I've obviously developed a love of cooking savory foods with grapes in the mix. I came across a Food & Wine recipe for Pork With Grapes and knew I had to give it a whirl.

Instead of chops, I sliced a gorgeous pork tenderloin into medallions. I browned them all on both sides in a skillet and then tossed into a 350 degree oven to cook through.

Into the same skillet, I added 1/2 white onion minced and my red grapes. I skipped the sugar, but I added the vinegar, then the wine, then the stock according to the F&W recipe (although I used chardonnay instead of "fruity red" because I had a bottle open). Right toward the end, I added in a can of drained canellini beans to add some heft. Then I added the pork back into the sauce to soak up the deliciousness.

Served over leftovers of a scrumptious squash puree that J had whipped up the night before. He caramelized onions with chili flakes, roasted acorn squash with salt pepper and garam masala, then blended both once cooked with a touch of olive oil. It was light and fluffy and sweet with a hint of spice from the garam masala and chili flakes.

This was a hit! The sweet and tart flavors of the grapes and vinegar were perfect with the roasted pork and creamy beans. I could also see this being even better if I'd reduced the sauce down to half to concentrate all of the flavors. This is

Coconut Curry Chicken #MadeWithChobani

Last week, I noticed a hashtag floating around my Pinterest and Twitter worlds -- #MadeWithChobani. After taking a look through the Chobani tumblr and some other blogger websites featuring their Chobani-made recipes, I was totally inspired to hop on board and come up with my own! Perusing the Chobani website, I spotted the coconut-flavored blend. Since I've found great flavor success with coconut milk, shouldn't coconut-flavored yogurt be as big a win?

Oh yes, friends and readers. This is a HUGE flavor win.

I was loosely inspired by Queen Ina Garten's lamb kebab marinade. Yogurt as a marinade for meat makes it extra juicy and tender, plus a few other aromatics and tasty spices give you a knock out flavor profile.

I went with chicken thighs for a few reasons. First, they're really tender and flavorful - there is nothing worse than a grainy, dried out chicken breast. Second, they were super cheap the day I went shopping for this meal. I found 6 skinless, bone-in thighs (total weight 1.4 lb) for about $5. I made a Chobani-based marinade of the following:

6 bone-in skinless thighs (1.4 lb by weight)
Juice of one lime
1 T ginger, minced (about one inch of a knob)
1 container (150 g) 2% coconut Chobani
1 T parsley, minced (optional)
4 scallions, white and light green parts thinly sliced (shallots or chives would also work)
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 T canola oil

I mixed all of the marinade ingredients in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and, after rinsing the chicken and taking off any excess fat, added those to the mix as well. I prepped these in advance by a full 24 hours -- if you don't have that much time, I'd recommend you marinate for at least an hour.

I baked my chicken at 375° for about 25 minutes until cooked through. I checked around the 20-minute mark, but trusted my digital meat thermometer - once it registered 160° or so, they came out of the oven. I laud this tool on this blog regularly and totally recommend adding one to your kitchen toolkit!

I served the chicken with a broccoli radish slaw, also prepared with Chobani. The recipe is as follows:

One head broccoli
One bunch radishes (about 8 total)
2 T lemon juice
2 T canola oil
1 T red wine vinegar
1 container (150 g) 0% plain Chobani
1/8 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Use the shredding disc of a food processor (or a box grater if you want an arm workout) to shred all broccoli and radishes. Mix the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl. Combine (I like to shake in a covered bowl, which is also a great arm workout) and season to taste with salt and pepper, then refrigerate until ready.

This chicken is positively dynamite. It was soooooOOOOOooooooooOOOOOOOOO good. I know that isn't an accurate description, but from someone who does not consider coconut a go-to flavor, this meal blew my own expectations out of the water and will definitely go into our regular rotation. The marinade has the brightness of the ginger and the lime juice, a sweetness from the coconut yogurt, and the perfect amount of smoky heat from the curry powder. It had the flavors of some of my favorite Indian or Thai dishes that use coconut milk as the base, but using the yogurt is a way to up the ante protein-wise.

