Beer and Onion Braised Chicken

I have been looking at this recipe for weeks, vowing that I would make it soon.

Tonight I came home from Latin Jam and was DETERMINED to make this recipe. This one defeinitely warented smell-o-vision while cooking!

Beer and Onion Braised Chicken
http://www.tuesdayrecipe.com/tuesday-recipe-archives/
serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
8 large chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on
salt and ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
3 tablespoons canola oil (omitted)
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon brown sugar (used honey)
2 small bay leaves
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 bottle (12 ounces) dark beer

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°. Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, and allspice. In the bottom of a 5- to 7-quart Dutch oven or stock pot, heat oil over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Add half the chicken thighs, skin sides down, and cook until the skin is browned and the thighs release easily from the pot when turned with tongs, about 4 minutes. Brown the meat on other side. Transfer to a plate and continue with remaining thighs, adjusting heat under pot as needed. Remove thighs and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onions to pot and stir until they soften a little, about 2 minutes. Stir in brown sugar, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover pot; cook until golden brown, lifting lid and stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir in bay leaves, mustard, and beer and bring to a boil. Arrange chicken thighs in pot in one layer; pour in any accumulated juices from plate. Transfer pot to oven, but DO NOT COVER; cook until chicken is almost falling from bone and sauce is slightly reduced, about 40 minutes.

Braised Chicken in Coconut Milk

Looking through the Cooking Light Bulletin Boards (OK, I say that all the time) I came across this recipe at the same time as I can across the beans recipe.

I bought the chicken breast a couple of days ago and they were in the refrigerator. I knew if I didn't use them today, that I would be scared to use them tomorrow and would throw them away.

Before going to Latin Jam tonight I quickly cooked up this recipe (about 10-15 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes of total cook time). I ended up eating this when I got home from class.

The braised chicken was SO tender. The flavors were rich but not so much that you can't eat a big portion of this. The spice was very mild, and the cayenne pepper can easily be increased if you want SPICY.

I can easily see myself making this meal for company, and will definitely be making this again for just our family.

Braised Chicken in Coconut Milk
PREP AND COOK TIME: About 45 minutes
MAKES: 4 servings

2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon ground dried turmeric
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (I used rice wine vinegar)
4 boned, skinned chicken breast halves (5 to 6 oz. each)(I used about 2 lbs. of chicken breasts)
1 teaspoon salad oil (I cooked on a little chicken stock instead, since it was already on the stove)
1 cup thinly sliced onion (I used 1 sweet onion)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (I used 1 tsp. ginger powder)
1 can (14 oz.) reduced-fat coconut milk (I only had regular coconut milk, hence me saving on the oil and using more chicken to increase the servings)
About 1/2 teaspoon salt
Thin red or green bell pepper rings (optional)

1. In a small bowl, mix coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, and vinegar until smooth.

2. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Rub spice mixture all over breast halves.

3. Pour oil into a 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan over high heat, swirling to coat bottom. When oil is hot, add chicken and turn as needed to brown on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes total. Transfer to a rimmed plate.

4. Add onion, garlic, and ginger to pan; stir often until onion is lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add coconut milk and 1/2 teaspoon salt; stir often until mixture boils. Add chicken and any accumulated juices, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered, turning pieces once, until no longer pink in center of thickest part (cut to test), 10 to 12 minutes total. Transfer chicken to a rimmed platter.

5. Turn heat to high and boil sauce until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 4 minutes. Spoon evenly over chicken. Add more salt to taste, and garnish with pepper rings if desired.

Per serving (without my changes): 253 cal., 30% (76 cal.) from fat; 35 g protein; 8.4 g fat (3.9 g sat.); 10 g carbo (0.8 g fiber); 411 mg sodium; 82 mg chol.

Guest Post

You can find me posting today at Moms Without Blogs. I am so excited!

I have been reading Lee since I began blogging. She started at around the same time as I did and she has done SO MUCH with her blog. She has a number of moms, who actually have no blogs, who guest post - she gives them a forum to talk about their lives and experiences.

She also has a number of bloggy moms who contribute to her blog.

I am very excited to be contributing to her Simple Recipe Saturday. Enjoy!

Roast Chicken

After my day from hell yesterday (and by the way, THANKS for commiserating with me), I realized I had a chicken in the refrigerator.

I bought a FRESH, organic, straight from the farm chicken on Saturday at the farmers market. Yesterday being Monday I really felt like I needed to use it. So, at 9pm, I put my chicken in the oven.

