Showing posts with label for carnivores only. Show all posts
Showing posts with label for carnivores only. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

throw some bows

We have two rules in my house - be kind and be safe. Seems simple enough, but with two fearless and rambunctious toddlers its a constant struggle to just keep everyone from mauling each other. Things I never thought I'd say include: please don't pick your sister up by her neck, let's not bang your brother with that boat, can we not pour water on your sister, no I don't think he wants that bucket on his head...You parents out there feel my pain. I mean that literally. These kids bang me up just as much. And is there anything sharper than a toddler's elbow? And why is that how they always push off of you?

All that rough housing can work up quite an appetite. This recipe will refill your kids tanks for another round in the rings.

You will need the following:
1 box of bowtie pasta
15-20 jumbo shrimp
1 lemon
1 stick of butter
Italian seasonings
Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. Slice lemon and lay on on foil. Top with peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp. Melt a stick of butter. Pour melted butter over shrimp and lemons. Dust with Italian seasonings. Place in oven for 15 minutes. At same time boil pasta in salted water according to directions. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add shrimp and lemons to pasta. Pour herbed butter onto pasta and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Lucky for me my carnivore comes home every night to rescue me from my little rascals. And after a big bowl of this pasta he is ready to rumble too.

menu ideas:
On the night I served this to the family, I reserved some of the pasta for myself and tossed it with leftover grilled veggies, feta crumbles, and olive oil. 

Sunday, September 23, 2012

good sense

When I cook for the carnivore I obviously can't taste the food, so I have to rely on my other senses. I listen for the sizzle of the steak in the pan. I look at the browned skin on the chicken thighs. I feel the thick cut of the bacon. And finally, there is my sense of smell, which I used in this recipe. When I made these crockpot carnitas, my whole house smelled like a Mexican restaurant. I knew before the meat hit my man's lips that this recipe was going to be a repeat in out house.

Now, I should start out by saying that as my carnivore hubs pointed out to me, carnitas is traditionally made with pork. This recipe, which I found on this great blog - eat, live, run - called for beef and that is what I used. If you want to substitute pork I think you could. In fact, the original recipe called for flank steak, but I could only find a flat iron. I made a few other adjustments too. Here is what you will need to make this marvelous Mexican dish as I did:

1.5 lbs flat iron steak
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 small white onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red chili pepper, seeded, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Start by mixing the spices together in a small bowl. Then rub the mixture generously over the meat. Place the steak in the crockpot. Cover with the chopped onions and peppers (ours came from either our backyard or our CSA). Turn the heat on low and cook for eight hours. Shred the meat in the pot with two forks. How easy is that?

Serve on your favorite type of tortilla - flour, corn, or even whole wheat. I was lucky to get my carnivore to eat the peppers that had marinated in the meat juice all day, and that was only because he grew some of them. But, if you have a less veggie averse meat eater you can top your tacos with avocado, cilantro, salsa and lime juice.

You can almost taste it now just reading this, right?

menu ideas:
Since I didn't have to worry about the carnivore's main dish after I put it in the slow cooker after breakfast, I made my own soy crumble tacos. Mine were complete with avocados, tomatoes, and all the fixins. We also had grilled corn in the husks and seasoned black beans.

Friday, May 25, 2012

thigh master

There are a few drawbacks to living in a mixed diet family - the time and thought that has to go into meals, the occasional making an extra dish so one of us his a main course that makes them happy, etc. But, when I think about it these issues are probably things every household encounters really.

Of course, there is also the fact that I, the main cook in the house, can't taste test my carnivore's food. I am no master chef by any stretch of the imagination - far from it. Over the years, after some lets say less than enthusiastic responses from my hubby, I have learned one general rule of thumb to pleasing his palate - buy good meat and don't mess with it too much. This seems to work every time.

That's how I knew when I saw this recipe on Everybody Likes Sandwiches (taken from Bon Appetit) that it would be a hit. It is so simple and I can get really good organic thighs from Whole Foods. Plus, it cooks in just thirty-five minutes - which leaves me plenty of time to make my own main course.

