Braised Chicken with a Beer and Mustard Sauce

This dish is perfect for a cool fall day.  The flavors are rich but not heavy, and it doesn't take forever to make.  The sauce--made with beer, chicken broth, maple syrup, and, of course, mustard--seems to go with pretty much anything.  I served it with roasted butternut squash and carrots and green beans.

Chicken Burgers with Red Cabbage Slaw and Apples

Sometimes you need to switch things up a bit with chicken.  I love it, and eat it more than any other meat, but it's easy to get stuck in a chicken rut.  I saw this recipe in Fine Cooking and was inspired to try it.  I used ground chicken breast, which they said not to do, but the burgers were still moist and flavorful.  Sometimes you have to go with what's available--and to that end, I left out the celery, because I didn't have any.  The finely diced apple in the burgers doesn't jump out as apply, but it helps keep the burgers juicy and light.  I added freshly grated ginger to both the burger mixture and the slaw--because it's good with almost everything, and I wanted a little more kick--and I added about a tablespoon of light brown sugar to the slaw for a little bit of a sweet and sour effect.  I served this with roasted acorn that was drizzled with a balsamic reduction.

Raspberry Shortcake with Lemon Curd

Our Easter this year was a more quiet celebration--but no less fun or tasty.  For dinner, I roasted a chicken with some oranges and scallions.  There was also sauteed tofu with ginger and honey, mashed potatoes, carrots, deviled eggs, and a spinach salad.  And then for dessert, mostly after finding what are apparently elusive at Whole Foods this week--fresh raspberries (though clearly I've bought a lot lately)--I made raspberry shortcakes with lemon curd.  Flaky, slightly sweet biscuits were layered with chantilly cream, lemon curd, and then piled with raspberries.  It's hard to go wrong with that combination really.

Spicy Coconut Chicken

Chicken and rice is one of my favorite comfort combinations. This recipe adds to that with red curry paste and coconut milk mixed into the pot. I used the higher amount of curry paste, and the end result wasn't super spicy--though it's possible that the heat might have faded. I'll have to try this again, and soon, with a fresh jar of curry paste. I'd also wondered if the coconut flavor would overpower the dish, but it was more of a hint of coconut and super tender chicken in the end.
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Buttermilk Roasted Chicken

Inspired by Smitten Kitchen's efforts with buttermilk chicken, I decided to try it, too. There's always leftover buttermilk, and I'm always up for new ideas on how to use it.  I marinated a whole chicken in buttermilk with herbs and spices and things and then roasted it, minus the excess liquid, for the usual amount of time. And you know what? It's really good--even if you do only marinate it for a couple of hours. Ahem. Maybe if I did it a full day I'd be exclaiming even more. But really, roast chicken makes me happy almost any day of the week, and there are millions of tasty variations. I'm going to have to try this again, with different flavorings I think, and possibly even more time in the buttermilk, just to see what I can see.
It was a roast-everything night, with roasted butternut squash, carrots, and shallots with maple syrup
And roasted beets with oranges

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Cashew Chicken in Lettuce Cups

I love rice, but I've realized that sometimes it's just a vehicle for what goes with it. So for this cashew chicken recipe, I served it with large lettuce leaves, which we used to make mini green burrito-like packages. The end result was spicy and crunchy, and it was finger food, which is always fun.

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A Very Berry Fourth

Happy 4th of July! We celebrated the holiday with family, food, and fireworks--an excellent combination. The dessert above is a lemon cake filled and topped with whipped cream, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Patriotic--and so tasty.



We grilled out (chicken sausage and veggie burgers) and also had corn on the cob, green beans and both carrot and potato salads.



And SwimmerGirl made lime snowcones.



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Cinco de Mayo

To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, I put together a taco bar for dinner tonight. Warm cornmeal tortillas were topped with pulled chicken, black beans, fresh guacamole, crumbled queso fresco, chipotle cream, grated carrots, cilantro, and peach-mango salsa. I also made a grilled corn-red cabbage slaw that added more crunch and flavor.


