Sunday Chicken, with pan roasted potatoes and broccoli casserole (some green beans on the side as well)

Ah the Sunday dinner with Family gathered around the table laughing and discussing the events of the week past.  I so look forward to our Sunday dinners and being around my children now that two have grown. Every one of our dinners are around the table but Sunday is the day we get our children who are grown with families of their own to come home and be with us.   According to a study released by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, the family dinner is linked to everything from better grades to teen use of alcohol. The study, called “The Importance of Family Dinners,” said that teens who report typically receiving grades of C’s or below in school are likelier to smoke, drink and use drugs compared to teens who typically receive all A’s or A’s and B’s in school. Compared to teens who have five to seven family dinners per week, those who have fewer than three family dinners per week are one and a half times likelier to report getting mostly C’s or lower grades in school.

I will give the direction for the chicken and then the side dishes below.  Please feel free to alter the recipes to your own taste, everyone is different and can alter the recipe to make it “Their Own”

What you will need;

4.5 lb whole chicken  (you will be amazed how much this will feed. No left overs’ and better portions for all)

4 tbsp butter softened

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp sage

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp basil

½ tsp garlic salt

1 small onion cut in quarters

5 -6 baby carrots (I used a bit more to fill in the cavity of the chicken)

Chicken rub! Optional

Be sure to remove everything from the cavity of the chicken rinse well before beginning. Preheat the oven to 350, combine the butter, sage, garlic salt, garlic,  basil and rosemary (As I have stated you can use whatever herbs you would like) mix in a small bowl. Using your fingers work the compound under the skin of the chicken, you may have to loosen the skin from the meat by working your fingers under the skin and separating it. Place the chicken in a large baking dish with at least 2”sides. Insert as much of the onion and carrots as will fit into the cavity of the chicken, and close the skin around the opening.

Bake uncovered for 1 hour and check to make sure the skin is not browning to fast (If it is toss a bit of tin foil over the chicken)  Cook for an additional 15 20 minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temp of 165. I can tell by twisting the leg and if it is loose it is done.

For the Broccoli casserole you will need;

Broccoli florets fresh about three heads Steamed

1 package of cheddar cheese shredded

1 package of stuffing (Crushed)

½ stick of butter

Steam the broccoli, put into a casserole dish and mix with 1/3 of the stuffing mix, and 2/3 of the cheese. Top the mixture with cheese and then the rest of the stuffing. Melt the butter and pour over the top and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  I added more butter; I like it really buttery and cheesy.

The roasted potatoes can be found at this link and the beans on this one.

Bon Appetite

My Awesome Mushroom Swiss Burgers from Sunday’s Lunch!

Where does the Hamburger come from? According to the internet, there are several different stories but I like this one. This place was featured on top places to eat, the next time we go to visit my family in Massachusetts we will be making a stop to this place to check it out..    Louis’ Lunch: This New Haven, Connecticut, burger joint claims to have invented our favorite lunchtime (and dinnertime) meal in 1900. From its website: “One day in the year 1900 a man dashed into a small New Haven luncheonette and asked for a quick meal that he could eat on the run. Louis Lassen, the establishment’s owner, hurriedly sandwiched a broiled  beef patty between two slices of bread and sent  the customer on his way,  so the story goes, with America‘s first hamburger.”

Such a delightfully wonderful bit of heaven. YUMMY!!

Pan Seared Pork Chops with Fuji Apples and Honey Thyme Carrots

The Other White meat!! Pork chops are suitable for roasting, grilling, or frying, if not done right they have a tendency to become dry.  This is a great recipe for juicy tender flavorful Pork Chops.  My oldest daughter is set against salty and sweet tastes together and yet…. Drum roll please… She ate the whole thing.  I guess mom was right after all.

6  ½ inch pork chops (I opted for no bone)  Some think having bone in makes them juicier and I am not here to say it does not, but the boneless was on sale and that is where this recipe goes.

