Roast Chicken with Rosemary on an Onion Bed with Smashed Butternut Squash and Potatoes

Here is a link to the exact recipe!

I started this recipe by heating EVOO in a cast iron skillet and adding quartered onions.

While that was browning, I took chicken thighs and loosened the skin on them.  I made a compound butter out of softened butter, rosemary, anchovy paste, and garlic and evenly placed it under the skin of the chicken.

After that, I drizzled them with EVOO, salt, and pepper.

Once the chicken was prepared, I turned back to the browned onions and added bay leaves, and white wine.  Then I arranged the chicken to the top and put in a 450° oven for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes, I turned the oven down to 375° and roasted for another 15 minutes....or 20.

Once the chicken was in the oven, I put peeled and chopped butternut squash and potatoes in water and boiled them until they were tender.

Then, I drained them and mashed them with salt, pepper, ground nutmeg, milk, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.  The recipe called for lemon zest, but SOMEONE went to the store to get a lemon and they come back 20 minutes later. :-)

Finally, I served us a plate of chicken and pan drippings (sauce) from the pan with a good helping of the mashed potatoes and butternut squash!

We really liked this dish, especially the potato mash.  They were very yummy with that white wine pan sauce! I will be making these again for Alex, because he liked them and it is a very simple way to hide veggies so that kids get better nutrition!

Oops I Did It Again...

Well, at least I was up to date on this project until March, right? I figure the best thing to do is just give up and keep on cooking country food slathered in gravy.  I don't have the money or a local Publix to keep cooking these recipes that call for things like fresh flat leaf parsley, anchovy paste, ziti pasta, or butternut squash.  SO I QUIT!  Just kidding!  I don't give up that easy.  To make it up to myself, I am making THREE recipes this week.  I will make Chicken Cordon Bleu, Roast Chicken with Rosemary on an Onion Bed with Smashed Butternut Squash and Potatoes, and Two Day Kosher Salt Chicken with Asparagus and Potato and Parsnip Cakes.  These are the 3 recipes that I was intending to make the last 3 weeks in that order, even though I won't cook them in that order! So....let me go get started!

 

I'm Sorry!

If you have even noticed, I didn't post a recipe last week. :-( Well, I did certainly try!  My recipe was Chicken Cordon Bleu.  The very first step was to butterfly and pound out 2 chicken breasts.  At my attempt to do so, the chicken looked like it was put through...well, a paper shredder.  Since it was late at night and I couldn't get more chicken, I shoved everything back in the fridge and pouted on the couch.  So, I do intend on trying that recipe one day soon!  When I do, I will blog about it.  And, I will probably recommend buying them already butterflied...or perhaps recommend chicken breasts that come from hormone injected chickens that grow to the size of a turkey.

Mac 'n' Cheese with Parsnips and Roasted Cauliflower

Here is a link to the exact recipe, which I halved!

To start this recipe, a combined a small amount of EVOO with a couple of chopped garlic cloves and let them cook over a low flame for about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, I prepared the roasted cauliflower.  I broke up 1/3 of the head of cauliflower on a cookie sheet and doused it with a cap full of lemon juice, salt, pepper, thyme, and 3 Tbs of the garlic infused EVOO.

Once they were in a 400° oven for 20 minutes, a boiled a peeled and diced parsnip in salted water until tender.

Then, I boiled a 1/2 lb of Ziti noodles

To make the cheese sauce, I combined the remaining garlic infused EVOO to a saucepan and added 1 1/2 Tbs of butter and let that melt. 

Then I added 2 Tbs of flour and let it cook for a minute.  Next, I added 1/2 cup of stock and a cup of milk (actually I added more than that on accident, but 1/2 c is what I was supposed to add).  Once that thickened, I added some ground nutmeg, salt, pepper, Gruyere cheese, and the parsnips and garlic from the oil (after I pureed them).

Once the cauliflower roasted, a covered the flowerettes with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and let it roast for 5 more minutes.  Finally, I mixed the cheese mixture with the drained ziti noodles and plated!

Darren and I both gave it an A.  Even though I think I messed up the measurements and didn't add enough cheese.  This was a good recipe for hiding vegetables for your kids, because I didn't noticed the parsnips.  However, Alex may have.  He spit out the cheesy ziti noodle and gagged on the cauliflower.

Toastachos

Here is a link to the exact recipe!

To start this recipe, I fried a couple of corn tortillas in a thin layer or canola oil on each side. Then, I set them to the side and salted to them.

Meanwhile, I started the meat mixture by browning 1/2 lb of ground beef (I halved the recipe) in a skillet.

Then, I added half a small diced onion, a clove of minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, ground coriander, salt and pepper.  The recipe called for a jalapeño, but I didn't have one.

