Category Archives: Damn Good Dinners

Peruvian Chicken Curry

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I am bias and literally love all curries. I love sopping up bread or rice in them, they are typically super flavorful and filling too. I am very down to try any sort of curry. Even if it means ordering some of the ingredients from Amazon because I am too lazy to find out where Aji Amarillo paste is sold locally. I will say, building off of my general theme of sloth, I did not roast my own chicken for this recipe, like the original calls for. That’s right kids, grab a good old Rotisserie chicken from your supermarket and make sure you adequately de-bone, de-skin, and de-fat that before throwing into the curry. So yum and a lot quicker than roasting a bird yourself.

  • 1 slice whole wheat sandwich bread, crust removed, cut or torn into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 3/4 cup half-and-half
  •  2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 large or 2 small shallots, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cups (6 ounces) crumbled queso fresco or mild feta cheese (that sounded like a lot so I did one cup but 2 is probably right).
  • 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, plus 1/3 cup toasted
  • 1 tablespoon Aji Amarillo paste (this was my Amazon order, shit is sooo good, I actually did 2 tbsp. because I like the kick)
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (Again I wanted a brighter color so I did 1 tsp.)
  • 4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley leaves (I used dried because I didn’t have fresh, whatever).

**Peruvians typically garnish with chopped olives (I did black and green to add pops of salty color) and boiled eggs. Also note the curry is best served over Latin Rice (rice boiled with saffron threads).

Place the bread and half-and-half in the bowl of food processor or a blender. Allow the bread to soak up the liquid, about 10 minutes. In a 10-inch nonstick skillet heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Cool slightly and add to the food processor with the soaked bread. Add the broth, cheeses, 1/2 cup walnuts, Aji Amarillo paste, and turmeric. Blend until smooth. Pour the sauce back into the skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt & add in the chicken to heat everything through together.

Happy Eating, XO.

PS that’s all that was left in the pot before I could even get to the stove to take a picture!

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Squash It!

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Squash Gratin, or as some may refer to as Squash Casserole, is a great way to utilize fall produce for a yummy side dish. There are many variations out there, but I gotta say this came out so tasty during the test run, I barely tweaked it. Also if you don’t have creme fraiche, sour cream will do just fine.

  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced (the seasoning has some garlic powder in it but I love the flavor of fresh too)
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1-2 tbsp. of veggie seasoning (herb & seasoning blend from McCormick’s)
  • 1 sleeve of ritz crackers, crushed
  • 2 yellow squash, sliced in rounds
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 3 zucchini, sliced in rounds
  • 3 eggs
  • 7.5 oz. Crème Fraiche (or sour cream)

Layer the sliced squash and zucchini rounds in a non stick baking dish. Pour over the cream, eggs, onion, and spices mixture, evenly coating all the veggies. Sprinkle with the crushed crackers and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes (based on how deep your dish is) but then broil for 5 minutes to get the crust to crisp & the cheese to melt.

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PS I know I forgot to crop out my feet, but honestly, my toes look cute so whatever 😛 Obviously Jess is the true photog of this relationship, not I.

Happy Eating, XO.

Fall Corn Chowder

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By now you probably have more corn than you know what to do with. So rather than eating ANOTHER corn on the cob (seriously, my floss is running low…) put it into some chowder. This steamy dish is perfect for those cooler nights. And if you have leftovers, freeze it in some Tupperware for a middle-of-the-winter treat.

  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 1 medium potato, cubed (add in 1 additional for a heartier meal)
  • 5 ears of corn (or 2 12oz cans)
  • 4 cups of chicken broth
  • 1 can evaporated milk
  • 1 sprig of thyme
  • 1 tbsp corn starch
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • 1 tsp of pepper

Toss all of the ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Easiest. Recipe. Ever.

Corn Chowder - damndelish2

Happy Eating, XO.

