TODAY tonight: Crunchy Mustard Chicken Bake

It's been a long time since I've done a TODAY: tonight post on my blog.  Heck, it's been a long time since I've blogged!  Is blogging still a thing?  Do people do it?  Am I even a person?  Is existence real?  What are these deranged words I'm writing?  Clearly I'm out of practice.  Let's stick to food.

My "TODAY: tonight" series is made up of the recipes Carson can't stop talking about when he comes home from work.  Even though I haven't been documenting all of them, I've actually made quite a few lately, but this one... this one deserved a post!  There is so much going on in this recipe, I'm not sure what I should discuss first.  Should I start with the flavorful, mustard-based marinade that soaks through the chicken thighs for hours, or should I talk about the bed of roasted vegetables that perfect each bite?  I MUST tell you about the method of draining the solids from the liquids in the marinade and using them both to create this rich, sublime glaze.  And, there's obviously the crunchy, homemade topping that I could write a song about, IF I was the type of person to write songs about food (I am).  My favorite part of the recipe, however?  How adaptable it is.

The first time I made it, I followed it to a T.  It was divine.  The second time?  I used what I had on hand.  It was also divine.  Here's what I did differently... 

I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs.  Totally doable.  I didn't have leeks or potatoes for my roasted veggies, so instead I used red onion, mushrooms, broccoli and cauliflower.  Yum.  I didn't have tarragon so I used fresh parsley... didn't matter.  It was so, so good.  You see, people??  Recipes are just blueprints.  Trust your instincts and your own creativity.  Trust what you have in your fridge and pantry... it rarely steers you wrong.  Mostly, trust your husband when he comes home from work and begs you to make what he just ate.  He knows things.  (Most of the time.)  

Recipe HERE.

TODAY tonight: Smoky Bacon Mac & Cheese

Goooooood morning, Internet!  I'm back with another TODAY tonight, which is a series where I make something at home that Carson ate at work and absolutely loved, mostly just to get him to shut up about it.  Just kidding!  I love hearing him talk!  Anyway, after he tried this Smoky Bacon Mac & Cheese (along with the gruyere and caramelized onion one) he said it was probably the best thing he's ever eaten on the show, and that Matt Lauer shared similar sentiments.  That's a pretty good review, if you ask me.  We had some friends over this weekend so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to make it and it, was, delicious.  Delicious enough to use commas inappropriately.  It's made with smoked gouda and pepperjack cheese, applewood smoked bacon and seasoned with cayenne and paprika... which all contribute to the most wonderful smoky flavor.  And it doesn't hurt that you use bacon fat to make the roux.  Definitely try it at your next gathering, especially if you're a bacon fan, and if you try the other one please send me your thoughts!   

Recipe HERE.

TODAY tonight: Pork Chile Verde

Look at me!  Look at me!  I'm blogging!  I'm blogging!  It seems like every year, I take an unintended hiatus over Thanksgiving.  We usually travel to Los Angeles, and it's hard to keep up with cooking and posting recipes, even though it seems ALL I'm doing is eating, eating and eating.  But now I'm back... just in time for the most wonderful time of the year (minus waking up every morning and realizing I forgot to move that damn elf... ugh, that smirk).

I can't wait to flood this site with holiday baking but for now, let's talk about delicious comfort food.  On the Today Show yesterday, Padma Lakshmi made a chile that the crew raved and raved about.  Savannah even sent me a text, urging me to make it (and you don't ignore a woman who is 9 months pregnant).  It begins with this verde sauce consisting of tomatillos, avocados, jalapeños, cilantro and tons of yummy spices.  By the way, you should absolutely double this sauce and save some because it's ridiculous.  Then ground pork, onions and cannellini beans are added to a pot along with the sauce, stock, oh, and did I mention tequila?  The depth of flavors are intense, and yet it's also something I think your kids would enjoy (especially if you de-seed the jalapeños like I did).  

You can find the recipe HERE.

Have a great weekend!

