Hey, Foodies! I know it has been awhile since I’ve posted something. There has been a bit of a glitch in the Engledow house. I’ve been diagnosed with early stage Breast Cancer and have not been cooking as much.
I’ve been chronicling my story on my other blog, The Engledow Chronicles. You can check out my progress there.
Don’t fret, I’ll be back soon and cooking like a mad woman!
Surprise, surprise! My going-to-be-college-sophomore cooked dinner for us the other night, and it was really, really good. She is always surprising me which is a good thing:)
One of her college roommates is a vegetarian and Rachel learned this easy, delicious recipe from her. Her roomie eats this as a main dish, but Rachel prepared it as a side dish with baked salmon. (Even my 13-year-old son had seconds!)
Orzo with Feta and Roasted Vegetables
Servings: 5-6
Cook & Prep Time: 35 minutes tops (10 minutes for prepping and 25 minutes for cooking).
You will need:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of orzo pasta
12 oz of crumbled feta cheese
3 medium-sized zucchinis (or one large eggplant), diced
2 red peppers, diced
2 yellow peppers, diced
1 red onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for coating the veggies)
salt and pepper
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, add the diced zucchini, red peppers, yellow peppers, red onion, and minced garlic. Coat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Spread the veggie mixture on your lined baking sheet and cook in the oven for about 20-25 minutes.
With about 10 minutes left on the veggies, cook the orzo pasta.
Also, mix the 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and olive oil to make the dressing.
When everything is done, mix the veggies, orzo, feta cheese and coat with the dressing while everything is still warm so the feta melts a bit.
You are ready to serve it!
Try this recipe. You will not be disappointed!
Did you know that paillard in French means bawdy? I looked it up online and that’s what I found. Hmmm… Obviously, in culinary terms, it means flattened. How did meaning get from bawdy to flattened?
If anyone out there really knows French and determines that the research I did was faulty, please feel free to correct me.
I’ve made this dish three times and the third time was the best. Below is my modified recipe. The original recipe can be found in my Rachael Ray Classic 30-Minute Meals cookbook.
Servings: 4 (depends on how many chicken breast you want to buy)
Cook & Prep Time: 35 minutes (15 minutes for prepping and 20 minutes for cooking).
You will need:
Chicken Ingredients:
8 chicken cutlets
Olive oil
4 tablespoons of butter, cut into pieces (let it set out and get to room temperature)
4 tablespoons of flour, then additional flour for coating chicken
Fresh tarragon, chopped
1 lemon, need both zest and juice
1/4 cup of white wine
2 cups of chicken stock
salt and pepper
1 bag of baby greens
Directions:
Lay out the chicken breast cutlets on a cutting board, pat dry with a paper towel. Then dredge each piece in flour and season both sides with salt and pepper.
In the large skillet, heat the oil on medium to medium-high heat. Cook the chicken cutlets for 3 minutes per side. Put the chicken in pan, sprinkle with some tarragon and lemon zest. Flip the chicken, squeeze a bit of lemon juice on the second side and also sprinkle with some tarragon. When done remove the chicken to a platter and cover with foil.
While the chicken is cooking, mix the 4 tablespoons of flour and the room-temperature butter until it looks like a paste. You will use this to thicken your sauce.
Once the chicken is done cooking, use the same pan and turn the heat down to low and give it a minute. Add the white wine to the pan to deglaze. Next add the flour-butter paste and whisk quickly – this is your rue. Turn the heat up to medium. While whisking, add the chicken stock and keeping stirring until the butter, flour and chicken stock are thoroughly incorporated. Your sauce is done when it can coat a spoon.
If you have left over tarragon, add it to your sauce. Also, squeeze some fresh lemon juice into the sauce as well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
The Greens: You are supposed to just use some lemon juice and olive oil. I did this the first time and it was too lemon-y. The last time I made it, I bought some Henri’s® Sweet & Tangy Blend Tas-tee Homestyle Dressing for the greens. I just used a light coating for baby greens. It was a nice complement to the chicken.
