Chicken Tagine with Fennel and Olives

I like to think I have a good sense of direction. Whether that statement is true or not, can be left up for discussion. If I come to an intersection, I like to think that I know whether to turn right or left. If I go into a store at the mall, I can exit the store and know which direction to head in - 9 times out of 10. Living right in the Loop has its perks. If I'm up north, away from the city, I can usually just look to the skyline for the tall buildings to point myself in the right direction home.

I bring this up because in the past 2 days, I have found myself lost in the city, not just once, but twice. Not lost as in I don't know if I'm in Chicago or not, but lost in the fact that I have gotten myself turned around and am not sure where to go or what street to turn on. You would think that the GPS I own would prevent that from happening - but why pull out the GPS when I know where I'm going, right? I got lost driving to Evanston because there are apparently 12 different Sheridan Roads that wind their way through the town - none of them turning into Main St. like I had originally thought. I also got lost driving to Logan Square this morning. Not only did I miss my turn onto Logan Blvd. but I also had to wait for the same funeral procession - twice - at two different intersections. I'm better than this.

Don't fall over as you read this. I'm posting a recipe for chicken. I rarely make it - especially if the recipe doesn't have the word bbq, soup, salad, or taco in it. I don't know what came over me. I think the words tagine, fennel, and olives captured my attention. Actually, I'm pretty sure it was the word olive. Everything is better with a salty olive. If you haven't been to the olive bar at Whole Foods - it is a must.

The recipe for Chicken Tagine with Fennel and Olives was in the latest issue of Bon Appetit. Fennel was the featured "at the market" ingredient for the month. Think celery meets licorice. As the winter drags on, the same pots of soup week after week are only so appealing. This dish can be made in a large Dutch oven pot and once the prepping of ingredients is complete, the dish comes together on its own. It's a great one pot meal that gives you leftovers for the week. I cooked the chicken with the skin on and then removed it right before eating. I found myself fishing through the fennel mixture to pick out as many slices of olives as possible. I think you might do the same.

Give this recipe a try and pick up some fennel next time you are at the store.

Chicken Tagine with Fennel and Olives

adapted from Bon Appetit - January 2010

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1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 bone in chicken breasts

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 medium fennel bulbs (stalks trimmed, bulbs halved vertically, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch slices)

2 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup pitted green olives, quartered lengthwise

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

Mix cumin, paprika, salt and cayenne in a small bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add chicken; brown 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. You can do this in batches.

Add 1 tablespoon oil and fennel to the same pot. Saute until golden in spots, 5 minutes. Return chicken and juices to the pot. Add broth and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer, scraping up browned bits. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until chicken is cooked through, 25 minutes. Add olives. Simmer until sauce thickens, 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.

Cherry Chocolate Cookies

65 days until hot, dry, dessert heat. 65 days until poolside frozen grapes. 65 days until table side guacamole. 65 days until cactus juice margaritas. 65 days until Mastro's cocktail sauce that makes your nose burn. Is it too soon to start a countdown? Maybe I should wait until the number is in the 30's.

I just opened a new box of parchment paper. It should last me well into the next century - but I wouldn't expect anything less from a purchase at CostCo. If you look closely at the amount of feet in the roll, you will notice that I have 205 feet of parchment paper at my disposal - that would probably be enough to wallpaper my entire apartment, twice. The rather large roll can keep the box of 100 13-gallon garbage bags company and the 15 cans of Chicken of the Sea Chunk Light Tuna in water that were also purchased at CostCo.

I'll admit, the thought of dried cherries as an ingredient in cookies didn't immediately peak my interest. I don't think it was so much the cherry flavor because I do love fresh cherries, when they aren't $12.99 per pound at the store. I didn't quite know whether or not I enjoy dried fruit in my cookies. Dried fruit seems to pair better with muffins, scones, biscotti, and granola - not cookies.

I'll also admit that I was slightly weary about making a cookie recipe from Cooking Light. It's one thing to add a little less sugar and butter to a normal recipe as I usually do, but Cooking Light can sometimes be at the opposite end of the spectrum. I didn't want to be serving hockey pucks for cookies. I've tried a lot of Cooking Light's soups, salads and main dishes but not too many items in the dessert category.

