Thai Chicken Skewers (Indian Inspiration?)

Alright, so "Dinner A" went well--but salads aren't very exciting, so I didn't take any pictures. Yesterday, since I was at home for most of the day, I decided to tackle "Indian Inspiration" night ("Dinner C")--which completely metamorphosed as I researched recipes. I discovered pretty quickly that we have a lot more Thai ingredients than Indian ones, and I also realized that, while I might not get to use the coconut milk, I could still avoid purchasing anything more than naan. (And let's be honest--I could have used rice, but I really just love Trader Joe's naan!)

So, here's what was cooking last night: Thai Chicken and Mango Skewers. (I'm providing a link to the original recipe here, but what I'll outline below is the recipe with the modifications I made, based on what we had.)

Step 1: Mix together the marinade in a blender or food processor.

Marinade Ingredients
1-2 tsp. lemon zest
4-5 cloves garlic
1 tsp. fresh ginger, cut into thin strips
1/2 tsp red chili paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I cheated with the tube variety!)
3 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. turmeric
3+1/2 Tbsp. fish sauce (I might reduce this to 2+1/2 or 3 Tbsp. next time)
1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 rounded tsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. lime juice
2 Tbsp. liquid honey
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

My marinade may not look pretty, but it smelled and tasted delicious!

Step 2: Chop chicken and vegetables and place in a ziploc bag.

Ingredients 
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces (I had a pretty purple one from the Farmers' Market)
1 semi-ripe mango (too ripe won't hold on the skewers)
1 onion, cut into square pieces

My chicken, onion, pepper, and mango, all ready to marinate!

Step 3: Add marinade to bag and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 4 hours. (This is also a good time to soak your skewers, if you're using wooden ones.)

Step 4: Skewer marinated chicken, mango, red pepper, and onion onto satay sticks, alternating ingredients.

I wish you could smell through the computer, because these smelled amazing!

Step 5: Cook skewers, either by grilling or broiling in the oven.

To Grill
Place skewers on a hot, lightly oiled grill. Baste with leftover marinade after turning for the first time. Cook until meat, vegetables, and fruit are nicely browned with charred edges and opaque inside (about 15 minutes). (As you can see in the photos below, our outdoor grill ran out of gas, so we "grilled" on our Emeril griller/griddle--it worked great!)

To Broil (Oven Method)
Place prepared skewers on a foil or parchment-paper lined cookie sheet or broiling pan and set oven to BROIL. Set pan under the heating element and broil 5-8 minutes before turning. After turning for the first time, baste with the leftover marinade. Continue turning every 5 minutes until satays are nicely browned and charred at edges and meat is opaque inside.

Step 6: Serve with jasmine rice or naan bread and chutney.

So pretty--and they taste even better!

The verdict? Jeff and I loved these! The mango was just the right amount of sweet, and it turned out we didn't even need the chutney--they were so juicy and well seasoned. I think we'll make them next time with company--they look pretty impressive, don't they? Plus, you can do so much of the prep ahead of time!

Operation Menu Planning

Beautiful fresh veggies from the Farmers' Market (left)
Delicious fruit from the Farmers' Market / an anniversary present basket from my sweet parents (left)

During the school year, I spend a lot of time on Sunday afternoons, planning our lunches for the week and then making individual portions of soups and salads for Jeff and me to take to work. Summers are a different ballgame, though; typically, I just look in the fridge in the afternoon, pick up anything additional needed at the store, and cook with Jeff in the evening. This week is a little different, though, for a few reasons.

First, we're leaving this weekend for a bit of a summer road trip, so I need to clear out the fridge as much as possible. Second, Jeff has a bunch of little tasks to accomplish over the course of the week (thanks, HOA, for yelling about the weeds in our backyard without ever complimenting the flowers in the front), so I want to support him by making dinners for us and lunches for him (since I'm home during the day, I can just throw things together at lunchtime). Finally, we may have gone a bit overboard at the Farmers' Market on Saturday, so there are a lot of (delicious, fresh) perishables to consume. As a result, here I go! I'm committing myself to sharing my plans with you today, then updating you throughout this week.

An added challenge: an assortment of items from the pantry to try to mix in!
(L to R): Brandied Cranberries, Tart Red Cherries, Light Coconut Milk,
Major Grey's Chutney, Hearts of Palm, Artichoke Lemon Pesto

Note: I'm listing meals as "Dinner A" or "Lunch A" because I'm not sure exactly what nights I'll do which meals. However, the dinners and lunches pair together, "Dinner B" will be followed (the next day) by "Lunch B."

More Farmers' Market bounty: cherry tomatoes, squash and zucchini, and baby eggplant

Lunch X (we're having pizza/movie night with friends, so there won't be leftovers, but Jeff will need lunch for tomorrow): Leftover Chicken Pad Thai. Jeff took half the extra order we got Friday night to work for lunch today, so the other half will work for lunch tomorrow.