Enchiladas

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Listen, bikini season is over and there is a chill in the air…I say we have an ooey gooey decadent dinner! Some good old stick to your ribs (And maybe love handles) comfort food. These chicken and cheese enchiladas have even won over a non-Mexican food lover like myself! Hope you enjoy & remember to post pictures with the #damndelish tag!

  • 3 tbsp. butter (I know that’s a shit ton, I didn’t say this was diet friendly)
  • 8 oz. of sour cream (keeps getting better 😛)
  • 3 tbsp. flour
  • 2 cups of chicken broth
  • Hot sauce (I did a couple of splashes of the Chalula’s chili garlic)
  • Onion powder (optional, I’m just a seasoning whore)
  • Garlic powder (optional again, just going for robust flavor)
  • 1 bag of shredded Mexican cheese (think Colby jack, Monterey jack, etc.)
  • 1 shredded rotisserie chicken
  • 1/2 – 1 cup of salsa – eyeball the salsa, its not apart of the original recipe and I just added it to the chicken & cheese mixture. (Note on what kind to use: preferably one that is low in water content and packed with onions & green chilies. I don’t want to brand plug anyone, but I think Rotell’s tomatoes & chilies, again not name dropping #jussayin’.)
  • Chopped black olives (I left these out, but some people commented on the original recipe that they added them. I might try it next time.)

Mix the shredded chicken, half the cheese, and the salsa and set aside. In the mean time start the roux of the butter and flour. Stir in the chicken broth to loosen the sauce up. IMPORTANT, let this cool before folding in the sour cream. IF you don’t, it will curdle the sour cream, essentially: sauce is ruined. Anyway while the sauce is cooling pre sour cream, you can assemble the enchiladas in you oven safe pan. Fill the tortillas with the mixture evenly, roll, and lay seam side down in a line.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes and then broil for 3 minutes, be careful not to burn. Note: Let it cool before serving.

Happy Eating, XO.

Your Own Personal Pizza (No sharing required.)

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My husband and I like to think we’re pretty easy going when it comes to pizza, but the truth its, we’re not. At all. He likes meat-y, cheesy, greasy pizza. Where I want something more light and refreshing – yes, a pizza can be refreshing, guys (see ingredients below). So, I decided to solve this problem by making us each our own batch of dough to top with whatever we please. (It’s like we’re 5 years old again and need our OWN batter or we don’t want it at all.) If you’re in the same boat or just want a small pizza to nosh on, this one’s for you. No sharing required.

Pizza dough:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 tbsp canola oil

Toppings:

  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp truffle oil
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese, cubed
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
  • 2 cups arugula
  • 1/2 of a fresh lemon
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Making the dough:

In a mixing bowl with the dough attachment, combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the salt and the yeast. Add the warm water and canola oil. (If you don’t have a dough attachment, you can use the flat beater or the whisk.) Beat the ingredients on low for 30 seconds until fully combined, then gradually add in the remaining flour. Beat on medium-high until a dough begins to form. (If you have a dough attachment you can skip this next part.) Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.

On a cookie sheet, divide the dough in half (one for you, one for your significant other…) cover, and let sit for 10 minutes to rise. At this point, if you want to store the dough for later use, spray two ziplock bags with cooking oil and place the dough inside each. You can freeze the dough up to 3 months.

Topping your pizza:

If you’re ready to use right away, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. On your floured surface, roll the dough out to roughly 1/2 inch high for thin crust, or 1 inch high for regular. Brush on the olive oil and truffle oil, leaving space along the edge for the crust. Layer on the mozzarella and parmesan cheese. (If you don’t have a pizza pan like me, but want to keep the round shape, flip over a cookie sheet and bake the pizza on top of it.) Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted.

A couple of minutes before pulling it out of the oven top it with the arugula. When it’s completely done squeeze the fresh lemon (sans lemon seeds) over the whole thing. Sit back and enjoy the fact that you can have it aaalll to yourself.

Personal White Pizza

Happy Eating, XO.