This is my GO-TO, ABSOLUTELY FAVORITE, roast chicken. It is SUPER easy, adaptable and just plan TASTY. I ALWAYS add lots of different vegetables for an easy one pot meal.


Perfect Roast Chicken

Recipe By : Barefoot Contessa
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 roasting chicken -- (5 to 6 pound)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme -- plus 20 sprigs (used dried)
1 lemon -- halved
1 head garlic -- cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons butter -- (1/4 stick) melted (used olive oil)
1 large yellow onion -- thickly sliced
4 carrots -- cut into 2-inch chunks (I used a bunch of baby carrots)
1 bulb fennel -- tops removed, and cut into wedges (used zucchini, squash, potatoes, etc...)
Olive oil

(I didn't take a picture of the raw chicken because pictures of raw chicken skeeve me out)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

Source:
"Barefoot Contessa Cookbook page 130"

After this came out of the oven, I stood over the roasting pan and ate some piping hot. Man this was good!

I submitted this recipe for The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Saturday night dinner

I have got to say how NICE it is reconnecting with old friends, and finding out that you still REALLY like them!

Not only did we have a great time last night, but old and new friends got along extremely well, which is definitely a bonus.

These are people whose parenting style I have ALWAYS admired. Their kids are 16 and 17 and were little when we became friends. I loved how well mannered their kids were, how their kids ate everything, weren't shy and how relaxed this couple was with their kids. They never treated them like children, but like intelligent people. Yes, there were fights and arguments, but you could see that these kids were happy to be around their parents.

In fact, the monkeys still use the baby blankets my friend made for them :)

Their older daughter is graduating this year and is going to Vassar. Their younger daughter is a social butterfly and very independent. I just hope my monkeys turn out as well as theirs have.

I decided to buy lobsters again, since they are still relatively cheap. The recipe I used here is still the only way to go, as far as I am concerned. To go with the lobster, I made these potatoes here (I used a mix of Yukon gold and purple Peruvian). Since my friends friend was coming with her, and she doesn't eat lobster, I also made chicken (which was so tasty and looked beautiful). I also was not sure if my other friend who didn't eat meat, ate lobster so I also made a pasta dish I have been thinking about for a long time.

Roast Chickens with Black Pepper—Maple Glaze
ACTIVE TIME 20 MIN
TOTAL TIME 2 HRS 30 MIN

6 SERVINGS

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
Coarsely ground pepper
2 medium onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Two 3 1/2-pound organic chickens (I used one 5.5 lb chicken)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the maple syrup and 2 teaspoons of coarsely ground pepper. Remove the glaze from the heat.

2. On a large heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet, toss the sliced onions with the olive oil. Season the onions with salt and pepper and spread in an even layer. Season the chickens inside and out with salt, then arrange them on top of the onions. Loosely tie the chicken legs together with kitchen string.

3. Roast the chickens for 45 minutes. Brush the chickens all over with half of the maple glaze and continue roasting them for 1 hour longer. Increase the oven temperature to 425°. Generously brush the chickens with the remaining glaze and roast for 15 minutes longer, or until the cavity juices run clear and the chickens are richly browned.

4. Transfer the chickens to a platter and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. Pour the onions and pan juices into a large glass measuring cup and skim the fat from the surface. Season with salt and pepper and serve with the chickens. (I never do the pan juices because I am too lazy, but I do serve the caramelized onions on the side, YUM!!)

--Maria Helm Sinskey

This recipe originally appeared in April 2004, Food & Wine Magazine.


Penne a la Betsy
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/09/cooking_with_my_punk-ass_little_sister_penne_a_la_betsy/


1 pound of extra large shrimp. It should already be peeled and deveined.
butter
olive oil
1 small onion (diced)
2 cloves minced garlic
8 oz can of tomato sauce
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup wine
parsley
Basil
salt
pepper
3/4 lb. penne pasta

Rinse shrimp under cool water. Heat about a tablespoon of butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the raw shrimp and cook for a couple of minutes. Remove and let cool.

Cook penne. While penne is cooking. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in skillet. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add garlic and onion and begin cooking stirring occasionally.

Take the cooked shrimp and pull off their tails and cut into bite sized pieces. Set aside.

Add wine to garlic mixture. Then add tomato sauce and stir well. Now add heavy cream.

Add shrimp, 1 tablespoon parsley and 1 tablespoon basil to mixture. Stir well. Add cooked noodles, mix and Enjoy!!!

