Crispy Ginger Lime Chicken Thighs

Sorry for the lapse in posting! I've been in Hawaii (Kona and Waikiki), snacking on kalua pig, plate lunches, sushi, poke, malasadas, Kona coffee and lots of beer... mmmm.
Tonight, in our post-travel stupor, we easily pulled this ginger, curry, lime chicken dish together- very easy and very tasty. Served with whole wheat couscous cooked in veggie broth and topped with lime, raisins, cilantro, green onions and parsley.

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

I had some bananas getting a serious sun tan on the counter, so I thought I'd make some banana bread. I wasn't quite in the mood for regular banana bread, though, so peanut butter, banana and chocolate chip bread it was. The combination reminds me a sundae I always used to order at Friendly's as a kid... they discontinued it early in my childhood and I never forgave them. Jerks.

This bread is really good- really rich, though, more like a cake. I bet you could cook it in a shallower cake pan or pie plate and cut it in wedges. A great flavor combo.

Some strays from my files...

I forgot to post about these jewels back when I made and gifted them...

A Christmas gift for Jamie:
A Christmas gift for Liz, Tim's dad's wife:

Cheddar and Black Pepper Biscuits

Just about everything Joy the Baker makes causes me to drool... but this cheddar/black pepper biscuit recipe particularly caught my eye because she used the biscuits as the basis of an egg sandwich. I love egg sandwiches. I think my dying meal would be a bacon, egg and cheddar sandwich on a biscuit.

Anywho: biscuits.

I used to be intimidated by biscuits, but turns out they're really easy to make. I had great luck with Smitten Kitchen's cheddar and jalapeno scones, which were very biscuit-like (what is the difference between scones and biscuits?). These were equally awesome... peppery and cheesy with a ton of flaky layers. Yum.

Butternut, Rosemary, Spinach and Gorgonzola Risotto

Oh my god, this risotto recipe is awesome! I would highly recommend it, as would Chuck, Tim and Tony. But Tony would recommend the recipe more if you call it "butternut, rosemary, spinach and 'whoregonzola' risotto."

I did switch it up a teensy bit from the recipe: I added some garlic in with the onion, skipped the cream (risotto is creamy enough), used frozen spinach (nuked a little and squeezed out), and added a little more than the requisite gorgonzola.

We served it with this crispy baked chicken recipe with garlic and rosemary... also pretty awesome. Panko is one of my favorite ingredients...

Jewelry for Amy's Wedding

Amy asked me to make the jewelry for the bridesmaids (including me!) in her upcoming Hawaiian wedding... each girl is wearing a different brightly colored dress, so the jewels coordinate with each girl's dress. The jewelry came out pretty cool!
A little bit of a vintage vibe in turquoise, coral and bright yellow.

Baked Tortellini with Tomato Spinach Cream Sauce

Casserole week continues!!

Threw this semi-homemade dish together really quickly, but it was pretty good. I used tomato sauce that I made last summer during tomato season and threw in a bunch of frozen chopped spinach for some veggies.

Pretty good!

Carrot, Parsnip and Scallion Fritters on Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese Dressing

This was a total clean-out-the-fridge recipe, but it worked pretty well. I think the fritters themselves wouldn't be much to write home about, but the addition of the tangy, lemony, oniony goat cheese dressing (I added some minced scallions to the dressing in addition to the parsley) and the spicy arugula made the dish.
Pretty healthy, too!

Turkey Tetrazzini

So this week must be retro casserole week... I feel like Betty Draper, mooning around the kitchen, cooking these old-school dishes like chicken pot pie and turkey tetrazzini. All I need is a martini and a cigarette... and maybe some big ole curlers.

Anywho: turkey tetrazzini... noodley, mushroomy, crispy-topped. Pretty good! I used ground turkey (sauteed with some shallot and garlic), Gruyere instead of Swiss, and threw some parsley into the mix before I baked it.

Artichokes Steamed in White Wine and Lemon

We haven't had fresh artichokes in years for some reason, but when I stopped by Trader Joe's this weekend, the artichokes jumped off the shelf at me. I thought this recipe looked good: artichokes steamed in a white wine, lemon, garlic and thyme broth... it was super easy and really good.

However, as we learned listening to Tim as he ate his artichoke: fresh artichokes are not for the lazy man. Tim complained, "This seems like a lot of effort." He also added "My arms hurt," which I am assuming is from doing push-ups, not lifting oh-so-heavy artichoke leaves from the lemon butter dip to his mouth... but you never know with Tim.

Tarragon Chicken Pot Pie with Gruyere Polenta Crust

I got some tarragon from the CSA last week and was looking for a way to use it up. This Rachael Ray (yeah, I know) chicken pot pie recipe looked good, and we had most of the ingredients on hand, save the quick-cooking polenta, which I sent Tim to get on his way home from work.

Unbeknownst to Tim, quick-cooking polenta is not equivalent to pre-cooked polenta, which is the stuff that comes in the tube. Oh well. It worked anyway- I just sliced up the tube of polenta, sprinkled the Gruyere on top and put the whole thing on top of the pot pie insides.

Overall, I give the flavors of this recipe 2 thumbs up. However, I think I would go about making the roux a little differently than Rachael suggests- it was very watery.

Broccoli, Gruyere and Pancetta Quiche

Since she had the day off, Chuck pulled together this quiche, using a recipe from the Washington Post and adding cooked pancetta, Gruyere instead of Swiss, and steamed, chopped broccoli. Delicious!

Roasted Cabbage with Lemon

I'll admit it: cabbage is far from my favorite vegetable.

I bought a head of green cabbage from the CSA this week because the winter veggie selection is getting pretty slim... I wasn't super interested in a slaw of any sort. I wanted something warm, and this roasted cabbage recipe from the other Martha, via foodgawker, via eat.repeat, looked like a potential winner- the photos looked really tasty.

It was a winner! Super simple: cut the head of cabbage into eighths, brush with olive oil and salt and pepper, roast at super high heat and sprinkled with lemon juice. I bet it would like some garlic and/or red pepper flakes, too. This is basically the same recipe I use for roasting broccoli and cauliflower... makes sense since they're all in the Brassica family.

Give it a try! We served it with simple sauteed chicken in wine sauce, a la Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything."