Baked Chicken & Potatoes with Herbs

If organic farming is the natural way, shouldn't organic produce just be called "produce" and make the pesticide-laden stuff take the burden of an adjective?
~Ymber Delecto

I'm back! And wouldn't you know it would be with chicken? A pretty basic recipe tonight, but most tasty! I did the cheese biscuits a little differently than usual, and will likely stick with this recipe, as the difference was noticeable and, of course, tasty!

The lettuce and fresh herbs are from my garden.

Baked Chicken Breasts & Potatoes
Ingredients:
Boneless skinless chicken breasts (1/serving)
Olive Oil
Fresh basil
Fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375
Rinse chicken and pat dry
Rinse potatoes and slice into halves
Place chicken and potatoes in oven safe pan
Splash with olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Chop thyme and basil and sprinkle on top
Cook uncovered in oven safe dish for 45 minutes

Cheese Biscuits
Ingredients:
2 cups Jiffy (or equivalent) baking mix
3/4 cup water
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Fresh chopped parsley
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients together
Drop by tablespoons onto lightly greased baking sheet
Cook at 425 for 12-15 minutes

Served with fresh romaine lettuce from the garden.

Herb & Vegetable Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Shipping is a terrible thing to do to vegetables. They probably get jet-lagged, just like people.
~Elizabeth Berry

Spring produce! YUMMY! The spinach for this recipe comes from my garden, and the herbs from my spice garden. The asparagus is local, but not grown by me.


Herb & Vegetable Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Ingredients:
Boneless skinless chicken breasts (1/serving)
Olive Oil
Fresh basil
Fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
Thin sliced swiss cheese (1 1/2 slice/breast)
Several leaves fresh spinach
1 large tomato, sliced thin
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375
Slice chicken breasts almost in half and pat dry
Splash inside with olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Put spinach leaves, swiss cheese, fresh herbs (to taste), and tomato slices into each breast and close back up
Salt and pepper again if desired
Cook uncovered in oven safe dish for 45 minutes

Gourmet Red Potatoes with Herbs
Ingredients:
Gourmet (or Baby) red potatoes (3/serving)
1/4 cup butter
Parsley
Sage
Thyme
Salt and pepper
Preparation:
Cut potatoes in half
Boil for about 15 minutes
Drain
Add butter and fresh herbs and stir
Salt and pepper to taste


Served with blanched asparagus and a salad of fresh spinach and green leaf lettuce with tomato slices.

Memorial Day Barbecue

Oh Lord please don't burn us don't kill or toast your flock Don't put us on the barbecue or simmer us in stock, Don't bake or baste or boil us or stir-fry us in a wok.
~Monty Python

FIRST green salad from my garden!!! Some spinach and romaine lettuce, and a little bit of basil (I added some tomato after the pic, but that was not from my garden. Way too early for tomatoes yet). There is something so very satisfying about growing and eating your own food.


We grilled out for the holiday. Chicken, ribs, some spicy sausage... It's difficult to spell out a recipe, as the sauce is always different, and everyone has their own ideas of how to barbecue. We usually start with an off the shelf sauce and spice it up a bit.

The spare ribs, boiled for about an hour before marinating and grilling. The chicken (boneless, skinless breasts) splashed with olive oil, added a little salt and pepper, and some fresh thyme and sage (from my spice garden).

Served with corn on the cob, green salad (from my garden), and some delicious potato cheese bread that my Mother made.

Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato Sandwiches (BLTs)

Lunch counters have provided etymologists and linguists with one of the richest sources of American slang, cant, and jargon, usually based on a form of verbal shorthand bandied back and forth between waiters and cooks. Some terms have entered familiar language of most Americans--"BLT" (a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich)...and others--but most remain part of a bewildering and colorful language specific to the workers in such establishments.
~The Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink, John F. Mariani

I always get a craving for BLTs as the weather turns nice - it's just a spring/summer time meal, and it never disappoints!

Not much of a recipe, really, just toast some bread, slather some mayo on, and add bacon, lettuce, and tomato! Perfect!

Mothers Day Buffet

Your Mother loves you,
Looks after you,
Takes care of you.
The only bad thing
Your Mother ever does
Is die and leave you.
~Poem from a postcard I had a long time ago

We had a fantastic Mothers Day here, the whole family together, which is a rare occurrence. The whole family includes 4 mothers - myself and 2 sisters (one here from VA for the weekend) and, of course, our Mother. I created a sumptuous feast, the traditional Mothers day brunch buffet, but better because it was (mostly) home-cooked. This was the first time I've done a brunch for this large a crowd (17 total) but it all went quite well.

Mothers day brunch buffet in pictures:

Hash Browns, Bacon, Salmon Patties

Scrambled Eggs, Cheese Strata

Tomato with Basil and Mozzarella

Ham

Apples, Bananas, Bagels

Strawberries and oranges

Recipes

Cheese Strata

Ingredients:
1 loaf of bread
15 eggs
6 c milk
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
8 c grated Cheddar cheese
Preparation:
Beat together eggs, milk and seasonings
Place a layer of bread slices in a large, deep, oven safe dish
Cover with cheddar cheese
Add another layer of bread and cover with cheddar cheese
Pour egg mixture over the layers
Cover and refrigerate overnight
Cook in a preheated oven, 350 degrees for 1 hour

Tomato with Basil and Mozzarella
Slice several tomatoes apprx 1/2" thick
Splash slices with olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Put apprx 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese on each slice
Add some fresh basil
Place under broiler for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted and lightly browned

Scrambled Eggs
Ingredients:
36 eggs
2 c milk
3 splashes Tabasco sauce
Salt and pepper
Butter
Preparation:
Whisk all ingredients except butter in a large bowl
Melt apprx 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat
Pour in egg mixture (in increments if necessary) and turn gently until desired consistency is reached

Muffins, Croissants, Bagels
Go to Costco
Find the Bakery section
Buy Muffins, Croissants, and Bagels

Breakfast Burritos - I had some warm flour tortillas for making breakfast burritos from the available ingredients, for instance, I had a burrito with some hash browns, bacon, scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, salsa and black olives.

Also: Coffee (lots), orange juice, and various condiments, accouterments, enhancements, munchies, and sweets.

Thyme & Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breasts

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.
~Luciano Pavarotti



The Recipe

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 c mozzarella cheese
Fresh thyme sprigs
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375
Slice chicken breasts almost in half and pat dry
Fill with cheese and thyme sprigs
Sprinkle olive oil over breasts
Put some thyme leaves on
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook uncovered in oven safe dish for 45 minutes

Served with:
Grape leaves stuffed with rice and peppers
Green salad

Baked Tarragon Chicken

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four; unless there are three other people.
~ Orson Welles

We had unexpected dinner guests tonight. Cordell decided to invite half the neighborhood over to eat at his house. The chicken was already cooked, so I stretched the meal with lots of salad.

The Recipe

Baked Tarragon Chicken
Ingredients:
Boneless skinless chicken breasts (1/serving)
Olive Oil
Fresh tarragon
Fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
3 Shallots
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375
Rinse and pat chicken breasts dry and then rub with olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Chop several tarragon leaves finely and sprinkle on chicken
Sprinkle thyme leaves on chicken
Thinly slice shallots and put on chicken
Place chicken breasts in an oven safe dish and bake for 40 - 50 minutes

Served with a salad of baby greens and cheese toast.

Pork Roast

Thou shall not kill. Thou shall not commit adultery. Don't eat pork.
I'm sorry, what was that last one?? Don't eat pork. God has spoken.
Is that the word of God or is that pigs trying to outsmart everybody?
~Jon Stewart

The weather has taken a turn for the cooler again, so a hearty Sunday supper seemed in order.

The Recipes

Pork Roast
Ingredients:
Pork Roast -
Garlic Clove
Thyme
Sage
Salt & Pepper to taste
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350
Rub pork roast with garlic, sage, and thyme
Place roast fat side up on the foil
Salt and pepper to taste
Bake for 25- 28 minutes per pound
Remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes or so before slicing

Apple Crisp
Ingredients:
6 medium size apples
Apple crisp mix (available at the grocery store)
1 stick butter
Preparation:
Peel apples and slice into bite-size pieces
Layer into a shallow glass pan
Sprinkle generously (or less generously as you prefer) with apple crisp mix
Slice butter evenly over the top
Put it in the oven where it can cook right alongside the pork chops (about 25 minutes)

Served with fresh blanched broccoli.

Chef's Salad

To remember a successful salad is generally to remember a successful dinner; at all events, the perfect dinner necessarily includes the perfect salad.
~George Ellwanger (Pleasures of the Table)

Or in this case, the perfect salad is the perfect dinner. Salad becomes strangely more crave-able in warmer weather.

