FFWD: Roast Chicken for Lazy People

**Note** Oops! Here's another recipe that didn't post as scheduled. This is one of the November postings for French Fridays with Dorie. I know it's not November and I know it isn't Friday, but this recipe was too delicious to skip.

Roast Chicken for Les Paresseux was another winner from Dorie Greenspan's new cookbook, Around My French Table. The November selection for French Fridays with Dorie was easy to prepare. A few moments of preparations before placing it in the oven and forgetting it for 90 minutes. Unfortunately for me, this recipe would have worked better if the "Lazy Person" had a maid. The "secret weapon" of this recipe is the supposedly delicious, crispy slices of baguette that absorbs the delicious chicken juices before crisping up in the oven. Mine didn't so much "crisp" as "cement" themselves to the bottom of the pan. It took two days of soaking and scrubbing to finally remove the last of it from my pan. Next time I'll try something a little different and hopefully save some clean-up time. The recipe for Roast Chicken for Les Paresseux can be found in Dorie Greenspan's Around my French Table.

Curried Chicken and Rice Burritos

I may have to make a special trip back into town to pick up a can of coconut milk. I've been thinking about this dish (aka obsessing over) since the first time I made it. I started making it last night and realized I was out of coconut milk. I switched over to a more traditional southwestern flavor. They were delicious but I'm still craving that Indian flavor. Can you have burritos two nights in a row?

Curried Chicken and Rice Burritos

Recipe courtesy of the Associated Press

2 1/4-pound rotisserie chicken

1 cup coconut milk

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 ounces paneer (a firm Indian-style cheese), diced

1 medium red onion, diced

2 cups cooked basmati rice

8 large (burrito size) flour tortillas

Mango salsa or mango chutney, to serve

Heat the oven to 400 F. Spritz a large baking dish with cooking spray.

Remove the meat from the chicken, discarding the bones and skin. Chop any large pieces of meat into bite-size pieces.

In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, curry powder, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add the chicken, paneer and onion, tossing to coat. Mix in the rice.

Microwave the tortillas for about 10 seconds to make them more pliable.

One at a time, place each tortilla flat on the counter. Spoon about 3/4 cup of the chicken mixture down the center of the tortilla. Fold both ends in, then roll up.

Place each burrito, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish. When all of the burritos are assembled, spritz the tops with cooking spray.

Bake the burritos for 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated through. Serve with either mango salsa or mango chutney.

Buffalo Chicken Chili

 

It's another cold, wintry day here in the Midwest. With one exception. The sun is actually shining! Despite having one home sick from school and a to-do list about a mile long, the glorious sunshine motivated me to make something a little more special for lunch today. Originally intended to use up some leftover ingredients I had on hand, this soup turned out to be a delightful surprise. The Buffalo Sauce added the perfect amount of zing and the veggies and beans make you feel virtuous when you have that second bowl!

Buffalo Chicken Chili

1-2 cups already cooked chicken, diced

1medium onion, diced

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1 can petite diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups chicken broth

2 teaspoons chili powder

salt
1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce, to taste


Add onions and celery to pan and saute until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients except buffalo wing sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in buffalo wing sauce. Top with a dollop of Ranch dressing if desired.

February Dinner Party! Oooh la-la!

Our theme for this month's dinner party was French Food.

Not surprisingly, these Chocolate Dipped Oreos were a hit (even if they aren't really French! Oreos au Chocalat anyone?)

 

Always my favorite. Thank you Justin!

  

Justin's Coq au Vin. Delicious!

 

My favorite go-to dish:  Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette.

Cathy and Dave brought chocolate truffles for dessert.  (I didn't get a good picture so this is a picture from an earlier dinner party when she first made them!)

I didn't get a good picture of Dave's Beef Bourguignon either. And in our haste to devour Justin's chocolate dessert masterpiece, we forgot to take a picture. Hopefully he'll blog about it at his new blog Technically Gourmet. (While you're waiting for that recipe, check out his recipe for Chocolate Sabayon. Yum!) I also made an Apple and Hazelnut Clafoutis (which definitely paled in comparison to the other delicious, chocolate desserts) and which was definitely *not* photogenic. Unfortunately I didn't like as much as I liked this Blueberry-Pineapple Clafoutis that I'd blogged about earlier.

