Good Olive Oil

I found this great olive oil at the regular market (Ralphs or Albertsons or something like that). I was pretty surprised at how good it was. I'm a big fat olive oil snob. I can't help it, it's in my blood. This stuff is reasonably priced and has a really fresh, verdant flavor.



Thought I'd share...

Curried Chicken Salad Sandwiches

These sandwiches are my favorite picnic food. They are perfect for that great LA outdoor movie, or a picnic on the beach with your sweetheart. One of my best friends put a big bowl of the salad on the buffet table at her wedding. It's that good. These sandwiches are my quintessential summertime lunch, I hope you like 'em. Never mind, I know you will. If you don't... you made them wrong.


Curried Chicken Salad Sandwiches

1 C of good mayonnaise (NOT miracle whip please)
1 1/2 T brown sugar (packed)
1/2 t Saffron Threads (loosely packed)
1/2 t curry powder
1/2 t ground cumin
4 chicken breasts (organic?)
1/2 C yellow raisins
1/2 C cashew pieces
3 green onions chopped (optional)
1 Large loaf of FRESH Italian or French Bread (I get mine from Bay Cities)
1 bag of washed and dried rocket (wild arugula)


If you start making this two days before you eat your sandwiches it will be much better. The flavors just go to awesome-land when they marry together that long. If you can't it's not that big of a deal, over one night is good too, same day...just fine.

Mix together the Mayo, saffron, brown sugar, cumin and curry powder. Let it sit covered in the fridge overnight. Stir the mayo every once and a while to incorporate the yellow stain that the saffron lets off.

Cook chicken breasts at 350 degrees until juices run clear, let the chicken cool and dice into nickle sized pieces.

Add curry mayo to the chicken and stir it up. You'll see the saffron threads throughout. So pretty.

Add yellow raisins to the mixture. Cover and put back in the fridge for another night. This will plump up the raisins and give the chicken curry flavor all the way through.

Add chopped cashew pieces and green onions if you choose to use them. I love the green onions but I can't use them because The Husband won't eat them and I like him.

Cut your crispy fresh bread into desired sandwich sizes.

Slather those babies with the curried chicken salad.

No mayo is needed because the salad has plenty. Sprinkle the top of the chicken with a little of the peppery arugula and dig in.

I have been asked for this recipe about 20 times so now that it's here, I can just send off the link instead of writing it down all the time. But be forewarned, you'll get the same requests once someone tastes this beauty. Pay it forward if you will and keep the credit.

Dorien's Balsamic Dressing

I make this all the time. It's wonderful. It's actually sort of hard for me to give this recipe up... there I said it.

Dorien's Balsamic Dressing
1 Clove Garlic
1/4 C Good Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 T Dijon Mustard
1/2 T Brown Sugar
1/2 t Dried Oregano
1/2 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

I have an immersion blender. It's my #2 favorite kitchen gadget. I've had it for years, I think it was a gift but I honestly don't remember. I use this for all my salad dressings. If you don't have one, you can use a blender but you will have to double the recipe. If you don't have a blender either, you can use a whisk or a fork but you will have to squeeze the garlic through a press.

So all you do is place the first 5 ingredients into the blender or the immersion blender-cup turn the blender on and slowly add in the olive oil until the viscosity is nice and thick. Then add salt and pepper to taste.
I'm regretting this. Sigh...

Walnut-Pesto Crusted Chicken

The first time I made this, I had run out of pine nuts. I've never been a fan of swapping anything out when it comes to pesto, I'm a bit of a purist. Why mess with perfection? However, when it's time to make dinner and my stomach won't tolerate a trip to Trader Joe's, I'll make due with what I have (I'm drawing the line at arugula pesto though). Anyway, it ended up being an awesome happy accident when I used the extra the next day to marinate a chicken breast and it yielded the yummiest, nuttiest crust imaginable. I've made it again and again.




