cornerofmadness

which explains why everyone is visiting her since well, she doesn't make it a pleasant experience... Mom won a few hundred bucks on the Wizard of Oz game today.

That's about all i have newswise. Today was dull. I'd probably skip posting but it's the last day of my meme and I wanted to share recipes (including the one with the salsa I was babbling about)

Day one: a song
Day two: a picture
Day three: a book/ebook/fanfic
Day four: a site
Day five: a youtube clip
Day six : a quote
Day seven : whatever tickles your fancy

My whatever is cooking. Enjoy.

Grilled Chicken with tomatillo-tomato salsa (or if you’d like, just the salsa)

5 Tbs fresh lime juice (or the Real!Lime stuff if limes have gotten too pricey)
2 cloves garlic minced
Coarse salt & pepper

4 boneless chicken breast halves (6-8 oz), thighs would work too, deboned

½ small onion, quartered (I prefer Vidalia’s)

½ jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed, roughly chopped (or, like I do, use some chipotle pepper chili powder to taste)

8 oz tomatillos (@4), peeled, rinsed, cored and quartered
1 cup grape tomatoes or halved and quartered tomato pieces if using bigger tomatoes
½ cup whole cilantro leaves

1. Heat grill to medium, lightly oil. In shallow dish, stir together 2 tbs of lime juice and garlic, season with salt and pepper. Add to chicken and coat. Let sit 15 minutes (don’t let sit too much longer or the citrus will ‘cook’ the chicken.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse onions and jalapeno until finely chopped. Add tomatillos and pulse once or twice. Fold in tomatoes and cilantro and the remaining lime juice, salt and pepper. * See end note
3. Grill chicken covered until opaque throughout. Transfer to plate and tent with aluminum foil. Let rest 5 minutes. Serve with salsa.

Per serving 178 calories, 28 grams protein, 4 grams fat, 8 grams carb

Note- The above salsa is very chunky. If you like a finer salsa put it all in the processor (tomatoes and cilantro too, forget about folding them in whole) and just grind to YOUR favorite consistency. I like mine fine and it’s quick, yummy salsa that I made sans chicken just to eat up with a chip.

French Onion Soup – Alton Brown's recipe

10 sweet onions (like Vidalias) or a combination of sweet and red onions
3 tablespoons butter
Kosher salt
2 cups white wine
10 ounces canned beef consume
10 ounces chicken broth
10 ounces apple cider (unfiltered is best)
Bouquet garni; thyme sprigs, bay leaf and parsley
1 loaf country style bread
Ground black pepper
Splash Cognac, optional
1 cup grated Fontina or Gruyere cheese
Trim the ends off each onion then slice from end to end. Remove peel and finely slice into half moon shapes. Set electric skillet to 300 degrees and add butter. Once butter has melted add a layer of onions and sprinkle with a little salt. Repeat layering onions and salt until all onions are in the skillet. Do not try stirring until onions have sweated down for 15 to 20 minutes. After that, stir occasionally until onions are dark mahogany and reduced to approximately 2 cups. This should take 45 minutes to 1 hour. Do not worry about burning.
Add enough wine to cover the onions and turn heat to high, reducing the wine to a syrup consistency. Add consume, chicken broth, apple cider and bouquet garni. Reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.
Place oven rack in top 1/3 of oven and heat broiler.
Cut country bread in rounds large enough to fit mouth of oven safe soup crocks. Place the slices on a baking sheet and place under broiler for 1 minute.
Season soup mixture with salt, pepper and cognac. Ladle soup into crocks leaving one inch to the lip. Place bread round, toasted side down, on top of soup and top with grated cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly and golden, 1 to 2 minutes

Riboletta

2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling at the table
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 fresh laurel leaf or 1 dried bay leaf - fresh bay is available in herb section of larger markets
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cans small white beans, such as Goya brand, cannellini beans may be substituted but look for cans marked "small white beans" on international foods aisle of market
6 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cups tomato sauce 3 cups stale chewy Italian bread, crust removed and bread torn into pieces, about 1/2 a loaf
1 small white onion, thinly sliced or finely chopped, for garnish
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for garnish
Heat a deep, heavy bottomed pot over moderate heat. Add oil, garlic, onions, carrots, celery and bay to the pot. Season vegetables with salt and pepper and saute until they begin to soften 5 to 7 minutes. Add beans, stock and tomato sauce. Bring soup to a boil over medium high heat. Remove lid and stir in torn stale bread. Stir soup and incorporate bread as it breaks down. When soup is becomes thick and bread is distributed evenly, adjust seasoning and serve the soup in shallow bowls. Some ribolittas are so thick, the spoon can stand upright. This is a subjective technique. Make yours as thick or thin, as you like with the addition of either more bread or additional stock or water.
Top shallow bowlfuls of soup with thinly sliced or finely chopped raw onion, a drizzle of extra- virgin olive oil and a generous sprinkling of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Lemon Pasta

