Pork Milanese

Pork Milanese

Remember how much I love Ann Burrell?  Yes, I said love!  I could totally see being friends with her.  She’s got spunk!  I have to say that most of my friends, especially my girlfriends are women with lots of spunk.  I like people that can put up with me and keep me on my toes.  I am an acquired taste as far as a friend.  I know it.  I’ve lived with it for a while now.  So I guess I look for the same traits in my friends.  My point is; Ann is that kind of personality…well I imagine she is!

Her cookbook: Cook Like A Rock Star is still a favorite of mine.  I have shared a couple recipes from this book, so today I thought I should give you one more delicious treat from Ann.  It is super simple to make.  The technique is key and you can simply change the protein to your liking, or what’s on sale at the store.

Let’s get to it.

Note: I did change a few things, because I can’t follow directions to save my life!  I put in parenthesis what I changed, feel free to follow Anne, or me or you…I’d go with you.  Be the master of your kitchen!

simple perhaps but amazingly scrumptious!

Ingredients:

For the onions:

3/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

2 0r 3 shots of Tabasco or other hot sauce

1 red onion, very thinly sliced rings

For the pork:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 large eggs (I ended up needing 3), beaten with 1 tablespoon water

1 1/2 cups panko (I did 3/4 panko and 3/4 Italian breadcrumbs)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano

4 thick-cut boneless pork chops, butterflied and lightly pounded (I did 5 chops, I sliced them in half lengthwise and then pounded them)

kosher salt

Extra virgin olive oil

For the salad:

1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino (I only had Parmigiano)

1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted

2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley chopped

1 head of escarole, cut into bite-size pieces (I did do the escarole but honestly romaine or even arugula would have worked)

Pickled Onions (recipe below)

Extra virgin olive oil

How to:

For the onions:

In a medium bowl, combine the vinegar with 1/2 cup cold water.  Add the salt, sugar and Tabasco and stir.  Add the sliced onions and let sit for a least 1 hour.

lovely pickled onions

For the pork:

Set up your standard breading procedure: one bowl with the flour, one with the egg-water mixture, and one with the panko/breadcrumbs and grated Parmigiano combined.  Have a baking sheet handy to hold the pork after breading.

Season the pork with salt.  Using one hand for dry ingredients and one hand for wet, take each piece of pork through the breading procedure: dredge it lightly in the flour, shake off the excess, dip it in the egg wash, then pack on the panko/breadcrumbs.  Lay the breaded pork on the baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

all set or all breaded I should say!

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Pour 1/2 inch of olive oil into a large saute pan and bring to medium-high heat.  Set up your drying situation next to the stove by lining a baking sheet with a couple layers of paper towels.  Once the oil is hot, add the pork, working in batches so you don’t crowd the pan.  Cool the first side of the pork until golden brown and crispy, 3 to 4 minutes; turn and brown the other side.  When the pork is done, lay it on the paper towels to drain off the excess oil and sprinkle with salt.  The keep the pork in the oven while you cook the second batch.

the magical golden crust

everything is now nice and crispy

For the salad:

Put the Pecorino (or parmesan), hazelnuts, and parsley in the food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.

In a large bowl, combine the escarole, hazelnut mix and some of the pickled red onions; dress this mixture with olive oil and some of the pickling liquid and toss to combine.

this salad is so delicious it could be serve all by itself!

To serve, place a pork chop on a serving plate and top with the lovely salad.  Simply perfectly delicious!

what a great meal, simply perfect!

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Peace and I like people with Spunk!

Isabelle

Southwest Chicken Salad

Southwest Chicken Salad

It seems I get all my chicken salad recipes from other people.  What’s up with that?  Can’t I come up with my own delicious recipes?  Am I chicken salad deficient?  Possibly…I guess I will just have to live with it.  I can definitely throw down with my numerous cookie recipes!

Is it me or this conversation is a bit weird?  It’s not like I go around the gym or school asking people if they have delicious chicken salad recipes (getting weirder).  But first it was Jenny’s Salad whom I basically had to get into a physical fight to get her darn chicken salad recipe, which she had given to Jennifer first….NOT FORGOTTEN THAT ONE!    And now my husband has his own that he claims is the best chicken salad ever (you know he didn’t say that because as we all know he is Captain of the Nice People Club…a club I certainly don’t belong to!).  Sooooo anyway…..weirdly enough I have pretty much refused to make his version at home just “cause….yep just cause I am me and that’s how I roll people”…making friends around the world!

