Sorry for the absence. I've been cooking, but we've been so busy with work and home that it's been nothing to write home about.
In any case, tonight was the first time I decided to do something "new". I'd stumbled across a mention of a similar recipe and thought "That sounds like a tasty jumping off point". So jump off I did and it turned out really well. The actual recipe is a longer title but, oh, easy and tasty.
Blue Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Sauteed Mushrooms and Shallots in a White Wine Pan Sauce
~1 lb chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4" thin
frozen spinach
Blue cheese crumbles
salt & pepper
1 medium shallot, diced
8 oz mushrooms
1/3 cup white wine
1/3 cup chicken broth
Heat pan over medium heat. Layer spinach and blue cheese on top of pounded chicken breasts. Roll up and secure with toothpicks. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Add olive oil to pan and warm. Add chicken to pan and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm. Sautee shallots briefly in the pan. Deglace pan with chicken broth. Add white wine and mushrooms. Increase heat to medium high. Sautee until mushrooms are reduced, about 5 minutes. Add chicken back to pan, reduce heat to medium low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked thru. Plate the chicken and remove the toothpicks. Add some extra crumbles to the sauce and whisk until combined. Spoon sauce and mushrooms over chicken breasts. Serve immediately.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes with Sauteéed Shallots
Your favorite side-dish with a twist. Made it first about 2 Thanksgivings ago. My MIL has been pestering me for the recipe since then.
Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes with Sauteéed Shallots
4 potatoes, quartered
water
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 shallot, diced
Boil the potatoes in water until done. Drain.
While potatoes are boiling, heat small skillet over medium heat. Sauteé the shallot until lightly browned. Remove from heat, keep stirring until shallot is properly caramelized. Be careful not to overcook.
Add in buttermilk and shallot to the potatoes and mash until desired consistency is reached.
Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes with Sauteéed Shallots
4 potatoes, quartered
water
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 shallot, diced
Boil the potatoes in water until done. Drain.
While potatoes are boiling, heat small skillet over medium heat. Sauteé the shallot until lightly browned. Remove from heat, keep stirring until shallot is properly caramelized. Be careful not to overcook.
Add in buttermilk and shallot to the potatoes and mash until desired consistency is reached.
Sauteéd Chicken with Country Gravy
On Sunday while we were crawling into bed, The Spouse requested chicken, mashed potatoes and broccoli for dinner the next day.
One thing you should know about The Spouse is he likes his food somewhat plain. He doesn't use gravy much, never puts any ketchup or mustard on sandwiches, burgers, brats, etc. He doesn't "do" sauce. So, when I asked if he would mind horribly if I made a basic chicken pan sauce, he got this skeptical look and said "Well, ok. But I'm not putting it on the potatoes." He's a weirdo, but he's mine.
I served this with my Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes with Sauteéd Shallots.
Sauteéd Chicken with Country Gravy
1 tsp butter
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to about 1/4" thickness
fresh ground pepper
lavender sea salt
1 1/3 cup milk
3 tbsp flour
salt to taste
pepper to taste
poultry seasoning to taste
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Lightly season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Sauteé chicken until browned, about 4 minutes each side. Remove from heat.
Add milk to pan, whisk in flour and seasonings, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low. Place chicken back in pan, cover and let simmer until the chicken is done, about another 10 minutes.
One thing you should know about The Spouse is he likes his food somewhat plain. He doesn't use gravy much, never puts any ketchup or mustard on sandwiches, burgers, brats, etc. He doesn't "do" sauce. So, when I asked if he would mind horribly if I made a basic chicken pan sauce, he got this skeptical look and said "Well, ok. But I'm not putting it on the potatoes." He's a weirdo, but he's mine.
I served this with my Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes with Sauteéd Shallots.
Sauteéd Chicken with Country Gravy
1 tsp butter
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to about 1/4" thickness
fresh ground pepper
lavender sea salt
1 1/3 cup milk
3 tbsp flour
salt to taste
pepper to taste
poultry seasoning to taste
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Lightly season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Sauteé chicken until browned, about 4 minutes each side. Remove from heat.
Add milk to pan, whisk in flour and seasonings, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low. Place chicken back in pan, cover and let simmer until the chicken is done, about another 10 minutes.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Buffalo Chicken Calzones
The Spouse and I have a go-to recipe that we call Nuclear Chicken. It's one of those recipes we make whenever we don't know what else to make. We occasionally dress it up with dirty rice or things like that but, basically, it's a "I don't really want to cook" deal.
