Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Roast chicken... classic comfort food. Now pair it with some low-brow bistro favorites like roast carrots, brussel sprouts and buttermilk mashed potatoes, you have a WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER! While the rest of the country is eating ham, or lamb on Easter Sunday, we'll take chicken, done this way! First, let's prep all the sides! Like I said, today our chicken is with humble potatoes, carrots and brussel sprouts. Peel and wash the carrots, wash the sprouts, and peel and rinse the potatoes. Now, on to the chicken. One of my favorite pieces of chicken is the breast on the bone! For some reason, it's cheap, and on sale a lot! The bone is what keeps this chicken super moist and imparts tons of flavor. But it's not gonna season itself, so tonight sprinkle on some kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Add garlic powder and dried thyme and oregano (at least 1-2 teaspoons of each). Aggressive seasoning now means flavorful chicken later! Pop the chicken into a 375 degree oven. It will cook for 40 -45 minutes (these are big breasts... and that's the only time I will EVER say those words). Now that the chicken is in the oven, quarter the peeled potatoes and add to cold water. Turn stove on high-ish heat to boil those taters. Once the water comes to a boil, season the water and taters with a good handful of salt, at least 1 tablespoon! Cook potatoes until fork tender, about 30-35 minutes. Potatoes are boiling, so let's season up the carrots and sprouts. You may remember both of these tasty sides from "Side-o-Carrots", and "Chicken For Maria". I've done both sides before, and they're both so simple and good, we have them a lot! Add olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and thyme to the carrots and toss/mix to coat. Add olive oil, salt and pepper garlic powder and the zest of one lemon to the sprouts. All seasoned up and ready to go! Both will go into a 375 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. I put them in about 20 minutes after the chicken and everything was done at the same time. So how can we kick this dinner up one more notch? Oh, how about some buttermilk biscuits? OH, HECK YEAH! Tonight I started with 2 cups King Arthur unbleached self-rising flour. You could use regular flour and add salt and baking powder, but, tonight, I did it this way. We'll also need 1/4 cup (1 stick) butter and 2/3 to 3/4 cups buttermilk. The key to flaky biscuits is cold butter. I slice my cold butter into pieces first, then add to the flour. Using a pastry cutter, work all that cold butter into the flour. Make sure all the flour gets incorporated with the butter until it looks like this. If you don't have a pastry cutter, you can use 2 knives, or even your food processor. Tonight, I went "old school" with my gadget addiction... thank you pastry cutter! Next you want to add the buttermilk. This biscuit recipe called for 2/3 to 3/4 cup buttermilk, and I used all 3/4 of the milk. Make sure to shake your buttermilk before you pour it into the measuring cup. Now switch to a wooden spoon to mix the dough. After dough is mostly combined, drop it onto a floured surface, and knead a few times. Make sure you don't overwork the dough, but knead it enough to layer all that butter into the dough. Roll dough into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Not a perfect rectangle, but, it will do. You could use biscuit cutters, but I just chop this dough into 12 "equal-ish" pieces. And this is what I got. Now, I want these biscuits hot, so I'll wait until the chicken and veggies are done, then I'll jack that oven up to 425 degrees and bake for 12-15 minutes. For now, I parked these biscuits on the side until later. Let's face it... if we cooked these biscuits and put hot, flaky buttermilk biscuits on the counter to wait for the rest of dinner... they'd disappear! GONE! Biscuit strategy 101, bake biscuits at the last minute while the meat rests! Now, let's check on those potatoes... When potatoes are fork tender, drain and get ready to mash with this high-tech kitchen gadget... the masher! I add salt and pepper and mash the potatoes before adding the milk and butter. Next, I have a warm 3/4 cup milk (2%) and 3 tablespoons of butter that I zapped in the microwave for one minute. Add to potatoes and combine. When warm milk meets warm potatoes they combine better and make creamy mashed potatoes. Now, add 3/4 cup of the buttermilk into the mashed potatoes and mix until they look like this... YUM! Taste for seasoning, and add more salt and pepper if you think it needs it. Put a lid on that bowl of tater-love and keep warm on top of the stove. Hungry yet? Chicken's done! Finally! Cover the chicken with foil and let it rest! Crank your oven up to 425 degrees and pop in those buttermilk biscuits (12-15 minutes). Now, let's dress up those sprouts! Drop those roasted sprouts in a big mixing bowl and add more lemon zest (half of one lemon, or one small), shaved parmesean cheese, and pistachio nuts. Mix up all those flavors and add salt and pepper if you think it needs it. Oooo, ahhhh! GO TIME! Drumroll, please... we HAVE BISCUITS!! Dinner time! BOOM! Now that's what I call a WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER! Simple yummy roast chicken with some humble, colorful, flavorful sides! Simply delicious! Now, pass the BISCUITS!!! Dinner is ON!!

Cod Fish Tacos and Chipotle Slaw!

