Fallen Souffle

Yes, I know it is shocking, but I have never been able to make pie crust from scratch. It has always intimidated me, I think because I have always worked with bread dough which isn’t as delicate and fragile as a tender pie dough, I never knew how to handle it. However after a trip to the farmer’s market and a 3 quart bucket of very ripe strawberries and a pound of butter in the fridge I figured I might as well try now.

This also gives me a chance to try a recipe from the Sweet Melissa Baking Book which I was sent a while ago and have been flipping through for some time now trying to figure out what to make first. Melissa’s recipe is rather basic, not unlike other pie recipes I have read but I figured this chick has a successful bakery so she should know how it’s done.

The pie was ok, not terrible not fantastic, and certainly not due to the recipe used. I used a regular pie filling of berries, sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch. The crust should have been rolled a bit thinner, especially for the top crust. Also, I learned not to leave the butter chunks in the freezer and then proceed to talk to your Mom on the phone on Mother’s Day…yea…the butter was rock solid and took forever to incorporate. So next time I will chill it for much shorter and the butter bits should be smaller.

Overall, I think I have moved past my fear of pie crust. I may make more this weekend and instead make little hand pies instead of one big one.

I would highly recommend the Sweet Melissa Baking Book as she has a wide variety of baking essentials, many with a special twist

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* I have determined I have like zero pictures of my Mom, so this picture will have to do…I gotta get more pics of her*

Mother’s Day is a mere 2 days away so if you haven’t sent your card yet, well…send an email, your card maybe not get there in time.

My Mom is the best. No really. She wins the prize. Not only is she loving, kind and caring but she has acquired a very good sense of style (no more “Mom jeans” for her!) and she is FUNNY! I really think she has gotten funnier as my sister and I have gotten older. I think my witty sister is rubbing off on her

In honor of Mother’s Day I thought this site was appropriate. My Mom sends great emails and many from this site could have been sent from her.

Site is here and I found it from this article.

I love you Mom! I am sad I won’t be there on Sunday but know that I love you lots and am thinking of you. Hopefully Steph will make you a non-vegetarian breakfast

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I do love holidays like this because it gives me an excuse for a themed dinner! I love Mexican food too, anything with cheese and tequila is going to be good! I plan to make some homemade salsa, fajitas and margaritas for dinner. YUM! I am still searching for a mango margarita as we speak but here are some of my favorites, you must try the salsa, you will NEVER go back to the bottled stuff!

You’ll Never Go Back Salsa

1 can Rotel, drained
1 onion (I used half of a large sweet white onion)
1 large tomato, seeds and juice squeezed out (or a can of diced tomatoes, drained)
1 bunch of cilantro (just add to taste really)
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves chopped
juice of half a lime

1. In the food processor add garlic, onion, cilantro and fresh tomato. Pulse until there are no longer large chunks of tomato. Add Rotel, salt, pepper, and lime juice. Pulse until desired consistency.

2. Chill for about 30 minutes and then enjoy.

**Jen’s note: I found the salsa to be a bit on the watery side (probably due to the fresh tomato), so I chose to drain a bit of the juice off after I made it.

Fajitas Marinade
Enough for 2 pounds of meat

1/4 cup lime juice
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, mix together the lime juice, water, olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, salt, and liquid smoke flavoring. Stir in cayenne and black pepper.

2. Place desired meat in the marinade, and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight. Cook as desired.

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Thursday was a great day. Not only did I receive my new grown up sofa and loveseat (photos to come) but I also received my brand new washer and dryer! Ahh the sweet sound of a quiet spin cycle. I have never been so excited to do laundry. Maytag is my friend and Best Buy rocks for quick delivery and installation.

So to celebrate, I wanted to make something yummy with the chicken in the fridge. I was looking through the recipes from “Guy’s Big Bite” because I wanted to book mark his pot sticker recipe (I am obsessed with pot stickers!) and I found this recipe for Cajun Chicken Alfredo. I ran by the store to pick up blackened seasoning and some fat free half and half and I was set.

This is so easy to prepare. The chicken was grilled instead of cooked in a pan because I didn’t wanna smoke up the house and set off the smoke alarm, that thing is so damn sensitive! And with is being absolutely beautiful outside, the grill seemed perfect. I also used spaghetti instead of fettuccine because I have a 5 lbs bag I am trying to use up. As I said I used fat free half and half and this worked well for the most part except it started to separate a bit, though I added a bit more at the end and that helped to bind it a bit as well as the cheese. It didn’t effect the taste but I would imagine the heavy cream would create a creamier sauce. I will have to adjust that next time.

The blackened seasoning makes this dish and adds a nice bit of tingle on your lips. I added a side of steamed broccoli and next time I may cook it all together. With a little bit of tweaking I will perfect this recipe to being a bit more low fat but still “saucy” enough. I may also throw in some spicy italian sausage next time…mmmm.

Cajun Chicken Alfredo
4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup blackening spice (recommended: Paul Prudhomme’s Chicken)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup roughly chopped marinated sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup white wine (I used chicken broth, because I drank all the wine :))
3 cups heavy cream (used fat free half and half here)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cooked fettuccine
1/2 cup sliced scallions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Dredge the chicken breasts in the blackening spice and place in a cast iron skillet over very high heat. Blacken both sides of the chicken and place in the oven for 10 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Slice in strips on the bias and set aside.

In a saute pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic and lightly caramelize. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes and the chicken slices. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the heavy cream, increase the heat to a simmer, and reduce the cream sauce by half.

When the cream sauce is to desired consistency, stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan, salt, pepper, and pasta.

Nest the pasta on large rimmed plates, pour sauce over pasta, and garnish with scallions and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.

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