Asian Turkey Meatballs for Bunheads and Go USA!

Oh Oh Oh Olympics.  I watched the opening ceremonies Friday night.  Well, I fell asleep by the parade of nation's M's. Mauritius, I believe it was.  Missed the U.S. completely.  That was a hell of a long show.  But since then, and as happens every four years, I've become very involved in random sports such as skeet shooting, water polo (go Betsy Armstrong from Ann Arbor), cycling and tennis.  Plus swimming and gymnastics, of course.  And synchronized diving.  What an amazing random sport is synchronized diving.  Also table tennis.  Not ping pong by a long shot.  Those kids are getting a workout.  I'm loving it all.

Is there any chance that loud flip-flop walking may become an Olympic sport?  If so, I feel pretty confident about some medalists in our home.  Good GOD they clomp along.  I've held off getting them flip-flops until this year because I feared they'd trip and fall, much like their mother.  They don't fall, but they sound like a pack of elephants.  My next purchase will be ballet slippers x2.

Speaking of ballet (there's a new sentence lead for me), the boys caught a promo for a show called "Bunheads" on ABC Family and they laughed hysterically.  Like it was so close to butthead but somehow perfectly acceptable.  So now they're calling each other 'bunhead.'  But it seems to come out at perfect moments, like we'll be playing tennis in the driveway and one will launch a ball into the trees.  The response as of late has been, "Nice one, ya bunhead."  It is so impossibly hard not to laugh.  And then I have to reprimand with, "Please don't call your brother a bunhead," which just makes me laugh more.  Oh my God, they're going to be derelicts because of me.

Thankfully, their impossibly loud flip-flop clomping, bunhead-calling leads them to the dinner table with this family-friendly hit (from skinnytaste.com):

Asian Turkey Meatballs with Carrot Rice and Roasted Broccoli


1/4 cup panko crumbs
1-1/4 lbs 93% lean ground turkey
1 egg
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 scallions, chopped
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil


Dipping Sauce
4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp chopped fresh scallion

 All Aboard.  Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

 Ready to bake

Add 1/2 head of broccoli on a separate baking sheet.  Coat broccoli with a mixture of garlic, hot pepper flakes and olive oil.  

Add meatballs and broccoli to the oven, cook for approximately 15 minutes. The broccoli roasts in the exact time the meatballs take to cook.  Strategery.  

 Carrot Rice with Cilantro

 Ready to serve

Plated

Rice
Cook according to directions one cup of long-grain rice with two cups water. When done, add one cup shredded carrots about a tablespoon of chopped cilantro.  Gets a little more veg into the meal and it looks pretty.  Stir to incorporate.  If you're feeling crazy, add 1-2 teaspoons of rice vinegar. Adds a little zing.  In my awful New York accent: "and who doesn't love a little more zingggg?"

Add the Dipping Sauce (or, Pour Over the Meatballs and Rice Sauce) and serve it up.

Even the Bunheads will approve of this one.  Go U.S.A.!

Poor Golf and Nicoise Salad. Happy Summer!

Carter had a birthday a week or so ago.  He likes to golf so I got a sitter and made a tee time.  Nice, right?  I'm not all about me.  Except that I hadn't been golfing since the month after the twins were born, which is closing in on SEVEN years.  Mymymy.  My grasp on my LPGA card is sliding.

At least someone was happy...

So yes, I was confident I would be great.  Good one.  Thankfully, the course was empty so I had only one witness of my poor shots, of which there were many.  It was also a course that had just opened the back nine after clearing the debris from this spring's tornado, so some holes looked like you were playing the apocalypse course.  Trees 12 feet in diameter were uprooted like a pulled beet.  The destruction was wild.  

I recalled the day I'd played in Carter's work outing in Chicago.  We were at the turn on the 10th hole, right by the clubhouse, where a lot of people were eating lunch on an outside patio.  I can't reaffirm how important it was that there were a number of people eating lunch on the outside patio.  It haunts me to this day.  

