Chicken Carbonara

The first time I had Chicken Carbonara was at Sonoma Chicken Coop in San Jose, CA. That one is served over rice but that dish is honestly one of my favorites in the entire bay area. I looked online for a recipe and to little surprise, Ms. Giada De Laurentiis has one online.

Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 1/2 cups whipping cream
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 8 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• Salt
• 1 pound spaghetti
• 4 cups coarsely shredded chicken (from 1 roasted chicken)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and garlic and saute until it is brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, cheese, yolks, basil, and parsley to blend.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spaghetti and cook until it is just tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Drain.

Add the chicken to the pan with the pancetta and stir to combine. Next, add the spaghetti and the cream mixture and toss over medium-low heat until the chicken is heated through and the sauce coats the spaghetti thickly, about 4 minutes (do not boil or you might end up scrambling the eggs). Season the pasta, to taste, with pepper and salt if needed (the pancetta will likely add all the salt you need). Transfer the pasta to a large wide serving bowl. Sprinkle the walnuts and lemon zest over, and serve..

Review

Seeing how simple the recipe is, I was not expecting too much. Despite that, all the flavors worked so well together. The subtle lemon zest, the freshness of the basil and italian parsley, the crunch of the walnuts, the savory flavors of the panchetta and the garlic, they all complemented each other very well and I was pleasantly surprised. Even though it doesn't compare exactly to the chicken carbonara I am used to from Sonoma Chicken Coop, this is still a delicious home cooking alternative and definitely up there with my favorite pasta recipes. I might consider adding some other ingredients like green beans or maybe incorporate another cheese. All in all, another great Giada recipe 

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

When I first heard these words, I was blown away. What a damn good idea. I need to try this NOW.

Courtesy of sugarderby.com

Ingredients

• About 20 strawberries
• 8 oz pkg softened cream cheese
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 sleeve of graham crackers
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

To prepare the strawberries, wash them under cold water and cut the tops off. Core the middle using a peeler or a small knife. The easiest way to core the strawberries is to hold the entire berry in your hand (wrap your fingers around it) and literally just core out the center. Get as deep as you can without breaking through the bottom.

For the filling, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. Put the filling into a piping bag (or to improvise, use a ziploc bag and snip off the corner) and fill in the strawberries allowing the filling to come out a bit of the strawberries.

Take another ziploc bag and put three graham crackers in there and pound with something hard and flat into crumbs. Sprinkle the crumbs onto the tops of the filled strawberries.

If you want, you can also melt some chocolate and dip the strawberries to give them a chocolate coating. Or you can even put the melted chocolate into a piping bag and drizzle them. However you would like.

Review

I think this is such a creative idea. I never would have thought of the idea and I've never see anything like it outside of the kitchen. It's actually really simple to make, though I'd imagine it would get tedious making several of these for some party or event. These strawberries were just so tasty that I almost ate all of them and didn't leave some for my roommates. All in all, a unique dessert that is sure to impress many people.

Deep Fried Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

I saw this and I immediately want to cook it. I thought to myself, why haven't I thought about this before?!

Courtesy of taylortakesataste.com

Ingredients

Dough

• 4 tbsp softened butter
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup  flour
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1-2 tbsp water
• Corn starch

Batter

• 1 egg
• 1 cup ice cold water
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 2 tbsp confectioners sugar

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, cream together light brown sugar, sugar and butter. While mixing, add vanilla and 1 tbsp of oil, followed by slowly adding the 1/2 cup flour. Add salt, followed by second tbsp of oil. The dough may be dry and crumbly. While mixing, slowly add enough water to give the dough a moist but not overly wet consistency. Mix in chocolate chips.

Remove from mixer and roll dough between your palms into ping pong size balls. Roll in corn starch, shake to remove excess flour.

With a fork, mix together egg and water. Add flour and sugar to egg and water mix. Dip cookie dough balls in batter, make sure that the dough is completely covered in batter so that they won’t leak out dough when frying. Using a slotted spoon or mesh spider quickly place 3-4 at a time in 375 F oil for 1 and a half to 2 minutes minutes until golden brown on the outside.  Serve in paper trays and top with chocolate sauce and powdered sugar.

