Chicken with a Spinach-Tomato Ragout over Roasted Garlic Polenta

I was craving polenta today - actually I have been for about a week but tonight I was craving it AND I felt like cooking. I had a tube of Trader Joe's polenta, but I wanted creamy polenta so decided to make it from scratch. I have made it several times and love trying new ingredients and flavors in the polenta. Besides the almost constant whisking, it's not hard.

I love rustic chicken dishes served over polenta but can never do that when Jon is home, so I took advantage of him being at a work dinner tonight and made this for myself.

The Polenta - Roasted Garlic with Gruyere

• 3 cups liquid; I used 2 c vegetable broth and 1 c water
• 1/2 bulb roasted garlic, mashed and combined with the liquid
• Large pinch of thyme
• 3/4 c stoneground yellow cornmeal
• Approximately 1/3 c shredded gruyere cheese

Bring the liquid/garlic mixture to a boil. Season with thyme. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal, whisking continuously until creamy, about 12 minutes. Sometimes this takes longer (up to 18 minutes), but mine came together pretty quickly tonight. Whisk in the cheese.

Chicken with a Spinach Tomato Ragout - Ingredients

Note - I made this for just myself; double the ingredients for 2.

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded out just a bit
• Salt, pepper, paprika
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp chopped onion
• 1 large clove of garlic, minced
• 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 2 handfuls fresh spinach
• 1/2 c low sodium chicken broth

Directions

• Heat olive oil in a saute pan
• Season chicken liberally with salt, pepper, and paprika and add to pan. Cook 3 min per side or until golden brown.
• Add onions and garlic, saute 2 minutes. If your pan seems too dry, add a touch of broth.
• Add tomatoes, saute 2 minutes.
• Add spinach to the pan and let wilt down for a minute (I just threw it in on top and didn't stir it in).
• Add broth and bring to a simmer; let simmer until chicken is cooked through, just a few minutes. Adjust salt and pepper if needed. Serve over the polenta.

This turned out exactly how I had hoped - fragrant, flavorful, comforting, and rustic. And although I had 2 pans actively going at once and requiring attention, everything came together very quickly and easily.

Chile Chicken Saute over Pasta

Last year I went through two years' worth of Food and Wine Magazines and tore out all of the recipes I had marked to make before recycling the magazines. This one was one I had saved - Chile Chicken Saute. The recipe recommends serving the chicken mixture in tortillas or over rice - we decided to serve it over pasta to keep it simple.

I loved how the tomato sauce really thickened the dish and added great color. I made a few minor changes, my adaptation is below. Here is the original recipe.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 sm onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 each red, yellow, and green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 poblano pepper, sliced
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• Optional: adobo seasoning
• 1/2 c canned tomato sauce
• 3/4 c frozen corn
• 1/2 c water
• Freshly chopped cilantro

Directions

• Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large saute pan
• Season the chicken with salt and pepper (and optional adobo seasoning) and add it to the skillet in a single layer. Cook over high heat, turning once, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a covered dish.
• Add remaining oil to the skillet.
• Add onions and peppers and saute about 4 minutes.
• Add the garlic, corn, chili powder, and cumin; saute 1 minute.
• Return chicken and any juices to the pan and cook for 1 minute.
• Add tomato sauce and water and cook over medium heat, scraping up brown bits. Let simmer 5 minutes until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened. Stir in some of the cilantro.
• Serve over pasta (or rice) and garnish with cilantro.

Breakfast Burrito

When the weather is nice, we love taking our dog for a walk around the local lake. Our dog is a rescue, was abused as a puppy, and is very scared and nervous around new people, kids on bikes, etc, but once we get to the lake, she's the happiest and most relaxed dog in the world! It makes us so happy to see her this way.

Last weekend the weather was perfect so we decided to go to the lake. I wanted to make a quick breakfast that was delicious and full of protein to give me energy for the walk, so I came up with this breakfast burrito.

Ingredients (for 1)

• 2 eggs beaten with a splash of milk
• Shake or two each of salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder - shake into the beaten eggs
• Handful of chopped peppers - I used red, yellow, and green
• Handful of chopped onions - I used green onions
• 1/2 tomato, chopped
• 1 tortilla shell
• Shredded cheese - I used a Colby Jack blend
• Optional: fresh cilantro
• Touch of olive oil plus small pat of butter

Directions

• Heat olive oil and melt butter in an omelet pan over medium heat
• Add peppers, onions, and tomatoes; saute until cooked and them move to the side of the pan.
• Add eggs and quickly scramble them
• In the meantime, top a tortilla with shredded cheese and melt for 10-15 seconds in the microwave
• When eggs are done, place them in the center of the tortilla; top with the veggies, a touch of cheese, and the cilantro.
• Roll and eat!

