Tomato-Tarragon Toasts

When eating a pasta dinner, I'll throw a slice of bread in the toaster, butter it, and call it a side dish. Not exactly imaginative. But I'm usually too busy chopping, stirring, and simmering to mind. Oh, I'm also quite good at "sampling" the sauce.

Don't worry, I'm usually cooking for one, so double-dipping is totally legal.

But with a little prep work (and by "little" I mean around 25 seconds), these tomato-tarragon toasts make a great accompaniment to pasta. They're also an excellent tongue-twister. Sprinkling a little garlic powder on these would be good, too--but since I could keep Vampires away within a 1,500 mile radius after ingesting garlic, I tend to shy from the ingredient. These easy little toasts are delicious, and I promise your mouth will be too full to try and say "tomato-tarragon toasts" ten times fast.

Tomato- Tarragon Toasts
1/2 hoagie roll or hot dog bun, buttered
1 small tomato, sliced thin
Salt
Pepper
Couple of fresh tarragon leaves
Parmesan cheese
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.) Generously butter one side of the bread and top with sliced tomato. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and layer on the tarragon. Toss on a bit of parmesan cheese.
3.) Bake until golden, or around 8-10 minutes.

Fake Pasta Carbonara

I'll admit that I'm sometimes a faker. Let's keep it real here, friends, because we're all fakers at some point in our lives. Fake designer labels save cash, fake hair color conceals the unwanted ones, and fake spray tans keep skin from getting UV damage.

But, be warned, spray tans are terrifying. Not wanting to be mistaken as a ghostly apparition by the locals, I got one before vacationing in Miami. It's like being sprayed by a cold, misty shower. Naked. Oh, and it's also not a good idea to gasp for air when the machine's spraying your face. Not like I did that, or anything.

The good news is this carbonara is far from terrifying. It's got all the ingredients of a regular carbonara, but instead of stirring the hot pasta into raw egg yolks, frying (or poaching) the egg and placing it on top still makes for a great sauce. So, embrace your inner faker and try out this dish. And what the heck, save your skin cells and get a spray tan while you're at it.

Fake Pasta Carbonara    Serves: 1
2 oz. thin spaghetti (1 cup cooked)
1 t. butter
2 T. chopped onion
1/2 cup button mushrooms, sliced
Handful of chopped ham (or bacon)
1/4 cup peas
1 egg
Salt
Pepper
Parmesan cheese, to top
1.) Cook spaghetti until al dente, drain, and set aside.
2.) Heat small skillet over medium heat with 1 t. butter. Add onion and cook until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add mushrooms to the same skillet and saute until golden brown. Stir in peas and ham, and cook until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. Toss mixture with cooked pasta and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.
3.) In the same skillet, add another pat of butter and heat over medium-low. Salt and pepper the egg, and cook until the whites set  but yolk is still runny, about 4 minutes. Slide egg on top of pasta.

Ham and Grilled Pineapple Melt

I've been on a real sandwich-kick lately. Due to a busy school, extracurricular, and studying for the GRE (aka the World's Biggest Vocabulary Test) schedule, slapping ingredients on slices of bread makes for some good, quick eats.

Although I love my PB&J's, our relationship has fizzled a bit. Sorry, honey. It's not you, it's me. We're on a temporary break. So being on the rebound, when I saw this recipe on Closet Cooking, the Hawaiian-ish ingredients intrigued me.  I'm afraid transportation to the islands is going to have to come in sandwich form for the poor college student.

The grilled pineapple makes the sandwich. Its sugars caramelize on the surface and work well with the salty ham. If you wanted to be truly Hawaiian, throw a slice of Spam on there. You could also wear a coconut bra and hula skirt to get the full effect, but make sure those hula fronds don't get too close to the grill. The only thing we want melting is the cheddar cheese.

Ham and Grilled Pineapple Melt    Makes 1 Sandwich
2 slices whole-wheat bread, toasted
2 t. dijon mustard
A few slices of deli ham
2 slices pineapple (I used canned, pre-cut)
1 slice sharp cheddar cheese
Splash of Worcestershire sauce
1.) Preheat grill pan to medium-high heat. Add pineapple and grill for about 2 minutes per side, or until brown grill marks form.
2.) Toast bread. Spread dijon mustard on one side of the sandwich. Top with the ham, pineapple, and cheddar cheese. Broil in the oven until the cheese melts. Add a splash of worcestershire sauce on top of the cheese.

Spicy Steak and Bok Choy Stir-Fry

Sometimes I get cravings for a juicy slab of grilled steak. Medium-rare. It's the cavewoman in me.

And then I remember:
1. I'm in college.
2. Textbooks are a huge money scam.
3. I'm planning on going to graduate school.
4. I don't have an outdoor grill.