My tummy (and my husband's!) are so glad that I jumped on board with this challenge!

For those who might like alternatives to the above:

• Chicken breasts/tenderloins instead of thighs will totally work. I'd suggest you cut them into 1" pieces so the marinade has more surface area to flavor. This marinade would also be delicious on shrimp!
• Parsley is totally optional. You can leave it out entirely or replace with your favorite fresh green herb like cilantro or mint. If you don't have any fresh herbs on hand, you could certainly sub in your favorite dried herbs as well.
• Curry scares some people. In large doses, it can be too much, but in small doses it is really a lovely flavor addition. If you're anti-curry, try chili powder or paprika. If you're pro-spiciness, definitely try upping the amount of curry powder, or add in cayenne.
• The slaw can be done with any sturdy vegetables that shred easily. Carrots would be great, and I am a huge fan of Brussels sprouts as slaw.

Disclaimer: I purchased all Chobani products with my own money. The recipe is my own creation. I didn't receive any incentive to write a Chobani-focused article other than I like a good challenge and yogurt is tasty!

Harissa Cauliflower Shakshouka

Two of my favorite people are getting married next year and we celebrated their engagement the weekend before Thanksgiving. The party was so chic and festive and full of love... and very heavy-handed pours. The next day, I was reminded that I'm almost 30 and not actually 22. I forced myself out of bed around 11 am, brewed some coffee, and surveyed the refrigerator.

Earlier that week, I made Naturally Ella's Harissa Lentils & Cauliflower and had tons of leftovers. I heated some up in a skillet with a lid. Once the sauce started to bubble, I poured four eggs into the pan and popped the top on.

We were so extraordinarily hungover and this meal was life-giving. There was protein in the eggs and lentils, solid nutritional value from the cruciferous veg and tomato-filled sauce, and the eye-opening spice of the homemade harissa got the blood flowing. With some nice crunchy toast on the side, this “add an egg to leftovers” breakfast was wholly restorative. I may have to enlist J's expertise the morning after the bachelorette party...

Antipasto Meatballs

It's December! Where has this year gone!? I hope you all had wonderful Thanksgiving celebrations last week. Now, we head into one of the best times of year -- Holiday Party Snack Food Season. I'm heading to celebrate with my beloved book club girls this evening with snacks in hand (recipe to come!) but also wanted to share this meatball recipe I whipped up a week or two ago for dinner. I know they would be absolutely smashing at a holiday fête, especially if you roll them out very small.

- one pound ground turkey (I like 93%/7%)
- one large egg
- 1 12-14 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped
- 6 (or more!) sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
- 6 - 10 pitted cured black olives (kalamata would also be delicious)
- unseasoned breadcrumbs

I mixed all of the ingredients together and, as is my way, I could not tell you the amount of breadcrumbs. Its always something I eyeball and determine "ready" based on look and feel. I will try to be better about this in the future!

I tried searing a few in a pan before baking them through, but they started to fall apart when I attempted to turn or move them. I'd encourage you to entirely skip searing them and simply throw them into a 350 oven and bake until fully cooked.

I served them over risotto with about a pound of arugula wilted in at the end. The creamy risotto and the bitter arugula were perfect counterbalances to the bright, briny flavors in the meatballs. I ate some leftovers the next day and added some crumbled feta and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar - it was even better with those sweet and tangy additions. Were I to make these as an appetizer, I'd certainly look to a balsamic vinegar-inspired sauce or reduction to go with them. Enjoy!

Bagna Cauda French Beans & Tilapia

So many happy family memories are tied to food. Boeuf bourgignon reminds me of the no-kids-allowed dinner parties my parents would throw, the rich scent wafting upstairs as the grown ups chuckled around the dining table. Serving brownies instead of cake at my brother's birthdays because they are his all-time favorite. My sister and I shucking corn on my grandparents' back deck in summers as my grandfather fired up the grill for swordfish steaks, my grandmother mixing up the most perfect sauce for the fish. It's an old secret family recipe. I do not remember an occasion growing up where fish was served without this sauce on the table.