This was so delicious! I loved using the chili powder and cumin in the eggs, and the cilantro added such a bright and fresh flavor.

Chicken in a Brandy-Dijon Sauce with Mushrooms

My favorite way to prepare chicken is to sear it and then make a pan sauce. It's quick, easy, so versatile and the ingredient possibilities are endless.

I had mushrooms last week so decided to use them. I like chicken Marsala, but wanted to do something different, so I chose brandy. I also added some Dijon mustard for more flavor.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, trimmed and pounded thin
• 1 tbsp flour
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil - just enough to have in the pan to cook the chicken
• 1 sm shallot, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 mushrooms; I used baby bellas. White mushrooms would work too.
• 1/3 c brandy
• 1/2 c low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Directions

• Heat olive oil in pan over medium high heat
• Season chicken with salt and pepper; coat in flour and shake off excess
• Add chicken to pan and cook 4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Flip again if the chicken isn't cooked all the way through.
• Remove chicken from the pan and keep warm.
• Add a touch of olive oil to the pan; add shallots, garlic, and mushrooms. Saute 2-3 minutes.
• Deglaze pan with the brandy, scraping up all of the brown bits.
• Add chicken broth and bring to a steady simmer. Add mustard. Let simmer for a few minutes. Return chicken to the pan, spoon the sauce over the chicken, and let simmer another few minutes.

This sauce was delicious!! I served the chicken over egg noodles and along side fresh spinach sauteed with garlic.

Soup Sunday: Vegetable Barley Soup

I had a real craving for a good, hearty vegetable soup last weekend...something that was easy, but would be filling and last all week for lunches. The last time I made vegetable soup I didn't add any barley or juices from the tomatoes. I played around with these things this time around and the result was incredible. For such a simple soup without any added salt, I couldn't believe how much flavor I got out of it.

I used Swanson's Natural Goodness Low Sodium Chicken Broth because it is what I had in, but vegetable broth would work as well. This recipe is my own.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 baking potato, diced
• 1 28 oz can whole tomatoes, roughly chopped; I used Muir Glen Organic and really noticed a difference - I'm so glad my supermarket finally carries them! And I prefer buying whole tomatoes and chopping them myself - you are more likely to get higher quality tomatoes in a can when you buy whole vs chopped.
• 64 oz broth - I used low sodium chicken broth
• Juice from can of tomatoes
• 1 c frozen mixed veggies - lima beans, corn, peas, green beans
• 3/4 c pearl barley
• Pinch thyme
• Pinch black pepper

Ingredients

• Heat olive oil in a large soup pot
• Add onions, carrots, and celery; saute 5-7 minutes.
• Add tomatoes; saute 2 minutes.
• Add potatoes, thyme, pepper, then add the broth and juices from the tomatoes. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, slightly uncovered.
• Add frozen veggies and barley. Let simmer 45 minutes or until the barley is tender.

I usually say that soups are good at first, but always better the next day. But with this one, I was impressed immediately. This recipe served 8.

A Special Treat..Gooey Chocolate Cakes

Throughout this pregnancy I have been craving nothing but sweets which is odd for me. I'm the type of person who could have Halloween candy sitting around until Easter and never touch it. But a bag of potato chips, forget it! Gone in a day!

So when thinking about Valentine's Day, I decided to bake a dessert. I went in search of easy ideas (remember, I'm not a baker), and got a suggestion to make this recipe from the blog Reservations not Required. It looked easy enough and sounded delicious. I ended up making it a week late, but it was worth the wait. Make sure you eat this dessert warm. Jon wished we had some vanilla ice cream to go with it - I agree!

Ingredients

• 1/3 c all purpose flour
• 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder; I used Ghiardelli
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 oz bittersweet chocolate; I used Ghiardelli. 4 oz coarsely chopped, 1 oz finely chopped
• 1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 egg yolk at room temperature
• 6 tbsp sugar
• Added: powdered sugar for serving

Directions

• Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
• Butter (or spray) a 6-muffin pan; sprinkle the cups with flour and tap off the excess. Put the pan on a baking sheet.
• Sift the flour, cocoa, and salt together
• Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Put the 4 oz of coarsely chopped chocolate and all of the butter in the bowl and stir occasionally just until they are melted (took about 4 minutes). You don't want the butter and chocolate to separate. Remove the bowl from the pan of water.
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and yolk until they are homogeneous
• Add the sugar and whisk until well blended
• Add the dry ingredients and using the whisk, stir (don't beat) them into the eggs.
• Little by little, using a light hand, stir in the melted chocolate/butter mixture.
• Divide the batter evenly amongst the muffin cups and sprinkle the finely chopped chocolate over the top of each.
• Bake the cakes for 13 minutes exactly - there is no way to test them as the inside stays liquid.
• Transfer them, still on the baking sheet, to a cooling rack for exactly 3 minutes.
• Line a cutting board with a silicone mat, parchment paper, or wax paper. Lift the cakes out of the muffin pan and set on the board. I was able to easily do this without flipping the pan, as I thought I'd have to do.

