Sticky Ginger Chicken aka. The Second Time Around

It's been waaaaay too long since I posted here folks. I know, I know, there was a baby involved in this giant delay. But actually my excuse for not getting back to this blog was simply I was lazy (GASP!). Lucky for you though, yes you, I enjoy this writing stuff. and cooking stuff. Just the whole technology thing kind of throws me off. It's probably safe to say I am somewhere in between Old Granny level and Totally Inept. Think, got Facebook six months ago and is still trying to figure out how it works type.

During these past few months dinners have been kind of boring. I haven't been experimenting that much, mostly cause getting used to two kids has been a handful. A good handful, but a handful just the same. What I have been doing is going back to old recipes I created a while back and seeing how they taste, fixing them up and making them better. In a way its like me being my own tester for a cookbook I wrote. It's only possible because I have the memory of a goldfish. It's only possible because I have the memory of a goldfish. It's only possible because I have the memory of a goldfish, which is about three seconds btw. Fun little fact there for ya. Anyway, one of my favorite recipes was this Sticky Ginger Chicken. It's great because it fills my weirdly obsessive obsession with Asian food, allows me to candy coat a chicken and call it healthy because well, its chicken and it has green stuff on top, and also it tastes good which is always a plus.

(BTW. This is for you grammar geeks out there. Yes, my grammar is terrible. So is my spelling but luckily there is spell check. I just decided to write this little aside to you so you know I am not trying to annoy the pants off of you with my misplaced commas and run on sentences. If any of you is volunteering right now to be my editor step right up for the challenge of a life-time. Please note, you will not be paid if you take this position. The only reason you would take this position is because you are so annoyed at this grammar you have to fix it. END RANT)

Back to chicken: The other night I tried this recipe again but I doubled the spices and halved the marinade, thereby making it even healthier *insert thumbs up emoji here* and making it taste even better *double thumbs up emoji* (Good thing I don't totally stink at math otherwise I would be in a real bind.)I then patted myself on the back for a job well done and proceeded to devour the entire pan (Because I was hungry and also because as I mentioned earlier, this chicken tastes good!)

For your viewing pleasure, I have included the recipe before and after. And no, these recipes are not actors, they are real recipes! And these are real results! (As a side note, I should probably stoop watching the infomercial channel....) Either way, I thought it would be fun for you all to see how even when a recipe looks and tastes great, theres always room for improvement the second time around. The work of a blogger is never done. 

PS. To make this recipe Kid Friendly remove the chilies before baking and cooking down the marinade.

New Recipe

Sticky Ginger Chicken

• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 inch piece of ginger julienned
• 1 red chili sliced
• juice of 1 medium lemon
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
• 8 chicken thighs
• 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
• 2 scallions thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

1. Mix together the spices and sprinkle on top of the chicken.
2. Combine the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce and garlic cloves, red chilies, and ginger in a large resealable bag. Add the chicken to the bag and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 12 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Remove the chicken from the bag, reserving the marinade, and arrange the thighs on the baking sheet. Bake until the skin is caramelized and dark in spots, about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, place the leftover marinade in a small saucepan, uncovered. Bring the marinade to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook over low heat until thick, about 15 minutes. Use a pastry brush to brush the cooked marinade on the chicken.  Return to the oven for 10 more minutes.
5. Place the chicken on a serving platter and sprinkle with the sesame seeds, sliced scallion and cilantro.
     

Old Recipe

Sticky Ginger Chicken

• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp mustard powder
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 inch piece of ginger julienned
• 1 red chili sliced
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 chicken legs cut by the joint to separate thigh and drumstick
• 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
• 4 scallions thinly sliced

1. Mix together the spices and sprinkle on top of the chicken.
2. Combine the balsamic vinegar, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce and garlic cloves, red chilies, and ginger in a large resealable bag. Add the chicken to the bag and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Top with a cooling rack. Remove the chicken from the bag, reserving the marinade, and arrange the drumsticks on the cooling rack. Bake until the skin is caramelized and dark in spots, about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, place the leftover marinade in a small saucepan, uncovered. Bring the marinade to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook over low heat until thick, about 15 minutes. Use a pastry brush to brush the cooked marinade on the chicken.  Return to the oven for 10 more minutes.
5. Place the chicken on a serving platter and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and the sliced scallion.
   ​

