Blogoversary 3: Lemon Rosemary Chicken with Roasted Mushrooms and Asparagus

This is how it always happens--I wake up on April 6th and think about what I need to do for the day.  I had a whole entire schedule for yesterday.  Here's what it was: study, study, and do some more studying.  Yes, after only one week of school I've got a boatload of studying to do.  So, all that went out the window when I realized it was my blog's third anniversary!  

Holy cow!  It's been three years :-)  It is interesting when people bring up certain posts; I've sometimes forgotten about them because I'm so busy.  Well, yesterday's busy schedule was postponed a day and I decided to make a special meal--a lemon rosemary roasted chicken with a roasted mushroom medley and roasted asparagus.  I guess I felt like using my oven, haha.  I went all out and went to buy an organic chicken at Whole Foods.  Yowzers, I've never paid $16.50 for a whole chicken.  Good golly.  

I bought lots of mushrooms at the Asian market because I felt like doing a roasted mushroom medley.  By the way, speaking of Whole Foods--I cannot believe the small selection of mushrooms that they have.  Quite sad and pathetic.

So, you might be wondering how I came up with the meal that I made.  I've got a Friday evening class.  Oh yes... so fabulous, right?  Truth be told, the subject matter is interesting and our professor is good but, it's FRIDAY NIGHT!  Ahhhh... I guess it's better than the Saturday morning class.  Free Friday but go to school on Saturday morning...  I took Friday because the alternative feels like such an interruption of the weekend.

Anyways, I digress.  So, Friday afternoon, I went to school and hit the bookstore up for some things that I needed.  They have a few bins with "Bargain Books" and last Fall, I bought a boatload of cookbooks that were majorly on sale.  There weren't as many this time but ooh, did I find some jewels.  One of them was Jonathan Waxman's A Great American Cook: Recipes from the Home Kitchen of One of Our Most Influential Chefs.  Who doesn't love Jonathan Waxman's cooking?  I've always been in awe of the dishes that he creates: they exude deliciousness and happiness :-)

I was inspired by his roast chicken as well as his guacamole and homemade corn chips.  The only recipe I actually followed was the guacamole, which used a different technique than the one I normally use.  The chicken recipe was an inspiration but I took it my own way.  I usually dice my onions, jalapenos, garlic, and chilies and mix them in with the avocado.  His recipe has you processing--TO A PULP--the peppers, onions, cilantro, and salt and then mixing them up with fork-mashed avocados.  I added diced tomatoes to make it a splash more colorful :-)  Accompanied by homemade chips?  Hot damn!  After I made the chips I was wondering what else in the house I had that I could fry up.  Such a sad truth that I admit, but luckily, I did not have anything else.

The dinner was wonderfully tasty.  I am not quite sure how to describe organic chicken.  Fresher?  Does that make sense?  The meat tasted... fresher and not as tough as a non-organic chicken.  The skin came out really crispy and was not as heavy as regular chicken.  All in all, I can say that I enjoyed the organic chicken but that regular is fine, too.  I tend to buy a few when they're on sale and keep them in the freezer.  For all of you out there who need tips on shopping, there's one of them.

I even baked a cake!  I made a lemon coconut cake.  Sadly, when I was starting to trim it last night my serrated knife shot right through to my left index finger.  Yikes, the pain!  Ay, the blood!  Well, the knife went straight into the sink, that particular cake layer into the trash, and me squeezing the heck out of my finger for many, many long minutes.  I guess I should really learn to trim a cake starting from the left side of the cake.  This way, at least I'm not slicing toward a hand.  Thus, right now, I've been typing really oddly because I've been omitting the index finger on my left hand.  

I did have a piece of cake tonight after my turkey penne dinner.  Literally a piece of cake; I broke it off with my hand.  Screw the knife!  It was delish!  There was a lovely lemon and almond (I used almond extract) flavor with a wonderful chewiness from the coconut.  

Seasoned ground turkey with fennel seeds, cinnamon, garlic and onion powders, sea salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper.  I cooked that with mushrooms, onions, and spinach in lots of garlic and oil to make an aglio e olio sauce; it was supremely tasty. 

Happy Blogoversary to The Chef Doc.  Hopefully, next year, I can actually plan ahead!

Magnolia Bakery: Vanilla Cupcakes

In recent months, I've been making a vanilla bean cupcake with fantastic reviews.  Spring Break is officially over but I wanted to make these cupcakes before the end of it and thought that Easter would be a great day to present them.  My friend, Stephany, introduced me to them at the beginning of the break.  For some reason, I thought that Magnolia Bakery was only in New York.  I didn't realize that they had a location in my own backyard up in Los Angeles.  I've still yet to go up there but hmm, after being able to make these, I'm not sure I want to?

