How could I have forgotten the hit of the day? Mashed potatoes with a twist I've never tried before. They were fabulous. In fact they were just as good as the sample I tried in my favorite HEB grocery store in Belton, TX. I can never have regular mashed potatotes again!
Potatos ... how many you ask? As many as you need to feed your family is my answer. I probably peeled 8 med. to small size russets. Don't think it really matters. Just peel and plop in boiling heavily salted water until fork tender.
Remove from heat, drain and rinse.
Put your spuds into a mixing bowl or back into the pot you cooked them in.
Add 1 stick of butter (none of that fake stuff either).
1 heavy cream
1 cup shredded SMOKED cheese ... I bought it in cubes and then ran it through the food chopper.
1T kosher or sea salt (now at HEB I bought sea salt with truffles in it ... it cost $12.99 !!! YIKES)
Beat until it is as smooth or as lumpy as you like it adding milk to the desired consistancy.
This is so yummy that I will definately do this again.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Turkey Club Sandwich
OK so now what to do with that leftover turkey . . . Never a problem for me because I love me some turkey breast on buttered bread with a little salt and pepper. Nothing better than that ... until I discovered the Turkey Club.
Fry up some really good and thick smoked bacon. Don't go for that cheap thin stuff .. get the good stuff for this sandwich.
Toast some whole wheat bread, add mayo, then iceberg lettuce and bacon to one slice of bread .. mayo, turkey breast and then a smear (or more) of that delicious chunky cranberry sauce. Love, love, love ...
Fry up some really good and thick smoked bacon. Don't go for that cheap thin stuff .. get the good stuff for this sandwich.
Toast some whole wheat bread, add mayo, then iceberg lettuce and bacon to one slice of bread .. mayo, turkey breast and then a smear (or more) of that delicious chunky cranberry sauce. Love, love, love ...
Chunky Cranberry Orange Sauce
I love this chunky stuff .. another surprise since I grew up with the canned gelatinous cranberry sauce (which I still like) but somewhere along my journey of life I tasted and fell in love with this tart little side dish.
In small sauce pan add 1/ 2 cups of water, one bag of fresh cranberries and the zest and juice of one orange. Bring to a boil and once the cranberries start to burst reduce heat to low. Add 1/2 cup sugar to the mixture and I added the juice of another orange and sliced the peel in very thin pieces and added to the simmering sauce. Cook down until it reaches the consistancy you like. Refrigerate (it will thicken) until ready to use.
In small sauce pan add 1/ 2 cups of water, one bag of fresh cranberries and the zest and juice of one orange. Bring to a boil and once the cranberries start to burst reduce heat to low. Add 1/2 cup sugar to the mixture and I added the juice of another orange and sliced the peel in very thin pieces and added to the simmering sauce. Cook down until it reaches the consistancy you like. Refrigerate (it will thicken) until ready to use.
Cornbread Dressing
Cornbread dressing is my favorite part of Thanksgiving. That in itself is surprising since I am a Yankee born and bred but I think I got some of my mother's southern genes because I just love the south and everything about it. Love the people, the food, the slower pace and did I say the food? I love the food .. not the grease so much but the food is so tasty. So here goes with the dressing .. you can stuff your bird with it but most true southerners would rather die than shove all that goodness in the backside of a bird!
Turkey Day Eve ...
First I made a double batch of corn bread (not the sweetened stuff) and baked it in a jelly roll pan (or a large cookie sheet). Once cooled I cut it into cubes, loosened it and set it out over night.
1 loaf of french bread cut into cubes and set out overnight on a cookie sheet.
Turkey Day ...
In a very large bowl put in all of your cubed bread. Melt 1 stick of butter and pour that in as well. Salt & pepper to taste.
In saute pan add 1/2 - 1 stalk of celery cut up (leaves and all) and 1 chopped onion. Saute in olive oil until transparent but not browned. Cool it down then dump in with your bread mixture.
Because I have it in my garden and because I have never used it before I chopped up some fresh sage into the mixture. I have no idea how much I used but I would say a minimum of 1T then to that I added ground sage until it smelled right (again no idea how much but add as much or as little as you like). Salt & pepper to taste and gently fold ingredients together (with your hands) so that all the spices are combined well.
To this mixture you will add 1 carton (more or less) of low sodium chicken broth. You don't want your mixture to be real wet so add slowly. You also don't want your bread to break down so be gentle with it.
