Wish Upon A Chef

I fell off the blogging wagon last week and I'm sorry that I let you down, my faithful reader(s).  I should be tarred and feathered and sent to my room with no dinner.  Or maybe just tarred and feathered because I've got some really good stuff cooking on the stove today. 

I made a resolution at the beginning of this year that I would publish a blog post here at Wish Upon A Chef every week of the year.  It was my attempt to be more attentive to my blog and to get back into the kitchen to do the things that I love.  I even have this little Post-It Note list in my desk drawer that I derive great pleasure from when checking off each week after I publish.  Sort of like the chart of chores that you do for your kids and award a gold star for each chore accomplished.  I kept my resolutions for 19 weeks before I failed. 

As week 20 rolled around, my house became chaotic while I had some painting done and on top of that, I was all excited about packing for my weekend beach trip. The week came and went and it dawned on me while en route to the beach and the TomTom was taking me off-course through corn fields and desolate towns that I totally forgot to publish.  No gold star for me. 

But perhaps you'll forgive me if I share my recipe for these tasty Teriyaki Tailgate Tenders.  The Boy Toy and I tailgated at the Charlotte Knights baseball game with some friends and I brought these along so I wouldn't have to suffer the digestive indignity of eating a hot dog.  I noticed that even the kids were gobbling them up.  You can certainly use the marinade for chicken breast halves if you're just hanging around the house using the grill - you'll just need to grill them a bit longer.  These would also work great as an appetizer served with maybe a sweet and sour sauce or hoisin sauce for dipping.  I took along a simple pasta salad and made some happy and full tailgaters. 



Teriyaki Tailgate Tenders

1/2 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Juice of 2 limes
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
Chicken tenders (I made about 20 skewers)
Wooden skewers

In a small bowl combine soy sauce, honey, vegetable oil, lime juice, cilantro and garlic. Thread tenders onto wooden skewers and marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.  Cover them while they are marinating.  After I threaded the tenders onto the skewers, I placed them in a 9x13 baking dish with the ends of the skewers resting on the sides of the baking dish. This prevented the whole skewer from being submerged in the marinade and getting all messy. I marinated overnight and turned the skewers occasionally to make sure the chicken was coated.  To make them easier to transport, I removed the skewers from the marinade and transferred them to a large disposable plastic container. 

Grill over medium high heat for 6 to 8 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.

In an effort to eat healthier, I've lately found my shopping cart filled with items that I don't purchase on a regular basis, scallops being one of them.  I've probably eaten scallops only twice in my life because they don't rank very high on my list of seafoods that I enjoy.  That's not to say that I entirely dislike them, it's just that I don't think about preparing them very often.  That's about to change. 

I recently learned that a three ounce serving of steamed scallops packs a whopping 22 grams of protein and only 1 gram of fat.  They also have omega-3 fatty acids and are loaded with vitamins and minerals ~ magnesium, zinc, phosporous, and B-12 just to name a few.  It's so hard to know these days if what we are eating is, in fact, good for us but that sounds pretty darn healthy, don't you think?

I prepared this  scallop recipe for my Charlotte Healthy Food Examiner column (What?! You didn't realize those awesome articles were coming from me??) and even though I've never been much for curry, I enjoyed it enough that I'll start looking for other ways to use a little bit of curry in my recipes. I guess we just never really know if our tastes have changed unless we keep trying things. 

This recipe for Lemon Caper Scallops from Rachael Ray is quick and easy and only dirties up one pan which is my kind of cooking on a busy weekday evening.  The combination of simple ingredients created a rich and delicious satisfying meal and granted the 1 gram of fat from the scallops was offset by adding the butter, but when I realized that I had only eaten 5 scallops and was completely full, I was okay with that.  I'd rather have added fat from a natural substance like butter instead of  margarine which is highly synthesized and in no way natural because our body does need a source of some fat in the diet.  I had picked up some tomatoes from the farmers' market earlier in the week and served a lovely salad caprese along with this.  A heathy, unprocessed meal! 

Discover (or rediscover) the easiness and deliciousness of scallops with these recipes and keep stepping outside the box by trying foods you haven't in awhile....you may just surprise yourself!

Lemon Caper Scallops
Every Day with Rachael Ray, May 2012

10 large scallops 
5 tablespoons butter 
1 large lemon, peeled, 4 segments chopped and remainder juiced 
2 tablespoons capers, drained 
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Season scallops. In a large skillet, melt 1 tbsp butter over medium-high. Add scallops; cook until golden, 3 minutes. Transfer to plate. Brown remaining butter. Add remaining ingredients; season. Spoon over scallops.

There are times when a salad just won't do the trick to satiate your appetite, even one loaded with chicken for protein.  But take those same salad-making items, twist them around and you have quick and easy Chicken Caesar Florentine ~ a chicken breast stuffed with fresh spinach and coated with crushed garlic croutons and zesty Caesar dressing.

It's perfect for those time-crunched evenings when dinner needs to come together quickly and better yet, it's kid-friendly!  