Salt
1 pound spaghetti
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 lemons, zested and juiced
1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup (10 or 12 leaves) fresh basil, very thinly sliced

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and drop the spaghetti into the pot.
Heat a large deep skillet over low heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and garlic and crushed red pepper flakes.
When the pasta has been cooking about 5 minutes remove it from the water and put it in the skillet, add lemon juice, a ladle of the cooking water from the pasta and 1 cup of cream to the garlic and oil. Raise heat a bit to bring sauce to a bubble.
Drain pasta when it still has a good bite to it, al dente. Add lemon zest and half of the cheese to the cream sauce. Season the sauce with salt, to taste. Add pasta to pan and turn off heat. Toss the pasta with sauce a minute or 2, allowing it time to soak up the sauce.
Top the plates of pasta or platter with remaining cheese, parsley and basil.

Thimbles with mushrooms and artichokes

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 pound mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned and finely chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 3/4 teaspoon

1 cup dry Marsala wine
1 pound thimble pasta
1/2 pound frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Place the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Saute, stirring occasionally, until all the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms have cooked down, about 10 minutes. Add the Marsala and continue cooking until almost all the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Stir in remaining salt. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and add it into the mushrooms, Marsala and onions Add the artichoke hearts, Parmesan and cream and cook until the artichokes are heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve

Balsemic mushroom cream chicken

Salt
1/2 pound orzo pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 6 ounces
Pepper
2 tablespoons butter
12 cremini or baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
12 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
12 white mushrooms, sliced
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, a couple of sprigs, chopped
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, eyeball it
3 tablespoons heavy cream or half-and-half, a couple turns of the pan
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, a generous handful
Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and add orzo pasta. Cook to al dente.
Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper and add to the hot skillet. Cook the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover with foil to keep warm.
Return the skillet to the heat, turn heat back a bit, and add the butter. Once the butter melts add the mushrooms and brown stirring occasionally for about 4 to 5 minutes. Once the mushrooms are brown season with salt and pepper then add the garlic, thyme and shallots. Cook stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes or until the shallots are wilted. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook 2 minutes more. Whisk in the stock, balsamic vinegar and the cream. Turn the heat up to high and simmer for about 2 minutes or until thickened. Slice the chicken on an angle. Add the parsley and the chicken back to the skillet to heat up, about 1 minute.
To serve, pile orzo on dinner plates and top with the sliced chicken and sauce

Wilted spinach with wine and butter

3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 pounds triple washed spinach, coarsely chopped, tough stems removed
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 pinches of salt
1/2 cup dry white wine
Salt and pepper
This dish takes only 5 minutes to prepare, so begin preheating the skillet 7-8 minutes before you are ready to sit down and eat.
Heat a medium sized skillet over medium heat. With the flat side of your knife, make a garlic paste with smashed garlic and salt. Melt butter into pan. Add garlic paste to the pan and the spinach in bunches, adding more spinach to the pan as it wilts down. When all of the spinach is wilted, add wine and let reduce.

Spiced Apricot Couscous
1 ½ cups low-fat milk
2/3 cup dried whole wheat couscous (4 oz)
1/3 cup refrigerated/frozen egg product or 1 egg plus 1 egg white lightly beaten
¼ cup coarsely snipped dried apricots
1 Tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground ginger
Pinch ground nutmeg
¼ cup chopped pecans

in a small saucepan, whisk together milk, couscous, egg, apricots, honey, cinnamon, salt, ginger and the nutmeg. Cook and stir over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until couscous is very tender and the mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in pecans just before serving.

Roasted stuffed strawberries
12 extra-large strawberries (the bigger the better!)
1 to 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon sugar, optional
Spray whipping cream (the real kind in the can in the dairy section)
Cocoa powder, for garnishing
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Slice the tops of the berries off just below the stem. Cut the tips off (about 1/4-inch), so that the berries will sit upright. Next, use a small spoon or a melon ball scoop to hollow out the strawberries, working from their tops, in order to create a cavity in each one. Stuff some chocolate into the cavity of each strawberry and place them upright in a baking dish. Lightly sprinkle the berries with sugar, if using. Roast the berries until soft and the chocolate is melted, about 10 to 12 minutes.

To serve, place 3 strawberries on a dessert plate in a triangle. If the berries have given off liquid in the baking dish, spoon it over them. Spray a small mound of cream in the center of the berries, and top each berry with a rosette of cream. Sift a little cocoa powder over the plate, and serve!

Alcoholic Hot Chocolate

2 cups milk
3 1/2 ounces best-quality dark chocolate, bittersweet or semisweet, as preferred
1 cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons dark rum, or to taste
Put the milk into a saucepan and break the chocolate into pieces and add to the milk along with a cinnamon stick, honey, and sugar and heat gently until the chocolate is melted.
Add the vanilla and mix with a small hand whisk and still whisking, add a spoonful of the rum first and taste to see if you want more. Add more sugar if you want this sweeter, too. Take out the cinnamon stick and pour into 2 cappuccino or caffe latte cups.