Here is a recipe I made last week that Dustin is still talking about. Basic ground beef tacos. What’s so special? Well, instead of dumping a paper packet of seasoning into the skillet, I made the mix myself! I had all the needed ingredients on hand, and it only took 2 minutes! Seriously, anyone could do it! And while it tasted surprisingly similar to a store-bought brand, it lacked the characteristic powdery processed feel- in other words it was fresher and better! Tender juicy beef, folded in a soft flour tortilla amongst typical taco toppings, it made for a seriously good meal.
Ground Beef Tacos with Homemade Taco Seasoning
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour (optional)
1/4 cup water
1 recipe taco seasoning (see below)
corn or flour tortillas, warmed
lettuce, shredded
tomato, diced
Cheddar/Monterey Jack/Mexican blend cheese, grated
sour cream
salsa
avocado or guacamole
2. Preheat large skillet over medium heat and cook beef until browned. Drain the fat. Stir in the flour (optional, to help it thicken) and seasoning mix to coat. Pour in the water, bring to a simmer, reduce heat, and cook several minutes until thickened and most of the water has evaporated.
I realize I’ve roasted a handful of chickens over the last year, and I’ve shared quite a few similar recipes with you. And they were all exceptionally good- all with different spice rubs and flavors infused into the poultry. But this recipe is classic. Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa), who I borrowed this recipe from, called it perfect. And it is. It is the roast chicken and vegetables recipe you’ve been dreaming of. What makes it so spectacular? Let me tell you…
Chunky carrots, onions, and potatoes, dressed in a coat of silky olive oil, are spread in the bottom of a large roasting pan. A lemon, garlic, and thyme-stuffed chicken is placed directly on top of the mountain of vegetables. An hour or two later, the chicken is done- skin blistered, juices sizzling in the bottom of the pan. It’s those juices that work miracles. You see, the vegetables have been bathing in them. The chicken is removed to rest while the vegetables finish caramelizing in the oven. The onions have become soft and savory, the carrots sticky and sweet, the potatoes bursting with bold chicken flavor. It will be the best plate of vegetables you ever eat. We were both wishing I had made at least twice as many. They’re better than candy. And the chicken- moist, tender, perfect.
Classic Roast Chicken and Vegetables
INGREDIENTS
1 5-6 lb. roasting chicken, insides removed
6-8 large carrots, peeled and chopped into 2-inch chunks
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
6-8 Yukon Gold potatoes, halved or quartered
large bunch fresh thyme, divided
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, halved
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with half of the sprigs of thyme, the head of garlic, and the lemon. Brush the outside of the chicken with the melted butter. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Tie the legs of the chicken together using kitchen twine.
3. Place the carrots, onion, potato, and the remaining sprigs of thyme in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables.
4. Roast in preheated oven for about 1 1/2-2 hours (depending on the size of your bird), until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. (If the chicken is burning or browning too fast you can tent it with foil while cooking.) Remove the chicken from the pan to a serving platter and tent with foil. Toss the vegetables with the juices in the bottom of the pan. Return the vegetables to the oven to continue cooking and caramelize while the chicken rests. After about 15 minutes, remove the vegetables from the oven, add to the platter with the chicken, and serve.
Ever since I met Dustin, I’ve been hearing about this potato salad. How it is the best. How no store brand or any other recipe could ever compare. How his mom is the only woman in the world who knows how to make potato salad right. Well, it took five years, but I finally got to try it for myself. (It was Dustin’s one food request over our Christmas trip.) And you know what? The boy doesn’t lie!
I’ve never been that impressed with any potato salad- until now. This one is different, it’s delightful, it’s down right delicious! Dustin’s mom never follows a recipe. She was taught how to make perfect potato salad by her mother, and only does it by taste. But she taught me her tricks and I think I’ve come very close to replicating the dish. Keep in mind that these amounts are all estimates- they can and should be adjusted to taste. But there are a few essential steps: You must use small baking potatoes and boil them until just tender, use crunchy kosher dills and their briny juice to flavor the dressing, and keep your onions out of sight. Not that I would mind the addition of onions, but that’s not how the Davis family does it, so I wouldn’t dare deviate.
I realize that I might never make this potato salad as perfect as Nan can. That’s OK. I got close (very close in fact) and that’s good enough for us! Now Dustin and I can have our fill whenever the craving hits,withouttraveling 2000 miles to get it.
Nan’s Potato Salad
INGREDIENTS
8 small Russet potatoes (not large ones, they need to be small to boil whole)
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups crunchy kosher dill pickles, diced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3-1/2 cup dill pickle juice (I’m leaning towards 1/2 cup next time)
1 Tbsp. ketchup
2 tsp. mustard (not Dijon)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. chili powder
salt and pepper, to taste
paprika, for garnish
DIRECTIONS
1. Place potatoes in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and boil 20-25 minutes until potatoes are tender-firm (a knife will slide in but the center will still be firm). Remove from the water and set aside to cool. Once cooled, peel off the skins and chop into bite-size pieces.
2. To hard boil the eggs, place the eggs in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and then immediately remove the eggs from the heat, cover, and let sit 15 minutes (time will depend on altitude and how cook you prefer your eggs). After 15 minutes, run the eggs under cold water to cool them. Peel off the shells and dice. RESERVE 1 whole egg for slicing on top.
3. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, pickle juice, ketchup, mustard, garlic powder, and chili powder. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Adjust amounts of mayonnaise and pickle juice to reach the desired consistency- slightly thick but runny enough to coat the potatoes. Adjust any seasonings to taste.
4. In a large bowl combine the potatoes, pickles, and eggs. Pour dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat. Cover and chill until ready to serve. (While the salad can be eaten immediately, refrigerating it allows the flavors time to develop.) Before serving, sprinkle with paprika (to taste) and garnish with the remaining egg, thinly sliced.