I was having a nostalgic day last week thinking about Thanksgiving and essentially planned dinner around The Family Sauce. I gave J a short shopping list: tilapia and French beans. I loved my grandmother dearly, but she was absolutely dreadful at preparing green beans - they were always mushy and overcooked. Still, these were created in her honor.

I preheated the oven to 350° and prepared two baking sheets with tin foil. On one, I placed the two fillets of tilapia (about a pound total), drizzled a little olive oil on top, then seasoned with salt, pepper, and some ground coriander. On the other, I tossed the French beans and a sliced shallot in a touch of oil and laid them out flat.

Both went into the oven for 15 minutes. Around minute 10, I started the bagna cauda (anchovy butter) for the beans. I put 3 anchovy fillets, two tablespoons of unsalted butter, and a shake or two of crushed red pepper into a deep sauce pan. The butter and anchovies melted together as I stirred and the whole kitchen was overpowered with a rich, salty aroma. When the melted butter mixture starts to slightly darken in color, remove the pan from heat. At this point (about minute 13), I took the beans out of the oven and tossed them to cover with the bagna cauda.

The legendary family sauce? It's ketchup and mayonnaise. Mixed together. That is is and it is perfect, especially on a light flaky fish like the tilapia. The simply seasoned fish, the ultra retro sauce, and the easy-but-fancy beans all made for a filling and flavorful weeknight meal in under 30 minutes.

Spicy Cranberry Apple Chutney

It is Monday of one of my favorite weeks of the entire year – Thanksgiving is only days away! Growing up in Massachusetts, we’re gently brainwashed into believing that Thanksgiving is the greatest holiday around and I’m still drinking that Kool Aid. Who can argue with a holiday that focuses on gratitude, family, and food? I’m totally down with it.

Another Massachusetts life lesson? Cranberries are delicious. I whipped up this chutney recently and it’s the perfect mix of fall fruit with a little bit of heat to warm you up as the temperatures dip.

The ingredients:
- ½ white onion
- ½ c champagne vinegar (regular white wine vinegar is OK too)
- 1 teaspoon whole mustard seeds
- ½ c granulated sugar
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 red chile peppers, soaked and minced, seeds removed
- 1 bag of cranberries
- 3 apples, peeled, cored, and diced

These are the peppers I used:

You can certainly substitute crushed red pepper flakes if you can’t find something similar to these and you can increase/reduce the amount used depending on your heat preference.

Start off softening the onion in oil over medium heat. Then, add in the garlic and peppers. About 2 minutes later, add in the mustard, then the sugar and vinegar.

Stir it well until all of the sugar is dissolved and then add in the cranberries and apples. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes, until it thickens up and has this stunning hot pink color.

I served this on roasted pork tenderloin that I seasoned with salt, pepper, and ground coriander and a Brussels sprouts slaw-style salad.

I loved this. It’s sweet, tangy, and spicy all in one, plus the color is absolutely gorgeous. It would be a great topper to leftover Thanksgiving turkey, chicken, or pork like I did. I also snacked on the chutney leftovers chilled on top of goat cheese and crackers. It was certainly the fanciest lunch I’ve brought to work thus far!

Six Minute Eggs

My friend Matt taught us this egg recipe over our Couples Chopped weekend and our breakfast making has been permanently changed for the better. Here are the seven steps of Six Minute Eggs.

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
2. Gently -- GENTLY!!! (Imagine Westley saying this to Buttercup) -- use a slotted spoon or other gentle implement to place raw eggs delicately on the bottom of the pot of boiling water.
3. Set your timer to six minutes.
4. Prepare a bowl of ice water.
5. When the six minute timer chimes, remove the eggs and submerge in the ice water.
6. Once they've cooled 30 - 60 seconds, gently -- GENTLY!!! -- crack the shells and peel off.
7. Serve and be ready to enjoy the most perfectly gelled whites and creamy warm yolks.

