I love frittatas. They are so difficult to mess up and are great for using up leftover veggies and meats. If you've never had one before, think of a quiche without the pie crust. Actually, that makes it sound terrible, because a quiche without a pie crust just seems sad and lonely. But trust me frittatas are delicious. They're thinner than quiches and cook up much faster since they start on the stove and finish in the oven.

I like to build my frittatas layer by layer usually starting with crisping up a meat like bacon or pancetta, taking it out and then sauteeing veggies in the remaining fat, and adding in the egg and cheese as a final step. Once the large omelette starts to bubble on the edges you finish it in the oven until it is golden brown. This is the basic recipe for any frittata. Pretty simple right?

I made this bacon, cheddar and caramelized onion one for my friend Steph's baby shower and it was a total hit. Hope you enjoy it!

ingredients:

10 large organic eggs
1/4 cup milk or water
10 thin slices of cooked crispy bacon
1 tbsp reserved bacon fat
1 cup grated sharp cheddar
1/4 cup chopped chives
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
1 large sweet onion thinly sliced (half moons)
1 tbsp butter
2 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh black pepper

recipe:

You can start with frying up the bacon in a skillet or in the oven, reserve 1 tbsp of bacon fat after cooking. Keep oven on or set to 350º.

Set large oven safe nonstick pan (mine is probably 14-16") to medium low heat and add bacon fat and 1 tbsp butter. Add onions and cook until caramelized. This process is the most time consuming and can take up to 30 minutes. Stir them every now and then and make sure your heat isn't too high as they can burn. Do not add any salt to the onions as this will stop them from caramelizing.

In the meantime you can do the following:

- Beat eggs and milk/water vigorously until air bubbles form. Add salt, pepper and cheddar to    mixture.
- Chop bacon or crumble by hand
- Chop chives and parsley

Once onions are caramelized add spinach to the skillet and turn up the heat to medium until the spinach is wilted. Add egg mixture to the skillet and shift around the onions and spinach with a spoon so that it looks evenly distrubuted. Add in bacon and cook until the sides of the omelette start to firm up. You can use a spatula to check.

Put the whole pan in the oven for about 15 minutes. The top should be golden brown. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes. You can pull the whole frittata out of the pan for a nice presentation on a plate or slice up straight from the pan. Garnish with chives and parsley.

Great at room temp and can be stored in the fridge for a few days as well.

I have a lot of pet peeves when it comes to chicken salad. I almost never like the kind they serve at restaurants - a) because I'm not a huge celery fan and b) because I'm a stickler for texture. 

Many of you may disagree with me, but I really don't think grapes belong in chicken salads. And there should not be so much mayo-y goo that you can't taste the chicken. And finally, the size and amount of add-ins should not be bigger than the cube size of the chicken. I'm sure there is some mathematical equation for that somewhere.

Now that I am done being a snob, I will tell you exactly how I like my chicken salad. To me, this way balances fresh flavors, a decent crunch here and there, and lightens up the greasiness that can come with mayo only chicken salads.

Let me know what you think of this one and what makes your perfect chicken salad.

ingredients:

3 cups diced chicken, about 1/2" dice (I used a store bought rotisserie chicken. This is a great option as it's super convenient and has great flavor)
1/4 of a small red onion finely minced
big handful of chopped parsley
2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp sriracha or hot sauce
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 heaping tbsp light mayo
1/2 cup low fat plain yogurt

recipe: Quite simply, just mix all the ingredients together really well. Best if done up to a day in advance so the flavors can mingle. Serve on your favorite bread with spinach or arugula.

Hi Everyone!! I have missed blogging so so much (school, work, walk dog, repeat) and am very glad to be back with this delicious and healthy chicken barley soup. 

I know many of you, myself included, have been fighting colds lately. Tis the season. Well, it's sort of very off season and that's the problem. We've gone from 30 degree temps to 70 degree temps and a random October snow storm in the span of 2 weeks. Weirdness.

