in my early twenties, when i started newfoodtuesdayz my readership was pretty limited. thank god. just kidding. it is a wonderful documentation of my life and my "schooling" in the kitchen. but back then, the only people checking out my life (because we know they weren't coming for the food) were friends and family. mostly, my parents. 

they were super supportive, allowing me to write (mostly uncensored) about my life which often included them. especially during the years i lived with them. not that i didn't communicate with them every day, but they were able to see a different side of me through reading the blog. as i got busy, and fell off the blog wagon for a year, so did they. and when i started back up, they never really got back on the train. and lately, i've been giving them a bit of trouble about it. but i now know that they have come back to the fold. because i definitely heard about it when i didn't give my mother credit for my lemon ceasar salad recipe. so let me make it up to you mom. 

this recipe is my favorite dish from my childhood. i would ask my mother to make it any time it was my choice for a special meal. but this dish is so much more than that. this is my first memory of really GOOD homemade food. simple, beautiful, delicious food. there isn't a lot of muss or fuss, but when done well, the flavors sing. it was the first recipe i asked for when i had my first kitchen at twenty. i learned to cook chicken properly with this dish. how to season food with this sauce. how to make food sing the way my mom did. she will never cop to it, but she is a great cook who taught me what good food was. and for that, i'm eternally grateful. 

chicken diane
serves: 4
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes
total time: 20 minutes
ingredients: 1.5 lbs chicken tenders (or pounded chicken breasts if you can't find tenders). 2 tbs butter. 2 tbs olive oil. 2 tbs lemon juice. 3 tbs brandy. 1 tbs dijon mustard. 2 green onions, green and light green parts, sliced. 1 garlic clove, minced. .25 cup chicken stock. 2 tbs parsley, chopped. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp pepper. aluminum foil. 

start by patting your chicken dry with a paper towel and season both sides well with half the salt and pepper. in a large pan, combine half the butter and olive oil. cook over medium high heat until the butter starts to sizzle.

add in your chicken in an even layer. if you can't cook the chicken all at once with out crowding the pan, do it in two batches. 

cook the chicken with out disturbing it until lightly golden on both sides, flipping once. about 3-4 minutes.

set the chicken onto a plate or dish and cover with aluminum foil to rest. 

add the remaining olive oil to the pan with the brandy, dijon, lemon juice garlic and green onions. 

season with half the remaining salt and pepper and saute the onions and garlic, scraping up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

when the liquid has reduced and is almost gone, add in the chicken stock, butter, half the parsley and remaining salt and pepper. stir well and cook until the butter has melted.

remove from the heat, add the chicken back to the pan.

garnish with remaining parsley.

serve hot with sauce spooned over the top. 

xo, a

chicken diane
serves: 4
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes
total time: 20 minutes
ingredients: 1.5 lbs chicken tenders (or pounded chicken breasts if you can't find tenders). 2 tbs butter. 2 tbs olive oil. 2 tbs lemon juice. 3 tbs brandy. 1 tbs dijon mustard. 2 green onions, green and light green parts, sliced. 1 garlic clove, minced. .25 cup chicken stock. 2 tbs parsley, chopped. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp pepper. aluminum foil.
start by patting your chicken dry with a paper towel and season both sides well with half the salt and pepper. in a large pan, combine half the butter and olive oil. cook over medium high heat until the butter starts to sizzle. add in your chicken in an even layer. if you can't cook the chicken all at once with out crowding the pan, do it in two batches. cook the chicken with out disturbing it until lightly golden on both sides, flipping once. about 3-4 minutes. set the chicken onto a plate or dish and cover with aluminum foil to rest. add the remaining olive oil to the pan with the brandy, dijon, lemon juice garlic and green onions. season with half the remaining salt and pepper and saute the onions and garlic, scraping up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. when the liquid has reduced and is almost gone, add in the chicken stock, butter, half the parsley and remaining salt and pepper. stir well and cook until the butter has melted. remove from the heat, add the chicken back to the pan. garnish with remaining parsley. serve hot with sauce spooned over the top. 

after a night away in palm springs, i'm feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. wes and i cooked our fist plated dinner party saturday night and it was AWESOME. since i left my former career in fashion for a life of cooking, it has definitely been a shock to my system. every event has been something brand new that i have never done before and i am TERRIBLE with nerves any time i do something new. 

basically i've been a nervous wreck for almost a year now. 

but saturday, for the first time since i started cooking professionally i actually FELT like a professional. the meal came out flawless, wes and i were in sync and the clients and their guests were thrilled. it was a home run. and there was no stress. i new we had it handled from prep to final clean up. and that feeling, is priceless. 

with my new found piece of mind, i'm getting back in the kitchen to whip up one of my favorite dishes from saturday night's meal. 

