One Pan Creamy Italian Lemon Chicken Mushroom and Asparagus Skillet

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this recipe. It looks like there are a lot of steps, but they are all necessary, trust me. I didn't change a thing with it. 

Photo from SweetCDesigns

One Pan Creamy Italian Lemon Chicken Mushroom and Asparagus Skillet

Recipe from Sweetcsdesigns.com
Serves 6

• 4 T butter, divided
• PINCH of salt, very small amount 
• 4 chicken thighs, bones removed 
• 6-10 cloves garlic, sliced in half or finely diced
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, stems removed and wiped clean
• 1 bunch asparagus stalks, woody ends trimmed off and discarded (optional- cut into 2-3" bits)
• 1 c chicken stock
• 1 c heavy whipping cream or half and half
• 1 pinch to 1 tsp red pepper flakes, depending on your desired spicy level
• ½ c diced cilantro, optional
• 2 T lemon juice
• ¼ c parmesan cheese

Heat a heavy pan on medium high until very hot. Add butter, swirl around pan, and let melt. When butter is foamy and melted, add chicken thighs.

Very lightly salt chicken thighs (ONE pinch for all things - don't overdo it!) Cook chicken thighs 5 minutes on each side, until lovely golden brown. When chicken thighs are well browned, remove from pan.

Add garlic to pan, stir well. Add mushrooms and asparagus to pan, stirring occasionally to keep mushrooms and garlic from burning.

When vegetables are browned, remove from pan and set aside. Drain excess fat from pan, but don't clean out.

Return heat to high and add stock and lemon juice to pan (watch out for steam), and scrape up any browned bits from bottom of pan.

Turn heat to medium high. Add second half of butter to pan, let melt. Turn heat off, and slowly add cream and parmesan cheese, whisking vigorously as you add it.

Return heat to medium high. Add chicken thighs back to pan, let sauce reduce another 5-8 minutes, flipping chicken occasionally, until thick and chicken thighs are 165 internal temp.

Before chicken is all the way to 165, add vegetables back into pan and mix well to ensure it is evenly coated with sauce. Top with red pepper flakes and fresh diced parsley if desired.

Remove from pan and serve immediately!

Tator Tot Casserole a la 1970's

 Oh the 70's! What a great decade to have my childhood. The food was simple and, in some cases, odd combinations. 

One of my favorite childhood recipes was Tator Tot Casserole. Shockingly simple and so very delicious. Makes great left overs.

Tator Tot Casserole
Recipe from Mom
Serves 4 - if you have side dishes

• 1 lb ground beef (season with salt and pepper)
• ½ onion chopped
• 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
• ½ package Tator tots

Brown ground beef and onions together. Drain. Add the can of cream of mushroom soup and mix
together thoroughly. 

Transfer to an 8X8 baking dish.

Top with tator tots, covering the beef. I line mine all up.

Bake for the amount of time your tator tots packaging say. I usually bake for about 30 minutes

Sprinkle with season salt

Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori is one of my favorite ways to cook chicken. The flavor combination hits all the happy spots for my taste buds. This recipe is simple and delicious. The air fryer adds a nice touch of crispy to the outside of the chicken. Or maybe it's just my chicken because I cook it too long. 

Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken
Recipe from Every Day Easy Airfryer Cookbook
Serves 4

• 1 lb chicken tenders, halved crosswise
• 1/4 c plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 T minced fresh ginger
• 1 T minced garlic
• 1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp ground tumeric
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
• 1 T vegetable oil
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 T chopped fresh cilantro

In a large glass bowl, toss together chicken, yogurt, ginger, garlic, cilantro, salt, cayenne, turmeric, garam masala and paprika to coat. Marinate at room temp for 30 minutes.

Place chicken in single layer in air fryer basket. Spray chicken with oil. Set air fryer to 350F for 15 minutes. Halfway through, spray chicken with more oil spray and toss to gently coat. Cook for 5 minutes more. 

Transfer the chicken to serving platter. Sprinkle with lemon juice and toss to coat. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Grilled Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad

 I decided I needed at least one salad this week. So this one sounded delicious. The only problem with this recipe isn't the recipe, but the user. I neglected to make sure my lettuce wasn't wilted and gross. DOH!

The chicken marinade is delicious and so very tasty. I have used it all the time for regular chicken.

