Balsamic, Orange, and Rosemary Chicken

There is a new friend at our house, but we are hoping he doesn't stay long.  He is not the best house guest.  Our dog seems to like him fine, but we aren't big fans of the trenches he is digging, or the holes he is creating in the yard. We have tried to reason with him, tempt him elsewhere, catch him in a humane trap with a promise of being set free in an open field, but he just won't leave. We attempted the vibrating stakes in the ground.  The website for these promised to drive him away without harm.  We were a little skeptical, but many of the reviews were positive, that is, of course, all except one reviewer who wrote: "Don't waste your money.  The only way these get rid of gophers is if you accidentally stab one in the heart while pounding them into the ground."  We had a good laugh about that.  But so far, he seems to be right.  I'm not sure the vibrating stakes have even deterred the gopher from the immediate surrounding area.   If anything, it seems we are now providing him free massage.  No wonder he isn't too anxious to leave.  Ugh, what to do?  Any suggestions are welcome.  We are running out of humane options. 

As for the recipe, my very thoughtful and kind husband made this for me awhile back.  Wasn't that nice of him?  I hope you will remember his kindness if my fear becomes reality, and we have to resort to a rather unfortunate method of getting rid of the gopher...

Ingredients:   
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
150ml fresh orange juice
150ml pint chicken stock
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tsp light brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
orange segments and fresh rosemary sprigs to garnish

1. Put the chicken between pieces of plastic wrap and flatten slightly by bashing with a meat tenderizer. Unwrap and sprinkle on both sides with pepper. Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat, then brown the chicken for 5 minutes, turning halfway through.

2. Pour 2 tbsp vinegar over the chicken, add the orange juice and stock and sprinkle with the rosemary and salt. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and bubble gently for 5-8 minutes until tender, spooning with the sauce frequently and turning chicken halfway through.

3. Stir in the sugar, butter and rest of the vinegar, then sizzle for a few minutes until reduced and glossy.

4. Put the chicken in a serving dish, spoon the sauce over and garnish with orange and rosemary. Serve with rice and a crisp green salad.

Beets, Beet Greens, and Orange Butter Chicken

Waste not, want not, right?  I certainly learned this lesson growing up!  If there were a few mere tablespoons of a dish left at the end of dinner, my Dad would insist we wrap it up and put it in the fridge.  Once a week we'd have leftovers and I'd have to fight my brother for the couple of spoonfuls of our favorite dishes.  Don't get me wrong, it's a happy memory.  I did rather enjoy the rock, paper, scissors games to determine who got to eat the last of the tuna casserole.  So, I guess that's why I was drawn to this recipe, a recipe where you use every part of the beet.  After working hard to grow these gorgeous vegetables, it did seem a shame to throw the luscious leafy bits into the composter.  And what a shame it would have been.  The beet greens were the highlight.  (In the spirit of full disclosure, I'll let you in on a little secret: I didn't even know you could eat beet greens before seeing this recipe...)  Shh!  Don't tell anyone!  I promise.  I will never waste them again!   


Slightly adapted from Bon Appetit, November 2009
Serves 2

1 1/2 Tablespoons butter, room temperature, divided
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange peel, divided
1 Tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
2 Tablespoons chopped shallots
2 medium red beets with greens, greens stemmed and coarsely chopped, beets peeled and coarsely grated
3 teaspoons Sherry wine vinegar, divided (or use balsamic vinegar)
1/3 Cup water


Mix 1 tablespoon butter and 1/4 teaspoon orange peel in small bowl.  Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.


Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon orange peel, and the orange juice in medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Add to skillet and saute until cooked through and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes each side.  Place one chicken breast in center of each plate; tent with foil to keep warm.


Melt remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter with 1/2 tablespoon oil in same skillet over medium-high heat.  Add shallots; stir until tender and beginning to brown, about 1 minute.  Add beet greens; toss until leaves are tender but still bright green, about 2 minutes.  Add 2 teaspoons Sherry wine vinegar; stir 30 seconds.  Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Spoon greens alongside chicken; cover to keep warm. 


