Lasanga

Tonight's post will be short and sweet.  First, we had a friend over for dinner.  We ate a little lasagne, had a little ice cream sandwich cake, and mostly just hung out for the evening.  It was very pleasant.  I also made a nice marble cake, though it wasn't done in time for dinner.  Lastly, I helped my daughter finish an outfit for her Twelfth Night activities tomorrow with the SCA.  So it's been a hectic night, and it's about time for me to go to bed.  But first, just to make you jealous, here's a picture of my lasagna right before I put it in the oven:

Mmmmm...cheese...(and noodles and meat).

Yummy, yummy lasagna.

Lasanga

Tonight's post will be short and sweet.  First, we had a friend over for dinner.  We ate a little lasagne, had a little ice cream sandwich cake, and mostly just hung out for the evening.  It was very pleasant.  I also made a nice marble cake, though it wasn't done in time for dinner.  Lastly, I helped my daughter finish an outfit for her Twelfth Night activities tomorrow with the SCA.  So it's been a hectic night, and it's about time for me to go to bed.  But first, just to make you jealous, here's a picture of my lasagna right before I put it in the oven:

Mmmmm...cheese...(and noodles and meat).

Yummy, yummy lasagna.

The Last Resort

I know what you're thinking.  The "Last Resort" sounds like I've given up on something and am about to succumb to a desperate act, possibly because of the difficulty in trying to come up with something new about which to blog every day, particularly while I've been under the weather.  True, it does sound that way, but it isn't really.

Seriously.  This is the LAST RESORT.  Just in case you weren't sure.

Today is the first day in most of two weeks that I have felt relatively normal.  I woke up with no scratchy throat, no excessive phlegm (I'm sure you're all grateful to know that), and only minor allergy brain.  I can once again sing without hacking, at least for a while.  So that's good.  I decided to celebrate by going out to eat, particularly since the hubs had band practice and wasn't planning to be home for dinner.

View of the street from the covered patio.

I chose to go to my favorite restaurant here in town, a place called the Last Resort Grill.  It's downtown near the local university and is an awesome little place with an outdoor patio, subdued lighting, and amazing desserts.  It's also very popular; if you don't go pretty early you can end up waiting 1-2 hours most nights.  On the walls is a rotating display featuring the work of local artists for sale.

Sweet tea, mixed green salad, and fresh bread.  Also, a glaring iPad with my current book on it.

I like to go with a book and sit on the patio where I can watch people walk by on the sidewalk in nice weather.  Unless there is something particularly awesome on the specials, I usually order the "Firecracker Filet," subbing out the asparagus spears for grilled corn.  Tonight's filet, complete with mashed potatoes and rosemary compound butter, was excellent as usual.

Yummy steak with the World Trade Towers rendered in corn.

Book of the night:  Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick

After the meal, I sprung for a raspberry cheesecake.  All of the cakes and cheesecakes for Last Resort (as well as several other restaurants in town) are created by the inimitable Cecelia Villaveces of Cecilia's Cakes.  Cecilia is especially well known for her famous Red Velvet cake, which has hand-painted flowers on it.  My daughter, who loves red velvet (unlike me), says it's one of the best--if not the actual best--red velvet cake she's ever tasted.

I forgot to take a picture of my raspberry cheesecake.  Here's a picture of the
raspberry cake, which I also often get.  I loves me some raspberry flavoring.

The famous red velvet.

It was a good evening...very quiet and peaceful, with lots of good food, a good book, and a snobby college girl next to me speaking condescendingly to her friends about her French major.  Ah, college.  It's days like this that I'm glad I'm no longer 20 and excessively full of myself.

The Last Resort

I know what you're thinking.  The "Last Resort" sounds like I've given up on something and am about to succumb to a desperate act, possibly because of the difficulty in trying to come up with something new about which to blog every day, particularly while I've been under the weather.  True, it does sound that way, but it isn't really.

Seriously.  This is the LAST RESORT.  Just in case you weren't sure.

Today is the first day in most of two weeks that I have felt relatively normal.  I woke up with no scratchy throat, no excessive phlegm (I'm sure you're all grateful to know that), and only minor allergy brain.  I can once again sing without hacking, at least for a while.  So that's good.  I decided to celebrate by going out to eat, particularly since the hubs had band practice and wasn't planning to be home for dinner.

View of the street from the covered patio.