I served them sprinkled with the powdered sugar.
These little cakes were so rich and delicious, and not too sweet. We both loved them and I would definitely make them again.

Bollito Misto with Gorgonzola Sauce

What's better on a snow day than putting something on the stove that can simmer for a few hours, making your house smell just heavenly? The whole idea just screams comfort food, and is exactly what I thought when I found this Giada recipe for Bollito Misto several months ago.

The recipe called for two sauces - a gorgonzola sauce as well as a spicy salsa verde. I thought one would be enough, so I went with the gorgonzola sauce. I also made a thickened gravy after the roast finished cooking. Combining the sauce with the gravy reminded me of one of my favorite things - cheese fries with gravy, or Poutine. And the sauce was good for several days, so I used it on chicken tenders, on a chicken sandwich, and even with hash browns for breakfast.

Ingredients

• 4 lbs beef brisket or top round; I used a 2.5 lb top round and didn't not decrease the liquid amounts below, but cut the veggies in half
• Salt and freshly ground pepper; Added garlic powder
• 4 c beef stock or broth
• 4 c water
• 2 onions, peeled and quartered
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pound small boiling potatoes

Directions (in my own words - simplified)

• Heat a large braising pot (I used my Dutch oven) over medium-high heat
• Season the beef with salt, pepper, and garlic powder
• Sear the beef, browning it on all sides
• Add the stock and enough water to cover the beef
• Add the onions, celery, and bay leaf.
• Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for one hour.
• Add the carrots and potatoes and cook until the meat is tender, about another hour.
• Transfer the meat to a cutting board and cover with foil.
• Remove the veggies from the liquid and arrange on a serving platter.
• Gravy: whisk 1 tbsp flour with 1/2 c water. Slowly whisk into the liquid in the pot until thick and creamy. Let simmer until ready to serve.
• Slice the meat across the grain and arrange on the serving platter.

The Gorgonzola Sauce...

This sauce is definitely what took this meal to another level. The original recipe called for 2 cups of mayo to 4 oz of gorgonzola. This didn't seem right to me so I adjusted the amounts a bit; note, my amounts are approximate as I did not measure but fixed it as I went along until I had what I wanted.

• 1 c mayonnaise
• 4 oz gorgonzola
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• Pinch each salt and pepper

Blend in a food processor until smooth; serve in a side dish.

This meal was excellent, and got even better on day 2. Served with a loaf of crusty bread, it was the perfect snow day dinner.

Scallops Gratin

I am a bit behind on blogging....this dinner is from Valentine's Day.

Jon loves seafood, so whenever I want to make a special meal for him, I always turn to seafood. I chose an Ina Garten recipe for Bay Scallops Gratin to make for him on Valentine's Day, but with sea scallops. I was feeling a bit under the weather so Jon did all the prep and cleaning up and I did the actual cooking.

I used the gratin topping on chicken so I would feel like I was eating the same meal :) I honestly can't remember what we served with this... I think Jon requested baked potatoes but I don't remember the veggie!! It was probably roasted asparagus or broccoli.

Ingredients (I cut the below recipe in half)

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 medium shallots, minced
• 2 oz thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma, minced (Jon doesn't like this so I omitted it)
• 4 tbsp minced fresh parsley, extra for garnish
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tbsp Pernod (used white wine instead)
• 2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tbsp good olive oil
• 1/2 c panko
• 6 tbsp dry white wine
• 2 lbs fresh sea (bay) scallops

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
• Place 6 (6-inch) round gratin dishes on a sheet pan Instead, I used a small stainless pan that went directly onto the grates in the oven.
• To make the topping (note, see original directions if you would like to use a stand mixer. I used a hand mixer instead so the rest of the directions from this point forward are in my own words): Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Start to mix on low and add shallots, garlic, parsley, 1 tbsp white wine, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Still on low, add the olive oil until combined. Fold in the panko with a rubber spatula.

• Place 1 tbsp wine in the bottom of your pan or each gratin dish. Remove the white muscle and membrane from the scallops, pat dry, and place in the pan.
• Spoon the mixture over the scallops, spread it evenly over them, and place the pan in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Turn the broiler on for 1-2 minutes at the end if you want the top to be a bit crispy.
• Squeeze a touch of lemon juice over the dish and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.

