Chantilly

evokes lightness and elegance.

Easter was neither light nor elegant in our home.

Instead of waking with excitement we awoke to J vomiting.

Leila is reading her new book from the bunny to her ill bro.

There was one highlight of the whole Easter weekend before the chaos began. Saturday night we had my Mr's parents over for dinner. My Mr's mom made delicious bbq ribs and I was in charge of sides and desert. I ripped out a recipe from my Cook's Country magazine, the one I love so dearly. I tried "Chantilly Potatoes", truly a recipe that came from Heaven.

Try them and you will see what I'm talking about!

Chantilly Potatoes

3lbs Yukon Gold potatoes (I used Russet), peeled and cut into 2inch cubes

Salt and Pepper

1 1/4 cups heavy cream, chilled

1 1/2 cups (about 3 ounces) grated Gruyere or Parmesan cheese (I used Parmesan. Use fresh grated cheese, do not cheat on this step (BEANIE), you will be rewarded for your work).

1. Microwave potatoes in large microwave-safe bowl and cover tightly with plastic. Microwave until tender, 8-12 minutes, shaking bowl halfway through. Use either ricer or mash potatoes. Cover tightly again and microwave mashed or riced potatoes 3-5 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Adjust oven rack to upper-third position and heat broiler. With electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Gently fold two-thirds of whipped cream into potatoes with rubber spatula until absorbed. Dollop potatoes in broiler-safe-2-quart baking dish.

3. With rubber spatula, fold 1 1/4 cups cheese into remaining cream. Spread over potatoes and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Broil until top is golden, 2-3minutes. ***Let rest 4 minutes.*** Serve.

I watched Julie and Julia the other day and became super inspired to try new recipes. Perhaps one of the most important lessons I learned was that you need not a super kitchen, bells and whistles. One simply needs an organized work space and the heart. So, I took on the major project of organizing the heart of my home, my workspace, my kitchen. I have received amazing tips from a dear friend and will post pictures and share the changes I've made with you along the way.

~Rie

Another Recipe From Rie

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

I made this pot pie the other night and it literally fed our souls. You have to try this one. To save time, prepare the ingredients beforehand and store in the fridge until you are ready to throw it together. You can also make the filling ahead of time but you will need to heat it on the stove before topping it with dough.

Ingredients For Pie Filling:
1 recipe dough (see below)
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized chucks
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium-large onion, chopped fine
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut crosswise 1/4 inch thick
2 small celery ribs, cut crosswise 1/4 inch thick
salt and ground black pepper
1/2 stick (4tbsp) unsalted butter
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 tbsp dry sherry
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
3 tbsp minced fresh parsley leaves

Ingredients for Pie Dough:
1. Make pie dough and refrigerate it until ready to use:
*this is the same dough I use for my pies*
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp veg shortening, chilled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
8 tbsp (1 stick) cold unsalted butter cut into 1/4 inch pieces
3-4 tbsp ice water

Directions for Pie Dough:
1. Mix flour and salt in food processor. Scatter shortening over flour, cut into the flour with five 1-second pulses. Add butter and continue pulsing until flour is pale yellow and resemble coarse cornmeal. Turn mixture into medium bowl.
2. Sprinkle 3tbsp water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix water in. Add 1tbsp more water until dough comes together. Shape dough into ball then flatten into 4inch disc, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30minutes or up to 2 days before rolling.

**When pie filling is ready, roll dough on floured surface, adding flour as needed. Roll into large enough shape to cover pot pie. You can cut off extra dough, but I prefer to fold it under into the pie filling......so delicious!

Directions for Pie Filling:
1. Oven set to 400, lower middle position.
2. Put chicken and broth in dutch oven over med heat. Cover, bring to simmer until chicken is just done (8-10 mins). Transfer to large bowl, reserving the broth in measuring cup.
3. Heat to med-high, add oil in now empty pan. Saute onion, carrots, celery until tender, about 5mins. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer vegetables to bowl with chicken, set aside.
4. Heat butter over med heat in now empty pan. When foaming subsides, add flour, cook 1 min. Whisk in reserved chicken broth, milk, thyme and bring to simmer. Simmer until sauce fully thickens (~1min). Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in sherry.
5. Pour sauce over chicken mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the peas and parsley, adjust seasonings to taste. (This mixture can be covered and refrigerated overnight; reheat before topping with pastry). Pour mixture into 13x9 baking pan. Top with pastry.
6. This step was not in the book but I do this for my pies to brown the tops: Whisk 1 egg white and brush on dough with pastry brush carefully. Make four slits for venting using very sharp knife.

Bake until pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, 30 mins. Serve hot.

You will not regret the work put into this one! And though it may seem like a lot of steps, if you do what you can ahead of time it really comes together pretty darn quick.

