Asparagus Bread Pudding and Southwestern Sloppy Joes

 

Every once in a while Sundays become a cook for the week day.  Saturday we made hash brown waffles.  They were good.  Just not great despite the addition of bacon and cheddar cheese.  We made chicken/apple/gouda sausage sandwiches out of the leftovers.  Those were slathered with a peach honey mustard.  Better but still not worthy of a post.

Then, late in the day on Saturday we threw the chicken carcass into the crock pot for some stock.  It’s so easy to do.  The carcass, an onion cut in half (not peeled,) a handful of chopped carrots, a handful of celery, some peppercorns and some Fines Herbes or whatever I find first!  Then, cover with water and let it simmer all night. 

That meant when we woke up on Sunday the house smelled fantastic!  I had a bunch of work to do so I dug in.  Finally about four pm my brain was done.  I headed to the kitchen to start in.  First up was a make ahead salad with lettuce, peas, Swiss cheese, green onions, bacon and a dressing that was half Miracle Whip and half mayo.  Next was turning the stock into Greek Lemon Chicken Soup.  We first tried this a year ago and I think we’ve made it about once a month since.  It’s that good.

Then, two more new recipes.  We got our hair cut on Saturday.  Melissa is way down on the south side of Indy so a visit to her means either a visit to Café Babbette with their incredible pastries or to Greiners for amazing subs.  This time it was Greiners.  The young man was busy removing the interior bread from our baguettes.  I asked if he was going to throw it away.  Yes, he says.  So I asked for it.  Then, the guy next in line volunteered his also.  I was thinking croutons but the guy behind the counter said something about banana pudding.  That got me to thinking about an asparagus bread pudding I’d just seen. 

Last but not least, Southwestern Sloppy Joes.  We’ve always enjoyed the sloppy joe recipe from L.S. Ayres Tea Room.  Or at least that’s where Mom always told us the recipe came from.  It’s different in that you use Colman’s mustard powder instead of regular ball park mustard.  This recipe calls for tomato sauce and Rotel tomatoes with chilies.  Plus, of course, cumin. 

What did we think?  The salad was good.  But, the asparagus bread pudding was freaking amazing.  Like I didn't want to stop eating it.  The super double bonus was a lovely bottle of Winderlea pinot noir rose.  We found those folks through a friend's in-laws and are we every glad we did!!!  And the sloppy joes despite not sitting overnight were fantastic.  I'm sure they'll be better after a night in the fridge!  

Southwestern Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 c chopped onion

¼ c chopped celery

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

½ c water

1 t cumin

4 t brown sugar

 

Directions:

Brown and drain the ground beef, onion and celery.  Add in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, cumin and water.  Simmer for about 20 minutes or until thickened.  Serve on hamburger buns.

 

Adapted from Best Loved Family Recipes

 

Asparagus Bread Pudding

 

Ingredients:

½ dry baguette, torn into 1/2” pieces

2 c heavy cream

6 large eggs

Salt and pepper

1 lb asparagus, chopped (we used really thin spears)

2 c grated Swiss cheese

1 c grated Parmesan cheese

Handful fresh chives, chopped

½ bunch fresh parsley, chopped

 

Directions:

You’re going to make two sets of layers here.  Both are half the bread, then half the asparagus, then half the Swiss cheese followed by half the herbs.  I didn’t have the herbs but this was still amazing without!  Then, top it all with the parmesan.  Finally, whisk the eggs with the cream and pour it over all.  Bake for 375 for 30 minutes.  Ours didn’t fully set up so you could bake for 20 minutes then top with the parmesan then bake for 30 minutes if you want it fully set up.

 

Adapted from Nova Scotia Cookery Then and Now

Sheet Pan Greek Lemon Chicken

 

Sheet pan dinners.  I’ve bought the cookbooks and have read dozens of recipes.  But, haven’t really tried any to speak of.  Tonight I dove into the deep end.  And, I may stay there!  Thanks to The Kitchn and their Sheet Pan Greek Lemon Chicken we had an amazing meal.

I headed to the kitchen to start prepping and Connie followed to sous chef.  We were both pretty surprised at how easily it came together.  Then, into the oven for 30 minutes, followed by another 20 since the potatoes weren’t quite done and the chicken thighs weren’t quite up to temperature.

