Saturday, May 5, 2012

Mesquite Turkey Skillet



I'm one of those people who thrives on following rules. In those rare moments when I have a stroke of culinary genius---or, just the ability to adapt or add to a recipe I have already used, I become giddy. This egg skillet is one of those moments. I used no recipe here--yay me!




Mesquite Turkey Skillet
Serves 6, 1 egg each, or 3, 2 eggs each, or 2--3 eggs each! :-)


4 thin slices mesquite smoked turkey breast (deli lunchmeat)
6 eggs
2 large vine tomatoes, chopped
1 small jalapeño, diced (keep seeds if you like it spicy)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T dried parsley
1 medium baking potato, peeled and diced small
2 slices deli mozzarella cheese, torn into pieces
Salt and black pepper to taste
Sprinkle of Emeril's Bayou Blast (or your favorite cajun seasoning, ~1 tspn)
Sprinkle of smoked paprika
2 T plus 1 T olive oil




  1. Heat 2 T olive oil in ovenproof skillet on medium-high heat. Add garlic, potato, onion, and green onion. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
  2. Add seasonings, stir. Add turkey and jalapeño. Cook 2 minutes more. Make well in center of mixture and 1 more T olive oil. Throw in tomatoes and cook 5 more minutes. Turn off heat. 
  3. Crack eggs on top of skillet mix (think sunny-side up eggs). Sprinkle with black pepper. 
  4. Place in oven for 5-7 minutes, or until the whites of the eggs are set (no longer clear or jiggly) and not runny-looking. 
  5. Feast or share and above all else, enjoy! :-)










Friday, May 4, 2012

My Thai


I grew up eating Asian food. Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese, you name it, I had it.  My mother always claims that she is half Puerto Rican and half Chinese and will drop everything for an extra-large, extra spicy, jumbo fried rice from her favorite take-out restaurant, Mayflower, in Chicago. 


I don't often cook Asian dishes, but when I do, I reunite with something that was a persistent part of my childhood. I learned to use chopsticks at the age of 8. One of my little sisters did when she was about 4. I remember crunching on fried thai vermicelli eggrolls, sipping egg drop soup, licking my fingers after finishing sweet and savory glazed chicken wings at Great Seas restaurant down the street. I remember eagerly picking off pieces of chicken satay from the stick, and I remember the day our favorite Thai restaurant closed down after decades of business. I remember the first time I tasted Korean kimchi, just one bright vegetable among numerous tiny bowls of spinach, carrots, and other appetizers as we celebrated my mother's graduation from college. I remember the white, overflowing cartons, the swirls of oil left at the edges of empty plates,  the scramble to get the refrigerator in hopes of maybe, just maybe, savoring the last morsels of last night's dinner. 


So when I create in the kitchen and I have the privilege of creating Asian dishes, I do it with pride, with anticipation.  I break out the chop sticks, dipping bowls, dipping sauces, the serving plates, the wok, the hot pepers, oils, and just sink into nostalgia. I'l never forget the first time I molded japanese dumplings or the first time I mixed thai tea. 


I won't soon forget what I made this night and yesterday's either. What do you get when you have on hand thinly sliced beef, juicy, sweet bell peppers, emerald green beans, and a handful of skinny thai peppers? Beef with String Beans (and you thought it was going to be something complicated). And for tonight, heady, spicy, ginger chicken. 







Beef With String Beans
Ginger Chicken