To Serve, cover the bottom of the plate with the warm sauce. Top with a small pile of the baby greens, 2 chicken cutlets and then drizzle more sauce over the tops of the cutlets.
Sides: I’ve made pasta as a side as you can see in the picture (use the brown sauce on the pasta). I’ve also made roasted asparagus – 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, asparagus, olive oil, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese.
It’s been well-received every time I’ve made it. It’s a quick, but elegant meal if you need to impress someone and don’t have a lot of time!
Pappardelle noodles. I’ve never had them or cooked with them. You will notice in the picture above that those are not pappardelle noodles. When at the store buying the ingredients for this dish, I was disappointed to find that the three remaining bags of pappardelle noodles were crushed to tiny bits. This just wouldn’t do.
So, I bought a pricier bag of fresh linguine noodles instead. They were a fine substitute.
I will definitely be making this again since everyone licked their bowls clean at the table (I’d never seen anything like it) and I will be using pappardelle noodles. What are they? They are wide ribbon-like linguine noodles and they make your dish look pretty.
Where did I get this creamy and delicious recipe? From my new cookbook that I received as a Christmas present:
Servings: 6
Cook & Prep Time: 25-30 minutes for prepping / 5 to 6 hours for cooking
You will need:
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken about 3.5 lbs, cut into 10 pieces (I did not do this. I used 3.5 lbs of skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs – they take the same amount of time to cook and it’s very easy to remove the bones.)
In the gallon storage bag:
1 cup of flour
3/4 teaspoon of salt
pepper
1 Tablespoon of unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
3/4 cup of dry white wine
3/4 cup of chicken stock
3 bay leaves
2/3 cup of heavy cream (I used 1 cup)
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 of the lemon
2 Teaspoons of chopped tarragon (I used 2 Tablespoons and some additional for garnish).
1 lb of pappardelle
Directions:
Pat the chicken dry. Then, one at a time add a chicken piece to the bag to toss and coat. Shake the any loose flour and place on a cutting board.
In the iron skillet over medium high heat, melt the olive oil and the butter. Brown each piece of chicken on both sides. You will have to do this in batches. I placed the pieces skin-side down first for 7 minutes and then flipped for another 3 minutes.
Once all of the pieces are browned, turn the heat down a bit on the iron skillet and remove some of the fat. Leave some for sauteing the veggies. Add the carrots, celery, and onion and saute for about 5 minutes.
Add the wine and chicken stock and simmer for about 10 minutes.
When done simmering, pour this wine/veggie mixture into the crock pot or slow cooker (I grew up with the term crock pot so that’s what I’m used to). Next, place the chicken pieces on top. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. The chicken should be falling off the bone – that’s when you’ll know it’s done.
When the crock pot time is done, remove the chicken from the crock pot and place on a platter. Remove the skin and the bones, place the chicken in a bowl and shred with a fork. Set aside.
At this time, get the pasta pot ready and cook the pasta by following the directions on the package. The fresh pasta I used only took 5 minutes to cook.
Place the 7-quart stock pot on the stove on medium heat. Pour the contents of the crock pot into the stock pot. Simmer for 5 minutes, then whisk in the cream, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and some grinds of pepper. Let simmer for another 5 minutes, then add the lemon zest, lemon juice and tarragon. Keep the sauce warm until the pasta is ready.
When the pasta is done, drain and add to the stock pot. Stir to coat and combine thoroughly. Then add the chicken and let warm through – about 3-5 minutes.
It’s ready to eat!
To serve, dish into pasta bowls and garnish with fresh tarragon.
This is not a typical crock pot recipe where you throw every in and forget about it. It takes some prep work, but it is really worth it. Trust me.
This spaghetti Bolognese recipe is SOOO goooooood. I’ve tried a few of these recipes and this one is by far the best and the easiest. You can find it on my fellow food blogger’s website, FrugalFeeding.com. Click on this link for the recipe: Spaghetti Bolognese.
The recipe measurements are metric, but don’t let that scare you off! Here is a handy website to use for converting the measurements – Conversion Guide.
After trying this recipe, you will never buy sauce in a jar again!
