I will do a whole post about Cranberry Chutney when we get closer to Thanksgiving. It's become my signature item on the big day, but it's equally as wonderful with roast pork, chicken or turkey. I got this recipe from a friend many years ago and my only tweak has been to consistently double the recipe. So here's my version, amd sometimes I even double this. The ginger in it acts as a preservative so it keeps for weeks at the back of the fridge. It's also a wonderful hostess gift this time of year, in a nice glass jar.
1 bag fresh cranberries, rinsed & picked over
1 7 oz bag dried apricots, roughly chopped
1 1/2 C brown sugar, packed
2/3 C dried currants
1/4 minced fresh ginger (peel it and then put into food processor until finely chopped)
1/4 C apple or cranberry juice (or water)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne
Combine it all in a large, heavy bottomed sauce pan and heat over medium until all of the sugar is melted and glossy (no visible grains when you stir). Turn up the heat and bring to a rolling boil. Allow it to boil hard for 3 full minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool in a glass bowl.
PORK ROAST:
I was thinking of a more "roasty" roast, but all they has was a loin. So I'm going to coat the outside with pepper, sage, salt and thyme and then sear it in a heavy cast iron pan on all sides. Then into the oven at 375 for about an hour (I use a meat thermometer and follow the instructions on it).
STUFFING:
This is how my grandmother made it, except she made her own breading. I buy the Pepperidge Farm cubes. Everything else is same:
1 stick butter
1 white onion, finely chopped
3-4 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 eggs - scrambled
Bread cubes
SAGE
Salt & Pepper
Saute the onion & celery in the butter. Pour the bread into a large bowl, pour over the butter & onions/celery. Stir to coat everything in the butter. Pour over the raw eggs and season with sage (1-2 tsp) and then ground pepper (put in pepper until you think "that's too much" then do a bit more) and a bit of salt. If the cubes are still really dry you can add in some chicken broth but my husband HATES soggy bread so I usually err on the side of drier stuffing.
Put the stuffing into a casserole dish, cover tightly with foil and bake alongside the pork. Yummers.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
This weeks menu!
It is finally cool enough to cook like it's autumn. Yay!
Sunday: Pork Roast with stuffing and cranberry chutney
A simple pork roast seared then roasted in the oven until it's tender. Served with a simple sage/bread stuffing and cranberry chutney.
Monday: White Chicken Chili
A little prep on Sunday night and then this simmers all day. Perfect after a late season soccer game when topped with sour cream, cheese and Fritos!
Tuesday: "Restaurant Night"
We call it "Restaurant Night" because that sounds so much fancier than "Leftovers" - and everyone gets to pick their favorite so it's like a restaurant.
Wednesday: Ratatouille Pasta
I'll prep most of the Ratatouille ahead of time then let it rest. On Wednesday, we just cook the pasta, toss in the cheese & veggies and it's a wonderful, quick weeknight meal.
Thursday: Brisket Nachos
We got some leftover smoked brisket from a friend. It will hold in the freezer a few days and then we use it to top black bean & corn nachos with a smoky twist. This is a definite fan favorite!
Sunday: Pork Roast with stuffing and cranberry chutney
A simple pork roast seared then roasted in the oven until it's tender. Served with a simple sage/bread stuffing and cranberry chutney.
Monday: White Chicken Chili
A little prep on Sunday night and then this simmers all day. Perfect after a late season soccer game when topped with sour cream, cheese and Fritos!
Tuesday: "Restaurant Night"
We call it "Restaurant Night" because that sounds so much fancier than "Leftovers" - and everyone gets to pick their favorite so it's like a restaurant.
Wednesday: Ratatouille Pasta
I'll prep most of the Ratatouille ahead of time then let it rest. On Wednesday, we just cook the pasta, toss in the cheese & veggies and it's a wonderful, quick weeknight meal.
Thursday: Brisket Nachos
We got some leftover smoked brisket from a friend. It will hold in the freezer a few days and then we use it to top black bean & corn nachos with a smoky twist. This is a definite fan favorite!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Chicken Soup
My husband has a cold. This is the male equivalent of a woman dealing with the flu, breast cancer and malaria. At the same time. Needless to say, he is laid low for the weekend by the sniffles. In an attempt to revive him for his poker game tonight (and rescue my chick-flick night with our daughter) I am making him chicken soup.