Carter hit his tee shot and it was nice.  Just about where he wanted it to go.  Then I proceeded to tee off from the women's tees because why wouldn't I?  I'm a woman after all.  And I shanked the shank of all shanks.  My drive, from a driver, hit a steel bridge about 30 feet away.  It sounded like a gunshot and had an echo worthy of a car backfiring in the Grand Canyon.  ALL heads turned and I froze like a deer in headlights.  At which time Carter hit the pedal on the golf cart and started to drive away.  Without me.  He got as far as the bridge before he reversed and we both collapsed in laughter.  We often come back to the phrase, "At least you came back."

Happy Birthday to my friend who came back.

Right after his birthday we left for Minnesota and some family time.  It was great.  It was bloody hot.  It was also full of heavy meals.  Well, maybe not heavy meals, but just full of meal-to-meal time, which I feel happens a lot when visiting family.  When we host people in Ann Arbor it's the same thing.  Meals become a ground zero from which all is built.  What is that?  I feel like maybe we're establishing an equalization between hosting and feeding?  That's up for further discussion.  

What's up for discussion now is the Nicoise salad.  Yes, I know there's one of those accents in the 'C' of Nicoise, but I don't know how to do that on blogger.  So we'll go without.  But we'd been fed very well in Minnesota and we need to begin our cut-backs (i.e. no more ribs of any kind.) We're full into salad mode as of now.  

So I present the gorgeous lettuce from our yard.  It's called a spotted something (I don't remember) and it is quite good.  

Spotted lovely lettuce?

Plated.  One with egg, one cluckless. 

Close-up Nicoise-ness.

Nicoise Salad (for 2)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Scrub and chop 4 small Yukon Gold potatoes into an approximately 1" chop.  Oil a baking sheet and roast potatoes for 30 minutes.  

1 can of the best Italian tuna available

2 cups assorted greens

2 cups baby spinach leaves

1/4 cup of a red onion, sliced as thinly as possible

2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and cut in quarters

1 cup haricots verts (skinny green beans steamed for three minutes in the microwave and rinsed in cold water)

1. Arrange greens on two plates

2. Add divided tuna, onion, eggs, roasted potatoes, par-boiled haricots verts, and tomatoes to each plate

Combine vinaigrette:

2 tsp anchovy paste

2 Tbsp grain mustard

2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

2 Tbsp lemon juice

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Drizzle over arranged greens and serve.  

This will make more dressing than you'll probably need; save the rest for your salad tomorrow. 

In other news, we saw an armored truck (at a TARGET) in Rochester and I looked at Carter and asked him if the did the same thing I do every time I see an armored vehicle:  immediately scan the area for suspicious cars and/or men wearing Ronald Reagan masks.  He just shook his head and did that thing where he looks to the heavens for an answer.  Am I sensing a trend?  

Yep, The End.  Thanks.  

Sorry Ann Curry + Snap Pea Salmon Quinoa

Ok, I might have called her Rainbow Brite previously, but now I feel bad about Ann Curry.  Her wardrobe is unfortunate.  My god, those outfits.  And this is coming from a woman who has worn little more than yoga pants and fleece tops for the last six years.  And clogs.  Yes I do.

But now that she's about to be fired and she still has to come to work each morning at some ridiculously early hour and be all, "Hey, good morning, let's have a great show today."  What?  Who can do that?  I mean, Al Roker was probably a lot to deal with already but now she has to chuckle at his lame puns knowing her exit is imminent and be graceful about it.  That's superhuman.  I watched about 45 minutes this morning and it's not hard to read the underscoring sentiment.  Or maybe it's just me imagining pop-up video style text bubbles reading, "Shut the F up already with the weather puns, Al" or "Thanks for nothin', Lauer, you a-hole."  She's been a pillar of class and grace, thus far.  If I were her I would be so tempted to wear that crazy smock dress featuring the Today Show rainbow from waist-to-hip for the rest of my days.  That's right.  Rainbow Brite every single crazy day.  

Oh Ann. My condolences.

