Sisters & Skewers

Olivia & Molly
1986

Although I didn't always feel this way growing up, I'm blessed to have two awesome younger sisters - Olivia, who's 25 and lives in Georgia with her husband, Ben, and Riley, who's 20 and lives back in Seattle with her boyfriend, Ryan.  This summer, Olivia hosted an awesome 4th of July party at her house, and for the first time in years, all three of the Kidwell girls were together for the holiday.   I adore my sisters, and it was SO wonderful for us to get together!!  We had a great time, and true to our nature, we also had great food.

A few short years ago, Olivia probably would have looked for directions on how to boil water (no offense, Lili!!); for some reason she was never interested in cooking as a kid, like I was.  However, since getting married she has been spending a lot of time cooking, experimenting, and learning, and now she's quite the little chef!  I just love cooking with her and now we frequently chat and share recipes.

Olivia called me earlier this afternoon because she and Ben had a craving for the Greek style chicken skewers I made one night while we were visiting over the summer.  I love it when people love my food, and it's always such a compliment when someone asks for a recipe of mine because they were craving it months after having it!

Since I was going to be emailing it to her anyways, I decided to share it here with the rest of you.  This is super easy, and a frequent meal in my house.

Molly's Greek Style Skewers

Meat:

• 1 lb of boneless skinless chicken breasts OR 1 lb of pork tenderloin (both are great, but sometimes it's nice to have a break from chicken, so I go with the other white meat)

Marinade:

• 1/2 cup dry white wine (I never use cooking wine, it's so gross!  Use something that you would actually have a glass of.  Think of it this way - why would you put a crappy ingredient into a dish and expect great taste!?)
• Juice of one lemon
• 1/2 cup non-fat greek yogurt (helps make the marinade 'sticky' so that the awesome flavors really cling to the meat. If you don't have greek yogurt, mayonnaise works too but isn't as healthy)
• Drizzle of EVOO
• S&P
• 1tsp cumin
• 1 T dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried mint
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• Sprinkle of onion powder.
• Sprinkle of red pepper flakes (if you like it spicy, add more, if you don't like spice, you can omit)
• Palmful of fresh chopped parsley

Sides:

• 1 bell pepper
• 1 red onion
• 1 zucchini 
• Pita Bread
• Non fat Greek Yogurt

"All of this yarn holding and topless washing really
works up an appetite, let's have skewers for dinner!"

If you're using wooden skewers, start off by soaking them in water so they don't ignite when they hit the grill. I put them in a clear glass baking dish and cover them with water. 

Take all of your marinade ingredients, and put them into a large ziploc bag (freezer bags work great).  Mush it all around inside the bag to mix it well.  

Take your meat and trim any excess fat off of it.  Then, cut it into little cubes. Sometimes when people make skewers, they use big huge hunks of meat.  I prefer to cut it into small pieces. Why?  Well, to be scientific (and to sound like my husband) you get a better surface area to volume ratio, which results in more flavor.  It also cuts down on cook time.  

Once your meat is all cubed up, throw it into the marinade bag, and mush it around some more so that all of the meat is coated.  Set it in a dish and put in the fridge to marinate.  I would say let it sit for at least 30 minutes, but if you can, let it go for an hour. 

While the meat it marinating - prep your sides.  Cut up the veggies and onion into chunks that are about the same size as your meat, and then skewer them.  Don't worry about leaving space between the pieces, just load those puppies up!  Put the skewers into a baking dish, and then drizzle with EVOO, and sprinkle with S&P.  You really don't need any more seasoning than that.  The veggies taste great on their own, and the meat packs all the punch in this dish.

Take your pita bread, and brush each side with a little EVOO, and then sprinkle with S&P.

Now take your marinated cubes and skewer them.  A lot of people like to mix veggies and meat on their skewers.  Admittedly, it does look prettier that way, but with varying cook times, I like to separate each ingredient onto its own skewer so that I don't overcook one thing while waiting for another thing to cook through.

Next, head out to grill and put everything on.  The veggies go for just a little while - let them soften and get a little bit of a char to them.  The meat goes pretty quickly - flip it at least once, and let it go until there's nice color to it, and of course it's cooked through.

Remove the skewers as they finish, and set into a clean baking dish. Un-skewer everything and mix all together.

Throw the pita bread on the grill just until it gets a little toasted.

To serve, my husband and I like to put the meat and veggies on top of the pita bread with a little bit of greek yogurt.  You can roll them up and eat it like a wrap.  Or you can serve it with the bread and yogurt on the side.  Whatever floats your boat!

So that's it - hope you enjoy!

