Keep Calm and Carry On: The Diary of Foodie and Gourmet

Sometimes I like to give myself a "Top Chef"-style challenge forcing myself to get creative and come up with a delicious meal using whatever I already have in the house. On this occasion, after rummaging through the fridge and pantry, I discovered I had the following items: chicken thighs, potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, and harissa. Next question: what the heck do I do with all of this? I've baked chicken thighs and roasted veggies more times than I can count, so doing this made sense. The adventure would be incorporating the harissa. I'll be honest, I'm still not totally sure why I have harissa, but I was excited to use it. The one problem? Since I'd never really cooked with it before, I didn't know how to gauge the heat. I didn't want to under season the chicken, but at the same time, I didn't want my mouth to be a volcano of heat. Hoping for the best, I decided to use 1 tbsp. This ended up teetering on the spicy side, so I could probably use l

A few months ago I was hosting a dinner party and I wanted to make something different. I have my usual repertoire of party dishes, but on this night, I was feeling adventurous. As you guys may or may not know, I am a fan of Buzzfeed's TASTY app, so I began to browse for recipes. I was intrigued by the "baked chicken cordon bleu" recipe. I love cordon bleu and I found the idea of it being baked with puff pastry very interesting. And just like that, I had my dinner main dish selected! With all my groceries purchased, I began to prep my meal. I seasoned the chicken, filled/rolled with the cheese and ham, and then wrapped my chicken parcels with puff pastry. I did this a few hours before the party. Before my guests arrived, I egg washed the parcels and tossed them into the oven to bake. All in all, I found the recipe to be pretty easy and straightforward. It was slightly labor intensive, but not crazy difficult.  So, I will be honest, this recipe was OK, but probabl

New year calls for new recipes. Also, my freezer is packed and needs decompressing. After taking an inventory of what is in my freezer, inspiration hit me, I broke out the slow cooker with the intention of making a yummy dinner. I recall a few months back seeing a recipe online that required andouille sausage and chicken and, lucky for me, I had both of these items frozen in my freezer. After pulling up the recipe, I realized that I had most of the ingredients in my kitchen too: chicken broth, diced tomatoes, garlic, onions, and various chili spices. With this realization, making this "slow cooker creole chicken & sausage stew" was a no-brainer. The original recipe I used is from Pinch of Yum -- a recipe blog I like to follow. I will admit, I did make a few modifications, but that didn't hurt the recipe. This stew was easy to prepare, easy to make, and so flavorful! Perfect for cold weather. The original recipe suggests serving with rice, which is fine, but I a

The other night, I asked my other half what he wanted for dinner and he said “chicken.” We’ve fallen into a bit of a chicken routine, usually making one of the following: roast chicken, baked chicken thighs, or baked chicken wings. Granted, seasonings change occasionally, but even then, it’s usually some variation of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and old bay. I’m the kind of person who likes variety and to try new things. My other half isn’t very picky and can’t eat the same thing everyday. I cannot. I mean, if we have leftovers from the night before, that I will eat, but if you make me eat baked chicken thighs every single day for a week, that will drive me crazy. The same idea applies to preparation. I need to mix up how I cook things, otherwise, I get caught in a rut, which make me cranky. So, knowing that I was going to make chicken for dinner, I consulted my TASTY app for a recipe. Just a side note --- FULL DISCLOSURE: I DO NOT WORK FOR TASTY, I JUST REALLY L

Seeing that it is January 1, 2019, I thought it appropriate that my first post be about the New Year's Eve party I hosted last night. I had a bunch of my closest friends over and we spent the night laughing, grooving, eating, drinking, and making merry -- the perfect start to 2019. Every great party needs yummy food and I made an effort to make sure my guests were happy! I created a small vegetable platter, fried up some Trader Joe's chicken gyoza, baked cheese-y garlic monkey bread, and pigs in blankets. My best friend supplemented these nibbles with potato bites and pimento pepper deviled eggs. (Both were delicious) Last year, I made pigs in blankets and they were a hit! I know I could buy the frozen pre-made Hebrew National ones, but I like making the pigs in blanket from scratch. Call me crazy, but I find the whole process relaxing. I also experimented with a recipe I saw on TASTY a few weeks ago for bacon-cheese monkey bread. I've never baked monkey brea

Hi All, It’s me – your absent blogger. I know I keep appearing and disappearing, but, well, I’m back again. It’s been a crazy year, but I’m back and going to try to make more of an effort to post. I don’t know if anyone will read this, but if you are, just wanted to say hello. I know this is probably cliche, but seeing that it's New Years Day, I thought this was the right time to try to revive my blog. I am going to do my best to share my food moments with you throughout 2019. I hope to post recipes, share dining experiences, and occasionally, I'll probably throw in random posts about things I've been up to. I hope you'll stay tuned and I hope everyone has a wonderful 2019. Happy New Years!!! Cheers, Gourmet Foodie