Put mixture into a buttered 9x13 pan...Now to the tasty part ... remove the lid from your roaster pan and ladle out a couple ladles of turkey juice and pour over top of your dressing. Using a spoon move the bread around until it absorbs the juice. Add more juice until the dressing is moist but not saturated. Cover with foil and bake in 350 oven for 30 minutes. You can remove the foil the last 10 minutes if you want a crustier top.
Turkey Day Eve ...
First I made a double batch of corn bread (not the sweetened stuff) and baked it in a jelly roll pan (or a large cookie sheet). Once cooled I cut it into cubes, loosened it and set it out over night.
1 loaf of french bread cut into cubes and set out overnight on a cookie sheet.
Turkey Day ...
In a very large bowl put in all of your cubed bread. Melt 1 stick of butter and pour that in as well. Salt & pepper to taste.
In saute pan add 1/2 - 1 stalk of celery cut up (leaves and all) and 1 chopped onion. Saute in olive oil until transparent but not browned. Cool it down then dump in with your bread mixture.
Because I have it in my garden and because I have never used it before I chopped up some fresh sage into the mixture. I have no idea how much I used but I would say a minimum of 1T then to that I added ground sage until it smelled right (again no idea how much but add as much or as little as you like). Salt & pepper to taste and gently fold ingredients together (with your hands) so that all the spices are combined well.
To this mixture you will add 1 carton (more or less) of low sodium chicken broth. You don't want your mixture to be real wet so add slowly. You also don't want your bread to break down so be gentle with it.
Put mixture into a buttered 9x13 pan...Now to the tasty part ... remove the lid from your roaster pan and ladle out a couple ladles of turkey juice and pour over top of your dressing. Using a spoon move the bread around until it absorbs the juice. Add more juice until the dressing is moist but not saturated. Cover with foil and bake in 350 oven for 30 minutes. You can remove the foil the last 10 minutes if you want a crustier top.
Thanksgiving Dinner
We had made plans to barbecue ribs for Thanksgiving but our plans changed when my sister in law wanted to come over and share the day with us. It turned out to be a really nice visit and the meal .. although somewhat accidental was scrumptious. I have always tried to make cornbread dressing and it just never came out as good as Granny's but this year .... I knocked it out of the park!! YEE HAW and Yeah for me!
I decided this year to buy an electric roaster to clear me some room in the oven so I prepared my turkey the night before and got up at 5:30 a.m. to put it in the roaster. Surprise to me that the 20# turkey was DONE by 9:15 a.m. I thought for sure it would be awful by the time noon rolled around but I was wrong. This is what I did .. tips from The Pioneer Woman in the preparation helped out alot.
Rinsed the humongous turkey inside and out (carefully removing the yukky stuff in the bags). I then took some Kosher salt (we don't even have the regular stuff in the house anymore) and salted the cavity and outside of the bird. Into the cavity I stuffed as much carrots, celery stalks, onion and garlic as it would hold (actually about 2 stalks of celery & a handful of baby carrots, one onion quartered and a big bulb of garlic). Put the turkey in the roaster, turn on to 375 for 2 hrs. then down to 325 until the bird is done. Use a meat thermometer and when the temperature reaches 165 degrees your bird is done. In my case it was done in less than 3 hrs. I just shut the thing down to warm and let it sit until I was ready to carve it at noon. Don't remove the lid and it will continue to stay moist and tender. The only thing the roaster doesn't do is brown up the skin but we throw that out anyway so it didn't matter to me. Once the bird was removed from the roaster I removed both breasts and carved it on my cutting board... OH MY was that ever easy and tasty too. I will never cook another turkey in the conventional oven again!!
I decided this year to buy an electric roaster to clear me some room in the oven so I prepared my turkey the night before and got up at 5:30 a.m. to put it in the roaster. Surprise to me that the 20# turkey was DONE by 9:15 a.m. I thought for sure it would be awful by the time noon rolled around but I was wrong. This is what I did .. tips from The Pioneer Woman in the preparation helped out alot.
