Cooking.
Oh, cooking. I grew up with a mom that loved to cook. To this day, I still
crave those dishes of my childhood - salmon patties, jalapeno black-eye pea
cornbread and biscuits with sausage gravy. I married a guy who loves
adventurous cooking. The kind where you make a fabulous feast with what you
have, no grocery store trips or recipes needed. After three of my own kitchen
fires I decided that it was a good thing that cleaning calmed me and made me
happy. Until we started discussing kids. I want to create wonderful dinner
memories for our family, recipes and flavors they crave. Thus, my journey of
cooking through Bread and Wine began (one of my
all-time favorite books and authors). I decided to document the flavors and
experiences together, and hopefully, will end up with a few recipes that will
become part of our own home.
Want to try a recipe? Scroll to the bottom of this post, and then let me know how it turns out for you!
Breakfast cookies: Breakfast for dinner is one of
my favorite meals. During a last minute dinner for breakfast girls
night, I scrambled to grab these ingredients. While the husbands enjoyed a
manly night of whiskey around the grill, the ladies planned for a fun night
spent in the kitchen and around Katie's adorable dining room table - a rare
treat in a NYC apartment! While Katie, Drea and Erin were sweet, these cookies
were not the best. I had to substitute a few ingredients, so that was likely
the problem... the cookies just didn't seem to cook correctly. In fact, my dear husband quickly named them "beaver skat" when he tried one later that night. Awesome. Good thing we
had plenty of mimosas, pancakes, bacon and hours of girl talk.
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| Breakfast Cookies |
Mango
Chicken Curry: I made this flavorful and rich meal on a stormy night in NYC,
while tropical storm Andrea was blowing through. We had a doggy play date lined
up with our past neighbor turned good friend, Dani. Get your chopping hand
ready, because you will most definitely need it for this meal! The following
night Richard and I enjoyed leftovers, still rich and wonderful. Definite
keeper. Special note though - your apartment will smell like curry for a few
days...sorry neighbors!
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| Mango Chicken Curry |
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| My Trader Joe's finds! |
Watermelon Feta Salad: This was
a recipe I was really excited to try during an upcoming Memorial Day
BBQ at our dear friend's apartment in New Rochelle. The Hicksons were beyond
excited to have everyone over...and as luck would have it, the temps dropped
and the rain blew in. We moved the party to the top of their fancy
apartment building with views of the NYC skyline. And then had to relocate per
management down to their apartment.. beer bribing didn't seem to help.
Ha! We had a day full of great food, good friends and were introduced to a fun
drink... the sneaky beach! The salad turned out great, flavorful with several
chunks of watermelon dusted in feta and drenched in onions. I doubled the
recipe and made two bowls, great thinking since I dropped the first bowl. I'd
recommend going heavier on the watermelon and less on the leaves - if that's
your thing!
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| Watermelon Feta Salad |
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| Prep time with the hostess! |
Annette's Enchiladas: Mexican dishes will
always, always, always hold a special place in my heart. We knew we had to
share our love of Mexican food with our friends, the Birds, since they feel the same way. Our
happy place is a cute, tiny Mexican food restaurant, AhChihuahua, located in Mid-town East. When we first learned the Birds
lived across from Ah Chihuahua, we knew we would be great friends. This
dish was delicious, although I'd really call it more of a casserole
than enchiladas. Super easy to make and not too expensive. We accompanied
it with chips, guacamole and hand-squeezed margaritas. One of those
meals that you know you will need to walk off the next day, but oh so worth it! Meghan brought the perfect addition - homemade sopapillas!
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| Annette's Enchiladas |
Farmers Market Potato Salad: This was our first
year to spend the 4th of July in the city! I brought this fancy potato salad to
a 4th of July BBQ with our community group. Feeling very New York, we grilled
out on a rooftop! What I loved about this recipe is that it is not dripping in
mayo and you don't have to worry about it sitting out in the sun. It's a fresh
twist on the potato salad, rich in variety of flavors and extremely filling.
Again, prepare yourself for chopping! I would recommend making it the night before
to allow the flavors to soak in and then splashing the last of
the vinaigrette on top last minute. We ended the night sipping wine
in lower Manhattan, watching fireworks over the Hudson, laughing way too late
and ending our night in Union Square at our favorite pizza joint, Artichoke Pizza.
Farmer's Market Potato Salad
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| 4th of July memories |
Simplest Dark Chocolate Mousse: We hosted a low-key
dessert and wine/whiskey night at our apartment with 2 couples we love! Whew! This
dessert is so rich that I would recommend you cut down the serving size and
make sweet shooters (in shot glasses). Give yourself some time in the morning or
the night before and allow this desert to chill in the fridge. We definitely
had our fair share of sugar intake because we ended the night singing Disney
tunes!
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| Simplest Dark Chocolate Mousse |
Buy
the book ya’ll…it’s amazing!
As
a follow up to her two bestselling books, Bittersweet and Cold
Tangerines, author and blogger Shauna Niequist returns with the perfect read
for those who love food and value the community and connection of family and
friends around the table. Bread and Wine is a collection of
essays about family relationships, friendships, and the meals that bring us
together. This mix of Anne Lamott and Barefoot Contessa is a funny, honest, and
vulnerable spiritual memoir. Bread and Wine is a celebration of
food shared, reminding readers of the joy found in a life around the table.
