Something's Fishy

I've been feeling guilty about not cooking much of anything since we got back from vacation. Swim team started up again, three nights a week and I am not organized enough to have dinner prepared in advance. Swim starts at 6....so eating before is a lousy idea unless you want to see dinner floating in the pool. The earliest we get home is 7:40 and then we have to eat dinner. It's not ideal. Swim nights are rough.

Today was one of the first afternoons where I did not have to run around, so I decided to make my husband a proper dinner. Being a Pescetarian, he gets shafted on those nights that I cook the meat recipes from Auntie's book. It was his turn to get something special.

Auntie has a recipe in Barefoot Contessa for Grilled Swordfish with Tomatoes and Capers. I decided when it came time to make this one, I would have to switch out the fish. G hates swordfish, but Ina gave her blessing to make changes...it said right there on the page of the cookbook that you could substitute any firm, white fish. Whew. Thanks, Auntie!

When I got to the market and checked out the fish department I saw that they had wild caught cod on sale, so I picked that up. I am not particularly talented with fish. I never seem to cook it the right way. I think I am so concerned with making sure it is cooked all the way through that it ends up falling apart.

The base of the recipe was simple enough. Chopped onion, chopped fennel, garlic, canned whole tomatoes, white wine, broth, capers. No problem, until I realized that I had no capers in the house. I substituted some green olives that I chopped up. I thought that was acceptable. They're both green and salty, right?

Basically, the onion and fennel are cooked for a while, and then tomatoes are added. They get squished up with a fork and cooked down. Add the liquids and seasonings. That's it.

Auntie wants a nice piece of grilled swordfish on top of the tomatoes. Well, I knew I couldn't grill the cod. I probably should have baked the cod. But, I put the cod in the saute pan and proceeded to murder it. Seriously. It was unrecognizable as fish when I got done with it.

Don't believe me? Here you go:

Fish flakes.

What a mess.

But let me tell you....the flavor was fantastic. I was actually jealous that G got to eat the whole thing and I was stuck with chicken. It was delicious. Ugly, but delicious. I would suggest you try it, and use either a heartier white fish, or use cod and just be a better cook than I am. Because clearly, I suck at cooking fish.

Here's the recipe:
Swordfish with Tomatoes and Capers

Hello, Gorgeous!

When I went to see Auntie Ina live in Hartford, she mentioned that there were three items that they sold at the Barefoot Contessa shop in East Hampton that kept them in business. One was coconut cupcakes, one was turkey meatloaf, and the other was Indonesian ginger chicken.

I had made the meatloaf and cupcakes before and they are both amazing. Such a pity that I will have to make them again as part of this challenge....wink, wink!

However, I had not tried the chicken recipe. I didn't even remember seeing it in all of the times I paged through the book. I guess it never stood out. After she mentioned it, I checked out the recipe as soon as I got home and I was surprised at how simple it was.

Five ingredients. That's it.

Soy sauce, honey, ginger, chicken and garlic.

The key is marinating the chicken. Of course I totally screwed it up and did not marinate it for as long as Auntie suggests, which is overnight. Honestly, I think I gave it about 5 hours in the marinade.

It's ridiculously easy, all you need to do it mix the marinade and pour it over the chicken...whole parts, not cutlets. Cover and marinade in refrigerator overnight, then bake.

I didn't see what all the fuss was about when I tried it. It certainly wasn't bad, but in the Barefoot Contessa shop top THREE? I don't get it. I will have to try it again and let it sit for the full overnight and see if that makes a difference, but I have a suspicion it isn't going to all of a sudden make me hear the angels sing when I try it.

Since I was on vacation when I made it, I only took one quick picture with my iPhone.

Way, way better than Auntie's Indonesian Ginger Chicken was one of her Food Network contemporaries recipes. Yes, yes. I cheated on Auntie again. With The Pioneer Woman. There was a time where I would say/sing that "One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just isn't the same" but now that Ina is slinging frozen slop in WalMart I can't be a snob about Pioneer Woman. I needed something fast and easy, and there was a potato recipe that I had seen on Pinterest that I wanted to try.

Crash Hot Potatoes.

Oh, yeah. Love at first sight! These are not difficult to make, and so delicious that they were the first thing gone at the dinner table that night. So delicious that I made them again a few days later...and found an easy cheat to cut out at least 20 minutes of cooking time.