Since I was already making lobster I omitted the shrimp this time. Next time I will add it. Also, I didn't have tomato sauce so I used 4 tiny diced tomatoes and some Italian seasonings. Next time I will use tomato sauce. I did add the fresh herbs at the end. Also, I used fat free half and half. It's hard for me to use full fat products.

So, even though I TOTALLY butchered this recipe (and I feel horrible because I LOVE Ree, the Pioneer Woman) I LOVED it the way I made it, and think I will love it differently when I make it the right way.

Here are some picture of my monkeys, the older monkeys friend and our "old" and great friends.

Impromptu Dinner Party

I was supposed to go see Phantom of The Opera tonight. One little problem - the show is next week :)

I called friends of ours, the older monkey's good friends family, and invited them to dinner. Then I was talking to another family friend with sons my monkey's ages. And then finally I texted my single friend and told her to come over. At first she said no, but then decided to come.

My favorite quote all night was said by family friend number 1. She told my single friend, "When Julia calls you and invites you to dinner, why would you ever say no??"

It was really nice to hear.

I only had about 30 minutes to start making dinner before everyone came over so I didn't have time to take pictures. Also, every one finished every last morsel, so I couldn't take pictures of the food afterwords.

I hope you make the recipes, especially the potato one! Yum!!! Oh, and the chicken! The chicken was so un-believably moist!!!

Salt-Baked Chicken

Traditionally, this recipe uses a whole chicken, marinated, wrapped in lotus leaves, immersed in a bed of hot rock salt in a wok, and cooked on a stovetop. The modern convenience of an oven makes it much easier to control the cooking temperature. Allowing the chicken to stand at room temperature for an hour before cooking creates succulent results. The golden color of the roasted bird also represents wealth, and serving a whole chicken is thought to ensure good luck for the coming year. Garlic chives make a memorable garnish.

2 1/2 cups boiling water
1 (1 x 2–inch) strip dried tangerine peel
1 (4.5- to 5-pound) roasting chicken
5 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt, divided
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
2 tablespoons minced ginger
2 tablespoons Shaoxing (Chinese rice wine) or dry sherry
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon honey
2 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
Cooking spray

1. Combine 2 1/2 cups boiling water and tangerine peel in a bowl; cover and let stand 30 minutes. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving liquid.
2. Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Trim excess fat. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. Rub 1 tablespoon salt under skin; let stand 5 minutes. Rinse chicken under cold water; pat dry with paper towels. Place chicken on the rack of a roasting pan; let stand 1 hour at room temperature.
3. Preheat oven to 425°.
4. Transfer chicken to a work surface. Combine remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, shallots, ginger, wine, soy sauce, oil, and honey in a small bowl. Rub 3 tablespoons shallot mixture inside cavity of chicken. Place onions and tangerine peel inside cavity. Rub remaining shallot mixture under loosened skin.
5. Place chicken, breast side up, on the rack of a roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Pour reserved tangerine soaking liquid into a shallow roasting pan; place rack in pan. Bake at 425° for 1 hour or until a meat thermometer registers 165° and skin has turned a dark golden brown color. Let stand 15 minutes. Discard skin, and slice.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 3 ounces)

CALORIES 171 ; FAT 4.4g (sat 1g,mono 1.4g,poly 1.2g); CHOLESTEROL 85mg; CALCIUM 21mg; CARBOHYDRATE 2.5g; SODIUM 885mg; PROTEIN 26.8g; FIBER 0.3g; IRON 1.6mg

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2009

Shoestring Fries with Garlicky Dijon Mayo

Cutting potatoes into thin strips, soaking them in hot water, and cooking at high heat makes for a crisp texture without much fat. Instead of ketchup, we enjoyed dipping the fries in this tangy sauce, a riff on aioli.

1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1 1/4 pounds baking potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Cooking spray


1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Combine vinegar and garlic in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in mayonnaise, mustard, and parsley.
3. Cut potatoes lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices; stack slices and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick strips. Place in a large bowl; cover with hot water. Let stand 10 minutes. Drain potatoes; pat dry with paper towels. Combine potatoes, oil, and salt in a large bowl; toss gently to coat. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 35 minutes; carefully turn over and bake an additional 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve with sauce.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup fries and about 1 tablespoon sauce)

CALORIES 180 ; FAT 7g (sat 0.5g,mono 4.3g,poly 1.5g); CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 21mg; CARBOHYDRATE 26.2g; SODIUM 233mg; PROTEIN 3.2g; FIBER 1.9g; IRON 1.3mg

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2009

Crazy mom makes dinner, from scratch, for a play date

Before SOME people start thinking that I eat gourmet meals every night I just have to say that dinner last night was an egg over easy wrapped in a tortilla and some leftover crab salad (bought, not made).

