SAUSAGE & KALE STEW WITH OLIVE OIL MASHED POTATOES

mr. miles everett

first off, as you can see, i have not been contributing to my poor deprived blog. the last post was in april, which was when i found out i was pregnant with my first baby. a couple things were going on then: 1) i was too nauseous to even think about food (being pregnant is NOT a foodie's friend in the first trimester), then 2) when i finally got my appetite back, all i wanted was take out. i probably won't have time in the new year with a new baby, but i will try to post something at least once a month because blogging about food makes me happy and one of resolutions is to cook more. don't be surprised, however, if my next post are lactation cookies or baby food.

anyway…on with my comeback...

i found saw this recipe in the november issue of real simple and knew i wanted to make it. i assumed it was something that can be whipped up in a couple hours, but then quickly realized that it was a slow cooker recipe, which would take 8 hours of cooking time. so, i had to choose a time when i could make it in the afternoon for dinner that night.

typically for christmas dinner, the husband and i order a honey baked ham and i make all the sides. this year was not like any other…my new baby arrived the beginning of december and there was no way i'd be able to pull together any extensive sides or a dinner. the best thing about slow cooker recipes is that you literally put all the ingredients in, press a button, & wah-lah…dinner! this was exactly what we needed, plus i wanted to try something new. another bonus from this recipe is that i found a new way to make mashed potatoes…instead of using butter, you use better-for-you olive oil and the flavor is amazing!

also, good to know that this serves 6 and each serving is 459 calories; 26g fat (5g saturated); 25mg cholesterol; 1,196mg sodium; 19g protein; 39g carbohydrates; 7g sugar; 5g fiber; 4mg iron; 160mg calcium

SAUSAGE & KALE STEW WITH OLIVE OIL MASHED POTATOES
posted on real simple magazine in november 2013 issue

• 1lb sweet italian sausage links, casings removed & broken into pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 28oz can diced tomatoes
• 2T tomato paste
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1c water
• salt & pepper
• 2 large russet potatoes (about 1lb)
• 1 small bunch kale, stems removed and leaves torn (about 7c)
• 1/2c milk
• 1/2c olive oil, plus extra for serving

combine sausage, onion, tomatoes & juices, tomato paste, garlic, water 3/4t each of salt & pepper in a 4-6qt slow cooker. nestle the potatoes in the liquid. top with kale.

cover & cook until potatoes are tender, on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

transfer the potatoes to a medium bowl. add milk, oil, and 1/2t each of salt & pepper. mash.

serve the stew topped with the mashed potatoes. drizzle more olive oil, if desired.

my yummy tip: you can prep this the night before by combining everything, except the sausage and kale. refrigerate, covered. then, just add sausage and kale in the morning to start stewing.

CHICKEN PICCATA & LEMON BRUSSEL SPROUTS

one of my favorite notes in food is sour, usually from lemons. a dish that i think really captures this flavor profile is chicken piccata. i love this and it's incredibly easy to make. the added bonus for me are the capers, which add to the sour note. it seems like there are ways to adjust this recipe by either using white wine and/or garlic, which i may experiment with, especially since i just prepared a julia child's moules a la mariniere recipe that called for these ingredients and it was super delicious (post to follow)!

the other, very trendy side i wanted were lemon brussel sprouts. i've had and loved brussels with bacon, but to keep with the lemony theme, i found this extremely delicious recipe! it calls to add cheese, but i was fine without it.

these combined may be too much of the same for some, but it is what i considered a perfect homemade meal.

CHICKEN PICCATA
posted on food on the food on march 1, 2012

• 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/3 c all-purpose flour
• 4-5 T olive oil
• 3/4 c chicken stock
• 1/3 c fresh lemon juice (about 1-2 lemons)
• 1/4 c capers
• 2 T finely chopped parsley
• 2 T unsalted butter

wash & dry chicken in cold water. either butterfly each breast or cut all the way for a bigger piece or two thin slices, depending on what you like/need.

season breast with salt & pepper and dredge in flour. shake off excess.

heat 3 T of olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. in two batches, cook the chicken until brown, about 3 mins on each side. add more oil as needed to the next batch. set aside.

add stock, lemon juice, and capers to the empty pan. bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

add chicken and juices to the pan. simmer uncovered on low until sauce is reduced and chicken is heated through, about 5 mins. remove chicken, set aside. whisk butter and parsley into sauce. spoon sauce over chicken and serve.

