Fallen Souffle

Thursday was a great day. Not only did I receive my new grown up sofa and loveseat (photos to come) but I also received my brand new washer and dryer! Ahh the sweet sound of a quiet spin cycle. I have never been so excited to do laundry. Maytag is my friend and Best Buy rocks for quick delivery and installation.

So to celebrate, I wanted to make something yummy with the chicken in the fridge. I was looking through the recipes from “Guy’s Big Bite” because I wanted to book mark his pot sticker recipe (I am obsessed with pot stickers!) and I found this recipe for Cajun Chicken Alfredo. I ran by the store to pick up blackened seasoning and some fat free half and half and I was set.

This is so easy to prepare. The chicken was grilled instead of cooked in a pan because I didn’t wanna smoke up the house and set off the smoke alarm, that thing is so damn sensitive! And with is being absolutely beautiful outside, the grill seemed perfect. I also used spaghetti instead of fettuccine because I have a 5 lbs bag I am trying to use up. As I said I used fat free half and half and this worked well for the most part except it started to separate a bit, though I added a bit more at the end and that helped to bind it a bit as well as the cheese. It didn’t effect the taste but I would imagine the heavy cream would create a creamier sauce. I will have to adjust that next time.

The blackened seasoning makes this dish and adds a nice bit of tingle on your lips. I added a side of steamed broccoli and next time I may cook it all together. With a little bit of tweaking I will perfect this recipe to being a bit more low fat but still “saucy” enough. I may also throw in some spicy italian sausage next time…mmmm.

Cajun Chicken Alfredo
4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup blackening spice (recommended: Paul Prudhomme’s Chicken)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup roughly chopped marinated sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup white wine (I used chicken broth, because I drank all the wine :))
3 cups heavy cream (used fat free half and half here)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cooked fettuccine
1/2 cup sliced scallions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Dredge the chicken breasts in the blackening spice and place in a cast iron skillet over very high heat. Blacken both sides of the chicken and place in the oven for 10 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Slice in strips on the bias and set aside.

In a saute pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic and lightly caramelize. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes and the chicken slices. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the heavy cream, increase the heat to a simmer, and reduce the cream sauce by half.

When the cream sauce is to desired consistency, stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan, salt, pepper, and pasta.

Nest the pasta on large rimmed plates, pour sauce over pasta, and garnish with scallions and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.

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This chicken is REALLY good. It so simple to put together with ingredients that can be stored in your pantry or freezer and it is healthy for you! A winning combo! You dirty one pan as all the mixing and baking are done in one baking dish which I always appreciate. I tweaked this recipe from a Martha recipe in which she uses peaches and some other ingredients but I loved the simple taste of these few ingredients. I also had frozen mangoes instead of peaches so figured that would be just as good. The mangoes get soft and the onions carmelize…ooo so good. Definitely a keeper. I added some leftover brown rice and steamed broccoli for a perfect well rounded meal.

Ginger and Mango Chicken
1 bag (1 pound) frozen mangoes, unthawed
1 onion, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (I used the crushed ginger from Trader Joe’s)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 bone-in skin-on chicken breast halves, (10 to 12 ounces each)
Cooked rice, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place mangos and onions on a large rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with ginger, soy sauce; toss to coat.

2. Spray chicken with Pam/olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Arrange chicken skin side up among mangoes and onions.

3. Roast until chicken is opaque throughout and registers 160 degrees.on an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast (avoiding bone), 30-40 minutes. Serve chicken with white rice, mangoes, and onions.

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Yes, I am on a mushroom kick, this is no secret. I have also found that I could eat an entire bowl of mushrooms cooked with marsala wine, hence I am adding marsala to every mushroom recipe I make. I saw the tale end of a 30 Minute Meals episode and saw this recipe, I found it online and bookmarked it for a rainy day. Well it hasn’t really rained in a while here in NC but I had 3 packages of baby bella mushrooms in my fridge and figured it was a great time to try the recipe. I made a few small changes, namely the addition of marsala and I used one kind of mushroom while Rachael uses a combination.

This may be my new go-to dish as it was so easy to make and the sauce is sooooo good! I used fat free half and half which helped with the fat count, so this is a pretty healthy dish. I made some creamy noodles to go with it, and heated up some leftover roasted veggies. Yes, dinner was ready in 30 minutes…love it!

