Chicken Scampi

One of our favorite Italian inspired dishes here at home is a shrimp scampi. My husband recently suggested this dish and when I didn't have any shrimp on hand, I improvised and used chicken instead. Some folks may be familiar with Olive Garden restaurant's chicken scampi dish on their menu and this Chicken Scampi recipe is inspired by that. It has a nice punch of garlic, a butter and white wine sauce and a melange of colorful bell peppers and onions that make it a great meal perfect for a weeknight or even for guests!...

Triple Chocolate & Mint Brownies

One of my husband's complaints about me is that I'm crazy about cleaning. If I'm not in the kitchen cooking or baking and I'm not online blogging, he'll be the first to tell you that I'm somewhere around the house cleaning. I don't know - maybe it's just a habit I picked up from my mom. But what my husband doesn't understand about cleaning is that often times, it's like finding long lost treasures. For example, I was organizing and cleaning out my baking pantry the other day. In doing so, I stumbled across some mint baking chips I purchased awhile back. Thankfully, they weren't expired so I put them to good use by making these Triple Chocolate & Mint Brownies. See... if it weren't for me cleaning out my baking pantry, I wouldn't be able to enjoy these treats!...

Texas Big Hairs Chocolate Hazelnut Meringue Tarts

This week's Project Pastry Queen (PPQ) challenge are the Texas Big Hairs Chocolate Hazelnut Meringue Tarts, chosen by me, here at What's Cookin, Chicago!. I chose this recipe because working with meringues is something I don't do often and this looked like a great recipe involving chocolate and hazelnuts. Besides, the title and presentation of these tarts are just too fun to pass up!...

Chicken Pot Pie Penne

Fall is just around the corner and I've been anxious to cook up some fall favorites. Even though it's still a little too early for all the comforting fall dishes, I came up with a little fall teaser recipe. This Chicken Pot Pie Penne combines the deliciousness of a classic chicken pot pie with pasta for a nice casserole any time of year. Get a taste of fall now!...

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ham & cheese is a favorite sandwich filling, which many kids are enjoying these days at the start of the new school season. It happens to be my favorite too and the best ham & cheese sandwich I've ever had was on the streets of Paris. Nothing beats slightly salty jambon (ham), along with smooth, buttery emmenthaler cheese tucked into a warm, toasty baguette that has been kissed with a touch of Dijon mustard and European butter. Heaven. Well, imagine the same components of this French ham and cheese sandwich paired with a juicy chicken breast. That, my friends, is what's best known as Chicken Cordon Bleu. It can be time consuming to prepare a traditional Chicken Cordon Bleu, but this simplified Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu is one that's quick to make and just as delicious...

Culinary School: Week 1 Recap

After many years of informal cooking and baking experience in both home and commercial kitchens, it was time for me to take the plunge and go to school.... culinary school, that is! I plan on blogging my thoughts each week, recapping things I've learned and the overall experience. Doing so will also help me further absorb what I've learned, hopefully making me a better student in the long run. So join me in my virtual kitchen classroom to take a peek of what I'm learning each week!...

Chicken with Pesto Mushroom Cream Sauce

The weather has cooled down quite a bit and it's put me in a comfort food mood. One comfort food I love is pasta. Who doesn't like pasta? All the various shapes, flavors, textures... and let's not forget the wonderful sauces to eat them with! Since I'm back in school this week, I don't have much time to whip up meals like I used to (not to mention a 3+ month old to cater to!). However when I came across this recipe for Chicken with Pesto Mushroom Cream Sauce, I was surprised that it took me less than 30 minutes to put together. This Pesto Mushroom Cream Sauce is so luxuriously silky and flavorful, you'd think it took awhile to make...

Argentinian Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

How do you like your steak? Every now and then, I like to cook up a good, solid steak with little preparation. There's something about keeping the integrity of the steak using straightforward seasoning to really appreciate its true flavor. Normally when I prepare steak, it's simply seasoned with sea or kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and granulated garlic powder. A drizzle of olive oil before it hits the grill or cast iron skillet is the final touch before it cooks to perfection. But after awhile, our taste buds crave something different. What other ways can you prepare steak without over seasoning it? This Argentinian Steak with Chimichurri Sauce is one way to prepare steaks and simply incorporating fresh herbs...

Stir Fried Cashew Pork

If there's one thing we rarely do is have Chinese take out. I don't see the need to since making Asian dishes come so naturally for me. This recipe for Stir Fried Cashew Pork is one that you can prepare in less than 30 minutes - definitely faster that any Chinese restaurant delivery service! And I'm willing to bet it tastes better too without any MSG...

