rebuilding your pantry after ike.
A word from Chef and author Domenica Catelli: “When Hurricane Ike descended upon Houston a few weeks ago I didn’t anticipate the catalyst for a whole refrigerator and freezer makeover. The first chapter of Mom-a-licious is the quintessential guide to how to stock your fridge, freezer and pantry with delicious and healthy items so that cooking great is accessible. While I can boast having stocked plenty of organic dairy, frozen organic berries, non-cornsyruppy or
hydrogenated foods… I must confess that there were plenty of mystery items that were plaguing the back corners and the
shelf doors of the refrigerator. My husband Michael was always astounded/frustrated that we could have a full freezer and fridge while I would need to make a run for the store for dinner. There were so many sauces and
random ingredients that I was either given or compelled to buy, that I didn’t really like, but also didn’t have the heart to “waste”.
So while I was stuck in Chicago because all the flights to Houston were still grounded, and Houston was on Day 3 with no power, Michael cleared out EVERYTHING in our fridge and freezer. The control freak in me was definitely panicking that Michael was the one making the decisions on what was to stay or go… for him, there was nothing worthy of keeping. The amazing bottle of vanilla bean infused Blis Maple syrup? Dumped. The organic grainy mustard from some small Hungarian village? Bye Bye. I believe there were many salvageable culinary treasures that are now gone. Now what? I am being much more selective about what I am filling back up with. I have decided to embrace this opportunity to only stock up with items the family loves and take it easy on the impulse buys.
*Word of advice: Stay out of the grocery store when you are so hungry that your appetizer is a bag of Kettle Chips and your cart starts overflowing with anything and everything. I won’t have too many recipes in the coming weeks inspired on
something random I need to use up but I will be creating from the inspiration of a Fresh Start… til next time.”
-domenica
::One-Dish Dinners::
Lemony Chicken with Vegetables and Parmesan
Serves 2-4
Ingredients:
1 pound chicken tenders (or boneless, skinless breast cut into one-inch strips) 2-3 tablespoons garlic, minced
2-3 cups vegetables of your choice, cut into small pieces (sweet potatoes, rutabaga, celery, carrots, broccoli, etc….cut hard vegetables such as winter squash into 1/2 inch pieces, summer veggies like zucchini can be in bigger pieces)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
4 leaves of fresh basil, chopped or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
pinch salt and pepper
Process:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place chicken, garlic, and vegetables in a baking dish.
3. Drizzle with lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Mix in salt and pepper.
4. Top with the Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs and bake for 15-20 minutes.
5. Serve and enjoy!