The Art of being Gwyneth Paltrow- A Poor Girl's Guide: Part 2

Dearest Gwyneth,


How DO you do it all? As soon as the clock struck 6:00 pm and work was finally over, I transformed from "chic" art consultant to tired working girl sporting Nike shorts, an old sorority tee and my fabulous go-to coiff, a sloppy samurai inspired bun. While I did fall short of being Gwyneth-esque whilst cooking away in the kitchen, the girls and I did manage to cook up a gourmet and budget-friendly meal by revamping Gwyneth's Duck Ragu recipe from her new cookbook, My Father's Daughter. I don't wanna brag, but it was DELICIOUS and fed up to six people for a whopping $19.87. Here is the just as yummy but "ramen noodle price tag" and working girl 30 min recipe:

Poor Girl's Gwyneth Wanna-be Chicken Ragu:


1  H-E-B Original Rotisserie Chicken (pre-cooked)
3  Tablespoons Olive Oil (extra virgin schmirgin...most ppl lie about that anyway...)
Sea Salt
Ground Black Pepper
1  Med. yellow Onion, Peeled & Diced
2  Med. Carrots, Peeled & Diced
2  Med. Celery Stalks, Diced
5  Cloves Garlic, Peeled & Minced
2  5 in. Sprigs Rosemary, Remove Leaves & Mince
3  14 oz. Cans Peeled Whole Tomatoes With Juices
1  c. Red Wine (Franzia will do...not. It's never ok. Trust me, I witnessed a friend find that out in college)
1/4 c. Tomato Paste, Plus 2 More Tablespoons
1  1b. Pappardalle 
Grated Parmesan

1. Saute minced onions, carrots, celery, rosemary and garlic in olive oil in large & relatively deep saucepan over medium high heat. Stir occasionally until softened, about 15 minutes, then lower to simmer.
2. While vegetables are cooking, shred rotisserie chicken into small chunks, they don't have to be perfect.
3. Boil water and cook pasta. I usually add a dash of olive oil and salt to boiling water- it gives the noodles an extra little zing and the oil keeps the noodles from sticking together in a big lump.
4. Add tomatoes with their juice, tomato paste, chicken and wine to saucepan. Throw in a large pinch of sea salt and sprinkle with pepper. Bring to a boil, then allow juices to simmer together until you're ready to serve over Papardalle!
5. Divide pasta amongst bowls, add the ragu sauce and shred parmesan cheese over each serving.

Another great recipe we tried last night was inspired from Gwyneth's cookbook, but my friend Stuart (Check out her blog, Gypsey Caviar) added her own little zing to it!


Gypsey Caviar Kale Chips

Fresh Kale- however much you wish to cook

1. Preheat Oven to 400 F

2. De-stem & De-stalk Kale 

3. Toss Kale in Bowl With Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Cracked Black Pepper & Dash of Chili Powder 

4. Spread single Layer of Kale Onto Baking Sheet & Cook Unitl Crispy, About 15 Minutes

5. Enjoy This Crispy Superfood Snack!

This Photo Looks Super Blurry & Is A Weird "Hulk" Green, But You Get The Picture

  

The Art of being Gwyneth Paltrow- A Poor Girl's Guide: Part 1

My girlfriends and I have always been mesmerized by the enigma that is Gwyneth Paltrow. How the hell does the woman juggle it all and still manage to look effortlessly chic? I mean, she even looks messy-ethereal gorgeous when snapped by the paparazzi having a wardrobe malfunction going through airport security- and ladies, we all know that airport security is about the most unflattering and unchic place on Earth - this, my friends, is a freak-of-nature situation that only Gwyneth could emerge from triumphant!

Evidence.

So, when I received Gwyneth's newest cookbook, "My Father's Daughter", for my birthday from one of my favorite people in the world, Christie, I knew it would be sheer and utter "Palfection" (Paltrow + perfection). I poured over each glossy page with my disastrously chipped and chewed on nails, hoping to uncover the secret ingredient for "Palfection." Much to my chagrin, I only found photos of perfectly flaxen haired beauty "sweating" (let's be real, Gwyneth doesn't sweat like us mere mortals, she glistens) over beautifully roasted rosemary chicken, buttered corn and duck ragu.

This is exactly what I wear in the kitchen...

I also look like this whilst sniffing fresh produce at the store.

While the rest of humanity can't be married to an English rockstar, star in academy award winning movies, record CD's, manage an incredible blog (Confession: I have been a GOOP devotee since its very beginning), work out every day (or once a month in my case), become a top notch chef & write a cookbook all while juggling motherhood and effortless chicness, we can pretend to for one night and parody ourselves in the company of best friends. 

Thus, I lay the groundwork for The Art of being Gwyneth Paltrow- A Poor (Working) Girl's Guide: Part 2, an evening in which my dearest friends, Mary and Stuart, and I will attempt to juggle it all and cook a Gwyneth meal from her new cookbook. But, we can't quite afford ingredients such as duck and duck bacon, so we will be adapting it to fit our "ramen noodle lifestyles." Tune in tomorrow to see how we transformed Gwyneth's Duck Ragu recipe into a wallet friendly and quick "working girl" concoction...all the while looking "painfully chic" after a long day's work. 

Can we pull it all off and achieve "Palfection?"... Tune in tomorrow to find out!

Photos courtesy of google images.