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Baking is one of the few areas in cooking where A.) I always follow the recipe, and B.) I love to cheat!  It's amazing what you can do using a boxed mix as your base.  I had a club meeting this past week with a Mexican theme, and all members were asked to bring something to share.  Usually I don't crave chocolate, but for some reason it sounded good to me at that time.  I randomly remembered back to a 6th grade social studies project - we were learning about the Aztec civilization, and one of the things we did was make mexican hot chocolate, which is basically dark chocolate with cinnamon.  Ah ha!  Mexican hot chocolate cupcakes were born.  These are SO easy, taste great, and look cute. Even if you're not much of a baker (like me!), you should try these.


For the Cupcakes:

• 1 box of dark chocolate brownie mix (your choice of brand, I think I used Duncan Hines)
• Follow the preparation instructions on the box for the liquid ingredients, then add:
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon.

Mix well, pour into greased muffin cups, and bake according to box intstructions (I think I did a 325 degree  for 25 minutes or so, but checked after 20)

For the frosting, you have two options.  You can buy a canister of cream cheese frosting and add 1/2 tsp of cinnamon to it, or you can make your own:

• 1/2 brick of cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 stick of butter, softened
• 1 cup of confectioners sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix well. 

Once your cupcakes are cooled, you can frost them. I like to use a piping bag so I can control the design, but you could just as easily spread the frosting on top with a knife. To decorate, sprinkle with some coarse sanding sugar, dark chocolate savings, some mini marshmallows (it is a hot chocolate style cupcake afterall!) and a sprinkle of cinnamon. I like how the cinnamon makes the marshmallows look sort of toasted.

Enjoy!

Recipe Numero Uno: Jerk Turkey Burgers with Mango Slaw

Jerk Turkey Burger - Yum!

I had a hankering for something spicy yet healthy, so I thought up these little puppies.  With hardly any added fat, and lean meat, you might think that these would taste like diet food, but they don't.  They're spicy, juicy, and satisfying.  I hope you give them a try!

For the Burger Patties:

• 1lb lean ground turkey
• 1 green apple, peeled, cored & grated
• 4 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 slightly heaping Tablespoon of jerk seasoning (you can buy a pre-made mix in the store, but I prefer to make my own)
• 1/4 cup panko (japanese style breadcrumbs)
• Drizzle of EVOO

Mix well and form into patties. I got 6 out of this batch.

For the Slaw:

• 2 carrots, peeled and grated
• 1/2 savoy green cabbage, cored and finely sliced.
• 1 scallion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoon scoops of Mango chutney
• 1/2 cup of nonfat greek yogurt
• S&P to taste

Mix all ingredients together, cover and refrigerate.

Grill up the patties on a medium-high grill.  Be sure to cook all the way through since you're using poultry, that takes approximately 4-5 minutes per side.

To serve, I chose to put the patties on grilled ciabatta bread.  Just take individual ciabatta loaves, cut in half and brush with a little bit of EVOO.  Grill until they are nicely toasted, then fill with your burger patty and a big scoop of slaw.

Enjoy!

Friday Cooking Tips

I'm going to try to make this a weekly installment - there are lots of good 'tricks of the trade' that have been passed down to me.  Here are some to start with:

When cooking mushrooms, never get them wet prior to cooking, and don't add salt to them until they release their liquids while sautéing.  You'll notice that when you add mushrooms to a pan with melted butter (yes, this is the best way to sauté them), that they will almost instantly absorb all of the moisture in the pan.  You don't need to add more, just keep stirring them and after a few minutes, they will almost magically start to release the moisture back into the pan.  Now it's okay to add the salt.  Wetting or salting too early will result in tough, chewy, rubbery mushrooms, and no one likes those.

Don't overcook your veggies!  Lots of people think they hate a certain type of vegetable, because they have only had it overcooked.  For my husband, this was asparagus.  He grew up eating overly boiled or steamed asparagus, and he thought it was the grossest thing. And who can blame him? Asparagus cooked that way does not taste good.  The first time I made asparagus for him, I grilled it very simply with just some EVOO and S&P, just until it turned bright green and got tender.  Surprise, surprise, he loved it, and now he's an asparagus convert. The two of us can easily but down a bunch of it in one meal.  This idea goes for other vegetables, too.  Overly cooking your veggies destroys their texture, ruins the flavor, and from a health perspective, it depletes the healthy mineral and vitamin content.  So don't do it!

Your stove top has temperature knobs for a reason!  So many people try to cook everything very quickly over very high heat. This can result in scorched flavors, and with some things, an overly cooked exterior with an undercooked interior.  Do yourself a favor, and experiment with different temperatures, and remember this mantra - low & slow is the way to go.  There's no way to quickly caramelize onions... sometimes the amazingly delicious changes that food goes through take time, and the time is always worth it.