The recipe calls for little potatoes to be boiled, then put on an oiled baking sheet. Using a potato masher, press down until they resemble the photo. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs and bake. This is how I cooked them the first time.

The second time I did it, I picked up some potatoes at Target in the produce section. They were in a bag that could be microwaved, cutting out the boiling time and having to mess up a pot. I was able to cook them in 6 minutes and then proceed. So much easier! Again, gone before everything else on the table.

So my suggestion? Indonesian Ginger Chicken...try it. It isn't bad. It isn't the best. It isn't difficult or messy, so why not? Crash Hot Potatoes? MAKE THEM RIGHT NOW!

Here are the recipes:

Indonesian Ginger Chicken

Crash Hot Potatoes

Ham I Am

The original Barefoot Contessa Cookbook has a few recipes that just won't work for my little family of three. They require company. One in particular was enough for an army, and there was only one place that I could make it.

Florida.

Yes, I traveled over 1,200 miles for Spring Break and made a ham when I got there.

My parents relocated there permanently a few years ago. They have made quite a life for themselves and are social butterflies. Seriously. They are never home. It's pretty funny. I'm the one going to sleep at 9:30 at night and they are out and about!

Since they have lots of friends there, and some family members too, they suggested I make the ham down there since they knew it would be eaten.

So, the day after I arrived I was off to buy my very first ham.

I have always loved ham, but never cooked one before. The closest I ever got was heating up a ham steak....Trader Joe's used to carry ones from Niman Ranch that were faaaboulus. Auntie would approve. That was "good" ham! I buy ham in cold cut form, but that is about it in our house as far as ham goes. Once every couple of years my mother-in-law will buy a Honey Baked Ham and serve it for Christmas. That just about sums up my ham history.

When I read the recipe, it looked extremely simple. The biggest obstacle was the amount of servings it provided. Auntie suggested a 14 pound spiral ham. There was no way I was going to make one that big, so I downsized to 10 pounds. Having no ham experience, I was advised to buy one at Costco. After shopping all morning at Costco, Publix and Target, I was ready to get to work.

The ham wasn't the only thing on the menu, but I am not going to talk about the other recipes now. This post is all about HAM!

I'm sorry, I just HAD to put that there. I saw it on Saturday Night Live a few weeks ago and it was so ridiculous it had me cracking up. It also got stuck in my head as I was prepping my ham to go into the oven!

This recipe is RIDICULOUSLY easy. First of all, the ham is already cooked. All of the other ingredients (garlic, mango chutney, dijon mustard, brown sugar, orange juice and zest) get thrown into a food processor for a minute and then gets poured over the ham. That is IT! This truly is the answer to Auntie's question..."How easy is thaaaaaat?"

It cooked for about an hour or so, and I could not resist snatching little pieces off of it as soon as it came out of the oven. It is already sliced, so it made it easy to plate. Apparently the bone and bits that cling to it make fantastic soup. I was sorry to have to leave it in my parent's freezer in Florida, but I think TSA would not be likely to let me on the plane with a big ham bone and ice packs. Could you imagine?

Here is the ham in it's shiny red wrapper:

It came with some kind of glaze packet, but I tossed it. No pics of the other ingredients, as I was on vacation and trying to get 2 main courses, 3 side dishes, an appetizer and a cake cooked for the 8 people coming for dinner. Doesn't sound like vacation, does it? It was though. I loved doing this. Besides, my parent's kitchen is bigger than mine and my dad cleans up all of the messes that I make! Now THAT'S a vacation!

I do have a shot of the finished product...

Ham-a-licious. Easy. Makes tons. If you are a ham fan....you need to make this. Another score for Auntie! Here's the recipe : Baked Virginia Ham

Auntie Goes to School

I was recently on a flight to Florida on a Saturday morning. Luckily I had the faaabulous individual television screens on Jet Blue to occupy me. As I was flipping through the channels  I saw that Barefoot Contessa was about to start. It isn't a given that I will always stop what I'm doing to watch Auntie, but something immediately caught my eye...and it wasn't the food.

Before I was able to plug in my headphones to hear what she was planning on making, I noticed that Ina was in a classroom full of high school students with special needs.

The whole scenario both shocked and thrilled me. It seemed so unusual to have Auntie in that setting. She's always with her friends, other celebrities, chefs, or various service providers. I recall one or two Barefoot Contessa episodes with children in them over the years and they were pretty awkward. Auntie isn't particularly natural with youngsters. Hence the shock.

