Erin's Easy Eats

Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry

June 24th, 2008 by Erin

Although the preferred form of sweet potatoes in this house is with cinnamon, butter, and lots of brown sugar, this will do the trick sometimes too.  This makes a lot of food, but I can’t for the life of me figure out how to do less and not be wasteful with half a pepper and half an onion… I always put things in the fridge and forget they exist until they are inedible.  I bought a new brand of curry powder this last trip to the grocery store, and I’m not sure I like it.  Any recommendations?  I can’t find curry paste over here in the boondocks…

I have a chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve been wanting to try but summer vacation has made me lazy and I don’t want to do anything other than cross stitch and watch TV.  I know this is a bad combination, but it is satisfying, and will continue to be for a while still, I’m thinking.  I need to find a new TV series to entertain me… what I really should do is spring the extra few dollars for upgraded cable so I can watch Food TV all of the time.

• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into half moons
• 1 rounded tablespoon curry paste or 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
• 1 Tbs flour
• 1 1/2 c. chicken stock or broth
• 1/2 c. light cream
• 1/4 c. prepared mango chutney
• 10 oz. frozen peas
• 1/4 c. chopped cilantro

Heat up a large nonstick pan over medium high heat.  Add a little oil, and add sweet potatoes with salt, pepper, and curry.  Cook for about 4 minutes.  Move to side of the pan.  Add chicken to other side, browning for about 3 minutes.  Add onions, bell peppers, and toss everything to combine.  Add flour and cook for about one minute.  Add broth, cream, and chutney, and let cook for about 10 minutes, utnil chicken and potatoes are cooked through and sauce is thick.  Add peas and cilantro and simmer for one minute.  Serve over rice.

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“That Orange Chicken Thing”

June 23rd, 2008 by Erin

Really, it’s “Crispy Rosemary-Orange Chicken” but that just isn’t how things fly around here.

Whenever I ask Rick what he wants for dinner at some point during the week, he mentions this.  It is quite good, and as far as Rachael Ray recipes go, it actually is 30 minutes and easy.  (As opposed to most of her 30 minute endeavours that end up taking about 6 years.  But anyway…)  I’ve started putting this in a much bigger casserole dish than I did when I first made it to take advantage of the crisping action on the breaded topping at the end.  Crisp to your heart’s desire.  (I tell my mother to make this one all the time, but she never takes my suggestions.)  Rick took care of the green beans, only mildly insulting my ability to cook “good vegetable side dishes with actual flavor.”  Hrmph.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 c. chopped carrots (I actually eat carrots here)
• 1 very large yellow onion, sliced thinly, or 2 small/medium ones
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped finely (or use about 1 Tbs dry)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 c. chicken broth
• 2 Tbs flour
• Juice and zest of one orange (not together)
• 1 c. Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/2 Parmesan cheese (I use the el-cheapo stuff in the green can, shh…)

Heat a non-stick pan over medium high heat, and cook chicken until lightly browned on all sides.  (Don’t worry about it cooking all the way through right now.)  Add onions, garlic, rosemary, and carrots, let cook another 3 minutes.  Sprinkle flour over, stir to cover things up, and let cook another 2 minutes.  Add broth and orange juice.  Bring to boil, turn down heat, and let simmer 10 minutes.  Sauce should thicken and reduce.

While things are simmering, combine zest, cheese, and breadcrumbs in a small bowl, toss to coat.  Preheat your broiler, too.

Place chicken mixture in a large, shallow casserole dish (I use a 12″ stoneware pan) and sprinkle breadcrumb mixture on top (you might not use all of it - don’t drown the stuff in breadcrumbs.)  Place under broiler and keep a close watch - you want it to just brown and it will burn quickly.  (It takes me about 4 minutes.)

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Chicken and Pesto Pasta Salad

June 19th, 2008 by Erin

I’ve finally succeeded in growing basil in my backyard. I have never been able to grow basil, but the vegetables are loving the summer weather, even if I’m not.  I made this before “Great Tomato Scare 2008″ but would easily be able to make it again soon with the amount of cherry tomatoes that are appearing in our garden too.  Use whatever veggies you like.

