More oven-fried chicken

I've been sort of obsessed with oven-fried chicken these days. This recipe, from Robin Miller of the Food Network, uses quick-cooking oats as part of the breading, which adds crunch AND nutrition. How do you like that? The homemade sweet-hot mustard dipping sauce packs a lot of flavor, too.

I'll meet you back here on Tuesday ... Have a great Labor Day weekend.

PARMESAN-CRUSTED CHICKEN WITH SWEET-N-HOT MUSTARD DIP

Vegetable oil spray
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt, divided
¾ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup quick-cooking oats
2 teaspoons salt-free garlic and herb seasoning
Sweet-N-Hot Mustard Dip (see note)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it with vegetable oil.

In a shallow dish or plastic bag, combine the flour and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add the chicken and turn or shake to coat completely.

Whisk the egg and water in a separate shallow dish. In a third shallow dish, combine the Parmesan, oats, garlic seasoning and remaining salt and pepper.

Dip the flour-coated chicken into the egg, then transfer to the Parmesan mixture, turning and pressing to coat completely. Place on the prepared pan and spray with vegetable oil. Bake until crust is golden brown and chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes. Serve with dipping sauce. Makes 4 servings.

Note: To make sauce, stir together ¼ cup Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, ½ teaspoon hot mustard powder (or ½ teaspoon plain mustard powder and ¼ teaspoon cayenne) and ¼ teaspoon garlic powder.

Source: Adapted from "Robin Miller Quick Fix Meals."

Per serving: 263 calories (21 percent from fat), 6.2 g fat (2.3 g saturated, 2.1 g monounsaturated), 128.6 mg cholesterol, 34 g protein, 16.8 g carbohydrates, 1.2 g fiber, 852.9 mg sodium.

Pork chops again? Yes!

Aw, the power of suggestion ... just looking through the 20th annivesary edition of Cooking Light for recipes to share ... then decided to go to www.cookinglight.com to see what was on there ... clicked on dinner tonight and was swayed by the recipe there. Pork Chops and Country Gravy? Sounds pretty good at 3:30 p.m.

I'm alerting you to it because it's a great illustration of how we can scale back calories/fat in recipes we love. Low-fat milk takes the place of butter and heavy cream and the flavor is ramped up by a trio of dried herbs.

Bon Appetit! Oh, I mean Cooking Light!

Pork Chops with Country Gravy

1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 3/4 inch thick)
1 tablespoon butter
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour, salt, dried marjoram, dried thyme, and dried rubbed sage in a shallow dish. Dredge pork in flour mixture, turning to coat; shake off excess. Reserve remaining flour mixture.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Reduce heat, and cook for 10 minutes or until done, turning pork once. Remove pork from pan; keep warm.

Combine reserved flour mixture and milk in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended. Add milk mixture to pan; place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat, and simmer 2 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Serve with chops.

Yield 4 servings (serving size: 1 chop and 1/2 cup gravy)
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 252(34% from fat); FAT 9.6g (sat 4.4g,mono 3.6g,poly 0.8g); PROTEIN 28.9g; CHOLESTEROL 83mg; CALCIUM 142mg; SODIUM 584mg; FIBER 0.3g; IRON 1.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 10.6g
Source: Cooking Light, JUNE 2006

Rotisserie Chicken Wednesday

Another soup on the menu. This one is lighter than yesterday's, perhaps better suited for a summer night. I like the mingling of Asian flavors here. A lemon pepper rotisserie chicken would add more depth.

I am not a fan of bamboo shoots and a cup of them? That feels like filler to me. I'd replace them and maybe even the water chesnuts with julienned jicama. Stir in the jicama at the end with the chicken and it will keep its crunch. It'll give the soup a fresher taste than the canned ingredients.

See you back tomorrow!

Asian Style Chicken Soup

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
5 cups chicken broth
1 cup snow peas, sliced in 1-inch lengths
1 cup canned sliced bamboo shoots, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 cups diced cooked chicken
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
salt, to taste
ground cayenne pepper, to taste

In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the green onions and garlic; sauté for 1 minute. Add ginger and the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil.