You can use whatever lettuce and other fresh veggies you want for this recipe. I think it is the cheese, ham, and hard-boiled egg slices that make it a "Chef's Salad."


The Recipe
In a large salad bowl combine the following ingredients:
Bite size pieces of romaine lettuce
Baby spinach leaves
Chopped raddichio
Black olives (sliced)
Julienne carrots
Cherry tomatoes
Shredded swiss and cheddar cheese
Cucumber slices (without seeds)
Finely diced ham cubes
On top of this mix add the following:
Sliced hard-boiled eggs
Avocado slices
Red onion slices

Serve with salad dressing(s) of choice.

Baked Potatoes

Pray for peace and grace and spiritual food,
For wisdom and guidance, for all these are good,
but don't forget the potatoes.
~John Tyler Pettee

Sometimes a baked potato is a perfect meal. Quick, easy, tasty, satisfying, and filling!

Use 1 potato /serving. Wash, rub thoroughly with olive oil. Preheat the oven to 425 and cook potatoes for 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on the size. You can test by sticking a fork into the thickest part of the potato - if the fork slides in smooth, it's good!

Remove from oven, split, salt and pepper to taste. Top with any combination of:
Butter
Cheddar Cheese
Sour Cream
Chives
Bacon Bits

Ryan's Birthday Dinner & Cake (OH! What a Cake!)

Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate.
~Sandra Boynton

Ryan's birthday! Same dinner every year, at his request - corned beef hash. The eggs have been added in recent years and are optional.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
1/2 c vegetable oil
3 cups frozen has brown potatoes
1 tin corned beef
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/2 c milk
Eggs 1-2 /serving
Preparation:
Heat the vegetable oil in large pan over medium-high heat
Add frozen hash browns
Cook for about 15 minutes, turning once or twice for even browning
Add corned beef
Add mustard and allspice
Mix thoroughly and reduce heat to medium
Stir in milk
Let cook for a few more minutes browning the hash lightly on one side
Crack eggs over the top of the hash, cover and let the eggs cook to desired consistency

Served with broccoli and biscuits. Everyone likes ketchup on the their hash.

For DESSERT:
We saw this recipe on the Ultimate Recipe Showdown on the Food Channel, and Ryan said right then: "I want that cake for my birthday." So...
The recipe is here

If you ever make this cake, be prepared. It will be the sweetest thing you have ever tasted. You will only be able to eat a small piece, and it might put you into a sugar induced coma. I made a half recipe, and even that was a lot of cake. But tasty? Oh yeah...mmmmmm...

Frozen Lasagna

The 2007-2012 World Outlook for Frozen Lasagna
The latent demand for frozen lasagna is not actual or historic sales...there will still be an international latent demand for frozen lasagna at the aggregate level...Given this overriding philosophy, we will now describe the methodology used to create the latent demand estimates for frozen lasagna. Since this methodology has been applied to a large number of categories, the rather academic discussion below is general and can be applied to a wide variety of categories, not just frozen lasagna.
~No, really. (Click the link)

Yep, I didn't feel like cooking tonight, so I threw a frozen lasagna in the oven. It happens from time to time...

Food Thoughts

Some interesting food facts:

The modern frozen food industry was born over 70 years ago, in 1930, but freezing foods as a means of preservation is a practice that has long historical roots. The first to harness the power of freezing foods beyond the winter months were the Chinese, who used ice cellars as early as 1000 B.C. The Greeks and Romans stored compressed snow in insulated cellars, and the Egyptians and Indians discovered that rapid evaporation through the porous walls of clay vessels produced ice crystals in the water inside the vessels.

But it was Clarence Birdseye and his American company that finally made frozen foods a practical reality in 1930. Legend has it that Birdseye’s interest in freezing food began in 1912, when, as a young engineer in Labrador, he often froze his catch after a day of fishing to keep it fresh. But it wasn’t until 1928 that Birdseye was successful in creating the double belt freezer, the forerunner of modern freezing technology, and not until 1930 that he finally introduced a line of frozen foods to the public. Contrary to popular belief, the line was not strictly vegetables, but included 18 cuts of meat, spinach, peas, fruits and berries, fish fillets and Blue Point oysters.

