White Coq Au Vin

Previously, in one of my earlier recipes, I had done a classic coq au vin, stewed for hours and has since been a favorite among family and friends.

Recently, I had a chance to cook for some friends during a dinner gathering for a bunch of food kakis, and that included the illustrious Leslie Tay from the ieatishootipost blog.

Cooking for a group is always quite challenging, and seeing that I had only about an hour or so to cook, I decided to modify a faster version of coq au vin, using white wine for a lighter, more refreshing flavor, and this proved to be a wise choice.

To begin, brown some finely diced bacon until they are fragrant and slightly crispy. In the same pan, seal the chicken drumsticks for about a minute or two, until they skin is browned.

In a pot, saute some diced onions and chopped leeks for a couple of minutes until they are also fragrant. Drizzle a little white wine and let the vegetables absorb the wine liquid.

Add in more vegetables in the form of diced potatoes and carrots and throw in the bacon.

Add in about one third bottle of white wine and bring it to a boil. Add in the chicken drumsticks and add enough chicken stock until the drumsticks and vegetables are fully covered and bring to a boil.

Instead of letting it stew at a low heat, keep boiling at medium to medium high heat until the wine reduces the chicken into a very flavorful stock and letting the vegetables' flavors fully immersed.

After about half an hour, add in a knob of butter and remove from heat. To serve, just garnish with some chopped basil for the added aroma and color.

The chicken drumsticks will not be broken down like classic coq au vin, but instead, firm but fully cooked and moist inside. This is handy if you have limited time to cook coq au vin or chicken stew.

Marshmallow Snowmen

That Vegetarian chick has added a new topic. Cute foods! I will be adding a new cute food, each

month. The first one is adorable marshmallow snow men.

You will need a food coloring pen, a black one and an orange one. 2 marshmallows

Directions: Take the top head and create the eyes with the black food coloring pen. And the carrot nose with the orange food coloring pen.Create two buttons on the body, with your black

food coloring pen. Attach the head and body with icing. If you want a melted snowman look, melt the bodies slight before attaching them to the head.

Outfit: Everyday Wear

Top: Free People from Threadsence, Tank: Forever 21, Jean Leggings: Express, Shoes: C/O Sole Society, Diamond Necklace: C/O Anjolee, Bracelet: Kristin Hassan, Chain Ring: Tiffanys & CO

This is me on a regular mommy day. This outfit is as cozy as jams, but it's a bit more fashionable! ;) What's not to love about that?

Can we talk about how cute these flats are?! I know I'm usually a heel gal, but I've added a few flats as of late to the rotation. I love these because the are very cozy and the color is amazing. (I'm pretty sure they make these in hot pink and teal too!) I would say go a 1/2 size down though, the fit is a bit loose. But I love that, so I got my size. ;) Nothing worse then breaking in shoes, with these that is not an issue as the fit is loose and does not hurt your heel or sides of feet. Score! 

Inspirational Tuesdays #99

All collected images were found randomly online. Click on image to view source.

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Stare Into The Sun

Today's song is "Stare Into The Sun" by Graffiti6.
[image source]

French Onion Soup

Ingredients:

5-6 cups thinly sliced yellow onions (3-4 small ones)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat, mostly because it was there)

1/2 cup + dry white wine (I used a chardonnay)

8 cups mushroom stock (low sodium, if you can find it)

2 cups water

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional:

1 to 2 cups (to taste) grated Swiss*

8 to 12 1-inch thick rounds French bread, toasted until hard

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in the bottom of a stock pot over medium to low heat.

2. Add the onions, toss to coat them in oil and cover the pot. Reduce the heat some more, cover, and walk away. No, seriously, go away. The onions don’t need you right now. What they need is a 15 minute break. It’s not you, it’s them.

3. After 15 minutes, uncover the pot, raise the heat to medium-low, and stir in the sugar (it helps draw out the water and helps the caramelization process). Let the onions caramelize for the next 30 or 40 minutes, but make sure to stir them often. If they start crisping, lower the heat. You want them to be dark golden brown, but they have to stay soft.