Gather the following:
1 Tblsp vegetable oil
4 organic skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 475F. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a a cast iron skillet over high heat. Add the chicken skin side down and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook for 12 more minutes skin side down, rotating and rearranging chicken to evenly distribute the heat until the fat renders and skin is golden brown. Move skillet to the oven and cook for 13 more minutes, still skin-side down. Turn over the chicken and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a plate and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

How easy is that? And my carnivore raves about it every time I make it. It is nice to know I've mastered at least one meat dish.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

fishy

My husband made up a song many years ago when we were walking on a bridge in the Bahamas about some fish he saw swimming by. He said, "You know what they are saying? (singing now) I'm a fish, fish, fish...swimming in the ocean...don't eat me for dinner...I'm a fish." Its a catchy tune. In fact, it is now sung my both my husband and my son almost daily. Strangely enough, they both still eat fish. I'm with Nemo's friend Dory - fish are our friend, not food. However, if you do eat fish for dinner you should try this recipe.

I found it on Pinterest, and you can see the original recipe by clicking here. This is my simplified version to feed one large carnivore and one little omnivore:

3 pieces of cod
3/4 cups of flour
1/4 cup of cornstarch
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp of kosher salt
1 tsp of baking powder
1/3 cup of lager beer
vegetable oil
lemon

Place enough vegetable oil in cast iron skillet til 1/2 inch high. Heat on medium. Combine all the dry ingredients except the salt and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Place 2/3 of the mixture in a baking sheet and spread it out. Pat fish dry and salt. Add baking powder and beer to remaining dry ingredients in bowl and combine. Coat fish in dry mix (in baking sheet) first, then in batter (in bowl), then again in dry mix. Place fish in hot oil. Turn after a few minutes, when crust is golden. Remove and drain on paper bag or towels. Squeeze fresh lemon before serving.

My boys ate this fish up...for dinner.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

iron man

I used to have this cheap black plastic iron man watch. It wasn't flashy or fashionable, but while I was spending my summers life guarding at the local water park it was indispensable. Year after chlorinated drenched year it kept working leaving a white tan line in its place.

I recently received a simple black cast iron skillet for Christmas, and it is quickly becoming my new iron man. Its durable and reliable, and it can cook just about anything on any night. And, call me crazy, but things taste better in it too. Recently when I made this butter herbed chicken for my carnivore, after just one bite he said, "Mmm. Good!"

To make your own grab a seasoned cast iron skillet. Melt two tblsp of butter over medium heat. Pat two chicken breast dry. Add kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, and generous amounts of dried chopped parsley to each side. Place breast in butter. Brown each side and continue to cook til juices run clear. Adjust heat to prevent burning as needed. Squeeze half a lemon over breast just before serving.

It is a dish I will certainly add to the frequent rotation. Like my trusty cast iron skillet and my faithful iron man watch I know it won't fail to please each time its on the plate.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

beat the heat

The other day the temps here in Memphis dipped into the upper eighties. The carnivore and I looked at the forecast the day before and remarked on how nice it was going to be outside. Just imagine how pleasant it is going to feel we thought...but, after an hour or two of working in the yard the next day the carnivore looked at me and said, "Just cuz it feels moderately cool doesn't mean it isn't actually hot. It is still in the upper eighties." True.

And if you are like me (and many southerners out there) having a steamy hot kitchen on an already muggy day is no fun. This really is why we quick fry just about anything. So, when presented with a half of a chicken in our recent meat CSA, I weighed the options of either baking it in the oven for an hour or so (and thus also heating my house several degrees) or tossing it in the crock pot. No brainer. I'll take the cooler and set-it-and forget-it version any day.

Simply drizzle the bottom of the pot with olive oil. Then add in in half a diced white onion. Season your chicken with a mixture of salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and celery salt (just a dusting of each. Place the chicken in the pot skin side up so the fat from the skin can flavor everything as it cooks. Surround the bird with carrots and top with a few sprigs of fresh rosemary. Cover and cook on low four 4-6 hours. The chicken should easily pull apart for serving along side the veggies.