Rinsed the humongous turkey inside and out (carefully removing the yukky stuff in the bags). I then took some Kosher salt (we don't even have the regular stuff in the house anymore) and salted the cavity and outside of the bird. Into the cavity I stuffed as much carrots, celery stalks, onion and garlic as it would hold (actually about 2 stalks of celery & a handful of baby carrots, one onion quartered and a big bulb of garlic). Put the turkey in the roaster, turn on to 375 for 2 hrs. then down to 325 until the bird is done. Use a meat thermometer and when the temperature reaches 165 degrees your bird is done. In my case it was done in less than 3 hrs. I just shut the thing down to warm and let it sit until I was ready to carve it at noon. Don't remove the lid and it will continue to stay moist and tender. The only thing the roaster doesn't do is brown up the skin but we throw that out anyway so it didn't matter to me. Once the bird was removed from the roaster I removed both breasts and carved it on my cutting board... OH MY was that ever easy and tasty too. I will never cook another turkey in the conventional oven again!!
Thai Salad
I can't believe it has been a month since I last posted. I've been busy trying out new recipes and watching lots of cooking shows. My favorites right now are The Pioneer Woman and Trish Yearwood's Home Cooking. Easy and deliciousness is waiting for you. So let's start with Trisha's Thai Salad recipe .. so good (and good for you)! Enjoy... The only thing I would change is less red cabbage (1/2 of a small head) and more napa. It just wasn't as pretty with all that red cabbage I put in it.
Ingredients
Thai Salad:
- 1 head Napa cabbage, shredded
- 1 head red cabbage, shredded
- 1 large cucumber, julienned
- One 10-ounce bag shelled edamame, cooked
- 2 carrots, peeled and grated
- 2 green onions, finely sliced
Sweet Lime-Cilantro Dressing:
- 2 cups olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 avocado, peeled and finely sliced
Directions
For the Thai salad: In a large serving bowl, toss the cabbages, cucumber, edamame, carrots and green onions.
For the sweet lime-cilantro dressing: Put the oil, cilantro, sugar, garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper in a large blender and blend until smooth.
Top each serving of salad with 2 tablespoons of the sweet lime-cilantro dressing and 2 slices of avocado for garnish.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Cheesy Potato & Sausage Casserole
This is the ultimate comfort food on a cool fall evening. We had this for supper tonight and even though it was still 84 degrees out the dish was still comforting! This is about the easiest recipe I have made in a while but it will definitely be a repeat.
Cheese Potato & Sausage Casserole - serves 4
2 large baking potatoes (or even leftover potatoes)
Peel, cube and put in a pot of boiling salted water and cook until done.
3-4 of your favorite smoked sausages, cut on the diagonal about 1/2" slices (you can also use hot dogs if you so desire).
1 package shredded cheddar cheese (2 cups but more if you like cheese)
1/2 onion finely chopped but this can be eliminated if you are anti-onion.
Drain the cooked potatoes and rinse well to remove some of the starch.
put in a greased casserole dish, add the onions, sausages and finally the cheese.
Mix well and cover the dish. Put in a preheated 350 deg. oven for 30 minutes.
Cheese Potato & Sausage Casserole - serves 42 large baking potatoes (or even leftover potatoes)
Peel, cube and put in a pot of boiling salted water and cook until done.
3-4 of your favorite smoked sausages, cut on the diagonal about 1/2" slices (you can also use hot dogs if you so desire).
1 package shredded cheddar cheese (2 cups but more if you like cheese)
1/2 onion finely chopped but this can be eliminated if you are anti-onion.
Drain the cooked potatoes and rinse well to remove some of the starch.
put in a greased casserole dish, add the onions, sausages and finally the cheese.
Mix well and cover the dish. Put in a preheated 350 deg. oven for 30 minutes.
Uptown Meatloaf
This weekend started on Friday night .. getting home at 6 p.m. and deciding to make a new recipe was not the smartest idea I have ever had but it turned out ok despite it being nearly 8 p.m. before we got to eat! I took a recipe I found on Pinterest but instead of grinding my own meat (I'm not there yet) I just bought it already ground up. So here goes ...
UPTOWN MEATLOAF - serves 12
2 lbs ground sirloin (90/10)
1 1/2 lbs ground pork (not the seasoned kind)
1 finely chopped onion
1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped
2 lg eggs
1/2 cup V8 juice (I used the spicy kind)
cloves garlic, minced
3 cups good bread cubes (I used fresh cibatta)
6 oz sun dried tomatoes, chopped
Mix all ingredients well and then flatten out on a sheet of parchment paper.