My defining moment of departure from the Today show had nothing to do with Ann Curry.  I'd always turned on NBC as a default.  I remember getting ready for school with Jane Pauley and Bryant Gumbel. I watched with horror Katie and Matt's live coverage of 9/11.  And then Matt Lauer interviewed the Colorado teenager who spilled her frozen yogurt on President Obama's shoe.  Yogurt on a goddamn shoe.  Over and out.

Plus said teenager had that speech inflection where every sentence rises in pitch at the end and comes out like a question.  What is that?  I hope it's only prevalent in girls so that we can avoid it entirely because it might kill me.  Literally.  Just kidding about the literally; I know how to use the word correctly.  

So I'm breaking up with the Today Show but I'm jumping into bed with a new love:  The Newsroom.  I watched the pilot twice yesterday.  So good.  The pilot is on You Tube and the show looks promising enough to allllmossssst make me order HBO.  Except it airs Sundays at 10:00 p.m. and it's a rare Sunday eve that sees me awake at 11:00 p.m.  And also I'm cheap.  So most likely I'll bide my time until it comes out on DVD and then I will ignore my children and watch the whole thing in one long and delicious sit-down, thus reprising my former nickname, Leah de la Sofa.  

God, Mom, no.  I'm not really going to ignore the boys.  Joking.  

Um...sooo... it was really hot here last week and I needed to throw together a rare weeknight dinner for all four of us.  Turning on the oven or grilling wasn't going to happen.  So we ate saltines with peanut butter.  The end.  Joking again!  I kill myself (no, not literally).  I had a ton of snap peas and spinach from my garden.  (Oh, how I'm loving my garden.  But that ramble--and it's going to be one heck of a ramble--is for another time.) I made an all-microwave meal.  And it was decent.  

Abundant snaps

Snap Pea and Salmon Quinoa (for 4)

1 cup uncooked Quinoa

2 or so cups snap peas, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces

2 cups spinach, washed and finely chopped

1 (approx. 1 lb) salmon filet, cut into 4 pieces

Citrus Vinaigrette

2 tbsp. olive oil

Zest and juice of 1/2 - 1 lemon (I like a lot of lemon, the boys not so much)

1 tbsp. red wine vinegar (or preferred)

2 tbsp. orange juice

2 tbsp. chopped chives

Salt and pepper, to taste.  I have a salt problem and feel like it needs a little extra salt.  But that's me.  

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions (I microwaved, clearly).

2. Trim and chop about this many snap peas (it's a little over two cups.  I measured!), microwave with a little water for 1 minute.  Add to bowl with quinoa.

3. Microwave chopped spinach for 30 seconds.  It will look horrible but will add color and vitamins.  Add it to the bowl and stir well so the spinach doesn't stay clumpy and the quinoa fluffs up.

4. Mix vinaigrette together and add, stir again.  It looks like a lot but don't fret, the grain soaks it up. 

5. I salted and peppered and lemoned the salmon and cooked each piece of individually, in my handy microwave egg cooker, for 55 seconds.  Alternatively, I'm sure you could do it all on a plate covered with plastic wrap but I've got no idea how long it would take to cook.  Helpful.

Salmon in the microwave egg cooker

6. Let the salmon rest for a couple minutes, flake with a fork and add to the quinoa mixture.  Maybe add chopped, toasted walnuts if you've got them.  Add a little crunch, yes?

7. Serve it up and enjoy a fresh, healthful no oven meal that's not a sandwich.  Or Ben and Jerry's Phish Food frozen yogurt.  Not that that's happened.

View from my bedroom window.  So much nicer in the summer.  The end.

Grilled Caprese Chicken and Forty is anything but Sporty.

I just had a birthday.  A very big birthday.  The kind of birthday you don't really think is going to happen to you and then, blam-o, there it is.  There was much talking and planning for said birthday.  I made one thing clear: no parties.  Don't get me wrong; I love celebrating birthdays, just not my own.

So there was a party.  It was lovely.  The food was fantastic and the setting pretty.  I'm very thankful.  

The best gift I was given was from my in-laws: 3 days in Chicago by myself (Carter was working).  I had lunch with my dear friend J.  I went running by the lake on an incredibly shiny day.  I wandered aimlessly and shopped my way up and down Michigan Avenue. It was heaven.  

