Tag Archives: cooking

One-Skillet Simple Roasted Chicken Dinner

05 Tuesday May 2015

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I just came back from a short trip to Vancouver, Canada. For a few days, I walked around the city and ate. And drank. And then I walked some more and ate more food. There was the Korean hot pot, the Japanese blossom sushi roll, the Mediterranean spread, and the chocolate hazelnut croissant. And these are just the highlights.

Back at home, the refrigerator didn’t offer much in terms of produce. But there was a package of frozen chicken breast halves, some potatoes, carrots, and a few sweet peppers. There was also a grumbling stomach and the desire to eat a few healthy, wholesome meals.

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With this, I present you this super simple and super satisfying meal of One-Skillet Roasted Chicken Dinner.

Ingredients

1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1.5 pounds baby red potatoes
6-8 mini sweet bell peppers
1 jalapeno
4-6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for the chicken.
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 chicken breast halves, skinless and boneless (this will work awesome with chicken thighs and legs)
fresh sprigs of thyme and rosemary
lemon slices

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 F. Place a cast iron inside the skillet.

2.  Combine vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper.

3.  Transfer the vegetables in a single layer to the preheated skillet. Top with chicken breasts. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and top with lemon slices. Tuck herbs around the chicken.

One skillet chicken dinner3

4.  Roast in the preheated oven until the chicken registers at 165 F and the vegetables are tender, 45 to 60 minutes.

And that is all. Roasted, juicy chicken with a medley of vegetables. Eat it hot as it comes out of the oven the first night. Second night? Chop it up, stir it up, and make a roasted chicken salad out of this.

One skillet chicken dinner

Borscht ~ Russian Vegetarian Beet Soup Recipe

03 Monday Mar 2014

Posted by in Recipe, Russian, Soup, Vegetables, Vegetarian

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Borscht Russian Beet Soup Recipe

Before I begin with the recipe, I do admit to the Russian name of the soup not having a “t” at the end.  But this is in English, so we will stick with Borscht.  Now, I have grown up eating this hearty, ruby red soup prepared lovingly by my Dad.  In fact, I just ate a bowl at my parents’ house tonight, and it was as usual, the best.  But sometimes, I want to make borscht at home, and this is my quick, one-pot version of my dad’s recipe.

The are numerous of recipes for borscht out there, with each family using their own particular technique and a set of ingredients.  But for the most part, there are a few must-have ingredients: beets, cabbage, and carrots. The rest?  It’s up to you!  I was out of potatoes, but normally would put those in as well.  Celery, celery root, and even zucchini are great additions to the soup.

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Borscht ~ Russian Vegetarian Beet Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 beets, peeled and sliced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 carrots, diced
4-6 cups of water (can substitute vegetable broth or chicken/beef stock for a non-vegetarian version)
1 small head of cabbage, chopped
salt and ground black pepper to taste
juice of 1 lemon, about 2 tablespoons
1-2 teaspoons of sugar

Serve with: Russian black bread, dill, sour cream

Directions

1.  Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat.  Add onion and cook for 10 minutes.

2.  Add beets to the onion and cook for another ten minutes.

3.  Add garlic and carrots and cook for another five minutes.  At this point, you can also add a few tablespoons of tomato paste.

4.  Pour in water (or stock), making sure the vegetables are covered by a few inches.  Bring to a boil.  If you were using potatoes, you’d add them now, and cook half way through.

5. Lower the heat to medium and stir in cabbage. Cook just until the cabbage is wilted.

6. Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice and sugar.

Soup is ready!  Add a dollop of sour cream and freshly chopped herbs (dill, parsley, even cilantro).  I often serve it with fresh grated garlic for an extra kick and a dash of hot sauce.

Borscht Russian Beet Soup Recipe13

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Brine Your Chickens!

20 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by in Allrecipes.com, Chicken, Cooking, Recipe, Video

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I have a confession to make.  Yesterday I made my first brined chicken.  For someone who has been cooking for quite some time, it’s honestly shameful.  Why have I roasted whole chickens without brining them first in all the previous years?  This overnight brined chicken was ridiculously juicy, tender, and flavorful.

