Weekly Staples

I make garlic crostinis almost every week because they are good with cheese, pasta, or just on their own. George eats them as fast as I can make them. 

Garlic Crostinis

Baguette - French baguette preferably
Olive oil
Garlic clove 

Preheat oven to broil. Slice the baguette on the diagonal and place on a cookie sheet. Brush with olive oil. Broil until just golden brown. The bake time will depend largely on how long your oven was on. If it's been on broil for awhile then they brown super fast. They can go from golden to burnt in a matter of seconds under the broiler. Watch closely. I set the timer for 30 seconds at a time, until the last few seconds when I just watch them. 

Remove from oven and quickly rub the edge of a garlic clove all over the top.

I love to top with cambozola cheese or Dubliner cheddar and salami. I also include these when I have time on a cheese board or antipasto plate. 

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Every time I make white rice my kids ask, "Is this Mimi's rice?" and if it's not they protest. I make this almost every week too. 

Mimi's Butter Rice

Cooked white rice
Several tablespoons of butter (more than you would think!)
Chicken bouillon powder

Optional (my kids wouldn't allow it but good for adults)
Toasted pine nuts
Sliced green onion

New Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

This recipe for Single. Best. Cookie. Ever is from The Gourmandise School in Santa Monica. Every once in awhile they have a tray of them for students and we all go nuts. Now that we are on quarantine, I've been making them. I'm a sucker for dessert in the morning, instead of after dinner, so I usually have one (or two) for breakfast with my coffee. They are so chewy and delicious.

I have been making with a combo of spelt flour and all purpose flour. Next time I will try with rye flour and all purpose flour. They say that version is delicious too. 

Single Best Cookie Ever

The Gourmandise School

Prep time: 

15 minutes

Cook time:

12 minutes

Ingredients

2 sticks of butter (unsalted preferably and can be straight from the fridge!)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup dark chocolate pieces
1 cup milk chocolate pieces

1 1/2 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1 t salt (omit if using salted butter)

3 cups whole grain flour (I use 1 cup spelt flour and 2 cups regular all purpose flour)
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Maldon sea salt (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter with the brown and white sugar until it looks fluffy with a hand held mixer, a stand up mixer with paddle attachment or a large heavy bowl with a wooden spoon.

Add your eggs and scrape the bowl well. Keep mixing for 1 more minute and add the chocolate pieces and nuts. Mix until well combined.

Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until just combined.

Shape your cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Scoop these big - they eat like a meal. Bake at 350 until golden brown on the edges (about 8 minutes for medium cookies and 10-15 minutes for larger ones). 

Let them finish cooking and cooling on the cookie sheet - no need to transfer to a cooling rack. Sprinkle with Maldon sea salt (optional). 

Pork Tenderloin w/ Green Peppercorn Sauce

This is a house favorite. I skip the sauce for the kids but they love the flavor of the pork. 

Pork Tenderloin with Green Peppercorn Sauce

Adapted from Gourmandise Cooking School & Ina Garten

White rice, prepared

1 pork tenderloin

1-2 T good olive oil

1-2 t ground fennel seed (grind fresh fennels seeds in mortar and pestle if possible)

1 t Dijon mustard

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Sauce

¼ cup butter

2 T all-purpose flour

½ cup white wine

3 cups chicken stock

2 t Dijon mustard

2 t whole-grain mustard

¼ cup green peppercorns in brine, drained

Cook white rice to serve with finished pork and sauce. 

Heat oven to 375 degrees. 

Rub pork tenderloin with olive oil and mustard. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and ground fennel seed. Let sit and come to room temp for 20 minutes. 

Heat an oven safe sauté pan over medium-high or high heat and brown the pork on 2-3 sides. 

Put the pan in the oven and finish cooking for 10-20 minutes or until internal temp is 140-145 degrees. Remove from the oven and transfer to a plate. Cover with foil to keep warm. 

Sauce:

For the sauce, if there isn’t 1/4 cup of fat in the pan, add enough butter to the pan to make 1/4 cup total. Over medium heat, whisk the flour into the fat in the pan and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken stock, 2 teaspoons of each mustard, the green peppercorns, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sauce is reduced and slightly thickened. Taste the sauce and add salt, etc if needed. 

Cut the pork on the diagonal and serve over white rice. Pour the sauce over the top. (I like lots of sauce! Be warned the peppercorns can be very peppery but if you can handle it, the flavor is so good.)

Vegan Caesar Dressing

My favorite caesar dressing is the Vegan Caesar from PCC in Seattle. I usually zhuzh it up a bit with extra lemon juice, pepper and whatever else it needs. I found the recipe online and it's pretty darn close to the jars they sell at PCC. Again, it needs a little help but it's delicious and makes a full jar so you have dressing all week. It's equally great on kale with parmesan and croutons. 