Review

Ummmm. This was heavenly. I waited until after dinner to dip this in the deep fryer and so I just had the cookie dough waiting in the mixer and I couldn't stop myself from eating the cookie dough. But after it was deep fried and accompanied with the ice cream, I was just blown away with how delicious it was. On top of that, it was very simple to make and there are so many variations you can do with this. For example instead of chocolate chip, I could put in white chocolate and macadamia nuts. This is definitely a dessert I am going to try over and over again.

Honey-Soy Broiled Salmon

Salmon Experiment #2. Honey? On salmon? Alright! Let's try this one! (Don't pay too much attention the horrible cutting job)

Courtesy of EatingWell.com

Ingredients

• 1 scallion, minced
• 2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1 lb center-cut salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 4 portions
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seed

Directions

Whisk scallion, soy sauce, vinegar, honey and ginger in a medium bowl until the honey is dissolved. Place salmon in a sealable plastic bag, add 3 tablespoons of the sauce and refrigerate; let marinate for 15 minutes. Reserve the remaining sauce.

Preheat broiler. Line a small baking pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Transfer the salmon to the pan, skinned-side down. (Discard the marinade.) Broil the salmon 4 to 6 inches from the heat source until cooked through, 6 to 10 minutes. Drizzle with the reserved sauce and garnish with sesame seeds.

How to skin a salmon fillet: Place salmon fillet on a clean cutting board, skin-side down. Starting at the tail end, slip the blade of a long knife between the fish flesh and the skin, holding down firmly with your other hand. Gently push the blade along at a 30° angle, separating the fillet from the skin without cutting through either.

To toast seeds: cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

Review

First of all, I hate the cutting job on this salmon. I messed up with the initial cut so it was either going to be extremely long and skinny or short and fat. Obviously, short and fat won. Anyway, this was MUCH better than the first experiment. I'm a big fan of the ginger-soy sauce combination, so this came out much like I expected. And with the added sweetness of the honey, it was quite savory. This recipe is incredibly simple and healthy. If I decide to make salmon in the oven again based of these two recipes, I will have to choose this one. 

Baked Salmon

Salmon is one of my favorite fishes to eat. My favorite way to eat it is raw, sometimes over some sushi rice, but I decided to buy a wholesale portion of salmon and experiment with different ways of baking/broiling fish. Here is the first experiment:

Courtesy of Giada Laurentiis

Ingredients

• 4 (5 oz) salmon fillets
• 2 tsp plus 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Sprinkle salmon with 2 teaspoons olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir the tomatoes, shallots, 2 tablespoons of oil, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

Place a salmon fillet, oiled side down, atop a sheet of foil. Wrap the ends of the foil to form a spiral shape. Spoon the tomato mixture over the salmon. Fold the sides of the foil over the fish and tomato mixture, covering completely; seal the packets closed. Place the foil packet on a heavy large baking sheet. Repeat until all of the salmon have been individually wrapped in foil and placed on the baking sheet. Bake until the salmon is just cooked through, about 25 minutes. Using a large metal spatula, transfer the foil packets to plates and serve.

Review

Despite the simple recipe, I think I expected more. But I'm not going to go so far as to say that this was a bad recipe. Since I am not a big fan of cooked tomatoes, it is probably the biggest reason why I did not enjoy this dish as much as I had hoped to. The salmon itself was pretty good, but when combined with the salsa on top, it just didn't click with me. I did make a mistake, though, because I didn't mix the olive oil with the salsa before placing it on the fish for baking. Right before I put the fish in, I simply poured it over the salsa last minute. However, I don't think it would have made that large of a difference had I made the recipe correctly the first time. Nonetheless, this was an interesting experiment. Time to use the rest of the salmon for another recipe.

Spicy Cilantro Peanut Slaw

In coming up with what to complement the Smothered Pork Chops I was about to cook, I thought, "I want to make a peanut slaw!" My favorite peanut slaw comes from my favorite BBQ joint based in LA called Lucille's BBQ. I googled peanut slaw and found this awesome recipe.