But the road to consumer acceptance of these products was a long and rocky one. The first obstacle was the retailers themselves, who were unwilling to spend the money to buy refrigerated display cases to merchandise the new products. Consumer resistance was also high, so the industry found its early savior in the institutional market. By the latter part of the 1930s, railroads and steamship lines became dumping grounds for surplus retail inventories and low or off-grade frozen products, because the frozen products were prepared before being served to diners, and customers didn’t know the food was frozen.

More

Fried Chicken

KFC, the fast-food chicken chain, has a new ad ... The ad suggests that fried chicken is the cornerstone of a healthy diet. Apparently, some people find this misleading...
~Internet commentary

It is rare that I fry a chicken (or anything else, for that matter) but there was a great sale on cut up fryers at the grocery store the other day, so I picked up a package. Then, I decided to fry it.

The Recipes

Fried Chicken
Ingredients:
1 whole fryer chicken, cut into pieces, skin removed
3 cups vegetable oil
1 cup milk
2 cups bread crumbs
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp white pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp paprika

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350
Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat
Combine the bread crumbs and spices in a shallow dish
Check the oil temp by dropping a pinch of the flour mixture into it - if it sounds and looks like it's frying, the oil is ready
Dip the chicken breasts first into the milk and then into the bread crumb mixture (coat generously)
Place the chicken into the oil (CAREFUL!) and fry for about 5 minutes on each side (golden brown in color)
Remove chicken from oil and place on a cookie sheet and cook in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes

Mashed Potatoes:
Ingredients:
Note: The following measurements are based on 4 servings
Potatoes (1 lrg/serving + 1 "for the pot")
6 tbsp butter
1/2 cup cream
Salt & pepper to taste
Preparation:
Peel and quarter potatoes
Boil for 20-25 minutes until very tender (but not breaking apart in the water)
Drain in a colander and return to pot
Use a masher to mash potatoes
Add butter and let it melt into the potatoes
Add cream, salt and pepper
Mash with a beater set on whip for 2 minutes more or less until potatoes have desired consistency

Scrambled Egg & Bacon Burritos (Breakfast for Dinner)

Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast.
~Oscar Wilde

There were some tortillas left over from my b'day dinner (if I can get Ryan to give up his secret fajita recipe I'll post it - it was alimento magnífico!) so I decided to make breakfast for dinner. Mr. Wilde (quoted above) may be right about dull people, but for brilliant people that really like breakfast, there is... breakfast for dinner!

The Recipe

Ingredients:
1# Bacon
6 Eggs
2/3 cup milk
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
Salt & pepper to taste
2 tbsp butter
Southern style hash brown potatoes (I use frozen)
Vegetable oil
Salsa (heat factor determined by personal taste)
8-12 flour tortillas
Preparation:
Cook the bacon (crispy is best) and set aside
Pre-heat the oven to 300
In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper
Heat vegetable oil (enough to generously cover the bottom) in a frying pan over medium-hi heat
Add hash browns to oil, brown and stir, cover and reduce to medium heat for about 12 minutes
Melt butter over medium heat in a pan
Stir cheddar cheese into egg mixture
Put the tortillas in the oven in stacks of 4 and let heat for 5 minutes
Pour eggs into melted butter
Using a spatula, lift and stir eggs until they reach desired scrambled consistency
Remove tortillas from oven

Everyone gets to fix their own burrito - lay a tortilla flat, sprinkle some hash browns at the center, add a slice or two of bacon, spoon on some eggs, add salsa to taste. Wrap it up and enjoy!

Spinach Tomato Quiche

In fact, the first quiche recipes to become popular in America were those for the egg-onion-and-bacon tar called "quiche Lorraine," which was extremely fashionable in the 1970s as a luncheon, brunch, or appetizer dish in the United States.
~Encyclopedia of Amercan Food & Drink


It is still not possible to get good tomatoes at the grocery store. I've been using either Roma or cherry/grape tomatoes all winter. At the store today there were some vine ripe that looked red and juicy. Excited, but skeptical I bought 3. When I cut them for the salad and the quiche, I was disappointed, but not surprised that they were gritty pink on the inside. Oh well, there is so much flavor in the quiche that the sad tomato did not detract from it overall.


