A Little Dinner Date

One of my favorite things about seeing someone new, other than false expectations, is having them over for dinner. When you live in a small apartment, there's a lot to consider. I personally believe that every move you make is likely being judged, so keep that in mind. Whenever a guy invites me over for dinner, a part of me fears he'll try to pass off pasta and Ragu as cooking, so I try to go above and beyond to quell any apprehensions. I made this bastardized French dish in a Crock Pot to seem less pretentious. The trick to romantic cooking, like cleaning, is making it seem effortless.

Dinner Date Do's:

*Make a playlist, otherwise you run the risk of that Garth Brooks song you keep on your iPod ironically, coming up on shuffle.

*Set the table and use a tablecloth if you've got one.

*Remove all incriminating/embarrassing medications and ointments from your medicine cabinet, you never know who likes to snoop...

*Scoop the litter box.

*Wash the last boy off your sheets and have plenty of fresh linens on hand.

*Have scented candles, because your house will probably smell like wine and garlic.

Crock au Vin 

You will need the following: 

3 chicken breasts

3 slices of bacon 

1/4-1/2 lb fresh mushrooms

1 carrot (sliced thin)

1 yellow onion (quartered)

2-3 cloves garlic

3/4 c red wine

1 c beef stock

fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

salt & pepper

Step 1: Tenderize and flour chicken cutlets. Cook bacon in a skillet. Set aside and discard fat.

*I use butcher's bacon, it tastes better. 

Step 2: Brown chicken on all sides (about three minutes). Remove chicken and set aside. Sautee onions, carrots and mushrooms in butter for about three minutes.

Step 3: Line crock with veggies, garlic, bay leaf and chopped bacon. Top with chicken. Pour wine and stock over chicken and garnish with fresh thyme. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let simmer on high 3-4 hours. Add additional fresh thyme ten minutes prior to serving.

I won't tell you about how rest of the date went, but dinner was a success. For dessert I made my signature apple pie, it made for a great breakfast too. 

A Little Fiesta

I know, I know. It's been an eternity since I last updated. I was close to giving up on this thing, but I got a few random comments of kindness. And also one really bitchy comment that called me an Amy Sedaris knock-off, which I take as a compliment. For those of you who know me, you know I lost my camera access in a terrible fire that forced me to move out of my apartment. Well, that's almost the reason, but either way, I'm back in action! Papa got himself an iPhone. After sufficiently burning myself out on Grindr, I decided to see what else the camera function can do. So far, so good. I won't lie to you, I generally hate phone camera photos. This recipe comes courtesy of an Oklahomie (her term), I was craving this the other day and figured it would be fun to write about. I changed her recipe a little, I swapped out her pineapple for tomatoes. 

Bryce's Enchiladas Verdes

you will need the following: 

A dozen corn tortillas

1 lb cooked shredded chicken

1 jar salsa verde

1 large diced tomato

1 can diced green chiles 

2 c shredded mexican cheese

chili powder

cumin

paprika

lime

salt & pepper

Step 1: Set oven to 350. Soak chicken pieces in lime juice, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. I used tenderloins because they cook faster and are easier to shred. Let it sit for a bit and then cook in a skillet. 

Step 2: Once your chicken is shredded. Create an assembly line (employ friends or lovers). Pour half of salsa verde in your casserole. Roll chicken, cheese and tomato doobies with your tortillas. Place seam-side down in your dish. 

Step 3: Once out of supplies, cover with the rest of the salsa, tomatoes and cheese.  Bake covered 30 minutes. 

I swear I made this for people, but we dug in before I could snap a picture. This was my enchilada side-car. 

ole.