And here is where I admit that I should have just trusted the recipe from the beginning. You will be amazed at the fact that these cookies don't taste like they come from the Cooking Light magazine. You will also be amazed at the fact that cherries and chocolate do go quite well together in a cookie. A cookie that you don't have to feel guilty about eating - as long as you don't have more than two in one sitting. What could be better than that?

Chocolate Cherry Cookies

adapted from Cooking Light

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2/3 cup whole wheat white flour

1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup dried cherries

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together the flour, oats, soda and salt in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Once the butter is melted, stir in the brown sugar until the mixture is smooth. Add sugar mixture to flour mixture. Beat on low speed until combined. Add cherries, vanilla and egg. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by the tablespoon onto a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Cook for 14 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Huevos Rancheros

12. Drummers drumming? No. Number of days in a row I have worked out? No. Number of times I ate Manhattan Clam Chowder this past week? No. Ounces of coffee I've had while writing this blog post? No. Number of eggs in a dozen? Yes, but not in this case. 12. I've had a cold or some sort of virus for 12 days. Each night, I go to bed with the hopes of really turning the corner when I wake up the next day. 3 bottles of cough syrup and a few doses of some recalled extra strength Tylenol later, and I think I am finally on the mend. Amen to that.

I've had the recipe for Smitten Kitchen's Huevos Rancheros bookmarked for about 6 months now. I can easily bookmark about 15 recipes in one afternoon of recipe hunting - and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that suffers from recipe bookmarking syndrome. However, I usually delete them when I've decided to go in a different direction. I rarely keep a recipe in check for that long. Huevos Rancheros is right above the bookmark for Pumpkin Gnocchi and right below the link for Cooks Illustrated online - which leads me to believe it's been there for quite awhile. I've even carried the printed version of the recipe to the store with me on multiple occasions. I don't know why it took me so long to get it together for this dish.

I love unexpected great meals. If I spend all day in the kitchen making Potato Gnocchi or Thousand Layer Lasagna, then yes I expect it to be good. Then on the other hand, there are also these simple, unassuming recipes, with very few ingredients and simple flavors that just make you stop and go 'wow - this is amazing'. The Eggs Poached in Marinara over Polenta would be in that category in addition to this recipe for Huevos Rancheros.

I know it might seem odd - or at least odd to me - to cook an egg over a corn tortilla and then top with with taco fillings. Do eggs and tortillas go together? I know breakfast burritos are popular but that just isn't a trend I picked up on. The great thing about this meal, is that you might just have all of the ingredients on hand in the refrigerator and pantry. And if you don't, most can be bought prepared at the store, leaving you little kitchen cooking time at the end of the day. I took the easy way out. I happened to run into Whole Foods one night to pickup, corn salsa, pico de gallo, corn tortillas, a can of refried beans and some cilantro. The meal practically comes together as you shop. On a different occasion, you could easily make fresh salsa, cook your own beans, and press your own corn tortillas.

The light photo studio that Anne gave me for Christmas is really something else. The pictures are turning out better in the studio than in real light. I don't know if it is actually a studio, but that's what I like calling it. I love that I can actually take pictures at night, instead of cooking between the hours of 11-2 on the weekends. Hence, I can share the Huevos Rancheros step by step process.

Huevos Rancheros

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

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Corn Tortillas

Eggs

Tomato Salsa

Corn Salsa

Chopped Cilantro

Shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese

Crumbled Goat Cheese

Refried Beans

Salt Pepper

Heat a 6 - inch corn tortilla in an oiled pan. When it is golden brown underneath, flip it over.

Sprinkle some shredded cheddar over the browned side and let it melt a bit.

Break a single egg over the melting cheese. Don't sorry if it rolls over the edges. Season it with salt and pepper. When the white is about halfway set, flip the whole thing over.

Cook it for a few minutes on the other side. Flip it back onto the plate. It's ready. Top with refried beans, salsa, cilantro and crumbled goat cheese.

Cranberry Kumquat Chutney

2 very exciting things happened today - although I guess that depends on how you define the term exciting. It wasn't quite as exciting as winning the lottery, but was more exciting than finding a $1 bill in your pocket.