Tonight, however, I did cook. I had been talking to the mom of one of the Big Monkeys friends and we finally made plans for them to come to dinner tonight.

I have got to say, what a well behaved family (probably the fact that the dad is a cop and the mom works at the LA jail). Everyone is very soft spoke, polite and the 11 year old son played nicely with the 6 year olds on the trampoline.

Anyways, I was SWAMPED at work and ran out of there at about 5:20pm. I got to Trader Joes at 5:45pm, grabbed a couple of items and was home at 6pm. They were supposed to be at our house at 6pm. Luckily they were running a few minutes late.

When people (other than my closest friends) come over, I feel the need to cook something from scratch, or at least my version of scratch ;)

As I was looking through my database of recipes I want to make, this one looked easy and quick. It ended up definitely NOT disappointing. We were eating by 6:40pm!!

I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the ingredients - I was too busy trying to at least START dinner before they came.

Leo Maya's Chicken with Green Sauce
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007/09/unclogged-mario-batali-recipe-chicken-with-green-sauce.html
Posted by Mario Batali, September 13, 2007 at 4:00 PM

Our Acapulco-born babysitter, Leo, makes some of my favorite things to eat. At Christmas she makes turkey in a dark mole with toasted sesame seeds. In winter, she makes great enchiladas with soft, never-fried tortillas and a braised beef filling with queso fresco. She makes great albondigas (meatballs) with rice and beef or pork. And this week, she took some seasoned pork and made a kind of chili or sloppy joe mix with toasted dried corn that we ate as sandwiches on toasted burger buns.

But of all the things she makes, our favorite is a killer chicken and green sauce that she makes once a week.

That's why some of the best real cooks in my restaurant kitchens are from Mexico or Latin America—they watched their families make great food from scratch every day.
It's great to watch a natural cook because she does not consult a recipe—she just knows. And that's why some of the best real cooks in my restaurant kitchens are from Mexico or Latin America—they watched their families make great food from scratch every day. They simply understand that sofrito goes in first when you make a braised dish or that coaxing flavor out of something lean sometimes means to cook it very well done and chopping into small pieces and dressing it with citrus and scallions.

That said, this is the easiest thing to watch and make. She takes 2 pounds of chicken drumsticks and thighs (I used chicken breast) and removes the skin and sets them aside. Then she takes 3 pounds of husked tomatillos, 6 cloves garlic, and 2 serrano chiles (I used Trader Joes bottled tomatillo salsa since they didn't sell tomatillos and I was running late)and places them in boiling water for 2 minutes and then drains them. Still warm, she places them into the blender with the juice and zest of 3 limes and 1 bunch of cilantro and blends until just smooth (I skipped this step). She seasons it with salt (a lot) and then puts the sauce in a pan with the raw chicken, bringing it to a boil and then simmering it for 25 minutes (I put the tomatillo salsa, garlic paste, juice of 1 lime and 1 bunch cilantro in to the pan with the raw chicken). After that, she finishes it with the juice of another lime and a handful of chopped scallions (did the lime, skipped the scallions).



This was very quick and yummy! I served this with whole wheat pasta, sauteed zucchini and mushrooms and green beans.


The kids had a great time and were sad to part company.


I am submitting this recipe to the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap. If you found me through Gayle's Blog, welcome. I hope you enjoy my blog, the recipe and leave a comment.

Happy Chanukah!

One of my closest friends just sent me a virtual card.

Happy Chanukah everyone!

This pictures also really epitomizes the party I had today - the Jew"ish" Chanukah celebration.

From 10am-10pm I sat down for 30 minutes in total. I have no idea if my kids ate. Thanks to all the squeals of laughter I know the kids had a great time. All the adults told me they had a great time. The part started at 4pm with people coming in in waves. The last family left at 9:15pm.

The matzoh ball soup was the big winner of the night. I made about 30 matzoh balls and they were going in like 10 minutes! I should have quadrupled the batch. Three separate people told me that they were the best that they had ever had. The balls were light and fluffy and had almost an air-like quality to them.

My favorite part of the evening was when all of the kids lit about 15 menorahs in unison and said the prayers all together. My friend read the prayer and had everyone follow along. Not all the kids were Jewish but everyone lit the candles and said the words. It was a magical sight to see. I was so busy I didn't take ANY pictures, but others did and as soon as they email me I will post them here. All in all a very fun night.

