Spend with Pennies: Chicken Rice Casserole

Some days you want a super fancy dinner, and some days you just want the food to march into the oven by itself.  I'm having one of the latter type of days.  I remembered this casserole from way back in high school.  I had a date at my boyfriend's house, and his mom made us this super simple, but super comforting chicken and rice casserole.  It was awesome.  Even more awesome is that this version doesn't use instant rice.  Because come on, guys, that stuff is nasty.  Use real food.  Even when you're tired.

Chicken Rice Casserole
From Spend with Pennies blog

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon paprika
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup long grain white rice, uncooked
1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix
1 (10½-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

1½ cups water

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Add chicken breasts, sprinkle with paprika, and season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle uncooked rice over chicken, then sprinkle with onion soup mix.  Combine mushroom soup and water and pour over chicken.  Cover with foil and bake 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until rice is tender.

Makes 4 servings

Creme de la Crumb: Fire-Roasted Tomato Salsa

My office tries hard to make life fun for us, even if we're working 20 hours of overtime every quarter, and I appreciate that.  The latest part of the fun drive was a salsa-making contest.  I've honestly not been a big salsa maker, but I figured I would play along.  While I don't have a way to smoke all of the ingredients, I did find fire-roasted tomatoes.  And mine wasn't very spicy, so I've included a serrano pepper in the list below to give it a kick next time.  I did lose to a handmade Mexican salsa served in a molcajete, but hey, I was proud.

Note: It may look like the salsa is very soupy.  Resist the urge to dump those juices.  You'll need to stir them in later to keep everything loose.

Fire-Roasted Tomato Salsa
Adapted from Creme de la Crumb blog

1 (28-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 (4-ounce) can diced green Hatch chilis
1 small red onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 to 2 jalapeños, seeded and diced
1 serrano pepper, seeded and diced
1 large handful of cilantro leaves
Juice of 1 lime
1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt, to taste

Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and pulse until all ingredients come together and are pureed.  Serve immediately or, for best flavor, cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours or longer. Store chilled in airtight container.

Makes about 2½ cups

Bon Appétit: Shrimp Scampi

I'm not sure what my deal is lately, but all I can think about is eating mounds of shrimp.  Shrimp covered in melted butter and garlic.  I haven't dreamed about it yet, but I'm sure that's coming soon.  Well, I figured the fastest way to remedy this situation was to find a decent scampi recipe and cook up some shrimp for dinner.  I'm honestly not sure when I've been happier.  I was literally pulling hot little shrimp from the pan with my fingers because I couldn't wait for it to get to my plate.  And absolutely make sure you have some sort of vehicle for the juices, whether bread or pasta.

Note: I used double the amount of garlic.  Because they never put enough garlic in anything.

Shrimp Scampi
From Bon Appétit magazine, February 2017

4 garlic cloves, 2 grated, 2 thinly sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Warm crusty bread (for serving)

Whisk grated garlic, salt, and 1 tablespoon oil in a medium bowl. Add shrimp, toss to coat, and chill, uncovered, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium and cook shrimp mixture, being careful not to let shrimp or garlic brown, until shrimp is pink but still slightly underdone, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon, leaving as much oil in pan as possible. Add sliced garlic and red pepper to skillet and cook, tossing, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine and lemon juice and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add butter and cook, stirring and swirling pan occasionally, until butter is melted and sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes more.

Scrape shrimp along with any accumulated juices into skillet. Toss to coat and cook until shrimp are fully cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter, top with parsley, and serve with bread for dipping alongside.

Makes 4 servings

Hunter Angler Gardener Cook: Samphire Salad

I just happened to be wandering in my local specialty grocery store this morning when I came across a little green plant that I had never seen before.  It was labeled "sea beans", so I immediately started googling.  Apparently these little plants grow near salt marshes, and they take on the saltiness of the waters near where they grow.  Now I figured that was a pretty impressive trick (and keeps me from having to salt the salad), so I took some home.  I think this salad allows the samphire to really shine through, but if you're a newbie, just know that yes, they are VERY salty.

Samphire Salad

From Hunter Angler Gardener Cook blog

1 pound samphire (sea beans)
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil, use high quality oil here
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
Black pepper to taste
¼ cup crumbled feta or Mexican cotija cheese
Lemon or lime juice to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the samphire for 1 minute. Transfer them to a bowl of ice water to cool. Let them rest a few minutes. Lay out a tea towel or other cloth towel. Pick through the samphire stalks to remove any stray bits of seaweed, and to remove any discolored bits or woody bottoms. Use only the top 2 to 5 inches of the plant. Lay the cleaned samphire on the towel to dry.

Pat the samphire dry and toss with everything but the lemon juice. Add lemon juice until the salad is as tangy as you like it. Serve cold or at room temperature. This will keep in the fridge for a couple days.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ample Hills Creamery: Butter Pecan Ice Cream

There's no ice cream my father loves more than some good old butter pecan, so when we decided to have a family get together for Father's Day, I knew there needed to be more than just cake.  The only problem is finding a decent recipe for ice cream.  It doesn't seem like it would be that difficult of a proposition, but the more care you put in, the better the results that come out.  I knew when I saw this recipe (what? homemade pecan brittle??) that it met my criteria.  This is hands down the best butter pecan ice cream I've ever had.