The following is basically Nuclear Chicken, only stuffed into pizza dough, covered with blue cheese and mozzarella and baked. It ends up tasting pretty much like chicken wings with blue cheese dip. I'm sure you could turn these into some sort of pizza bite for parties.
Buffalo Chicken Calzones
1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup Frank's Hot Sauce
paprika
cayenne pepper
Luzianne Seasoning
chili powder
1 pizza dough (we use breadsmith's whole wheat)
mozzarella cheese
blue cheese
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add butter and olive oil. Heat until butter is melted and oil is warmed. Add in chicken and cook until browned on all sides. Add in hot sauce and spices. Stir to coat. Sautee until chicken is cooked thru. Cool completely.
Preheat oven to 425.
Roll out dough, cut into quarters. Pile chicken on one side of the dough. Sprinkle with blue cheese and mozzarella cheese to taste. Seal the packets. Place on pizza stone or pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and crispy. Let sit 5 minutes. Serve.
The following is basically Nuclear Chicken, only stuffed into pizza dough, covered with blue cheese and mozzarella and baked. It ends up tasting pretty much like chicken wings with blue cheese dip. I'm sure you could turn these into some sort of pizza bite for parties.
Buffalo Chicken Calzones
1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup Frank's Hot Sauce
paprika
cayenne pepper
Luzianne Seasoning
chili powder
1 pizza dough (we use breadsmith's whole wheat)
mozzarella cheese
blue cheese
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add butter and olive oil. Heat until butter is melted and oil is warmed. Add in chicken and cook until browned on all sides. Add in hot sauce and spices. Stir to coat. Sautee until chicken is cooked thru. Cool completely.
Preheat oven to 425.
Roll out dough, cut into quarters. Pile chicken on one side of the dough. Sprinkle with blue cheese and mozzarella cheese to taste. Seal the packets. Place on pizza stone or pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and crispy. Let sit 5 minutes. Serve.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Vegetarian Lasagna
I made this the first time a few years ago when trying to decrease the amount of meat we ate. We now don't make lasagna any other way, and both agree that it's better than the meaty version both our mothers make. I made this last night along with a fresh salad and homemade garlic bread.
Vegetarian Lasagna
1 lb firm tofu
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 eggs
2 tsp each dried basil, oregano and thyme
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
32 oz chunky tomato sauce
14 oz thick & zesty tomato sauce
6 lasagna noodles, cooked
2 large packages frozen chopped spinach
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
mozzarella cheese - shredded and sliced
Press tofu under heavy books for 15 minutes to remove excess moisture. In a food processor combine tofu, parmesan, eggs, spices, salt and pepper. Pulse until well combined. Mixture should resemble ricotta cheese in texture. Combine tomato sauces, season to taste.
In a 13x9" pan, add about 1 cup of sauce to bottom of pan. Layer 3 noodles. Add half the tofu mixture. Top with half the spinach, half the mushrooms, then a third of the sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella. Repeat the layers, ending with noodles, sauce and then layer the sliced mozzarella on top. Sprinkle top with italian herb mixture.
Preheat oven to 375F. Bake lasagna for 35-40 minutes until bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Wine Pairing: We had this with Poggi Valpolicella Ripasso 2002
Vegetarian Lasagna
1 lb firm tofu
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 eggs
2 tsp each dried basil, oregano and thyme
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
32 oz chunky tomato sauce
14 oz thick & zesty tomato sauce
6 lasagna noodles, cooked
2 large packages frozen chopped spinach
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
mozzarella cheese - shredded and sliced
Press tofu under heavy books for 15 minutes to remove excess moisture. In a food processor combine tofu, parmesan, eggs, spices, salt and pepper. Pulse until well combined. Mixture should resemble ricotta cheese in texture. Combine tomato sauces, season to taste.
In a 13x9" pan, add about 1 cup of sauce to bottom of pan. Layer 3 noodles. Add half the tofu mixture. Top with half the spinach, half the mushrooms, then a third of the sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella. Repeat the layers, ending with noodles, sauce and then layer the sliced mozzarella on top. Sprinkle top with italian herb mixture.
Preheat oven to 375F. Bake lasagna for 35-40 minutes until bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Wine Pairing: We had this with Poggi Valpolicella Ripasso 2002
Monday, March 17, 2008
Irish Lamb Stew
Happy St. Paddy's Day!
