Convection Roasted Chicken Legs

I've experimented several ways on how to make chicken in the oven that is crispy and golden on the outside, but still tender on the inside.  I also love how much quicker you can cook food with your convection oven!  The kids love these, and they're ready in 30 minutes!  Convection roasting is a technique that crisps the outside while keeping the inside moist and tender.  I marinate my chicken in soy sauce, garlic powder, and black pepper overnight or even for just a couple of hours.  Finally, I have tested the same technique at least 3 times to find that it turns out satisfactory every time! 

Pre-heat oven to Convection Roast 400 degrees.  Meanwhile, cover a pan with foil, and spray with a thin layer of canola spray.  Place the chicken legs on the foil until the oven is preheated - about 15 minutes.  When ready, put the pan in the oven and set your timer for 20 minutes.  When time is up, change your heat to 325 degrees, then set timer for 10 minutes.  When time is up, remove pan from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before eating.

Shrimp and Spinach Pizza

I've said it before, and it's still true.  Having this blog really encourages me to look for new things to cook for my family.  My husband said a few weeks ago that I've probably just about posted everything that I usually make, and I said well now I'm thinking of new recipes on my own, or I'm looking up traditional recipes that everyone makes, and trying them out on my own.  So very Julie and Julia.

This evening I made one of the best things I have to admit I've ever made.  I found some small 7 inch round Italian - style cheese blend pizza crusts at Target.  Their Archer Farms brand.  They're prebaked with Romano, Parmesan, and Asiago cheeses.  I asked Gianna what she thought of a shrimp and spinach pizza, and she said YUM!  So here's how I made it.  It's just too bad she only let me have 2 bites of it!!   

Ingredients:

• Small prebaked 7 inch pizza crust
• Garlic & herb spreadable cheese
• 9 Medium shrimp (31-40 count)
• Handful of fresh spinach
• Peanut oil
• Garlic
• Black pepper
• Garlic powder
• Shredded Parmesan or Asiago cheese

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spread a generous amount of spreadable cheese onto the pizza crust.
3. Top with shredded cheese.
4. Top with spinach that has been julienned or cut into long thin strips.
5. Toss the shrimp in a light drizzle of peanut oil, season with garlic and black pepper, then place on top of the spinach.
6. Cook in the oven for 10 minutes, then top with more shredded parmesan or asiago cheese.

Ramen with Shrimp & Poached Egg

A Gianna Favorite
I needed a quick and easy lunch one day, so I thought back to the days when what I considered "cooking" consisted of making what I knew best.  Ramen noodles.  They're so quick and easy to make! 

As a poor student working to put myself through college, my pantry at least always had ramen noodles in it.  Also, I've always kept a frozen bag of shrimp in the freezer because it's so easy to add shrimp to anything.  I think I  made this a lot in my twenties. 

At least adding shrimp and egg to ramen gives you a good source of protein, and it's better than plain old noodles all alone!  When Sasha wants these, she says she wants the wormy noodles.  I think it comes from her days at Miss Selmas

Ingredients: 

• 1 Package Shrimp Flavored Ramen Noodles
• 1 Egg
• 6 Medium Sized Shrimp (31-40 count)

Directions:

1. Bring 1 and a half cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan.
2. While still inside the package, break the the ramen noodle block into 4 pieces. 
3. When the water is ready, crack the egg and drop it in.  My eggs aren't picture perfect, but they taste good to me anyway.  I like to use the tip of a chopstick to break the yolk.  Turn the heat down and cover with a lid for about 3 -- 4 minutes.
4. Run the shrimp under water to defrost, then peel them.
5. Uncover the saucepan, turn the heat back up to medium high, and when it returns to a boil, add the shrimp.  When they turn almost orange, add the noodles.  Let it come back up to a boil, add the seasoning packet, and stir gently being careful to not break the egg.
6. It may be a little croweded in the pan, but it works.  Add your favorite fresh herb.  Mine is cilantro!

Vietnamese Chicken Soup with Mushrooms and Bamboo Shoots

We love noodles of all kinds, whether they're Italian or Asian, thin or wide.  Vietnamese rice noodles come in all shapes and sizes, just like Italian pasta.  For this dish I used a "pho" style noodle which is pretty wide - slightly wider than fettucini or tagliatelle. 

I boiled half a package for about 5 minutes, then drained the noodles.  I didn't rinse with water.

I chose fresh bamboo shoots - you can find them in the refrigerator section of Asian stores like K Oriental at Rock Creek or Sam's Oriental on South University.  I prefer these over the canned variety.  Some canned bamboo shoots are great, but some can be really strong in smell.  The best, though are bamboo shoots braised in chili.  Yum!  Just cut the tips into small, bite sized pieces.

So mushrooms are the next main ingredient.  Many people use rehydrated shitake mushrooms, which actually do flavor the broth quite well.  You can also use straw mushrooms.  I decided to use abalone mushrooms.  The texture of this mushroom is silky, and the flavor is so buttery, even out of the can.  You can find them at Asian markets.