It’s about the ways God teaches and nourishes people as they nourish the people
around them. It’s about hunger, both physical and otherwise, and the
connections between the two. With wonderful recipes included, from
Bacon-Wrapped Dates to Mango Chicken Curry to Blueberry Crisp, readers will be
able to recreate the comforting and satisfying meals that come to life
in Bread and Wine.
Breakfast Cookies
3 large ripe bananas, well mashed (about 11/2 cups)
1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed just a little so it isn't solid (can use olive oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal
1/2 teaspoon seal salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chocolate chips
In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork, then add in coconut oil and vanilla. Add the oats, almond meal, salt, and baking powder, and stir until combined. Add the coconut, walnuts, and chocolate chips, and stir again. Form the dough into 12 balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and flatten them a little bit. Bake at 350 degrees from 14 to 16 minutes.
Makes: 12 cookies
Mango Chicken Curry
1/4 cup flour
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3 lbs chicken breasts
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
Chicken broth (4-5 cups)
1/4 cups currants or raisins
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 mango, pitted and diced
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
3 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
3 tbsp shredded coconut
Mix together flour, curry powder, salt and pepper. Cut
chicken into small pieces, and toss
with mixture.
Cook chicken until browned. Set aside.
Combine
garlic, onion, ginger and
red pepper in pan with olive oil. Cook until onion is
softened (about 4 min).
Add chicken.
Lower heat.
Add 4.5 cups chicken broth. Reduce broth
by 1/4. Add raisins, tomatoes, and
mango. Heat through. Remove from heat, and add lime,
cilantro basil and coconut. Serve
over rice.
Serves: 6
Watermelon Feta Salad
8
cups watermelon, cubed
8
ounces feta cheese, crumbled
3
tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
1/4
of a red onion, finely chopped
10
ounces arugula
2
limes
1/4
cup white balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/2
cup olive oil
salt
and pepper to taste
Cube
8 cups of watermelon, and let the cubes marinate in the juice of one fresh
squeezed lime for several hours.
Vinaigrette:
Combine
the fresh squeezed lime juice and zest from the remaining lime, white balsamic
vinegar or white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
At
serving time, toss arugula with half the vinaigrette, and combine watermelon,
feta, red onion, and fresh mint. Layer the watermelon mixture over the
arugula, and drizzle with remaining vinaigrette.
Serves: 6 to 8
Annette's Enchiladas
1 cup Sour Cream
(8ounces)
1 large can Green
Enchilada Sauce (28ouces, Las Palmas is the best)
2-4 ounce cans Green
Chilies
diced
3 cups cooked
Chicken
shredded (a roasting
chicken from grocery store works great)
2-3 cups shredded
Monterey Jack Cheese
12-15 Corn Tortillas
1 cup Chicken
Broth
chopped Cilantro, for garnish
Preheat oven to 350
degrees.
Mix
green sauce, canned chilies, and sour cream together in a bowl. Set
aside.
Simmer chicken broth in a skillet. Have shredded chicken, cheese ready.
Make yourself a little assembly line.
Assembly:
Spread 1 ladle full of sauce mixture in bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Dip
tortillas in broth and layer over sauce. Next a layer of chicken, then cheese,
sauce, repeat…tortillas, chicken, cheese, sauce. Last layer is tortillas, sauce
and cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until warmed through. I
like my cheese to get bubbly and browned around the edges. Let sit at
least 15 minutes before cutting. Garnish with cilantro.
Serves:
6
Farmers Market Potato Salad
2 pounds red and gold potatoes
1 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
4 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
1 cup radishes, thinly sliced
1 cup green beans, ends snapped, blanched, an cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons fresh basil
2 tablespoons fresh dill
Vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon Dijon
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut red and gold potatoes into bite-size chunks, then boil in salted water till fork tender. While the potatoes are boiling, make the vinaigrette, and reserve a few tablespoons for tossing right before serving. Drain the potatoes, then toss them with dressing while they're still hot so it all soaks in. I do this early in the day, or the day before, for extra flavor soaking.
Add olives, grape tomatoes, eggs, radishes, and green beans, and toss together. Then add lots of fresh basil and dill, salt and pepper, and the reserved dressing. I like this best at room temperature instead of refrigerated, so it's perfect for a summer dinner party. You can make it early in the day, and that's one less thing to do right before your guests arrive.
Serves: 8
Simplest Dark Chocolate Mousse
2
Cups chilled heavy cream, divided
1½
Cups dark chocolate chips
¼
Cup honey
Stir
¾ cup cream, chocolate chips and honey in a saucepan over low
heat
until smooth. Cool for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
In
a separate bowl, beat ¾ cup cream to soft peaks. Fold cream into
chocolate
mixture in 2 additions.
Divide mousse among three ramekins or glasses. Refrigerate until set,
about
2 hours.Whisk the remaining ½ cup cream to firm peaks. Spoon
a
little bit of cream on top of mousse. Top with berries, nuts, chocolate
shaving,
chocolate covered espresso bean or a sprinkle of sea salt.
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