Next month's dinner party will be at our house and I'm responsible for coming up with the theme. During the past year we've done Mardis Gras, Camping Out, Tailgating, Italian, Mexican Fiesta!. I'd love to come up with a new, fun idea but I'm stuck! Any good suggestions for a March party which also lends itself to some good vegetarian options -- since it is my party after all! ;-)

Ten in 2010: Week Five

What to say ... I'm definitely slipping on the exercise portion of this challenge. For some reason I'm having a really hard time getting back into the groove when it comes to training for this half marathon. Aside from the fact that I'm a little lazy, the biggest problem is that the kid's activities are all taking place on the same days that out training group does it's group runs. That leave hubby and I to run (a.k.a. slogging) through the ice and snow and frigid winds all by our lonesome ... and that isn't happening as often as it should. The threat of getting left behind during a Saturday long run used to spur us into action (a.k.a. actually following our training schedule.) Without the fear it's way to easy to talk yourself out of going out there when the temperatures are low and the snow is piled high. 

Luckily, one basketball team's season is over. Unfortunately it's not the one causing the problem! LOL! Still it does provide a little more time in the schedule for hubby and I to buck up and get out there and just do it.

Blogging is going a bit better. Our internet finally works! (And that is a major plus to blogging. LOL!) Our new line-of-sight sattelite internet is ever so much better than our old Wild Blue.

I'm eating quite a few more servings of veggies every day and while I can't say the same about the rest of the family, I figure slow and steady will win the race. I'm drinking more water and *loving* the fish oil supplement I started taking. Warning: TMI moment ahead! No more hot flashes! Like within the first day. All gone. A whole night's sleep. Woohoo! When I forgot one once, they were back within a day. Needless to say, I'll be taking these *regularly* from now on.

Cooking has been going well. I can't remember the last time we got take-out and I managed to find an excellent crockpot recipe this week: Slowcooker Chicken Parmesan. Perfect for those hectic evenings, this dish actually looked great (something you can't always say about crockpot meals), tasted great and was super easy to throw together. Unfortunately, it tasted so great that we'd eaten it up before I realized I'd forgotten to take a picture! If you want to see what it looks like, head on over to Creatively Domestic and check out her pics.

Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan
Recipe courtesy of Creatively Domestic

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 egg, beaten

sliced mozzarella cheese

Jar of marinara sauce

Spread the 1 T of olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot stoneware insert.

Beat the egg in a bowl. Combine the bread crumbs with the seasonings and Parmesan cheese in another separate shallow bowl or plate. Dip the chicken into the egg, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating both sides with crumb mixture. Place the chicken breast pieces in the bottom of the crock. Layer 2-3 slices of mozzarella cheese on top. Cover with entire jar of marinara sauce.

Close lid and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4. If your chicken is still frozen, it will take longer. Mine was 3 thawed chicken breasts and took about 5 hours on low.

Crockpot Mandarin Orange Chicken with Garlic and Thyme

Winter sports season is here with a vengeance. Older daughter made his middle school basketball team. Younger son plays basketball at the Boy's and Girl's Club as well as wrestling at a nearby high school. Add to that younger daughter's math club and media club and you can see that we're busy. Crockpot meals come in handy on days when more than one child has activities. In the past we usually picked up a pizza on the way home or ran through a drive-thru. But much to the chagrin of the children, the crockpot lets me make a healthy, nutritious meal earlier in the day and have it ready to put on the table when we get home.

Here's a great recipe for Mandarin Orange Chicken with Garlic and Thyme I found over at Megan's Cookin'. When I saw it I knew it would be a hit. The kid's love chicken. The older and pickier daughter eats mandarin oranges by the can-full. Younger son is still raving about how tender and juicy the chicken was. Hubby is thrilled when we don't have to spend money eating out. And I love just crockpot meals!

