Spicy Ginger Chicken with Cool Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

Spicy Ginger Chicken Marinade:
* The leftover chicken makes a killer sandwich the next day with mayo and more cilantro.

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, for marinating

1 small tub (usually 5.3 oz) Greek yogurt (preferably whole or 2% Fage brand)
1 chunk gresh ginger, at least 1 tablespoon when grated or chopped, or more for more kick
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
small handful of fresh mint, roughly chopped
2-3 small shallots, chopped
big handful fresh cilantro, chopped plus extra for garnish
2 smashed garlic cloves
zest of one lime

Directions:
Mix the yogurt with the ginger, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, herbs, shallots, garlic and lime zest. Place chicken breasts in a large ziploc or medium tupperware and cover with marinade, being sure to turn to coat and really piling on the mixture to give them a good soaking. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat your broiler oven. Remove the chicken from the marinade and scrape off excess (don't be tempted to leave large hunks clinging onto the chicken - it will only burn.) Season the tops lightly with salt and pepper. Grease a pan with a rack in it, place breasts on the rack and put in the oven. Check starting at 8 minutes - breasts are done when the edges are JUST beginning to char and the thin veil of marinade on the meat has completely lost its glossy wetness and become a chalky, dull white. They're not pretty to look at but they're delicious to eat. Conversely you can just bake them on a cookie sheet (sprayed with nonstick spray) at 400 for 15 minutes until cooked through. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with cucumber yogurt sauce, following, and garnish with additional cilantro.

Cucumber Yogurt Sauce:
* You can make this hours ahead or even the day before with good results. The mixture will look a bit watery and sad - just stir it together and remind yourself looks aren't everything.

Ingredients:
1 small tub whole or 2% Greek yogurt, NOT fat free
1 handful of fresh mint, rough chopped
1 large handful cilantro, rough chopped
1 medium cucumber, seeds scraped and discarded then finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
juice of 1/2 lime
lime zest, optional for more zing

Directions:
Mix alltogether and let sit for at least 30 minutes in the fridge before serving. Spoon over hot chicken when dishing, or serve alongside for people to serve themselves.

SXSW Eats: Mag Mud at Magnolia

My beloved city is about to be poked and prodded like a prized heifer at the state fair. SXSW is almost here and everyone and their granny is packing their bags, checking their RSVP lists, and stretching out their gut muscles in preparation for queso and BBQ and Amy's Ice cream.

In lieu of this I thought I'd share one of our favorite quesos. It can be found at Magnolia Cafe (2 locations, one on Lake Austin Blvd and the other on South Congress.) Named after the establishment itself, 'Magnolia Mud' ('Mag Mud') is a don't-knock-it-til-you-try-it concoction of queso, black beans, and guacamole. There might even be some salsa tucked in there along with a few tears from the baby Jesus...

It is that life altering, particularly when eaten between the hours of 1 and 6 am, which you can do any night of the week because Magnolia is like the US postal service and is there for you rain or shine 24 hours a day 7 days a week save Christmas.

Magnolia Cafe
1920 South Congress Ave
Austin, TX
512 445-0000

Magnolia Cafe
2304 Lake Austin Boulevard
Austin
(512) 478-8645

Savory Bacon, Tomato and Cheddar Bake

Some call it a strata. Some call it a bread pudding. Some even call it a casserole.

Food and Wine calls it a Savory Bacon, Tomato and Cheddar Bake.

I don't care what you call it as long as I can eat it. This is a labor of love and makes enough for an army but the upside is, you can freeze the leftovers as individual portions and heat them up later when you have an emergency comfort food craving. I've even done this with the eggs intact, but if you're picky you can discard the eggs from the top before freezing and just put a pan fried one over the top after it bakes. Disco.