Roasted Chicken Brine Recipe

I got to test the brining method on the set of Allrecipes.com video studio, using the Simple Chicken Brine recipe.  The recipe was indeed, simple.  A mix of water, salt, sugar, soy sauce and olive oil.  I resisted adjusting the recipe by adding extra seasonings and herbs, but will experiment the next time I decide to brine.

The whole chicken bathed in the brine overnight, then got rinsed and patted dry.  I stuffed it with lemon, fresh thyme, onion and celery before getting it into a hot oven, seated on a bed of more onion and celery.

Roast the chicken in a 400 degrees F oven for about an hour – depending on the size.  Make sure the internal temperature registers at 165 degrees F.  Allow the bird to rest, loosely covered with foil, to keep warm, before carving.  One of the benefits of brining, is even a bird that might be slightly overcooked, will still be juicy.

If every chicken I ate came out looking so beautiful and delicious, I’d be a happy girl!

Keep an eye out for a video to show you how we made the brine.

Would love to hear your experience in brining – do you have a favorite recipe to share?

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Savory French Toast

24 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by in Bread, Breakfast, Brunch, Cooking, Recipe

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Savory French Toast

Before I grew up into loving sweet French Toast, enjoying the custard soaked thick slices of challah bread, sometimes dusted with confectioners’ sugar or dunked into heated maple syrup, I remember gobbling up bites of Savory French Toast.  I was still a child, and if memory serves me correctly, this dish was prepared by my Dad for special weekend mornings.  I’m sure my Mom has made that as well a time or two.

This is my take on this childhood recipe – Savory French Toast.

Ingredients

2 eggs

2 tablespoons half & half

2 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 Brioche slices

1 tablespoon olive oil

Serve with: smoked salmon, cucumber and tomato salad

Directions

1.  Whisk together eggs, half & half, milk and the spices.

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2.  Coat brioche slices in the egg custard.

3.  Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat.

4.  Cook brioche  3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through.

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If you are looking to add more flavor, consider sprinkling the toast with grated Parmesan cheese and watch it melt!

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How to Cook Beef Tongue & Tacos Recipe

16 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by in Beef, Meat, Mexican, Recipe

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Beef Tongue Tacos

The time has come.  I have teased you enough about my adventures with beef tongue.  Today, I share with you my adventure in cooking this somewhat mysterious piece of protein and a simple way of turning it into a delicious meal ~ Beef Tongue Tacos.

I grew up eating beef tongue, prepared by my mom in a slow cooker, with lots of garlic, sliced super thin, and served on sandwiches, open-faced.  Later on in my life, I would often order lengua tacos from Mexican restaurants or tacos truck, always noticing the tender, melt-in-your-mouth (pardon the pun) character of the meat.  Needless to say, I am not squeamish about the tongue.

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When the opportunity presented itself, thanks to Farmstr, to try cooking the beef tongue for myself, I decided to give it a try.  The tongue came from Fluit Family Farm (Wallowa, OR). Cow breed: Rotokawa Devon / Grass-fed.  For details: http://specialty.farmstr.com/beef_offer.html

Beef Tongue Tacos

Ingredients

1 (2-3#) beef tongue

2 carrots, halved

1 onion, quartered

2 bay leaves

6-8 whole peppercorns

4-6 garlic cloves

salt to taste

For tacos: corn tortillas, radishes, cilantro, lime, salsa, sour cream

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Directions

1.  Rinse the tongue in cold water and place in a large pot.  Unless you are buying the tongue from a reputable source, preferably a local, organic farm, be sure to soak the tongue in cold water for several hours, switching the water a few times, to draw out any impurities.

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2.  Add vegetables and seasonings to the pot and pour in enough cold water to cover the tongue and vegetables by a few inches.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Then lower the heat to low and simmer for several hours, until the tongue is completely tender.  I simmered the tongue for almost four hours, though I am pretty sure it was done at the end of two hours.

