StephanieBice.com

Valentine’s Day weekend was full of entertaining and F-O-O-D. As you may recall, one of my goals this year was to cook at least one new recipe a week to expand my culinary repertoire beyond boxed dinners and Bice Nachos (chips, cheese, bell peppers). I have enjoyed some fabulous recipes and even made Baba Ghanoush (although, I think I like saying it more than eating it).

I recently tried two new recipes. The first – King Cake. I attended a Mardi Gras Ball (yes, it is sanctioned as an official “Ball” even though it is not in New Orleans), in which each attendee brought a dish to share with the table. I decided no Mardi Gras Ball would be complete without a King Cake, so I found a couple of recipes and merged them together to make a fabulous (and rather large) cake. It was scrumptious. Cream filled, with a hint of lemon in the icing, and decorated perfectly in the customary Green, Gold and Purple colors. (This is the part where I want to kick myself. I forgot to take a picture of it!)

Next up on the menu was garlic mashed potatoes. I have never made this wonderful side dish (I usually serve plain mashed potatoes loaded with butter and milk – YUM). Since Sunday was V-Day, I decided to invite some good friends over for a low-key meal including steaks, chicken, and the works. I poured olive oil on two heads of garlic, sprinkled salt and pepper on both and roasted them in a 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes. The results were amazing. (And thanks CC for doing the mashing!) If you haven’t tried this little number before, I suggest doing it TONIGHT. You won’t be disappointed!

I love ethnic cuisine (and fortunately so does my family). This photo is a culmination of 10 years of trying dozens of different curry recipes and finally creating one that is (IMHO) perfection. Try it – (but WARNING: this will be a spicy dish. If you are not familiar with curry powder – you might want to reduce the amount of curry to 1 tablespoon.)

Chicken Curry

2 Chicken Breasts, cubed
4 Chicken Thighs, trimmed of fat and cubed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon finely minced ginger (the real stuff folks, not that powdery kind. You can find it in the fresh vegetable section of your local market)
2-3 Tablespoons Mild Curry Powder (I like Rajah brand)
1/2 cup tomato paste
Two 14oz. cans low-sodium Chicken Broth (I use Swansons)
1/2 cup plain yogurt

Heat olive oil in large saute pan on medium heat. Place cubed chicken in pan and cook through. Remove cooked chicken to a plate, and throw the diced onions into the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add garlic, ginger and curry powder and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Pour chicken stock into the pan and stir to incorporate the curry powder mixture, making sure to scrape all the small bits off the bottom of the pan. Wisk in tomato paste, followed by the yogurt until completely dissolved.  Gently add the cooked chicken back to the pan and simmer on medium-low for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce becomes thick. Serve over Basmati rice and Naan.

Enjoy~

So in my last post I outlined my goals for 2010. Unfortunately I have already failed at one (see # 2).  The good news is I am keeping up with#1 so far – which was one new recipe a week, bought two new pairs of boots (see #3) AND took a class on how to use my new camera correctly. I think that is pretty commendable for the first 14 days of the year, don’t you?

Not sure if I mentioned it – but I got a fabulous Christmas gift (yes, it is Christmas folks, not Holiday, Winter Solstice, etc… ) and was able to put it to good use. I have always wanted a Le Creuset dutch oven, but HOLY SMOKES they are expensive. So expensive, I could not in my right mind justify buying one. Good thing I have fabulous (and financially gifted) in-laws. See, they generously gave me a rather large gift card to Williams-Sonoma, which carries said pot. Now, I did have to pitch in some of my own dough, but I was able to get a wonderful sage colored green Le Creuset and was thrilled to use it for the first time. (The pot also lends itself to helping me be successful with my first goal of trying a new recipe once a week.) So far, here are the new recipes I have tried:

1. Funeral Dinner Chicken Casserole. (This dish requires a lengthy post all by itself.)

2. Beef Bourguignon. WOW. That’s all I can say about it right now; otherwise my mouth might start watering profusely and that isn’t too attractive….

3. Chicken Cacciatore. Not only was it good, but I got to cook with wine, and that is a good thing.

4. Chicken Parmesan Pioneer Woman-style. I really liked the homemade sauce – but will use red wine next time.

I am excited to try more recipes as time allows – so stay tuned.