The thrilling part? Not only were there children, but they had developmental disabilities...an issue very close to my heart. I am a teacher of young children with special needs, and I have a child with Autism and ADHD. I blog about that here at www.awesomeism.blogspot.com

The premise of the show was that Ina was going to do some baking with the students, and then they would sell what they've made at a bake sale to raise money for field trips. It was such a nice change of pace from the usual posse of TR the model, or Michael the florist, or even Jeffrey bumbling around like a modern day Mr. Magoo.

I was pleased with the way Ina was interacting with the students, giving them positive feedback and trying in her own giggly way to make them comfortable. It was enough to almost make me forget about her foray into frozen food. But not quite. I don't think I'll ever forgive her for that, but this did soften me up a bit! After doing a bit of research I found out that this show was a from 2012....but I am really glad I finally caught it. 

The recipes that she made with the kids looked fantastic.  Old-Fashioned Banana Cake and Blueberry Muffins.

I hope to see Auntie break her own mold a bit. It was really such a treat to see her in this light. Even more impressive was that she didn't seem to even mention or acknowledge that these students were anything but your typical, average kid. It was a great approach.

Who knows? Maybe next we'll see her making something for the homeless? Although she'd have to leave East Hampton for that. NEVERMIND!

Blanching Broccoli is BORING

Frankly, this whole recipe was a total waste of time and ingredients. Broccoli with Garlic. Not even worth taking a picture of it. Honestly, not even worth putting a link to the recipe.

Interestingly enough, the original recipe was altered to add soy sauce when I found it on the Food Network website. The rest of the ingredients and procedure was the same. I'm guessing even Auntie thought it needed something.

Because it was so blah on it's own, I ended up adding some baked tofu and brown rice and fed it to the vegetarian in the house.

In fact, it was SO boring that I am not even going to talk about it anymore. So there.

By the way, did you know that there is a Cooking With Auntie Ina Facebook page? If you click this link  Cooking With Auntie Ina Facebook and "Like" the page you will always know when a new post is up.

I promise the next one will be more exciting than this one!

Hooray for Hummus!

Work has been picking up for me lately. I work in the Birth-Three system as a teacher, where I visit children with special needs in their home or daycare. Being part time, there are times where I only have one child on my roster. Recently, I am up to five!

Working so closely with these children and their parents is sometimes difficult, but always rewarding. I love, love, love my job. Even when things get a little weird. Walking into someone's home every day, you never know what you are going to encounter. I can write a whole blog on just that subject! But since this one is supposed to revolve around food and Auntie Ina, I will have to get to the point and make my connection right about now.

This week I started working with a new family who happen to come from Egypt. When I went to my first visit at their home, the mother served my co-workers and I some homemade hummus. She even brought out the olive oil and drizzled it over the top of the bowl. It was amazing.

Since that day I have been craving more of that yummy goodness. Fortunately, I remembered that one of the first recipes in Auntie's cookbook was for hummus. I had made it years ago and made a note in the book that I preferred the kind that was store-bought. I figured if I didn't remember what the problem was with it, I should try it again and see what the problem was.

Well, it was certainly easy enough to make. All you need is a food processor. The few ingredients are tahini, chick peas, fresh lemon juice, garlic, Tabasco and salt. Tahini is sesame paste, and usually found in the Middle Eastern section of the store. If your regular store is a small one like mine, you'll probably find it on the shelf in the Kosher section.

Here are all of the ingredients ready to be pulverized...

Literally no effort. No chopping (if you use the frozen minced garlic like I do) or anything! Super easy.

HO-LY cow. This was amazing. I have no idea what I did the first time I made it all those years ago, but I have a sneaking suspicion I used lemon juice from a bottle. Auntie makes a point of insisting you use fresh lemons, as it makes a big difference in the taste. Guess I should have listened to her in the first place! As usual, she uses WAAAY too much salt and I fell for it again. If you make this, you MUST cut the salt in half. Even with it being too salty, I loved this hummus. I dipped pita in it, carrots, even chicken. At 95 calories for 1/4 of a cup it isn't a diet-buster. Way to go, Auntie! This one is a keeper in my book.

Here is the link to the recipe, and remember....cut the salt!

Hummus

Let's Hear It For The Boy!

Today's post is decidedly un-Ina.

I needed to take a break and showcase a favorite that my son absolutely loves. He got a great report card, and had a faaaabulous conference (had to get a little Auntie in there somewhere!), so I decided to make him one of his favorites.