I finally decided it was time I step out of my “negative nancy” mode, give in and make his salad.  Turns out (as expected…blah blah blah) it’s delicious! 

I should have made this sooner! Look at the size of my leftover lunch the next day!

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts cooked and shredded (about 5 cups shredded) (see cooking instruction below)

Juice of 2 limes

1 red pepper diced (green, yellow, orange all works, of course)

1/2 medium red onion diced

1/2 bunch chopped fresh cilantro (about 2 cups)

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

2 7-ounce cans Herdez Cesara Salsa drained (see note below)

1 tablespoon each salt and pepper

2 avocados diced

How to:

For the chicken:  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.  Put your chicken breast in a large baking dish, sprinkle with salt, pepper and any poultry seasoning you like.  Bake for 40-45 minutes until no longer pink.  Let cool for about 15 minutes and shred.  Put in a large bowl.  Set aside and let cool completely.

Once your chicken has cooled add all your ingredients except your avocado.  Mix well.  Top your bowl with plastic wrap, put in your refrigerator and let this marinate and get to know each other well for about 1 hour.  Add your diced avocado and serve in pita pockets, tortilla wraps, on top of lettuce, with toasted country bread….etc…endless possibilities.

marinating

with avocados…I know hard telling the difference but take my word for it.

Amazing flavors, fresh, healthy and a nice change from classic mayo chicken salad.

perfect lunch!

Note about the salsa:  The Herdez Cesara is the one Matt says works best, a very authentic sauce, obviously if you have something you prefer then by all means use it but make sure you drain it first.  Otherwise the salad will be very wet and not what we are shooting for!

FYI this is the salsa Matt prefers for this dish

Another note: if you have about 5 cups leftover chicken by all means use it!  I won’t tell Matt 

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Peace and Don’t Be Deficient,

Isabelle

Shaved Asparagus Salad

Shaved Asparagus Salad

I have a new obsession and by obsession I mean: all out crazy dreams and daily “going back for more” kind of obsession.

It’s a new cookbook….what did you think it was?…geez….

So this AMAZING and I mean AMAAAAAAAZING cookbook  Carnivore is from the beautiful brain of Michael Simon.

simply delicious!

You may ask why am I sharing a Shaved Asparagus Salad when I am raving about a carnivore’s cookbook?  Who knows?  I never do anything the way it’s intended…I roll to the beat of my own drum…I color outside the lines…and on and on….

I showed this cookbook to Janine, she also fell in love.  She had me text the info to Dan: “this would make a wonderful Christmas gift for your wife”.  (yes, we are little tricksters like that!)  Matt bought me the book for Christmas as well.  I finally had to return the library’s copy (after I got mine of course).

So far I have made 4 recipes from this book.  ALL were amazing.  That’s pretty good if you think about it.  Usually somehow, somewhere you get disappointed but not here!

I have made: The Fat Doug Burger: a burger with 3 kinds of ground beef: sirloin, brisket and boneless short ribs.  Probably the best burger I have ever had!  Also, Braised Chicken Thighs with Spicy Kale: delicious…perfect…perfectly delicious.  Pork Pie: brought me back to my childhood’s Meat Pies…simply scrumptious!  And finally this gorgeous Shaved Asparagus Salad.  Honestly, this is one amazing cookbook and I cannot wait to try more and more recipes!

amazing flavor combination, fresh, a little crunch, just enough tartness…oh my….

Ingredients:

1 large bunch thick green  asparagus (about 2 lbs) trimmed

1 (1.5-ounces) block Pecorino Romano Cheese (I only had Parmesan)

Kosher Salt

Grated zest and juice of 1 orange, plus 2 oranges, segmented (here is a great how to: how to segment citrus )

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

2 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped hazelnuts, toasted

How to:

Shave the asparagus with a vegetable peeler to create long ribbons.  Do the same with the Pecorino Romano cheese (or parmesan in my case) to create shavings.  In a large non-reactive bowl, toss together the asparagus, cheese and a large pinch of salt.

