Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Poached Egg

I've had an organic sweet potato/yam on my counter for at least a month. Also, I've just recently discovered that ORGANIC groceries last longer than non-organic. My friend E and I were discussing organic milk this past weekend. I told her that I had just bought a carton of organic milk with a "best by" date of April 6. She said, "Nuh-uh! No way". I'm going to have to do a little more research on the shelf-life of organic items. You'd think the stuff with hormones, pesticides, and chemicals would last longer. I'll let you know what I find out.

Here in Charleston, we have a great little pizza place nestled in a quiet neighborhood which operates out of a cracker box house called Lola's. Their Sweet Potato Salad inspired the one I made last night. I've been trying to eat a little healthier lately. I'm trying to incorporate more veggies and whole grains into my daily nom-nom-ing. This salad turned out to be more delicious than I had anticipated. Try it, you'll dig it.

Potatoes:

One Organic Yam/Sweet Potato diced into cubes

Two Tablespoons Olive Oil

One Clove Garlic Chopped

One Teaspoon Brown Sugar

Fresh Thyme

Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Mix all ingredients and roast in 400 degree oven for 25 minutes and let cool.

Salad:

Mixed Baby Spring Greens

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Toasted Walnuts

Craisins (dried cranberries)

Cooked Brown Rice (cold)

Goat Cheese

One Poached Egg

Dressing:

Two Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar Two Tablespoons Chopped Sweet Onion Two Tablespoons Honey One Teaspoon Orange Zest

Juice from 1/2 an Orange 1/4 Teaspoon Dry Mustard 1/4 Teaspoon Salt 1/8 Cup Olive Oil Pulse first 7 ingredients in a blender or food processor until blended. With blender running, add olive oil in a slow, steady stream, processing until smooth.

Quick Tomato Sauce

About once a month, I raid my mother's bookshelf filled with just about every food magazine she's ever received. She says she "keeps them just in case she needs to find a recipe". There's 500 magazines on that bookshelf...bad for her if she's in a hurry, good for me to find new recipes! Plus, I read food magazines and cookbooks while I eat dinner. This way instead of eating alone, I get to have dinner every night with people like Emeril Lagasse, Dean & Deluca (my ALL TIME favorite cookbook), and Christopher Kimball from Cooks Illustrated (my favorite magazine), where this recipe came from the June 2009 issue. This sauce has a REALLY FRESH flavor right in the smack dead of winter. In the time it takes to open and heat a jar of spaghetti sauce you can make this in the same amount of time, and it's DEEELICIOUS. I guarantee I ate more of the sauce than the pasta**. Enjoy! 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 cup grated onion 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano 3 garlic cloves minced 1 (28-ounce) can crushed organic tomatoes 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1 tablespoon dried basil 1 tablespoon olive oil fresh ground black pepper salt Heat butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add onion, oregano, and ½ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and sugar; increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and oil; season with salt and pepper. **Cooking pasta for one person is difficult. It seems like I always make too much. So here's what I do with leftover cooked pasta: FREEZE IT in a ziploc bag. To "re-cook", throw it in some boiling water for 1-2 minutes. You'll never know the difference!

Cast Iron Skillet Corn Bread

I just realized that it's probably pretty cruel of me to have BREAD as my first posting of the year. With all the New Year's resolutions to loose weight, this will do nothing but tempt you. But it's COLD outside. Not chilly, it's freakin' bitter a$$ cold. I did not leave my house this past weekend it was too cold. I dug deep into my freezer, and found all kinds of stuff to cook, including cornmeal. I've somehow inheirited this trait from my mother that when I open my freezer, it's so full, stuff falls out. I don't know where it all comes from, and I don't know how it got there. But what I do know is that when I'm stuck inside my house for three straight days (because I'm too much of a wimp to go outside in ten degree weather) I will not starve, and neither will you. Also, if you don't own a well-seasoned iron skillet, don't even bother making this because you WILL be disappointed. Where can you get one you ask? Go buy one today, cook everything you eat in it for the next 20 years, then make this cornbread. My iron skillet belonged to my grandmother. It was the ONE thing she owned that I had to have. This is her recipe. This is my mother's recipe. This is my recipe.

1 cup cornmeal (I prefer yellow, but white works also)

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2 eggs

1 and 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/3 cup Crisco (the solid kind, not the liquid...I know, I know, but it's the only way to do it RIGHT and make Granny proud)

Put the Crisco in the CAST IRON SKILLET, put it in the oven, and turn the oven to 375 degrees.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.

In another bowl, mix eggs and buttermilk, then add to the dry ingredients, stir well.

Once the crisco is melted and your pan is HOT, dump half into the batter, leave the other half in the skillet.