Add grated beets and 1/3 cup water to same skillet; cover and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Uncover and continue cooking until beets are tender and water is almost evaporated, stirring often, about 1 minute.  Add remaining 2 teaspoons vinegar; stir 30 seconds.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. 


Spoon beets onto plates.  Spoon orange butter atop chicken and serve.


Note: Be sure to season your chicken breast well.  Also, I added some orange zest while cooking which gave it a nice flavor. 

Chicken Marsala

My Mom always said, never try a new recipe when you are having company over.  Did I listen?  Of course not.  Who really listens to unsolicited motherly advice anyway?  I've heard it all a million times before, 'practice makes perfect,' 'if at first you don't succeed, try, try, and try again,' 'slow and steady wins the race,' and a million other cliche sayings that go against my 'those who don't take chances, never get to drink champagne' life motto.  But, I have learned that sometimes mother really does know best.  This chicken marsala tasted GREAT, I just over did it a little with my carelessness.  I took my eyes off of it for a minute and the sauce disappeared, and sadly the chicken was a little overcooked.  NO!  Luckily, my wonderful guests cut me a little slack and maybe, just maybe, had enough wine by the time it was ready that they really didn't notice.  Yeah right, but I can dream can't I?  Despite very little sauce, which would have perfected the dish and been a nice addition to the pasta and vegetables I made for the side, it was still really good.  And so, I post this with the promise that I will make it again, a little more carefully, a little more slowly, and you'll see an even better updated post on how great the sauce is!  (I 'borrowed' this picture from the blog I got the recipe from, www.smittenkitchen.com, one of my favorite cooking blogs ever!  I will use one of my own when I make the recipe again.) 

From www.smittenkitchen.com, original recipe from Gourmet
Serves 6



3 whole boneless chicken breasts with skin (about 2 1/2 pounds), halved
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, sliced thin
3/4 pound mushrooms, sliced thin
1/2 cup dry Marsala wine
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large heavy skillet heat oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons butter over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown chicken in 2 batches, transferring with tongs to a large plate as browned.

Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet and sauté onion and mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated. Add Marsala and cook mixture, stirring, until Marsala is almost evaporated. Add broth and chicken with any juices that have accumulated on plate and simmer, turning chicken once, until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken with tongs to a platter.

Simmer mushroom sauce until liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup. Remove skillet from heat and stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter and salt and pepper to taste, stirring until butter is just incorporated. Spoon mushroom sauce around chicken and sprinkle with parsley.

Mandarin Orange Chicken Stir Fry

I was given a wok as a college graduation gift.  I wrote my thank you note, swearing to use it often and promising creative stir fries if said person ever came to visit.  Three years later, that wok sat collecting dust in my cupboard until finally, I sold it at a garage sale before packing up my life and moving to Ireland.  I felt bad getting rid of such a nice gift, but I wasn't going to move it half way around the world or pay for a storage unit to store it.  I made a mental note that once I returned home I'd buy another wok and promised myself I'd use it. Well, before getting around to buying one, another wok made its way into my life one Christmas.  I sometimes wonder what vibes I give off to elicit such gifts.  Either that or kitchen essentials are just obvious gifts for those who have recently moved into a new apartment.  Regardless, a wok was clearly supposed to be a part of my life and I decided that I better start using it. This is a stir fry that I tried to re-create based on something my Mom used to make when we were kids. She used some type of bottled stir fry sauce, but I think this home made version is a lot better (no offense Mom!).  Best of all, like any good stir fry, it is so easy to make and makes a quick, healthy, tasty weeknight meal.  Oh, and if you don't have a wok, you can use a frying pan.  It works just as well...          