Dark Chocolate Cake with Nutella Buttercream I.E. Let Them Eat Cake

The French Revolution is a memorable part of history with even more memorable "catch phrases". "Liberty, equality, fraternity", "Off with their Heads" and "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...". But perhaps the most famous and pertinent line from that wildly confusing and exciting era was said by Marie Antoinette, and went something along the lines of, "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche" or "Let them eat cake". 

This phrase may have been said when Marie heard the French peasants had no bread to eat. Which begs the question, was Marie really that brazen and uncaring? Maybe she was just stupid and didn't realize that cake was more expensive than bread. Or, could be she was genuinely offering them cake. Or maybe she wanted cake. Whatever her intentions, it was a strange thing to say, although there is no actual proof of this phrase being said. Which then makes me wonder, who actually came up with that phrase? 

Whoever said it, and wherever it came from, I don't know of they could have expected that the phrase would be so widely used. Though the phrase was originally meant to be rude and uncaring, it has become a phrase used as an excuse to literally eat cake. (Well, if you say so Marie. Guess I have no choice) Does anyone else find this ironic? 

Now that I have gotten that long peice of boring history off my chest-really, it's been bothering me for some time- it's time to get to the main event. Cake.  

To tell you the truth, I don't love making cakes. I always find they are never finished, they are hard to transport and there is no definite portion, your slice of cake can be ginormous or super tiny and thin. That doesn't mean I don't like to eat them. Someone give me a fantastic chocolate cake any day! Or coconut lemon, that's my favorite. 

One of my goals for last year was to learn how to ice a cake properly. This meant that I would actually have to make a few cakes in the process. I don't think anyone actually minded, except my husband who had to carry the whole thing on a pedestool to my mom's house. It weighed close to 7 or 8 pounds! 

I saw this cake on pintrest actually. The cake looked so intensely moist and dark and chocolatey I knew I would have to try it! Plus even though it was part of a Halloween gimmick to put some candy eyes all over the cake, I actually fell in love with that! Plus, I had just bought a package on one of my many Target runs and now I would have an excuse to use them! At this point someone would say something like, I pinned it and decided to make it next week. But I don't know how to work Pintrest. Or Facebook. Or this blog for that matter... Still working out the kinks. Because I don't know how to work pintrest I had to make this right away before I forgot about it. That and I had a hankering for Nutella. Unfortunately, my icing skills got pretty good, which means I won't need to make cake for a while. Unless I get a sudden craving for a lot of chocolate, or lemon coconut, that's my favorite (Did I mention that already?)

When it came time to slice the cake, the eyes were gone faster than you could say boo. It's kind of like those roses on bakery birthday cakes. You know they taste terrible but you want one, (a whole one mom!) just for yourself. The chocolate cake part was unreal! Soft and rich and chocolatey and perfect! The icing was a little sweet for my taste so if your not a fan of super sweet things, use another buttercream recipe. Don't forget the eyes though! They are so cute I can't even handle it! 

Now, Let them eat cake!  

Chocolate Cake with Nutella Buttercream

Ingredients

Dark Chocolate Cake

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup dark cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoons salt

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup milk

2 large eggs

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

3/4 cups boiling water

Nutella Buttercream

1½ cups butter

3 cups powdered sugar

1 cup Nutella

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1-2 tablespoons cream

1 tablespoon dark cocoa powder

Candy eyes 

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray 2 9-inch round baking pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper, then lightly spray the paper with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In the bowl of a mixer, mix together the sugar and the butter. Add in the milk, eggs and vanilla, and mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Pour in the boiling water and gently mix until combined. The batter will be thin.

Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans. Bake in until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. (Don’t be alarmed if your cakes puff up and then fall in the center. They will probably fall a little, but you will even the cakes out and can use the scraps to decorate the cake.)

Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the outside of the pan and turn them out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Remove the parchment paper from the bottoms of the cakes.