A couple of high lights:

*My friends daughter got her hair singed by the candles. My friend took it in stride and was happy she didn't have to go to the ER.

*The same friends daughters (they are Asian) were the ones who wanted to play dreidel the most.

*One of the moms commented to me, "Wow! You're cooking the latkes now, while we're here. If it was me, I would have made them in the morning so that I could enjoy this time with my guests". To which I replied, "Um, they are better fresh and hot". And no I didn't add "BEYATCH" to the end of that even though I REALLY wanted to! There always has to be one, right????

I was going to take pictures of all the food but again I had no time. But trust me, it looked amazing. And tasted really good!

Here are the recipes:

Oprah's Pomegranate Martini
Recipe courtesy of Oprah Winfrey

Ingredients:
Serves 2
1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
2 ounces Absolute Citron vodka or white tequila
1 ounce Cointreau liquor
Cup of ice
Splash of sparkling water (optional)
Squeeze of lemon (optional)
Shake ingredients in a shaker and put in chilled martini glasses. Put pomegranate fruit into glass as garnish.

Latkes
Serving Size : 8

Ingredients:
3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
1 medium onion
1/3 cup matzah meal -- or unbleached white flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil spray (or 2 tablespoons olive oil)

Serve with: non-fat or low-fat sour cream and applesauce

Peel the potatoes and onion and coarsely grate in a food processor fitted with a shredding disk or on a box grater.
Grab handfuls of the grated vegetables and squeeze tightly between your fingers to wring out as much liquid as possible.
Transfer the grated vegetables to a mixing bowl and stir in the matzah meal, baking powder, eggs, and plenty of salt and pepper. (The latkes should be highly seasoned.)
Spray the frying pan with oil (or drizzle the oil on it and spread with a wooden spoon).
Spoon small mounds of potato mixture onto the pan to form 2-1/2 inch pancakes, leaving 1 inch between each.
Fry the latkes in the oven until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes per side, turning once with a spatula. (When you turn the latkes, try to flip them onto spots on the baking sheet that still have oil.)
Transfer to plates or a platter and serve immediately with sour cream and/or applesauce.


MATZO BALLS
Ingredients:
4 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup chicken fat (reserved from broth, if available) or pareve kosher-for-Passover margarine, melted, cooled
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2/3 cup unsalted matzo meal

Stir egg yolks and next 4 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Beat egg whites in another medium bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into yolk mixture alternately with matzo meal in 3 additions each. Cover and chill until cold and firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Drop cold matzo mixture by generous tablespoonfuls onto sheet of plastic. Using moistened hands, shape into balls (each about 1 1/4 inches in diameter). Drop matzo balls into boiling water. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered until cooked through, turning matzo balls over after 15 minutes, about 35 minutes total. Using slotted spoon, transfer matzo balls to dish, arranging in single layer. (Can be made ahead. Let stand up to 2 hours or cover and refrigerate up to 1 day. Simmer in salted water until heated through, about 10 minutes, and drain before serving.)

Jugged Chicken
Ingredients:
1 3-1/2 pound chicken (use thighs and drumsticks)
2 T unsalted butter
1 jar pearl onions (in canned vegetable aisle)
4 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
8 oz prosciutto, chopped
2/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup Port
1/3 cup brandy
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 T Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Rub chicken with butter and season inside and out with salt and pepper. Transfer chicken to large, heavy, deep casserole. Combine onions and all remaining ingredients in large bowl. Pour over chicken. Cover and bake until chicken is done, about 55 minutes. Serve in bowls with crusty bread.

**I don't always have Brandy on hand, and in cases like that, I just add extra of the other alcohol, and it still tastes great.

Makes 16.

Arugula Salad with Beets
Source: Light Basics Cookbook by Martha Rose Shulman
Makes 4 Servings

For the Salad:
4 small to medium-size or 2 large beets, red, yellow or a combination
6 ounces arugula, washed and dried
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, slivered, or goat cheese or blue cheese, crumbled (about ¼ cup) (optional)

For the Dressing:
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or sherry vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 small garlic clove, peeled and minced or pressed
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, or 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt or low-fat buttermilk

1. Roast the beets if they are uncooked. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Cut away the leaves by slicing across the top end, just below the stems (save the leaves for another purpose). Trim away the root and scrub the beets under warm water with a vegetable brush. Place in a baking dish and add about ¼ inch of water. Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the beets. Test for doneness by sticking a knife into the beet; it should slide right through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
2. When the beets are cool, it will be easy to slip their skins off. Skin and cut in half lengthwise, then slice the beets very thin or cut into small wedges. Transfer to a salad bowl with the arugula.
3. Stir together the balsamic vinegar, lemon juice or sherry vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic, and optional mustard. Whisk in the olive oil or olive oil and yogurt or buttermilk. Thin out the dressing if desired with about a tablespoon of water.
4. Just before serving, toss the arugula and beets with the dressing and the optional cheese.

