Chicken Pot Pie and Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits

Blueberry and Chicken Lady came over for a Twilight viewing and so I figured a great opportunity to cook a Chicken Pot Pie. I have been craving one for a while, but they make so much I couldn't stand to make one and thrown half away. (I'm not a left over person generally).

This one was good. I made a few adjustments - nothing major - just swapped poultry seasoning for Thyme. At least poultry seasoning has thyme in it.

Chicken Potpie
Serves 6-8

• 1 1/2 pounds Boneless chicken breasts or thighs
• 2 c low sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 T vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut crosswise 1/4 inch thick
• 2 small celery ribs, cut crosswise 1/4 inch thick
• Salt and pepper
• 4 T unsalted butter
• 1/2 c flour
• 1 1/2 c whole milk
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 3 T dry sherry
• 1 c frozen peas
• 3 T minced fresh parsley

Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 400F. Put the chicken and broth in a small Dutch oven or a stockpot over medium heat. Cover and bring to a simmer; simmer until chicken is just done, 8-10 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a large bowl and reserve the broth in a measuring cup.

Increase the heat to medium high; heat the oil in the now empty pan. Add the onions, carrots, and celery; sauté until just tender, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. While the vegetables are sauteing shred the meat into bite size pieces. Transfer cooked vegetables to bowl with chicken and set aside.

Melt the butter over medium heat in the pan; add the flour and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken broth, the milk and any accumulated chicken juices. Add the thyme. Bring to a simmer, then continue to simmer until the sauce fully thickens, about 1 minute. Season to taste and pour in the sherry.

Add the chicken and vegetables to the gravy. Adjust seasoning. Pour into 9X13 baking dish. Top with pie dough or biscuit topping. Bake until topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbly; 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

Soy Sauce Noodles with Beef and Greens

So this was an interesting recipe. I had neglected to purchase spinach, so I used broccoli instead. Overall, it was WAY too salty. I wouldn't use the two tablespoons of dark soy - maybe just one T and then low sodium for the second.

Soy Sauce Noodles with Beef and Greens
Serves 2-4

• 1/2 lb dried rice noodles, fettuccine or linguine (I used linguine)
• 3 T fish Sauce
• 2 T dark soy sauce (again, I'd use 1T dark and 1T low sodium)
• 1 T molasses, honey or brown sugar (I used brown sugar, but can't help but wonder what it would taste like with molasses)
• 1/2 salt - not really necessary
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 3 T vegetable oil
• 1 T coarsely chopped garlic
• 1/2 lb flank steak, thinly sliced crosswise into 2 inch strips
• 5 c loosely packed fresh spinach, or 3 cups broccoli florets
• 1/2 c water or chicken broth
• 2 eggs, beaten

For dried rice noodles, use the package directions. For pasta, cook according to package.

In a small bowl, stir together the fish sauce, soy sauce, molasses/brown sugar, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat a large, deep skillet or wok over medium-high heat and add 2 T oil. Swirl to coat the surface, add the garlic, and toss 30 seconds. Scatter beef and toss well. Add spinach and cook, tossing often, until it is shiny, bright green and tender, and beef is cooked, 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a platter and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium, scatter noodles and toss well. Cook 2 minutes or so if using rice noodles. Remove and put on the platter with meat. Pour beaten eggs into the wok and scramble. Once cooked return beef, noodles, etc to the pan. Stir. Add the soy sauce mixture and toss evenly. Cook for 1 minute and serve immediately.

Green Beans with Bacon-Balsamic Vinaigrette

I'm a big fan of green beans, but they tend to bore me. I'm constantly looking for something to spice them up. This is one of those recipes. Simple, and filling. I made it for a crowd at the Jendo and not a single, solitary bean left.

Green Beans with Bacon-Balsamic Vinaigrette
8 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup)

• 2 pounds green beans
• 2 bacon slices
• 1/4 cup minced shallots
• 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped almonds
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

Cook green beans in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain well; set aside.

Cook bacon in a small skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet. Crumble; set aside. Add shallots to bacon fat in skillet; sauté 1 minute. Add almonds; sauté 1 minute. Remove and let cool. Add sugar and vinegar; stir until sugar dissolves. Add crumbled bacon.

Pour vinaigrette over beans, tossing gently to coat.

Incidentally, I served this with flank steaks marinated in the Better Than A1 Marinade and Herb Vegetable Orzo Salad

Thai Style Grilled Chicken Breasts

If you like the spice, this is the recipe for you. Flavorful and delicious without causing too much pain. And I suspect it's relatively healthy. In fact, according to my cooking software, this recipe (without the rice) comes in at 52 calories. Huh, that seems too little. Maybe that's why I'm still hungry.