Seems like it could be handy this time of year so here's a bonus Saturday recipe for you:
1 whole chicken cut up (if you can get a "roasting chicken" it should have more flavor than a fryer and you could probably ask your butcher to cut it up... or go all caveman/Julia Child like I did today with the bonus of truly horrifying any nearby first graders by butchering the chicken yourself.)
I also added an extra package of chicken breasts because the meat will be so yummy and I like a LOT of chicken in my chicken soup... OKAY - so:, start by making the broth:
Chicken parts - bones & skin intact
1 onion - skin & all - just wedge it
3 carrots - cut in half (or just the tops/bottoms - saving the good parts for later)
bottom & tops of a bunch of celery (save the salks for the actual soup)
1 TB whole peppercorns
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coriander seeds (optional)
5-6 whole cloves (optional)
2-3 smashed garlic cloves
Put all ingredients into a large, heavy bottomed stock pot, fill with COLD water to just cover everything. Cover and place over med-high heat. As soon as it starts to boil, turn it back to simmer and simmer about 45 minutes.
As it boils, there will be a frothy scum on the top - that's perfectly normal. Just scoop it off and toss it away.
after 35-45 min, pull out the "good" pieces of chicken (breasts, thighs) and set aside. Allow the rest to come back up to a good simmer and cook another 45 min or so.
When the "good" chicken is cooled, pull it from the bone and set aside (in fridge).
Once the broth has cooked and the chicken is falling apart, veggies are super soft/over-cooked, pull out as many large bits as you can and throw them away.
Strain the broth (cheese cloth works great but just passing it through a strainer would be okay too) into a bowl or other pot. Throw away the solids.
Clean out the pot you started with. In some butter, at the bottom of the pan, saute:
1 onion chopped fine
3-4 stalks celery, chopped fine
3-4 carrots chopped fine
once the veggies are translucent, pour in the chicken stock and add some additional veggies (all of these are optional):
1 chopped red pepper
1 handful green beans chopped
1 C frozen corn
1 zucchini chopped
1 poblano pepper
Sm bag of cheesecloth with: rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley, tarragon or whatever is left in your garden. Or - if you have whole/fresh herbs, tie them with some kitchen twine.
Simmer all together for 10 min, add back in the original chicken and simmer another 10 min.
Remove the boquet garni and serve over freshly cooked noodles.
Okay - here's a weird thing of min, and you can do what you want here. You CAN add the noodles right into the soup and simmer until they're soft (about 10-15 min). This is great, tastes fantastic and works beautifully that first day. However, I find that the noodles don't hold up very well even until the next day, let alone if you freeze the soup. So... I like to actually cook the pasta separately in very salty water and add them to the bowls and then pour the soup over the noodles. But you're free to do whatever you want here. It's really just my OCD tendencies that drive me to do this extra annoying step.
Happy eating!!
Seems like it could be handy this time of year so here's a bonus Saturday recipe for you:
1 whole chicken cut up (if you can get a "roasting chicken" it should have more flavor than a fryer and you could probably ask your butcher to cut it up... or go all caveman/Julia Child like I did today with the bonus of truly horrifying any nearby first graders by butchering the chicken yourself.)
I also added an extra package of chicken breasts because the meat will be so yummy and I like a LOT of chicken in my chicken soup... OKAY - so:, start by making the broth:
Chicken parts - bones & skin intact
1 onion - skin & all - just wedge it
3 carrots - cut in half (or just the tops/bottoms - saving the good parts for later)
bottom & tops of a bunch of celery (save the salks for the actual soup)
1 TB whole peppercorns
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coriander seeds (optional)
5-6 whole cloves (optional)
2-3 smashed garlic cloves
Put all ingredients into a large, heavy bottomed stock pot, fill with COLD water to just cover everything. Cover and place over med-high heat. As soon as it starts to boil, turn it back to simmer and simmer about 45 minutes.
