I Like My Life Spicy!!!

The spicier the better. The Husband likes it spicy. I tried out a recipe recommended by one of my colleagues at the Personal Chefs Network. We share recipes with each other and give comments on how to improve on them. I feel like I have a bunch of personal chefs in my kitchen all the time. The recipe was first published in Bon Appetit in the August, 2007 issue, and I changed it up to use the ingredients I had on hand.

You have been kept in suspense long enough... drum roll please ...Shrimp Kebabs with Thai Ginger-Chile Marinade!!! The original recipe called for tuna. The kebabs would be great with tuna, but I did not have any and wasn't running out to the seafood market to pick it up.

I made the kebabs for The Husband. He was feeling a little culinarily neglected because most of my recipes are geared toward feeding the majority my family - i.e. not too out there and not too spicy. He was my reviewer for the recipe and gave my preparation 2 enthusiastic thumbs up. "For people who like Thai, this is great! I like life spicy." When we are out to eat at our local Chinese food joint, he asks for his General Tsao's Chicken extra spicy, and it never lives up to his spicy barometer. He said this was finally spiced up to his liking.

For the In-Law Christmas Eve celebration, I prepared this recipe without the skewers. I couldn't find the right ones at the local grocery store. Still turned out great to rave reviews.

For those living on the spicy edge, this recipe is for you.

Shrimp Kebabs with Thai Ginger-Chile Marinade

Serves 3 or 2 with one big eater

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon grated ginger root
2 tablespoons oil, peanut oil would be the best - I used canola oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 chili, Serrano is good and hot, jalapeno is a little less hot
a couple grounds of fresh pepper
1 pound large shrimp, 21 - 25 per pound, peeled with tails left on
1 each red pepper and yellow pepper, cut in 1 inch squares
1 small red onion, cut in 1 inch squares
wooden skewers - about 12 inches long
chopped cilantro

Whisk together the first 9 ingredients. Reserve about 3 tablespoons for drizzling on the kebabs after they are grilled. Place shrimp in a large ziploc and pour remaining marinade into bag. Toss to coat. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes but an hour or so is better.

Remove shrimp from marinade and skewer about 5 on each skewer alternating with the peppers and onion. Preheat a grill pan or an out grill to medium-high. Grill kebabs for about 3 - 4 minutes per side. Don't overcook or the shrimp become tough. Transfer to a platter and drizzle with reserved marinade. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve.

Note - you could also broil these in a hot oven, but they won't have that char-flavor.

A Day in the Life......

I have been thinking that my blog might come to an end when 2007 is over. But, no. That wouldn't be very fun. I am just getting started. Dinners for a Year will continue to exist in 2008. It will just be Dinners for the Years. I may also be interspersing some different posts along with dinners at our family table. Today's post will be such a one.

I am a personal chef and usually spend a couple days a week working for clients in their homes. Today was one such day. My client wanted some appetizers for Christmas that she could just pull out of her freezer and reheat on Christmas Day. I suggested Spinach and Parmesan Balls, Italian Stuffed Mushrooms, Chicken Hot Pockets (and not the ones from the freezer section of the grocery store), Mini Crab Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, and Mahogany Wings. I've already posted about my Crab Cakes so you'll have to do a search for those. The Balls were good, but not worth your time - skip them. The remaining three recipes would make a nice addition to your Holiday Table. Pick one, or two or all three. You won't be disappointed. Today's guest reviewer is my client who likes to eat as I am preparing the food as well as me.

Italian Stuffed Mushrooms


makes about 36 good sized mushrooms

3 tablespoons olive oil
36 large mushrooms (about 2-inch-diameter) stems removed and chopped
3/4 cup chopped fresh fennel bulb
3/8 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
4 1/2 garlic cloves, chopped
3/4 cup grated Fontina cheese or crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/8 cup chopped fresh basil (packed)
1 extra large egg

Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish with oil. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped mushroom stems, fennel, tomatoes, and garlic. Sauté until stems and fennel are tender and beginning to brown, about 12 minutes; transfer to medium bowl. Cool 10 minutes. Mix in cheeses, then basil. Season filling to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in egg. Arrange mushroom caps in prepared dish, cavity side up. Brush mushroom cavities lightly with additional oil. Mound filling in mushroom cavities, pressing to adhere. Bake until mushrooms are tender and filling is heated through, about 25 minutes, and serve.

Source - Bon Appetit 2003

Review - "Ohhhhh! These are really good! What's in these? Can I have another one?" I liked the cheese combo and the sun dried tomatoes. a change of pace from the regular stuffed mushroom.