Walnut-Pesto Crusted Chicken

1 bunch of basil (approximately 4 cups)
1 c walnut pieces
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic
3/4 c good olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 whole farmer's market chicken cut up into 4 pieces

You're going to need a food processor for this. It's possible to do it in a blender but you'll need to use more oil or you'll burn out your blender. Classic pesto is made with a mortar and pestle. If you're ambitious enough, save the energy and go for it.


Place garlic, walnuts, Parmesan and basil in food processor.


Give the food processor a few pulses to combine all the ingredients.


It should look like this.


Then while the processor is turned on, drizzle the oil in slowly and once it's incorperated add salt and pepper to taste.


Mouth party.


I like my pesto on the thick side. More flavor with less oil. For this recipe it's important to make your pesto thick so that the chicken doesn't end up too greasy. It's great on pasta too.


Pat the chicken dry and put it in a bowl or zip lock bag.


Add 1/2 to 3/4 of the pesto, just enough to completely coat the chicken.


Toss the chicken in the fridge and let it marinate from a few hours to overnight. When it's time to eat, take the chicken out and place it in a baking dish. Make sure there is a nice coating of pesto on the top of each piece of chicken. Place in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until the juices run clear. Be careful not to overcook the chicken.


You're welcome.


If you care to, while the chicken is resting, you can take the juices and olive oil from the baking dish and saute up some zucchini.


The Husband used to work for the Lakers. He knows everything about basketball and loves the Lakers like I love cheese. We normally don't eat in front of the TV but since I made this meal on the night that the Lakers won the championship, we made an exception. I had a glass of red wine and he had a big fat slug of Oban Scotch Whisky.



We had seconds.

The Mouse Shall Eat Mushrooms

I had to take online traffic school last weekend. Sometime around my wedding, my brain took a break and I forgot how to follow street signs. Apparently even the simplest one became illegible. On one march day, I performed more of a slow roll through an alleged STOP sign and got a $300 ticket. My first ticket...ever.

So, while my husband was at an Irish sports bar watching the USA v. England game with our friends, I was sitting at my kitchen table listening to 'comedians' talk about the hazards of driving on a one-lane road in the rain. Death jokes people, there were death jokes. It was excruciating. I was just about ready to take the point on my license when I saw the mushrooms, sage and garlic sitting quietly on the kitchen counter.

I thought... "I'm a multi-tasker. Plus I bought the audio version of comedy traffic school. Why not cook my pain away and listen to these assholes at the same time? I mean, the Husband hates mushrooms anyway, so while the cat's away, the mouse shall avert gouging her eyes out with her 'California-stop' citation and make comfort food. Savory awesome fungus... in cream sauce.

Creamy Mushroom Pasta with Sage and Brandy
Feeds two or one really hungry woman under house arrest

1/2 Package of Garofalo pasta (or whatever you like)
1 Standard carton of crimini mushrooms (farmer's market ones are the best)
1/2 T chopped fresh sage
2 Big cloves of chopped garlic
1 T brandy (or dry sherry)
1/2 Cup of half and half (you can do milk or any combo of the two)
1 T butter
1 T roasted pine nuts
Salt and pepper to taste
A sprinkle of parmesan cheese

Bring salted water to a boil in a big pot and toss in pasta. Add butter to a large skillet on medium heat

and in sliced crimini mushrooms. Do not salt the mushrooms now. Salting brings out the moisture and won't let the mushrooms brown. The brown bits impart great flavor into the sauce. Be sure you have a pan that is wide enough so that none of the mushrooms overlap.

Once they are developing some color toss in the garlic and sage. Saute for a bit until the garlic is translucent and the mushrooms have a nice brown color. Add the brandy then a little salt and pepper. When the brandy is all but gone, add the half and half and reduce the heat. It should look like this...

Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. If you are feeling extra indulgent you can finish the sauce with a little extra dab of butter. Turn off the heat, drain pasta and toss the pasta into the skillet.

Serve with pine nuts and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

A crisp dry white wine would have made this meal completete but it was noon and I still had to take my quiz about "Pepper the Pizzaboy" and how his loud music drowned out the fire truck's sirens. Don't worry, the wine came eventually. I needed to drown out the voices in my head.