Ingredients:

• 5 chicken legs
• bamboo shoot tips
• mushrooms
• noodles
• 1 carton of chicken broth
• fish sauce
• 1 medium onion
• 3 garlic cloves

Directions:

1. Finely dice the onion.  Saute in a small amount of oil in a medium stock pot over medium high heat until tender.
2. Add minced garlic.
3. Add the chicken.  Add 2 tablespoons of fish sauce.
4. Pour the broth in, then turn up the heat to high to bring it to a boil.
5. Once it boils, cover with a lid, then reduce heat to low to simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Once the chicken is done, remove the legs and pull the meat apart.  Add meat back in with the bamboo shoots and mushrooms.
7. Cook the noodles, and serve with the soup.

This is one of my favorite soups!  Reminds me of Mom, one of the best cooks ever.

Crab and Avocado Rice Paper Rolls

It's always great to eat a light and refreshing meal - especially in the hot, humid summer of Arkansas!  This is made even easier by my local Kroger Marketplace because they're carrying more international food ingredients, so I don't have to go all the way to Southwest Little Rock to get what I need at Vietnam Market or Sam's Oriental!  You can pick up spring roll wrappers now in the international food section.

Gianna loves sushi.  She's always asking for it.  I decided that this would be a great way to give her the flavors she loves without having to actually make the sushi rice, and all that fanning, etc.

Ingredients:

• 1 Avocado
• 1 Package imitation crab
• Cilantro
• Rice paper
• Sweet Chili Sauce

Directions:

1. Take one piece of rice paper, and run it under warm water in the sink, or dunk it into a shallow dish of water.
2. Lay it on a plate.  It will take about 2 minutes for the rice paper to get soft.  Shred the crabstick into little noodle - like strips, and lay onto the rice paper.  Add strips of avocado, and cilantro.
3. Fold in the left and right hand sides of the rice paper, then roll away from you.  Dip in sweet chili sauce.

White Wine and Garlic Mussels

Some of the feedback that I've gotten from my friends is that they prefer to cook things that are quick and easy.  So here are some mussels that I picked up at Kroger Marketplace - it's just so close to my house!  And again, the brand is Private Selection.  Can you believe this 16 ounce box was on sale in the frozen seafood section for under $4?  Girls, some of you have paid a bit more for this appetizer at nice restaurants in town like So, Salut, and Ciao Baci.  Look at how easily you can have the same gourmet tapas in your own kitchen.

All you have to do is open the package, empty the mussels into a medium saucepan, turn the heat up to high, and put the lid on.  Sometimes I use my favorite little dutch oven.  After about 4 minutes, I turn the heat to medium for another 4 minutes.  Then, I remove the lid and stir.  By then, most of the mussels will be opened.  For this package, maybe 3 did not open, so I threw them in the trash.  You're not supposed to try to open those.  Could be bad for you.  But I still had about 22 that did open for me.

King Crab Legs

I buy a lot of Private Selection items at our Kroger Marketplace.  That brand really never lets me down!  So Gianna said she wasn't interested in king crab legs.  She had requested lamb chops earlier this week, so that's what she was having anyway.  My honey and I feasted on these scrumptious king crab legs just last night.  Those crab legs that you normally see on the buffet - they're usually snow crab.  These are the big daddies.

That's my husband's plate.  He is so spoiled.  The shells are already pre - cracked, but I always take the meat out of the shell for him.  He deserves it.  He works really hard for me and the girls.  Here's what the box looks like:

We've been celebrating his birthday all month.  We don't really eat like this that much!  My friend Dan manages Cajuns, a seafood restaurant in town.  He says that steaming seafood is the best way to cook them without overcooking them.  So here's how we steam our king crab legs:

My friend Jayne Caldwell calls this a flying saucer.  It's actually a steamer insert.

Here's what it looks like inside of the stockpot.  To steam 2 pounds of king crab legs, I pour 2 cups of water into the pan.  The water level doesn't reach above the insert.  I turn the heat up to high, add the crab legs, cover the lid, and let it go for about 12 minutes.  (They're frozen.)

For the butter, I melted 2 tablespoons in the microwave for 20 seconds.  You can add garlic, lemon juice, and/or parsley.  Also, it is always easier to get these things opened with crab splitters.

Turtle Cake

I don't usually "bake" much, as in cookies or cakes or bread.  But one day up at work, our Business Manager Gena brought a cake that she'd made for our General Manager Cindy on her birthday.  And I also don't usually eat sweets much, but that day I decided that since that was the case, I would indulge in Gena's Turtle Cake.  It was so delicious, I decided to make it for my husband Jereme on his birthday.