Twas the night before Easter when colleges close... Home came the boys, so the food that I chose... Would fill them with protein, and flavor, and taste! Chipotle fish tacos...Gremlin Food Mom, make haste!! So while you may be tired of fish tacos, we CLEARLY can't get enough of all the tasty fish, flavor combinations you get when you combine fish, with your favorite veg (slaw), and your favorite topping! Tonight it was cod fish fillets (fresh and on sale), with chipotle slaw. You could stop there, and that would be killer good, but we topped it all with fresh avocado, jalapeno, and fresh cilantro! And tonight, an extra bonus (if you like "skinny-mini", extra-lean kinda bonuses), this is truly a low fat, protein packed meal. Watch and you'll see for yourself! Part one, slaw! This is a quick and super healthy slaw... with one short cut (guilty!!). I cored and sliced one Chinese cabbage, half of one red cabbage, and placed in a super big mixing bowl. I added grated carrots, some red onion (about half of one, or to taste), fresh cilantro, and a store bought (Marie's) chipotle dressing. Yes, there is the short cut, guilty, and I'm OK with that. You could certainly go with a simple traditional mayo, vinegar, sugar dressing for your slaw, but for this, Marie's it is. Add everyone to one super big bowl and toss with tongs. It seems enormous, and you'll be glad later... when you want seconds! Toss everything together and let that slaw sit on the sideline while we get the fish ready! Part two... fish! I washed these 4 cod fillets and dried on paper towels. To spice them up, I used a prepared chipotle seasoning. If you don't have a seasoning blend, you could use smoked paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and crushed red pepper. I use this spice blend all the time, so grab it if you see it! You'll use it! Here's where I don't skimp on flavor! I seasoned those fillets up on both sides, about 1 teaspoon (at least) per fillet. Cover that super lean, super flavorful cod fish with foil, and pop it all into a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Easy and simple! Now, could we have a moment of silence for this, the oldest, lamest, crappiest oven EVER (feelin' my pain yet?). If my cod was good coming out of this ol' girl, yours will be spectacular! Now, to get your tortilla shells ready, simply wrap them in foil, and pop them into the oven after the fish comes out (about 5-10 minutes). Fish out of the oven, foil wrapped tortillas IN!! Now, it's time for the finish line!! Part three... toppings! To blow this chipotle fish taco over the top, how about some jalapeno, fresh cilantro, and sliced avocado... HECK YEAH!!! Now we're at the tasty taco finish line!! But... Oh my... what's that?? Oh THAT? It's my kitchen window... and YES... it's OPEN! BOOM! Finally, 60 degrees, and sunny, and I opened windows today. And it made me ALMOST as excited as these fish tacos. If you live in New England, you know what it's like to OPEN your windows... on that first day! Dang! Not to mention it's after 7:00 and STILL LIGHT OUT!!! OK, Getting a little distracted here... BACK to fish tacos! After the fish rests for about 5-10 minutes, use tongs or a fork to segment the fish and add to the bottom of the warm tortilla shell. Here's where these taco's are AWESOME! Top the fish with the slaw, then add the toppings, jalapeno, avocado, and/or cilantro... as much or as little as you like. Add a fresh lime wedge to squeeze on top, and it's taco time! Lean and mean and full of flavor! Perhaps this will cure my fish taco addiction, and I will move on to other food genres and flavors... but I wouldn't bet the farm on that. Love, love, love the fish taco!!!

Spicy Blue Cheese Sliders with Buffalo Wedges!

Friday night and Stevie's ready for some grilled sliders! Nothing says "Good Friday" like some grilled sirloin sliders. We love sliders, but tonight, I wanted to kick up the volume with some blue cheese and spice, but Stevie likes his plain with cheese. So tonight, it's sliders... two ways! Grown up style, and "kid" style". Let's start with the wedges. You may have heard, potato wedges are one of our favorite "go-to" sides and snack foods! Tonight these wedges are buffalo style! Scrub-a-dub those potatoes and cut into wedges (each tater will give you 8 wedges). Add some olive oil, salt and pepper to the wedges and toss. Now, you may know the drill... prop them all up on their skin sides, then sprinkle with garlic powder and cayenne pepper. As you can see, the pale, far right row of wedges has no cayenne. That's what's known as the "kid's wedgy section" (sans heat), as in... no cayenne for Stevie, and I'm happy to accommodate! Like I said, if you have kids, you can create the same dinner, but offer a plainer kid version, and a kicked up grown up version. That's what we have here! And it's no big deal to make everyone happy tonight! Now pop those wedges in a 400 degree oven for 35-40 minutes (depending on their wedgy width), and this is what you have when their done! TRY to leave them alone until you get everyone else ready! Next up, sliders! Tonight's sliders started with a pound and a half of ground sirloin and "SPICY" Montreal Steak seasoning. We'll also want blue cheese (American for the kids), shallot, tomato, greens, and ciabatta rolls to finish. Slice the shallot and saute in a medium low sauce pan for about 15 minutes or until tender. Turn off when done and keep these shallots on stand by. Now take your 1 and 1/2 pounds of fresh ground sirloin (thank you Millstone) and form 8 sliders. I divide the meat in half, then in half again, and so on, until I get 8 pieces. Gently form sirloin into rounds, leaving a thumbprint in the center of each slider. This will help with even cooking (we want sliders, not golf balls)! These are spicy sliders, so I sprinkled them with my favorite short cut, Montreal Steak seasoning, but SPICY tonight. Get your grill ready for the slider party! Lay those sliders on a hot, clean grill over high heat and cook for 3 minutes on each side (for med. rare). Here's where I use my trusty timer to prevent overcooking. For med. sliders try 4 minutes... well done, 5 minutes. So, sliders, DONE! Wedges, DONE! Here's the "kid version". Stevie wanted sliders with American cheese on plain ciabatta buns (toasted, please) and plain wedges (no cayenne)... and I can live with that. Easy accommodation, KID style! And Gremlin-Mamma style... a spicy, kicked-up slider topped with blue cheese, sauteed shallot, fresh tomato and greens... with blue cheese dressing on the side for dipping! Ciabatta rolls added something special! Seriously spicy-blue cheese burger heaven! And the buffalo wedges... amazing!