Spicy Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

While the temperature outside is easily in the upper 80s/lower 90s, we're staying pretty cool indoors with the air conditioner cranked up. It's so cool inside our house that I'm usually wearing a light- to medium-weight sweater. Feeling especially chilly today, I figured it wouldn't hurt to have a mini preview of the soup season to come. For lunch, I prepared this steamy bowl of Spicy Asian Chicken Noodle Soup. It definitely hit the spot and is a refreshing, Asian twist on the classic Chicken Noodle Soup Americans have grown to love...

Vietnamese Style Caramel Chicken

There's something about foods that are sticky and sweet. Think barbecue, sticky buns, taffy... and chicken. Yes, chicken! This recipe for Vietnamese Style Caramel Chicken is a sweet and savory dish that's full of complex flavor yet so simple and quick to prepare in less than 30 minutes! Have I piqued your interest and curiosity? Read on!...

Loaded Cornbread Muffins

This week's Project Pastry Queen (PPQ) challenge is Rather Rich Corn Muffins, chosen by Amanda of Fake Ginger (who has the recipe within her blog). Looking at the recipe, I wanted to jazz it up a bit and as a result, came up with these Loaded Cornbread Muffins... a variation of the original recipe. We all know and love a good cornbread muffin. However, this recipe is not that. It's not good - it's far from it. These Loaded Cornbread Muffins are ridiculously great... so great that it's taking quite a bit of willpower for me to resist eat one (or two, or three...) more. Here's why I can't rave about them enough...

Shanghai Chicken Salad

Salads are one thing we need to make more exciting in our house. Usually, I'll throw together a salad with some type of green, cheese, nuts and a fruit. But after awhile, it gets a bit boring and I'm looking for new ideas. Well, I came across this recipe for Shanghai Chicken Salad and we were hooked! It's a nice change of pace from our usual salad lineup that tastes pretty dang good...

Tomato & Mozzarella Salad

If there's one thing I don't take for granted, it's the relationships I have with people in my life. Regardless if they are familiar faces or new acquaintances, I love meeting new people and forming friendships. I met Debbie last month when she attended the Rick Bayless garden tour I hosted. She's an avid home gardener and had quite a few tomato varieties she was growing. When Debbie attended a recent pastry class I hosted, it was such a pleasure to see her again. Much to my surprise, she brought me some tomatoes from her garden to play with! With such gorgeous fresh and organic tomatoes, the first thing that came to mind was making this Tomato & Mozzarella Salad. It's colorful, it's fresh and a perfect way to highlight tomatoes...

Chicken Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken)

After a whole week of Indian favorites to share, I hope the recipes have inspired or motivated some folks to give Indian cuisine a chance in home kitchens. Here's one more Indian recipe for Chicken Makhani, also known as Indian Butter Chicken. Although I didn't include this dish in my recent Indian cooking class I hosted last weekend, it was a dish requested by one of my students. I occassionally order this dish when we're dining at local Indian restaurants so I finally had a chance to try it home. The verdict? I think this was even better than the restaurant versions I've tried!...

Mango Lassi

If there's a drink you should order at an Indian restaurant, it's a lassi! What's a lassi? Simply put, it's a shake usually made with yogurt and fruit. Some are made with a blend of spices or even vegetables. One reason why I recommend ordering a lassi is not only is it delicious, but it helps tame those spicy and hot Indian dishes too. For the Indian cooking class I taught recently, I showed folks how to prepare a Mango Lassi, the most common and highly popular flavor at Indian restaurants...

Indian-Style Curried Vegetables

Curry is one of those spices that took me awhile to appreciate. Initially, the aroma of curry didn't really appeal to me until I learned to embrace it living near the Devon neighborhood of Chicago a few years ago. The Devon Desi Corridor on Chicago's north side will transport any city dweller into a world of Indian and Pakistani culture. Here is where I learned so much about Indian and Pakistani cuisine and started dabbling in Indian recipes at home. For the recent Indian cooking class I hosted, we prepared this Indian Style Curried Vegetable dish. It's chock full of vegetables that have been kissed with the gorgeous curry color and flavor...

Garlic Naan

Garlic. If there's one ingredient I cannot live without, it's garlic. In fact, without really giving it a second thought, I almost always start savory recipes with sauteed garlic and onions. But for the recent Indian cooking class I hosted, we used garlic in a different way. For this Garlic Naan recipe, minced garlic is mixed with olive oil and herbs which was then brushed on freshly baked naan for additional flavor. Boy, was it good!...

