Chicken Thighs, Vodka Sauce, and Staying Sane

Leanne Morgan has a line in her most recent special that I think about no less than four times a week: “Because I’m fun, and not a butthole.” I want this phrase on a t-shirt, cross-stitched on a pillow, and carved into my front door. And I’ll add “and I can cook” to the end of it.

In addition to the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is those three elements—being fun, not a butthole, and able to cook a nice dinner—that have kept me sane in a season where insanity is on the prowl. Early last December, the company I was working for faced a pretty volatile media hurdle that resulted in cutting the workforce by 60%. As a result, my entire team went from thriving to…gone. A jarring reality check that sometimes good things just end, out of your control.

Unfortunately, I am not the only one I know who has experienced a traumatic layoff in the last six months. Many friends, in a variety of industries, are in the same boat. Though our personal, financial, and professional circumstances may differ, we all are moving forward the best way we know how—as a little village of good humored people who have built lives we’re proud of. And as we collectively cope and look for what’s next career-wise, while still maintaining relationships, physical and mental health, and individual growth, one thing is certain: we’ve gotta eat!

This week I made: Comfort salmon bowls, chicken thighs w/ Brussel sprouts, vodka sauce pasta w/ chicken thighs and broccoli, spicy beef bowls w/ coconut rice and cucumber pineapple salsa, and a perfect fried chicken grilled cheese.

My Go-To Comfort Salmon Bowl

My comfort salmon bowl can be be blamed for kickstarting my newsletter back up. The little meal I make every other week—coconut rice, baked salmon, and a cucumber salad—received a few too many requests for recipe instructions. So many requests that I said FINE! I’ll actually write something down.

I make coconut rice more than I make plain white rice. And the adjustment from plain rice to coconut rice is simple. A cup of rice requires two cups of liquid. But instead of water or broth, I add in one can of coconut milk (13.5 ounces) and 2.5-3 ounces of water to my rice pot. Sometimes (like in the spicy beef bowls mentioned later), I’ll also grate in fresh ginger, or add in a squeeze of lime. The coconut milk makes the rice decadent, with a little extra fat that I find so satisfying. Pro tip: Ladies, this meal is an exceptional choice when you’re on your period. The nutrient game is off the charts.

For my salmon, I always begin by coating the piece of fish with olive oil before setting it down on a pan. Then I’ll add freshly cracked black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, flaky salt, and sesame seeds. Bake at 400 degrees until the salmon reaches an internal temperature of 145; about 12 minutes. (I rely on my meat thermometer for everything. I use this affordable option from Amazon.)

My cucumber salad is going to drive you type-A people bananas because there are zErO measurements and my ratios change every time. AHH! Madness!!! I first slice my cucumbers with a mandoline. I have agreed to use the little mandoline glove for safety precautions, per my very protective (and perhaps a little scared of my footloose and fancy free kitchen techniques) roommate. Once my cucumbers are thinly sliced I throw them in a bowl with coconut aminos, fish sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sriracha, a tablespoon(ish) of peanut butter, and freshly cracked black pepper. I mix and taste and adjust as I see fit. If you’re looking for a starting point: Begin with coconut aminos, rice vinegar, peanut butter, and sriracha. You’ll generally want more of these ingredients than you will fish sauce and sesame oil. You can also add in garlic powder, ground ginger, fresh ginger, flaky salt—whatever you want!

It’s no secret that my favorite creative endeavor is cooking. Many of you have been around since the I-just-moved-to-NYC-and-don’t-know-what-I’m-doing emotional support cookies, the pandemic budget meals, and the 100 new recipes in year resolution. You know that HCA stands for Home Cook Association and you support my love for a theme and inviting everyone I know to eat dinner while sitting on the floor. It only makes sense that in a time where my life has a lot of uncertainty, I gravitate towards the kitchen. As I’ve continued to tinker and play, some meals have remained a constant. This salmon bowl is one of them.

