My Favorite Recipes

These are my tried and true favorites...the recipes I turn to when company is coming and I need a "sure thing" on the table.  These are the recipes that have been made over and over...some I've made for over 20 years. Try a few...and let me know what you think!

Chicken:  Barbecued Herb-Mustard Chicken


In the late 1980s my mother in law introduced me to this recipe from Sunset magazine.  She made it frequently for family get-togethers and Brian and I continue to make it on a regular basis. In fact, when I make it, I quadruple the recipe and fill up the freezer for easy-to-make meals at a later date.

Something else I should mention, is that it's worth trying even if you don't like mustard.  I HATE mustard.  Hate it. I don't even scrape it off of things...I simply won't eat mustard-y foods.   Yet I LOVE this recipe.  And speaking of mustard, the type/brand of mustard you use does matter. I've mentioned two easy-to-find national brands that work well with this.  But I've had it with other mustards and it's just not the same. 

Beef:  Marinated Flank Steak

This recipe really needs a better name because "marinated" doesn't describe the soy-ginger-garlicy goodness that leaves you drooling.  There are many similar marinades out there with different names, and I'm sure they're all good.  But I have no need to even try them because this one is so damn good.   And while the title says "flank" steak, it also works well with sirloins.  The flank is best, but for the budget dinners, it does wonders to a cheap sirloin.

Make sure to use fresh ingredients...onions, ginger, garlic.  None of that dried stuff, please.   

Pie:  Old-Fashioned Apple Pie


This recipe came from the McCalls cookbook we got for a wedding gift 21 years ago.  I've been making it ever since.  You can pretty much count on it for Thanksgiving and Christmas at my house.  Even if I make another pie, I still make the apple.  It's not a holiday meal without my apple pie.  When we have benefit pie auctions, my apple pie brings in a solid bid each time.  What can be better than that?  Pies for charity!!

When I first began making this I used the Pilsbury refrigerated pie crusts.  Now I make my own crust, but if you're looking for a short-cut, get the Pilsbury crusts.

Cake:  Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting


Incredibly moist carrot cake and the creamiest cream cheese frosting ever.  Make sure you thaw out the cream cheese before mixing so it's not lumpy.  Since the shredded carrots are the most time-consuming part of this recipe, I've found a short-cut:  I buy a bag of carrots and shred all of them in the food processor (using the fine shredding blade).  Then I bag them up in 4 cup servings, and freeze them!  I usually have a few bags of shredded carrots in my freezer.  When I need (or want!) to make this cake it's super easy to grab a bag of carrots...you don't even need to defrost them...just dump them in the mixing bowl.

Stir-Fry: Kung Pao Chicken

This is another recipe we've been making for 20 some years.  The only downside is that I haven't found a way to freeze parts of it for a make ahead meal....something to work on this summer!  Anyway, I just love the flavors in this sauce...so much better than any jarred/premade sauces you can pick up at the grocery store.  And, you can add just about any veggie to make it to your liking.  Shrimp or tofu is easily added or substituted for the chicken too.


Cookies:  Van's Chocolate Chip Cookies


The first thing you may notice is that these aren't so chocolate-y.  Don't let that stop you.  I'm not a fan of a lot of chocolate, and prefer to use about half the recommend chocolate chips in my cookies.  The linked recipe will give you a generous amount of chocolate!

This recipe comes from a woman named Van, whom I met when we lived in Indiana. These were the first home-made chocolate chip cookies that I fell in love with.  They just always turn out perfectly.    Van said the key was the Fleishmann's margarine and the Gold Medal brand flour.  I don't mess with perfection, so I always make them as she did.

Pudding:  Rice Pudding


The ultimate comfort food.   This version is baked in a water bath, leaving a creamy rice mixture on the bottom with custard on top.  Soooooooooo good!!

Pasta:  Baked Macaroni and Cheese


This is one of my newer favorites, as I've only been making it for 5 years.  I love the creaminess. Cook's Illustrated insists it's because of the colby cheese...which I've had difficulty finding at times.  It seems it used to be more readily available, but now I just find colby-jack, which is not what you want.   So go on a colby hunt. It's worth it!