Grilled Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad

Beautiful photo from 
Cafedelites.com

Recipe from Cafedelites.com
Serves 4

Marinade/Dressing:

2 T olive oil
juice of 1 lemon (1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice)
2 T water
2 T red wine vinegar
2 T fresh chopped parsley
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
cracked pepper, to taste
4 skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets (or chicken breasts)

Salad
4 c Romaine (or Cos) lettuce leaves, washed and dried
1 large cucumber, diced
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 red onion, sliced
1 avocado, sliced
⅓ c pitted Kalamata olives (or black olives), sliced (optional)
Lemon wedges, to serve

Whisk together all of the marinade/dressing ingredients in a large jug. Pour out half of the marinade into a large, shallow dish. Refrigerate the remaining marinade to use as the dressing later.

Add the chicken to the marinade in the bowl; marinade chicken for 15-30 minutes (or up to two hours in the refrigerator if time allows). While waiting for the chicken, prepare all of the salad ingredients and mix in a large salad bowl.

Once chicken is ready, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a grill pan or a grill plate over medium-high heat. Grill chicken on both sides until browned and completely cooked through.

Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes; slice and arrange over salad. Drizzle salad with the remaining dressing. Serve with lemon wedges.

Chicken Shawarma

 When I hear chicken shawarma I'm immediately thrown back to Saudi days when my first shawarma had cold french fries in it and a dill pickle. You'd think that would turn me off, but it didn't. 

Since those days I can't even count how many pounds of chicken shawarma I've had over the years. Some better than other. This recipe seemed like a good one to try. First, I love my air fryer and why not marry that with my love for chicken shawarma.

I chose to not make or by tziki sauce or go with a pita. I put it along side a rice pilaf and tomato salad. 

Chicken Shawarma
Recipe from Every Day Air Fryer Cookbook
Serves 4

2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 lb chicken thighs, cut into large bite size chunks
2 T vegetable oil
Tzatziki
Pita bread

Combine the spices.

In a large bowl, toss the chicken, vegetable oil and shawarma spices to coat. Marinate at room temp for 30 min or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. 

Place chicken in the air fryer basket. Set air fryer to 350F for 15 minutes or until chicken reaches 165F.

Transfer chicken to serving platter. Serve with tzatziki and pita bread.

Braised Cubed Steak with Peppers and Olives

Am I the only one who walks down memory lane when cube steak is in a recipe? We used to have cube steak ALL the time growing up. Mom used to use it all the time when making her famous Chicken Fried Steak. 

This recipe was super easy and super flavorful. It certainly fills you up. I used cauliflower rice and it was delicious!

Braised Cubed Steak with Peppers and Olives Recipe

Beautiful photo from SkinnyTaste

Recipe from SkinnyTaste
If you want slow cooker or instant pot versions of this recipe, go here. 
Serves: 8

8 pieces cubed steak, 28 oz
1 3/4 tsp adobo seasoning or garlic salt
black pepper, to taste
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 c water
1 small red bell pepper, sliced 1/4-inch thin strips
1/2 medium onion, sliced into 1/4-inch thin strips
1/3 c green pitted olives plus 2 tablespoons of brine

Season beef with adobo or garlic salt, and black pepper to taste. 

Place skillet with a lid, top with onions and peppers, pour tomato sauce and 1c water over everything and add the olives along with some of the brine (liquid from the jar).

Cook 1 hour, covered on low heat making sure there is enough liquid to cover. Add more water when it gets low.

Slow Cooker Directions: Cook 8 hours on low.

Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak

Salisbury steak is one of my favorite comfort foods. I've made a couple of variations of it and they always have that same rich, beef/mushroom flavor to it.

The great thing about this recipe is the slow cooker element. I love turning it on and leaving it! I halved this recipe since it was just me. It was rich with flavor and the patties turned out so moist and delicious. I can't say enough good things about it.

Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak
Recipe from Spendwithpennies.com
Serves 6
6 oz sliced mushrooms

Beautiful photo from Spendwithpennies.com

1/2 onion , sliced
1 1/2 c beef broth (low sodium)
1 oz package brown gravy mix (dry)
2 T ketchup
1 tsp dijon
2 T fresh parsley
2 T corn starch
4 T water
BEEF PATTIES
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1 egg yolk
1/4 c minced onion
1/3 c Panko bread crumbs
3 T milk
1 clove garlic
salt & pepper to taste
Place mushrooms & onions in the bottom of your slow cooker.

Combine beef patty ingredients and form 6 patties. Brown over medium high heat (about 3 minutes per side).

Layer beef patties over mushrooms. Combine remaining ingredients except water and cornstarch. Pour over beef and cook on low 5 hours.

Once cooked, remove patties and set aside.

Turn slow cooker onto high. Combine cold water and cornstarch. Stir into the broth and let cook a few minutes until thickened. Add beef back into the sauce to coat.

Serve over mashed potatoes or rice.