This time? I'd run out of French bread but had a sweet potato hanging out. I finely cubed it and diced a shallot and made a delicious honey-and-sriracha kissed hash. Two Six Minute Eggs over the top? Brunch! Not pictured: a bellini. Because sometimes you need booze on Saturday mornings without a special reason. Sometimes surviving the work week is enough.

Naan Pizza with Bresaola, Peaches, Blue Cheese, & Caramelized Onions

For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed Weird Flavors. I vividly remember one of my go-to sandwiches in middle school -- pesto sauce, deli mozzarella, and pepperoni. What 13 year old asks for that!? Sure, looking back now, it is basically cold pizza and utter genius, but of the many reasons I was teased in middle school, my weird ass sandwiches were certainly one.

Luckily, in Adulthood, I've learned about deep conditioner and a boar bristle round brush, (mostly) outgrown acne, and channeled my Weird Flavor Mashups into foods that I think are gourmet-adjacent. Take this pizza I made! I had Greenmarket peaches, slow-cooker caramelized onions, and blue cheese in my fridge. On my way home from work, I picked up a pack of naan bread and some thinly sliced bresaola.

Sugary peaches. Sharp cheese. Sweet caramelized onions. Salty bresaola. This was a "What Do I Have In My Fridge?" knockout.

I mean, look at that shit. It's perfect pizza, baked at home. BYOChardo.

NYC Local: T-Bar Inspired Steak Au Poivre & Vietnamese Shrimp Noodle Salad

Hey, you guys! Long time no see, and this is totally my bad. I've been drowning at work (and subsequently drowning in chardonnay at home) which leaves little time for taking Food Pictures or writing Blog Posts About Food. But I'm back and want to catch you up on some food I definitely cooked this fall but haven't actually recapped until now. Let's do this!

Like all White Girls Of Privilege, I overuse "literally". But bear with me -- I was inspired to make this dinner literally in August. J and I sadly had to attend a wake on a Friday afternoon and headed to a very early happy hour afterwards. We headed to one of our favorite Upper East Side places, T-Bar. It's a steakhouse on 73rd and Third, has a great bar, and a rollicking elderly Early Bird crowd.... with whom we dined the night in question.

We sat at the bar, ordered some drinks, and chose their Vietnamese Shrimp Roll to nosh upon. It was cool and crunchy and the dipping sauce was salty, rich, and absolutely to die for. By the time we finished the app and our drinks, we had decided to snag a table for dinner - it was probably ten minutes to 6 pm. Glorious!

The biggest inspiration from our impromptu night out? The rosemary olive French bread. Their bread basket has a broad selection of carbs, but the olives in focaccia directly lead to that recipe. We each had filets, doused bite after bite in their immaculate au poivre sauce, and filled in the blanks with their sautéed corn and feta casserole.

Days later, I realized I wanted to re-create all of the deliciousness. The menu had two main parts and a side dish.

Part 1: Vietnamese Shrimp Roll 'salad'
- 1 lb cleaned, deveined, tail-on shrimp
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 medium cucumber
- fresh mint
- 1/2 box Annie Chun's maifun rice noodles (not a paid endorsement, they're just skinny and delicious!)

Hoisin lime Sauce:
- juice of one lime
- 2 T hoisin sauce
- 1 T rice wine vinegar
- 1/8 tsp Chinese five spice
- squeeze of sriracha
- 1/3 cup canola oil

First, I boiled some water and poached the shrimp for about 3 minutes, reserving them into a colander and squeezing off the tails. Then, I cooked the rice noodles in the shrimp poaching liquid (cooking with the tails on add a TON of flavor, FYI). Then, I shredded the carrots and cucumbers in my food processor. I mixed the hoisin lime sauce, chiffonaded the mint, and then tossed all of the ingredients together.

Part 2: Schezuan Peppercorn Steak Au Poivre
Inspired by our filets mignon with au poivre sauce, I took a cue from the Vietnamese salad and chose Schezuan peppercorns.