LEMON BRUSSEL SPROUTS

posted on babble on november 10, 2010

• 1 lb brussel sprouts, washed, trimmed, & halved
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 t salt
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1/4 t salt (more if you'd like)
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 3 T pecorino romano or parmesan (i didn't use this, but had it on the side for anyone who wanted it - aka the husband)

preheat oven to 375° F. toss brussel sprouts in olive oil and arrange on baking sheet. cook for 35-45 mins until edges are dark brown & slightly crisp, flipping at the halfway point. move to large serving bowl.

meanwhile, combine lemon zest, juice, and salt. slowly whisk in olive oil until thickened and emulsified. toss the brussel sprouts with the dressing. add salt as needed and cheese, if preferred, and serve.

ALEXANDER'S STEAKHOUSE INVITES A BEAR FOR HIS BIRTHDAY

it's been quite awhile since i posted and if you missed me, i apologize.

cute ox origami at the hostess desk

for my first post of the year, i wanted to highlight a wonderful night spent at alexander's steakhouse for the husband's (aka "bear") birthday. i call him bear because he's a little hairy, cuddly, docile, and bigger than me (in the picture below, i'm wearing 4in heels and barely shoulder height).

there are so many places i'd love to take him to experience food, but was inspired by a post from my friend regina when she took a friend for an expensive steak dinner. i thought this would be the perfect place to celebrate the husband - he likes steak and good food and i was intrigued by the restaurant that took the place of bacar.

the service is impeccable - a little too informational at times, but outstanding nonetheless. the ambience can be romantic, intimate, cool, whatever you need it to be depending on your visit. what's also very interesting about alexander's that sets itself apart from other steakhouses is that it has japanese influence. you come to alexander's to try the coveted wagyu and the fusion in other courses, like the hamachi shooters. i can't wait to have another reason to come back.

we started with an amuse bouche. i honestly can't remember what was i this little cube, but it was nutty and the saffron threads were nice.

i then got a refreshing beet salad. the beets were prepared perfectly - sweet, crisp, tender.

then we ordered hamachi shooters, which was beyond amazing! i could've just had multiple servings of this. the flavors of sweet, salty, tangy, were wonderful together.

to prepare for the main course, we got a kiwi palate cleanser.

so, i did say that you come here for the wagyu, but i couldn't help myself to the glorious 24oz dry-aged bone-in new york strip. i had them prepare it with a trio of salts and a roasted lemon. it was heavenly!

for dessert, we ordered the warm sticky toffee pudding. the toffee and date cake were great, but it was the thai tea ice cream that was show stopper. i would get this again!

one of the reason's i also chose alexander's to celebrate his birthday was that i saw cotton candy was part of the experience...ours was cherry flavored and it was fun!

just when i thought the dinner was coming to a close, out came an additional birthday dessert.

i didn't get a picture of my drink, which was amazing! it was called shiso bomb. one thing alexander's likes to do are puns and play on words to name their signature cocktails, the husband got a drink called miso honey...haha! anyway, i wish i took a picture of my drink because it was exceptionally made for me. it was sour and refreshing - hangar one kaffir lime, lime juice, ginger, & brown sugar. i also didn't take a shot of the glasses of cava they gave us to toast his birthday or the additional treats at the end, mexican wedding cookies, chocolate madelines, and black currant macarons. such an amazing place to spend a special celebration.

i'm pretty sure this was a great day for the husband. he got star wars x-wing fighter legos (doesn't he look like he's 14 again with his braces?), cotton candy, steak, and a day that was truly dedicated to him and all the things and people he love! happy BEAR day, here's to many more!