Brittany's Pantry
I completely underestimated this dish. I’ll explain.
I have mentioned before that I usually keep a running list of menus to make for dinner during that week. I glance through my freezer and sort of mentally pair things with what I have coming out of my garden in the next few days and what is stashed in my pantry (Hmmm…do fresh tomatoes go well with freezer burned cornish game hen?). Sometimes I pull a recipe that I have recently come across or been scribbling down and add that to the stack so that when I look at the list and see, in my own handwriting, a meal I have never made before, I don’t start searching through my piles and piles of paper trying to find it. I have it all right there with the menus.
Of course, this system is absolutely perfect, life doesn’t get in the way at all, and I never stray from my weekly menu…
So I have had this dish on my menu for weeks now. It keeps making its way to the next week and then the next, never getting made. It had been so long since I actually read the recipe, I had no idea what it was anymore. So this weekend, I just sat down and made it. So…now I know why I flagged it in the first place. I mean, hello!! It uses zucchini and summer squash! Two things I am always trying to get rid of in August! It is fresh and not too heavy but still satisfyingly cheesy and gooey. Despite the fact that this recipe has one major flaw-no meat!-you won’t miss it. Seriously! I can’t believe I am telling you this, but is absolutely perfect without it. There are a few steps to putting it together, but nothing complicated. Leftovers a day or two later are wonderful! I have already added it to the menus for company in a few weeks. Hold the frosty chicken…
One Year Ago: BBQ Pulled Pork
Baked Pasta W/Summer Veggies
A hunk of crusty bread is perfect with this. Maybe two hunks.
1 small summer squash, cubed
1 small zucchini, cubed
1/2 onion chopped fine
1 large tomato, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T chopped, fresh basil
1 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 c low fat-ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 pound rigatoni, ziti, penne, or penne rigate, cooked according to package directions
In a large skillet, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Saute squash, zucchini and onion, for a few minutes or just until starting to soften. Add chopped tomato, garlic, salt and pepper. Heat together for 2-3 more minutes or until fragrant and heated through. Remove from heat and add the pasta, 1/2 of the mozzarella, oregano, and basil. I had to do this in a large separate bowl. Set aside and in a small bowl, beat ricotta and egg together with a fork until smooth. Stir into the pasta and vegetables and pour the whole thing into a large, sprayed casserole dish. Top with last cup of mozzarella. Bake at 400 degrees until bubbly and evenly browned, about 15 minutes. It won’t take long because everything is already cooked and hot. Enjoy!
OK. So, I am having a bit of a hard time posting this recipe. Actually, for several reasons. Two. Two reasons.
First off, there is a good chance that most of you out there already have a tried and true oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe. It is a fairly common combo after all. Do you really need another one? Perhaps not. The other reason is that there are so many other things I am cooking right now that I could post about. Things that have to do with summer and fresh produce and these wonderful months of bounty! For example, I can’t even begin to say how many times I have wanted to tell you about Salmon Nicoise, and instead of taking pictures and posting about it, I eat it. I roll my eyes and groan and slap the table and shake my head in disbelief: it is that good. I literally cannot bring myself to slow down enough to share it with you. Hmm…that may be revealing more about my character than I would like… And! You can only eat it in the summer because it is all about fresh tomatoes, and string beans and-not a dish for January. Now is the time! If you were here you would yell, “Brittany! Get it together!” Actually, if you were here, you would probably tell me to fold the laundry on my couch… *Ahem* Yet, here I am craving oatmeal cookies. Making batches and batches of oatmeal cookies when it is a gazillion degrees outside.
But you know what? I don’t care! I made cookies and they were good! And I would do it again! I am guilt free! Well, except for the whole salmon situation…
One Year Ago: Margaritas, June Bug, Herbal Iced Tea
Oatmeal Cherry Chocolate Chunk Cookies
This recipe is a mix of so many different recipes. Cookie recipes can be really similar but once I find the right combination that gives me the texture I like, I try to stick to that recipe. Half cup (1 stick) butter to 1 c sugar to 2 c flour is a common formula to start cookies from. That was where I started with mine and then branched out from there. These are chewy and crispy, without being too sweet. I should also mention that while the flavors are similar to this recipe, it is very different. This one is NOT healthy. And sometimes, that’s a good thing.