Bacon, Tomato and Cheddar Breakfast Bake

Ingredients:
1 pound bakery white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (16 cups)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound sliced applewood-smoked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
One 28-ounce can whole Italian tomatoes—drained, chopped and patted dry
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 pound extra-sharp cheddar, shredded (about 2 cups)
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons snipped chives
Big handful minced flat leaf parsley, plus extra for garnish
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Salt
8 large eggs
Hot sauce, for serving

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. In a large bowl, toss the bread with the olive oil and spread on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, tossing once or twice, until the bread is golden and lightly crisp.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the bacon over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain; reserve 2 tablespoons of the fat in the skillet.
Add the onion to the skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and crushed red pepper and cook until any liquid is evaporated, about 3 minutes.
Return the toasted bread cubes to the bowl. Add the contents of the skillet, along with the bacon, shredded cheeses, chives, parsley and broth. Stir until the bread is evenly moistened. Season with salt. Spread the mixture in the baking dish and cover with lightly oiled foil.
Bake the bread mixture in the center of the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the top is crispy, about 15 minutes longer. Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven and, using a ladle, press 8 indentations into the bread mixture. Crack an egg into each indentation. Return the dish to the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still runny. Garnish with additional parsley and serve right away with hot sauce.

MAKE AHEAD The recipe can be prepared through Step 4 and refrigerated overnight.

Giada's Winter Minestrone...

Is a misnomer. This soup can and should be eaten year round. It's divine. I don't get to make it as often as I'd like to but only because it takes me a half hour of digging to find the bag of parmesan rinds in my freezer. Usually it ends up having fallen behind a pint of old Blue Bell my husband forgot about. Or a tiny bottle of Tito's, the size of which always makes me wonder, why bother?

Giada's Winter Minestrone
* Giada purees her soup but I like mine chunky. So I don't.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 (3 oz) package cubed pancetta
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large bunch ('bout a pound) Swiss chard, stems trimmed, leaves coarsely chopped
1 russet potato, cubed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes ( use fire roasted with chiles)
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
2 (14-ounce) cans low-sodium beef broth
1 ounce piece Parmesan cheese rind
lots of fresh grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, pancetta, and garlic. Saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the Swiss chard and potato; season with salt and pepper and saute for another 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and rosemary sprig. Go ahead and let 'er simmer another couple minutes.

Finally add the beans, broth, Parmesan cheese rind and nutmeg to the vegetable mixture. Simmer until the potato pieces are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Stir in the whole parsley. Simmer until the beans are heated through - about another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Discard Parmesan rind (unless you're me - then hope you get it in your bowl) and rosemary sprig (the leaves will have fallen off of the stem.)

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with toasted french bread drizzled with olive oil.

Roasted Veg Sammy

This is one of my favorite things to eat on earth. I basically grill up whatever vegetables I have in my fridge and throw 'em together in a big ole French bread bear hug. On a good day I have zuchinni, red bell pepper, eggplant and/or Portabella in my fridge. I slice them up, season with olive oil, salt and pepper and grill until tender and slightly charred. I then pile 'em all together onto toasted french bread slathered with goat cheese and add a final hit of salt, pepper and olive oil. Top it off with flat leaf parsley and/or basil and close the lid. Boomtown!

All I Want for Valentines is Buffalo-Blue-Cheese-Crusted-Filet Mignon.

Clearly I was influenced by all the buffalo chicken wing Super Bowl recipes on TV recently. Because I had filets, blue cheese (is it okay that I spell it 'blue' because Wikipedia told me it was) and Panko bread crumbs. And this is what came out. Coincidentally I just secured my husband for another couple years. Until he meets the master-of-chocolate-super-hussie. Then I'm toast.

Buffalo Blue Cheese Crusted Filet Mignon
Serves 2. Unless you don't mind yourself makin' weird, 'private moment' faces in front of company. Then by all means double or triple it!

Ingredients:
2 best quality beef fillets, set out of the fridge for 30 minutes to knock the chill off
salt and pepper
olive oil/butter is optional for the steak fanatics

'Crust':
1/4 cup blue cheese
1 oz cream cheese
2 teaspoons white wine or vermouth
small pinch fresh cracked pepper
1 teaspoon (or more) Franks Red Hot Sauce
2 teaspoons chopped chives or green onions, plus extra for garnish
1 cup panko in a wide bowl for coating

How To:
Preheat the oven to 400.