I wish I had a picture of the finished product for you, but the carnivore was ravenous from his yard work and got to it before I could even think to grab the camera. He usually knows better, having lived with a food blogger for awhile now. What can I say? Maybe the heat got to his brain...or maybe the chicken just smelled too good.

menu ideas:
On the night the carnivore had this, I also had carrots that I steamed separately and we shared buttered english peas as well. I had a fake chicken patty for my main course.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

one bourbon

Derby day is fast approaching. This means women in Kentucky will start looking for silly hats, horse gamblers will start speculating on their bets, and the rest of us will celebrate by finding a reason to kick back a few bourbon drinks. (Well, maybe not this pregnant lady, but some people will.) And sure you can have your traditional mint julep while you admire the bluegrass and thoroughbreds, but may I make a suggestion for you meat eaters out there - have your whiskey and eat it too.


Sound too good to be true? Well, I marinated a super sized steak for the carnivore recently with a recipe I found (and tweaked a bit) in Weber's Real Grilling , also known as my husband's favorite cookbook, called Bourbon-Barbecued Rib-Eye. He happily grilled and devoured it once I had it prepped. Here is what you will need for your own whiskey soaked slab of meat:

for the marinade:                                                   the rest:
1/4 cup of bourbon                                                1 thick bone-in rib-eye
2 tblsp of ketchup                                                  1 tblsp of olive oil
1 tblsp olive oil                                                       1 tsp of paprika
1 tblsp of soy sauce                                                salt and pepper
2 minced garlic cloves                                          chopped parsley
several dashes of tabasco sauce
a bit of salt and pepper

Simply mix the marinade in a medium sized bowl then pour it in a resealable bag. Place the steak in the same bag. Remove any air and toss it around until well coated. Place the bag on a plate and refrigerate for about two hours, turning every now and again. Allow the steak to stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes while you heat up grill. Remove the meat from the bag and discard the marinade. Pat the steak dry. Brush it with oil on both sides. In small bowl mix together the paprika, salt and pepper. Press the seasonings into both sides of meat. Then give the steak to your carnivore to grill over direct high heat until desired doneness, 8-10 minutes for medium rare, turning only once. Transfer it to plate and let it rest for about 5 minutes before cutting. Garnish with parsley and serve while warm.

Hey, it might not be your traditional way to enjoy the derby, but I guarantee your carnivore will enjoy it more than a sweet drink from a silver cup or a silly hat.

Friday, March 25, 2011

99 bottles of beer on the wall

It never fails that when we have a dinner party we end up with several stray beers in our fridge. We buy some, the guest bring some. No one six pack ever gets finished. So, we inevitably have a smorgasbord of barley and hops taking up valuable real estate in the icebox. As such, I am always on the look out for a new recipe that helps me get rid of a bottle and free up some space for something more important (like blackberry cobbler).

Lucky for me the carnivore is always up for grilling some sort of meat marinated in beer. I came across just such a thing in his favorite cookbook, Weber's Real Grilling. I adjusted it just a bit (as usual). To make two servings you will need the following:

4 organic chicken thighs
1/2 bottle of beer, preferably lager
1 minced garlic clove
1 tsp of worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp of tobasco sauce
1 tsp of dijon mustard
1 tblsp of olive oil
kosher salt and ground pepper to taste

Start by combining the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl. Drink the rest of the beer. Waste not, want not, right? Salt and pepper the chicken thighs. Place them in a large plastic storage bag. Add in the marinade. Place in fridge for six to eight hours, turning at least once. Remove them from the marinade and pat dry. Grill over direct medium heat, skin side first, for about twenty minutes, turning about every five minutes.

You can probably get your carnivore to down another beer while he grills, and maybe one more at the table. And hey - just like that - three less beers in the fridge. What do you know? There may just be room for dessert after all!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

the simple life

Recently the carnivore sent me a link to a "recipe" by Paula Deen. If you know my carnivore, you know he loves him some Paula. We even took a trek to Tunica, Mississippi a few years ago for his birthday dinner at her casino buffet. And boy was it good! Just like on her show, everything was drowned in butter. And true to form, the recipe he sent me also called for butter. But that's about it. If you haven't seen it, here is the link. In essence you open a can of peas, add butter, and heat. Now, I do make my peas in a similar fashion, but I wouldn't put it here on my blog as a recipe. Its just common sense.

