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Pesto Chicken

Posted on July 31, 2011 by Hang Onto Your Fork

I recently tried to make a kind of deconstructed chicken parm with pesto or a backward chicken parm.  It didn’t go exactly as I had planned, and when I make it in the future I will definitely adapt it.  I like the flavors enough to definitely keep perfecting a good way to blend the flavors for a better outcome.

1 chicken breast per person

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

1 cup prepared pesto

1/2 flour

salt and pepper to taste

3 plum tomatoes

6 slices mozzarella cheese

note: the 1 cup portions were for 2 servings, adjust accordingly.

Set out 3 bowls; place flour and a pinch of salt and pepper in one, pesto in the second and panko breadcrumbs in the third.  Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour and then coat with pesto.  You really need to get in there with your hands and rub the pesto all over.  Then dip into the bread crumbs.  You also need to really press the breadcrumbs in.

Warm oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Place the chicken in the skillet and brown.  Flip the chicken after 5-7 minutes and cook on the other side.  Cover the pan to make sure the chicken cooks through.

Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds.  Salt and pepper the tomatoes and place in the oven at 350 for about 5 minutes.  This gets them just soft.  Remove them from the oven and place the slices of cheese.  Place under the broiler for just a couple of minutes to brown and bubble the cheese.

Once the chicken is done, place the tomatoes on top or on the side.  We added more pesto on the top of the chicken to give more flavor.  The pesto flavor did really cook out.  Which is why I’ve concluded that that step isn’t really worth it.  In the future I will probably just season the chicken with salt and pepper and bake it and then top it with the pesto.  I will let you know how that turns out when I try that!  I served this with pasta with pesto sauce.

 

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Pulled Pork with Bourbon Bar-B-Q Sauce

Posted on July 23, 2011 by Hang Onto Your Fork

This was my first try at pulled pork and I was a little nervous!  I know it seems silly to be nervous about something that I was planning to put it in the crock pot; what could go wrong?!  Luckily, nothing did and it was pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, preeetttttyyyy tasty (that’s my little homage to the new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm starting!).

My main concern was the balance of the sauce, but as it cooked it melded well.  Next time I make it, I will probably adjust a bit to get an even better balance.

This is another meal that can be extremely easy to make for a group on a budget, and keeps you out of the kitchen for the most part.

Bone in pork butt roast (about 3 pounds will serve 6-8 people)

1 medium onion

Rub

2 tsp ground mustard

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp pepper

1 tsp Tastefully Simple Seasoning Salt

1 tsp Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic

1 tsp Garlic Salt

Bar-b-q Sauce

1- 20 oz bottle of ketchup

1/3 white vinegar

1/4 bourbon

1 1/2 – 2TBSP liquid smoke

1 TBSP red wine vinegar

1 – 1 1/2TBSP Worcestershire sauce

1/2 – 1 tsp paprika

1/2 -1 tsp chili powder

3/4 cups brown sugar

Combine all of the spices and then rub into the meat.  Really get in there!  Place the rub into a sealed plastic bag and refrigerate over night.

Mix together all of the ingredients for the sauce in a sauce pan.  Prepare the night before also to give the flavors time to marry.

In the morning drizzle a little bit of vegetable oil in the crock pot and swirl to coat.  Place the roast in the crock pot and pour about 1/2 to 3/4 of the sauce over the roast.  Chop the onion in thin strips and place over top.  Cook the roast for 9-11 hours over low heat or 5-6 hours over high heat.

Bring the remaining sauce to a boil 1 or 2 hours before you plan on eating and then bring the heat down to a simmer.  You want the alcohol to cook off and for the sauce to reduce a little and thicken.

About 45 minutes to an hour before serving, shred the pork with 2 forks.  With the slow wet cooking, it will be so tender it won’t take much to pull it.  Once it is all separated and the bone is removed.  Replaced the lid and let the pork continue to cook.  This will help the remaining sauce in the pot to thicken up.

