Chicken Tomasi

This chicken reminds me of a Hungarian paprikash. The sauce is quite good so be sure you have rice or pasta.

4 bone in chicken thighs
butter
salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup beef bouillon
4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup milk
1 cup plain yogurt

Salt and pepper the chicken. Brown the chicken on both sides in some butter. Remove to plate. In same pan, brown the onions and garlic. Put chicken back in and pour on bouillon, paprika and cayenne. Simmer with lid on pan for 30 minutes. Remove chicken again and take pan off the heat--allow to cool a bit and then stir in milk and milk and yogurt. Whisk to make sauce well combined and smooth. Serve chicken over rice or pasta.

Easy Sunday Brunch

You can't go wrong with an Everything Bagel with cream cheese, thinly sliced tomato, sweet onion and lox from Whole Foods! Hot coffee and the New York Times. Yes, please.

Twice-Cooked Cabbage

The makes a really large casserole but it also reheats well so that's good!

Ingredients:
4 slices thick-sliced bacon, cut into thin strips
1/4 yellow onion, finely minced
1large head of cabbage (2 pounds) core cut out and cut into thin strips
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
1 cup sour cream 
3/4 cup grated Mozzarella cheese 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375. Slice the bacon. Cut the core out of the cabbage and cut it into thin strips. Mince the onion.

In the largest frying pan you have cook up the bacon strips. Drain them on paper towel and discard all but a T  of the bacon fat. Add the minced onion, and cook over medium-high heat until it's barely starting to brown. Add the sliced cabbage, season with paprika, salt, and pepper, and cook just until it has softened partly. Then add the crisp bacon pieces, stir to combine with the cabbage, and cook 1-2 minutes more to combine flavors.

Spray a glass baking dish with olive oil or non-stick spray. (The oval glass dish I used was 13" x 10" at the widest parts.) Put the sautéed cabbage in the casserole dish and spread the sour cream over, then sprinkle with the grated Mozzarella.

Bake about 30 minutes, or until it's bubbling hot and the top is nicely browned. Serve hot.

Spanish Cod

I recently received a gift of saffron and decided to jazz up my frozen fish from Costco! Delish!

Ingredients

• 2½ pound cod fillet, cut into 6 pieces
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• Juice of 1 lemon, divided
• Pinch of saffron threads 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin 
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed and sliced
• 3 ounce piece of chorizo, diced 
• 1 large Spanish onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 3 red peppers, deseeded and thinly sliced
• 2 bay leaves 
• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1. Pat fish dry and rub with ground cumin. Place in a large bowl with ½ of the lemon juice. Mix well and marinate for 30 minutes.

2. Dissolve the saffron threads in ¼ cup boiling water, set aside

3. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the garlic and cook until it starts to color. Add the chorizo, onions, peppers and bay leaves. Sauté until they start to soften. Sprinkle with salt, cover and lower the heat to medium-low.  Sweat for 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft, and the onions are a pale gold.

4. Turn up the heat to medium-high. Add the tomatoes and diluted saffron.  Cook until the tomatoes have lost most of their liquid. Add the chickpeas and cook until heated through, about 5-8 minutes.

5. Lay the fish on top of the vegetables. Cover. Bring to a boil then cook at a simmer for 5 minutes.

6. Add the remaining lemon juice. Cook 2 minutes more, turn off the heat and leave fish to steam for 5-10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Feasting at Home

There are a few blogs that I follow and one is Feasting at Home http://www.feastingathome.com/
A week or so ago I saw this eggplant dish and I was smitten. I have had some zataar among my spices and was anxious to use again. This dish turned out great.  I served it with meatballs, yogurt tahini sauce, fresh yellow pepper and cucmber and pita bread. Delicious!

ingredients

• 1 globe eggplant ( about 1- 1 ⅛  lb)
• 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon zataar spice mix-or see notes
• ¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste
• 1 fat garlic clove

Served with:

• 2 cups cooked rice or grains ( freekeh, farro, quinoa)
• 1-2 cups fresh chopped veggies- tomato, cucumber, radish, grated carrot or beets
• your choice of tahini sauce, plain yogurt, or tzatziki
• other options- Italian parsley, kalamata olives, aleppo chili flakes, feta or goat cheese crumbles

instructions

Preheat oven to 400F

Slice Eggplant in half, then slice deeply at a diagonal at one inch intervals -“crosshatching” careful not to cut through skin.