I chose to go to my favorite restaurant here in town, a place called the Last Resort Grill.  It's downtown near the local university and is an awesome little place with an outdoor patio, subdued lighting, and amazing desserts.  It's also very popular; if you don't go pretty early you can end up waiting 1-2 hours most nights.  On the walls is a rotating display featuring the work of local artists for sale.

Sweet tea, mixed green salad, and fresh bread.  Also, a glaring iPad with my current book on it.

I like to go with a book and sit on the patio where I can watch people walk by on the sidewalk in nice weather.  Unless there is something particularly awesome on the specials, I usually order the "Firecracker Filet," subbing out the asparagus spears for grilled corn.  Tonight's filet, complete with mashed potatoes and rosemary compound butter, was excellent as usual.

Yummy steak with the World Trade Towers rendered in corn.

Book of the night:  Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick

After the meal, I sprung for a raspberry cheesecake.  All of the cakes and cheesecakes for Last Resort (as well as several other restaurants in town) are created by the inimitable Cecelia Villaveces of Cecilia's Cakes.  Cecilia is especially well known for her famous Red Velvet cake, which has hand-painted flowers on it.  My daughter, who loves red velvet (unlike me), says it's one of the best--if not the actual best--red velvet cake she's ever tasted.

I forgot to take a picture of my raspberry cheesecake.  Here's a picture of the
raspberry cake, which I also often get.  I loves me some raspberry flavoring.

The famous red velvet.

It was a good evening...very quiet and peaceful, with lots of good food, a good book, and a snobby college girl next to me speaking condescendingly to her friends about her French major.  Ah, college.  It's days like this that I'm glad I'm no longer 20 and excessively full of myself.

Decadent Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert

You know those old commercials about Rice Krispie Treats?  The ones where the lady sits on her ass in the kitchen reading a magazine till everyone in the other room starts whining, then she musses her hair and flicks flour in her face to make it look like she's been slaving for hours, even though Rice Krispie Treats are mind-numbingly easy to make?  Well, I have a similarly easy recipe that I'm going to share with you tonight. 

A friend of mine introduced me to this dessert years ago, and my family loves it.  It takes all of about 5-10 minutes to assemble, requires a mere 3 ingredients, and tastes great.  For this dessert, you will need the following:

-A 9 x 13 pan
-1 8 oz tub of Cool Whip
-1 box of 12 ice cream sandwiches
-1 16 oz tub of Marzetti's Old Fashioned Caramel Apple Dip (or similar item)

Start shucking ice cream sandwiches.  I'd start with 9.  Put them in the pan side by side till the pan is full.  I personally like them crammed in, so I'll cut them in half lengthwise or width-wise as needed to make sure the pan is completely full.  Eat all leftovers so they don't go to waste (just waist).

Ice cream.  Yummy, yummy ice cream.  The cookie part forms your dessert's crust.

Next, take the tub of caramel dip and, using a knife or spatula, evenly spread the caramel all over the ice cream sandwiches.

Not just for apples anymore.

Lastly, do the same with the Cool Whip, spreading it evenly over the caramel.

Whip it.  Whip it good.

For a lighter dessert, use low-fat ingredients and/or spread less caramel dip and Cool Whip on the sandwiches.  Store in the freezer between servings.  It's great for parties, especially when you need to throw something together on short notice.  If you have a smaller family or limited freezer space, it also works well halved.

And voilà--that's it!  Easy-peasy, right?  You're welcome.

P.S.  It needs a shorter, quippier name than "Decadent Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert."  Any thoughts?  Feel free to leave me a comment if you want to share a suggestion.  Meanwhile, happy nomming!

Decadent Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert

You know those old commercials about Rice Krispie Treats?  The ones where the lady sits on her ass in the kitchen reading a magazine till everyone in the other room starts whining, then she musses her hair and flicks flour in her face to make it look like she's been slaving for hours, even though Rice Krispie Treats are mind-numbingly easy to make?  Well, I have a similarly easy recipe that I'm going to share with you tonight. 

A friend of mine introduced me to this dessert years ago, and my family loves it.  It takes all of about 5-10 minutes to assemble, requires a mere 3 ingredients, and tastes great.  For this dessert, you will need the following:

-A 9 x 13 pan
-1 8 oz tub of Cool Whip
-1 box of 12 ice cream sandwiches
-1 16 oz tub of Marzetti's Old Fashioned Caramel Apple Dip (or similar item)

Start shucking ice cream sandwiches.  I'd start with 9.  Put them in the pan side by side till the pan is full.  I personally like them crammed in, so I'll cut them in half lengthwise or width-wise as needed to make sure the pan is completely full.  Eat all leftovers so they don't go to waste (just waist).

