Baked Chili and Egg

It's not so strange for me to be writing about leftovers. I have always believed in avoiding food waste, and efficient use of leftovers is a step in that direction. I’ll keep writing about using my leftovers here just in case there is a teeny chance that one of you might need some help in figuring out what to do with yours.

Not so strange either for me to be writing about it now -- getting our new home in shape is leaving me less time to play in the kitchen (the saga continues…now I am caught between two plumbers!), hence having only enough time to grab those leftovers from the fridge for a quick meal. I’m not complaining though because, as I’ve maintained before, leftovers need not be tired or boring.

This is a hearty, stick-to-your-gut meal that will fuel you through even the most trying rounds of intense clean up. Yes, including looking through 4 years worth of debris accumulated by a little rat who never throws anything away…including 4 year old credit card receipts and pay slips from her first job (I plead oh so very guilty)!

Anyway, back to the dish at hand. I had made a big batch of chili for a potluck barbecue and had lots left over. I am hoping that this does not reflect on my chili-making abilities but instead on the amount of food served on said occasion. In any case, C was quite pleased that we had leftovers because that boy does love his chili. But unless you are C, one can only eat so much chili, in exactly the same way, day after day.

This is a variation you can try if you find yourself with some leftover chili and are looking for another way to serve it. I like to think of it as halfway between huevos rancheros and oeufs en cocotte. I’ve always loved a good cross-cultural mix when it comes to food :)

What I’ve done here is simple: For each serving take a cup of chili (or half, or anywhere in between…depends on what you would be comfortable calling “one serving”) and place in a ramekin, clay crock, or any oven-proof single serve dish. Make a slight indentation where you want your egg to sit and crack the egg into it. Shave some cheese onto the chili (I used gruyere because that is what I had on hand but feel free to use any cheese you think might work here). Place the whole affair into a pre-heated 180C oven and bake until the egg white is set but the yolk is still jiggly. I overshot that mark (hence the overdone yolk) so make sure to keep an eye on your eggs as all ovens (and eggs!) are different. Remove from the oven, garnish with cilantro and enjoy immediately with some warm tortillas or bread, or even rice!

I hope this goes a little way towards moving some of us to make the most of our leftovers…every bit helps in our efforts to avoid food waste!

Chicken Sautéed with Cheese & Milk

As I settle into my new “office” I can’t help but feel a sense of contentment that is altogether new. It’s not a real office, the type that comes in a 40-storey building made of glass and steel, with a million desks and phones with lots of buttons. It’s a home office, 2 desks and a computer tucked in the corner of our new den. I’ve been working from home for 5 years now and I’ve had 3 “offices” including this one. The first was a laptop on a dresser in my bedroom before I was married. When C and I moved in together, I had the whole second bedroom to myself. Now I share the space with our (ok, C’s) tv and shelves of our (ok, my) books.

Why does this feel different? Maybe it’s the little trill of permanence (or at least semi-permanence) that I feel in this, our first co-owned bit of concrete space. Maybe it’s the feeling I’ve had since we have moved in, even as the mammoth piles of boxes lay a mess at our feet, that this is really home. Maybe because, no matter how small and pigeonhole-ish, a space of one’s own is truly a magical thing.

It’s nothing fancy. As I mentioned, two simple desks, a computer, some shelves, a chocolate brown wall and matching sofa. Above me are my books (and cookbooks) that always manage to make me smile no matter how frenetic the day. Beside me is a window from where I can see the buildings across the street, the busy stream of people going about their business, and most importantly, some trees (a view of green in the city is always something to be relished).

The best thing about my little home office though is the unlimited access to homemade lunches like these (well, that and the dress code).

Chicken Sautéed with Cheese & Milk
(adapted from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros)

• 4 chicken thigh fillets
• about 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 large thin slices of fontina cheese (I used grated cheddar, but feel free to use whatever cheese you wish, I think gruyere or manchego might also be nice)
• 1/2 cup milk
• salt

- Pound the chicken thigh fillets between two sheets of plastic wrap with a meat mallet until they are a bit thinner and of even thickness.
- Mix the flour with the paprika and dust the chicken in this mixture. Shake off excess flour.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan and when hot add the four chicken fillets. Cook over medium heat until the undersides are golden brown. Turn and season the cooked sides with salt. When golden underneath, flip again and season the newly cooked sides.
- Put a slice of cheese over each fillet so it more or less covers it completely. Add the milk to the pan, cover, and cook until the cheese has melted and there is a bubbly, thickened sauce. Make sure the chicken is completely cooked but do not overcook.
- Remove from the heat but leave the lid on the pan until just before you serve it so the cheese carries on melting. Serve hot.

I’ve mentioned my love for Tessa Kiros before, and for Apples for Jam in particular. This is what Tessa describes as a homely dish. But not in a bad way. It’s gentle and reassuring…like a very familiar hug, or a well-loved blankie. She also says that this is the kind of dish she likes to call her kids down to after their bath…and I imagine I would too.

I substituted chicken thigh fillets for the chicken breast fillets in the original recipe and the addition of paprika is mine. This cooks up in no time flat, perfect for a busy day at the “office” :)

Breakfast #31: Peanut Butter & Jelly Oatmeal

Oh my. It’s been more than a month. Is anyone still out there? I’ve SO wanted to come back here and chat…lose myself in the tasting and the talking about food and all things gustatory…coax deliciousness out of my new kitchen and share it here.

However: That new kitchen is taking a wee bit longer than expected to iron out its final kinks. In truth, the kitchen isn’t the only place playing host to “final kinks” (thus a seemingly never-ending parade of carpenters, plumbers, and what-have-you coming and going). The unpacking seems to never end (where did we get all that stuff???). And the move of my home office posed quite a few (hair-pulling) technical mishaps (resulting in a mountain of work not unlike a 16-car pile-up with a cherry on top). And somewhere in the middle of all this there were some, um, nursing dramas (the likes of which I will not bore you with here).

But here I am now, eyes firmly focused on the light at the end of the tunnel, and, more importantly, on all the wonderment around me I am thankful for (that make those little “road bumps” seem oh so inconsequential): That I actually have a new kitchen (albeit unfinished) with a new stove that can (finally!) fit 2 cake pans at once (hello layer cakes!) and more cabinet and bench space. That I am celebrating 4 happy years today with my best team mate ever. That, as cliché as it may sound, my mother has truly become my best friend. And, certainly not the least of all reasons, this little certain someone who is bewitching us at every turn :)

So…lots of reasons to jump out of bed each morning despite the lack of sleep. All that plus a bowl of this. My new obsession care of Alanna. I wish I could convey to you how deliciously addicting this is. How I daydream about it all day until it is the next morning and I once again have it in my arms. Thick, comforting oatmeal made sweet and nutty…it’s so much more than a sum of its parts, truly it is. Just ask Kalyn and Pille. I’ve added my own twist here by plopping in some jelly. I’ve used guava jelly (my favorite partner for the peanut butter sandwiches of my childhood…anyone remember Lady’s Choice Stripe?) but I imagine you can use any jelly you’d like – pick the one you would normally use for a PB&J sandwich. You can find Alanna's original recipe here. Pille's uses the stove top if that's what you prefer. To make mine, use either recipe and add a spoonful of jelly per bowl. This is just the thing to get you through a morning of plumbers, electricians, and carpenters, oh-my!

And speaking of those lovely fellows…I must go and get ready to greet them yet again. To those of you who are still here (marvelous bunch, I love you…I really do), the kitchen’s being revved and new food will once again be on the program soon!