Thing for Wings

Remember when I told you how I get food crushes? You know, when you can't get enough of something and it's all you can think about? Well, the hubs has had a thing for wings recently. Fortunately, his hankering translates into some deliciousness for me, too!

He followed the Hooters technique of coating the wings with flour and then refrigerating them for an hour (since we've both reluctantly admitted they are our favorite wings). Once they were fried, he tossed them with hot sauce and butter.

Crispy, just the right kick, totally crush-worthy.

Happy searching,

Thai-spiration: Coconut Chicken Soup

Recently, we had some lemongrass in the fridge (leftover from this meal) that needed to be used. When I discovered that we also had some chiles and mushrooms on hand, I realized we were one can of coconut milk away from this delicious Coconut Chicken Soup.

I made several adaptations based on what we had or didn't have. I used fresh mushrooms instead of canned, fresno chiles instead of Thai, reduced-fat coconut milk instead of regular, lime zest instead of kaffir lime leaves, and boxed stock instead of homemade.

And guess what? It was still amazing! One of the reasons I love Thai food so much is the salty-sweet-sour pucker that hits you right in the cheeks. The zing of the lime and spice of the chiles swirled together with the chicken and mushrooms in the milky broth.

Not too heavy, perfect for the beginning of summer. Try it out!

Happy Searching,

Lovin' Larb

Larb? Yep, larb. It's a strange word to say, but surprisingly, not to eat. It's a Thai dish that is a basically a meat salad (sort of like the lettuce cups you may have tried in various Asian restaurants).

Intrigued? I certainly was the first time I saw Giada whip up this recipe. In trying to build a meal around some ground turkey, I thought it might be a good time to try it out.

Larb might make you step outside your kitchen comfort zone. Back when I first saw Giada introduce this dish, I wasn't completely sold (the fact that I waited several months to test it out is proof). But when I stumbled upon the recipe again, I read through the list of ingredients.

Turkey? Like it. Mint? Love it. Lime juice and lemongrass? Citrusy heaven. So I, myself, expanded my culinary horizons a bit and am so glad I did!

The name might sound a bit odd, the finished product may not be overly alluring, but let me tell you...it tastes incredible! I hope it inspires you try something that stretches your tastebuds a bit.

Eaten anything that has surprised you lately?

Happy Searching,

Our New Favorite Dip

In planning our Super Bowl Menu, the hubs and I agreed we needed to include a dip. We weighed our options: Spinach Artichoke Dip, this yummy cheese dip from a while back, tried-and-true queso (Rotel + Velveeta, for all you non-Texans out there). But we really wanted to try something different. Thankfully, a few days before the big game, I stumbled upon this delicious recipe for Buffalo Chicken Dip on the Mad Hungry blog. It combined our hankering for hot wings and dip into one tasty snack!

Truthfully, the picture doesn't do this dip justice. The color of the dip was not very photographically flattering, but trust me--this dip is awesome (would I lie to you?).

The recipe calls for the chicken breasts to be poached, but our favorite method for maximizing flavor is to roast them (more here). With the chicken in the oven, I mixed up the cream cheese, mayo, sour cream, hot sauce, blue cheese, and lemon juice. Once the breasts cooled, I shredded the meat and tossed it with the other ingredients. Baked for 20 minutes, topped with chives and a few blue cheese crumblies and this dip was delectable.

We spread it on some toasted baguette slices (the recipe called for Fritos, but they're not my fave). And the spicy, creamy, verdict? Yep, it's our new favorite.

What dip do you love?

Happy Searching,

Chili Weather

It has been more than a little bit chilly lately...it's been downright cold. Although we haven't had the blizzards and below-zero temperatures like other parts of the country, it's been cold enough here in Austin. Cold enough to bring a bit of snow, cancel school for a day, and work up a hankering for some belly-warming food.

A bowl (or maybe two) of this chili was just the kind of cozy meal I needed. It was one tasty (and mostly nutritious) chili, courtesy of the hubs.