Mandarin Orange Chicken with Garlic and Thyme
Recipe from Megan's Cookin'

1 lb - chicken breast

1 - 8oz can - mandarin oranges,
1 tbsp - Ginger, ground
1 tsp – Salt
5 cloves - garlic (minced)
1/2 cup - orange juice
1 tsp fresh Thyme
1 tbsp cornstarch

Place chicken in Crockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the cornstarch, to the Crockpot.
 Cook on high for about 4 hours or on low for about 8 hours.
Remove chicken and put orange sauce in a small sauce pan. Stir a little water into the cornstarch to make a this paste. Add to orange sauce and cook on medium heat till thickened. Spoon over chicken and enjoy!

Ina Garten's Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken

Every once in awhile I try to make something meat-like for the carnivorous members of my family. Since my oldest was home from college, I decided to roast a chicken. (Something I don't do very often. I tend to stick to chicken breasts.) I chose Ina Garten's Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken and I'm glad I did. The chicken was moist and tender (or so I was told). The prep work was simple. And it must have been tasty; The picky girls kept coming back for more!

Ina Garten's Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken is the recipe I'm submitting for the Food Network Chefs Cooking Challenge this week. Head over here to see what everyone else made this week. Next week's chef  will be Ingrid Hoffman.


 Ina Garten's Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken
Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten

Serves: 3 to 4 servings
1 (5 to 6-pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme
4 lemons
3 heads garlic, cut in 1/2 crosswise
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 pound sliced bacon
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the thyme, reserving enough thyme to garnish the chicken dish, 1 lemon, halved, and 2 halves of the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Cut 2 of the lemons in quarters and scatter the quarters and remaining garlic around the chicken. Lay the bacon slices over the chicken to cover.

Roast the chicken for 1 hour. Remove the bacon slices from the top of the chicken and set aside. Continue roasting the chicken for an additional 1/2 hour, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove to a platter and cover with aluminum foil while you prepare the gravy.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the bottom of the pan. Add the wine and chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until reduced by half.

Slice the chicken on a platter. Garnish the chicken platter with the bacon slices, roasted garlic, reserved thyme and 1 lemon, sliced. Serve with the gravy.

Mushroom Chicken

I needed a quick chicken dish to go along with the Beef and Broccoli I made the other day. This Mushroom Chicken Dish from Rasa Maylasia fit the bill. Easy to throw together. Lots of flavor. Not too spicy so the kids will eat it. This was the one. Chicken, mushrooms and zucchini with a simple sauce. Delicious.

Mushroom Chicken
 Recipe from Rasa Malaysia
 

10 oz. boneless and skinless chicken breast (cut into cubes)
8 oz. zucchini (cut into pieces)
4 oz. mushroom (cut into halves)
1 teaspoon corn starch (to marinate the chicken)
1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
2 tablespoons oil
4 slices peeled ginger
Sauce:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
3 dashes white pepper powder
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons water plus 1 teaspoon corn starch (to thicken the sauce)


Marinate the chicken with wine and corn starch. Set aside for 15 minutes. Mix the sauce ingredients and set aside.
Heat up a wok and add oil. Add ginger and saute until aromatic. Add chicken into the wok and stir until the chicken is half-cooked. Add mushrooms and zucchini into the wok and continue to stir-fry. Add the sauce into the wok and do a few quick stirs until the sauce nicely coat the chicken, mushrooms, and zucchini. Cook for 1 minute or until the chicken is cooked. Dish out and serve immediately.

Arroz con Pollo -- Blech! And the most delicious dessert ever!

What more can I say. Blech! This recipe for Arroz Con Pollo was awful. So awful that my nephew ended up having a bad dream about it where he was being forced to eat it for dinner again another night! And he's a college student with a cast iron stomach who is happy anytime he doesn't have to eat in the cafeteria!

This recipe was so bad I'm not even gonna tell you where I found it. Yuck!

Since that recipe was an epic fail, instead, I'll give you a recipe for the most delicious thing I've tried lately: Oreo Cookie Balls. My sister brought these to the dinner party last weekend and they were amazing (though not very good for the diet!)