Their vanilla cupcake recipe is so simple.  I have never used self-rising flour before and boy, does it do a wonderful job!  Combined with all-purpose, it creates this beautiful crumb that is light and airy.  I modified the recipe a little but it is really simple to follow.  You can probably use cake flour in place of all-purpose to make it even lighter, but I feel at that point it would probably not hold up very well due to the lack of proteins in the cupcake structure.  Proper technique will get you a winning cupcake all the time :-)

Aren't they pretty?  I used a Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMB) to top the cupcakes instead of their Vanilla Buttercream because frankly, "6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar" is so not appealing to me.  I've been making SMB for a month now and absolutely love it!  It uses granulated sugar and egg whites and becomes this beautiful, fluffy, and light texture that is not too sweet.  I'm not a fan of sweet frostings and so were many of my cupcake recipients last night.  When they tried the frosting, they were amazed it wasn't too sweet and ate the whole cupcake.  Hooray!  No scraping of the frosting!  The recipe is supposed to make 24 cupcakes but I came out with 31.  Hmm.  Maybe it was due to the extra creaming that I did and that made the batter more voluminous?  Whatever... more cupcakes for the party!

Magnolia Bakery's Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I used more)

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. 

2. Sift together the self-rising and all-purpose flours in a bowl and set aside.  

2. Measure out your milk in a measuring cup and add your vanilla extract to it.  

3. In a mixing bowl, cream together your butter and your sugar.  Do this for at least eight minutes.  It will become very light in color and fluffy in texture.  This will help create that delicate crumb in the cupcake.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as necessary.  Thoroughly mix in the eggs.

5. Slowly add in a portion of the flour mix and then add some of the milk/vanilla.  Alternate between the dry and liquid mixes and finish with the flours.  DO NOT OVERMIX!  In fact, finish mixing it by hand with a spatula using a very light touch.

6. Scoop 1/4-cup into each muffin tin; this will be just over half-full.  

7. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes.  It's pale (but done) at 20 minutes and golden after that and probably a touch drier.  Remember--they'll continue baking after they're out of the oven.

8. Let them sit in the pan for about 10 to 15 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. 

9. Frost with their Vanilla Buttercream or a Swiss Meringue Buttercream (future post).  

This was at the beginning of the creaming stage.  It went on for minutes after this. 

Add your eggs, one at a time.

These were wonderful grease-proof liners I bought from Bake It Pretty. 

I use a 1/4-cup scoop disher.

They poof up very nice.  These were taken out at the 20-minute mark and I think they're the perfect color.

Ta-da!

Ricotta Turkey Meatballs

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter holiday this weekend.  I was prepping, grilling, and baking away this weekend.  However, I did make a lovely dinner on Friday night and that included these wonderful meatballs.  I've never baked meatballs before.  My technique is to always sear them on both sides in a pan and then let them cook away in the sauce.  Well, I decided to make a new type of meatballs and bake them.  And, you know what?  They turned out great!

You thought I created simple recipes before?  This is a mix, roll, and bake kind of dish!  So easy to make and cleaning up after?  Because I sprayed the foil with Pam to keep the meatballs from sticking, I was able to simply throw it away afterwards.  

I've never used Ricotta cheese in meatballs and I have to say, it is such a pleasant addition.  It lightens them up so well and keeps them really moist.  I cut down on breadcrumbs so that also kept them light.  The ingredients are all things that you have on hand.  I mixed them together, rolled them into balls, place them on the foiled baking sheet and stuck them in the oven.  That was it.  The baking does not compromise on the browning that you would get in a pan.  In fact, it provides just the right amount so that you don't start drying your meatballs out.

I served mine with multi-grain linguine and a homemade arrabbiata sauce (spicy red sauce) and it was so tasty!  Try it out for a light Spring dinner!  You won't regret it :-)

Ricotta Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 20 ounces ground turkey (usually one package)
• 3/4 cup onion, finely chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 cup Ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (my secret ingredient)

1. Preheat oven to 400F.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray it with Pam or whatever nonstick spray you have.

2. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, making sure now to mix it too much.  

3. Make meatballs about one-inch in diameter and place on the baking sheet.

4. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until they have browned up.

Step 1: mix everything together.

I got 27 meatballs out of this.  I'm sure if I would have used some sort of scooper they would have come out more uniform. 

After they are done baking.  So good!

