A Parmesan to Please Anyone

My brother is a notoriously picky eater. Seriously picky. The food items he added to his list of good eats last year? Garlic bread and guacamole. Who isn’t born loving garlic bread? This kid. His diet during his teenage years consisted of meat and cheese sandwiches with mayo, spaghetti, cheese pizza, the most basic Chinese food (i.e. lo mein or beef with broccoli), and assorted fast foods.

It’s amazing what things he’ll try when he’s in the home of others. I think he once had beef tongue at a Columbian friend’s house. I want proof. Nonetheless, when he’s at home, and we ask him to try something new, he’ll usually shrug away, and if he doesn’t like what we’re eating, well, there’s a McDonalds down the road.

So when I was home for winter break, I made it my mission to make a meal for my family that everyone, especially my brother, would love. I started brainstorming with the basics: meat, cheese, and pasta, and came up with Chicken Parmesan.

Even though I thought my brother would love it, I have never once in my life ordered Chicken Parmesan. I’ve seen others order it in restaurants and it always seems to consist of thin pieces of chicken weighed down by a thick and heavy fried coating with some sauce, cheese, and pasta. The dish itself just doesn't seem like it could be all that spectacular. But then I began making this recipe, and my love affair with Chicken Parm (and Emeril recipes) was born.

Just wait until you smell the sauce roasting in the oven. The heavenly smell will give you no choice but to believe that you are in for a delicious meal. I’ve talked about the sauce before. It’s my favorite tomato sauce. And the chicken? Don’t be afraid to use fat plump and juicy chicken breasts. It turns out that once you get a nice sear or crust on a piece of meat, you can transfer it to the oven and it will turn out moist, tender, and perfectly cooked. You’ll need a cast-iron skillet for this because what starts on the stove top will be finished in the oven. My skillet has become my favorite thing to cook with because it heats quickly and evenly. And it really helps achieve a crunchy coating. You’ll also need an immersion blender (a good old-fashion blender works just fine) to puree the sauce. The sauce takes an hour to prepare since it’s oven-roasted, but if you make it ahead of time, you could pull this meal together in 15 minutes or so. And I’ve never been much of a leftover girl, but even this chicken tastes good a day or two after; the coating is so thin and crisp that it doesn’t get soggy in the fridge!

And vegetarians, don't fret! You can make a delicious Parmesan with tender eggplant! In fact, this sauce is so bangin' that I improvised this veggie version for my beau on our forth date to win him over and it totally worked! He'll get a craving for this every once in a while, and it takes us back to our first few weeks of dating. I knew he liked it, but when a friend recently asked if I made a mean Eggplant Parm, and Mike had a little moment where he pursed his lips, furrowed his brow, and said, "Ooh, yeah she does," I was surprised by just how much I have to thank this recipe for my relationship. 

They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. I think Mike would prefer a stomach filled with quinoa, bulgar wheat, and kale, but it makes me happy that he'll indulge in my Eggplant Parm. If I made a dinner entirely of hash browns, I think he'd be mine forever...

Chicken Parmesan with Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce

slightly adapted from Emeril Lagasse

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 teaspoons Emeril's Essence

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tbsp milk

3/4 cup dried bread crumbs

4 tbsp olive oil

Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce

sliced mozzarella or provolone 

2 tbsp chopped basil

prepared pasta of your choice (I use whole-wheat linguine)

grated Parmesan cheese

Make the Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce:

3 lbs of Romanita tomatoes (I have never found these, so I use the recommended combination of Roma tomatoes and grape tomatoes), seeded and cored.

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

12 cloves of garlic, peeled

2 tbsp fresh oregano leaves (Use fresh herbs! It makes a huge difference! If you are ever substituting dried herbs for fresh, remember you only need about 1/3 the amount since dry herbs are more potent)

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 400. In a large 14-in cast-iron skillet, combine all the ingredients. Stir to blend then transfer to the oven and cook for about 30 minutes. Remove skillet from the oven, stir well, and return to the oven to cook for another 30 minutes. Tomatoes should be blistered and caramelized. Let the tomatoes cool and then transfer to a blender and process until coarsely pureed. You can refrigeration leftover sauce in an air-tight container for up to 4 days. 

Bring a pot of salted water to boil for pasta and follow the directions for preparing it al dente. 

Preparing the chicken:

Place rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 400. Season each chicken breast with 1/2 tsp of Essence and 1/3 tsp salt. Set out your respective flour, egg, and bread crumb bowls. Dredge chicken in flour, dip in egg, and then roll in the bread crumbs (shake off excess between each step). Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place chicken in the skillet and cook for 4 minutes. Turn the chicken, add remaining 2 tbsp of oil and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat. Spoon some of the tomato sauce over each chicken breast and top with the cheese of your choice (Emeril recommends smoked mozzarella). Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook about 4 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (firm to the touch) and cheese melts. Turn to broil and cook until cheese is bubbly and golden. 

