Category Archives: Damn Good Dinners

Chicken and Dumplins’ Y’all

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Dust off the crockpot guys, this is a Northerner’s solution to the Southern classic.
  • 4 frozen chicken breasts (I love this, I always forget to defrost my meats and then am stressed out that I don’t have food to make, this can go straight from freezer to crockpot, no defrosting needed)
  • 1-2 cups of the mirepoix mix (See its used for things other than the meatloaf recipe. p/s I added some frozen corn too because I love it and can’t put it enough recipes, Id say 1/2-1 cup)
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup (if you’re like my sister and hate mushrooms, just use another can of chicken soup)
  • 1 can biscuits (I usually just dice up 4-5 biscuits into small pieces since they expand when cooking, but shit use the whole can if you want, I don’t judge)
  • 1 can of low sodium chicken broth (you can use water instead, but I like the flavor of broth)
  • Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and black pepper (all to taste, no measurements, just eyeball it. I also add a dash of hot sauce to this as well)
Layer the chicken and seasoning at the bottom of the pot. Then toss in the veggie mix and soups. Stir and let cook on HIGH for 6 hrs, yes for that long, remember how the chicken is frozen, remember how undercooked chicken is deathly. However, at about 5 to 5.5 hours in, add the chopped up biscuits (take the biscuit and cut into quarters) throw on top & re-cover with lid for the remaining 30-45 minutes. Yup, total time on high for 6 hrs. take a nap, clean, watch a movie, do whatever you want for those 6 hrs 🙂
Happy Eating, XO.

Ragin Cajun

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My roomie is from Louisiana so I have these moments in which I just want to sit down with a mason jar of sweet tea and eat some good old finger licking Cajun food. Now I would never dare attempt to make some crawfish or authentic creole cooking, but I wanted to do a quick weeknight homage to a girl from Houma, LA.

P/S I hate okra, but would love a kick a$$ gumbo or jambalaya recipe if any of you NOLA girls would like to hook a Philly girl up. Send to damndelish@gmail.com and the winner will get posted on the blog and will also be eligible to win a groceries tote!

  • 1/3 cup of half and half (original calls for heavy cream but its healthier this way)
  • 1-2 tbsp. butter (ok seems like a lot but, its delish!)
  • 1 tbsp. flour
  • 1 tbsp. Cajun seasoning
  • 2 tsp. of smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp. of cayenne pepper
  • 1 tbsp. of crushed garlic
  • 1 tsp. of dried parsley flakes
  • 1 tbsp. of fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup of chicken broth (again do the healthier option-low sodium)

On medium to high heat in a non-stick sauté pan create a roux (fancy French word alert: butter & flour mixture). That will be the base and thickening agent for your sauce. Slowly add in the garlic and spices. Once dissolved in the roux, add the liquids (both the half & half, as well as, the chicken broth). Stir the liquids to combine with the roux. Lower heat and toss in diced chicken or shrimp (cooking times will vary but any protein of choice will work. I did 1lb. of shrimp for 2 people) Now add the lemon juice and parsley flakes. Continue stirring, if the sauce is too thin add more roux (make another flour/butter combo). However, once completely mixed & you lower the heat, it should be fairly creamy and not watery. I served over cappellini noodles, but this would be very good over some dirty rice. Oh and I sprinkled with some chopped green onion for a traditional touch!

Check out our Instagram for the yummy creation!

Happy Eating, XO.

Fall is here guys

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Vegetarianism usually makes my skin crawl…usually. I don’t feel full or complete unless there is some sort of protein with my dinner. Alas this blog has proven me wrong yet again. I always knew mushrooms were a good meat substitute because of their heartiness, but never truly was convinced. Makes no sense why I didn’t agree, they are earthy and filling. However, this dish is the first time in which I was sold on how I can eat a meal and not miss the protein. Especially because I love poblano peppers. So to test this puppy out was no hard sell. (Side note to my adoration of poblano sauce: One of my old co-worker’s grandmother would make poblano mac & cheese. It was her comfort food, a Guatemalan twist on an American classic. Ever since her sweet granny fed us all one day at work, its been my fav pepper to use). Speaking of comfort foods, polenta is the ultimate Italian comfort food so this meal will just make you feel all kinds of love. (Even if you don’t have a warm & fuzzy about poblano sauce like I do).For those of you unfamiliar with polenta, its a mashed potato-y consistency, but made with cornmeal so its healthier for you. I will say that the original recipe calls for one to make their own polenta and I will be damned if I don’t find a short cut. Shock, my good old favorite Trader Joe’s has a pre-made organic polenta they sell for a whopping $1.99 and its just so yum and low calorie! Oh, don’t worry my recipe trashes it up pretty well so that it doesn’t stay low cal for long. Guys, comfort food wouldn’t be so yummy without some butter and love. The nights are getting cooler and its time to grab your favorite hoodie and bowl of this and eat on your deck, patio, porch, backyard…you won’t be disappointed. Plus after a summer of burgers & dogs, you won’t even miss the meat!

