The Adventures of a Calamari Queen
Christian, Wife, Mommy, Homemaker, Retired nurse, Fur-mama,living a simple and minimal life!
We had dinner at Coho Cafe tonight (I had a coupon). It’s really one of my favorite local restaurants simply because they have one of the best sliders (kalbi pork sliders). Good food, great ambiance, despite that it gets really busy most of the time the servers are quick and attentive to their customers.
Quick stop at Walgreens tonight to get some candies and shirts for my nephews:)
Last Friday Night Hubby and I wanted to check out a happy hour place in Bellevue that we’ve never been to. We decided to go to Cypress Lounge inside Westin Hotel in Bellevue. The place was cozy, generous amounts of food (cheap too!), but the service was a little slow during our time, maybe because it was Friday evening and the place was packed. All in all, it was a great place for Happy Hour with my Hubs:)
This weekend the Barefoot Contessa visited Seattle and I just had to see and hear what she’s going to say. I’ve always been a fan of her cooking and kitchen. She is what I expected in person ( I think I’ve seen all her TV episodes). She is warm, sincere, gracious and funny! I totally enjoyed the event despite being alone and no one to share the excitement with:). I didn’t get any decent pics from the event because it’s hard to get pics alone. Anyways, I’m thinking of getting all her cookbooks (she’s got 8!). I have two of her cookbooks, and my Hubby gave the consent already that I can have all her books:) Thanks Ga! I want me some INA!!!
Quick trip to Walgreens tonight to get their Suave promo this week.
I made chicken stock earlier this week using our crockpot. I’ve made this recipe twice already and this stock is really good, so flavorful. If I can help it, I will probably use homemade chicken stock/broth in my cooking. It’s such an easier and healthier version compared to “Swanson”. The recipe is from Ina Garten, my favorite Barefoot Contessa. I think I’ve seen all of her T.V. episodes. I love her! Her recipe used the stove top while I did mine using our crockpot.
Chicken Stock (adapted from Ina Garten; foodnetwork.com)
Place the chickens, onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, parsley, thyme, dill, garlic, and seasonings in a 16 to 20-quart stockpot. Add 7 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 4 hours. Strain the entire contents of the pot through a colander and discard the solids. Chill the stock overnight. The next day, remove the surface fat. Use immediately or pack in containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
I’ve made this dish a couple of times now. It’s delicious and easy (my kind of dish). The spices smelled so good. My Husband really likes Indian food, and I’m not a big fan but with this dish I totally enjoyed it. I will likely cook this again soon! I made a simple salad to go with our meal, and Hubby made dessert (banana split!).
Chicken Tandoori (www.foodnetwork.com)
Preheat the broiler. Make shallow cuts in the chicken thighs with a sharp knife. Toss the chicken with the lemon juice and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a large bowl.
Pulse 2 tablespoons yogurt, the vegetable oil, onion, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, coriander, cumin, 11/2 teaspoons paprika and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor to make a paste. Toss the chicken in the mixture and let marinate 15 minutes.
Place the chicken on a foil-lined broiler pan. Broil, turning once, until slightly charred and a thermometer inserted into the center registers 165 degrees F, 5 to 6 minutes per side.
Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/2 cup yogurt and 1/4 teaspoon paprika, the cilantro and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Top the chicken with the yogurt sauce and serve with rice, if desired.
It’s been a while since we made this at home. I don’t know why we hardly prepare clams when they’re so easy to fix. I usually order this dish in my favorite local restaurant. We love the garlicky broth and how simple this dish is!
Clams in Garlic with White Wine and Tomatoes (adapted from www.food.com)
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (or butter)
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1/3 cup Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 lb littleneck clams (or Manila clams or small clams of your choice)
Directions:
To the pan, add butter,garlic, half of the parsley and the hot pepper flakes; fry for 1 minute. Add wine; bring to boil over medium high heat, add clams, cover and steam until clams open, about 5 minutes. Discard any clams that do not open.
Sprinkle with parsley.
Ladle clams into small bowls and offer plenty of crusty bread to soak up the delicious broth.
We stopped at Target before heading out to dinner and I’m happy that there weren’t any lines tonight, so it was a quick checkout.
I had this recipe in my bookmarks for a while now and last night I finally made it. I was craving for chicken wings but we didn’t have any chicken wings, so to satisfy the buffalo chicken cravings, I decided to make this pasta dish( we had chicken breasts that I needed to use anyway). I really liked the cheesy pasta (but Hubby thinks it still needed more cheese) and the spicy chicken/blue cheese combo. I’ll have to add this recipe to my favorite pasta dishes to keep.
Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Blue Cheese (www.canyoustayfordinner.com)
1 cup 1 % milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon butter
¾ cup extra sharp cheddar cheese (3 oz)
½ cup crumbled blue cheese (2 oz)
4 cups cooked elbow shaped pasta
1 lb chicken breast, cooked and chopped into bite sized pieces
1/2-2/3 cup hot buffalo wing sauce (recommended: Frank’s Red Hot)
Stir the milk and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir in the butter. When the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, add the cheddar cheese and stir until the cheese has melted and the mixture is silky and well blended.
Place your cooked, drained pasta in a large bowl. Pour the hot sauce over it and stir to combine.
In a separate bowl, toss the cooked chicken with the hot sauce, evenly coating and moistening the meat evenly. Use more or less hot sauce depending on your spice preference.
Gently stir the chicken into the pasta, followed by the crumbled blue cheese. Serve immediately.