Easy Oreo Truffles
Recipe from Kraft Foods

1 pkg. (1 lb. 2 oz.) OREO Cookies, finely crushed, divided

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

2 pkg. (8 squares each) Semi-Sweet Chocolate or white chocolate, melted

MIX 3 cups of the cookie crumbs and the cream cheese until well blended. Shape into 42 (1-inch) balls.

DIP balls in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover melted chocolate can be stored in tightly covered container at room temperature and saved for another use.) Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs or drizzle with white chocolate.

REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm. Store any leftover truffles in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

Chicken with Cider and Bacon Sauce

In a hurry to get dinner on the table the other night, I pulled out a recipe I'd bookmarked earlier: Chicken with Cider and Bacon Sauce. It was definitely was a hit. Of course it was. It's simple, quick to prepare and has a sauce made with bacon. How much better could it get? The sauce has a salty-sweet flavor that compliments the chicken and was quite tasty with the rice. This one will definitely show up on the menu rotation around here again soon!


Chicken with Cider and Bacon Sauce

Recipe from Cooking Light Magazine, January 2005


4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bacon slices, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh onion
3/4 cup unsweetened apple cider
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper.

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan. Add chicken to drippings in pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

Add onion to pan; cook 2 minutes or until tender, stirring constantly. Add cider and broth; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook until broth mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup (about 5 minutes). Stir in cooked bacon; serve sauce over chicken.

Pastel Chicken Azteca

As usual, Ben from What's Cooking? has hit another home run. Pastel Chicken Azteca definitely scored in this household. It was so much fun to make that Picky DD's friend wandered away from the dance music and video games and ended up in the kitchen helping me put this dish together. Fully of winning ingredients, this is a greatt recipe to throw together with pantry staples -- canned tomatoes, tortilla chips, left over chicken breast. It was the perfect last minute guest for dinner recipe.

Pastel Chicken Azteca
Recipe by Ben of What's Cooking?

1 chicken breast shredded
1 lb Roma tomatoes
1 medium size onion
3 garlic cloves peeled
1-2 canned chipotle adobado peppers
24 corn tortillas
3 cups chicken broth
8 oz. Chihuahua cheese shredded (2 cups approx.)
Salt to taste

Cut tortillas in triangles (quarters) and fried them in batches until they turn hard, Mexican restaurant style.

Blend together tomatoes, ¾ of the onion, garlic and adobado peppers using one cup of chicken broth.

In a large pot pour the tomato mix

Add the rest of the chicken broth and salt and let it simmer for about 10 minutes over medium heat. Stir constantly.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Cut the rest of the onion in thin slices.

Place a layer of tortilla chips at the bottom of a 9”x13” baking dish using 1/3 of the tortillas.

Add another layer using half of the shredded chicken, 1/3 of the sliced onion and 1/3 of shredded cheese.

Pour some of the tomato sauce.

Add another layer of ingredients, tortilla chips, cheese, onion and the rest of the chicken.

Finish up with a layer of tortilla chips and onion.

Pour the rest of the tomato sauce.

Top off with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

We settled on an old family favorite for the first day of Spring Break: South Beach Diet Chicken Jambalaya. Since Grandma was coming for dinner, we jazzed it up with the addition of some smoked turkey sausage. Added some dinner rolls and a salad and had the meal on the table in less than 30 minutes. To speed up the process on weeknights, I generally cook the rice separately and add it in at the end. Using precooked or leftover chicken gets it to the table even more quickly.

Chicken Jambalaya
Recipe from The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook by Arthur Agatston, M.D.

1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 bunches scallions, chopped, 2 tablespoons reserved for garnish
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup whole-grain, quick-cooking brown rice
1/8 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
2 cups lower sodium chicken broth
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
salt and freshly ground pepper

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, scallions, bell pepper and garlic; cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in rice and Cajun seasoning. Add broth and tomatoes with juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. If jambalaya has excess moisture, cook uncovered for 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with reserved scallions and serve.

Chicken-Green Chili Straws with Jalapeno-Honey Dip

I know I've blogged about these Chicken-Green Chili Straws with Jalapeno-Hone Dip before but since I've made them twice in the past couple of weeks, I just had to rave about them again.

