One Cold Away

For the last week and a half I have had a cold. It had a horrible cough that kept me up most of the night. It came to a head this morning when I lost my voice completely.

I went to the doctor early this morning to find out I have an ear and throat infection. The doctor told me that my throat was actually very horrible looking. So I received some antibiotics and was sent on my way.

After taking my first dose I decided I was feeling well enough to cook. I wanted a one-pot meal that didn’t take any effort to cook but would give me the important vitamins I needed!

Spinach and Cannelloni Beans

1 Cup Fresh Spinach or 1/2 Cup Frozen Spinach

1 Piece of Bacon, Minced

1 Tablespoon Onion, Minced

1 Tablespoon Butter

1 Roasted Red Pepper, Sliced

1/4 Cup Chicken Stock

1/2 Can Cannelloni Beans (also called Kidney Beans)

Salt and Pepper

In a large saucepan over medium-low heat melt the butter. Add the bacon and onions to butter and sauté for approximately 5 minutes or until the onions are soft. Add red pepper and just toss in pan. If you’re using fresh spinach add the chicken stock first and then fresh spinach. Cover and cook until spinach is just starting to wilt, about 3 to 5 minutes. If using frozen spinach, add both chicken stock and spinach. Cook only until the stock begins to simmer, about 2 minutes. Rinse cannelloni beans and add, toss in pan with salt and pepper. Cook until the stock has reduced by half, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Mmm... Bacon

There are many factors for how and what you cook. It’s influenced by your heritage, where you live, and the availability of products. Your heritage is a constant but the other factors are changing variables.

The majority of my heritage is German, which effects what I cook. My food has a bold taste and generally has bacon. Now living in Southern California I am open to new produce to apply these flavors to.

I want to put this flavor to zucchini. When I was young, my mother used zucchini for a variety of dishes. I adored the way zucchini could be used for recipes either sweet or savory. A zucchini is also a perfect serving for one.

Gratin Style Zucchini

1 Zucchini, cut in matchsticks

1 Tablespoon Bacon Fat, or Butter

1 Tablespoon Onion, minced

1/2 Piece of Bacon, minced

1 Teaspoon Flour

1/2 Cup Chicken Broth

1/3 Cup Parmesan

1 Teaspoon Thyme

Add bacon fat or butter into a pan over medium heat. Once the fat is hot add zucchini and sauté until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove zucchini from pan and put aside. Add onions to the pan and cook for a minute then add bacon and flour. Cook for one more minute. You will notice that the flour has absorbed the butter or bacon fat. It’s important to cook after adding the flour to ensure the flour has lost its flavor. Add chicken broth and stir for about 2 minutes before you add the Parmesan and thyme. Return the zucchini to the pan coating it the sauce and cook for one more minute.

The Recipe Heard Around Facebook

Chick-Fil-A is an amazing chicken fast food restaurant. My exposure to the fine chicken delicacies had been limited but their wonderfully simple sandwiches call to me. A lightly floured chicken breast on a honey wheat bun with sweet pickles: straightforward and scrumptious.

A friend had worked at one during high school and he divulged a bit of their secrets. The chicken comes prepackaged in a secret buttermilk mixture that the restaurant adds some pickle juice to. The breasts are then dredged in their secret flour mixture and fried.

One of the new additions is the Chick-Fil-A sauce. A brilliant combination of BBQ sauce and honey mustard that is fantastic on the sandwiches. My addiction to this sauce and sandwiches led me to creating the Chick-Fil-A Chicken Salad.

Chicken Salad (Chick-Fil-A style)

1 Cup Chicken Breast

1 Tablespoon Butter

1 Tablespoon Pickle Juice

1 Tablespoon Honey

1 Tablespoon Mustard

1 Tablespoon Mayonnaise

1 1/2 Tablespoons Barbeque Sauce

1 Teaspoon Thyme

Bacon (optional)

Cook the chicken breast in butter and pickle juice. The pickle juice adds a great flavor and adds moisture to the chicken. Mix rest of ingredients in bowl and add chicken while its still warm. This helps the flavors penetrate the chicken even more. Fridge for at least an hour before serving. I like to top my sandwich with some bacon, then again who wouldn’t?

A Bit of History

Growing up involved an evolution of food shows. It was mostly my father and I who would watch them while the rest of the family was in the backyard. When I was very young, I remember some Julia Child. All I could focus on was they way she spoke. It reminded me of Chef from the Muppet show.

The program that really got through to me was Great Chefs of the World. All the food they cooked seems so elegant, beautiful, and delicious! The produce and cooking styles were so complex and… well bizarre! They used scallops a lot and in fantastic ways. The farthest I had explored was just searing them at my grandfather’s house.

There is a list of ways I like scallops now and my favorite is with bacon. Hey, we could all use a bit more bacon in the diet! Another plus is when you go to the grocery store to pick up some bacon and beer you can have a cashier ask you “So what else are you doing today besides the eating bacon and drinking beer?”

Mustard Crusted Bacon Wrapped Scallops

4 Scallops

Enough Cooked Bacon to Wrap Scallops

3 Tablespoons Breadcrumbs

1 Tablespoon Herbes de Provence

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1 Tablespoon Whole Grain Mustard

1 Splash of Worcestershire

Toothpicks

Butter

Lemon Wedges

When cooking bacon the best way to do it is on a rack in the oven at 400° for 10 to 15 minutes. That way you don’t deal with a mess on your stovetop. Also by cooking it only till soft later in the week if you want a piece for breakfast you can re-heat in a frying pan without making it too crispy. Save the bacon fat in the fridge. It makes a great fat to cook in.

Mix together breadcrumbs and herbs in one bowl. In another bowl stir the mustards and Worcestershire. Once bacon is cool wrap each scallop in a piece of bacon and pin together with toothpick. In some situations, depending on the size of your bacon and scallops, you may only use half of a piece of bacon. After the bacon is pin with toothpicks, dip exposed sides of scallop in to the mustard mixture and then in to the breadcrumbs.

Heat a fry pan to medium heat then add a tablespoon of butter to the pan. Add scallops and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Make sure the crust is brown on both sides and they are ready to serve with the lemon wedges. They are perfect when you just squeeze a little lemon over them right before eating!