Say Yes to the Dress..Not the Mess - couple's cooking class part 1

The wedding adventures continue...



My dear friends from Florida, Amanda, Becky and Joanie were in Los Angeles last weekend. We had a grand ole' time galavanting about the city (and outside of it). We did something very important together, something I have never done before (even though I have already been in several weddings): tried on dresses. Let me clarify; Amanda tried on dresses.



No, that was not "the one." If you know Amanda, you can imagine that she was ultra low maintenance during this process. She basically found her wedding dress in about 4 hours. It was the last one she tried on for the day, and we all saw that it was going to be a winner before she even took it off the hanger. I cannot reveal too much, but it is just gorgeous on her. In case you are picturing a moment straight out of "Say Yes to the Dress" where the girl and her mother are crying and she is saying over and over again "I feel like a princess. I feel like a princess," I will tell you right now it was not like that....thank God. It was exciting, no doubt, and we had so much fun watching her try on all those dresses. At the end of the day, it is the incredibly strong 10-year relationship she has had with her fiance that is the most exciting part of it all. Well, there is also the idea of her having a hyphenated last name of "Johnson-Thompson" that makes me really happy as well.

I would like to raise a toast to the bride and groom to be...



May your marriage be as delightful and breezy as finding a beautiful wedding dress.

Speaking of romantic partnerships...my romantic partner (aka Zach) treated me to the best birthday present I have ever received a few weeks ago. Now, my birthday was back in May, but we were just recently able to go to the COUPLES COOKING CLASS he booked for me as a wonderful gift. I am going to be posting some of the wonderful recipes from Chef Eric (the great instructor) that night on my blog so I will talk more about the class itself later. I have been a terrible food blogger recently because I have had a cooking dry spell. Tweaking my salad order at California Chicken Cafe has been the extent of my use of any culinary skills I may still be holding on to. I will be hitting the ground running again in the next couple weeks. However, until then, I will continue sharing the recipes that we made in the classroom (under strict guidance!).



Grilled Polenta (Couples Cooking Class Part 1)

(recipe by Chef Eric at the Culinary Classroom)

4 cups chicken stock
2 oz (1/2 stick) butter
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 C polenta (cornmeal)
3/4 C parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 325 deg F
Combine chicken stock, butter and salt in a pot and bring just to a boil.
Add the polenta in a steady stream, stirring constantly to avoiding lumps.
Bring the mixture to a boil.
Cover the pot and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
While baking, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly grease he paper.
When finished baking, remove the pot from the oven, and mix in the parmesan cheese.
Spread the polenta onto the baking sheet and smooth with spatula. Let cool, then refrigerate until firm (about 20 minutes)
Cut polenta into desired shapes.
Lightly dust the shapes with flour (shaking off the excess)
Saute in a small amount of butter or oil until golden and warmed throughout.

Note: Chef Eric suggested skipping the grilling steps if you are counting calories (due to the extra oil and flour). If you want to skip this step, you can serve the polenta right from the pot before cooling, making a bed of it beneath whatever you are serving it in top of (e.g. chicken breast, steak, etc).

Less Is More

Sometimes it is just better to keep it short.



Here is a list of things I think are better when people take the "less is more approach":

FEATURE-LENGTH MOVIES: I prefer them to be no longer than 100 minutes.

PHONE MESSAGES: In fact, who needs them at all when you call someone who already has your number programmed in your phone?

LIFTING WEIGHTS: Lower number of reps means you can lift more weight.

BRIDESMAID DRESSES: Sure they should be to the knee for the actual wedding, but lopping off some of that material with your amazing new sewing machine (thanksbostonlady!) can transform that thing into an awesome cocktail dress!

Before (photo by the amazingly talented wedding photographer, Jenny, who has posted lots of Meagan and Jon's wedding pictures here):



After:



I cannot wait for a good reason to wear this little number.

I used to think things are always better when you cook them longer in the slow cooker. This may have been wishful thinking since I usually turn it on in the morning and do not make it home to turn it off for at least 10 hours. I have always cooked things longer than the recipes calls for, and everything has always been delicious. I was under the impression this was actually helping rather than hurting. I do want to keep this post short to maintain the theme, but I should say, make this dish for a nice comforting, non-intimidating-attempt-at-using-polenta-for-the-first-time recipe.



It is easy, satisfying and healthy. However, do not cook it in the slow cooker for longer than the recipe recommends. In this case, less is more when it comes to time in the pot as the chicken can get a little on the dry side.



Keep It Short Chicken Ragout with Polenta and Veggies

3 cups frozen mixed vegetables (preferably Italian style)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 (14-ounce) jar pasta sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp crushed garlic
1/4 C dry sherry (or another dry white wine)
1 (24-ounce) tube pre-made polenta, sliced 1/2-inch thick
4 slices provolone or mozzarella cheese (optional)

Combine frozen vegetable medley in the bottom of a slow cooker.
Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Place chicken on top of vegetables.
In a large bowl, stir together pasta sauce, tomato paste, garlic and sherry.
Pour 2/3 of the sauce over chicken and vegetables.
Top the chicken with polenta slices and cover with remaining sauce.
Cover and cook on the LOW setting for 4 to 5 hours.

Totally optional and not part of original (healthier) recipe:
Scoop out the chicken breasts when they are finished cooking, and place them in a small oven-safe dish.
Top each chicken breast with a slice of provolone or mozzarella cheese, and broil in the oven for about 2-3 min (until cheese starts to turn golden.
Then serve chicken on a plate, scooping out the vegetables and polenta onto the plate as well directly from the pot.

Serve hot with Parmesan cheese if you decide not to take the last step with the cheese slice.