Thai Style Grilled Chicken Breasts
Serves 4 - but I drilled it down to 2 - this is the 4 recipe

• 1/2 cup White vinegar
• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 T Fish sauce (did you know if you didn't have fish sauce soy sauce can be used in it's place? You do now!)
• 1 T Fresh grated ginger (I used about 2 tsp of dry ground ginger)
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 T Vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper

Heat vinegar, sugar and pepper flakes in small sauce pan over medium high heat until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in cilantro, fish sauce, ginger and garlic.

Rub chicken with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over hot fire until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to platter and brush with 1/4 cup sauce. Tent with foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve, passing remaining sauce at table.

I let the chicken sit then thinly sliced it on a bias. Put that over rice, and drizzled the sauce over that. Nummers!

Indian Spiced Chicken

I have to first say I'm not a HUGE fan of Indian food. I have a few favorites that I get when/if I go to Indian food. But overall, I'm not a fan. It always smells better than it tastes to me.

Which is exactly what this recipe was. While it was tasty (I should have seasoned it more with salt though) it smelled WAY more delicious than it tasted. It was fragrant, and filled the Jendo with an aroma that made even a dead man hungry.

The recipe calls to add half and half after you add tomato paste. In all my life, I've never been able to add a dairy product to a tomato base without curdling. It looks disgusting. Still, in this case the curdles tasted just okay. I may make it again, but it won't be on my top 15 list. Enjoy though. Your taste buds may be different. And if nothing else, it was super uber simple.

Indian Spiced Chicken
Recipe from Dave Liberman (former food network show)
Serves 4

• 1 1/2 lbs Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup Whole milk plain yogurt
• 3 cloves Garlic, pressed
• 1 inch Ginger, grated
• 8 Cardamom pods; cracked with the back of a chef knife (I used cinnamon because I can't afford cardamom pods)
• 1 T Curry powder
• 1/2 tsp Red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp Ground coriander
• 1 T Sweet Paprika
• 2 T Honey
• 1 tsp Salt
• 20 grinds Pepper
• 3 T Vegetable oil
• 1 medium Onion; cut to medium dice
• 3 T Tomato paste
• 1/3 cup Half and half

Basmati rice for serving

Cut the chicken breasts roughly into 2 by 2-inch pieces. Mix together the yogurt, garlic, ginger, cardamom, curry powder, chili flakes, coriander, paprika, honey, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined. Add chicken pieces to yogurt mixture, cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or as long as overnight. Bring to room temperature before cooking.

In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Stir in tomato paste until evenly distributed and then add the half-and-half. Slide in the chicken and marinade, stir well, and bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat so that the liquid remains at a low simmer. Cook about 15 minutes until chicken is no longer pink in the middle but still tender and moist. Serve immediately over basmati rice.

Beef & Zucchini in Red Curry Sauce (neua paht peht)

OH.
MY.
GOD.
This was one easy and delicious recipe. I really need to find a more descriptive word than delicious, but really that describes 99% of the recipes.

This is a Thai recipe with red curry. I'm a big fan of red curry. I heart it. I was a bit worried about the amount of red curry in this recipe, so I didn't put in the full amount at first. But using the Thai Kitchen Red Curry paste - the amount in this recipe was perfect. It held the flavor of red curry without the heat that often comes with red curry. Megarooni came over to help sample this and she too agreed it was a super simple and very tasty meal.

Beef and Zucchini in Red Curry Sauce
Serves 4

• 2 T Vegetable oil
• 1 T coarsely chopped garlic
• 2 T Red Curry paste
• 1/2 LB Flank steak; thinly sliced crosswise into 2 inch strips
• 2 medium zucchini; halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 T Fish sauce
• 1 T Palm Sugar (I had no idea what palm sugar was so I used regular white sugar - I suspect brown sugar would do just as well too)

In a large, deep skillet or wok, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and when it is sizzling and fragrant, add the curry paste. Reduce heat to low and cook gently for about 2 minutes, mashing and stirring to melt the past into the oil.

Add the beef and toss to coat with curry paste. When the beef is almost cooked, add in the zucchini and then add the water, fish sauce, and sugar. Cook stirring now and then until the zucchini is tender and the sauce is smooth, 2-3 minutes.