Having said that, I am a bit embarrassed to share the following recipe for bar-b-que chicken. Its almost too easy. But here it goes...First, gather the following ingredients for two servings:

Chicken parts, bone in skin on, organic and hormone / cruelty free is possible
(I used 4 legs and two thighs from Whole Foods)
1/2 cup of your favorite ready made BBQ sauce (homemade or store bought)
1 tblsp of powder garlic
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Grab a large ziplock bag. Place your chicken in it. Add in the garlic, salt, pepper, and half the BBQ sauce. Toss it until all parts are well coated. Set aside on counter. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken in oven safe dish. Cover with aluminum foil. Cook for one hour. Remove dish and take off foil. Pour off almost all of the fat, leaving just a bit in the bottom of the dish. Baste pieces with the rest of the sauce. Return to oven and cook another thirty minutes.


Just like that you have a finger lickin' good dish for your carnivore. In fact, it was so good there may or may not have been some plate lickin' in my house. Don't look now, Paula, I am fast on your heels with simple dishes that please!

menu ideas:
When I baked this chicken for the carnivore I also baked some "chicken" for myself. I had the faux breaded breast by Quorn. We also had actual corn - using an errily similar method to Paula's peas - as well as some sauteed green beans.

Friday, December 17, 2010

how many fingers am i holding up?

I am certain as baby omnivore gets older I will have battles over his food. While I do hope he will have my expansive palate, I am sure there will be times when he won't want what I put on his plate. Lucky for me I already have lots of practice cooking for a picky eater - the carnivore.  And I know this will be hit. It is my take on a fast food favorite - chicken fingers.

You will need:
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 package of chicken tenders
olive oil for drizzling
1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup of italian bread crumbs
1 tblsp of dried parsely
salt and pepper

Drizzle a large skillet with olive oil. Heat on medium. Next to skillet place shallow bowl with cheese, bread crumbs, and parsley mixed together. Next to that place shallow bowl with egg. Salt and pepper the tenders. Then start the assembly line. Dip in egg. Cover in breadcrumb mix. Place in pan. Heat on each side about four minutes. Wait til tenders pull away from pan on their own (not when they are sticking. Each side should be golden and the juices should run clear.

I mean, who doesn't like chicken fingers? Well, except for the vegetarians in your lives. But other than us, this will be a crowd-pleaser for the young and old alike in your life - even the picky ones.

menu ideas:
I served these with rice that I popped in my wonderful rice cooker. I also heat up some english peas. And for my main dish, at the same time I was cooking the chicken I had broccoli and mushrooms in another skillet sauteeing in olive oil and similar seasonings - parmesan cheese, garlic, parsley, etc.

Friday, October 15, 2010

change of plans

The other night I decided that I would enist the carnivore's help in cooking dinner. This generally means grilling. Open flame outdoors - that's his domain. Unfortunately, he couldn't cook his meat for me this night. Let me back up so I can fully explain.

As new parents, we are getting less sleep than any human should. We generally shouldn't operate heavy machinery. Seriously, when we get five straight hours we celebrate. So earlier in the week when the carnivore decided to clean the grill by burning off some sticky bits at a low heat and he asked me to help him remember that the grill was going it should be no surprise that we both forgot about it. Bad news - your hubby reluctantly explains that he can't grill his chops because all of the propane is gone. Good news - the house didn't burn down. Geez...

So, change of plans. Time to fry up some chops, and quick! I had marinated these thin pork pieces in a bit of virgin olive oil, kosher salt, cracked black pepper and rosemary from our garden for about two hours. I simply pulled out a large skillet, added a bit more oil, and set them in over medium high heat. I put a sprig of rosemary on each just to fill the house with that wonderful woodsy aroma - not because I expected him to eat it, but if I had to cook them I was going to enjoy it in the process. Each side only needed about four minutes and we were ready for dinner.

menu ideas:
Instead of pork I had a faux chicken cutlet from Quorn. I served both of our cutlets with sauteed green beans and smashed sweet potatoes. We also indulged in some crusty french bread. Turns out it was pretty tasty according to the carnivore. And while it was surely not as healthy as grilling, everything is better fried, even if it wasn't what I had planned!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

set it and forget it

So like many of you I have a slow cooker that takes up a lot of space in my cabinet, but rarely makes an appearance on my counter top. Sometimes I even forget it is in there. Don't get me wrong, I have used it. But, I will admit it has always been for things like Rotel dip or bar-b-que cocktail weenies. And yes, I know you can make everything from breakfast to dessert in it - I just haven't. Well, nevermore...

