Cranberry Orange Compote

My favorite time of the year is between Thanksgiving and Christmas. During the holidays, I love getting the whole entire family together and spending time with them. We typically have an extravagant meal made by my mother and we drink a ton a wine and talk and laugh for hours. My favorite thing that my mom makes during the holidays is a cranberry dish that we serve on the side. It is so simple to make and is always a hit at our dinner table. 

Here is how I did it: 

Cranberry Orange Compote 

Ingredients: 

-1 bag of fresh cranberries

-2 oranges 

-1/2 cup of powdered sugar

-1/2 tsp cinnamon 

-1 small ginger root 

Place a pot over heat. Pour the bag of cranberries into the pot. Juice one of the oranges and pour over the cranberries. Add the powdered sugar. 

Cut the other orange into 1 inch pieces with the skin on. Peal the ginger and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Place the orange and ginger into the pot and add the cinnamon. 

Cook for 10 minutes until the cranberries have burst. Serve as a side dish. 

Mushroom Risotto

Due to hurricane Sandy, classes have been canceled and I have been stuck in my house all day praying that the storm doesn't get too bad. Tonight, since outside is cold and wet, I decided that the perfect meal to make in this crappy weather is risotto.

I love risotto, it is so easy to make and you can basically put whatever type of ingredients you want. I love asparagus and pea risotto in the spring and butternut squash risotto in the winter. I decided to make mushroom risotto tonight. I love the meatiness of the mushrooms and the creamy smooth finish from the rice. The only thing about risotto though is that you have to keep an eye on it at all times or you could burn the rice.

Here is how I did it:

Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients: 
- 2 cups arborio rice
- 6 cups unsalted vegetable stock (chicken or beef if you prefer)
- 1 packet of dried shiitake mushroom
- 1 large onion
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 tbs salt
- 1 tbs pepper
- 1 cup of peccorino romano cheese

Pour 6 cups of stock in a pot and place over heat.

Open the pack of died mushrooms and place in a small bowl. Pour warm water over the mushrooms and allow them to rehydrate. Once they are fully hydrated, drain them and set to the side. 

Place another pot over heat and pour 2 tbs of olive oil. Finely chop the onion and sauté with the olive oil. Add the rice to the onions and sauté for 4 minutes. 

Add the boiling broth, one cup at a time, into the rice mixture. Stir frequently. Once you see that the rice has fully soaked up the broth, add some more stock. Do this until all of the liquid has been added. This takes about 30 minutes. 

When you have about a cup of stock left, add your mushrooms. Once all of the stock is in with the rice, turn the heat off and add 1 cup of cheese. 

You can serve this risotto as a side dish or as your entire meal. I had salmon with my risotto but it will taste delicious with a piece of steak or chicken. 

Roasted Chicken and Asparagus Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette

I work for a catering company during the school year to make some extra cash. I love working there because I love being around food and because I always get to try the food and it gives me great ideas for myself. This past weekend, one of the items that they served as an appetizer was a chicken and asparagus salad over a cracker and I thought it was such a great idea and the salad was delicious. I was also really surprised because they used a vinaigrette instead of mayonnaise, which really made me happy because I hate creamy dressings and I especially hate mayonnaise.

I decided to make my own version of the salad. I bought a whole chicken and roasted it the day before and used the breasts for the salad. I saved the other meat and the carcass to make chicken soup for another day. I also added thyme and lemon to my salad to brighten up the dish.

Here is how I did it:

Roasted Chicken and Asparagus Salad 

Chicken and Asparagus Salad:
- Chicken breast from roasted chicken (you can find this recipe in my blog archives)
- 1 lb asparagus
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 1/2 tsp thyme

Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- The juice of one lemon

Roast your chicken the night before in a 350 degree oven with olive oil, salt and pepper. Once it reaches 165 internally, remove from the oven and let rest. Remove the breasts from the chicken and place in a container and refrigerate over night. Save the carcass to make chicken broth.

The following day, boil a pot of water with salt. Cut the stems of the asparagus and place in boiling water for 1 minute. Remove the asparagus immediately from the water and place in an ice bath (water and ice cubes) to stop the cooking process. Pat the asparagus dry and set aside.