Farmer's Market Pasta with GREENS!!

Have you heard... (cue Kermie) "it's not easy being green"... HOWEVER, in this case, it's not only easy, it's healthy and delicious! Stevie wanted sliders, but that will have to wait until tomorrow, because... this bag of farmer's market spinach has been waiting for some action all week! So get ready for some action packed seriously green tasty delicious pasta! You probably already do this... but when I have greens, especially fresh greens from the farm or market. I drop them into a big water bath in the sink. Swirl the greens in the water to release the grit and "farm" from the spinach, and then let it sit in the water allowing the dirt settle. Then, the clean spinach floats, waiting for you to scoop on to a towel to dry. And here's who will be joining our enormous bag of spinach tonight... one pound of pasta (we like thin spaghetti) cooked according to directions on package, pesto (about 1/4 cup, or as much as you like), 6 cloves of garlic (chopped, about 2-3 tablespoons), cherry tomatoes (about 1 cup or 1 pint, washed), and 1 bundle of asparagus. So let's get started! It's spring, and Gremlin Mamma is totally diggin' asparagus season! So tonight, I cooked it the way I usually do. Trim the last 2 inches of the tough, chewy stem, then wash and dry. Cut in half and drop on a baking sheet with some olive oil, salt and fresh ground black pepper. Pop in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add the cherry tomatoes and about 1 tablespoon of the chopped garlic to the pan with the asparagus. Jiggle the pan so everyone mixes and mingles. Now, pop back in the oven for 5 more minutes. While all that's going on, add about 4 cups of the bag of spinach to a large saute pan (over medium heat), and let it wilt in a tablespoon of olive oil. Make sure to season the spinach with salt and pepper. This ENORMOUS amount of spinach will wilt down to... this... hard to believe, and one serious Houdini-style disappearing act, but that's how spinach "rolls". After the spinach wilts (and while the pasta is cooking) turn to low, and add the rest of the chopped garlic and let it get warm and mellow out with that spinach a bit. Mix, toss, and get ready to assemble the rest of the green coalition of flavor! When the pasta is cooked, get ready to add it to the saucepan with the spinach. Here's where I sneak out a cup of that starchy salty pasta water in case I need it later to add to the sauce in case it looks dry. A little pasta-water saucy-insurance... if you will. We may need it, we may not. Drain pasta when cooked and add to the cooked spinach. Add the pesto to the pasta and get ready to toss to combine (tongs, please!). Now, you could stop here, and this would be freakin' pasta-licious! Seriously tasty garlicky pesto pasta. But, it's spring, and we love our spring veggies! Add the remaining cup of spinach to the pasta and pesto and toss. Now when I match spinach with pasta, I always save a little spinach to add at the end so I can not only taste it, I like to see those big green leaves!. It's like we have a combination of cooked and fresh delicious spinach! Yes, please!! Now that everyone's combined, let's thank our handy dandy tongs (can you hear my "kitchen-gadget addiction" talking?). Tongs help ease all the flavors together, without killing or breaking all the ingredients. Consider tongs your gentle little pasta helpers! And let's get this party started! Add your roasted asparagus and tomatoes! Party Time! Cue pasta-friendly tongs... now toss all your greens and asparagus and tomatoes and pasta together! WOW! If you love your greens like I do, together with some tasty garlic and pasta... you're in for a treat! The BIG FINISH! Plate up some of that great, green, glorious pasta and finish with some fresh grated parmesean cheese and some pine nuts. As much or as little as you like, but they add a little swagger to the end result! Now, I can't wait! Pardon me while I stick my fork, my face, and my appetite for greens into this bowl full of farmers market pasta-love!! Gremlin-Mamma...OUT!