Easy Chicken and Pasta Dinner

This is one of my all time favorite recipes.  I pretty much lived on this in college because it was so easy and quick.  I still make this as a quick lunch or even dinner for the kids with some roasted broccoli.  I have even substituted broccoli for the pasta if I didn't want to eat any carbs that day.  YUM!!

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1/2 Tbsp lemon pepper
• 2 chicken breasts, boneless (you can also use a white fish, pork, or chicken tenders)
• 4 oz. spiral pasta, cooked (I like the multi-colored ones, but any short pasta here would work)

1.  Melt about half the butter in a medium skillet.  Season the chicken with the cumin and lemon pepper.  When the butter gets hot, add the chicken to the pan and cook through, flipping once.  This should take about 5 minutes per side. 

*Remember to make sure the finished temperature is above 165 degrees.

2.  Remove the chicken from the pan and let it rest on a plate.  Melt the remaining butter in the same pan and add any remaining cumin and lemon pepper you might have.  Toss the pasta into the butter mixture and cook until hot and even a little brown on the edges.  (This gives your pasta a little texture.)  This should take 4-5 minutes. 

3.  Serve along side the chicken and add a green vegetable for a full meal.  ENJOY!!

BLT Cobb Salad

I'm back!!  I went on a little hiatus over the holiday mainly because with the kids all being home I didn't have a lot of time to write.  Plus, with the busy schedules comes eating out a lot and not so much cooking.  I have decided to start off easy this first post with a salad.  I know some of you may not think of salad as a main dish, but if it's served at our house, it usually is.  This is my husband's favorite salad and I can get the kids to eat most of it, so it's a real winner. 

A few things first...  Normally, and in this case, a salad is about cutting things up and throwing them on top of lettuce.  This salad does, however, have one ingredient that, for some people, is a little difficult.  So, I want to show you how I tackle it:

The one ingredient I am referring to is the avocado.  There are a lot of tools out there now for this little green fruit, but I like to stick with the basics...a knife and a spoon.  First, you take the avocado and turn it upright where the smaller end is pointing up.  Then take your knife and slice the avocado in half turning it all the way around the seed. 

Now, take the knife out and hold the avocado like you would a football with the cut part in between your thumbs and twist in opposite directions.  This should release one side of your avocado from the seed so you will now have two pieces. 

Next, it's time to take out the seed.  This can be very dangerous, so please be careful.  I like to hold the avocado half in a folded up towel, so if my knife should slip it hits that first and not me. 

Now, hold the avocado, seed up, in the hand you are not using the knife with.  Take the knife and press down with gentle force to cut slightly into the seed.  Then, give it a little twist and it should slide right out.  The more ripe your avocado, the simpler this should be, so if you are nervous, don't buy a hard avocado.  Also, if you don't want to try this use one of those tools I told you about. 

Lastly, still holding that avocado, take your knife and make a criss-cross pattern into the fruit.  Then, take that spoon I was talking about and scoop out the meat of the avocado.  Finished! 

Let's get on to the recipe:

• 2 1/2-3 c lettuce (this can be heads of lettuce cut up, or the bagged stuff)
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 c crumbed blue cheese
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cucumber, chopped
• 1/2 package bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 bunch scallions, sliced thin
• 1/2 c shredded chicken
• 1/2 c frozen corn kernels, defrosted
• 1 avocado, chopped

1.  Lay out the lettuce on a serving plate, or in a big salad bowl.  Pour the balsamic over the lettuce and mix it all together. 



2.  With each ingredient, lay them carefully side by side on top of the lettuce. 

3.  Serve just like this with any salad dressing of your choice.  In my house, we like to use Ranch.  ENJOY!!

Chicken Curry

I know, I know, I have been slacking, but with Halloween and my best friend's wedding coming up (not to mention three kids...) I have been a little busy.  This next recipe is one that I have recently grown to really love.  I was never a huge fan of curry before, mainly because I thought it tasted like it smelled, but this recipe really works for me and my family.  I originally found it on the Martha Stewart website and as almost every recipe I use decided to change it up per my family.  Basically I like this the most because it is a stewed item...something that can just sit and get yummy on the stove top.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 lbs. chicken thighs (I use bone-in)
• kosher salt and pepper
• 1 small onion (chopped)
• 3 cloves garlic (I like lots of garlic)
• 4 carrots
• 3 Tbsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 c beer
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 package frozen peas
• cooked white rice (about 2 cups)

1.  In a large dutch oven, heat the oil over medium high heat until just smoking.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper and sear off all sides, about 5 min per side.  Do this in small batches as to not overcrowd the pan.  Take the chicken out and let it rest on a plate.

2.  Add the chopped onion to the oiled pan and sweat until soft and browned a little.  Now, peel the carrots and slice them about 1/2 in. thick.  Add them to the pan and cook about 5 min stirring often.  Throw in the garlic and continue to cook another minute.  I like to just smash the garlic and throw it in whole, them remove it later before I serve the dinner.  Feel free to mince the garlic before it goes in, or even use one spoonful of the jar garlic from the store. 

3.  Add the curry and the thyme and stir them in quickly.  Then deglaze the pan with the beer.  Make sure to get all the good bits off the bottom of the pan.  Add the coconut milk and the reserved chicken with all it's juices.  Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat to a simmer.  Place the lid on and let it cook slowly for 30 minutes.  Open the lid and check to make sure you are not boiling the chicken.  It should be simmering. 

