Jalapeno Popper Chicken

I have a love/hate relationship with chicken. When I prepare chicken I trim half of it away because it's fatty, or stringy, or has those random red veiny blood spots (ughhhhhhh). Then, when I cook it, it ends up dry.

Not this time.

Sometimes, because we have a tiny freezer/fridge, I store some frozen things in my parents' extra freezer in the basement. I didn't remember until this week that I had chicken breast and hamburg down there. Last night I brought up the chicken to our fridge and scoured through my saved recipes. Which one would I choose?

I gravitated toward Pinterest (again), and went with a stuffed chicken. I was a little weary of making a stuffed chicken, because in the past, they have either been over-cooked, the filling comes out, they don't cook evenly, or it's a lot of work to flatten them out of you want to roll up your chicken. When I got home today from gathering the few ingredients I needed for this, I found my chicken still decently frozen. I defrosted it in the microwave until it was easy enough to slice a pocket into. To my surprise, I only added about 5 minutes to the cook time from the original recipe. I figured with the partial frozen-ness of the chicken that I would run into the over-cooked category or the uneven cooking category, but no. These came out PERFECT. Perfectly cooked and ridiculously juicy. This one's a keeper.The fact that they're stuffed with the ingredients of a jalapeno popper makes it even better. Tell me it doesn't.....

Jalapeno Popper Chicken
adapted from Skinny Taste

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 pkg. cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat), softened (You can use Neufchatel for less fat)
2 jalapenos, diced
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Juice from 1 lime
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450. Wash and dry chicken, and season with salt and pepper.
2. Combine cream cheese, jalapeno, bacon and cheese.
3. In a shallow dish, combine the olive oil, lime juice and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
4. In another shallow dish, lay out the breadcrumbs.
5. Lightly spray a baking dish with cooking spray.
6. Cut a pocket into your chicken breasts and fill them with the cream cheese mixture. Use toothpicks to secure them closed so the filling doesn't leak out as easily.
7. Coat the chicken breast in the oil and then dredge through the breadcrumbs, being sure to coat the entire breast evenly.
8. Place in baking dish, and repeat with all chicken breasts. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

The original recipe was doubles, so I reduced this to my liking. You may not want 2 full jalapenos, and leave out the seeds of you don't want that serious heat, I left them out. I also eyeballed the cheese, I probably had around 1/2 a cup, but I recommend even more. I also upped the bacon, it called for 2 slices for 8 chicken breasts, but really, how is less bacon the answer? It's not.

Stovetop Mac & Cheese

At least once a month, I do a cooking activity with my students. I choose easy recipes with few steps, as I am teaching them functional kitchen and cooking skills in my vocational internship class. They asked if we could make macaroni cheese this month, so here's how it came out.

My students are great when we cook. Though they need a lot of supervision with many things, they are always eager to learn new kitchen skills and they take pride in the meals they've made. I found this recipe with a quick google search. The most intensive part of the recipe is grating the cheese. It's a great motor skill activity for my kids, and I use my Ikea grater bowls, which works out much easier for them.

Check them out here http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50153180/

Stovetop Mac & Cheese
adapted from Clever Crafty Cookin Mama 

1 16 oz box of pasta (we used large elbows)
4 tbsp butter
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 can evaporated milk (didn't use the whole thing)
1-2 cups grated cheddar cheese (we used just about 1.5 cups)
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook and drain noodles. Return to pot.
2. Stir in butter, cheese soup and 1/2 can of evaporated milk. Stir until combined.
3. Add 1 cup of cheese and stir. Add more cheese to get the desired cheesiness. Add in evaporated milk in small amounts if you want to make it creamier. (We ended up using about another 1/4 cup of milk for ours with about 1.5 cups of cheese).
4. Serve and top with salt and pepper as desired.

Sweet & Salty Cookies

Baking/cooking is one of the few things that relaxes me and brings me peace and comfort...even if it turns out to be a disastrous recipe. Well, the only exception is when I'm on a deadline for a recipe that needs to presented to people and it goes wrong, otherwise, I can handle a kitchen disaster if it only affects my personal meals.

