Chicken Tandoori

When I first made this dish it was one of those "what can I possibly make from what's laying around the house?" kind of nights. I searched online, looking through recipe after recipe, until I found one that I had every ingredient.  Chicken Tandoori?  Why not.

I have still to this day not had it anywhere but my own kitchen; so I don't really have any basis for comparison. But we really like it. I have probably made it 4-5 different times.

You'll start by soaking chicken in lemon juice and salt with slits cut into it.  The recipe calls for chicken thighs with the skin on, but we prefer it with boneless & skinless breasts.  I have made it both ways, and much to my surprise I preferred the baked breast method over the broiled legs.

While your chicken is getting tenderized (and flavored), you're going to assemble a ton of spices into a food processor to make a paste.

Vegetable oil, onion, plain yogurt, tomato paste, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, and paprika all go into this super flavor-packed dish.. I ran out of paprika this time, so I used Cajun and cayenne seasonings as a substitute.  I got the recipe from here.

Remove the chicken from the lemon juice, or simply drain it from the same casserole dish.  Then coat your chicken on all sides in the mixture you just made and let it marinade for 15-30 minutes.

We like to bake it for 25-30 minutes at 400-degrees, flipping half way through.  During the flip, I try to scoop up as much of the sauce as possible to cover the chicken again.  Cook some brown or white rice to serve the chicken over top.

Sorry my picture is out of focus.  Oops.

Top it with a mixture of yogurt, paprika, cilantro, and salt.  We also like to add our own little touch of green onion and some fresh tomato.

The cooling yogurt sauce pairs really nicely with this wonderfully spiced dish.  My dad likes to make a differentiation between spicy and hot (spicy).  This has a lot of spices -- so it would meet his definition of spicy. But it isn't hot.  The cumin, coriander, and paprika add a real depth of flavor with all the onion and tomato paste.  I think it's a great dish for anyone willing to be a little adventurous.

Soon we are going to a couple's home to have some authentic Indian food.  Hopefully I will be able to compare mine favorably.

Seafood Bouillabaisse

We were at the grocery store when I saw something in the freezer section and said, "That isn't a very appetizing name."  The product was called Seafood Medley -- which I thought was a little off-putting because it wasn't very specific.  Normally I don't like anything that could be a hodgepodge of some unnamed fish parts.  But picked it up and was very pleasantly surprised at what I found.

It actually had calamari, clams, mussels, and shrimp. And thankfully there was a bouillabaisse recipe right on the back of the package, which meant dinner that night already planned out for me.

I started by melting some butter and olive oil with minced garlic over medium heat.  Be careful here not to burn your butter or you'll start off with a very bad tasted that will ruin the rest of the dish.

I added a chopped white onion, bay leaf, crushed red pepper flakes, dried thyme, and some white wine. Let that sweat down for a while until a wonderful aroma fills your kitchen.

Next add tomatoes.  You can either use a can of diced tomatoes, drained. Or you could dice up some fresh tomatoes yourself.  But the tomatoes are key here.  The combination of olive oil, onion, garlic, tomato, and bay leaf are very integral in a good Bouillabaisse according to Julia Child.

Add the seafood and cover to cook for about 5 minutes.  You should boil some pasta in salted water and drain.  We didn't quite have enough of our ribbed elbow macaroni, so I had to mix two kinds of noodles.  That means my presentation doesn't look so fantastic -- but it still tasted great.

I topped it with a little bit of bread crumbs just because I thought that would be a nice buttery bit of texture at the end.  This reminded me a little of a cioppino because of the seafood and tomato.  But it was very aromatic and tasty.

I am by no means an expert in this classic French dish.  But I think it was pretty darned good.  And my wife liked it too -- and that's what matters most.

The Top 10

I just realized that I have been keeping this blog for over a year now.  Wow!  So here is my Top 10 list of entries from July 2012 - July 2013.  It was really hard to narrow it down, to be honest. But here goes:

#10. Corn Dog Mini Muffins (Link)

I love these little things! They are great for football Saturdays -- and they're even better fried.

#9.  Fire Roasted Salsa (Link)

This is a great really fresh salsa for tomato & cilantro lovers.