Despite seeming like these Chicken-Green Chili Straws would require a lot of prep time, I had these rolled and in the oven in less than 15 minutes. I used already cooked chicken but those pre-cooked fajita strips would be perfect in this too. I mixed the Jalapeno-Honey Dip before I started and by the time the Chicken-Green Chili Straws came out of the oven the flavors had melded into a delicious mix of sweet and spicy. We loved the heat added by the jalapeno peppers and they cut the sweetness of the honey, but feel free to adjust to your tastes. I've also made these using ground beef flavored with taco seasonings and the are quite tasye too.


Chicken-Green Chili Straws with Jalapeno-Honey Dip
Recipe courtesy of Robin Miller

Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken thigh meat, chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend (recommended: Kraft or Sargento)
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 package egg roll wrappers
1 cup honey
3 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, sour cream, cheese, green chiles, cilantro, and cumin. Mix well to combine.

Arrange egg roll wrappers on a flat surface. Place a small amount of filling in the lower third (towards 1 corner) of each wrapper. Fold over the bottom corner of the wrapper, tightly roll up 1 turn and then fold in the sides. Dip your finger in water and run it along the corner and edge. Tightly roll up the rest of the way, sealing the edges and seam shut. Place "straws" on prepared baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine honey, pickled jalapenos and vinegar. Mix well and serve alongside straws.

Pan Sauteed Chicken and Mushrooms with Garlic Spinach

Love, love, *love* this recipe for Pan Sauteed Chicken and Mushrooms with Garlic Spinach that I found over at Dinners for a Year and Beyond. It's the perfect recipe for our picky family. The small kids loved the chicken on it's own. Dh enjoyed his chicken topped with the sauteed mushrooms and the wine sauce. I adored the whole thing!

I'm always happy when a recipe calls for fresh, simple ingredients and that's what makes this dish special. Special enough to serve on a rushed weeknight or, according to dh, the next time we have company over for dinner. The recipe is easy to follow. It only takes a few minutes to get it on the table. Everyone loves it. I generally have all the ingredients on hand. What more can you ask? LOL!

Check out the recipe for Pan Sauteed Chicken and Mushrooms with Garlic Spinach over at Dinners for a Year and Beyond. While you're there be sure to look through all the other drool-inducing recipes. This is going to be my submission for next week's Bookmarked Recipes event over at Ruth's Kitchen Experiments. Be sure to head on over and see what everyone has been busy bookmarking this week!




Pan Sauteed Chicken and Mushrooms with Garlic Spinach
Recipe from Dinners for a Year and Beyond
serves 4 - 5

olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, divided
3 large boneless chicken breasts, sliced lengthwise into 2 thin cutlets each
salt
pepper
flour
2 cups sliced baby portebello mushrooms
2 bunches of baby spinach, washed and drained and paper towels
3 large cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
squeeze of lemon juice

Heat a large saute pan to medium high and drizzle with olive oil and about 1 tablespoon of butter. Season chicken cutlets with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Saute for 3 - 4 minutes per side until lightly browned. Remove cutlets from pan and cover with foil to keep warm.

In the same pan, drizzle a little more olive oil and add the sliced mushrooms. Saute for 5 - 7 minutes until they begin to brown slightly. Remove from pan and keep warm with the chicken.

In the same pan, drizzle a little more olive oil and add the spinach in 2 batches. Cook each batch until the spinach is wilted and most of the water has cooked away. Remove spinach to a plate. Add garlic to pan and cook for 1 - 2 minutes until it just begins to brown. Add more olive oil if the pan seems dry. Add back the wilted spinach and a pinch of salt and pepper and toss to combine. Remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

In the same pan, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. When it just begins to bubble, whisk in the 1 tablespoon of flour. Cook for about 30 seconds. Whisk in wine and stock and cook for 2 - 3 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Turn heat to low and keep sauce warm.

To serve, place Garlic Spinach on a large platter. Top with the sauteed chicken and mushrooms and drizzle with the wine sauce. Serve.