As I have mentioned before I do cook meat for the carnivore. He has made his dietary choices and I have made mine. So, the other night when I was craving my spectacular spinach patties (that he wouldn't touch), I crawled on my step ladder and got that slow cooker out of that top cabinet to make my meat eater this really easy roast.

To make three servings you will need:
A small beef roast, about 2lbs.
1 cup of veggie broth
1 package of dried onion soup
3 cloves or garlic, peeled
1 large stem of rosemary
1 tblsp of olive oil
salt & pepper

Start by dusting off your crock pot - seriously, rinse it off if its been in the cabinet for awhile. Plug it in and turn it on low. Add in the oil and the garlic. Salt and pepper the roast. Place the broth and onion soup in the pot. Stir until mixed. Add in the roast and use a spoon to coat it with some of the liquid. Finally, top if with the rosemary stem. Cover and let it cook at least six hours.

Can I even tell you how fantastic my whole house smelled? The carnivore was salivating when he hit the door. And when I removed the roast, sliced it and served it with a bit of the juices - he could barely wait to dig in. Bonus - all I had to do was set it and forget it. More time to mix up and make those spinach patties for me!

Saturday, August 21, 2010

playing chicken


People always says "it tastes like chicken," when talking about any strange meat. Everything from alligator to frog legs, people think weird meat tastes like chicken - the most ubiquitous of all meats. And while it has been eons since I have even had chicken, I am also guilty of this. My dad used to feed us all kinds of strange things he killed and pass it off as chicken. I could tell you of an awful experience I had with rattlesnake once, but I won't.

In any case, I always think it is sad that everything gets compared to chicken. I mean, I don't eat the stuff myself any more, but I do know that there are many flavors that can be added to chicken to change the way it tastes. Everyone knows fried chicken and chicken pot pie don't have the same taste, after all. Think about it. Nobody ever says bacon and pork chops tastes the same, or a fillet and a burger. It all depends on the cut of meat and how you cook it in the end. (For the record the same holds true with veggies.)

This time of year the carnivore and I like to do lots of grilling (less heat in the kitchen is a good thing when the heat index reaches well over 100 every day). And, I like to get the large bag of frozen organic chicken so that I can always have something on hand to throw on the grill in a matter of minutes. But, in order to change things up, I am always looking for new marinades. And while the carnivore is very fond of the lemon and oregano I add to his nearly naked drummies, the other day I switched things up a bit by coating his chicken breast in the juice of one lime, several sprigs of cilantro from our herb garden, and a bit of the usual suspects (olive oil, salt, and pepper). Tossed in a large freezer bag and left in the fridge for a few hours these bright and spicy flavors added a different kick to the plain ol' breasts. So what's you favorite simple sauce do you use to play with your chicken? Let me know below.

menu ideas:
Served along side some seasoned black beans and rice the meal had a slightly Mexican flair. FYI - I opted for some fresh avocado and tomato in the same marinade as my main course. A few tortilla chips served as a nice starter while we waited on the the grill.

Monday, July 19, 2010

porky pig

Just to prove that I am not always feeding my carnivore vegetarian meals or sneaking green goodies into each dish, I thought I would share this recipe with you. As I have said before, this is not a vegetarian only website. It is also not a blog where I show you how me and my carnivore coexist without me cooking meat. I do. Here is one example - a fried pork chop.

Now when I first told the carnivore I was going to fry a pork chop for him he seemed confused. He then confessed he had never had one. Being from the South I returned his look of bewilderment. I mean how else would you cook it? (Note for non-native southerners - we fry everything.)

Well, here is how I do it:
Start with a warm skillet on medium heat. Coat your pan with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Then salt ans pepper both sides of your chop. Next prepare two bowls - one with a beaten egg and one with seasoned bread crumbs. Then dip your chop in the egg, coating both sides. Next coat your chop in bread crumbs completely. Place your chop in the oiled pan. You should here a sizzle. Let it cook one that side for about six minutes. Turn and cook for about eight more minutes (depending on the thickness of the chop). Both sides should be golden brown and the sides should have turned from pink to white. Remove the chop form the heat and let it rest two minutes before serving.

menu ideas:
I like to serve pork chops with apples. You can find the way I get this green goodie on the plate here. This night I also piled on a few perogies to our plates. Oh, and instead of a chop I had my favorite fake chicken from Quorn - their guyere chik'n cutlet.