Chicken Caesar Florentine

Adapted from Taste of Home Cooking Magazine, Dec/Jan 2012
Serves 4

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1-1/2 cups Caesar salad croutons, coarsely crushed, divided
1/2 cup fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
1 cup creamy Caesar salad dressing, divided
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets

In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup cheese, 1/2 cup crushed croutons, spinach and 1/2 cup salad dressing. Place equal amounts of mixture vertically along the center of the chicken cutlets and roll up into a bundle.  Secure bundles with toothpicks.

Place remaining dressing and crushed croutons in separate shallow bowls. Dip chicken in dressing, then roll in croutons.

Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 170°.

The marriage of a fired up grill on a warm summer day with a piece of chicken equals nothing short of a match made in heaven.  The relationship gets even better when the chicken is marinated with the simplest of ingredients that you probably already have on hand in your pantry and turns out tender and juicy every single time. 

This combination of ingredients is my go-to marinade for grilled chicken every single time.  I always let it sit overnight but it would probably be just as good only after a few hours.  Try it and see if it doesn't become your summer grilling favorite!

Marinade for Chicken
source:  Food Network Kitchens

2 tablespoons vinegar (cider, balsamic, red or white wine)
3 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons garlic powder or onion powder
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Put the vinegar, Italian seasoning, mustard, garlic (or onion) powder and oil in a large re-sealable plastic bag.  Close the bag and shake to combine all ingredients.  Open the bag and drop in the chicken breasts.  Close and shake the bag to coat the chicken evenly.

Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.  If using previously unfrozen chicken breasts, you may freeze the chicken in the marinade for up to 2 weeks.  Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and prepare as desired.  

Heat a grill or grill pan.  When the grill is hot, place the chicken on the grill and cook for about 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through.  You can also bake the chicken in a 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until cooked through. 

Aren't these the most adorable cupcakes EVER??

I have been in love with these baby bluebird cupcakes ever since I first saw them a few years ago on Ali's original blog, Something So Clever, and thankfully she reminded me of them again when she reposted them last year on her newest blog creation, Jam Hands.  They're perfect for Easter or just to celebrate Spring and I knew they would be the perfect thing to take along to an Easter egg hunt that I was invited to last week.  I was meeting some special people at this egg hunt and it was a very big deal to me as this was something that I have secretly wished for for a very long time and I wanted to make sure I showed up with a totally tricked out "Pleased to meet you" offering.  The cupcakes were a hit and the holiday festivities were fabulous. 

These cutie cupcakes may look complicated but they really aren't (despite this being a Martha Stewart recipe).  And honestly, there is no harm in using a box cake mix if you'd like ~ no one would know and it's really all about the presentation anyway.  I made the buttercream with half butter and half shortening as it tends to hold up better at room temperature.  Practice piping your birds and beaks on wax paper before assembling the cupcakes and then it won't take long to get these babies hatched on their nests!

Baby Bluebird Cupcakes

Vanilla Cupcakes
Makes 1 dozen
Recipes courtesy of Martha Stewart

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time; scrape down bowl, and beat in vanilla.
3. Add flour mixture and milk alternatively, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
4. Divide batter evenly among liners, about three-quarters full each. Bake until golden and tops spring back to touch, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer pans to wire rack; cool completely.

Chocolate Buttercream
Makes 2-1/2 cups

Martha says, "If you live in a warm climate or you want to display your cupcakes for an extended period of time, use half solid vegetable shortening and half butter, which will result in a more stable frosting."

When preparing the chocolate buttercream frosting, reserve 1-1/2 cups buttercream prior to adding the melted chocolate and 1 teaspoon melted chocolate for the bird eyes.

3/4 cup sugar
3 large egg whites
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

1. Combine sugar and egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Place over a pot of simmering water; whisk until hot and sugar is completely dissolved, about 3 minutes. Transfer bowl to mixer stand, and beat on high speed until cooled, 7 to 10 minutes.

2. Replace whisk with paddle attachment, and set mixer on medium-high speed; add butter, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, until incorporated. Beat in chocolate. If not using immediately, refrigerate buttercream in an airtight container for up to a week. Bring to room temperature, and re-beat or stir vigorously before using.

To Assemble the Cupcakes:
Makes 1 dozen

1-1/2 cups shredded coconut(about 5 ounces)
Vanilla Cupcakes
Chocolate Buttercream
Yellow and light-blue food coloring

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread coconut on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until light brown, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating pan once. Set aside to cool.

2. Lightly frost cupcakes with 1 cup chocolate buttercream and top with toasted coconut; set aside. Tint 2 tablespoons reserved buttercream pale yellow; place in a pastry bag fitted with a #349 Ateco leaf tip; set aside. Tint remaining buttercream light blue; place in a pastry bag fitted with a #11 Ateco plain round tip, and pipe three bluebird heads, 3/4 inch in diameter, onto each cupcake. Using leaf tip, pipe yellow beaks. With a toothpick, add melted-chocolate eyes.

Source: MarthaStewart.com