day 40 = mom's brisket recommendation

sarah:
my mom made this brisket for the holidays and highly recommended it. i had bought a kosher brisket at costco and needed to cook it before it went bad. luckily this is a really easy recipe, but the problem is it calls for a 4lb brisket and mine was only 1.2lbs. i didn't realize you needed to adjust the time as much as you did so i overcooked it a little. overall though, it was very tasty!

1. preheat oven to 350

2. mix together in a bowl:

• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp salt (if using a kosher brisket, reduce this amount)
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp dry mustard
• 1 bay leaf, crushed

3. in a roasting pan:

• put a 4lb brisket
• rub all over with spice rub
• add hot peppers, optional
• roast for 1 hour, uncovered

4. reduce oven heat to 275:

• add 1 1/2 cups beef stock and water until there is 1/2 in the pan
• cover tightly with foil
• cook for 3 hours, until fork tender

*for my 1.2lb brisket i cut down the rub ingredients to 1/3 and you only need about 1hr cooking time per each lb (this is where i went wrong). i would cover with foil after about 1/2 hour and check about 30-45 mins later. make sure to cook at 300 instead of 350 for the first 1/2 hour.

the other key here is not to look under the foil once you cover it. make sure it's tight so the heat does not escape.

charley:

well i am sure sarah mentioned that the meat was a little over cooked which made it a bit chewy, but it was full of flavor.  i have said it before and i will say it again, i like things with a little heat and this worked out wonderfully.  i could have eaten the whole thing, but sarah kept me from doing so!

enjoy!

day 39 = hotter than hot fresh salmon

my apologies! we haven't posted in a while and that's really because i have spent the last 3 weeks as a juror and it was a very trying experience. instead of cooking, we just ate out to make life simpler. we're back though!

sarah:
lately, charley has been doing most of the fish cooking (see day 3 and day 25 for how we typically make salmon). this is soooo easy and we discovered how to make it after realizing it's a go-to favorite of ours at costco. here's how i made it today:

- preheat oven to 450 degrees

- line a baking sheet with foil

- lay salmon in center of baking sheet

- surround salmon with mini-peppers* and red jalapeno peppers

- sprinkle salmon with spices:

      - alaea salt (i bought it at Hepps Salt Barrel)

      - chipotle pepper (i bought it at Penzeys)

      - smoked paprika

      - turmeric
      - oriental mustard powder

      - parsley flakes

- drizzle hot pepper olive oil over top*

- throw a few mini-hot peppers on top of fish*

- bake for 14 mins

*while at this trial, i visited a farmers market during lunch and picked up a branch of mini-hot peppers (i've never seen anything like it). the farmer that sold it to me said he smashes them, chops them up, and mixes with cilantro and tomatoes. he then uses the paste to marinate chicken with or as a spread on meats. charley took them off the vines and put them in a drinking glass with olive oil. this way they release more heat and we have hot pepper olive oil! i highly recommend. here's what it looked like:

charley:
i have to say i enjoy spicy things, but these peppers hit you with a lot of heat! The salmon was very good and actually complimented the hit of the peppers because it cooled this off.  i typically can handle the heat of peppers, but these i could only finish a few.  I am looking forward to these over the next few days!


enjoy!

day 31 = "killer" chicken

sarah:
so last night we decided to use up some of the leftovers. we bought chicken, had corn and asparagus leftover from costco, and had a lot of leftover "killer shrimp" sauce (i forgot to bring it to our friends house). here's what we did:

1) we marinated chunks of white meat chicken in the killer shrimp sauce for a few hours

2) i pulled out the chicken and put them on skewers

3) i put the killer shrimp sauce on the stove and boiled it for 30 mins to concentrate the flavors
      (you'll notice it's much more dense than day 29) so we could dunk the chicken, bread, and
      vegetables into it

4) i sprinkled the last of the "sixteen-spice rub" that i used on day 2, day 3, day 9, day 12...
     all over the chicken

5) i put some olive oil, balsamic vinegar (shhh... don't tell charley), oregano, basil, red pepper   
       flakes, salt and pepper on the asparagus

6) handed it all to charley to grill

7) ate dinner!

it was really good. the best part was i accidentally left a piece of chicken in the sauce while i boiled it. it came out fantastic! so very tender and extremely full of flavor. i am going to make that again for sure!


charley:
at first i thought we should have cooked this on the stove because we could pour the sauce all over the chicken while it cooked, but again sarah had it right by grilling.  i was able to enjoy half last night and the remainder today for lunch.  it will go to the top of my dinner list (still have the dessert on top overall) along with the meatballs!

