One Pan Chicken = Awesome

Yesterday, I was looking for an EASY and TASTY dinner option that did not require a trip to the grocery store.  Rachel Ray's "one pan chicken" fit the ticket.

Here's the original recipe. 

Here is what I did to make it "my own"...
Ingredients:
- 3 large boneless chicken breasts
- "Large" teaspoon of minced garlic
- Entire yellow onion (Barry requested more, but I think this was plenty)
- Handful of mini carrots (cut in 1/2) - wish I would have added more
- Handful of celery slices
- 5 yellow potatoes (sliced as Rachel Ray recommended)
- Thyme springs and ground thyme
- Olive oil
- Salt/Peppter

Directions - Just as Rachel recommended:

1. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425°. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan, rub with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the potatoes, carrots and parsnips with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Place the vegetables around the chicken and scatter 8 thyme sprigs on top. Roast until the vegetables are tender and the chicken juices run clear when a leg is pricked, about 40 minutes. Pick the leaves from the remaining 2 thyme sprigs and sprinkle on top.

This dinner was so easy to make, tasty and on the healthy side of things. A five star meal and one that I'll replicate in the future.

I'll also be checking out more options from Rachel Ray's website.

Sherried pineapple pork tenderloin

I've always loved Cooking Light recipes so when I saw their cookbook '5-Ingredient Cookbook: Fresh Food Fast' I just knew I had to have it. Unfortunately it was one of those books I set aside forever - until yesterday...I started browsing and easily bookmarked about 25 or more pages of recipes I can't wait to try. And I also tried 2 out which were fantastic and SO easy - here they are:

Sherried Pineapple Pork Tenderloin
A thick and glossy sauce makes any dish feel elegant, but this one takes all of five minutes to make. The Red Cabbage and Carrot Slaw is a great side with this.

1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
Cooking spray
1 (6-ounce) can pineapple juice
2 tablespoons sugar - I used brown sugar
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1. Sprinkle pepper evenly over pork.
2. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray; add pork. Cook pork 3 to 4 minutes or until browned, turning occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook 10 minutes. Turn pork over; cook 10 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink).
3. Place pork on a cutting board; let stand 3 minutes. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
4. While pork stands, combine pineapple juice and remaining 3 ingredients; add to pan drippings. Bring to a boil; boil 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 1/4 cup. Spoon sauce over pork slices.

Red Cabbage and Carrot Slaw
2 cups matchstick-cut carrots
3/4 cup very thinly sliced red cabbage
3 tablespoons unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, tossing gently to coat.

Tomato sauce with butter and onions

I just saw this recipe for tomato sauce with butter and onions over at smitten kitchen and thought I'd share. It is beyond simple with only three ingredients but really does have rave reviews. I might have to try it one of these days.

Easy Pumpkin Cookies

I haven't made, or eaten these yet but my sister has and said they're delish so thought I'd post based on her recommendation! They sound really easy too and I have all the ingredients at home right now so I'll try them soon.

Pumpkin Cookies

1 cup shortening
1 can pumpkin
2 cups flour (put in last)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teas. cinnamon
1 teas. soda
1 teas. vanilla
beat until mixed

Drop by teaspoon on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 15 minutes 350 degrees - enjoy!

Golden-Crusted Brussels Sprouts Recipe

I know not everyone is a fan of brussel sprouts and we don't have them that often, but this recipe is soooo good.

Golden-Crusted Brussels Sprouts Recipe

This is the only way to eat brussels sprouts: cut in half and cooked until deliciously tender inside and perfectly brown and crusted on the outside.

Use brussels sprouts that are on the small size and tightly closed. You can finish these with many different types of cheese but I tend to go for Parmesan when the weather is good. I trade that in for heavier cheeses like gruyere or Gouda in colder weather. I finished them off with some toasted hazelnuts the other night - delicious!

24 small brussels sprouts

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing

fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup grated cheese of your choice

Wash the brussels sprouts well. Trim the stem ends and remove any raggy outer leaves. Cut in half from stem to top and gently rub each half with olive oil, keeping it intact (or if you are lazy just toss them in a bowl with a glug of olive oil).

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in your largest skillet over medium heat. Don't overheat the skillet, or the outsides of the brussels sprouts will cook too quickly. Place the brussels sprouts in the pan flat side down (single-layer), sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt, cover, and cook for roughly 5 minutes; the bottoms of the sprouts should only show a hint of browning. Cut into or taste one of the sprouts to gauge whether they're tender throughout. If not, cover and cook for a few more minutes.