Stir in the snow peas, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts; simmer for 5 minutes, or until snow peas are tender.

Stir in the chicken, cilantro or parsley, vinegar, sesame oil, salt, and cayenne pepper. Simmer until thoroughly heated. Serve hot.
Serves 6.

Source: www.about.com

Pretend It's Not Hot. Eat Soup.

I married a man who like soup. We have a son who likes soup. Doesn't matter to them that it's 95 degrees, 100 percent humidity. Everytime we go out, they order soup before the meal. Choice of soup or salad with the meal? They'll have the soup.

I don't come from a soup family. We never had soup, unless it was Campbell's minestrone or chicken noodle. And that was for lunch. Even now, I don't cook a lot of soup. I think they hate me for it.

Oh, I do make a killer gumbo and a fantastic clam chowder. Both take a lot of time. Here's a recipe I think they'll like that is good weeknight fare. Make sure to buy the lower sodium mushroom soup, plus drain AND rinse the corn to get rid of extra salt. To make it a wee bit creamier, I'll sub low-fat milk for half the water.

I found this recipe at www.mom-mom.com. See you back tomorrow for Rotisserie Chicken Wednesday. 

Turkey Meatball Soup

1 pound ground turkey
1 egg
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cube beef bouillon cube
1-1/2 cups water
1 can (10.75 ounce) condensed cream of mushroom soup
4 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 can (11 oz) whole kernel corn, drained

Mix together the ground turkey, egg, onion, garlic salt, and pepper. Form meatballs.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Brown meatballs in oil. Transfer meatballs to a paper towel to drain.

In a soup pot, boil water and dissolve the bouillon cube in the boiling water. Stir in the undiluted mushroom soup. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and corn. Add the meatballs to the soup, and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, and simmer 25 to 30 minutes.

Be a Vegetarian Tonight

This pasta dish has so much flavor that meat-eaters won't even miss the meat. Well, they might but what the heck. Having a meatless meal one or two nights a week is good nutritrition. Not to mention a savings for the wallet. I went to buy a flank steak yesterday - you know, the one I woke up thinking about  last week - and it was $17. Uh, no thanks. I can get a pound of huge Gulf shrimp for less than that.

Anyway, Cathy Martin, my counterpart at the MIami Herald, wrote about Robin MIller of the Food Network last week and included this recipe. It's good and quick, too, for busy weeknights.

Let's have a good week, no?

ROTELLE WITH BROILED FETA, SNOW PEAS, AND YELLOW BELL PEPPER

12 ounces rotelle or any spiral shaped pasta, preferably whole-grain
8 ounces feta cheese, cut crosswise into -½-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
½ red onion, sliced into half moons
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ cups snow peas (fresh or frozen)
1 medium yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 ½ cups cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, heat the broiler. Arrange the feta slices on a foil-lined baking sheet and place under the broiler. Broil until the cheese is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic, stirring, 1 minute. Add snow peas and bell pepper; cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until just softened, about 1 minute. Add to pasta.

Add remaining oil and the vinegar, tossing to combine. Stir in basil, sprinkle with pine nuts and season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with feta and serve. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Source: Adapted from "Robin Miller Quick Fix Meals."

Per serving (with whole-grain pasta): 363 calories (32 percent from fat), 13.6 g fat (6.4 g saturated, 5.2 g monounsaturated), 33.6 mg cholesterol, 14.9 g protein, 49.8 g carbohydrates, 6.2 g fiber, 431.7 mg sodium.

We want your Christmas cookie recipes!

Scour your recipe box and computer files; call your mother and neighbors. We want the recipes for your favorite Christmas cookies. Submit them all: bars, drops or cutouts; iced, plain and sprinkled; gingerbread, peppermint and chocolate. Even those with dried fruit.

The St. Petersburg Times’ sixth annual cookie extravaganza, which publishes Nov. 28 in the Taste section and also at tampabay.com, will include two dozen of the most enticing reader recipes. We test them all to make sure you don't have any holiday disasters. We're looking for recipes from readers from all over the country so if you're an online reader, please play along!