Stir the batter until all ingredients are mixed well, and dump into the HOT skillet.

Bake 30-45 minutes depending on how big your skillet is until lightly browned and crispy.

Yum.

Potato Soup

So this weekend, I'm headed to Key West for a week for Christmas. This is a tradition my parents and I started about five years ago. It's the greatest thing. When we get on the plane, it's 25 degrees. When we get off the plane, it's 80 degrees. I really cannot think of a better way to spend Christmas.

The forecast for tomorrow is COLD and 6-10 inches of SNOW. So here's an easy recipe, with simple ingredients to keep you warm this weekend while I'm laying on the beach with a cabana boy serving me pina coladas.

Serve it up with some hot crusty bread, and snuggle up to the one you love (or anyone who's willing to share their body heat)!

4 tablespoons butter OR olive oil

1 large onion diced

2 cloves garlic chopped

4 large potatoes diced (you can leave the peeling on if you wish...get some fiber)

4 carrots diced

3 stalks celery chopped

4 tablespoons all purpose flour

3-4 tablespoons Emeril's Essence (depending on how spicy you like it)

6 cups organic chicken broth

4 cups half & half (use fat free if you want, it tastes just as good)

4 cups shredded cheese (I use jack/colby mix, but swiss is great too!)

Fresh parsley

Heat a large soup pot and add the butter/oil til hot. Saute the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery about 10 minutes on medium-high until onions are translucent. Don't overcook these, they'll get some more heat/love when you add the liquid. Add the flour and Essence and stir well. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth....THEN add the potatoes. If all the veggies aren't covered, throw in some water until they are submerged. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer until the potatoes are still firm, but cooked. If you cook them too long, they'll turn to mush in your soup. I'd say no longer than 12 minutes. Turn the heat to LOW, and let it rest and cool down. If you add the dairy when the broth is too hot, the curds will separate from the cream, giving you a very "mealy/gritty" texture. This is a good time to go pick out a good movie, or pre-heat the oven for the bread, or call some friends 'cause you've just realized this recipe makes an a$$ load of soup! After the soup has cooled a bit, add the cream, and SLOWLY bring the heat up, then add the cheese. Stir 'til all the cheese is melted, season with salt and pepper, and add the fresh parsley. You can also top with chopped with bacon! ENJOY AND STAY WARM!!!

Best...Chicken....EVER

One of the many reasons I love love love to cook is having the ability to take a recipe and "tweek" it to my liking. Last night while sitting at the dinner table with my glass of cold pinot grigio and my last issue of Gourmet magazine (I read magazines while I eat), I ate the best chicken I've ever had. Not from a restaurant, but from MY kitchen. This chicken had such simple ingredients with an abundance of FLAVOR! What intrigued me most about this recipe is that I found it on foodnetwork.com, and it was meant for one person. Yay! That's me! I usually don't pay much attention to Tyler Florence, but I most certainly will from now on. Go to the store, buy the ingredients, and make it TONIGHT. I promise, if you make this, the next time you see me you'll want to kiss me...that's how good it is. Enjoy. Ingredients 1 chicken breast bone-in, with skin (bone and skin = flavor!) Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3 Baby Bella Mushrooms 1/4 Red Onion chunked (see pic) Handful of baby carrots 3 Fingerling Potatoes (you could use new potatoes, yukon, etc) A few florets of Cauliflower 3 Garlic cloves whole, peeled 1 sprig fresh rosemary 4 sprig fresh thyme 1/4 cup white wine 1/4 cup organic chicken broth 1/2 lemon, juiced and zested Directions Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Season the chicken on both sides with a generous amount of kosher salt and pepper. Place a cast-iron or regular ovenproof skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Drizzle the pan with the oil and lay the chicken in the hot oil, skin-side down. Cook for about 5 minutes until the skin begins to set and get yummy crispy. Immediately put into hot oven and bake for ten minutes. Take the chicken breast out of the pan and throw in the mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, onions, cauliflower, garlic, thyme, rosemary and lemon zest. Stir well to get all the veggies/herbs coated, then put the chicken breast back in the pan. Stick the whole thing in the hot oven and roast for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked, and the veggies are soft and roasted. The last thing to make is a quick sauce using the flavors left in the bottom of the skillet. Take all the stuff out of the pan and arrange on a dinner plate, and cover with a piece of foil to keep warm while preparing the pan sauce. Return to stovetop and stir in the wine, chicken broth and lemon juice and cook over high heat, scraping up the flavors with a wooden spoon. Cook the liquid down to a syrup, about 5 minutes. Drizzle the pan sauce over the dish, season with salt and pepper. Serve with warm toasty bread.