Honey Nut Chicken Stir Fry

I actually followed a recipe. Can you believe it? Okay so I had to make one small adjustment, but that was because of my own stupid miscalculation. I cut the recipe in half except for the cornstarch part of it. And when cornstarch is more present than say - oh - liquids - you get kinda a goo. I had to adjust with chicken stock. But otherwise, I actually followed this recipe. And, it was good. I used fresh orange juice instead of store bought. It doesn't really say use either, so I figured fresh is always better. The hint of orange was really all you had. That coupled with a hint of honey - and it balanced so well together. Delish!

Honey Chicken Stir-Fry
Serves: 4

• 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
• 3/4 cup Orange juice
• 1/4 cup Honey
• 3 tablespoons Soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground ginger
• 2 cups Celery, sliced
• 1 cup Carrot, sliced
• 4 teaspoons Canola oil , divided
• 1 pound Boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
• 1/4 cup Peanut, chopped
• Serve with rice

In a small bowl, combine the first five ingredients until smooth; set aside. In a nonstick skillet or wok, stir-fry celery and carrots in 2 teaspoons oil until crisp-tender. Remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, stir-fry chicken in remaining oil until no longer pink.

Return vegetables to the pan. Stir orange juice mixture and add to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Sprinkle with nuts. Serve over rice if desired.

Also on the menu this week:

• Indian Spiced Chicken
• Grilled Halibut with Cilantro Garlic Butter (though this will be Grilled Cod because one can't afford halibut right now)
• Beef & Zucchini in Red Curry Sauce

French's Crunchy Onion Chicken

I don't know about you, but I am constantly trying to find something to do with chicken that's somewhat innovative, tastes good and easy. I love crunchy. Give me something deep fried and crunchy and I'll give you a glutton. This recipe fulfilled two of my needs with chicken - crunchy and easy. I am willing to bet that this would also be good with pork.

 

French's Crunchy Onion Chicken

Serves 4

• 2 cups French's Original or Cheddar French Fried Onions (I used the cheddar for my first go around with this recipe)
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 egg, beaten

Place French Fried Onions into plastic bag. Lightly crush with hands or with rolling pin. Transfer to pie plate or waxed paper.

Dip chicken into egg; then coat with onion crumbs, pressing firmly to adhere. Place chicken on baking sheet. Sprinkle with additional crumbs, if desired.

Bake at 400°F for 20 min. or until no longer pink in center.

4 course meal...for Jenn Trivia Winners

Back in January I celebrated my 40th birthday. Gasp. I still have to stop and say that again and try to make myself believe I'm 40. Anyhow, we played Jenn Trivia. The winner of Jenn Trivia won a 4 course meal at Chez Jenn's. Tonight we celebrated that win.

Mike Tangen - long time friend, and winner of Jenn Trivia, dined with his wife Nancy, Sherrie, and I tonight with the following menu (you might want to go get your expando pants).

Course 1
Appetizer
St. Louis Fried Ravioli
As if ravioli isn't already scrumptious, St.Louis had to go and fry it. My. God. This recipe was delicious.

Course 2
Salad
Mixed salad with Vanilla-Pear vinaigrette and toasted walnuts
I can't even find words to describe how great this salad was. It's a cooking light recipe, and was the only thing on tonight's menu that was - light that is.

Course 3
Main course
Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce
Old time favorite of mine. It's a Giada deLaurentis recipe and quite simply elegant and delicious.

Course 4
Dessert
Frozen Peanut Butter, Chocolate, Banana Loaf
I've had this recipe for some time, I think, and have never made it. It wasn't as rich as I expected it to be - in fact it was somewhat refreshing....in an orgasmic sort of way.

Below are all the recipes in case you just can't get through another day without making one of them. Now stop drooling.

St. Louis Fried Ravioli
Makes 4 servings

• 1 cup Fresh bread crumbs (I used panko and that was fine)
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 T Paprika
• 3 Eggs
• 3 T Milk
• 20 Frozen meat filled ravioli
• 3/4 cup All purpose flour
• 4 cups vegetable oil (for deep frying)
• Shredded parmesan and chopped parsley for garnish.

Preheat oven to 350F.
Combine crumbs, parmesan, and paprika in a plastic bag. Beat eggs and milk together in a bowl. Dredge ravioli first in flour, then dip in the egg mixture and coat in the crumbs. (So I missed the flour step altogether and I think they turned out fine.)

Arrange on a wire rack and refrigerate for 15 minutes; heat vegetable oil to 360F. Fry ravioli in batches for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown; drain on a paper towel lined rack and keep warm in the oven. Repeat through all the raviolis.