Monday, September 7, 2009

variety is the herb of life

I like variety in my diet. In fact, at one point last year the carnivore and I went 6 months without any repeat dinners (leftovers excluded) till the carnivore asked if we could have something twice. I personally think changing things up is a good thing. The carnivore, on the other hand, could probably eat the same four or five things for the rest of his life and be just fine. (Pizza, pasta, burger, steak...) In fact, I am pretty sure this is how he survived after he left his parent's house and before we got married.

Poor carnivore, I am constantly make him try new things. Not only do I sneak veggies on his plate all the time, but I also try to vary the meat I make for him. Recently, I encountered the carnivore's variety aversion in action when I mentioned that I was going to make him herb roasted lamb for dinner. Nonplussed he simply stated before the dinner was made (but after the lamb was bought), "I don't really like lamb." Sigh. I suggested, like I always do when he proclaims he doesn't like something before he has even had it, that he just try it. At worse, only has to eat it once...maybe twice.

I thought this lamb recipe, that I cut out from an old Bon Apetit magazine, would be a great idea because I could use up some of the herbs from the garden we grew together this year. Thus, I should say I also just guessed on the herb measurements. I mean what does a tablespoon of rosemary look like in the planter anyway? Also, since I was making this just for the carnivore I only made enough marinade for two servings. Finally, I used leg of lamb because the butcher was out of chops, but they worked just fine.

To make this meat main dish you will need (with my tweaks from the original recipe):
2 large cloves of garlic, pressed
1 tblsp of rosemary, lighted crushed
2 tblsp of kosher salt
enough olive oil to coat the meat, and a bit more to coat the pan
2 lamb loin chops, or pieces of leg of lamb

Mix the first four ingredients together. Add the lamb and toss it to coat. Let it marinate at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Then place the lamb in an oven safe skillet with a bit of oil. Heat each side about 3 minutes per side over high heat. Then transfer the whole skillet to the oven for 10 minutes (for medium rare meat). Put the lamb on a platter and let it rest 5 minutes before serving.

Despite his hesitation towards all things new, the carnivore literally licked his plate clean and told me that "that lamb was good." Shocking!

menu ideas:
When the carnivore had this, I made myself a marvelous mushroom (find the recipe here). We shared mashed potatoes and peas as side dishes.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

when in rome...

A few years ago, the carnivore and I took a trip to Rome. Before we left, he enforced an edict - I was not allowed to say, "But we just had just had Italian food." See, the carnivore could eat Italian every night of the week. He has a strong Italian genetic background, so it is no real surprise. I, on the other hand, like it about once a week. So sometimes I compromise and make him an Italian main dish, while I indulge in something super vegetarian - like spinach patties. On this night, I attempted to recreate his favorite meal from Rome and probably ever, saltimbocca (he's exact quote was "I could die now that I have eaten this.") Tricky, I know, but I thought I would give it a shot anyway. The carnivore actually found this recipe at Whole Foods.

For this Roman style chicken you will need:
4 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets
Salt and black pepper
8 thin slices prosciutto
8 sage leaves, more for garnish
3/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Lemon wedges

To make the chicken, start by sprinkling each cutlet lightly with salt and pepper. Then top each breast with a slice of prosciutto and a few sage leafs. Next you place the chicken cutlets between 2 sheets of waxed paper and gently pound cutlets to an even 1/4-inch thickness, pounding the prosciutto and sage into the chicken, with a rolling pin. Then spread the flour on a shallow plate and dip the chicken in it, lightly coating both sides. Heat a tablespoon of butter and the olive oil in a large pan. When the butter begins to foam, add the cutlets to the pan, prosciutto side down. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning once, until lightly browned and cooked through. Transfer to a platter and cover to keep warm. Then add the wine to the hot pan and stir with a wooden spoon to loosen all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the wine reduce by half, then add the chicken broth and reduce again. Remove the pan from the heat and swirl in remaining tablespoon of butter. Add in a bit of salt and pepper, and then pour over the reserved chicken breasts. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

The carnivore ate it up. I mean, it does have two kinds of meat on it. And while I know it probably doesn't hold a candle to his meal in Rome, I know it satisfied his Italian craving for at least a few nights.

menu ideas:
For the carnivore, I served this saltimbocca with sauteed green beans and hashbrowns (because they aren't just for the breakfast plate people). I made spinach patties for my main dish with the same sides.