As it boils, there will be a frothy scum on the top - that's perfectly normal. Just scoop it off and toss it away.
after 35-45 min, pull out the "good" pieces of chicken (breasts, thighs) and set aside. Allow the rest to come back up to a good simmer and cook another 45 min or so.
When the "good" chicken is cooled, pull it from the bone and set aside (in fridge).
Once the broth has cooked and the chicken is falling apart, veggies are super soft/over-cooked, pull out as many large bits as you can and throw them away.
Strain the broth (cheese cloth works great but just passing it through a strainer would be okay too) into a bowl or other pot. Throw away the solids.
Clean out the pot you started with. In some butter, at the bottom of the pan, saute:
1 onion chopped fine
3-4 stalks celery, chopped fine
3-4 carrots chopped fine
once the veggies are translucent, pour in the chicken stock and add some additional veggies (all of these are optional):
1 chopped red pepper
1 handful green beans chopped
1 C frozen corn
1 zucchini chopped
1 poblano pepper
Sm bag of cheesecloth with: rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley, tarragon or whatever is left in your garden. Or - if you have whole/fresh herbs, tie them with some kitchen twine.
Simmer all together for 10 min, add back in the original chicken and simmer another 10 min.
Remove the boquet garni and serve over freshly cooked noodles.
Okay - here's a weird thing of min, and you can do what you want here. You CAN add the noodles right into the soup and simmer until they're soft (about 10-15 min). This is great, tastes fantastic and works beautifully that first day. However, I find that the noodles don't hold up very well even until the next day, let alone if you freeze the soup. So... I like to actually cook the pasta separately in very salty water and add them to the bowls and then pour the soup over the noodles. But you're free to do whatever you want here. It's really just my OCD tendencies that drive me to do this extra annoying step.
Happy eating!!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
My Mom's Cheddar Cheese Soup
This soup makes me happy. It just does. It's nothing like "Beer Cheese Soup", which I happen to find very thick, gloppy and kind of gross. This is fairly light and full of yummy vegetables. I like the flavor of chicken broth in the base, but you could use vegetable broth or (like my mom) use water. It's super easy and very adaptable. Also a GREAT way to use up the little bits of vegetables that you have left over at the end of the week!
3 C Boiling Water (you get to use that fancy kettle!)
1/4 Onion (finely chopped) (mom uses the dried onion in a bottle, but I prefer fresh )
1/4 C Butter
1/4 C flour
2 C milk
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
VEGGIES - chopped to bite sized, whatever floats your boat but here's what's going into my soup: asparagus, green beans, corn, red pepper, zucchini, red potato, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, celery and maybe a jalapeno (if it isn't squashy - it's leftover from last week)
Bring the stock (or water) to a boil and toss in all veggies except the onion. cover and simmer for 10 minutes. DO NOT DRAIN!
In a separate sauce pan, saute the onions in the butter until translucent. Add the flour and cook for about a minute (just to get that raw floury flavor cooked out) then slowly add in the milk and stir until all the lumps are gone and it's a thick, velvety sauce. Add the shredded cheddar cheese to this sauce and stir in until all lovely and melted (mouth is watering). Pour the cheese sauce into the soup and mix to combine. Let it come to hot, but NOT BOILING.
Serve with a nice, hot loaf of crusty bread and a little pot of butter.
And a big glass of wine.
About all of those veggies: I literally grab one or two of things. Like, 1 potato (and it's small), I've got some leftover carrots & celery. I held back a few stalks of asparagus from dinner earlier this week -- but if you do use a TON of veggies and it's too much veg to broth - just increase things proportionally. I will often do this with 1/3 C each of the butter/flour and increase it to 3 cups of milk and add an extra handful of cheese.
This is a VERY forgiving recipe. You can use whatever you have on hand and alter to suit. I happen to have some left over thyme in my fridge so I'll add some of that - but whatever works for you and you happen to have handy, will probably taste excellent.