Dinner A: Entree Salad. I bought an extra bag of spinach (for my lunch sandwiches) by mistake, forgetting I got a big bag of greens at the Farmers' Market--oops! So, for dinner tonight, I'll do a salad with fresh spinach, cherry tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, feta cheese, and hearts of palm. (I might add half a poached chicken breast for Jeff, if he feels like he needs it.) On the side, I'll toast up a Trader Joe's "bake at home" baguette.

Lunch A: Leftover Stuffed Peppers. Remember those peppers I made last week? One of the extra portions I froze is perfect for Jeff's lunch; I just need to steam a couple of peppers tonight and add some feta to the filling, and he'll be good to go!

Dinner B: Eggplant Parmesan. I need to do a little recipe research for this one, but I'm thinking that, with the baby eggplant from the Farmers' Market, a little fresh mozzarella, some sliced heirloom tomatoes, and some multi-grain bread (dried and crumbled into breadcrumbs), I can fashion a deconstructed eggplant parm that will be perfect for a warm summer night!

Lunch B: Summer Pesto Pasta. I'm planning to crack that jar of artichoke lemon pesto (pictured above) and toss it with bowtie pasta, quartered cherry tomatoes, the remaining half chicken breast from the "salad dinner" night, and some fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Should be easy to throw together in the morning and toss in a Pyrex bowl for Jeff to take to work.

Dinner C: Indian Inspiration. TBD. My goal is to use both the coconut milk and the chutney, but I'm not sure how yet! It will likely involve chicken and maybe some of the remaining peppers/onions in the fridge. Update: I think I'm going to use this Thai Chicken Curry recipe from allrecipes.com, since we already have virtually all the ingredients; however, I'll serve it with some Trader Joe's naan and the chutney.

Lunch C: Leftover Indian Inspiration. Whenever I make curry dishes like the one I'm planning for Dinner C, there are always plenty of leftovers for the next day.

Dinner D: Steak Night. We have two beautiful steaks from Angelic Beef, our organic meat vendor at the Farmers' Market. Combine that with the zucchini/squash and beautiful little artichokes we got Saturday (I'll make some homemade hollandaise for dipping) and some roasted purple potatoes (also from Saturday's market), and we've got a summer spread to drool over! (I'll have to ask Jeff to grill the steaks and zucchini, since he's a grill master, but I think he'll be okay with it.)

Lunch D: Leftover Steak and Potatoes. I don't eat my whole steak ever, so the extra will work for Jeff, and I'll make sure some potatoes and zucchini/squash are left over (since the artichokes won't reheat well).

Dinner E: Thai. This is my cheat--we have a restaurant coupon that will expire before we return, so we'll treat ourselves to dinner out the night before we leave, and we can snack on any leftovers before we head out the next day.

Alright--the mission is laid out, and I should succeed in using most of our fresh vegetables (we'll eat the fruit with breakfast/snacks) and even using four out of six of the pantry jars. Not bad--let's see how I do!

Summer Stuffed Peppers

Tonight, as soon as Jeff got home, we rushed to our Wednesday afternoon Farmers' Market, making it just in time. We hoped to gain some inspiration for dinner, especially as Jeff had some work to do in the backyard, so most of the prep would be on me for the evening. Just wandering past the colorful displays of fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and breads immediately sparked our memory of a favorite summer dish: Stuffed Peppers. And we were off!

Now, I'm a bad food blogger and didn't remember to take any pictures until the last second, so I can't show you the bountiful tables at the Farmers' Market, the many dishes percolating on the stove as I prepared the filler, or the state of the counter when I was finished (there are a lot of things to chop!). But I can walk you through this delicious recipe (that can be either vegetarian or carnivorous) and then show you the final product!

Note: this version of the recipe will serve 4-5 people (if each person gets 2 peppers). Alternately, you can just make enough peppers for how many people you're serving and freeze the remaining filler to have for another meal. (If you do that, you might not want to add the cheese to the filler you're freezing.)

Ingredients:

Keep in mind: these are your summer stuffed peppers, so feel free to substitute whatever is freshest or yummiest to you in the moment! For example, in the past, I've used eggplant in place of zucchini/squash, fresh herbs in place of dried ones, and goat cheese in place of feta.

1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 c vegetable or chicken broth (or as required by couscous package)
1 c couscous
8-10 medium bell peppers
1 small onion (diced finely)
1 small yellow squash (usually about 1-1 1/2 c, diced finely)
1 large tomato (usually about 1 c, diced finely)
Oregano, basil, salt, and pepper to taste (usually about 1 tsp each)
1 1/2 c feta cheese (crumbled)
Vegetarian: 15 oz can chickpeas
Carnivorous: 1 lb ground beef

Directions:

1) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Follow directions on couscous package to cook couscous. (Usually, this means bringing the broth to a boil, then adding the couscous. Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and cover it. Let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.)

3) Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

4) Prepare the peppers by cutting the stems out to make each one into a "cup." (Make sure you leave yourself enough of an opening to stuff them!) Scoop out all seeds and membranes, then drop them into the boiling water for approximately 5 minutes to soften them. Once softened, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water and let them drain on a plate, open side down.
5) Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large skillet. Cook the onion and squash (with a bit of salt and pepper) until soft.
6) In a large bowl, combine the couscous, onion, squash, tomatoes, herbs (to taste) and chickpeas (if making the vegetarian version).
7) Carnivorous version: Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large skillet. Cook the ground beef until brown. Once fully cooked, remove with a slotted spoon and add to the couscous and vegetable mixture.
8) Into the couscous mixture, stir in 1 c of crumbled feta.
9) Arrange the peppers in small baking dishes, cut sides up (like little cups). Fill them with the couscous mixture and sprinkle remaining 1/2 c crumbled feta on the top.
10) Bake 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Now, as promised, here are a couple of pictures of the peppers I made tonight! First, here's the totality of what I made, before heading into the oven. (You can see that I just made 4 peppers for Jeff and me, and I'm freezing the rest of the filler in two smaller containers for another night.)

Now, here's a close-up! Since Jeff's had a busy day, I put a little extra filler around the outside of his peppers, just to give him a bit more to fill his tummy.

And here they are, freshly out of the oven and ready to enjoy!

It's a delicious summer meal, and, though it does take a bit of time to prepare, it's easy to make it last for more than one night. It's also a great meal for company, as you can do all the prep work ahead of time and just pop them in when you're ready. And, since you're serving the final dish in exactly what you baked it in, you can pre-clean your whole kitchen. Voila, you fabulous hostess, you!

Adventure: Annapolis!

With a four-day weekend to enjoy but no plans to really go away, Jeff and I decided it was the perfect time to select a destination and do some splunkin' and splorin' in places we didn't know well. While the delicious quest for the perfect bagel got us out the door on Friday morning, it was a suggestion from this awesome book from our best friend, K, that kept us moving.

The 36 Hours series is a really neat concept from The New York Times. It's exactly what it sounds like: weekend trips that can be done in 36 hours all around the country. Yesterday morning, it was the Annapolis page that caught my eye, and, while we didn't have 36 hours, the suggestions for each city are so malleable that I knew we could fit in at least a few sights while adding in appealing ones of our own.

Main Street, Annapolis

After locating a parking garage on West Street, our visit to Annapolis began with a leisurely (which was a necessity in the 90+ degree heat!) stroll down the Main Street, heading to the water. As you know by now, Jeff's love of being on the water brought us right to one of 36 Hours' first suggestions: the bright red umbrella of Watermark boat cruises. After purchasing our tickets for a 40-minute harbor cruise, we found ourselves with a few minutes to hang our legs over the side of the dock and take in the beautiful day that so many sailors were enjoying.

One of the many sailing schools having a lesson in the harbor

Though the Harbor Queen herself was a bit of a tacky rendition of a traditional southern riverboat, the trip itself was incredibly informative as the guide narrated information about the Naval Academy, the Severn River, and Annapolis itself. In spite of the smattering of clouds, we eventually found ourselves coming below decks from our original location topside in hopes of avoiding too much sun.

Back on dry land, it was time for a fishy lunch--in the best possible way! McGarvey's answered our cravings with delicious crab balls (like mini crab cakes) and a blackened mahi sandwich. We couldn't eat too much, though, knowing that Annapolis boasts some pretty phenomenal homemade ice cream that was calling our names.

A short meander through brightly painted houses took us to the main gate of the United States Naval Academy, which we knew was a necessary stop during our day in Annapolis (and not just because 36 Hours told us so!). Jeff had never set foot on the campus before, and I hadn't been there in over a decade (since one of my cousins graduated in 1997). Since my family has a great deal of US Naval history, I'm always humbled by the sight of the Naval Academy, from the austere buildings to the plebes jogging to and fro to the wide harbor that outlines the campus.

A proud photo with my namesake inside the entrance to Halsey Field House

We spent nearly an hour wandering around the fields and buildings of the Naval Academy, chatting as we walked about the incredible commitment of the men and women who train and study there in order to defend our country. Still, when we happened upon the statue of Billy the Goat, the USNA's mascot, Jeff couldn't resist a playful moment!

Feeling like we'd successfully gotten in our exercise and might just melt in the heat if we stayed out in it any longer, we headed for our final destination of the day: the Annapolis Ice Cream Company.

Now, we're not big ice cream eaters, but this place still had a lot of hype to live up to. And it did. Oh boy, did it--though I suppose that's not so hard when your delicious decadence is made with 17% butterfat!