Courtesy of Kalyn's Kitchen (kalynskitchen.blogspot.com)

Ingredients

• 1/2 head of green cabbage
• 1/2 cup peanuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey or sugar
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp Sriracha
• 1/4 cup canola or peanut oil

Directions

Cut cabbage head in half and save half for another salad. Remove core from the half you're using, then cut cabbage into very thin slices (less than 1/4 inch) and turn cutting board the other direction and cut again to chop into very small pieces. Thinly slice green onions, chop cilantro, and chop peanuts.

In a bowl or glass measuring cup, mix together rice vinegar, sweetener of your choice, sesame oil, soy sauce, and Sriracha sauce if using. Use a whisk to mix in oil until dressing is well-combined.

In large plastic or glass bowl, gently combine chopped cabbage, sliced green onions, and chopped cilantro. Add dressing a little at a time, until salad seems as wet as you'd like it. (You may not need all the dressing.) Add chopped peanuts, and stir a few times until peanuts are mixed in. Taste salad for seasoning, and add salt and freshly ground black pepper as desired. Serve immediately.

Review

DELICIOUS! This felt like a combination of my favorite peanut slaw from Lucille's and my favorite Asian chicken salad from California Pizza Kitchen. It's light, healthy, and I love the crunch that the peanuts add to each bite. Very cheap and easy to make. Just to change it up, I want to try adding carrot shavings and wontons crisps.

Smothered Pork Chops

Last week I thought to myself, "What do I want to cook that I don't cook often? I've cooked pasta, chicken, steak, and stir-fry plenty of times." Then sometime at work I said out loud (in my head), "PORK CHOPS!" Growing up in a Filipino home, I did not get accustomed to eating this very often, although many of our dishes do have pork (sisig being my ultimate favorite). Time to give this a try!

Courtesy of Tyler Florence

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 pork chops, 3/4-inch thick, bone-in
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Directions

Put the flour in a shallow platter and add the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and then dredge them in the seasoned flour; shaking off the excess.

Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the pork chops from the pan and add a little sprinkle of seasoned flour to the pan drippings. Mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and then pour in the chicken broth in. Let the liquid cook down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. Stir in the buttermilk to make a creamy gravy and return the pork chops to the pan, covering them with the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Review

The best pork chops I've ever had. But then again, I haven't had many pork chops so it's hard to judge. For my first time cooking pork chops, this was pretty damn good. I absolutely loved the gravy. It was the perfect complement to the juicy pork chops. It also went well with the mashed potatoes I ate the pork chops with. I actually cooked this twice. The first night I undercooked the pork. The heat was too high so it ended up burning the pork too quickly. Before I cooked it again the next night, I realized I didn't read the directions all the way through. I was supposed to return the pork chops to the pan with the gravy! I'm an idiot. I followed these directions and it turned out much better. Lesson learned: always read the cooking directions all the way through.

Pan-Fried Chicken and Oven Roasted Vegetables

I just felt like eating chicken and vegetables, and this is what I decided to do.

Ingredients

• 2 large boneless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 lemon

• Assorted vegetables (I used broccoli, cauliflower, and baby carrots)
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tbsp basil
• 1/2 tsp rosemary

Directions

For the chicken, cut the chicken breasts into 4 thin fillets. In the pan on medium to medium-high heat, warm extra virgin olive oil and melt the butter. Sprinkle one side of each fillet with garlic salt, black pepper, paprika. Lay down the seasoned side of each fillet into the pan. Season the other side the same way. Let the chicken cook until it reaches a golden brown. Flip the fillets and drizzle with lemon. Let the other side until it reaches a golden brown and remove from heat.

For the vegetables, cut the assorted vegetables. Crush the garlic with salt using the side of a large knife until pureed (or use a garlic press). Stir into oil. Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and toss to coat well. Sprinkle with pepper, oregano, basil and rosemary.

Roast in oven at 400°F; reduce heat if vegetables are browning too quickly before they are done. Vegetables may not cook at the same rate. As some of the vegetables cook, they may be removed while the others are left to finish cooking. Add more olive oil if the vegetables absorb the oil and become dry during the cooking (or use olive oil spray).