In fact, it was so idyllic that I began imagining life had we stayed in Chicago.  I pictured frequent trips to the Art Institute and the concerts in Millennium Park.  I imagined taking the boys to a ton of different restaurants and appreciating all the cultures that co-mingle in a big city.  Pretty, pretty picture. 

And then a (I'm guessing here) homeless and drunk man called me a whore.  I was all, "Ahhh, this blouse is Tory Burch.  So no.  No I'm not."  He didn't get the reference, but the women behind me sure did.  Sisterhood against the traveling men with no pants. 

Picture of downtown from Diversey.  Yes, I was taking pictures because I needed a break from running.  But still, incredible day.  

I had a string of days in Chicago that made me almost forget the times when it's not so nice.  For example, the time I exited the train at Chicago Ave. and a frosting-heavy Dunkin' Donuts bag hit me with such gale force winds that I had to take off my mittens to pry it away from my trouser leg.

Or the time that I cashed in a very nice gift certificate I was given to get massages for both Carter and myself at a very swank spa.  It was raining sideways.  Umbrellas were nothing but a cute accessory; they served no purpose.  Taxis were, of course, non-existent.  I arrived soaking wet with some kind of otherworldly alien hair.  It was cute.

But this trip was fantastic.  A great summer kick-off.  My little friends had fun.

And then they got their work-out.

When we returned home we were excited for summer.  And excited for this meal:

Grilled Chicken Caprese (for 4)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to an even thickness
4 slices fresh mozzarella cheese

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium red onion, roughly chopped
1 tsp. sugar
3/4 - 1 lb tomatoes, roughly chopped (I used grape tomatoes and cut them in half)
1/3 C. white wine
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Start with the tomato sauce.  Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add onion and sugar and stir consistently, about 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes and turn heat to medium-low.  Stir consistently and add a splash of wine when liquids dry up.  Be careful not to burn (note to self right there).  Stir, adding wine when necessary, for 10-15 minutes, until everything is nice and mushy.  Add salt and balsamic.  Cook a few minutes longer.  If you want a smoother sauce, blend with an immersion blender.  If you're cool with the chunks, don't.  Cooks choice.

Onion and tomatoes, beginning to cook down.

Cooked and added balsamic.

Blended.  It was a Saturday night.  I had time.  I blended.  

Grill the chicken breasts.  Let's not reinvent the wheel here, everyone knows how to grill chicken breasts.  After you flip them, wait a minute and add a slice of mozzarella.  Cook it like a cheeseburger.  As an aside H. used to adorably call cheeseburgers "cheese-ham-a-burgers."  It's my blog. I get to do that.   

Pull that cheesy chicken off the grill, top with a scoop of the tomato-balsamic sauce and some fresh chopped basil.  Serve with some grilled vegetables.  Whatever you have.  Vegetables are always better grilled.  

 Plated with grilled zucchini, pepper and onions 

(the dregs of the vegetable drawer if I were to be honest).

Summer on a plate.

In other news I gave the boys their dinner tonight and H. looked at his plate, looked at me with a raised eyebrow and asked, "Mom, did you try your best on this dinner?"  Yep.  That happened.  I took a deep breath, looked at him and said, "Your sitter will be here at nine in the morning."  The end.  

Asparagus Pasta and She is Good at Rainbows

Last year I had the boys write a thank-you letter to their teacher at the end of the year.  H's was very nice. D's was not.

Now, this was an early 5's Kindergarten class.  He's no Doogie Howser, M.D.  I had to help him spell every damn word.

Speaking of Doogie Howser, M.D., because I speak of him often (?), there's a kid who did it right.  No Corey Feldman there.  What's his name?  Neil Patrick Harris?  He went from child star to Broadway to an ABC hit and back to Broadway as the host of the Tony Awards.  And he's a father of twins.  Listen, I give any parent of twins props.  It's no joke.