Garnish with parmesan and parsley. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

************

Mixed Salad with Vanilla-Pear Vinaigrette and Toasted Walnuts

• 1 cup vertically sliced red onion
• 2 (10-ounce) packages Mediterranean-style salad
• 2/3 cup Vanilla-Pear Vinaigrette
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

To prepare salad, combine onion and lettuce mix in a large bowl. Add Vanilla-Pear Vinaigrette, and toss well. Sprinkle with walnuts.

Vanilla-Pear Vinaigrette

• 1 (15-ounce) can pear halves in juice, undrained
• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Dash of ground red pepper

To prepare dressing, drain pears, reserving 1/3 cup pear juice. Combine pears, juice, vinegar, and remaining ingredients in a blender; process until smooth

Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, each breast cut crosswise into 3 pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 tablespoons butter, divided
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 cup dry Marsala wine
• 1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, plus whole sprigs, for garnish
• 12 ounces dried fettuccine

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cool slightly.

While the chicken cools, melt 2 tablespoons of butter to the same skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion and sauté until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and sauté until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 12 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Stir in the mascarpone and mustard. Cut the chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain. Toss the fettuccine with 3 tablespoons of butter and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Swirl the fettuccine onto serving plates. Spoon the chicken mixture over top. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve.
*****************
Frozen Peanut Butter, Chocolate, Banana Loaf
Serves 16

• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts, chopped
• Nonstick cooking spray and waxed paper, for loaf pan

Coat an 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan with cooking spray; line with waxed paper, leaving overhang on both long sides. Set aside.

Melt chocolate; cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, in a food processor, puree bananas until smooth.

Stir peanut butter into cooled chocolate until combined, then stir in banana puree. Gently fold in whipped cream until combined. Pour into prepared pan; top with peanuts. Fold waxed paper over top; wrap tightly in plastic. Freeze until firm, at least 3 hours.

To serve: Remove loaf from pan (run a hot towel across sides and bottom of pan, if necessary). Slice about 1/2 inch thick, as needed; rewrap remaining (unsliced) loaf, and freeze up to 1 month.

Lighter General's Tso's Chicken

This recipe, for a light recipe, had some tremendous flavor. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this was. I'm not a huge snow pea fan either, and I forced myself to include them as per the recipe. The unique pea flavor added something special to this dish.

Lighter General Tso's Chicken
Courtesy of Every Day Food
Serves: 4

• 1 1/4 cup Long grain brown rice (yah, I happen to be the only person on the planet who dislikes brown rice..so I used white rice)
• 1/4 cup Cornstarch
• 1 pound snow peas, trimmed and halved crosswise
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated and peeled
• 3 tablespoons light-brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 2 large egg whites
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower

Cook rice according to package instructions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water until smooth. Add snow peas, garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, and red-pepper flakes; toss to combine, and set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together egg whites, remaining 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken, and toss to coat.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Lift half the chicken from egg-white mixture (shaking off excess), and add to skillet. Cook, turning occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining oil and chicken, and set aside (reserve skillet).

Add snow-pea mixture to skillet. Cover; cook until snow peas are tender and sauce has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet (with any juices); toss to coat. Serve with rice.

Chicken Scarpariello

So I made this chicken dish tonight I got from Allrecipes.com. The picture made it look good. It was, though, just okay. I'll most likely not ever make it again. Not because it was bad. It wasn't. But more because I have so many other GREAT recipes.

Chicken Scarpariello
Recipe from Allrecipes.com
Serves 2

• 1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 2 tablespoons shallots, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cube chicken bouillon
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper

Cut chicken breasts into 1 x 3 inch strips, and dredge in flour.

In 10 in ch skillet, heat oil and butter. Add chicken. Cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides (3 to 4 minutes). Using tongs, re move chicken from skillet. Set aside and keep warm.
To same skillet, add shallots and garlic. Sauté until softened (1 minute). Add water, wine, broth mix, and seasonings. Mix well. Cook, stirring frequently, until liquid is reduced by 1/2 (3 to 4 minutes). Return chicken to skillet, and cook until sauce is thick and chicken is heated through (2 to 3 minutes).

I actually followed this recipe almost to a T. I didn't measure things, but that's to be expected. All in all, the flavor was okay. The fried chicken part was the best to me. Gimme somethin' fried any day of the week (unless it's okra - you can keep that).