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

From Ample Hills Creamery

For the brown sugar ice cream:
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
½ cup skim milk powder
1⅔ cups whole milk

1⅔ cups heavy cream

3 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the pecan brittle:
12 ounces pecans, broken into pieces
½ cup golden syrup or light corn syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon baking soda

Make the brown sugar ice cream:
Fill a large heatproof bowl or your kitchen sink about halfway with ice water.

In a medium saucepan off the heat, combine the brown sugar, skim milk powder, and milk. Blend with an immersion or stick blender, mix with a handheld mixer, or whisk until smooth. Make sure the skim milk powder is wholly dissolved and that no lumps remain (any remaining sugar granules, on the other hand, will dissolve when heated). Stir in the cream.

Clip the candy or deep-fry thermometer to the saucepan and set the pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often with a rubber spatula and scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking and burning, until the mixture reaches 110°F (45°C), 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl. While whisking constantly, slowly pour ½ cup (120 milliliters) hot milk mixture into the egg yolks to temper them. Continue to whisk slowly until the mixture is an even color and consistency, then whisk the egg yolk mixture back into the remaining milk mixture.

Return the saucepan to medium heat and continue cooking the mixture, stirring often, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon and reaches 165°F (75°C), 5 to 10 minutes more.

Transfer the saucepan to the ice water in the sink and let cool for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and making certain absolutely no ice water spills into the pan. Add the vanilla and stir to combine. Pour the ice cream base through a strainer into a resealable container and refrigerate for about 8 hours.

Make the pecan brittle:
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 275°F. Butter a 12-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet and line it with parchment paper.

Spread the pecans in a single layer on the parchment and toast until they just begin to change color, about 10 minutes. Immediately transfer to a plate and let cool. Reserve the prepared baking sheet for the brittle.

Grab a medium deep-sided saucepan (3½- to 4-quart would be perfect) and add the syrup, sugar, salt, butter, and water. Clip the candy thermometer to the side of the pan and set the pan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until the ingredients are combined and the sugar has dissolved, then continue to cook without stirring until the mixture reaches 305°F (150°C), at least 15 minutes and up to 25 minutes. You want to constantly monitor the temperature so that it doesn’t rise above 310°F (154°C).

Remove the pan from the heat and immediately stir in the pecans and baking soda and whisk to combine. (The baking soda will cause the mixture to bubble slightly but not too furiously. This is is where that deep-sided saucepan comes in handy, as it keeps spatters to a minimum.) Working quickly, as the mixture will begin to set as the temperature drops, spread the mixture evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Let the mixture cool at room temperature until it’s brittle, about 2 hours.

Break the brittle into bite-size pieces and store in an airtight container in the freezer until ready to use.

Assemble the butter pecan brittle ice cream:
Transfer the cooled base to an ice cream maker and churn it until it’s ready, 30 to 40 minutes.

Transfer the ice cream to a resealable freezer-safe storage container, folding in the pecan brittle pieces as you do. Use as much of the brittle as you want; you won’t necessarily need the whole batch. (We found that about ½ batch of brittle was just right.) Serve the butter pecan brittle ice cream immediately if you prefer a super soft consistency or stash it in your freezer for 8 to 12 hours to harden if you prefer to be able to scoop it.

Makes 1 quart

My Name Is Snickerdoodle: Marbled Strawberry Lemonade Loaf

Every time I visit the store lately, there's this beautiful table full of berries.  And it just makes me want to cook something with them.  But then I get busy, and they just sit in the refrigerator, looking out at me balefully.  And by the time I finally get down to business, they're not quite so beautiful anymore.  So I decided I needed to make something that allowed me to capture the beautiful sweetness of those overripe berries without having their bumps and bruises on showcase.  This delicious little lemon loaf is basically strawberry lemonade in cake form.  Perfect for dessert or a nice afternoon snack.

Marbled Strawberry Lemonade Loaf
Loosely adapted from My Name Is Snickerdoodle blog

1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
6 ounces fresh strawberries
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Zest of 1 medium lemon
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray one 9x5-inch loaf pan with a cooking spray with flour, such as Baker's Joy.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.  In a blender or food processor, puree the strawberries with 1 tablespoon of sugar (or more to taste depending on ripeness of berries).  Set aside.

In a large bowl (or stand mixer) cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and blend well. Mix in lemon juice and zest. Blend in ⅓ of the flour mixture and alternate with half of the sour cream, ending on the flour mixture.