Chicken with Mushroom and Balsamic Cream Sauce
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 6 ounces
Pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 package of sliced baby bella mushrooms
1/4 cup of marsala wine
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, a couple of sprigs, chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, eyeball it
3 tablespoons heavy cream or half-and-half, a couple turns of the pan
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, a generous handful

1. Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper and add to the hot skillet. Cook the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover with foil to keep warm. ( finished baking mine in a 350 degree oven as I had thick chicken pieces and didn’t want the outside to burn)

2. Return the skillet to the heat, turn heat back a bit, and add the butter. Once the butter melts add the mushrooms and brown stirring occasionally for about 4 to 5 minutes. Once the mushrooms are brown season with salt and pepper then add the garlic, thyme and marsala wine. Cook stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook 2 minutes more. Whisk in the stock, balsamic vinegar and the cream. Turn the heat up to high and simmer for about 2 minutes or until thickened. Slice the chicken on an angle. Add the parsley and the chicken back to the skillet to heat up, about 1 minute.

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This is one of those so-stinkin-easy-it-shouldn’t-be-posted recipes but I am going to post is anyways because I know you will love it! This chicken only takes about 30 minutes to make and 10 of it is marinating so you can make some potatoes or a side dish during this time…or have a glass of wine!

This is a Martha inspired recipe, I changed a few things. I served this with some roasted asparagus and roasted red skin potatoes…so good and it made the house smell fantastic!

Easy Grilled Garlic Chicken

4 chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 T. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 T. white wine vinegar
1 1/2 T. chopped fresh rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine everything except the chicken in a medium bowl and whisk together.

2. Add chicken and coat completely. Allow to marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes.

3. Heat up your indoor or outdoor grill, or a grill pan. Grill chicken about 4-5 minutes on both sides. Remove from grill, place on a plate and cover with foil for about 5 minutes (I find this keeps it nice and juicy).

4. Serve it up!

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I saw this recipe on Guy’s Big Bite a couple of Sunday ago and knew i had to make it. I typically make a nice Sunday dinner which usually requires an immense amount of prep or a long cooking time. I figure if I am going to do it, might as well do it on a Sunday.

This recipe is fantastic! Though it does have a few steps it is so worth it! You could probably still prepare this during the week, just break up the steps a bit more. Rub the chicken the night before, the morning of add the marinade and prepare the glaze ahead of time (don’t cook it just prepare it) then when you get home either grill it or bake it and heat up the glaze. I did not have the dark rum that Guy used, since I made it on Sunday and the liquor stores are closed in NC so I used some plain rum for the marinate and a bit of pineapple rum for the glaze. I served this with sliced fresh pineapple and a spinach and strawberry salad a la RR (dressing is strawberry jam mixed with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and S&P- on a side note it is incredibly difficult to find a RR recipe on FoodNetwork.com, she has like a million episodes!). This chicken would also be great with some coconut rice!

Guy’s Mojito Chicken
1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) chicken
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
Marinade, recipe follows
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Mojito Glaze, recipe follows

Remove backbone of chicken with poultry shears; flatten chicken out by pressing firmly on skin part of chicken so it will sit evenly in a pan.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Combine all the dry spices and rub chicken with spice mixture, especially under the skin. Put into a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients for the marinade, then add chicken to marinade and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Remove chicken from marinade and shake off excess marinade. In a large saute pan over medium to high heat, add 4 tablespoons of extra- virgin olive oil. When oil is hot, place chicken skin side down and sear.

When skin is golden brown flip chicken and add 1/2 cup of marinade into pan; place pan in oven and cook the chicken for 25 minutes or until chicken has internal temperature of 165 degrees F. on an instant-read thermometer.

Remove the chicken from oven and brush with Mojito Glaze. Place chicken under broiler for 5 minutes. Remove from broiler, cut and serve immediately with more glaze on the side.

Marinade:
1 cup orange juice
2 limes, juiced
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sliced garlic
1/4 cup dark rum

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl.

