Roasted Chicken

Nothing is more tasty than a whole chicken, roasted.  You can stuff a chicken the day or night before with flavorings of your choice.  I prefer onion, salt, pepper, lemon, and occasionally an orange wedge.  Liberally season the outer skin, all over the bird, with salt and pepper. 

When you're ready to bake (or bbq on the Traeger!), put it in a hot oven.  350 or 375 for 45 min to 1 hour depending on size.  Use an instant read thermometer stuck in a thick part of the meat.  Chicken is done when it reaches at least 165 degrees (many websites use different temperatures for doneness, so use what you're comfortable with).

Let rest for a few minutes, and then carve and serve with a simple in-season veggie.  Broccoli, roast asparagus, roast or bbq'd small potatoes, corn...

Tonight I made two roasted chickens.  One for dinner tonight, and the other to be used for a couple dinners this week (chicken tostadas, chicken salad, etc). 

The twins, ready for eating!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Squares

If you love peanut butter cups like I do, then this is a recipe you must try!  I first tried these peanut butter chocolate squares at a holiday party we attended.  I immediately asked for the recipe after witnessing almost the entire pan of bars disappear.

As I went to make these very easy, no bake bars today, I realized I have almost the exact same recipe from  a cousin; but for a smaller sized batch.  If only I had paid more attention to the cookbook I made for our family!

And who can resist a recipe that calls for a big bowl of melted chocolate?

Peanut Butter Chocolate Squares 

1 C. melted butter

¾ - 1 C. graham cracker crumbs

1½ C. peanut butter

1 - 16oz box powdered sugar

1 - 12 oz package of chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients, except chocolate chips, in large bowl and then press firmly into 9x13 pan. Chill so the peanut butter mixture firms up.

Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler, or slowly in the microwave (stirring often!).

Spread melted chocolate over the top of peanut butter mixture. Let cool.  Place in freezer for a few minutes before you cut into squares with a very sharp knife.  Store in air tight container on counter - do not refrigerate.

Top 2010 Recipes

The Food Network just published their Top 50 Recipes of 2010!  You need to check it out, and I bet there will be quite a few tasty dishes you will want to try.

Happy Cooking!

Pork Fajitas with Homemade Guac and Chips

Nothing beats a fresh made bowl of guacamole.  I usually take a couple avocados and mash with some fresh lime juice, some cilantro, some chopped red onion, and a good healthy dose of kosher salt and pepper.  It tastes even better when you eat with fresh homemade chips!

I typically heat a saucepan filled with vegetable oil, about 1/4" deep. Cut up some tortillas in to chip sized wedges and place a few in the hot oil at a time. I suggest testing with just one chip first to see if your oil is too hot, or not hot enough.  It only takes a few seconds for the chips to brown before you need to flip them.  Then remove and place on a plate covered with paper towels. I typically sprinkle the finished product with seasoning salt.  Warning, these chips will have more oil on them than what you find out of the bag.  But, they're kind of fun to make, especially when you forget to buy chips at the store!

To go along with the chips and guac, I made pork fajitas, adapted from (you guessed it) the America's Test Kitchen magazine. 

2 Tbsp lime juice, plus wedges for squirting on finished fajitas 

3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnishing finished fajitas

1/2 tsp ground cumin

4 Tbsp oil

2 red bell peppers, sliced thin

1 red onion, sliced thin

1 tsp chili powder

salt/pepper

1 pork tenderloin, about 1lb, sliced in to 1/4" thick, bite sized pieces.

12 - 6" flour tortillas, warmed

Mix lime juice, cilantro, cumin and 1 Tbsp oil in bowl.

Heat additional 1 Tbsp oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add bell peppers, onion, chili powder, and 1/2 tsp salt to skillet and cook until onion is soft.  Move veggies to a place and cover with foil.

Season pork with salt and pepper and add remaining oil to skillet and heat until just smoking.  Add pork and cook until cooked through, about 4 min. Off heat, stir lime juice mix in to pork and season with salt and pepper.  Transfer mix to platter with the vegetables.  Serve in tortillas.

We like to add more cilantro as well as a few squeezes of lime to our finished fajitas!

Skillet Orzo and Shrimp with Feta Cheese

If you haven't caught on by now, I recently purchased the America's Test Kitchen 30 Minute Suppers magazine. It was starting at me while I waited in line at the market.  Mostly it was the seared scallops on a bed of mashed butternut squash that enticed me.  Haven't made that recipe yet because I found quite a few others that looked just as good and a little more family friendly.

The dish I made tonight is called Skillet Orzo and Shrimp with Feta Cheese.  Excellent, yummy dish.  It is much heartier than I expected, thanks to the tomatoes and lots of melted feta.

I had two issues with this dish.
1. We don't have Ouzo in our liquor cabinet and I didn't want to purchase a bottle.  Ouzo is a anise flavored liquor from Greece.  So I used the recipe's suggestion of mixing 1 Tbsp vodka with a large pinch of anise seeds for the marinade portion.  I skipped adding the suggested 2 Tbsp vodka plus 1/4 tsp anise seeds to the sauce in skillet - I was afraid it would be too much anise flavor if one of us got a mouthful of seeds.

2. The last few directions say to place the shrimp as well as cheese on top of the orzo mix and place under broiler.  Some of the shrimp were covered with cheese and were not getting cooked. I had to flip and un-hide some of the shrimp and stir the dish to get them to bake properly.  So I recommend topping the dish with the shrimp for a few minutes, then adding the feta and broiling for just a minute or two more.