enjoy!

day 29 (part II) - killer shrimp soup

sarah:
there is a restaurant in marina del rey, ca called Killer Shrimp that closed down and has just reopened a few years later. we went to eat there twice now and the wait was over 45 mins so hopefully it will stay around now that it's back!

it's fantastic. they only serve one item: shrimp, 3 ways: with french bread, with pasta, or with rice. the shrimp come in a huge serving bowl filled with this wonderful sauce. peels remain on the shrimp so it gets a little messy, but you must give in and use your fingers. my favorite way to eat is dipping the french bread in the sauce... this is my best attempt to recreate the dish from memory, but i can't wait to go eat there and see if it's even close. it's also in my cookbook if you want more great food finds!

the total cost today (without the spices which i bought the last time we made this dish) was: $24.36. we are going to take the leftover broth to our friend's bbq tomorrow so people can enjoy the sauce!

• 2 quarts chicken broth (64oz)
• 2 tablespoons rosemary
• 5 cloves garlic, minced (use more if you like)
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup clam juice
• 1/2 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 pounds shrimp, with tails and shells
• 1 (1 pound) loaf French bread

1. pour broth into a large pot, and mix in rosemary, garlic, pepper, celery seed, fennel seed, thyme, red pepper flakes, clam juice, tomato paste, and butter. bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
2. stir wine into the soup, and continue to simmer and occasionally stir 2 hours. if you have time, put the soup in the refrigerator and let sit overnight. the next day, put back on the stove and heat for 1/2 hr to hr. (i liked it better this way, but charley found no difference in taste when served immediately)
3. just before serving, stir in shrimp. cook for 3 minutes, or until shrimp are opaque. serve with bread for soaking up all the yummy broth.

charley:
when sarah first said this wasn't as good as last time and didn't have a lot of flavor i wasn't sure what she was tasting.  in fact, i liked this more then last time because she added more heat then she did previously.  i like spicy food so this worked great for me.  i only wish there would have been more shrimp!

enjoy!

day 26 = why not combine pasta ponza and pasta primavera?

since we've been back from italy, i have been craving pasta. we have a lot of vegetables in the house today, but not really much else. i wanted to make something with an olive oil sauce, but it's surprisingly been hard to find a recipe among my collection. instead, i am combining two recipes from Giada de Laurentiis: pasta ponza (in the "giada at home" cookbook) and pasta primavera and giving it my little flare :)

enjoy watching the progress...

start by chopping a good amount of garlic

sprinkle salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic, and breadcrumbs on halved cherry tomatoes.

bake in 375 degree oven for 30 mins, set aside. 

 

chop vegetables into thin slices. add some italian seasoning, hot pepper flakes, salt, pepper, olive oil (a good amount), bread crumbs, and remaining garlic.

bake in 450 degree oven for 20 mins, turning.

start making your pasta (i used spaghetti). pull vegetables out of oven when finished.

mine looked like this:

plate pasta with vegetables and tomatoes. add a sprinkle of parsley and feta cheese.

mix it all together and you are all set to eat!

enjoy!

day 25 = sleepy salmon part II

sarah:
costco salmon is our go-to favorite. charley made this the other day --- soooo simple and so delicious. here's what he did:

- preheat oven to 400 degrees
- put foil on a cookie sheet
- place salmon in the center
- sprinkle with: garlic powder, chipotle powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes
- place mini red, yellow, and orange peppers (from costco) around salmon
- cook for 15 mins

we buy all our spices now from penzy's. i highly recommend!

charley:
i begin to wonder who is the better cook between the two of us because this came out awesome! (all kidding aside, sarah is the better cook), but this was excellent.  the heat and texture of the fish was wonderful.  the peppers just add to the flavor and are a must have for this dish!

if you want to check out sleepy salmon part I, see day 3...

enjoy!

day 17 = using up the freezer chicken wings

sarah:

i am a little behind on this week.  we've had a lot to do so we did not get a chance to make our usual costco trip. knowing i had no energy to go to the store, we opened the freezer and had a few packages of chicken wings remaining from our last costco run. i highly recommend picking them up because they are pre-packaged for you into 5 wings per package which is just perfect for one person. then we sprinkle each with a bunch of seasonings (mainly from our trips to penzys).