Ice cream.  Yummy, yummy ice cream.  The cookie part forms your dessert's crust.

Next, take the tub of caramel dip and, using a knife or spatula, evenly spread the caramel all over the ice cream sandwiches.

Not just for apples anymore.

Lastly, do the same with the Cool Whip, spreading it evenly over the caramel.

Whip it.  Whip it good.

For a lighter dessert, use low-fat ingredients and/or spread less caramel dip and Cool Whip on the sandwiches.  Store in the freezer between servings.  It's great for parties, especially when you need to throw something together on short notice.  If you have a smaller family or limited freezer space, it also works well halved.

And voilà--that's it!  Easy-peasy, right?  You're welcome.

P.S.  It needs a shorter, quippier name than "Decadent Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert."  Any thoughts?  Feel free to leave me a comment if you want to share a suggestion.  Meanwhile, happy nomming!

How to Make Honey-Glazed Chicken Tarragon à la Cast

As I mentioned last week, trying to cook primarily one-handed has been challenging.  Just last night I made one of my family's favorite meals--Honey-Glazed Tarragon Chicken--for dinner and, while I was preparing it, I considered that perhaps some of my foodie friends might enjoy trying out the recipe.  Join me, won't you, as I teach you how to prepare Honey-Glazed Chicken Tarragon à la Cast.  So put on your best Julia Child voice (this is absolutely mandatory), grab a healthy swig of your favorite cooking sherry, and let's get started.

"I LOVE a good cooking sherry!"

First you will need to thaw approximately 5-6 breasts of chicken.  I prefer to use individually-wrapped chicken breasts from Schwan's Home Delivery Service because they have less fat, because I can use as many or as few as I wish at one time without worrying about spoilage, and because frozen chicken is salmonella-free chicken.  Plus I'm just really lazy and they will bring the chicken straight to my door.

Plastic vacuum-packed bags add extra flavoring.

Because you no longer have use of both hands, when the chicken is thawed you will need to tear open each individual bag using one hand and your teeth.  This will make it easier to avoid absorbing chicken juice into the padding of your cast for those "extra special odors" in a few hours.  Be sure to keep saying to yourself "Yum--plastic and chicken juice" as you open each bag so that you will be able to force yourself to continue.  Feel free to spit out any bits of plastic that shear off the bag before you succeed in opening it.  Alternatively, you can swirl said pieces around in your mouth for additional flossing and teeth cleaning purposes.  Just remember not to swallow!  

Next, place the chicken on your cutting board, like so:

And now your cutting board is double-breasted.

Once that is done, it's time to apply the culinary condom:

"We all slide our yellow in a bag, our yellow in a bag, our yellow in a bag..."

When you have sufficiently protected yourself from STDs (Salmonella-Transferred Diseases), pick up a sharp knife and begin cutting your chicken into cubes until all chicken has been cut.  To do this, hold one breast down gently with your Ziploc-encased hand and proceed to slice into the chicken with your free hand like so:

"Chicken Slice-n-Dice--and I helped!"

Feel free to miss several times and slice little nicks and slashes into your bag because your chicken is wiggly and not sufficiently secured by a plasticized fingers; besides, the cuts will provide ventilation inside the bag.  Try to avoid nicking any fingernails--they don't marinate in the glaze well and provide a little too much texture.

When you have finished dicing the raw chicken, scoop up the pieces using your Pampered Chef scraper because you still have only one functioning hand and you don't want it slimey; also, you haven't used the scraper in months and you want to get your money's worth out of it, never mind the potential for under-the-table kickbacks from your flagrant product placement.  

Spread the pieces evenly across the top tray of your Tupperware Paleozoic (era) Pink Micro Steamer™, like so:

The Pampered Chef is fooling around with his Tupper Ware.

Next, to prepare the honey glaze, hack a stick of butter in half.  Using the end of your knife, skewer the butter barbarian-style, pick it up, then deposit it in a small bowl.

I wasn't kidding about the knife--you can see the stab wound.

