Easy Baked Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken

So, this dinner is incredibly lazy/easy, but it won't taste either lazy or easy. These are the only ingredients you need:

1/2 to 1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken breast

Kikkoman spicy miso teriyaki sauce

Pineapple, sliced

Green onion, chopped (for garnish and flavor)

Submerge your chicken in teriyaki sauce. Slice pineapple and layer it over the chicken. Let marinate for 30 minutes. Yes, 30 minutes is long enough. 

Pop into your oven preheated at 375 degrees until chicken is cooked through. Garnish with chopped green onion and serve over white rice. 

The easiest dinner I've made all week. Also, YUM.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

It's raining outside. A little. Any excuse to make comfort food, I'll take. Tonight I cooked a batch of Pioneer Woman's amazing chicken soup - I substituted the dumplings for egg noodles - love dumplings, but the boyfriend's not so hot on them.

I love this recipe because it incorporates two ingredients my grandmother never taught me to put in chicken soup - apple cider and half and half. Now I don't think I could ever go back to standard chicken soup.

Beer-Braised Sausages with Warm Potato Salad

It was cold today in Los Angeles - like, we peaked at 71 degrees and it is now 57. Soup weather, right?

I made Martha's Beer-Braised Sausages with Warm Potato Salad. This recipe was incredibly easy, and it had beer in it. Awesome.

I switched things up a bit and cooked my onions alone for a while after browning the sausage. I love well-cooked, flavorful onions. 

I feel much warmer now.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Sea Salt Cookies

Sunday just feels like a cookie day. If you devote your Sundays to laziness the way I do, it's important to have baked goods for movie-watching, book-reading, and general lounging.

Tread carefully with this recipe - you will want to eat the bowl of cookie dough and then you won't have anything left for baking.

(Ingredients)
2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup oats
1 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 sticks of butter
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tsp salt
3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix your flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into one bowl. In a separate bowl, combine softened butter, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well. Slowly combine your dry mixture with the butter & sugar mixture, and then add your chocolate chips.

At this point, I refrigerate my dough for about 15 minutes so I have an easier time shaping my cookies.

Place small balls of your dough onto a baking sheet (I use a nonstick one).

Sprinkle a little sea salt onto the top of each cookie. Bake at 350 degrees until browned.

Erm, they're ready now right? I like my cookies nearly raw, but Chase likes them a little crispy on the edges. I almost ate a cup of raw cookie dough while making these (I know, I know, uncooked eggs = bad). 

Now I'm rolling 5 oatmeal chocolate chip sea salt cookies deep! 

Actually this recipe makes about 23, but I don't think I could stack my cookies any higher than this.

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Dog Treats

That's Tessie begging near the kitchen - this has been happening ever since I started cooking treats for her and Lulu.

Today I made them a super simple, healthy treat. 

(Ingredients)

2 sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil (you can omit the olive oil if you have dietary concerns)

Peel and slice the sweet potatoes to desired thickness. I discovered that Lulu will only eat them thick and chewy - picky girl. 

Cook at 250 degrees until the sweet potato slices curl at the edges. 

I had some happy dogs tonight!

Crock Pot Beef and Wheat Berry Soup

I know my blog description says "A new recipe daily," and I promise I have a good excuse for a few days' absence. I was at the Sundance Film Festival watching the premiere of The Internet's Own Boy, partially funded by my boss Charlie Annenberg. When the film becomes readily available, I highly recommend you watch it - Aaron Swartz was a brilliant person whose life ended far too soon, and the film by Brian Knappenberger was incredibly well done.

I had a lot of good food while I was in Park City, UT, but I missed cooking at home. Since I returned to Los Angeles with a stuffy nose and sore throat (thanks LAX), I was really craving some soup today.

I always see red wheat berry recipes for salads, but never stews or soups. I hadn't even heard of red wheat berries up until a year ago, at which point I had to google photos of them in order to locate them at the grocery store:

Just look at those sexy wheat berries. You know you want them. You know you're tired of the quinoa trend. Just give in to the red wheat berry. 

(Ingredients)
6 cups beef broth
1 lb stew beef, cubed (I used Eye Round Roast)
1 onion, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup of chopped crimini mushrooms
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 cup red wheat berries

I always sear my stewing beef before putting it into the slow cooker. You don't have to do this, but here is a good argument for why it is a delicious choice.