First, I generously coated the steak with the peppercorns. They're a little spicier than regular black peppercorns. Imagine the faintest red chili pepper flavor in the background of that big, bold, spicy black pepper flavor. It's so fabulous.

I seared the steaks in a skillet - it looks like tuna, right?? - and weighed them down with a cast iron pan on top to be sure that the peppercorns really baked in. Once seared, I transferred them to a baking dish to finish cooking in the oven.

For the 'au poivre' sauce:

1/3 cup beef stock
1 cup heavy creap
1 T Dijon mustard

I poured the beef stock into the same pan where I seared the steaks to soak up all of that delicious peppercorn flavor. I then melted the mustard and whisked in the heavy cream.

Woo! Are you still with me? I also re-made T-Bar's corn and feta side dish. I cut kernels off of a fresh ear of corn. I love this tip I've seen on TV -- put a tiny bowl in a big bowl, stand the ear of corn on the tiny bowl, and when you slice off the kernels, they fall into the big bowl. Easy peasy.

I heated the corn in oil, seasoned with a pinch of salt and a few twists of cracked black pepper, and mixed with about 1/4 cup of crumbled feta cheese. Sweet and tangy perfection.

I will say this -- there are few things on this planet that I love more than dining out at a fancy Manhattan steak house. There is nothing like it. That said, this 'knock off' meal was a hit! For a Saturday night at home, each piece of this was so sublime and tasty. The steak? Perfectly cooked with that super spicy peppery flavor. Full disclosure: the whole peppercorns will probably break your teeth out of your jaw, which I learned after my first bite, so I ended up scraping most of them off and relying on the mustard cream sauce. But the searing process sealed in so much of the peppery flavor so taking off that rock solid crunch was a good thing! The Vietnamese shrimp noodle salad? Holy cow. There were a lot of leftovers of this that I brought to work for lunch. It is perfect served room temperature. The soft, tender noodles paired perfectly with the nice bite of shrimp, and the spiciness of the sauce mixed beautifully with the sweet carrots and cucumbers. Oh, and corn + feta is math I can do. The whole meal was a home run!

Wine Wednesday: J. Bouchon, Red Blend "Canto Sur" 2012

Remember my Rut? This was the second bottle of wine I grabbed at that Astor Wines outing.

To go with the spicy pork chops and stuffed peppers, I wandered to the Chilean aisle. I have a deep love of Chilean wines - they're always so bold and spicy, to me. A girlfriend of mine just took a wine tasting trip to South America with her husband and was completely blown away. This carmenère/merlot/cabernet sauvignon blend definitely met my spicy expectations.

On the nose, I got a lot of leather, black pepper, cinnamon, and currants. Once sipped, it had a big juicy cherry pop with notes of crisp green pepper. The sign at Astor Wines noted tobacco and Indian spice flavors - I think my descriptors are right in line with those! I got this for $14.96 and 100% would purchase again!

Stuffed Poblano Peppers + Adobado Pork

True talk: Rachael Ray taught me how to cook. Living alone after graduating college, I binged on 30 Minute Meals and absorbed her tips and tricks. As I learned more from other TV cooking shows, cookbooks, and blogs, she's fallen off my radar as a go-to resource - until recently. A friend gave me a stack of old Rachael Ray magazines and this stuffed pepper recipe popped out as something different but delicious-looking.

You start off prepping your poblano peppers. Her recipe asks for 6 but I only did 4. I sliced off the tops, removed the seeds and ribs, and rinsed inside and out. Then, you prep the filling, which includes:

1 15 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed
1 4 ounce log soft goat cheese
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Monterey jack (I used feta - had it on hand!)
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (I used frozen kernels rinsed in warm water)
1/4 pound salami, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (I left out)

So, I cut down the number of peppers, but didn't cut down the filling amount. You'll see below that this causes a tiny problem. My beans were not on board with being mashed up as the recipe calls for, so I left most of them whole. All in all, I liked the heartier texture when we ate them later!