Scoop one cup of batter into a separate bowl.  Measure out 6 tablespoons of strawberry puree and add to the 1 cup of batter.  Mix to combine thoroughly.  Dollop plain lemon batter and strawberry batter in an alternating pattern in the loaf pan.  Once all of the batter has been used, sweep a butter knife through the batter, moving back and forth, to give the loaf the marbled look.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert onto a rack and cool completely.

Once the loaf is cool, combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice.  Mix thoroughly to ensure that all the powdered sugar is dissolved.  Drizzle over the top of the loaf.  Slice and serve.

Instant Pot Short Rib Bites in Gravy

There's not really a way to go wrong with beef in gravy.  I have literally never seen anyone turn down that combination.  There's just something so primal about the umami goodness of this combination that instantly spells comfort food.  So when I came across a big package of boneless short ribs, I knew what they needed to be.  And I knew I needed to break my Instant Pot back out for some more experimentation.  Without heating up my kitchen (which is appreciated in Texas in the summer), I managed this luscious dinner, of course served over mashed potatoes to catch all the savory gravy.

Instant Pot Short Rib Bites in Gravy

2 pounds boneless short ribs, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 tablespoons canola oil
1 sweet yellow onion, cut into wedges
6 cremini mushrooms, quartered
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup red wine (such as cabernet sauvignon)
1 envelope Lipton Beefy Onion, Beefy Mushroom, or plain Onion soup mix
4 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
½ teaspoon dried summer savory (optional)
½ teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup heavy cream
Chopped parsley, for serving

In a gallon size zip top bag, combine beef cubes, flour, salt, and pepper.  Close the bag and toss to coat the beef cubes in the seasoned flour mixture.  Set aside.

Set a 6-quart Instant Pot to the Sauté function on "More" for high heat.  Add a couple of tablespoons of oil to the pot and brown the beef cubes in two batches, removing the beef cubes to a bowl as they finish browning.  Once all the beef is browned, add the onions and mushrooms to the pot with another tablespoon of oil, if necessary, and sauté until the onions soften and the mushrooms release their liquid.  Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 30 seconds.

Pour the red wine into the pot and, using a wooden spoon, gently scrape the bottom of the bottom to loosen the browned bits.  Allow the red wine to bubble until reduced by at least half.  Add the soup mix, beef broth, thyme, rosemary, summer savory, and salt, and mix well.  Add back the browned beef cubes and any juices that have accumulated in the bottom of the bowl.  When the beef broth begins to bubble, put on the pressure lid and make sure it is closed and locked.  Check that the vent is set to "Sealing".  Cancel the Sauté function and choose Pressure Cook.  Set to high pressure for 30 minutes.

When the pot signals the end of the cooking time, allow it to go into Keep Warm mode for 15 minutes.  At the end of this waiting period, carefully move the vent to "Venting" to allow the steam to escape.  Once all of the pressure has been released, unlock and remove the lid.

Cancel the last cooking mode and then press the Sauté button, setting it to regular.  In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with enough liquid from the pot to make a thin paste.  Pour the paste into the pot and stir well.  Add the heavy cream and stir well.  As the liquid bubbles, continue to stir often until the mixture thickens up and forms a gravy.  Serve with mashed potatoes and sprinkled with parsley.

Makes 4 servings

The Complete Robuchon: Purée de Pommes de Terre (Mashed Potatoes)

Based on my long experience with cooking, cookbooks, and surfing recipe websites, I have found that the general conclusion is that this is the ultimate mashed potato recipe.  This is perfection of potato.  So I've been meaning to try it for myself, but at the same time, not wanting to be disappointed.  I mean, that's a lot of pomp.  Luckily, those 2 sticks of butter really deliver.  Now, adding all of that milk gives you a texture more along the lines of porridge than what I normally consider to be mashed potato consistency, so I'm not sure I would add the full amount next time.  BUT, these are pretty perfect on the taste buds.

Purée de Pommes de Terre (Mashed Potatoes)
From The Complete Robuchon by Joel Robuchon

2 pounds potatoes, preferably Yukon Gold, Yellow Finn, rattes, or BF15, scrubbed but unpeeled
Coarse salt
2 cups whole milk
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, diced and kept well chilled until used
Salt
Pepper

Put the potatoes in a saucepan with 2 quarts cold water and 1 tablespoon coarse salt.  Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until a knife slips in and out of the potatoes easily and cleanly, about 25 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and peel them.  Put them through a potato ricer (or a food mill fitted with its finest disk) into a large saucepan.  Turn the heat under the saucepan to medium and dry the potato flesh out a bit by turning it vigorously with a spatula for about 5 minutes.

In the meantime, rinse a small saucepan, pour out the excess water, but do not wipe it dry.  Add the milk and bring to a boil.

Turn the heat under the potatoes to low and incorporate the well-chilled butter bit by bit, stirring it in energetically for a smooth, creamy finish.  Pour in the very hot milk in a thin stream, still over low heat and still stirring briskly.  Keep stirring until all the milk has been absorbed.  Turn off the heat and taste for salt and pepper.

For even lighter, finer potatoes, put them through a very fine sieve before serving.

Makes 6 servings