Zesty Crabuluxe Cold Pasta Salad

     To me, one of the quintessential summer dishes is the cold pasta salad. However, they seem to come in two varieties: drowning in a vinegar based liquid, or caulked together with horrifying amounts of mayonnaise. I wanted to make my own pasta salad that was lighter on the dressing, but still packed a bunch of flavor. I decided to combine some Miracle Whip with some jalapeno sauce that I have stashed away. The Wife and I were decidedly pleased with the results. My only complaint was that we used linguine. We didn't have any non-noodle pastas available and it was hard to get everything mixed together. The flavor was great. The jalapeno sauce packed plenty of flavor, but not a lot of heat. It was very tasty and the dressing was mercifully light. Give it a try and see how you like it. And remember, if you like it half as much as we did, then we liked it twice as much as you. As always, notes are in blue.

Zesty Crabuluxe Cold Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 1 pound pasta (we used linguine, but I'd suggest macaroni, rotini or shells. It's really hard to get the cold ingredients mixed well through noodle-type pasta)
• 4 tablespoons whipped dressing (aka Miracle Whip)
• 4 tablespoons jalapeno sauce (click on the link for the recipe. I'm not sure what you'd use for an equivalent. Maybe a nice jalapeno based salsa)
• 1 pound of Crabuluxe, broken into small pieces (imitation crab meat. If you've got the money for a pound of real crab, go nuts)
• 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and shredded
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 rib celery, finely chopped
• 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Directions

1. Cook pasta until al dente. Add the frozen peas to the pot during the last few minutes of cooking. You do not want the pasta to be mushy. Make sure it still has some bite. Drain and allow to cool.
2. In a small bowl, mix the whipped dressing, jalapeno sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder.
3. In a large bowl add the cooled pasta and peas, Crabuluxe, cheese and veggies. Add the dressing mixture and toss to incorporate all the ingredients. Put in the fridge and allow to chill for at least one hour.

Good times!

Product Review: NINA's Paris Teas

     First, let me apologize for the long delay in posting this review. The fine people at NINA's (www.ninasteastore.com) sent me a selection of three teas to sample some time ago. By some, I mean a long time ago. The delay in review was inexcusable. Mostly because I cheated myself out of some absolutely fantastic teas. The time has come for an honest, unbiased review of these teas. The Wife helped out with two of the reviews and her comments will be included. I figured two reviews at once!

Marie-Antoinette

Type: Black tea
Flavored with: Ceylon, apples, rose petals and roses

This was the first tea I tried. At the time I was being very selfish and did not afford The Wife the opportunity to try this. On opening the bag of tea, you are met with notable aromas of the ingredients. You get definite notes of apples and roses over a nice Ceylon.  We followed the brewing instructions and...

     The tea has a lovely color. The aromas of apple and rose really come out. I decided all the teas would be sampled as is. No sugar or cream. I wanted to taste it totally on its own.

The verdict

        This tea is absolutely wonderful. Floral and fruity, this tea stands completely on its own. This could easily be an any time of the day tea for me. I can easily see keeping this one in the regular rotation.

The des Muses

Type: Green Tea

Flavored with: Sunflowers, rose petals, cornflowers, lemon, grapefruit, strawberry 

When you open the bag, you are met with distinctive fruity notes. This is a fresh smelling tea that hints at natural sweetness. The Wife and I were very excited about this.

Tea for two!

          The Wife leaned in for an over-enthusiastic sniff of the bouquet of the tea:

And managed to stick her whole darned beezer into the cup.
Once she stopped laughing and dried her nose,
 she declared the tea's bouquet to be "flowery."

The verdict? We both loved this tea. As we expected, this tea had a natural sweetness. Neither of us felt that adding anything was necessary. The Wife declared this to be a great, "relaxing tea for just before bedtime." I agree totally. I don't see myself starting the day with this tea, but I can certainly see me finishing the day with a nice cup of The des Muses.