I stuffed the filling into the peppers which were simply overflowing. I tried to jerry-rig a "stand" of sorts by rolling up some aluminum foil to keep all of the stuffing from falling out during baking. I popped these into an almost 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

Some of the stuffing still fell out, yes, but it was AMAZING. The cheese on the outside got all crispy and crunchy and the high heat of the oven blistered the pepper skin beautifully.

I paired the peppers with But I'm Hungry's Pork Chops Adobado. Sounds and tastes super fancy, but it's basically a (mostly) dry rub for pork that contains:

2 tablespoons olive oil
5 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste

I marinated two chops in the rub overnight and then threw them in the oven for 30 minutes or so in the same oven as the peppers until cooked through. Admittedly, I was preparing them right before bedtime and was wiped out, so I just tossed everything in a bag instead of toasting them all a bit on the stove. Even in Raw & Lazy form, the flavor is delicious. The paprika just adds such a big punch of smoky, rich flavor - you will love them.

We each got a chop and two peppers. This was one filling and flavorful dinner! The peppers were such a hit. I love that the heat was so high in the oven that the pepper skin got so blistery and hot. It was totally the look, texture, and flavor I imagined when I read the recipe, but I didn't have to deal with the grilling. I'll definitely be serving these again!

Oops, I Did It Again - Herbs De Provence French Bread

I am obsessed with this Rosemary Kalamata French Bread I shared with you awhile back. I've made it twice since and it is just perfection. I enjoyed a slice of it with some scrambled eggs for breakfast when inspiration struck. I love adding Herbs de Provence to my scrams and knew those same herbs would be outrageous in this most perfect of breads.

And so I began making this recipe for a fourth time. I started with the traditional HdP mix:

If you can't read the labels in the photos, I used savory, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and dried lavender. I used ALL of each of the 5 green ones and a little more than a tablespoon of the lavender buds. I've lamented with friends before that, though I LOVE fresh herbs, I loathe the tedious process of removing them off of their stems. Other than the lavender, I prepped all of these herbs. It took me for fucking ever to do, and I grumbled along the way, but I knew the final product would be worth it. (Spoiler: it is.)

I ran a pair of kitchen shears through the whole mix to slightly break down the larger pieces, but otherwise kept everything whole. Primarily this was for full flavor permeation and a rustic look to the final bread, but I was also so friggin tired of working on the herbs at that point. Laziness doesn't always taste better, but it rocked in this case.

If you don't want to click back to the original post, I mixed 4 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon active dry yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 cups warm water with the dough hook in my Kitchenaid. Once it all started to come together, I dumped in the herbs. After about 8 - 10 minutes mixing on low, I removed the hook and covered the bowl with plastic wrap.

Plop this somewhere dark and come back four hours later. It will expand into this:

Roll it around on a lightly floured countertop and shape it into a ball. Oh, update! In the original recipe, I have you simply put the ball of dough into a lightly oiled Dutch oven. That was great but the bottom crust was too dark for my liking, almost black. In my subsequent executions of this recipe, I put a piece of Parchment paper on the bottom, then add a bit of oil, then add the bread. The bottom crust comes out PERFECT. I highly recommend this twist to the recipe. Let it sit in the Dutch oven on the counter for another 30 minutes or so, slice an X on the top, and bake. You bake at 450° with the lid on for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and reduce the heat to 375° for another 15 or so minutes.

This is a thing of beauty. The time it took to pluck all of the herbs? Beyond worth it the second you catch a whiff of this aromatic, fresh and fragrant bread.

And you want to keep eating it. And eating it. And eating it. And your husband calls to you from the other room and you can't answer him because your mouth is stuffed full of herbaceous, doughy, hot from the oven bread. And you wonder if you REALLY have to share the rest of the loaf with him or save it for future use.

You save it. Breakfasts are better because of Herbs de Provence toast. Soups are better because you dip Herbs de Provence bread into them.

Make this bread. Make it with herbs, make it with olives, make it with sun dried tomatoes, make it with roasted garlic cloves, make it plain Jane. I just beg of you - make it. You will never be the same again.