Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2010 - Mushroom Risotto

Recipe: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/mushroom_risotto/

NGREDIENTS

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 2 cups flavorful mushrooms such as shiitake, chanterelle, or oyster mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and cut into half inch to inch pieces
• 2/3 cup cognac, vermouth, or dry white wine
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 7 cups chicken stock* (use vegetable stock for vegetarian option)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup of peeled and minced shallots (OR 1/3 cup of yellow or white onion, finely chopped)
• 1 3/4 cups arborio rice
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

*If cooking gluten-free, use homemade stock or gluten-free packaged stock.

METHOD

1 Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté about 5 minutes (if using chanterelles, dry sauté first for a minute or two and let the mushrooms cook in their own juices before adding the butter). Add cognac, bring to a boil, and reduce liquid by half, about 3-4 minutes. Lower heat to medium, add cream, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.

2 Bring stock to a simmer in a saucepan.

3 In a deep, heavy, medium sized saucepan, heat oil and remaining butter on medium low. Add shallots or onions and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat with butter and oil. Add simmering stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring enough to keep the rice from sticking to the edges of the pan. Wait until the stock is almost completely absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup. This process will take about 20 minutes. The rice should be just cooked and slightly chewy.

4 Stir in the mushroom mixture and the Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve garnished with parsley.

Serves 6.

I've made this before and it's a good recipe.

Tuesday Sept. 21, 2010 - Creamy Tomato Soup

Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Basil-Tomato-Soup/Detail.aspx

INGREDIENTS:

2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth 18 fresh basil leaves, minced

1 teaspoon sugar 1 cup whipping cream 1/2 cup butter or margarine

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large saucepan, bring the tomatoes and broth to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add basil and sugar. Reduce heat to low; stir in cream and butter. Cook until butter is melted.

Changes:  The cook time is only like 20 minutes, but I just let things simmer for a lot longer.  I also halved the amount of butter.

I thought this was good, I'm keeping it.

Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010 - Roast chicken with vegetables

Recipe: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/roasted_chicken_with_carrots/

I sort of followed this recipe, but this is what I did:

I chopped up two carrots, one potato, 1/4 onion, and two cloves garlic and placed it in a 9x9 baking dish.  I placed two chicken leg quarters (that were seasoned with salt, pepper, and thyme) on top and filled dish with one cup chicken broth.  Attempting to "drizzle" olive on top of chicken, but I suck at doing that, so I gave up.  Then I cooked it at 425 for 45 minutes in the oven.

Thoughts:  We both thought this was good, but some things: there was too much liquid, so the vegetables cooked unevenly, and the chicken needed some other flavor besides thyme.  I think it should be worked on.  I think the 9x9 dish was a bad idea and I would watch how much liquid goes in the dish.

Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2010 - Chicken Pot Pie

Recipes:

Heather's Pie Crust Recipe:

2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup shortening
6 tbsp. ice water

Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl.  Add in shortening piece by piece and mush in with your hands.  Pour one tablespoon of ice water at a time over the dough.  Roll into a ball.  Roll out on a cutting board.

Pot Pie Filling:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Pot-Pie-IX/Detail.aspx

NGREDIENTS:

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed 1 cup sliced carrots 1 cup frozen green peas 1/2 cup sliced celery 1/3 cup butter 1/3 cup chopped onion 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon celery seed 1 3/4 cups chicken broth 2/3 cup milk   2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
2.	In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
3.	In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
4.	Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
5.	Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Changes: I'm like Steve and I only sort of measure things.  I did not use celery seed.  I used one carrot, one celery stick, some peas,  and one chicken leg quarter.  I used a fourth of onion, two tablespoons of butter, two tablespoons of flour, 1/3 cup milk, 1 cup of chicken broth.  I had the right amount of chicken mixture, but a little too much liquid mixture.  I only cooked them for 25 minutes because the filling was bubbling over by then.

Everything turned out great!  They tasted great!  It took me two hours from separating and storing the chicken legs to the final product, but I think with practice, the time could be cut down.

Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010 - Chicken and Rice Soup

Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Wild-Rice-Soup/Detail.aspx

What I actually did: I sautéed one chicken breast, cut up carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and mushrooms. I made four cups of chicken broth in a soup pot and dumped the vegetables in with tons of parsley, thyme, oregano, and pepper. I simmered this for 30 minutes. I then cooked a half-cup of plain white rice. I dumped the rice and chicken into the soup pot after the 30 minutes. I then made a roux from two tablespoons melted butter and two tablespoons of flour. I dumped that in. I think I added in some salt then and tasted it. The recipe called before cream of mushroom soup, but I liked how it tasted already, so I just put a spoonful in and left it at that. I probably let the whole thing simmer/stay warm for another 20 minutes before we ate it.

Thoughts: We both liked this. I liked that I added in just "a little" meat and lots more vegetables. I should do this more. Darren said he thought the chicken should be shredded, so next time I will boil it and shred it. Some things to play with: the roux, the cream of mushroom soup, what kind of rice.


*November 2010 - I made this again and it's a hit with our family.  I boiled the chicken and Darren shredded it and I agree it tastes better.

*September 2011 - I made this and it was so bland!  Maybe I didn't put enough bullion in the water or maybe I should try sautéing the vegetables first to add some flavor. 

Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010 - Thai Chicken and Noodle Salad

Recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/thai-chicken-and-noodle-salad?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/quick-chicken-recipes#slide_7

INGREDIENTS Serves 4. 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced crosswise Spicy Asian Dressing Coarse salt 3 1/2 ounces Chinese rice noodles, broken in half if long 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, such as safflower 2 carrots, sliced into ribbons with a vegetable peeler 1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise 1/4 cup fresh basil, torn Bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, fresh mint leaves, red-pepper flakes, and sliced scallion greens, for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS Place chicken and half of dressing in a resealable plastic bag (reserve remaining dressing). Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes (or refrigerate up to overnight). In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles until tender. Drain, and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Transfer to a platter. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Working in batches, cook chicken (do not crowd skillet) until cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes; transfer to platter on top of noodles. Top with carrots, cucumber, and basil. Drizzle with reserved dressing, and sprinkle with garnishes, if desired.

Changes: Just used a sesame ginger salad dressing inside of making the dressing.

I honestly cannot remember if it tasted good because I was so busy talking. The noodles were kind of weird and it needed more dressing though.

Update: made this again with pork tenderloin and rice. Darren didn't like, so it's out...

Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010 - Spinach and Cheese Chicken with Tomato Orzo

Recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/spinach-and-brie-chicken-with-tomato-orzo?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/quick-chicken-recipes#slide_5

NGREDIENTS Serves 4. Coarse salt and ground pepper 8 thin chicken cutlets (1 1/2 pounds total) 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 package (10 ounces) frozen leaf spinach, thawed and squeezed dry 4 ounces Brie cheese, cut into 8 slices 1 cup orzo 2 plum tomatoes, cored and chopped 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS Set a large saucepan of salted water to boil. Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. Place chicken on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Dividing evenly, spread one side of each cutlet with mustard; top with spinach, then cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Starting at short end, roll chicken up tightly, and arrange, seam side down, on sheet. Season rolled chicken with salt and pepper. Broil, without turning, until tops are lightly browned and chicken is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook orzo in boiling water until al dente. Drain well; return to pot. Add tomatoes, parsley, butter, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Serve stuffed chicken with orzo.

Changes: Almost bought the brie, but then dumped it as I was heading to the checkout. Best decision ever. "Regular" cheese works just fine. I also didn't have a broiler pan, so I cooked it in corningware at 400 degrees for 23 minutes.

I thought all these things were good. Except half the cheese melted onto the pan instead of staying in the chicken, so I would have to figure out how to fix that. I thought the tomato orzo was good. Maybe cook it in chicken broth or something though to add flavor?