Per serving: 13.9 gm total fat; 1.8 gm sat fat; 156 calories; 7.6 gm carbohydrates; 2.0 gm protein

BRISKET

4 LBS BRISKET (WITH FAT ON TOP) OR I BUY THIS MEAT AT COSTCO (SUBSTITUTE FOR
BRISKET).
CUT A POCKET IN THE BRISKET (HORIZONTALLY)
RUB THE MEET WITH GARLIC (FRESHLY SQUEEZED), SALT, PEPPER
POUR A BOTTLE OF BEER OVER IT
COVER WITH FOIL
BAKE AT 300 DEGREES FOR 6 HOURS

TAKE OUT OF THE OVEN AND CUT UP INTO CHUNKS. SPRINKLE WITH GINGER, CINNAMON
AND POUR B-BQUE SAUCE OVER IT (ABOUT 3/4 OF A BOTTLE). BAKE ANOTHER 2
HOURS.

TAKE OUT OF THE OVEN AND CUT INTO SMALL PIECES. POUR 1/2 OF A SMALL BOTTLE
OF HONEY OVER. BAKE 1 MORE HOUR.

Cranberry Broccoli Salad
Posted by Cate
Ingredients:
1-1/4 cups fresh cranberries, chopped
1/4 cup sugar
4 cups broccoli florets
4 cups coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage with carrots)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
6 slices of bacon, crisp-cooked, drained and crumbled (I double the amount of bacon)
Dressing:
1 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

In a small bowl, combine the fresh cranberries and sugar; cover and chill in fridge until serving time (berries will juice out). In a large bowl, combine broccoli, shredded cabbage, walnuts, raisins and onion. To make dressing, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over the salad and mix. Chill covered at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Just before serving, gently fold in bacon and cranberry mixture.

I also had a bunch of different hummus, pate, cold cuts, cheeses, brie, pickled vegetables, etc...

I had hot chocolate going in the crockpot for the kids, with baileys on the side for the adults.

Friends brought/bought desserts.

If I forgot something I will post tomorrow. OK - I am brain dead! I will go to work tomorrow morning to recover. Can I wear slippers to work?

What do you think?

Why does the big monkey think that I should come up with her spelling sentences? And decide whether her writing is neat. It's constantly "what do you think"? I guess I should be lucky that she's asking my opinion at all. It's just that suddenly -I'm in 1st grade. I don't remember my parents ever helping me come up with sentences - heck their English was pretty darn poor only 2 years after coming to America.

So how did I survive??

Either kids were more resourceful back then or the kids today are just plain dumber (I'm only partially kidding). We've made it so easy for them to get help on the answers that they don't need to think too hard about anything. We are making "survival of the fittest" a crap shoot for their generation.

It's not just me either - there are plenty of articles that talk about parents enabling kids to the point of writing notes to their work excusing "Billy" from work due to illness or just being tired!! As I have stated before, my parents are immigrants. We are used to hard work! My parents stood in lines for hours for bread and then trudged home in the snow! No excuses for them!

Maybe that's why I am struggling to draw a fine line with helping my children with whatever I can (each generation has to do better than the previous) and teaching them how to be independent.

In regard to my goal of health and money savings, I've realized that I need to plan for bringing lunches - otherwise I'm more tempted to go out and spend money. I've been taking whatever is available. Some examples:

* Two garden burger patties (taken from home) covered with salsa and queso cheese dip (found in the work kitchen).
* Lean Cuisine Ravioli (that I brought to work about 1 year ago)
* Leftover Waffles

It dawned on me - if make a crock pot meal once a week I will be able to have at least 3 no-brainer, healthy lunches. Apparently I'm a slow learner ;)

Last night I decided to make a meal I have been eyeing for a while.