Now, these were all ingredients we love.  But, the glorious way they came together as this dish roasted?  WOW, just WOW!  The only thing I’d change would be to put together the marinade and pop the chicken in it early in the afternoon.  Give an opportunity for a bit more of that fantastic flavor to permeate the meat.  A five out of five for sure!

Ingredients:

2 lemons, zested, one juiced – or both if you need it

3 T olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 t dried oregano

1 t salt (I omitted this)

½ t finely ground black pepper

4-6 bone in skin on chicken thighs

2 T olive oil

2 medium potatoes, Yukon God, peeled and sliced

1 red onion, sliced

2 c grape or cherry tomatoes

4 oz feta cheese, broken into chunks (the slabs were 5 oz so that’s what I used)

½ c pitted olives (I used Kalamata)

 

Directions:

Mix the lemon zest, 2 T of the lemon juice, the 3T of olive oil, the oregano, salt and pepper.  Rub the mixture between the chicken thighs and the skin.  Let it marinate in the fridge for 1-3 hours.  We did 20 minutes and it was too short a time.  

Mix the 2 T of olive oil and the 3 T of lemon juice and toss that with the vegetables.  I didn’t use all the marinade so wound up adding that to the veggies also.  Spread all of this on a sheet pan.  Put the chicken thighs on top.  

Roast for about 40 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165 and the potatoes break easily.

Be sure to serve with some of the juice.

adapted from The Kitchn

Jimmy Dean Burritos and Guava Margaritas

 

I’ve been gradually cleaning out the pantry.  Mind you, we could probably eat for six months from our pantry.  Cleaning it out is not for the faint of heart.  This weekend’s shelf was the half with beans and tomatoes.  Six cans of refried beans.  SIX!  Who in their right mind needs six cans of refried beans???  Ok, so I never said I was in my right mind – LOL.  We tossed a can of cherry tomatoes from a trip to Jungle Jim a few years ago.  And, I pulled out two of the cans of refried beans.  One went into a chili that I rated a two.  It’s better now because I added crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, V8, tequila, Chipotle Tabasco and a LOT more seasoning.  But, for the record I do not care for refried beans thickening chili. 

We also had a pound of Jimmy Dean sausage that needed to be used up.  Ah, ha!  They had a recipe for burritos.  Now, those are worth talking about.  Strangely enough I’d never made burritos.  And, I’ve rarely ordered them.  But this recipe sounded great and super easy.  After a day of prepping for next week’s appointments and cleaning that pantry shelf and reading emails and a ton of other tasks I was into easy. 

We also have umpteen cans of various nectars.  Technical term there.  I’m not tall enough  to see the back of that shelf so umpteen will just have to do.  The first one I reached was guava.  Onto the internet to look for guava margarita.  Found one from Everyday Annie.  She’s usually got good recipes so I quit looking once I found hers. 

What did we think?  A four out of five for the burritos.  Almost a five.  As in really good and we will absolutely make them again.  I made my “salsa” and my guacamole as toppers.  The margarita was also a four out of five.  Next time we’ll make sure the ingredients

Burrito

Ingredients:

1 lb Jimmy Dean sausage

½ onion, chopped

1 can refried beans

2 c salsa

1 c uncooked rice, cooked and drained

tortillas

4 oz extra sharp cheddar, grated (we use Cracker Barrel)

Salsa

Guacamole

Shredded lettuce

 

Directions: 

Brown and drain the sausage and onion.  Stir in the refried beans, salsa and cooked rice.  Put a big dollop of the mixture in the middle of a tortilla.  Roll and put on a baking sheet.  Once you’ve got them all rolled, sprinkle over the grated cheddar.  Broil until the cheddar is melted.  Serve with salsa, guacamole and shredded lettuce.  

Adapted from Jimmy Dean

 

 

Margarita 

Ingredients:

¼ c sugar

½ c water

½ c freshly squeezed lime juice (we used the bottled stuff)

½ c guava nectar

¾ c tequila

1/3 c orange liqueur

 

Directions:

Make the simple syrup.  Mix the sugar, water and lime in a small saucepan.  Over medium heat, stir until the sugar has dissolved.  Refrigerate until it’s well chilled.  We’d recommend overnight.  Mix in the other ingredients and serve. 

