Cobb Salad Chicken Burgers

Cobb salad is such a classic dish. Wikipedia (very reliable internet source) tells me it has been around since the 1930s! It's simple but elegant and keeps people coming back for more.

For a salad, it is pretty robust. You get a good amount of protein from hard boiled eggs, added creaminess from avocado slices, a crunchy salty delight from bacon bits, and tartness from bleu cheese. All of these elements are served over a bed of lettuce and tomatoes with a red wine vinaigrette to create a traditional Cobb salad.

Because I can't leave well enough alone, I wanted to think of a fun new way to enjoy all the flavors of Cobb salad without eating a salad for dinner (don't judge me!).

So here's how tonight's dinner progressed. I thought "ok, Cobb salad is often served with chicken on top. I like chicken." Next I thought..."well, I really like burgers. All kinds of burgers."

Chicken...burgers...Cobb...salad...yes!

This recipe for Cobb Salad Chicken Burgers is simple and inviting. The flavors are all very familiar, yet when they are served in burger form on a bun, there is a nice complexity added to each ingredient.

The freshness of the toppings pairs well with the richness of our chicken patties, which I amped up by mixing them with panko breadcrumbs, blue cheese crumbles, and fresh parsley. Grilled up perfectly.

After hard boiling a couple of eggs, I created an egg salad topping. Diced eggs are mixed together with a dressing of greek yogurt, dijon mustard, chives, red wine vinegar, and a pinch of sugar. If you have any of this leftover, it makes a great egg salad sandwich for lunch!

Crispy bacon. Swoon.

Now all that's left is burger construction. This is my favorite part!

Toasted bun.

Burger. Egg salad. Bacon.

Avocado. Tomato. Lettuce.

The other bun.

Smash it down, cut it in half, and take a big bite. And always be on the look out for creepy kitty photobombers...

This is a great weeknight dinner that comes together in no time. It's also a real crowd pleaser. I served it alongside a mix of grains and steamed veggies, but french fries are also a logical accoutrement. So creative and super satisfying!

How To: Make Hard Boiled Eggs

Hard boiled eggs were such a mystery to me until about 1 hour ago.

They always magically appeared in our refridgerator the day before Easter. We would dye them all sorts of festive spring colors. Then we would smash the shells and eat them the next morning. Pretty typical, right?

Sometimes, when I order salads at restaurants, a few pieces of hard boiled eggs would be scattered about. Extra protein. Neat!

I don't know why I was so scared of making hard boiled eggs, but I was. I could just imagine my clumsy self putting some eggs in a pot of boiling water and being left with a broken shell, yolky mess. I don't think I could have handled it. I left well enough alone and never hard boiled any eggs.

After a few days of research, I finally just went for it. I was being silly. Hard boiling a perfect egg is SO simple (despite being so intimidating....were others intimidated during their first time?!) What's wrong with me?

Well, if you have been putting off hard boiled eggs due to fear, lack of knowledge, or any other weird reason, I'm here to help. If I can do it, I know you certainly can do it, too. Patience and technique is all you need! Below is the technique, I'll leave the patience up to you.

Here's what you need for Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs:

6 eggs, in the shell
1 5-quart pot*
1 large bowl
 Tap water

Here's what you do:

Gently place your eggs in the bottom of the pot. Fill the pot with enough cool (not hot) tap water so that there is about an inch of water above the top of the eggs. This is about the distance from the tip of your thumbnail to the first knuckle.

Place the pot on a burner and turn the heat to high. Bring the pot to a full boil.

This is not enough of a boil. You want it rocking and rolling...

Like this!

Next, turn the heat completely off (and, if on an electric stove, remove the pot from the hot burner). Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and set your kitchen timer for 17 minutes. Walk away and let the eggs do their thing.

17 minutes!

This is that whole "patience" thing

In the meantime, fill the large bowl with cold tap water. Add an ice cube or two if necessary to cool it down.

As soon as the 17 minutes are up, use your search and rescue spoon to CAREFULLY transfer the eggs into the cold water.

Let them sit for 10 more minutes or until completely cooled. Dry off the shells and store in the fridge until they are ready to be used (safest way to do this to make sure they don't crack is to re-use the original egg carton). 

Eggs are of course a wonderful breakfast option, and hard boiled eggs happen to go great with grilled kielbasa. You can also dice some up and toss them on top of your salad for lunch!

Check out this great new recipe that calls for a hearty helping of hard-boiled eggs! 

*Note: if you want to hard boil a dozen eggs, a 5 quart pot should still be fine. You just want to be sure the eggs have enough room to roll around without constantly smashing into one another.

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

I think that Crock Pots are the most cocky kitchen appliance.

Can't you imagine the Crock Pot taunting all the other appliances? "I'm so awesome, I make everything delicious and totally simple, everybody loves me. Nahh nah nahh!"

 I mean, I can't blame the Crock Pot. It literally rocks my world.

Tonight's dinner also rocked my world...we went back for seconds. It felt so right to indulge.

My second helping...