Crock pot Thai Chicken
Bettycrocker.com



8 chicken thighs (I use 3 lbs chicken legs)
3/4 cup salsa (I should have used 1.5 cups or whole jar)
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon grated ginger root
1/4 cup chopped peanuts (didn’t added – I had walnuts, pine nuts and macadamia nuts, but no peanuts)
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro (I forgot to add)

Place chicken in crock pot. Mix other ingredients except peanuts and cilantro. Pour over chicken. Cook for 8 hours on low. (4 HOURS ON LOW FOR BONELESS BREASTS)

Save the peanuts for garnish, along with the cilantro.

Posted by Claire 797 from the Cooking Light Bulletin Board


WARNING - don't do what I did!!! Don't layer each ingredient separately in to the crock pot. If you do layer each ingredient in to the crock pot, mix around before cooking, if you don't mix before cooking, mix about 1 hour before taking out of crock pot.

If not - the top pieces will have chunks of creamy peanut butter on them - BLECH!!! Then, you will have to re-heat in a frying pan (see above) to mix up all the ingredients sufficiently.

So - I think that this could be really good if it wasn't for user error - and a little bit of tweaking on my part.

Sunday evenings

are the one time in the week that the kids fall asleep early and the house is quiet. I know that tomorrow they have school and I have work. I don't have to think of things for them to do, or friends for them to hang out with. I wish Sunday evening were on Fridays, but then that wouldn't really work ;)

I had a random thought today and had the laptop with me so I wrote it down (I should write more things down):

Having kids means telling them to leave you alone in one breath and kissing them in the next.

Actually, they were pretty darn good today. They were enthralled with Pokemon VHS tapes! My mom brought them with the last time she visited - they had been in the garage since my 15 year old nephew watched them as a kid! Ah, the circle of life ;)

So, we got together with the kids and moms at a friends house because it would be cold and windy at the park (of course, only cold and windy by LA standards).

I looked in my to try pile and came out with a great, quick recipe that tastes like it took a long time. Everyone loved it, from the adults to the kids.

Chicken Adobo in Coconut Milk
makes 6 servings



For the Marinade:
1 1/2 cups rice vinegar (If you're like me, you have multiple bottles with little amounts in it)
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup soy sauce
12 whole garlic cloves, peeled (1 head of garlic)
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
Drizzle of sesame chili oil (at the end)

12 chicken legs, approximately 3 to 4 pounds

Mix all of the marinade ingredients together. Add the chicken pieces and turn in the marinade to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (I did 40 minutes).

In a wide heavy pot or dutch oven, bring the marinade and chicken to a boil over high heat, arranging the chicken in a single layer if possible. Lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover the pot with a tight lid and braise for 25 to 30 minutes, until cooked through and tender.

Pour marinade in high sided pan. Boil on high for 5-10, to reduce liquid by 1/2. Add back to dutch oven.

Serve with rice.

Sunday Play Date

I love the day that we "fall back". I feel like I gain an hour for the next couple of days. I know it's all a trick of the mind, but it's one I'll gladly take.

Yesterday was one of the odd days in LA - it actually RAINED! So - instead of meeting at the park this afternoon, our weekly play date was moved to my house. I was very excited - this meant I got to cook (yes, there is a padded cell with my name on it).

We had (including me and mine) 4 moms and 6 kids!! Lot's of playdoh, stickers and temporary tattoos.

I made Roasted Green Beans with Mushrooms, Venetian Shrimp and Scallops (actually calamari rings, not scallops), Barbara Bush's Crab Dip and Chicken Tagine with Lemon and Olives and couscous. One friend brought Pizza to make for the kids, yummy cream cheese and caramelized onions in phyllo (Trader Joes) and a spinach and artichoke dip (Trader Joes). My other friend brought this amazing Thai dish of fried pancake, condensed milk and sugar (YUMMY). My other friend brought fruit salad and cherry pie. Add 3 bottles of wine (2 Chardonnay and 1 Merlot) and we had a GREAT meal!!

The chicken was quite amazing. The shrimp and calamari was fabulous and the crab dip was ok! The roasted green beans with mushrooms (and broccolini) tasted awesome but looked horrible because I cooked it on convection roast instead of bake (oops!).

