Feta Stuffed Chicken Breasts and Thighs – onward MacDuff!

Tags

beets, chicken, chicken pieces, dinner, feta, feta cheese, lemon, one dish, one pan, pilaf, rice, rice pilaf, Stuffed

In my efforts to actually use the all the things I have stockpiled in my chest freezers, I’m trying to use up that feta cheese I got such a good deal on a few months ago.  Aside from it’s appearance as a dip, that feta is having a cameo in some stuffed chicken tonight.  This isn’t the most original recipe, but if it ain’t broke…

 Stuffed meat seems to be disproportionately more impressive than it is hard to make.  It takes a bit of time, but it’s not too challenging and is a great make-ahead dish for when you need a show-stopping entrée.

***And now for something completely different.***

 So, I need your help on difference of opinion that I had with my fireman.  He was helping me cook my rice pilaf, (just a simple one of sauteed onion, rice and a bay leaf) and after it had come up to a boil and been covered, I caught him opening it up and stirring it and I just freaked out in a matter entirely inappropriate for matters of rice cookery.  My reaction was more suited to a situation like finding a kid feeding your dog chocolate bars…

Now, I have a difficult history with ‘white people rice.’  Coming from an Asian household I had only learned how to do rice using a rice cooker.  When I was in culinary school, I learned that once you bring the rice up to a boil in rice pilaf you cover it and let it ride over low heat without ever touching it or opening the lid or stirring it.  Since this seemed to work for me, I have held up this method as gospel.  My fireman says his Mom taught him to stir it occaisonally.  I have no doubt that both methods will result in rice that is fully cooked, and any differences would be that of personal taste and final texture; and the rice was certainly not ruined like my reaction might have indicated.  Infact, it was equally as tasty and fluffy as it usually it.  My whole world is shattered.  What do you do in your house?

On with the show.

Feta Suffed Chicken

Served with Roasted Beets ($1) and Rice Pilaf ($.67)

Serves 4 – cost approx $1.28 per serving, including rice and beets!

Ingredients

• 1/2 onion, small dice, sauteed ($.11)
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 Tbs minced parsley
• 1/2 tsp dry oregano
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs ($0 if home made from stale bread)
• 1 lemon’s zest ($.15)
• 1 egg ($.28)
• 5 oz/1 small package/1 scant cup feta cheese ($.48)
• salt and black pepper to taste

• 4 chicken pieces to be stuffed – could be breasts or leg pieces that have been de-boned ($2.18)

Start off by making the filling.  When I cooked up some rice pilaf to go with dinner I just sauteed one onion and took out half for my stuffing and kept half in the pot for the rice.  If that’s not what you’ve got planned for dinner, saute up that onion half.  Then mix all the ingredients in the first set.

For stuffing chicken breasts (or pork chops or any solid piece of meat for that matter) you can just hollow out a pocket in the meat with a long, thin knife that runs the whole length of the breast.  Then pack in the stuffing through your initial incision.  I’m always amazed how much stuffing a chicken breast can hold!  And for thighs, I just remove the bone and pound out the meat a little bit so that it’s an even layer of chicken and then roll it up with a handful of filling inside and secure it with toothpicks.   I stuffed all my chicken pieces really full, but with the ammount of filling I had, I could have easily suffed twice as many chicken pieces.  But hey, go big or go home, right?

Preheat the oven to 375 F.  Heat up a oven-safe pan over medium heat with some olive or vegetable oil in it.  Sear the skin side of the chicken, 3-5 minutes.  Flip over your pieces gently and then toss in the oven for 30 minutes or until completely cooked through.  (Which is 165 F for any stuffed meats, according to The Man, to make sure any salmonella that infiltrated the stuffing is fully dead)  You can toss in some small to medium diced veggies too to cook with the chicken!  I had some beets that joined the party…

Creamy Lemon Pesto Pasta – Kitchen Sink Pasta #1

Tags

creamy, fresh herbs, greek, Kitchen Sink, Kitchen Sink Pasta, lemon, olive oil, pasta, pesto

Pretty much since I started the blog my fireman has been suggesting that I put on something that I make for us almost every week: Kitchen Sink Pasta.  The problem is that it’s never the same so I never knew how to write about it, but I’m going to give it a shot.