In a small bowl, whisk together the orange zest and juice, the chives and vinegar.  Whisk in the olive oil.  Pour the dressing over the asparagus and let sit until the asparagus is slightly wilted, about 5 minutes.

Toss in the hazelnuts and orange segments and serve.

this is a very photogenic salad…

Note: shaving 2 lbs of asparagus is not for the faint of heart but trust me it is so worth it.  Also you may need to adjust the seasonings after you add your hazelnuts and oranges.  I added a touch of fresh ground pepper and a pinch more kosher salt.

it’s a tough job but someone had to do it!

Another note: I actually cut this recipe in half since I was home alone and I only had 1 lb of asparagus.  It was super easy to do….it was so delicious, I ate it all….yes…all of it…by myself…and I have no regrets!

yes…I ate all that! I might have even licked the plate!

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Peace and Obsession,

Isabelle

go check out this lovely linky party as well:

Angie’s Summer Salad

Angie’s Summer Salad

This is my friend Angie’s recipe.  She talked about it when we were over at their house playing cards one night.  Matt and I couldn’t get it out of our heads.  I texted her that I really wanted the recipe because I couldn’t go on living if she didn’t send it to me.  No, really!

This is also the night she convinced me to read the 50 Shades Of Gray books….we’ll see how this pans out!

NOTE: above comment is me being sarcastic because we all know I don’t read books that are recommended to me (remember I am weird like that!)….just had to clarify that!

I made this salad as a meal for us but you could easily make it a side to a grilled fish or burgers and simply omit the rotisserie chicken.  It is also great for potluck suppers, it makes a very pretty presentation.  All you would have to do is put the dressing prior to serving.

Ingredients:

2-3 head Romaine lettuce

1/2 10-ounce bag Craisins

2-3 Granny Smith Apples diced (peeled or unpeeled, your choice)

1 5-ounce container crumbled Feta

1 cup toasted Pecans or Almonds (all I had was walnuts…still good!)

1 rotisserie chicken, remove all skins and bones, shred or cube the meat (or you could use about 3-4 cups leftover chicken)

Dressing:

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup sugar (I couldn’t bring myself to put that much sugar so I did 1/4 cup)

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 tsp paprika

note: I added a touch of salt and freshly ground pepper…not in original recipe

How to:

Simply put your romaine lettuce, cut or torn into bite size pieces, into a large serving bowl.  Sprinkle all you other salad ingredients over the lettuce.

Combine all your dressing ingredients into a tight lid container (mason jar works great) and shake it like you mean it!

beautiful and colorful dressing

You can either dress your whole salad or let people put the amount they prefer….since I am a bit (!) of a control freak I decided I wanted to dress my own salad!  I am nice like that!

Using an extremely large platter or bowl makes for a gorgeous presentation

Such a delicious and easy salad.  You could certainly add or remove any ingredients according to your crew’s liking….if you are nice like that

Ready to enjoy this healthy summer meal!

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Peace and Like that,

Isabelle

Raspberry Vinaigrette

I went Raspberry picking the other morning with my friend Chris.  We have been going every year pretty much since I moved to Indiana.  Picking them fresh is always a great way to eat more.

Three years ago on our annual picking trip, I was minding my own business and calmly picking away when this man approached me.  I smiled and said hello.  It was mid-week, therefore not too many people were in the fields.  Chris was a few yards away.  The man looked straight at me (get ready for this) and started to yell at me.  Not a quiet yell, no a full on in my face type of yelling.  I was frozen, nothing was making sense.  I was trying to understand what he was saying, and I guarantee you I had the dumbest most confused look on my face.

Here’s what he was saying/yelling: “Don’t you know picking etiquette?  Don’t you know, you don’t ever pick in the same row as someone else?  You have no clue what you are doing, this is unacceptable!”  WHAT?  Are you kidding?

My reaction?  Typical Isabelle’s nervous reaction…I started to laugh.  He didn’t like that.  NOT at all.  He was yelling more and walking away.  In retrospect, I wish I could have simply said: “sir, this is a family orchard, lots of kids and people picking and enjoying the fresh air.  Should you wish to have your own row of raspberries to pick, maybe you should plant some at your house.”  But I didn’t…

He would have not liked it this past Saturday, kids and adults everywhere, not just picking in the same row but some on the same bush as me.  I didn’t care.  There’s always plenty to go around.  Sometimes you meet nice people and have the most interesting conversation.  He wouldn’t know that!

Raspberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons basil, thinly chopped (see pic)

1 teaspoon agave syrup (or honey…if that’s how you roll)

Salt and Pepper

How to:

Easy way: put everything in a blender and push on….there you have it: vinaigrette

Other way or the Isabelle likes to make her life complicated way: Using a mortar and pestle, crush your berries until you have a nice puree.  Transfer your crushed or pulverized berries to a large bowl.  Add your vinegar and mix well.  Constantly whisking slowly add your olive oil and make an emulsion.  Add the rest of your ingredients and mix well.   There you have it: vinaigrette!

The not so easy way...but a lot more fun way

Nicely chopped basil....basil + raspberry =awesomeness

Note: this is very much to taste, I like my vinaigrette quite tart (like me!) but if you like it sweeter go ahead and add a bit more of the agave or honey. Try using the organic stuff…it does taste better!

delicious and so pretty

Serve over a bed of fresh organic lettuce, arugula, a few walnuts, dried cranberries and feta cheese….OH MY…so fresh, what a sight!

This vinaigrette is also delicious over grilled chicken or pork.

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Peace and not in my row,

Isabelle

Oh! Happy Day Fruit Salad!

Bright and Cheerful Fruit Salad!

The past few days have been filled with extreme highs and lows.  I feel like I am on an emotional roller coaster….I don’t like roller coasters.  I like slow and steady!  One of our great highs this week was finding out that our freshman daughter made the J.V. soccer team for her high school.  She worked really hard to get there.  We are extremely proud of her and would have been even if she hadn’t made the team, because we know how hard she tried.

That being said the stress of every day life with a teen has been affecting our home.  I don’t mean to sound so harsh but if you have teenagers in your home then you understand.  Even the best kids have “stuff” and although we all have been teenagers at some point…well, everyone is so different and they don’t come with an instruction booklet!  To add to this, once you have one kid figured out then the other one is completely different with a whole other bucket of issues!

The one thing that gets me through the day: humor.  That’s it.  Just try to laugh about anything and everything.  Oh and good friends to talk to always helps!  Thank you Jennifer

To celebrate the girls’ effort and to come together as a team (in fact 2 teams: Varsity and J.V.) we are having a Family Fun Day.  The freshmen are responsible for fruits and vegetables.  I decided to make a special HUGE fruit salad with an orange & agave sauce.  Fresh, sweet and healthy, great for athletes

Ingredients:

Fruits and lots of them 12 cups total (had 2 cups each: grapes, blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, apple, bananas)

1 cup orange juice

Juice 2 lemons & zest 1 lemon (keep the juices of each lemon separate)

1 teaspoon almond extract

4 tablespoons agave syrup (preferably organic) or honey (also organic and local if possible)

Shredded toasted coconut (optional, for serving) about 1/2 cup

How to:

Put all your fruit in a very large bowl.  Toss fruits with the juice of one lemon.  Set aside.

In a medium saucepan put your orange juice, lemon zest, lemon juice and agave syrup.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Let this cook until reduced by 1/3.  Add you almond extract and mix well.  Let this cool to room temperature.  Please do not put hot sauce over fruits….it’s just a bad idea!  When your glazed has cooled, pour over your fruits and toss gently to cover all.

Fruit Salad and optional toasted coconut

To serve, scoop your fruit salad into bowls and sprinkle with coconut.  I love the contrast of the fresh fruits with a bit of sauce and the crunchiness of the coconut.

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Peace and Laughter,

Isabelle

Recipe also linked on these lovely pages:

Lemon Pasta with Chicken and Pine Nuts

This is inspired by an email I received the other day from my friend Kim at A little lunch.  She mentioned that her kitchen looked like an air-traffic-control center trying to coordinate bowls and pans, stuff in and out of the oven.  I could completely relate.  Often when I have people over for dinners or barbecues…or just because, I tend to decide on a menu that leaves me no room, sort of speak.  Instead of choosing a few items to bake and some to grill, I choose 5 items to bake or everything to grill.  I’ve been in the “having” people over business for many moons now…one would think I’d know better!