Balsamic Flank Steak and Brave Potatoes

Sometimes, well more than sometimes, I wonder where they come up with names for recipes. Brave Potatoes? Really. I didn't see anything brave about them. They were good, don't get me wrong, but I didn't feel "brave" eating them.

Anyhow, first two recipes this week were from one of my Cuisine at Home cookbooks - Weeknights. The idea behind the cookbook is to make weeknight meals simple, affordable, and nutritious. Last night I made Balsamic Flank Steak and Brave Potatoes.

First, I didn't have flank steak. Instead I had a skirt steak. Big mistake. Balsamic vinegar is such a powerful flavor you really need the thickness of a flank steak to temper the flavor. Skirt steaks are very thin.

Second, I screwed up the potatoes. My lack of patience, and my inability to set a timer, made the potatoes not quite done, and then I over cooked them.

Finally, I didn't bother with the Parsley & Cilantro sauce. I didn't have parsley for starters. Well, I did, but it wasn't happy parsley if you know what I mean. And I decided I didn't really need the extra component.

Balsamic Flank Steak and Parsley-Cilantro Sauce
Makes 1 flank steak (1lb - 1 1/2 lb)

• 1/3 cup Balsamic vinegar
• 2 T brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt.

Whisk these together. Take your flank steak - any fat should be trimmed off - and marinate it for 15 minutes. Grill to the required doneness. As you're grilling it, with each flip, baste it with the remaining marinade. Once cooked to your liking, let it rest for 5 minutes.

Parsley Cilantro Sauce

• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• Pinch of red pepper flakes.

Process the above in a food processor to combine. Set aside.

Once the steak has rested, slice against the bias. Drizzle with parsley cilantro sauce.

Brave Potatoes
Makes 1 1/2 lb

• 1 1/2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled
• 1 T Garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp Paprika

Cut each potato in to wedges, then cut each wedge in half crosswise. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add potatoes and parboil for 10 minutes, drain. Fry potatoes in oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat for 5 minutes on one side. Flip potatoes and fry another 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Add garlic, red pepper flakes and paprika; sauté 1 minute and remove from heat.

Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Breasts with Pesto sauce and Big-Mushroom-Veggie Saute

Whew. Another long name for a meal. But scrumptious this one was. I had too, of course, change a few things, but tried to stay relatively close to the recipe. I have been testing my patience of late, and I can say that tonight I actually cooked something low and slow, to allow for browning without burning. By George, she can be taught.

Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Breasts with Pesto sauce and Big-Mushroom-Veggie Saute
Serves: 4 (Yes I only made it for one with no left overs. I'm getting really good at that.

• 4 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 6-oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 c Store bought shredded domestic Parmesan Cheese
• 3 portobello mushroom caps, gills scraped off with a spoon, thinly sliced (so portobellos were a bit expensive, so I went with creminis which are just baby portobellos).
• 1/2 small Spanish onion, finely chopped ( so I actually chopped the onion, but forgot to put it into the recipe).
• 2 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 1 bunch thin asparagus, ends trimmed and discarded, spears chopped into 2 inch lengths
• 3 T Good quality aged sherry vinegar, or red wine vinegar
• 3/4 c chicken stock or broth
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
• a handful of fresh parsley
• 6 oz good quality store-bought pesto (yah I so am not going to buy store bought pesto. It's relatively cheap to make on your own, and so much better than store bought).

Jenn Note: Okay so as I'm rereading the ingredients I realized I didn't really follow this recipe much at all. I stopped to pick up asparagus at QFC (local grocery store) because I swear they had it on sale for .99 cents per lb. Only today it was $4.99 per lbs - Yah I don't think so! So I decided to by pass the asparagus.


Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat with 2 T oil. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Dump cheese out onto a plate and press the chicken into the cheese, covering all the pieces in cheese on both sides. It helps if your chicken is a bit wet.

Add chicken to hot skillet, allowing it to cook a full 6-7 minutes - DO NOT MESS WITH THE BIRD! The Parmesan is browning and melting together to form an all cheese, no bread crumb crust all over the chicken. After 7 minutes (or when chicken budges easily), turn and cook the chicken 5-6 minutes more.

While the chicken is browning, heat another large skillet over high heat with remaining 2 T oil. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Brown the mushrooms for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic (yah forgot to add the onions - oops. But somehow didn't forget to add the garlic...gee wonder why?). Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the asparagus, tossing to combine. Add the sherry vinegar and continue to cook until the skillet is almost dry, about 1 minute. (I didn't have sherry or red wine vinegar so I added balsamic...) Add the chicken stock and cherry tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes, or until the asparagus is tender. (Jenn note: so I didn't do this either. See I don't like cooked tomatoes - as in from raw to cooked - but love canned tomatoes. Anyhow, I didn't add them. And I didn't add the asparagus because of the above note...and so I didn't add the chicken stock either...just had sauteed mushrooms and garlic.)

