Cobb Salad

I heart Cobb salad. Big time! I could eat it just about any day, seriously. What's not to love about a salad that is full of rockin' ingredients like bacon and blue cheese, has a tasty dressing, and still counts as healthy since it also contains the likes of lettuce and tomatoes? Mmmm mmm!

My obsession with Cobb salad started when my little brother was in junior high and studied the 30's in English class. For a project he researched and made Cobb salad. While I know my dad had made it beforehand at some point, this particular instance made it a classic in my family's dinner repertoire, and thus my own.

According to Wikipedia, a fine source of truthful information on the Internet (ha!), there are two stories to how the Cobb salad came about:

• In 1937, Brown Derby owner Robert H. Cobb went into the restaurant's kitchen to fix a late-night snack for Sid Grauman, operator of Grauman's Chinese Theater. He browsed the refrigerator for ingredients, and chopped them up finely. Thus, the Cobb salad was born. From then on, Grauman often requested that a Cobb salad be prepared for him. Word soon spread about this creation throughout Hollywood, quickly increasing its popularity. It became such a hit that film stars started requesting "Cobb's salad", and it was eventually added to the menu of the Drake Hotel.
• Robert Cobb's widow told a different story. Cobb came to work after a difficult dentist appointment and asked his head chef to prepare something he could eat. The chef made up a salad of ingredients he knew Cobb would like and chopped it up finely. Cobb liked it and added it to his menu.

Either way, this salad came from the late 30's and has been hot ever since.

Please note that you can adjust proportions to your wishes.. Like my slim wedge of chopped onions above. :)

Serves: Approximately 4-5 (maybe? I'm not really sure.. Eyeball it!)

Ingredients
In my opinion the Cobb salad has 8 essential ingredients, although if you Googled a Cobb salad recipe you'd get a pretty random set. Here's my Official list of those 8 ingredients:

1. Bacon
2. Hard-boiled eggs
3. Chicken
4. Avocados
5. Tomatoes
6. Red onions
7. Roquefort or blue cheese
8. Lettuce

The dressing ingredient list is also specific:

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 juiced lemon
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• black pepper
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp dry English mustard
• I usually end up using regular yellow mustard since I don't own any for whatever reason
• 1 clove (or less) fresh minced garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Preparation 
Make sure everything is appropriately cooked and chopped depending on the ingredient.

Put lettuce in a large bowl. Place each ingredient side-by-side on top of the lettuce in a pizza-slice-like arrangement. This makes for a great presentation. Drizzle dressing on top.

Mix it all together and serve.

Orange Cranberry Bread

Am I obsessed with this blog? Only a little bit. Some friends described it today as what sounds like a fun hobby, and I agree completely. :)

There is little my husband loves more than baked goods, thanks to his amazing-in-the-kitchen mom who whips out some truly rockin' food on a regular basis. So when I found a recipe for Orange Bread I thought I'd give it a try. And now Dan officially hearts this bread.

The recipe itself comes from the Simply Recipes blog which I stumbled upon yesterday and now officially follow. You can find the original here: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/orange_bread/

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup butter, room temperature
• I used a margarine without hydrogenated oils
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2-3 Tbsp orange zest
• The original recipe calls for 1 tbsp, but I accidentally made well over 3 and I loved the result
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• I used whole wheat
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• I rounded the teaspoon since we live above 6,000 ft
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Once again, I rounded the teaspoon since we live above 6,000 ft
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• I used 1 rounded cup of plain soy yogurt
• 1/2 cup crasins

Glaze

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon orange juice
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 4x8-inch loaf pan.

Beat the butter/margarine on high for 2 minutes. Add sugar and beat on high 2 more minutes. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated. Add orange zest.

In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients together.

Add the yogurt and dry ingredients to the wet ingredients separately 1/3 at a time starting with the yogurt: 1/3 c yogurt, mix; 1/3 dry ingredients, mix; 1/3 yogurt, mix; etc etc. Mix until just combined.

Add the crasins and once again mix until just combined.

Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake on center rack for 45-50 minutes.

Remove when a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool for a little while.

Mix the glaze ingredients together in a bowl. Btw, the original recipe says that the glaze is optional, but I think it's a must. It adds a nice tangy, sweet punch, so don't skip this step!

Poke holes into the loaf with a toothpick and then pour the glaze over the loaf. Viola! It's done!

The Verdict: A Keeper
This recipe is delicious! It's definitely good enough for Dan to want over and over again, and meets the high standards required in sharing with friends. Enjoy!