Anyway, this year I figured they had learned enough to do it on their own. Or not.  Here is H's:

So H's teacher has been amazing.  We love her.  She just 'gets' H and inspires him and reigns him in at once.  So his letter, which is translated as: "You are good at rainbows" cracked me up.   She has been a constant cheerleader and motivator in his life for the past nine months and that's his takeaway?  Oh no he dinnn't.  But, do you know what?  She does make killer rainbows.  And if that's what most impresses him at this point, we're okay.

We're also okay with asparagus pasta, which I've been making since I first read the recipe in Gourmet magazine in the years before email and cellphones.  I still miss Gourmet magazine, although I love that its last Editor-in-Chief, Ruth Reichl, is on Twitter and tweets fabulous missives every morning that make me wish I were her.  Example:  "Late spring.  Damp green grass beneath my feet.  A flock of tiny yellow birds.  Local strawberries, so sweet, drenched in thick Jersey cream."  Come on.  I'm going to practice doing mornings like Ruth Reichl. Right now my tweet would read:  "Leftover coffee.  F'ing Mourning Doves.  Cheerios."  Doesn't quite have the same ring.

But back to the pasta.  It's good.  Unique in that the stems of the asparagus are blended to make the sauce.  I've been making it for 10+ years and it's a go-to dish each spring.  Unfortunately I've been making it so long that there's no longer a recipe and I've long ago lost my torn page from Gourmet, so here's going back to the drawing board:

Asparagus Pasta

1 large bunch asparagus, tips and stems divided
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 lb dried pasta, such as penne or farfalle.
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper, to taste

1.  Heat a stockpot of water to boiling.  Add a drainer insert if you have one.

2. Rinse asparagus well and chop and discard the tough 1 inch off the bottoms of the stalks.  Then chop the tips and the next 3/4 inch off the stalks and add to the stockpot.  Boil the top bits for one minute and then drain and reserve in a bowl.

3. Chop the remainder of the asparagus into approx. 1" pieces.  Add to boiling water and let it go longer than you would think.  Like 7-8 minutes at a rapid boil.  Turn that business to mush.  Remove asparagus and drain.

4. Add pasta to pot for recommended cooking time.  Deliver the removed asparagus to a blender with about 1/4 cup of the pasta water, the zest and juice of a lemon, and 2-4 tablespoons olive oil. Blend it up.

5.  Drain the pasta.  Return it to the stockpot on low and add the contents of the blender along with a good 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan. Add reserved aspargus tips. Stir to combine and serve with extra grated parmesan.

 Lemony lemoness.

 Blended sauce, pre-pasta.  Gorgeous spring color. 

Finished dish.

I like this dish because it makes a lot out of a little.  It's very simple and I feel a very Italian dish.  And it is gooooood.  

What is also good is calling any offshoot of the University of Michigan Hospital.  You will get a recording that says, "You've reached such and such, if this is an emergency, hang up and dial 911."  I always laugh and think, really? if my kid were choking would my first call be to my pediatrician? Who would do that?   I think the recording would be so much funnier by adding one simple word: fool.  "You've reached the Ann Arbor West Clinic of the University of Michigan Hospital.  If this is an emergency, hang up and dial 911, FOOL."  

The end.  And I am also good at rainbows.  

Un-Paula Deen Mac-n-Cheese

I make a conscious effort to not let small things bug me.  And it takes a lot of effort.  I still want to stick a poker in my eardrum, however, when Paula Deen says 'oil.'  It comes out "AHHHL."  I get that she's a Southerner; I just feel like she could make an 'O' sound if she really tried.

One of the more puzzling pairings was when Ms. Deen did segments on the Today show with Al Roker.  How was it ever a good idea for those two to be giving America tips on what to eat?  It reminded me of the church cookbook my dad gave me: In the 'Salad' chapter there was a recipe that called for chopped-up Snickers bars.  Good salad.

Giada De Laurentiis did have some good recipes when she did segments on Today.  I was even able to overcome her overly dramatic pronunciation of Italian words.  "Beautiful BUffala MOZZaRELLa." What ruined her for me was our friend Scott who pointed out how disproportionally short her arms are. Unfair but true.  He tucked his elbows to his side and pretended to cook with only his forearms.  It was hysterical and I now can't look at Giada the same way;  We had no choice but to break up.