Season each side with ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt, sprinkling it into the slices if possible.

Mix oil, spices, garlic together in a bowl to make a paste. Brush or spoon the entire contents over the eggplant and place on a sheet pan in the oven and bake for 1 hour rotating halfway through. After an hour, pierce with a fork and if they are very tender and juicy, they are are done. Bigger eggplants may take longer.

When the eggplant is done, assemble the plates, topping the warm rice or grain with the roasted eggplant, then surround with fresh veggies and drizzle with tahini sauce, yogurt or tzatziki- or you could simply season the fresh veggies and rice with salt, lemon and olive oil. Add olives or cheese if you wish. Sprinkle with fresh Italian parsley. Enjoy!

notes

Notes- If you don’t have Zaatar- then use a substitution of:  ½  teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon coriander,  1 teaspoon sumac  (and if you don’t have sumac, sub 1 teaspoon lemon zest -or finely chopped preserved lemon),  ½ teaspoon dried oregano or thyme , ½ teaspoon sesame seeds and a pinch salt.

If using smaller eggplant, cross hatching may not be necessary, and roasting time will shorten significantly – check after 30 minutes, and cook until very fork tender. If using extra large globe eggplant, cooking time may increase.

Skillet Chicken

I always love Melissa Clark's (from the NYT) recipes and this is another winner. Don't be put off by the fact that there are anchovies in the sauce. They add a depth of flavor and even if you don't think you like them you'll be glad you added them in this diish.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 ½ pounds bone-in chicken pieces (or use a 31/2 pound chicken cut into 8 pieces)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 ounces thick bacon, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 anchovy fillets
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes
• 1 large basil sprig, plus more chopped basil for serving
• 8 ounces bocconcini, halved (or use mozzarella cut into 3/4-inch pieces)

• PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper.
2. In a large oven-proof skillet, warm oil over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and cook, stirring frequently, until browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate.
3. Add chicken to skillet. Sear, turning only occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon oil.
4. Add garlic, anchovy and red pepper flakes to skillet; fry 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and basil. Cook, breaking up tomatoes with a spatula, until sauce thickens somewhat, about 10 minutes.
5. Return chicken to skillet. Transfer skillet to oven and cook, uncovered, until chicken is no longer pink, about 30 minutes.
6. Scatter bocconcini or mozzarella pieces over skillet. Adjust oven temperature to broil. Return skillet to oven and broil until cheese is melted and bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes (watch carefully to see that it does not burn). Garnish with bacon and chopped basil before serving.

Potato Power!

Sometimes I feel darn right sorry for the poor white baking potato. It often gets lumped with things white and evil: flour and sugar! Yet, the potato is actually chock full of good stuff like Vitamin C and has more potassium than a banana. I like to make the potato the star, not a side. Tonight I heated a can of Amy's Lentil soup to which I added a half bag of frozen chopped spinach. I baked the potatoes an hour and 15 minutes, split them up and fluffed and added the lentil mixture, some shredded cheddar, a bit of hot sauce, some greek yogurt and chopped scallions. Total yum.

Sheet Pan Chicken

Dinner on one pan is very appealing especially if that pan is lined with parchment! Easy clean up! You can vary the veggies depending on what you like.

4 large rainbow carrots cut in chunks
1 pkg of Brussels sprouts, halved
1 large onion in chunks
4 large shallots halved
Chicken thighs and legs, seasoned with salt pepper and creole seasoning
Apple cider vinegar
1 T Dijon

Preheat oven 400

In large bowl, combine all the veggies with olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Turn out onto large cookie sheet lined with parchment.

In large skillet, sauté the chicken pieces in batches about 3 minutes per side to give it color.

Place chicken pieces over the veggies.

In measuring cup, take about 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/4 water and mustard-- stir well and pour over all.

Bake an hour. Serve with crusty bread.

Brinner!

I love breakfast for dinner or "brinner" as it were. The frittata is super easy and can bake along side the turkey bacon. Just add sliced tomato with a drizzle of balsamic and a piece of toast.

Artichoke Olive Frittata

1 bag Trader Joes artichoke hearts, thawed
1/2 cup sliced Kalamata olives
1/2 cup sliced red onion
8 eggs, whisked
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven 400

In ovenproof skillet, sauté the onion in a little butter, add in the artichokes and olives, salt and pepper--stir around. Add the eggs and cook as though you're making an omelette. When mixture is no longer really runny, top with cheese and put into the oven about 15 minutes. Let sit 10 before cutting.