So, since the best cold cure is always hot soup, tea and sleep, I'm here to help with the soup part. Make this or get Mom to make it and you will feel awesome! If you don't have these exact ingredients feel free to substitute with whatever you have on hand. It's a great way to get rid of fridge leftovers. Recipe follows:

Ingredients:

1 tbsp canola oil
2 small carrots or 1 large carrot, small dice
2 celery ribs (including leafy ends), small dice
1 package baby bella mushrooms, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 large onion, small dice
2 qt low sodium chicken stock
juice from one very juicy lemon
2 handfuls chopped fresh parsley, 1 for soup, 1 for garnish
1 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp dried bayleafs (mine were crushed. If you have whole add one dried bayleaf)
1 tsp herbs de provence
3 cups cooked barley*
3 cups shredded chicken (I roasted a chicken the night before and used leftovers)
About 4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper 

*I cooked the barley according to package directions but stopped about half way through the cooking process. The directions said - 1 cup of uncooked barley yields about 3 cups cooked barley, cook for 1 hour 25 min. I turned the stove off at 40 min and added the barley to the soup to finish cooking there. It helps thicken the soup a bit this way.

Recipe: 

Heat canola oil in heavy bottomed pot on medium high heat and add onions, garlic, carrots and celery. Cook until tender about 8 minutes. Add mushrooms, stir and cook for 2 more minutes.

Add dried parsley, salt, pepper, bay leaf, herb de provence and stir. 

Add chicken stock, barley, chicken, lemon juice and 1 handful parsley.

Stir and cover. Simmer on medium low heat for 40 minutes. 

Taste for salt and adjust to taste. Serve hot. Garnish with parsley and lemon wedge. 

*UPDATE - This is great to eat next day but the barley continues to soak up the liquid. I would add another 1/2 - 1 qt stock and reheat on the stove top.

Let's talk about these absurdly delicious scandalous cookies. I recently visited a place called The Meadow in the West Village, which inspired me to make these cookies. It's this glorious little shop that only sells salts and chocolates. You walk in and actually feel like you're in a meadow. It's filled with flowers and of course nice people, sea salt and cacao. I bought this amazing organic cocoa powder from there and happened to have some fleur de sel that my parents brought me from France. 

These two ingredients were made for eachother. Salt naturally brings out the true flavors of anything, but you've never truly tasted chocolate until you taste it after biting through a little flake of fleur de sel. You can certainly use any cocoa powder and chocolate you'd like but I highly recommend you use a high quality organic powder and 60% plus pure cacao bars. I used some chocolate I found at our food coop but I believe Green and Black's is a good widely available organic brand that you should be able to find. Please try these out at home and let me know if you love them as much as I do!

ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 heaping cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder
1 bar 60-70% cocoa dark chocolate
1 bar 85% cocoa dark chocolate
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp espresso or leftover coffee
1 stick unsalted butter (room temp)
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp organic vanilla extract
sea salt to top

recipe:
Preheat oven to 325º. Over double boiler, heat 85% dark chocolate bar (cut into cubes) and butter and stir until melted. Set aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl mix sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and coffee. In a separate bowl mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt until well combined. 

Add chocolate and butter mixture to the sugar and egg mixture and mix well. Slowly add in flour mixture until well blended. The dough will be a little sticky. At this point cut the other chocolate bar into chunks and stir into the dough. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 min or freeze for up to a month. I find the frozen dough makes the best cookies. The colder the better. 

Form dough into 1.5" balls (like I did not do in the picture. I just couldn't wait this time, I'm sorry). Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on each ball. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until the tops have just cracked. You don't want to over bake them. Let cool on a wire rack. My batch made about 2.5 dozen but some of mine were a little big. Enjoy!

This meal was a beautiful accident. I didn't really plan it. I was on the phone and just happened to look through the fridge when the ingredients jumped out at me (they didn't really jump out, but it would be funny if they did). Pancetta! Pork loin! Apples! Mustard! These flavors were made for each other. I didn't quite know what I'd do with them, but I just went with it and it turned out perfectly.

We've had crazy weather here in the NYC area over the last few weeks. There's been tons of snow, sleet, ice, wind, and yesterday was the coldest day yet. I believe it was even 0º at one point. The day was just calling for warm, bold, comforting food. It's like a fireplace in a bowl, and it's worth the little bit of time and work that this requires. Stay warm friends!