Three Bean Turkey Chili

It's finally here.  Some felt like it would never come.  Almost like an oasis in the desert?  What is it that I speak of?  Spring Break, of course.  I am officially on Spring Break and it feels wonderful.  I'm amazed at how much I have slept!  I think last night it was 10 hours.  Crazy, right?  I always find that the first couple of days of this vacation are to get my feet back in calm and normal waters.  The only thing I cannot shake is getting up early!

To review, this past quarter was ridonkulously crazy.  After writing the previous sentence, the cursor blinked for about five minutes because I wasn't quite sure how to put it.  There was a lot of driving to and from LA.  There was a lot of driving around LA.  I did lots of volunteering since I was in a Community Nutrition class.  That gave me my first exposure to WIC, which is a program for Women, Infant, and Children.  I've been working with Children's Hospital LA on a research project in conjunction with USC about menu labeling.  And, I'll tell you that it has been quite the experience.  I truly do think that in regards to research, I much prefer fieldwork than being cooped up in a laboratory.

Hmm, what else?  Oh, group projects and presentations.  I think I can count the number of group projects that I had during my entire collegiate career prior to CSULA on my hand.  In two-thirds of a school year, I've already done the same amount.  They're very "group project/presentation" happy here at CSULA.  And, I guess it is what you make of it.  What they keep telling me is that this is how the rest of my life is going to play out.  I highly believe that to be true--I'm going to be put into projects will different people of sorts and have to learn how to work well, or at least respectfully, with them.  All I can say is that I've been learning from everything that I've been involved in.

Speaking of which, one fun project that I was involved in was the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics National Nutrition Month®.  On March 6th, CSULA's Student Dietetic Association put on a grand affair of a morning!  There were booths of how to "Eat Right".  This year's theme was "Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day" and I found that to be very inspiring.  Anyway, I worked at the "Eat Right on a Budget" booth and had a ball sharing tips about it!  In conjunction with one of my class projects, I created a menu of "Cooking with Five Ingredients or Less."  And let me tell you--cooking this way can totally simplify one's life!

So, the quarter is over, I achieved good grades, and now it's time to have fun :-)  I had a lovely dinner party on Friday night and made a simple chicken and broccoli alfredo, okay?  From scratch, of course.  While I was cooking, I was also teaching to my guests and when I explained the simple processes to them, they went, "Hester, it sounds like a lot of work!"  I mean, to me, it seems totally normal and fine but to them, I guess it's a lot of work.  It makes me wonder how other people cook, you know?  Nonetheless, dinner turned out super scrumptious and ended my homemade carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. 

Tonight, I was excited to make my three bean turkey chili and actually take pictures of the process and be able to share it with you.  I constantly talk about this chili because it is so darn delicious!  It's really healthy, packed full of wonderful flavors, and (according to yours truly), simple to make.  I would not call it an ordinary chili because those are usually quite viscous.  Mine is a little more runny, almost a bit more like a soup, due to the addition of this Russian beer I've come to enjoy very much.  However, you can reduce it for as long as you want to get the consistency that you want.  The cooking part is not what takes the longest.  In fact, it might be the prepping.  There are many times when I wish I had my own sous chef.  

So, there you are--about 90% updated (I'll continue on another post) and a fantastic recipe to add to your arsenal of tasty meals :-)  Feel free to change around the ingredients to fit your personal tastes.

Three Bean Turkey Chili

Ingredients:

• 20 ounces (one package) ground turkey
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 4 yellow bell peppers, diced
• 4 green bell peppers, diced
• 4 Anaheim chilies, diced
• 0 to 3 jalapenos, diced (deveined and deseeded, of course)
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 5 cups Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 bottle of beer (extra lager)
• 1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• Kosher salt
• Ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro + extra for garnish
• 1/4 cup diced green onions
• 2 tablespoons Canola oil

Okay, I know it looks long but really, it's not too bad!

1. In a large bowl, mix together the spices with the ground turkey.  In a large pot, add the oil and turn on to medium-high.  Add the spiced ground turkey and break into large pieces.

2. When the turkey is cooked, add the bell peppers, onions, and Anaheim chilies.  Add a large pinch of salt, more ground black pepper, and the smoked paprika.  Stir everything around.  

3. After about 10 minutes, add the minced garlic and the diced Roma tomatoes.  Stir.  Cook for about 10 minutes.

4. Now, add in the beer and let the alcohol cook out.  After five minutes, add the jalapenos, if using.  

5. Let the chili bubble away and reduce for 35 to 40 minutes.  Occasionally, stir all the ingredients around.

6. Add the beans and cook for 10 more minutes, letting them get to the same temperature as the chili.  Add the cilantro and green onions, cook for a minute or two, and serve.

Look at all that browned goodness.

Getting tastier!