Another plus....it's just as easy to quadruple the recipe and make up a bunch of pans to freeze.  I LOVE having this on hand in the freezer for some quick comfort food. When someone's in need and meals are being arranged, I can always volunteer immediately because this is stocked in my freezer.  It's kid-family friendly, vegetarian, and not spicy...all great pluses when you're cooking for someone recovering from an illness.

Alcoholic Beverage:  Minty Mojitos


Refreshing and light...perfect for a warm summer evening.  Kids seem to like the virgin versions of these too...just leave out the rum for theirs!  When you make this recipe, leave some room at the top.  That way you can adjust the taste....adding a bit more simple sugar, rum, or lime.  I tend to like a bit more lime!

Potato Dish:  Smoky Scalloped Potatoes




Another more recent favorite from Cook's Illustrated.  This is just soooooo darn good.  Creamy and cheesy.  It's a little time consuming and not anywhere near calorie-conscious so it gets made once a year for Thanksgiving or Christmas.  It fits in nicely with my holiday meal schedule, as it needs a 425 degree oven which is exactly the same as my cornbread and apple pie...so the three of them can cook up right after the turkey comes out of the oven.  Oh, and it can be assembled the day before, which helps with holiday stresses!

Appetizer:  Herbed Puffs

Hot little mouth-watering morsels of cheesy-herby goodness.  Can be made ahead and frozen. Enough said!

Dip:  Cilantro Dip



The best party dip.  Pour over a block of cream cheese and serve with water crackers. This one's been making the rounds within my circle of friends for several years.  You can make it as hot or mild as you like (just add the jalapenos a little at a time until it's just right for you). 

Holiday Meal Plan



When it comes to Thanksgiving and Christmas, I pretty much make the same dishes each year.  While that might seem boring, most of these dishes are only made for the holidays, so we look forward to them each year.

My holiday meals usually include the following dishes, which are all freshly home-made:

• Apple Streusel Coffeecake (morning)
• Turkey
• Tofurky
• Gravy
• Mashed Potatoes (or Scalloped Potatoes)
• Cornbread
• Broccoli with Garlic Butter and Cashews
• Green Beens with Pecans
• Sausage Stuffing
• Vegetarian Stuffing
• Apple Pie
• Turkey Pot Pie (for the day after)

The prep work and timing for these dishes could be overwhelming if I didn't do a lot of work the week before.  In this meal plan you'll find the shopping list, recipes, and a schedule for all the prep work.

The beauty behind this plan is the prep bowl chart.  I line up all my bowls, number them, and get out the ingredients. Then I fill the bowls assembly-line style.

Man-Pleasing Chicken?

So, this one image has been on my "Chicken Recipes To Try" Pinterest board F-O-R-E-V-E-R.  I keep looking at it thinking it's just got to be amazing...or not.  Now, I'm not a mustard fan, but my all-time favorite chicken recipe (Barbecued Herb-Mustard Chicken) uses mustard in its marinade, and I LOVE it.  So I kept an open mind.  My husband loves mustard, and since this is called "Man-Pleasing Chicken" he was really my target audience...you know...to wow him.

On the difficulty scale this ranks a 1 out of 10.  You mix three ingredients in a pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper over your chicken, spoon the sauce over the chicken and bake.  EASY.  I had all the ingredients on hand too, so that was a plus.

The first thing I noticed was that my sauce was pretty watery.  And not as smooth.  The original recipe said it used Dijon mustard.  And there are OODLES of consistencies with Dijon mustard.  But since the recipe was adapted from a Trader Joe's one, I figured I was safe with my Trader Joe's brand which was simply called, "Dijon Mustard".    As you can see, mine looks NOTHING like the picture from Pinterest.  But I was willing to look past that, as taste is what it's all about.

So, here's the recipe:

Man-Pleasing Chicken
(Witty in the City)

Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees.

Mix together in a bowl (or directly in the pan):
     1/2 C dijon mustard
     1/4 C maple syrup
     1 TB rice wine vinegar

Place 1 1/2 lbs. of chicken thighs* in the baking dish and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.

Pour or spoon the sauce over the chicken, turning the pieces until all are coated.

Bake for about 40 minutes** or until cooked through.

Garnish with fresh rosemary bits.

*OK...I didn't use thighs; I used boneless-skinless chicken breasts.  Still, that wouldn't alter the taste test of the dish...just the tenderness of the chicken itself.

