Thursday Night Slump

I know that Wednesday is 'hump day', but sometimes Thursday is the bigger hurdle for me. I've made it this far and Friday is right around the corner. Come dinner time on Thursday I just want something quick and easy. I'm tired of doing dishes, so if I can minimize that too I'm all the more thrilled.

I regularly pick up a roasted deli chicken at my local supermarket. I like the chickens because they can be really versatile and can certainly aid in getting dinner done quickly. You can shred the chicken for pasta or enchiladas, you can keep the breasts or leg quarters whole for quick dinner solutions, or sometimes I save the bones to make chicken soup or chicken broth. 

Tonight I reheated one of the leg quarters, cooked up some quinoa, and sauteed some spinach and mushrooms. All-in-all it took me about 30 minutes and it was a really delicious dinner.

To reheat the chicken I put the leg quarter in my cast iron skillet and put them in the oven while it was heating up to 350 degrees. That way the chicken could warm up slowly and retain it's juices. In total the cook time was about 15 mins between the time it took for my oven to heat up and a few extra minutes just to make sure it's warm throughout. I did leave the skin on the chicken, again- it helps retain the moisture and keeps the flavor locked in.

If you haven't tried quinoa yet, you might want to check it out. Its a whole grain with a protein boost. It's also super easy to cook and it doesn't take very long. The typical cooking formula I've seen is a 2:1 ratio. That is 2 parts liquid to 1 part quinoa. So for example, if you were cooking 1 cup of quinoa, you would use 2 cups of water. Quinoa will expand slightly when it cooks, but not a whole lot so when cooking for friends figure about 1/4 to 1/2 a cup per person.

Once the chicken comes out of the oven, move it to your plate to give a chance to cool off just a little. While the pan is still hot turn your stove to medium or medium high and add some sliced mushrooms and diced shallots. Don't forget the salt and pepper and maybe a little olive oil. Just be sure that the mushrooms aren't crowded in the pan or they won't brown properly.

Toss in some spinach and let it wilt from the heat. I did splash in just a little chicken broth to loosen the delicious brown bits and help finish off the spinach. Put it all on a plate and enjoy!

Happy Thursday!

Pho Sho'

I love Pho. It's that simple. Pho, for me, is a cross between the warmth of mom's homemade soup and and the exotic flavors of far flung places. I  could eat Pho everyday in the winter and most days in the summer. The richly flavored broth paired with soft noodles, spicy peppers, basil, cilantro, and tender meat is, in my eyes, one of the most perfect meals. I unabashedly slurp my way to the bottom of the bowl and ultimately end with a smile of pure satisfaction.

Now, there are a lot of great Pho places here in Portland. You can easily find a local joint serving pipping hot Pho in almost every neighborhood. In North Portland there is Pho Jasmine which is a little hole in the wall kind of place. There is Pho Van on Hawthorne. And there is Jade Bistro in Sellwood, which is just plain amazing. All of these places will deliver on the promise of delicious Pho, but there are just sometimes that I don't want to leave the house. Imagine my delight when hidden within this month's Bon Appetit issue about Christmas cookies there is a quickie Pho recipe.
I had to try it.

Here is the link to the recipe: Bon Appetit Faux Pho

The beauty of this recipe is that it uses store bought beef broth and ramen noodles to speed up the process. What is great is that given enough time, you can develop the deep flavors of the Pho houses without the days of stewing.

Start with 1/2 of a small onion and garlic in a warm pot with some vegetable oil on medium-high.  You build flavor in steps- sauteing the onions and garlic, add the broth and water, boil the anise and cinnamon, soften the mushrooms, and let it all steep for a little before adding the beef.

 

In the meantime, use ramen noodles- yes, the ramen noodles you get 10 for $1 at the store. You just boil the noodles and throw out the flavor packet. You'll have enough flavor building in your broth.

Once the noodles are ready, put a spoonful in a bowl along with your favorite Pho garnishes. I favor cilantro, basil, and jalapenos, but use what makes you happy.

Heat your beef in the broth and then ladle everything over the noodles and in less than an hour you have a bowl of instant happiness.

I can tell this is going to be one of my 'go-to' recipes for the remainder of the winter. The beauty is that it makes enough for 2 big bowls or 4 small bowls. In my case I packed the broth with the peppers, cilantro, and basil and wrapped the noodles in plastic wrap so I can take them to work tomorrow for lunch.