Picky Daughter's Favorite: Chicken Fingers with Spicy Avocado Sauce

I knew if I kept trying, I'd discover an OMG! recipe for my picky daughter. Thanks to Deborah over at Taste and Tell, I have! Dd is still raving about these Chicken Fingers with Spicy Avocado Sauce. So much so that she's convinced me to make them again tonight; the second time this week. Not that it was too hard ... I loved them too! Rare because I generally don't eat meat but this is my new favorite way to eat protein. ;-)

The chicken is lightly spiced. Enough to give it a great flavor but nothing overpowering. The thing that I think puts this over the top is the use of fresh bread crumbs. I am so a convert. I won't be using those old, dry boxed ones ever again.

Definitely a recipe we'll be making over and over around here. Thanks Deborah!

Chicken Fingers with Spicy Avocado Sauce
Recipe from Taste and Tell

For the Chicken Fingers
2/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs*
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips

For the Spicy Avocado Sauce
2 small avocados, pitted and peeled
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons minced pickled jalepeños
Juice from 1/2 small lime
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, or more to taste

Preheat the oven to 400F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine the bread crumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, thyme, paprika, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Mix well. Dip the chicken strips in to coat evenly, and tap off the excess. Lay the chicken strips on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Spray the tops with cooking spray. Cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 20 minutes.

In a medium bowl, mash the avocado and sour cream together with a fork. Fold in the jalepeños, lime juice, cilantro and hot sauce, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve the chicken fingers with the avocado sauce on the side for dipping.

*To make whole wheat bread crumbs, take a slice of whole wheat bread and put it into a food processor. Process until it makes fine crumbs. I only needed one slice of bread to make the amount of crumbs needed. Feel free to substitute prepared bread crumbs.

Grilled Greek Chicken

I know this is a really bad picture.

The problem is that this Grilled Greek Chicken smelled so good, we couldn't hold off eating it! And by the time I realized just how bad the picture was, there was absolutely nothing left. Even all the salad/salsa/topping was gone! That's how good this chicken is. Grilled Greek Chicken has moved right to the top of our family favorites list. Both girls loved it. Dh and I were about ready to arm wrestle over the last bit. (We ended up giving it to picky dd who never asks for seconds of anything!)

I did make a couple of changes in the original recipe. I didn't have cucumber so I substituted some red onion. It was delicious! The second change that I made was to marinate the chicken over night. I had originally planned to make it right away, but dh and the kids got home late and had already stopped for dinner on the way. If anything, I think the longer marinating time only helped this dish. It was delicious!

This recipe comes from a great blog called Dinners for a Year and Beyond. It is the perfect place to spend half a morning browsing through delicious-sounding recipes and drool-inducing photos. I think I found myself bookmarking about every other recipe! So far I've tried two recipes from Dinner for a Year and Beyond and loved them both. I blogged about the other one here. You should head on over and check out this wonderful blog for yourself!

I will be submitting this one to the Bookmarked Recipes blogging event hosted this week by Ruth at Ruth's Kitchen Experiments. Be sure to check out all the great recipes that everyone tried out last week!

Grilled Greek Chicken
Recipe from Dinners for a Year and Beyond

2 pounds of boneless chicken breasts or tenderloins
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 large tomato, diced
2 kirby cucumbers, diced
1/2 cup black olives
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dried oregano, ground mustard, salt, and pepper. Place the chicken in a resealable bag and add about 3/4 cup of the vinaigrette. Seal bag and marinate chicken for 1 hour up to 4 hours.

Heat a grill or grill pan to medium high. Remove the chicken from the vinaigrette and grill for about 5 - 6 minutes per side for the boneless breasts and 3 - 4 minutes per side for the tenderloins. Remove from grill/pan and cover with foil to keep warm.

In a small bowl combine the tomato and cucumber and add the remaining 1/4 cup of vinaigrette.

To serve, top grilled chicken with the tomato-cucumber mixture, a few olives, and some of the crumbled feta.

Chicken and Mushroom Marsala

I wanted to come up with something special for dh's birthday dinner. It was harder than usual to come up with a menu because dd was having a first grade friend spend the night. A picky first grade friend. When I saw the recipe for Chicken Marsala over at Smitten Kitchen, I know that was exactly what I was looking for. Dh and I would love the mushroom sauce and the kids could have their chicken plain with no extra work on my part. Woohoo!

