AQUARIUM!

I know it isn't food related, but it is so cool I just had to share.  Hazel and I got an aquarium over the weekend.  It's HUGE!  No, there aren't any fish in it--yet.  I think we are putting some in this weekend.  It is SOO cool though.  Except the filter makes us have to pee all the time.  Anyways, here are some pictures.  Recipe for pasta with brie and roasted chicken and eggplant coming soon... Keep your eyes peeled.

Here's the final product... sans fish of course...

Hazel putting the base together... she wasn't so clever... just saying.

I, of course, had to obsessively landscape the entire aquarium.  It was like floral arranging under water!

Did I mention that we thought it would be a good idea to put in hot water? And then I had my arm in it for a couple mins... I got a little burnt (yes the discoloration of my right arm is for reals, the picture actually didn't do it justice).

This is the pretty rainbowthat the water makes on our floor! <3

Death of a Hollandaise

It is with great sadness that I write my first post back from my hiatus.  Tonight dinner was perfect.  The asparagus was perfectly blanched, I nursed the sauce for the chicken into perfection, the chicken itself was perfectly juicy, even the bread was delicious.  But it was not a happy meal, for I killed the hollandaise.


And what a perfect hollandaise it was!  Butter-y and lemon-y and delicious.  I needed to heat it a little because I made it ahead.  As I tried to heat it up, I was excruciatingly careful: microwave at half-power, fifteen second increments stirring in between.  Unfortunately, Hazel was talking about the new Harry Potter amusement park and I got distracted for SIX SECONDS!  Fail.  Complete and utter fail.  the eggs curdled, the butter separated, all my efforts were destroyed.  I almost cried. Quite literally because it's that time of the month and all I wanted was hollandaise.


So maybe I'm making this a bigger deal than I should, but it was traumatic.  Thankfully, the rest of dinner was in fact perfect and I got to meet our landlord's new infant.


But here is a delightful recipe that I got from Michelle Roy Kelly and Andrea Norville's "Love at First Bite: the complete vampire lover's cookbook."


Chicken Victoria

Ingredients:
-1/4 c. flour
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/8 tsp pepper
-1/2 tsp marjoram (dried)
-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-1/4 cup butter
-1 c. chicken stock
-1/2 c. white grape juice
-1 c. red grapes


Directions:
"On a shallow plate, combine flour, salt, pepper, and marjoram.  Coat chicken breasts in this mixture.  In a heavy skillet over medium heat, melt butter.  Add chicken breasts and cook for 4 minutes.  Turn chicken over and cook 3 to 6 minutes longer, until chicken is just done.  Remove chicken from pan and cover with foil to keep warm.


Add stock and grape juice to pan and bring to boil, scraping up pan drippings.  Boil over high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until sauce is reduced and thickened.  Return chicken to pan along with red grapes, and cook over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until grapes are hot and chicken is tender."


My alterations:
-I had to cook the chicken for significantly longer than the 7-10 minutes total, but this could have been avoided if I had pounded the chicken breasts out a little bit.
-I added garlic to the juice/stock step.  Mostly because I love garlic.  One clove worked for me.
-I used 3 tbs olive oil and 1 tbs butter because I used all the butter on the hollandaise :(


Changes I would make in the future:
-I would add more liquid because the sauce was DELICIOUS and I wanted more.
-I would add a few sprigs of fresh marjoram or extra dried because I wanted more flavor.


Overall, this recipe was really good.  We served it with crusty bread and asparagus, but it would also be yummy over rice.

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Pumpkin Soup

Thank God for sale items.  No seriously, we have been buying whatever is on sale and then coming up with dinner plans the past couple weeks.  Here is one of mine/Liz's favorites: Pumpkin Soup.

Sorry for those of you who have a best friend named OCD, it's actually made out of butternut squash, not pumpkin. Sorry OCD. It's not my fault.

Goat Cheese Tartlets

So this recipe is 100% from my friend Lee.  Just throwing that out there so she doesn't say I stole it later.

These delicious little poofs of goat cheese perfection are a great side, appetizer or compliment for soup.  I made them for brunch with Lee the first time and as a side for a delicious pumpkin soup last week.

French Onion Soup

I wanted to post this one before it gets too warm for a good hot soup.  Basically, I am an onion addict.  I won't eat them raw, but I put onions in about 90% of my savory dishes.  Why not? :)  So here is a tribute to an absolutely delicious vegetable: French Onion Soup.

Baked Brie

 This little snack has become Hazel's absolute FAVORITE.  I made it once as an appetizer for Thursday night dinner, and it has been requested every day since :)  Its classic, easy, and almost completely healthy!  And who doesn't love gooey cheese wrapped in a delightful crescent roll?