Add the parsley and tossing to coat.

Top chicken with a strip of pesto across each breast. Serve a pile of the big-mushroom-veggie saute alongside each breast.

The chicken was the star here by far. The side dish was just something. I made garlic/pesto mashed potatoes. I already had the pesto so I figured why not. A bit too much garlic in the potatoes...and so now my breath is ...well let's say I won't be kissing anyone.

So I wondered about why you would remove the gills from the mushrooms. Not that I used portobellos, but was curious. Apparently removing the gills is only done for aesthetic reasons. The gills tend to blacken whatever they are being cooked with...in this case the veggies. See. You learned something today.

Now go try this recipe. And let me know if you actually follow the recipe.

Impossibly Good Chicken and Simple Mixed Greens Salad

The chicken: not so impossible, and not so good. It was just okay. I most likely won't be making it again, I'm just sayin'. It's a Rachael Ray recipe, and generally speaking I like her recipes. This one, was - well just okay.

Impossibly Good Chicken and Simple Mixed Greens Salad
Servings: 4 (I paired this down for one)

• 5 T Extra virgin olive oil
• 6 6 ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 4 large chunks
• 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into strips (yah - didn't use the BP)
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 c chicken stock
• 3/4 c heavy cream
• 1/2 pint grape or small cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 c pitted green olives (I used pimiento stuffed ones, because that's what I had on hand)
• 1 T Dijon Mustard
• 3 T Red wine vinegar
• 1 sack of mixed greens
• 2 c fresh basil, torn or chopped
• 2 handfuls fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

Heat a large, deep skillet on medium high with 2 T oil. Add the chicken to the hot skillet when the oil begins to smoke, then season liberally with salt and pepper.

Brown the chicken on both sides; you are looking for an amber color, about 7 minutes. Add the onions, bell pepper strips, and garlic to the pan and continue to cook for 2 minutes.

Add chicken stock and cream, then bring the sauce to a hard simmer. Simmer for about 4-5 minutes; the stock and cream should reduce and begin to thicken slightly. (Jenn Note: in case you're as patient as I am, try cornstarch. I used it and it thickened right away. -- insert evil grin)

Add the tomatoes and olives next and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, in a small bowl, combine the mustard and vinegar. In a slow steady stream, whisk in the oil. Place the mixed greens in a salad bowl, toss together with the dressing, season with salt and pepper. If you have other vegi's in the fridge, toss them on in. I had some left over asparagus that I had blanched. It tasted great with this.

To finish the chicken, add all the basil and parsley, stirring to distribute.

Asian Beef Skewers

Not to be confused with last week's Asian Flank Steak. This one was much much better. There are plenty of elements that might have gone into this one being better. For starters, it's BEAUTIFUL here today. Second, I got a good cut of meat for it. Finally, the ingredients I think were better. I like red curry and it added a nice little kick to this.

Asian Beef Skewers

Servings: 4

• Coarse salt
• 1/4 c honey
• 1/4 c packed light-brown sugar
• 1/4 c soy sauce
• 3 T rice vinegar
• 1 T Thai red curry paste (I thought 1T was too much so opted to 1tsp, then regretted it. It added such a nice flavor, without heat, that I wish it was more flavor.)
• 3 T vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds top sirloin beef or shell steak, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 red onion, quartered, layers separated
• 1 can (20 ounces) sliced pineapple in juice, drained, slices quartered
• 1 package (10 ounces) thin dried Chinese noodles or spaghetti
• 1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, for serving (optional)

Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat; line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Soak four 12-inch (or eight 6-inch) wooden skewers in a pan of warm water; set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. (Jenn Note: I totally BBQ'd these instead of broil them.)Meanwhile, make sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons vinegar, curry paste, and 1 tablespoon oil. Reserve half the sauce for serving.

Thread beef, onion, and pineapple onto skewers. Place on prepared baking sheet, and brush with sauce. Broil, brushing occasionally with sauce, until beef is medium-rare and onion begins to char, 7 to 10 minutes. (Jenn Note: I'm not a big fan of cooked pineapple, so I added mushrooms in their place. I think you could even add any type of vegi's you like to make it a kebab thingy).