Today was a long day. The end of March is the end of MCAS Alt Portfolios for us special ed teachers. It's bittersweet, because I'm happy that they will be sent out this week and not have to deal with them anymore, but the final week with them ruins my life. I stayed after school today for 3 hours to finish everything up. All I have to do tomorrow is put the work into page protectors, show them to parents and I'm done.

Until next year...

I also developed a migraine around noon-ish. I spent my afternoon programming/editing data into a computer and checking and double-checking names, dates, work samples, typos, etc. My final hour was spent with a tissue in hand to wipe away the tears welling in my eyes from the immense headache. My headache was just banging on my skull saying "Oh, I'm sorry, are your working on the most important thing you have to do this school year? Let me continue making your skull pulse with pain".

Yay Monday.

It was time for a new recipe, and I've had the ingredients for this one in my cabinet for about two weeks. This, like many of my recent postings, is from Pinterest. I've shifted off of recipes for a while and moved to home decor now that home ownership is on my mind.

These cookies hit the spot just right. I'm not a big cookie eater or cookie baker. Whenever I bake them, I find myself always thinking, eh, they're OK. I'd much prefer to bake cupcakes or cheesecakes. These cookies have a nice crunch from the pretzels and a great balance of sweet from the caramel and chocolate. A very easy update on the standard chocolate chip cookie. I changed the name just because Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies was just too long.

Sweet & Salty Cookies
from Dessert Now Dinner Later

1 stick butter, room temperature
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1.5 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 cup pretzel sticks, broken into thirds
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup caramel bits

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars until fluffy.
3. Add the vanilla and egg, scraping down the side as needed, and mix until combined.
4. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt together. Add the mix gradually to the wet mixture, mixing until incorporated.
5. Fold in the pretzels, chocolate chips and caramel bits with a spatula.
6. Bake for 11-12 minutes.

See, isn't that simple?

Top of the Hub

One weekend after the Atlantic City trip and I'm back into a busy weekend. My cousin is getting married in June, and his fiance had her bachelorette party up here in Boston (they live in Florida with family here and in Connecticut). Our agenda was some Irish pub hopping and dinner at The Top of the Hub.

Top of the Hub is at the Prudential Center in Boston. Last I checked, their website was down, otherwise I would post a link. Here's how our night went.

We had a reservation for 9:00pm. We arrived at 9, checked our coats, and were seated within 5 minutes of arriving. The coat check is next to the bar, which was packed. The entire restaurant was packed. Reservation are a must, as well as some other helpful hints. First, this is a very nice (and expensive) restaurant. Business attire and a stacked wallet are necessary, so basically no hats, sneakers, flip flops, jeans, especially in the dining room. If you want a window seat, it's a $25 minimum. To eat in the dining room, you must order an entree (we found that out when some of our party wanted to get soup/appetizers and a salad...apparently those things that amount to the same price as an entree are not acceptable, you must order an entree). Drinks were around $10-$15 dollars, but they also had a "luxury" drink menu with a Manhattan that costs $90. Seriously???

Now, when you go to a place like this you are paying for the experience. The quality of food is usually good, but it's the name, the reputation, you are paying for. At the Top of the Hub, the views are astounding. You are on the 52nd floor with panoramic views of Boston.

We all started with ordering our drinks. We waited almost 20 minutes for them to come, later learning they ran out of glassware behind the bar. Really? You service a full restaurant 7 days a week and you haven't learned to keep up with the glassware...

Then, as we ordered, we learned about the entree exception in the dining room. Once everyone had decided on an entree, we waited 30-40 minutes for those to come out. I didn't mind the wait for dinner, as that was a little more acceptable. It was a packed restaurant and we were a table of 9. They also had a server for each dish deliver it to the table. While we were waiting we did have a lot of bread to snack on.

I ordered the Spicy Lobster soup, which I had heard had many great reviews. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the soup. It was delicious, and a good serving of it too. It had a few small chunks of lobster in it. I wish it had more, or even one big claw in it would have been good.

