"Barefoot" Chinese Chicken Salad

I know that I am running a little behind on this recipe...I was moving, after all. This recipe was supposed to be posted for Barefoot Bloggers last week. I am so glad that I made it once I was back in the kitchen, though. As usual, Ina does not disappoint! I loved everything about this dish! The dressing on the warm chicken was my absolute favorite part of the whole dish, though. I love it cold, as well. I put the leftovers in the fridge and pulled it back out the next day and OH...amazing! I will make this again and again. I know it would go over well at spring & summer picnics. This recipe was chosen by McKenzie of Kenzie's Kitchen (thank you!!!). This is set to make a huge batch...enough to feed about 12 people, I halved it because I did not want any going bad. I think I probably could have eaten a whole batch by myself over the course of a couple of days, though.

Chinese Chicken Salad by Ina Garten from Barefoot Contessa Parties! Or FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients:

4 split chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on

good olive oil

kosher salt

black pepper

1/2 lb. asparagus, trimmed & cut diagonally in thirds

1 red bell pepper- cored & seeded

2 scallions- sliced diagonally I used shallots (forgot the scallions..brain fart)

1 Tbs. white sesame seeds, toasted

For Dressing:

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1/4 c. good apple cider vinegar

3 Tbs. soy sauce

1 1/2 Tbs. dark sesame oil

1/2 Tbs. honey

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. peeled, grated fresh ginger

1/2 Tbs. white sesame seeds, toasted

1/4 c. smooth peanut butter

2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place chicken breasts on a sheet pan, rub skin with olive oil and season liberally with salt & pepper. Roast 35- 40 minutes, until just cooked. Set aside until cook enough to handle. Remove skin and take meat from bone. Shred chicken in large bite sized pieces.Blanch asparagus in a pot of salted, boiling water for 3-5 minutes until crisp-tender. Plunge into ice water to stop cooking. Drain. Cut bell pepper into pieces about the size of the asparagus.

Toast your sesame seeds! Whisk all of your dressing ingredients together. I did it all in a large measuring cup. Combine asparagus, peppers and chicken in a large bowl. Pour dressing all over and toss. Add scallions and sesame seeds. Season to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature. I liked it slightly warm as well. You've probably already seen everybody else's version since I'm so late, but head on over to Barefoot Bloggers to check out some more if not!

Cherry Poppy seed Muffins for TFF

I didn't realize how much I'd missed Tyler until I took a moment to breathe. There were a few regular foodie blogger events that went on the back burner while I was moving...time to move them back up to the forefront! Hello Tyler...I'm ready to hit the kitchen with you again. Let's go! I marked a page a while back for Cherry Poppy seed muffins, and decided to dig the cookbook out of the packing peanuts (okay, I didn't actually use packing peanuts, I used newspaper...lots of it) and get to baking! Cherry Poppy seed Muffins by Tyler Florence from Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen p. 89 1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan I used pan spray 2 c. AP flour, plus more for dusting the cherries 1 c. sugar, plus more for dusting tops I used raw sugar for the tops 1 Tbs. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 1 c. milk 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 Tbs. poppy seeds zest of 1 orange, finely grated 1 c. dried cherries Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together until evenly combined. In another bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs; then add the melted butter, poppy seeds and orange zest. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well. Fold everything together to form a batter. Toss the cherries with some flour to help prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the muffin when baked. Fold them into the batter.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling them 2/3 full. Dust the top with a little sugar to form a crust as the muffins bake. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a wooden toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center muffin. Place muffin tin on a cutting board to cool.

Okay, I liked them. I didn't love them. I always do that with muffins, though...not really sure why. I'm not the biggest muffin fan; usually they are to dense for me. I don't like heavy muffins...these were a tad heavy. I like light, airy muffins. But, the flavors were good and I'd probably make them again. For other people. Be sure to head on over to Tyler Florence Fridays to see what the other foodies and Tyler cooked up this week!

Finally Strawberries (!) plus some awards.