E-mail as many recipes as you like by Sept. 14 to  features@sptimes.com. Please put COOKIES in the subject line. Include your city of residence and a daytime phone number.

It may seem like it’s too early to think about Christmas, but what better time to start dreaming of sweater weather . . . and holiday treats.

It's Friday, Get Grilling

I woke up this morning thinking about flank steak. Weird. I guess something was telling me I hadn't found many grilling recipes for Stir Crazy lately. It's probably because I really, really hate to go outside this time of the year. I think I was destined to live in Vermont or something. I am also not much of an indoor griller because I seem to set off the smoke alarm a lot, or at the very least, stink the house up for days.

Remember those sliders I told you about yesterday? I am still smelling them today. Any hoo ...

Flank steak has gotten pricey, like all beef, but cut across the grain thinly, it can feed a lot of people. This Korean-style dish can be served sliced thinly and wrapped in lettuce leaves with a spoonful of rice. Or, serve it with a veggie and big green salad.

That's a good TGIF meal. Have a great weekend.

Korean-Style Grilled Flank Steak
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)
1 tablespoon grated peeled ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons Sriracha (Southeast Asian chile sauce)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
1 to 1 1/4 pound flank steak
2 scallions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Stir together soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic, Sriracha, sugar, and sesame oil.

Prepare a gas grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-high heat.

Oil grill rack, then grill steak, covered, turning over once, 6 to 8 minutes for medium-rare.

Transfer steak to a cutting board and drizzle with 2 tablespoons sauce, then let stand, uncovered, 5 minutes. Thinly slice steak across the grain. Serve with remaining sauce, scallions, and sesame seeds.
Makes 4 servings.

Source: Gourmet magazine, July 2007

Roast a Shrimp, Big Time

I've been on this roasted shrimp kick lately. I made it again last night for the fourth time in a month. My husband and son are big fans. (Though the wee one and I had homemade sliders on brioche rolls that I was testing for a story in next week's food section.)

Roasting shrimp is a more flavorful take on peel-and-eat. Unless you get really good shrimp, I find the flavor of boiled shrimp insipid. There's just not much there. The roasted shrimp always turn out good. The dry heat concentrates the shrimpy taste.

Here's how I do it:
Get a pound (or more) of Gulf of Mexico shrimp; they've got more taste than the imports, I think. We've been buying pink monsters from down the Keys. Huge, I tell you!

Drizzle a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with extra-virgin olive oil (about 2 to 3 tablespoons). Run two big garlic cloves through your press and add them to the olive oil. Dump in the shrimp, shells and all. With clean hands, mix it all up so the shrimp is coated with olive oil and the garlic is evenly placed.

Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over all and toss in the lemon pieces.

Roast in a preheated 350-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Halfway through, give them a stir.

You can serve them with cocktail sauce but I find them plenty tasty with the olive oil, garlic, lemon and seasonings.

Last night we had leftover pilaf and sliced tomatoes to go with.

Eat 'em up!

Rotisserie Chicken Wednesday

Here's a simple casserole that can easily be reheated for the different dinner shifts you might be experiencing now that school is back in session. I guess it would be natural to serve it with rice but I might go for some spinach fettuccine or other spinach noodles to give it more color and a bit more nutrition.

Tell me, now that school has started again, are you back to a dinnertime routine or back to the crazy hour? I'd be curious to know how some of you cope with activities, homework, grown-up work/chores and dinner. It's always a struggle at our house. One that takeout wins some of the time. Anybody do a lot of cooking on the weekend to eat on the run during the week?

Divine Chicken Divan

3 to 4 cups cooked chicken, diced
8 ounces sautéed sliced mushrooms
1 package (10 ounces) frozen broccoli spears, cooked and drained
Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper, to taste
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon cooking sherry
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

In a shallow casserole, layer chicken, mushrooms, then broccoli. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat, stirring in flour until smooth and well blended. Remove from heat and gradually stir in the chicken broth.

Place back on heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Stir in salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Remove from heat; add Parmesan cheese and sherry. Stir in the slightly beaten egg yolks and bring to the boiling point again. Pour over chicken and vegetables. Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes, or until bubbly and browned.