**40 minutes would have killed my boneless skinless breasts.  Mine were done in about 15 minutes.

The results:  I asked Brian to rate them on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the above-mentioned Barbecued Herb-Mustard chicken, and a 1 being the horrible chicken I made years ago that we dubbed "Hot Dog Chicken" because the chicken ended up tasting like a hot dog!!   He gave it a 5.  I gave it a 2.  Now, in all fairness, I am not a mustard fan, and with mustard being the main ingredient out of 3 ingredients, it's very mustard-y!   But man-pleasing it wasn't.  With so many great recipes out there, there's no way I'm going to spend my time on a recipe with a combined score of 3.5/10.

****BUT**** this recipe wouldn't be getting so much attention on Pinterest if others didn't like it.  Here are some of the (very mixed) reviews I found for this recipe:

Made this last night...def a man pleaser!

This is seriously ridiculously amazing. I made it a couple weeks ago and HAVE to make again real soon, so so so goooood!

I tried this recipe to the letter, and I want to caution that if you don't LOVE the very strong taste of mustard this recipe isn't for you. My whole family said it was unedible. The picture is so misleading!!

I like mustard but you have to love it to like this chicken-- just put mine in fridge hoping I could find someone who will eat it so I'm not wasting food! This didn't please my man or my children- when all of them will eat mustard- this is the third recipe I've tried when people say it is the "best" and I have learned everyone has extremely different tastes!

Overpowering dijon mustard. tried it. not a fan

I made this for dinner the other night and my family hated it. Even my "I'll eat anything" husband. I like mustard...I thought it was ok. First recipe I've found on Pinterest that was a flop. :/

I made this and my husband actually like it and he is not much on chicken

Made this and it was amazing...used honey mustard.

My boyfriend loved it!

Made this last night...really gross

I thought it was pretty gross too. My husband didn't like it either, I'll never make it again.

Just was not that good. We ate it, but hubby asked me not to cook it again. lol!! That's the truth.

I made this for my 25 year old son - He Loved IT!!! Very good and very easy...It's a keeper! 

This recipe is AWESOME! My husband and I loved it!

Grilled Rosemary Chicken Kebabs with Sweet and Sour Orange Dipping Sauce

Tonight I selected grilled recipe #5 to try for the summer.  I'm requiring myself to make a new grilled recipe each week.  I've had two good ones, one great one, one so-so one so far.  Tonight was another great one!

I was pleasantly surprised by the flavoring from the chicken...even without the sauce.  It could definitely stand on its own.  And, I was actually really hesitant about the sauce because I'm not a huge fan of really sweet (and orange flavored) sauces.  But this was delicious!  I did find the original sauce a bit too sweet for my taste.  Nothing a dash of Siracha couldn't cure though!

Grilled Rosemary Chicken Kebabs 
with Sweet and Sour Orange Dipping Sauce
(adapted from Tracey's Culinary Adventures)

In a medium bowl mix together:
     1 1/2  teaspoons minced fresh rosemary     1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
     1 teaspoon kosher salt
     1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
     1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
     1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Cut up 4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts into 1" pieces.  Place the chicken pieces in the bowl and evenly coat with the mixture.



In a small pan, combine:
      1/4 cup orange marmalade
      1 tablespoon rice vinegar
      1/2 tsp minced fresh rosemary
      1/4 tsp Siracha hot sauce (can leave out if you want it mild)

Heat on low and then pour into a small serving bowl.

Place the chicken pieces on skewers, and grill on both sides until the chicken is done.

Remove from the skewers and serve with the dipping sauce. 


To make ahead and freeze:  Place the chicken mixture in a freezer bag, sucking out all the air (or use a FoodSaver).  Defrost and prepare the sauce while the chicken is defrosting.

Honey-Lime Chicken...With a Kick!

4th of July was yesterday.  We brought burgers and marinated chicken to our neighborhood potluck and I must admit I was secretly thrilled that the grill-chef cooked up these chicken breasts dead-last. That meant that by the time they came off the grill, the other folks were already stuffed with burgers, BBQ chicken, and loads of other side dishes.  I knew these were coming and made sure to save room for them.  They were worth the wait!  (And, because they were virtually ignored by the others, there are lots of leftovers!!...WHOHOOO!!!)

The honey-lime-cilantro-garlic flavors came shining through with a kick from the Siracha.  Loved the spicy zest from the Siracha and pepper flakes.  Flavorful AND SPICY (but really, not too spicy!).