Kitchen Sink Pasta is many, many things.  It’s what happens when I’ve had a busy day and need to whip up something quick and easy.  It’s the fate of all the little bits of things lurking in the dark corners of the fridge.  It’s a mini-at-home-‘Chopped’-challenge when I’m feeling ambitious.

What Kitchen Sink Pasta really is a method.  First, I wake up and realize I haven’t planned out that night’s dinner and decide on Kitchen Sink Pasta, which is usually my que to throw together my easy ciabatta dough to bake up later.  *Note: I really only make bread because one box of pasta won’t feed both of us and leave a leftover for  the hubby’s lunch.*

Secondly, when it’s time to start cooking, I round up all the little odds and ends in the kitchen and see what needs to be eaten and see if I can make a theme or cohesive culinary idea out of it.  In today’s roster is a lemon, some country sausage, a bunch of herbs from my Daddy’s garden and feta cheese, which screams out “GREEK” to me…

Second, I pad roster with pantry staples that are almost always lying around, like onions, garlic, olive oil and, of course, pasta.

Third, I try to come up with an idea for a sauce or lack there of.  I like to run through some simple sauce styles in my mind and see which one goes best with what I’ve got going; like a simple Aglio-olio-pepperoncino (the quintessential Kitchen Sink Pasta!) or Cacio-peppe combination, a pesto, a cream sauce or a tomato based sauce.  Today I chose a combination of creamy and pesto; the creamy because it was snowing outside and wanted something rich and filling and the pesto to bust through all those herbs.

Creamy Lemon Pesto Pasta

Serves 3-4 – cost approx $1.51 per serving, including bread

Ingredients

• 1 small bunch oregano ($0 for home grown!)
• 1 small bunch thyme ($0 for home grown!)
• 1/2 bunch parsley ($.25)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 lemon’s juice ($.25)
• salt – to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil ($.50 – I got a good deal on some nice olive oil at Raley’s!)

• 1 lb pasta – just whatever you have on hand, any type will be tasty
• 1 lg onion, thinly sliced ($.50)
• 1/2 lb pork sausage ($.99)
• pinch cinnamon
• pinch nutmeg
• 2-3 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups milk ($.44)
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella ($.37)
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta ($.99)
• 1 lemon’s zest ($.25)

Start out by putting on a pot of water to cook the pasta.

To make up the pesto, blend up all the ingredients in the first set.  Taste and add salt as necessary.

In a large pot, saute up the onion in a little bit of olive oil for about 5 minutes.  Add in the sausage, cinnamon and nutmeg.  The cinnamon gives a nice Greek/Mediterranean flavor and the nutmeg is traditional in cream sauces.  When the sausage is all browned add in the garlic and cook another minute or too.  Sprinkle over the flour and stir for a few minutes to make an informal roux.

Next, whisk in the milk and bring to a simmer.  Let the sauce simmer 5-10 minutes (hey, that’s about how long it takes for pasta to cook, hint hint!)   You can add in up to about a cup of pasta water to the sauce if it looks too thick.  Stir in the cooked pasta, the pesto you already made and all the remaining ingredients.  Taste and adjust the seasonings.  Yum yum!

I’ll try and share the next version of Kitchen Sink Pasta that turns out particularly tasty with all you out there in the internets!

 

Strawberry Lemon Trifle – Happy Birthday Schmee!

Tags

angel food cake, birthday, cream, lemon, strawberry, trifle

Every year, for my roomie’s birthday I make her some sort of strawberries and cream flavored dessert.  Most of the time it’s shortcake, but this year it’s trifle!  I was all inspired by this recipe from the wonderful Taste of Home!