I say to-may-toe, you say to-mah-toe.

Add the cerveza!  If you cannot find an extra lager beer, I'd recommend Newcastle for this chili.

Ah... the jalapenos.  En fuego!  You know how I love a little kick to my foods.

After reducing for awhiles.

Add the beans.

The herbs are in and it's time to eat!

Dinner Montage

Two finals down, and only one more to go!  I'm excited that Spring Break will be happening next week!  It's been such a busy quarter: lots of volunteering, lots of baking, lots of driving, and not enough sleep.  However, I was able to make dinner a lot throughout the quarter as well as before the new year and so, I thought I'd share it with y'all on here.  Pictures of scrumptiousness... what's not to like?  Enjoy :-)

Cajun Chicken Pasta using multi-grain penne.  Bell peppers, onions, and scallions rounded out the dish.  Delish!

Tacos al pastor.  It was my first time making al pastor and it was delish.  A side salad and homemade chocolate chip cookies rounded off the meal.  Oh, that was a good night.

My famous turkey chili with three different kinds of beans and a really nice dark lager.

Oh, such AMAZING homemade butternut squash ravioli with brown butter and fried sage!  I made my own pasta for them, too!

Baked chicken leg quarters with Spanish rice and a yummy salad containing raw fennel slices, cukes, tomatoes, carrots, and shaved Parmesan.

Seared scallops with mushroom risotto.

This was my first time trying multi-grain pasta in a really long time.  I think that it has come a long way because years ago, it used to taste disgusting.  I cooked up a mixture of sliced zucchini, chunks of eggplant, grape tomatoes, and chicken.  It was all really delicious!

Seared Chilean Sea Bass with truffled rice and a raw asparagus and mushroom salad in a lemon vinaigrette.  Very light!

This was a delicious dish.  I had a chicken stock that was simmering away all day and then added it to this noodle dish with chicken, mushrooms, lots of spice, and lots of herbs.  It was so hearty, perfect for the Winter day.

This was a wonderful dark greens frittata that contained only five ingredients!  Who doesn't love breakfast for dinner?

Daylight Saving Time

Today, we had the perfect Sunday.  It was the perfect day to spring forward... even though we lost an hour of sleep.  It was perfect because in Southern California there was not a single cloud in sight.  Nothing dotted the sky; it was bright blue, clear and the sun was shining with all its might.  Oh, and add in the perfect So Cal coastal temperatures while we are at it--a touch warm with dry winds making their appearance here and there.  

Although I felt like I was running out of time, it was a good Sunday.  When I left the grocery store two Girl Scouts jumped out and started singing that today was the last day to buy their cookies.  I guess I've been living under a rock because I didn't realize they had been selling them for awhile!  I'm happy that I resisted temptation and didn't buy any.  I know--I could have bought some (since they're for a good cause) and given them away but that didn't cross my mind till after.  However, that got me thinking--it's already that time of year again: Girl Scout Cookie time.  It seems like I am able to count years and memories by Girl Scout cookies. 

It's already March 10th and tomorrow I begin Week 10 of my Winter quarter.  Yeah, that's where I've been all this time since my last post--finals, winter vacation, and then a bit of a grueling Winter quarter.  Fear not!  I've most definitely been cooking and baking since.  Oh, cooking and baking galore.  Yes, I do still find time to do these two things that I love.  Sometimes it keeps me sane, sometimes it doesn't, but I think it's usually the former.  

I tend to take pictures of my dinners and post them on Facebook.  I've got enough now that I think I'll soon be making a Dinner Montage on here for y'all to look through.  Tonight was no different.  Remember how today was the perfect Sunday?  Well, with the great weather, the thoughts of Spring and my upcoming Spring Break, I made turkey burgers with homemade baked parsley fries.  Talk about scrumptious!  I can tell you that I've never had a good turkey burger out at a restaurant.  They've got weird textures and are kind of bland.  Mine is none of that.  It's filled with flavor, gusto, and super easy to make!  The fries were easy to put together, too--peel, slice, and dry your potatoes.  Massage them in oil, salt and pepper.  Bake at 425F for about 30 minutes on a wire rack (rotate midway through) and then add a little seasoning salt and fresh chopped parsley to them right out of the oven.  Finally, steamed asparagus rounded out the meal.  

How did you spend your DST Sunday?  However you did it, I hope it was wonderful!  On that note, I hope you also have a great week :-)

Pumpkin, Carrot, and Apple Soup

'Tis time!  'Tis time!  'Tis the season for Finals.  Yuck.  No, really, it's that time of the quarter again.  I've been super-swamped with maintaining my A's and gearing up for my finals this week on Wednesday and Thursday.  And after?  FOUR glorious weeks of winter vacation.  Ah, I'm so excited!  Actually, I think what I'm most excited about is taking a break from driving to Los Angeles practically every week day.  I cannot believe that 10 weeks has already whizzed on by.  Craziness!