CrockPot Cincinnati-style Chili

To be perfectly honest, I've never eaten Cincinnati Chili in Cincinnati so I'm not entirely sure what true Cincinnati Chili is. However, our friends had us over for dinner and made it and after that we were hooked–at least on what we thought was Cincinnati Chili–I just don't know since I've never had it in Cincinnati.  (I include this because my family once had "Chicago-style Pizza" when we were in Denver, CO, and it was NOT Chicago-style pizza. It was in fact terrible.) I believe two key ingredients in Cincinnati Chili are chocolate and cinnamon, so with that understanding the recipe below can at least qualify as "Cincinnati-style".

After our friends had us over I found the recipe "Cincinnati-style Chili Casserole" in my slow cooker cookbook, Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes Volume 2. (This cookbook is how I survived going back to work full-time when Auggie was 6 weeks old.) The recipe I'm making for dinner tonight, however, is a modified version (surprise!) of this recipe. One of the things I don't cook with is instant beef bouillon, an ingredient this recipe calls for, because it is chock-full of MSG. (As an aside, if you don't know how bad MSG is for you or how prevalent it is–it's in nearly everything–check out this web site: http://www.truthinlabeling.org/) I also thought it could use some extra spices and whatnot. So after a Cincinnati Chili Google search and some recipe reviewing, I pieced together the following crockpot recipe.

Ingredients

• 2lbs ground beef
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 26-oz jar pasta sauce 
• I had 3/4 a bottle in the refridgerator, so I used that with an additional 8oz can of tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water or broth
• I used chicken broth since once again we had some in the fridge. Beef broth would probably be a better choice. I use the Kitchen Basics brand since they swear over and over on their packaging that MSG is neither used nor created when they make their broth. 
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp chocolate pieces
• I used baking chocolate since it's milk-free, but I'm sure any would be fine
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• I added more later since I want it to be tangy
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice

• spaghetti noodles 
• I have whole wheat rotini in the pantry so I think I'll end up using that since the noodle shape holds sauce so nicely

Sides

• shredded cheese
• chopped onions
• kidney beans (can also be cooked in crockpot, but Dan's not a huge fan so I'm skipping them)
• oyster crackers

Preparation
Brown ground beef in a frying pan, and cook onions and garlic along side beef.

Put beef mixture into crockpot, add everything else except for the noodles, and mix thoroughly. 

Cook in crockpot on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

Cook noodles according to directions. Serve chili on top of noodles with sides.

Comments
Brilliantly, both sets of measuring spoons were in the running dishwasher while I prepared this recipe, so I ended up approximating all of my measurements–which I probably would have done to some extent anyway. Also, since Auggie kindly motivated me to get out of bed by 7am this morning, I actually prepared this before going to Bible study and thus get to cook something in the crockpot on low for once.

The Verdict: A Keeper
Dan loves this dish. (I'm sensing a pattern here - he seems to love hearty dishes with ground beef, some sort of absorbent ingredient like pasta or cornbread, and a tomato-based sauce. Tamale Pie, for instance, or Chimichangas (recipe coming soon).) ... I think it's pretty tasty myself, although because it is so hearty I probably could eat it about once a month and not more, especially if other such hearty dishes are making the rounds as well. Serving it with a salad on the side is a must in my opinion. 

Roast Chicken Breasts with Garbanzo Beans, Tomatoes, and Paprika

Dinner tonight is something that I first made two years ago and have repeated every couple of months since. It's an easy and tasty recipe, and fairly full of protein which is always a plus. It's an epicurious.com recipe and can be found here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roast-Chicken-Breasts-with-Garbanzo-Beans-Tomatoes-and-Paprika-242113

The picture includes a side of rice pilaf.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika 
• This isn't hard to find and pretty much makes the dish
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt or Greek yogurt 
• I'll be using plain soy yogurt for the first time ever tonight
• 4 chicken breast halves
• The original recipe calls for bone-in breasts, but skinless and boneless is always easier and is thus what I used tonight
• 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
• 1 12-ounce container cherry tomatoes
• random leftover veggie pieces :)
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• optional: lime wedges on the side

Preparation
Preheat oven to 450°.

Mix first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Pour 1 teaspoon spiced oil mixture into small bowl; whisk in yogurt and set aside for sauce.

