Cornmeal and Herb Crusted Chicken Drumsticks

It breaks my heart when I hear people say that they don't like chicken drumsticks. "It's too fatty." "There's a bone in it." "It's 'dark' meat...I don't like the concept of that." ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?!? First excuse on the fattiness - ok, I can kind of accept that, but fat also = flavor. It's not like you're eating a stick of butter. Second excuse: a chicken was an animal. Animals have bones. You may as well eat worms if you're scared of bones. When cooking meat with bones in it you retain moisture and flavor. The third excuse....don't even get me started. Let's just stick with the scientific explanation that dark meat is dark because of myoglobin. Chickens need to run *or..at least chickens who aren't locked up in cages*....so their legs need more oxygen. Myoglobin stores oxygen and that's what gives dark meat its color.

So science and being irked by non drumstick eaters aside....I obviously enjoy eating it. It's inexpensive, juicy and is incredibly flavorful. I've cooked it various different ways, but this is my first time breading and baking. Let's just say I'll definitely do it again. I found a couple recipes and didn't like any one of them so I took bits and pieces from various recipes and made it my own. All the herbs I used are fresh from my garden and the bread crumbs are from
an old hunk of bread that I put in the food processor.

Ingredients:
8 Chicken Drumsticks
1/4 C Dijon Mustard
3 Tbs Mayonnaise
1 Tbs Worcesterchire Sauce
A Splash or two of Tobasco Sauce
1/3 C Plain Bread Crumbs
1/3 C Cornmeal
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/4 tsp fresh Rosemary
1 1/4 tsp fresh Thyme
1 1/4 tsp fresh Oregano
1 1/4 tsp fresh Sage

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In small bowl, mix together the mustard, mayonnaise, worcestershire sauce and tobasco. In another dish combine bread crumbs, cornmeal, cayenne and chili powder. Chop up the fresh herbs all together and toss it in with the dry cornmeal/breadcrumb mixture. Working with one drumstick at a time, and using your hands, spread a thin layer of the mustard/mayo mixture all over the drumstick, then put it in the breadcrumb mixture, making sure to have the whole piece of chicken covered. Arrange the breaded chicken on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes. When you poke a knife into it, the juice should come out clear (not pink). Let sit for a couple minutes (if you can wait that long - because I couldn't and ended up burning my tongue), and serve warm.

Grilled Lobster w/ Garlic Herbed Butter

How do you pass up live, fresh lobster that are being sold at $7.99/lb. Simple - you just don't do it. *Thank you, Chowhounders for the food news updates!!!* Just the week before, I picked up 2 live crab off a boat in Bodega Bay ($6.99/lb), and steamed it with ginger and scallions (Here's a recipe for it from one of my fave blogs - Appetite for China). After that episode of fresh seafood - I was desperately craving lobster!!! Yumyumyumyumyumyumyumyum....=D.



Lucky for me, it was my dad's birthday - so I had a 'real' reason to splurge! - not that I needed a reason for $7.99/lb lobster. I ended up buying 3 lobsters that were just under 2 lbs each. Look - they're staring at you..saying "If you put me in boiling lemony water - I will forever hate you - but you will be forever pleased with my sweet and juicy meat, so I don't blame you."


Most people just eat the tail and the big claws, but there's actually a lot of delicious tender meat in the head and their skinny little legs, so I just decided to cook the whole damn thing - why not, right?

Ingredients
Lobster (in this case, 3 whole)
1 whole lemon - cut in half
1/4 Cup of Butter (1/2 a stick)
1 sprig rosemary, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Lemon wedges for serving

Boil a big pot of water and squeeze the juice of a whole lemon into it. Throw in the lemon halves for flavor. Submerge each the lobster under the boiling water for 1-1.5 minutes - until the lobster has turned orange and stops moving. =( You don't want to fully cook the lobster at this stage. If doing one lobster at a time - make sure the water comes back to a boil before putting in the next lobster.

After boiling, run it under cold water or submerge into a bucket of ice water to stop the cooking. Peel off the large claws and set aside to get it out of your way. Using a large knife, slice each lobster length wise using the bottom side of the lobster as a guide - in between its legs and down the middle of the tail. Clean out the guts and rinse it out a bit w/cold water. Let the water drain.


In the meantime, prepare the herbed butter. Mix the minced rosemary and garlic in with the butter and put it in the microwave until all the butter is melted (30 - 40 seconds). This allows the flavors of the garlic and rosemary to seep into the butter. Brush the garlic herb butter evenly on the open sides of the 6 lobster halves. Place cut side down onto a HOT grill for 3-4 minutes until the the meat is browned. While the halves are grilling, also place the claws on the grill - they'll take a total of 6-8 minutes to cook (3-4 minutes on each side).