Ipso facto, I'm not exactly rollin' in the Benjamins. Right now it's more like wallowing in the Washingtons. Cheap cuts of steak will have to be my filet mignon stand-in for the time being. The good news is these steaks work well in stir-frys-- and taste good, of course.  Stir-frying the steak is fast and simple, so I can get back to my plans of becoming a kajillionaire before age 25. Maybe I'll go into the textbook printing business.

Spicy Steak and Bok Choy Stir-Fry    Serves: 2
1/2 lb. skirt, flank, or top sirloin, sliced thinly across the grain
1/2 small head of bok choy
4 oz. dried rice noodles
1/2 T. vegetable oil
1 T. lime juice
1/2 T. soy sauce
1/2 t. sugar
dash of hot pepper flakes
1 t. minced fresh ginger
salt
pepper
1 T. cashews
1.) Whisk vegetable oil, lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, hot pepper flakes, ginger, and pepper together in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
2.) Cut the bok choy leaves off the stems and give them a rough chop. Reserve the stems for a later use.
2.) Boil noodles according to package directions. During the last minute or so, toss in the bok choy leaves, blanching them so they're bright green and crisp-tender. Drain noodles and add to the bowl with the sauce mixture.
3.) Salt and pepper the meat. Heat a medium-sized skillet over high heat with 1 tsp. vegetable oil. When oil starts to smoke, add the steak and cook until all sides are golden brown. (This moves quickly!) Remove from heat and toss with noodles. Top with cashews, if desired.

Wacky Chocolate Cake

My Aunt Paula sent me this recipe in a card for my 21st birthday. (And no, there's no booze in it.) So why is it wacky? Well, coming from my Aunt Paula, I wasn't quite sure what to think. She's educated me on plenty of wacky subjects, such as "barking spiders", "busie halters", and the precise definition for "caddywhompus."

Turns out the cake is "wacky" because it uses no eggs, milk, or butter. A little researching (ahem, Wikipedia) showed it was developed during the depression when these items were hard to come by. Even though it lacks any sort of dairy, it's really good. The cake is moist and chocolately--oh, and cheap! So, I now need to thank my Aunt Paula for educating me on yet another subject: cheapass chocolate treats. You rock!

Wacky Chocolate Cake     Makes 1 8 x 8 Cake
1.5 cups flour
1 cup sugar
3 T. cocoa powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
6 T. vegetable oil
1 T. white vinegar
1 t. vanilla extract
1 cup cold water
( I also added 1 t. instant coffee to make the chocolate flavor stand out)

For Icing:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 T. butter
splash of milk
pinch of salt

1.)Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.)Stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Pour into an 8 x 8 pan and make 3 depressions: 1 large for oil, 1 medium for vinegar, and 1 small for vanilla. Pour cold water over the top and stir with a fork until well mixed.
3.) Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the center of the cake is set.

Icing: 
Bring ingredients to a boil in small saucepan. Stir and pour over warm cake.

Apricot Shrimp Salad

I'm not sure where to begin with this post. All I can think of is, "durr, apricots, shrimp, and cucumber are good." How descriptive.

In the time I've taken to write this, I've successfully:

- listened to the Glee soundtrack;

- checked my email;

- checked my facebook;

- discussed the monstrosities of tequila intake with my mother;

- read the same sentence of Gorgias by Plato around 5 times;

- checked facebook...still no new notifications. My friends are worthless.

Before I inevitably become distracted by the kidnapper movie my roommate is watching, let's work with the basic facts. This salad is good. Really good. The combination of cucumber, apricot, shrimp, and feta is refreshing. Don't fear the dried apricot! It's really what makes the salad unique. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to finish my Plato reading...after the kidnapper movie, of course. 

Apricot Shrimp Salad    Serves: 1

1/2 T. lime juice

1 t. olive oil

7-8 pre-cooked shrimp, thawed

3 dried apricots, quartered

1/4 of a cucumber, thinly sliced

1 T. red onion, finely chopped

1 T. fresh cilantro, chopped

1-2 T. feta cheese

Handful of mixed salad greens

Salt

Pepper

1.) In a small bowl, whisk lime juice, olive oil, and a dash of salt and pepper together. Add shrimp, apricots, cucumber, red onion, and cilantro. Toss to coat.

2.) Add a handful of salad greens to your serving bowl. Pile shrimp on top of the greens, and add feta cheese. Sprinkle on additional salt and pepper, if necessary. 

Minted Pea Mash

Ah, Chicago in the springtime. There's nothing quite like it. The mercury hits 70 degrees, birds chirp, and flowers begin blooming. Then it's 40 and sleeting the very next day.