Pictures and recipes (yes my pictures kind of suck):

Roasted Green Beans and Brocollini with Mushrooms
No picture because it looked nasty
Cremini mushrooms are a surprisingly good source of niacin. Roasting is a great way to cook green beans, giving them crisp browned edges and intensifying their flavor.
6 cups quartered cremini mushrooms (about 1 pound)
1 cup thinly sliced shallots
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
1 lb brocollini
Cooking spray
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 450°. Combine first 4 ingredients on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with thyme and pepper. Toss well to coat. Bake at 450° for 30 minutes or until beans are lightly browned. Sprinkle with salt; toss to combine. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups)
NUTRITION PER SERVINGCALORIES 107(32% from fat); FAT 3.8g (sat 0.3g,mono 2.1g,poly 1.2g); PROTEIN 4.8g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 75mg; SODIUM 310mg; FIBER 4.6g; IRON 1.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 16.7g
Julie Grimes
Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2006

Barbara Bush's Crab or Clam Dip


A family favorite at Walker's Point
1 (6 1/2 ounce) can crabmeat or minced clams - I used a 6 ounce package of fresh crabmeat.1
(8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1 tbl Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp hot sauce
2 tbl chopped chives (optional)
2 tsp dry sherry (optional) Did not use

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Transfer to a 1 quart casserole dish. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with corn chips or crackers.


Chicken Tagine with Lemon and Olives
From Cooking Light



A tagine is a terra-cotta pot with a conical lid used in Morocco. The stews that come from the pot are named for the cooking vessel, though you can cook them in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Serve with couscous or flatbread.


2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
12 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (used chicken breasts)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion (about 2 medium)
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup pitted green olives, halved (about 12)
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro


Combine juice and chicken in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade.Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Dredge in flour; sprinkle with salt, black pepper, turmeric, and red pepper. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet with high sides over medium-high heat. Add half of chicken; cook for 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken.Add onion, ginger, and garlic to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Return chicken to pan. Add broth, olives, rind, and cinnamon stick; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until chicken is tender. Discard the cinnamon stick; stir in cilantro.

VENETIAN SHRIMP AND SCALLOPS (used Calamari rings)

Gilgamesh37 from CLBB

1 lb sea scallops (used calamari)

¼ cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper

1 Tbl (1 turn around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbl butter

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 large shallot, finely chopped

½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken broth or stock (I used water_

1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes in juice

¼ tsp saffron threads (I used turmeric)

1.5 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

12 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn

1 lemon, zested

Hot, crusty bread, for plate mopping

Lightly coat the sea scallops in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Discard remaining flour. Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil (1 turn around the pan) and butter. When butter melts into oil, add scallops. Brown scallops 2 minutes on each side, then remove from pan. Add an additional drizzle of olive oil to the pan and add the garlic, shallots, and crushed red pepper flakes. Reduce heat a little and sauté garlic and shallots 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add wine to the pan and free up any pan drippings. Reduce wine 1 minute, then add stock, tomatoes and saffron threads. When liquids come to a bubble, add shrimp and cook 3 minutes. Return scallops to the pan and cook shrimp and scallops 2 to 3 minutes longer. Transfer shrimp and scallops to a warm serving dish and top with basil and lemon zest. Pass plenty of bread to enjoy the juices.

I think I can..chug, chug, chug

Most days I feel like it's all I can do to just keep chugging along. My routine is set and I just keep going. Until I get exhausted - and still have to do it all! Like every other woman and/or mother I know!

Anyhow, Halloween is tomorrow. We have the costumes - of course, neither of the girls have tried them on, eek!!!!

There's a pot luck at work tomorrow, and the big monkey has her class party after her costume parade. I opted for easy with both. And actually, my main course for the pot luck is going to be easier than the food for the class party!

I decided on chicken wings for the pot luck. I've been reading a great blog, http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/, about a woman who is using her crockpot every day for 365 days, and all her recipes sounds great. She has a couple for chicken wings (one of my favorite foods ever - I could easy eat 2 lbs by myself) and I decided to go with the:

Hoison Chicken Wings

2 lbs frozen chicken wings
1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup prepared Hoisin Sauce
1/4 cup honey
1 1/4 tsp. granulated garlic powder (instead of 5 garlic cloves)
2 1/2 tsp. ginger powder (instead of 1 inch of grated ginger)
1 T sesame chili oil
1/8 cup soy sauce (I added this because it seemed to need more liquid)



Use a 6 qt round crockpot for this dish. Dump chicken into crockpot. Add the Hoisin sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours ( I cooked over night). Stir well to mix flavors. Cook on high for another 30 minutes.






For the big monkeys' party, I'm doing a fruit plate with fruit that some kids may not have had. There will be persimmons, asian pear, etc... The chopping will take much longer than dumping everything in to the crockpot (which took all of 5 minutes, max). Isn't that always the way?!