I know why being a vegetarian or vegan is a health-conscious and morally commendable choice, but damn, steak is delicious. 

After you sear your stewing beef on high heat on the stovetop, put it into your crock pot along with the chopped onion, garlic, parsley, mushrooms, carrots, bay leaves, red wheat berries, and beef broth. Flip the crock pot on "low" for 7 to 8 hours or "high" for 4 to 5 hours. When your broth has heated up to a simmer, add the brown sugar and balsamic vinegar and stir it in. 

Yum - I think my cold is subsiding already.

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

My favorite thing in the whole wide world of food is soup. I will eat almost every type of soup, and I love making it. A big favorite is Pioneer Woman's Chicken and Dumplings, but tonight I was craving French Onion Soup.

(Ingredients)

3 32 oz cartons of beef broth

2 large onions

2 tablespoons worcestershire (I can never say that word out loud correctly)

1/2 cup of dry red wine

1 tsp garlic powder

1 sprig of fresh thyme

salt and pepper

parmesan cheese

sliced swiss cheese

baguette

Slice up your onions - can you do it without crying? Go ahead and cry; it's good for the psyche. You can blame it on the onions. Sautée the onions in a sauce pan with 1 cup of your beef broth and a splash of worcestershire until the onions have absorbed the broth and they're soft and brown. 

Transfer your onions to the crock pot and add remaining broth, garlic powder, thyme, worcestershire, wine. Cook on high for 4 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste towards the end, along with a handful of parmesan cheese. Slice up your baguette and bake until crispy, and then layer a baguette slice over a bowl of soup with a slice of swiss cheese on top:

Turkey Burgers with Bacon & Avocado

Since I work full time, I'm a big fan of easy cooking. Not TV-dinner easy or processed-ingredients easy - there's a way to work 40 hours a week and eat well. 

Here's how to cook up some yummy turkey burgers with bacon & avocado. You'll need:

(Ingredients)

1/2 - 1 lb of ground turkey (depending on how many people you're feeding)

1/4 cup finely diced red onion

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese of choice)

1 avocado

center cut bacon

1 tsp garlic powder

dash of salt & pepper

hamburger buns (I used potato buns)

handful of spinach

Put your meat, cheese, onion, and spices into a bowl and mix with your hands. Roll a handful of the mix into a ball and flatten into patty size of choice, repeat. Heat a skillet and add bacon strips, cook to desired crispiness. Remove from pan. I like to leave a little bacon grease in the pan and cook my patties in it - gross or DELICIOUS? You decide. 

Throw those patties onto your skillet, cook and flip until done to desired readiness. If you want some extra cheese (I did), lay some sliced cheddar on top when your burger is almost finished and let it melt. 

Slice up your avocado, lay it on top of your patty and bacon, top with spinach and desired condiments, and you have a good burger:

Om nom nom.

Easy Pesto Pasta Salad with Tortellini and Spinach

I was tired from work today, so opted for an easy cooking night. I made a pesto pasta salad using my favorite basil pesto recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen. That stuff is amazing on so many, many things, especially baked chicken. Yum.

(Ingredients)
1 packet of fresh spinach tortellini
1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 cup chopped spinach
Kalyn's Kitchen Lemon Basil Pesto

Boil your tortellini and then set out or refrigerate until cool. Add tomatoes and spinach, then mix in your basil pesto. So good! And if you have leftovers (I did), it'll be a good lunch for work the next day.

Easy Individual Blackberry Crumbles

Blackberries are my favorite fruit (next to blood oranges - those are amazing).

I like making easy desserts, and this blackberry crumble recipe is pretty much as easy as it gets. You could definitely make it in a pie-sized dish, but I opted to make individual-sized portions in a cupcake tin for easy eating and storing. The measurements in this recipe will make about 6 individual portions, so double your measurements if you want more.

Ingredients:

(Crumble Topping)
1 cup cooking oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 stick butter (8 tablespoons), softened
dash of cinnamon

(Blackberry Mixture)
1 1/2 to 2 cups of blackberries
1/3 cup of granulated sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Blackberry Mixture - In one bowl, stir your blackberries and granulated sugar together until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture looks a little saucy.