And, and added bonus, is that these are great for making ahead and freezing.  Just put the chicken and marinade in a freezer bag, suck out all the air (or use a FoodSaver), and pop in the freezer.  Defrost and grill!

This recipe is a keeper and will be stocked year-round in Beauty, my favorite freezer.  (No, I've never named my cars, but I did name my freezer!)

Honey-Lime Chicken...With a Kick!
(Kitchen Meets...Girl)

Mix together in a bowl:
     3 TB soy sauce
     2 TB honey
     1 TB vegetable/canola oil
     1 juiced lime
     2 minced garlic cloves
     2 tsp Siracha
     2 TB chopped cilantro

Add and combine thoroughly:
     1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Marinate for at least an hour, and then grill until done, about 6-8 min. on each side. 

(On "Kitchen Meets...Girl" she made them into shish kebabs.  Either way works!)

Spicy Honey Chicken

My summer pledge:  to try one new grilled recipe from Pinterest each week this summer.  Tonight I chose the Spicy Honey Chicken from Our Best Bites.  The results:  quite good!  It was easy and I'd definitely make it again.  My only complaint is that it wasn't that spicy.  I like spicy.  It was mild enough that our four year old friend gobbled it up.  And she hates anything remotely spicy.  So, yeah, I'd kick the spicy-ness up a notch.

Spicy Honey Chicken

Baste with olive oil:
     6-8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (or thighs...Our Best Bites suggests thighs, but I went ahead with the breasts)

Mix together in a bowl:
     2 tsp granulated garlic (or 1 tsp garlic powder, which is what I used)
     2 tsp chili powder
     1/2 tsp onion powder
     1/2 tsp coriander (I crushed     1/2 tsp of whole coriander seeds)
     1 tsp kosher salt
     1 tsp cumin
     1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder

Mix together in a small bowl:
     1/2 cup honey
     1 TB apple cider vinegar
(Keep out 1/8-1/4 cup for later)

Once the chicken pieces are covered in oil, put them in the spice bowl and rub in thoroughly.  Grill until the chicken is cooked through.  Just before the chicken is done, pour the honey glaze over both sides of the chicken.

When serving, pour a little bit of the sauce on the chicken....a great blend of sweet and spicy!

Summer Goal: Weekly Grilled Pinterest Recipes

Yes, I love Pinterest.  Who doesn't??  Over the past several months I've collected dozens of recipes to try.  Many are scrumptious looking desserts which will likely never be tried, because, really....we just don't make desserts that much.  But main dishes for dinner?  That's a reality.  Especially grilled food...'tis the season!

So this summer my goal is to try at least one recipe from Pinterest each week (preferably grilled), and then post the recipes and reviews here.  I'm not sure which one I'll start with, or what order...but below are some of the recipes I hope to make this summer.

Do you have a favorite grilled chicken or beef recipe? Please share.... I'd love to know!!

Skirt Steak Korean Marinade from cHow Divine

RECIPE #6:  I kinda' petered out over the summer.  But I made these this week on 10/9/12.  Couldn't find skirt steak, so I just made some with sirloin. VERY good flavor. Will definitely make again. Also, I made the effort to find a good Mirin...not the Aji Mirin sold by Kikkoman. 

Grilled Skirt Steak with Cilantro Chimichurri from Sage Recipes

Grilled Chipotle-Rubbed Steaks with Lime Butter from Food & Wine and  Serious Eats

***RECIPE #2:  Made the Grilled Chipotle-Rubbed Steaks on 6/21/12.  Oh, my goodness these were good!  Great garlic/lime flavor...but not overpowering.  Quick and easy to make at the last minute.  Will definitely make again!***  Click here to read my full post.

Spicy Honey Chicken from Our Best Bites via The Girl Who Ate Everything

***RECIPE #1:  Made the Spicy Honey Chicken on 6/20/12.  Overall impression:  Quite good.  Simple to make.  Will make again.  Not as spicy as I'd like...will kick up the spicy-ness next time.*****  Click here to read my full post.

Afghani Murgh (chicken) Malai Kababs with Cumin Flavored Rice from Look Who's Cooking Too
 

RECIPE #7:  Also made this in the fall, but, heck...I made it!  Good subtle Indian-type spices on the chicken.    For the rice I forgot to buy cumin seeds, so I used a little ground cumin in their place.  The rice also had a subtle flavoring. Overall, no fabulous, but a solid good.

