Gypsy Twinkle Fizzes

This post courtesy of our friend, Allie. She resides in the Chicago suburbs and has hijacked this blog due to obscene love for Dennis and Michelle and their food fantasy meanderings. She's actually writing this person in the third person and feels a little strange about it. Moving on...

This lovely little ditty was coined by Dennis as an impromptu mix to satiate thirsty visitors, and to start the day off right. Originally stolen (aka, "revised from") a Bobby Flay brunch cooking show (Brunch at Bobby's, thank you for this mimosa spin-off!) episode. Named by Allie though, because she has a penchant for strange names with ear-pleasing linguistic sound combinations.

 Gypsy Twinkle Fizzes

 

Ingredients:

- 1/2 bottle of dry champagne

- 1 8oz can of pineapple juice

- 6-10 oz grapefruit juice (depending on how tart you like it, this is definitely not overly sweet but for all of us, it was perfect. I don't even know how much he used. It's a mystery)

- 2-4 oz of gin (probably more. He used normal, dry gin. He initially refused to tell me the actual name, and then he did. Hendricks, he says. WE'RE SPONSORED BY NO ONE!)

- starwberry and basil leaf garnish (ungggg yum)

 

Directions:

1. Shake, mix, and wiggle? There's really no science to this, but just pour things into a cup and consume. At least that's how I cook. Can you tell why I don't have a food blog? I took some pictures, though.

 

 

Yet another spinoff, gyspy twinkle (toes) fizzes

 

And the reason for the visit? GLOW RUN 5K!

 

 

Dennis and Michelle (the mastermind's behind A Little More Pepper) and Sarah and Allie!!

 

Mediterrrrrrrean Chicken (because this title is incredibly difficult to spell and needs ample double letters)

<30 minutes from start to finish to whip up this all-in-one dish dinner.  Thanks to Food Network magazine’s “Weeknight Cooking” section for the inspiration.  Of course we couldn’t resist making a few changes to the original recipe! Especially if you are cooking for 2 (or just you!), we found a trip to the salad/olive bar a convenient way to get the olives, peppadews, artichoke hearts, and greens for the salad.  You might even be able to find the feta cheese too.  This way, you can get exactly the amount you need without ending up with lots of strange leftover veggies. Serves 2. 

Mediterranean Skillet Chicken

 

Ingredients:

·        2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

·        3 cloves garlic

·        ½ small red onion, cut into wedges

·        ½ can (1 cup, give or take) artichoke hearts, quartered

·        1 teaspoon dried oregano

·        freshly ground black pepper

·        ¼ cup chicken broth

·        10 Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half

·        4 peppadews, cut into thin strips (save brine for serving)

·        fresh chopped parsley

·        crumbled feta cheese

·        spinach + arugula (or really any combination of greens, if you’d like to serve this dish as a salad) 

Directions:

 1. Wipe out skillet and return to medium-high heat. Lightly sautee garlic with red onion for about 2 minutes.  Add artichoke hearts and cook until onions just begin wilting (approx. 5 minutes longer). While veggies are cooking, season with oregano and pepper (NO SALT!!  The brined veggies have plenty in them already).

2. Return chicken to skillet and add chicken broth and olives.  Bring to a gentle simmer.  Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through and flavors have had a chance to blend together (approx. 5 minutes more).

 3. Plate chicken and veggie mixture on top of salad greens.  Garnish with peppadews (along with a splash of brine from the jar), parsley, and feta.  You might also consider adding balsamic vinegar as a dressing like element, if the dish is too dry for your liking.

4. We found Naan bread (whole wheat from Trader Joe’s) to be an excellent pairing with this dish as a starch element.  All of the ingredients stacked atop the Naan in any combination were delicious-o! 

Mint and Lime

Although we are still are in shock about accumulating snow in the month of May, the beautiful weather today put us in the mood for some summertime grilling (it’s about time!!).  We’re going all out with citrusy flavors and fresh summer herbs with this lime and mint accented meal. Our recommendation is serving with a crisp and refreshing white wine.

For starters…. a grilled melon salad.  Who would have known that warm melons could be so tasty?  Hope you enjoy this unique and refreshing starter as much as we did.

Grilled Melon Salad

Ingredients:

 

· watermelon, cantaloupe, and/or honeydew (approx. 3 dozen chunks chopped or scooped w/melon baller)

· 1 TBSP honey

· 2 TBSP lime juice

· 1 heaping TBSP fresh mint, minced

· fresh ground black pepper, to taste

· ¼ red onion, finely chopped (and pickled in advance, if you are feeling adventurous!)