Serves 4 to 6.

Source: www.about.com

Hot Day, Cool Salad

It's August so it's not terribly surprising that it's hot, hot, hot. But around these parts, when the temp creeps up past 95 it's really miserable. Don't you just feel for all these kids who go back to school and have to be out in the sun for P.E. and sports practices? It stinks. That's why we love January-February so much, eh?

Here's a recipe for Smoked Salmon Salad that requires no cooking. The only heat you'll need is to warm the baguette ... which you don't really have to do. A perfect recipe for a sweltering Florida summer evening.

Smoked Salmon Salad
3 cups mixed salad greens
1 earn of fresh corn (raw)
4 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon
3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh baguette, warmed in a 200 F oven

Divide the greens between two servings plates. Set aside.
Use serrated knife to carefully cut the kernels from the ear of corn. The easiest way to do this is to stand the ear on it's wide end and saw down the length of the cob. Divide the kernels between the two plates.

Cut the salmon into thin strips and scatter them over each salad. Top each salad with half of the pine nuts, goat cheese and fresh dill. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, then drizzle over each salad. Serve with baguette.

Serves 2.

An Apple a Day ... or Night

Forgive me for abandoning you at the end of last week but I was in a back-to-school shopping frenzy. It's the most wonderful time of the year!

While I was looking around for a recipe that I thought would be good to share, I came across something called Chicken Fried Spam. I kid you not. It's at www.recipezaar.com if you must have it though I won't be the one to perpetuate that one. It sounds like really, really bad hurricane food.

I like this recipe because nearly everything in it is a pantry item. What? You don't have currants in your cabinet? Neither do I. They are easily left out. I am the kind of grocery shopper that buys meat without a plan for it. I almost always have boneless chops in the freezer. This recipe from Southern Living magazine gives me an idea for dinner tonight. Hope it does you, too.

Have a great week.

Apple-A-Day Pork Chops

6 (4  ounce) boneless pork loin chops 
vegetable oil cooking spray 
1-1 1/2  tablespoon dried rosemary 
1/2-3/4  teaspoon salt 
1/2-3/4  teaspoon fresh ground pepper 
1  medium red delicious apple, peeled and chopped 
1/2  cup golden raisins 
1/2  cup currants 
2  teaspoons olive oil 
3/4  cup marsala wine or apple cider 
Garnishes:
Rosemary sprigs 
Apples, slices 

Coat both sides of pork chops evenly with cooking spray.
Combine rosemary, salt, and pepper. Rub mixture evenly on both sides of pork; set aside.

Cook apple, raisins, and currants in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup wine, stirring constantly, until most liquid is evaporated. Add remaining wine, and cook 15 minutes or until mixture is thickened.

Cook pork chops in a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat 5 minutes on each side or until done. Top with apple mixture. Garnish, if desired.

Serves 6, so they say.

Rotisserie Chicken Wednesday

After 18 months of posting rotisserie chicken recipes on Wednesdays, I think I am going a little crazy. I looked back at what I've offered up and, wow, it's been a lot of salads. Well, here's a recipe that I know I am not repeating. Thai Chicken Calzones ... could it be the ultimate fusion food?

The original recipe calls for homemade pizza dough but unless you've got the time/inclination, the frozen stuff works just as well. Weird recipe alert: the filling calls for 3 tablespoons of brewed tea. It will add an earthy depth to the final product.

Have fun!

Thai Chicken Calzone
Frozen pizza dough
Filling:
3 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter
3 tablespoons brewed tea
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon ginger
2 teaspoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons green onions
2 cups chicken, cooked and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Shape into a 16 x 10 rectangle. Transfer to a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Combine all filling ingredients and mix well. Spread onto dough.

Make diagonal cuts 1 1/2 inches apart down each side, cutting within 1/2 an inch of the filling. Fold one side over filling, connect it to the other side, and seal with water. Brush top with melted butter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.

Adapted from www.ivillage.com.

Baked Ziti? Fughedabboutit!

