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Tag Archives: cooks

Recipe – Ooh Damn Potatoes

Posted on December 12, 2012 by phillynikongal • 1 Comment

You’re probably wondering why I named these “Ooh Damn” potatoes.

Well, upon taking the first bite of them, Mr. Fox exclaimed, “Ooh damn! These are amazing!” So, Ooh Damn Potatoes were born.

I love home fries. Like, I could eat them with every meal. To me, they’re not strictly breakfast food. There are so many versatile ways to prepare them, and this way was no exception.

I happened to snag a particularly wonderful deal at Famous for a 5lb bag of Yukon golds ($1!!), but I had no plans for them so they just sat in their bag on my kitchen island, waiting to be used. I was scrolling through my Google Reader and came upon an interesting recipe from Stephanie Cooks that involved Yukon golds, paprika and parmesan cheese, and decided that I knew what the fate of my potatoes would be.

I changed a couple things, one out of choice and one because I didn’t have regular parmesan cheese. I subbed smoked paprika for the regular paprika and grated pecorino romano instead of regular parmesan. The smoked paprika made them omg delicious, which I think helped to balance out the bite of the romano cheese. I thought these were perfectly seasoned, and they went really well with the maple dijon chicken I made to go with it.

Hope you enjoy them!

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Recipe – Ooh Damn Potatoes

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

1 cup

Recipe – Ooh Damn Potatoes

Spice up your boring potatoes with a little paprika and cheese! Simple to make, and extremely delicious.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups cubed Yukon Gold potatoes
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp garlic salt
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika (you can use regular paprika if you'd like)
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 4 tbsp grated pecorino romano cheese (you can use regular parmesan or a blend)
  • 1/4 cup shredded white cheddar (or yellow) for topping

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Place the cubed potatoes into a baking dish. (The cubes of potatoes should be about 3/4 of an inch on all sides) You can spray the baking dish with a baking spray too to eliminate anything possibly sticking.
  3. Add the olive oil, garlic salt, salt, paprika, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Using your fingers (or spoon) get in to the potatoes and carefully mix everything around until the seasonings coat each potato.
  4. Transfer the baking dish into the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and toss the potatoes with a pair of tongs. Put the baking dish back into the oven and bake for about 15 - 25 minutes more until they are golden and crispy.
  5. Top with shredded white cheddar and let melt before serving.

Notes

I adapted this recipe from Stephanie Cooks.

http://www.estherfox.com/2012/12/recipe-smoked-paprika-yukon-gold-potatoes-home-fries/

 

recipe smoked paprika yukon gold potatoes home fries

Filed Under: Esther Eats, Potatoes, Side Dishes

Recipe – Esther’s Jambalaya

Posted on February 26, 2012 by phillynikongal • 4 Comments

I had a very hard time categorizing this recipe.

esther jambalaya chipotle monterey chicken sausage rice

I’ve never had jambalaya, at least that I know of. And I’ve never had gumbo. But after some extensive research, I’ve determined that tonight’s dinner was kind of a toss up between the two.

A third method is less common. In this version, meat and vegetables are cooked separately from the rice. At the same time, rice is cooked in a savory stock. It is added to the meat and vegetables before serving. This is called “white jambalaya.” This dish is rare in Louisiana as it is seen as a “quick” attempt to make jambalaya, popularized outside the state to shorten cooking time.

Jambalaya is differentiated from gumbo and étouffée by the way in which the rice is included. In these dishes, the rice is cooked separately and is served as a bed on which the main dish is served. In the usual method of preparing jambalaya, a rich stock is created from vegetables, meat, and seafood; raw rice is then added to the broth and the flavor is absorbed by the grains as the rice cooks.

Mr. Fox and I have been trying to eat healthier, and in doing so, we’ve become quite addicted to Johnsonville’s new “better for you” sausage varieties. We had one of each flavor of the chicken sausage in the freezer, but I took out a package of the chipotle monterey jack and then couldn’t figure out what to make! I didn’t want to just grill them and put them in hot dog buns, I wanted to try something new and different. Luckily, I found that Johnsonville had several recipes posted on their website! One of which was for this dish, which has too long of a title and I needed to cut it down. I just couldn’t figure out what to call it!

The Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chiles) really adds some delicious flavor.

esther jambalaya chipotle monterey chicken sausage rice

So it became Esther’s Jambalaya. And it was SO DELICIOUS!! The great thing about this chicken sausage is that it tastes like regular sausage. There are some brands that just don’t, and I don’t like those. The Johnsonville ones make up for it.