· feta cheese

· arugula

Directions:

 

1. Slice or scoop melon pieces and thread onto kebab skewers.

2. Stir together honey, lime juice, and mint in a small bowl.

3. Brush majority of honey dressing mixture onto fruit kebab skewers.

4. Grill and brush with remaining dressing during the process. Remove from heat after fruit is sufficiently charred.

5. Spoon over a bed of arugula and top with feta cheese, chopped onion, and fresh ground black pepper. 

Dennis also concocted a tasty lime and mint marinade for fish that we served with an avocado relish and cumin infused rice.  Some might compare it to a mojito in main dish-fish form.  Yum!

For our main dish, we used frozen tuna filets from Trader Joe’s (defrosted…of course!), but we think this dish would also be very tasty with Swordfish, Mahi Mahi, or any other tough, steak-like fish. Use your imagination!  Start by preparing the fish marinade.  While your seafood is soaking up all the tasty juices, begin to prep the rice and avocado mixture as a topping.  These can sit while you are grilling your fish to perfection.

 

Fish Marinade:

1/3 cup lime juice
1/3-1/2 cup mint leaves (finely chopped)
1/2 tsp agave nectar (or 1/2 tsp honey)(or 1/2 tsp brown sugar)(or 1/2 tsp normal boring white sugar… but you should really have one of the other ingredients)
2 tsp+ lime zest
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper (or more, if you like pepper)
8 drops of rice wine vinegar (or 5 drops of white vinegar)
1/4 tsp soy sauce (a little more if desired)
1 TBSP finely chopped red onion.

Add all the marinade ingredients to a plastic bag....but probably mix them in a bowl first because it's easier.
Add your fish to the bag....and just put it in the bag.
Mess the bag about.
Let sit....
Mess the bag about.
Let sit....
Mess the bag about.
Let sit....it should sit for a minimum of an hour, but more time is just fine.

Grill....seer on each side for about 3 minutes. Grilling is very subjective based on the size of the fish and heat of the grill....just be careful not to overcook or fish will become tough and dried out.

Cumin Rice:

Prepare brown rice as you normally would, while stirring in approximately 1 TBSP cumin seeds for each ½ cup dry rice you plan to use.  Cumin seeds should be added at the same time as you add rice to the boiling water.  You should end up with a nice earthy and deep flavor in your rice that pairs nicely with the fish and relish.  Feeling boring…omit cumin and serve with normal brown or white rice.

 Avocado Relish:

1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced

2 stalks celery, sliced

¼ red onion, finely chopped

lime juice

dash soy sauce

2-3 drops agave (feel free to sub. a few drops of honey for sweetness, instead)

fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Couldn’t be easier...gently stir all ingredients together and refrigerate until using.  For us, the citrus from the lime juice kept the avocado from browning in the meantime.  If you’re avocado is a bit under-ripe, you may consider adding a bit of Greek yogurt or sour cream to add moisture to the relish.

Tomato Soup (and yet to be made Grilled Cheese)

First use of garden ingredients! 

Couldn’t help but think of Josh Heffernan as we prepared his very favorite, gourmet meal tonight.  Is there anything more comforting than grilled cheese and tomato soup?  Well maybe so…

 

 

Just add fresh chopped basil, black pepper (of course), and a dash of cayenne to enhance the flavors of a good old fashioned can of Campbell’s tomato soup.  Adjust these seasonings to your liking, and let us know if there are others you like to add.    Serve with your favorite grilled cheese recipe.  We’ll share some fun ones in posts to come.

Basil wins the race of the first garden item to be used.  Who will be next?

The Garden

 

Our patio garden is officially planted!  Michelle nixed the indoor closet garden and had this crazy notion of using the closet for storing clothes instead.  Here is what we will be growing this year:

Basil

Oregano

Dill

Sage

Rosemary

Thyme

Cherry & Grape Tomatoes

Jalapenos 

Look for these fresh herbs and veggies in many recipes to come (unless we kill them first…)!   Any suggestions for favorite dishes with these plants?

Moroccan Night!

Typical Friday night at the Fricks’ apartment—themed cooking!  This time we packed our bags and headed for Morocco.  A little research on-line and consultation from our Moroccan culture and food expert Coley (Michelle’s cousin who studied abroad in Morocco for a semester during college) inspired us to try our hand at some exotic North African flavors.  Here’s what we came up with…

For starters, a nice crispy and fairly simple salad.  A special shout out goes to Amber Shaus thanking her for the mandolin she gave us as a wedding shower gift.  It was the perfect tool for thinly slicing radishes (and we managed to keep all of our fingers in tact!)

