Yuletide Pepper Salad

(Reprinted from Cooking with Alice, orginally posted October 12, 2011)
Here's one that I really wasn't looking forward to, just reading the recipe it sounded bad, even thought the ingredients each on their own appeal to me. But together, not so much. White rice, sliced red and green peppers and a vinaigrette of Dijon, oil and white wine vinegar, tossed together. I used the rest of the box of converted rice, as my pantry is beginning to be quite full of half used "specialty" items, sort of like the ghosts of recipes past. Alice allowed for it to be served cold or at room temp, I opted for cold, like my revenge. I also went out on a limb and tossed in the rest of the artichoke hearts I had leftover from last night, a nice touch if I do say so myself. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.....

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Episode Note: "The Voice of Christmas" [I will admit that this was a "lost" episode as far I am concerned. I swear I had never seen it growing up, and six months ago if you had asked me if there was a Christmas episode I would have vehemently said no, and possibly bet money or some other tangible item in defense of my position.]  It's Christmastime, and there is a flurry of activity at the Brady residence, decorating the tree, shopping for presents, etc. The holiday is to culminate with a Christmas morning church service with Carol doing a solo of  "O' Come Ye Faithful." But tragedy strikes when she comes down with laryngitis a few days before. All hope seems to be lost that she'll be able to sing and the kids feel as though Christmas is ruined. Little lisping Cindy decides to take matters into her own hands and pleads to the big man himself, the department store Santa, to restore her mother's voice. Mike tries to explain that might be beyond Santa's bailiwick, but Cindy disagrees, saying Santa can do anything. With the family so glum, and Carol bedridden, it is up to Alice to explain to the kids what Christmas is really all about. They rally, and so does Carol, Cindy's wish come true. In the end, they celebrate a very Brady Christmas morning at home, and Carol sings like an angel at church. I believe, I believe, it's silly but I believe....

The Recipe:

Not including the recipe is my gift to you.

Nutty Christmas Cashew Chicken

So, for the first 15 years or so that my silent partner worked at his software company, every Christmas every employee worldwide would receive a ginormous jar of cashews. It became a holiday tradition, and led to a lot of creative cashew cooking. Then, a few years back when the bottom fell out of the industry and it was revealed that sending cashews to all over the world was extremely expensive, especially in the wake of wide spread layoffs, the company announced that it would be the year without cashews. This led to the best line ever uttered in Mark's office. One of his male co-workers, very earnestly I might add, said (and I quote): "I'd gladly give up my nuts if meant saving somebody's job." The good news is, the cashew drought is over and everybody gets to keep their nuts and their jobs this year. Upon arrival of Mark's nuts last week I set about making stir fry cashew chicken with teriaki sauce. It was quite tasty, and while I have made my own sauce (involving sake and flames), bottled sauce works just as well.

While there no end to nutty references, my current favorite nutty buddy is Buddy Nutt, his wife Ukulizzy, and their catchy little song "It's Breakfast Time" recently featured on the PBS "Breakfast Special" hosted by Rick Sebak. The show focused on the best and most unique breakfasts in the U.S. and was the latest installment in his long line of quirky documentaries that have included  A Hot Dog Program, A Program about Unusual Buildings and Other Roadside Stuff, A Cemetary Special and A Flea Market Documentary. The roadside attraction special led us to take our summer vacation to Cave City, Kentucky a few summers back so we could sleep in a a wigwam at the Wigwam Motel (although, I think they technically are really teepees). Anyway, if you are looking for kitsch and off the beaten path places these docs do the trick and you could say we are nuts about them. Play the video and you will see what I mean.

The Recipe:

A whole lotta nuts, preferably free company cashews
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped
vegetable oil
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
Any other veg that suits your fancy - go crazy
1 cup cooked white rice
1 cup homemade teriyaki sauce (see Professor Whitehead's Beef Teriyaki for details) or bottled such as LaChoy
Special Equipment: A Wok

Heat oil in the wok. Add chicken and stir fry until cooked through. Add peppers, carrots, etc and continue to stir over high heat until cooked, about 4 minutes. Add sauce and heat through. Stir in nuts and immediately remove fromm heat. Serve with rice.It's insanely good.

Thanks for the Rum Ball, Mickey!