Beer Braised Pork with Apple Gravy

ingredients:

3-4 lb boneless center cut pork loin *
8 oz pancetta
2 white or yellow onions diced
2 carrots diced
2 fuji or other sweet apple diced
4 whole garlic cloves smashed
2 bottles of your favorite beer, no dark or heavy beers though. An ale would be perfect.
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tsp dried bay leaves or 1 whole bay leaf
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp black pepper
After cooking:
1/2 cup apple butter or apple sauce
2 tbsp flour

*This is not a cheap cut of meat but I found it for almost half off. You can substitute this with standard pork loin, butt/shoulder or end roast

recipe:
Crack a window, turn the fan on, or turn the kitchen fan on for this part!

Preheat oven to 300º.

Heat a large heavy pot to high heat and add pancetta. Cook until fat has rendered and pancetta is crunchy. Remove pancetta, leaving fat drippings in the pot. Set aside the pancetta for later. Rub the pork with salt and pepper on all sides and place fat side down in the pot. Cook about 10min on one side and flip, 10 min on second side. The fat side should have a nice brown crust. 

While the meat is searing, chop your onions, carrots, and apples. Remove the meat from the pot. You may need two hands and two utensils for this. Place it on a plate and set aside. Turn the heat to medium and add all the vegetables plus the garlic, thyme and bay leaves. Saute until translucent. About 5 minutes. Stir in mustard and vinegar.

pictured: the lovely brown crust, the beer, pancetta and chopped onions, and the yummy bits remaining at the bottom of the pan

Place meat and all the juices back in the pot, fat side up. Turn heat off. Add beer and chicken stock. The liquid should come up about an inch or two from the top of the pork. Add more stock if you need to.

Cover pot and place in the oven for about 3 hours.

pictured: veggies going for a swim in the drippings, pork after 3 hours of cooking, sauce after blending

Remove meat from pot and set aside to rest. Put the pot back on the stove and heat to medium high heat. Blend with an immersion blender or transfer in batches to a blender to make a smooth gravy and add back to the pot.Take out 1/4 cup of the liquid and mix with the flour. Add back to the pot and stir. Once the mixture comes up to a simmer it will start to thicken up. Check for seasoning and add more salt/pepper if needed. Stir in the apple butter or applesauce and heat through for another 3 minutes.

Thinly slice the pork or shred for pulled pork and serve with gravy over potatoes or rice. Yum!

MAC AND CHEESE. What is there to say? It's only one of the greatest inventions of all time. You know, right up there with penicillin and the light bulb. Seriously, I bet it's saved lives.

I grew up loving the nuclear orange boxed stuff, but as I got older and went to college in New York City, where I started an expensive and never ending food journey, my mac 'n' cheese palette grew up too.

I make so many different kinds of mac 'n' cheese now, so I've debated which type to blog about for a while. After many many experiments I can say that this is one of the best. As always, I recommend you experimenting with your own combinations (because that's the fun of cooking!), but I also encourage you to try this exact recipe as I'm really pleased with the result. In the words of my husband upon eating this, "That is RIDICULOUS!."

I hope you find this as cozy, warm, and delicious as we did. Enjoy the weekend folks!

Chorizo and Spinach Mac and Cheese

ingredients:

1/2 lb gemelli or other small pasta, cooked just under al dente in very well salted water
2 tbsp flour
3 tbsp butter (i used smart balance)
2 cups low fat milk
1 small onion minced
3 garlic cloves minced
1 cup grated sharp cheddar plus 1/4 cup for topping
1 cup (packed) chopped fresh spinach
1 cup crumbled cooked chorizo (or any sausage, pancetta or bacon)
1/4 cup grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

recipe:

Preheat oven to 375.º

Heat pot to medium high heat. Add 2 Tbsp butter, onions and garlic cloves. Saute until onions are soft and translucent. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and the flour, stirring vigorously. This is your roux, the base for a standard bechamel sauce. Keep stirring until it forms a paste not unlike wet sand. Turn the heat to medium low and slowly add in your milk. Again, keep stirring with a whisk as you add in the milk. This will prevent lumps from forming.

