For the Love of the Stove

I totally had a craving for this today.  I've had it before but never made it myself.  I made a few small adjustments.  I'm not necessarily a fan, all the time, of chunks of tomato in my chili.  This recipe calls for a 15 oz can of diced tomatoes and a 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes so I just used one 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes instead.  I also like to add small pasta to my chili so I cooked a box of ditalini, added a scoop to my bowl and then poured the chili over it and it was delicious.  The question is, whether to put the pasta in the chili to store, or not.  An entire pound of pasta would be too much to add to the chili and store, 3/4 would be better, if you were going to add it to the entire recipe.  The only drawback that could come from adding the pasta to the chili is that it will absorb all the excess liquid.  This is now all about personal preference.  Keep the pasta separate or add it directly.  I divided the chili in half after I cooked it, kept 1/2 and added a little less than 1/2 pound of cooked ditalini to it and already, all the excess liquid has been absorbed.  That isn't a bad thing as far as I'm concerned.  The second half I gave away and gave a side of pasta to go with it if anyone wanted it.  The jury is still out as far as whether to add the pasta to the chili pot or not, and just use the pasta like a condiment if desired.  Oh, and the blue cheese chips aren't necessary, just a nice touch to the chili.

Rachael Ray's Buffalo Chicken Chili
Servings:4 Servings 
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) 
2 tablespoons butter 
2 lbs ground chicken breast 
1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped 
1 large onion, chopped 
3 celery ribs, finely chopped 
5 large garlic cloves, chopped 
1 tablespoon smoked paprika (you can substitute with 

chipotles or chipotle chili powder) 
1 bay leaf 
salt & freshly ground black pepper 
2 cups chicken stock 
1/4-1/2 cup hot sauce, depending on how hot you like it 
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce (if you have a big can of 

tomatoes, don't go to the store

to get the sauce, it's fine. Just use what have) 
1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes 
1 (7 ounce) bag corn chips 
1 (7 ounce) bag blue corn tortilla chips 
3/4 lb blue cheese, crumbled, like Maytag Blue 
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped (a couple of handfuls) 

Directions:Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
1 Preheat oven to 375°F or broiler to medium. 
2 Place a large pot over medium-high heat, add 1 turn of 

the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon, and the butter. 

Once the butter has melted and the pot is hot, add the

ground chicken. Brown it, using the back  of a wooden

spoon to break it up into small pieces, about 5-6 minutes. 
3 Add the carrot, onion, celery, garlic, paprika, bay leaf 

and some salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 

for about 3-4 minutes. 
4 Add the chicken stock and scrape up any brown bits 

on the bottom of the pot. 
5 Add the hot sauce, tomato sauce and crushed 

tomatoes, and bring up to a bubble. 
6 Simmer for 8-10 minutes to let the flavors come

together. 
7 While the chili is simmering, spread the yellow and 

blue corn chipsout on a cookie sheet. Top with the 

crumbled blue cheese and transfer to the oven to melt

the cheese, about 4-5 minutes. 

If using the broiler, 2-3 minutes should do the trick. 
8 Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the chopped 

parsley. 
9 Top each serving of buffalo chicken chili with a few 

blue  cheese-topped corn chips.

I wasn't ever really a fan of pork chops growing up, I ate them but they were just ok.  This is the first recipe that I tried that changed my mind about pork chops.  They really can be delicious and now I look forward to eating them.
Giada De Laurentiis
Ingredients
2 large eggs
1 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan
4 (1/2 to 3/4-inch thick) center-cut pork loin chops (each about 10 to 12 ounces)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil
Lemon wedges, for serving
1. Whisk the eggs in a pie plate to blend. Place the bread crumbs in another pie plate. Place the cheese in a third pie plate. Sprinkle the pork chops generously with salt and pepper.  Coat the chops completely with the cheese, patting to adhere. Dip the chops into the eggs, then coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a very large skillet over medium (to medium low) heat. Add pork chops, in batches if necessary, and cook until golden brown and the center reaches 150 degrees, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to plates and serve with lemon wedges.
Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Last May I went to VA to see my first Nascar race (very interesting since I don't ever watch Nascar on TV, go figure) and also had my first taste of Waffle House Hash Browns.  OMG!  I think that about sums it up.  I was stuffed but couldn't stop eating, needless to say, as soon as I got into the backseat of the car, I was out like a light!  A few days after getting home I decided to see if I could find the recipe online and what to do you know!  I found a recipe, tried it out, and oh so good.  Here is what I found:
Source: newsradio710.com
Ingredients
4 cups peeled and shredded potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
Water
1 cup ice
Vegetable oil for frying
1. Place prepared potatoes in a 2-quart bowl, and add salt. Add ice and pour
enough water to cover potatoes. Stir to mix salt and ice in the potatoes. Cover
and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
2. Place shredded potatoes in a colander, rinse with cool tap water and drain
completely. At this point you can place potatoes back in the refrigerator covered until ready to fry. The uncooked potatoes will keep up to 5 hours.
3. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add enough vegetable oil to
lightly cover bottom. When skillet is hot and oil has been heated, place two cups of drained shredded potatoes in skillet. Fry until crisp, shaping with a spatula. Fry about 12 to 15 minutes, without turning. Time depends on the temperature and size of the shredded hash browns. When potatoes are golden, flip over carefully and fry tops of potatoes for 2 - 3 minutes. Do not cover hash browns while frying or stir through them.