I'd been wanting to make Chicken Marsala for quite awhile. In the past when I made it, I usually just used whatever red wine I had on hand. (Not really Marsala, I know.) Recently a new fancy-schmancy wine shop opened up here in town. The first thing I did was ask the owner for a good Marsala. It had been in the pantry for awhile and this was the perfect time to break it out.

The recipe was simple and tasty, though it seemed a little more labor intensive than my usual recipe, it wasn't bad. The sauce was a little thinner as well. Since we really enjoyed this dish, I'm including both recipes.

Chicken and Mushroom Marsala
Gourmet, June 1995

Serves 6

3 whole boneless chicken breasts with skin (about 2 1/2 pounds),
halved
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, sliced thin
3/4 pound mushrooms, sliced thin
1/2 cup Marsala
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large heavy skillet heat oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons butter over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown chicken in 2 batches, transferring with tongs to a large plate as browned.

Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet and sauté onion and mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated. Add Marsala and cook mixture, stirring, until Marsala is almost evaporated. Add broth and chicken with any juices that have accumulated on plate and simmer, turning chicken once, until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken with tongs to a platter.

Simmer mushroom sauce until liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup. Remove skillet from heat and stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter and salt and pepper to taste, stirring until butter is just incorporated. Spoon mushroom sauce around chicken and sprinkle with parsley.

Teresa's Chicken Marsala
Recipe By Teresa

4 chicken breast -- boneless
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon oregano
4 tablespoons oil
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon pepper -- freshly ground
1 cup portabella mushrooms -- sliced
1/2 cup Marsala wine

Pound chicken between two sheets of waxed paper until a uniform thickness. Combine flour, pepper, and oregano and blend well. Heat the oil and butter in a skillet until bubbling lightly. Dredge the chicken in the flour and shake off the excess. Cook the chicken on medium heat for about 2 minutes on the first side or until lightly brown. When turning the breasts to the second side, add the mushrooms around the chicken pieces. Cook until lightly browned on the second side, about 2 more minutes. Stir the mushrooms. When the chicken is browned, add the wine around the chicken pieces, cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes.

Thai Grilled Chicken, Fried Rice and Zucchini medallions

Some days it all works out.

Since I am still in denial about the end of summer, I'm having trouble getting back into the hectic swing of things that is our life during the school year. The past few nights that ds has had tennis matches, dinner has been sad. Very, *very* sad. In fact earlier this week I even stooped to frozen pizzas. Now, granted, I was sick and dragged myself out to watch him play ... but *still*. Sad. So sad. So since I knew we'd all be at his match last night, I decided I needed to get prepared. I grabbed the recipe for Cilantro Thai Grilled Chicken that I'd bookmarked over at Artsy-Foodie, mixed up the marinade and tossed in a couple of chicken breasts and had it grill-ready in the fridge before we left.

After some celebratory high fives (ds won his games), dh started the grill as soon as we came home. Within minutes, I'd started the rice and sliced up the zucchini for Kate's Zucchini Rounds, topped them and had them all set to go under the broiler. When the grill was ready, I'd already sliced, diced and gathered all the ingredients necessary to throw the fried rice together. Dinner was delicious and ready at a reasonable time.

The chicken was tasty and moist. Flavored simply with cilantro, garlic, Asian Fish Sauce and Toasted Sesame Oil it was a breeze to make. If you need more detailed directions, check out Alexa's beautiful blog: Artsy-Foodie. He pictures will make you drool and before you know it, you'll be bookmarking page after page of recipes that you want to try.

The fired rice is always a hit with picky dd. And I love, love, *love* Kate's Zucchini Rounds. They are a quick side, prefect for any meal. And, hey ... it's topped with fresh Parmesan and gets all brown and yummy under the broiler. Of course it's good.

Kate's Zucchini Rounds
Recipe was posted once upon a time at homemadesimple.com or you can look here where I've blogged about it before.

Zucchini
Melted butter or margarine or butter-flavored cooking spray
Parmesan cheese
Garlic powder

Slice zucchini (as much as you want to make) and arrange on a no-stick cookie sheet. Drizzle with melted butter or margarine, or spray with butter-flavor cooking spray. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Broil until cheese bubbles and browns.