PCC Vegan Caesar

1 cup reduced fat Veganaise
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 T vegan Worcestershire sauce
3 t minced garlic
1 T sherry vinegar
1 1/2 t Dijon mustard
1 1/2 t black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Place all of the ingredients, except oil, in a food processor and blend until combined. With the food processor running, slowly add oil to emulsify.

Best Roast Chicken Ever

The recipe for Buttermilk-Marinated Roast Chicken from Salt Fat Acid Heat is the best roast chicken I have ever made. Even my kids commented on how good it was so now I make it every week or two and everyone loves it. I usually make it for dinner one night, have leftover chicken the next day and then I use the carcass for chicken stock. I highly recommend this chicken but you must marinate it overnight or it won't be as good. And here's my nerdy little cheat sheet so I don't have to reference the recipe. It's all about the rotation so the breast doesn't dry out. It's perfection.  

Peach Chicken with Coconut Rice

photo credit: Jessica Seinfeld

My friend Marly made this recipe last night inspired by Jessica Seinfeld's recipe for Peach & Sriracha Chicken with Coconut Rice. It was so good and so flavorful. 

For the chicken:

4 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs 

4 bone-in, skin on chicken drumsticks 

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (optional)

3/4 cup peach (or apricot) jam or preserves 

3 T grated fresh ginger

2 T Sriracha hot sauce

3 T reduced-sodium soy sauce or Tamari

1 clove garlic, minced

3 green onion (white & green parts, sliced)

1/4 cup peanuts (chopped)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)

For the rice:

1 13.5 ounce can whole coconut milk

1 1/2 cups jasmine rice

1/4 t kosher salt

Instructions:

Heat the oven with the rack in the middle to 425 degrees. 

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with the salt. 

In a large bowl, stir together the jam, ginger, garlic, sriracha, soy and coconut aminos. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Marinate for a few hours if you have time but not required. 

Arrange the chicken on a rimmed sheet pan or large baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over each piece. 

Roast for 35 to 40 minutes total. After 20 to 25 minutes, if the sauce starts to burn, add 1/2 cup of water to the pan. This will simmer away and give you a delicious sauce in the end. Continue to roast the rest of the time until the chicken is cooked through. 

For the rice, in a medium saucepan, combine the coconut milk, 1/2 cup water, the rice and salt. Place over medium heat and let it come to a boil. Stir a few times and reduce the heat to low. Cover tightly and cook for 18 minutes, until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the hear, stir the rice and cover tightly again. Let stand for 5 minutes. 

Serve the chicken over the rice and spoon the sauce on top. Sprinkle with green onion, cilantro and chopped peanuts. 

Delicious Dip Recipe

My friend Courtney makes this sauce that her kids call "ice cream sauce" because it's so good. She served it with naan bread, lamb, and a faro salad. She also serves it on sandwiches, with pita and rotisserie chicken, or on a crudités platter. I made it last night and gobbled it up with warmed naan bread. It's delicious!

These measurements are rough so adjust as you like...

Ice Cream Sauce

1 7oz container of Greek yogurt (I used Fage whole milk)
2 T pomegranate molasses
1/2 t cumin
salt & pepper, to taste

Garnish with fresh pomegranates

List of Ideas for Weekly Meal Prep

Chicken

Fajitas

Piccata with rice or noodles

Whitney BBQ sauce

Teriyaki sauce

Chicken and rice

Enchiladas

Roast chicken

Souvlaki

Pancit

Roast chicken 

Clinkerdagger

Chicken salad (Ina)

Morrocan chicken

Chicken chow mein

Potstickers

Zuni chicken

Chicken lettuce cups (GP)

Chicken meatballs (GP)

Chicken Curry
Chicken Marbella

Chicken Paillard

Apricot chicken with coconut rice

Beef

Steak

Hot dog

Flank steak

Turkey

Chili

Tacos

Pork

Pork chops

Ma Pa Tofu

Suausage rice bowl

Pork tenderloin with green peppercorn sauce

Pork stroganoff

Ternderloin - Clare

BBQ pork sliders

Shredded pork tacos

Burgers

Beef burgers

Feta spinach turkey burgers

BBQ chicken burgers

Ground chicken burgers (Amy)

Ground chicken burgers with feta & spinach (Marion)

Black bean burgers (GOOP)

Black bean burgers (Pamela Saltzman)

Lamb

Lamb chops on the grill

Lamb sauasage from Belcampo on the grill (with white beans and sauteed kale)

Pasta

Butter & cheese

Red sauce 

Pesto

Mizithra and browned butter

Pecorino & swiss chard

Puttanesca

Lasagna

Mac & cheese

Carbonara

Pasta w/roasted peppers and feta (Amanda)