• 3/4 lb. pasta of your choice, cooked to package directions
• 1 lb. chicken breasts
• Basil Walnut Pesto (recipe below)
• Veggies of your choosing - I used mushrooms, sugar snap peas, and tomatoes
• 1/3 c. mayo
• 3-4 Tbs milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Basil Walnut Pesto

• 2 c. packed basil leaves
• 1/2 c. walnuts
• 1/3 c. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp. salt

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Orange and Herb Chicken Caesar Salad

June 9th, 2008 by Erin

In another attempt to keep the kitchen and our tummies cool, we’re going to be trying some pasta salads and actual salads this week… This was a lot of work, and certainly did nothing to cool down the kitchen, but it was really really tasty!

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 lb boneless chicken breasts, pounded thin
• 2 Tbs olive oil, 3 Tbs olive oil, and 1/4 c. olive oil, divided
• 4 finely chopped cloves garlic
• 3 cups cubed sourdough bread
• 1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1 orange, zested and juiced (separated)
• 1 Tbs Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• Romaine lettuce

Combine 1 Tbs of the thyme, rosemary, salt, and 2 Tbs olive oil. Add chicken breasts, toss to combine. Grill or cook in a pan for 3-4 minutes each side. Remove and set aside.

Drizzle 3 Tbs olive oil over cubed bread, 1/2 c. Parmesan, and remaining thyme. Toss to combine. Bake at 375 for 10 to 15 minutes, until crisp and golden.

Add remaining olive oil, garlic, anchovies, and red pepper flakes to a small pan over very low heat. Stir until anchovies melt, remove from heat, and let cool. In the bottom of a big bowl, combine orange zest and juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Add oil with garlic and anchovies, whisk to combine again.

Slice chicken into thin strips. Place lettuce in bottom of large bowl. Add croutons, chicken, and remaining cheese. Toss to coat.

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Mac ‘n Cheese with Spicy Things

May 19th, 2008 by Erin

The bulk of this recipe was stolen from my favorite foodblog, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I will admit to making very few changes, but I wanted to share this with you because it is not at all like mac ‘n cheese, but more like… well, everything I ate in Scotland, meaning it has corn in it. And as you all should know by now, corn makes things better.

Coming down the pipe in the next week or so: another coconut shrimp recipe (I can never find one I really like,) ice cream cake (a really lazy version that you can only make if you have connections, people, connections are important) and perhaps, just maybe, some secret things. That I can’t talk about here. Even though I don’t think Rick reads this. Shhh…

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut into medium sized, cookable pieces (I’ll explain in a minute)
• Chipolte chili powder (optional, I imagine, but I used it)
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 jalepeno, seeded and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped (are you noticing a pattern?)
• 1 1/2 c. shredded pepper jack cheese
• 1 c. cream (I used light cream)
• 1 4oz. can chopped green chilies (there’s chopped again!)
• 1 c. corn (frozen and thawed, if you like, or from a can, if you’re feeling the laze)
• 4 cups cooked curly pasta (somewhere between 1/2 and 3/4 of a pound)

Set your water to boil for your pasta - the rest of this will be done faster than you think. Boil as soon as the water is ready, and cook it until just al dente, because it’s gonna hang out with some cream and some sauce and get soft but you don’t want it to get squishy.

I cook my chicken in large chunks rather than to chop it all up at first because I find the texture to be better. By this, I mean cutting a breast into thirds, seasoning it, cooking it, and then slicing it after it has a chance to rest. By all means, do it the other way, cutting into bite sized pieces and then cooking, if you like.

Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of chipolte powder. Cook about 4 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Set aside and let rest.

Over medium heat, add jalepeno, garlic, red pepper, and onion with a little olive oil, and sautee until just soft. Add corn and diced chilies. Let it hang out while you cut your chicken into bite sized pieces. Throw the chicken in there. Add the pasta, cream, and cheese. Stir until it is all melty. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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Chicken with Lotsa Stuff

May 1st, 2008 by Erin

This has a really fancy title. “Chicken Cutlets on Buttermilk-Cheddar Chorizo Biscuits with Tomato-Olive Salsa Mayo.” Whew. I believe they were supposed to be sandwhiches, but um, I did mine “open face” or lazy, and I could eat it with a fork, which is also lazy. I hate olives, so I left them out. You will never see olives on this blog. If you love olives, I am just saving them so there are more for you.