One of the multitude of magazines I receive is Cooking Light.  It's actually one that I pay for (Mags for Miles accounting for the bulk of the rest).  I love how the Paula Deens of the world love to make their dishes more luscious with BUDDER and AHHHL, but Cooking Light does the exact opposite.  Their Baked Mac-n-Cheese here is proof.  Instead of loads of cheese or cream, the base of this dish is low-fat cottage cheese, pureed in a food processor.  Pair this with the new-fangled pastas with extra fiber, protein and vitamins and the result is a mac-n-cheese I'm pleased to give my kids (and, OK, myself).

Baked Mac and Cheese

1 (12 ounce) package macaroni (I used Ronzoni Smart Taste "With 2.5 x the Fiber!")
1 (16 ounce) carton low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
salt and pepper, to taste
cooking spray
1/2 cup panko (I pre-browned the panko in a skillet with 2 teaspoons olive oil (AAAHL)
1 tablespoon minced flat leaf parsley or 2 teaspoons dried parsley

Blended cottage cheese, who knew?

Where's the BUDDER?  Just pureed cottage cheese and very little cheddar and parmesan.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Place cottage cheese in a food processor; process until smooth.  Combine cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

3. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions, drain and add to bowl with cheese mixture.  

4. Combine pasta and cheese well and spoon into a 11x7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

5. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a skillet; toast panko until golden brown.  Remove from heat and combine with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan and either fresh or dried parsley.  Sprinkle evenly over pasta mixture and bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  

Done and done. 

If Carter ate cheese, this would be in the family dinner repertoire for sure.  Alas, he doesn't, so it isn't.  But when he's gone?  Semi-family dinner.  This actually went over so well this time that I might buy little thermos cups to send this mac-n-cheese for lunch.  

Again, for something to bring a family who needs a meal?  I think this would be great.  Vodka optional.  

Lilac season!  Free bouquet of the week.

X2. (Actually X6; our house is full of lilacs.  It's dreamy).  Searching for the re-blooming lilacs I've been reading about.  Talk about a dream come true; 

When re-blooming peonies are an actual thing, I'll be done.

Hold the door for the person behind you. 

XO, 

Leah

B.L.A.T. / B.L. Sandwich Night

I am a firm believer that sandwiches taste better if somebody else makes them for you.  Salads too.  So tonight I totally scored when Carter said he'd make dinner and we would be having BLTs and salad for the family affair.  The man knows his way with bacon, and we happened to have some good Zingerman's bread and some decent Campari tomatoes.  Game on.  He also made basil mayonnaise, which earned him extra points.  

Carter developed allergies and went dairy-free in college.  It was a rough start for us as I am dairy-land proud.  Cheese and eggs?  I would rather do without beer, and that's saying something (notice I didn't say Vodka).  Trader Joe's to the rescue once again.  They make a Vegan mayonnaise that's really, really good.  

Hello, lovely.

With this discovery, things like tuna salad and BLTs were once again in our repertoire.  Yee-haw.   I read a blog called "Everybody Loves Sandwiches" and I fully concur. 

Basil mayonnaise, which (for us) is just a good scoop of T.J.s mayo with about a tablespoon of chopped basil and some salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice stirred in, adds really good flavor to all things sandwiched between bread.  

BLAT (Bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato).

The sandwiches were delicious.  I had mine open-faced which meant I got twice the bacon with half the bread.  At least in my mind that's what it meant.  

The boys had BLs.  They are really pretty good eaters but they're funny about tomatoes.  As in they won't touch them with a ten foot pole.  Except when they eat tomato soup, which I call "vampire soup".  They love it.  Shhhh.  And avocado?  If it were to appear on their plates you'd think we'd served them a platter of strychnine.  But they love their guacamole in tacos.  Shhhh again.  We will tell them in due time.  Like when we drop them off at college (or trade school as the trend indicates).  Are there residential trade schools?  I sure hope so.  