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/strawberry-lemon-trifle

Soooooooooo yummy.  Lemon pudding, angel food cake, macerated strawberries and whipped cream!  God Bless the wedding registry, I love my trifle dish!

Celebrations are for indulgence, not saving money.  I used all the good stuff here, whipping cream, fresh berries, homemade angel food cake!  I trust that you, wonderful reader, can figure out how to assemble a trifle.  Here’s a little recipe for lemon pudding if you, like me, are adverse to the box stuff.

Lemon Pudding

Makes 3-4 cups – cost approx $2.09 per batch

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole milk ($.22)
• 2 cups half and half ($.95)
• a scant 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 eggs ($.28)
• 1/2 cup sugar ($.14)
• zest of one lemon ($.25)
• yellow food coloring, optional

Mix everything together in a sauce pot and put over low heat.  Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly.  When all thick and bubbly, pass everything through a fine mesh strainer.  Chill and enjoy!

Lemon Souffle – The Impossible Dessert, an omage

Tags

dessert, lemon, low carb, souffle

Well, as those of you that know me know, yesterday was the ‘Day of the Doctor!’ [For the non-nerds, it was why something funny happened to the Google homepage.]  I’ve got tickets to see it tomorrow in theaters in 3-D, so I’m staying as far away from the internet as humanly possible to avoid ‘spoilers.’

But, having to wait hasn’t dampened my spirits completely and I felt that celebratory dessert was in order!  Since Fish Fingers and Custard didn’t sound as delicious, I decided to channel the Souffle-Girl and make some lemon souffle for dessert.  While I didn’t save the world or defeat an alien army, I think Clara would be proud, none the less.

Souffle is such a wonderful dessert; the ingredients are simple and cheap plus it’s low in fat and carbohydrates.  I think it’s just magical how souffle puffs up into a light and airy wonder in the oven.  The only draw back is that the recipe is a little challenging.  The techniques are simple but the ingredients have to be combined in a certain way.  I’m listing the ingredients in weight, because it has to be precise.  Don’t be scared by souffle, anyone can do it!  Just remember to be careful and read the recipe before hand.  Hope you like it!

Be sure to eat your souffle right out of the oven, before it falls!  It will always be tasty, but it’s only fluffy perfection for a few minutes after it comes out of the oven.

Lemon Souffle

Makes 6 – cost approx $.19 each

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz butter, room temperature ($.28)
• 1 1/2 oz flour ($.03)
• 3 oz sugar, divided ($.12)
• 1 cup milk ($.19)
• 4 eggs, separated ($.50)
• 1 lemon, zest and juice, used separately ($0, I know someone who knows someone who has a prolific lemon tree!)

See, simple ingredients, right?  Now preheat your oven to 375 F and butter and sugar 6 1/2 cup ramekins or creme brulee cups.  (Or you could make one big souffle too!)

In a small bowl mash the flour and butter together to form a smooth paste.  (In fancy French terms, this is called a beure manie.)  Set aside for later.

In a small pot, heat the milk, 2 oz of sugar and the lemon zest and bring to a gentle boil.  Turn the heat down to very low and whisk in the flour and butter paste until it’s smooth and the mixture is thickened.  Remove from the heat.  Whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time and then whisk in the lemon juice.  Set aside for later.

Whip the egg whites to soft peaks and then add in the remaining 1 oz of sugar.  Continue whipping the egg whites until you have stiff peaks.  Gently fold the egg whites into the lemony mixture you set aside earlier.

Before baking…

Pour the souffle mix evenly into your prepared ramekins and bake at 375 F for 15 minutes or until risen and fluffy.  Grab a spoon and dig right in!

After baking!

Chicken Cutlets with Lemon Pan Sauce – quick and easy!