#8. Caramelized Onion Tartlettes (Link)

Mastering caramelized onions is a feat of patience. But these buttery little morsels make it worth it.

#7. Skillet Hash Browns (Link)

Such a genius way of getting perfectly crispy hash browns for a crowd.

#6. Mushroom Stroganoff with Goat Cheese (Link)

This rich, creamy dish can almost make being a vegetarian seem like a viable option. Almost.

#5.  Asian Pork & Cabbage Salad (Link)

Adding fish sauce & rice vinegar to my arsenal was a huge step forward. Yum.

#4. Best Broccoli Ever! (Link)

You wouldn't think this would make such an impact; but these things are phenomenal!

#3. Mushroom Risotto (Link)

This is such a rich & decadent dish. It certainly is one of my very, very favorites.

#2. Whiskey & Coke Pulled Pork (Link)

Being an Iowan and an avid Bourbon drinker -- this is such a perfect dish for me.

#1. Pork Chops Milanese (Link)

This was a fantastic dish. The recipe came with my Dutch oven (a must have in any kitchen if you ask me), and really represents so much of what good cooking can be. Peppery greens, sweet & acidic tomatoes, with a brightness from the lemon, freshness from the herbs, and a perfectly breaded piece of meat.  I felt like this dish really took everything to another level for my cooking.

Bee El Tee

Here is another great, simple idea for a summer meal.  We had some wonderful sweet corn a friend brought over, and our first successful tomatoes of the season.   For years my dad had told me that a fresh tomato out of your garden will put all other tomatoes to shame.  So we decided to make something that would really celebrate that great sweetness.

This was my technique to keep the bacon strips from curling up. I like my bacon to be a little chewy -- almost like beef jerky consistency.  So I never want to over-cook it and make it really dry and crisp.  I also don't like when it curls and shrivels up.  This was my idea for combating that curling problem.

I always pat the bacon dry with paper towels or napkins so they aren't overly greasy.

Beyond that, it's nothing more than layering bacon, lettuce, and tomato in a sandwich.  I'm not sure why mayonnaise doesn't get a letter in this famous sandwich name -- because for me no B.L.T. is complete without a little M.

This sandwich works so well because of all the richness from the mayo and bacon, and the sweet and somewhat tangy tomato, and a crisp clean crunch of lettuce and toast.  I'm a huge fan. And it's a really easy dinner that's sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Yogurt Partfait -- A Great Snack

For a while now I have had the notion in my head that this blog is only for dishes that require some kind of cooking. But I realized that it can also be a place to have suggestions for good things you can prepare, regardless of how much cooking technique is required.

This is a great idea for a snack or even a healthy breakfast.  I start with some kind of sweet yogurt, then add fresh fruit, and usually granola or cereal.

I had some nice Granny Smith apples so I decided to dice one up.

Then I added some really sweet blueberries.  Look at those great colors!

I heaped a bunch of lite yogurt and two kinds of cereal on top.  I like the freshness and sweetness the fruit provides, and the cereal adds another level of sweetness and texture.  It can be a really filling and satisfying simple snack.

Fresh Corn Salsa

We had some fresh Iowa sweet corn and I needed to find a few different ways to use it.  So I got the idea to make a fresh corn "salsa" -- I supposed you could call it a salad too. But I prefer to think of it as a salsa.

I cut the fresh corn off the cob and put it into a medium-sized bowl.  I cooked that in the microwave to soften the kernels up.  Another great idea is to use the back edge of  your knife and scrape alone the cob after the kernels have been cut off. This will squeeze out a milky rich corn extract/juice that packs some great flavor!

Then I diced a crisp Fuji apple into small pieces and add them to the bowl.  Next came some of my favorite things I've been eating all summer: pickled jalapeno peppers and pickled red onions.  The sweet, spicy, briny combination of those two things really brighten up so many dishes.

Then I added a little lime juice, a dash or two of apple cider vinegar, and fresh cilantro.

I stirred everything together and put it in the refrigerator to cool.  I was first just eating this like a salad or a side -- but then my better half grabbed some tortilla chips and started eating it by the scoopful.  Yum. What a great idea.

You can actually taste each of the apple, jalapeno, corn, and pickled onion individually ... yet they all go really nicely together.  This cool, crunchy, chunky salsa was really refreshing in the summer.  I'm going to pat myself on the back for this one.  Because it was good.