The Recipe
Quiche
Ingredients:
Deep dish pie crusts(I use frozen)
5 eggs
2/3 cup cream
6-8 oz shredded swiss/gruyere cheese
1/2 tsp ground mustard
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt & pepper to taste
5 slices cooked bacon, crushed into small bits
1 large sliced tomato
3/4 cup fresh baby spinach
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400
Bake frozen pie crusts for 12-14 minutes, until light brown
Reduce oven temp to 350
Whisk eggs, cream, salt, pepper, mustard, and cayenne pepper in large mixing bowl
Stir in bacon
Cover the bottom of the pie crust with a layer of cheese
Add the spinach leaves in a layer over the cheese, then the tomato slices
Pour the egg mixture on top
Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes

Salad:
Green leaf lettuce
Baby Spinach
Black Olives
Tomato slices
Parmesan cheese
Red onion

Fiesta Chicken

More fresh mangos are eaten every day than any other fruit in the world.
~Food Fact

Cooking with fruit.

Ryan has been on a mango kick, so I always have one or two on hand these days. I've been using the dried cherries in a lot of recipes lately, and there was the pineapple... The strawberries were a gamble, I wasn't sure, but they were sitting in the 'fridge, and needed to be eaten soon, so I decided to add them to the mix. It was a good choice!


The Recipe
Ingredients:
Boneless skinless chicken breasts (1/serving)
1 fresh mango peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1/4 dried cherries
1/2 cup fresh pineapple cut into 1" cubes
5 large strawberries cut into 1" pieces
1/2 cup pineapple juice
2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt & pepper to taste
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375
Place chicken breasts in oven safe dish
Mix all the fruit with the juice and pour onto chicken
Sprinkle with cayenne pepper and salt and pepper
Cover with foil and cook for 35 minutes
Remove foil and cook for 15-20 minutes more

(And I tossed some baby redskin potatoes in too.)

Salad:
Green leaf lettuce
Black Olives
Avocado slices
Sliced Radish
Red onion

Ham & Broccoli Casserole

I refuse to believe that trading recipes is silly. Tuna fish casserole is at least as real as corporate stock.
~Barbara Grizzuti Harrison

Yes, I've got several pounds of leftover ham. This casserole was very tasty!

The Recipe
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c white rice
1 c cream
2 1/4 c water
1 1/2 c grated cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cup broccoli florets
1 1/2 c cubed ham
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375
Mix all the ingredients less 1/2 cup cheese in an oven safe dish
Cover with foil and cook for 40 minutes
Remove foil, sprinkle remaining cheese on top
Cook for 15 minutes more

Easter Dinner - Ham

Omne vivum ex ovo "All life comes from an egg."
~Roman Proverb


Ham for easter dinner - it's not really a tradition, but it seems that we have it most years...

Deviled eggs, of course (that is a tradition - what else are you going to do with a plethora of hard boiled eggs?)

I cooked the ham with a glaze of brown sugar, orange juice, honey, pineapple and cherries. I just pour everything over the top of the ham and let it cook together, basting on the 1/2 hour or so. After getting the ham out of the oven (cook for approximately 18 minutes/ lb at 350 and let rest for about 20 minutes before carving) I poured the glaze into a gravy boat and spooned the fruit over the sliced ham.

We also had a fresh green salad, and some crescent rolls.

A "lite" repast compared to what I might usually prepare , but it was perfect afterall.

Baked Pollock

Agassiz does recommend authors to eat fish, because the phosphorus in it makes brains. But I cannot help you to a decision about the amount you need to eat. Perhaps a couple of whales would be enough.
~Mark Twain

Everyone has been clamoring for fish lately. And, it's true, we should eat more fish. I picked up some pollock (but this works with almost any fish), and this is a super quick and easy recipe!

The Recipe
Ingredients:
3 pollock fillets
1/2 c cream
2 tbs lemon juice
Salt & pepper
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350.
Place fish in an oven safe glass dish
Pour on the cream
Sprinkle with the lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Bake for 30 minutes

Served with baked potato, blanched fresh green beans, crescent rolls.
Wine: Beaujolais

Salad Buffet

A woman should never be seen eating or drinking, unless it be salad and Champagne, the only true feminine and becoming viands.
~Lord Byron

Family Movie Day (a once a month wintertime event) was at our house this month. I decided on a salad buffet.