Once just tender, uncover, turn up the heat, and cook until the flat sides are deep brown and caramelized. Use a metal spatula to toss them once or twice to get some browning on the rounded side. Season with more salt, a few grinds of pepper, and a dusting of grated cheese.

While you might be able to get away with keeping a platter of these warm in the oven for a few minutes, they are exponentially tastier if popped in your mouth immediately.

Serves 4.

Recipe and Photo from here.

Spinach and Prosciutto Lasagna

My co-worker and I have been talking about making food for the freezer lately so I've been searching for a new lasagna to try and found this. Thank you Martha! I will probably adjust a bit but I like the thought of adding proscuitto and such an easy recipe too.

This weeknight lasagna is fast, thanks to no-boil noodles, frozen spinach, and jarred sauce; chopped prosciutto elevates the dish.
· 2 package(s) (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach , thawed and squeezed dry
· 1 1/2 cup(s) part-skim ricotta
· 1 clove(s) garlic , minced
· Coarse salt and ground pepper
· 2 1/2 cup(s) jarred tomato sauce
· 4 ounce(s) thinly sliced prosciutto, finely chopped
· 6 no-boil lasagna noodles
· 1 cup(s) (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make filling: In a medium bowl, stir together spinach, ricotta, garlic, teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; set aside. In another medium bowl, stir together tomato sauce and prosciutto.

2. In an 8-inch square baking dish, spread cup tomato sauce. Layer 2 noodles, 1/3 filling, and 1/3 remaining tomato sauce; repeat twice. Top with mozzarella. Bake until browned, 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Easy Thai Chicken Curry

I have heard good things about the curry sauces sold at Trader Joe's so I found this easy recipe to test out TJ's Green Thai Curry Sauce. I added light coconut milk to taste for each of us (a little for me, more for Joe and a lot more for the kids) to cut the heat and servied it with TJ's brown Jasmine rice. We all liked it a lot. Next up to try is TJ's yellow curry sauce.

Thai Chicken Curry

Ingredients:
1 onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 pound green beans, cut into 2-inch slices
1 red or other bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 (12-ounce) package curry sauce

Instructions:
In a well-oiled skillet, saute onions until slightly softened. Add green beans and stir-fry until bright green (add a tablespoon or 2 of water if needed to keep from sticking). Add red pepper and chicken and stir-fry until just cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Add curry sauce and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until chicken and vegetables are cooked through, stirring frequently.

Notes:
Chose your favorite veggies, just make sure to add them in the order needed to cook, or parboil them before adding. Substitute broccoli or snow peas for green beans, or choose other colored bell peppers. The same goes with the protein; substitute beef, pork, shrimp or tofu. For a massaman curry, add cooked potatoes and top with avocado.

Chicken Breasts with Balsamic & Garlic

I've had the Food Network Kitchen Making it Easy cookbook for awhile, but I didn't get around to this recipe until last week. Hello keeper.

Chicken Breasts with Balsamic and Garlic

2 T vegetable oil
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 T flour
2 T unsalted butter, softened
5 garlic cloves, smashed
1 sprig rosemary, plus 4 for garnish
1/3 C balsamic vinegar
1 2/3 C chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat; add oil. Dry chicken, season with salt and pepper. Lay smooth side down and cook, turning over once, for 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to dish and cook for 10 to 12 minutes while you make the sauce.

While chicken cooks, use a fork to work flour and butter into a paste.

Add garlic and 1 sprig rosemary to skillet over medium-high heat and toss to toast slightly, about 1 minute. Stir in vinegar, scraping browned bits and simmer until vinegar begins to thicken, about 1 minute. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Whisk in flour mixture a bit at a time and bring to a boil. Simmer until sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper.

Put chicken on platter, pour sauce over and garnish with rosemary sprigs.

My notes: this made a lot of sauce for my three breasts. So I could see making half the sauce. Also, I omitted the rosemary and it turned out great. The chicken was so tender and flavorful, and the sauce was like a balsamic gravy. I served with acorn squash and salad.

My new favorite frittata

I've made many a frittata but this is my new fav...such an easy and delicious way to make eggs for a crowd.

Spinach and Goat Cheese Frittata

1. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2. 6 thin slices of pancetta (3 ounces) – or cubed (available at T-Joe’s)
3. 1 leek, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
4. 1 cup baby spinach – I used a bit more
5. 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes roughly chopped
6. 8 large eggs, beaten w/ splash of milk
7. Salt and freshly ground pepper
8. 3 ounces fresh goat cheese (approx. 1/2 cup)

Preheat the broiler. Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof 12-inch nonstick skillet. Add the pancetta and brown over moderately high heat, about 3 minutes. If you’re using slices, transfer the pancetta to a plate and let cool, then crumble it and add back to skillet.