Grandma & Great Grandma with
veggies fresh from her garden
1970's

FRESH, FRESHER, FRESHEST.  Whenever you can, use fresh ingredients.  The only time I open cans in my house is for things like tomato paste, tuna fish, or beans (sometimes I use dried beans, but often I don't have the time).  Food always tastes better when it's fresh. And in season.  Who likes a mealy tomato in February? Not me.  Who likes a red-ripe fresh tomato in the middle of July? Almost everyone!  Foods taste best, and are the best for you, when they're in season.  If you don't know what the different seasons are for foods, follow this rule of thumb that almost always works: If they're very cheap, there are lots of them, they smell good and are vibrant in color, they're in season (think zucchini & summer squash right now).  If they're expensive, there are few of them, are small and shrively and have no smell and a dull color, they're probably not in season and have been shipped across the world (carbon footprints, anyone?) to satisfy us "we want it NOW" Americans.  If you can, visit your local farmer's markets, or sign up for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).  Both of these  are excellent ways to eat the freshest of the fresh, and your taste buds will thank you!

When boiling potatoes, always start them in cold water on the stove top.  The potatoes will heat up along with the water which results in them being perfectly evenly cooked through. If you've ever had crunchy potato salad, then you know how important this is!

That's it for now.  More to come next week!

A Note About Amounts and Seasoning

I rarely measure or follow real recipes, *unless* I'm baking - then exact amounts are a must because baking is really one big chemistry lab.  If I look at a recipe, it's usually for inspiration, and then I wing it, so I'll do my best to approximate amounts in the recipes I post.

My salt of choice

With that said, you should always cook things to taste, and season as you go. Never wait until the very end of your cooking process to add the salt and pepper (S&P).  Do a little bit at each stage.  If you're creating a marinade, always do the finger dip test before you put the raw meat in.  It will always taste strong, and usually overly salty, but make sure that your flavor profile is right.

If you're cooking something like a burger or meatball and want to check your seasoning, follow this trick - make a teeny tiny meatball, pop it on a saucer, and microwave it for 30 seconds or so. cut it in half to make sure it's cooked through, and then taste for seasoning.  It will likely be tough and dry from being nuked, but  again, you can make sure your flavor profile is right. If you do these things, you'll probably never need to have the salt & pepper shaker on your table.

In regards to seasonings, I ONLY use coarse kosher salt, or freshly ground salt crystals.  Table salt is, in my opinion, terrible tasting and a very easy way to make your food taste too salty.  As for black pepper, always use freshly ground. For oil, I try to always use Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or as Rachel Ray would say, EVOO).  If you need an oil without such a dominant flavor, I use canola.

Everyone has room for fresh herbs!

A word about spices/herbs.  If you have a spices or dried herbs that have been sitting around for years, do yourself a favor, throw them out!!  Spices and herbs DO have a shelf life, and over time they can lose their flavor.  If you can use fresh herbs, definitely do!  A home herb garden is amazingly easy to take care of, wether its in your windowsill, a pot on your balcony, or in the ground in your garden.  Just note that you usually need to use slightly more fresh herbs than dried herbs, because the drying process concentrates the flavor.

Welcome!

Cooking in my old kitchen

Hi! I'm Molly, and I've been cooking for as long as I can remember.  From the time I was old enough to hold a spoon or put a hard boiled egg through a slicer, I've been mixing and concocting alongside my amazing Mom (a professionally trained Chef), my Grandmother (an avant garde home-cook in her own right), and my Mom's five very talented home-cooking sisters. We truly are a foodie family.  You'll typically find us discussing lunch over coffee, dinner over lunch, and menu planning weeks before we all get together.

My mom's side has become known as "The Eating Keatings" (a tribute to my Grandparent's last name), so when I thought about what to name this blog, that is what instantly came to mind.  I love to see how the meals from my grandmother's table are now being passed down to me, my sisters, and cousins.   With a truly 'Euro-Mutt' pedigree, my family has adopted the best food traditions from a variety of cultures, and made them our own.  Food truly brings people together, and I can't imagine a family gathering without at least several amazing home-cooked meals, followed by late-night leftovers snacking over a game of scrabble, a jigsaw puzzle, and bottle of wine.

Cooking is something I'm truly passionate about - I think about it daily, love to talk about it, and share good recipes. So here's my blog! My musings about what I'm cooking and enjoying along with my husband in my own home, as well as some thoughts on table decor & entertaining thrown in for good measure.

Thanks for stopping by, and in the words of the incomparable Julia Child,
Bon Appétit!!!