Roast Veggies

I'm always looking for new vegetable combos to roast and this one worked very well.

Picture is before it went into the 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Asparagus, yellow pepper and red onion, olive oil and alt and pepper.

Convenience Foods!

I don't rely a great deal on many convenience foods, but every now and then when I'm cleaning out the pantry and/or the freezer I come up with an entire dinner that can be made with the microwave and very little work on my part! This dinner is one such creation: frozen noodles from Costco, frozen meatballs from Trader Joes and a bag of Meijer frozen snap peas--all prepared in microwave. The only thing I had to do was make a sauce for the meatballs out of Hoisin Sauce and Soy Sauce, sprinkle on some sesame seeds and chopped scallion and dinner's ready.

Chicken with Kale and Cannellini Beans

If any of the ingredients in this dish sound good to you--make it! It was delish!

1 pkg thinly sliced chicken breast
1 bunch lacinato kale, ribs removed and coarsely chopped
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 lage shallot, sliced
olive oil for cooking
2 T fresh orange juice
1 T red wine vinegar
1/2 thinly sliced red onion
1/4 scup sliced pitted Kalamata olives
1 cup chicken broth
salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes

Make vinaigrette: mix orange juice, onion, olives, salt and pepper, vinegar and 5 T olive oil. Set aside.

In medium skillet heat 1 T olive oil, add the shallots, then the kale, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and stir well while the kale wilts. Add the beans and the broth and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes.

In large skillet, heat 1 T olive oil and brown thinly sliced chicken breasts for about five minutes per side. When chicken is cooked, slice it thinly.

To serve: stir in half the vinaigrette to the beans and kale and spoon into bowls, Top with chicken and then spoon remainder of vinaigrette over all.

I also added some Trader Joe Marinated beets to the bowl.

Quite yummy if I do say so myself!

Thai Shrimp Halibut Curry

Don't you hate it when you open up your big bag of frozen halibut from Costco and realize that oops there's only one piece left in there? Well, when that happens you need to find a recipe that stretches one piece of fish and nothing does that better than curry!

1 piece of halibut cut in bite size chunks
10 shrimp
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
2 limes
1 red pepper, diced
1 cup chopped shallots
1 T fish sauce
2 1/2 t Thai red curry paste
vegetable oil
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Finely grate enough peel from the limes to make 1 1/2 t. Squeeze enough juice to have 2 T. Cut the rest to have wedges for serving.

Heat vegetable oil in large saucepan. Add shallots and red pepper and cook 5 minutes. Stir in curry paste, coconut milk, lime peel, lime juice and fish sauce. Simmer gently stirring often for 5 minutes. Sprinkle fish and shrimp with salt and pepper and add to curry. Return to gentle simmer and cook until fish is opaque--5 or 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in cilantro and serve  over brown basmati rice.

Free Form Enchilada Verde Bake

I guess this could also be called Lazy Enchiladas-ha! At any rate, it was delish!

18 small corn tortillas
1 pkg of frozen butternut squash cubes
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
32 oz salsa verde
3 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
pickled jalapenos
avocado cubes
Greek yogurt

Preheat oven 375

In 9 X 13 pan spread 1 cup salsa verde. Layer on 6 corn tortillas then another cup salsa verde, 1/3 of the squash and 1/3 of the beans and 1 cup cheese. Repeat with two more layers but don't put on the last cup of cheese. Cover with foil and bake one hour. Uncover and spread last cup of cheese and run under the broiler to melt and brown up the cheese 3 to 4 minutes. Let sit 15 before serving. Garnish with avocado, jalapenos, and yogurt.

Baked Fusilli

I love making a dish that can be made ahead and then baked while the cook can sit with a glass of

wine before dinner. How civilized!

1/2 bag whole wheat fusilli pasta
1 jar favorite spaghetti sauce ( I used Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic)
1 pkg baby bella mushrooms, washed and chopped
1 large green pepper chopped
1/2 medium onion chopped
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup shredded parmesan
salt, pepper, oregano, dried red pepper

Cook pasta according to directions choosing less cooking time since you will be baking it also.
In large skillet, sauté onion green pepper and mushrooms in olive oil. Add spices and jar of sauce. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add drained pasta and and mozzarella and stir well. Turn into casserole dish and top with parmesan. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 400. Allow to sit for ten minutes before cutting. Good with green salad and hot rolls.