He started by browning the turkey and turkey sausage (about a pound and a half of turkey and a pound of sausage). Then he drained it and used the same pan to sautee 2 chopped onions, 3 cloves of chopped garlic, 3 poblanos (roughly chopped), and 3 jalepenos (with seeds and ribs if you like it hotter; without if not). He tossed in a good amount of cumin along with some chili powder, oregano, smoked paprika, and cayenne, salt and pepper.

Then, he added 2 cans of drained white beans (canellini or Great Nothern), a small jar of drained roasted red peppers and the drained meat. He squeezed in the juice of 2 limes, a handful of chopped cilantro, and a quart of chicken stock. He covered it, brought it to a boil and then dropped it down to a simmer for about an hour. After everything had softened and the flavors had melded together, Ryan made a little roux to thicken the chili and simmered it for another 30 minutes.

The soup had the perfect warmth, both temperature and spice wise. A dollop of sour cream, chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes, and grated cheese were the perfect complements to the smoky cumin and the spice of the jalepenos.

With this bowl of balanced deliciousness, suddenly it doesn't seem so cold. What keeps you toasty on these cold winter days?

Happy Searching,

Buffalo Chicken Sliders

Well, it's been a long time, my friends! My apologies for the long hiatus...I've had a few irons in the fire. Running my own classroom of seven- and eight-year olds for the very first time plus a mild case of pneumonia have required my full attention these past few weeks. Fun, overwhelming, and exhausting pretty much sum up the experience. Even though I've been busy, though, it doesn't mean I haven't been eating deliciously (thank you, Ryan)!

A few weeks back, the chef himself was craving some hot wings (which are some of my favorite pub-grub items as well). Without a good wing joint nearby, he improvised and ended up creating my new favorite treats: Buffalo Chicken Sliders.

They seemed to be fairly simple to put together:  Cut the chicken breasts to fit the slider buns, bread them (flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs), and toss them in a mixture of melted butter and Louisana hot sauce (Ryan basically followed the recipe on the bottle).

Place them on toasted slider buns (we found these little gems at our regular grocery store and they're awesome). Add a dollop of homemade blue cheese dressing (recipe below), some lettuce and diced red onion and you are in business--Scrumptious Buffalo Business! Served along side some roasted potatoes and a cucumber tomato salad, these sliders are so tasty--they'll become your new fave, too. Give 'em a try!

Best Blue Cheese Dressing
Equal parts mayo & sour cream
Blue cheese crumbles (as many or few as you like)
Chopped chives 
Squeeze of lemon
S&P


Mix all together. Dressing is thick--add milk to thin out if using for salad.


Happy Searching!

Pleasin' Indonesian Chicken

Looking for an easy and flavorful way to prepare chicken? Look no further! Indonesian Ginger Chicken (courtesy of Ina Garten) is incredibly tasty and couldn't be easier.

I wanted to deliver a meal to one of my friends who just had a baby and this chicken seemed perfect. Simple without being boring, the chicken is marinated overnight in soy, honey, garlic, and ginger. Ina's recipe called for 2 whole chickens (cut up), but I just used a mix of what was on sale. I got a package of drumsticks and and a package of breasts (which I cut in half because they were huge...like, double Ds).

Put them in the fridge, then put them in the oven the next day. After an hour (and removing the foil halfway to crisp up the glazed skin), the chicken is done. Served with steamed rich and some sauteed veggies, this Indonesian was pleasin'. Easy? Yes. Delicious? Absolutely!

Happy Searching,

Chicken, Veggies & Rice: The Old Standby

Contrary to what previous posts may lead you to believe, we don't have fancy dinners every single night. We both enjoy being in the kitchen (though Ryan has been sporting the chef hat most of the time lately), creating new dishes and checking out interesting recipes. But sometimes we need to just throw something together.

One of our go-to meals is roasted chicken with veggies and steamed rice. It might sound a bit boring, but even our old standby is delicious. Here's what we do:

Chicken: Throw two (or however many) skin-on, bone-in breasts onto a sheet pan (you can use boneless skinless if you really want, but the bone keeps the meat juicy and the skin...oh, the skin is problematic delicious...when it comes out of the oven crispy and golden, calling for a nibble. Mmmm...I digress). Rub with olive oil (a tablespoon or so), squeeze half a lemon over them, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper (really, liberally is the key here--it's amazing what an aggressive toss of S&P will do for plain old chicken). Roast at 400 for about 20 minutes (or until the skin is crispy...mmmmm).