Veggie option:

Slice an eggplant in about 1/4 inch slices and salt liberally on both sides. Let sit for 30 minutes and then rinse the slices and pat them dry. Salting the eggplant removes the bitterness and will yield tender, yummy eggplant. Season with salt and pepper and then proceed to bread the eggplant as you would the chicken. Baking time is obviously less for eggplant-- simply brown in the pan and bake for just a few minutes in the oven. 

Mix the leftover sauce with the amount of pasta you want to serve and add in the basil and some grated Parmesan cheese. The amount of sauce I usually have leftover is just enough to coat the pasta, so if you like really saucy pasta, you might want to have some extra on hand. Serve alongside your chicken/eggplant. 

Personal Touches

In August, just after attending Amanda’s wedding, I packed up and made the drive from Indiana to Pennsylvania to help Mike get settled into his new home. We had done the initial search together back in July, and although I wouldn’t be making the move to PA as well, it felt nice to go through the process together and help Mike put his stamp on the place.

 I lost the battle on curtains. He deemed them unnecessary, and although I insisted that they would really complete the room, I had to agree that they weren’t totally necessary since he already has blinds. But I got him to make the switch from a comforter to a duvet and coverlet, add a little end table along with a mood lamp, and pick up a masculine-chic throw. 

After getting all of the furniture situated, we took to hanging photos and artwork. We had about twice the amount of wall space to work with if not more since he upgraded from a one-bedroom apartment to a two-story townhouse. His favorite piece of art from the Detroit Institute of Arts made it into the living room above the sofa along with his map of the London subway system which we hung above the TV. The window-pane picture frame I gave him for his birthday was filled with photos of us and hung between his two six-foot tall windows, and the 1920s lithograph of a bull walrus that I gave him last Christmas was nestled in the corner, just left of the couch. That left us with one key spot on the wall opposite of the windows.

In my own apartment I’ve hung some of my favorite photos that I took during my time in Taiwan. I wanted to showcase them while reminding myself and my visitors of some of my favorite places and things. I have a calligraphy piece that a former colleague in Taiwan made for me, a really cool paper cutting that was also gifted to me by another Taiwanese coworker, my Chinese name written by one of my college Chinese professors and close mentor, an oil painting of fall foliage that I bought in Taiwan when I walked into a restaurant and my heart nearly burst when I saw the vibrant reds and oranges and instantly yearned for home, and my favorite thing of all time, the four water color paintings I bought outside of the Neolithic Museum in Xi’an. They were done by farmers on scraps of paper, and they’re so simple yet so lively. I paid the equivalent of about $12 USD for them, which was probably still way more than I should have, but a complete steal considering how much they mean to me. My aunt had them framed for me for my birthday when I got back from studying abroad, and when I moved into my first apartment, 4 years later, I couldn’t wait to hang them on the wall.

So, personal art means a lot to me. I know Mike feels similarly about art in the sense that he doesn’t believe it should just fill space, so I wanted to think of something meaningful we could add to his collection. I suggested that we make our own canvas. Mike said he’d like to do something related to Detroit, and when I told him it would be totally doable to do the skyline, he seemed both surprised and genuinely excited.  I was inspired from this little number here that I read about a while ago on Everyday Reading.  So I got to work finding an outline of the skyline.

Once we found one we liked, we got to work on purchasing the materials. We purchased a primed canvas and assorted acrylic paints and brushes. We chose black for the buildings, white for the outline, and red, orange, and yellow for a more abstract sunset. We sketched the skyline onto the canvas in pencil using a straight-edge, and then I tackled the buildings while Mike painted the sky. We had a difficult time finding a brush thin enough to give us a clean line, and the paint pens we bought were good, but it was hard to control the flow of the paint. Since we had to paint the buildings first before we could do the outline, we were also trying to work around wet paint, but we were pretty happy with the results. It definitely has a homemade touch to it.

Our Masterpiece

And for someone who swears he has not an ounce of artistic capability, I thought Mike did a great job with the sky. It was fun creating something together, and I think he was kind of surprised at the outcome.

I recently saw this on Pinterest, and would like to make something similar for my next canvas project. For our one-year anniversary, I had a subway sign made that included places, things, and dates that have held a special meaning for us over the past year. (We're hanging it up this week and I'll be sure to add a photo! I'm really happy with the results!) I chose the color palate of charcoal grey and white to match his bedroom linens, and I am thinking of inverting the color scheme for this upcoming canvas. If you’re interested in purchasing a sign of your own, you can check out the seller Jen Shuck and her shop RusticPineDesigns on Etsy. 