You guys are going to think I’m nuts, but here is another short rib recipe. I love these things – they are relatively inexpensive and really delicious. They take a while to cook, but are worth it.
Today is my husband’s birthday so I picked this recipe to make for his special day. First, because it was a short rib recipe and second, because I was intrigued by the pomegranate. I’ve never cooked with them. However, I do recall eating one as a child and having memories of them being kind of hard to eat, really messy and not very fulfilling as a snack.
This recipe is in my December 2012 issue of my everyday FOOD magazine if you want to review the original.
Servings: 6-7
Cook & Prep Time: 20-25 minutes for prepping and 3 hours for cooking
You will need:
Ingredients:
12 bone-in short ribs (3-inch pieces)
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 cup of dry red wine (I found pomegranate wine!!!!!)
3 cups of pomegranate juice
1 large yellow onion, sliced into wedges
1/4 cup of flour
10 sprigs of Thyme
1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds, for garnish
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
Season the ribs on all sides with salt, and pepper.
Heat the olive oil in the stock pot to medium-high so you can brown the ribs. Brown them on all sides for about 3 minutes a side. I worked in batches. When browned, remove the ribs and place on the platter.
Turn the heat down to medium and give it few minutes. Then add to the stock pot: garlic, onions and thyme. Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes.
Stir in the flour and coat the onion mixture – about a minute. Next, add the pomegranate juice and wine and whisk together. Bring to a boil while stirring frequently.
Turn the heat off, then add the short ribs back to the pot.
Cover the stock pot with the lid and place in the oven for 3 hours. Bake until the ribs are easily pierced with a paring knife.
Once done, remove the ribs to a platter.
Strain the liquid into a fat separator and let sit briefly. Since I do not have one of these, I used a sieve and strained the liquid into a sauce pan and let sit for about 5 minutes. Then I spooned the as much fat off the top as possible. Once that was done, I boiled the liquid down about 10 minutes so it looked like a gravy.
For the garnish, cut the pomegranate in half. Holding one of the halves over a bowl, give the pomegranate a squeeze (to loosen the seeds) and smack the top of it with a large spoon. This process, while sounding bizarre, actually works to get the seeds out with too much of mess (it still looked like a mini crime scene, but I’m thinking it could have been worse if I has used another method).
Side Dish: I served the braised short ribs with goat cheese mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. Make sure and cover the short ribs with the gravy and garnish with the pomegranate seeds.
This is my favorite of the short rib recipes that I’ve posted so far.
By the way, the birthday boy was happy and that’s all I cared about!
This is another salmon recipe I found in my everyday FOOD magazine – the December 2012 issue. We LOVE salmon in our house and I make it about 2-3 times a month.
I’m always on the look out for new recipes.
I did change this recipe a bit from the original – below is my version.
Servings: 6
Cook & Prep Time: 40 (15 minutes prepping / 25 minutes cooking)
You will need:
Ingredients:
6 salmon fillets (mine are usually about 6 oz)
2 tablespoon of olive oil
zest of one orange, then orange sliced into wedges
1/2 head of cauliflower, thinly sliced (the original recipe never mentions cauliflower, I just added it)
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
2 tiny cans of sliced green olives
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
dried tarragon
salt and pepper
Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a bowl, combine the cauliflower, fennel, orange zest, orange slices, green olives, olive oil and yellow bell pepper. Give it a good stir before placing the mixture on the rimmed cookie sheet. Season with salt and pepper.
To prepare the salmon, brush it with olive oil and season it with salt, pepper and the dried tarragon.
With both dishes prepared, put the fennel/cauliflower in the oven first for 10 minutes. When the 10 minutes are up, add the salmon to the oven for 15 minutes. At the end of the 15 minutes, both the salmon and the fennel/cauliflower will be done! You will want to check the salmon – it should be opaque.
Side Dishes: I served this salmon with a quinoa dish that I’ve made before. Click here for the recipe (the kids LOVE it).
This salmon recipe made it into the “Make It Again” category. I will be honest and let you know that my two youngest kids would NOT eat the fennel/cauliflower side dish. And, that was fine with me and the hubs – more for us!