Strawberry season has begun here in the Michiana area....Yippee! You just can't beat locally grown strawberries....sweet as sugar and dribbling down your chin. If I don't get more than one carton from the Farmer's Market then I probably won't get any. My daughter usually polishes one off before we get to the front door. I love being able to buy a lot in-season, then wash them and freeze them! Year-round goodies (well okay, not year-round...but at least a few months) for us. We bought our first carton this past weekend and man, did they go quick. Basically, I washed and sliced them and sprinkled them with a little raw sugar (love that little crunch). I love them drizzled with a little Balsamic Vinegar, creme fraiche and a "short" biscuit....YES! Okay, now I need to go back to the market tomorrow...ah, just thinking about strawberries and seeing the sun shine makes me smile :) Do you know what else makes me smile? Getting an award. And I received 2...so imagine the cheese on my face. Sam from My Carolina Kitchen blessed me with the Sisterhood Award a couple of weeks ago. Sorry it took me so long to openly acknowledge Sam...the move just had me occupied for- (what seemed like) -ever! Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Sam. I know that a lot of the bloggers who I know have already received this award, and I don't want to inundate them with my affections, but I'm going to pass this Sisterhood Award on to Karen from DomesticMuse, Martina over at Sugamama's Cafe and Coleen from Coleen's recipes. These are 3 unique and gorgeous ladies...each with their own flair and love for what they do. Go check them out...if you haven't already. And I also received the PREMIO MEME award (yes, I'd say it's an award & an honor for someone to want to know more about you) from my friend Karen over at DomesticMuse! How cool is this? This award asks us to share 7 of our personality traits. Here are 7 of mine: 1. Passionate...about everything I love. 2. Earth-Mama...that's a trait, right? 3. Compassionate 4. Musical...or perhaps theatrical? 5. Selfish...yup, kinda. sometimes. 6. Giving...funny how I can be both. 7. Creative We are also supposed to select 7 bloggers to pass this on to...to find out their particular "memes". I'm gonna go ahead and break the rules. I'll just pick a couple to pass it on to...answer if you like, don't if you prefer not to. I've always been fascinated by people and what makes them tick, so I'd love to hear your answers. At the same time, I understand completely if you don't want to put yourself out there. If I didn't pass it on and you want to grab the picture and do it anyway, then do it by all means! So, whose personality traits do I want to know (honestly, every body's....but since I must name a few)...Gin from Once Upon a Gourmet Gin, ReggieGirl from Midlife, menopause, mistakes and random stuff, Gloria from Foods & Flavors of San Antonio, Carole from Hey mom, what's for dinner tonight? and Miss Burpilicious herself (Sophia) from Burp & Slurp- tell me about you :)! If everybody who reads this answered, I'd be thrilled because I think each and every individual is super fascinating! One more thing that made me smile today (I'm easy)...I received my mini-business cards from MOO in the mail...courtesy of FOODBUZZ!!! Aren't they so cool! Okay, many of you probably already have your own...but this is my very own set, so I love it!

My Favorite Coconut Tart

Okay, the second thing I made in my new kitchen was my absolute favorite coconut tart. Don't worry, I'm not going to count down everything I make in the new kitchen...just sort of came out. But, back to the best coconut tart EVER. I found this in one of Rick Bayless's cookbooks years ago and never looked back. That actually doesn't make any sense...I suppose I should say I kept looking back...and back...and back! If you haven't heard me say it before, I'll say it again- Rick Bayless is a genius. He is one of my absolute favorite chefs. I want to hang out with him. Has anyone seen the movie Saving Silverman? First of all, it's hilarious...but the part I'm talking about is when Jack Black says "I wanna party with you!" I have several people I feel this way about...Rick is one of them.

This is actually called a pie, but since it's made in a tart pan, I always call it a tart. I only make this once a year. That's probably because it's so labor-intensive. It's not hard...just takes time is all. It has freshly shredded coconut and homemade, yup HOMEMADE sweetened, condensed COCONUT milk! It's to die for. This will not work with the pre-shredded coconut you buy in the little bags in the store. It won't. Really. I think the love put into making it may be a big part of what makes it so delicious...