I made shrimp fried rice and it worked! I even used brown rice with no difficulty! I owe my success to Jaden of Steamy Kitchen who spares no detail in explaining how to achieve fantastic fried rice. I thought about not even bothering to post the recipe myself, and instead link you directly to her site, but I’ve decided to do both. I made a few slight changes to the ingredients but I followed her directions exactly. If you are considering making this recipe, please follow this link to read her rules for the best fried rice. And then stick to them. Unless, of course, you’re already a pro with a wok, and then I feel embarrassed because I’m such a novice. I’m still elated that I had my rice dancing in the skillet, and the eggs cooked to perfection, and that my husband kept mouthing “this is so good!” in between forkfuls of tender shrimp and rice!
I thought the flavor was very very good. But I was craving a little more kick. Nothing that I presume garlic couldn’t solve. So next time I’ll add a few cloves and see what happens. I just realized I might need to enroll in some sort of garlic addiction recovery program. I can’t make a recipe anymore without throwing some in. It seems wrong not too!
I can’t emphasize enough- strictly adhere to the instructions on the method of cooking. If you do, your fried rice will work like a charm. You’ll masterfully replicate the Chinese takeout favorite. My second piece of advise would be to prep all of your ingredients before you begin. There’s no time to chop and measure once you start frying. In a hot wok, things cook fast, and you’ll become flustered and most likely ruin the recipe. So be ready to go with your ingredients lined up next to your stove. This goes for any form of stir-frying- if you are prepared you have a much better chance of success!
Shrimp Fried Rice
INGREDIENTS
8 oz. small uncooked shrimp
1/4 tsp salt (or 1/2 tsp. kosher salt)
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. canola oil, divided
3 eggs, beaten
2 stalks green onion, thinly sliced
4 cups leftover cooked brown rice, grains separated well (I recommend using day-old par-boiled brown rice, the grains are much less sticky)
3/4 cup frozen peas and carrots, defrosted (I used 1/2 cup frozen peas and about 1/2 cup freshly grated carrot)
1 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce + 1 tsp. extra to taste
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
DIRECTIONS
(direct from Steamy Kitchen)
1. In a bowl, toss the shrimp with the salt, pepper and cornstarch. Let marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature. Heat a wok or large sauté pan on high heat. When the pan is hot enough for a bead of water to instantly sizzle and evaporate, add just 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil and swirl to coat pan.
2. Add the shrimp, quickly spreading out around the cooking surface area so that they are not overlapping. Let fry, untouched for 30 seconds. Flip over and let the other side fry for 30 seconds, or until about 80% cooked through. Remove the shrimp from the pan onto a plate, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.
3. Turn the heat to medium, let the pan heat up again. Add the eggs, stirring in a quick motion to break up and scramble the eggs. When the eggs are almost cooked through (they should still be slightly runny in the middle), dish out of the pan into the same plate as the cooked shrimp.
4. Use paper towels to wipe the same wok or sauté pan clean and return to high heat with the remaining 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, swirling to coat. When the oil is very hot, add the green onions and fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add in the rice and stir well to mix in the green onions throughout. Spread the rice all around the wok surface area and let the rice heat up, untouched until you hear the bottoms of the grains sizzle, about 1-2 minutes. Use the spatula to toss the rice, again spreading the rice out over the surface of wok.
5. Drizzle the soy sauce all around the rice and toss. Add the peas and carrots, the cooked eggs, shrimp and sesame oil, tossing to mix the rice evenly with all of the ingredients. Let everything heat back up again, until the rice grains are so hot they practically dance! Taste and add an additional 1 teaspoon of soy sauce if needed.
I’m catching up on what was supposed to be yesterday’s post. You see, the day got away from me because I was cooking a feast. Around Thanksgiving, I bought a turkey that I never got to cook (we spent the holiday with my family). By the time January rolled around I was ready for another turkey dinner. (Truthfully, I could eat oven-roasted turkey every week. It’s one of my favorite meals ever!) So I spent all of Sunday afternoon hopping around my tiny kitchen, basting a bird, concocting the stuffing, peeling potatoes, rolling out pastry, and steaming vegetables. It was an excuse to try out a bunch of Thanksgiving recipes I’ve been drooling over for months. And afterwards I was exhausted… but I was happy. Because it was so good!
All of those recipes, well, they’re coming soon! (Sorry, I’m such a tease!) I’m quite excited about today’s yesterday’s post, though, because this salad is spectacular! And different than any other I’ve made. The curried cashews make it unique- a careful balance of spicy and sweet. It’s difficult not to eat them all before they make it to the salad bowl! The vinaigrette is something new too. Dustin and I are not usually honey mustard fans. But this dressing is different. Instead of mayonnaise, it is vinegar-based, and I loved it! Put it all together- the lettuce, pears, grapes, curried cashews, and tangy honey mustard vinaigrette- and you have a beautiful salad with an intriguing combination of flavors!
Curried Cashew, Pear, and Grape Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
INGREDIENTS
6 oz. mixed greens (I used both romaine and classic mixed greens)
1 Bartlett of Bosc pear, thinly sliced
1/2 cup seedless red grapes, halved
Honey Mustard Vinaigrette:
1 Tbsp. white wine/white balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. honey
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
1. Toast cashews in a dry skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes, until browned. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, rosemary, curry powder, brown sugar, salt, and red pepper. Add cashews and shake to coat. Cool.
2. To make the vinaigrette, whisk to combine vinegar, Dijon, and honey in a small bowl. While whisking, slowly stream in the olive oil to emulsify. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Toss greens with just enough vinaigrette to lightly coat. Top with pears, grapes, and curried cashews. Drizzle with extra vinaigrette if desired.
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