FNCCC Assignemtn #24 - Mary Nolan - Masaharu Morimoto - Melissa d'Arabian

What a Smörgåsbord of chef's we have next week. Mary Nolan, Masaharu Morimoto , Melissa d'Arabian . None of them had many recipes so I figured that I would combine them.

Mary Nolan is an Iowa girl (I was born in Iowa) who went to University of Wisconsin (I LOVE Madison). "She shares her sophisticated yet simple meal ideas and crowd-pleasing tips for memorable occasions on Food Network's Chic & Easy."

Masaharu Morimoto - "While his cooking has Japanese roots, it's actually "global cooking" for the 21st century. His unique fusion cuisine takes advantage of Japanese color combinations and aromas and uses Chinese spices and simple Italian ingredients, while maintaining a refined French style of presentation." Come again? Can we say challenge? Too bad he only has 4 recipes on the FN site....although if you do a Google search you will find many more and they ALL sound like you need to invite guests over to enjoy this amazing feast you just created. You can also search the FN site for just "morimoto" and get a few more recipes.

And on a completely different note is Melissa d'Arabian. "In August 2009, Melissa d'Arabian won season five of The Next Food Network Star, beating out thousands of hopefuls for the ultimate dream job: her own Food Network show. As a wife and a stay-at-home mother to her four preschool-aged daughters, Melissa embodies family home cooking at its finest. On her daytime cooking series, Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa d'Arabian, she shares her tasty recipes and $10 promise: four people, ten bucks, infinite possibilities." Awesome! Can you relate??

We will post recipes on these folk on Wednesday, February 24, 2010. Can't wait to see what you will choose!

FNCCC Assignment # 23 - Mario Batali

Mario Batali! When I think of him I always see his bright orange Crocs. He even wore them when they did the Iron Chef at the White House (which I never got to finish watching - anyone know who won??). He just amazes me in the Iron Chef challenges. Who wouldn't want to be able to cook like that? Makes me want to get in the kitchen and whip up a 5 course meal with quail eggs, a box of mac and cheese, and a jar of pimentos.

"Always eager to educate the masses about Italian cuisine, Mario hosts two Food Network programs, Molto Mario and Ciao America. He also engages in fierce culinary battles in the Food Network series Iron Chef America. Mario splits his time between New York City's Greenwich Village and Northport, Mich., with his wife Susi Cahn of Coach Dairy Goat Farm, and their two sons, Benno and Leo." Don't you just love to know fun facts about the chef you are cooking with? Picture I found on his web site :)

We will post Mario's recipes on Wednesday, February 17, 2010. Can't wait to see what you are cooking!

FNCCC Assignment # 22 - Jamie Oliver

Our chef next week will be Jamie Oliver. He has cookbooks, TV series, awards, and has even helped the UK better their school lunches. His bio is extensive and his recipes look eclectic. Fun, fun!

"Growing up in Essex, where his parents run their own highly respected pub/restaurant in Clavering, Jamie Oliver was frequently found helping in the kitchen. At 16, Jamie left school to complete his training at Westminster Catering College. After spending time working in France and at Antonio Carluccio's Neal Street Restaurant in London, Jamie joined the acclaimed River Café where he worked for three and a half years alongside Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers.
In 1997, Jamie was featured in a television documentary about the River Café. Jamie was then offered his own television show, and The Naked Chef was born. The concept was to strip food down to its bare essentials, and Jamie's hands-on style and general laid back outlook was like a breath of fresh air, inspiring everyone to cook."

We will post Jamie's recipes on Wednesday, February 10, 2010. Can't wait to see what you are cooking!

FNCCC Assignment #21 - Ingrid Hoffmann

I have not seen Ingrid Hoffmann's show but after reading only the first page of her recipes on FN I've seen several that I want to try. It's going to be tough deciding on just one.

"Passionate about food and entertaining, Ingrid Hoffmann spends each day sharing her enthusiasm and talent with an international audience. Ingrid launched Simply Delicioso (http://www.simplydelicioso.com/) on Food Network last July and also hosts her own Spanish-language cooking and lifestyle show, Delicioso, on Galavision/Univision. Her infatuation with food was so strong that Ingrid returned to her passion, and opened Rocca, the first restaurant to feature tabletop cooking on heated lava rocks." (HOW COOL!)

We will post Ingrid's recipes on Wednesday, March 3, 2010. Can't wait to see what you are cooking!

FNCCC Assignment # 20 - Ina Garten

Next week's chef is Ina Garten who has fabulous food and over 600 recipes to choose from!

"In 1978, Ina Garten found herself working in the White House on nuclear energy policy and thinking, "There's got to be more to life than this!" She saw an ad for a small food store for sale in a place she'd never been: the Hamptons at the end of Long Island. She and her husband drove up to investigate and made the owner an offer on the spot. Two months later she found herself the owner of Barefoot Contessa, a 400-sq. ft. specialty food store." I loved watching her biography because her story has changed so much. She has numerous cookbooks and currently hosts Barefoot Contessa on Food Network.