Baked Fish that Doesn't Suck

As my previous attempt at baked fish (fish & chips) was a big fail, I went back to the drawing board.  Inspiration struck when I toasted breadcrumbs in a skillet to serve tossed with roasted cauliflower.  The breadcrumbs (Panko) turned from pasty white to a golden brown in less than two minutes and with only a couple teaspoons of added oil.

The big problem with faux fried fish (breaded and baked in the oven) is that either the fish cooked but the breading didn't brown, or in my case, the breading browned unevenly and I ended up over-baking the fish trying to get a uniform color.  With pre-cooked breadcrumbs, the fish could bake quickly and at a high temperature, yet still emerge with an evenly browned appearance.  I'm going to call it a success.  Or beginner's luck.  


Crispy Fish 


1 Cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil + cooking spray to coat pan


1/2 Cup flour
2 egg whites, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water


1 pound whitefish (I had tilapia, but cod or walleye would be good too) cut into uniform 'sticks'

Panko seasoned with salt and pepper just added to a medium-hot pan 

with 2 tsp. oil and cooking spray.

After about 2 minutes - golden brown.  Remove from pan and add to 

shallow bowl or rimmed plate.

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray.  Set up a breading station with three separate shallow bowls or plates: 1) flour 2) egg whites 3) toasted Panko.


Coat each fish strip in flour, then egg, then Panko and place on the prepared pan.  

Bake at 450 for 9-10 minutes.

Pre-baked but already looking gooood.

Baked and served with Asian slaw.

Asian Coleslaw


1 bag coleslaw
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons reduced fat mayonnaise
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
Zest and juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup chives or green onions, chopped 

Mix until blended and serve or cover and refrigerate until serving.  I realize this slaw is about as Asian as I am, but I'm going with it.

We let the boys dip their fish in ketchup.  They would eat their shoes if dipped in ketchup.  Or Ranch dressing. But, hey, they ate it.  Our fish was dipped in this:  

Sweet Chili Sauce - I might eat my own shoes if served with plenty of this.

Free arrangement of the week - apple blossom branches from our yard (or else potentially our neighbor's yard, but they didn't say anything).

Tomorrow: Greek Quinoa Salad, because you can't live in Ann Arbor and avoid Quinoa for long.  

Winner, Winner, Cheater Chicken Parmesan Dinner

My husband had a colleague in town and asked if we could have him over for dinner.  "Maybe a few others too."  Super duper.  I love to entertain, but it's kind of easier to do when you know how many you're cooking for.  And the approximate hour that said dinner is to be served, which is another story.  He's not so much a details guy.

So I started thinking about what to serve that would be easy, taste good, and could feed anywhere from a few to a lot of people.  A Crock-pot meal was an option.  Crock-pots had always grossed me out (visions of a pot of CROCK, perhaps?) but my mom forced one on me after I had the twins with a cross between a promise and a threat: "You won't be sorry."  She was right.  Mom?  Mom?  There you go.  Christmas in March.  But maybe let's call it a slow-cooker.

Since the weather turned unseasonably warm a couple weeks ago, however, I've not wanted to drag out my slow-cooking friend.  I looked through my recipe files but nothing much was sounding appealing.  So I went to my friendly internets and it wasn't long before I stumbled upon this.  Chicken Parmesan for people who like short-cuts.  There's no breading and frying.  It's made in a baking dish, can be prepped ahead of time and takes but 30 minutes in the oven.  Ge-ni-us.


Cheater Chicken Parmesan


2 tbsp olive oil 
2 cloves garlic, crushed 
hot red pepper flakes, to taste 
6 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (the organic ones tend to be smaller...wonder why? St. Elmo's Fire mother's whisper: "Drugssssss.")  If using regular chicken breasts, (which I do more often than not..not judging) pound out to a uniform thickness and cut in half to fit the dish.  
2 cups marinara sauce (Trader Joe's Organic Tomato Basil was in our pantry)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 
8 oz mozzarella, shredded 
4 oz Parmesan, grated 
1 (5-oz) package garlic croutons

Chicken, sauce and croutons (croutons!).

All cheesed up and ready for the oven.