Place chicken on large rimmed baking sheet. (When it's just Dan and me and I'm consequently making less, I can usually get away with making this in an 8"x8" glass casserole dish if I'm only cooking two breasts.) Rub 2 tablespoons spiced oil mixture over chicken. Add beans, tomatoes, and 1/2 cup cilantro to remaining spiced oil mixture; toss to coat. Pour bean mixture around chicken. Sprinkle everything generously with salt and pepper.

Roast until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cilantro.

Transfer chicken to plates. Spoon bean mixture over. Serve with yogurt sauce. I know I've served this with lime wedges as well, and tonight I made rice pilaf as our side.

Modifications
I only made a few modifications, including adding some green bell pepper and artichoke heart pieces that were leftover from making pizzas last night. Oh, and I completely forgot to buy cilantro! Blast!! I used a small amount of chopped fresh tarragon and parsley in its place, but I definitely recommend cilantro if you have it. One more note: I used less tomatoes than called for. Dan isn't a big tomato guy, so I'll probably eat most of what I did cook with, and this way the carton will last for cobb salad later on this week.

The Verdict: A Keeper
Okay, the verdict was obvious since I've already made this recipe at least 10 times. But this was my first time using soy yogurt and it honestly wasn't bad. Sure, I would have preferred the real thing, but all of the soy options available in our grocery stores make going dairy-free for Dan fairly easy. Also, the fresh tarragon and parsley replacement was good. I'm going to remember that next time and perhaps even experiment with other fresh herbs. Rosemary, thyme, and basil could be great options. Yay versatility!

Food Storage: What Not to do with Meat in Your Freezer

(Did I capitalize that title correctly? I have no idea...)

I tend to buy most of our meats in family packs. Mass quantities of meat, yes, but cheaper in the long run and I know I'll eventually cook it all.

Last time I bought a large pack of chicken breasts, I cleaned/trimmed them all, filleted them (because honestly a whole chicken breast is too much for Dan and I each to eat and thinner meat cooks faster), and then froze them in freezer bags. It made for much easier cooking–just defrost and use, no trimming required.

A few weeks ago chicken breasts were on sale, so I bought a family pack which I soon cleaned, trimmed, and froze. Brilliant me thought it would be a great idea to freeze my chicken breasts in tupperware separated by two sheets of wax paper rather than using ziploc bags. Personally, I hate throwing away ziploc bags. Each time I do throw one away I (a) know it will take a very long time to biodegrade, and (b) know I will have to pay money to replace it. I usually wash ziploc bags now and reuse them until they can't be reused any more or Dan gets to them first and throws them out. (Arrgh!) And I always question myself a little about reusing a ziploc bag that had raw meat in it, before washing it and reusing it anyway.. So, back to my brilliant decision: Tupperware! This way I can just stick the tub in the dishwasher when I've used all the meat and not worry about cleanliness, etc. Bad idea.

Today I tried to remove a few chicken breasts from said tupperware tub only to find that in spite of all the wax paper layers separating each breast, they were all stuck together in tub-form. Aaaaahhh! So not cool. I had to use a knife to get the first breast out and wound up puncturing both myself and the tub in the process. And then I had to let it sit out for 20 minutes before I could manage to get any more breasts out with a knife (more carefully this time.) Alas, I'll have to go back to ziploc bags. Lesson learned. :(

Tamale Pie

This is my one rock-solid, go-to recipe. It's easy, fast, and always good. I've made it so many times that my recipe is so far removed from the original that it's not really worth mentioning. I use ground beef, but you could use ground turkey or a couple of cans of beans, and I change the recipe almost every time I make it depending on what I have in the pantry/fridge/freezer. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 onion (red, white, or whatever color of your choosing) chopped
• or 1 small bunch of chopped green onions
• 1 can black beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• Tonight I am using 1 chopped yellow bell pepper instead
• 2 tsp or more ground cumin (I like a lot)
• chili powder to taste - I use a good sprinkle
• I've also used ground cayenne and/or ground adobo in the absence of chili powder
• A little ground chipotle may also make a great option
• 1 jar of spaghetti sauce 
• Tonight we are out of spaghetti sauce, so I'm hoping that 1 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes, 1 8oz can of tomato sauce, and 1/2 a 6oz can of tomato paste work as a good substitute. Btw, my mom always says the Italian brands of canned tomatoes are best, and I completely agree.
• 1/2 c shredded cheese! (I skip this since Dan is currently dairy-free)
• I use whatever we have, but monterey jack always rocks, as does colby jack, and of course good ole cheddar
• 1 box Jiffy corn bread mix
• 1 egg, beaten with a fork
• 1/4 - 1/3 c milk (or soy milk)
• 1 4oz can diced green chilies, optional
• honey, optional
• sour cream, optional

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350-375˚F.