2/17/2010 UPDATE:

I think I've made this about ten times since I posted this recipe. I've found it works with just about any veggie, pretty much whatever you've got in the fridge. The other night I had some Brussels sprouts that needed cooked, quickly, or they were going to go bad. I cut them in half, threw them in a pot of boiling water for about two minutes (blanched), then roasted with the rest. Still the best chicken recipe I've found.

Sarah's Dan's Mom's Lentil Soup

First, I want to talk about my friend Dan, who is, in case you're wondering, most definately THE MAN. Dan and I met a few years ago when I was working at a coffee shop. It wasn't until the past year or so that we have become friends. I LOVE to talk food with Dan, well, because...Dan knows food. Dan knows more about food than anyone I've ever met. And if Dan tells me to cook something, well, I'm going to cook it, no questions asked.

Dan is actually the one who got me thinking about starting this food blog. His blog is http://www.kitchengeeking.com/ and if you don't subscribe to it, do it NOW. My blog is mostly about cooking for myself, but his covers a wide range of food topics including cooking, restaurants, food preparation, travel, and local fare just to name a few.

Dan re-posted his mother's Lentil Soup recipe the other day included in a blog about combining food and fond memories. His post brought back thoughts of all the ladies in my family crowding in the kitchen to get Thanksgiving Dinner on the table; or the long hot summer afternoons I would spend alone with my grandmother in her kitchen while we strung beans from her garden, and sang songs while a pot of applesauce simmered on her stove made with the apples picked fresh from her backyard.

This soup is every bit as good as Dan says. It was a perfect welcome meal to the Fall season. Thanks Dan.

It's Getting Cold, Make Some Chili!

The World Chili Cookoff took place right here in Charleston, WV this past weekend. Although I only made it to Sunday's red chili festivities, it was a day full of fun with good food and great friends. Mia & Tim (the Dorsey's as you all know them) and I met over at Rachel Cox's house for pre-cookoff bloody mary's. When we arrived at the Appalachian Power Park where the cookoff was taking place, Rachel happily informed us that she had V.I.P. tix waiting for us at Will Call which meant some free sampling tix and FREE BEER. Yay! Thanks Rachel!

As soon as we walked in the gates we saw our friends E and Slim, and well let's face it, who's not happy to see the Blackhursts? Beers all around, we headed towards the tents on the baseball field, and started immediately sampling. Some of the contestants had leftover green chili from the day before, so it was nice to have some variety. I didn't meet anyone from a foreign country (WORLD cookoff?), but I did meet some nice folks from Massachusettes, Colorado, Illinois and South Carolina. I made sure to ask each of them how they liked Charleston, and did not get one negative response. The girl from Colorado said, "the rolling hills are beautiful"...well yes I suppose compared to the Rocky Mountains they would indeed seem like hills to her. Everyone I talked to also said how friendly everyone from Charleston was, and what a nice place it was to visit. A big shout out goes to my friend Samanta Carney for organizing such a great high profile event for West Virginia!

We also ran into our friends The Dailey's (Megan and Matthew), which I was especially happy to see because they had their two awesome kids with them Victor and Alexander, who are growing like weeds...what are you feeding them Megan? :)

After the cookoff we all headed over to "the porch" at E & Slim's, which then turned into "the back patio" with the firepit ablaze. After a few more beers for everyone, the firepit was not the only thing "ablaze". We had our own little hot pepper eating contest right in the backyard...and I guess if I had to declare a winner it was Tim Dorsey, since he was really the only one who entered. First a whole fresh jalapeno, then a whole fresh cayenne, then E brought out a dried GHOST CHILI (the hottest pepper on the planet). It was all in good fun, but I'm sure Tim is still spitting flames as I type this. Hope you're feeling ok today Tim. All in all it was in fact a great day! Now onto the food...

Chili is not hard to make. There aren't a thousand ingredients. In fact, chili is one instance where less is definately more. As long as you have good ingredients and some time, it's a simple one pot meal that will last a few days for dinner or lunch. Plus chili always freezes really well.

Brown/cook 1/2 lb to 1lb LEAN ground beef in 2 tablespoons olive oil

Add, 1 Onion diced and 2 cloves garlic chopped

Cook down about ten minutes til the onion gets soft

Add 1 cup organic beef broth and two cups tomato sauce

Deglaze that pan and get it to a nice bubbly simmer

Add one can petite diced tomatoes, and beans of your choice (for this batch I used an organic tri-bean medley mix of kidney, navy and black I think)

Add about 4-8 tablespoons chili powder (depending on how "chili" you like your chili) and two tablespoons Emeril's Essence (I told you I love this stuff)

Cook the chili down to a nice thick consistency. The longer you cook it, the better it will taste.

Call some friends and serve it up with some bread, cornbread, etc...whatever your fancy.