Tags

chicken, cutlets, easy, fresh, lemon, pan sauce, quick, white wine

Next up, in my poultry ponderings are these quick-cooking chicken cutlets.  I used the breasts and tenders to make up a plate of pan fried chicken cutlets, covered in a lemon and white wine pan sauce.  They looked so nice that my fireman asked what the occasion was for fancy dinner; I let him think I was spoiling him but they were so easy to make!  Little white lies are what keeps a relationship healthy, right?  🙂

This dish would be a great one to make if you have company or a special occasion but want to keep on pinching pennies!

Chicken Cutlets with Lemon Pan Sauce – served with mashed potatoes and sauteed red cabbage

Serves 4 – cost approx $.60 per serving (approx $1.42 per serving, including sides)

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts and tenders ($1.11)
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup flour ($.10)
• 4 Tbs vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup white wine ($.32)
• 1/2 chicken broth
• 1 lemon, zest and juice ($.50)
• 1 Tbs minced parsley ($.10)
• 2 Tbs butter

This one is fun.  You get to use your meat hammer!  (or a heavy pan…)

So, start by cutting each breast into three equal pieces, making eight pieces total, including the tenders.  Use the flat side of your meat mijolner (meat pounder, I couldn’t resist the pun) or a heavy pan and gently pound the pieces until they are 1/4 inch thick all over.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan over medium high heat.  Season the chicken on each side with salt and pepper.  Put the flour in a shallow bowl and dredge a few pieces of chicken at a time, shaking off any excess flour.  Saute until golden on each side, about 3 minutes per side.

Work in small batches, removing the finished chicken and saute the remaining chicken.  When you’re done you should have all sorts of yummy brown crud on the bottom of your pan.  Drain off any remaining oil and then deglaze the pan with the white wine, being sure to scrape up all those bits of flavor off of the bottom of the pan.  Add in the broth, lemon zest and juice and parsley and bring to a simmer.  Whisk in the butter to make the sauce rich and velvety, pour over the chicken cutlets.  Doesn’t that look so tasty?

Nectarine Lemon Glazed Chicken – sweet and savory, yum!

Tags

chicken, glazed, jam, legs, lemon, nectarine, preserves, roast

I love to can jams, jellies, preserves and pickled things all the time.  Not all of these adventures in canning are successful, but I’m learning things all the time.  This summer was good and bountiful, as far as fruit goes, and I made tons of fruit preserves!  I made this nectarine and lemon preserve and it made a great turnover filling, but I knew it could be more than just a sweet treat!  So, determined to make something savory, I used it to make a yummy chicken glaze.  You could use any stone-fruit jam or preserve for this recipe, or even use this glaze on pork as well.

Nectarine Lemon Glazed Chicken – served with roast carrots and rice pilaf

Serves 4 – cost approx $1.60 per person, including rice and carrots

Ingredients

• 2 lb carrots, large dice ($.80)

• 2 Tbs fresh herbs, minced – I used thyme ($.25)
• 1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil ($.25)
• garlic salt, to taste
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika

• 4 chicken leg quarters (wait until it goes on sale for $.99 per lb, mine cost only $3.77 total for a huge package of leg quarters!)
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup nectarine lemon preserves or other stone fruit preserves ($.50)

Preheat the oven to 375 F.  Put the carrots onto a sheet tray in a tidy pile in the middle.  Mix up all the ingredients in the next group, this will make the base for the chicken glaze, but I didn’t want the carrots to taste exactly the same as the chicken.  Toss the carrots with a few tablespoons of this mixture.

Pat the chicken legs dry and season with salt and pepper, lay them on top of the carrots.  Stir the nectarine lemon preserves into the glaze mix and baste the chicken.  Roast for 30-45 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and golden brown, basting the chicken every 10-15 minutes or so.

Mediterranean Lemon Roast Chicken – and a brief ‘How-to-Spatchcock’

Tags

flattened chicken, lemon, paprika, roast chicken, spatchcock, vegetables

I just love the word ‘spatchcock!’  I know, I have a fixation on funny sounding words.  Its quite frequently that I’m found by my friends, saying a word that sounds silly a few times in a row and giggling to myself.  But, not only is ‘spatchcocking’ funny to say, it’s a wonderful time saver for cooking whole chickens.