¼ C. Flour

2 Fuji apples cored and cut into bite size pieces (I peeled them as well but it is not necessary)

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/3 C. Maple Syrup (try to go with the good stuff, not the fake brand)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp oil

In a large skillet heat the oil over medium high heat until rippling but not smoking. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper and coat with the flour, shaking off excess.  Place them in the pan, do not overcrowd the pan you can cook them in batches if needed.  Cook for 5 minutes without turning (you want them to sear nicely and the urge to turn is great IGNORE IT! Make sure to cover the pan so you don’t smoke up the house. =)

Make sure to cook both sides well, once all the chops have been cooked; add the apples to the pan and sauté for two minutes.

I know sauté apples, does that compute?  Yes it does Fuji apples are great for cooking.

Using a wooden spoon make sure to scrap up all the loose bits. Add the vinegar, it will soak into the apples fairly quickly, add the maple syrup and simmer for 2 minutes.

Lay out the chops and cover with the sauce, make Honey and thyme carrots to go with the chops.

2 cups of carrots cut into bite size pieces

4 tsp of honey

2 tsp of olive oil

Combine all ingredients into a pot and cook on med high for 10 minutes making sure to stir. They will eventually caramelize and become the most tasty carrots you have ever tasted!

Bon Appétit

Panko Crusted Cilantro Lime Swai with Roasted Potatoes and Red wine Green Beans

Swai is a Vietnamese species of catfish. It is common in taste to catfish with a flaky texture and mildly sweet taste.  It is not an expensive fish about 5 dollars per pound and I found that our local Giant© carries them not frozen.  If you have never made fish before or never made Swai, this is an excellent recipe to start with.  Very flavorful and easy.

You will need;

2 lbs of Swai filets (about 7 total)

1 ½ cups of panko bread crumbs

½ cup of fresh chopped cilantro

3 limes

Salt and pepper to taste

Red pepper flakes (to your specific taste)

In a large dish, combine the panko, cilantro, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Coat the filets with lime juice (use two of the limes for it) and dredge them in the panko mixture before placing on a baking sheet.

Mix the panko with the other ingredients and use for dredging Coat the fish with the mixture and put on a broiling pan

Broil for 8 – 10 minutes on LO. The filets with become firm and flake easily with a fork.  REMEMBER this is a broiler and the fish can burn so watch them carefully.  Sometimes you will need to move the fish around to make sure they brown evenly.

Serve with Red wine vinegar beans and Cilantro roasted potatoes’

Red wine vinegar beans;

1 lb of fresh beans trimmed

Olive oil

1 tsp red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

Boil the beans in salted water until cooked through, in a separate bowl combine the vinegar and oil with the salt and pepper. Toss the beans into it and serve while warm.  Adding slivered almonds would make a nice touch.

Cilantro Roasted Potatoes

1 ½ lbs potato cut up into bite size pieces

2 tsp olive oil

3 cloves of minced garlic

2 tbsp chopped cilantro Fresh

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients making sure the potatoes are evenly coated.  Spread the potatoes on a baking sheet and roast at 375 degrees for 25 minutes turning at 15 minutes and continuing the roasting.

These little bites of heaven are just wonderful!

I loved this recipe and the combination of all the different dishes complemented each other so well.  The whole family loved it and we had no left over’s!

Bon Appétit

Chipotle Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Takes about 15 minutes to prepare, and I cooked it for a minimum of 14 hours on low in a crock pot.  Sooo easy you need to try it!!

3.5 lbs Pork Shoulder picnic

1 sm can chipotles in adobo sauce

1 ltr root beer

2 medium onions chopped

2 tsp brown sugar

Potato rolls/hamburger rolls

Serve with a Cole slaw (I did not have time to make one so it was served with chips.  Yummy!!

Place the pork in a slow cooker with the, chipotles, and onions pour the root beer until covering the pork. Cook overnight into the next day on low. The pork will easily fall apart with a fork.

Remove the pork, pour the liquid into a sauce pan and over medium high heat reduce the liquid by half add the brown sugar.

Using your hand pull apart the pork shredding it and removing any fat before adding it to the mixture.