Italian farmers were among the early settlers of my hometown in California. Subsequently there are a lot of Italian-Americans there, and they influenced the food. At every wedding, shower, reunion, holiday meal, etc., there was ravioli made from one deli in town. I think they've gone under now but Gaia-Delucchi was the name (though probably misspelled.) Ravioli and chicken. Ravioli and roast beef. Ravioli and Ravioli.

My husband is from New Jersey, which also has a lot of Italian-Americans. There, the party pasta of choice is ... ziti! I never really had baked ziti until I met him and started visiting there. I used to think it was quite an involved dish but it's really simple and can be made many different ways. This recipe includes ground beef, which we hardly ever seem to feature here at Stir Crazy. The meat make it more hearty.

You could use jarred red sauce but homemade is so much better. Mangia!

Baked Ziti Recipe with Ground Beef
1 pound lean ground beef (ground chuck or ground round)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 green bell pepper, chopped, about 1/2 cup
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon dried leaf oregano, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or small clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces ziti or elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Sauté ground beef, onion, and green bell pepper in a large skillet until onion is tender and beef is lightly browned. Drain off excess fat; add tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Stir well; stir in ziti or elbow macaroni and 1 cup of the cheese; transfer to a 2 1/2-quart casserole. Top with the remaining cup of cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
Serves 6.

Source: www.about.com.

what? Now olive oil is fake?

Holy Crow! Have you seen a copy of the latest New Yorker magazine about phoney-baloney olive oil coming out of Italy? Seems a lot of the oil is "adulterated," meaning its being mixed with non-olive oil from outside the country. Look at the label on the stuff you buy. If it says "imported from Italy" that doesn't mean it is from olives grown there. That's just where it's bottled. (Actually, Spain produces more olive oil but ships it to Italy for bottling.) That doesn't necessaily mean it's not real olive oil but it does mean you don't have a clue where it's really from.

I am working on a story for next week's Taste section about olive oil. Is it now as fake as balsamic and wasabi? I am not sure how to tell what's real and what's not, but I can say after doing some serious olive oil tasting that most of the generic stuff we get in the grocery store doesn't hold a candle to the artisan oil. Of course, you pay big time for that.

The real burn is that many people turn to olive oil for its health benefits ... in its purest form it's a heart-healthy oil. But if what you're really eating is mostly soy bean oil or something else ... well ... I'll keep you posted on what I find out.

Comforting Seafood Casserole

Dang. Is it really Monday again? Those weekends go so fast. I promised to tell you about all the wonderful things I cooked over the weekend but ... I didn't do much cooking. Unless you count an awesome grilled cheese sandwich.

I love seafood casseroles and think they are great for family dinners or when having friends over. This one is stuffed with seafood and you can put together whatever combination works for you. I'd probably just use shrimp and scallops.

Seafood Casserole
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds fish fillets (3 to 4 fillets), cut into large chunks (roughy, haddock, etc.)
1 cup crabmeat or medium cleaned and peeled shrimp
1 cup scallops, bay or cut up sea scallops
hot cooked rice for 4 to 6 people
1/4 cup toasted pecan pieces*

Melt butter in saucepan over medium-low heat; blend in flour, then gradually stir in milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add salt and shredded cheese; stir until cheese melts. Set aside.

When cooled, add sour cream. Place fish pieces on bottom of buttered 1 1/2 to 2-quart baking dish. Add crabmeat and scallops to the cream sauce; pour over fish. Can be refrigerated at this point until ready to bake. Bake at 325° for about 20 to 30 minutes, until fish is cooked through. Serve over cooked rice or noodles. Sprinkle with toasted pecan pieces.

Serves 4.

*To toast nuts, spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast in a 350 degree oven, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes. Or, toast in an ungreased skillet over medium heat, stirring, until golden brown and aromatic. Remove from hot baking sheet or skillet to cool or they will burn.

Source: www.about.com

Two new blogs at tampabay.com

Some of my colleagues and fellow food lovers at the Times and *tbt are starting new blogs. Please check them out.