Jon really enjoyed this, and I loved the topping on my chicken breast. Great, easy recipe!

Chicken Croquettes with Gravy

I grew up in the Northeast section of Philadelphia, home of The Dining Car, a landmark diner restaurant that was once featured on Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives." The Dining Car was the place to go after dance recitals, proms, for a late night bite, or for a fabulous Sunday breakfast. I was in Philadelphia last winter and we decided to stop in for breakfast - it was just as I had remembered, complete with the line out the door! This is one popular place.

One of their famous dishes is Chef Larry's Chicken Croquettes. I loved eating chicken croquettes as a kid, especially the chicken gravy, but hadn't had them in years. So last week I decided to use Chef Larry's recipe. The recipe below is the original, (a few changes noted in italics) however I halved everything and we still had about 12 nice-sized croquettes.

Croquette Ingredients

• 1 c milk (I only had skim milk so I used light cream)
• 1 c fresh chicken stock (I used canned)
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 2 tsp freshly chopped parsley leaves
• Salt
• 1/4 lb butter
• 1 stalk celery, minced
• Added: 1/2 onion, minced
• 1 c all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 lbs chicken meat, cooked and ground in a food processor (I used breast meat only)
• Salad oil or liquid shortening for frying (I used olive oil, about 1 inch deep in a pan)

Breading Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 c milk
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3 c all purpose flour or cracker meal (I used flour)
• 3 c bread crumbs

Chicken Gravy Ingredients

• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 c chicken stock (I used canned broth)
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
• Pinch white pepper and salt

Directions

• Making the croquettes (refer to the croquetted ingredients): In a heavy pot, heat the milk and stock on the stove and add the white pepper, parsley, and salt. In a separate pot, melt the butter and add the celery and onions. Stir in the flour and cook for 3 minutes. Pour in the hot milk/stock mixture and stir until thickened and smooth. Fold in the chicken and allow to cool.
• Breading the croquettes (refer to the breading ingredients): Shape 3 oz portions of the croquette batter into the shape of a cone (I just did balls..cones were too hard!) and place on a tray lined with wax paper. Set out three bowls/breading dishes. In the first, make an egg wash with the egg, milk, and salt. The second bowl is flour, the third is breadcrumbs. Dip the croquettes into the egg wash, then flour, then egg wash again, then breadcrumbs.
• Cooking the croquettes: Fry the croquettes in oil heated to 350 degrees until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Since I used only 1 inch of oil, I fried them on one side at a time rather than deep frying them, so it was about 2 minutes per side. Drain well and blot on paper towels. Suggested serving: over mashed potatoes. I served them with egg noodles instead.
• Cooking the gravy (I started the gravy when the chicken mixture was cooling; refer to the gravy ingredients): Melt the butter in a 1 or 2 qt saucepan. Stir in the flour. Pour in the stock and whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook for 20 minutes, whisking occasionally. Add the parsley, white pepper, and salt to taste.

I loved everything about this meal - it was the ultimate old-fashioned home cooked meal. Chicken croquettes with gravy, egg noodles tossed with butter, and roasted cauliflower with garlic. The preparation was a bit time consuming, but once I had everything out and measured, it was easy to pull everything together. And yes, it was well worth the time and effort.

Mongolian Tofu

Of all the fake-out take-out meals I have made, Mongolian Beef is my favorite. It is sweet and savory and I love the sauce over rice. I had some tofu to use last week when Jon was away, and I thought the flavors and sauce from the Mongolian Beef recipe would work well with tofu. I was right -this was delicious!

Here is my recipe -

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 block firm or extra firm tofu, pressed and cut into thirds three ways (from the top, from the side, and from the ends) to get 2 inch rectangular pieces (or just cubed!)
• Cornstarch, approximately 2-3 tbsp
• 1/2 tsp minced ginger (I grated it through the microplane)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 c low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 c water
• 3/4 c brown sugar
• 1 green onion, chopped

Directions

• Toss tofu with cornstarch to coat
• Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat
• Add the tofu and cook until browned on all sides, about 6-8 minutes
• In the meantime, mix the soy sauce, water and brown sugar in a bowl
• Once the tofu has browned, add the garlic and ginger; saute 1 minute
• Add the soy sauce mixture and stir; bring to a steady simmer and then reduce to low. Let simmer for several minutes to thicken the sauce.
• Add half of the green onions
• Serve over rice and garnish with green onions

I love tofu, and am so glad I have found so many different ways to prepare it. When I first started to eat it, I only made a tofu and vegetable stir fry...and I made it at least once a week! Having options is much, much more delicious!