Potato Salad (one of my specialities)

Ham Salad, Devilled Egg Salad, Chicken Salad,
Tuna Salad, and Tomato Cucumber Salad

Salad Salad and Bean Salad (I didn't make the bean salad)

Fruit Salad

Baked Chicken with Spinach and Cheese and Cherries

Spinach is susceptible of receiving all imprints: It is the virgin wax of the kitchen.
~Grimod de la Reyniere

The Recipe

So, I had the usual chicken breasts...hmmm...

I pulled out the oven safe glass dish and pre-heated the oven to the usual 375...

But I didn't want to do the usual.

So I tried something new.

I had a bag of baby spinach in the fridge. I rinsed it and patted it dry and put it in the dish. I had some mozzarella cheese, so I dumped it over the spinach. "Bland," I thought, so I added some fresh grated parmesan, and some salt and pepper. I put the chicken breasts on top of the spinach bed, and spiced it with some tarragon, thyme, and some more salt. Not quite there yet...it still needs something more. I perused the cupboard and saw a bag of dried cherries. I grabbed a handful and sprinkled cherries over the chicken.

I put it into the oven and let it cook for about 45 minutes.

It was yummy!

But, I don't know what to call it my chicken, spinach, cheese, cherry dish!

Chicken Kiev and Almond Rice

Chicken Kiev has virtually nothing to do with Kiev.
~Mark R. Vogel

"Can you also do Kiev?" inquires my nephew.

Chris, Chris, Chris...

The Recipes

Chicken Kiev
Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c butter, softened
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp chives
1 tsp crushed garlic
Salt & pepper
1 c flour
2 eggs, beaten
2 c bread crumbs
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375
Pound chicken breasts to aprx 1/8" thickness
Spread garlic on each chicken breast, salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with parsley and chives
Slice butter into 4 portions and put on chicken breasts
Wrap the chicken around the butter, tucking in ends, then roll up tightly
Dip rolled up chicken into beaten eggs, then in flour, then back in eggs, then in bread crumbs
Place in oven safe dish and bake for 40-50 minutes

Almond Rice
Ingredients:
1 c white rice
1 1/2 c water
1 c milk
1/4 tsp almond flavoring
Pinch nutmeg
1 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c toasted almonds
Preparation:
In a large, microwave safe bowl, add rice, water, milk, almond flavor, nutmeg, butter, salt and pepper
Cover bowl
Microwave on High for 9 minutes
Reduce microwave heat to Medium and cook for 18 minutes
Add toasted almonds and stir

Served with a salad of baby lettuce.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

We have the best gastronomy in the world.
~French President Nicolas Sarkozy



The Recipe

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 pieces thin-sliced ham
1 c shredded gruyere cheese (swiss will work too)
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp tarragon
1/2 c white wine
Salt & pepper
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375
Slice chicken breasts almost in half and pat dry
Wrap shredded gruyere in a slice of ham and stuff into the chicken breast
Pour wine over breasts
Sprinkle with thyme, tarragon, salt, and pepper
Cook uncovered in oven safe dish for 45 minutes

Served with:
Gougere (recipe here)
Blanched fresh Broccoli Florets

Pork Fried Rice

The [American] restaurant convention of ordering a dish of fried rice with numerous other main' courses, or ordering it in place of white rice, is Western and not Chinese at all.
~The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cook Book

We've been snow-bound for a couple of days and I've been so busy that I didn't think to take anything out of the freezer to thaw for dinner. After I finished work I had to attend to some snow removal, all the while knowing that there was housework and homework that urgently needed my attention. Well into the evening, I began scanning the cupboards and fridge looking for "What's for Dinner?"

The Recipe

Ingredients
4 cups cooked rice
Leftover pork, chopped in small pieces
Sesame oil
Soy Sauce
4 eggs
Fresh or frozen veggies as found, chopped or shredded into small bits

Preparation
Cover the bottom of a deep pan with sesame oil
Sauté the pork until it is hot
Add the rice to the pan
Add veggies (in this case some frozen baby peas and some fresh shredded carrot)
Add soy sauce to taste (remember, it is very salty!)
Stir until soy is well mixed
Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl and then pour over the rice
Stir rice vigorously until the eggs are cooked

According to the Food Timeline: Fried rice...is a standard method of cooking leftovers, involving frying cold boiled rice with chopped-up meat and vegetables.

This standard method of using up some leftovers is extremely yummy!

Special Dessert Post! Sanders Hot Fudge Cream Puff

A special treat tonight - my mother brought over hot fudge cream puffs for dessert! They taste just like Sanders!