Scorpio (Scorpion)

Type: Rooibos Tea

Flavored with: Peach, apricot, cream

It turns out rooibos is a member of the legume family! What does that mean? Well, it's caffeine free, so if you have an issue with caffeine, this is right up your alley. When we opened this bag, The Wife and I got slightly different interpretations of the tea. I thought it smelled slightly vegetal, almost nutty, which isn't a bad thing. The Wife said it smelled almost of cherry, reminding her of pipe tobacco.

The color of this tea is absolutely fantastic.

     Once the tea was brewed, we were immediately taken with the striking red color of the tea. We both held to our original interpretations of the bouquet. We each sampled the tea.

Since The Wife can't drink tea without sticking her nose in it,
I figure I'd regale you with another picture of me.
You're welcome.

The verdict? We both like this tea, as well. We both got definite flavor of peaches. The Wife still clung to her cherry theory. She really enjoyed this tea. The caffeine free was a bonus for her since she's breast feeding and would rather not have a potentially jittery baby.

We were both very pleased with the tea we tried and would certainly not hesitate to keep these teas in regular rotation. The prices are a shade above my middle class budget, but that wouldn't stop me from treating myself to  a tin or two. For the quality of the product, the price is still reasonable. If you're a tea drinker, you should do yourself the favor and head over to their site and take a look (www.ninasteastore.com). They also sell a selection of jams that look quite good. Give them a try!

Spicy Chicken Mashed Potato Bowl with Creamed Corn Gravy

     Since tomorrow is Independence Day, or as it is known in our neighborhood, "drink a bunch of Natural Light and blow up the whole goddamn town," I thought I'd post up a recipe that strikes me as distinctly 'Murican. What could be a better testament to the 4th of July then taking a fried chicken and mashed potato meal and jamming it all into one bowl? I know KFC did it first, but mine is better. How do I know this? I do. Don't question me. These were just delicious. There's even room for interpretation. You could swap the BBQ sauce for hot sauce and do more of a Buffalo chicken bowl. You can change up the cheese, or use different potatoes. This is a celebration of American Independence. Feel free to do exactly what you want while everyone else silently judges you. This recipe should yield 4 average sized bowls. 2 if you're a big eater. 1 if you need an intervention.  As always, notes are in blue.

Spicy Chicken Mashed Potato Bowl
with Creamed Corn Gravy

Ingredients

• 1 pound breaded chicken tenders, preferably around 1" pieces (you can make them yourself or do like we did and use store bought)
• 3 potatoes
• 1 can (14.5 ounce) creamed corn 
• 1/2 cup milk, divided
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning  (we used Slap Ya Mama)
• 1/2 cup spicy barbecue sauce (we used Two Fat Guys Lava Hot)
• Shredded pepper-jack cheese

Directions

1. Boil potatoes until soft enough that if you stick a fork in them, they won't stay on the fork.
2. Drain potatoes. Add 1/2 cup milk and butter. Mash, adding butter and milk as needed until potatoes are mashed to your preference (if you boiled the potatoes in a nonstick pot, I certainly hope you put them in a bowl or used a plastic masher, because if you didn't, you just wrecked your pot)
3. In a medium saucepan, add the cream corn and milk. Heat and bring to a very low simmer. Stir in flour and seasoning. Remove from heat.
4. Cook up your chicken tenders however you want. We just baked ours. Toss with your favorite barbecue sauce until chicken is evenly coated.
5. In a bowl, spoon in some mashed potatoes. Throw on some chicken. Sprinkle liberally with shredded cheese. Top with a healthy dollop of gravy.

Good times!

Slow Cooker Kielbasa, Potato and Sauerkraut Stew

     With the arrival of a new baby, I quickly realized time was going to be at a premium.  With a hungry new member of the house, we would likely be spending the first couple of weeks overwhelmed with parenting. I took advantage of a couple free hours to drag out the slow cookers and prep a few meals to carry us through the busy time. This take on sausage and kraut was one of them. The addition of a cream soup gave it a nice stew consistency. It was super easy, filling and tasty. I will certainly add this one to the rotation. As always, notes are in blue.