Before serving, crack the shells of the claws using a mallot, and serve with lemon wedges.

Citrus Poppy Seed Cookies

This post is LONG over due. I made these cookies a couple months back after buying a bag of poppy seeds at random from a local european specialty food store. I went into the store wanting to buy something I had never purchased before since the store had so many unusual items like cured meats with weird names I had never heard of to sauces that were completely foreign to me. What I came out with was a bag of poppy seeds, a mug of mustard (yes, a mug....), and a few other little snacks.

I asked the lady at the counter what she'd make with poppy seeds and mustard, and she suggested, in a very heavy German-like accent, *I could barely understand her*....that a great recipe her mom made was to spread a thin layer of mustard all over a whole fish, stuff the inside w/ avocado and lemon, and sprinkle poppy seeds over it. Mustard Avocado & Poppy Seed Fish. It sounded great - but I wasn't in a fishy mood - that might be another post one of these days..... I'm familiar with poppy seeds in lemon poppy seed cake, muffins, etc...so I figured I'd stick to familiarity before venturing off into foreign territory. I found a recipe online for Lemon Poppy Seed cookies that sounded pretty good. I had fresh oranges to spare as well - so why not mix lemon and orange and make it my own! The came out sweet, slightly tart and deliciously cakey/chewy!


Ingredients:
1/2 Cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 Cup granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
1.5 tsp lemon zest
1.5 tsp orange zest
1/2 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 Tbs orange juice
2 Tbs Poppy Seeds
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
2 Cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Frosting:
1 Cup powdered sugar
1/2 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 Tbs orange juice

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks and vanilla and blend. Add the citrus zest, poppy seeds and sour cream and mix until combined. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Scoop 2 tablespoons of dough and roll to form each cookie. Drop them onto un-greased cookie sheets - keeping the about 2 inches apart. Bake until the cookes are lightly browned - about 18 minutes. Let the cookies cool before icing.

For the icing: Put powdered sugar into a bowl and mix in citrus juices until smooth. Dip the top of the cookies and let it drip before placing it down to allow it to harden.

Makes about 20 cookies

Scallion Cakes

I opened my produce box last week and to my horror, I found a humongous bunch of scallions. Yucky yuck yuck. Ok - they weren't ugly or anything - quite beautiful actually, with pretty shades of purple, white and green.

But if you know me, you know I hate scallions. When I was little, I'd pick them out of my fried rice, spoon it out of bowls of congee, and spit it out after taking a sip of miso soup. I gagged when I ate them. To this day, I pick them out whenever I can. When I tell people this little fact about me, they think I'm crazy because I like to eat pretty much everything. This next little tidbit is probably even more odd. Despite my hatred for scallions - there are only 2 ways I eat them. In both ways - they are used as the MAIN ingredient and can possibly be 2 of my favorite foods. Weird, right? I know. One of them is ginger scallion sauce, which I love to mix with white rice and gobble up, and the other is scallion cake. Hot, flaky, chewy and salty little pastries that have an incredible green onion flavor that I happen to love.


Ingredients:
2 Cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup room temperature water
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 scallions chopped into little pieces
A little bowl of salt - course preferred
A little bowl of corn oil

In separate bowls, mix together 1 Cup of flour with the boiling water, and the remaining cup of flour with room temperature water. Once each mixture is mixed well, combine the 2 together and knead until it's fully combined. Place the dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rest for one hour. In the meantime, chop up the scallions.


Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a a time, roll the dough into a circle that's about 1/8 inch thick. Using a brush, generously brush the dough with oil. Sprinkle a pinch of salt evenly over the dough, then sprinkle with chopped green onions. See picture for amount of green onions. (I know, I'd NEVER put that amount of scallions straight into my mouth). Roll up the dough length wise into a log. Then roll the log into a circle. Once a circle is formed, press it down flat. Some onions will ooze out, but that's OK. Repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough.

Once all the cakes are formed, heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook the cakes for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Roasted Cauliflower and Artichoke Heart Soup

I think cauliflower is totally under-rated. It doesn't get the praise that other vegetables get because it's not brightly colored, or super flavorful, or filled with uber amounts of vitamins and antioxidants. It's a plain white lumpy thing (although they do come in different shapes and colors...but that's another post...) whose flavor is slightly sweet and mild. Little does one know that it's a good source of fiber and is high in Vitamin C. My mom always said that if you eat things that look like a brain - you'll be smarter. I believe it. Walnuts, pecans, cauliflower....etc. Moms are always right.