Chicken Thighs w/ Brussel Sprouts

I usually have a pack of chicken thighs in the freezer. It’s the cheapest form of animal protein at my Trader Joe’s and I can use the bones for the bone bag—the bag that sits in my freezer and once full goes into the crockpot to create bone broth. You can really do anything with a chicken thigh and that is a hill I’m willing to die on. This week I paired Italian seasoned chicken thighs with Brussel sprouts—balsamic glaze on top because I have taste.

Sometimes meals are more functional than fun. But that doesn’t mean lacking flavor, no matter how expensive the cut of meat is.

Vodka Sauce Pasta w/ Chicken Thighs and Broccoli

I don’t often crave decadent pasta dishes, but the last few months I’ve found myself saying “yeah, let’s do vodka sauce” whenever someone was coming over for a casual dinner. My friends are ok with this habit. So, when my roommate came over while I was dog sitting the other day, I made us Dan Pelosi’s vodka sauce, chicken thighs, and garlicky broccoli. The vodka sauce is perfect—no changes, no extras, no notes. Just do as Dan instructs and you will have something added to your recipe Rolodex your friends will be begging to have again and again. For these chicken thighs I used my normal, sear in olive oil on both sides with salt, pepper, and oregano. Once that skin is crispy, pop your skillet in a 400 degree oven to finish cooking (internal temp should read 165). Broccoli and I have decided to take our relationship back to 2003 by boiling what is apparently half of my best friends’ favorite veg until tender and then mixing with olive oil, freshly grated garlic, salt, and pepper.

A pull toward the culinary arts has me exploring a lot of fun ideas in the food space. Aside from cooking for myself (with a more limited budget due to the events of Q4), I’ve taken up providing meal services for friends, dipping my toes into catering parties, and figuring out what hosting looks like amidst a season where many people in my community seem to be going through something uncomfortable and unwanted. I think a lot of people expect feeding others to cost a lot of money. And while it certainly can, it doesn’t have to. People are elated when someone cooks them dinner—so much so that I wonder if we’ve lost the art of this act of service. If you’re looking to flex that muscle, this vodka sauce is an affordable, easy place to start!

Spicy Beef Bowls w/ Coconut Ginger Rice and Cucumber Pineapple Salsa

My private chef client needed to eat some iron this week, so I made her spicy beef bowls with a pineapple cucumber salsa and coconut rice. This batch of coconut rice got some freshly grated ginger in it for added vitamins. For the spicy beef I begin by adding three diced bell peppers to my oiled skillet—I prefer orange and red but go buck wild with the green and yellow if you need to. Once those peppers have begun to soften I add a pound of ground beef, cooking it down with a generous amount of black pepper, gochujang paste, a splash of coconut aminos, and some flaky salt. Cucumber pineapple salsa is not rocket science, merely an opportunity to show off your knife skills: chop up your cucumber and pineapple and mix together with a little salt and pepper. Delicious and nutritious.

Fried Chicken Grilled Cheese (feat. Pecking House)

As I’m looking for a new job, I’m finding certain life skills should be, without question, added to a resume. For instance: Can make an excellent grilled cheese no matter what she has in the fridge. That’s one of mine.

One of my favorite “leftover grilled cheeses” begins with my favorite Sunday takeout: a half chicken meal from Pecking House in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. You have to get it chili spiced, with a side of crushed cucumber ginger salad, potato salad, and two green garlic ranches. The leftover chili chicken you have will go perfectly into a grilled cheese sandwich. Sourdough, the good cheddar (You know what I mean. And if you don’t, it’s Kerrygold.), and a thinly sliced honeycrisp apple make up the remainder of the sammie. You should also have some extra green garlic ranch for dipping, but if you don’t, I suggest keeping Herby Yuzu Aioli on hand for a similar effect.

How blessed and highly favored am I to live in a world with grilled cheese sandwiches.

On Thursday, I had the privilege of attending the Fishwife cookbook launch party. While I didn’t make a single thing for this event, I did have the immense joy of hanging out with Saanya from Soirée, sampling yummy tinned fish-centric bites, and soaking in a little March sunshine (it’s true—it exists)! These are the kinds of things that make the world go round: good people, sitting outside, eating a little snack, drinking a little natural wine. These are the kinds of things that make hard days better. These are the kinds of things that contribute to sanity in a time where it’s hard to find.