She made the puff pastries with butter, water, flour and eggs, oh, and a little salt (I think that is all the ingredients). Slice the pastries in half, put a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream and put the top back on the pastry. Cover generously with Sanders Hot Fudge! Very tasty!

Thanks Mom!

Honey Glazed Pork Roast w/ Mandarin Orange Sauce

He who cannot eat horsemeat need not do so. Let him eat pork. But he who cannot eat pork, let him eat horsemeat. It's simply a question of taste.
~Nikita Khrushchev


The Recipes

Pork Roast
Ingredients:
Pork Roast - 5#
1 cup Honey
1 can Mandarin oranges
Salt & pepper to taste
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350
Line oven safe pan with foil
Place roast fat side up on the foil
Pour honey on roast
Pour oranges, including liquid on roast
Wrap the aluminum foil so the roast is marinating in the sauce while cooking
Salt and pepper to taste
Bake for 25- 28 minutes per pound
Remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes or so before slicing
Pour some of the sauce from the pan over the slices

Apple Sauce
Ingredients:
6 medium size apples
Apple crisp mix (available at the grocery store)
1 stick butter
Preparation:
Peel apples and slice into bite-size pieces
Layer into a shallow glass pan
Sprinkle generously (or less generously as you prefer) with apple crisp mix
Slice butter evenly over the top
Put it in the oven where it can cook right alongside the pork chops (about 25 minutes)

Served with fresh blanched broccoli, rice, and bread.

Gruyere Chicken & Rice

I love chicken - it tastes just like cats.
~Anonymous

Not too fancy tonight, but a little bit of the right cheese can dress up a chicken breast quite nicely!

The Recipe

Gruyere Baked Chicken
Ingredients:
Boneless skinless chicken breasts (1/serving)
Shredded gruyere cheese
Lea & Perrins White Wine sauce
Salt to taste
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375
Rinse and pat chicken breasts dry
Splash generously with white wine sauce
Salt to taste
Sprinkle the cheese on top of each breast
Place chicken breasts in an oven safe dish and bake for 40 - 50 minutes

I just cooked up (in the microwave) some regular white rice to go with this.

Served with a salad of mixed baby lettuce and cherry tomatoes.

Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Grilled cheese is probably the best thing to happen to sliced white bread.
~Hsiao-Ching Chou

Simple, quick - and everyone likes it! Because when I cop out on cooking, I do it right! ;-)

The Recipes:

Grilled Cheese:
Butter 2 slices of bread / serving
Place 1 slice butter side down on hot griddle
Cover slice with cheese (Purists insist on American or Cheddar)
Place 2nd slice butter side up on top
Grill on both sides until bread is golden brown and cheese is all melty

Tomato Soup:

Open can of Campbell's Tomato soup

Pour in medium sauce pan
Add 1 can of milk or water
Heat over medium until steaming hot

There are some recipes for gourmet style Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese sandwiches. Most of them are probably extremely tasty, too. But, I prefer this basic and traditional recipe, which is what everyone grew up eating, and really wants when they crave Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese sandwiches.

Hot Browns

In the 1920's, The Brown Hotel drew over 1,200 guests each evening for its dinner dance. In the wee hours of the morning, the guests would grow tired of dancing and retire to the restaurant for a bite to eat. Diners were growing rapidly bored with the traditional ham and eggs, so Chef Fred Schmidt set out to create something new to tempt his guests' palates. His unique creation was an open-faced turkey sandwich with bacon and a delicate Mornay sauce. .. The Hot Brown was born!
~The History of The Brown Hotel's "Hot Brown"

I had never heard of a Hot Brown until recently. In fact, had I only heard of it, I probably never would have thought it was anything good. "Hot Brown?" What an unappetizing name! I saw a show about it on Food Network the other night, and ever since, I've been thinking "I have got to try that!" Well, tonight was the night! Here is my version of the Kentucky Hot Brown:

Ingredients:
3-4 # turkey breast
12 slices Texas toast (prepared as french toast - see below for method)
~
Sauce
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper (to taste)
12 slices cooked bacon
15 cherry tomatoes (or tomato slices if fresh good ones are available)
Preparation:
Cook the turkey breast (salt and pepper and cook for apprx 20 minutes / pound at 325 degrees)
Let rest for 15 minutes or so before slices into 1/2" thick slices
~
Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat
Stir in the flour and whisk for 1 minute
Add the cream and milk
Bring to a boil and whisk constantly until sauce thickens (3-5 minutes)
Remove from heat
Add 3/4 of the cheddar and parmesan cheeses
Add nutmeg
~
In oven safe dishes, layer the ingredients
Bread slices
Turkey slices
Cover with the sauce
Sprinkle remaining cheese on the top
Put a few cherry tomatoes on each plate
Broil until bubbly and slightly browned (2-3 minutes)
Remove from oven, place bacons strips on top


To make the french toast:
Whisk 5 eggs and 1/2 cup milk (salt to taste). Dip the bread into the mixture, coating on each side. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet and broil until golden brown. Flip and broil the other side until golden brown.

Ratings:
*** Very filling.
****This is really good!
****I like Browns!
****Delicious! Who would have thought?

My notes: As with any first time recipe, it was a bit hectic in the preparation. (And the kitchen was a total mess at the end!) Next time, I will make the sauce while the turkey rests, and cook the french toast while I slice the turkey. I did think it was delicious, and will definitely be making it again. Soon!

The Brown Hotel Hot Brown Recipe can be found here

Wine Tastes Better If It Costs More - Even If It's the Same?

Food thoughts...

An interesting article about wine, that makes wine snobbery all the more amusing. Just knowing that you are drinking expensive wine apparently makes it taste better - even if it isn't really expensive wine.

Study: $90 wine tastes better than the same wine at $10

In a study that could make marketing managers and salespeople rub their hands with glee, scientists have used brain-scanning technology to shed new light on the old adage, "You get what you pay for."

Researchers from the California Institute of Technology and Stanford's business school have directly seen that the sensation of pleasantness that people experience when tasting wine is linked directly to its price. And that's true even when, unbeknownst to the test subjects, it's exactly the same Cabernet Sauvignon with a dramatically different price tag.

Specifically, the researchers found that with the higher priced wines, more blood and oxygen is sent to a part of the brain called the medial orbitofrontal cortex, whose activity reflects pleasure. Brain scanning using a method called functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) showed evidence for the researchers' hypothesis that "changes in the price of a product can influence neural computations associated with experienced pleasantness," they said.

Read the entire article here.

98 Buck Chuck?

Roast Beef & Veggies

The feeling of friendship is like that of being comfortably filled with roast beef; love, like being enlivened with champagne.
~Samuel Johnson

Classic Sunday menu - roast beef and pan roasted potatoes. This is a very basic recipe - I just put the roast in a pan, slice an onion over it, add some potatoes, carrots, and any other root vegetables I have in the 'fridge. I spice it, salt and pepper, worchestershire sauce, add 1/2 cup water or so, cover and cook at 350 for about 2 hours (28 minutes/pound).

Fajitas Steak & Chicken

[When asked, "What's the best Mexican food in France?"]
-You know what? It's at my house... Otherwise, you can't find good Mexican food in France. No Mexican food and no donuts in Paris. Not that I'm a big donut fan. Anyway, there's other stuff there that's just as bad for you.
~Johnny Depp

A Johnny Depp food quote! I can't believe I've managed to find a way to put a picture of Johnny Depp on my recipe blog!

YUMMY!

*sigh* *swoon*

The Recipes

Steak & Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in strips
1 1/2# beef, cut in strips
Fajita marinade

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
  
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic
  
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Sliced green peppers
Sliced sweet onion
Flour tortillas
Preparation:
Mix the marinade. Let the steak and chicken marinate for a few hours at least. Place meat on cookie sheets and broil for 8-11 minutes on each side. Sauté the pepper and onions in butter until soft and slightly browned. Warm the tortillas in the oven and use to wrap the fajita meat with any combination of the following:

Guacamole (recipe follows)
Pico de Gallo (recipe here)
Sour cream
Shredded cheddar cheese

Guacamole

Ingredients:
1 avocado, chopped in small pieces 1 roma tomato, seeded and cut in small pieces 1 tbsp red onion, finely chopped 2 tsp fresh lime juice 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Pinch white pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients together

Also served with black beans (recipe here) and tortilla chips with con queso dip.

I have these really cool cast iron plates that I heat up in the oven while the meat is broiling, and use for serving. There are 2 plates, one for the chicken, one for the beef. They stay hot for quite awhile and keep the meat warm. The cast iron plates have wood platters that they sit on so they can be handled.