I stirred the meat mixture and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.  Next, I added a tablespoon of tomato paste and a splash of beef broth and let it simmer just enough to stay heated.

While that was staying warm in the skillet, I moved to making a cheese sauce for the topping.  I made a roux of 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of flour and let it cook for about a minute.  Than I added about 2/3 c of milk and let it thicken.  Once thickened, I added a cup of extra sharp cheddar cheese (I probably should have added some more though!).

I stirred it thoroughly and plated!  To each fried corn tortilla, a layered the beef mixture, the cheese sauce, some homemade salsa (the recipe called for pico de gallo, but I made fresh salsa that day), sour cream, and for Darren, jalapeños.

We loved it!  Darren said "Rachael Ray made this up?  This tastes like something you would make up!  I give it an A + +." I would make this any day, because it is simple and only took 45 minutes from start to finish (including prep). Of course, anyone that knows me knows that I love anything that even hints of Mexican food!

Pork Chops with Tomato Gracy and Biscuits

Here is a link to the exact recipe!

To start this recipe, I got the "biscuits" ready.  The recipe called for 1 8 oz box of biscuit mix, such as Jiffy.  I thought to myself, "Well, self....you have Jiffy mix."  I didn't realize until I was mixing it that it was Jiffy Corn Muffin mix instead of Jiffy Biscuit mix.  Oh well....It was too late then.  So, I prepared the corn muffin mix according to the instructions on the box and added a tsp of ground cayenne pepper.

 They baked in a muffin pan for about 15-20 minutes.  Meanwhile, I melted butter in a skillet and added a diced onion, bell pepper, celery, jalapeño, salt. pepper, and garlic.

Those sauteed while I prepared the pork chops.  I seasoned the chops with salt and pepper and browned on both sides.

Then, I put them in the oven to finish baking off.  Next, I added a can of Rotel, 1/2 c. of chicken stock and a sprinkle of flour into the sauteed vegetables.  Once they were simmering, I added 1/2 cup of cream to the skillet and let it thicken for about 10 minutes.

Finally, the corn muffins, pork chops, and gravy was done.  I plated my wonderful husband and I a dish and we ate it happily!
 

 

This meal was delicious!  Even though we were supposed to have a biscuit instead of a corn muffin, Darren really liked it.  He loves spicy foods and said, "If it was supposed to be any different, you shouldn't have told me.  I think it is good!"  I thought it was to spicy.  We both loved the pork chop and gravy.  In fact, we both gave it an A.  There was some left over gravy, and I may try it on chicken another day!

Meatball-Stuffed Peppers with Spinach and Garlic

Here is the link to the recipe!

The very first thing I did for this recipe was make the homemade tomato sauce.  I added 2 TBS of EVOO and 2 sliced cloves of garlic to a saucepan and let them cook for a couple of minutes. 

Then, I added 1 large can of San Marzano tomatoes, a 14oz can of diced tomatoes, a half of an onion, a bay leaf, salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar.  I broke up the tomatoes with a potato masher and  let the sauce simmer and thicken for about 30 minutes.

Next, I prepared the peppers.  The recipe called for 4 large red bell peppers.  Well, I had one.  To keep from spending an outrageous amount on bell peppers just because they were red, I got some small green ones out of the freezer from last years gardening season. :-) I drizzled them with EVOO, salt, and pepper, and roasted them in the oven for 20 minutes.

While the sauce and peppers were cooking, I took 4 slices of bread and cut the crusts off and soaked them in milk.

This recipe called for ground veal or lamb, which is outrageously expensive.  So, I just used good ole ground beef instead.  I browned 1 lb of ground beef with 4 cloves of minced garlic.  This gave the beef a completely different aroma than it usually does.

Once the meat was browned, I let it drain and cool. I wrung out the bread and crumbled it into crumbles.  I added the bread to the ground beef, along with 2 slightly beaten eggs, a box of frozen spinach (thawed and drained), salt, pepper, 1/2 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and a cup of the tomato sauce.

I mixed thoroughly and filled the peppers with the mixture (I had to add another small pepper to the mixture).  Lastly, I poured the remainder of the tomato sauce around and over the tomatoes and sprinkled with a little more cheese.  These baked in the oven for 20 more minutes.

Then we plated and ate!

This recipe was delicious!  Darren and I both gave it an A.  Darren said "I hate spinach, but I love this!" However, I had to wash 2 large loads of dishes when I was done.  I would probably just make it easier by using a can of diced tomatoes with the spices already in it and a can of tomato sauce instead of making my own sauce.  I could also spread this recipe out a lot by adding more beef and using up a lot of those bell peppers in the freezer! I would definitely recommend this recipe because it was great tasting and is a good way to get my husband to eat more vegetable! :-)