charley did these wings. he used the leftover 16 spice rub from bobby flay's recipe i made on day 2. it was good, but usually we make 2-4 differently spiced wings and this time there was only one type so it got a little boring by the end. i highly recommend you make this rub through for regular bbq chicken. that was excellent.

charley:
it has now been a few days since we had the chicken wings so i am going solely off memory.  since i can still recall them that has to be a good sign and yes they were very good.  we do chicken wings often, but we change the way there seasoned each time.  as for this batch, the seasoning was very tasty.  it was the right amount of spice, sweet and smokey flavors and it was hard not to eat sarah's wings also.  i would recommend this rub for anyone.

enjoy!

day 13 = 5 minute crab legs

this is all it takes:

1) set your oven to broil

2) put crab legs on a broiler pan. broil 2-3 mins 

3) mix together dressing (in place of butter) for your crab

4) eat!

sarah:
i spent too much money, but it was good! we went to costco to pick up more chicken wings that were on coupon (why not save $4), and i got an itchin' for crab legs. as i recall they used to be $10 a pound, but it must be double that now. you can imagine my shock then when i got 1 1/2 pounds for us for dinner and it cost $29!! oh well, charley, i hope you enjoyed it because i won't spend that again :)

this is quite possibly the easiest meal you'll make. when costco has their fresh fishmonger, grab 1-2 legs per person (i bought 3 today for the 2 of us). they are precooked so you just turn your oven to broil and put them in there for 2-3 mins. that's it!

while they were in the oven, i mixed together equal parts olive oil and red wine vinegar and added a few pinches of each of the spices above. this made for a great dipping sauce and i also added it to my salad. the entire meal took all of 5 mins from refrigerator to stomach!

**i got a tip today on how to freeze fish and have it still taste fresh. before you put it in the freezer, stick it in a ziploc bag and add just enough water to cover the fish. when you defrost you won't have any freezer burn and it will retain it's texture. i haven't tried this yet so if you do, please let me know how it works!

charley:
it is Friday, end of the week, and we typically try to do something nice.  i suggested sushi, but sarah wanted to stop at costco and pick up a few things that were on sale.  needless to say we made it to costco and sarah saw the fish stand and made the executive decision for crab legs.  she didn't get any argument out of me as we have been working to clear out the remaining food in the fridge so a light dinner wouldn't be bad.  i think i added the kitchen sink to my salad along with the crab legs, but in the end the crab legs were the star.  being easy to heat up they were a pain to crack open.  the legs from costco actually had a good deal of meat on them so it made it worth it.  sarah likes to dip hers in sauce where i like mine straight up.  tasty tasty!!!

enjoy!

day 9 = tenderloin two ways

so after the pork tenderloin debacle on day 6, i stopped at costco to pick up a replacement. unfortunately, at costco you have to buy 4 times as much meat as you need for 2 people. hence, i had leftover tenderloin in the fridge. it's fine though because we had a lazy day and neither one of us wanted to go to the store. the tenderloin came with 2 in a package so i thought i'd experiment making each a little different. before i started, i pulled the tenderloins out of the fridge about 2 hrs before cooking, washed them, and salted them. then i stuck it back in the fridge for later.

tenderloin #1 (spice):
i pulled out Bobby Flay's Grill It! cookbook (which was also used on day 2 -- bbq at home) and made just the rub for the meat. i mixed together 2 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp smoked paprika, and 1/2 tbsp salt in a small dish to make a paste. then, i sprinkled pepper on the tenderloins and brushed the paste all over. i let them sit out to come to room temp. charley grilled from there.

tenderloin #2 (herb):
i pulled out Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals Get Togethers. i didn't have garlic so i first sprinkled with pepper, then rubbed balsamic vinegar with my hands all over the tenderloin, then rubbed with olive oil (i use plastic gloves from costco because i don't like touching raw meat). i chopped up one sprig of rosemary with about 4 sprigs of thyme (leftover from the other pork recipe) and mixed with montreal steak seasoning. i spread it all over the pork and let it sit out to come to room temp. charley grilled from there.

sarah:
i liked them both. super easy to make (really) and one had more of an herb flavor while the other had a little more spice. really great if you have varying taste buds to serve to. also good for a little variety :) i still am not a fan of pork, but this was pretty good.

charley:
they both were tender and the taste was not very overpowering. the herb pork was more mild then the spanish paprika, but i am sure you are picking up that i like spice!  as for the overall dish, i would admit i wasn't very impressed.  i like bold flavors and this was just too mild for me.

enjoy!