Moroccan Orange and Radish Salad

Dressing Ingredients:

·1/3 cup orange juice

·juice of 1 lemon

·¼ teaspoon lemon zest

·½ teaspoon orange zest

·cinnamon

·paprika

·cumin

·cayenne pepper

·fresh ground black pepper

·½ TBSP olive oil

Salad Ingredients:

·romaine lettuce

·radishes, thinly sliced

·orange segments

·chick peas

·red onion, thinly sliced

·cucumbers, thinly sliced (optional)

Directions:

1.Make the dressing in advance. Whisk together all dressing ingredients. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

2.Toss together salad ingredients. Top with fresh ground black pepper and serve with dressing.

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Next we moved on to a “tagine.”  We use this term loosely because we cheated quite a bit on the meat preparation process by boiling and shredding boneless skinless chicken breasts rather than slow cooking bone-in birds.  Our apologies to Coley, if this quick version doesn’t compare to your authentic experiences!  We still thought it was really tasty.  And don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients—most of them are dried spices that simply need to be scooped in.  Feel free to add and subtract to fit your tastes or based on what you happen to have on hand in your spice cabinet.

Chicken Tagine with Olives and Apricots

 

 Ingredients:

·2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

·5 dried apricots, cut in half

·1 teaspoon honey

·olive oil

·¼ red onion, finely chopped

·¼ sweet Vidalia onion, finely chopped

·3 cloves garlic, minced

·2 medium sized carrots, peeled and diced

·½ teaspoon ground ginger

·½ teaspoon ground coriander

·½ teaspoon paprika

·¼ teaspoon ground cumin

·¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

·¼ teaspoon saffron threads

·1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

·freshly ground black pepper

·6-8 baby bella mushrooms, sliced

·¼ cup sliced almonds

·8 Kalamata olives (without pits)

·fresh chopped cilantro

·Greek yogurt

·Naan bread or cooked couscous, for serving

Directions:

1.Add chicken to a pot with water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove chicken from pot and allow to cool. Shred chicken into small pieces. Place shredded chicken in a bowl and toss with lemon juice. Allow to marinate, so lemon flavor is infused in the chicken for at least 15 minutes (preferably longer).

2.Meanwhile, rehydrate the apricots. Combine the apricots, 1/3 cup water, and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cover and cook until the apricots are plump, about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook until the liquid is syrupy, about 15 minutes more. Set aside.

 3.Dry roast the almonds over medium heat, until lightly browned. Set aside.

 4.Lightly sauté the garlic, onion, and carrot with olive oil and ground spices (ginger, coriander, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, saffron, cayenne pepper, and black pepper) for about 5 minutes, or until veggies begin to soften. Add mushrooms and sauté 2 minutes more. Add lemon chicken and stir to combine.

5.Transfer chicken and veggie mixture to mini casserole dishes. Cover dishes and bake in 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend and become tender.

6.Remove from oven. Stir in olives and apricot syrup. Garnish with toasted almonds and chopped cilantro. Serve with naan or cooked couscous and Greek yogurt.

**for an extra bit of sweetness, cube rehydrated apricots and stir into dish before serving along with the syrup

**consider adding cauliflower when sautéing veggies

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Mary had a little Lamb….and then we ate it!  This dish highlights one of our favorite elements of Moroccan cooking: a combination of sweet and savory ingredients in one delicious concoction.  As always, feel free to experiment with different veggies and spices.  You could use another meat as well, but we do feel that Lamb is the best for this preparation.  Without further ado….

Lamb Pastries

 

Ingredients:

 

·        1/3-2/5 (yes, 2/5) lb of ground lamb

·        1 tsp allspice

·        1 tsp cinnamon

·        1 tsp ginger (fresh ginger chopped)

·        pinch cayenne

·        1/2 tsp coriander

·        1 tsp cumin

·        1/3 white onion (approx., 1/4 cup)

·        1/8 red onion (approx. 1/8 cup) 

·        84 frozen peas (or approx. 1/3 cup) 

·        2 "normal" carrots, copped to approx. the size of a frozen pea 

·        pepper, as much as you like 

·        1/2 tsp paprika

·        2-5 cloves garlic (as your preferences and clove size dictate)

·        2 tbl currants (or raisins if you are less fancy)

·        2 sheets, puff pastry

·        olive oil (a bit)

·        1 egg....if you want (see directions, number 6)

YOGURT SAUCE:

·        1 container of Greek yogurt (or yoghurt)

·        1/4 cup cucumber

·        1/3 tsp cumin

·        1/4 tsp coriander

·        salt & pepper

·        lemon juice (fresh or old and stale from the bottle--really makes little difference here)

 

Directions:

0. Defrost puff pastry sheet (one of the tri-fold store bought is perfect (or about 9" by 9") and preheat oven to 300 degrees.