Brown the ground beef. Move beef to the side and cook the onions. Once cooked, add beans, chopped bell pepper, or additional ingredient of your choice and cook as necessary.

Add cumin, chili powder and other spices, mix well. Add spaghetti sauce or tomato-y substitute. Let mixture simmer for a while, roughly 10-20 minutes or until the sauce thickens a little bit.

In a separate bowl, combine corn bread muffin mix, egg, and milk. Mix in diced chilies if you're using them. Mix well and let sit for at least 5 minutes.

Put the meat/sauce in a casserole dish. (I believe mine is roughly 3 qts, but don't quote me on that.) If you're using cheese, sprinkle on top of meat. Then dollop the cornbread mix on top of that, and spread with a spoon to cover the meat.

Place in oven and bake somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes. (I give this range because in Illinois it never took all that long to cook, but for whatever reason, here in Albuquerque I can never get the cornbread mixture to cook all the way through in less than an hour.) Halfway through cooking I drizzle honey on top. You could also put the cheese on top in case you forget to put it under the cornbread, like I have done on at least one occasion.

The pie is done when the cornbread is cooked all the way through. Serve with honey and sour cream!

The Verdict: A Keeper

This recipe is a keeper that I will be making pretty much until we die. Yes, it's that good and that easy.

CrockPot Chicken Chow Mein

I'm not quite sure how I stumbled upon the blog A Year of Slow Cooking, but it looks fabulous and I've been wanting to try some new crock pot recipes for a while now. (Perhaps this blog is where I got "The Verdict" from..?) Using our crock pot is pretty much what got Dan and me through the first 6 months of Auggie's life. It's so easy, and by 5pm when the baby is fussy dinner is already ready without any extra preparation. Although, our crock pot kind of sucks and burns our food in one spot every single time. I recently found out that this is not normal and we probably need a new crock pot. (Which means I'll be waiting until the end of the year bonus or tax return time next year. Haha..)

Back to the recipe, today I am making Chicken Chow Mein for dinner. And according to the blog author, Stephanie O'Dea, you can make it vegetarian or use any other kind of meat. Here's the link to her Chow Mein post: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/07/crockpot-chow-mein-recipe.html. I will repeat ingredients and preparation for my own sake, as I ended up doing it, below.

Ingredients

• 1-2 lbs chicken breast (or meat of your choice)
• 2 c water 
• 2 chopped onions
• 2-3 c chopped celery

• 1/4 c cornstarch
• 1/4 c soy sauce
• 3 tbsp molasses 
• 1 can (16 oz) baby corn, drained 
• 1 can (6.5 oz) bamboo shoots, drained 
• 1 c bean sprouts 
• 1 chopped red bell pepper

• salt and pepper to taste 
• olive oil 
• spaghetti (we use whole-grain wheat) or chow mein noodles

Preparation 
Put chicken in crock pot, add water, chopped onions, and chopped celery. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4. My actual cooking time winded up being a little less than 3.5 hours on high, and it was plenty sufficient. (Btw, chicken can go in frozen.) After cooking, shred chicken with forks.

In a bowl, mix cornstarch, soy sauce, and molasses until there are no clumps. Add bell pepper, baby corn, bamboo shoots, and sprouts to crock pot. Stir in cornstarch mixture.

Cover and cook on high for approximately 1 hour.

Cook pasta according to directions until al dente. Set aside.

Heat oil on high in frying pan with salt and pepper. Add spaghetti noodles and toss until a little crust appears on some noodles.

Serve chow mein on noodles.

The Verdict: Good, and a Repeat with Adjustments
While it was an easy, healthy meal with whole-grain spaghetti, chicken for protein, and a bunch of veggies, it seemed to lack any real flavor–which is a problem. This may be due to the fact that I was over a tablespoon short of the 1/4 c of soy sauce (and I used a low-sodium soy sauce at that), but I also think that minced garlic and definitely 2 onions as opposed to the 1 that I used would help.

A quick 'chow mein' search on epicurious.com tells me that the following ingredients would likely jazz up the flavor of this recipe to make it worth trying again:

• fresh ginger
• toasted sesame seed oil
• Chinese rice-wine or medium-dry Sherry
• oyster sauce
• scallions
• garlic
• chicken broth instead of water
• and perhaps some shiitake mushrooms, but that's for you readers out there, because Dan would not appreciate the addition of any mushrooms