Chicken Caesar Salad

I have been trying to work on my food presentation skills.  Since most of you don't get to taste the food I prepare -- I should at the very least try to show you how good it can be.  I think this picture turned out pretty well.  And if you're like me, seeing a picture of a recipe makes me want to make it even more.

You'll start with a classic breading station: flour, eggs, breading mixture.  The breading has whole wheat bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, pepper, mustard powder, and fresh graded Parmesan cheese.  (Yum -- right?)

Press both sides of your chicken into the flour to coat evenly.   Knock off any excess.

Dredge both sides in your egg wash. Allow any excess to drip off.

Then firmly press both sides into your breading mixture.  The flour helps the egg stick, and the eggs help the breading stick.

Heat up some oil in a cast iron pan or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook on both sides until the meat is cooked through and the outside is golden & crispy.  Set on a paper towel to blot any of the excess oil.  Let it rest a few minutes, and then slice for presentation.

You'll notice I did get a little bit of it overcooked. You can either scrape that part off -- or just don't serve that part when you slice it up.

We used a bag salad with the Caesar dressing already included.  We like to add sliced black olives, croutons, and some more freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.

I love that tangy, briny Caesar dressing to go with a rich breaded chicken like this.  The olives add a little more salty, Earthy taste to everything, and the lettuce & croutons give you a nice crunch.

It tasted as good as it looked.

Peter Piper's Pickled Peppers

What happens when your friend has a pepper obsession that leads him to planting 22 different pepper plants?  You end up eating a lot of peppers.

We already stuffed the sweet banana peppers, so I decided to pickle a good portion of the hotter peppers.

• White vinegar
• mustard powder
• garlic salt
• coriander
• pickling salt
• sugar
• bay leaf
• a little water

I can't give you exact ratios because I just kind of throw it all together. Don't use too much sugar, though, because I don't like these to be as sweet as my pickled onions.

Boil all the ingredients in a saucepan and then let them simmer a few minutes.  Slice your peppers thinly and put them in mason jars.  You can pop out the seeds or rinse them off in a colander if you want to reduce the heat level.

Pour your hot liquid into the jars and let them sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before puting the tops on the jars and refrigerating.

These are great on so many foods.  I have eaten 1.5 jars already and gave another away to a co-worker.  I have really developed a taste for these briny, spicy little beauties.

Brussels Sprouts and Chicken Stir Fry

There are certain dishes that really stand out -- that make me think, "Man, I've got to save that recipe!"

This was one of those for sure.

What you're seeing here from top left, to bottom right are: sirano chiles, carrots, green onions, fresh ginger, Brussels sprouts, green onion whites, and garlic scapes.  It will really help you to have everything chopped and read to go before hand.

This dish could be great with steak, pork, or chicken. Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, add the sprouts and cook until slightly crisp (about 4 minutes) tossing occasionally.

You're kind of lightly frying them, while maintaining that great bright green color. Transfer the sprouts to a plate.  Season your meat with salt & pepper, heat another tbsp of oil in the skillet, and cook fast over higher heat until barely cooked through.

Set aside with the sprouts.

Heat one more tbsp of oil in the same skillet, add the green onion whites, garlic scapes (or minced garlic), and ginger and stir until fragrant -- about 1 minute.

Add the carrots and chiles and cook, tossing occasionally, until the carrots are slightly softened -- about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk 3 tbsp fish sauce along with 3 tbsp of low sodium soy sauce, 2 tbsp of rice vinegar, and 1/4 cup of water in a small bowl.

Return the Brussels sprouts and meat to the skillet and pour the sauce over top.  Cook until the sauce is thickened, about 3 minutes.

 (Sorry for the steamy picture.)

Serve it over steamed white or brown rice,

and top it with the green onion (greens).

The ginger, garlic, and chiles  lend a wonderful aroma to everything. The fish & soy sauces are earthy and add another level of flavor. You can feel good about yourself too because of all the vegetables.  The sprouts are great because they are firm & crunchy and really fill out this dish.

It was fantastic. Seriously. I would order this at any Asian restaurant and be very happy with my money spent.