Ingredients:

• 1 Package German chocolate cake mix
• 3/4 c. butter
• 1 (14 oz.) package of Kraft caramels
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Method:

1. Pour the evaporated milk into a small saucepan over medium heat, then unwrap the caramels and add them.  Stir them to melt.
2. Combine cake mix and butter according to directions on the box.  Pour half of the batter into greased 9 x 13 inch pan.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until cake puffs up and is gooey.
4. Pour caramel mix over baked layer.
5. Top with nuts and chocolate chips. 
6. Pour remainder of batter over all and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick tests clean.

Melting Caramels

I let the girls stand on a step ladder and do the stirring for me.  They loved every minute of it.

Halfway there.

I've made many, many meals for my husband throughout the years, but this was the first time I ever baked him a cake for his birthday.  Not so sad, though!  We have feasted on king crab legs with melted butter many of those times, in which I took the meat out of the shell for him.  I was really glad to be able to make him something special when I did finally decide to bake a cake, though.  Thanks for the recipe, Gena.... 

Sauteed Calamari

During the time that I worked at Romano's Macaroni Grill, many significant events occurred that impacted my life.  I met some of my best friends:  Christy, Kristi, Frankie, and Jayne.  I celebrated my 21st birthday with a table of 14 of my closest friends.  I got that call from Jared from Nashville, Tennessee that my brother Thien was in the hospital at Vanderbilt...

My brother Thien always impressed me and my friends with his dynamic personality and humor any time we ate at Macaroni Grill and asked for his section.  I think I was with my friend Monica Horn when he sent over a special dish that was not even on the menu - sauteed calamari!   

He just wrote it up on his ticket - calamari sauteed in olive oil and garlic - and Chef Ed prepared it.  I remember my friend Amanda saying that she introduced the dish to a few other Mac Grills that she opened throughout the country.  I love making Thien's dish to this day.

When I was young, my mother had me help her clean squid from scratch.  I peeled the outer layer, removed the inside stuff, and detached the body from the tentacles.  Now, thank goodness Kroger carries this stuff ready to cook!  The girls love sauteed calamari, and I think it will be easy for them to make when they get older.

Ingredients:

• 1 Package Calamari
• 2 - 3 cloves of garlic
• Half of a white onion finely diced
• Chopped green onions - just a handful
• Half a Lime
• 2 Tablespoons of butter or olive oil
• Angel Hair Pasta
• Spinach
• Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
• Half cup of wine or chicken stock

Preparation:

1. Hopefully you found some pre-cleaned calamari that you can thaw, open up and lay out onto paper towels.  Cut the bodies in half and leave the tentacles intact.
2. Heat your oil or butter over medium high heat.  Add onions and sautee about 5 minutes until soft.  Add garlic, tomatoes, and wine or stock.  Cook about 3 minutes.
3. Next, add the calamari and spinach.  Toss around the pan with a spatula or wooden/bamboo spoon.  When the calamari turns opaque, it is ready.  (about 3 - 4 minutes)  Squeeze lemon or lime juice over it.  Very delicious over angel hair pasta and topped with asiago cheese.

Contest Winner

Congratulations to themama23 on winning the $150 gift certificate towards Le Creuset!  Sorry for this late post.  I've been celebrating my husband's birthday all week long, and the girls are starting school on Monday!  So, thanks to themama23 for liking, following, and commenting.  It was entry number 2 that I drew by the way.  Shop now at kitchenco.  Also, please email me your name at thanhrasico@gmail.com so that we can discuss how to award you your prize!  For the rest of you, what would you like to see kitchenco. give away next?

Seared Ahi Tuna

Arkansas is a landlocked state, so unless you find a market that has fish flown in fresh 2 or 3 times a week (like Terry's Finer Foods), you may rely on fish that has been flash frozen when caught.  I get my Ahi Tuna from Sam's Club because it is just that.  Another advantage is that I can have a bag full of individually wrapped filets that thaw easily overnight, and I can keep the bag on hand for a little while without it going bad.

After I thaw my ahi, or yellowfin tuna steak, I dry it on a paper towel, then season it with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.  I put my grill pan or cast iron skillet on high heat, and when it is really hot, after about 4 minutes, I spray the tuna with canola spray and add the steaks to the pan. 

After 2 or 3 minutes, I flip the steak when it's slightly browned, then repeat the other side.  When I remove the tuna from the pan, I let it rest about 10 minutes before I slice it.

I love the combination of tuna and avocado!  After I split my avocado, I douse it with lime juice, garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper.  Then I slice it thinly.  I love the hand rolls that they make in sushi or Japanese restaurants, so I decided to make a hand roll with rice paper - the wrapper that makes Vietnamese springrolls. 

I also added a perilla leaf which is similar to shiso - these herbs just taste green to me.

After I sliced my tuna, I drizzled it with ponzu, a citrus soy sauce.

After it's rolled up, it's delicious when dipped into the ponzu just before taking a bite.  Just ask my friend Neil from work!  He's not afraid to invite himself over for lunch!