day 7 = round 2: "fig" stuffed roast pork loin

sarah:
for round 2, i learned a lot:

1) brine is easier to make the second time around
2) dates are an excellent substitute if you can't find figs
3) when a recipe says: "refrigerate for 10 hrs (no longer, or the pork may become too salty)"--- LISTEN!
4) charley really knows how to pick recipes that require a lot of clean-up :)

well, after my first failed attempt to make this, i should have just given up. i think charley and i are going to differ on this one (although it was his pick and i never make him pork).

this was a true labor of love. sunday i prepped all the ingredients, monday i left the pork on the counter instead of putting it in the refrigerator, and today i made a lot of dishes messy (including almost setting the smoke detector off). all in all, i left work a few hours later than i had planned so the pork sat in the brine a little too long and you could tell it took on a salty flavor. the chutney was great, except when i pulled it out of the fridge (now 2 days later), it was hard as a rock. when i microwaved it, it bubbled over and got the plate all gooey. oh well, charley's in charge of the dishes...

charley:
the meal tonight was specifically requested by me as I see it being possibly the last time I will be eating anything Pork!  for those close to me they will understand.  the pork was tender and full of flavor.  it actually was a good change to use the dates as it added a little texture to the meal. i have become much more open minded to food and have found that I am a texture eater so this element was important to me.  the pork was a little salty, but I was informed that this was due to it sitting in the brine for to long.  I would still recommend this for anyone that enjoys pork!

if you want to try it, check out the "Fig Stuffed Roast Pork Loin" recipe from Ad-Hoc at Home (Artisan) by Thomas Keller. or you can view it at this great blog! sugarandspice-celeste.blogspot.com

enjoy!

day 3 = sleepy salmon

tonight i'm on my own. charley is out to dinner so i decided to put one of my favorite quick and easy meals together. i had salmon in the fridge from our Costco trip and leftover sauce and spice rub from last night's meal (see day 2 post). this is great! you can probably get 2 nights of chicken and 2 nights of salmon rub out of the recipe.

if you need to make a meal that takes little effort, turn your oven to 450 when you get home for the night and go change into "comfy clothes". pull some salmon out of the fridge, place it on a foil lined baking sheet, drizzle some Black Pepper Vinegar Sauce over the top, sprinkle with Sixteen-Spice-Rub, and stick in the oven for 14 minutes. THAT'S IT! it was excellent and a great way to use the leftovers!

i make this recipe all the time with just olive oil and any combination of spices so don't be intimidated by the spice rub recipe :)

here's a link for the sauce and spice rub: vinegar sauce and spice rub.

oh... i added some greek chicken pasta salad i made over the weekend. it's just rotissarie chicken, pasta, feta cheese, red onion, cherry tomatoes, and greek dressing. another simple, but spectacular dish charley has now been able to eat for lunch!

enjoy!

day 2 = bbq at home

wow, i've actually kept this going for 2 days! i got home tonight knowing i have a fridge full of Costco purchases (more than should ever be bought for 2 people) and no plan of attack. it's a good thing i have this blog going because it forced me to look through one of my cookbooks. i knew i had chicken in the fridge which needed to be used. a little while ago i read you should salt meats and poultry before you stick them in the fridge to improve the flavor.  i tried this on sunday so figured it needed to be used up 2 days later (the results were spectacular... i highly recommend!). ok, so chicken it is. now, what to do with it? luckily, i have a cookbook from Bobby Flay all about grilling. perfect!

now it was a matter of choosing the recipe. knowing i was not getting back in the car to go to the store, i needed a recipe with ingredients i had at home. have i ever mentioned i am a little obsessed with cookbooks? well, i've made a few recipes overtime and each one seems to use another new spice. luckily then, i had most of the 16 spices in his "Sixteen-Spice-Rubbed Chicken Breast with Black Pepper Vinegar Sauce". charley hates vinegar so it was a little risky, but i thought i go for it. surprisingly, it didn't take very long to put together (i skipped one of the spices because i didn't have it, but who's telling). it actually was spectacular! if you are a descendant of my grandfather, you lick every bone in sight. i've had my share of cleaning chicken bones, but this was probably the best ever! and charley even liked the sauce! 

to top it all off i added some corn (again from Costco) and a cobb salad. it turned out to be a great evening! ---- ok, i can't get all the credit, charley grilled the chicken to perfection (he wanted me to add that plug :)

since it has a lot of ingredients, check it out for yourself at the following and let me know how it goes!: BBQ Chicken Rub 

enjoy!