Double-High Turkey & Portobello Melts

Double-High Turkey & Portobello Patty Melts- link to recipe in which I halved.

For the sake of argument, I am going to say that my week goes from Monday to Sunday.  Therefore, I have not skipped a week.  I have had a busy week and not had much time to go all the way to Publix to buy the ingredients for this recipe.  Anyway, here is this weeks recipe just in time! ;-)

For these patty melts, I started by adding grated onion, chives, parsley, dijon mustard, Worcestershire, and poultry seasoning to 3/4 lb of ground turkey breast (pretty expensive I may add).

Once thoroughly mixed and formed into 2 patties, I browned them each on both sides for a total of 10 minutes in cast iron skillet on medium/high heat.

 

Meanwhile, I prepared the mushrooms.  I sliced 2 Portobello mushroom caps into 1/4" slices and added them to a heated skillet with 3 TBS of EVOO.  I let them brown for 10 minutes and then deglazed the pan with white wine (I didn't have the sherry the recipe called for) and Iadded fresh thyme, salt, pepper, and a thinly sliced onion (the recipe called for a shallot in which I can never find).

While the turkey patties and mushrooms were going their thing, I sliced a fresh loaf of sourdough bread into thick slices.  Once the patties were browned and the mushrooms were done, I assembled the patty melts. To the sliced bread, I added a slice of Swiss cheese, a turkey burger, half of the mushroom mixture to each patty melt.

Lastly, I buttered each side and fried on both sides until nice and browned.

After browned on both sides, I sliced them in half and served them with a claussen pickle.

The results are this: Darren and I both gave it a B.  There was a very strong thyme taste that overpowered all other flavors of the dish.  In Darren's exact words, "It would be real good if you took that pine tree out of it."  We would both be glad to eat it again if I reduced the thyme by half.  The melt was huge.  Hence, the name "Double-High".  Other than the overpowering thyme flavor, it was kind difficult to eat because it was so thick.  On a final note, I would make it again...of course that would be when the price of ground turkey breast goes down from $7 a pound!

Hungarian Roasted Pepper and Paprika Chicken

Tonight, I decided to make the chicken dish that Rachel Ray made last week, Hungarian Roasted Pepper and Paprika Chicken.

First, I started by roasting 2 green bell peppers and 1 red chili pepper on the gas eye of the stove.  The recipe called for red bell peppers, but of course I couldn't find those in our tiny town.

Once those were blackened, I put them in a bowl and covered them with saran wrap to cool.  Meanwhile, I chopped a small onion, 2 cloves of garlic, and some parsley and thyme and added those to a blender with 1 cup of chicken stock (which I made by myself and froze by the way :-)).   I blended the ingredients until they were pureed.

Next, I heated 2 TBS of EVOO in a skillet and browned salt and peppered chicken breasts on both sides.

Meanwhile, I also set a pot of water to boil for some noodles and another saucepan to make the sauce.  In the saucepan, I melted 3 TBS of butter and added 3 TBS of flour to make a roux.

To the roux, I added 1 cup of milk, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of sour cream.  I thickened this sauce and then added 3 TBS of paprika and the roasted pepper puree.

Once I blended the sauce, I placed the chicken in my Rachel Ray browning dish (because I rock like that) and covered it with the homemade roasted pepper sauce and covered with shredded Gouda cheese.  Then, I placed the dish in the oven to continue baking for 20 minutes.

  


P.S.  I was to lazy to take out the pizza  stone, so I just sat the dish on top of it.  Oh well.








While the chicken was baking, I added wide egg noodles to the boiling water and boiled until they were tender.  Then, I drained them and added a heaping tablespoon of poppy seeds, 4 Tbs of butter, and 1/4 cup of chopped green onions.  The recipe called for chives, but I didn't have them nor couldn't find them.

Here is what it looks like all plated up!!!

The sauce made way too much for 5 small pieces of chicken breast, so I froze the rest for another day.  The same goes for the cheese.

My uncle, husband, and I ate this dish and we all liked it very much.  Darren and I both gave it an A and my Uncle Ed ate 2 plates (even though he claims not to eat carbs (-;) and said the it tasted very good.  The noodles were very good with the sauce and the chicken covered in cheese and sauce is good in my book ANY day of the week.  Would I make this again?  Of course!  Especially since the hardest and most time consuming part is already in my freezer! :-)

Chicken Vesuvio

Rachel Ray's Chicken Vesuvio

This is the recipe that started it all!  She made this recipe during the last week of December, and it was during this episode that I decided to do this project.  It looked so tasty, and I knew that I would probably just add it to a pile of recipes that I would NEVER make.  So, this bog was born! :-)

I halved the recipe and here is how it goes.

I started by getting my roasting pan out and washing it (Hehehe, it was covered it DUST!).  I put it on the large middle eye of my stove and covered the bottom with about 1/4 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) and heated it over med/high heat.  Then, I added 2 large potatoes each cut into 6 wedges and covered them with fresh ground salt and course ground pepper.

After the potato wedges browned on each side for 10 minutes, I added 6 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 seeded and quartered red chili pepper, 1 TBS or oregano, and 1 bay leaf and let it cook for an additional 4 minutes.

