December 29, 2011

Chicken with Caper Cream Sauce

Sean Kelly's in Missoula has (or had, hopefully still has) a chicken alfredo with bacon and capers that I was pretty much obsessed with for 2 years. It was the perfect balance of some of my favorite things to eat. I have scrounged the internet since I moved to Astoria to find a recipe that tasted the same. Yeah, I know I could just throw chicken and capers and bacon into an alfredo, but somehow that just didn't do it for me. I finally found what I was looking for, well, sorta.

How to Make a Quick Pan Sauce, or Why You Should Drink Wine While Cooking

I like to use as few pans as possible while making dinner. It cuts down on dishes, but also keeps flavors balanced. Sometimes it isn't practical or possible to use just one cooking pan, but more often then not, you can get away with just one. Knowing how to make a good pan sauce will help the one pan meal cause. Plus it is a great excuse to have a glass of wine while cooking.

December 27, 2011

Spicy Garlic Chicken with Mushroom Broccoli Rice

I often find myself in a rut. A chicken rut. Baked chicken, sauteed chicken, skillet chicken, chicken with rice, chicken with pasta..... They will hold any spice or preparation you can throw at it. Last night I wanted to do a BBQ chicken dinner to mix it up from my usual preparation with the oven or range. So before leaving the house yesterday I pulled some chicken thighs out of the freezer and watched the sky all day.

December 24, 2011

A Christmas Treat

Happy Christmas Eve to all! No cooking tonight, but have a little Straight No Chaser treat on me. A merry and safe Christmas to all!


Holliday's Margarita

2 parts tequila
1/2 part Grand Marnier
2 parts lime juice
Ice
Coarse salt

1. Pour all ingredients in a glass, shake briskly
2. Use a slice of lime to wet the rim of your glass and dip in salt.
3. Pour drink in salted glass and garnish with a lime
4. Drink, enjoy, repeat

December 23, 2011

Nonstick and Stainless and Cast Iron, Oh My!

Last night I walked into an empty house. My things were there, well most of my things at least. Without going into any major detail, my ex-boyfriend/roommate decided to pack up all of his things yesterday and sneak out while I was at work, leaving me with a trashed house, an interesting hole in the wall, and a very scared kitten. All easy fixes, no problem, I'm better off now, etc.... I did a walk around and inventoried what was left, or rather what wasn't left. A couple towels are gone, so is all my bedding and the last of the beer I brought home from Montana. Again, no issue, all that can be replaced after work tonight. Then I got to the kitchen.

December 22, 2011

"If you can cook a duck..."

"...then you can cook pheasant."

I'm a big fan of game. Living in Montana it is hard not to be, and I have been lucky enough to learn how to cook meat from elk, deer, bison and duck. Last night I was offered a chance to cook a whole pheasant for the first time. I thought to myself, "OK - it can't be that much different then cooking a duck...?" and started thinking about the last time I cooked duck. It has been quite a while and I can't remember any time I had cook it whole or in the oven. Although I was going to be venturing into new territory I felt up to the challenge and started doing some online research and asking co-workers for advice.

December 19, 2011

Mexican Rice and Chicken Tacos

Please excuse my absence last week, I was on my deathbed with the flu, but now I'm back in the kitchen! Last night I finally felt well enough to make something other then chicken broth and toast so I decided to make the easiest dish I know how to make - Mexican Rice and Chicken Tacos. You know that really good rice you get at Mexican restaurants? This is that rice. I love going out to Mexican, but living in Montana doesn't necessarily offer the best Mexican food so I set out about 2 years ago to figure out how to make restaurant-style Mexican rice...

December 13, 2011

Bacon Wrapped Chicken in Mushroom Sauce

Most nights I try to make meals that are somewhat healthy with fresh veggies and cooking techniques that eliminate a majority of oils and fats, but sometimes I just want something decadent. Last night was a self-indulging night. Chicken stuffed with cream cheese and chives, wrapped in bacon and smothered in a creamy mushroom sauce.

December 12, 2011

Cheesy Mac and Tuna Skillet - pics soon!

Nothing says comfort food quite like tuna casserole. It is one of my go-to dishes for a lazy night of cooking and is often used as a holy-crap-I-have-nothing-to-cook-and-I-forgot-to-go-to-the-store dinner. We've all been there. It is also makes a 3 ingredient handy camping dish (tuna fish, cream of mushroom and macaroni mixed in a pot over the camp stove). Last nights dinner though was not your ordinary tuna casserole...

December 9, 2011

GAME DAY! Beer Batter & Honey Mustard

Game day is a magical time. I'm not sure what it is, but when the Griz play the entire day just seems to sparkle. Living in Oregon I have been introduced to "coastal game days" which involve fried Alaskan halibut, a variety of dips and, since most of the Deadliest Catch guys call Astoria home port, crab. Lots and lots of crab. Oh - and the Ducks, they really like their Ducks here on the North Coast. Today, I am here to pass on my favorite coastal game day traditions to my GrizNation family back in Montana.

December 8, 2011

Go-To Dinner: Chicken Parmesan

To me Chicken Parm is probably my favorite go-to dinner. It is fast, cheap, requires almost no effort to make and is super delicious. It can be made in a variety of ways with different ingredients, so I find myself making it often right before the weekly grocery store trip. Sometimes though, like last night, I just get a hankering for some cheesy and crispy oven fried chicken over pasta. Plus I had some red wine that needed to be drank (drunk?).

December 7, 2011

Steak Fajitas in a Spicy Cream Salsa

I had grand plans tonight to make Carne en su Jego (Meat in it’s own Juices) with homemade gorditas and guacamole, but by the time I get home from battling the crowds at the store I am ready to sit down and enjoy a stiff drink. However, with a hungry mouth to feed and a grumbling stomach I tear into my shopping bags.

Menu 12/6/11 - 12/19/11

In no particular order:
  • Steak Fajitas in a Spicy Cream Salsa
  • Tequila Lime Chicken over noodles
  • Honey Glazed Salmon with rice
  • Carne en su Jugo con Gorditas
  • Chicken Parmesan
  • Tuna Macaroni Skillet (go-to dish)
  • Pepper Steak and Mushrooms
  • Pan-Fried Chicken and Salad (go-to dish)
  • Red Pepper Fettuccine


Here we go!

Welcome! Thank you so much for visiting Holliday's Mountain Cafe! I hope you enjoy yourself.

I have been posting my dinner creations on Facebook for a while now, and recently began getting requests to start a blog with recipes and other dinner-related topics. So here we are! One of the main reasons to start this blog is to show how to make a variety of dishes at home without blowing the budget out of the water.