Adapted from Everyday Annie

Chicken Divan with Asparagus

 

When there’s a rotisserie chicken in the fridge and it’s a super busy week we tend to default to chicken green bean casserole.  Known here on the blog as curried chicken casserole.  Or Miz Lou’s chicken casserole.  It’s a family favorite.  I was ready for some nice, quick alternatives.  Turns out this is a great one.  Particularly when it’s served over rice and the sauce recipe is doubled so it can go into my favorite chicken lemon rice soup! 

This meal was so quick to make that I felt like I’d started cooking too early!  And, it was good!  Now, of course I didn’t follow the recipe.  Yes, I remain in the camp of a recipe is a suggestion.  No reason to not make changes in my book!

The original recipe called for chopping the asparagus and briefly sauteeing it then building the sauce on top of it and then adding the chicken.  Finally you put the cheese on top and pop the whole saucepan in the oven.  One, I didn’t want the asparagus to cook that long.  Two, I wanted a prettier dish.  And, three, I wanted the extra sauce for the soup. 

This will be a regular for us.  LOL, well as regular as any recipe ever is!

Ingredients:

1 lb thick asparagus, bottoms snipped

Olive oil sprayer

3 T butter

3 T flour

1 ½ c chicken stock or broth

1 T heavy cream

Juice of ½ lemon

2 slices chicken per serving

1 ½ c shredded mozzarella cheese

½ c cooked rice per person

 

Directions: 

Place the asparagus on a roasting pan in one layer.  Spray it lightly with olive oil.  Roast it for 5 minutes at 400F.  

In a saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter.  Add in the flour and stir well.  Let it cook for a few minutes to remove the raw taste.  Slowly stir in the chicken stock and stir regularly until it’s thickened.  Add in the lemon juice and the cream.  I also added in a cup of the shredded mozzarella.  

Lay the chicken slices on top of the roasted asparagus.  Spoon over some of the sauce.  Top with the rest of the shredded mozzarella and a little sprinkle of thyme for color.  Broil until the cheese is melted. 

On your dinner places, put a scoop of rice in the middle and top with some of the sauce.  Then, top that with the asparagus and chicken.  Serve.

adapted from 150 Things to Make with Roast Chicken by Tony Rosenfeld

 

Eating Our Way Through Phoenix...

 

I had the opportunity to attend a conference in Phoenix.  It’s a city with lots of good memories for me and one very bittersweet one.  That bittersweet one is Shelly.  One of my dear friends who we lost WAY to early to melanoma many years ago.  Last time I was out there it was for a women’s conference.  Shelly and I had a lovely breakfast together.  It was the last time I saw her. 

During that same conference a group of us gals wandered down the street to a lovely pizza joint.  Little did I know the delightful proprietor, Chris Bianco, was on the cutting edge of the artisan pizza movement in the US.  All I knew was that we all shared an extraordinary meal.

Then, there are our friends Fred and Mary.  They couldn’t decide exactly where they wanted to wind up during retirement.  So, they tried Grand Rapids near one daughter’s employment.  Then they were off to Phoenix.  That was followed by Glacier, WA in a funky house WAY up in the mountains.  Finally, they settled in a lovely home in Bellingham WA.  We visited them at each location.  Phoenix was probably our favorite because of Queen Creek Olives and the Heard Museum.  Oh, I can’t leave out the arboretum!  This time we wanted to revisit Queen Creek and the museum.  Too much education time for the arboretum.  Sad but true. 

Connie did his normal restaurant research.  Most iconic, most romantic, most beautiful, best sandwich…  Nine different choices.  I went thru and chose three and made reservations at the two who accept reservations.  Plus, of course, I wanted him to experience Pizzeria Bianco!  We had time open for three lunches and two dinners.  The rest of the time we were noshing between sessions at the resort.  Which I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention.  The conference was held at Talking Stick Resort and Casino.  I’m happy to report that we broke even at the casino.  That’s what happens when you don’t bet anything!  The resort itself was excellent.  The food was great as was our room.  And, the conference facilities were really fantastic. 