Once that was finished, I took it all out of the skillet and added 8 chicken legs and thighs.  The meat was then covered in fresh ground pepper and kosher salt.  I browned these on both sides for a total time of about 25 minutes.

When the chicken was done, I took it out of the skillet and deglazed the pan with a cup of chicken stock and 1/3 bottle of dry white wine (I googled that, and found out that Sauvignon Blanc fit that category.  Also, I love Sutter Home! :-))

Once the yummy little bits were scraped up from the pan, I added everything back to the roasting pan.  Finally, it went into the oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes to finish cooking.

The recipe called for serving this recipe with ciabatta rolls.  Well, I couldn't find that.  Instead, I got some submarine sandwich rolls and toasted them up in my warming drawer for sopping up the yummy juices.  After 35 minutes of the chicken cooking, I added 2 Tbs of butter and 1/2 cup of frozen sweet peas and let it cook for 5 more minutes.

Here is the final result:

It was DELICIOUS!  I took a plate to my mom and she said that it was very good!  She even used a spoon to drink up some of the yummy juice! Darren gave it an A+ and turned his bowl up to get all the juice out of the bottom.  Personally, I thought it was fantastic, and I would be more that happy to make it again.  I am sure that this is my favorite so far!

Cast Iron Steaks and Bacon-Wrapped Potato Skins

All day long, I was thinking about this recipe and how good it sounded!  So, I sent Darren to the supermarket to buy the steaks and I went to my mom's house and sweet talked her out of one of her prized cast-iron skillets. :-)

First, I started by covering a large baking potato in EVOO, salt and pepper and placing it in the oven for 40 minutes at 400 degrees.  Once it finished baking and cooled, I scooped out all of the middle into a bowl.

The recipe called for sharp white cheddar cheese, which I did not have.  Instead, I added to the potato pulp, sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream, butter, chives, and horseradish.  Next, I wrapped the filled potatoes with a strip of bacon and added to the oven for an additional 15 minutes.

While those were baking, a heated my cast iron skillet until it starting smoking (Even though my smoke detector starting going off, but that is what the recipe said). I added the flat iron steak that I seasoned with Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper and seared on both sides for a total of 8 or 9 minutes. Next, I let the meat rest.  Once it sit for about 5 minutes to let the juices redistribute, I sliced it and topped with EVOO and chopped parsley.  Lastly, I plated the steak slices with the twice baked potato and served.

 
And, even Alex couldn't wait to eat it. "Bi! Bi! Bi! (Bite, bite, bite)"

The end results are this: My wonderful husband gave the potato and A!  He is not used to the horseradish taste, but he said it was excellent! The steak he gave a B.  He is not much for any steak that is not cooked on a charcoal grill.  Darren also stated that it may have been the "green stuff" on it that gave it a "twang".  Lol!  I also liked the twice baked potato, but also gave the steak a B.  The cut of meat was tough.  If I was to do it again, I would definitely tenderize it and grill it outside. However, Alex loved the steak and kept asking for more!

Here is a link to the recipe:
http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/cast-iron-steaks-and-bacon-wrapped-potato-skins/

Mexican Chicken Pot Pies

Everyone knows that I love Mexican food and not everyone was surprised when I chose this recipe when it aired on Tuesday.

First, I had to make my own Mexican inspired chicken stock by adding chicken breasts, halved onion, a jalapeno, 3 cloves or garlic, carrot chunks, celery chunks, sliced lime, 2 bay leaves, and salt and pepper to a pot.  

Next, I had to cover with water and bring to a boil.  Once it reached a boil, I had to reduce and simmer for 40 minutes.

Once that was close to getting finished, I sauteed a peeled and diced carrot, a medium chopped onion, a chopped stalk of celery, 2 fresh ears of corn, and 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic in 4 TBS of butter.  (I forgot to take a picture of this step.  Sorry, I am new to this and was busy :-) )

When the veggies were tender, I added 1 cup of heavy cream, 2 cups of the stock from the chicken, 3 Tbs of pureed chipotle pepper in adobo and stirred unto thickened.

In the mean time, I was browning up some puff pasty cups brushed with egg and melted butter.  I couldn't find the puff pastry sheets in the local supermarket, so I bought theses instead:

Once they were baked, I spooned the chicken pot pie filling into bowls and topped with a pastry shell.

The results were good!  It was a bit spicy for me.  If I made this again, I wouldn't add but 1 Tbs of chipotle in adobe.  My husband, Darren, gave it an A and said that he would be happy to eat it again.  My uncle, Ed, also gave it a positive vote.  He says, "It was a different taste than I have been familiar with, but very good."

Mexican Chicken Pot Pies
Here is the winner for this week! I am going to make this tomorrow night after I finish buying the ingredients.

Hey!

My name is Patty and I am really excited about the new year and this new project!  One night a week, I will prepare a dish that Rachel Ray prepared on her show.  I watch her show and always want to try the recipes that she cooks!  However, even though I love to cook, I have only made 2 of her recipes.  So, this year I will prepare 52 of her dishes and tell how they turned out, if we liked them, post photos, etc.