shrimp cakes + parsley aioli
serves: 4
prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 20 minutes
inactive time: 20 minutes
total time: 1 hour
ingredients: 1 lb shrimp peeled, deveined & tails removed. 2 tbs garlic herb butter. 1 celery stalk, finely chopped. 1 shallot, finely chopped. 2 green onions, finely chopped. 2 tbs finely chopped bell pepper. 2 garlic cloves, minced. 3 tbs chopped flat leaf parsley. 1 cup panko (japanese bread crumbs). .25 cup mayonnaise. .25 cup greek yogurt. 1 egg. juice of .5 lemon. 1 tsp worcestershire sauce. 3 dashes hot sauce. 1 tbs salt. .5 tbs pepper. 3 tbs vegetable oil. mixed greens for serving.

start by patting your shrimp dry and seasoning it well with .5 tsp of the salt and .25 tsp of the pepper.

in a large pan, heat the butter over medium heat.

when the butter has melted, add in the shrimp in an even layer. 

cook, flipping once about 2 minutes aside. just till the shrimp is pink.

remove the shrimp from the heat and allow to cool to room temp. about 10 minutes. while the shrimp is cooking, reserve 1 tbs of the green onions and 1 tbs of the shallot. also reserve 1 tsp of garlic and 1 tsp of parsley. in a small bowl, combine the greek yogurt and mayonnaise and set it aside.

in a large bowl, combine the remaining green onions, shallots, garlic, parsley, the celery, the bell pepper and half the panko.

roughly mix everything together, season with 1 tsp salt and .5 tsp pepper and set it aside. in a food processor, chop the shrimp till it is in small chunks. you can always do this step by hand if need be.

add the shrimp, into the veggies and roughly mix. finely, add in the egg, half the greek yogurt and mayo mixture and stir till combined.

lay some parchment out on a baking sheet. using your hands, make eight equal sized cakes. 

pop the shrimp cakes into the freezer for them to chill for 10 minutes. while your shrimp cakes chill, make your aioli. add the remaining garlic, shallots, green onions and parsley to the remaining greek yogurt and mayo. stir in the worcestershire, hot sauce and lemon. season with remaining salt and pepper. 

set it back in the fridge till you are ready to serve.

once your cakes have chilled, heat the oil in a large cast iron or heavy skillet. while the oil heats, sprinkle the tops of all of your cakes with the remaining panko.

when the oil is hot (you will know it is hot enough if you drop a piece of panko in the oil and it sizzles), fry your cakes in batches, careful not to over crowd your pan. cook each cake until dark brown and crisped on both sides.

about 5 minutes a side.

when your cake is cooked, remove it to a drying rack or paper towel lined plate to dry off the excess oil.

serve hot with some mixed greens and parsley aioli. 

xo, a

shrimp cakes + parsley aioli
serves: 4
prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 20 minutes
inactive time: 20 minutes
total time: 1 hour
ingredients: 1 lb shrimp peeled, deveined & tails removed. 2 tbs garlic herb butter. 1 celery stalk, finely chopped. 1 shallot, finely chopped. 2 green onions, finely chopped. 2 tbs finely chopped bell pepper. 2 garlic cloves, minced. 3 tbs chopped flat leaf parsley. 1 cup panko (japanese bread crumbs). .25 cup mayonnaise. .25 cup greek yogurt. 1 egg. juice of .5 lemon. 1 tsp worcestershire sauce. 3 dashes hot sauce. 1 tbs salt. .5 tbs pepper. 3 tbs vegetable oil. mixed greens for serving.
start by patting your shrimp dry and seasoning it well with .5 tsp of the salt and .25 tsp of the pepper. in a large pan, heat the butter over medium heat. when the butter has melted, add in the shrimp in an even layer. cook, flipping once about 2 minutes aside. just till the shrimp is pink. remove the shrimp from the heat and allow to cool to room temp. about 10 minutes. while the shrimp is cooking, reserve 1 tbs of the green onions and 1 tbs of the shallot. also reserve 1 tsp of garlic and 1 tsp of parsley. in a small bowl, combine the greek yogurt and mayonnaise and set it aside. in a large bowl, combine the remaining green onions, shallots, garlic, parsley, the celery, the bell pepper and half the panko. roughly mix everything together, season with 1 tsp salt and .5 tsp pepper and set it aside. in a food processor, chop the shrimp till it is in small chunks. you can always do this step by hand if need be. add the shrimp, into the veggies and roughly mix. finely, add in the egg, half the greek yogurt and mayo mixture and stir till combined. lay some parchment out on a baking sheet. using your hands, make eight equal sized cakes. pop the shrimp cakes into the freezer for them to chill for 10 minutes. while your shrimp cakes chill, make your aioli. add the remaining garlic, shallots, green onions and parsley to the remaining greek yogurt and mayo. stir in the worcestershire, hot sauce and lemon. season with the remaining salt and pepper. set it back in the fridge till you are ready to serve. once your cakes have chilled, heat the oil in a large cast iron or heavy skillet. while the oil heats, sprinkle the tops of all of your cakes with the remaining panko. when the oil is hot (you will know it is hot enough if you drop a piece of panko in the oil and it sizzles), fry your cakes in batches, careful not to over crowd your pan. cook each cake until dark brown and crisped on both sides. about 5 minutes a side. when your cake is cooked, remove it to a drying rack or paper towel lined plate to dry off the excess oil. serve hot with some mixed greens and parsley aioli.