TODAY tonight: Pumpkin & Sausage Lasanga

Mid-mornings in our house go something like this.  Carson comes home from the Today Show, telling me all about what he's just eaten.  "Oh my god, Ina was on today and she made filet mignon with a creamy mustard sauce and it was the most incredible thing I've ever eaten."  And my reply?  "I found a half-eaten piece of frozen waffle by the fireplace and I ate that.  It was dusty."  But, pathetic breakfast aside, I do appreciate his opinion because sometimes I see food on TV and I'm not sure if it will translate at home.  Well, a few weeks ago he came home raving about this lasagna made with a creamy, cheesy pumpkin sauce.  He knows I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin, especially if the flavor is strong, but he insisted I'd love this.  He was right!  Don't tell him.

I LOVED this lasagna.  The pumpkin isn't overwhelming, but it turns this dish into fall comfort food at it's best, with help from flavors like a dash of nutmeg and fresh sage.  It will feed an army, so make it for a World Series game or Halloween or the Circus (election night).     

Recipe here.

*Side note, I made this for a dinner party that I ended up canceling because my son caught the stomach bug.  I thought it was probably irresponsible to serve food with a side of lysol.  Oh, and if you're wondering if my daughters ended up getting sick, yes they did.  At the same time, and I can't decide if I like that better or worse than staggering the illness.  

Stomach Bug for President!  I'm delirious.     

TODAY tonight: Cacio e Pepe

On this episode of "TODAY: tonight" - where I recreate something Carson ate at work and loved more than his wife and kids (just kidding) - I'm showing off this cheesy, peppery, SIMPLE AF pasta dish that only requires 3 ingredients.  Three!  Pasta, pepper and cheese, and, you know, a little bit of olive oil and water... but that doesn't count.  It couldn't be easier and yet there are definitely crucial steps, like cooking the pasta until al dente, reserving the pasta water for the sauce, using course ground pepper and really good cheese.  If you do those things, you will truly love this dish.  Perfect for a night when you have no other plans for dinner... just serve with a salad and crusty bread and you're done!  Check out the recipe here.

TODAY tonight: Cauliflower Steak

If you're unfamiliar with my "TODAY tonight" series, it's when Carson won't stop talking about something he ate at work, so I make it at home to shut him up.  However, this time around, I didn't even have to wait to hear him rave.  I was watching Aarti Sequeira on the show and I instantly wanted everything she cooked.  She made cauliflower three ways, and I could practically taste the vibrant, Indian flavors through my TV screen.  

It was the "cauliflower steak" with a lime yogurt sauce that made me run to the store for the vegetable.  I cook cauliflower a lot, but something as simple as cutting it differently and marinating it with different spices completely transformed it for me.  I am obsessed.  Even my son loved it!  I will make this again, and again, and again.  Recipe here.

And speaking of Today Food and vegetables, I will be there tomorrow trying to get Carson to eat a particular one he doesn't like... wish me luck!

We served it with a version of this salad because we just can't get enough.

TODAY tonight: Salmon + Mashed Peas

Now that it is spring - and I write that while manically laughing because I just looked outside and A WINTRY MIX IS FALLING FROM THE SKY - but now that it is spring (I said SPRING, PEOPLE IN THE HEAVENS CONTROLLING THE WEATHER!) I have been looking forward to cooking with seasonal vegetables like artichokes and radishes and leeks and peas.  So when Carson came home from work the other day and said, you have to make this salmon with mashed peas I ate this morning I said, yes!  Yes, I have to!  Billy Dec cooked it up on the Today Show last week, and so I re-watched this video and gave it a go.  Errrmygosh...

It was so good.  We felt like we were dining in a fancy restaurant, when in realty we were eating at our kitchen island while the kids watched HOP (did you know James Marsden is the first ever human Easter Bunny?).  Carson cooked the salmon and did so PERFECTLY.  The key is a hot, hot pan.  He achieved the most deliciously crispy exterior with a tender, flaky inside.  I handled the garlicky mashed peas.  Um, yum.  My 7 month-old ate them up!  A garlic lover she shall be!  We skipped the salad and served them alongside roasted vegetables.  This dinner is a springtime MUST, especially if wet, white stuff is raining down on your land.  

TODAY tonight: Perfect Roast Chicken

I feel empty.  I have finished the Serial podcast, and now what.  NOW WHAT?!  Now I think I'll drive to Baltimore and stalk Woodlawn High School and the Best Buy and Leakin Park because I'm crazy obsessed with figuring this all out.  If you feel the same way, let's discuss in the comments below, ok?  Thanks.  Now we can talk about food...