Laura Reiley, our food critic, will be dishing about the dining scene at blogs.tampabay.com/dining. She's already posted a few entries but would really like your input about how the conversation should go. Please check it out and leave your suggestions about restaurants she should visit.

Josh Korr, Jay Cridlin, Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler and Stephanie Hayes, a fearless foursome of snackers, all journalists by day, will be roving the supermarket aisles and the fast-food lanes in search of the best new bad-for-you food. What can they say? They love funyons, Slim Jims and other high-sodium treats. They're young, too, and still able to live dangerously.

Check out their snack food faves at  blogs.tampabay.com/snacks.

Put on your bibs. It's going to get messy.

A late-night supper

The August issue of Bon Appetit has a ton of really yummy recipes ... of  course, the gorgeous photos don't hurt. I'd like to stay home all weekend and make them. Maybe I will.

Chard and Salami Frittata sounds great for a Friday night, especially if you will be meeting the gang for a drink and then heading home. It's fast and flavorful, and just as good for breakfast as it is for lunch or a light dinner. Serve it with a salad for lunch or dinner and fresh fruit for breakfast.

(Speaking of a trinity dish, did anyone happen to see Rachael Ray on 30 Minute Meals this week with her baked carbonara thing perfect for B, L or D? I haven't watched her in a while but she is so cranked up it seems she might launch into orbit. Wow, I think she could have made the whole meal in 15 minutes she was moving so crazy fast. She says she drinks a lot of coffee. She gives me the jitters.)

Anyway, give this recipe a whirl. I'll report back on Monday what I made.

Chard and Salami Frittata
6 large eggs
3 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 bunch Swiss chard (about 10 ounces), steams and center ribs cut away, leaves coarsely chopped (if you use spinach, simply cut off stems)
2 ounces thinly sliced Italian Genoa salami, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2/3 cup)
1 garlic clove, minced

Preheat broiler. Whisk all the eggs, 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in large bowl.

Heat olive oil in medium nonstick broilerproof skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender but not brown, about 6 minutes. Add Swiss chard in 3 batches, toss until each begins to wilt before adding next. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute until any liquid in skillet evaporates. Increase heat to medium -high; add salami and garlic to skillet and stir 1 minute. Add eggs to skillet; stir to distribute evenly. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook until eggs are almost set but still moist in center, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese over top.

Transfer frittata to broiler and cook until until set in center and beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Using flexible spatula, loosen frittata around edges. Slide frittata out onto platter. Serve warm or room temperature.

Serves 6 to 8 as appetizer; 4 as main course.

Source: Bon Appetit, August 2007

Eat more chicken ...

Get takeout tonight. Or have scrambled eggs and toast. Or leftovers. Make due while you prepare the marinade for tomorrow's dinner. Get it all ready tonight, then pop in the chicken pieces in the a.m. While you're doing your day-time thing, the chicken will be getting spicy and garlicky in the fridge. Serve this Asian-leaning meal with flavored rice and sauteed spinach. More garlic for sure.

Just a thought. See you back tomorrow. Any recipe requests?

SPICY, GARLICKY CASHEW CHICKEN
1 cup roasted, salted cashew nuts
6 tablespoons chopped cilantro, with some stems
1/4 cup canola or safflower oil
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, sliced (discard seeds or not, to taste)
Juice of 1 lime, plus lime wedges for garnish
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 pounds chicken thighs and/or drumsticks.

In a blender or food processor, combine nuts, 2 tablespoons cilantro, oil, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, jalapeno, lime juice and 2 tablespoons water. Blend until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.

Season chicken all over with salt and pepper. Smear on enough cashew mixture to thoroughly coat pieces. (Set aside any remaining mixture.) Let marinate at room temperature while you heat grill or broiler. Or refrigerate for up to 12 hours before cooking.

Preheat broiler or grill. Grill or broil chicken, turning frequently, until it is crisp and golden on outside and done on inside (cut a small nick to check), 20 to 30 minutes.

Sprinkle chicken with remaining cilantro and serve with lime wedges and remaining cashew mixture.

Yield: 4 servings.