Then, for my entree, I got the fillet. I ordered it medium rare, and it was cooked perfectly. It was served with potatoes in a fondue-like cheese sauce, a tomato roasted with blue cheese on top and the fillet was topped with red-wine braised onions. It certainly was delicious, but not the best fillet I've had. The Foundation Room at the House of Blues in Los Angeles still holds that title.

Overall, I'd have to say that the Top of the Hub is overrated. I guess to experience it once is okay. I went when I was a junior in high school, but that was well before I had an appreciation of food. I remember ordering the lobster bisque back then, and I most likely ordered a pasta dish, since I rarely ate meat back then. The views are exceptional, but the food and drinks, I feel, were only alright, I feel I could find their meals at a nice restaurant, with prices not nearly as high. I understand how they got their reputation, but there's plenty of other restaurants to check out if you're looking for the best quality food, which I of course, always am.

Buddakan

Somehow, March of each year is the craziest time of year. I shouldn't really say "somehow". I know exactly why it is. It's because I'm a severe special needs teacher, and MCAS Alternative Assessment Portfolios are due to the state at the end of March. It's because my annual Atlantic City trip is in March. It's because I am currently trying to buy a house.

While buying a house is exciting (and stressful), and MCAS portfolios are pure evil, the focus of this post is Atlantic City, which is awesome! This year we left on St. Patrick's day, and returned on the 19th. Another 3-day whirlwind trip that's over in a flash.

This year was a little more mellow of a trip. I focused less on drinking (gallbladder recovery is still a little in effect) and more on relaxing, which I desperately need this time of year. My mum, aunt and I decided to go shopping (more so window shopping) at the Pier Shops at Caesars Palace. On the 3rd floor of the shops there are nothing but restaurants. My aunt decided we needed to partake in some sort of happy hour, maybe some drinks, preferably some sushi. We decided on Buddakan. Once we looked over the menu, we rushed right in. They featured a happy hour menu of some select items and drinks, all $5. Yes, I said all $5.

When you walk in, this is what you approach:

We sat at the bar. Starting off with the drinks, we were able to choose from about 8-10 signature drinks, all $5. We went with the Zen-gria.

Described as a blend of wine, sake, spirits and fruit (one raspberry apparently counts as fruit), this cocktail was delicious. It was super light and refreshing, and I want to learn how to make it myself.

Onto the appetizers. When I saw the menu featured dim sum items, I almost fell off my bar stool. I love dim sum and haven't had any traditional dim sum in years. While this isn't traditional, it would certainly fulfill some of my dim sum cravings. I didn't get a chance to snap photos of the Cantonese Spring Rolls or the Chicken & Ginger Dumplings, but I assure you, they were delicious.

What I did capture photos of were these...

Tuna Spring Roll

The Tuna Spring Roll intrigued me. Mum and Aunt wouldn't try it. While I love tuna tartare, I was hoping these would be a little spicier (or spicy at all). When I cut them open, they looked so yummy, but when I took a bit, they were pretty plain. To be honest, I left half of one uneaten. It just didn't wow me. Especially after I had eaten these right before it...

Spicy Rock Shrimp Bao Buns

Sweet Jesus in heaven. I'm not so sure I can do these justice. We all split one order, I ate one, they each ate half. The we all ordered our own separate orders after that. These were phenomenal. Outstanding. Amazing. Absurdly delicious. Think of any adjective that would describe good food and it can be applied.

I've had tradition dim sum Char Siu Bao, which is barbecue pork wrapped in these fluffy buns and sealed up like a little bun/biscuit. These were clearly open, and we ate them like a taco. It was wonderfully spicy, similar to the spicy mayo you get on some sushi dishes. The buns were super soft and fluffy. As I type this, I wish I was having a million of these for dinner instead of spaghetti and meatballs, which is great, but it's not on the same level as these babies.

Our bartender was attentive, and all dishes were brought out as they were made, so everything was fresh and kept at a great pace for eating. It's the off season on Atlantic City, so the restaurant wasn't crowded. There were 2 other couples that were in the bar at some point during our happy hour excursion. I'm glad that we had the place mostly to ourselves. It was quiet and calm and allowed me to really enjoy the drinks and food.