That’s all there is to it!  Easy as, well pulled pork in a crock pot 😉  Serve the pork with a good quality bun, sharp cheddar cheese and extra bar-b-q sauce.

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My take on a southern bar-b-q picnic (but indoors in Pittsburgh)

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Hang Onto Your Fork

This week for dinner I wanted to do a take on a southern bar-b-q.  I served pulled pork, to help fulfill my friend Leigh Ann’s birthday wish that this year be full of pork.  This meal did the trick!  I know crock pots are often reserved for chilly winter nights and coming home to a warm and comforting roast and veggies.  I had to snap out of that thinking because it’s a perfect way to come home to a delicious meal without having to turn on the hot beast that is your oven added unnecessary degrees to your kitchen.  The great thing about this menu is that if you can suffer through having the beast (or in my case the mini beast) having the stove on long enough to boil the potatoes and eggs, you can entertain while keeping your cool!

As side dishes I made Momma G’s potato salad, which cross my fingers hope to die, stick a needle in my eye, is the best potato salad that you will EVER have!  I also made a carrot, chili and coriander coleslaw that I found in my recent Bon Appetit magazine.

To make the picnic feel authentic (even though it was indoors) I got some red and white checkered fabric for a table cloth and put blue bandanas down the center.  I also saved up tin cans for a couple of weeks to make cute little candle holders after I got them squeaky clean post enjoyable tin can meals.  I drilled different size holes into the cans and painted them different shades of blue.  I then put tea light candles in the tin cans which made a rustic-ish easy candle holders.  Beverages included iced tea, lemonade (or Arnold Palmers’ for the fancy ladies!) and water and was enjoyed out of mason jars!

And, dinner was concluded with an out of this world salted caramel ice cream with chocolate covered pretzels made by my friend Leigh Ann.  Sooo amazing!

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Pork Medallions with Sage and Mustard Sauce

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Hang Onto Your Fork

This pork was the main event for last weeks dinner party.  I found the recipe from a Williams Sonoma “Dinner Parties” cookbook.  There were 9 of us, so I doubled the recipe (but what is listed below is the regular ratios) for the sauce and used about 4 1/2 pounds of pork (which is super economical especially if you can get it at a warehouse store, mine was about $16 total).  This is super quick and easy to put together, and got great reviews.

2 pork tenderloins, about 1/4 pound each

2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons sage

1 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 tablespoons dijon mustard

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons chicken stock

Fresh sage for garnish

Cut the tenderloins crosswise into slices about 1/2 inch thick.  Please the slices in a single layer on a sheet of plastic wrap.  In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon of the dried sage and stir with a fork or whisk.  Sprinkle both sides evenly with the mixture.  Let stand at room temperature for up to 1 hour or in the fridge for 4 hours.

Meanwhile, in a sauce pan, combine the cream, mustard and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of dried sage.  Place over medium high heat, bring to a boil, and stir until the cream is reduced 1/2 cup (about 4 or 5 minutes).  Set aside.  The sauce can be made up to an hour in advance.

In a large frying pan over high heat, warm the olive oil.  Working in batches (if necessary), add the pork slices and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes.  Reduce the heat and cook for 2/3 minutes longer.  Turn and continue to cook until the slices are golden on the second side and nearly opaque throughout, about 4 minutes more.  Transfer to a warmed platter and tent with alu minum foil.

Raise the heat to high and stir in the chicken stock, scrapping up browned bits clinging to the bottom of the pan.  Reduce the heat to medium, stir in the cream mixture and continue to stir until the sauce is reduced to about 1/3 cup, 2-3 minutes.  Pour the sauce over the pork, garnish with the sage sprigs and serve.

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Pasta with toasted breadcrumbs and broiled cheesy tomatoes

Posted on June 5, 2011 by Hang Onto Your Fork

I was recently checking one of my favorite blogs, Noble Pig,  to find new recipes and inspiration.  I saw her recipe with a simple pasta dinner with basil and parmesan broiled tomatoes, and had to try it.  I combined that idea with another recipe for pasta with toasted bread crumbs I had found in my Quick Fixes cookbook.