Mahogany Wings


makes 48 wings

24 chicken wings, split and tips discarded
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup honey
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons hot sauce
2 teaspoons ground ginger
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Place chicken in a shallow, medium dish. In a medium bowl, mix soy sauce, honey, hoisin sauce, hot sauce sauce, sesame oil, ground ginger and garlic. Pour the mixture over the chicken reserving about 1/2 cup to brush on wings while baking. Cover and refrigerate approximately 1 hour, turning occasionally.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large baking dish, arrange chicken in a single layer. Bake in the preheated oven approximately 60 - 75 minutes, brushing with remaining soy sauce mixture often and turning once, until meat is no longer pink and juices run clear. the wings should be a deep mahogany color and crispy when done.

Source - Me

Review - "Can I eat one now? These are delicious!" Great color and flavor. I like that they are baked and not fried. Not as much mess for me to clean up after cooking all day. I did have to throw the baking sheet out that I cooked the wings on because the marinade seeped under the foil. There was no way I was spending an hour trying to clean that.


Chicken Hot Pockets


makes 24

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
4 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
3 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/8 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons onion, chopped
3 packages refrigerated crescent rolls
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Blend cheese and 3 tablespoons of the butter together. Add chicken, salt, pepper, and onion and mix well.

Unroll dough. Firmly press perforations to seal. Cut into 8 squares. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the chicken mixture onto center of each rectangle. Pull 4 corners of dough to center of chicken mixture; twist firmly. Pinch edges to seal. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush tops of sandwiches with 1 tablespoon melted margarine; sprinkle with crushed croutons.

Bake 12 - 16 minutes or until golden brown.

Source - Pillsbury website with some minor changes by me.

Review - I had these for dinner tonight. I usually don't make recipes with packaged crescent rolls. Not that I'm a foodie snob, but I don't think they are the most healthy thing to eat. I'll make an exception for recipe research. These are fantastic. Much better than the ones you get at the grocery store. My Oldest said they are "really cheesy" and I think she meant that in a good way.

Parmesan and Herb Sausage, White Bean and Escarole Soup

Actually, this wasn't a dinner. A big pot of soup in the frig is a welcome sight. I made this soup a couple days ago so we would always have something handy to eat. Not that the short members of the family would want to eat it, but at least The Husband and I have been enjoying it. Peanut butter and jelly is a good substitute for them. This recipe is very forgiving and can be adapted to what you have on hand. A different kind of sausage can be used or even poached chicken pieces. If you don't have escarole, spinach works too. Also try sauteed fennel along with the onions, carrots, and celery. It is a nice change of flavor. I use both chicken and beef stocks to give it a full bodied taste. I love the beans, but they don't love me. try kidney beans or chickpeas, too. As always, a loaf of crusty bread and a salad will complete the meal.

Parmesan and Herb Sausage, White Bean and Escarole Soup

makes a lot

a good drizzle of olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
10 cups chicken stock
2 cups beef stock
1 - 1 1/2 pounds of Parmesan and herb sausage or Italian sausage
1 - 15 ounce can white beans (such as cannellini)
1 teaspoon thyme, dried
1/2 teaspoon basil, dried
4 cups escarole, chopped (or fresh baby spinach)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
salt, it depends on how salty your stock is - salt to taste
grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Heat a large stockpot to medium high. Add a good drizzle of olive oil and saute the onions, carrots, and celery for about 5 - 8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute.

Meanwhile, roast the sausage on an oiled baking sheet in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Slice into bite sized pieces; set aside.

Add the chicken and beef stocks to the pot along with the cooked sausage, beans, thyme, basil, escarole and pepper. Season with salt to taste. Simmer for about 20 - 30 minutes. Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Chicken Francese

Chicken Francese

Last week was full of dinners. Some weeks I feel like we only have leftovers, pizza, sandwiches, or cereal. Those are usually the times when The Husband is out of town. One of last week's menu items included Chicken Francese.

About a month ago, I catered a dinner for 15 high school football players. My client is a good friend who didn't have enough time to make the dinner herself so I was enlisted for the job. The menu was simple enough. Meatballs with fresh marinara sauce, Italian sausage and peppers, chicken francaise, and mixed green garden salad. She requested the chicken francaise. I have to confess that I never made it before and set out finding a recipe. One of my favorite sites for recipes is Epicurious. It contains all the recipes from Bon Appetit and Gourmet magazines as well as other sources. A great feature of the site is that other foodies that have prepared the recipes leave reviews. It kinda gives you a leg up before starting. It is a indispensable resource for the new and old cooks alike.

The recipe for Chicken Francese was fantastic. I had never used the technique of dipping the chicken in seasoned flour and then eggs and then frying in olive oil. I always had another coating of panko or bread crumbs. It really did taste like it was from a fine restaurant. I doubled the sauce ingredients because it was so good.

The whole family liked this recipe. I paired it with oven sweet and red potato fries and barely cooked snow pea pods. I thought the fries were a french-like addition. I wouldn't mind eating this every week. Neither would My Oldest. She was a member of the Clean Plate Club.

Clean Plate Club

The catering went well I think. I ended making 10 pounds of Chicken Francese and 5 pounds each of the Meatballs and Italian Sausage and Peppers. Those football players ate everything!