Sorellas (fresh tomato sauce, feta)

Seafood

Salmon with mustard sauce

Carmines halibut

Black bean prawns (Uncle Mike)

Sue’s sauteed prawns

Simple sole (butter & lemon)

Fish tacos (Marly sauce)

Soup

Tomato soup

Chicken noodle

Minestrone

Lemongrass chicken soup (GP)

Spicy tomato lentil soup (Heather Christo)

Split pea with ham

Eggs

Fried rice with a fried egg

Breakfast for dinner
Frittata - zucchini, goat cheese and mama lies peppers
Marion's quiche
Beans on toast with a fried egg

Vegetarian

Enchiladas (Diana Wooton)

Salt & pepper tofu

Roasted cauliflower with pickled raisins & quinoa

Vegetarian Bratwurst & sauerkraut

Cous cous with beans & cauliflower (Marly)

Cauliflower & red kidney beans with brown rice (blog)

Madhur Jaffrey lentils, rice, veggies

Black bean green enchiladas

Sandwiches

Grilled bacon and cheese

Paninis

Tunafish

Egg salad

Salads

Nicoise salad

Chicken caesar

Nancy’s chopped salad

Larry chicken, celery, olive salad

Kale options 

-      Heather Christo (pecorino, almonds, shallot, lemon)

-      McKenzi Cabo (bread crumbs, parm, garlic, chili flakes)

-      PCC Caesar (croutons, parm, Caesar)

-      Gwyneth Paltrow (tahini, almonds, tomatoes, croutons good too)

-      Gjelina (radish, fennel, bread crumbs, ricotta salata)

-      Northern Spy (squash, cheddar)

-      Molly Shearer (dates, almonds, parm)

-      Golden Beetle (chickpeas, preserved lemon, sumac) – served warm

-      Marly Green Beans & Kale (beans, feta, soy sauce) – served warm or cold

-      Smitten Kitchen (quinoa, sour cherries, dill, green onion)

-      Le Gourmandise Asian kale salad with chicken 

Marly's Mixed Salad

Yet another great salad Marly whipped up that I quickly re-created at home....

Arugula

Kale

Romaine

Parmesan

Figs, chopped

Dressing

1T Dijon

1T balsamic

1 lemon

1 garlic clove, minced and smashed into paste

1 t honey

Olive oil

Nancy's Chopped Salad

Photo and recipe courtesy of Smitten Kitchen

Michael and I fell in love with Nancy's Chopped Salad at Pizzeria Mozza so many years ago. It is still one of my favorites all these years later and I love to make it at home. I recently made it as a side dish for a dinner party and then a few days later for the main course for lunch when we hosted friends for the day. It's always a hit, and very easy to hold items and toss in later if you have a vegetarian or dairy free friend. 

Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower with Quinoa & Pickled Golden Raisins

This is a delicious recipe from my cooking class at The Gourmandise School. The original recipe was for cauliflower steaks but I think it's easier to just roast it. 

PICKLED RAISINS

½ cup white vinegar

Pinch of sea salt

1 t sugar (maybe more)

¼ t coriander seeds

½ cup golden raisins

Warm the vinegar, salt, sugar and coriander seed. Taste and adjust as necessary. Pour over the raisins and let sit for at least one hour.

The recipe calls for honey but a friend told me not to heat honey because it becomes toxic so I swapped for sugar. 

QUINOA

1 cup quinoa

1 cup chicken stock *

1 cup water

Large pinch Kosher salt

1 T salted butter *

Rinse the quinoa in a fine sieve. Place the quinoa, stock, water and salt in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a simmer, then turn the heat down and cook, covered, for about 15 minutes. Check to see if all the liquid was absorbed and add butter when it's ready to go. 

* swap veggie stock for chicken stock and skip the butter if you want it to be vegan.

CAULIFLOWER

½  yellow onion, diced

2 T olive oil

2 t ground turmeric (or more)

1/2 t cumin

1 t Kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

1 head of cauliflower, chopped into small florets

4 whole garlic cloves

Heat oven to 425 or 450. Cut up the cauliflower and throw in a big bowl. Toss with garlic cloves, olive oil, turmeric, cumin, salt and pepper. Put cauliflower on a cookie sheet and roast for 8-10 minutes. While that cooks, dice the onion and toss in the same bowl with a little more olive oil, turmeric, salt and pepper. After the 8-10 minutes, take out and toss in the onions. Put back in the oven and cook for another 8-12 minutes until cauliflower is starting to brown.

To serve, spoon the quinoa onto plates. Top with onions and cauliflower and garnish with pickled raisins.