Remove the chicken breasts from the fridge and cut into 1/2-1 inch cubes. Do the same with the asparagus.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, olive oil and lemon juice together until fully combined. You can either use a whisk or a fork to bring everything together. Make sure to pour the olive oil in slowly so that your vinaigrette doesn't break.

In a large bowl, add the chicken, asparagus, lemon zest, thyme, salt and pepper and mix. Pour the vinaigrette over the mixture and combine all of the ingredients. Refrigerate for an hour before serving.

I served this chicken salad over a raison and walnut bread that I toasted lightly and spread goat cheese on top. I also added some mesclun salad and placed the chicken salad over top. The tartness from the cheese really pairs well with the salty vinaigrette and there is just a hint of sweetness from the bread. If you want to eat chicken salad but hate mayonnaise, I recommend you try this!

Cashew and Avocado Salad

Since Drexel does trimesters instead of semesters, I am already deep into midterms and projects. I have been so busy with school lately that I haven't had the time to go food shopping and make delicious meals to blog about. The past week I have been living off of cereal and pasta. I wanted to blog so bad but didn't have the right ingredients to come up with a recipe and share with you guys. I decided to take a recipe that I made a couple of weeks ago and share it.

I am a big salad girl. During the warmer months, I eat salad for at least one of my meals. I like to add hearty ingredients such as feta cheese or chicken or grains to keep me full and satisfied. The lettuce that I pick all depends on what type of salad I want to make. If I am in the mood for a salad with roasted chicken, I like to use romaine because it holds up well with the weight of the chicken. If I am in the mood for a lighter salad, I like to use baby arugula and/or spring mix. I never use pre bought dressing, I find it to taste artificial and don't see the reason why I can't make my own. My typical dressing is usually balsamic vinegar and olive oil. It is so easy to make and if you want, you can always make a large batch and store it in a sealable container.

The other week, I was really in the mood for a light salad that had very rich ingredients. I decided to make a salad that had toasted cashews and avocado. Cashews probably have the most amount of fat in a nut, but a little goes a long way. The richness of the nuts pairs so well with the avocado because it adds a smooth finish after the crunch of the nut. I also used a lemon vinaigrette to add some acidity to cut out some of the richness. Finally, I used a mix a baby arugula and spring mix to tie the whole salad together.

Here is how I did it:

Cashew and Avocado Salad

Salad:
- 1/4 cup macadamia nuts
- 2 cups spring mix salad
- 2 cups baby arugula
-1/2 avocado cut into 1 inch slices
-1/4 cup sliced red onion
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

Lemon vinaigrette: 
- 1/2 juiced lemon
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper


Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees. On a baking pan, spread out the nuts and place in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes until the nuts are lightly brown and toasted. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, add both the spring mix and baby arugula and mix together. Add sliced avocado, red onion, pomegranate seeds and macadamia nuts.

In a small bowl, add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and whisk until the vinaigrette has come together. Pour over the salad and toss gently.

You can serve this as a side salad along with a piece of chicken or pork or you can be like me and eat a large bowl of it. However you choose, it will sure be a hit!

Anne

Chicken Soup with Butternut Squash and Quinoa

The last two days have been so cold. I feel like it instantly changed from summer to late fall. I can't believe it is only October 8th and it is already 52 degrees out. I enjoy the cold weather though because of the fall fashion and getting to wear sweaters and boots and also because of the food. The food in the fall and winter is so warm and hearty, it is also so comforting.

I decided that I was going to use my left over roasted chicken from the night before to make soup. I always make chicken soup with carrots and potatoes but today I decided to try something new. Butternut squash is in season now and I love butternut squash soup so I decided to make a light chicken and butternut squash soup. I also wanted to add a grain in my soup to make it hearty to I choose quinoa to keep it light but filling.

Here is how I did it:

Chicken Soup with Butternut Squash and Quinoa

Ingredients: 
- 6 cups water
- 1 Chicken carcass (preferably roasted already)
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 large onion
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 1/2 pound butternut squash (peeled and cut)
- 2/3 quinoa
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2  tsp pepper
- 1/2 hot pepper

Place chicken carcass in a large saucepan and cover with 6 cups of water. Boil for 45 minutes until the chicken has fallen apart.

Once the chicken has fallen apart, remove from the broth and let it cool so that you can shred it. Place the broth in a separate bowl. Place the saucepan back on the stove and add 2 tbs olive oil. Chop up the onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and cut your butternut squash into 1 1/2 inch in thickness. Place in the saucepan with the onions. 