This dish wasn't extremely popular with our 3 year old. I think the feta and dill gave it a taste he isn't accustomed to.  But, he did eat the shrimp I cut up, probably because he had no idea what it was.  Meanwhile, Tony and I thought it was very good!

Skillet Orzo and Shrimp with Feta Cheese, courtesy of America's Test Kitchen 30 Minute Suppers

1 1/2lbs jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (remove tails!)

3 Tbsp Olive oil

3 Tbsp Ouzo (or 1 Tbsp vodka mixed with pinch of anise seeds for marinade/2 Tbsp vodka with 1/4tsp anise seeds for sauce)

5 garlic cloves, minced

salt/pepper

1 onion, chopped

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 1/2 c. orzo

1 28oz can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 c. water

1 c. crumbled feta

2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped

Position oven rack 5" from heating element and heat broiler.  Toss shrimp, 1 Tbsp oil, 1 Tbsp ouzo (or vodka mix), 1 garlic clove, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp black pepper in bowl.

Heat remaining oil in large oven safe skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add onion and cook until soft, about 4 min. Add remaining garlic and pepper flakes and cook  until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add orzo and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 2 min. Add remaining ouzo (or vodka mix) and cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds.  Stir in tomatoes and water and cook, stir frequently, until liquid is absorbed and orzo is al dente, 10-12 min.  Season with salt and pepper.

Scatter shrimp and cheese over the orzo. Transfer skillet to oven and broil until shrimp are coked and cheese is milted, 4-6min.  Sprinkle with dill and serve!

Italian Skillet Chicken with Polenta

I used to hate eating polenta as a child. I thought it was torture.  This gross, corn-tasting mush slopped on my plate.  Now, I finally appreciate it's flavor and how you can add just about anything to give it an extra flavor boost.  Cheese being my number one choice!

The below recipe uses polenta almost like a biscuit topping.  It adds a nice subtle flavor and texture to the skillet chicken.  This dish was a big hit in our house, even our 1 year old ate some!

Only downside is that you have to juggle making the polenta while cooking the veggies in the skillet, but not tough.  Just remember to constantly stir the polenta so it doesn't form lumps or burn.  Oh, and make sure the skillet you're using is oven safe!!

The skillet dish topped with polenta, fresh from the oven.  A great flavorful dish, perfect for a cold or rainy day. 

Italian Skillet Chicken with Polenta, courtesy of America's Test Kitchen 30 Minute Suppers

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2lbs), cut in to 1" pieces

Salt & pepper

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

8 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered (I didn't use mushrooms!)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 c. red wine

1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes

4 c. water

1 c. instant polenta (I used Albers corn meal)

1 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Adjust oven rack 5" from heating element and heat broiler.  Pat chicken dry and season with salt/pepper.  heat oil in large oven safe skillet over medium high heat until just smoking.  Cook chicken until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.  Transfer to plate.

Add onion, bell pepper and mushrooms to skillet and cook until soft, about 8 min. Stir in garlic and cook til fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add wine and cook until reduced to glaze, about 1 min.  Add tomatoes, chicken, and any accumulated juices and bring to boil.  Reduce to simmer and cook until sauce is thickened and chicken is cooked through, about 10min. Season with salt/pepper.

Meanwhile, bring water to boil in large saucepan.  Gradually which in polenta and cook over medium heat, whisking until very thick, about 5 min.  Stir in 1 cup cheese and season with salt/pepper.  Cover to keep warm.

When chicken is done, dollop 1/4 cup mounds of polenta on top of chicken mixture, leaving about 1/2" space between polenta mounds. (My pan size didn't allow me to use all the polenta)  Sprinkle remaining cheese over polenta.  Transfer to oven and broil until polenta is hot and cheese is just beginning to brown, about 5 min.  Serve.

Chicken Francese

This Chicken Francese recipe is so delicious.  The thin chicken cutlets are lightly coated with flour and egg, and the sauce has a wonderful lemony-wine-onion flavoring.  Because it uses thin sliced chicken breasts, the dish cooks faster than usual.

Any leftovers from this meal? Cube up the cooked chicken and toss with cooked pasta and coat with the remaining sauce.  Add some milk if you need to thin the sauce out...

My 3 year and 1 year old loved this meal, so give it a shot!

Chicken Francese, courtesy of America's Test Kitchen 30 Minute Suppers

1 c. plus 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
8 thin-cut skinless chicken cutlets (or cut 4 breasts halfed horizontally)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup lemon juice from 2 lemons
2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Table salt and ground black pepper

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 200 degrees. Set baking sheet and place sheet in oven.

Spread 1 cup flour in a dish. Beat eggs in second dish. Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Dip each piece of chicken in flour, then egg, then flour.

Melt 1 Tbsp butter in large nonstick pan over medium-high heat.  Cook chicken until golden brown and cooked through, 2-3 min per side.  Transfer chicken to platter in oven. 

Add onion and additiona 1 Tbsp butter to empty pan and cook til soft, about 5 min. Add remaining flour from plate and stire until golden, about 1 min. Whisk in wine, lemon, broth and cook until reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, 10-15min.

Whisk remaining butter in to sauce and season with salt and pepper.  Arrange chicken on plate and pour sauce on top.

Broccoli is an excellent side for this meal, and quick to cook if you steam on top of stove or microwave.

Enjoy!