Thai Chicken with Hot-Sour-Salty-Sweet Sauce from Food and Wine

Grilled Rosemary Chicken Kebabs with Sweet and Sour Orange Dipping Sauce from Tracey's Culinary Adventures

***Recipe #5:  Made the Grilled Rosemary Chicken Kebabs on 7/7/12.  Pleasantly surprised with the flavor punch from such a simple (and easy) marinade.  The dipping sauce was great when a dash of Siracha was added to it!  Definitely a winner!  Click here to read my full post.

Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken from The Fresh Plate

***Recipe #3:  Made the Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken on 6/27/12.  It was OK.  The husband said, "Good", but it wasn't an earth-shattering amazing recipe.  Would I make it again?  Well, yes, because I made some for the freezer.  But I don't think it will make it into the regular rotation.***

Honey-Lime Chicken Skewers from  Kitchenmeetsgirl.com

***Recipe#4:  Made the Honey-Lime Chicken on 7/4/12.  AMAZING!  The honey-lime-cilantro-garlic flavors came shining through with a kick from the Siracha.  Will DEFINITELY make this again.  Bonus...you can marinate the chicken and freeze it.  That's my kind of cooking!***  Click here to read my full post. 

Cilantro Thai Chicken from Artsy-Foodie

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Roll-Ups

Today was the Super Bowl party.  Until kick off the only thing I could've told you about the game was that Madonna was performing at half-time.  OK...I know...that's not even about the game.  That shows you how little I knew.  What I did know, however, was that a bunch of hungry people were coming to my home, and I needed some tasty appetizers that I could quickly prepare.

I have a line up of tried-and-true recipes, but I wanted something new.  So I headed over to Pinterest and scanned my "To Try" boards.  These roll-ups (pinned from the Homemade by Holmnan blog) caught my eye because 1) SPICY always catches my eye, and 2) my roll-ups are BORING.    Of the 3 recipes I found,  I thought these would be the most time consuming but that was not the case...they were quick and easy. 

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Roll-Ups
(adapted from Homemade by Holman)

Cook in a boiling pot of water:
     1  1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts

When the chicken is cooked through (no pink in the center), remove from the pot.  Cut off any chicken "gunk"...tendons, fat...the yucky stuff.  Shred the chicken with two forks* while it's still warm.

Mix the shredded chicken with:
     1 10 oz. can Rotel (tomatoes and green chiles), drained
     12 oz cream cheese, softened
     1 C shredded cheddar or monterey Jack cheese (I used cheddar)
     1 clove garlic, minced
     1 TB chili powder
     1/2 tsp cayenne powder
     1 tsp cumin
     1/2 tsp garlic salt
     1/4 C chopped cilantro
     6 green onions, finely chopped (white and green parts)

Spread the chicken mixture over the surface of a tortilla, and roll up tightly.  You can slice them at this point, but I find it best to refrigerate them for a bit (20+ minutes...overnight is fine too) before slicing.  Slice them to 1/2" - 1" pieces.  Try not to eat too much before serving!!

They were delicious!  So much better than my slap-some-cream-cheese-ham-and-a-long-green-onion-on-a-tortilla kind of roll up.  MUCH better.  So much better that I'll never, ever go back to those boring roll ups.  As for the spiciness level, they weren't too spicy.  A hint of a kick.  If you really like spicy (as I do), you could up the chili powder or cayenne pepper.  I might try that next time. 

*OR....try my new favorite way to shred chicken...in a KitchenAid mixer!!  I read about this on Pinterest too.  It's so incredibly easy you'll wonder why you never thought of it before!  Just put the chicken (cut in quarters or halves) in the mixing bowl with the paddle.  Turn on low (speed 2 or so) and watch the chicken shred without any work at all.  It doesn't mush it or create a weird texture...it perfectly shreds your chicken!!  After I shred the chicken in the mixer, I simply dumped the rest of the ingredients in, and let the mixer stir it together.  Easy-peasy!  Here's a tutorial I found on the Taste and See God's Goodness blog.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

A few years ago I purchased the cookbook, Don't Panic- Dinner's in the Freezer, which had some pretty decent reviews.  I liked the variety of the recipes as well as the format.  The recipe page features a simple chart for a single batch, x3, x6, or x9....perfect for large batch cooking.  Not too long ago, a companion book came out, Don't Panic-  More Dinner's in the Freezer.  Some good reviews led me to purchase that as well.  (I know, I know....there are too many cookbooks to begin with in our home!!).  This book's been sitting up on the shelf, getting ignored as I pass it by for Cook's Illustrated recipes.  Poor thing!  A few weeks ago, I dusted it off and tried the first recipe.