4. After the onions are fully caramelized, sprinkle the flour over them and cook for about three minutes, stirring the whole time. Next, add the wine. If you used wine in the last step, I still want you to use the full 1/2 cup. There is no such thing as too much wine with your caramelized onions. Also, use the wine to deglaze the bottom of the pot (read: scrape up all the brown bits of flavor from the bottom of the pot).

5. Add the stock and the water slowly, stirring as you go. Once all of it is in, bring the soup to a simmer and let it do it’s thing for another 30-40 minutes, partially covered. Your soup is now done. In fact, it’s delicious. It’s also vegan, so if you don’t eat cheese, please enjoy this amazing soup right now. It’s amazing. For those of you who do eat cheese.

6. Toast your French baguette rounds until they’re hard (but not browned, so set them in your toaster on a very low setting and keep an eye on them). Take a stick of butter/margarine and lightly coat both sides of each round.

7. Preheat the oven to 325F. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and place your oven-proof bowls on it. Ladle some boiling soup into them.

8. Top each bowl with as many slices of bread as you will fit, and cover those with cheese( see cheese note above). Place in the oven for 20 minutes, then put it on broil for an additional three, or until the cheese is bubbling and starting to brown.

9. Remove the bowls from the oven If you want, sprinkle on dried oregano or herbs de Provence.

http://theinventivevegetarian.blogspot.com/

Honey Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas

ingredients:

• 2 (15 ounce) cans of chickpeas (or 4 cups cooked chickpeas)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoon honey

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Drain and rinse chickpeas in a colander under running water. Throughly dry chickpeas with a kitchen towel.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. Add chickpeas and toss until coated with spice mixture. Spread chickpeas out on a rimmed baking sheet.
4. Roast, shaking the pan occasionally, until the chickpeas are crunchy and no longer soft in the middle, 35-40 minutes. Test taste every few minutes until desired texture is reached.
5. Place hot, roasted beans in a small bowl and coat evenly with honey. Spread beans back out on baking sheet and allow to dry. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/

Peneer with spinach and cheese

1 1/4 cups basmati rice

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 8 ounces paneer cheese cut into 1 inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil
• 1 dried red hot chile, crushed
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 1/2 cups water
• Salt, to taste
• 4 ounces fresh spinach, chopped

Directions

Wash and drain the rice and soak it in cold water for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside. Preheat the oven to 250°F.

Line a sheet pan with paper towels. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat to 350°F. Test the oil with a cube of cheese: the cheese should begin to bubble immediately. Lightly fry the paneer until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on lined baking sheet.

Heat the ghee or oil in a 3 1/2 quart ovenproof pot with a tight lid and fry the red chile, bay leaves, and peppercorns for 1 minute on medium-high heat. Stir in the rice and fry for 2 minutes. Add the water and salt and bring to a boil. Add the cheese, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes, adding a few tablespoons of water if the rice gets too dry.

Stir in the spinach and cook uncovered until the water has evaporated, 5 minutes. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and the lid and place in the oven to bake, 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Adjust salt to taste and serve hot.

Read more: http://www.kitchendaily.com/recipe/spinach-and-paneer-cheese-pulao-151837/#ixzz1kysj8pLw

Chana Masala

• 1 can chickpeas in water (also called garbanzo beans) or 1 1/2 cups precooked + 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• juice from one lemon, (approx 2 tbsp )
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 large bunch of spinach or two handfuls, rinsed

Preparation:

In a large skillet or frying pan, sautee onions and garlic in olive oil until soft, about 3-5 minutes.

Add chickpeas straight from the can, including all the water. Add spices and lemon juice, cover, and simmer about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding more water if needed, until chickpeas are cooked and soft.

Reduce heat, add spinach and cover. Allow spinach to wilt for 2-4 minutes. Serve immediately and enjoy your chana masala!