Slow Cooker Kielbasa, Potato
and Sauerkraut Stew

Ingredients

• 2 kielbasa (about 1 pound)
• 3 potatoes, cut into about 1" cubes
• 1 can (10.5 ounces) cream of celery soup
• 1 can (10.5 ounces) water
• 3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard (Gulden's is always my go-to)
• 1 pound prepared sauerkraut (we used from a jar. You can use canned or bagged or even make it from scratch if you're feeling particularly productive)

Directions

1. Load all ingredients into a slow cooker. Stir to incorporate water and soup.
2. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or until potatoes are tender. 

Good times!

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

     You can't ever go wrong with a nice bowl of gumbo. Unless, of course, you don't like okra, then you're screwed. Okra seems to be the main factor in people not eating gumbo. Problem solved. I found a recipe that doesn't use gumbo. Some of the purists might say that it's not real gumbo then. Those people are totally entitled to their opinions. I'm also totally entitled to ignore the shit out of them and carry on with my day. This recipe was a winner all the way. Granted, I changed it up a bit. It had plenty of flavor and enough heat to keep things interesting. Serve it over rice along side a few ice-cold beers and you're in business. As always, notes and changes are in blue.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
via The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American

Ingredients

• 1 pound sausage, browned (we used mild Italian sausage, though just about any sausage will do. Just make sure it's loose and not in the casing)
• 1/2 cup peanut oil (we used vegetable oil)
• 1 chicken, about 3 pounds, cut up (we used bone-in chicken breasts. Keep reading to see how we did it)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 green sweet bell pepper, cored and chopped (since The Wife doesn't much like green peppers, we used a sweet red bell pepper)
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 2-1/2 quarts chicken stock (omitted. You'll see why)
• 2 whole bay leaves (just remember: unattended bay leaves equal death)
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning (omitted)
• pinch of ground cloves (omitted)
• pinch of ground allspice (omitted)
• 1-1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 quarts Cajun-style tomatoes with liquid. (We can these ourselves. Basically you can make them with 2 quarts of canned, stewed tomatoes, then add 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning of your choice and 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper)

Directions

1. Brown the sausage in a frying pan (we used the enameled cast iron Dutch oven for the whole thing) with a small bit of the oil. Remove sausage and set aside.
2. Add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the chicken until brown. Remove and set aside (we totally went off-book for this step. I boiled the bone-in chicken until cooked, then stripped the meat off the bone and set it aside. I kept the liquid to freeze as chicken stock for later use.)
3. Add the flour to the pan and cook with the oil and pan drippings until you have a dark, rich roux, about the color of peanut butter. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula to make sure nothing is sticking. Add the vegetables and garlic and saute until limp (the vegetables, not you. If you're limp, add Viagra)
4. Place the vegetable roux in a 6-quart stockpot (if you're following my suggestions, you've already got it in a large Dutch oven, so you're good) and add the stock (or if you're doing it my way, here's where you put in your 2 quarts of Cajun tomatoes and liquid).
5. Stir constantly over medium-high heat until the stock thickens (this didn't take but a couple of minutes for me). Add any other seasonings and simmer, covered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. 
6. Add the chicken and sausage to the stockpot and cook until the chicken is tender (I'm going to be honest and admit to throwing the meat in back during Step 4. No harm done)
7. Serve over cooked rice.

Good times!

Curry Orange Chicken

     This here is a bit of a conundrum. I made this recipe a few weeks back. I started to write it up and never finishes. Now, for the life of me, I can't remember where I got the original recipe from! If anybody recognizes the original, please let me know and I will certainly give credit where credit is due. As for the actual recipe, I recall enjoying this immensely. Give it a try and see what you think. It's no Panda Express, but  I think you'll enjoy it. As always, notes and changes are in blue.

