Posts Tagged ‘supper’

• Lime Chicken with Mint

  Date: 2010.06.24 | Category: Cooking | Response: 0

  I found a chicken cookbook in my travels earlier this month and it was full of different as well as traditional chicken recipes.  One recipe I really enjoyed making is the one I am sharing today.  The lime and mint make it super refreshing on a hot summer day.  And I used the leftovers to make chicken salad for lunch.  Delicious.

  Ingredients:

  3 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
  4 Tbsp. honey
  4 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
  salt and pepper
  12 boneless chicken thighs

  Mix mint, honey and lime juice in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.  Using toothpicks, assemble the thighs to the smallest possible shape.  Add chicken to the marinade, making sure to coat very well.  Cover bowl and allow to marinate in refrigerator for at least an hour.  Remove the chicken and drain.  Set aside the marinade.

  Preheat oven to broiler medium.  Cook chicken for 15-18 minutes, turning the chicken and basting with marinade frequently.  Chicken is done with the juices run clear after a tip of a knife is inserted in the thickest part of the meat.  Remove toothpicks and enjoy!

  This is a great meal or a snack at game night.  Don’t you want to enjoy some fresh mint today?

  xo–me

• Tagliatelle with Asparagus

  Date: 2010.05.01 | Category: Cooking | Response: 0

  It’s Saturday and many of you will have date night tonight.  Some will choose the traditional date of dinner out with a movie and perhaps stop by for a nightcap on your way home (BTW, nightcaps can be cocktails, coffee or in our case, sometimes they are milkshakes from a great diner!).  I love the chance to cook (clearly) so many nights I suggest our date night begin at home with a tasty dish from my kitchen.  This recipe is a perfect date night dish.  It’s simple to make so there will be little clean up.  You can do your hair or makeup while the pasta is cooking.  Plus a little homemade romance never hurt any relationship.

  Ingredients:

  1 lb. asparagus tips
  olive oil
  salt and pepper to taste
  8 oz. Gorgonzola, crumbled
  6 oz. heavy cream
  12 oz. tagliatelle

  Preheat oven to 450.  Arrange asparagus in a single layer on cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Toss or turn tips to coat on all sides.  Roast for 10 minutes until slightly browned and tender.  Remove from oven and cover to keep warm.
  

  Begin boiling water for pasta.  Combine the cheese with cream in a bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.  Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling water until it’s to your satisfaction (I like al dente but many want a softer noodle).  Drain and toss immediately with asparagus and cheese mixture.  Serve.

  I know what a lot of you are thinking–why is she suggesting pasta with cream on a date night?  I believe that a little cream will not kill you as long as you are not cooking with it every single day.  Plus the pasta will give you plenty of energy in case the date takes you deep into the night.  Enjoy!

  xo–me

• Chuck Roast Supreme

  Date: 2010.01.22 | Category: Cooking | Response: 0

  I have a friend named Chuck Roast (he’s talent so his mom didn’t give him that name, he gave it to himself) so when I saw this recipe I wanted to try it. It reminded me of the soft taco supreme’s that I love at Taco Bell. It reminded me of supremely supreme and extremely extreme and all those other phrases I mock. Anyway, I digress today.

  This roast is supreme, all kidding aside. The flavor is rich and savory. Your guests will appreciate the time you spent prepping this at your next dinner party.

  Ingredients:

  2 to 3 lbs. beef chuck roast
  1 Tbsp. dry mustard
  1 tsp. salt
  1/4 tsp. pepper
  1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  2/3 c. oil (vegetable, corn, whatever you like)
  1/2 c. red wine vinegar
  1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  1/4 tsp. soy sauce

  Place beef in 9 x 13 baking dish. Combine all ingredients and pour over meat. Cover. Refrigerate for 8 hours, turning occasionally.

  Preheat oven to 350. Remove meat from marinade and place in a roasting pan. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours.

  Search the site for some heavenly side dishes and you have a perfect meal. Enjoy!

  xo–me

• Roast that Chicken

  Date: 2009.10.03 | Category: Cooking | Response: 0

  Another staple of the winter months seems to be the roast chicken.  There are many many ways to roast a bird and I hope we discuss them in the coming months.  Today we are roasting one with acorn squash–a delicious winter vegetable.  This dish is an easy one to create and strikes an impressive entrance to the dining table.  Make one today!

  Ingredients:

  1 3-4lb. chicken
  1 Tbsp. olive oil
  1 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter (I always use unsalted unless a recipe calls for otherwise)
  1 Tbsp. kosher salt
  fresh thyme
  2 shallots, peeled (I sometimes substitute garlic)
  2 acorn squashes
  1 1/2 c. fresh orange juice

  Preheat oven to 425.  Rinse the bird and pat dry.  Set in a large roasting pan.  In a bowl, combine the olive oil, butter and salt.  Coat the chicken inside and out with the mixture.  Stuff thyme sprigs and shallots in the cavity of the bird.  Tie the legs together with baking string.  Place the bird breast side down and allow it to come to room temperature.  Cut squash lengthwise and remove the seeds.  Set aside.
  