1. I came home from work and realized that my Tivo is completely stocked - verging on the level of being too full. 4 episodes of Oprah, 20 episodes of Seinfeld, the new WB show Life Unexpected, Grey's Anatomy, 4 episodes of Gilmore Girls, 17 episodes of Friends and a Diner Drive-Ins and Dives. This list doesn't even include season 2 of Brothers & Sisters. I wonder if you can judge a someones personality based on what they have stocked away in their Tivo?

2. Whole Foods switched up their salad bar - and yes that is a must in the excitement category. I had run into the store to get some fruit, marinara sauce, and yogurt but was immediately tempted by the new options at the bar. I usually save my Whole Foods meal for Friday night, but after going to spin class and running a few errands, the clock was heading towards 8pm and I didn't want to spend too much time in the kitchen tonight on dinner. So I splurged and ditched my original plan of eggs on toast and brussels sprouts. My new favorite find: raw shredded beets.

Kumquats are back in season and I'm happy to see them back in the produce section at the store. A year ago, Jenn from The Whole Kitchen, introduced me to the kumquat and I haven't turned back since.

The winter meals are getting slightly boring. I made Manhattan Clam Chowder this past Sunday and have eaten it at least once a day this week. Soup warms you up, but sometimes just lacks the fresh flavors that summer brings. In an attempt to get some fresh flavors into the kitchen, I decided on a cranberry kumquat chutney. The chutney goes well with just about everything. Top it on grilled fish. Cook a turkey breast in the oven and serve it with this chutney. Add the chutney to your turkey sandwich at lunch time. The sweet and tart of the cranberry/kumquat mixture adds so much to your basic winter meal.

Cranberry Kumquat Chutney

adapted from Epicurious.com

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3/4 cup brown sugar

1 12oz package fresh cranberries

8 oz kumquats, cut into 1/4 inch slices, seeded

1/3 cup onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 teaspoon salt

dash of red pepper flakes

Place all of the ingredients in a heavy bottom pot. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the mixture starts to thicken, about 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Discard cinnamon stick.

Southwestern Beef Brisket + Pickled Red Onions

There are many things that I love about my not-so-new anymore apartment. It's a 10 minute walk to work - if I in fact choose to walk. It's steps away from Michigan Avenue - which can be slightly dangerous if I step outside and promise to just window shop. There is a Starbucks on my corner - an absolute must. There is a small, specialty food market 2 blocks away - I've had many talks with myself that it is not practical to do ALL my shopping there. I have a bedroom - which allows me to have a queen bed instead of a full. There is enough room for a couch - guests can actually come over and have a place to sit, relax and talk. I have a washer/dryer - no more lugging the laundry up and down. I have a kitchen table - people can actually come over for dinner and have somewhere to sit.

There is a garbage disposal - which at first, appears to be a major plus for one who loves to cook. However, when the garbage disposal breaks, all hell can break loose.

On a whim, I decided to have 7 over for dinner. The thought must have come to me after consuming a venti Americano - as I do my best thinking after having coffee. The recipe choosing process, which can sometimes take hours, actually went pretty quickly. I decided to go with pulled beef brisket sandwiches with oven roasted potatoes. My thought was that the beef could cook all afternoon in the oven, I could shred it, put it in the crock pot to stay warm, and I would hardly spend a moment in the kitchen while my guests were here. I could lounge around on the couch all afternoon, watching the Bears game, as my oven did the work for me.

I was a woman on a mission. Grocery shopping. Making the pickled red onions in the morning. Mashing the avocados to make guacamole. Browning the beef, making the sauce, getting everything into the oven. Just as the beef was going into the oven, with all my dishes piled high in the sink to be washed - I hit a snag.

Time: 1:30.

Hmmmm.....the sink isn't draining. I'll turn on the garbage disposal and that should solve the problem. Nope - now I've got water coming up in both sinks - bad idea. I call the maintenance man and within 5 minutes we are both standing in the kitchen.

Him: It smells good in here.

Me: My sink isn't draining. This has happened before. I have people coming over for dinner in 5 hours. Do you think it can be fixed?

Him: I'll see what I can do.

45 minutes later.

Me: How's it going in there?

Him: Well, I'm not sure what the problem is here.