Yucatan-Style Fresh Coconut Pie

Pay de Coco, Estile Yucateco

recipe by Rick Bayless from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen

FOR THE CRUST:

1 c. (4 oz) slivered almonds

3 Tbs. sugar

4 oz firm white bread, torn into pieces

3 1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE PIE:

1 medium-size coconut w/ lots of liquid inside

1 c. heavy cream

2/3 c. sugar

3 large egg yolks

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

thick cream, creme fraiche or thinned sour cream for serving

Turn oven to 325 degrees F. Toast the almonds on a baking sheet in the in the oven, stirring occasionally, until golden, 7-10 minutes. Cool; set 1/2 cup of the almonds aside.

In a food processor, pulverize the remaining almonds with the sugar. Add the bread and pulse until reduced to fine crumbs. Drizzle in the melted butter and pulse to mix thoroughly. Evenly pat the mixture over the bottom and sides of a 3/4" deep, 9" tart pan w/ removable bottom. Refrigerate several minutes to set.

Twist a corkscrew (or use an ice pick or screwdriver) into 2 of the coconut's "eyes", then drain the liquid into a cup. Strain if it contains any shell bits.

Place the coconut on a baking sheet and put into the oven for about 15 minutes to help loosen the flesh from the shell. Sometimes I leave it up to 10 minutes longer...helps to release meat from shell and doesn't hurt it. With a hammer, crack coconut into several pieces, then use a small knife or screwdriver to peel away the dark brown skin from the shell. Use a paring knife or vegetable peeler to peel away the dark brown skin.

In a food processor (or hand-grater) grate the coconut into medium-fine shreds. Measure out 2 1/2 c. for the pie. You can toast the remainder and use it for garnish I usually don't...lazy? sometimes I do..

Raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. In a small saucepan, combine the coconut water, cream and sugar. Simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until reduced to 1 cup, 10 - 15 minutes.

Pour into a large bowl, then sir in the 2 1/2 cups of coconut, the reserved 1/2 cup of almonds, the egg yolks and the vanilla.

Set the prepared crust onto a baking sheet, scoop in the coconut filling and bake in the middle of the oven until set and lightly browned on top, 30-35 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack. Transfer to serving plate.

It is easiest to cut the pie when cool. Like Rick, I prefer it served warm, though. If you want it warmed up, place a slice in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes to warm up.

This pie/tart is awesome served just like this...but even more awesome with a dollop of creme fraiche or table cream (unsweetened).

This pie can be made several days ahead. Rick says to wrap it in plastic & refrigerate until use.

Pork Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce for Second Sunday San Antonio

I don't know if any of you have been cooking along with Second Sunday San Antonio or not, but I sure have! This is a monthly event that consists of cooking a chosen recipe from Gloria Chadwick's cookbook Foods & Flavors of San Antonio. Last month's recipe was Mexican Pork Chops (or chicken "chops") and since Chef Bliss was the first to post her version, she was the lucky one to choose this months recipe...Pork Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce. I jumped right on it (I love a good competition...and I want to be the one to choose next month's recipe...fingers crossed). Pork Enchiladas w/ Tomatillo Sauce by Gloria Chadwick from Foods & Flavors of San Antonio (w/ a couple of tweaks) 1 1/4 lb. pork shoulder, diced 2 Tbs. vegetable oil 1 medium onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 Serrano chills 2 c. drained, canned tomatillos (I used fresh, then cooked them) 6 corn tortillas 3/4 c. Mexican Cheese blend I also tripled this recipe...knew once wouldn't feed us :) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 x 9 pan. Put pork in a large pot and cover by about an inch w/ cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 40 minutes, or until fork tender. Since I cannot find canned tomatillos anywhere in my area, I used enough to make up about 6 cups. I put them in water to cover and simmered until just soft. Heat oil in a 12" skillet. Saute onion & garlic for a couple of minutes. Add serranos and tomatillos. Cook down, stirring to break up tomatillos for about 10 minutes, or until reduced a bit. Transfer to blender and blend into a sauce.Once pork is cool enough to handle, shred with a fork. I added a healthy dose of sea salt and black pepper to season. Divide filling among tortillas (I warmed them up in microwave first, wrapped in kitchen towel, to make them more pliable). Roll and place seam down in prepared pan. Pour sauce over all and then sprinkle cheese over them. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until hot & slightly bubbly. Serve with your favorite toppings. I used lettuce, cream and salsa. Delicious. There is still plenty of time to make this recipe and join in the Tex-Mex fun this month. Recipes aren't due until May 10. Come on and join in the fiesta...Second Sunday San Antonio!