photo
For the Poblano Sauce:
  • 2 poblano peppers (make sure you char them long enough, oyi that smell is so good! I had my handyman ask me what smelled so good)
  • ¾ cup light sour cream
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup sliced green onions
For the Mushrooms
  • 1 tablespoon salted butter
  • 16 ounces sliced mushrooms (I used baby bella and white button mushrooms)
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 scant tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water (optional, I just sprinkled in some all-purpose flour to thicken)

For the Polenta:

  • Trader Joe’s tube of polenta
  • 1 tbsp. of salted butter

Cut up the polenta and microwave on high at 2-3 minutes with the butter. Just to soften and mix. Then you can, roast the poblano peppers over an open flame or in the oven until the outside is slightly charred. Cut into pieces and set aside. Puree the sour cream, water, oil, garlic, and salt in a food processor. Add the green onions and poblano peppers and puree until desired consistency is reached. I like to leave a little bit of texture in the sauce. In a separate pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over high heat. Add the garlic and the mushrooms; saute until golden brown. Add the sauce and the cornstarch dissolved in water. Bring to a simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened. Serve the mushrooms and sauce over the polenta. YUM-O!!

Happy Eating, XO.

Slammin’ Salmon Burger

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First of all, if you’ve never seen the movie Slammin’ Salmon with Michael Clark Duncan, please rent it! You’ll die laughing. Now back to the recipe – there’s this little shack of a place in Sag Harbor called The Dock House. Every summer we make a special trip there just for the salmon burgers. They have plenty of other seafood too, but there’s something about those burgers. This summer we haven’t been able to make the trip, so I tried to recreate them myself in the last week we have of this wonderful season. I’m sure The Dock House has a special seasoning they’ll never reveal, but these burgers are damn close.

*Makes 4 burgers

  • 1 1/4 lb salmon fillet (no skin)
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp of lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • A pinch or two of Marshall’s seafood rub
  • Burger buns

In a food processor, puree the salmon until smooth. Add in the onion, eggs, mustard, lemon juice, bread crumbs, and the rub. Grill the burgers on each side for about 10 minutes or until brown. You can also pan sear them, or broil them for 15 minutes. While they’re grilling, whip up some homemade tartar sauce for a dollop on top.

 Salmon burger

Happy Eating, XO.

But first, let me eat a (fish) taco

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Fish tacos are one of my absolute favorite summer meals (with a margarita, of course). I mean, you can’t go wrong with burgers and hot dogs, but fish tacos are the real treat. I first had them at a seafood restaurant in East Hampton with our friend Tara. At the time, I only ate salmon and these were made with Mahi Mahi. I was skeptical.  But once I took my first bite it was heaven!

Just like our crabby cakes, I always thought fish tacos would be too daunting to make – would I overcook the fish?! Would the sauce come out just right?! Well it turns out they were much easier to make than I thought. We’ve been doing a lot of grilling this summer and we started running out of new options so I figured, “what the hell?”.

Fish

  • 4 fillets of Mahi Mahi
  • 1 tbsp chili pepper
  • 2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • A pinch of salt
  • 4 soft tortillas

Sauce

  • 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 1 tbsp of mayo (Helmann’s, not Miracle Whip)
  • 1 cup of red cabbage, thinly chopped
  • 1/2 of a lime

Salsa

  • 2 cups of finely chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 red onion finely chopped (I used my multi-chopper for these)
  • 1/2 tomato finely chopped
  • 1/2 of a lime
  • (You could also add corn for a sweeter taste.)

Season the Mahi Mahi with the chili pepper, cayenne and salt, and grill for 15 minutes – approximately 7-8 minutes on each side. While the fish is grilling, in a small bowl mix together the cilantro, onion, tomato and lime juice. In a separate bowl, mix together the yogurt, mayo, cabbage and lime juice. When the fish is just about done, warm the tortillas on the grill. Layer the fish, sauce and salsa in the tortilla and enjoy!

 

Fish Tacos

 

 

You can jam along to this song while you’re cooking – “But first, let me eat a taco.”

Happy Eating, XO.