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Recipe – Esther’s Jambalaya

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Recipe – Esther’s Jambalaya

A really REALLY easy take on a southern favorite. Delicious, healthy chicken sausage with fresh bell peppers and onions, served over rice. Yum!

Ingredients

  • 1 package of Zatarains yellow rice
  • 1 package of Johnsonville Chipotle Monterey Jack Cheese Chicken Sausage
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut in thin strips
  • 1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut in thin strips
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1 10oz can of Rotel original (diced tomatoes with green chiles)
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1/4 cup Mexican cheese (cheddar works good too)

Directions

  1. Prepare rice according to the package directions.
  2. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat; cut sausage into 1/2" slices and cook for 2 minutes.
  3. Add peppers and onions and sauté for 2 minutes.
  4. Add tomatoes with chiles and heat through.
  5. Serve sausage mixture over rice and top with cilantro and cheese.

Notes

If you want to cut your prep time down, most grocery stores carry a bag of red and green bell pepper strips with onions in the frozen vegetable aisle. One bag should suffice for the purpose of this recipe.

This recipe was adapted from Johnsonville's website.

http://www.estherfox.com/2012/02/esther-jambalaya-chipotle-monterey-chicken-sausage-rice/

NOTE: I am not affiliated in any way with Johnsonville.

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esther jambalaya chipotle monterey chicken sausage rice

Filed Under: Chicken, Esther Eats, Main Dishes

Recipe – Chicken Diablo

Posted on December 7, 2011 by phillynikongal • 2 Comments

There is one staple that I always have on hand in my freezer.

Boneless skinless chicken breasts.

However, it always seems that I am running out of decent recipes that use them. Therefore, I am always on the hunt for some more recipes.

So I happened to find Bev Cooks via another recipe on Pinterest. I added her blog to my Reeder app and it just so happens that she posted a really tasty looking recipe for a Chicken Diablo last week. I was ecstatic! I had all the ingredients already (though I substituted Frank’s Red Hot Wing Sauce for Frank’s traditional sauce), so all I had to do was make it!

The end result was a tender and juicy chicken breast that had a flavorful sauce, which exceeded my expectations. I was a little weary of the whole hot sauce + ketchup + honey mixture, but by the time I was done, it didn’t matter because it tasted delicious! The only thing I regret is not letting the chicken marinate for the whole two hours. I lost track of time this evening and started dinner around 5, so I only let it marinate for about an hour. It was still great, but I wonder how much better it would have been to go the extra hour. Next time, I shall do that!

recipe chicken diablo boneless skinless chicken breasts rice bev cooks

I used full fat all natural sour cream (the one that only has three natural ingredients as opposed to 8 questionable ones), and as I mentioned before, I used Frank’s Wing Sauce. Also, I used Simply Heinz ketchup since it has no high fructose corn syrup, and pure clover honey. The sauce tasted delicious with the rice, and the scallions gave it a little something extra.

I hope you enjoy this as much as Mr. Fox and I did! Thanks Bev!

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Recipe – Chicken Diablo

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 2 hours, 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours, 25 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Recipe – Chicken Diablo

A sweet and spicy blend of hot sauce and honey with a creamy texture, with marinated chicken breast, served over rice.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce
  • 1/2 ketchup
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded out
  • 2 tbsp canola oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup sliced scallions
  • 2 cups cooked Jasmine rice

Directions

  1. In a bowl, combine the pepper sauce, sour cream, ketchup and honey. Whisk it until it's fully combined. Add the paprika and cumin; whisk again.
  2. Pour half the mixture over the chicken breasts in a shallow dish. Cover and reserve the rest.
  3. Cover and marinate chicken in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
  4. Cook rice according to package directions.
  5. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high. Add the garlic and bloom 30 seconds. Add the chicken breasts and cook until nicely browned on both sides and cooked through, 10-15 minutes.
  6. Heat the remaining marinade in a small saucepan until lightly simmering.
  7. Serve chicken over rice. Spoon some of the sauce over the chicken and garnish with scallions.

Notes

I found this recipe over at Bev Cooks and I just had to try it! I personally did not marinate my chicken for 2 hours, as I ran out of time, but it was just as good!

http://www.estherfox.com/2011/12/recipe-chicken-diablo-boneless-skinless-chicken-breasts-rice-bev-cooks/

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recipe chicken diablo boneless skinless chicken breasts rice bev cooks

Filed Under: Chicken, Esther Eats, Main Dishes