And oh those bao buns....

Slammin' Salmon

Pinterest is ruining my life. Unless I can make every thing I've pinned actually exist in my life, in that case, Pinterest would make my life amazing. I've pinned quite a few recipes and I almost looked this one over.

Here's the thing, I have a love/hate relationship with fish. I love raw fish. Cooked...ehhh. I need to have a serious craving for cooked fish, or else I hate it. The picture for this recipe looked pretty good, but every time I eat cooked salmon I'm so unimpressed. My mum used to buy these frozen salmon fillets that were blackened salmon or something or other with a great spice on them. I figured with this marinade, that they would be super flavorful. They weren't bad, and my parents really liked it (yes, I cooked for mum and dad tonight), but they enjoy fish more than I do. I wish I had reduced some of the marinade to make a glaze...or just cut the fillets sashimi style and not even cooked them. That last part isn't true, I don't think I could attempt to make my own sushi, too afraid the fish wouldn't be sushi-grade and I'd get food poisoning and die. Everyone has fears..mine include that scenario, spiders, unstable heights, and things with abnormally long limbs (like people on stilts).

I may have just revealed more information about myself than you'd care to know. Sorry. I'll carry on with the recipe, which is why we're here in the first place. I will keep the original name of the recipe since I didn't create it, I just stole it. I'm not sure I'd consider it "slammin".

Slammin' Salmon
from All Recipes

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp pepper
1.5 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup peanut oil
4-8 boneless, skinless salmon fillets (depending upon size)

1. Combine all ingredients. Pour into a Ziploc bag with the fillets or pour over fillets in a shallow dish. Refrigerate for 2-24 hours.
2. When cooking the salmon, cook on a grill for 4 minutes per side until salmon is cooked through and flaked easily. I cooked mine on a counter top griddle/grill. Some fillets were thicker than others and needed a couple of extra minutes.

Lonely salmon, awaiting sides....

Pot Pie Cupcakes

I'm back, new and improved and minus a gallbladder!

Let me tell you, as someone who prides herself in eating everything and loving most food, having to live on broth-based soups, toast, yogurt, pudding and popsicles for 4 days SUCKS! Actually, I enjoyed the popsicles, they were pretty much the only thing I wanted in the beginning. I am now 10 days post-op and have no restrictions on my diet and have been able to handle everything I've eaten so far. I just can't lift anything for 6 more weeks. It's nice to get back in the kitchen. I'm not done with soup and pudding just yet. My better half had his wisdom teeth out two days ago, so that diet is still running strong in this house.

In my two weeks off (1 for school vacation and 1 for surgery recovery), I had a lot of time to do some serious pinning. I also had a lot of time to do some serious napping, some serious loathing, and some serious appreciation for people who have wayyy more major surgeries than a laproscopic cholesytsectomy.

My pinning found me a whole bunch of ideas for recipes and ideas for my future home...and wedding....and children...and tattoos...and fashion. Whoever created Pinterest..I envy you. I stumbled across this recipe and it just seemed so easy and so delicious. Tonight is a perfect night for this. I had my post-op appointment after work today and it's snowing, so I just want to cuddle up on the couch. This takes all of 10, maybe 15 minutes to prepare (if your chicken is pre-cooked!) and another 15 to bake.These are ridiculously delicious!

Pot Pie Cupcakes
from Tablespoon

yields 17, give or take

1 chicken breast (I used 2 small), cooked and diced
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1 tbsp. herbs de Provence
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
2 cans of Pillsbury biscuits

1. Preheat oven to 400 and grease two muffin tins.
2. In a large bowl mix together all ingredients except for the biscuits.
3. Stretch out each biscuit a tiny bit and press into the muffin cups.
4. Fill each with the chicken mixture.
5.  Bake for 15 minutes until golden and biscuits are cooked. (I put mine back in for 3 minutes and they came out perfectly!)

Yes, this is real life.

I may have added cheese to my mashed potatoes...and don't mind the messy counter!

Amazing!