I keep learning my lessons! Everyday I learn and learn…

So for tonight’s dinner, I decided to really think this through.  Make a few items ahead of time, prep and marinate in the afternoon.  I should really only have to grill a few things.  Good to go!

Lemon Pasta with chicken and pine nuts

To make my life even easier I am making a favorite of mine;  Lemon Pasta with chicken and pine nuts.  I found this recipe in my Bon Appetit magazine back in July 2000.  I absolutely love this recipe.  It is easy to make and always a crowd pleaser.  This salad can be served chilled or at room temperature.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons plus 2/3 cup canola oil or vegetable oil (in a pinch I use olive oil)

3/4 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts

12 ounce lemon-pepper fettucine or regular fettucine (linguine, or spaghetti works)

2 1/2 cups snow peas cut into matchstick-size strips

3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

3/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley (I prefer basil)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

How to:

Here are my snow peas:

Snow peas...matchsticks size!

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick pan over medium heat.  Add chicken and cook until no longer pink.  Set aside and let chicken cool.  Once cooled cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips.

Cook pasta according to directions on the box.  Once cooked toss with 1 tablespoon oil.  Add your chicken, snow peas, pine nuts and parsley (or basil in my case).  Toss ingredients together well.  Set aside

In a medium bowl whisk your lemon juice and mustard.  Slowly add your remaining 2/3 cup oil in a stream while whisking constantly.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Toss pasta with dressing, serve cold or at room temperature.

So good and easy as can be:

Taste test...delicious

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Peace and Planes,

Isabelle

P.S. I also linked this recipe on Julie Eats & Treats…go check out her blog

Here is the link: Julie\’s eats and treats

Hot Water and a Salad

No, don’t worry I am not about to post about how to boil water.  I will however tell you a story that might put me in some….

A while back, a friend of mine was telling another friend about how she had just returned from her parents house.  Much to her dismay, her mother was putting ice…yes ICE in her wine.  She was shocked.  I was just standing by, minding my own business but I could feel Matt’s eyes on me.  I could even hear his “inside” laughter.  Because as you would have guessed it….I put ice in my wine…a lot.

To my defense…no wait a minute….it’s my business, it’s my glass of wine, I like it cold!

OK, so I know people who keep their red wine in the fridge.  I drink mine at room temperature.  I now like my margaritas with a splash of light beer (it tones the sweetness down).  My friend Janine sometime drinks her wine with beer in it, I think they call it a “shandy” in Australia….and she KNOWS wine, she sells wine for living!  She has never been on my case about putting ice in my chardonnay….she doesn’t care because it’s my drink!

My point is: do what you want, drink it the way you like it and eat it so it makes you happy!

Chicken Ramen Salad

Here is something about doing the same as everyone else:  Chicken Ramen Salad.  I love this salad.  I have been to several parties where people have brought it and yet I am always unable to get a recipe from whoever brought it.  So I made up my own!  I guess, I am still not doing the same as everybody!

Ingredients:

5-6 cups Cole Slaw; make your life easy go ahead and get the bagged stuff.  Also I sometime will use Broccoli Cole Slaw.

2 chicken breasts cooked and shredded (about 3 cups)

3 green onions finely chopped

2 packages Chicken Ramen Noodles, broken or crushed but not cooked

1/3 cup slivered almonds

Dressing ingredients:

1 packet Chicken Ramen Noodles flavoring (if you really like it you could use 2 but it is LOADED with salt…be careful)

1/3 cup canola oil (or your favorite but not olive oil)

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce (I use low sodium)

1 tablespoon sesame oil (optional)

1 tablespoon pepper

How to:

In a large bowl mix all you salad ingredients.  Set aside.

For the dressing: In a medium bowl add your packet (or 2) of Ramen Seasoning, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and pepper.  Using a whisk slowly add your canola oil and mix well.  Finally add your sesame oil (if using) and whisk well again.

Pour your dressing over your salad and toss to cover everything.  I like to make this salad at least 1-2 hours prior to eating it.  The dry Ramen will not get soggy that fast but all the flavors will blend together nicely.  The salad is also delicious the next day but by then your noodles will have definitely softened…still good…in my opinion!

My taste test portion...before serving it to my guests!

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Peace and Ice-Cube,

Isabelle

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