Jeff indulged in their most popular flavor, Peanut Butter Oreo, which didn't disappoint (according to him, as I don't do the peanut butter thing). I was a huge fan of my Blackberry Cobbler, the perfect combination of fruit and crunchy bits of pastry.

Tummies full, minds expanded, legs stretched, we headed back to the car. If 36 Hours could make a mere 8 hours this much fun, imagine what it will have in store when we choose a destination for an entire weekend!

In Search of a Bagel...

When we first moved to the DC Metro area from New Jersey three summers ago, one of our greatest disappointments was the loss of our favorite bagel shops in Hoboken and Montclair. We kept our minds open and began taste-testing the local Virginia options, but nothing was up to that chewy yet crispy quality of the boiled New York bagel we'd grown to love. Perhaps even more horrifying was the fact that we couldn't find a single bagel shop in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia area) that cooked with an actual grill and a real egg. Seriously, everything was imitation microwaved.

Finally, we settled for the best local option: the Bagel Cafe in Herndon. It serves its purpose, but it's never been just right, and all our Northern friends know it (which is why they bring us dozens of bagels from NYC and NJ whenever they come visit). But this summer, we decided enough was enough: it was time to go on a quest for a real NYC bagel.

Enter Yelp. After reading piles of reviews, many by self-proclaimed "New York Jewish Bagel Aficionados," we were down to Bethesda Bagel and Goldberg's New York Bagels (with branches in Potomac, MD; Silver Spring, MD; and Rockville, MD--among others). The latter's name (and many outstanding reviews) sold us, so we set off on our Friday morning trek to Rockville.

And it was worth the trip. The orders were scratched down on a plain white piece of paper (no silly computer systems); the eggs were grilled with extras like sauteed onions and plenty of cheese; and the bagels! Chewy inside and crispy outside, the bagels had brought us home.

I'd be dragging Jeff back today if it weren't for the fact that this shop is so authentic that it keeps Kosher--none of the branches are open on Saturdays. But you better believe I'll be finding excuses to drive to Maryland again soon...

Things That Make Me Joyful!

I've been focusing on a verse from 1 Thessalonians a lot lately: "Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will." (Our pastor's wife mentioned it can be sung to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell," which has really had sticking power for me!) That's a big task, isn't it--to be joyful always? Joy is more than just happiness--it's more genuine, more deep-seated, more pervasive. In order to let it seep into my life, I've been finding joy in the small things around me every day. Here are a few of them!

1) Our Beautiful, Vibrant Lantana

I know I shared a gardening update earlier this week, but I just couldn't help but include it again. It's remarkable how our lantana has taken off with its second bloom! This particular flower is extra special to me as it's one I picked out when I was a little girl at the nursery with my mum. I loved the bright colors then as much I do now!

2) Combos--My Guilty Pleasure

I wasn't really allowed to have junk food growing up, which I actually really appreciate (thanks, Mum and Dad!). However, somewhere in my college years, I discovered the wonder that is a Combo, and I've never looked back. They're one of my favorite little treats, and I devour them without hesitation (yes, it's likely this bag will be gone before the end of the night).

3) Sibling Rivalry Love?

Our little boy (Ozzy, on the right) is a huge fan of his sisters, but they're reservedly tolerant of him at best. Rosie is more likely to pay him a visit on the sofa or bed, but Guillie (on the left above) pretty much feels like the intermingling of her fur and his might as well signal the end of the world. So I loved the shock of what happened early today when I found them snuggled together!

4) Summer Footwear

I'm a bit of a shoe lover, so much so that Jeff dreads traveling with me--particularly in the wintertime when I favor boots that tend to tip our luggage past the 50 lb maximum for flying. But, come mid-June, the only pairs of shoes by the door are the two above, and I live in them all summer long. I can proudly say that, even though it's only July 1, my flip-flop tan lines are well on their way!

5) New Recipes

For Jeff's birthday last week, his mom sent this delicious sweet honey mustard from Stonewall Kitchen along with a recipe for pretzel-crusted chicken tenders. Guess what's on the menu tonight?!

6) The Model of Summer Relaxation

It's impossible not to feel joyful when this is what's looking back at you--from the bed, the sofa, or the floor--at any time of the day or night, isn't it?

7) A New Summer Dress (with pockets!)

When I discovered this adorable summer dress in Old Town Alexandria this weekend, Jeff kindly said that I could get it! I can't wait to have make the opportunity to wear it (without the lamb and penguin stuffed animals, of course--I just wanted you to be able to see those wonderful big pockets!).

8) That Amazing Man

I love Jeff for a million reasons, and this is just reason one million and one. Here he is, earnestly focused on a game of Jenga on our front walk with a couple of the neighborhood kids. Every time I don't think I can love him more...