Farmer's Market Spring Strata

Good Morning! I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. I am finally on the verge of feeling somewhat settled. While I was at the Farmer's Market over the weekend, picking up the winner's (of my giveaway) choice of sea salt, I found so many beautiful things to make a perfect Sunday strata! 

There is finally asparagus, plus I bought a dozen gorgeous brown eggs and some ham to dice up. And if you remember my penchant for sea salt, you'll know that I could not resist buying a new one for myself while I picked up the winner's choice. Charmane carries so many amazing choices, but I had to go for the Black Truffle Sea salt (figured it'd marry perfectly with the eggs & asparagus). I can tell you that the first "real" thing I made in my new, fun-sized kitchen was a seasonal strata!

Spring Strata

yield: 1 (9"x13") pan

12 large eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons sweet 'n hot mustard

1 teaspoon Black Truffle sea salt

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

~1 pound Asparagus, trimmed to 1" pcs.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1 1/2 to 2 cups diced ham

3 1/2 ounces sharp cheddar (I used KerryGold), shred or grate

6 ounces swiss, shred or grate

1 pound firm bread (I used sweet italian), torn into pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk first 6 ingredients and set aside.

Heat 1 Tbs. butter in small saute pan and saute asparagus until just tender. Reserve.

Butter a 9x13 dish. Either mix the cheeses together or add them in whichever order you like. First, scatter 1/2 c. of cheese over bottom of pan. Layer 1/2 bread, asparagus and ham. Sprinkle w/ 1 c. cheese.

Repeat w/ remaining bread, asparagus & ham. Sprinkle over last cup of cheese.

Pour eggs mixture over the top and gently push down any bread to moisten it. Drizzle w/ remaining 2 Tbs. butter, melted.

Bake 45-55 minutes, until golden and slightly puffed.

Let sit about 10 minutes before cutting. This is good warm or cold. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Remembering food actually cooked IN my kitchen

Hi everybody! No, I'm still not settled. Moving is so hectic and harried...I feel a bit koo-koo to tell you the truth. My computer is balanced precariously on the edge of a desk buried in a room full of boxes and bags. My kitchen is still not up and running... we've been toaster oven (-ing) our meals. ARGH! I did want to take a few minutes to put up this post of something that I made a couple of nights before we moved, though. Gloria Chadwick over at Foods and Flavors of San Antonio is having a foodie event called Second Sunday San Antonio to celebrate her newest cookbook. A recipe from her cookbook is chosen each month and everybody makes the recipe (to a tee or with their own flair) and posts. Gloria will then hold a roundup on the (gasp) second Sunday of the month. This month's chosen recipe was Mexican Pork chops. A variation listed was to make it with Chicken Breasts and that is what I did since I had some already. I am going to go ahead and give you the LINK TO THE RECIPE because I cannot get it to copy & paste and I honestly do not feel up to typing the whole thing up right now. I will tell you that I chose the stove top method and did it all in my trust 12" cast iron skillet. Okay, I'll at least give you the ingredients: Olive Oil Boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts (or pork chops...as originally stated in recipe) medium onion green bell pepper garlic black pepper chili powder cumin water Mexican Stewed tomatoes long grain white rice cheddar cheese And a basic process: Heat oil. Saute chicken. I browned on one side, then took out of pan and set to the side. Add chopped onion, bell pepper & garlic, saute until tender. Add seasonings to pan and stir around for a minute or so to release the oils. Add tomatoes (I actually used 1 can diced tomatoes w/ Italian seasoning & 1 can diced w/ chile & lime....they were what I had in the pantry). Add water & tomatoes, simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken back to pan. Add rice. Cover and simmer slowly for about 15-20 mins (until chicken is done and rice is tender). When chicken and rice are finished, uncover and sprinkle w/ shredded cheese immediately. It will melt from the heat.

I served with refried beans, sour cream and a lime for squeezing over everything. This was very tasty and can't wait to try it again w/ pork chops! Thanks Gloria.