I topped mine with Swiss cheese,  this was very yummy and will be a hit in the summer for picnics and parties!

Salisbury Steak and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

The original Salisbury steak was named after a popular late-19th-century diet doctor who recommended a high-protein diet. Salisbury steak is really a fancy hamburger with a brown gravy sauce. Depends on who is making it, but it boils down to that simple explanation.  I’ll admit that when I was a kid my mom used to feed us Swanson’s frozen dinners, and Salisbury Steaks were my favorite! When I was a single mother struggling with two children they to had this as a favorite.  Today there is no need for me to buy processed food so I made this all time favorite, which I think has been years since we have had it.  It was demolished and no one left the table hungry!

This takes about 40 minutes to prepare, I made mine will Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

What you will need;

1 ½ lbs Ground Beef

2 cups beef broth

2 medium onions chopped

8 oz mushrooms sliced (my kids don’t like mushrooms so I diced them into the recipe)

1/3 cup bread crumbs

2 eggs

2 tbsp flour

3 tsp tomato paste (almost a 6oz can)

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp vegetable oil

Salt and pepper to taste (and whatever other spice you would like) I added basil and garlic as well as a bit of rosemary for a more flavorful patty.

Sauté the onions in a large pan over medium heat for about ten minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile combine the beef, egg, bread crumbs, your spices and ½ cup of the beef broth in a large bowl remove half the onions and incorporate together, form them into equal sized patties, I made five.

Sprinkle the remaining onions with flour and coat over medium high heat for about 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Remove the onions before adding the patties to brown on both sides, when you turn the patties add the onions back to the pan.

Once the patties have browned integrate the remaining ingredients into the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the sauce has reduced.

Serve with Garlic mashed potatoes.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I use one potato per person (cut into small pieces skin on)

1 c milk (I prefer sour cream but had none on hand)

½ stick butter

2 eggs

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes in salted water; boil for about 8 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Drain them thoroughly and return to the pot. Add all ingredients to the pot and mash

Bon Appétit

Cinnamon Stewed Chicken with Mushroom Couscous

I have to establish this recipe by saying that my husband is from France and in Europe they don’t use Cinnamon at all.  To them it is like having curry for the first time and not having a penchant for it.  In the 15 years we have been together he never allows me to use cinnamon. We decided that I would begin eating more of the things I am not familiar with if he would try some as well. As a side note, this man will eat anything, he likes snails, mussels, any seafood that you put in front of him but he can’t stand Cinnamon. LOL Tonights’ meal he asked me what it was while I was preparing the ingredients, he then said not to add the cinnamon, I said I would cut it in half (Just a tiny white lie) I prepared the following meal to rave reviews from the entire family, and particularly my Husband who affirmed that he now will look at cinnamon in a new way and not so worried about trying it more often.

Prep time is about 15 minutes.  Cook time is between 45 and 55 minutes, I cook longer for the fall off the bone meat, you can cook a minimum of 45 for a firmer meat, still with a very moist outcome.

This fed 5 of us and I used the leftover meat from the chickens we cut apart earlier in the week to save some money.

You will need;

4 bone in skin off (you can elect for skin on if you like) chicken legs and thighs equaling 8 pieces

(you could substitute shrimp, just  don’t add until the end of the cooking of the sauce so you don’t overcook the shrimp)

I also included all the meat I could remove from the chicken and reuse.\

2 6oz cans of tomato paste

4 cloves of garlic minced

2 ½ tsp cinnamon

2 to 3 medium onions chopped

1/8 tsp of oregano (I actually used pizza seasoning as that was all I had and I used at least 2 tsp)

3 cups chicken broth. (I did not have any so I used Better than Chicken Seasoning with water)

2 tsp olive oil

Garlic salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven (Large pan) on medium high heat. Add the chicken that has been rubber with the garlic salt and pepper, brown for about 2 minutes per side and set into a casserole dish (they will be very raw still) Add the onions to the pan and cook for 2 -3 minutes until translucent and add the garlic cooking for 1 minute more. Stir in the tomato paste and chicken broth with the seasonings heat through. Pour over the chicken cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 for at least 45 minutes. As I stated I cooked it for almost an hour.