1lb fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
big bunch of fresh basil
Over the flattened out meat place the cheese and basil leaves.
Using the parchment as a guide start rolling up the meat to form a loaf. Seal the ends.
Place on cookie sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 400 deg. for 1 hr. The last 15 min. you can add more cheese to the top.
Let rest for 15 min. before slicing.
I served with a capresse salad and a baked potato and it was yummy.
UPTOWN MEATLOAF - serves 12
2 lbs ground sirloin (90/10)
1 1/2 lbs ground pork (not the seasoned kind)
1 finely chopped onion
1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped
2 lg eggs
1/2 cup V8 juice (I used the spicy kind)
3 cups good bread cubes (I used fresh cibatta)
6 oz sun dried tomatoes, chopped
Mix all ingredients well and then flatten out on a sheet of parchment paper.
1lb fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
big bunch of fresh basil
Over the flattened out meat place the cheese and basil leaves.
Using the parchment as a guide start rolling up the meat to form a loaf. Seal the ends.
Place on cookie sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 400 deg. for 1 hr. The last 15 min. you can add more cheese to the top.
Let rest for 15 min. before slicing.
I served with a capresse salad and a baked potato and it was yummy.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Slow Smoked Country Ribs
PREP WORK:
At least 1 hr prior to grilling you will want to place some smoking wood chips into a bowl of water.
Set out your country ribs an hour or so prior to grill time so they reach room temperature.
If you have a rub you can add it to your ribs at this time along with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
COOK TIME: 2-3 hrs.
Place charcoal on one side of your grill and heat until coals are beginning to turn white.
Put your ribs on the opposite side of the grill as the charcoal is. You want indirect heat as you will cook these low and slow.
Once the coals are really hot then you want to take a small hand full of the soaked wood chips (not dripping) and sprinkle them over the hot coals to cause the smoke. Close your lid and let cook. Every 15 min. or when the smoke is not longer visible add more wood chips. You can add more charcoal (a few at a time) if needed.Ribs should be fall off the bone tender after 2-3 hrs. The last 1/2 hr. add your favorite barbecue sauce.
Roasted Vegetables
Preheat oven 450 deg
1 Butternut Squash (peeled, cored & cubed)
1 Lg onion
Asparagus
Sweet Potatoes
Green Beans
CarrotsParsnips
Cabbage (small wedges)
Zucchini
Yellow Squash
Garlic
Cut all veggies into same size cubes and place in 9x13'' pan. Coat the vegetables with olive oil, salt & pepper. Make sure the veggies are in a single layer otherwise they will steam instead of roast.
The type and amount of vegetables you use is totally up to you. I will tell you that these are at their best the first day. Unlike many recipes this isn't my favorite dish heated up.
Roast for 45 min. - 1 hr or until fork tender.
Pack the Heat with Mac & Cheese
Preheat oven 350 deg
Grease 9x13" pan
1 package elbow macaroni cooked according to directions
2 lbs cheddar cheese (or whatever is your favorite kind) cubed
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 stick butter cut into pats
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
salt & pepper to taste
1 Roasted poblano peppers (remove skin, seeds and membranes)
Cook macaroni according to directions, drain and put in 9x13 greased pan.
In small skillet saute 1 sliced leek and one roasted, peeled, diced poblano pepper. Saute five minutes adding olive oil as needed. Set aside
In separate bowl place evaporated milk, milk, eggs, sour cream, salt & pepper and whisk until complete combined. Pour mixture over the macaroni, add the leek/pepper mixture and mix well. On top of this mixture place the cubes of cheese and pats of butter.
Cover with foil and bake for 1 hr. Remove foil, add smoked paprika and stir well combining the cheese well. Place back in oven for another 10 minutes.
This mac & cheese recipe is adapted from Trisha Yearwood's recipe that she makes in a crock pot. It is the best mac & cheese I have ever eaten but today I wanted something extra to go with our barbequed ribs and roasted veggies.
I left the camera at school again so I will post Trisah's picture instead. Just picture it peppered with poblanos...
I left the camera at school again so I will post Trisah's picture instead. Just picture it peppered with poblanos...
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Apple Tarts
This is such an easy and very yummy dessert. Made it yesterday and it was so good I made more today!
Preheat Oven to 350 deg.