Me: Do you think this will be fixed before 7?

Him: It's hard to say. Let me run down to my shop to get a few more tools.

30 minutes later.

Him: We have this stuff that usually works wonders with sinks. We seem to be out of it right now so I brought the next best thing.

Me: Hmmm. I'll be in the next room. Let me know if you need anything.

Him: I'm going to let this sit for awhile. Do you mind if I just keep your door unlocked? I think I'm going to be in and out for awhile. I'll be back with a few more tools.

Me: Not a problem. Remember I have guests coming at 7.

Time: 3:30

Him: This stuff doesn't seem to be working. Too bad I didn't have that other product. I'm going to get the engineer of the building. He knows more about this kind of stuff than I do. I opened up the pipes under your sink, so don't mind the 2 buckets that are sitting under there. Man it smells good in here.

30 minutes later

Engineer: You need a different pipe under your sink. I think that should solve the problem.

Me: Great. Do you think you can get it installed before 6?

Engineer: Actually, we happen to be out of that part. It will be in tomorrow. We'll have it fixed first thing in the morning.

Me: Can I use the sink?

Engineer: Not really.

Me: Huh?

Engineer: I'll leave a bucket under the sink to catch any water, but I wouldn't suggest turning on the sink much. You can always empty the bucket if it gets full.

Me: So I have all these dishes here and guests coming over in an hour, and I can't use my sink?

Engineer: You can always use the bathtub. Once the guests smell the beef, they won't even notice the mess.

So off I went to the tub. 2 wooden boos blocks. One large blue Dutch oven soup pot. 2 of my new Wusthof Ikon Creme knives. 2 mixing bowls, now crusted with guacamole. Small prepping bowls. A crock pot. And silverware. I didn't know whether to cry, cancel the party or just hide everything behind the shower curtain and act like nothing happened.

I pulled myself together. I went from the kitchen, to the bathtub, back to the kitchen and back to the tub more times than I could count. I turned the music up to keep my motivation at a high.

As 6 o'clock rolled around, you wouldn't have even noticed the chaos that took place over the past 4 hours. The dishes were all done and put away. The dishwasher was empty to catch any of the dishes that would be used for the night. The chips and guacamole were out. The brie, crackers, and raspberry jelly were out. The wine was open. The party playlist was playing on the stereo. I was hosting a dinner party.

Southwestern Beef Brisket

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

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3 pounds beef brisket

Salt

Pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 onion, cut in half, sliced thin

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons ground coriander

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups beef broth

1 14oz can fire roasted crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup ketchup

3 chipotles in adobo, minced

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup molasses

Preheat oven to 325. Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven pot over medium high heat. Make sure your pot is oven proof. Season the brisket liberally with salt and pepper. Brown the brisket on both sides. This should take about 10 minutes. Transfer the beef to a plate. Leave the skillet on the heat.

Add the garlic, onion, chili powder, coriander and cumin to the pan. The pan should have some drippings from the meat to help the vegetables saute. Stir until the vegetables are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the vinegar and bring the pot to a boil. (Keep your face away from the pan as you add the vinegar - it gives you quite a facial). Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon as the vinegar comes to a boil. The brown bits at the bottom of the pan will come up - which adds flavor to the pot. Add the beef broth, crushed tomatoes, ketchup, chipotles, bay leaves and molasses.

Add the beef back to the Dutch oven pot. Shimmy (yes shimmy) the beef down to the bottom of the pot so that the vegetables and broth are covering it. Place the pot into the oven. Cook for 3 1/2 - 4 hours, basting the beef with the broth every half hour or so. Your house should smell divine by this point.

Optional: once beef has cooked, take the beef and place it on a plate. Place a strainer over a large mixing bowl. Pour the broth and vegetables through the strainer so that the broth flows into the mixing bowl. Chill the broth in the refrigerator - the fat will separate to the top. Scrape the fat into the garbage can.

Simmer the sauce on the stove until it thickens a bit. Add the vegetables back to the pot. With two forks, shred the brisket into small pieces. Pour the sauce over top to moisten the beef and the vegetables. Can be reheated or kept warm in the crock pot. Serve as tacos or sandwiches.