Potato & Pea Samosas

One thing I love about cooking is how a faux pas can still turn into something pretty great. While teaching an Indian cooking class, the samosa dough didn't make quite enough for the entire class so we improvised and made mini Potato & Pea Samosas instead... which really ended up looking like mini empanadas after they were filled. Regardless, they were quite delicious and easy to prepare. So there's no need to hit up your usual Indian restaurant for some samosas since you can make them at home!...

Indian Favorites all this week!

It's been several months since I've hosted my usual culinary events for What's Cookin, Chicago due to my maternity hiatus. But now that I've gotten the hang of motherhood for the past three months, I'm ready to get back into the kitchen! This past weekend was quite a culinary adventure to say the least. I hosted two cooking classes with my group and had a delicious blast. One class I taught and hosted this past Saturday was on Indian Favorites, where folks got to learn how to make Indian cuisine more approachable at home. Everyone got hands-on in the kitchen while we cooked up quite a menu...

Watermelon Lemonade

This week's Project Pastry Queen challenge is Watermelon Lemonade, chosen by Ashley of Delish who has the recipe within her blog). With the crazy heat we've been experiencing here in Chicagoland this summer, this recipe was such a great choice! It's refreshing to say the least and the mere presentation is beautiful and colorful!...

Greek Salad

Nothing adds some life to a table like a colorful salad! There's no doubt why the summer months are wonderful to enjoy various salads. My favorite reason why I enjoy salads even more in the summer is the bountiful options of colorful vegetables to incorporate into all kinds of salads. For our Mediterranean Grill Party last weekend, this Greek Salad certainly added some beautiful colors to the table and accompanied our menu perfectly...

Lemon & Oregano Chicken Kabobs

With the tail end of summer wrapping up, we've been taking advantage of our grill to cook our dinners  lately. Our favorite these days are kabobs of all kinds - meat, veggie, fruit... whatever we can skewer is fair game! When we hosted our Mediterranean Grill Party last weekend, we had a lot of fun serving up various kinds of kabobs and these Lemon & Oregano Chicken Kabobs were quite popular. If only our guests knew how easy it was to prepare!...

Creamy Nutella Tartlettes

Sometimes the best recipes come out of quick thinking, little time and lots of pressure. With guests coming in a matter of minutes to our Mediterranean Grill Party, I didn't have time to prepare the desserts I had in mind. So in a 'MacGuyver' moment, I came up with these Creamy Nutella Tartlettes that turned out to be a great hit at the party. Thank goodness it worked out, otherwise my dessert table would have been pretty empty!...

Beef Kofta Kebobs

Who can resist eating things on a stick? It's such a fun way to serve and eat food... and you have to love the fact there are no utensils involved! I knew I had to throw in some kabobs on our Mediterranean Grill Party menu for the recent party we hosted. These Beef Kofta Kebobs were the perfect dish and were quite popular among guests. The secret was all in the seasoning...

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

Sometimes it can be frustrating to have a picky eater in the household. Well, maybe not really picky, but a person who refuses to eat certain foods that you happen to like. Enter my loving husband. He *hates* eggplant because of it's texture and won't go near any dish that involves it. The only way I can get away with making a dish with eggplant is if we have company who would eat it along with me. When we threw our Mediterranean Grill Party recently, it was the perfect opportunity for me to make this Orzo with Roasted Vegetables since it's chock full of vegetables including eggplant, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions and it's a delicious and colorful side dish to compliment Mediterranean flavors...

Spanakopita Rolls

One of my absolute favorite Greek dishes is spanakopita, which is a mixture of spinach, onions, cottage cheese and feta cheese wrapped with buttery, crispy phylllo dough. Most often, this dish is served as a pastry covered casserole. I added spanakopita to our Mediterranean Grill Party menu but to make it more party friendly to enjoy, I formed them into Spanakopita Rolls instead. They were a hit and were eaten all up well before the end of the party!...

Lemon Artichoke Hummus

When I think of Mediterranean cuisine, one of the first things that come to mind is hummus. Hummus is generally chickpeas and tahini processed together with a few seasonings and herbs. Rather than making the usual traditional version, I wanted a more refreshing flavor to add to our Mediterranean Grill Party menu. As I was searching for possible menu items, I came across this recipe for Lemon Artichoke Hummus. It's exactly what I hoped for - bright, refreshing and so easy to make!...

Mediterranean Grill Party!

It's hard to believe that my little man is growing up so fast! He's now 3 months old (seriously, where did the time go?!) and to celebrate and introduce our little one to family and friends, my husband and I threw a party... a 'meet the baby' gathering, if you will. Since we love throwing a party with some kind of food theme, we fired up the grill for a Mediterranean Grill Party!...