Really, the standout of this meal, which was new to us this week, was the salsa mayo. We were immediately trying to think of other things it could go with. Watch next week when we have the same salsa mayo with grilled shrimp tacos and Mexican rice.

Biscuits:

• 8 oz. buttermilk biscuit mix (I didn’t have this, so I made mine from scratch. Jiffy or Bisquick would work just as well and be a lot easier.)
• 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 lb. Spanish chorizo (which is already fully cooked) finely chopped

Place mix in a bowl, stir in cheddar and chopped chorizo. Add water or milk according to package directions. Form into 1″ thick square. Cut into 4 squares. Bake at 450 for 12-15 minutes (mine actually took almost 20. I blame this on the “from scratch” business.)

Salsa Mayo

• 1 c. chopped tomatoes (2 plum or 1 large regular tomato)
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 3 Tbs chopped cilantro
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (I was done with chopping at this point, ugh)
• 1/2 c. mayo
• 1/2 Tbs. lime juice
• 3 shakes Tabasco (see mom and dad, I eat it now!)
• If you like olives, add 10 chopped green olives and let me know how it is

Mix everything together in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Beg my mother to tell you the Tabasco story in the comments.

Chicken

• 4 thin chicken cutlets (I halved breasts the thin way)
• 1/2 Tbs. ground coriander
• 1/2 Tbs. lime juice
• Salt and pepper

Season chicken with all that stuff. Cook on each side 3-4 minutes, until cooked through. (I imagine it would be equally wonderful on the grill.)

I just piled everything on top of everything else, but if you want a sandwich, split the biscuits, place chicken, then mayo, then some leafy lettuce, and then the biscuit top on top. Top on top. Hop on pop. Oof.

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Coq au Vin with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

April 8th, 2008 by Erin

I’ve planned quite a series of spectacular meals for the next few days… And there is a reason, I promise. But mostly, its an excuse to make great food and show off my culinary skills to my ever appreciative husband. Tonight, we tackle the French classic, and a light chocolate mousse with fruit as dessert. I started this the night before, just putting things in a bag and letting them marinate.

• 2 cups red wine
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 (8-ounce) chicken breast halves, skinned
• 4-6 (4-ounce) chicken drumsticks, skinned
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
• 3 bacon slices, chopped (I used turkey, as always)
• 1/2 cup pitted dried plums, quartered
• 2 bay leaves
• Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Combine first 9 ingredients (through the chicken) in a large bowl (I used a plastic bag) and marinate for at least 4 up to 24 hours. Remove chicken from marinade, reserving marinade, and pat chicken dry. Dredge chicken in flour, set aside.

Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan; set bacon aside. If you’ve used turkey bacon, like I have, you’ll need to add some olive oil (or whatever oil) to the pan to make the chicken brown (because turkey bacon really doesn’t have anything in the way of “drippings.”)  Add half of chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove chicken from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken.

Remove onion and carrot from marinade with a slotted spoon, reserving marinade. Add onion and carrot to pan; sauté for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in marinade, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add chicken, bacon, dried plums, and bay leaves; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour and for 20 minutes or until chicken is tender. Discard bay leaves. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes:

• 2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/4 c. cream/milk (whatever kind you have from any other adventures you may be planning)
• 4 oz. cream cheese (half a block)
• 1/4 stick butter
• 1 head garlic, roasted

To roast your garlic, cut off the top to expose all of the heads. Put it in a tiny casserole dish with some olive oil, cut side up (so you can see the cloves), a little salt, a little pepper, and bake covered with foil at 375 for 45 minutes or so. Now, to the mashers. Boil your cut up potatoes for 20 minutes, drain, and return to pot over low heat. Mash ‘em up a bit with your potato masher. Add everything else (squeeze the garlic out into a bowl first so you can pick out any errant skins) and keep mashing, add salt and pepper to taste.  If they don’t look quite mushy enough, add some more milk.  (I went a little too far but they ended up tasting great.)