I served with a side of Orzo.

Bon Appétit

Zuppa Tuscana ~ with homemade sausage =)

My friend Don and his wife Susan of the TheCheasecakegarden.com made homemade sausage last weekend, and I finally have mine and decided to make a Zuppa Toscana with the sausage.  This sausage was phenomenal, when I opened the package the aroma of the herbs smelled so first-class, which made me so excited. As the sausage cooked; it made the entire house smell inviting. I had a hard time not just eating it as I was cooking it.  I would love to thank Don and Susan for letting me know that they were making these and letting me in on the order.

Well well well, this was an amazing meal and perfect for the cold winter night.

• 1      pound bulk mild Italian sausage (We used Dons Homemade sausage)
• 1      1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 4      slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1      large onion, diced
• 1      tablespoon minced garlic
• 5      (13.75 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 6      potato, thinly sliced
• 1      cup heavy cream
• 1/4      bunch fresh kale, tough stems removed
• 1      package of white bean and mixed pasta (soup mix)

Directions

Cook the Italian sausage and red pepper flakes over medium-high heat until browned, and no longer pink, 10 to 15 minute set aside.

Cook the bacon in the same pan over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain, leaving a few tablespoons of drippings with the bacon in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in the onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Pour the chicken broth into a pot with the bacon and onion mixture; bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and kale Shredded, and boil until fork tender, about 20 minutes.

Cut up the sausage into bite size pieces and  add to the soup. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the Bean and pasta mixture, heavy cream and the cooked sausage; heat through.  Serve with a nice baguette.

Bon Appétit

Just because “I Love you” Flowers from my husband!

How charming it is to have your sweetheart, hubby, BFF, whatever you have in your life, come home and bring flowers, “Just because” with a face beaming  and a heart on his sleeve. I love when he shows me he loves me. Like when he tells me how fantastic my cooking is, how great the house looks and how my positive attitude in everyday life makes him feel good. Gods Blessings are universally everywhere and when you take the occasion to really notice; it comes back and alters your life for the better.

People think of Karma as a slap in the face of wrongdoers, I see Karma as a welcoming surprise, good flows out and good flows in ALWAYS!!

Love and Sunshine to all, God Bless!

Cheeseburger Soup ~anything that tastes like a Cheesburger has to be good!

 

Takes about 30 minutes total to cook, and this was very appetizing.  I will be honest; I am enjoying a bowl right now for lunch and heated up it has lost none of its appeal. Still very flavorful and lip-smacking! This made probably enough to feed 6 or 7 people.  I would serve with a warm crusty baguette.

What you will need;

¾ pound ground beef

2 medium onions (chopped)

1 28oz can of diced tomatoes

2 cloves garlic minced

¾ cup celery diced (I used about 5 stalks)

4 cups of beef broth (if it is getting to thick you can add more, and if you don’t have more beef broth; water and or chicken broth will work just as well)

5 medium potatoes cubed into small bites

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 cup of milk

1/3 cup sour cream

2 tsp olive oil

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Heat the oil in a pot and brown the beef over medium high heat break up the beef in the pan as it browns.DO NOT drain the fat, once the meat has browned add the onion, celery, garlic and potatoes and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes before stirring in the flour.

Add the celery, onion, garlic and potatoes to the meat mixture

Add the flour and coat evenly

Evenly coat the mixture and cook for 2 minutes before stirring in the beef broth and tomatoes. Reduce the heat to medium and boil for ten minutes or until the potatoes are tender.  Make sure to keep stirring as it will stick to the bottom ruining your creation.

Add the beef broth and tomatoes to the mixture and boil until the potatoes are tender

Once the potatoes are tender turn off the heat and add the sour cream, once the sour cream has been incorporated into the base add the milk.  Do not bring back to boiling after adding the milk, if you need to keep warm on low that is fine. Add the cheese reserving a small amount to top each bowl.

 

Enjoy your cheeseburger soup!!

Bon Appétit