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore simmered away for 8 hours while I went to the movies and did a bunch of chores. When it was done, there was a rich tomato-based sauce and fall-off-the-bone chicken waiting to be enjoyed.

There was a little bit more prep required for this meal than you would expect for a typical slow cooker dish, but the depth of flavor comes through and makes it all worth it.

It starts with 8 chicken thighs, seasoned liberally with salt and pepper. Then I dredged them in flour and seared them in a frying pan to create a nice, brown skin. Into the Crock Pot they go!

In the same pan, cook your vegetables (green and red peppers, and red onion) for 5 minutes until slightly tender and browned.

Place the veggies in the Crock Pot along with a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes. Stir in a large amount of dried oregano and a scant teaspoon of sugar.

"Scant teaspoon" = a teaspoon, that isn't quite filled. Very professional term. There will be a test on this later.

Cook on low for 8 hours and wait. The aroma of the peppers and tomatoes will be blissful.

During the last hour of cooking, turn the setting to high and remove the cover. This will thicken the sauce just a bit. I also stirred in the juice of 1 lemon, for an added bite.

At this point, the chicken is so tender that it will pull right away from the bones. Immediately serve on a bed of whole wheat pasta and sprinkle grated parmesan cheese on top. I also garnished each plate with a bit of fresh parsley.

I really loved this dinner because the flavors were complex and built on top of one another. The sauce was rich and thick, and the flavor of the peppers along with the lemon juice and the bit of sweetness from the sugar is tangy, but not sour. Add in some salty cheese, and we are totally in business. Ladies and gentlemen...start your Crock Pots!

Creamy Tomato Parmesan Soup

Boston is cold.

If I haven't lost your attention with that really riveting opening, I'm glad you have decided to continue on this journey. It's going to be warm, and fuzzy, and totally comforting.

Ok, it won't be fuzzy...that would be weird.

Because I'm talking about soup! If you haven't caught on yet, I'm a total soup junkie. Something about building new, unique flavors and creating an inspired pot of hot goodness gets my kitchen gears going.

This week, in the wee hours of my morning commute, my trusty iPhone weather app told me it was 7 degrees, but it felt like -3 degrees. -3!!!

It was right then and there that I decided my body needed some hot nourishment. It needed some sweet tomatoes, salty parmesan, rich butter, and light basil heated through to perfection.

This Creamy Tomato Parmesan Soup is totally elegant and playful. I plated it on a bed of Orzo (rice shaped pasta) and sprinkled each dish with fresh parsley and more parm. Duh.

It starts with the basics: carrots, celery, and a small onion. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper, pop in a bay leaf and let them do their thing.

I want to be more honest in 2013. So I have a confession to make. I HATE carrots. Raw carrots, cooked carrots, those little carrot shavings in bags of salad. YUCK!! But they are OK if they are SUPER soft, swimming in tasty broths.  So I cooked my veggies for much longer, as I wanted them as soft and negligible as possible.

Also, isn't this new notebook from my friend, Maria, the cutest? It's personalized for my recipe notes. Love it!

Soup. Right.

The liquids go in. 2 cans diced tomatoes with their juices and some chicken broth (would probably also be OK with vegetable broth, but the chicken is so light it is always my first choice). Toss in a leftover parmesan rind to enhance that cheesey flavor (optional, if you have it on hand).

Simmer away, simmer away.

Create a rue. That is, butter and flour whisked vigorously. Add it to the soup--thick and creamy!

Melt in a whole cup of parmesan cheese, along with some warmed skim milk. Add some dried italian herbs. Swoon at the delectible fragrance.

This is a fairly rich soup, although not a total calorie monster. If you're feeling like a naughty boy or girl, cook up a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches. Dunk away....I won't tell!

Ground Lamb Lettuce Wraps

Happy New Year, blogloves!

I hope everyone had a great holiday season. I spent an whole week home in NY and it was a ton of fun. If I could place a theme on the 2012 holiday season, it would be generosity. I'm so lucky to have great family and friends!

Yesterday marked my first day back to work in quite a few days (and my first day in 2013!)...and if i may. Someone needs to warn us young professionals just how hard it is to get back in a routine after being away for a week-plus. Alarm clocks. E-mails. Public Transportation?! Yikes!

I hope to get back on a regular blogging schedule too, once my body re-adjusts to the 9 to 5 grind.

For now, I wanted to share this simple and light recipe I made for dinner last night. It is packed full of flavor, with crunchy veggies and tangy feta to bring it all together.

DISCLAIMER: My pictures here are very sporadic. I was experimenting with my new camera (thanks Mom!!!) and, well, just go with it. Now that I have an idea of what setting works the best, I can be more focused on logically photographing the food.

Ok, back to dinner.

Do you like lamb? I thought I hated it, but after trying it out a few times while out to dinner, I realized I was so wrong. It is actually DELICIOUS. I am still a little timid when it comes to big pieces of the meat, but at Whole Foods I was able to find ground lamb. What a perfect transition - not too intimidating, yet very versatile.

Last night, I made Ground Lamb Lettuce Wraps, inspired by a recipe I saw in Cooking Light magazine this past summer. Lamb begs for meditteranean flavors, and I oblidged.