Peaches & Cream Tartlettes

This week's Project Pastry Queen baking challenge is Fredericksburg Peach Cream Cheese Tart, chosen by Tara of Smells Like Home (who has the recipe within her blog). Given that we're a small family of 3, having a full tart in the kitchen would not be a good thing. So instead of making a full tart, I made a few smaller ones instead, which I'll name "Peaches & Cream Tartlettes". Let me tell you how deliciously good these were and a perfect recipe to use up all those juicy peaches this season!...

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

When we're having an Italian inspired dinner, I often make stuffed mushrooms to add to the menu. If you're a mushroom fan, you can certainly appreciate how versatile it is to stuff mushroom caps with all sorts of fillings. One of our favorite fillings would be sausage. These Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms were delicious and the filling was especially cheesy, just the way we love it...

Peach Jam Scones

Do you prefer foods that are more sweet or savory? For me, I prefer savory flavors, which is probably one reason why I also prefer cooking over baking. To help give me a balance of making both sweet and savory dishes, sometimes I need reasons to bake sweet treats. One way to do that is to participate in baking groups such as Tuesdays with Dorie and now, a new baking group, Project Pastry Queen. I started with this group by making these Peach Jam Scones that were simply fantastic!...

Pork, Ginger & Mushroom Shumai Dumplings

We love asian dumplings in our house and they're one of our 'go-to' foods if we're not in the mood to put much effort in meals. I tend to make large batches and freeze so there's always some kind of asian dumpling stashed away in my freezer. With my sister and her family in town, I planned an Asian inspired dinner and included these Pork, Ginger & Mushroom Shumai Dumplings as an appetizer. These were amazing and full of flavor!...

Chicken Katsu

When you're planning a Japanese dinner menu featuring sushi and seafood, what do you serve non-seafood eating folks? This was the question I asked myself since my brother in law is not a seafood fan. Taking inspiration from local Japanese restaurant menus, I decided to make Chicken Katsu and served it with a Homemade Teriyaki Sauce. The verdict? "This is awesome!," says my non-seafood eating brother in law...

Tres Leches Cake

Do you have any culinary regrets? For me, one would be the fact that I didn't make my birthday cake from scratch this year. I had a birthday fiesta a few months ago where the menu theme was inspired by Cinco de Mayo since my birthday was only a few days before. For my birthday cake, I ended up purchasing a Tres Leches Cake from a local Mexican bakery since I didn't have time to make a cake that weekend. Although the cake was good, ever since, I've wanted to make a Tres Leches Cake. Finally, I had that chance when my sister and her family came to visit. It was worth the wait because this Tres Leches Cake is most definitely better than any bakery version I've ever had...

Platanos Maduros (Fried Sweet Plantains)

Well before I went to school, my first teacher was my mom and my first classroom was the kitchen. My mom would teach my siblings and me our colors, numbers, alphabet, shapes and sizes all using food and things around the kitchen. Our field trips were often to the grocery stores where she'd point out fruits, vegetables, meats and other foods, usually telling us how they're grown, where they're grown and where they came from. Rarely did we ever venture down the grocery aisles of pre-packaged or convenience foods since those items never founds its way into our cart. And after those fond grocery trips, we'd all go home, help put away the groceries and mom would work on snacks for us. One of those snacks I remember so well was Platanos Maduros, which are fried sweet plantains. It's commonly known as a Cuban dish, but other cultures certainly enjoy preparing ripe plantains in a similar way.

Beef & Cheese Empanadas

One of my favorite Latin inspired dishes is empanadas. The fact that they can either be sweet or savory as well as the versatility of being served as an appetizer, main dish or even dessert is what really appeals to me. For a recent dinner, I prepared these Beef and Cheese Empanadas as a started to a Latin inspired dinner. I've never seen anyone have such a reaction like my sister and her family to empanadas before. They all took a bite, sang its praises and savored each morsel with their eyes closed lol. I'm guessing they really enjoyed these, as did I!...

Latin Flair Dinner

My sister and her family are visiting from Virginia this week and of course, I'm putting out all the stops since I see them once a year, if that. They don't have too much variety when it comes to food where they live so I planned a whole week of theme dinners for all of us to enjoy. For their first night here, I prepared a Cuban/Latin themed dinner with some of our favorites...

Black Bean & Corn Salad

It's time for a remake! Since I've started blogging back in January 2007, I've tried to feature a different recipe every time I post. With so many recipes out there I'd love to try, it wasn't hard to make a new dish everyday. However, I do have some standby recipes I enjoy making often. One such recipe is this Black Bean & Corn Salad. I recently made this for a Latin inspired dinner for family that's currently visiting from out of town. As always, it never fails and is a great side dish especially with Mexican and Latin inspired recipes...