Cabbage and Kale Tortellini

Don't you just love it when you throw a bunch of stuff in a large pot and it turns out great? Do this and enjoy!

2 cups chopped cabbage
1 bunch kale, trim stems and chop in large pieces
1/2 onion chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups water
1 can beef roth
salt and pepper
Italian seasoning
1 pkg cheese tortellini
Parmesan cheese
1 pkg dried onion soup mix

In large pot, sauté the onion in a little olive oil, add cabbage and kale, stir. Add salt and pepper and Italian spices (if you don't have a mix just add oregano). Add water, broth and can of tomatoes, then onion soup mix--stir and bring to boil then cover and simmer for an hour. Bring back to boil and add tortellini and cook a few minutes until tortellini is cooked through. Ladle into bowls and top with Parmesan. Serve with crusty bread.

Toasty Halibut

I call this halibut toasty because it has a breadcrumb topping. I find recipes in the oddest places. I saw this dish on a site from a fishery in Alaska and how did I end up there you might wonder? Darned if I know! This is the kind of thing that happens when you might have a little too much time on your hands! Nevertheless, it was passable--I wouldn't say great but certainly edible. Why bother to post an average tasting dish? Because I love the fish dish I prepared it in--so there.

2 halibut filets
dijon mustard
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 garlic clove minced
1/4 crumbled feta cheese
1 T olive oil

preheat oven 400

Spread filets with dijon
In small bowl combine crumbs, oil, garlic and feta and top the fish with that mixture.
Bake uncovered 20 minutes

Egg Roll in a Bowl

Okay, so I'm a little lazy. Here's an easy way to get something that sort of reminds you of the insides of an egg roll but you don't have to fiddle with the egg roll wrapper!

1 lb hot sausage
1 bag slaw mix
1/2 onion diced
1 garlic clove minced

Sauce
4 T soy sauce
1 T creamy peanut butter
1 T rice wine vinegar
1 T sesame oil
1 T sirracha

In wok, brown the sausage. Add the onion and garlic and stir fry a bit. Add the slaw mix and stir.

Heat the sauce ingredients in microwave to melt peanut butter. Stir well and add to the meat mixture.
Toss together and divide into bowls.

Cod with Leeks and Tomatoes

This is a Martha Stewart recipe and it's pretty tasty. I often buy bags of frozen cod at Costco. Cod is pretty mild so I try to find ways to jazz it up a bit. Good served with brown rice.

• 
  
• 2 medium leeks, white and light-green parts only, thinly sliced, rinsed well, and patted dry 
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 3 sprigs thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 cod fillets  3/4 to 1 inch thick
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, toss together leeks, lemon juice, oil, lemon zest, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover with foil, and bake until leeks just begin to soften, 8 to 10 minutes. 
• Remove baking dish from oven. Add tomatoes, and toss to combine. Season both sides of cod fillets with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; place on top of vegetables. 
• Cover dish and bake until fish is opaque throughout, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
  
  
  

  
  

Chicken Marbella

This dish is an oldie but a goodie. It comes (with a little tweaking) from the renowned Silver Palate Cookbook that was wildly popular back in the day......long before the Food Network and Food Bloggers! This dish is a bit of a riff on the original but yummy nevertheless.

pkg of bone in chicken thighs
1 cup pitted , sliced fresh dates
1/2 cup sliced garlic green olives
2 T red wine vinegar
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 T capers

Preheat oven 400
Salt and pepper the chicken well and brown about 3 to 4 minutes on each side in ovenproof skillet. Add the rest of the ingredients and put the skillet in oven to bake for 30 min.

Spinach Feta Frittata

I love having breakfast for dinner! This frittata tasted great with a side of turkey bacon, bleu cheese slaw and Motown multigrain toast.

6 eggs, whisked
1/2 bag of spinach
1/2 coat crumbed feta cheese
4 scallions, chopped
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
1 tomato thinly sliced
butter

preheat oven 425

In oven proof skillet, melt a T of butter, add the green onion and stir around, then add the spinach and wilt. To the whisked eggs add salt, pepper and red pepper. Pour egg mixture over spinach and cook lifting edges to allow liquid to run under until top is wet but not runny. Cover with tomato slices and sprinkle with cheese. Put into oven for 12 to 15 minutes. let sit for at least 5minutes before cutting.