I'd probably be fine just eating this...but it's even better when it's hot and combined with the crumble topping. 

Crumble Topping - Mix oats, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together. Then mix in the softened butter. Mixture should be thick with no excess butter - if it's not, add some more oats. 

Pour a small amount of the crumble topping into the base of the cupcake papers - roughly a tablespoon full. Then pour some of your blackberry mixture on top, then another layer of crumble topping. Don't overfill the cup, or else it will likely spill over into your oven while it's cooking and bubbling.

I could also happily eat it like this too...but it's even better warm!

Pop into the oven and bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until your oats are browned on the tops.

Now that you're finished, top it with ice cream or whipped cream. Drooling:

Bacon and Cheddar Dog Biscuits

These are my dogs, Lulu and Tessie. Lulu is from the Service Dog Project in Ipswich, MA, and she is one of Dog Bless You's office dogs (we're practically a doggy daycare). Tessie is a rescued pittie and general love bug.

They'll do anything for food. Lulu is a notorious lunch thief; once I caught her dragging a sandwich off a co-worker's desk by the corner of its wrapper. 

Since I'm often cooking her favorite meat (chicken) and never offering her a portion, I thought I'd satisfy her penchant for human food and bake some homemade dog biscuits. Now my dogs might never let me alone in the kitchen again.

Cheddar and Bacon Dog Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup of cheddar cheese
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup of chicken stock (make sure there's no onion in it - it can be toxic to dogs)
2-3 slices of center cut bacon

Chop the bacon up into tiny, cubed bits and cook in a small pan until browned. Strain and pat the bacon dry.

Mix the flour, vegetable oil, chicken stock, cheese, and bacon in a bowl until you have a workable ball of dough. Roll out the dough and use a cookie cutter to create desired shape for each cookie. 

Lay the cookies onto a greased cookie sheet and cook at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. 

At this point, my dogs don't have any inkling that I'm making something for them. I shooed an inquisitive Lulu out of the kitchen while browning the bacon, but that's a pretty standard day in my kitchen.

Make sure to let the cookies cool before allowing your dogs to have one.

Lulu's had 1 1/2, and she keeps wandering to the kitchen to look for more. She's going to have to wait until tomorrow...

Saucy Chicken Stir Fry with Ramen Noodles and Bok Choy

Does anyone else stock up on goodies from 99 Ranch or a local Asian-influenced market? I keep a few ingredients around the house that I can't always find at a popular chain like Ralph's or Albertsons.

Tonight I tried my hand at a stir fry with my own sauce - I like my sauce rich, dark, and spicy, and I've had trouble finding a recipe that fits that criteria!

Saucy Chicken Stir Fry with Ramen Noodles and Bok Choy

Ingredients:

(Sauce)

2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock

2 tablespoons corn starch

1/4 a cup of dark soy sauce (not to be confused with regular soy sauce)

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup of sugar

1 to 3 tablespoons of sriracha (or preferred hot sauce) depending on how spicy you want it

(Chicken Mixture)

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (sliced in cubes)

1 egg

2 tablespoons cornstarch

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

(Ramen)

2 packets of ramen noodles or noodles of choice (any long noodle will work here, you guys - udon, soba, flat)

1 onion, sliced

1/2 cup minced garlic

1 bell pepper

1 cup chopped scallions

1 bunch of bok choy

2 tablespoons olive oil

Start with the sauce - Pour your chicken or vegetable broth into a saucepan, bring to a simmer, and then whisk in the two tablespoons of corn starch until it is dissolved. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and stir on low about 20 minutes until thick and tasty. 

Make your chicken mixture - Whisk the egg and coat cubed chicken. Sprinkle corn starch over the chicken and coat completely. Salt lightly. Heat olive oil in a skillet and toss in chicken until cooked. Remove chicken from heat and place to the side.

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil for your noodles while you prepare your vegetables. 

Cooking the vegetables - Heat olive oil in a wok and sautée onions until translucent. Add sliced bell pepper and garlic. At this point, you can add a little of your sauce mixture to flavor the vegetables.

Next, add your bok choy and green onion. Cook for about 5 minutes, add more sauce, then add your chicken. Every time you add something new, mix a little more sauce in. Trust me, you'll have plenty of sauce to do this!

