Shrimp & Asparagus in Lemon Garlic Sauce w/ Spinach & Feta Orzo

We all have hectic, fast-paced lives. Stay at home moms run around the house chasing after toddlers and grocery & cleaning lists, while working moms have to deal with co-workers and deadlines on top of that, to say the least. Working ladies are also busy artfully balancing their social, work and love lives. So, what about dinner? Yes, there's always the option of ordering take-out or going to a restaurant, but sometimes it's just not in the budget or schedule. If you have 15-25 minutes to spare, you can pull off a great gourmet meal for your friends and family for half the price.

Last night was one of those nights. My husband stayed home from work sick with a migraine and my parents were visiting from Chicago so my house was quite full and action packed. By the time my son came home from school and we had finished working on his project, it was 7pm. Usually, I would have had dinner already finished, but there was no such luck this day. In 20 minutes, with this recipe, I had dinner ready and the table set and all I heard at the dinner table was, "Hhhmmmmmmm!" and, "Yummmmmm!"

Shrimp & Asparagus in Lemon Garlic Sauce

1 lb of shell-off medium sized shrimp
1 lb of asparagus
5-6 gloves of finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup of chicken or shrimp stock
1 tsp dried oregano
4 TBL of extra virgin olive oil
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt








Spinach Orzo

1 bunch of baby spinach
1/2 lb of Orzo pasta
3 tbl or crumbled Feta cheese
1/2 TBL of extra virgin olive oil
salt

In a medium pot, boil and salt water. Cook the orzo pasta for 6-8 minutes or until al dente. Stir pasta frequently to avoid the small pasta from sticking together.

While the water is coming to a boil, in a large saute pan, heat the olive oil in medium to high heat. Saute the red onions and garlic until the red onions have become translucent. Add the dried oregano and red pepper flakes and saute for another 1 minute. Add chicken(or shrimp) stock and 1 lb of shrimp and cook until it has turned pink in color. Scrape the bottom of the pan to pick up all the flavor bits and pieces of red onion and garlic. If using already cooked shrimp, only heat the shrimp through being careful not to overcook the shrimp. Once the shrimp has turned bright pink in color, add the lemon juice and salt and carefully toss and serve.

Once the orzo pasta is al dente, immediately take the pasta out of the pan and place in a bowl, draining the water. While the pasta is still hot, take the cleaned baby spinach and toss the fresh, uncooked leaves in with the pasta. If baby spinach is not available, take regular spinach and cut into leaves into smaller pieces. Drizzle with olive oil, add the pinch of salt and toss in Feta cheese. Serve warm or room temperature.

Chicken & Shrimp Chow Mein

Everyone loves a good Chow Mein. But sometimes, when ordering from your local Chinese restaurant, their recipe comes with MSG. Cooking chow mein may look complicated but it's actually quite easy and inexpensive. And what's great about it is you can customize the protein and vegetables to your liking and whatever is in season and the freshest. You can make salmon chow mein with asparagus and leeks, or shrimp chow mein with spring vegetables...whatever you fancy, you can do it!

Chow Mein is a Chinese term for stir-fried noodles. In my recipe, I use a typical flour noodle that has a distinct yellow color. A large pack cost me only about $3.50 at the local Asian market and I know it's also available at your local grocer. If not, substitute it with Soba noodles.

Chicken & Shrimp Chow Mein

1 large pack of "Flour Rice Stick" Noodles
3 chicken leg quarters
2 4 oz bags of "salad shrimp"
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 14 oz can of baby corn
2 large carrots
1/2 head of Savoy Cabbage
2 large onion
2 celery stalks
1 bay leaf
1 tsp oregano
2 TBL soy sauce
3 TBL vegetable oil
1 TBL cornstarch
salt & pepper

Poach the chicken leg quarters in a pot with water(until chicken in completely submerged), salt, pepper, oregano, 1 carrot, and 1 onion until cooked. Once chicken is cooked, drain the poaching liquid of vegetables and put it back into the pot to boil. Discard of the skin of the chicken and pull the meat off the bones and set aside to cool.

Julienne(cut into matchstick pieces) all the vegetables. In a 14 inch pan, heat 3 TBL of oil and sautee all the vegetables and cornstarch except for the cabbage until tender (not wilted). While the veggies are sauteing, take the dried noodles and boil them in the poaching liquid for about 3-4 minutes. This will give the noodles great flavor. Once the noodles have softened, take them out of the poaching liquid (DO NOT DISCARD) and set aside.