Kicked Up BBQ Chicken

While checking out one of my favorite blogs, I bookmarked a recipe that I knew would come in handy once the School Year Rush kicked in. Diannes Dishes is a great source of inspiration. In fact, her Goat Cheese and Tomato Omelet is on tap for lunch today! Dianne's Kicked Up Barbecue Chicken looked like a great way to spice up an ordinary chicken dinner. Quick to make and simple to prepare, this recipe was perfect for a hectic night following a cross country meet when dinner needs to be ready *now*. You simple grill a chicken breast seasoned with salt and pepper. When it's about done, brush on some BBQ sauce and let heat through. Top with cheese, bacon and scallions and you have a festive dinner. This night I paired it with Ina Garten's Grown Up Mac and Cheese that I blogged about yesterday.

Kicked Up Barbecue Chicken is great on a weeknight or even for entertaining with friends.


Kicked Up Barbecue Chicken
Recipe from Dianne's Dishes

1 boneless skinless chicken breast
1/4 cup of barbeque sauce
1 ounce of shredded cheddar or Colby cheese
1 piece of center cut bacon, cooked and chopped or crumbled
1 scallion, chopped both green and white parts

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Bake chicken breast for 20-25 minutes until done through. Remove from oven and brush with barbeque sauce. Return to oven for 5 additional minutes.

Once chicken is done and barbeque sauce is heated remove from oven and place chicken breast on a plate. Top with shredded cheese, bacon and scallions. Serve immediately.

My Kitchen My World: Jamaica!

I went to Jamaica a few years ago, back in the days before I had children. Never in my life have I seen such a beautiful location. I was a little apprehensive about the trip. After we booked, the island was hit by a hurricane and rocked by a political coup. Lots of people canceled their travel plans but we felt it was a now-or-never situation and we went anyway. It turned out to be a great vacation! The weather was awesome. The people were friendly. The rum punch was delicious. ;-)

I still remember having the most delicious French Onion Soup in our hotel restaurant. I've tried to duplicate it for years and haven't even come close. The soup was topped with the most incredible cheese from a local dairy. The flavor of the cheeses (and their butter!) was to die for. Nothing like what I've found here in the U.S. The other part that makes it so hard to duplicate might be that we were eating by candlelight on a private balcony over looking the Ocho Rios Bay. Hard to recreate that here in Indiana. The cornfields don't provide a similar ambiance, kwim? LOL!

This week, My Kitchen, My World is visiting Jamaica and I couldn't be more excited! We are serving one of our family favorites: Jerked Chicken Skewers. (I think the kids will eat almost anything on a skewer. Serve them a chicken breast and they'll turn up their noses but thread it onto a wooden spike and they are all over it!) We paired it with Salsa Rice with Black Beans. Add a little store-bought mango salsa, a Bob Marley CD and some rum punch and you're all set for your tropical get-away!

Don't forget to visit My Kitchen, My World and see what Jamaican deliciousness everyone else came up with!

Jerked Chicken Kabobs
Recipe courtesy of Guy Fieri

1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon cinnamon stick
1 red onion, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh thyme sprigs
1 lime, juiced
3 garlic cloves
1 Scotch bonnet pepper
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled
Salt and pepper
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

In a food processor, combine all ingredients except chicken; puree until smooth. Add all but 1/4 cup of the mixture in a 1 gallon plastic sealable bag. Add the chicken to the bag and let marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.

Heat grill to medium-high. Skewer chicken pieces and grill on 1 side for about 5 minutes. Flip and grill the other side until cooked through and grill marks appear.

Salsa Rice and Beans
Recipe courtesy of Robin Miller

1 cup rice, regular or instant
1/2 (14-ounce) can black beans, drained
1/2 cup prepared salsa
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium sauce pot, cook rice according to package instructions. When the rice is half way cooked, add black beans, salsa, and cook about 10 minutes for regular rice and 3 minutes for instant rice .Continue cooking rice. Remove the pot, using a spoon, stir in chopped cilantro and season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.