Stick the butter into the microwave for 10-20 seconds.  Don't forget to cover it with a piece of Cling Wrap or your rinsed-off culinary condom, unless you'd really enjoy spending the next half hour cleaning exploded butter stalactites off the ceiling of your microwave.  Next, add to the melted butter 1 teaspoon of tarragon, 1¼ teaspoons of paprika, ½ teaspoon each of salt and dry mustard, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of honey.  Mix well.

Kitchen Chemistry

After mixing the sauce, put approximately 2 cups of minute rice in the bottom of the steamer, with the same amount of water, like so:  

Nummy, nummy rice soup

Put the steamer tray with the chicken back over the rice and water, then force your significant other or whoever is handy (literally) to pour the glaze mixture over the chicken.  Spread it out well, but not too well, or it will drain too fast into the water and rice.

My chicken has been ginger doodled.

Once that is finished, put the steamer in the microwave, cooking for 6-7 minutes on high.

"I sing the body irradiated..."

During those 6-7 minutes, feel free to do laundry, clean up the sink, pick your nose, empty the dishwasher, use the bathroom (not necessarily in that order) or whatever.  But don't forget to wash your hand(s) after!  When the microwave beeps, stir the chicken around, flipping over any uncooked sides, and bake for an additional 3-4 minutes or so.   

When finished this time, force your partner/spouse/friend/child slave labor/imaginary friend to come and help you lift out the steamer tray so that you can scrape the chicken and any leftover sauce into the lower tray with the cooked rice.  Mix well.  Scoop onto a plate with whatever utensil is handy and enjoy!

Honey-Paprika-y-Tarragony Goodness

For those of you unfortunate enough not to possess a Tupperware Paleozoic (era) Pink Micro-Steamer™, this recipe can technically be created without one.  You can brown the cubed chicken in a skillet with a little butter, then add in the sauce and mix together with the chicken, cooking till the chicken is done.  Cook the rice in a separate pan either in the microwave or on the stove; when finished cooking, fold in the chicken and sauce mixture.  Alternatively, you can bake whole chicken breasts in a roasting pan, basting them with the sauce, and serve over cooked rice.  Personally, I prefer the steamer, because the steaming process causes the honey glaze sauce to mix in with the rice for additional flavor, which then recycles back into the chicken while it cooks.

Seriously--how can you not want some of this right now?

Likewise, for those of you without the benefit of an arm cast, feel free to adapt the recipe preparation accordingly, though no doubt it will be infinitely more dull without the piratic butter stabbings or the various plastics involved.  Your loss, I guess.  

Meanwhile, I am still waiting for the Ziploc, Pampered Chef and Tupperware companies to recognize my blatant product advertisements; I will expect appropriate remuneration immediately.  

As Julia Child would say (you are still reading this in your Julia voice, right?), "Bon Appétit!"

This is probably closer to how MY Julia Child experience would look.

How to Make Honey-Glazed Chicken Tarragon à la Cast

As I mentioned last week, trying to cook primarily one-handed has been challenging.  Just last night I made one of my family's favorite meals--Honey-Glazed Tarragon Chicken--for dinner and, while I was preparing it, I considered that perhaps some of my foodie friends might enjoy trying out the recipe.  Join me, won't you, as I teach you how to prepare Honey-Glazed Chicken Tarragon à la Cast.  So put on your best Julia Child voice (this is absolutely mandatory), grab a healthy swig of your favorite cooking sherry, and let's get started.

"I LOVE a good cooking sherry!"

First you will need to thaw approximately 5-6 breasts of chicken.  I prefer to use individually-wrapped chicken breasts from Schwan's Home Delivery Service because they have less fat, because I can use as many or as few as I wish at one time without worrying about spoilage, and because frozen chicken is salmonella-free chicken.  Plus I'm just really lazy and they will bring the chicken straight to my door.

Plastic vacuum-packed bags add extra flavoring.

Because you no longer have use of both hands, when the chicken is thawed you will need to tear open each individual bag using one hand and your teeth.  This will make it easier to avoid absorbing chicken juice into the padding of your cast for those "extra special odors" in a few hours.  Be sure to keep saying to yourself "Yum--plastic and chicken juice" as you open each bag so that you will be able to force yourself to continue.  Feel free to spit out any bits of plastic that shear off the bag before you succeed in opening it.  Alternatively, you can swirl said pieces around in your mouth for additional flossing and teeth cleaning purposes.  Just remember not to swallow!  

