Category Archives: Sidekicks

Fancy Flatbread

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Since Jess is such a rockstar and makes her own pizza dough, I wont even tell you that I cheated and bought some pre-made garlic & herb pizza dough from Trader Joe’s. I know, shame on me. Don’t do it guys, the fresh stuff is EASY and so good. Steal her recipe and freeze it if you have leftovers.

Anyway, I love anything that pairs well with wine, I don’t know if you guys had picked up on that subtle piece of information through out our numerous appetizer posts. I was inspired by a farmers market in the Hamptons last month that had these plump, jammy fresh FIGS! I needed to buy a whole box of them and went to town with making this flatbread. I went on the same premise as we have on most of our salad recipes and wanted to hit all sorts of taste bud pleasers: salty, sweet, crunchy, creamy, etc. I shit you not, I knocked it out of the park. So grab your glass of Pinot Noir or chilled Rose and EAT up!

  • 3-4 oz. of goat cheese or shredded Manchego (My 1st attempt I did mozz and while delish, doesn’t pack the bite and sharpness this flatbread needs.)
  • 1 tbsp. of fig preserves OR balsamic glaze (emphasis on the OR. Again on the 1st attempt I did both and it was coyingly sweet especially if males plan on eating this.)
  • 6 oz. of thinly sliced Prosciutto (I am almost certain Pancetta would do the trick also but that’s a whole extra step of crisping that up, so just start tearing and placing on dough.)

Now, I could do thinly sliced red onion of 2 fistfuls of arugula on this just for that peppery crunch but my company wasn’t a fan of either so I left it off. But hey, it was still good, so what do I know? Anyway roll out the dough, smear the preserves or glaze, then nestle the globs of cheese with the crumpled up slices of prosciutto around the surface. Yes, crumpled is a technical culinary term, jerks!

Anyway, last but not least is the FRESH sliced figs, go nuts, as many or as little as you have. If you must have some guidance, try using 6-7 whole figs, sliced. I drizzled with a little bit of olive oil before placing in oven.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Happy Eating, XO.

The Fresh French Baguette

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Ok, guys. It’s high time we start taking it up a notch by making our own bread, a baguette to be exact. I can’t tell you how helpful this has been when throwing parties. Make a quick baguette (you don’t have to wait hours for this one to rise. It takes roughly an hour for prep and baking), bake it and cut it up. You can use the recipes we gave you for crostini, or toast, or go crazy with your own toppings! Whatever your heart desires. Sayonara store bought bread.

  • 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
  • 1 tsp active dry yeast (Told you you’d use all of the yeast eventually)
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • **1 egg white wash (optional)

In a mixing bowl, combine the lukewarm water with the yeast. Whisk together then let it sit for roughly 10 minutes. Using a dough hook on slow speed, add all of the salt, and begin adding in the flour 1 cup at a time. If you don’t have a dough hook, you can mix together with a whisk or spatula. You should begin to see a soft dough form. If it’s still too wet and sticky, add a bit more flour. Take the dough out of the bowl and place on a floured surface. Let it sit for 5 minutes. (Sorry guys, I know this is a test of patience. I usually go wash the dishes I just used. Two birds, one stone.)

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees, and grease a cookie sheet or baguette pan. Using a greased knife, cut the dough in half and roll it out into a log/baguette. **If you want a crispy crust, whisk the egg white and brush on top of the dough.  Place the dough on the sheet or pan, and make 3 small, even slits across the top of each baguette. Bake for 15 minutes. Leaving the dough in the oven, turn it up to 400 degrees for another 15 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 350 for another 10 minutes.

Damndelish French Baguette

Happy Eating, XO.

 

Green Beans with a Mustard & Caper Vinaigrette

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Remember last year when I had a real thing for dill? Well, this year it seems to be capers. I’ve found myself putting them on everything! (Except ice cream, you should never put capers on ice cream.) I know, it’s really random…like I can’t control my own taste buds. Anyway, for those of you who also can’t get enough of capers, or anything tart and savory, this dish is for you. The flavor on these beans is powerful, so I suggest pairing it with a chicken dish or something that’s a little lighter on the taste buds.

  • 1 lb. fresh green beans
  • 1 tsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tsp dijon mustard (I used Grey Poupon)
  • 1 tbsp capers
  • Dash of salt and pepper
  • Sprinkle of shredded parm cheese

Steam or boil the green beans for roughly 20 minutes until tender and bright green. Submerge in a bowl of ice water to chill, you’ll want to serve these cold. While the beans chill out, in a large bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients – white wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, dijon mustard, capers, and the salt and pepper. Toss in the beans until full coated and top with shredded parm cheese. That’s it!

Green Beans with Capers

Happy Eating, XO.

3S Cauliflower: Sweet Smokey & Spicy

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All of you can stop whining about how I am this evil person for making you buy pure maple syrup for a previous chicken recipe and how I haven’t given you more recipes to cook with it. I am here to save your expensive maple bottle and put it to good, nay great use! As you know I am a huge fan of the sweet and spicy combo, that was the flavor profile of the sassy fish recipe as well. So this recipe is near and dear to my taste buds. Also! It is my ALL TIME favorite way of cooking vegetables. Roasting is THE freaking BEST! I legit roast everything: Brussels sprouts, asparagus, zucchini, butternut squash, eggplant -sike I hate eggplant, but you could def roast it to make it suck less. Anywho, I love the charred flavor of the high heat and the simplicity of cooking so that it lets the actual veggie shine! See below for a 10 minute (And mind you 4 ingredient) side dish that will fancy up any meal you serve it with…

  • 1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons sriracha
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • Salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 425°(F). Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces; transfer to a large bowl; set aside. In a small bowl combine olive oil, sriracha, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Pour the sriracha mixture over the cauliflower and mix well, making sure the cauliflower is well coated in the sauce. Spread the cauliflower onto a large baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring once at the half way point. Increase the oven temperature to 475 and bake for another 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

PicMonkey-Collage5-418x1024

Happy Eating, XO.

Asian Persuasian

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My favorite appetizer at Thai restaurants is chicken sate. I could literally eat an order of it as a meal. So I figured why waste delivery charge money on a dish that I can make it home…So after a few articles googled I decided to get to work, and boy was the final product delish!

  • 1 packet of boneless skinless chicken tenders (I bought mine from Trader Joes because they were cut just like sate pieces)
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • pinch of smoked paprika
  • pinch of garlic powder
  • pinch of onion powder
  • pinch of salt & black pepper

Take the spices and mix. Then dry rub into the chicken. Heat your grill pan on high heat with some olive oil and start grilling the tenders. In the meantime, you can work on the peanut dipping sauce. Trust me on this- its way better than the jar junk that has a ton of preservatives. Also its super easy! All you have to do is: Heat and whisk the below ingredients in a sauce pan (well other than the ground peanuts that’s just for garnish and hence optional).

  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup coconut milk (you should have this leftover from the goan curry recipe)
  • 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (you should have this left over from the sweet potatoes recipe)
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • (optional) 2 tablespoons ground peanut
  • Salt to taste

Maybe next time I’ll venture into making the little pickled cucumber they serve with the sate at restaurants too. But for now…

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Happy Eating, XO.