Lastly, add your cooked noodles to the wok, stir in with the vegetables, and add sauce until you're satisfied with the sauce to noodle ratio. Serve in a bowl and feel free to add more hot sauce (I did).

The boyfriend loved it and I got my Asian fusion fix for the week. Definitely something I'd make again.

Chicken Pot Pie

Today's recipe was inspired by multiple pot pie recipes across the Internet. I know making pot pie isn't rocket science, so I decided to try my own combo of ingredients:

1 pie crust (I made mine from scratch using Martha Stewart's recipe)

1 lb of cooked, shredded chicken (I baked breast filets in prep)

3 small potatoes, peeled, diced, and steamed or boiled

1 onion, chopped

2-4 carrots (depending on size), diced

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1 1/2 cups of chicken broth

1 1/2 cups of whole milk

3 tbsp butter

1 tbsp flour

1 tsp fresh thyme 

1 tsp white pepper

1 tsp ground black pepper

salt to taste

In a large sauce pan, sautée chopped onion and carrots until vegetables are soft and onions are browned.

Add butter, melt and mix, and then add 1 tbsp flour and spices. Pour in chicken broth and milk. Bring to a nice simmer, and stir about five minutes until thicker. Then add peas and potatoes, stir another five minutes until your broth is nice and thick.

Then add your shredded chicken. Give it a minute to simmer in the yummy mixture, then pour it into your pie crust. Don't forget to slit the pie crust topping to let the pie breathe!

Delicious, flaky crust and delicious, creamy filling - I was pretty happy with how this came out! If I'd change anything, it would be to use half and half instead of milk to make it even creamier.

The Gourmandise School of Sweets and Savories

Tonight Chase and I had the pleasure of attending a couples cooking class at The Gourmandise School of Sweets and Savories in Santa Monica. The class theme was New Years appropriate: "Healthy and Light," for all those ambitious, health-conscious resolutions that will last at least a week. Luckily we like to eat healthy anyway (most of the time). On tonight's menu:

• Kale & Apple Salad with Ginger Dressing
• Quinoa with Confetti Vegetables
• Fish en Papillote (Tilapia)

Chase was concerned that the Gourmandise School would ask him to wear a "beard net" to cover this winter behemoth he's growing. It's 70 degrees in Los Angeles, you guys! 

I dig the beard, I guess.

Kind of.

They didn't make him wear a beard net. 

Starting with the kale salad: 

Easy and yummy. 

Kale Salad & Ginger Dressing:

Ingredients:

(Dressing)
1 teaspoon of fresh grated ginger
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

(Salad)
1 bunch kale, stemmed, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
2 tablespoons white raisins
2 tablespoons almonds
1 apple, chopped (we used green, but Fuji might be better!)
fresh pomegranate seeds for garnish

To make the dressing, whisk together ginger, honey, and olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Combine kale and dressing, massage the dressing into the kale gently. Add remaining ingredients.

After that yumminess, we cooked up the highlight of the evening - quinoa with veggies. There are a lot of good quinoa recipes out there, but this one is high up on my list.

Quinoa with Confetti Vegetables:

Ingredients:

(Quinoa base)

1/2 cup red quinoa, rinsed and drained

1 cup water

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cub diced carrots

1/4 diced bell pepper

1/4 cup diced celery

1/4 cup diced red onion

Herbs of choice - we used thyme and basil

(Vinaigrette Sauce)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon of rice vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Combine quinoa and 1 cup of water in a 2 qt pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to simmer. Cover and let cook low for roughly 20 minutes. Heat skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil, sauté carrots, bell pepper, celery, onion, and herbs until soft, add salt and pepper to taste. Meanwhile, whisk Vinaigrette ingredients together in a bowl. When the quinoa is fully cooked, mix in the sautéed vegetables and then the vinaigrette. 

The tilapia was also quite good, but no more inspiring than any basic fish recipe. My favorite fish recipe is by far Grilled Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos with Mango Pineapple Salsa. This week I'm going to try out this attractive-looking recipe for Brown Sugar Chili Rubbed Salmon with Avocado Crema. 

I learned two new recipes today - does one of them count for tomorrow?