Orange Curry Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon ground coriander (omitted)
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (omitted)
• 2 tablespoons Hot Yellow Curry Powder from The Spice House
• 4 boneless chicken breasts, about 6 ounces each
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 navel oranges
• 2" piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I was a little heavy-handed here and used about 3/4 teaspoon)
• 2 teaspoons sweet curry powder
• 1-1/2 cups chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons tamari (we substituted reduced sodium soy sauce since I didn't fancy blowing up like a water balloon)
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (easy trick. Put them on a plate and microwave for a minute. Then give them 30 second bursts until toasty. If they catch fire, you left them in too long)
• Slurry of 2 tablespoons corn starch and 2 tablespoons cold water
• Bag of frozen broccoli, defrosted

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine the coriander, cayenne, and some salt and pepper (I used the hot curry powder since it contains all of those as well as turmeric, coriander, ginger, white and black pepper, cinnamon, fenugreek, fennel, nutmeg, arrowroot and cloves!) Season the chicken with the mixture.  Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat with the vegetable oil. Add the chicken and cook it on each side for 5 to 6 minutes, or until cooked through (I decided to cube the chicken before I cooked it. I wanted more of a take-out feel that I wouldn't have gotten with whole breasts)
2. While the chicken is cooking, zest the oranges and reserve the zest. Remove the peel and pith with a paring knife. Slice each orange into 1/4 inch thick discs and reserve (I just cut the orange sections into about 1/4 inch chunks.
3. Remove the chicken from the skillet to a plate. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add the ginger garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes, then add the chicken stock and tamari (or low-sodium soy)  and turn the heat to high. Cook until the liquid reduces by half. Add the reserved orange zest, orange pieces and scallions. Continue to cook for 1 minute to heat the orange and scallions (in a fit of laziness, I threw all everything from this step as well as the defrosted broccoli in right off the bat. I wasn't excited about big hunks of orange and wanted them to break down in cooking). 
4. Add the sesame oil and sesame seeds.
5. If you're doing it as originally intended, serve whole chicken breasts over spicy noodles and top with sauce.
   If you're doing it my way: add the chicken and corn starch slurry and stir to fully mix. Turn the heat down and simmer until sauce thickens. Serve over rice.

Good times!

Farfalle with Broccoli, Anchovy and Cream

     It's been a while since I've done anything of value in the kitchen. Apparently getting ready for a baby is somewhat time consuming. I guess this is just a taste of things to come! I figure I should probably try out some quick and easy recipes to make sure The Wife is fed, as she is the feeding station for The Spud. Naturally, I turn to pasta for a quick and easy dish. The Wife loves pasta, and if Mama ain't happy, nobody's happy. I found this little gem in The Geometry of Pasta. You can never go wrong with a cookbook for nerds. This recipe made a very subtle, savory pasta with just a kick of heat. This could certainly be the base for adding shrimp or chicken. I call it a winner and will enter it into our regular rotation! As always, notes and changes are in blue.

Farfalle con Broccoli E Alici
(Pasta with broccoli, anchovy and cream)
via The Geometry of Pasta

Ingredients

• 1/3 pound farfalle (we went with 1/2 pound and there was still plenty of sauce coverage)
• 1 head broccoli (3/4 pound), cut into florets
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (in retrospect, a third clove would have been great)
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (insert favorite virgin joke here)
• 3/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (3/8? Who measures like that? We used 1/2 tsp)
• 3-4 salted anchovy fillets, chopped (I used 4 anchovy fillets in olive oil, straight from the tin)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (our heavy cream had turned into a large cheese curd. We used half & half instead with no harm done)
• Generous 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• Black pepper

Directions

1. Cook farfalle and broccoli together in plenty of well-salted water. 
2. In a pan, fry the garlic in oil until starting to color. Turn off the heat and add the red pepper flakes. When no longer sizzling, add the anchovies and crush with a wooden spoon to dissolve into oil (I never thought anchovies could dissolve, but sure enough, they do. SORCERY)
3. When the pasta is almost ready, add the cream to the garlic mixture and return to the heat. Drain the pasta (pasta should be very al dente and the broccoli soft), and add it to the sauce. 
4. Cook together until the sauce coats thickly, adding the Parmesan and black pepper to taste at the end.

Good times!