Next, place the chicken on your cutting board, like so:

And now your cutting board is double-breasted.

Once that is done, it's time to apply the culinary condom:

"We all slide our yellow in a bag, our yellow in a bag, our yellow in a bag..."

When you have sufficiently protected yourself from STDs (Salmonella-Transferred Diseases), pick up a sharp knife and begin cutting your chicken into cubes until all chicken has been cut.  To do this, hold one breast down gently with your Ziploc-encased hand and proceed to slice into the chicken with your free hand like so:

"Chicken Slice-n-Dice--and I helped!"

Feel free to miss several times and slice little nicks and slashes into your bag because your chicken is wiggly and not sufficiently secured by a plasticized fingers; besides, the cuts will provide ventilation inside the bag.  Try to avoid nicking any fingernails--they don't marinate in the glaze well and provide a little too much texture.

When you have finished dicing the raw chicken, scoop up the pieces using your Pampered Chef scraper because you still have only one functioning hand and you don't want it slimey; also, you haven't used the scraper in months and you want to get your money's worth out of it, never mind the potential for under-the-table kickbacks from your flagrant product placement.  

Spread the pieces evenly across the top tray of your Tupperware Paleozoic (era) Pink Micro Steamer™, like so:

The Pampered Chef is fooling around with his Tupper Ware.

Next, to prepare the honey glaze, hack a stick of butter in half.  Using the end of your knife, skewer the butter barbarian-style, pick it up, then deposit it in a small bowl.

I wasn't kidding about the knife--you can see the stab wound.

Stick the butter into the microwave for 10-20 seconds.  Don't forget to cover it with a piece of Cling Wrap or your rinsed-off culinary condom, unless you'd really enjoy spending the next half hour cleaning exploded butter stalactites off the ceiling of your microwave.  Next, add to the melted butter 1 teaspoon of tarragon, 1¼ teaspoons of paprika, ½ teaspoon each of salt and dry mustard, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of honey.  Mix well.

Kitchen Chemistry

After mixing the sauce, put approximately 2 cups of minute rice in the bottom of the steamer, with the same amount of water, like so:  

Nummy, nummy rice soup

Put the steamer tray with the chicken back over the rice and water, then force your significant other or whoever is handy (literally) to pour the glaze mixture over the chicken.  Spread it out well, but not too well, or it will drain too fast into the water and rice.

My chicken has been ginger doodled.

Once that is finished, put the steamer in the microwave, cooking for 6-7 minutes on high.

"I sing the body irradiated..."

During those 6-7 minutes, feel free to do laundry, clean up the sink, pick your nose, empty the dishwasher, use the bathroom (not necessarily in that order) or whatever.  But don't forget to wash your hand(s) after!  When the microwave beeps, stir the chicken around, flipping over any uncooked sides, and bake for an additional 3-4 minutes or so.   

When finished this time, force your partner/spouse/friend/child slave labor/imaginary friend to come and help you lift out the steamer tray so that you can scrape the chicken and any leftover sauce into the lower tray with the cooked rice.  Mix well.  Scoop onto a plate with whatever utensil is handy and enjoy!

Honey-Paprika-y-Tarragony Goodness

For those of you unfortunate enough not to possess a Tupperware Paleozoic (era) Pink Micro-Steamer™, this recipe can technically be created without one.  You can brown the cubed chicken in a skillet with a little butter, then add in the sauce and mix together with the chicken, cooking till the chicken is done.  Cook the rice in a separate pan either in the microwave or on the stove; when finished cooking, fold in the chicken and sauce mixture.  Alternatively, you can bake whole chicken breasts in a roasting pan, basting them with the sauce, and serve over cooked rice.  Personally, I prefer the steamer, because the steaming process causes the honey glaze sauce to mix in with the rice for additional flavor, which then recycles back into the chicken while it cooks.

Seriously--how can you not want some of this right now?

Likewise, for those of you without the benefit of an arm cast, feel free to adapt the recipe preparation accordingly, though no doubt it will be infinitely more dull without the piratic butter stabbings or the various plastics involved.  Your loss, I guess.  

Meanwhile, I am still waiting for the Ziploc, Pampered Chef and Tupperware companies to recognize my blatant product advertisements; I will expect appropriate remuneration immediately.  

As Julia Child would say (you are still reading this in your Julia voice, right?), "Bon Appétit!"

This is probably closer to how MY Julia Child experience would look.