Let Them Eat Cake!

These past two weeks have been a whirlwind. Somewhere between grading assignments, calculating midterm grades, and trying to keep all of my students on track as we began delving into more complex grammar, I forgot(!) to read my favorite blogs and write in my own! Good thing next week is our fall break! A whole uninterrupted five days to read, reflect, and write. 

I can't really complain though, because I got to spend most of this last week with my hunny. This was a bit of a longer visit, so we were able to balance the fun outings with down time. And then there was the eating fest. It kicked off with our favorite take-out Chinese on Thursday night, followed by Thai on Friday, hibachi on Saturday, authentic Chinese on Sunday, and Middle Eastern and Indian on Monday. It was truly impressive. Good thing we walked to a few of the restaurants and took a tour around DePauw's campus. There was also the shopping we did at the mall...that counts as walking, right? I mean, I was exhausted after...

It was all so good. So, so good. But, if I had to pick a favorite meal, it'd have to be the hibachi. It's been kind of a special date-night meal for us. But, the real reason I love hibachi? THE LOBSTA'! I love me some lobster. Even without butter, it still tastes like butter! And it's tender and just the right amount of chewy, and...(sigh), it's just so so good. Mike likes to tease me about my lobster indulgence, but it's okay, because he finds it charming. I can tell. So I go along with it (except I really do love it that much). Once, when we were on vacation, I declared that we had to return to the same restaurant the next day for lunch so that I could order the lobster pasta with lemon cream sauce. It was just a sandwich place, so I humbly ordered a tuna salad plate on the first day (it would have been too extreme to get lobster pasta on a whim), but once I pointed it out to Mike and having adequately prepared him, I felt like I could order it the next time around. And return the next day we did! My lunch cost $17; his cost $9. 

At Panini, Panini in Michigan City, Indiana

But the best lobster happens at hibachi restaurants. Served sizzling in butter, soy sauce, and garlic, it is the most tender and tasty lobster you will ever have. I portion out my bites of lobster so that I can have bites of utter happiness throughout the entire meal. 

And the gluttony didn't end there, no sir! On Sunday evening, after a meal of eggplant with potato and green pepper and potato and a stew of kimchi and tofu, we had a dessert party with Misti and Eddy. Our contribution was a delicious chocolate cake that I'd been eyeing on Pinterest. As much as I love cake, I've never been a huge fan of homemade chocolate cake because I've often found that it lacks richness and true chocolatey goodness. But this recipe promised to be different because it contained a secret ingredient: espresso powder! And it was totally delicious! I ate a piece, Sunday, Monday, yesterday and will likely have the last piece today. I mean, I'm leaving town on Friday and can't let a good piece of cake go to waste...

The Best Chocolate Cake {Ever}

From Robyn Stone / Add a Pinch

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup cocoa

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp espresso powder (in the coffee aisle at the supermarket)

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Frosting

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

1 cup cocoa powder

5 cups confectioners sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp espresso powder 

Preheat oven to 350. Grease two 9-inch cake pans with baking spray or with butter and flour. Add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder in a large bowl and whisk to combine and remove any lumps. Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix on medium speed until combined well. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to batter. Beat on high for about a minute to add air to the batter. Distribute batter evenly between cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes (I think my oven runs hot; I pulled them out after 27 minutes) until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool before removing from the pans. Cool completely on rack before frosting. 

To make the frosting:

Add cocoa to a large bowl and whisk to remove lumps. Cream together the butter and cocoa powder. Add sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. Repeat until all sugar and milk have been added. Add vanilla extract and espresso powder and combine well.

(I like to store the cake in the fridge and let it warm up a bit on the counter before I serve it. The frosting softens quite quickly but you still get the benefit of having chilled cake. I also make sure to have lots of milk on hand. Or red wine...)

Deconstructed Stuffed Tomato

Remember when I posted about the delicious lasagna I was inspired to make from the contents of my fridge? Well, something similar happened this afternoon! It's been a gray, rainy weekend here so when I woke up this morning, the first thing I did was get to baking some breakfast. I had minimal milk and eggs that are past their expiration date (how long do you guys keep your eggs around?), so I decided to make scones. The first recipe I had pinned was in German, and the translation included all of the measurements in grams, liters, and Celsius (what?!), so I moved on to another one. Only it included raisins, and unless they're covered in chocolate, I don't eat them. (You know, I used to think I wasn't a picky eater, but the more I write, the more I'm aware of my quirky food habits.) So I decided to chop up a mango and mix that into the dough instead. I ended up having to add more flour than the recipe called to get the dough to come together, and the scones, although tasty, turned out to be more like slightly sweetened biscuits. And while I'll happily eat them every day this week for breakfast, let's move on to what I'm really excited to talk about: the tuna salad I had for lunch!