Salad I Miss from Home

Vif was always one of my favorite Seattle restaurants to stop in alone for a quick lunch or go with friends and sit for hours. One of their staples is the Chicory salad and it's so good. I had it Saturday in Seattle and had to have it tonight. I have to say, I nailed it. The only thing missing was their delicious crouton crumbles. Since I didn't have the croutons, I served with some light rye crackers spread with salted butter. YUM!

I took the lead from Vif and served with a 6 minute poached egg. 

Vif Chicory Salad

Mixed Chicory blend
Fennel, very thinly sliced
Parmesan shavings
Crouton crumbles (or even some toasted breadcrumbs)

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Balsamic
Olive oil
Garlic, minced and smashed into a paste with salt
Dijon
Salt & pepper

Optional
6 minute poached egg

Easy Chicken Piccata Recipe (w/ Capellini Noodles)

I have always served Chicken Piccata with white rice but my new favorite way (thanks to Carla!) is with capellini noodles. I double the sauce and pour it over the noodles. It's amazing. Recipe from my weekly cooking class at The Gourmandise.

CHICKEN PICCATA

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (butterflied and pounded thin)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 

All-purpose flour, for dredging 

6 tablespoons unsalted butter 

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 

1/2 cup chicken stock 

1/4 cup capers 

1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

2. In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate.

3. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.

4. Add lemon juice, stock and capers to pan and bring to a boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Taste and season. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter.

5. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.

Potstickers with Chicken & Chives

From The Gourmandise cooking class...

12-15 dumpling skins
corn starch mixed with water for sealing
vegetable oil for browning

Filling

1/2 lb ground dark meat chicken
2 scallions - thinly sliced
2 t soy sauce
1 t oyster sauce
1/2 t sesame oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 egg yolk
2 t corn starch
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Combine all ingredients

Assembly

Put a spoonful of the mixture in the middle of the dumpling. Dip your finger in the corn starch mixture and run along the outer edge. Fold over the dumpling and either pinch the edges or just press together depending on the look you want.

In a large non-stick pan, heat 2 T oil over medium heat. Place the dumplings flat side down in the hot pan and brown. Flip and brown the other side. Pour about 1/4 cup water into the pan and cover the pan to steam. Cook for about 5-7 minutes.

Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 t rice vinegar
1 t sugar
1 t chili paste

Also good dipped in sriracha

If you double the filling and use 1 lb of meat you can get about 33 potstickers. 

* photo shown with ground pork but they are definitely better with ground chicken

Kanna's Banana Pancakes

A babysitter from Seattle taught me this recipe years ago. I LOVE them. They are so sweet and light. 

Kanna's Banana Pancakes

1 medium ripe banana (or very ripe works too)
2 eggs
1/8 t baking powder 
1/8 t salt
1/4 t vanilla
sprinkle of cinnamon

Mash banana until no lumps (pudding consistency). Add other ingredients except the eggs. Whisk the eggs and pour over the banana mixture. Stir until completely combined. 

(I usually mash the banana and then throw everything in a blender.)

Heat the griddle to medium and melt butter or coconut oil. Drop batter on griddle and cook for roughly one minute or until lightly browned. Flip gently since they are delicate, and brown the other side. Serve with syrup, honey or jam. 

I eat them plain because they are so sweet. 

Mackay's Delicious Green Salad

This salad paired perfectly with our Farmshop fried chicken dinner for the end-of-year baseball party. Also great for any BBQ because it's pretty light but very flavorful. 

Mackay's Salad

Romaine
Croutons from Bay Cities
Grape tomatoes
Carrot shavings

Dressing:
2 T mayo (we used Veganaise)
2 t dijon mustard
2 large garlic cloves, pressed
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 t salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
1 cup mild or extra light olive oil (I used 1/2 cup olive oil)
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Italian Wedding Soup

I made the NYT's Italian Wedding Soup recipe last night and it was quite easy and good. I used homemade chicken stock which definitely helped with the flavor. I don't know that I would have liked it with store-bought stock. Next time I might add carrot, celery and some garlic.

The meatballs were delicious though. I made a double batch and used some for the soup, some for lunch today with tzatziki, and am using the rest in pasta tonight.

The Modern Proper's Stuffed Pasta Shells

I've been craving lasagna lately but holding out for my mom's since it's the best ever. To tied myself over until she makes it for me, I tried this recipe for Easy Stuffed Pasta Shells and it was easy and hit the spot. 

Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

I've been trying to find the secret to roasted sweet potatoes that are crispy and not soggy. This recipe for Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries from Cookie & Kate was better than other recipes I've tried. I will try the corn starch trick again and adjust the temp and timing slightly. Delicious though with chimichurri sauce.