When the vegetables are done, add 2 cups of the poaching liquid until the sauce thickens a bit and add soy sauce. Add the 2 bags of shrimp, pulled chicken and noodles, and toss gently. Add the cabbabe and heat through and until the cabbage has slightly wilted. Plate and serve!

Refrigerator Staples - Mini Fusili w/ Bacon & Peas in a Cream Sauce

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in Jan 2010 was 14.8 million. 14.8 MILLION PEOPLE WITHOUT JOBS! I am so grateful to God that me and my family are not one of those families. However, even though we are a two income household, just like everyone else in this country, we are definitely feeling the pinch financially. Saving money is so detrimental to our financial success and we are doing everything we can to save every penny whenever possible. In saving money, I am learning to become savvier in my grocery shopping habits. Buying food is a must for everybody and I want to save money, but I don't want to sacrifice good food in doing so. So I'm sharing a recipe made from refrigerator and pantry staples. Not only are these items easy to find, they are also extremely inexpensive and easy to make for family and friends.

MINI FUSILI W/ BACON & PEAS

1 lb. mini fusili (or any other pasta of your liking)
1 pack of bacon
Frozed Peas
Parmesan Cheese
1 pint of heavy whipping cream
Salt & Pepper

Cut the bacon into about 1 inch pieces and fry until golden. Drain on papertowels.

Boil water in a pot and salt the water once in comes to a rolling boil. This is only chance you get to season the pasta. Cook the pasta from 6-8 minutes until al dente.

In a large saucepan, in medium heat, heat the heavy whipping cream. Once it is in a slow simmer, add 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese until sauce thickens. Add 2 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of pepper. Drain pasta and toss in cream sauce. Immediately add 1 cup of frozen peas (add more or less to your liking), another 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese and bacon. Toss until peas are fully heated through and serve.


http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

Newborn = New Life

Hello everyone! I am proud to announce that Samantha Nevya M. Cook was born on February 5th, at approximately 12:15 P.M. in Aurora, IL. I am so extremely glad this pregnancy is over and I can start my new life. And about this new life...

I must say that I am a lot more anxious about having to juggle a career, and raising 3 kids (and a husband ;P) much more than when I only had 2 kids running around. First off, it's more expensive. Second, the time management aspect of it all has just got me pinned to the wall. Can I really do this? Work full time? Be a mom and wife full time? Have time for myself? Have time with friends? Have time to cook and clean? The list is long and tedious and I just don't know. Everyone is telling me, "You're just going to make it happen." Am I really? I know for sure that I'm not the only woman having to do EVERYTHING, and I do find comfort in knowing that so many have done it successfully before me. But, can I?

I pride myself in making great food for my friends and family. I also take pride in knowing that great food doesn't mean it always has to be fancy-schmancy and out of the pages of a magazine. This is one area where I can show my loved ones how much I care and love them by putting the love in the food I make. Sounds cheesy, I know. But anyone can tell, even when eating in a restaurant, when the food was just slapped on the plate and brought to you to eat. There's just a certain something that makes the food taste better, simple or elegant, cheap or expensive, when there's thought and care put into it. So, you all can imagine how useless I've felt over the past couple of weeks being stuck in bed recovering and unable to cook for my beloved. I know, I know, I shouldn't beat myself up for it, I was recovering from delivering a baby for crying out loud! However, there is just something personally satisfying in knowing that I am feeding my family, that we're gathering together at the dinner table and sharing quality time together that many families (and even friends) are lacking these days. This is probably the reason why I love doing what I do and have made working in a restaurant a career. I love the idea that something so simple as food is something that is so incredibly necessary in everyday lives and brings people together, gives good health, and brings immediate and lasting satisfaction.

Over these next couple of months, I am very interested how my cooking style will change with this new life of mine. I am eager to share more experiences and recipes with you all soon.

Chicken w/ Mushroom Gravy

So, a staple in any kitchen should be chicken. I always buy what's on sale, leg quarters, thighs, drumsticks...whatever, it's a protein you can cook so many ways and very affordable. I especially love the bone-in breast. It's less expensive from it's boneless counterpart and has far less chances of coming out dry and is more flavorful because the bone helps it stay moist and has tons of flavor. The problem with chicken is that it's known to be the boring meat. My family and I love fried chicken dipped in gravy, especially from a well-known fried chicken chain now offering grilled options for the health conscious. My variation cooks the chicken in the oven and adds mushrooms to the gravy because frankly, I love mushrooms and it gives it a little gourmet twist. Here's a great recipe I made for dinner last night and it was a hit...even with the kids.