Anyway, I've got a lovely soup to share with you!  I'm currently one of the writers for our Student Dietetic Assocation newsletter and had the idea to share a healthy recipe.  I was in a holiday mood so I suggested pumpkin soup.  Then, the creative juices started flowing in the kitchen :-)

I was originally going to do straight pumpkin but really, that's sort of aburrido, you know?  Looking around my kitchen, I found Granny Smith apples and carrots and well, we know that's a good combination!  So, I combined those with pure pumpkin puree and developed a winner of a soup.  I even brought it to a holiday baking party that I attended and was so jazzed that those who tried it enjoy it!

As always, it's super easy to make.  I received an early Christmas present from my mom and now have my very first Dutch oven.  Ah, I was a happy girl that day!  Where has it been all of these cooking years of mine?!?  It works so beautifully and looks it, too.  Anyway, it's a simple recipe of cooking everything together in the pot and then blending it all up either using a stick blender or a regular blender.  A Ninja or a Vitamix would work well, too.  In fact, I think you could even get away with a food processor.  

I made mine entirely smooth but you can leave some chunks if that's what you desire.  It's a gorgeous, savory soup with the nice balance of sweet pumpkin and carrots balanced out by the tart Granny Smith apples.  I would not mind trying this recipe with a sweeter type of apple to see how it would turn out.  The fresh sage also adds a wonderful hidden "hmm" factor.  To add to that, the white pepper does, as well.  It's subtle and makes your taste buds dance in a fun but confused way because they don't know what's making them do that. 

Give it a try!  I used canned pumpkin but you can definitely roast a sugar pumpkin if you'd like!  I'd imagine that the flavor of the soup would be a touch deeper due to the roasting.  Man, I love roasting vegetables.  You concentrate all that flavor.... mmm!  The kicker?  It's a very healthy soup!  And perfect for a chilly day.  Believe it or not, we've actually been experiencing cold weather in Southern California as of late!

XOXO,
The Chef Doc

Pumpkin, Carrot, and Apple Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 15-ounce cans of pure pumpkin or four cups of roasted pumpkin*
• 2 apples, peeled and diced
• 2 cups carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup half and half

*To make roasted pumpkin:

• Preheat oven to 375F.  Take the seeds and stringy fibers out of a small sugar pumpkin.  Slice it into wedges.  Place onto a lined baking sheet (parchment paper or aluminum foil).  Drizzle with olive oil and bake until the pumpkin is fork tender, about 45 to 60 minutes.  Remove from oven and when pumpkin is cool enough, remove the roasted pulp for your soup.   Discard the skins.  

1. Add olive oil and butter to a large pot on medium-high heat.  When butter is melted, add the apples, carrots, onions, and salt.  Sauté until carrots are half-softened and then add the chopped garlic.  

2. Next, add the pumpkin puree and let that get to temperature.  Then, add the chicken or vegetable broth and then the ground white pepper and chopped sage.

3. Cook for another 10 minutes on a low heat, turn it off, and let cool for about 10 minutes.

4. After the soup mix has cooled, slowly puree it in batches using whatever instrument you prefer: immersion blender, blender, food processor, Ninja, or Vitamix.  Blend until smooth and return to pot.  

5. Turn the heat on medium and then stir in your half and half.  Bring the soup to a simmer and you're done!

6. Serve while hot.  If desired, garnish with chive croutons and chopped chives for extra flavor and texture. 

Chive Croutons

• Four cups of diced bread (stale slices are easier to cut up)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• Large pinch of Kosher salt
• Large pinch of ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper of aluminum foil.

2. In a small saucepan, melt together your butter and oil.  Place all of your diced bread into a large mixing bowl.  

3.  Add the melted butter and oil to the bread as well as the salt, chives, and black pepper.  Stir everything around to make sure all the bread cubes are well-coated.  

4. Pour bread cubes onto baking sheet and spread into single layer.  Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes or until golden and crispy.  

5. Serve immediately.  After complete cooling, store any extra croutons in an airtight container.  

I love the aroma of sage!

Trying to keep it on the healthy side, I added very little half and half.  However, I found it necessary because it absolutely changes the mouth feel to a luscious, velvety one.  Believe it or not, fat globules do make things feel smoother.  Damn you, fat!

Before baking. 

After baking.  Oh yeah :-)

Buen provecho!