3 C Boiling Water (you get to use that fancy kettle!)
1/4 Onion (finely chopped) (mom uses the dried onion in a bottle, but I prefer fresh )
1/4 C Butter
1/4 C flour
2 C milk
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
VEGGIES - chopped to bite sized, whatever floats your boat but here's what's going into my soup: asparagus, green beans, corn, red pepper, zucchini, red potato, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, celery and maybe a jalapeno (if it isn't squashy - it's leftover from last week)
Bring the stock (or water) to a boil and toss in all veggies except the onion. cover and simmer for 10 minutes. DO NOT DRAIN!
In a separate sauce pan, saute the onions in the butter until translucent. Add the flour and cook for about a minute (just to get that raw floury flavor cooked out) then slowly add in the milk and stir until all the lumps are gone and it's a thick, velvety sauce. Add the shredded cheddar cheese to this sauce and stir in until all lovely and melted (mouth is watering). Pour the cheese sauce into the soup and mix to combine. Let it come to hot, but NOT BOILING.
Serve with a nice, hot loaf of crusty bread and a little pot of butter.
And a big glass of wine.
About all of those veggies: I literally grab one or two of things. Like, 1 potato (and it's small), I've got some leftover carrots & celery. I held back a few stalks of asparagus from dinner earlier this week -- but if you do use a TON of veggies and it's too much veg to broth - just increase things proportionally. I will often do this with 1/3 C each of the butter/flour and increase it to 3 cups of milk and add an extra handful of cheese.
This is a VERY forgiving recipe. You can use whatever you have on hand and alter to suit. I happen to have some left over thyme in my fridge so I'll add some of that - but whatever works for you and you happen to have handy, will probably taste excellent.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Chicken Parmesan
Mmmm... it's like chicken nuggets for grown ups. Everyone loves this stuff... and it's actually pretty easy, just a little prep work, a few extra dishes and some planning but it's SO worth it.
Heat oven to 375 & start the water for the pasta
1 Pkg boneless/skinless chicken breasts - trim & pound these so they're an even thickness
2 eggs - beaten
1/2 C flour (season with salt & pepper)
1/2 C breadcrumbs (seasoned or add some Italian seasoning - thyme, oregano, basil)
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
1 jar pasta sauce
1 box spaghetti
mozzarella (fresh or shreds or slices - whatever you've got handy)
put out three shallow bowl:
A): flour, salt & pepper
B): 2 eggs beaten
C): breadcrumbs & cheese
dip your trimmed, pounded chicken into the flour so there's just the slightest coating over the whole piece. Then into the egg, making sure it's fully coated, and then into the breadcrumb mixture. This is very messy and I find that tongs are the best tool for me.
Lay your coated chicken out on cookie sheet and repeat with the rest of the chicken. Bake for 15 minutes then flip the chicken. The chicken should be cooked through - if so go ahead & top each piece with a spoonfull of spaghetti sauce, then top with fresh mozzarella cheese and pop back into the oven for 5-10 min (cheese should be bubbly). If you find that the chicken isn't quite done at that 15 minutes, flip it, pop it back in the oven for 5-10 min before the sauce/cheese step.
While the chicken is baking, get the pasta in the water and heat up your spaghetti sauce.
Drain the pasta & toss with the remaining spaghetti sauce. Serve the chicken next to the pasta, add a salad and maybe some garlic bread if you're "carbing up" and enjoy!
Heat oven to 375 & start the water for the pasta
1 Pkg boneless/skinless chicken breasts - trim & pound these so they're an even thickness
2 eggs - beaten
1/2 C flour (season with salt & pepper)
1/2 C breadcrumbs (seasoned or add some Italian seasoning - thyme, oregano, basil)
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
1 jar pasta sauce
1 box spaghetti
mozzarella (fresh or shreds or slices - whatever you've got handy)
put out three shallow bowl:
A): flour, salt & pepper
B): 2 eggs beaten
C): breadcrumbs & cheese
dip your trimmed, pounded chicken into the flour so there's just the slightest coating over the whole piece. Then into the egg, making sure it's fully coated, and then into the breadcrumb mixture. This is very messy and I find that tongs are the best tool for me.