As you stir bring the temperature back up to medium. When the mixture starts to bubble, turn the heat back down. You don't want to boil the milk. At this point the mixture should be thick, a bechamel sauce. 

*(Troubleshooting tip: If for some reason your mixture is too thick, simply add more milk. If it is too thin, take out a few tablespoons of the sauce and mix with another 1/2 tbsp flour in a separate bowl until a paste is formed. Mix the paste vigorously back into the mixture and it should thicken up).

Turn heat off and add the grated cheddar. The bechamel will thicken up even more and become a cheese sauce. Add a couple pinches of salt and fresh black pepper and then taste. You may want to add more salt but it depends on how salty your chorizo is. Mine was not very salty so I added about 2 tsp salt in total. Stir in the spinach, chorizo and cooked pasta until well combined. Transfer to a greased baking dish or individual gratin dishes. Sprinkle parmesan and remaining cheddar on top. Bake at 375º for 20-25 minutes until brown and bubbly.

Serve piping hot. It goes perfectly with a mixed green salad with balsamic dressing.

Happy New Year everyone!! Dixon Kitchen ended the year off on a high note with a very successful showing at the Handmade Holiday Market in Jersey City. We just about sold out of every item! I want to thank the organizers and everyone who came out. This year I'll continue to post recipes, sell at more fairs, and even venture into some entertaining and home decorating ideas. Thanks for helping make 2010 a great year by supporting this blog. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

Mike and I spent most of yesterday cleaning, reorganizing, buying new furniture and setting it up in the apartment. For someone who loves to cook and entertain, I've always hated not having a big dining table. Yesterday we finally got a beautiful new table, and this morning I made a big brunch to celebrate.

Here's the pretty new table with our old chairs. We'll be getting benches and new chairs soon-

Having people over for dinner can be daunting and stressful sometimes while a brunch party is usually pretty simple and casual. Here's how to turn your usual eggs and potatoes into an elegant brunch:

1. Make quiche. It looks pretty, you can make a vegetarian one and another with sausage or bacon, and they can be made way in advance. My recipe is here. Today I did one chorizo and caramelized onion quiche, and one spinach cheddar. You can use my same basic             recipe and add in or substitute whatever extras you'd like.

2. Get really good coffee and grind your own beans (Stumptown!) We use a coffee grinder or you can use a simple spice grinder to make fresh ground coffee. While a drip coffee maker is okay, use a french press for the good stuff. It looks pretty on the table too.

3. Everyone loves hash browns. Seriously, everyone. Here's my recipe for mushroom potato hash, another great make ahead dish:

ingredients:
4 medium yukon gold potatoes - diced to 1/2" cubes
1/2 large red onion diced
3 garlic cloves minced
1/2 large green bell pepper diced
3/4 package button or cremini mushrooms diced (*Do not wash them! Washing mushrooms makes they chewy. If there is any dirt just gently wipe it off with a damp paper towel)
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried bay leaves
2 tbsp canola oil
3 tsp salt
fresh black pepper
chives or scallions for garnish

recipe: Heat oil in large skillet to high heat. Once hot, add the first seven ingredients. You want to wait until the last minute to salt this dish to prevent the veggies from releasing their water too quickly. This will allow the mushrooms to really get brown as well. Wait 3 to 4 minutes before mixing. The potatoes should start to look brown and crispy. Continue to brown for another 10 minutes stirring once in a while. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium and add about 3 tbsp water. It will start to sizzle so quickly stir after pouring it in and scrape up all the brown bits on the bottom. Put a lid on and let sit on medium low heat for another 15 minutes. The potatoes should be cooked through. At this point you can leave the hash browns covered until your guests arrive or store them for a day in the fridge until this last step. Heat the skillet back to very high heat and let any excess water evaporate and the potatoes brown up again. Serve hot or room temp and garnish with scallions or chives.

4. Light some candles or put out some flowers. Get out your casual dinnerware and use some stemless wine glasses for mimosas or bloody marys. 