#1: Using your awesome KITCHEN ONLY shears or poultry shears, cut out the back bone like so. (Thanks Santa for the bitchin’ poultry shears, they work great!  How did Santa know I broke my last kitchen shears on Thanksgiving?)  Sprinkle salt on the inside of your bird and save that bone for making stock!

#2: Flip that bird over and break the breast bone by pushing on it like you were giving it CPR.  The goal is to flatten it into one, more even surface.

#3:  Lay down a bed of potatoes and veggies, sprinkle the whole she-bang with some salt.  Roast at 375 F for 45-60 minutes or until done, basting occasionally with your favorite marinade/dressing.

Mediterranean Lemon Marinade – great for veggies, poultry or both!

Ingredients

• 1 lemon, zest and juice ($.50)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt, to taste
• crushed red pepper, to taste
• 1/2 tsp dry oregano
• 1/4 cup veg oil or olive oil ($.31)

Mix all ingredients thoroughly.  I used this mixture to baste a pan of veggies and a spatchcocked chicken for a great, “one-dish” meal that serves 4-6 people at $1.64 per serving.  Here’s what I used.

• 2 lb potatoes, medium dice ($.31)
• 1 zucchini, large dice ($.50)
• 4 carrots, medium dice ($.20)
• 1 lg onion, sliced ($.33)
• 1 chicken, spatchcocked ($5.78)

Pasta Carbonara – Molto Semplice!

Tags

bacon, carbonara, easy, egg, lemon, pasta, quick

So, contrary to what Olive Garden will tell you, Carbonara is not a pasta dish with cream sauce!  It is not Alfredo’s ugly cousin!  It is a beautiful and fresh thing all of it’s own.  It’s spring-time perfection: quick, easy and fresh!

These are the only ingredients you need; this dish could not be simpler.  That being said, this is a time to splurge on a nice cheese.  Because there are so few ingredients (that aren’t expensive at all) this recipe has room in the budget to use a nice, hard Italian cheese like Grana Padano, Romano, Asiago or (the undisputed king of cheeses as per Chef Batali) Parmigiano Reggiano.  There are even some wonderful ‘New World’ hard cheeses from America or Argentina that are available in most grocery store cheese cases.

The one American addition to carbonara that I like to include is peas!  We all need to put more vegetables in our lives.

Pasta Carbonara – served with ciabatta bread

Serves 2-3 – cost approx $1.28 per serving, including bread

Ingredients

• 1 lb long pasta ($.45, if you wait for it to go on sale Buy One/Get One Free or for $1 then add a coupon and that makes for some cheap pasta!)
• 3 slices bacon, cut into small pieces ($.37)
• 1 small/ 1/2 large lemon, zest and juice ($.25)
• 1 cup fresh or frozen peas ($.29)
• 2 eggs ($.24)
• 2 Tbs minced parsley ($.10)
• 1/2 regular grated hard cheese or 1 cup microplane grated hard cheese ($1)
• salt and black pepper, to taste

Begin by putting a pot of water on to boil for the pasta.  Then go and gather and prepare all the other ingredients.  Once the water is boiling, salt the water and add in the pasta.  While the pasta cooks, heat the bacon in a large saute pan over medium heat and render out the fat.  Once the bacon is crispy, turn off the heat and add in the peas so that they gently cook and/or thaw.

When the pasta is perfectly al dente (or however you like your pasta) use some tongs to pull out the pasta and add it to the bacon and peas.  Put all the other ingredients into the pan and use the tongs to stir everything up, making a light sauce.  Season with salt and black pepper to taste.  Easy, no?

***Note: This dish has eggs that are NOT fully cooked, don’t serve this to anyone very young, very old, immuno-compromised or pregnant, due to the very small risk of salmonella poisoning.***