2 sticks softened butter
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
2 c flour
2 c rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 c chocolate chunks or chocolate chips
2 c dried cherries or cranberries (I like to chop the cherries up a bit before I add them)
Cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Add the next five ingredients, mixing just until combined. Fold in the chocolate and dried fruit by hand. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a sheet pan covered in parchment and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.
Grilled Yogurt Chicken
Brittany wrote this on 5 August 2011
chicken, garlic, gluten-free, yogurt
I have had this distant memory of grilled chicken sort of floating through my head for some time now. It was a previous recipe I had tried several years ago, but for the life of me I could not remember how to make it. I could vaguely recall ingredients including chicken, yogurt, garlic, and cumin. For some reason kebabs kept coming to mind and I definitely remembered that it tasted awesome. So now, deep into ‘the transfer’, which is what I have been calling the never ending process of putting all my recipes into my computer, it was nowhere to be found. The goldenrod colored sticky-note with writing in black pen that I have been looking for for months now, I was positive was gone.
Mmmm…but that chicken was so good! Maybe I could just try and create it from memory and tweak from there…
Then I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit developed by this couple. Alas! It jogged my memory and I quickly grabbed the first piece of paper I could find (which just happened to be in my pile of recipes waiting to be filed) and started scribbling down ingredients. Suddenly, I stopped and really looked at the paper. Of course, it was a goldenrod sticky-note. I flipped it over and you know what it said? Yogurt Chicken Kebabs. Chicken. Yogurt. Garlic. Cumin. Grill. No wonder I couldn’t remember anything else. That was all there was to the dish!!
So after an exasperated sigh and a very disgusted “Are you kidding me?” I created this. I like it much better than my first few attempts, so I figure it is safe to pass it on to you! Now for all you who are cringing and saying to yourself “Yogurt? And chicken? That is way to weird for me!”-just relax. Have you ever come across a recipe for fried chicken that had you soak it in buttermilk first? This is the same concept. While the yogurt does impart a bit of tangyness to the chicken, its main purpose is making it moist and full of flavor all the way through, not just on the surface. Unlike similar recipes, this one is quite subtle. The flavors are soft and suggestive, not an in your face spice fest! Garam masala, an Indian spice blend, is a common flavor used in recipes like this, but I like to pick and choose my spices individually. Well, that and the fact that garam masala can be hard to find and I wouldn’t use it nearly as often as I use the separate spices that are in it.
So now, I can toss my bright little sticky-note in the recycling bin, as the recipe is now in my computer. Phew! One down, a bazillion to go.
One Year Ago: Banana Bran Muffins
Grilled Yogurt Chicken
This chicken is absolutely scrumptious. It is very easy to throw together and goes with just about anything. I kind of treat it like a good, plain chicken that has a bit of personality. Cold leftovers are spectacular sliced on a sandwich or chunked onto a salad.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 c plain, low fat yogurt (not vanilla!)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small or 1/2 large, onion, cut into large chunks
hefty drizzle of olive oil-maybe a 1/4 c
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp cardamom (optional-although I highly recommend it)
Combine all ingredients in a large zip top bag, squishing everything to mix it well. Marinade the chicken, in the fridge for AT LEAST 3-4 hours(for good flavor), but can be as long as overnight if you like. Grill on a well oiled grill over medium heat (indirect if charcoal), taking care to remove the extra marinade as you go. I just pull the pieces out of the bag with a tongs and use my other hand to grasp the outside of the bag and scrape them off as I go. The marinade will burn if there is too much. Depending on the thickness of your chicken, it will take about 4 minutes a side. Don’t overcook it! You want it firm, but not dry. Let it rest for five minutes to allow the juices to redistribute before you slice it.
Love a Good Recipe?
Then you’ve come to the right place! I’m Brittany, and I share tested, trusted recipes you’ll love. I prepare & photograph food, obsess over the perfect recipe, and enjoy grins of delight when I serve up something awesome. Enjoy!
