Chicken Ragu w/ Basil Polenta

1 medium sweet onion, chopped
5 large mushrooms, chopped
1/2 zucchini, cut in 1-inch strings
1 can diced tomatoes (flavor of your choice)
2 thin sliced chicken breasts
1/4 cup bread crumbs
8 oz cooked polenta/pasta/rice, whichever you prefer

Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil in medium skillet on medium heat, add mushrooms and onions. Cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Add zucchini & can of tomatoes, reduce heat, cover and simmer approximately 20 minutes. While ragu is reducing, cover base of second skillet with olive oil, bread chicken and fry until cooked through. Top pasta and chicken with finished ragu.

If you ask us how we learned to cook, we’ll tell you that we didn’t. The truth is that we just really, really love it! And all we’ve done is make it a point to practice & try new things until we find what works best for our tastes & lifestyle. So, for anyone who either wants to cook fancier or just cook period, here’s our advice:

1) Learn knife skills. Dumb as this sounds, it makes a huge difference to feel comfortable with your knives & to understand a dice vs chop vs mince. Not only does this make you more confident but it also opens up the types of recipes you’re able(or willing) to make.

2) Watch Food Network. Or any other channel/shows that are similar. This doesn’t mean that you have to start making every recipe you see the pros make, but you’d be amazed at how much information you will begin to pick up. From new ways to use ingredients to learning common flavor pairings, make it a point to watch these things and you’ll absorb it for sure!

3) Cheat a little. One of the greatest things we’ve discovered are infused olive oils & awesome pre-mixed spices. While we still have to learn when & on what to use these, they add multiple layers of taste with minimal effort on your part. Our absolute favorite is an herb-infused oil-makes flavors burst & requires no chopping or gardening!
*Shopping hint: we used to get all of these things at Chicago’s Spice House and Old Town Oil

4) Salt and pepper! No matter what, make sure you have good salt and pepper! This is crucial to enhancing your dish as much as possible. For salt, this generally means having both sea & kosher salt handy, but when it comes to pepper, the best basic is black peppercorns. Oh, and be sure to get them both in ‘whole’ form & place them in grinders for use.

5) Start simple. Seeing an ingredient list 25 items long can be extremely overwhelming, so take advantage of online tools that help you find recipes based on fewer ingredients. Also, pros like Rachel Ray and Sandra Lee function on a platform of simpler cooking so their recipes might be best for a dish your first time around.

6) Don’t stress about exact measurements. Unless you’re baking, all recipes have some flex room to make the recipe fit your needs. I.E. – Really like garlic & recipe calls for 1 clove? Use 2! Dislike walnuts? Either substitute or leave out entirely! You’ll get a sense for what is absolutely necessary in a dish, but beyond that feel free to play around.

7) It’s OK to fail. Why else do you think we keep frozen pizza on hand at all times? You’ll learn just as much from making something that turns out badly as something that’s fantastic. An experimental meal may not be wise when you have company over, but once you start to push the limits of your cooking comfort zone, I promise you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

We hope at least one of our tips makes the kitchen a little less scary! If you have any questions, please let us know & we’ll be more than happy to help

Learning, Loving, Slicing, & Dicing,
Brett and Kate

12 oz angel hair pasta (or fettuccine if you prefer)
extra virgin olive oil
3 medium onions, sliced
salt & pepper
2 bay leaves
1 cup heavy cream
3 oz shredded parmesan cheese

In large skillet, cover base with oil. Add onions & bay leaves, heat on low flame for 20-25 minutes or until soft and caramelized. While simmering, boil water, cook pasta to al dente, and drain. Remove bay leaves from onions, season with salt/pepper, add cream and cheese. Once thoroughly mixed, toss in pasta and serve.
*Options: add sliced mushrooms to onions around the 10 minute mark or top pasta with sliced beef or chicken