Hey ... remember me?

Good! 'Cuz it's been a while and you may've thought I lost my way. But no, I just went off in another direction. A better direction. A tastier one...

Lessee...

Some time ago, I declared myself Officially Retired from public relations --  couldn't stand that stuff anyway -- and commenced my second career. Or third, if you count my stint in newspapers. But, whatever...

While PR and reporting/editing are related, the only thing my new phase has in common with newspapers is the Wednesday Food Section: I'm a Chef. And, despite the name of this blog, a damn good one. Though, like any professional: even a Master can create A Recipe for Disaster!

Over the past few years I've honed my craft as a culinary instructor, baker, caterer and sous chef  - or Sue Chef as I like to refer to myself. (Get it?) I've trained on the job, at the Culinary Institute of America, and through the best teacher of all, trial and error. 
For the most part, I make my dough selling cookies. Original Wild Cookies, Citrus-Herb Shortbreads, Snickerdoodles, chocolate ones, spicy ones, rose-infused ones, fruity Kouign Amanns, rugelach... 

For a time, Suzy's Wild Cookies were for sale at Whole Foods. And while I'm always looking for new places to sell them - lemme know if you have any ideas! - I'm happily peddling my wares via mail order and at the Montgomery Farmer's Market each Saturday from June through October.  

Shameless sales pitch ahead...

Order online at www.suzyswildcooking.com

I hafta say, building my own business has been incredibly rewarding...even if I'm still working on making it financially rewarding. Every step, I've taken on my own... from researching those silly UPC codes that are on everything you scan at the market to creating valid nutrition labels to developing the recipes (natch) and creating my website ...So yes, I'll say it, I'm rather proud of myself. Mostly because I learned I could rely on only myself. Not too shabby for a validation- and buyin-seeking person like me.

So there you have it. 

It's been an interesting few years since we last spoke - full of successes and disappointments - but I wouldn't change a thing... Well, maybe just one. But success rarely comes overnight!

To celebrate, here's a fabu Curried Marinade for Chicken... It makes enough for about eight chicken breasts, but if you marinate four - AND DON'T CROSS CONTAMINATE!!! - the rest makes a nice sauce for when it's cooked.

Details? 
Here goes:

-Into a blender (or bowl, if you're using an immersion blender) put:

• 3/4 C Plain Greek-style Yogurt
• 1 T Olive Oil
• 1 medium Shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 t Fresh Lime Juice
• 2 t Dried Oregano
• 1/2 t each ground
• Turmeric
• Sumac
• Cardamom
• Cumin
• Fenugreek
• 1/8 t Cayenne
• 1 t Kosher Salt
• 1/2 t Ground White Pepper

-Give it all a whirl until you have a paste. C'est tout!!
-Put half in another bowl (NO CROSS CONTAMINATION!!), and spread the rest on both sides of the chicken. (I like to pound the chicken breasts so they are uniformly thick and cook quickly.) Marinate covered for about an hour.
-Grill on high heat for the first side, then turn down to medium when you flip 'em.

Pairs well with a Martini...then again, doesn't everything?

A little more cowbell...

is necessary for leftovers!
(sorry, it's 'cuz of the Olympics!)

The shoulder/butt (did we ever decide what that is??) thang from Sunday provided two Large chunks for future dinners...one's in the freezer and one's in our tums!

I turned the chunk into filling for a bbq chopped pork sandwich, made a salad and settled in for another eve of hockey, etc. (Didja see that goal that went right through - yes, THROUGH - the netting for Canada? It was a first for me too.)

Details?
Here goes:

Sandwich-
-French half a red onion, yup it was the other half from the previous night, and saute in about 2T olive oil.
-While that's browning, almost to carmelizing, cube/chop up the roast (half-inch cubes-ish)...got about 4 cups out of that chunk...and add to the onions to heat through.
-Pour in about a cup of bottled bbq sauce and swish a splash of dark rum (bourbon/beer/whiskey/water/etc) into the bottle to get out all the sauce and into the pan. You might need up to a quarter cup more water as the meat heats to keep a sauce going.
-Split a ciabatta longitudinally and after toasting lightly under the broiler, line each side of the bread with slices of asiago cheese (my bread took about 8 slices) and pop back under the broiler to gently melt.
-Pile the meat & onion mixture onto one side of the bread, close it up and slice to your heart's content.

Salad-
-Toss a bag o'spring mix salad into a bowl; throw in about 8 chopped up cornichons, about a third cup diced roasted red peppers, juice of a third of a lemon, half t granulated garlic, pinch salt, heavy grind or 3 of black pepper, 2T olive oil...have your eldest toss.

That, the martini, the 'Please' apology and the hockey game combined to help me forget to do my part of the taxes. Sorry John!