Dessert was fresh, local strawberries dipped in sour cream and then brown sugar. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Guinness-Braised Chicken with Shallots

I made this last night, and I've been kicking myself for not making it earlier in the year, when it was actually cold. Fall is only just around the corner, right? The recipe is simple, and the results are super flavorful. I marinated boneless skinless chicken thighs in Guinness and crushed garlic for about an hour. Then I browned the chicken, removed it from the pot, and let about 1 cup of sliced shallots cook down. To those, I added the Guinness from the marinade, then some sliced carrots, chicken broth, thyme, and salt and pepper. Then I added the chicken back to the pot, stirred it around, and let it simmer, mostly covered, for about an hour. The end result was very tender and juicy chicken that almost shredded itself. I served this over polenta with cheese. And now Guinness Week is over. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Chicken Pot Pi

Yesterday was National Pi Day, and to celebrate, I made a chicken pot pie. While the days are slowly warming up here, the nights still have a bit of chill to them and something warm and comforting like pot pie was just right. The recipe is loosely based on the traditional one in Fine Cooking. I used chicken breasts, shallots, carrots, red peppers, potatoes, and asparagus (I didn't have any peas handy, but I've never loved them in pot pie.) The longest part of the process was waiting for the chicken to defrost in the microwave. But while waiting, I made the pastry in the food processor and then tossed it in the freezer while I assembled the rest. Once in the oven, the pot pie filled the house with the scent of roasting chicken, butter, and aromatic vegetables. I almost burned my tongue when I started to eat because it smelled and looked so good, and I didn't want to wait any longer. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Rosh Hoshanah

Happy New Year! This year, with a mid-week Rosh Hoshanah, I kept things fairly simple, though still very flavorful. We had chicken roasted with honey and wine, rosemary potatoes, and honey-glazed carrots. For dessert, I baked an apple layer cake -- I made it like a carrot cake but with apples and a slightly cinnamony cream cheese frosting. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Grilled Chicken Vindaloo and Naan

Tonight's meal was going to be lasagna, but somehow it evolved to this tasty Indian feast. We had grilled chicken vindaloo, grilled tofu vindaloo, fresh naan, grilled summer squash and zucchini, asparagus, and basmati rice. There were also homemade mango chutney and raita. Mango Chutney 2 Champagne or Ataulfo mangoes, peeled, cored, and diced (they don't have to be perfectly ripe) 1/2 c chopped onion 1 tsp minced jalapeno (or more, to taste) 3 Tbs fresh lime juice 3 Tbs each finely chopped fresh mint and cilantro 1-2 tsp freshly grated or ground ginger 2 tsp brown sugar 1 tsp cumin, quickly toasted in a pan salt In a saute pan, combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and let just barely simmer til the mixture has thickened slightly. Taste, and adjust the seasonings. You might want to double this, because it will be eaten--and quickly. I made this last night and there's only a skimpy tablespoon left. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Mother's Day

To all the mothers out there--and most especially my mom-- I want to wish you a very happy Mother's Day! This year I made dinner for my mom, taking advantage of the best of spring flavors. We had spice-rubbed grilled chicken, cornmeal-crusted tofu, asparagus, tomato salad with arugula, and rosemary roasted potatoes. For dessert, we had a tart and creamy key lime pie, along with juicy strawberries dipped in sour cream and brown sugar (one of my mom's--and my--favorites.)

Kt's Key Lime Pie

1 graham cracker pie crust (9-10 crushed graham crackers, melted butter, sugar)

14 oz sweetened condensed milk

1/2-3/4 c fresh lime juice, depending on how tart you like it

zest of 1-2 limes

4 egg yolks

3/4 c heavy whipping cream

2 Tbs sugar

1-2 tsp vanilla

lime zest

chocolate shavings

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, mix together the sweetened condensed milk, lime juice and zest, and egg yolks until smooth. Pour into the graham cracker crust -- it won't reach all the way to the top.

Bake for 20-25 min., til only the very middle jiggles slightly. Let cool for 15 min., and then chill for at least an hour. Then beat together the whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla til fairly stiff and spread evenly on top of the chilled pie. Top with additional lime zest and chocolate shavings.