Combine the blue cheese, cream cheese, wine or vermouth, pepper, hot sauce, and green onions together in a small bowl with a fork until well blended. Use your hands to pat them into 2 patties. Carefully press them - one side, then the other - firmly but gently into the panko crumbs. Do what it takes to make them adhere. Fight stubborn with stubborn - but not to the point that you obliterate your patties. Keep a cool head.

Place the patties on a small baking sheet lined with aluminum foil sprayed with nonstick spray. Set aside while you sear the filets.

Meanwhile, pat any extra moisture off the fillets with paper towels. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a small pan over medium heat (enough to get a good sear.) Add enough olive oil JUST to lightly coat the bottom. You can add a small bit of butter if you're a steak purist. Let the oil heat through 1 minute. Add the steaks (if the oil doesn't hiss a little, remove them immediately and wait until the oil heats up more.) Cook for about 3-4 minutes, until the first side has a nice dark crust on it and the steaks easily move when you try and pick them up. Flip to the other side and cook the same way - just until you get that crust. Remove and transfer to a small baking sheet and put in the preheated oven for 6 minutes (8 minutes for well done.) Remove, tint lightly with more foil and let rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, drizzle a small bit of olive oil over the top of the blue cheese patties. Put in the oven for 6-8 minutes (also at 400) until the tops are light golden and the patty has 'melted' a bit but not oozed completely lifelessly all over the damn place. See photo above for reference.

Use a spatula to carefully place on top of each fillet and serve. Garnish with additional green onions.

*Notice how many times I spelled 'fillet' differently? Wikipedia was no help on this one therefore I felt it my duty to cover it both ways. Or so I tell myself...

Pimiento Cheeseburger Bread for the Super Bowl (& how I learned to love football.)

I officially lack the football gene. It certainly wasn't a 'nurture' problem. My entire family loves football. Case in point - my twin nephews helped Lake Travis earn their record breaking 'Five for Five' State Championship this year. Football's always been a part of my life. I grew up in Texas for Gods sake. Houston Oiler games were a part of my childhood.

And while the men from the serious relationships in my life (husband included) were all completely different animals, the one thing they had in common was an almost unhealthy obsession with...football.

Lord knows I've tried to make it work. And tried. But it always ends up the same. I zone out. I start thinking about the pedicure I need or wondering how long that hole's been in the couch or more commonly - slipping into the kitchen to make snacks for those screaming at the TV for yet another play I don't understand.

Come to think of it, maybe football and I have the perfect relationship. Because football = food. And there's nothing I love more in the whole world than an excuse to be in the kitchen coming up with things to feed people. Well look at that... Closure after 34 years. Hooray football!

Pimiento Cheeseburger Bread
* This is a 'bread' in the sense that olive or cheese bread is bread. I.E. it's more like a French Bread Pizza. If serving for a party, cut into 2 inch thick slices. Or if serving as a meal, serve just as you would French Bread Pizza, preferably with a refreshing salad alongside.
* Makes 8 'pizzas' or 32 appetizer slices for a party.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup light mayo
1/4 nonfat Greek yogurt
7 oz shredded lowfat (2%) shredded cheddar
1 (8 oz) block sharp white cheddar, freshly grated
4 oz diced pimiento, drained
1/4 teaspoon dried mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
several dashes worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
1 lb lean ground beef
2 large French Bread baguettes

How To:
Preheat oven to 375.

Brown the ground beef in a nonstick skillet just as you would for tacos, seasoning with salt and pepper as you cook. You want the beef cooked through but not over cooked (crispy) as it's going to be put in the oven later. Remove from the heat and transfer to a tray lined with paper towels to drain. Set aside and let cool.

Meanwhile start with the pimiento cheese. In a large bowl, combine the mayo, yogurt, cheeses, pimiento, mustard, cayenne, garlic powder, worcestershire, and a pinch salt and pepper. Once well blended, add in the cooled ground beef mixing well.

Slice the baguettes in half then open them up lengthwise. Spread each quarter with the pimiento cheese mixture (lay it on thick!)
Transfer to 2 baking sheets lined with aluminum foil (for easy cleanup) and sprayed with nonstick spray.

Bake for 15-18 minutes until the filling is bubbling and molten and the tops have just begin to brown a little. Let cool slightly before serving or slicing into smaller pieces to serve as party food.