**Original recipe from "The New Best Recipe" By Cook's Illustrated, my all time favorite cook book. I have yet to try a recipe from this book that has been a disappointment.

See You Next Year

In my days leading up to Christmas, I was a baking fool.

Cookies, fudge, pies, marshmallows and hot cocoa. Phew! I get tired just thinking about it.

I will be taking a weeks break from blogging to fully enjoy the company of my family. I will return after the New Year with pictures of our celebrations and thoughts for the future.

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas.

I will leave you with some snapshots from our "just the girls baking day".

God bless you and yours.

Rie

Cuisine Rie

Tonight I cooked an amazing meal, and a healthy one at that.
Tariq kept saying between bites "mmmm, I could eat this all by itself" (referring to the side salad). You see, I have no problems experimenting with new recipes and changing around the ingredients to make them my own. I enjoy trying new culinary experiences. I didn't grow up with exposure to "different" meals, it was your typical mid-west basics; meat, potatoes, spaghetti, tuna helper (I loved it mom:), and there certainly is nothing wrong with the above meals. Yet somewhere along my travels I started craving something more. I believe it started during the early days when the Mr. and I had just begun dating. We would attend dinners, paid for by pharmaceutical companies, at the finest restaurants Tucson had to offer. There were things on the menu I could not pronounce, but it didn't matter as over time you learn that a great chef can turn even beastly foods into mouth-watering bites of beauty.

I've never allowed my children to turn down any food without first trying, we call this the "no-thank-you-bite". They must try everything once and if they don't like it they can say no thank you. My goal is to open their minds to all kinds of food from all cultures (with the exception of fiery Indian food, even I cannot stomach the heat). I look at Jalyn now compared to friends that visit and see how un-picky he is compared to most children. He is not limited to a three item menu for lunch or any meal. He eats what we serve or he goes to bed hungry. Period. Some parents would disagree with this philosophy and say just feed them whatever they will eat, but I feel if there is no medical reason to do so you are simply doing your children a culinary injustice (I say this with a smile on my face). However, differences are what makes the world go around so I don't judge. Yet I see Jalyn and Leila eat food that other children turn their nose up to immediately without even trying it. Now our children actually prefer meals that have spices added, they don't like bland foods. Even Leila at a very young age disliked the blander foods I would make for her in exchange for the family meal just mashed up.

Tonight I made baked tilapia with a side salad. I got the recipe from Sunset magazine , which is amazing if you live in the west. I just finished a subscription to other cuisine magazines and ordered this one, what great ideas I received from gardening to food. If you want a light yet robustly flavored salad that is perfect for summer, enjoy this:

Asparagus Summer Salad
SERVES 6 TIME 20 minutes
~2lbs. thick asparagus, cut into 2-in. pieces
~2tbsp. each fresh lemon juice and Dijon mustard
~3tbsp. olive oil
~1/4 cup each chopped fresh basil, chives, and cilantro
~1 cup thinly sliced red onion
~3/4 cup toasted pine nuts
~2oz. feta cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)
~1/2tsp. each salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Drop asparagus into water and cook until bright green and slightly softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain asparagus and rinse with very cold water until cool to the touch.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, mustard, oil, and herbs. Add asparagus, onion, pine nuts, feta, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine.

It's that simple.....enjoy!

Go Fish!

Today we tried a new after school snack we named "Go Fish". (Very creative...I know:)

You will need small pretzel sticks, cream cheese and gold fish.

You take your "fishing pole" (pretzel's) and add the "bait" (cream cheese) to the end.

Then go fish!

There's just one rule......

You have to eat what you catch! No throwing em' back!

Have fun!

Rie's Recipes

First things first, do you see the inspiration for my blog design?

As promised, here is another of my favorite recipes. I found it in this cookbook . I LOVE this cookbook! This recipe is "easy peasy" (as Jalyn would say:) I have received several requests for this recipe therefore I found it blog worthy!

Can you teach me how to do that mommy???

~You will need a pizza stone. If you don't already have one, they tested seven stones in different shapes, sizes etc.....The Baker's Catalogue Pizza Baking Stone ($49) came out on top.

~Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position, place a baking stone on the rack, and heat the oven to 500 degrees. Let the stone heat for at least 30 minutes but no longer than one hour.

Basic Pizza Dough
(makes two pizza's)

4 1/2 cups bread flour

1 envelope instant or rapid-rise yeast

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 cups warm water

~pulse 4 cups of the flour, yeast, and salt together in food processor (fitted with dough blade if you have one) to combine. With the processor running, pour the oil, then water through the feed tube and process until a rough ball forms, 30-40 seconds. Let the dough rest for 2 minutes, then process for 30 seconds longer. If after 30 seconds the dough is sticky and clings to the blade, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour 1 tbsp at a time as needed.

~Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and form it into a smooth, round ball. Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly with greased plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, before using.

~Split the dough into two equal parts working with one at a time (keep the other piece covered). Roll it out between two pieces of parchment paper.

~Lightly brush the outer 1/2 inch edge of the dough with oil. Spread 1 cup of the pizza sauce over the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edge. Sprinkle with mozzarella and 2 tbsp Parmesan (try different cheeses, get creative!) Add whatever you heart desires on top.

~Slide the parchment paper and pizza onto the hot baking stone. Bake the pizza until the edges are brown and the cheese is golden in spots, 8-13 minutes. (Prepare the second pizza while the first bakes.)

~Remove the pizza from the oven by sliding the parchment paper onto a large cutting board. Slide the parchment paper out from under the pizza. Let the stone reheat for 5 minutes before baking the second pizza.

Quick Pizza Sauce

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

~Cook the oil and garlic together in a medium saucepan over medium heat until sizzling and fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer until the sauce in thickened, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (The sauce can be refrigerated in a covered container for up to 4 days.)

Easy Peasy............Enjoy!

From My Table To Yours..........

I've found something in myself that I never knew existed.....I actually love to cook and bake. My current task is mastering an apple pie, changing the recipe around and making it my own. My neighbor introduced me to Cooks Illustrated cook books and I love them. I've bought many cook books and never found one that I found great all around. I have yet to make something we haven't liked from Cooks Illustrated. I find it fun to try different ingredients and make my own changes, sometimes I improvise using what I already have on hand saving me a trip to the grocery. Since I'm not the type to with hold a good recipe when I find one, I thought it would be fun to post recipes that we've found amazingly good and simple to make. So here is recipe number one, I hope you enjoy!!!

Romaine Salad with Chicken, Cheddar, Apple, and Spiced Pecans
Serves 4

~1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
~Salt and ground black pepper
~1 tablespoon vegetable oil
~1/2 cup water
~1 recipe Dried Cranberry Vinaigrette
~1 large head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces (10 cups) **we used herb salad mix last night and it was tasty too.
~8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes **we used shredded mild cheddar cheese and it was easier and just as good.
~1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced thin **McIntosh apples were awesome, gave a sweeter taste than the granny smiths.
~1 cup store-bought spiced pecans (or you can make your own spiced pecans, recipe below and simple. Last night I used regular pecans right out of the bag/unspiced, not as good but it was easier if your in a hurry.
~1/2 red onion, sliced thin
~1/4 cup dried cranberries

Making The Minutes Count:
While the chicken cooks, make the vinaigrette.

1. BROWN CHICKEN: Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken and cook until browned on one side, about 3 minutes.
(Although we haven't tried it yet, we think grilling the chicken would be better).

2. POACH CHICKEN AND PREPARE VINAIGRETTE: Flip chicken over, add water, and cover. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until thickest part of chicken registers 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 5 to 7 minutes longer. Transfer to carving board and cool slightly. (While chicken cooks, make vinaigrette).

3. DRESS AND ASSEMBLE SALAD: Toss lettuce, cheddar, apple, pecans, onion and dried cranberries with 3/4 cup of vinaigrette. Divide salad among individual plates. Slice chicken on bias and arrange over greens. Spoon remaining vinaigrette over chicken, or pass separately.

Dried Cranberry Vinaigrette
Makes about 1 1/4 cups

~1/4 cup cranberry juice (water instead works just fine)
~1/4 cup dried cranberries
~1/4 cup raspberry vinegar
~1 shallot, peeled
~1 small garlic clove, peeled
~2 teaspoons fresh thyme (I've used dried and it will suffice but wasn't as good).
~2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
~Salt and ground black pepper
~3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. REHYDRATE CRANBERRIES: Combine cranberry juice (or water) and dried cranberries in microwave safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high power until hot, about 1 minute.

2. BLEND VINAIGRETTE: Process hot cranberry mixture, vinegar, shallot, garlic, thyme, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in blender until shallot and garlic are finely chopped, about 15 seconds. With blender running, add oil and continue to process until smooth and emulsified, about 15 seconds.


Quick Spiced Pecans
Make about 2 cups

~2 tablespoons unsalted butter
~Salt and ground black pepper
~1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
~1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
~1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
~2 cups pecan halves
~1 tablespoon sugar

Melt butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice, then stir in pecans. Toast nuts, stirring often, until color of nuts depends slightly, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to bowl, toss with sugar, then spread out on plate to cool.

***can be stored in a zip lock bag at room temp for up to one week, be sure to shake off access sugar if putting into salads***


***when I put the chicken on top of the salad, I took a spoon full of the dressing and drizzled it on top of the chicken....this made for a really nice presentation***

Enjoy,

Kelli