5. Make sure there's an adorable dog sitting by your feet.

*Today's photos taken by my awesome hub Mike Dory

Me, my Mom, and my friend Jamie have been working very hard all week on the items we'll be selling at this Sunday's JCCM Handmade Holiday Fair. Here's just a little photo sneak peak of what we'll be selling. If you want to taste and buy some yummy gift-able items, do stop by! If you're not available or not from the area, I promise there will be more coverage of the event and recipes to come.

It's this Sunday at Grace Van Vorst Church in Jersey City, NJ from 12-5PM.

I'm taking a break (aka procrastinating) from studying for finals to bring you this recipe. Who needs to think about market potential and profitability index and negotiations when you can think about SLIDERS? I don't know what it is with mini versions of things, they just taste better. Of course, I always maintain that smaller is better, and it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm a whopping 5'1."

But, I digress. My dear friends Ian and Alex invited us to their Latke Party Potluck dinner which I've had to miss for some reason or another the last few years. This year I decided we absolutely had to be there to try Alex's famous latkes (which were amazing), and they asked that I bring some tandoori chicken. I wanted to do something different that would make it party friendly, so I came up with the idea of serving it like you would a southern style pulled pork and slaw sandwich. Instead of pulled pork, pulled tandoori chicken, and instead of the traditional slaw, cucumber raita slaw. Put it on slider buns to make it hand held and you've got a party hit. I think everyone really liked these and I think you will too! It's super simple. Try this for one of the many of holiday parties I'm sure you have coming up. 

Ok, back to the grind. Stay warm! recipe follows:

ingredients:
2 raw chicken breasts - thinly sliced, about 1/4 inch slices
1/4 cup tandoori spice mix
3 Tbsp canola oil
2 cups low fat plain yogurt
1/2 bag coleslaw mix
2 mini seedless cucumbers or 1 large one seeds removed chopped
1/2 medium onion minced
1/2 cup light mayonaise
Juice from 1 lemon
handful fresh chopped parsley
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
slider buns or dinner rolls 

recipe:
Combine the first 3 ingredients and 1 cup of the yogurt, reserving the rest, in a baking dish, cover with foil and let marinate for up to two days. Bake covered for 30min at 350º and then uncovered for another 15 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Let the chicken cool and shred using two forks. Mix it well into the sauce remaining in the dish. While the chicken is baking make the coleslaw. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and stir until well combined. On each bun place a portion of the chicken and top with coleslaw. This was more than enough for about 25-30 sliders.

You may have written off food for good after the Thanksgiving feast, but here I am again to lure you back to the world of delicious food (mwahaha). I had a great Thanksgiving with my family in Hamburg, NJ . The blueberry cranberry sauce was devoured though I can't say the same for the parsnip and celery root puree. The mashed potato lovers were unamused (ie my husband), but I loved it. It was a much lighter meal that you could walk away from rather than roll away from.

Today's dish, contrary to the name, is actually pretty light. Collard greens are beautiful hearty greens that are so good for you with the added bonus of keeping, uncooked, in your fridge for weeks. They'll hold up to hours of stewing but are also wonderful just sauteed until wilted. They are also delicious with salty pork products so I added thick cut bacon and countered the bitterness with the sweetness of apple cider and the mild tangy sour cream. This is perfect as is, but would be a great side next to some roast chicken. recipe follows:

ingredients:
2 bunches collard greens, thinly sliced, tough stems removed
4 slices thick cut bacon, diced to 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 cup apple cider
2 tsp salt
2 shallots, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup low fat sour cream 
1/4 water, if needed

recipe: Heat a heavy bottomed skillet to medium high heat. Add bacon and render off fat until bacon is crispy. Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon. To remaining bacon fat add shallots and garlic. Saute, stirring frequently, for a few minutes. Add half of the apple cider and deglaze the pan. Add collard greens and salt. Stir until slightly wilted and liquid has evaporated. Add remaining apple cider and cover. Turn heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes. If pan looks dry at this point, add in the 1/4 cup of water and cover again for 5 minutes. Turn heat off and stir in the sour cream. Top with crispy bacon. Devour!