3 Granny Smith apples; peeled, cored, sliced and then dice the slices (in other words just cube the apples)
1 Gala apple (same as above)
Put all apples in a bowl and squeeze the juice of one lemon over and mix well.
In separate bowl add the following:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
dash salt
1/4 cup wheat flour (white would work as well)
craisins (I had a few left so I threw them in there as well)
mix well, coating all the apples
Muffin tin (for six large muffins)
Spray with Pam
Philo pastry dough (love this stuff)
Take a few sheets of philo and lay flat on your cutting board. Cut down the center and then in thirds to make six squares.
Melt 1/2 stick of butter (use the real stuff)
You will use some for the philo and the rest dump into the apple mixture.
Put the squares of philo into your muffin tins and brush with melted butter.
Heap the apple mixture into all six shells and bake for 40 minutes. If the bottom of the philo is still doughy then bake some more but it should all be crispy goodness.
Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream (also use the real stuff)
This is what they should look like before baking. They got eaten before I could take an "after"picture.
Preheat Oven to 350 deg.
3 Granny Smith apples; peeled, cored, sliced and then dice the slices (in other words just cube the apples)
1 Gala apple (same as above)
Put all apples in a bowl and squeeze the juice of one lemon over and mix well.
In separate bowl add the following:1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
dash salt
1/4 cup wheat flour (white would work as well)
craisins (I had a few left so I threw them in there as well)mix well, coating all the apples
Muffin tin (for six large muffins)
Spray with Pam
Philo pastry dough (love this stuff)
Take a few sheets of philo and lay flat on your cutting board. Cut down the center and then in thirds to make six squares.
Melt 1/2 stick of butter (use the real stuff)
You will use some for the philo and the rest dump into the apple mixture.
Put the squares of philo into your muffin tins and brush with melted butter.
Heap the apple mixture into all six shells and bake for 40 minutes. If the bottom of the philo is still doughy then bake some more but it should all be crispy goodness.
Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream (also use the real stuff)
This is what they should look like before baking. They got eaten before I could take an "after"picture.
Warm Potato Salad with fresh green beans
I have to admit I am getting daring with experimentation of recipes. I have doctored or changed a few I have found and this one is no different. I am loving watching Bobby Flay's Grilling Addiction so this recipe is my version of something I saw on one of his shows.
Yesterday I boiled up some potatoes thinking I was going to make potato salad but time got away from me and a little snack took away my appetite so now what to do with these cooked potatoes??
Cooked potatoes (5-6 small will do)
1 cup Fresh green beans
3 green onions, chopped
1T Dijon mustard
1/4 cup oilve oil
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 T honey
kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
Remove peelings from cooked potatoes (or most of them)
Cut into bite sized cubes and put in serving bowl for now.
On stove add some canola oil to a fry pan (I like my cast iron).
Add cut green beans and saute slightly
Once the green beans are crisp tender add the green onions and the potatoes. You don't want to fry these potatoes but just warm them. Once warm move to serving dish.
In small mason jar add your oils, dijon mustard, honey, salt & pepper. Close jar and shake well.
Pour over warm potato mixture and gently toss (don't mash up those potatoes) and serve.
Deliciousness on a plate. I served this today with a grilled ribeye steak and it was wonderful!
Yesterday I boiled up some potatoes thinking I was going to make potato salad but time got away from me and a little snack took away my appetite so now what to do with these cooked potatoes??
1 cup Fresh green beans
3 green onions, chopped
1T Dijon mustard
1/4 cup oilve oil
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 T honey
kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
Remove peelings from cooked potatoes (or most of them)
Cut into bite sized cubes and put in serving bowl for now.
On stove add some canola oil to a fry pan (I like my cast iron).
Add cut green beans and saute slightly
Once the green beans are crisp tender add the green onions and the potatoes. You don't want to fry these potatoes but just warm them. Once warm move to serving dish.
In small mason jar add your oils, dijon mustard, honey, salt & pepper. Close jar and shake well.
Pour over warm potato mixture and gently toss (don't mash up those potatoes) and serve.
Deliciousness on a plate. I served this today with a grilled ribeye steak and it was wonderful!