Meanwhile, cook noodles in boiling salted water, according to package instructions. Drain, and place in a medium bowl. Add cilantro and remaining vinegar and oil; season with salt, and toss to combine. Serve skewers with noodles, reserved sauce, and, if desired, red-pepper flakes. (Jenn Note: I am not a big fan of the Chinese chow mein noodles, though it could have been the brand I bought. Next time I'd use the rice noodles instead and sauté them with a bit of the reserved sauce.)

Asian Flank Steak and Garlic Lime Rice

So two of the recipes I picked out of the bowl I figured went well together for one meal. Asian Flank Steak and Garlic Lime Rice. I had never really thought about adding lime to rice, but omg it was so good. I think I did discover, however, you can add too much lime flavor ... a bit tart. I'd so make the rice again, but not overdose on lime juice. The steak, not all that impressed. I think first I picked the wrong cut of meat (flank steak was too expensive), then I overcooked the steak. But regardless of that, the flavors of the marinade (which I didn't do for as long as it said) wasn't so fantastic. I've had way better.

Asian Flank Steak
Servings: 6

• 1 pound Flank steak
• 1/4 c Vegetable oil
• 1/4 c Orange juice
• 3 T Soy sauce
• 3 T Honey
• 3 T Rice wine vinegar
• 2 T Minced green onion
• 1 1/2 tsp Grated fresh ginger
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp Cornstarch
• 3 T Water

Score the steak diagonally across the grain at 3/4 inch intervals.

Combine oil and next 7 ingredients in shallow dish or heavy ziploc bag. Add steak. Seal and chill 8 hours, turning occasionally.

Remove steak from marinade; reserving marinade.

Grill steaks to desired doneness.

Bring reserve marinade to a boil in a sauce pan, and boil at least one minute or until it reduces.

Stir together cornstarch and water until smooth. Add to marinade; bring to a medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly for one minute. Spoon over steak.

The partner to this meal was the Garlic Lime Rice. Delicious. I'd totally make this again.

Garlic Lime Rice
Makes 2 cups

• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 c dry long grain white rice
• 2 c water
• 2 T fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 2 T minced fresh cilantro
• 2 tsp lime zest, minced

Sauté garlic in oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat until golden. Do not overcook the garlic. Stir in rice and sauté 2 minutes. Rice should be somewhat translucent.

Add water, lime juice and salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until water is absorbed, 20 minutes. Stir in cilantro and lime zest.

You'll enjoy the rice, I promise. It was stickier than I expected, and I cooked it for about 30 minutes not just 20. The water didn't seem to evaporate enough. Enjoy!

Thai Chicken and Noodle with Garlic, Ginger and Roasted Peanuts

I pulled three recipes last week from the bowl. This was the third I tried during the week. Despite the number of ingredients this had, I was pleasantly surprised at the ease of making it - patience helped - and how good it truly was. Even the leftovers were good. And I'm so not a left over girl.

Thai Chicken and Noodles with Garlic, Ginger and Roasted Peanuts
Serves 2
(Although adding more noodles, this could totally serve more)

• 6-8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts, julienne**
• 3 tsp Asian sesame oil, divided
• 1/4 cup Fish Sauce (soy sauce can be used if you don't have fish sauce. Use the low sodium though cause otherwise it'll be too salty.
• 3 T Fresh Lime juice
• 2 tsp Cornstarch
• 6 ounces Chinese-style noodles (I had no idea what this was so I used soba noodles.)
• 3 tsp Peanut oil, divided
• 2/3 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 6-8 green onions, both white and green parts, cut into 1 inch segments
• 1/2 small red or orange bell pepper, seeded and julienne (yah - I so didn't put these in - blech)
• 1/2 cup sliced sugar snap peas (I didn't slice mine - just added them whole)
• 1 med jalapeno pepper, seeded and julienne
• 1 piece 1-2 inchs fresh ginger, peeled and julienne
• 6 medium to large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup basil leaves, preferably Thai, julienne (I used regular basil)
• 1/3 cup fresh whole cilantro leaves
• 1/3 cup chopped unsalted roasted peanuts

In a small bowl, toss together the chicken and 2 tsp of the sesame oil. Set aside at room temperature.

In a small bowl or cup, mix together the fish sauce, lime juice and cornstarch. Set aside.

Prepare the noodles according to the package directions.