Pickled Red Onions

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

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1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup cold water

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2 to 3 dashes of hot sauce

1 red onion, sliced into thin half moons

In a large bowl stir the red wine vinegar and the water together. Stir in the salt and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Add the hot sauce. Stir in the onions and let sit for at least 2 hours. Can be made overnight. Serve pickled onions on top of the beef.

White Turkey Chili

There are very few foods that I don't like - which is odd since I would consider myself a picky eater. Maybe it's not even that I am a picky eater but I am indecisive when it comes to choosing what sounds good for dinner. Ask me if I want grilled chicken for dinner, and I will almost always respond with...no. However, grill the chicken, surprise me, put it on my plate, and I will most likely eat it. Is there a name for this type of syndrome?

I've never liked gouda cheese before. Gouda cheese always came on the Turkey Bravo sandwich from Panera and I always had to order it without. It reminded me of the Kraft American Singles cheese - a tad rubbery with a creamy aftertaste that just didn't sit well with me. Well lo and behold I think I have made a complete 180 with my perception of this cheese. Hammy was over one day and was eating apple and sliced cheese for lunch - smoked gouda cheese to be exact.

Hammy: Want a piece of cheese?

Me: No, I don't like gouda cheese.

Hammy: How can you not like gouda cheese? It's smoky like bacon. I think you would really like it.

So I gave in and tried the cheese - again - acting like I was tasting it for the first time. Since that day, I have this new love for gouda cheese - it must be smoked though. Gouda was served with crackers for Christmas dinner this year - guess who made sure that happened? I ate turkey sandwiches for dinner 3 nights in a row, just so I could have a slice of gouda on my sandwich. I don't ask questions about these types of things, I just go along.

Over the holidays, we cooked a turkey so that I could have leftovers to make some soups to stock up my freezer. When you make turkey soups year after year, the recipes seem to blur together, all looking the same, and none really standing out from the other. I came across a recipe on the Williams-Sonoma website for a White Turkey Chili. The recipe called for a 1/4 cup cornmeal added to the broth. Now that was different. The soup has very simple ingredients, yet the flavors just jump out of the pot. I think the charred peppers help add to the smoky flavor in the dish. I can't say that you taste the cornmeal in the soup, but it definitely adds to the texture. It is a great one dish meal, that warms you up from the inside out.

White Turkey Chili

adapted from Williams-Sonoma

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2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, diced

Salt

Pepper

2 tablespoons ground cumin

5 garlic cloves, minced

4 small serrano chiles, roasted, peeled, and diced

2 boxes chicken stock

2 cups chopped turkey

3 cans white beans (cannellini beans or chick peas)

2 tablespoons fresh oregano, minced

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup cornmeal

Turn on the broiler in your oven. Roast the chilis on all sides until they are blackened. Place the chilis in a brown paper bag and seal it closed. After a few minutes, the skins will start to peel off the. Remove the skin and mince the chilis - keeping the seeds.

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and saute until it has softened, about 8 minutes. Add the cumin, garlic and chilis. Cook for 30 seconds, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the diced turkey, canned beans and oregano.

Place the cornmeal in a bowl with 1/2 cup of the warm broth. Stir the cornmeal and make sure there aren't any lumps. Add the cornmeal mixture to the soup pot. Simmer on low heat for about an hour. Ladle soup into bowls. Serve with chopped cilantro.

Split Pea Soup with Ham

Tonight is the night to sit down and do nothing - as long as updating the blog, watching tv, and pulling a bag of soup out of the freezer for dinner falls into that nothing category. It's been a busy 10 days. I like being busy, but I also love sitting on the couch with my feet up, doing absolutely nothing. Here is a small recap for the week:

-Hosted a dinner party for 7 - sink story and all the details coming soon

-Helped cater an event with Chef Ryan - which I'm dying to do again

-Helped plan a Columbia Art Event for pediatric cancer patients from Bear Necessities - one of my favorite volunteer events of the year

-Hosted the first DetermiNation committee meeting for the year - 2010 is going to be great

-Attended the Bank of America Chicago Marathon Charity Workshop - My to do list just got longer!