First up was a return visit to Queen Creek Olives.  It has expanded its footprint hugely in the ensuing years.  The lunch choices had also expanded greatly.  I got a chopped salad with crispy chicken and Connie got the kalamata sandwich.  That was salumi with kalamatas.  Both of us were VERY happy with our choices!!  

After lunch we went shopping.  It was SO much fun to chat with Esther who was from Fort Wayne but now lives down the street from the olive mill and works there.  We stocked up on olives, olive oil, barbecue sauce, asiago cheese dip and a few other goodies.  That box arrives in a day or so.  YAY!

Our next opportunity for a meal out was to be Pizzeria Bianco.  I wasn’t certain which one I’d been to and nothing on the maps looked right so we chose one of the locations.  And, it wound up being not the same one but was actually a tad bit better.  It was in Heritage Square.  Next door was Bar Bianco.  A charming house converted to an equally charming bar.  The pizzeria itself was something to behold.  There was the HUGE pizza oven and a herd of servers and bartenders and cooks and folks zipping this way and that taking care of all of us.  We started with spiedini.  Unlike any we’ve had anywhere else.  Melty cheese wrapped with prosciutto on top of lightly dressed spinach.  Major YUM!  Then we got the Rosa pizza.  Olive oil, rosemary, red onion and pistachios on a perfect thin crust. 

Lon’s at The Hermosa has been named the most beautiful restaurant in Arizona.  From what we could see it totally deserves the honor.  Angela took such good care of us.  I had the shrimp cobb salad and Connie had the Caesar with white anchovies.  A stop in the gift shop meant a cookbook.  Phoenix Cooks.  There are tons of fabulous recipes from many Phoenix restaurants, including Lon’s.  As I was leafing through I realized we were sitting at the table shown in one of the photos.  Angela was kind enough to snap a photo of us.

After Lon’s we headed to The Heard Museum.  It’s very well done.  I wish we’d had a bit more energy to take in more but we were both bone tired so headed back to the resort for naps! 

That evening we were off to Quiessence at the Farm.  Neither of us had any idea what to expect but it had been rated most romantic so we had high expectations.  Those were certainly met.  We splurged with the five course tasting menu.  First up was an amuse bouche with a thin slice of smoked salmon and an edible flower and some other goodies.  Then oysters with Meyer lemon mignonette.  Those were followed a radish soup.  With poached pears with cinnamon and red wine.  Connie had to try the fois gras macaron.  Despite my trepidation, it was this morsel of intense flavor. Then, the salad.  Well, a lovely composed plate of leaves and flowers and all kinds of goodies.  We had two choices for that course so we chose to have one of each.  The other was parmesan tacos with beef tartare.  Then, an incredible pappardelle with white bolognese.  Beef, veal and duck bolognese.  Next up was a kitchen tour followed by the intermezzo of pomelo sorbet.  Then, our entrees.  Connie had the duck breast with lentils and I had the salmon with chickpea puree, a grilled morel mushroom and a couple of ramps. 

Looks like the photos loaded bassackwards...  You need to start from the bottom.

Then, the romantic part REALLY kicked in.  A young couple had been seated next to us.  We’d not even exchanged pleasantries.  Out of the corner of my eye I see him unfolding himself from his chair.  And, getting down on one knee.  My brain said PHOTOS!  Yes or no?  Intruding or would they want them?  Do it before it’s too late!  Turns out I was able to airdrop them to him and they were thrilled to have them

. 

Last meal in Phoenix before the flight home.  We had several choices.  But, we’d chatted with Angela from Lon’s and she’d said Valle Luna was the place to go.  It was listed as the most iconic.  We split a chimichanga and I was still stuffed five hours later.  Turns out that was our one meal that day.   And, what a meal it was.  Alicia was our exuberant and amazing waitress.  The food was perfect.  And, the atmosphere was great. 

All in all it was just about a perfect trip.  I learned a LOT and met loads of delightful colleagues.  The resort was spectacular.  And, our meals?  I just can’t say enough good things about the Phoenix dining scene.