Each year for St. Paddy's Day I try making a traditional Irish* dish. This year I decided that we'd be having lamb stew. We had some wonderful versions of this when we were in Ireland in 2006 and we both missed it. So I purchased a boned leg of lamb from our butcher and off I went. Had to do some at-home butchering myself - there was about 1/4" of fat coating the leg that needed to be removed. There are ways to lean down the recipe (like not frying the lamb in the bacon fat) but, hey, it's a holiday. Enjoy!
* Note: this does NOT include corned beef, which is pretty much an American invention....don't get me wrong, I love corned beef. But facts are facts - the Irish used mutton (LAMB) as their primary meat source - beef and salt were far too expensive for the average Irish household. It wasn't until the 19th century when Americans of Irish descent started making the dish popular - but even then not for holidays as it was considered too "poor" a dish to celebrate with.
Irish Lamb Stew
1 lb thick-cut bacon
3 1/2 lbs lamb meat (leg or shoulder) cut into 1" cubes
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cloves garlic, crushed and coarsely chopped
2 large onions, diced
2 cups beef stock
1 tsp sugar
2 cups baby carrots
2 potatoes, scrubed and cut into cubes
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup white wine
Fry the bacon in a large skillet, set aside on a paper towel to drain the grease; crumble. Toss lamb cubes in the flour, salt and pepper until well coated. Fry meat in bacon fat until browned.
Add all ingredients to crock pot. Cook on low for 6-7 hours. Separate meat and veggies from broth. Pour broth into fat separator. Add decanted broth to skillet and warm. Mix 1/4 cup cold water with 2 tbsp corn starch. Add to broth in skillet, bring to a boil and simmer until thickened. Season according to taste. Mix broth back with stew, stirring well. Serve immediately.
Wine pairing: we had this with a wine my sister brought back from South Africa: Blaauwklippen Estates 2005 Barouche Blend
Each year for St. Paddy's Day I try making a traditional Irish* dish. This year I decided that we'd be having lamb stew. We had some wonderful versions of this when we were in Ireland in 2006 and we both missed it. So I purchased a boned leg of lamb from our butcher and off I went. Had to do some at-home butchering myself - there was about 1/4" of fat coating the leg that needed to be removed. There are ways to lean down the recipe (like not frying the lamb in the bacon fat) but, hey, it's a holiday. Enjoy!
* Note: this does NOT include corned beef, which is pretty much an American invention....don't get me wrong, I love corned beef. But facts are facts - the Irish used mutton (LAMB) as their primary meat source - beef and salt were far too expensive for the average Irish household. It wasn't until the 19th century when Americans of Irish descent started making the dish popular - but even then not for holidays as it was considered too "poor" a dish to celebrate with.
Irish Lamb Stew
1 lb thick-cut bacon
3 1/2 lbs lamb meat (leg or shoulder) cut into 1" cubes
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cloves garlic, crushed and coarsely chopped
2 large onions, diced
2 cups beef stock
1 tsp sugar
2 cups baby carrots
2 potatoes, scrubed and cut into cubes
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup white wine
Fry the bacon in a large skillet, set aside on a paper towel to drain the grease; crumble. Toss lamb cubes in the flour, salt and pepper until well coated. Fry meat in bacon fat until browned.
Add all ingredients to crock pot. Cook on low for 6-7 hours. Separate meat and veggies from broth. Pour broth into fat separator. Add decanted broth to skillet and warm. Mix 1/4 cup cold water with 2 tbsp corn starch. Add to broth in skillet, bring to a boil and simmer until thickened. Season according to taste. Mix broth back with stew, stirring well. Serve immediately.
Wine pairing: we had this with a wine my sister brought back from South Africa: Blaauwklippen Estates 2005 Barouche Blend
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Sauteed Spinach with Pine Nuts and Goat Cheese
Sauteed Spinach with Pine Nuts and Goat Cheese
1 jar pine nuts
1 bag spinach, rinsed well (I used bulk spinach but it's about the amount of 1 pre-rinsed bag you find at the store)
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add in pine nuts and toast, stirring constantly. When pine nuts are fragarant and lightly browned, add in spinach. Stirring constantly, sautee spinach. Remove from heat when spinach starts to wilt. Continue to stir until spinach is lightly wilted.
1 jar pine nuts
1 bag spinach, rinsed well (I used bulk spinach but it's about the amount of 1 pre-rinsed bag you find at the store)
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add in pine nuts and toast, stirring constantly. When pine nuts are fragarant and lightly browned, add in spinach. Stirring constantly, sautee spinach. Remove from heat when spinach starts to wilt. Continue to stir until spinach is lightly wilted.
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