirit will thank you.

Learning the Internets.

hello, world wide web! welcome to my small place of a large stratosphere of white noise. this blog has been created to chronicle my life's (mis)adventures and to share what special skills and knowledge I may have with those I love. this means it will generally consist of food postings, pet postings, and mentions of my husband's wit. cheers to a new adventure!