-Cooked a little bit of this and a little bit of that - Made for Monday treat and dinners for the week

-Worked out not quite as often I would have liked - tomorrow is a new day

A bag of frozen split pea soup is currently defrosting on the counter. If you don't think you have time to cook during the week, I would highly suggest making a big pot of soup on the weekend. It's always my go to meal throughout the winter months when I get home and don't feel like doing much in the kitchen. If I have thought ahead early enough in the day, I will have taken the soup out of the freezer and moved it to the fridge, before leaving for work in the morning. To be honest, I never can think quite that far ahead when it comes to what sounds good for dinner at 8am. I always end up doing quick defrost method under hot water instead.

Peak Brothers ham is always well stocked in the fridge around the holidays. One can only eat so much ham without turning it into something else. The abundance of ham pushes me to make a couple of pots of both lentil and split pea soup. I've been told I would like ham and beans - utilizing the ham bone - but have never taken the time to make that dish on my own.

I went to Martha Stewart for this Split Pea recipe. The dish is very straightforward, but I think that is how split pea soup should be. I used yellow split peas instead of green, but whatever you have on hand is absolutely fine. The soup is thick, delicious, comforting and the perfect meal for a semi-not so unbearable Chicago winter day.

Split Pea Soup with Ham

adapted from MarthaStewart.com

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1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 carrots, thinly sliced

3 celery stalks, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Salt

Pepper

1 1 /2 boxes chicken stock

1 bag yellow or green split peas, picked over and rinsed

1 1/2 cups ham, in 1/2 inch dice

In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes.

Add broth and split peas. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and partially cover. Simmer until peas are soft, 30 to 45 minutes.

With an immersion blender, puree half of the soup right in the pot. Add ham cubes and simmer until heated through. If necessary, thin with additional water or stock. Season with salt and pepper.

Black-Eyed Peas Salad w/ Goat Cheese

Snap back to reality. January 4th came up much sooner than I was anticipating and it was back into the normal routine that most people call real life. Two weeks of holiday gatherings, dinners out, big meals in the kitchen, cookie baking, shopping with the crowds, and lollygagging around all day can only last for so long. I'm back to the gym, back in a routine, and most importantly, back in my own kitchen. I've had some time to relish some of the gifts that I received over the holidays. I was daring this year - if daring and I can even be put in the same room together - and didn't make a Christmas list. I vowed that whatever I received, I would love. And I did.

From Mom, amongst other things, I received Canal House Cooking - Volumes 1 and 2. Lottie & Doof, a local Chicago food blog, had posted a gift guide for 2009 with some really great household items. These two cookbooks happened to be on the list. Canal House Cooking will be publishing 3 volumes per year: Summer, Fall & Holiday, and Winter and Spring. On my list to try from these books include the Tomato and Crab Aspic, Poached Chicken in Gelee and Watermelon Pickle. The books highlight simple concepts and simple ingredients, yet produce gourmet styled dishes. Look for future posts from Canal House Cooking.

I've been eyeing these knives for about three years now. You are looking at the 8 piece walnut block set of Wusthof Ikon Creme knives. Some women ask for jewelry and shoes, but knives and large Dutch ovens seem to be on my "gotta have" list. Grandpa gave me money for Christmas this year, the knives were on sale, and the money was burning a hole in my pocket from the minute I received it. I've been using my lone Wusthof chef's knife for just about anything and everything I make in the kitchen, and I've been dying to have a variety of knives to choose from. Thanks Grandpa for the gift that is truly going to last a lifetime.

With the start of new year, it is customary for many cultures to serve dishes made with black-eyed peas, as a way to represent luck and prosperity in the new year. To avoid starting off on the wrong foot, and dooming myself in 2010, I followed tradition and made black-eyed peas at the beginning of January. The New York Times posted a recipe for a Greek Black-Eyed Peas Salad. I still had leftover goat cheese in the fridge from the Quinoa Salad I had made for Christmas, so I made a slightly less Greek form of the salad - swapping goat cheese for the feta. I'm going to be VERY lucky in 2010, because it took me 6 days to finish this salad. 1 bag of dried black-eyed peas sure does last awhile when cooking for just 1.