The Chicken Cordon Bleu was pretty darn good.  Simple flavors, easy to make. 

Chicken Cordon Bleu
(Don't Panic-  More Dinner's in the Freezer)

Yield:  4 servings

Fill one shallow bowl/dish with:
      1/2 C flour
     1 TB paprika

Fill one shallow bowl/dish with:
     1 beaten egg

Fill one shallow bowl/dish with:
     1/2 C plain breadcrumbs (fresh or dried would both work)

Pound to uniform thickness, about 1/4" thick*
     4 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Top each breast with
     1-2 slices of ham
     2 thin slices of Swiss cheese
     A dollop of the Bechamel sauce**

Roll up each chicken breast, and secure with a toothpick.  Dip the chicken piece in the flour, then the egg, and then the breadcrumbs, rolling each time to cover completely.

Heat a skillet with a bit of oil and brown all sides of the chicken.  Place browned chicken on a baking sheet.  Flash freeze. Once frozen solid,  freeze individual or family sized servings in a freezer bag, removing as much air as possible.  Or vacuum pack, which is my preferred method.

To serve:  Completely defrost chicken.   Bake in a 375 degree oven until done (25-30 min.).   Pour thawed Bechamel sauce* over chicken for the last 5 minutes of cooking.

*You can pound the breasts and make pretty little spirals, or you can take a shortcut like I did.  Make a slit inside the chicken breast and fill with the cheese, ham, and sauce.  Works just fine!

You can see how the sauce on top is a bit grainy.  Make that fresh instead!

**The Bechamel sauce is supposed to be made ahead.  Some of it goes into the chicken, and the rest is divided into little baggies, frozen, and defrosted to pour over the chicken at the end of the end of the cooking cycle.  The milk-based sauce doesn't freeze very well.  It takes on a lumpy, grainy texture once frozen.  It still adds flavor, and I'd rather make it with the frozen sauce than without.  

The consistency of the sauce that's placed inside the chicken  isn't as noticeable as the sauce poured on top.  I would continue to make some sauce ahead, and place it inside the chicken.  Then I'd also make up a bit of this sauce on eating day and not freeze it.  I always have butter, milk, and flour on hand.  I don't always have Swiss cheese though.  So the next time I make this, I'll put a bit of Swiss in a baggie, pack it with the chicken, and add fresh sauce on top.

Pecan-Crusted Chicken

I'm a wee bit obsessed with the recipes from Cook's Illustrated.  They have a proven track record in our home.  They have a sister publication, Cook's Country, which seems to print simpler, homey, more family-friendly recipes as compared to Cook's Illustrated. I haven't tried a lot from them, but this pecan-crusted chicken recipe is wonderful.

Pecan-Crusted Chicken
(Cook's Country)

• 2 large eggs
• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons dried tarragon
• Salt and pepper
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally (about 1/2 inch thick each)
• 2 cups pecans
• 2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn in pieces
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with wire rack. Whisk eggs, mustard, garlic, tarragon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in large bowl. Add chicken, coat well, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate while preparing nut mixture.
  
  2.  Pulse pecans in food processor until finely chopped, with some pebble-sized pieces. Transfer to pie plate or shallow rimmed dish. Pulse bread in food processor until finely ground. Add bread crumbs to nuts and stir in cornstarch, brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cinnamon.
  
  3.  Working one at a time, remove cutlets from egg mixture, letting excess drip back into bowl. Thoroughly coat chicken with nut mixture, pressing on coating to help it adhere, and transfer to large plate.
• 
  4.  Heat 1/2 cup oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place 4 cutlets in skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side (lower heat if crust is browning too quickly). Transfer chicken to rack on baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Discard oil and solids from skillet and repeat with remaining oil and cutlets. Season cutlets with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
  
  This recipe freezes beautifully.  I make them ahead through Step 3 and then flash freeze the breasts.  On cooking day, I defrost in the fridge, and continue on with Step 4. 
  