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Chicken Parmesean

March 20th, 2008 by Erin

This is one of those foods where everyone’s mom does it best, I think. My mom never made chicken parm, and I sort of just invented this process… So now she makes it the best and I love it because it is mine. (Although I’m not sure I’ve ever had hers… normally when I eat this at her house it’s because I’ve made it.)

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved
• 1 c. seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/3 c. grated Parmesan (Really, Kraft works best for this particular step)
• 1/2 c. flour for dredging
• 1/3 c. milk
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbs butter + 1 Tbs olive oil
• Sauce (I use jarred, but you can feel superior and make your own)
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese

Beat egg into milk. Mix Parmesan into bread crumbs. Set up a three part “dunking station” for your chicken - flour, milk/egg, and cheese/breadcrumbs. Dip first into flour, then milk, then breadcrumbs. Cover completely at each step. Heat a nonstick pan at medium heat (enough for a sizzle when you put the chicken down,) add olive oil and butter. Cook until browned on both sides, flipping after about 3 minutes.

Now, I do this part a little weirdly because I want my chicken coating to stay mostly crispy. Turn down the heat really low and put a lid on the chicken, and let it cook for another 7 minutes or so. Then, remove it from the pan, put the sauce in, and add the chicken back. Top with cheese, and cook for another 5 minutes at medium-low or until sauce is bubbly and chicken is cooked through. Serve over pasta.

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Jerk Chicken Salad

March 10th, 2008 by Erin

My mother ate this at a Pampered Chef party and I spent the entire time picking out bacon so I would eat it because it is just that good. Now, we use turkey bacon because it really does add a good flavor to the salad, but truthfully we’ve had it without too and it was almost as good. Lots of chopping involved here - get your buddies to help you cook the bacon and baby sit the chicken in the pan while you prep everything else.

• 2 Tbs Jamaican jerk seasoning
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 lb chicken tenders (or breasts cut into strips)
• 1 can pineapple chunks (the bigger can)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 3 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
• 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped/crumbled
• romaine lettuce (or a mix, whatever you have)

Put chicken in a bowl and add jerk seasoning, toss to combine. Cook in nonstick pan until cooked through. Set aside. Run a knife through your pineapple so it’s not all huge like it is when it comes out of the can. Put everything in a bowl and toss it up. Serve with dressing:

Pineapple Lime Dressing

• 1/3 c. mayo
• 2 Tbs pineapple preserves
• zest and juice of 1 good sized lime

Whisk all together with a fork, add a little milk if it seems too thick to be salad dressing (depends on your lime.) Drizzle over salad and consume tremendous amounts.

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Chicken in Red Wine Sauce

March 1st, 2008 by Erin

For her birthday, mom also happily obliged to my offer to cook dinner.  Although this recipe is really for chicken Marsala, I’m not a big fan of Marsala wine (even though I love sherry, I dunno, just not for me.)  So I make it with red wine instead.

Ingredients:

• 4-6 chicken breasts, halved
• 1/2 c. flour for dredging
• 1 1/2 Tbs Italian seasoning, divided
• 3 Tbs butter
• 4 c. sliced baby bella mushrooms (button mushrooms would work fine too, I guess)
• 1/4 c. chopped sun dried tomatoes
• 3 Tbs. flour
• 1 can chicken broth (14 oz.)
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3/4 c. wine (we use Shiraz, but if you want Chicken Marsala, use Marsala wine)

Preheat a non-stick pan over medium high heat.  Add 1 Tbs butter, allow to melt.  Combine flour and 1/2 Tbs. Italian seasoning.  Dredge chicken in flour mixture.  Add 1/2 of chicken to pan, brown on both sides, about 3 minutes each side.  Repeat with another tablespoon of butter and remaining chicken.  Set chicken aside (it won’t be cooked through at this point.) Add last Tbs of butter, shallots, garlic and remaining Italian seasoning to pan.  Cook 2 minutes.  Add mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes and allow to brown for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add wine, allow to cook for 2 minutes.  Combine broth with flour and whisk to combine (no lumps, please!)  Add to pan.  Add chicken back in, and cover pan.  Allow to simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.  Serve over pasta.

The man was complaining that during all of my obsessive picture taking, I had neglected to take a picture of the pasta.  So I did this to annoy him.

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