That being said, when I found a humongous head of cauliflower in my box last week, I pondered over the many options of cauliflower dishes I could make to make me smarter. I tasted some cauliflower soup at Town Hall restaurant a couple months back, so I decided I'd make my own. I had some frozen artichokes I bought on a whim when I was starving and grabbing everything off the shelves that looked good - so why not throw some in the soup too! The result was a creamy and savory soup that had an everlasting flavor of that wonderful artichoke sweetness. I think roasting the cauliflower and artichoke hearts were key - it added a level of richness that I don't think would have existed if I had just boiled vegetables in the chicken broth.

Ingredients:
1 Large head of cauliflower - cut into little flowerettes
2 Cups of frozen artichoke hearts
3 Tbs olive oil
1 small onion - chopped
1 clove garlic - minced
4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you prefer)
1 cup whole milk
1/2 Tbs thyme leaves
1 tsp lemon zest
Salt & Pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. On a baking sheet, toss the cauliflower and artichoke hearts in a tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Spread it on the baking sheet in one layer and bake for 25-30 minutes until it cauliflower starts to brown. Remove from oven and set aside.



In a big pot under medium low heat, cook the onions and garlic until soft. Throw in the roasted cauliflower and artichoke stir. Pour in chicken broth and stir. Turn the heat to high and bring to boil. Once boiling, bring the heat back to medium low and allow to simmer for 15 minutes with the lid on. Add in thyme leaves and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and puree the soup. (Using an immersion blender or ladle into a blender). Stir in milk and lemon zest. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Peanut Butter Granola Apples

Aaah - Spring cleaning! I haven't cleaned like this since.....I moved into my place three years ago! I set aside things for donation (i.e. an old high school winter ball gown and graduation gown....umm...yeah - those needed to go - I was saving them in case any halloween costume ideas came up), and threw away a bunch of stuff that I would be embarassed for anyone else to have. All that work got me hungry during mid-afternoon and I needed a pick me up. While I was cleaning, I concocted up this yummy in my head. One of my favorite snacks is apples and peanut butter - so why not throw in another a favorite? I had recently picked up my favorite granola - blueberry flaxseed - and it was waiting to be munched on. Oh yum! I felt like a little kid putting it all together. It was fun, easy - and delicious too!


Ingredients
1 apple - preferably sweet and crisp - cored and cut into eighths
2-3 Tbs peanut butter - depending on how big the apple is
1/4 C Granola (any kind will do)

Spread peanut butter on one cut side of each apple slice. Press the peanut butter side down into the granola - repeat w/ all eight slices.

Roasted Bell Pepper Mashed Potatoes

"What's that orange colored looking pile of mush that looks so insanely delicious?" - is the question I asked myself upon entering Pluto's in the Marina for lunch one day. Without going into detail about the structure of this restaurant - they pretty much serve you good ol' home cookin' (turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, brussel sprouts, tri-tip, etc...) - that's just displayed out there for you to salivate over and end up ordering too much - even though it doesn't really matter because it all ends up in your stomach in one sitting anyway. That is THE lunch time place that my co-worker Allison and I look forward to going to when we actually have the time to drive over there. We've come to learn that if we each order a side salad with meat (it's pretty much exactly the same as a large salad and comes w/ seven toppings, but less expensive)...we'd leave just enough room and $$ for a side to share. On our drive over one day, we were contemplating whether we should go with the curly fries or mashed potatoes. Even when parking (It's about a ~10 minute drive) - we had not yet made our decision. When we opened the doors to Pluto's and saw the server scooping out a humongous glob of orange mashed potatoes - we didn't know what made it orange, but we knew we wanted it - no questions asked. I can't tell you how happy I was to find that Allison's excitement for these mashed potatoes was just as grand as mine.


What gave them the beautiful orange color was roasted red bell pepper. How GENIUS is that? I LOVE roasted bell peppers - why had I never thought about it before? The rich roasted sweetness of the bell pepper was incredible w/ the salty potatoes, I was craving them Saturday night, so I made them along w/ some turkey meat balls and veggies.

Ingredients

5-6 medium Russet Potatoes, diced up for fast cooking
1 bell pepper
Salt
Pepper
1Tbs butter
1/2 to 3/4 C Milk

Roast the bell pepper by putting it on an open flame until the skin blisters and blackens - turning over a couple times until the whole pepper is blackened. (If you have an electric stove like me....put it very close to the broiler in the toaster oven and turn it when it blackens) After the whole pepper is black and blistered, wrap in foil to let it steam and cool. This allows the skin to peel off easier. Once it's cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and remove the seeds. Chop into little pieces and set aside.

Boil the potatoes in water until very soft, then drain. Pour the potatoes back in the pot, season w/ salt and pepper. Mash them up a bit and add in the milk slowly. The smoother you want your potatoes, the more milk you should add. Toss in the bell peppers - use an immersion blender to whip it up together - watch the potatoes turn pink! Once the potatoes are desired consistency, mix in butter and serve.