Earlier in the month, in fact on the first day of the year, Carson made this on the Today Show with Chef Ed Brown.  The recipe intrigued us, because the chicken sits smothered in soy sauce in the fridge for two days prior to cooking.  It's basically a brine of sorts, and the result is a perfectly moist and juicy chicken.  I think from this point on, I will always do this to my chickens, no matter how I roast them!  Recipe here. 

TODAY tonight: Jerk Chicken

Carson has never been a huge fan of the sweet and savory combo, unlike me who has been dreaming of a McGriddle sandwich from McDonald's almost every morning of this pregnancy.  But he absolutely loved making this Jerk Chicken recipe on The Today Show last week, which is why it's next up in my "TODAY tonight" series!  The sweet and spicy flavors in this marinade were a hit with the entire family, actually, as everything tasted very balanced.  The recipe called for 3 jalapeños but mine were giant so I only used 2, and I removed the ribs and seeds from one so that it wouldn't be too hot for the kids.

Jack loved helping me throw all the ingredients in a blender, although he was sickened by the smell of ground allspice.  I said I thought it smells like Christmas, and he said I was a crazy mother person.  But my point being, the marinade was very easy to assemble and that was about all I had to do with this dish!  Carson took over the grilling, something he thoroughly enjoys doing.  

Just look at that joy...

We marinated our chicken for roughly ten hours, although the recipe only calls for a minimum of two.  I say the longer the better.  Also, our butcher helped us butterfly this chicken.  It's worth asking the butcher to do that step for you because, guess what, that's their job!  

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did.  It's perfect for end-of-summer BBQ's.

Wait, summer is ending soon?!?

Today Tonight: Ramen-crusted Chicken Wings

Next up in my "TODAY tonight" series are these Ramen-crusted Chicken Wings (recipe here).  Carson and PopSugar's Brandi Milloy made these on the show back in March, and he hasn't stopped talking about them since.  Not kidding.  The poor man has been waiting and WAITING for me to make them... he even bought four packets of Ramen Noodles and printed the recipe, leaving it on the counter, multiple times.  Well, four months later, I finally made them!  With his help, thank god, because recipes that require frying tend to overwhelm me.  It's all the steps and the hot, splattering oil... oy.  However, I am so glad we tackled these because they, were, UNREAL.

You end up frying these bad boys twice, which at first concerned me.  I thought the ratio of batter to chicken would be way off.  Yet as you crunch into these (and they are so wonderfully crunchy), you immediately encounter a bite of juicy chicken as well as the perfectly seasoned Ramen-crust.  Served with a spicy dipping sauce (although Carson and I agree that ranch would be great too, because when isn't it), these are a crowd pleaser, no doubt.  Bookmark them for your next gathering, or for the upcoming football season, or for next Tuesday.              

Also, remember the Ramen Burger?

TODAY tonight: Lemon Pesto Shrimp Rolls

When Carson started working on The Today Show, he acquired a job perk that I'm totally not jealous of at all (nope).  Which is, EATING INCREDIBLE FOOD MADE BY INCREDIBLE CHEFS.  Not jealous!  He comes home, almost daily, and tells me he had "the best" this and "the best" that.  However, instead of pouting over this perk, I've decided to take advantage of the inspiration he offers me with these new ideas by creating a series I'm going to call "TODAY tonight."  When he raves and raves about what he ate at work, I'm going to recreate it, and I started last night with Giada De Laurentiis' Lemon Pesto Shrimp Rolls. 

As a regular contributor to the show, Giada has made many things Carson has loved, but this was a particular favorite.  This is shrimp, poached in a flavorful broth, tossed in a vibrantly fresh pesto sauce, accompanied by crunchy celery and smooth cannellini beans, served on delicious bread.  A perfect summer lunch or dinner, in our case.  She made two other meals that day (click on link above), all based on these five basic ingredients:      

  

Look at that color below!  My favorite.  The lemon and Italian parsley in this pesto made it so bright and delicious, and it came together in minutes...

Have you ever poached shrimp in a bowl on the counter?  I hadn't!  Just pour a hot poaching liquid consisting of wine, broth, oil and herbs over the fish, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit...

This is homemade bread too, by the way, that I made from store-bought pizza dough.  

I'll talk about that tomorrow : )  

Thank you Giada, thank you Carson, thank you Today Show! 

(I sound like an Alanis Morissette song).