  Put bird in the oven and roast chicken until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.  Turn him over and pour 1/2 c. of OJ into the pan. Add the squash, skin side down and brush with the pan juices.  Reduce the oven to 400 and continue to roast.  Make sure to brush the chicken and squash with the pan juices every 15 minutes and add more OJ if the pan becomes dry.  Allow to roast for one hour (check bird to see that it’s reached 165 degrees on your meat thermometer).

  Remove the chicken and squash to a serving platter.  Over a medium heat, cooking the remaining juices with the rest of the OJ, stirring constantly to scrap up the browned bits on the bottom.  Pour the pan juices through a sieve and skim off any fat.  Serve juices with carved chicken and squash.

  I got this recipe from a Williams-Sonoma cookbook and it never disappoints.  The aroma alone tickling your family and friend’s nose is worth the time in the kitchen.  If you have a small family or it’s just two of you, this makes a great Thanksgiving or Christmas bird.  Try it this month so you are well rehearsed for the upcoming holiday meals!

  xo–me

• Where’s the beef?

  Date: 2009.10.02 | Category: Cooking | Response: 0

  I wish it would rain.  And get really cold.  Pour rain.  Buckets please.  It is still entirely too warm in Los Angeles for October.  I want it to be cool so I can bake and cook all the delicious fall treats I have written about this week.  Please someone make it rain!

  Today’s recipe creates an easy and flavorful dish.  It is hardy and makes for great leftovers at lunch the following day.  And it is a perfect dish for a cold, rainy day.  Please can the cool breeze come with some rain clouds?

  Ingredients:

  1-2lb. boneless beef chuck shoulder roast
  1-40 oz. can sweet potatoes, drained
  2 small onions, sliced
  2 apples, cored and sliced
  1/2 c. beef broth
  2 cloves garlic, minced
  1 tsp. salt
  1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
  3/4 tsp. black pepper
  1 Tbsp. cornstarch
  1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
  2 Tbsp. cold water

  Trim fat from beef and cut into 2 inch pieces.  Place beef, sweet potatoes, onions, apples, beef broth, garlic, salt, 1/2 tsp. thyme, and 1/2 tsp. pepper in slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours.  When finished cooking, place beef, sweet potatoes, and apples on a platter and cover to keep warm.  Let liquid stand 5 minutes to allow fat to rise.  Skim off fat.

  Combine cornstarch, remaining 1/2 tsp. thyme, 1/4 tsp. pepper, cinnamon and water.  Stir into liquid.   Cook 15 minutes until thickened.  Serve sauce with beef, sweet potatoes, and apples.

  This makes a great dish for supper, potluck meal, family get togethers.

  xo–me

• Apple Glazed Pork Roast

  Date: 2009.09.29 | Category: Cooking | Response: 0

  I am pulling out the slow cooker again.  I actually never really put it away although I tend to use it more in the cooler seasons.  Today we are cooking pork  roast with apples.  YUM.  The roast remains very juicy and the flavors scream of fall.

  Ingredients:

  3 to 4 lb. pork loin roast
  salt and pepper to taste
  5 apples, cored and quartered (I use Rome when cooking but here is a chart to help you decide)
  1/4 c. apple juice
  3 Tbsp. brown sugar
  1 tsp. ground ginger

  Rub roast with salt and pepper.  Brown briefly under broiler to remove excess fat; drain well.  Arrange apples in bottom of the slow cooker and put the roast on top.  Combine remaining ingredients and spoon over roast.  Cover and cook on low setting for 10 to 12 hours.

  If you don’t eat pork, you can substitute a roast of beef and this is just as tasty.  Enjoy!

  xo–me

• Baked Chicken with Orange Sauce

  Date: 2009.06.03 | Category: Baking, Cooking | Response: 0

  This is a fairly healthy dish that is simple to create.  The key is in the basting.  I know, I know, you don’t have time to hover around the oven and baste this beast.  Well, let me tell you that it is worth it.  Figure out something else to do while you are between bastings.  Pay the bills, return emails, call your Mom or read heyamy!

  This is not to be confused with the #72 Orange Chicken you get for take out.  This is a chicken dish with orange sauce.  I usually double the ingredients for the sauce so you can have some to serve with the chicken.  I put the additional sauce in a sauce pan and heat it for 10 minutes over a low to medium heat.

  Ingredients:

  4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  1/2 c. OJ (or 1 large orange)
  1 tsp. salt
  1 tsp. mustard
  1 tsp. paprika
  1/4 tsp. Tabasco
  3 tsp. grated orange rind
  1/3 c. vegetable oil
  3/4 c. sliced fresh mushrooms

  Preheat over to 400 (425 if you want crisper chicken).  Place chicken in shallow baking dish.  Mix rest of ingredients (except mushrooms) to make sauce and pour over each breast, coating well.  Bake for 25 minutes, basting often.  Turn, sprinkle mushrooms over top, baste again and bake another 15 minutes.  Remove and serve (with sauce as suggested above).
  

  Remember, I cook and bake with a gas oven & stove top so pay attention to your chicken so it doesn’t get dry.  Every oven is different and the best way to insure your dishes are perfect is to pay attention to your equipment and practice, practice, practice!

  xo me