Green Curry Chicken

Winner winner, chicken curry dinner.

Green Curry Chicken

Ingredients
Serves 4

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 onion, diced

2 red bell peppers, sliced

1 red chili pepper, sliced into thin strips

3 skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips

14 oz can coconut milk

3 tbsp Thai fish sauce

3 tbsp green curry paste

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp lime juice

1/2 in ginger, peeled and grated

1/2 - 1 tbsp crushed red pepper, adjust for taste

6 oz snow peas

1-2 tbsp heavy cream

Method

1. Heat oil in a large pot and fry the onion over medium-low heat until soft, 4-5 minutes.
2. Add the peppers and fry for 2-3 minutes. Make a well in the center of the vegetables and add the chicken and brown.
3. Add the curry paste and stir together.
4. Add coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Stir together, cover and let it simmer for about 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
5. Add the snow peas and cook for a couple of minutes.
6. Serve with plenty of sticky white rice to soak up the liquid goodness.

Classic Pesto

When spring finally shows it's face and the sun brings enough warmth to melt the snow there is one thing you must do: make pesto. I know this is somewhat nonsensical "why would you make pesto when basil hasn't even begun to grow?" but the bright flavor of basil and warm heartiness of the pine nuts and cheese is such a perfect way to welcome the new season. 

This was my first attempt at making pesto and it was a complete success. I had some good olive oil from an Italian market and a lot of pine nuts I'm pretty sure anyone who's bought pine nuts at Costco understands this situation and when I saw the large containers of basil at Trader Joe's, the next step was obvious.

I found this blog that was incredibly helpful for a novice pesto maker. It's a good overview and gives a basic recipe for pesto that I adjusted slightly. One of the best features of pesto is its versatility in creation and utility. The blog gave many examples of alternative ingredients and, now that I've mastered the classic recipe, I expect I'll experiment with all kinds of styles in the future. Something this recipe certainly made me appreciate is the spiciness that fresh garlic has. It's incredibly powerful, and while I've thought of it as being bitter, I've never really considered the spice it has. What an incredibly deep flavor. Those Greeks and Italians really know what's up. That's all I have to say.

So without further ado, I give you Classic Pesto:

Classic Pesto

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pine nuts
3-4 garlic cloves
2.5 oz basil leaves (about 3 cups)
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan or other nutty cheese
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a food processor or blender, blend together basil, nuts, garlic, and cheese. Pour in oil slowly while still mixing, and then add in salt and pepper. Scrape down the sides and pulse once more to make sure it's well-blended.

Storage:

Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. If you plan to use it after 1 week, portion the pesto in an ice cube tray and cover with a shallow layer of olive oil and freeze.

Soy Balsamic Glazed Chicken Legs

I have realized the reason I have never been successful at making a blog before. When I'm indulging myself in food blogs, seeing what's new and tasty out on the internet, I always see these wonderful step-by-step photos that look incredible and give such an amazing description of how the recipe is put together I think Pioneer Woman started this. It's so handy to see what the ingredients should look like as you go "Did I reach the softball stage yet? Should I have bought a thermometer? What does 'softball stage' mean anyhow?" and this is something I've greatly appreciated about Halmost every blog I frequent. How on earth do they get such wonderful photos as they go? When I start cooking there is no time for photography. I find a recipe most fitting for first my cravings, and second what I already have on hand, and then I turn my brain on to partial capacity and let my senses take the wheel. I begin with a general idea of the process and a definite hunger in mind. As I work through the recipe things slowly come together and I make changes based on what my instincts tell me: more seasoning, more bite, more heat, more BUTTER, etc, and most of the time it's pretty incredible (not to toot my own horn or anything..)

So within this process, this aimless culinary safari, I usually completely omit the documentation step. I become enthralled with the end product and by the time the creating is done, I am beyond hungry. I am starved, excited, anxious, RAVENOUS. And hell if I'm getting a camera to take some fancy photo before indulging in my plate of delicious. 

I sit down and I enjoy every bite. I contemplate, I analyze, I quench, and oh man is it good. By the time I'm done eating and my plate is clean the thought usually dances through my mind, "Oh wow, that was really good. I should have taken pictures and put them in a blog or something." And then I just go for seconds and move on with my life. 

There have been countless meals, quick breads, snakes, and treats where this situation has replayed itself and, seeing that it's a habit I am powerless to shake, I give you Soy Balsamic Glazed Chicken Legs.

Soy Balsamic Glazed Chicken Legs

Ingredients:

• 6-8 chicken drumsticks, skin on
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tbls chili paste or Sriracha
• 1 tbls molasses or honey
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger (you can use 1 tsp of fresh if you want)
• 2 tbsp scallions, chopped (optional)
• 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
• White rice (sub chicken broth for water)

Directions:

1. In a heavy saucepan, brown the chicken on high for 3-4 minutes (use oil or butter if using skinless legs). While legs are browning combing water, vinegar, soy sauce, chili paste, molasses, garlic, and ginger in a separate bowl.
2. When legs are browned, add the soy-balsamic mixture to saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and allow the sauced to reduce down for 8-10 more minutes, turning the chicken occasionally. 
3. Once the sauce is reduced to a glaze and the chicken is cooked through, transfer the legs to a serving platter and pour the glaze over the top. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds or completely forget this step because it was so tasty at this point that you forgot the garnish and just started stuffing your face.
4. Serve over white rice.