Potato Chip Chicken.

Yep. You heard me. Potato chip crusted chicken. Not very Ina-rific.

But....a huge hit with the kids. I got the recipe from Family Fun, a sort of Martha Stewart-esque magazine that is geared to parents with young children. Well, sort of. I guess the only way it is really Martha-ish is in the fact that it has lots of great ideas that you will never, ever try even though they look relatively easy. Then you'll feel like garbage because you were too tired and or lazy to do those things.

My mother-in-law has been sending me a subscription to this magazine for years and years. In those years I have tried about three things that I saw in the pages. One of them being the Potato Chip Chicken.

Do not mistake this post as a ringing endorsement of this recipe. It is a HUGE favorite of my son but is in no way the most spectacular chicken in the world. Your child may hate it. The fun of it is using different kinds of potato chips in the recipe. The two favorites in our house are Honey Barbecue and Dill Pickle...they seem to add a fun flavor to the chicken. I would imagine you could use any kind of chip, including tortilla. Pretzels may work too. If you want to get "fancy" about it there is a great recipe from the now-defunct Gourmet Magazine for Oven Fried Chicken Fingers made with Corn Flakes that came out when my son was very little. I've made it a few times and it is very good, but there is too much butter happening. I suppose Auntie would prefer that one too! I'll add a link at the end of the post.

The Family Fun recipe isn't terrible at all...the unhealthiest part are the chips. I suppose you could use baked chips to keep the calories down. It is literally 4 ingredients not counting salt and pepper.

Here they are about to go in the oven. Tonight we used Honey BBQ chips....

And after they're done, along with some fresh spinach and pickles. He never eats cooked vegetables, but he has no problems with raw. Whew!

There you have it. Boys who get good report cards get to choose what Mommy makes for dinner. Potato Chip Chicken. Here is the link for the recipe....Potato Chip Chicken Fingers and one for the "highbrow" version from Gourmet....Oven Fried Chicken Fingers

Everyone gets to take turns in my house, and even though Auntie Ina has dominated since I have been blogging, I will always honor special requests from my two favorite boys!

Well, Connecticut IS the Nutmeg State....

After the Beef Bourguignon last week, and the brisket that followed for Passover, I decided to make something vegetarian for dinner. Ina's Spinach Pie.

The boys were working on a Science Fair project all day. You know, the one we had three weeks to prepare for but didn't start working on until two days before it's due? Yes, that one.

Fortunately I was not in charge of this particular project. That was G's job. I busied myself with errands and reruns of old General Hospital episodes on Soap Network. I've been watching that show since I was eight years old. I would get home from school and plop myself down on the carpet in my parent's room and watch with my mom. Luke and Laura's wedding sucked me in, and I've been hooked ever since. It's a guilty pleasure, what can I say?

Let me start off by saying that phyllo dough is a bitch to work with. I've used it in the past, but it's been so long that I forgot just how difficult it is. I knew things were going too well....I had chopped the onions and sauteed them....

Defrosted the spinach, chopped up the feta, mixed it all with the eggs, pine nuts, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Things got a little dicey when it came time to play with the dough. It ripped every single time I tried to pick a sheet up. The other issue was that Ina wanted the dough to lay in the bottom of the pan, then wrap OVER the top of the filling. There was no way that the sheets were long enough to do that, so I tried staggering them. In between each sheet Auntie said to brush with butter. An entire stick of butter just for brushing purposes. Oy. So, I inevitably pieced together the sheets of phyllo, filled with the spinach mixture, and covered with extra sheets because it just wouldn't all come up from the bottom. Fortunately, it looked pretty decent once I was finished putting it all together.

Popped it in the oven, and 45 minutes later it was done...

The first thing I noticed when I took a bite was a very strong nutmeg flavor. I was a little worried when I was adding the ingredients that two teaspoons seemed like a lot of nutmeg, but I was following Auntie's instructions. Now I know that if I do make this again, or if you want to make it, cut the nutmeg in half! Or leave it out if you don't care for the flavor of nutmeg.

Here is a cross section...

Aside from the nutmeg issue, I really did like it. I had some warm when it was first cooked, and then had a few bites cold from the refrigerator a few days later. At 373 calories a serving it isn't necessarily diet food, but it certainly isn't as bad as some of Auntie's other bombs.

So...I think I would recommend it. Minus at least one teaspoon of nutmeg. Here is a link to the recipe:
Spinach Pie