Friday, July 24, 2009

nearly naked

That's naked. Not necked. For those of you who aren't southern, let me explain. Naked means bare, usually without your clothes. Necked means you are without your clothes and doing somethin' you are supposed to be doin'! And while these chicken drummies aren't necked, the carnivore claims they are dangerously good, even though they are nearly naked. This recipe is from a recent issue of Bon Appetit, in case you are wondering.


The recipe requires:
2 tblsp of lemon juice - I just used 1/2 lemon.
2 tblsp of oregano - I used a bunch from my herb garden.
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tblsp of olive oil
1 1/2 tsp of kosher salt
1 tsp of freshly grated lemon peel
8 chicken drumstick or one package of drummettes


To make these marvelous chicken tidbits, simple place the drummies in a large plastic bag with the rest of the ingredients and toss them till they are all well coated. Then let them marinate for at least 30 minutes. Then place them on the grill (on medium-high heat) until golden brown on all sides. This may take about 30 minutes. Be sure to turn them frequently. Serve them hot off the grill.

Now, I can't personally speak for how dreamy these chicken drummies are, but the carnivore said they were "really good"... twice (in his language this means outstanding). So, it may not seem like they have anything on them, but these nearly naked chicken bites have quite the impact. Maybe they are necked after all.

menu ideas:
The night the carnivore grilled these babies, I indulged in green tomato salad for my main course (something he never eats). We also had campfire potatoes and grilled corn.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

i haz cheezburger

I know a lot of the time I write about how I sneak veggies into the carnivore's food, but I don't want you all to think he doesn't get to indulge his inner meat eater. I thought I would share with you his latest creation. It happened after watching an episode of Man vs. Food. Since learning of the juicy lucy, the carnivore has been salivating at the idea of making one of his own. What's a juicy lucy, you ask?


Well, it is simply this a cheeseburger with the cheese inside the burger. The carnivore made these by making two patties of meat. He then added in white american cheese slices that he quartered (folded in half and then in half again) to one patty. Next he placed the second patty on top and crimped them together. He placed then placed it on the grill and let the heat do its magic.

menu ideas:
While he enjoyed his inside-out cheeseburger I had a veggie burger. You can see how I make mine special by clicking here. We enjoyed our burgers with tots (which are an under used potato side in my opinion) and fresh slices of watermelon. See everyone wins.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

an experiment with panko - fish sticks

When people ask if I miss meat, I simply answer no. And, it is the truth. Mostly because they make fake everything - fake burgers, fake hot dogs, fake bacon (known as facon in my house), you name it. Also, I never ate much meat anyway.

But, the truth is I do miss fish. They don't make very many fake fish items. That doesn't mean I don't make fish for the carnivore. It is such a great healthy protein for him, so I try to work it in when I can. In this recipe I used tilapia, which is a very low fat / low cal / low sodium fish with lots of B12.

Here is how my most recent fish dish came about. The short story is, I sent the carnivore to the store for Italian breadcrumbs and got regular panko breadcrumbs. Oh well, I used it as an excuse to make the carnivore fish sticks. It was my first experiment with panko. I searched on the net and found a great recipe at cookingthisandthat. It was a simple recipe of panko, salt and OldBay Seasoning for the crust. I baked the fish as directed. I didn't make the dip, and I should have cut the recipe as it was too much for one man, even a very hungry man. Plus, it isn't the sort of thing you want to reheat. Anyway, they were fantastic according to the carnivore, and he would tell me if they weren't. So, yeah for panko (and fish)!

menu ideas:
I served these homemade fish sticks with fresh peas tossed in butter and a steaming baked potato. Since I am a vegetarian, I heated up fake chicken strips for myself in place of the fish sticks. Morningstar Farms makes a great version.
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