So here is one of those awesome Christmas holiday traditions - neighborhood housewives getting together to drink and make rum balls while the kids are at school. My friend Sue makes the most famous rum balls in town, and the first year she invited me to join the party I brought the Mai Tais and the Hawaiian Christmas music to set the mood for some Mele Kalikimaka dessert making. This year, I went prepared to take the Bermudan Dark and Stormy route (dark rum, preferably Gosslings, and ginger beer). However, we never got past the Prosecco and OJ. One reason is that the rum balls are REALLY rummy. Even the aroma when you are mixing in the rum will give you a buzz. With one bite you can eat, drink and be merry - my kind of food. The recipe comes from another neighbor who we think may have gotten it from either her Irish mother or Italian father - either way they are little balls with a big kick.

1972 was the best Christmas ever - Santa brought me the Mickey Mouse Gumball Machine. Now, I already had the Mickey Mouse AM transistor radio and the Mickey Mouse camera (the flash cube stuck between his ears), but a home gumball machine was the piste de resistance of my collection. Of course, as with all joys on Christmas morning, a little rain must fall - I don't think I ever got the gum refills once the first batch got eaten (by Christmas afternoon). And, I remember the bottom broke or was jimmied open by someone who needed money, so that was a bust. Nonetheless, it still is one of the best commercials and tag lines of all time. (Play the video) P.S. I still have the camera and the radio....

The Recipe:

2 cups finely crushed Nilla Wafers
2 cups finely crushed walnuts
2 cups confectioners sugar (aka powered sugar)
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup dark rum (more to taste and texture)
2 aspirin, ibuprofen or Motrin (for later)

Chop wafers and walnuts in a food processor. Combine wafers, walnuts, sugar and cocoa in a large bowl. Stir in butter, vanilla and rum until moistened. Shape into 1 inch balls and roll in additional powered sugar or cocoa. Refrigerate in an air tight container. Must be 21 or older.

I Dream of Chicken Marsala

So the trouble with living with an 11 year old foodie is that her sweet nature and belief that anything is possible often bleeds into my cooking. Often, she eats something in a restaurant and actually thinks I can magically recreate it at home (see Book'em Dano Pu Pu Platter). Today's case in point, Chicken Marsala. I ordered it at a restaurant when we were on vacation in Glen Arbor (which Good Morning, America voted Most Beautiful Place in America, btw) and the Julia child preceded to eat most of it. Ever since, she's been asking me to make it at home. Then, as if fate, I discovered that I had already clipped a recipe for Chicken Marsala out of my beloved Gourmet Magazine and had stuck in the back of my recipe book, apparently for future reference. Now, one cannot maintain ones girlish figure eating too much of this, as the butter and heavy cream contents can add 10 pounds with a blink of the eye. But, in moderation, it is a dream come true. This version matched the restaurants bite for bite. So, I guess you can say that Julia's wish is my command.

Before he was a oil baron bad guy, Larry Hagman was an officer and a gentleman on I Dream of Jeannie. It's a classic tale, really. Military boy meets jewelled bottle, boy rubs bottle, boy meets girl (Barbara Eden) from bottle and takes her home where she lives as his scantily dressed servant. And all of this worked before Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The antics of astronaut Major Tony Nelson, his girl Jeannie, his best bud Capatain Roger Healy and their annoying psychiatrist Dr. Bellows entertained us for four seasons from 1965-1970, until Master and Jeannie got married and then nobody wanted to see them living without sin and the show was cancelled. Just about the catchiest theme song in TV history though, if you ask me.

The Recipe:

1 3/4 cups chicken broth (use fat free, trust me)
2 tblsp finely chopped shallot
5 tblsp unsalted butter
10 oz mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced (I used cremini)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour (I actually used a little extra to thicken the sauce)
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (2 pounds total)
2 tblsp olive oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tblsp dry Marsala wine
2/3 cup heavy cream

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 200 degrees. bring broth to boil in a 2 quart saucepan over high heat and then boil, uncovered, until reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 20 minutes. Cook shallot in 3 tablespoons butter in a 10 inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until shallot begins to turn golden, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid the mushrooms give off has evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Put flour in a wide shallow bowl. Gently pound chicken into 1/4 inch thick between 2 sheets of plastic wrap using the flat side of a meat pounder or a rolling pin (or the bottom of a genie's bottle). Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, 1 piece at a time, shaking off excess. Transfer to sheets of wax paper, arranging chicken in one layer. Heat 1 tablespoon each of oil and butter in a 12 inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then saute chicken, turning over once until golden and cooked through, about 4 minutes total. Transfer chicken to a heatproof platter, arranging in 1 layer, then put platter in oven to keep warm. Add 1/2 cup wine to skillet and boil over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, about 30 seconds. Add reduced broth, cream and mushrooms, bring to boil, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons wine. Serve with pasta.
Serves Major Nelson, Major Healy, Jeannie and Dr. Bellows