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Caramel Chicken, Chocolate Brownies

This chicken dish has become a regular menu item around here, but last night I substituted lemongrass for the ginger. Though at first I thought I'd gone one step too far and burned the sauce, the lemongrass variation also turned out well, and we happily devoured it, along with

jasmine rice and fresh asparagus.

The chocolate component of the meal was a special request: brownies -- just chocolate brownies, not caramel or peanut butter or anything elaborate. I can, and did, do that. The recipe is here. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thai Chicken Pizza

I've been wanting to try King Arthur Flour's Thai chicken pizza for a while now, but the opportunity didn't present itself til today. I'd planned to follow the recipe--or at least try to--but then realized that the recipe needed two days to make. And really? Pizza shouldn't take that long to make. I'm all for well-developed flavors, but I like my regular pizza dough recipe just fine--and it only takes about 45 min.--so I used that instead. I did use the rest of the recipe, though I used one chicken breast half for one pizza, versus half of a half on one. The flavors, without a drop of tomato sauce and light on the cheese, were great. I'll definitely be making this again, and soon. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Arroz con Pollo

In terms of comfort, chicken and rice is one of the best combinations out there, along with chocolate and peanut butter. It's also one of the most versatile meals, represented in seemingly infinite variations around the world. This recipe, based on one from Martha, is packed with flavors--saffron, chicken, olives, tomatoes, and onions--but they all blend together perfectly in the end. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Chicken Tagine with Tomatoes and Honey

We're in Morocco tonight, at least for dinner. We had djaj matisha mesla, or chicken with tomatoes and honey, rice pilaf with almonds, carrot salad, and spinach with raisins and pine nuts. The chicken was cooked with onions, tomatoes, saffron, ginger, and cinnamon til the mixture was a thick, caramelized sauce. Honey was added, and the whole thing was topped with toasted almonds and sesame seeds. All of the recipes, except for the rice, come from Claudia Roden's New Book of Middle Eastern Food.

Vietnamese Caramelized Chicken, Ga Kho

Every once in a while you find a recipe that you know you're going to be making for a long, long time. This recipe, from the Ravenous Couple, is one of those recipes. I love the convenience and flavor of boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or you can use bone-in), but I find myself making the same recipes over and over again--and while they're good, they get a little tired. This recipe is full of flavor--lots of garlic, ginger, shallots, vinegar, fish sauce, chilis, and brown sugar--and the sauce practically melts into the chicken. The ingredients are all things I tend to have on hand (though I'm still not sure what happened to the rice vinegar ... champagne vinegar worked just fine), and it all takes very little time to throw together. The chicken marinated while i got the rice and some vegetables going, and the final dish only took 10-15 min. to cook.

Smoky Mediterranean Chicken

Sometimes I have absolutely no idea what to make for dinner. And not all my last-minute creations are successful; however, this dish was a big hit--and the bonus is that it's both super flavorful and easy too. In a 9 x 13-inch baking dish I mixed one package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1.25 lbs) with four Yukon gold potatoes and a can of artichoke hearts. I cut the potatoes in four to six pieces, depending on the potato, and the artichoke hearts were drained and then cut in half. To that, I added the zest of one lemon, four whole cloves of garlic, about a tablespoon of smoked paprika, dried oregano, salt and pepper, and maybe a tablespoon of olive oil. I tossed everything together and then baked it at 350 degrees for an hour or so (or you could do a higher temp for less time.) When done, the chicken was sweet from the lemon and paprika, with a little hint of spice, while the potatoes were crusty on the outside and tender within.

Jook

There are many names for this dish, but at it's most basic, this is a rice stew or soup. But it's not just rice stew ... it's creamy rice cooked in a mixture of chicken broth and water with earthy mushrooms, spicy ginger, and pretty much anything else you want to add. I used what we had in the fridge--roast chicken, ham, carrots, and green peas--along with a few shrimp I picked up at the store today. The flavors all cooked together with a little Thai fish sauce and black soy sauce, and the result was perfectly warm and comforting and soothing on my sore throat. I based my recipe on one from David Lebovitz.