I don’t think I will ever have pasta without the tomatoes broiled cheese, it was really delicious.

Whole wheat pasta

Olive Oil

Plum Tomatoes (figure on about 3 or 4 slices per person)

Mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese

Breadcrumbs (I used panko)

1/2 TBS minced garlic

Fresh lemon juice

Boil water and cook the pasta in salted water according to the directions.  Cut the tomatoes in thick slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven at 375 for about 5 minutes to soften.  While the tomatoes are roasting, heat olive oil in the skillet.  Add the garlic and cook for just a minute.  Add the bread crumbs and sprinkle with the lemon juice.  Toast the breadcrumbs until they are golden.  Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss with the breadcrumbs.  Add the basil and let it wilt slightly.  Remove the tomatoes from the oven and sprinkle with the cheese and put under  the broiler for 2-4 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbly.  Top each plate with a few slices of the tomato and a leaf of fresh basil.

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Scallop Burgers with Cilantro Lime Mayonaise

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Hang Onto Your Fork

I am a huge food nerd.  I admit I spend hours a week flipping through my cook books and reading other food blogs and recipes sites.  When I found this recipe on http://www.food.com, I knew I had to try it as soon as possible because I really like scallops and like absolutely LOVE cilantro!  It has been long been a running joke in my family about how much I love scallops, because years and years (perhaps even a decade <gross!>) my grandpa had made scallops for us for dinner and I mentioned how good they were and how much I liked scallops.  Since he is the sweetest and kindest guy in the world, scallops were also on the menu the next time we went for dinner.  While we were eating them, he asked if I liked them and I of course replied that I did (because I honestly did!).  The next few times we were there he either made them or asked which of us liked them, and my family would all reply that we all did but I was the one who REALLY loved them.  If you mention scallops to my family, they will vouch for how much I love them 🙂  I would happily have my grandpa cook me scallops for many more years to come!

Phew, got a bit off subject!  Anyways, luckily I was able to convince my friend and taste tester Mandy to come over for dinner on Tuesday to give this a whirl.  Overall, we were both fans of the burgers.  In the future I would take the advice of using the food processor to chop the scallops and other ingredients (I did this by hand, trying to avoid another dirty dish!).  I think having the scallops diced a bit finer would have helped them stay together a little bit better.  I would reserve a bit of the scallops and roughly chop so you still had some bigger chunks in some bites.  Also, the recipe said to make them into little sliders which would be cute for a party, but since it was just Mandy and I, we made them burger size.

Scallop Burgers                                                                                                                                                                                                                1 medium vidalia onion, finely diced

2 TBS butter

2 lbs fresh sea scallops (since we were just making burgers for us, I used 3/4 of a pound)

3 TBS flour

3 TBS panko breadcrumbs

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 TBS fresh lime juice

1 TBS freshly grated ginger

2 TBS oil

12 mini buns (or a few large buns)

Cilantro Lime Mayonnaise

4 TBS fresh lime juice (I used about 2 1/2 limes, but honestly didn’t measure)

1/2 tsp hot sauce

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

Finely the dice the onion and then saute in butter until translucent.  Remove from the heat and set to the side to cool.

While the onions are cooking, chop the finely chop the cilantro.  Mix the mayonnaise with the remaining ingredients until combined.  Put the mayo in the fridge to let the flavors meld.

Chop scallops (or chop in the food processor) until coarsely chopped.  Transfer to large bowl and mix with the remaining ingredients, except the vegetable oil.  I had to use slightly more flour and a bit extra of the bread crumbs.  Add the onions (which we forgot, so they were a topping on the burger).    If the mixture seems to lose add either more egg or flour.

Shape the mixture into little “slider” size or larger patties and place on lined dish.  Put the patties in the fridge to cool for about 1 hour or in the freezer for about 15 or 20 minutes.

Heat the oil in the skillet and place the patties or sliders in the pan until the scallops appear translucent and the patties are golden brown.