Add the leek to the skillet and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened and lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach and tomatoes and sauté until spinach is nearly wilted, about 1 minute.

Season the eggs with salt and pepper and whisk in splash of milk and the goat cheese. Pour egg-mixture over the veggies in the skillet and use spatula to combine all ingredients. Bake on medium to low heat for about 15 minutes ( *While cooking run spatula around the edges of the pan to assure frittata isn’t sticking), until the frittata is nearly set. Place on middle rack under broiler just for a few minutes to complete cooking process and brown the top.

Slide the spinach and goat cheese frittata onto a cutting board or serving tray, cut it into wedges and serve at once. Serves about 4.

Prosciutto and Brie Sandwiches

This is an easy yet delicious recipe for the busy fall time that will take a few minutes to prepare!

We have a new cheese shop in our neighborhood and the one time I've been there, I had a great sandwich that I knew I had to duplicate at home since it was $8 at the cheese shop!

We've now done it a couple of times and it's super simple. Just get some good bread, (I've used both a sourdough baguette and fresh sourdough bread but whatever you choose is fine) put a some proscuttio and brie on it (no need to take the rind off) and put it under the broiler until it toasts up. No need for anything else because those three ingredients are so flavorful.

Mmmmm, it's good! Try it with some fresh fruit on the side since it's sort of a salty/creamy combination. Also, a neighbor friend used the same idea and made an appetizer using crackers rather than bread and she said they were a hit.

Favorite Fall Dessert - Pumpkin Dip

I'm not sure that this is 100% my favorite fall dessert but it is delish and super easy to make! I got the recipe from a girl at work. You can pair it with Graham Cracker sticks or whatever suits you.

1 15oz can of pumpkin
1 5oz package of instant vanilla pudding (don't actually make the pudding, just use the powder)
1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
1 8oz container of cool whip

Mix the first 3 ingredients together & then fold in the Cool whip. Chill it for a few hours.

Broccoli Casserole

This casserole shows up at every single one of my family's holiday celebrations plus several other times during the year when we just want something warm and delicious. Comfort food, indeed.

Ingredients
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8 oz. jar of Cheez Whiz
1/2 - 3/4 bag of frozen broccoli (thawed)
1 - 2 cups of Minute Rice
1/2 cup celery (diced)
1/2 cup onion (diced)

Instructions
Mix soups and Cheez Whiz in casserole dish. Mix in vegetables. Mix in rice. Bake at 300 degrees for one hour. Cover with foil for the first 30 minutes, then uncovered for the remaining time.

Bistro Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

Here's a tasty pasta dish I found by lurking online. It's from Erica in Utah.


Ingredients

*4 C penne pasta

*1 C halved grape or cherry tomatoes

*1 4 oz. package crumbled feta cheese

*1 C Italian seasoned dressing (Dry packet of dressing, prepared. Not the bottled stuff.)

*1/3 C fresh basil leaves (torn)

*1/4 C chopped red onion

*1/4 C chopped sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil)

*2 chicken breasts cooked & cut into strips

Instructions

Toss together and enjoy hot or cold.

Bacon and Green Onion Tortilla Roll-Ups

The secret to any great appetizer is cream cheese and a packet of ranch dressing mix. This appetizer is a testimony to that.

Ingredients
1 package flour tortillas
1 block of cream cheese
1 package dry ranch dressing mix
2 bunches of green onions (chopped)
2 jars of real bacon bits
1 package shredded cheese (I like sharp cheddar)

Instructions
Mix together the cream cheese and ranch dressing mix. Spread the mixture onto the tortilla shells. Sprinkle the green onions, bacon bits and shredded cheese on top. Roll up the tortilla shell. Repeat until you run out of ingredients. Refrigerate overnight. Cut the roll ups into bite-sized pieces. Eat a couple before you set them out for others. :) Then, eat a couple more. They are bite-sized after all.

The secret here really is the cream cheese and ranch dressing mix. Play around with the fixins as you see fit. I've had one with olives that was quite delicious.

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

This dip is super easy and delicious but be sure to cook this dip in a preheated oven. If it warms slowly it tends to separate and get oily. Serve this dip on crackers, toasted Italian bread, or crunchy veggies.

1 drained can of water packed artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
1 cup of mayonnaise (you can substitute cream cheese but I would advise against the use of miracle whip)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (use the good stuff not the green can)
1 box of frozen spinach, thaw and squeeze out as much liquid as possible
1 clove of garlic, minced fine

Combine all ingredients in a pretty and oven safe dish. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until bubbly.