Bow Tie Pasta Salad with an Asian Twist
I just love this cooler weather. Makes me want to cook .. wait a minute .. I always want to cook! OK I know I have been lax in my new hobby of blogging so I will try to make up for being absent nearly a month. I really have been cooking and creating but I couldn't find my darn camera to take any pictures. Or when I did have my camera handy we finished eating before I realized I never took a picture. I'm guessing it wouldn't have the same result if I showed you a food smeared empty plate would it?
The other day I made a wonderful pasta salad. For many reasons I don't eat much pasta (doesn't settle well with my belly) but every once in a while we want a quick and easy lunch. Normally I would just buy a Suddenly Salad and doctor it up but this time I just made it up so here goes nothing.
Bow Tie Pasta Salad with an Asian Twist
1/2 box Bow Tie Pasta
1/2 pint Cherry or Grape tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
3 green onions sliced (white and green part)
1 cup shrimp (thawed and drained well)
Bring to a boil a pot of heavily salted water. Bobby Flay & Ina Garten says you must put lots of salt in the water so who am I to question the culinary experts? Add 1/2 box of bow tie pasta. You can add more if you buy the itty bitty bow ties but I used the biggins so 1/2 box into boiling water. Boil and stir for 12 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again.
In separate bowl halve your grape/cherry tomatoes add the sliced onions, capers & shrimp.
Add the cold pasta and toss gently.
Add your dressing (recipe below) and gently toss until all is coated.
Dressing ... in small mason jar add the following:
1/2 cup olive oil
1T Sesame oil (no more .. it is strong)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar (less if you don't like a strong vinegar taste)
1T honey
salt & pepper
1T dijon mustard
Put the lid on and shake until all mixed together and add to pasta dish.
Serve with some garlic or italian bread and you have a meal.
Optional: add crumble bacon, feta cheese, craisins. Let your imagination go wild.
The other day I made a wonderful pasta salad. For many reasons I don't eat much pasta (doesn't settle well with my belly) but every once in a while we want a quick and easy lunch. Normally I would just buy a Suddenly Salad and doctor it up but this time I just made it up so here goes nothing.
Bow Tie Pasta Salad with an Asian Twist
1/2 box Bow Tie Pasta
1/2 pint Cherry or Grape tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
3 green onions sliced (white and green part)
1 cup shrimp (thawed and drained well)
Bring to a boil a pot of heavily salted water. Bobby Flay & Ina Garten says you must put lots of salt in the water so who am I to question the culinary experts? Add 1/2 box of bow tie pasta. You can add more if you buy the itty bitty bow ties but I used the biggins so 1/2 box into boiling water. Boil and stir for 12 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again.
In separate bowl halve your grape/cherry tomatoes add the sliced onions, capers & shrimp.
Add the cold pasta and toss gently.
Add your dressing (recipe below) and gently toss until all is coated.
Dressing ... in small mason jar add the following:
1/2 cup olive oil
1T Sesame oil (no more .. it is strong)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar (less if you don't like a strong vinegar taste)
1T honey
salt & pepper
1T dijon mustard
Put the lid on and shake until all mixed together and add to pasta dish.
Serve with some garlic or italian bread and you have a meal.
Optional: add crumble bacon, feta cheese, craisins. Let your imagination go wild.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Chicken Piccata with capers
I must say that I am blessed with a husband that will eat anything I put in front of him. He is never critical of what I make and eats with a grateful heart. Well I guess that is pretty smart on his part since the extent of his cooking skills is microwaving frozen burritos and a can of chili! All kidding aside I am very fortunate that he appreciates my cooking and tells me often. It just motivates me to try new things.
Today's recipe is Chicken Piccata with capers. We love this recipe and it is so easy to make. I have also made this with artichokes in it but today I left them out. This recipe is for two so you will have to make adjustments if you are feeding more.
Chicken Piccata
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
flour for dredging
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 lemon
1 cup chicken broth
1 T capers
1T butter
1T olive oil
Place one chicken breast in a large zip lock bag (squeezing out the air)
Take your meat pounder (what is the name of that thing anyway?) and gently pound the chicken breast to about 1/2" thick. Remove to a plate and repeat with the other chicken breast.
On separate plate put 1/2 cup flour, salt & pepper (you could also use lemon pepper) and mix well.
Dredge each chicken breast on both sides and set aside.
In skillet melt butter and add olive oil until hot. Place the chicken breasts in the hot skillet and cook until brown on both sides. Be careful not to over cook since it is so thin. It should take no more than 3-5 minutes to brown the meat. To the pan add the juice of one lemon and the chicken broth. You can also add the zest of the lemon to the pan as well. Cover and simmer chicken for about 10 - 15 minutes. Add the capers at the end to heat through.