Mojito Glaze:
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In medium sauce pot, place rum, chicken broth and brown sugar. Reduce by 1/3 over high heat. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together water and cornstarch. When rum mixture is reduced, add cornstarch mixture slowly to simmering liquid and whisk for 3 minutes, until 50 percent thicker. Keep in mind that you might not need all of it. When glaze is at desired thickness, add mint leaves and transfer to small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

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I can’t remember if I have ever posted but this, but if I have here it is again!

I love making roast chicken, it is so easy and I love changing up the herbs and other flavorings. It does take a bit of time to cook but the prep time is minimal and the end product is so worth the wait. I like to make roast chicken on Sunday nights so we can eat on the leftovers over the coarse of the week. Recently I also roasted some potatoes and carrots in the pan as well so dinner was pretty much done all at once…and only one dish to clean. I love that!

The Perfect Roast Chicken

1 roasting chicken (size doesn’t matter too much, I think mine are about 5 pounds)
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 lemon
3 shallots or half an onion
2 springs of fresh rosemary
salt and pepper

If roasting veggies as well:
2 pounds of potatoes
3 or 4 carrots

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. If roasting veggies, clean them up and cut into cubes. Place in the bottom of a glass 9×13 inch pan. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil (not to much as the veggies will cook in the chicken juices).

3. Remove the nasty bits from the inside of the chicken and rinse chicken in cold water. Pat dry. Place chicken on top of the veggies.

4. Place the lemon, shallots/onions, and rosemary in the cavity of the chicken. Salt and pepper cavity. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine.

5. Rub the outside of the chicken with softened butter. Salt and pepper the outside of the chicken. (You can also add other herbs and spices if you like, I have a lovely lavender mix that I like to use)

6. Place the dish in the oven and roast for about 90 minutes. The skin should be nice and brown and the juices should run clear. Whole poultry should be cooked to 180° F (82° C) - measure the temperature in the thigh.

7. Remove chicken from pan and let chicken rest for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, stir the veggies in the chicken juices and allow to roast another 10 minutes until crispy.

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I received 3 new cookbooks for Christmas, all of which I love and each cover a different aspect of cooking. One that I was really happy to unwrap was the new Ina Garten cookbook, Barefoot Contessa at Home. I have read this book cover to cover a few times already because I love her take on creating a warm and inviting home environment. I am in a bit of re-decorating mode right now and I think it is because of this book. Ina provides once again simple and elegant recipes that are so classic but so good! One of my new years resolutions is to make one new recipe a week and I am trying to make each of the recipes in her new book.

So the first recipe tested is the classic Chicken Picatta. I have made this before so I was familiar with the process and the flavors. I cut her recipe in half so that we wouldn’t have too many leftovers (or overeat- which is probably more likely!). I think because I halfed it the recipe didn’t create as much sauce as I would have liked. Yet Evan was ok with that because the chicken itself was like a schnitzel so he was happy. This chicken was so moist, I was really surprised. Ina instructs that the chicken should be pan fried quickly to get some color and finish it in the oven. I love this method because it provides a nice crust yet it doesn’t burn and the chicken doesn’t dry out.

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This is one of my favorite new dishes that Jen has tried. It’s a Parmesan Crusted Chicken baked in a little bit of butter. How could you not like that!?

I’ll let Jen post the recipe b/c its a must share, but I’ll give you a little story. Jen and I met in Italy (thats making a long story real short), and on one of trips outside of Milan we went to Parma, Italy. Thats right, the town where Parmesan Reggiano is produced and where Parmigiano-Reggiano (parmesan cheese) also got its name from.

Parmigiano is simply the Italian adjective for Parma; the French version, parmesan, is used in English. The term ‘parmesan’ is also loosely used as a common term for cheeses imitating true Parmesan cheese; it is a protected name in Europe. Maybe its the geek in me but the whole process is fascinating, from transforming raw cow’s milk into a delectable cheese. The QA process is especially interesting. After 12 months of the cheese sitting on the factory shelves (see picture), the cheese maestro (I can’t remember his formal name), pulls the huge wheels off the shelves and taps them with his hand and a small mallet. From this little tapping, he can tell if the cheese is cracked, broken or not up to standards. The interesting part is that when they mark the cheese with the logo they brand onto the wheel, if you see X’s on the cheese then the consumer knows it is not top quality. While it still tastes 100 times better then the mass produced stuff in the US, you may or may not notice a textural difference.