Serves 2-3
For the sauce:
1/3 Cup soy sauce (use La Choy if you need gluten free)
1/3 Cup juice from canned mandarin oranges
1 teaspoon pureed ginger
1 teaspoon pureed garlic
1 heaping Tablespoon honey


For the stir fry:
2 chicken breasts, sliced
1/2 an onion, sliced
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 1/2 Cups sugar snap peas
1 can mandarin oranges, drained (reserve juice for sauce)
1/4 Cup chopped almonds or halved cashews


Heat sesame oil in a large frying pan, add onions and chicken and saute until chicken is cooked through.  Meanwhile, combine ingredients for the sauce and heat in a small sauce pan just until it boils.  When chicken is cooked through, add snap peas and saute another 3-5 minutes.  Add mandarin oranges, nuts and sauce and stir until coated.  Serve immediately over white or brown rice. 

Dijon Chicken and Vegetables

England gets a bad rap when it comes to cooking.  Ask anyone who has traveled there about the cuisine and you'll hear words like bland, greasy, and boring.  Mayonnaise comes on everything whether you request it or not.  There is one type of bottled salad dressing and it is simply titled, "salad cream".  And, one does have to wonder, why no one was creative enough to name their favorite condiment anything other than, "brown sauce"?  Interestingly enough, when we make our yearly trip to the U.K., I find myself looking forward to the food.  Spend a little more time there and I think you'll agree that they actually have great food.  I love going to the grocery store there because everything is so fresh.  The dairy products and the breads are a hundred times better than what we have here.  They've got excellent prepared grab and go sandwiches and salads.  Add in some fish and chips, pub food, and Indian cuisine, and you could spend a whole month eating your way through the country.  So, when I think English food, I think, yes please!

This recipe comes from a very famous English chef, Nigel Slater.  We have at least four of his cookbooks in storage in England, which doesn't help us much, except that he tends to create very simple but delicious meals, so they aren't too difficult to remember.  Andrew and I have been making this recipe since we met and I'm sure it will forever be a favorite of ours.  We haven't seen the recipe in ages, so we have to make it up every time and guess the proportions.  I could swear you add parsley, but Andrew insists there is no such green herb in this recipe.  I usually add it for a little more visual interest.  You wouldn't want anyone calling it boring!

Serves 2

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 Cup Red wine vinegar
1/4 Cup Olive oil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
pinch of salt (I usually skip it.)

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place chicken in an oven proof dish.  Mix the mustard, vinegar, olive oil, and parsley with a wire whisk.  Pour over the chicken.  Put in the oven and bake until cooked through 15-20 minutes.  Turn the broiler on and brown the chicken under it (2-5 minutes, depending on how hot your broiler gets).  Serve with baby potatoes and your favorite vegetable.  Pour remaining sauce over potatoes and vegetables.

Chicken Divan

Ahh, the casserole...it really takes me back, to church potlucks, school luncheons, baby showers, weeknight dinners.  It's the ultimate in comfort food.  Right before our daughter Keira was born, we made three types of casseroles for the freezer to get us through those first weeks of exhaustion.  Luckily our wonderful friends started showing up with food, so we didn't really need them.  But, eventually we made our way through them, and it was great to have a ready made dinner to pop in the oven.  This one was the favorite of the three, and guess where I found it?  That's right, the church cookbook.  I knew it tasted familiar. I decided it could use a couple more ingredients to make it a little more filling, so I added carrots and pasta, and that did the trick.  It's tasty, filling, and guaranteed to bring back a few memories. 

Adapted from the Les Dames de Chaminade Cookbook
Serves 8-10

3-4 Cups chicken, cooked and cubed
1 large bunch of fresh broccoli, cooked
1 Cup carrots, cooked and sliced
1 Cup pasta, cooked
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup
3/4 Cup mayonnaise (or plain yogurt or sour cream)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 Cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 Cup soft breadcrumbs

Arrange broccoli in a greased 9x13" pan.  Layer chicken, carrots, and pasta on top.  Combine soup, mayo, lemon juice and curry.  Heat in a sauce pan and pour over the top.  Sprinkle with cheese and bread crumbs.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through. 