I happen to like the tartness of the lemon so I have added the juice of 2 lemons (it was a bit much) but most will prefer using just the one lemon. You can also simmer the juiced lemon with the chicken to add even more lemony flavor.
I served it with steamed broccoli, roasted red potatoes with garlic and rosemary (Simply Potatoes) and a small salad of mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, feta cheese and dressed it with a lemon vinegrette. We topped the meal off with a piece of that yummy Harvest Apple Cake I made yesterday.
Today's recipe is Chicken Piccata with capers. We love this recipe and it is so easy to make. I have also made this with artichokes in it but today I left them out. This recipe is for two so you will have to make adjustments if you are feeding more.
Chicken Piccata
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
flour for dredging
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 lemon
1 cup chicken broth
1 T capers
1T butter
1T olive oil
Place one chicken breast in a large zip lock bag (squeezing out the air)Take your meat pounder (what is the name of that thing anyway?) and gently pound the chicken breast to about 1/2" thick. Remove to a plate and repeat with the other chicken breast.
On separate plate put 1/2 cup flour, salt & pepper (you could also use lemon pepper) and mix well.
Dredge each chicken breast on both sides and set aside.
In skillet melt butter and add olive oil until hot. Place the chicken breasts in the hot skillet and cook until brown on both sides. Be careful not to over cook since it is so thin. It should take no more than 3-5 minutes to brown the meat. To the pan add the juice of one lemon and the chicken broth. You can also add the zest of the lemon to the pan as well. Cover and simmer chicken for about 10 - 15 minutes. Add the capers at the end to heat through.
I happen to like the tartness of the lemon so I have added the juice of 2 lemons (it was a bit much) but most will prefer using just the one lemon. You can also simmer the juiced lemon with the chicken to add even more lemony flavor.
I served it with steamed broccoli, roasted red potatoes with garlic and rosemary (Simply Potatoes) and a small salad of mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, feta cheese and dressed it with a lemon vinegrette. We topped the meal off with a piece of that yummy Harvest Apple Cake I made yesterday.
Harvest Apple Cake
Over the past several years I have discovered a new love and that is cooking. I am by no means a "fancy schmancy" cook. I devour anything Food Network and I love to try my hand at re creating some of the great mouth watering meals the cooks and chefs prepare. I am also a HUGE fan of Pinterest and get lots of ideas from that site as well.
As much as I love to cook, baking is not my favorite thing to do. I don't like the mess involved or the clean up afterwards but I do have a few simple favorites that I will share with you.
This particular scrumptious cake recipe I got from a friend of mine many years ago. I decided with the onset of fall that I would dust off the recipe and make it for my hubby. He just told me that he needed to start watching his waistline because none of his pants fit him anymore and he felt like a stuffed sausage! I don't think this cake is going to help matters any but enjoy it anyway. I used to double the glaze recipe (so yummy) but it was so rich that it made my eyes bleed! Time to get out them elastic waisted sweat pants and indulge! Oh and add a big dollop of whipped topping to make it even better.
HARVEST APPLE CAKE
1
¼ cup vegetable oil
2
cups sugar
3
eggs
1
tsp salt
1
tsp baking soda
2
tsp vanilla
3
cups flour
3
cups apples (peeled and cubed)
1
cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)
1
cup raisins (or craisins)
Blend
oil, sugar, eggs, salt, vanilla & 2 cups of the flour until smooth.
In
another bowl coat apples with 1 cup flour, raisins and walnuts.
Fold
apple mixture into batter. This will be
nearly as thick as cookie dough.
Preheate
oven to 350 deg.
Grease
bundt pan well and sprinkle a little flour in pan. Pour batter into bundt pan and bake 1 ½ hrs
or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Remove from oven and
prepare glaze.
Glaze
In a saucepan combine:
½ cup buttermilk, 1 stick butter, 1 cup sugar ¼ tsp vanilla ½ tsp baking
soda and bring to a boil, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Mixture will foam up. Pour liquid over the top of the cake and let
set for four hours before removing cake from the pan. NOTE:
I run a knife around the edges of the cake so it allows the glaze to
reach the bottom of cake pan.
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