Place the burgers in the buns and top with the cilantro lime mayo and enjoy!  I served the burgers with a mixed greens salad with tomatoes, avocado and grilled corn kernels with a cilantro lime vinaigrette.

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Lemon Chicken

Posted on May 7, 2011 by Hang Onto Your Fork

This meal is nice and fresh and perfect for spring and summer, and is a snap to prepare!

1 chicken breast per person

1/2 cup flour

2 lemons

1/2 -3/4 cup dry white wine (I used a sauvignon blanc)

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.  Cut half of one of the lemons in slices.  Combine flour and a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl.  Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour and place in the pan.  Brown the chicken on each side (should take about 4-5 minutes per side).  When the chicken is browned, squeeze the other lemon over the chicken and then pour wine over.  Cover each chicken breast with a slice of lemon.  Reduce the heat to medium and cover the dish.  Let the chicken cook through for another 8-10 minutes, or until the juices run clear when cut into.  That’s all there is to it!  I served it with herb and butter rice and sauteed zucchini and summer squash.

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Chicken Parmesan

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Hang Onto Your Fork

This dish is based on a few recipes I’ve seen, and couldn’t be easier.

Skinless Chicken Breast (1 per person)

About 3/4 cup flour

Salt

Pepper

2 eggs

1/2 TBS minced garlic

3/4 cup breadcrumbs (I use Italian seasoned)

1/2 TBS Italian Seasoning

About 1 cup tomato sauce

Mozzarella (sliced or shredded)

Set up 3 bowls.  In one bowl combine the flour, salt and pepper.  In the second bowl lightly scramble the egg and mix with the minced garlic.  In the third bowl combine the bread crumbs with the Italian seasoning.

Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet to about medium to medium high heat.

Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour, then dip in the egg and then in the bread crumbs.  Be sure to get an even coating of each step on the chicken.  For a nice thick breading, re dip in egg and re coat in bread crumbs.

Place each piece of chicken in the skillet and cook until browned, about 4-5 minutes.  Turn and cook for about the same time on the other side.  Once both sides have a nice brown, place the cheese on each piece and cover with tomato sauce.

Cover the pan and turn the heat down.  Let the chicken simmer for about 5-7 minutes.  This will allow the chicken to cook the whole way through and let the cheese melt.

Serve with pasta and a salad and enjoy!!

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Baked Honey-Lime Chicken

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Hang Onto Your Fork

This recipe is from Good Housekeeping’s “Best Chicken Recipes” cook book.  The recipe says to use drum sticks, but I adjusted in and used chicken tenders.  The glaze got very dark and crunchy on the pan, but the chicken did glaze nicely and stayed moist.  Sadly, I was out of aluminum foil so my pan was a mess.  If you are making this with chicken tenders, I would maybe suggest cooking it at a slightly lower temp than it calls for.  It may also work a little better if you do actually use the drum sticks.

3 limes, plus wedges for garnish

1/4 cup honey

3 small garlic cloves, minced or crushed

1 tsp gound coriander

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

24 medium chicken drumsticks, skin removed or I used about 1 1/2 chicken tenders

1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro, chopped

Prepare over to 450.  From limes grate 2 tsp peel and squeeze 1/4 cup juice.

In small bowl, with fork mix honey, garlic, coriander, salt, pepper, lime juice and 1 tsp lime peel.

Arrange chicken on jelly roll pan.  Drizzle lime mixture over chicken, toss to coat evenly.  Bake for 30-35 minutes (I did about 15-20 minutes with the tenders), turning and brushing with glaze occasionally.

Transfer chicken to serving dish.  Drizzle with pan juices.  Sprinkler with cilantro and remaining lime peel.

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Off my Game Dinner

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Hang Onto Your Fork

I am very behind on my blogging, so I will be playing catch up in the next few days.  The next couple of posts are from a dinner a few weeks ago that ended up ok, but was nearly a disaster!  The menu was honey lime glazed chicken, lime cilantro rice and a tomato and avocado salad.  Dessert was pound cake with strawberries and blueberries  with fresh whipped cream.

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