Lay your coated chicken out on cookie sheet and repeat with the rest of the chicken. Bake for 15 minutes then flip the chicken. The chicken should be cooked through - if so go ahead & top each piece with a spoonfull of spaghetti sauce, then top with fresh mozzarella cheese and pop back into the oven for 5-10 min (cheese should be bubbly). If you find that the chicken isn't quite done at that 15 minutes, flip it, pop it back in the oven for 5-10 min before the sauce/cheese step.
While the chicken is baking, get the pasta in the water and heat up your spaghetti sauce.
Drain the pasta & toss with the remaining spaghetti sauce. Serve the chicken next to the pasta, add a salad and maybe some garlic bread if you're "carbing up" and enjoy!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Pasta Fagioli - Crockpot version
I found this online somewhere a year or so ago and have tweaked only slightly...
Brown up a pound of ground beef (or turkey)
add a diced onion and cook until onion is translucent then put into crockpot with the following ingredients:
1 can Cannelini beans (rinse/drain)
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
1 C leftover spaghetti sauce (or small can of Ragu or tomato sauce with the Italian herbs)
3 carrots - chopped
3 ribs celery - chopped
1 box of beef broth
1 tsp EACH: oregano, thyme, parsley
cook on low for 8 hours.
When you get home, add 1/2 box of pasta shells, crank the heat up to high for 30 minutes. The pasta will have cooked and soaked up much of the broth.
Serve with a salad and a nice, hot loaf of Italian bread.
SO satisfying after a soccer game on a chilly night!
Brown up a pound of ground beef (or turkey)
add a diced onion and cook until onion is translucent then put into crockpot with the following ingredients:
1 can Cannelini beans (rinse/drain)
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
1 C leftover spaghetti sauce (or small can of Ragu or tomato sauce with the Italian herbs)
3 carrots - chopped
3 ribs celery - chopped
1 box of beef broth
1 tsp EACH: oregano, thyme, parsley
cook on low for 8 hours.
When you get home, add 1/2 box of pasta shells, crank the heat up to high for 30 minutes. The pasta will have cooked and soaked up much of the broth.
Serve with a salad and a nice, hot loaf of Italian bread.
SO satisfying after a soccer game on a chilly night!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Tandoori Chicken
I think I mentioned that I found this in Family Circle magazine a year or so ago. They had you do it in chunks and skewer it, but that's a bit too much effort most evenings. So I just do the whole chicken breasts and then chunk them after cooking.
1 pkg boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 TB minced Garlic
1 TB crushed Ginger
2 TB Canola Oil
1 TB (or to taste) Curry Powder
Mix all the above together and let sit for 5-10 min while you start the rice, heat the grill, etc.
Make one pot brown rice (I make the 45 minute kind so plan accordingly - but whatever works for you).
Take 1 bunch of asparagus, trim the ends & wash it well. Drizzle with olive oil and grill - just until bright green with little char marks.
While the chicken is grilling and the rice is cooking, take 1 cup (1 carton) of plain, fat free yogurt and add the zest & juice of one lime. Mix well & set aside.
Bring the chicken in off the grill and allow to rest for 3-5 minutes then chop the chicken and asparagus into bite sized pieces. Put the rice in a shallow bowl, top with chicken & asparagus then a good dollop of the sauce.
Enjoy!!!
1 pkg boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 TB minced Garlic
1 TB crushed Ginger
2 TB Canola Oil
1 TB (or to taste) Curry Powder
Mix all the above together and let sit for 5-10 min while you start the rice, heat the grill, etc.
Make one pot brown rice (I make the 45 minute kind so plan accordingly - but whatever works for you).
Take 1 bunch of asparagus, trim the ends & wash it well. Drizzle with olive oil and grill - just until bright green with little char marks.
While the chicken is grilling and the rice is cooking, take 1 cup (1 carton) of plain, fat free yogurt and add the zest & juice of one lime. Mix well & set aside.
Bring the chicken in off the grill and allow to rest for 3-5 minutes then chop the chicken and asparagus into bite sized pieces. Put the rice in a shallow bowl, top with chicken & asparagus then a good dollop of the sauce.
Enjoy!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)