This setting is way too yellow!

Let's start with toppings -- chopped cucumber and tomato are mixed with fresh parsley, mint, and feta cheese. Nothing wrong there.

Next, since every good wrap should have a condiment, I mixed together equal amounts of plain non-fat greek yogurt and hummus. I had a spinach and artichoke hummus, and boy was it good.

Now all we have to do is cook the meat and build our own wraps. Super simple, but the whole dish feels very sophisticated.

1 medium onion, diced and sauteed with a little bit of EVOO, salt, and brown sugar. We want to get a slight caramelization on these bad boys.

Toss in the lamb, break it up, and cook until browned.

Wilt in 2 cups of chopped fresh spinach. Then the kicker -- 2 whole tablespoons of ground cinnamon mixed in.

For lettuce wraps, I highly recommend a head of boston lettuce. These leafs have a great bowl shape and have a nice, fresh flavor. (P.S. for the carb lovers in your life, like my boyfriend, you can get pita bread, warm it up, and serve everything on top of that). To make your wraps, start by spreading the yogurt hummus on the lettuce. Top with a generous amount of the ground lamb. Sprinkle the tomato cucumber salad on top of that!

Oh, and how could I forget...the crunchy element. Toasted pine nuts! Totally!

This is a great low-carb meal and is actually super fun if you are entertaining. I made a similar dish for some friends a few months ago, and it's totally worth it to let everyone get involved and make their own meal the way they like.

Meghan, Ryan, and Cory enjoying lettuce wraps and grilled vegetables

Mom's Lentil Soup

Whenever I come home, I have a pretty lengthy menu of meals I ask my mom to prepare. Usually, it's her Baked Mac and Cheese. She made it for Christmas Eve, so that was taken care of. Though, if we had it twice in one week, I wouldn't be mad.

My mom also makes a bunch of really delicious soups. Her split pea soup is the only pea soup I will touch, and her mini meatball soup is just yum-tastic. But then, there is her lentil soup.

I LOVE Mom's lentil soup. We just finished consuming 2 huge bowls each, and I realized that I definitely had to share this recipe. It is hearty, heartwarming, and can be made into a vegetarian dish as well!

As you can tell from this weathered recipe print out, this soup has been around the block. She's made little tweaks here and there in an effort to perfect it. The beauty is in the details people!

If you're a regular Gas Stove Girl soup follower, you know where we begin:

  

Diced onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Salt and pepper for good measure.

Then a can of petite diced tomatoes are added, for a touch of sweet and sour love.

Lentils are cleaned and checked for rocks, then stirred into the veggie mixture.

Look at Mom go!

All good soups need chicken broth (twelve cups, to be exact).

Let this baby simmer away until the lentils are tender. We made the soup the day before and let it rest, covered tight, in the fridge overnight. This made the lentils super (SOUPer) tender and thickened the soup a bit. Just warm it up over low heat when you are ready to serve it.

Oh, and when it comes to serving, it should be over a cut spaghetti pasta. I swear no other pasta would do the trick. If you can't find a cut spaghetti (we used Barilla), feel free to get a box of real spaghetti and break it up yourself!

Alas, when sprinkled with grated Pecorino Romano. you have the perfect meal for a chilly winter night. The lentils are rustic and packed with antioxidants. The soup has just the slightest tang from the tomatoes, and the cheese gives it a salty and nutty edge. Totally yummy. And so simple!

mmMMmmMM....Mom's Lentil Soup, inspired by Giada DeLaurentiis

Clementine Chicken and Broccoli

I have a weakness, and it's Chinese take-out.

Those delightfully salty dishes that are tucked so kindly in little cardboard cartons, anything and everything fried up to golden brown perfection.

Put down the phone. You do NOT need Chinese take-out tonight!

Last night's meal was a little bit of an accident, but a fun and tasty one at that! We are trying really hard to clear out most of our perishables in the kitchen in preparation for our holiday travels.

One thing I had an abundance of was clementines. I absolutely LOVE clementines, they are smaller and sweeter than oranges, and worlds easier to peel. I can eat 3 or 4 in one sitting. I just can't stop!

Now, even though I can house a whole lot of celementines at once, I find that no matter how hard I try, some of them always get mushy and go to waste. This is probably because you can only buy a big wooden carton of them at the store. Well, waste not friends!

I took a bunch of celementines and mixed them up with chicken, broccoli and spinach to create a fun twist on one of my favorite chinese food dishes--orange chicken!

It was lighter, not nearly as greasy, and not smothered in some kind of mystery sauce. But it was flavorful and fun and extremely simple to make!

I followed some of my own rules on how to build a better stir fry and built flavors on top of one another. It starts by steaming broccoli in water and celementine juice.

Then I use a very special clementine olive oil (O brand) to sautee the broccoli until golden brown. Toss in the chicken and wedges from 2 or more clementines.

Balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, more clementine juice, and spinach thicken up the dish just a little bit; a plate of brown rice begs to be topped with the stir fry! Quick, and flavorful, and hearty, and delicious.