Chicken w/ Mushroom Gravy

1 Whole chicken - precut to eight pieces or 4 bone-in chicken breasts

1/2 of a LG green bell pepper - diced

1 medium spanish (or white) onion - diced

1 80z container of whole white button mushrooms - slice

2 TBL spoons of flour

2.5 cups of chicken stock (if no chicken stock, use water with 1/2 of a chicken buillion cube)

2 TBL of kosher salt

Pepper

1 tsp of dried oregano

2 dried bay leaves

Secret Ingredient : 1 TBL of Kikkoman soysauce...YES soysauce!

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Heat a 14" sauce pan with vegetable oil on high heat. I used my fave pot that I use for everything from frying to making stews. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Use as little or as much pepper to your taste. Brown the chicken SKIN SIDE DOWN. The point is to simply brown the pieces until it's golden and crispy, not to cook it all the way. Once all the chicken pieces are golden brown, place the chicken pieces on a cookie sheet and roast it in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches at least 140 degrees. (BUY A MEAT THERMOMETER! I promise you'll use it time and time again!)

Turn down the heat on the sauce pan immediately to medium to low-medium heat. Add the diced green peppers and onions with 1 tsp of salt 1/2 tsp of pepper and 1 tsp of dried oregano & bay leaves. Saute for about 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir for another minute and until all the veggies are coated with the flour. Add chicken stock and turn heat up to medium-high heat until the liquid is boiling. This is a very important step, because the flour will not thicken the gravy unless brought to this boiling point first.

Once the sauce hits it's boiling stage, turn the heat back down to medium and add sliced mushrooms and soysauce. The soysauce is an unexpected & unusual ingredient but like worchershire, it gives the gravy an great depth and makes you just go..."Hmmm, what is that?" I'll tell you, my husband was surprised when I told him I put soysauce on his gravy! Keep the gravy at low heat until all the vegetables have become tender and has incorporated with your gravy. When the chicken is cooked all the way through, plate and pour as much or as little gravy over the top as you desire.

Maternity Leave

I can't believe my last post was in October 2009! Life has been VERY hectic since then and I feel bad that I haven't had the time to update my blog. But, here I am now doing what I can. :)

Next Friday, Feb 5Th, 2010 my OB will be inducing me, meaning that she'll be basically forcing this baby out of me coz I cannot take it anymore! My official due date is on Feb 11Th. This baby already weighs 1 lb heavier than my other 2 babies when they were born, and me being petite, let's just say I'm very uncomfortable carrying around all this extra weight. With me now on maternity leave for about 2 weeks already, I have found myself extremely unproductive, which is NOT what I envisioned myself during this time off from work. I have been in bed lots of the time and finding myself not having any energy to pick up after the kids...or myself! It's taken a toll on me because I am usually always on the go. My mind wants me to get up off my butt and do something, but physically I cannot. The only time I find myself excited to get off my behind is when I'm cooking...surprise, surprise...

Last night for dinner, I made an easy shrimp in garlic & olive oil accompanied by an even easier brown rice salad. It was quick to make and the whole family loved it...except for Sofie who kept saying that the shrimp were scary. LOL. These days, as a mom, career woman and self proclaimed foodie, I have to try and fit my food style(s) into my busy lifestyle. I have many (chef) friends in the food industry who are awesome cooks. However, when I see them cook outside of the professional kitchen, I die at the amount of time it takes for them to make a meal! I'm no professional chef, actually I'd kill to go to Kendall College and study professional techniques. Anyway, my meals usually take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour and I promise you, you'll be blown away (most of the time). I say "most of the time" because I have tried out a few recipes on my family that didn't turn out so great. But I have an awesome repertoire of unwritten recipes using basic ingredients that most home cooks (should) have in their pantry at any given day. And I hope to start sharing them more often...

GARLIC SHRIMP - cook time 10 minutes

1 LB of peeled & deveined shrimp (frozen or fresh)
4-6 GLOVES of finely diced garlic
1 WHOLE shallot or 1/4 of a red onion (if you do not have shallots) finely diced
4-5 TBL spoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 TBL spoons of unsweetened butter
2-3 TBL spoons of your fave white wine (optional)
1/2 lemon for lemon juice
1 TBL spoon of Italian (flat) parsley or 1/2 TBL spoon of dried parsley (if you do not have fresh available)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste
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Heat a non-stick pan (medium high heat) with olive oil and butter. As soon as the butter melts, saute the shallots (or red onion) with the garlic until the shallots turn semi-translucent. Turn down the heat to medium to avoid burning the garlic. (If you are using DRIED parsley, put in the pan at this point).