My brother got me adorable measuring cup dishes from Anthropologie. The black-eyed peas salad pictured above is served in one of those cups. Little did he know I would not use these for measuring things, but instead for 'final shot' photo purposes. The final product of the salad also came together at about 7:30 in the evening. From the looks of the picture, you wouldn't even know it was pitch black outside, right? No signs of gray, Chicago winter weather. Thank you Anne. I finally have a mini-photo studio that I can now take all of my after hour pictures in. I ALWAYS seemed to be fighting with the light, cooking only between the hours of 11 and 2 - which is no longer the case.

For dinner, I served the black-eyed peas salad with seared tuna (yes I like my tuna very rare) and steamed broccoli. As I finish this post - no joke - "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas is playing on my iPod. With that as a sign, it is sure to be a great year.

Black-Eyed Peas Salad w/ Goat Cheese

adapted from The New York Times

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2 cups black-eyed peas, soaked overnight

1 bay leaf

Salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 red pepper, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon cumin,

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

Pepper

1/2 cup fresh dill

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

Place the beans in a pot with the bay leaf and cover with water by 2 to 3 inches. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, add salt to taste and simmer gently until peas are tender but not mushy - about 45 to 50 minutes. Drain through a colander set over a bowl. Transfer the black-eyed peas to a salad bowl.

Heat a medium skilled over medium-high heat, and add 1 tablespoon of the oil. When it is hot, add the red pepper and cook, stirring often, until just crisp-tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin. Stir together for another minute or two until the garlic is fragrant. Remove from the heat and toss with the black-eyed peas. Toss with the vinegar, remaining olive oil, 1/4 cup bean broth, red onion and salt and pepper to taste. Cool to room temperature.

Toss the salad well. Sprinkle with goat cheese over the top. Serve.

Chutney(s)

You know those projects that you start to work on, get really excited about, can't wait to see accomplished, and you then realize the project would have been much easier if you had started it much much earlier? It's like starting your Christmas shopping on December 24th, beginning to write a paper the night before it is due, or packing 2 hours before you need to leave for a trip. This leads me to the new addition to my blog. If you look up right above the start of this post, you will notice a link to a recipe index. Don't click on the About Me link because I haven't got to that part yet!

This past week, I decided to create an index of all my recipes - separating them into categories so that certain dishes can easily be found. Not only did it take me about a week to figure out how to add a static page to my blog, but it took me just as long to copy and paste all of the recipes from my past posts to that static page. Html code and I are rarely on the same page and I remind myself everyday why I do not work with computers for a living. Each time I hit the copy and paste button, opening and minimizing multiple screens, I kept thinking to myself - if I had started this project from day 1 - this project would already be done. Nevertheless, everything is updated, and you can now easily search for recipes in the blog.

I have a new addiction - lucky for me it doesn't involve alcohol or tobacco. My new addiction is chutney. I recently participated in a cooking class hosted by Chef Ryan from Centered Chef Food Studios. Ryan competed in the Ironman Cozumel event and raised money for the American Cancer Society's DetermiNation program. To thank his donors, he hosted a cooking class, and I was lucky enough to attend. One of the demonstrations was for tomato chutney. Chutneys go well with just about everything. Beef, yes. Turkey sandwiches, yes. Roast turkey, yes. Pork tenderloin, yes. Quinoa, yes. I went home and made chutney, looked up recipes for chutney, and made more chutney.

I'm posting both the Tomato Chutney recipe and a recipe for an Apple Chutney from Closet Cooking. Both are really really good. I also have a recipe for a Cranberry Kumquat Chutney, but I'll save that for a later day.

Tomato Chutney

adapted from Chef Ryan

print this recipe

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 oz pancetta, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 28 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1/2 cup red wine

Pinch of sugar

Pinch red pepper flakes

Salt

Pepper

In a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add pancetta. Cook until browned - about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the red wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Add the fire roasted tomatoes, sugar, red pepper flakes, and salt. Bring mixture to a boil. Cook uncovered at a simmer until chutney has thickened considerably - about 45 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

Apple Chutney

adapted from Closet Cooking

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1 pound apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch dice

1 small onion, diced

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 tablespoon ginger, minced

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup apple juice

1/2 cup raisins

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger, allspice, cloves

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Bring everything to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer until it thickens - about 50 minutes.