There's a late-night dinner in Maryland that has closed a number of times, temporarily breaking our hearts until it reopens under a new name but with the same loved menu. My first experience there was for a friend's birthday party in high school where her mom took all of us girls and allowed us to order two (two!) desserts each from the menu! I believe I went for Oreo cheesecake and a milkshake. Over the years, it became one of my families go-to restaurants if it was late at night, we weren't in the mood for anything particular, or the weather was ridiculously hot and we couldn't bring ourselves to cook in the kitchen. My aunt, grandma, and I were hooked on their stuffed tomatoes. Served on a bed of lettuce, surrounded by slices of hard-boiled egg and slices of green pepper, cucumber, and red onion, these big plump tomatoes were sliced into wedges and served as the vessel for fresh, cold tuna salad. 

Yesterday, after a morning of antique shopping with Andrea, we stopped by the local market just down the street to pick up some lunch. I picked up a container of tuna salad with feta cheese, dill, and almonds and a penne pasta salad with thick-cut bacon, tomato, and basil. I had the pasta salad for lunch and saved the tuna salad for today. I had a tomato and some mixed greens left over from last week when I made the turkey tomato panini served with salad. And on Friday, my colleague gifted me with some 滷蛋, or hard-boiled eggs braised in soy sauce and spices. It was perfect! I spread out my greens on a plate, sliced the tomato and hard-boiled eggs and laid them on top, the covered the salad with the tuna and a generous sprinkle of pepper. The result was delicious! It was the perfect light late lunch. 

Deconstructed Stuffed Tomato

1 cup of tuna salad (you could also use chicken or egg salad)
   *My tuna salad was already made, but when I make it myself, I add mayo, diced onion, dill, salt and pepper. The sliced almonds in this salad provided a nice crunch, and the feta provided a nice salty component. My first job was at Subway and I am in love with their tuna salad...you know what's in it? Mayo and tuna! That's it! So add what you like and make it as simple or complex as you'd like!
1 heirloom tomato
3 cups mixed greens
2 sliced hard-boiled eggs 
assorted sliced veggies (I like cucumber, green pepper, and red onion)

Arrange your greens on the plate and layer the tomato slices on top. Scoop your tuna salad on top and surround with veggies and slices of egg. Season with pepper to taste. 

Turkey and Tomato Panini

With an hour commute, the earliest I ever arrive home is 5 pm, and this happens on Mondays. Which is a good thing. Because I'm always a little extra sleepy on Mondays. And it's a perfect time to go grocery shopping for the week or start preparing whatever I'll be taking to school for lunch. 

Except this past Monday, my fellow carpoolers forgot to tell me we would be staying until 5 pm until after we had arrived on campus. Admittedly, I was a little grumpy that I'd have to wait an extra hour (which turned out to be two) to get home, go grocery shopping, and watch my DVR recordings while cooking. But I did get a lot of recipe browsing and pinning done while I sat outside (the weather was pretty amazing on Monday) waiting for my ride. And since I was already quite hungry and knew I had at least another hour and a half ahead of me before I could get to cooking, I decided to go for something quick. 

I've been craving good, hearty sandwiches lately. I hardly ever make a regular sandwich at home because I just don't think it tastes that good. My lettuce isn't crunchy enough, my tomatoes are too mealy, or I can't find the right condiment. But I've come across the pin for this turkey and tomato panini quite a few times recently, and it just looked so creamy and tasty. So I gave it a whirl. And it was delicious! Super delicious!

They key to this sandwich is the creamy Parmesan basil mayo. Make it. Even if you think you don't like mayo, make it. You will want to put it on everything! I already have big plans to make it a star in an upcoming grilled veggie sandwich...

Turkey and Tomato Panini
slightly adapted from EatingWell

• 3 Tbsp mayo 
• 2 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt
• 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil 
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• pepper to taste
• whole-wheat bread
• oven-roasted deli turkey
• sliced heriloom tomato
• spreadable butter

To make the spread, combine mayo, yogurt, Parmesan, basil, and lemon juice in a small bowl and mix well. Season with pepper to taste. 

Preheat your panini press (I used my Griddler, but you could make this in a regular pan by using a plate to weigh down your sandwich as it toasts on each side). Butter the outsides of your bread. Spread a few teaspoons of the "jacked up" mayo on the inside of each slice of bread. Layer on the tomato and turkey. Place the sandwich in the press and grill until golden and crispy on both sides. 

I served my sandwiches with a salad of mixed greens lightly dressed in lime olive oil and cranberry pear balsamic vinegar.