Just thought I’d share and prove to my parents that I did learn something in school that wasn’t female related.

Hi! Jen here with the recipe. I actually got this from Elise at Simply Recipes who is just amazing. I have used many of her recipes which all prove to be simple but absolutely classic. Her recipe for Thanksgiving Turkey saved a last minute Thanksgiving dinner at our house. I love her recipes and I urge you to check it out.

Here is the link to her recipe, I won’t post it to make you go there and check her out
Parmesan Chicken Recipe

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Happy New year and a belated Merry Christmas!
I was a bit swamped with the holidays and work this year which ended up taking it toll with a bit of a stomach bug on Christmas day…not too fun but that’s what I get for stressing! I am feeling much better now after getting over that and a head cold back to back, yeah I was a bundle of fun!

Evan and I ad a nice holiday nonetheless and we had a few friends over last night for a last minute, casual New Year’s Eve. After sleeping in until almost 11am (well I didn’t get to bed until 3am!) it was time to make good on my new year’s resolution of cooking more and cooking different dishes. I received 3 cookbooks and a brand new set of pots and pans for Christmas so I have the tools and resources to make this happen.

Tonight I decided to alter a classic dish of Chicken Cordon Bleu by using Fontina and prosciutto instead. After pounding out the chicken breasts and rolling them around the meat and cheese I browned them in about 2 tablespoons each of butter and olive oil. After they had some color on the outside, I added about 1 cup of white wine, put a cover on and let it cook until the chicken was almost cooked through. I removed the chicken and put it on a plate then covered it with foil to let it finish cooking. I then made a added about 2 tablespoons of butter and about the same amount of flour to make a roux. After cooking it for a bit I added another cup or so of white wine and a squeeze of lemon juice and allowed the sauce to thicken. Salt and pepper to taste and then poured the sauce over the rested chicken.

This was a really nice dish, I loved the creaminess of the sauce which was perfect with angel hair pasta. I may use a bit of chicken broth in place of some of the wine just to keep it a bit more mellow but all in all it was a good start to the new year!

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One of our favorite go-to restaurants is a place called Remington Grill, I think it is a regional place but they have a western theme and are about one step up from your typical fast food. They have burgers, BBQ, ribs and all you can eat fries- now you see why I love this place! Anywho, I get the same thing everytime we go there. I literally have not had anything else from there besides a bite of Evan’s burger. It’s called a Jesse James, I think I was first drawn to it because my maiden name is James and my dad always wanted my name to be Jessica but my Mom would not allow me to be called Jesse James. I am sure it was for the best but it would have been awesome in high school when I was running track, or atleast I think so. Ok bake to the point, so this sandwich is a barbecue sandwich but instead of pulled pork it uses chicken, which makes me fee less guilty about eating all of those fries

So in lieu of eating out I decided to try and recreate this sandwich in the crockpot for a weekday meal, and I think it turned out pretty darn good. I used 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts but it was s a tad on the dry side, I would maybe try a mix of chicken breasts and boneless, skinless chicken thighs to add a bit of fattiness. If you don’t want to use the crockpot, boil up the chicken, shred it and douse it in the sauce. Evan approved of the sauce- though I doubt he would approve of my ugly picture of it.

Jen’s version of a Jesse James
2-3 pounds of chicken, boneless and skinless
3/4 cup ketchup
6 T. prepared mustard
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons minced garlic (this is the amount for jarred garlic, you a bit less if using fresh)
3 tablespoons molasses
2 T. steak sauce
1 T. tablespoon lemon or lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons liquid smoke flavoring
salt and pepper to taste
4 hamburger buns
prepared coleslaw (optional)

Crockpot Method
1. Throw the sauce ingredients into a crockpot with the chicken. Cook in low for 6-8 hours (use one of those crockpot liners, trust me it’s worth it!)

2. Shred the meat, pile it on a bun with some sauce and creamy coleslaw. Yum!

Stovetop Method:
1. Boil the chicken until cooked through. Shred meat and set aside.

2. In a large saucepan, combine sauce ingredients and simmer until warmed through. Add shredded chicken and stir until coated.

3. Pile the meat on a bun, top with sauce and creamy coleslaw.

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