sweet pickle

From Caitlin’s Kitchen: Turkey Cutlets with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Shitakes

Number of Ingredients: 10

Number of Mistakes: 0

Recipe Courtesy of: Michael Symon

Oh, it has been sooo long! 9 months. I can’t believe it. To tell you the truth, I’ve been doing as much cooking as I have blogging, which is incredibly sad. I have a list of excuses, but none of them are truly valid, so let’s hope that this will be the restart I need!

So, Trey likes to watch The Chew. I know, shocking right? If I told you one of us was obsessed with that show, you’d assume it was me, right? Surprisingly I have never seen a full episode, but Trey has become an avid watcher. I guess I shouldn’t really complain as he was the one who found this recipe, (and also the one who made it, I know, I’m cheating) but it was just so gosh darn good I had to share it, even if I didn’t make it. 

This is supposed to be Michael Symon’s take on what to do with turkey after thanksgiving, but hey, I’ll eat this any ole time. I was surprised to find already pounded turkey cutlets at my grocery store. The turkey was great, but you could easily make this with pounded chicken, or pork. The sun-dried tomatoes were lovely, and I’m kind of a marsalaholic, so this was just the perfect thing. We served  this over mashed potatoes. (The twice baked potatoes in the picture were just a fun side project!)

5 turkey cutlets, pounded thin

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, sliced

2 cups shitake mushrooms, sliced

1 shallot, sliced

1 cup Marsala (or madeira or any other wine)

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Flour, for dredging

salt and freshly cracked pepper

Heat a saucepan yo medium high. Season your flour with salt and pepper. Dredge the turkey in the flour, and brush off an excess. Add three tablespoons of oil to each pan. Add the turkey and cook for about two minutes on each side, until golden brown. 

Add the shallot and the mushrooms and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Add the Marsala and the sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for about two minutes until the liquid had reduced a little. Add the butter to thicken. Finish with parsley.

Boomy in a food coma.

From Caitlin’s Kitchen: Brown Sugar Banana Pancakes

Number of Ingredients: 9

Number of Mistakes: 0

Recipe adapted from: Martha

My final post from house sitting. I’m so sad to leave, but anxious to get back to work. I’m not used to having nothing to do all day! I will miss my girls though, Gat and Kora. Gat has one of the best smiles I have ever seen on a dog. She may be 14, but she will do everything she can to hide it from you. Kora on the other hand shows her youth, but melts your heart with her floppy ears. 

My blogging partner Jordan inspired me to make some pancakes after a recent discussion. I’ve never made banana pancakes before, and I am so confused as to why, because they are lovely. I was expecting most recipes to mash the bananas, but Martha leaves them whole and presses them into the batter. This allows them to caramelize in the pan. Martha used buttermilk in her recipe, and I wish I had some, because they would have been even better, but milk worked just fine. 

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

1 large egg

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 large ripe banana, thinly sliced

In a large bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the milk, egg, and melted butter, until combined, but still a little lumpy.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Ladle 1/3 cup of batter into the skillet and top with 4 slices of banana. Flip the pancake when small bubbles have formed. Cook on the other side for another 2 to 3 minutes. 

Serve with chopped walnuts and maple syrup. 

From Caitlin’s Kitchen: Chicken Chilaquiles

Number of Ingredients: 11

Number of Mistakes: 0

Recipe Courtesy of: Crepes of Wrath

I’m a big fan of tomatillos, but did you know you can buy them in a can, in a regular grocery store? My life has been changed! I’ve always wanted to cook with tomatillos, but was intimidated for some reason, not anymore! This dish is truly wonderful. Trey actually said, “This tastes authentic.”! This couldn’t be easier to put together and it is oh so tasty. Leftovers are my new best friend. I think next time I may add a little bit of lime juice to the tomatillo sauce to add a little acid, and probably more cheese, but other than that, shake up a margarita and enjoy!

1 packages boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese, or more if desired

2 tablespoons grated parmesan

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro

1, 12 ounce can tomatillos, drained

1, 4 ounce can green chilies, drained

1 package small corn tortillas

Place the chicken in a large pot of water and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes, until tender and cooked through. Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to375 degrees.

In a blender or food processor, add the tomatillos, cilantro, green chilies, and milk. Blend until smooth.

Once chicken has cooled, shred and then place in a large bowl. Add the chili powder, green onions, parmesan, and a 1/4 cup of pepper jack. Toss to combine.

Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Place 1/3 of the tomatillo mixture on the bottom of the pan. Cover with 4 to 6 corn tortillas. Top with 1/2 of the chicken mixture. Do another layer of tortillas and the final half of the chicken. Place one final layer of tortillas on top and then pour the remaining tomatillo sauce all over the top. Finish with the remaining pepper jack cheese and bake for 20 minutes, until cheese has melted and is bubbly goodness. 

From Caitlin’s Kitchen: Honey Mulled Wine

From Caitlin’s Kitchen: Southern Carbonara

Alright, now that I have caught up on all of my past recipes, I can bring on the new stuff! I have been waiting a long time, and finally, my yearly staycation has arrived! I’ve been house sitting for some friends for a year or two, and I always treat it like vacation. I take time off from work, and relax! The best part, aside from their adorable dogs, is their kitchen! I’m in love with it, and whenever I buy my own house I hope they can help me design my kitchen!

This is the second recipe I have used from Hugh Acheson’s cook book, and it is utterly amazing. You know how you find a new recipe and love it the first time you make it, swearing up and down you will make it again, but never for? I do that all the time. But this recipe, I know I will be making again. It is incredibly simple, inexpensive, and insanely delicious. The eggs and parmesan make this carbonara traditional, and provide a wonderful rich, creaminess. I changed Hugh’s recipe just a tad. He used country ham, while I opted for prosciutto. He chose collard greens, whereas I prefer kale. Whatever way you make this, I know you’ll love it. 

Olive Oil

1 small onion, sliced

1/4 pound prosciutto, thinly sliced

2 cups kale, chopped

salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1 pound spaghetti

2 large eggs

3/4 cup grated parmesan

2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt and add the spaghetti along with a glug of olive oil, and cook until al dente, about 9 or 10 minutes.

In a large frying pan, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Once the olive oil is hot, add the sliced onions, and cook until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the prosciutto and kale and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the eggs, 1/2 cup of the parmesan, pepper, and parsley. 

Drain the spaghetti, being sure to reserve about 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Place pasta back in the pot, add the onions, kale and prosciutto. Working quickly, add the egg and parmesan mixture, and toss together with tongs. You are trying to coat the pasta with the egg, but not scramble the egg. Serve immediately and top with remaining parmesan.