At this point, you can wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and refrigerate them or freeze them, which will make decorating the cake easier, or you can proceed to assembling the cake as long as they are cooled completely.

To make the buttercream, cream the butter in a mixer until smooth and creamy. Add in the powdered sugar, a little at a time, until fully incorporated. Mix in the Nutella, vanilla and salt and beat until light and fluffy. Add as much cream as needed to make the frosting a spreading consistency.

To assemble the cake: Level each of the cake layers, reserving the scraps. Place one layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with some of the buttercream and spread in an even layer to the edged. Top with another cake layer, then more buttercream. Repeat with another cake layer, more buttercream, and then the final cake layer. Spread a thin layer of frosting over the outside of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for 10-15 minutes.

While the cake is in the refrigerator, take the reserved scraps of cake and crumble them as best as you can. The cake is very moist, so if the scraps aren’t crumbling, you can put them on a baking sheet and place them in a 250ºF oven to dry them out a bit, which will help.

Use the remainder of the frosting to go over the cake, making sure it is covered evenly.

Take the cake crumbs and gently press them into the outside of the cake. Press sets of two candy eyes randomly around the cake.

Italian Meatball Subs I.E. My Husband Is The Ultimate Sandwich Maker

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Ever since Breadsmith opened up in Brooklyn, sandwiches have been my thing. Finding any possible excuse to indulge in their amazing sourdough has gotten my creative juices flowing. This idea though, wasn't even mine. It was my husband's.

Every week, on Sunday or Monday I sit down with my handy dandy list maker (one of many because I'm obsessed with lists) and make a weekly menu. Okay, so it doesn't happen every week and it didn't even start until a few weeks ago, but the point is that it happens, and that is super impressive. I always start off by asking my husband for any suggestions he has for dinners that week. Usually I don't get something along the lines of, "Whatever you wanna eat, I'm good with.". But this week was different. This week I got a response. "Meatballs".

When I first got married, I made my mother's awesome Sweet and Sour Meatball Recipe. My husband went wild for them. He said they were the best he ever tasted which back then, was still a very surprising thing to hear. But these meatballs are not those meatballs. Sorry folks, but I lied before. Only by omission though. When I asked about dinner before, I didn't only get "Meatballs", I also got "Subs". Now you can't put sweet and sour meatballs on a sub. Well, actually you can, but not the ones we were thinking of.

Coming up with an epic sandwich isn't as easy at it looks. You cant just put an egg on top of something fried with any random sauce and a regular pickle and call it a day. There is a very specific science involved. Some careful calculations needed to be made. These subs needed a full fledged Italian meatball recipe. The kind that would make Momma proud! That and Daiya Provolone. Eating milk and meat together isn't allowed in the Kosher world, but it doesn't mean we have to give up on the melty goodness found on a meatball sub. Enter Daiya Slices. They don't taste exactly like cheese, but they do give the same idea with the same gooeyness and a similar flavor. It was my husband who figured this all out. When it comes to the Ultimate Sandwich he's definitely the master. If he ever opens his own sandwich shop, that is one line your going to want to get on.

He finished the sandwich off by putting it all on a Greek Ciabatta from Breadsmith topped with parsley. Nothing else, because he knows sometimes keeping it simple is the way to go. It was epic! But then again, it usually is.

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Meatball Subs

• 1 pound ground chicken or beef
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup soy milk
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (you may replace this with 1/4 cup breadcrumbs and 1 teaspoon salt)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until incorporated. Roll meat into balls and refrigerate until ready to use.

• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2-3 large tomatoes, diced
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent. Stir in tomatoes, salt, sugar and bay leaf. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 90 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, basil, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and meatballs and simmer 30 minutes more.

Assembly:

• 1 good quality roll (ciabatta, sourdough, or soft baguette)
• 1-2 slices Daiya Provolone
• 3-4 meatballs (recipe above)
• 1 teaspoon chopped parsley

Lay the "Cheese" on the roll and place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is mostly melty. Top with meat balls, sauce and chopped parsley. Close the sandwich and enjoy!