      

Spicy Chicken Lime Soup

Often my vision does not match the reality of my creation.  Over the years, this has been especially true with art projects, Halloween costumes, sewing projects, flower arranging, and home decor...just to name a few.  But, more recently, this has applied to gardening.  Andrew and I had visions of pickling peperoncinis, roasting chilies for salsas and sauces, and the beauty of chili pepper plants growing in pots on the patio.  Instead, we have one inch high seedlings that have decided that they are done growing, thank you very much.  Apparently, they are satisfied with their dwarfed little height and being totally devoid of fruit, and no amount of TLC will convince them otherwise.  Well, I, for one, have had enough of waiting.  As sad as I was to have to buy all of these ingredients from the grocery store, I was delighted by how the soup turned out.  I can admit it, it may have been better with home grown chilies...maybe.  (But it was really delicious with canned chilies, and I am going to go out on a limb here and say it was much easier too.)  The recipe is from Daisy Martinez, published in Rachel Ray Magazine, September 2009.  My only addition was some roasted corn. 

Serves 6

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
5 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 canned chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons adobo sauce
6 Cups chicken broth
1/2 Cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of 2 limes
1/2 Cup roasted corn kernels
Salt and pepper
1 haas avocado, thinly sliced lengthwise
Crushed tortilla chips

In a large sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Stir in the onions and garlic, lower the heat to medium, and cook until the onions begin to brown, about 7 minutes.  Increase the heat to high, push the garlic and onions to the side of the pan, add the chicken and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the chipotles and adobo sauce, then stir in the chicken broth.  Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, skimming off any foam.  Stir in the cilantro, corn, and lime juice and season with salt and pepper if necessary.  Place avocado slices in each bowl and pour in the soup.  Top with the tortilla chips. 

Arugula Salad with Grilled Chicken, Green Beans, Tomatoes, and Lemon-Basil Dressing

Even after five years of Andrew living in the U.S., there are still a few misunder-standings of language between us every now and again.  We talked about growing peas this year, but ended up with lima beans and green beans.  Apparently they sell pea seeds in the UK but here they are called shelling peas.  So, when Andrew first went to buy pea seeds, he couldn't find any.  From looking at the pictures on the seed packages, he came home with the afore mentioned beans.  He showed them to me, and clueless of his strife, I responded, "why didn't you get peas?"  If looks could kill, I wouldn't be writing this blog!  We did end up finding and growing peas, which were wonderful, by the way.  So good, in fact, that I have no recipes to share as we never once saved any to cook.  Our two-year old loved opening the pods and eating the raw peas.  Green beans on the other hand weren't quite as attractive.  And, I have to admit, I struggled to get very excited about them at first either.  But alas, we were eating from the garden, so I set out to find a use.  I was so pleasantly surprised.  The green beans were wonderful any way we fixed them.  Now, the vines are finally on their last legs and just about ready to be pulled out.  I figured I could get one more meal out of them, combined with the ends of our cherry tomatoes and the start of our arugula.  This salad was so delicious I would make it every week if I had the ingredients.  I hope you like it too! 

Serves two

1 Chicken breast

10-15 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 handful of green beans, trimmed

3 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, diced

2 Cups of arugula (or mix of salad greens and arugula)

little bit of lemon juice

olive oil

sea salt

fresh ground pepper

Dressing: (Adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine)

1/2 Cup loosely packed basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest

juice of half a small lemon

1-1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil

Turn on the barbecue or grill to medium.  Season the chicken breast, green beans, and cherry tomatoes with a little olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, and fresh ground pepper.  Cook chicken until golden brown and no longer pink inside, set aside to let cool.  Spread green beans and tomatoes on a barbecue vegetable tray and roast over medium-high heat.  The beans and tomatoes cook fast so watch them carefully, remove and set aside to cool.  

To make the dressing, place basil leaves in a colander and dip into boiling water for 10 seconds.  Place into a small food processer or blender.  Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt, and pulse a couple of times.  Add olive oil and blend until smooth.  

In a large serving bowl, combine arugula, tomatoes, green beans, and mozzarella.  Top with sliced chicken and drizzle dressing over the top.  Add additional salt and pepper if desired.