Review

This was just a simple chicken and vegetables dish. And as you can see in the picture, I added some rice to the dish. Nothing overly spectacular about this dish, but it was a light and healthy (aside from the butter) dinner to satiate my evening cravings. Some mistakes I made: I slightly overcooked the chicken and the vegetables came out harder than I expected even though they were already browned. For the vegetables next time (if I use broccoli, cauliflower and baby carrots), I would probably lightly steam/boil on the stove and take them off right before they get soft then toss them into the stove for the oven roasting. This can really be used with any sort of vegetables like bell peppers, mushrooms, and potatoes, to list a few.

I definitely want to look into new and different ways of cooking chicken breast over the stove. I love eating chicken, but I always refrain from doing it because when I cook chicken, many times it ends up dry, overcooked, and poorly seasoned. But overall, for this dish, it was a big improvement upon what I have done.

Breakfast Pizza

In addition to the Nutella wontons, I made a breakfast pizza for the breakfast club at work. I just randomly picked a recipe from foodnetwork.com and found this to be the most appealing.

Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

• 1 storebought pizza dough
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 4 tablespoons Cinnamon-Sugar, divided, recipe follows
• 2 cups mascarpone cheese
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
• 2 cups mixed berries

Cinnamon-Sugar

• 1 vanilla bean
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using a rolling pin, roll out the pizza dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Transfer the pizza dough to the lined baking sheet and brush the dough with the melted butter. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Cinnamon-Sugar and bake until golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool the pizza crust on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together the cheese, cream, lemon juice, and zest.

For the cinnamon-sugar, cut the vanilla bean in half, lengthwise. Using the back of a knife, scrape along the inside of the vanilla bean to collect the seeds. Scrape vanilla bean seeds into a small bowl. Add sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine. Set aside in a small serving bowl.

Spread the cheese mixture over the cooled crust. Top with mixed berries and sprinkle with the remaining Cinnamon-Sugar. Slice like a pizza and serve.

Review

I didn't know what to expect from this. It just looks like an enlarged fruit tart on pizza crust. But don't let that fool you. What really sets this dish off is the mascarpone spread with the lemon and cream as well as the cinnamon-sugar topping that coats the pizza crust and is sprinkled all over the fruits. When I took my first bite, my eyes literally opened wide because it was much more than I expected. It made me wish I was I able to lick off all the spread from the mixing bowl. Honestly, what a genius idea for a breakfast dish. It's healthier than your typical sausage and eggs as a breakfast and it can even be used a dessert dish as well.

Nutella Wontons

I first saw this on Tumblr and I immediately wanted to make them. I kept making excuses and I finally found a reason to make them: for my breakfast club at work! (The breakfast club at work is basically a group of 18ish people and each Wednesday we rotate making breakfast for the group)

Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

• 16 wonton wrappers
• 1 jar of Nutella (or other hazelnut spread)
• 1 egg
• Vegetable oil
• Powdered sugar  

Directions

Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Place 1 wonton wrapper on the work surface. Brush the edges of the wrapper lightly with egg. Spoon 1 tablespoon of chocolate-hazelnut spread into the center of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper diagonally in half over the filling and press the edges of the wrapper to seal. Place the ravioli on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers, egg, and chocolate-hazelnut spread.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Add enough oil to a heavy large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat to 350 degrees F.

Working in batches, carefully add the ravioli to the hot oil and cook until they are golden brown, about 45 seconds per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Then, transfer the cooked ravioli to another baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven while frying the remaining ravioli. (The fried ravioli can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool them completely, then cover and refrigerate. Before serving, place them on a baking sheet and rewarm in a preheated 375 degrees F oven just until they are heated through, about 7 minutes.)

Review

They turned out exactly how I had imagined: heavenly. It's such a simple dessert to make and the savory reward comes out tenfold. I don't know what else to say about them other than that these are to damn delicious. It is easy to over cook them, so don't listen to the 45 seconds that the directions tell you and just cook until they are a beautiful golden brown.