Biscuit-Topped Chicken Potpies

Last week I went through a bunch of fairly recent recipe clippings and made two new meals.  The first was Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers (from Cooking Light).  Total winner that will end up in our "Family Favorites" recipe book.

The second new recipe of the week was chicken potpies from the January 2007 issue of Sunset.  (OK...so some of the clippings weren't as new as others....)  There are a few classic American dishes that I've never made:

1. Pot Roast (call me crazy, but these intimidate me...what cut of meat?  What's the best seasoning?  How do I make sure the veggies aren't mushy?  Crock pot or a Dutch oven?)
2. Ribs  (Too much bone and fat and not enough meat. Messy.)  
3. Chicken Pot Pie (Loved them as a kid, just never tried them.)
4. Stew (Really wouldn't know where to start.)
5. Home-Made Chicken Noodle Soup.  (Would love to make this, but just never have.)
6. Potato Salad (This one is easy...I don't like things that are mayonnaise-y or mustard-y.)

Maybe this should be my cooking "bucket list"...the things I need to make before I die.  Well, if we're making a list like that, I'd really need to add all the other recipes in my "To Try" files and folders.  That could take some time!

Anyway, last week I made my first chicken potpie!  It was a bit time consuming...you have the veggies to chop, the chicken to cook and chop, the biscuits to make, and the gravy/sauce to make.  It's not a recipe that will end up in one of those "30 minutes To Dinner" type of cookbooks.  No, this took some time.  Knowing that it would take some time, I doubled the recipe and made some for the freezer.  Honestly, if you're going to go to the trouble of making a few potpies, you may as well make a dozen.  The extra time is minimal.

Results:  Our family thoroughly enjoyed the potpies!  I found the biscuit recipe to be a bit more dense than I would have liked.  So, when I make these again, I'm going to search for a lighter (maybe a simple drop biscuit?) topping rather than the heavy biscuit blobs called for in this recipe.

Biscuit-Topped Chicken Potpies
(Sunset Magazine)

 Prep and Cook Time:  1 hour, 45 minutes*
Makes:   6-7 individual potpies

Read through the recipe and find a good time to make the biscuit mix.  It would be ideal to have a second helper who works on the biscuits while you put together the potpie filling. You can also make them ahead so they're ready to just plop right on the pies and pop in the oven.

Prep ahead

Cook and cube:
     2 1/2 cups of chicken (white and dark meat)

Finely chop:
     3 whole carrots
     1 stalk celery 
     1 medium onion 
     2 medium Yukon gold potatoes
     12 small cremini or button mushrooms
     1 tsp fresh thyme
     2 tsp flat leaf parsley
     2 tsp fresh sage

Grate:
     1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese

Cook
    
In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring to a boil:
     2 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken stock

Add:
     carrots
     potatoes
     celery

Lower heat to medium and cook until vegetables are tender, 5 to 7 minutes.**   Drain  vegetables, reserving stock; set both aside separately.

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan*** melt over medium heat:
     4 TB salted butter 

Add and cook until golden, 6 to 8 minutes:
     onions

Add  and cook 5 minutes:
     mushrooms

Add and cook 2 minutes:
      thyme
      5 TB flour

Slowly add, whisking constantly, until combined:
     1 C milk

Add and cook, stirring often, until mixture thickens, 8 to 10 minutes:
     stock (that you set aside when you drained the veggies)


Season to taste:
     1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
     1 tsp salt
     freshly ground pepper

Add:
     parsley
     chicken
     cooked vegetables
     1/4 C frozen sweet peas

Divide filling evenly among 6 or 7 ovenproof containers**** (8 to 10 oz. each), leaving the top 1/4 inch unfilled.

Preheat oven to 425°.

Cheesy Biscuit Topping

Sift together:
     2 cups flour 
     1 1/2 tsp (or 1/2 TB) baking powder
     1/2 tsp baking soda
     1 tsp salt

Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, work in to form a coarse meal, working quickly to keep the butter from warming up and melting into the dough:
     5 TB cold unsalted butter, cubed

Stir in:
     cheese 
     sage

In a separate bowl, whisk together and add to the flour mixture, stirring gently until a shaggy dough forms:
     1egg and
    1/2 C + 2 TB (or 5/8 C) well-shaken buttermilk


Lightly flour a counter, a rolling pin, and your hands. Divide dough into 2 balls. Roll out first ball to a 1/4-in. thickness, then use a 2 1/2-in. biscuit cutter to cut into rounds, scraping and rerolling dough as needed. Repeat with second ball.