Cabbage Two Ways

I love all things cabbage. Seriously, cabbage can do no wrong in my book. Below I offer two good ways to use this poor, often maligned vegetable....as in "my poor little cabbage." Forget that-- hold your (cabbage) head up high cause you are one delish dish.

I wanted to make a cabbage side dish and these wedges turned out great. I forgot to take a picture after I added the cream, but you can take my word for it: this dish was delicious.

four cabbage wedges
3 T butter
salt and pepper
1/2 cup of heavy cream

Brown the cabbage wedges in the butter about 6 minutes on each side. Salt and pepper. Then add the cream and turn the heat down and simmer with the lid on about 40 minutes.

If you ever want to make a delicious easy quick slaw, this dish is for you. However, if you don't like bleu cheese, read someone else's blog! Ha

1/2 head cabbage, sliced thinly
1 carrot, in thin strip
1/4 onion, sliced
1/2 cup Marzetti bleu cheese dressing
1/2 lemon, juiced

Mix all together and refrigerate for several hours for flavors to develop.

Picadillo Stuffed Peppers

I had leftover picadillo and figured that they'd make great stuffed peppers and I was right! The thing I didn't know was that making them in the crockpot would work so well.

4 red peppers, tops sliced off and chop up the tops
Leftover picadillo
cheddar cheese

Mix chopped up red pepper into leftover picadillo and stuff peppers. Put them in crockpot with a cup of water in the bottom. Cook on high for 3 hours. Turn to low for a half hour and the last 15 minutes add some cheese.

Turkey Picadillo

I know that ground turkey is supposed to be better for you than ground beef but many times it just looks too pale to be appetizing. I use ground turkey quite a bit but usually in dishes like this one where I can spice it up and give it some color. This fits the bill. Good served over brown rice.

1 lb lean ground turkey
1/2 large onion, diced 
1 turnip, peeled and diced
1/2 cup raisins 
1 large jalapeño diced 
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup sliced green olives 
2 T tomato paste
1 can beef broth
4 t chili powder
2 t oregano
1/2 cup scallions chopped
2 t ground cumin

Sauté the turkey, onions, turnips until the meat is browned and veggies are starting to get tender. Add the spices, jalapeno, and garlic-stir well. Add everything else except the scallions, combine and raise heat to high and cook for five minutes, then cover and simmer 20-30 minutes. Remove lid, raise heat again and cook until it reaches desired thickness—I like it with some juice, as it was very tasty juice. Garnish with scallions.

Baked Greek Shrimp

Recently, I bought some really big frozen shrimp at Costco. They were perfect for this dish. The dish is juicy so plan to have some rice or pasta as a bed to catch all the goodness.

1 lb large shrimp
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes
1/2 bag fresh spinach
dried oregano
salt and pepper
olive oli
2 shallot sliced
4 cloves garlic minced
dried red pepper flakes
feta cheese
chopped parsley

preheat oven 400

In medium skillet, sauté shallots and garlic in olive oil--add salt, pepper and red pepper. Dump in can of tomatoes and break whole tomatoes up. Simmer the sauce for ten minutes. Meanwhile, add some olive oil, salt and pepper and lemon juice to the shrimp. Put a bed of spinach down in the shallow baking dish, top with tomato sauce, then lay the shrimp on top. Sprinkle with oregano and feta cheese. Bake for 15 minutes. Let dish sit for five minutes. top with parsley and serve.

Balsamic Baked Chicken

I just love a one pan dish! There are so many variations you can make with this. You can change up the vegetables and the sauce. I used chicken breasts but it would have been just as tasty with chicken thighs or legs.

1 pkg boneless chicken breasts, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 pkg of brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 pkf mushrooms cleaned and halved
1 onion cut in large chunks
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T oregano
salt and pepper
olive oil

preheat oven 350

In large oven proof skillet, brown the chicken breasts about 4 minutes on each side. Set aside.

Add the veggies, salt and pepper and more olive oil if needed. Cook and stir around just a few minutes to give everything a bit of color--season with salt and pepper.

In small bowl mix the vinegar, water, mustard and oregano.

Add the chicken back and pour liquid over all.

Bake 30 minutes.

Leftover Chicken?

