Tuesday, January 18, 2011
The Folk Dance
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Goat Cheese Empanadas with Raspberry Chipotle Salsa
Friday, August 13, 2010
I finished my dress! Be impressed.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Our Current Room
Monday, August 2, 2010
John's Chicken with Orzo
The result of one of my husband’s culinary experiments, this chicken dish has all the familiar comfort of Chicken Parmesan, with some lemony, peppery intrigue. One night when it was my beloved’s turn to cook dinner, he scraped this together with things we had in the kitchen, and now it is one of my favorite meals! We made this last night for John’s parents and all devoured it happily.
Ingredients
One small to medium onion, cut in thin strips or minced
Minced garlic, four or five cloves or 2 ½ tsp. of minced from the little jar
Extra virgin olive oil
Four boneless, skinless chicken breasts (not too fat) or cutlets (not too thin) (you know, just right)
Juice from one lemon
One package of orzo pasta
Approx. 2 cups (or more if you like) of spaghetti sauce from a jar, made with red peppers like Bertolli’s Arrabbiata or Newman’s Own Roasted Garlic and Peppers.
Shredded parmesan or mozzarella (or both) to taste
Lemon-pepper seasoning
Salt and pepper
Bring water to boil in medium-sized pot for pasta. When water boils add pasta (usually about ½ to ¾ of the package). Cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan or electric skillet (with high side walls). Sauté onions and most of the garlic in the oil, until the onions turn golden and translucent. Remove from the pan, set aside.
Note: I added the onions to this recipe, because I love onions!
Add some more olive oil to the pan. Salt and pepper the chicken pieces, and add them to the pan or skillet. Squirt with lemon juice (make sure to save a little for the pasta) and sauté until golden brown on each side (about 4 minutes each depending on thickness). Add the onions back to the pan just before the chicken is done cooking.
Note: Do not cover the pan while the chicken is cooking, you don’t want to steam the chicken.
When chicken is done cooking, pour spaghetti sauce generously over each chicken breast or cutlet. Sprinkle as much cheese as you like over each piece of chicken. Cover the pan or skillet until the cheese has melted to form a nice snowcap to your chicken and tomato sauce mountain.
When the orzo is done, drain and return to the pot or pour into a serving bowl. Stir a generous slice of butter into the pasta (or ½ tablespoon of olive oil) along with some lemon juice, and season with the lemon pepper seasoning to taste (probably about a teaspoon or so).
Serve how you like. John likes his chicken and sauce right on top of the orzo and I like min sort of just overlapping my orzo. Peas or a green salad are a wonderful compliment to this entree.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Perfect Summer Meal
Thursday, July 8, 2010
It's all in the lens
I recently lost my point-n-shoot digital camera in a local downtown park. My brother, sister-in-law, and niece were visiting for a day and John and I were giving them a whirlwind tour of Kansas City. Granted, this was not the digital SLR camera of my dreams. It wasn't super expensive, the little flap door that holds in the battery and memory card was broken, and it took too long to load each photo, so that I had to pause between each shot. I never got rid of my old point-n-shoot digital, so I'm at least not without means of taking digital photos. So, I'm sure you can see why I was more upset about losing the photos I had taken of us all that day than about losing the camera itself. Luckily, right before they came, I made the decision to start shooting with my film camera again. I have a Canon Rebel 2000 EOS. My dad gave it to me for Christmas when I was in 10th grade and I took it with me everywhere I went. On my honeymoon in the Canadian Rockies, we took photos with this camera and our little digital one, and the most beautiful photos are from the film camera. The difference is in the lens. I can't wait to buy a digital SLR, but in the mean time, I am going to use what I have. Using film is less cost effective because you have to buy the film and pay for the processing each time. I can't, however, afford a digital SLR at the moment, so using my film camera is a more cost effective way of getting great photos.
Here are some of my favorite film shots from my family's recent visit with us in Kansas City...