Place 3 rounds of dough on each potpie, overlapping as necessary (any unused rounds can be baked on their own as biscuits). Brush dough with egg wash, put potpies on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil, and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, 17 to 22 minutes.

In the end there were some biscuit scraps on the counter.  I got lazy and just put the scraps on a pan and cooked them with the potpies!

Nutritional Information (per serving)
Calories:  538 (42% from fat)
Protein:  28g
Fat:  25g (sat 13)
Carbohydrate:  51g
Fiber:  3.5g
Sodium:  1034mg
Cholesterol:  160mg

*From start to finish, making these the very first time, it took me about 2 1/2 hours.  That's giving time to cook and shred the chicken, wash and chop all the veggies, etc.  It always takes longer the first time.

**Don't overcook or your veggies will be mushy.

***5-6 qt. for single recipe; 10-12 qt. for a doubled recipe

****I used 4 Corning Wear small casserole dishes (12 oz.) and a bunch of 8 oz. coffee mugs (oven safe dinnerware).  I preferred the sizes from the 8 oz. cups. 


For Freezing

I thought this would freeze beautifully but I was woefully wrong!  The biscuits held up just fine, but the veggie filling just turned to mush.  So, make a single batch and enjoy!

Have a vegetarian in the family?

You can use vegetable broth and put the chicken on the side.  Add chicken to the carnivores' containers, and simply leave it out for the vegetarians.  For a complete vegetarian potpie, double up on the veggies.

Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers

For the past few weeks I've been going through my magazine collection, tearing out articles I want to save.   I have a pile for gardening articles, one for recipes, and another miscellaneous one (not sure how I'll organize that pile!).  Tonight I went through all the recipe clippings and chose two new meals to make this week.

On the menu tonight:   Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers from the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of Cooking Light.  Included in the spice mix was fennel, which I don't use very often.  (In fact, I really should replace my fennel as I have no idea how old it is!)  The inclusion of red bell peppers and balsamic vinegar gave me a feeling that this was going to be good...and I was right.  This recipe will move into the "Family Favorites" cookbook immediately. 

Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers
(Cooking Light)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Mix together in a small prep bowl:
     3/4 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
     1/2 tsp salt
     1/4 tsp black pepper
     1/4 tsp garlic powder
     1/4 tsp dried oregano

Mix together in a medium bowl:
     2 C thinly sliced red bell pepper
     1 C thinly sliced yellow bell pepper*
     1/2 C thinly sliced shallots (about 1 large)
     1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
   
Brush with olive oil:
     4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts**

Heat up a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat.

While the pan is heating, sprinkle the spice mixture over the chicken breasts.  I sprinkled them in a bowl, and tossed them, to coat them evenly.

When the skillet is hot, and 1 1/2 tsp olive oil to the pan.  Add the chicken and cook until browned.  Turn the chicken over, browning the other side.

Place the chicken in a baking dish and cook until done (about 5 minutes for thin breasts; 10 for thicker ones).  DON'T CLEAN OUT THE PAN....you'll use those drippings!

While the chicken is in the oven, add the pepper mix to the pan.  Saute for 3 minutes.

Stir in, and scrape the pan to loosen the browned bits.
     1 C chicken broth (fat free, low sodium)

Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium-high and stir in:
     1 TB balsamic vinegar
     1/4 tsp salt
      1/4 tsp black pepper

Serve pepper mixture over chicken .

Yield:  4 servings (1 breast half and about 1/2 cup of the pepper mixture)
Calories  282; fat 11 g; protein 359 g; fiber 1.9 g; chol 94 mg; iron 2 mg; sodium 644 mg; calc 38 mg.

 *I didn't have yellow and just used red.

**I sliced mine in half, lengthwise, to make them thinner.

Suggested side dish:
Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes:  Place 1 1/2 pounds cubed peeled Yukon gold potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with water.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until tender.  Drain; return to pan.  Add 1/3 cup milk, 3 TB mascarpone cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Mash to desired consistency.