Place all the shrimp in the pan and saute, carefully tossing or using tongs to mix with all the garlic, shallots and olive oil & butter, then put in the crushed red pepper flakes and white wine. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste taste. Saute until the shrimp are light pink on all sides.

Once the shrimp have turned pink on both sides, squeeze half a lemon and sprinkle parsley on top. Carefully toss all ingredients together and serve.


BROWN RICE SALAD - cooking time w/ already steamed rice 10 minutes

1 cup steamed brown rice (use orzo pasta or couscous if you prefer or do not have brown rice available)
2 cups of fresh flat leaf spinach
1/2 of green bell pepper - small diced
2 Roma tomatoes - small diced
(Use variations of your fave vegetables like zucchini, red bell peppers, heirloom tomatoes, kalamata olives, asparagus...whatever you want! Also try grilling or roasting the veggies if you have the time)
1/4 cup of Parmesan or feta cheese
4 TBL spoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 TBL of balsamic vinegar
Salt & Pepper to taste.
(Some people LOVE to use their fave store bought Italian dressing in lieu of creating a dressing) Do not use additional salt & pepper if using store bought dressing. It has enough sodium already in it.
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Simply toss all diced vegetables with the brown rice while the rice is still warm. I find that while the rice is still warm, it soaks up more of the flavors of the dressing and wilts the spinach a little. Then, toss the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Parmesan cheese until well distributed and chill for 5 minutes and serve.

If planning a get-together or a potluck, this salad is best made the day before or a couple hours ahead of the event to let all the flavors truly meld together.

Dinner Date...Bistro Campagne

Wow, motherhood and a career has got me so tied up lately that I haven't had the time to add any new posts to my blog. So, here I am again finding the time to quickly enter in my thoughts while the kids are busy watching Spongebob Squarepants. I have recently changed companies and back with Panera Bread as a manager. Panera is a great company to work for. Great, freshly made breads and pastries that I can be proud of, close to home, great work/life balance, everything that I can ask for in a restaurant company at this point in my life (in my family's lives). Now, I actually have the time to visit restaurants that I've wanted to visit with my husband!

Our last dinner date was in Lincoln Square, a neighborhood where we used to live in Chicago and love so much for it's charm, family friendliness and far enough proximity from the hussle and bussle of downtown, yet close enough for a 20-30 minute (and scenic) Brown Line ride on the L.
We visited a small and quaint French bistro called Bistro Campagne. The wine list is small, all French, of course. The menu concentrates on organic and local ingredients. Chef Michael Altenberg focuses on simple and classic French faire and is a bit of a celebrity in the neighborhood. Almost every other table were asking if he was in the restaurant as they were being sat. My husband and I wanted to meet him, but forgot to as were indulging in each other's company, wine and food!

Our first course, we ordered the mussels in white wine, very classic. It was good. I've had my share of mussels and what I love about this preparation is the abundance of garlic, white wine and shallots. The sauce was great and the bread it came with was awesome to dipping and soaking all the juices. I thought of also ordering the roasted bone marrow as I L.O.V.E the richness and melt in your mouth goodness of a great bone marrow, but decided not to. Maybe next time. For our main course, my husband ordered the sauteed white fish. The portion was perfect, not too big, not to small, and the presentation was simple and elegant. Marvin absolutely loved what he ordered and was extremely satisfied. I ordered the roasted braised rabbit. This was the very first time I have ever tried rabbit and I was soooo happy that I had a great experience! This rabbit was adorned with a FABULOUS mustard sauce, roasted potatoes and brussell sprouts. It was tender, not gamy at all and delish. I would definitely recommend that entree to anyone. Of course, for dessert, we ordered a creme brulee. It was perfect, it better be, being that this was a French bistro. I love creme brulee, simple and awesome.

All in all it was a great evening. Marvin and I needed time alone to just chit chat and be ourselves, not Mama or Papa, just Marvin and Johanna on a dinner date.

www.bistrocampagne.com
4518 N Lincoln AveChicago, IL 60625-2103(773) 271-6100
Reservations @ www.opentable.com