Recently I made a nice little, but plump, chicken in the crockpot. It's easy peasy: Rub a little chicken all over with a bunch of spices and place it on a bed of chopped onion, turn on high for 5 hours and there you have it. We had a nice dinner using just the thighs and legs plus veggies. That evening, I put all the bones and carcass back in the crockpot, added a few celery stocks and filled it with water and let it cook all night on low. In the morning I strained the broth and then had a pot of broth and the chicken from two breasts.  With these leftovers I decided to make a version of chicken and noodles as well as Thai Lettuce Wraps.

For Chicken and Noodles, sauté some chopped onion, carrot and celery in some olive oil in Dutch oven. Add salt and pepper, ground thyme, turmeric and then dump in that broth. Bring to a boil and add a bag of pasta and cook however long your pasta needs. When it's done to your liking, stir in some chopped cooked chicken and maybe any leftover veggies you might have hanging around: I had broccoli.

Next day, I made the lettuce wraps. You'll need some big romaine leaves and some chopped chicken as well as a bag of broccoli slaw. In a wok, heat a little peanut oil and then add the chicken and slaw and stir fry a bit. Then make this sauce in a little bowl:  2 T smooth peanut butter, 2 T hot water, 2 T rice wine vinegar, 1 T Thai chili paste, 4 t soy sauce, and 2 t agave. Stir well and add to the chicken mixture. Pretty yummy!

Baby, it's cold outside!

When I saw the weather forecast for today (high of 12) I just knew I had to make something cozy for dinner. As I searched on my own a blog I was horrified to find that I had no recipe for beef bourguignon! How could that be? This is a good one from Ina Garten and especially yummy served with the traditional boiled potatoes bathed in butter and parsley. I had to modify her recipe a bit to accommodate what I had on hand.

1 tablespoon good olive oil
8 ounces dry cured center cut applewood smoked bacon, diced
2 pounds chuck beef cut into 1-inch cubes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
2 yellow onions, sliced
2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
1/2 cup Cognac
1/2 bottle of bottle good dry red wine such as Cote du Rhone or Pinot Noir
1 can (2 cups) beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pound fresh mushrooms thickly sliced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.
Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.
Toss the carrots, and onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.  Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices. Add the1/2  bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 3 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.
Combine 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Sauté the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.

Leftover Salmon

I really like the large pieces of salmon that you can get at Costco but they are really big if you're just feeding two. Recently, I made good use of our leftovers by adding a big piece of salmon to a large green dinner salad and also making salmon salad for sandwiches. The salmon salad was super easy: some chopped celery, chopped onion, salt, pepper and Greek yogurt to bind it together. Good on toasted whole wheat bread.

Chicken with Artichokes and Olives

Ok this recipe is really good. It's a Melissa Clark dish from the NYT and I didn't have exactly all the right ingredients (when has that ever stopped me?) but it it turned out great and yes you should make it!

1 pkg chicken legs ( or thighs would be fine)
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
Salt and pepper
4 cloves garlic minced
Zest from one lemon
1 bag artichoke hearts, thawed
Ten big garlic olives, halved
Red pepper flakes
Rosemary
3/4 cup white wine
Olive oil

Preheat oven 375

In a large oven proof skillet with lid, salt and pepper chicken legs and brown for about 4 minutes on each side. Remove to plate. In skillet add some olive oil and then add artichoke hearts and garlic-- stir around a bit and then add olives, tomatoes, rosemary, red pepper flakes, zest and wine. Stir well and then add chicken legs back in and cover with lid and bake in oven for 35 minutes. Take out of oven and sprinkle with Parmesan and juice of half a lemon. Serve with bread for sauce-- total yum!

Happy New Year- eat your cabbage!

Growing up there was a hard and fast rule in our house: you must have cabbage in some form to guarantee happiness and good luck in the new year. Usually in our house this meant sauerkraut and pork. I always try to honor my mother's admonition and we have cabbage prepared in some way--possibly kraut or slaw or whatever. This year I found a dandy dish of sautéed cabbage with diced bacon. Very tasty indeed. Pretty sure my mom would approve. Good luck to you and yours!

1 small head of cabbage, sliced thinly
Salt and pepper
1/4 lb of thick bacon, diced
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup broth
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 sliced scallions
2 T minced fresh dill

In large skillet, brown the diced bacon. Remove to plate. Add cabbage to bacon fat and cook for 5 minutes-add salt and pepper. Add wine, broth, vinegar, and cream- stir well and cover and simmer. When ready to serve garnish with scallions, bacon and dill.