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3.  Remove the tongue and cool slightly.  Peel off the skin and thinly slice across the grain.

4.  Make tacos!  For our tacos, I grilled corn tortillas over gas flame and filled them with slices of tongue and radishes.  Garnish with cilantro, lime juice, sour cream, and salsa.  I also enjoyed these tacos with Russian-Style Pickled Cabbage.

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If you would like to experience Farmstr and what it has to offer for yourself (and why wouldn’t you), please sign up for the Farmstr newsletter and Hot Sheet to learn about the great deals offered, in season produce, and the farmers.  To sign up, scroll to the bottom of the page www.farmstr.com and click on ‘Join Mailing List’.

To learn more, feel free to ask more questions and/or read How it Works and FAQ.

Disclaimer: I was offered the produce at no charge in exchange for the recipe and review.  All opinions stated in this post are my own.

Thanksgiving Timeline ~ Get Organized & Eat Deliciously, On Time!

26 Tuesday Nov 2013

Posted by in Allrecipes.com, Cooking, Holidays

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Confession time.  While Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, I will actually be spending it away this year, in Canada.  I am truly sad to be missing the shared meal with family and friends, the leftovers the following day, and delicious aromas of the meal prepared at home. But don’t feel too bad for me.  I have already enjoyed several Thanksgiving meals this year.  Why?

At allrecipes.com we have filmed countless videos for recipes and Thanksgiving menus just this year.  Stuffing, pies, gravy, mashed potatoes, turkeys, and even Pumpkin Fluff Dip, we have prepared it all, tasted it, and I even was able to make a mashed potatoes-turkey-cheese melt sandwich.

My favorite Thanksgiving project was working on this video for Thanksgiving Guide Minute-by-Minute where we show you how to prepare the entire meal on the day of Thanksgiving.  The order in which to prepare the dishes, the prep-ahead steps, and even fit in a few breaks for wine.  Pay close attention and you might just find me in a cameo.  Hint – I am sipping a bubbly cocktail.

And here is a beautiful infographic put together by our Design Team.  Print it out and have it handy on the T-Day, and it’s almost like all of us at Allrecipes.com are there with you, helping you mash the potatoes, season the gravy, and carve the turkey.

Thanksgiving Timed Right

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Apple Walnut Pancakes with Cranberry Sauce ~ Breakfast Recipe

23 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by in Breakfast, Brunch, Cooking, Dessert, Recipe, Uncategorized

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apple_walnut_pancakes_cranberry_sauce_breakfast

Pancakes for breakfast? Yes, please!  Last weekend I decided to upgrade the traditional “eggs-for-breakfast” and make pancakes instead.  Rather than making them plain or over-the-top-pumpkin-spice variety, I decided on the Apple Walnut Pancakes with Homemade Cranberry Sauce and based the recipe on one of my favorites for Apple Bacon Pancakes I have done in the past.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 apples, grated

1/2 cup chopped roasted walnuts

Directions

1.  Whisk dry ingredients.  Add the wet ingredients and whisk to combine.  Stir in apples and walnuts.

2.  Heat a large pan over medium high heat and lightly grease with oil or butter.   

3.  Use a measuring cup (1/4 c) or a small ladle to make pancakes.  Cook the pancakes for 4-5 minutes on each side. You will notice the edges drying out and bubbles appearing on the surface of the pancakes – that’s when you know it’s time to flip!

4.  Add butter or oil, as needed between the batches.  Serve the pancakes hot, with a drizzle of honey, yogurt and homemade cranberry sauce.
And speaking of cranberry sauce, it has got to be one of the easiest things to make yourself in the kitchen!  Simply combine fresh cranberries with organge juice, zest of oranges or mandarines, a little bit of grated ginger and sweetener.  You can use sugar or honey, to taste.  I like mine on the sour side and don’t use too much of either sweetener.
The combination of hot pancakes with cool yogurt and cranberry sauce will surely win you praise with your breakfast companions.
I have been eating the leftover of the cranberry sauce and yogurt for breakfast, as a parfait, tossed together with chia seed granola.  Bon appetite!