Day 2

Did anybody else see the adorable medium sized colored peppers for sale? Of course I had to have them, but then what? The perfect thing would be to stuff them with Bacalao or a rich goat cheese and sizzle them with a little garlic and olive oil. Mmmm. But, this is a family dinner, so...

Stuffed peppers again. I roasted and peeled the peppers first- I figure if we're going for a high pepper to filling ratio, the peppers had better be tasty. I used a NY strip steak with all the fat cut away, then ground it. I also ground the leftover chard and some grilled Vidalia onions in there from the other night, to up the veg content. Some cooked rice and seasonings, a little watery tomato sauce, and they were good to go.
This photo was raw- I was out of the house at dinnertime. Each pepper had about 100 calories- I ate 3. The peppers have a lot of pectin so they have an almost oily, unctuous mouthfeel that is pretty satisfying.

Time to get serious

I'm sick of always whining about that damn 10 lbs and never actually making the effort to shed it. I mean, I've been here before, I know what to do....so this blog is having a rebirth as my accountability. Day 1: grilled salmon, garlic sauteed rainbow chard, corn, grilled sweet potato (just slice it about 1/3 inch and cook them over indirect heat about 10 minutes). This meal was about 420 cals including the little vidalia- cherry coulis and the butter on the corn.

I like to cut salmon like this: into a thick slice of filet, then sliced down to the skin and folded back to make like a "mock steak" but without the bones.

I threw some extras on the grill, too. A large eggplant, just whole, some baby orange peppers, and some thick sliced Vidalia onion. It's always helpful to have some grilled veggies in the fridge, right?

Chicken Marbella

For years when I was dreaming of becoming a chef, The Silver Palate cookbook was my bible.  I thought everything in it was so chic, so delicious...except this recipe for Chicken Marbella that the authors raved about.  It was for chicken pieces marinated and cooked with prunes, green olives, and garlic among other things.  Even though I like those flavors, the combination puzzled and repulsed me.

Then one day a respected chef- colleague of mine mentioned that Chicken Marbella was her go-to party dish, and I decided to give it a try.  Now it's a go to dish for me, too.  Not only is it sublime, but the prep is mostly done the night before- making it perfect for weeknights as well as parties.

I've made some changes and have not peeked at the actual recipe in years...here's my version:

Marinate the skinless chicken thighs overnight.  I always score the meat so the flavors can really penetrate.  The marinade is  a big clove of garlic (crushed), salt, about a quarter cup of brown sugar, 3T red wine vinegar (mild balsamic would be OK too), a bay leaf, a shake of oregano or Italian herb blend, half a cup of pitted green olives, half a cup of prunes, a big drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and 1 T of capers in brine.  I put everything in a big Ziplock and turn it over a few times during the marinating time.

The next day, simply dump it all into a baking dish, pour a little white wine over, sprinkle with a touch more brown sugar, and bake for about 50 minutes at 375'- until the chicken is definitely cooked through, browned, and the juices have reduced to a slightly syrupy consistency. Baste occasionally.  The chicken will be very moist and flavorful.  I served it with buttermilk mashed yukon gold potatoes, and roasted broccoli with cherry tomatoes.

New York Pizza? NOT!

A new pizza delivery place opened up around here promising New York Style Pizza.  My husband was all excited as he loves NY (and only NY) pizza.  Well.  This pizza had as much cheese on it as 4 New York Pizzas.  I love cheese.  I mean. Please.  But, come on, Wisconsinites, learn a little subtlety with the cheese already! Show some restraint!  Less is more, and more is way too much.

Yuk!  Look at these pictures and weep for us.  The crust was pliable under the toppings, but it was still all wrong.  A New York Pizza has an outer rim of puffed crust that is shatteringly crisp on the outside, pillowy soft on the inside.  It bends but does not snap when you fold the slice to bring it to your lips.

*sigh*

Parmesan Peppercorn Dressing

Remember the '80s?  Parmesan peppercorn dressing was on all the menus.  I still like it- more importantly, the basic formula is a good one to be familiar with- for improvising slaws, drizzles, dips....

Parmesan Peppercorn Dressing

1 cup real mayo

1 cup buttermilk or- sour cream if you dare

pinch sugar

splash vinegar or lemon (especially if you use sour cream)

salt to taste

Whisk together.  This is your creamy dressing base.  from here, you can go...lots of places.  Chipotle lime?  Sesame ginger?  Mixed herb?  Blue cheese?  Blue cheese and Bacon???  

But for this one, you need grated Parmesan..about 2/3 cup

Fresh ground black pepper....a lot...to taste

A dash Worchestershire for a base note

Keeps a week or two.  Give it to the kids with their chicken nuggets.

I like to use creamy dressings on crisp, crunchy lettuces like romaine or iceberg.  For the main dish, I roasted up a turkey breast, served it with a stuffing I threw together from bread out of the freezer, and leftover cheesy cauliflower.  Now I also have fresh roasted turkey for sandwiches :)

Meat and 3

Meat and Three is what you get at some old school family restaurants, particularly in the South.  You pick your main entree, the meat, and then get three choices from a list of sides.  My husband asked for steak for dinner, and I really am trying to eat healthy here, so I made three vegetable sides.  Only one was fattening- the cauliflower gratin.  I also made a baked sweet potato and some steamed haricots vert.

Usually "3 cheese" is such a gimmicky Olive Garden thing- but in some cases different cheeses can really improve the flavor of a dish.  This is often true in cheese sauce, where you want to use the minimum amount of cheese to get the best flavor. If you were to use a mild cheese and add enough of it to get a good cheese flavor, the sauce could be unpleasantly stringy and would be more prone to the fat seperating out when heated.  I made a basic white sauce (bechamel) with whole milk, then added super sharp cheddar, Gruyere, and Parmesan which are all strongly flavored.

Poured over steamed cauliflower, topped with some crushed croutons (what's on hand), and run under the broiler- delicious!  My kids loved this.

SO that's it.  Steaks well seasoned and cooked in the cast iron skillet- 

Oh, don't forget the wine!

Old Standby

Wednesday nights I have to make something for the rest of the family before I go out to Zumba, then I eat when I get home.  An old favorite fits the bill: homemade Hummus with sauteed zucchini and roasted red pepper, in whole wheat pitas.