Chicago weather is like watching the Lion King-- enjoy niceties while you can, because it can all change in an instant. Everything moves along nice and bouncily at the beginning of the movie. Oh, that Simba, what a cutie. Timon and Pumbaa? Hilarious! Even though you're having a grand ol' time watching these characters, you know the fun is not likely to last. Scar and his damn hyenas are certainly up to no good. Then BAM! Mufasa's dead.

While technology allows me to skip over Mufasa's tragic death (yeah, I'm 21), unfortunately there is no invention that can fast-forward Chicago's unpredictable spring weather. So, sometimes you gotta take matters into your own hands. Er, in this case, mash it up in your food processor. This minted pea mash is bright and springy-- perfect as a spread on sandwiches or even as a dip. When Spring starts getting an attitude and being crummy, whip up this easy mash that will remind you of when the Season wasn't acting like a total punk.

Minted Pea Mash    Makes about 1/2 cup
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 t. butter
Salt
Pepper
1/2 T. lemon juice
2 T. ( or one sprig) fresh mint, roughly chopped
1.) In a small skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add peas and cook, while stirring, until warmed through.
2.) Transfer peas to a food processor and pulse until pureed. Add in lemon juice, salt, pepper, and mint, and pulse until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed. Serve as a side, spread, or dip.

Adapted from: Everyday Food

Egg Salad with Cilantro-Lime Mayo

It's the beginning of a new term and I'm already swamped. So, sandwiches make for a fast dinner when you've got microeconomics nagging your brain. With these principles in mind, a little cost-benefit analysis shows whipping up egg salad is truly a yummy benefit that's low on cost-- money and time-wise.

But since I'm always on the hunt for interesting little food twists, plain ol' egg salad wasn't going to cut it. My Dad ordered an egg salad sandwich over spring break called the "Bronx Bomber", which was loaded with pastrami and a heaping scoop of egg salad on top. That's a bit too frightening for my tastes. I worry about sandwiches that end with "bomber"-- it works both ways, if ya know what I mean.

The cilantro-lime mayo is an awesome egg salad upgrade. There's hot sauce in it for a little heat, too. You can leave it out (pansy!), but it does add a nice kick. Serve with hearty bread for a top-notch sandwich.

Egg Salad with Cilantro-Lime Mayo       Serves: 1
2 eggs, hard-boiled
1 T. mayonnaise
1 T. red onion, finely chopped
1 green onion stalk, chopped
1/2 to 1 T. freshly chopped cilantro (to taste)
1 T. lime juice
Salt
Pepper
A couple shakes of hot sauce
2 slices hearty bread, toasted
1.) Peel and chop the hard-boiled eggs. Set aside.
2.) In a small bowl, stir together the mayo, red onion, green onion, cilantro, and lime juice. Add in a pinch of salt and healthy dash of pepper. Mix in chopped eggs and shake on desired amount of hot sauce.
3.) Pile the egg salad onto your freshly toasted bread. Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Sausage Skewers

This recipe caught my eye for a few reasons. For one, it involves copious amounts of colorful vegetables. Secondly, it uses pre-cooked chicken sausages which is a wonderful time saver. Not to mention I'm terrified of undercooked chicken. I blame my roommate for fear-mongering. She never fails to exclaim the dangers of raw chicken, mostly by detailing the "shootie pooties." Yikes.

Also, food just tastes better while skewered on a stick. Think about it-- lollipops would revert to just a plain ol' piece of hard candy, caramel apples would be a sticky pain in the rear, and corn dogs simply become a, uh, deep-fried weiner. And where would State Fairs be with stick-less foodstuffs? It would be a different America, my friend. Probably a healthier one, too.

I adapted this recipe from the Food Network Magazine I picked up while stranded at the D.C. airport. Sure, Saveur looked pretty great, Food & Wine was equally as tempting, but I couldn't resist Paula Deen's face plastered on the front of FN Mag. Hey, when you're flight's canceled and you feel like you're going to subsist on Auntie Anne's Pretzels for the next 1204309 hours, Paula's like a reassuring hug. And the sausage skewers are pretty dang good, too.

Grilled Chicken Sausage Skewers    Serves: 2
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into chunks
2 links pre-cooked chicken sausage (any flavor. I used sun-dried tomato. Yum!)
1/4 red onion, cut into chunks
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
1 T. olive oil
Salt and Pepper
4 wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least 15 minutes (so they don't burn)
1.) Toss the bell pepper, sausage, onion and tomatoes in a bowl with 1 T. olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
2.) Thread onto skewers, alternating the sausage and vegetables.
3.) Preheat grill or grill pan to medium. Grill the skewers until the vegetables are slightly softened and the sausage is charred, about 12-14 minutes. Brush some olive oil on the skewers if needed during the cooking time. Serve with rice or whatever side dish you like. I stirred some lemon juice and fresh herbs into leftover white rice--it was delicious!