We will post Ina's recipes on Wednesday, January 27, 2010. Can't wait to see what you are cooking!

FNCCC Week 19 - Guy Feiri

This week's featured chef is Guy Fieri, host of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Guy's Big Bite, and Ultimate Recipe Showdown. He has some great recipes. I chose the Pan-Fried Catfish Sandwich with Chipotle-Lime Slaw. The fish was very tasty and moist but I'm not sure if it was good enough that I would do it exactly the same next time. It had a great crunch without any oil. I didn't make mine into a sandwich. The slaw was fantastic. Spicy! I couldn't wait to eat it for lunch the next day. I dig chipotle. I had to make the kids grilled cheese.

Pan-Fried Catfish Sandwich with Chipotle-Lime Slaw
Recipe courtesy Guy Fieri

Ingredients
For the fish:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
3 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper, divided
1/2 cup dark beer
3/4 cup whole-grain or stone-ground mustard
2 cups panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound catfish fillets (cut into 4 pieces) - I used tilapia instead

For the slaw:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 limes, zested and juiced
1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons white vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 head green cabbage, thinly shredded
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature - didn't use
4 Cuban rolls, split lengthwise - didn't make into sandwiches
1 cup canola oil - I baked mine so didn't use this

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the flour, the chili powder and 1 teaspoon of the pepper in a shallow dish. Combine the beer and mustard in a separate shallow dish (there was way too much of this). Mix the panko, granulated garlic, paprika, salt and remaining pepper into a third shallow dish.

Dredge the fish in the flour mixture and then the beer and mustard and lastly in the panko mixture. Arrange the fish on a sheet pan, lined with a cooling rack (I did not use a cooling rack and it turned out perfectly crispy), and refrigerate until ready to cook.

For the slaw: In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime zest and juice, chipotle, sugar, vinegar and salt and pepper, to taste. Fold in the cabbage, onion, bell peppers, scallions, and cilantro and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Refrigerate.
Spread the butter on inside of rolls and arrange, crust side down, on a rack in the oven to toast while fish cooks.

Heat 1 cup oil in a cast iron or heavy bottom skillet over medium-high heat. Carefully add the fish, cooking on both sides until the coating turns golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack to drain. Keep warm in the oven, if necessary. (Didn't do this step, as I baked it)

Cook's Note for an alternate method: Prepare fish as above, but arrange on a sheet pan lined with a baking rack (no baking rack, just put it right on the pan and flipped half way through). Put the fish into the hot oven and bake until cooked through, 15 to 18 minutes. Briefly broil both sides of fillets to get a good crisp coating. (I didn't broil it either and mine was super crispy)

To make each sandwich, arrange a piece of fish on the bottom half of the rolls and top with the slaw. Cover with another piece of bread and serve.

So what did you make this week? Can't wait to see what you choose!

Award :)

Jenn over at Bento For Kidlet and Angela at Confessions of a Non-Domestic Housewife
both gave me this award....and what a cute award it is! Come on, cupcakes make anyone's day better!

Jenn makes the most amazing bento lunches you have ever seen. It makes me feel a little guilty when I throw together a lunch for dear daughter (because I hate packing lunches). Angela has a series she does called "Princess Traning", which teachers her daughter to become a proper princess (awesome idea) and has taken over Kid Friendly Friday for me (thank you!!). Go check them out.

Here's what I'm supposed to do:
1. Copy the award image into a post.
2. List 10 things that make you happy.
3. Tag 10 bloggers who brighten your day.
4. Put in a link to their blogs.
5. Notify the award receivers. (hold tight folks, this may take awhile :)
6. Recipients should link back to the sender's blog. (I say this can be optional. If I have given you an award you are in no way obligated to link back to me, just enjoy your award!)




10 Things That Make Me Happy


1. Carbohydrates

2. Bright Colors

3. My parents visiting from Minnesota.

4. Growing my own tomatoes (uggghhh - the FL cold spell killed them this week)

5. Being alone in the car so I can sing at the top of my lungs to whatever I want to listen to

6. Coffee in the morning

7. Family gatherings

8. Snuggling with a child that is not fully awake and demanding breakfast

9. Pizza (I could eat this daily but even more so when it's not me making it)

10. When my husband calls during the day just to say hi!

10 Bloggers That Brighten My Day:

1. A Little Fun With Me and Lu

2. Finding Joy in My Kitchen

3. The Misadventures of Mub

4.


5. Lucy's Kitchen

6. Mother Is Not Concerned

7.


8. The First Year Wife

9.

10. Adventures in Mommydom