 

1. Heat olive oil (maybe 1 tsp.) in a pan and add half of the onions and all of the garlic. Cook for until slight browning and the amazing garlic/onion/oil fragrance exudes the kitchen. Then add the carrots, ginger, and the rest of the onions

2. After adding the carrots and remaining onions, turn the heat down to low (or about the level you use to simmer rice while cooking). Cook for about 2-3 minutes at this temperature

3. After carrots are "sweating," add the lamb. Shortly after adding the lamb, add all the remaining spices (allspice, cinnamon, cayenne, salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and coriander) ***cooks' suggestion, extra cinnamon, cumin and pepper are delicious--but find your own spice mixture.

4. Let the lamb cook for a bit and stir occasionally. Cook the lamb PART WAY. A little red is good!! Once you have some browning and the lamb is about 50-70% cooked, take out of the skillet and place in a bowl. Immediately add the currants (raisins for most of us) and the lemon juice. Stir a bit and let sit.

5. Throw flower on flat surface. Take the puff pastry sheets and spread them out to about 25% their original size. Take a fork and poke 88 (or 87 if your fork has 3 prongs) in the middle of the puff pastry--leave the outsides hole-free.

6. Take lamb mixture and place in the middle of the pastry. Fold over and press the ends together....you can put an egg wash (1 egg beaten and brushed along the edges of one side of the pastry) to help the ends stick together and even put additional egg on top to create more "brown-ness." Not necessary, but a nice touch.

7. Close your pastry and cook in the preheated oven (see, the lamb is going to be fully cooked) for approximately 10-20 minutes.....but really who cares about the time, just take it out when your pastry is brown and crunchily.

 

MEANWHILE...while the lamb pastry is cooking...

1.      Dice the cucumber.

2.      Pour yoghurt (or yogurt) into a bowl 

3.      Add lemon to yogurt (or yoghurt) 

4.      Add cumin, coriander, and salt/pepper to your liking 

5.      Stir the hell out of it....

 6.      Dip finished crunchily lamb pastry in this delightful fresh sauce.

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It is hard (actually impossible) to find many cocktails from Morocco….however, they do love Mint Green Tea!  So, we improvise a bit and take a classic Southern United States drink and bring the Moroccan to the U.S.!

Green Tea Mojito

Ingredients:

TEA:

·        2 cup water

·        1/4 cup green tea leaves (approx.)

 

DRINK:

·        1/2 tbl lime juice

·        4-12 mint leaves (personal preference)

·        4-12 arugula leaves (personal preference)

·        2 shots rum

·        splash of Fresca or "fizzy water"--tonic, seltzer, soda water, etc...many names, essentially the same)

 

SIMPLE SUGAR:

·        1/4 cup sugar

·        1/2 cup water

·        1/4 lemon

·        more mint

Directions:

TEA:
1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Add tea leaves
3. Stop boil, and let steep for 5-10 minutes (or more, the longer the steeping, the strong the tea flavor)

SIMPLE SUGAR:
1. Add water to saute or sauce pan
2. Add lemon cut into "quarters" or "wedges"
3. Add 2-3 "sprigs" or mint
4. Add sugar
5. Add HEAT....heat until the sugar is dissolved. Heating past the point when the sugar dissolves is OK, but take of the heat and leave the lemons and mint in the pan.

DRINK:

1. Take mint leaves and arugula leaves and mash, grind, smash, etc. in the bottom of your glass (cook prefers 10 arugula leaves and 6 mint leaves...but and personal preference is always encouraged).
2. Add lime juice to destroyed arugula and mint
3. Add rum
4. Strain simple sugar and add a small amount (cook prefers only about 1 tsp...but you may like a sweeter drink....the cook feels he is sweet enough already...)
5. Add tea--approximately 1/2 to 1 cup. This again depends on your preference for tea flavoring and how strong you like your drinks....the cook prefers about 3/4 cup.
6. Garnish with lime....or just drink if you don't like frilly stuff.