Source: New York Times

Rotisserie Chicken Wednesday

Here's a recipe that takes advantage of summer bounty, specifically zucchini and tomoatoes (much like ratatouille). You can add other types of veggies or leave out the mushrooms if you've got 'shroom haters in your fold. But this combination is a classic summer dish (though hearty enough to serve in winter.)

The recipe, by food writer Stephanie Gallagher who specializes in healthy cooking, calls for whole wheat pasta but you can use any kind you want. There's a good-for-you 5 grams of fiber in this dish (vegetables!) and using bleached flour pasta will decrease that.

Chicken Pasta Primavera

8 oz. linguine (preferably whole wheat)
2  Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
8 oz. mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 cup diced zucchini
3 ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped (whatever variety is in season or looks best at the market)
28 oz. crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped finely
1 cup rotisserie chicken, shredded
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Prepare linguine according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet or saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, stirring frequently to prevent the garlic from burning. Cook 2-3 minutes. Add the red pepper, mushrooms and zucchini. Cook about 5 minutes until vegetables are tender. Add diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and allow sauce to simmer 10 minutes or so until the vegetables become soft and all the flavors meld.

Add parsley and rotisserie chicken. Cook another 5 minutes until heated through. Taste and season again, if necessary. Serve over hot linguine and topped with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Serves 4-6.

Per serving (based on 4): 372 calories, 11 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 73 mg cholesterol, 51 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 21 g protein, 31% vitamin A, 137% vitamin C, 8% calcium, 22% iron

Tuesday night pork chops

Carol Mighton Haddix, the Chicago Tribune food editor, took the words right out of my computer recently when she wrote about how boring chicken can get. Especially the boneless, skinless chicken breast.

To dump the dinnertime blahs, she's making a lot of boneless pork chops. This is her recipe for glazed chops that start by rubbing them with paprika salt and pepper.  She suggests serving this with corn on the cob (yummy right now) and red cabbage slaw.

Good ideas, all.

PAPRIKA CHOPS WITH BARBECUE GLAZE AND SWEET ONIONS
4 boneless pork loin chops, about 1-inch thick, trimmed
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 sweet onion, very thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
¼ cup prepared barbecue sauce

Sprinkle the chops on both sides with ½ teaspoon of the salt, the paprika and pepper to taste; set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, thyme and remaining ¼ teaspoon of the salt; cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Transfer to a serving bowl. Add the chops to the skillet; cook over medium-high heat to brown each side, about 5 minutes; lower heat to medium. Cover; cook chops until almost cooked through, about 5 minutes. Brush barbecue sauce over one side of each chop; turn, brush the other side. Cook 1 minute. Serve with onions on the side.

Serves 4.

Nutrition information per serving: 336 calories, 60 percent of calories from fat, 22 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 90 mg cholesterol, 5 g carbohydrates, 28 g protein, 666 mg sodium, 1 g fiber

Simple dish for a Monday

I'm back ... again. What is it with french fries this summer? When I was in California in June I saw lots of places with garlic fries. Last week, I am in upstate New York and I see sweet potato fries in three different restuarants. I'll take them over the garlic fries anyday. They actually seem like they might be healthy.

I really, really want you to try this recipe. It's so easy but so delicious. I tested it for a story I did for this week's section on feta cheese. If you've never made brown butter this is a good recipe to try. When you brown the butter, you're toasting the milk solids which completely changes the taste. It becomes very nutty. Watch it carefully because it goes from browned to burned pretty quickly.

This could be a side dish with a simple roasted chicken but I think it's rich enough and plenty filling to be a main dish. Serve it with broccoli, green beans or asparagus.

Egg Noodles with Brown Butter and Feta
12 ounces dried egg noodles or egg pasta
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) Greek feta, crumbled
Freshly ground pepper
• Cook noodles in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until just tender (softer than al dente). Drain well in a colander.
•While noodles cook, melt butter in a small heavy skillet over low heat and continue to cook until it begins to turn golden brown, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Add noodles to butter and toss gently to coat. Add feta and stir. Season with freshly ground pepper
Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish.
Source: Gourmet 2006 via www.epicurious.com