Cover the onions and squash with the chicken broth and boil for 15-20 minutes until the squash is tender. Remove the squash and onions from the broth and place into a shallow dish. Smash the squash with the back of your fork. 

Place the squash back in the broth. Add the quinoa and cook for 12 minutes. Once the Quinoa is cooked, add the shredded chicken back in the broth and turn the heat off. Serve with chopped sun dried tomatoes. 

This soup is so sweet and velvety. It will definitely warm you up from the inside out! 

Anne 

Croque Madame

A very popular meal to eat for lunch in France is a Croque Monsieur. You take baguette, ham and cheese and broil it until the cheese is melted and crispy. I used to love eating this sandwich when I was growing up. The baguette becomes so crispy when it is baked while the cheese becomes gooey on the inside but super crispy on the outside.

Today, I decided to make my own version of the open faced sandwich but instead of making a Croque Monsieur, I made a Croque Madame which is exactly the same sandwich but you place a fried egg on top. I also don't eat ham anymore so I replaced the ham with roasted turkey and topped it with smoked gouda.

Here is how I did it:

Croque Madame

Ingredients: 
- 2 thick slices of multigrain bread
- 1 tbs butter
- 4 slices of roasted turkey
- 2 slices of smoked gouda
- 2 large eggs
- tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper

Set you oven on broil. Place both slices of bread on a baking pan and spread 1 tbs butter on both slices of bread. Place 2 slices of turkey on each bread slice along with 1 slice of cheese. Pop it in the oven for 7 minutes until the cheese is melted and crispy.

Heat up a frying pan with 1 tbs of olive oil and fry 2 eggs sunny side up. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the eggs and separate both eggs so you can place 1 egg on each slice of bread. Serve immediately.

My favorite thing to do when I make this sandwich is break the yolk immediately and have the bread soak it all up! This sandwich is absolutely delicous and a great meal to make on the weekends and for your friends.

Anne

Roasted Herbed Chicken with Vegetables

One of my favorite meals to make when I have friends over for dinner is roasted chicken. It is so easy to make and it is always a crowd favorite. It's also an easy clean up because it is a one pot meal and if you add vegetables and a starch, you have a well rounded meal.

Since all of my roommates were away this weekend, I decided to invite one of my best girlfriends over for dinner. I thought that it would be the perfect opportunity to whip up this meal so we could catch up and have a filling dinner before our night out!

Here is how I did it:

Roasted chicken and vegetables: 
- 1 whole chicken
- 1 pound of carrots
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 large onion
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 2 tsp rosemary
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 lemon
- Salt and pepper

Garlic roasted red potatoes:
- 1 pound red potatoes
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 2 tbs olive oil

Honey dijon dipping sauce:
- 1 tbs dijon mustard
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 1/2 tbs honey

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Rinse the chicken and pat dry with a paper towel and place in a glass baking dish. Drizzle 1 tbs of olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper over the chicken. Chop up 1/2 tsp of thyme and 1 tsp rosemary and sprinkle over the chicken as well. Cut a lemon in half and place inside of the chicken with some extra thyme and rosemary. Set to the side.

Peal and cut carrots 1 inch in thickness and cut up your onion to the same size. Peal all of your garlic and place in a bowl and drizzle the remaining olive oil, salt and pepper and the remaining herbs. Place the vegetables around the chicken and place in the oven. Cook for 60 minute to 90 minutes until the chicken is 165 degrees internally.

While the chicken is cooking, clean and dry your potatoes. Cut the larger potatoes in half so that they are all approximately the same size. Place in a bowl and add, salt and pepper and herbs. Heat up a pan with the olive oil and sauté garlic until golden. Add the potatoes and saute for 5 minutes. Place the potatoes in the oven and cook with the chicken. 

Once the chicken is cooked, take it out of the oven and cover with tin foil for 5 minutes so that the juices can disperse evenly. Mix all of the ingredients together for the honey dijon mustard sauce and serve it on the side of the potatoes. Cut the chicken up and serve with the potatoes. 

This meal is so easy to make and so filling! I recommend that once you eat all of the meat from the chicken, save the carcass and make homemade soup! 

Anne