4.  Check to make sure the carrots are cooked through and your chicken reads 165 degrees.  If it does not, simmer for some more time.  If it is ready, turn off the heat and mix in the frozen peas.  The heat of the sauce should be enough to cook the peas through.  If not, turn the heat back on until the peas are just finished. 

5.  Serve this over some rice and you should have a complete meal!  ENJOY!

How to truss a chicken (without string)

Many people have their different ways to prepare a chicken for that sunburn in the oven, but I think my way is quick and simple. 

First off, I start my basic roast chicken by letting it swim in yummy juices over night.  In a large, freezer size Ziploc bag squeeze the juice from 3 lemons, add 1/2 c of olive oil, kosher salt, cracked black pepper, a small amount of water and 4 sprigs (large) of rosemary.  I take the rosemary and fold the bunch in two and kind of squeeze and twist to release some of the oils. 

One I have unpacked my chicken, taken out any giblets and/or neck, and rinsed it clean I let it rest for a min on a plate, or in the clean sink.  There is no real need to pat the skin dry at this point because you are marinating.  Shove that big bird in the Ziploc bag and zip it up.  I usually marinate it over night, turning it over once in the morning. 

Now to the trussing...  When you remove the bird from the marinade you want to pat the skin dry with paper towels.  This will help your seasoning stick better.  First thing you want to do is get that bird into your baking dish.  I use a medium size dish with high sides.  The chicken fits just perfect inside. 

Take the wing tips into your hand and fold them back behind the shoulder like if the chicken was scratching it's back.  This will keep your tip from burning and the wing close to the body.  Do this to both sides.

On to the legs...  What you want to do is grab the big flap of skin that is under the leg connected to the thigh.  With a paring knife, stab a small hole in the middle of it and use your fingers to pull it bigger.  If one side breaks or does not tear big enough just use the other side.  Take the leg from the opposite side of the tear and punch it through the hole.  Then take the other leg and do the same criss-crossing the legs inside of the hole. 





Now the chicken is ready to be roasted.  Wash your hands well before touching anything else.  Cover the baking dish with foil and place into a preheated 350 degree oven.  Bake for 1 1/2 hours until almost cooked through.  At this point, take the foil off and raise the temperature to 450 degrees.  Continue to bake for another 15-20 minutes.  Make sure a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh reads 165 degrees before you start carving.  ENJOY!!

Chicken Parmesan

I am going to start this food blog with a very simple chicken parmesan recipe.  The chicken can also be substituted with eggplant, veal, or even turkey.  I like to make this often because my husband likes it, and like I said, it is simple. 

I would like to make a quick note and mention the importance of salt.  I tell my husband all the time, salt is used to bring out the flavor of food...not to make your food taste like salt!  I like to use kosher salt, mainly because it is what was used when I worked in restaurants, but also because it has better flavor.  If you have never tried it before I would recommend you pick some up from the grocery store.  You can literally taste it raw and it does not have that stinging bite that iodized salt does.  Kosher salt should be used two to one to iodized salt. 

I also like to use fresh cracked pepper.  Once a spice is ground it starts to loose it's flavor much like an opened bottle of wine.  Test it for yourself...taste the pepper in your shaker, and then taste fresh cracked...totally different!

Back to the chicken parmesan...

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (you can use breast, but thigh meat is much cheaper and goes farther)
• 2 c flour
• 3 eggs
• 2 c Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 1/2 jar prepared tomato sauce (I use Hunts, 4 cheese)
• 1 c mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 c parmesan
• kosher salt
• cracked pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Take each piece of chicken and pound it out with a mallet, or heavy object.  (I use a can from the pantry.)  Make sure to lay down plastic wrap so you don't mess up the counter.  I like to place the chicken inside a large Ziploc bag and then use the same bag later to flour my chicken.

2.  Crack the eggs into a dish with sides and whisk them until smooth.  You can add a small amount of water here to thin it out if you would like.  Put the flour into that Ziploc bag with lots of salt and pepper.  (Two to three large pinches.)  Don't worry about the amount...you always want to over season your flour.  Add the bread crumbs to another dish and make an assembly line...four, egg, bread crumbs.  (Some people also like to add a little parmesan cheese to the bread crumbs...make sure and use grated.)

3.  Pour the olive oil into a large saute pan on the stove and get that heated up.  It needs to be pretty hot because you don't want your chicken to stick, but you don't want it quite smoking.

4.  Remove each piece of chicken, one by one, from the four and shake off any excess you can.  You don't want there to be too much flour because it won't taste good.  Dip the chicken into the eggs and shake off excess and then dip into the bread crumbs.  Completely cover the chicken so that no flour is visible.  I like to do at least three pieces of chicken before I start placing in the pan so that there is not a long time period between each piece. 

5.  Now it is time to cook!  Sear each piece of dredged chicken about 4 min per side until they become lightly browned.  Don't worry about the doneness because they will be going back into the oven.  When finished drain them on a paper towel.  This will make the finished product less greasy.

6.  When all of your chicken has been seared off lay each piece into a baking dish (I use a glass Pyrex) so they overlap each other just a tad.  Take the tomato sauce you have and pour it down the middle of each piece of chicken.  Top the tomato sauce with the mozzarella and parmesan cheese. 

7.  Place the baking dish into the oven, uncovered, and bake for 30 min, or until the cheese is nice and bubbly.  If you pounded the chicken out thin this will be more then enough time to bring it up to temperature.  Always check chicken with a thermometer before eating...it should be 165 degrees. 

8.  I serve this along side some pasta that has been topped with the extra sauce I have from the meal and some roasted broccoli.  ENJOY!!