Sunday, February 28, 2010

Chicken Stew and Biscuits?

Yes please! Kim made this for the main course at our dinner party last week and it was fantastic. Of course, it is another Ina Garten recipe!
Tony was away all day riding in the Chilly Hilly....
So the fact that this dinner is pretty easy to prepare was key. Especially with a clingy baby and an active preschooler! Half the veggies in this dish are frozen which cuts down on prep time, and you could actually use all frozen veggies to make it even faster. The most time consuming part was cutting up the chicken.
Making the biscuits wasn't too tough - just a couple ingredients, hand mixer and rolling pin.
After waiting very patiently and Tony getting home from a long day of bike riding and delayed ferries...
A hearty, comfort food meal and a very happy boy.

Below is recipe, courtesy of Ina Garten. I do warn you, my batch was too big to fit in the pan she recommends. This dish ended up lasting 4 meals for two adults! Is a great sit-down dinner party dish, and can be made in advance.

Chicken Stew with Biscuits
3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 chicken bouillon cubes
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 cups medium-diced carrots (4 carrots), blanched for 2 minutes (I didnt precook my carrots)
1 10-ounce package frozen peas (2 cups)
1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

For the biscuits:
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
3/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions, and parsley. Mix well. Place the stew in a 10 x 13 x 2-inch oval or rectangular baking dish. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment or wax paper. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the biscuits. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Add the half-and-half and combine on low speed. Mix in the parsley. Dump the dough out on a well-floured board and, with a rolling pin, roll out to 3/8-inch thick. Cut out twelve circles with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter.
Remove the stew from the oven and arrange the biscuits on top of the filling. Brush them with egg wash, and return the dish to the oven. Bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the biscuits are brown and the stew is bubbly.

Note: To make in advance, refrigerate the chicken stew and biscuits separately. Bake the stew for 25 minutes, then place the biscuits on top, and bake for another 30 minutes, until done.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

An Easy Dinner

Melt a slab of butter in saucepan...
In the meantime, put an artichoke on the stove to steam...
Add to the butter: one onion cut in half and a 28oz can of whole tomatoes. Let simmer for 45 minutes and you've got a tasty pasta sauce and artichoke on the side. I added some ground turkey and parmasean to sauce.
Click here for the easy recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Mexican Chicken Soup

Although I started back to work yesterday, I'm trying to keep up the tasty homemade meals and not resort to lots of frozen dishes or take-out. Tonight I tried another fantastic Ina Garten recipe, Mexican Chicken Soup. YUM! Seriously, does that woman come up with any terrible recipes?
Hello, perfect avo.
This soup is so good. We topped with a squeeze of lime, avocado, grated cheddar, cilantro, and a dollop of sour cream. I highly suggest sour cream as a must-do topping.

Sweet Morning

Who doesn't love waking up to a freshly baked chocolate croissant? Thank you Trader Joe's for making these yummy treats.  Oh how I love thee.  So easy... Let thaw overnight or for at least 9 hours, then bake.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Choo Choo!

What was Blake's request for the birthday fairy to bring him?  A train cake, pizza, and Edward the train.  Thats it.  Seriously?  Okay, done.

Instead of my usual made from scratch birthday cake and frostings, I figured I could break my rules due to a newborn wanting constant attention.  Bring on the Betty Crocker!

Channeling my inner Duff:
Keep 'em steady!
Lettering done.  Now it's time to finish the details.
Two boxes of cake mix and multiple tubes of frosting, and one trip to the craft store....
Equals one very excited boy!
Eat cake?  No, I'd rather play with the trains on my cake.
The aftermath of 15 adults and 4 children...

Friday, February 12, 2010

Sweet Heart

Tonight is the 2nd Annual Valentine's Dance for Blake and a few of his old Madison Park Coop friends. Last year was a blast, so I'm really looking forward to tonight and seeing our old buddies. As a treat to Blakely's friends, I made some candy lollipops with candy canes and chocolate. So cute, and so easy!

You will need: Candy canes (2 per lollipop), lollipop sticks, choclate for melting, sprinkles (optional), cello bags. You will use the candy canes for the border of the lollipops. Using the small candy canes would be easier, but I only had the large (regular sized) ones left. So if using large, break the curved top off the cane to make one side of a heart. Sometimes you can use scissors, but I just eye-balled it and broke with my hands. No breaking of the candy cane is necessary if you are using the smaller size.
Melt chocolate in the microwave or on double boiler. Remember, chocolate can be tempermental, so heat very slowly and stir often! Place lollipop stick inside heart area of candy canes and pour melted chocolate inside heart. You can top with some fun sprinkles while the chocolate is still wet. Then just let them sit and harden. It will take a couple hours to ensure they're set. Wrap in cello bags (some lollipop sticks come with cello bags and ties!).