Waffle House Hash Browns Scattered all the Way!:
1 slice American cheese (covered)
1/4 cup diced yellow onion (smothered)
Sliced jalapeno peppers, to taste (peppered)
1/4 cup diced fresh tomatoes (diced)
1/4 cup mushrooms (capped)
1/3 cup diced lean ham (chunked)
1/3 cup chili with beans, heated
1 serving Waffle House Hash Browns
1. Prepare Waffle House Hash Browns as directed. Leave them in the skillet, and add cheese, onion, jalapeno peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and ham. When done, add chili on top of all.

This recipe is courtesy of my Mom.  This was often a side dish we had at holidays, special occasions and always with Easter ham.  It's so delicious and simple you just need to plan ahead.  (The pre-cooked dish spends the night in the refrigerator.)  If you like potatoes, you will love this.
                                                                                                                   
Potatoes in Cream
Ingredients
8 medium potatoes
1 small onion, grated very finely
4 T butter, divided in half
salt and pepper
1 pint whipping cream
Directions
1. Boil the potatoes with the skins on.  Cool and remove skins.
2. Grate 4 potatoes lengthwise and place in greased baking dish.
3. Dot with 2 T butter; add salt and pepper.
4. Saute onion in 2 T butter.
5. Add half of the onion to the potatoes in the baking dish and pour 1/2 pint whipping cream over this.
6. Repeat the above using the other 4 potatoes, half onion, and pour over 1/2 pint of whipping cream.
7. Store covered in refrigerator over night.
8. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 1 hour or 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

                          

                                                                                                                   

                                                                                              

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence
Show: Tyler's UltimateEpisode: Ultimate Spaghetti & Meatballs
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Total:1 hr 30 min Recipe Tools:
Ingredients
Extra-virgin olive oil 
1 onion, chopped 
2 garlic cloves, smashed 
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley leaves 
1 cup milk 
4 thick slices firm white bread, crust removed 
1 1/2 pounds ground beef 
1 1/2 pounds ground pork 
1 large egg 
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
4 cups heated Pomodoro Sauce, recipe follows, or good quality jarred tomato sauce 
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, cut into chunks 
Leaves from 3 sprigs fresh basil 
1 pound spaghetti 
Directions
1. Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in an ovenproof 

skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and parsley and cook until the vegetables are soft 

but still translucent, about 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let cool.
2. Pour enough milk over the bread in a bowl to moisten and let it soak while the onions are cooling. 

Combine the meats in a large bowl. Add the egg and Parmigiano and season generously with salt 

and pepper. Use your hands to squeeze the excess milk out of the bread and add that to the bowl 

along with the cooled onion mixture. (Hang onto the pan - you'll need it to cook the meatballs.) 

Gently combine all the ingredients with your hands or with a spoon until just mixed together. Don't 

overwork or the meatballs will be tough. Divide into 10 equal pieces and shape them into 10 nice 

looking meatballs.  (This is the part that I disagree with - the first time I made the recipe I did 

exactly what the recipe called for and they were bigger than baseballs.  I prefer smaller meatballs

so I now make 30 meatballs.) 

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Heat a 3-count of oil in the frying pan over medium heat and brown the meatballs on all sides, 

about 10 minutes. Put them into a baking dish and spoon about half of the tomato sauce over. 

Shower with the mozzarella and drizzle with olive oil. Put the meatballs in the oven and bake until

 the meatballs are cooked through, about 15 minutes. 

5. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in the boiling water until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and 

put it onto a large serving platter. Pour on the rest of the sauce and mix well. Spoon the meatballs

on top of the spaghetti and garnish with basil leaves. Serve immediately along with extra cheese.

Pomodoro Sauce:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, drained and crushed by hand, liquid 

reserved
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and 

cook until the vegetables are soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully add the tomatoes (nothing splashes

like tomatoes) and about 1/2 cup of the reserved liquid and season with salt and pepper. Cook

until the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes. 2. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. 

Bring to a boil, stirring for a few minutes with a wooden spoon to further break up the tomatoes.

Reduce the heat and let simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in the fresh basil and season again.
Yield: 4 cups

One of my friends bought a townhouse and wanted to invite my GNO (girls night out) girls over to show off his house and have us for dinner.  I offered to cook but made him pick the meal and I picked dessert - the first time I made the white chocolate raspberry cheesecake (which was my first post).  While he doesn't cook, he gets a weekly magazine that has a recipe of the week in every issue.  He saves the ones that he thinks sound good.  We went through all his recipes and picked this one for dinner.  The magazine is called THE WEEK and this recipe is from September 14, 2007.  (I made it in June 2010.)
Ingredients
Chicken Tikka
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t ground coriander
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1 t table salt
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
1 c plain whole-milk yogurt
2 T vegetable oil
2 medium garlic cloves, minded or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 t)
1 T grated fresh ginger
Masala Sauce
3 T vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced fine (about 1 1/4 c)
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 t)
2 t grated fresh ginger
1 fresh serrano chili, ribs and seeds removed, flesh minced
1 T tomato paste
1 T garam masala
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes 
2 t sugar
1/2 t table salt
2/3 c heavy cream
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro leaves
For the chicken: 
1. Combine cumin, coriander, cayenne and salt in a small bowl.  Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres.  Place chicken on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate 30 to 60 minutes. 
2. In a large bowl whisk together yogurt, oil, garlic, ginger; set aside.
For the sauce:
1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.  Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes.  Add garlic, ginger, chili, tomato paste and garam masala; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes.  
2. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, salt; bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
4. Stir in cream and return to simmer.  Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.
While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat broiler.  Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture (chicken should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan.  Discard excess yogurt mixture.  Broil chicken until thickest parts register 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer and exterior is lightly charred in spots, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.  
Let the chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not summer chicken in sauce).  Stir in cilantro, adjust seasoning with salt and serve.  Serve with basmati rice.  Serves 4 to 6.

There's a restaurant here in Pittsburgh called Umi and the food there is so amazing, though ridiculously expensive.  There are so many good things on the menu but the one that stands out the most for me is the Rock Shrimp Tempura with Spicy Cream Sauce.  I decided I would try to recreate it.  I've come pretty close.  Here is the combination that I came up with.  I started with Masaharu Morimoto's Shrimp Tempura because the batter is so light.  You don't taste just breading and sauce.  It gives a great texture, or coating, to the shrimp and the sauce clings beautifully to the tempura.  It makes for the perfect balance for the bright and bold flavor of the sauce.
Shrimp Tempura
Ingredients
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 c all-purpose flour
1 t salt
1 c cold sparkling water
1/2 c ice water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 pounds shelled and deveined medium shrimp
Cornstarch, for dredging
Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 inch of vegetable oil to 350 degrees.  (I use my fry daddy instead - I find it so much easier.) Cover a baking sheet with a large wire rack and set it near the stove. 
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and salt.  Add the sparkling water, ice water and egg and stir with a fork just until blended; the batter can be a little lumpy.
3. Working close to the hot oil, dredge 8 shrimp in cornstarch, shaking off any excess.  Holding a shrimp in each hand, swirl them quickly through the batter and drop them into the oil.  Repeat with the remaining dredged shrimp.  Fry the shrimp until gold brown, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to the rack to drain.  Repeat with the remaining shrimp.  
4. Arrange the shrimp on a platter, or individual plates, and top with buffalo cream sauce (recipe follows).

Buffalo Cream Sauce
Ingredients
2 T butter
1 T flour
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 cup Frank's red hot sauce
2-3 T chicken stock
2 T heavy cream
Directions
1. Melt butter in small skillet over medium heat until bubbling.  Stir in flour and cook until the flour is slightly brown.
2. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder, stir.
3. Add hot sauce and chicken stock, cook 1 minute. 
4. Remove from heat and add heavy cream. If the sauce seems to thick, stir in another tablespoon of stock.  
5. Pour over shrimp tempura and serve immediately.