In a large, heavy skillet, heat 2 tsp of the peanut oil over medium-high heat until hot. Test by putting a piece of chicken in it, if it sizzles, it's ready. Add the chicken, stir and turn to separate and cook. When the chicken is a uniform color, transfer with the juices to the noodle bowl. (This recipe assumed you made your noodles ahead of time. I made the soba noodles early and had them ready. But you could just wait and mix them all together at the end.)

In the skillet used to cook the chicken, heat the remaining 1 tsp of peanut oil, add the mushrooms, and sauté briefly. Turn the heat up to high, add the red onion, green onion, bell pepper, snap peas, jalapeno and remaining 1 tsp sesame oil and stir briefly. Add the ginger and garlic and stir constantly. Turn the heat down to medium, add the fish sauce mixture, and cook, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes.

Add the vegetables to the noodle bowl, and toss. (I just added the noodles to my skillet with the vegis). Add the basil, cilantro and half of the peanuts, and lightly toss. Sprinkle remaining peanuts over the top and serve at once.

**To julienne chicken or vegetables, cut into matchsticks-size pieces, about 1/8 inch thick and 2 inches long.

Thai BBQ Chicken

OMG..I love, love, LOVEd this recipe. I'll make it again in a heart beat. It reminded me of some chicken I had somewhere - don't remember where but I do remember the chicken. Where the chicken was BBQ's and brushed with a syrup that was infused with dried chilies, garlic and vinegar. It was delicious.

Don't make this marinade any earlier than the day you plan to use it. The herbs will deteriorate. I accompanied this meal with sauted fresh asparagus with grill seasoning (OMG so good), and Thai Kitchen Thai Yellow Curry rice. I had not had that particular rice and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. MMM. It didn't have a strong curry flavor (mom!) but a pleasant flavor. I almost did the Lemon Grass rice...and may try that next time.

But here's the recipe. Eat well.

Thai BBQ Chicken
Serves 4

2 frying chickens, cut into pieces (I used chicken breasts - boneless - cuz that's how I roll)

Marinade:

• 6 T freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 c freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/4 c packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 c Thai fish sauce or soy sauce (I used half fish sauce and half soy because I couldn't make up my mind)
• 1T Asian chili sauce (using this amount didn't make it spicy at all)
• 2 T finely minced ginger
• 6 cloves garlic finely minced (do not skimp on this...garlic is life)
• 1/4 c finely minced whole green onions
• 1/4 c minced fresh mint leaves (I skipped these - not a mint fan)
• 1/4 c minced fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 c minced cilantro

Combine the marinade ingredients. Add the chicken to the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours (I let mine sit for about an hour).

Grill your chicken.

You will want to come back for more, I promise you.

Teriyaki Strip Steak

Made this on Monday night. I'd do a few things differently if (and that's a big if) I make this again.

Teriyaki Strip Steak
Makes 4 steaks

Combine for the sauce:

• 1/2 c soy sauce
• 1/4 c honey
• 1 T fresh ginger, minced (I grated mine on a small hand grater)
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes - WAY too much heat for this. It completely overpowered the other flavors.

Pat dry, season, sauté in 1 T peanut oil (I used vegetable oil - I'm cheap and didn't want to buy peanut oil - 4 strip steaks (I used tritip because that's what I had on hand).

Combine the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Pat steaks dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper. Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat, add oil, swirl to coat. Sauté seasoned steads 3 minutes per side. Add sauce to the pan and allow to reduce to a syrup, about 3 minutes. Serve with rice.

So - I don't like frying steaks. Any kind of steaks. I don't recall us EVER frying steaks at home. We BBQ'd them. So, I BBQ'd these steaks and set the sauce on simmer for 10 minutes to thicken. Once the steaks were done, I sliced them and drizzled them with the sauce.

If I make this again, I'd actually marinade the steaks in the sauce for 30 minutes or so.

Chicken Cacciatore

Not necessarily my favorite version of Chicken Cacciatore, but it was decent. I made it with rice for some dumb reason. Should have made it with pasta of some sort. It heated up real well too for the next day.

Chicken Cacciatore
Serves 4

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 skinless chicken thighs
• Salt and pepper
• 10 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
• 1/4 c flour
• 1 can (28oz) Whole tomatoes in juice, broken up with a spoon
• 1 c dry white wine
• 2 medium onions, cut into 8 wedges
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/3 cup pitted green olives, halved

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Working in two batches, sear chicken, meaty side down, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to a plate (chicken will cook more in step 2).

Add mushrooms to pot; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add flour, and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add tomatoes (with their juice), wine, onions, garlic, olives, and chicken (with any juices). Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cook until chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Season stew with salt and pepper.