Veggies: After checking our fridge inventory and pulling out whatever hasn't started growing things, the veggies get similar treatment to the chicken. We usually have carrots, some sort of squash, onions, and maybe some cherry tomatoes or asparagus. We cut them up into big, rustic pieces (except for the tomatoes) and then toss them with olive oil. Add some salt and pepper, lemon juice (from the other half of the lemon) and maybe some crushed garlic. Roast at 400 for about 10-15 minutes (this really depends on how "well done" you like your vegetables...I prefer mine to still have some crunch; Ryan prefers them to be a bit more cooked...up to you). Finish with some grated parmesan if you have some.  

Rice: If the other two-thirds of this meal weren't so yummy, I could eat the rice all by itself. I love it. One of our favorites is this Brown Rice Medley from Trader Joe's (which they don't have in Texas so we get it "imported" from our California hook-ups). If we run out of the good stuff, we use some sort of brown rice (not instant, although I'm sure you could if you wanted to save time). 

What really makes the rice, though, is one of our kitchen staples: McCormick's Chicken Base. It's like a boullion paste that you just add to water and--voila!--dull rice to delish! You can get it at CostCo for cheap and we use it all the time. 

So there you have it! The Old Standby...pretty quick, quite satisfying, and one of our favorites.

Happy Searching!

Tortilla Soup Day

School cafeterias are not typically synonymous with gourmet cooking. Luckily at our school there happen to be a few dishes that, when served, spark smiles amongst the faculty. Remember being a kid and getting so excited when Corn Dog Day rolled around?!? (It was the corn dogs for me, anyway...) Well, the teachers at my school really look forward to Tortilla Soup Day. In fact, the Cafeteria Monitor always puts a sign on the Teacher's Lounge Door that says, "Tortilla Soup today!" with a big smiley face. It's the little things, right?

After having a small cup of it the other day, I was left wanting more. So, I decided to recreate it at home, with a few adjustments here and there. I have made several versions of this soup (and eaten even more). This one is fairly light, tasty, and very easy.

I loosely followed Ina Garten's recipe for Mexican Chicken Soup. What I love about the soup at school is the tomatoey broth (which Ina's recipe has), chunks of zucchini that soften when they cook (which I added) and crumbled queso fresco (that I substituted for cheddar). What's so great about this soup is that you can easily customize it--add things you love, omit things you don't.  Personally, I highly recommend the queso fresco, which is similar to a Mexican feta cheese and usually nestled in the cheese section at most grocery stores. I also made strips out of some blue corn tortillas we happened to have on hand and fried them up for a crispy (and delicious) garnish.  

I think the teachers would give it an A...I must say, it was muy delicioso!

Happy Searching,

Eatin' Chicken Soup With Rice

Over the holidays, my friend Andi (who I've known since 2nd grade) surprised me with a walk down memory lane. She made a copy of an album I used to listen to over and over again and as soon as I heard it, I was instantly transported back to my childhood. The album was "Really Rosie", written by Maurice Sendak and put to music by Carole King. As soon as "Chicken Soup With Rice" flowed through the speakers, my heart became flooded with warmth and happiness. Of all the songs on the album, it was probably my favorite and--just like the soup itself--made me feel cozy and childlike all over again.

A few nights ago, my husband Ryan (who I've known since before 2nd grade) surprised me with a heartwarming pot of chicken soup with rice. Now, I've had more noodles than rice with my chicken soup (and have been okay with it...I am Italian, after all). This batch made rice a winner. Roasted chicken, brown rice, carrots, onions and asparagus floated in a slightly creamy broth with a hint of saffron. Mmmmm. Like the song, this soup was cozy, heartwarming, and wonderfully delicious.

Happy Searching,


p.s. I surprised Ryan with the song while we ate...have a spoonful of Chicken Soup With Rice yourself by clicking here.