Watch the cute chef's video in the link for a step-by-step.  But basically, you throw everything together in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  

Final product:  tender chicken, nice sauciness and good crunch from the croutons. 

I bought large croutons and the only thing I would've done differently would be to buy the little guys or slightly smash the large ones before adding to the dish.  

I prepped this in the afternoon and put it into the oven when I got the call that everyone was on their way.  For a side, I made asparagus and snap peas sauteed with mint and lemon.  I trimmed the peas and washed and cut the asparagus into 1" pieces and had it all soaking.  A quick drain + a hot skillet and they were crisp and done in about 5 minutes.  

The reviews were good, but I knew this was a keeper when I chopped up some of the leftovers and put them in the boys' lunch boxes today.  After school they asked it they could have it for their lunch everyday.  And as they rarely eat much of their lunch at all, that is a crowdpleaser if ever there was one.  

Branches in bloom from a bush in our yard.  I have no idea what this is, but when it blooms?  Gorgeous.  And I don't have to spend money on flowers at the market.  Nice.  The end.  

Fish is for Frying. Plus Asian Salad with Flank Steak.

The dinner I made last night wasn't good.  I'd been wanting fish and chips since St. Patrick's Day so I tried, and pretty much failed, to make a lighter version.  The oven fries were pretty good, but I tried to lighten up the fish and oven bake instead of frying.  Bluck.  Lesson learned: some things just need to be deep fried.  Twinkies and Snickers bars are not amongst those things.  I'm looking at you, Minnesota State Fair.

Now that I've gleaned that little nugget of wisdom, I'm free to worry about other pressing items.  Such as what the good people of Kia were thinking when they named one of their cars something that rhymes with Kia.  Kia Sephia?  Cannot be said without sounding like an idiot.

Or, why does Ann Curry employ Dora the Explorer as her stylist?  It's hard to take her seriously when she wears a voluminous rainbow-blocked smock dress.  I'm sure they don't give guests a choice of interviewers, but if they did, I bet 10:1 would pick Matt in his tailored Zegna over Rainbow Brite.

Or, why is that British couple on House Hunters International looking to buy a condo in Turks and Caicos when they've never even been there before?  Seems a bit rash, if you ask me.  Maybe tour the islands first before you commit?

Since the fish wasn't a hit (and that's being generous), here's something that's always good.

Asian Salad (with Flank Steak)


1/2 head Napa cabbage, washed and chopped
1/2 bag baby spinach, roughly chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
Any other veggies you have on hand - I've added shredded carrots, chopped snow peas, and julienned red pepper.  They look pretty.

1 package dry ramen noodles, broken up
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
3 tablespoons slivered or chopped almonds

Dressing
3 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce

1. Combine greens and any veggies in a large bowl.
2. Toast ramen, sesame seeds and almonds in a skillet until browned.  Don't leave the room.  These suckers go from beautifully toasted to burned to a crisp really quickly.
3.  Put dressing ingredients in a jar and shake or whisk to combine.
4. Toss everything together, adding enough dressing to coat.

Greens

Veg additions: 1grated carrot and about a cup of chopped snow peas

Crunchy goodness.  Unless you burn the Bejesus out of it and then it's smelly 

charcoal nuggets.  Trust me.  

Pre-mix.

Grilled flank steak (marinated in garlic, ginger and soy).

I'm sure everyone's had a version of this, but I've played around with the dressing as some recipes called for up to 1/2 cup of oil.  That's a crap load of oil.  The equal proportions of dressing ingredients works well.  I also add spinach because it's good to eat spinach. For pleasing a crowd this meal is great because you can have the salad made but not dressed.  Then you just have to grill and slice the meat when guests are over.  Easy.  When we make this for a group we usually do a steak or two (flank is a go-to but a good sirloin also works well) and a few chicken breasts.  Slice everything up and serve on a big platter.

Even if we're not serving a group, I make a ton of this salad because the leftovers are so good.  And who doesn't love to open the fridge and have tasty leftovers staring back?

My college friend Suzy wanted to open a bar marketed to Asians called....wait for it....Asian and Tonic.  Still makes me laugh.  The end.