Big Daddy's Downtown Roasted Chicken

Thank you again foodnetwork.com! I was watching Food Network a while ago and saw my only ever episode of Big Daddy's House. He did chicken three ways; I tried all three, and they were all delicious! Here is the first way (I will post the other two soon):

Downtown Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:
- 5 chipotles
- 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 shallots, diced
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
- 3 (3 to 4 pound) chickens, trussed -(I used a package of chicken thighs.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Put the chipotles, adobo sauce, garlic, shallots, lime juice, cilantro, olive oil, salt and pepper into a blender. Pulse the marinade until smooth and emulsified. Rub each chicken liberally with the marinade.

Arrange the chickens on a half sheet pan with a rack. Roast until cooked through, about 60 to 75 minutes (or until chicken temp reads 160 degrees on meat thermometer). Remove from the oven and allow them to rest for about 15 minutes. Carve 1 chicken and arrange it on a serving platter. Serve.

Reserve the remaining chickens for recipes that use roast chicken (which I will post and link up soon).

Chicken Milanese with Tomato and Fennel Sauce

Chicken Milanese with Tomato and Fennel Sauce

Cook Time: 30 min, Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

- 2 eggs, beaten

- 1 1/4 cups plain bread crumbs

- 2/3 cup grated Parmesan

- 2 teaspoons dried basil

- 1 teaspoon dried thyme

- 4 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless and skinless chicken breasts, tenderloins removed

- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

- 1/3 cup vegetable oil

For the sauce:

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- 2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and thinly sliced

- 2 1/2 cups (12 ounces) cherry tomatoes, halved

- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

Directions:

For the chicken:

Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a wire rack.

Using 3 wide shallow bowls, add the flour to 1, the eggs to another and to the third bowl combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil, and thyme.

On a work surface, put the chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet, lightly pound the chicken until approximately 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour to coat lightly, then dip into the beaten eggs, allowing the excess egg to drip off. Coat the chicken with the bread crumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere.

In a large, nonstick saute pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add 2 pieces of the breaded chicken into the oil and cook until light golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Reserve the cooking juices in the saute pan.

For the sauce:

Using the same saute pan, add the olive oil to the reserved cooking juices and heat over medium heat. Add the fennel and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the cherry tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, garlic and thyme. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until the tomatoes are tender. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the mascarpone cheese and stir until the mixture is creamy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and spoon the sauce over the top before serving.

Oven Fried Chicken and String Beans with Shallots (3/30/2010)

Ok, so this is a dinner I made for my husband and his family a while back. It went over pretty well. I loved finishing off the chicken in the oven, it came out really crispy and yummy. I also served mashed potatoes and some cheddar biscuts (the recipe for the biscuts can be found here) because it ought to be illegal to serve fried chicken without mashed potatoes. Period. I feel like a fried chicken dinner screams: "I love you" slash "make yourself at home, kick off your shoes and stay a while."

Oven Fried Chicken
Cook time: 55 min (plus ten hours to marinade)
Serves: 6

Recipe from: Barefoot Contessa, Family Style
By: Ina Garden

Ingredients:

- 2 chickens (3 pounds each), cut in 8 serving pieces
- 1 quart buttermilk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- Vegetable oil or vegetable shortening

Directions:

Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and pour the buttermilk over them. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Take the chicken out of the buttermilk and coat each piece thoroughly with the flour mixture. Pour the oil into a large heavy-bottomed stockpot to a depth of 1-inch and heat to 360 degrees F on a thermometer.Working in batches, carefully place several pieces of chicken in the oil and fry for about 3 minutes on each side until the coating is a light golden brown (it will continue to brown in the oven). Don't crowd the pieces.


Remove the chicken from the oil and place each piece on a metal baking rack set on a sheet pan.
Allow the oil to return to 360 degrees F before frying the next batch. When all the chicken is fried, bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Serve hot.

String Beans with Shallots
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 6
Recipe from: Barefoot Contessa, Family Style
By: Ina Garden

Ingredients:
- 1 pound French string beans, ends removed (I used the fresh green beans from my grocery store’s produce section)
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon good olive oil
- 3 large shallots, large-diced
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Blanch the string beans in a large pot of boiling salted water for 1 1/2 minutes only. Drain immediately and immerse in a bowl of ice water.
Heat the butter and oil in a very large saute pan (12-inch diameter) or large pot and saute the shallots on medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned. Drain the string beans and add to the shallots with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper, tossing well. Heat only until the beans are hot.If you're using regular string beans, blanch them for about 3 minutes, until they're crisp-tender.

Chicken with Tabbouleh

Recipe by: Ina Garden from Barefoot Contessa, Family Style
Cook time including inactive prep: 1 ½ hours, Serves: 8


You will need:

- 1 ½ cups boiling water
- 1 cup bulgur wheat
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- 1 whole (2 split) chicken breast, bone in, skin on
- fresh ground black pepper
- 1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (1 bunch)
- 1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (2 bunches)
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley (1 bunch)
- 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and medium-diced
- 2 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a heat proof bowl pour the boiling water over the bulgur wheat. Add the lemon juice, ¼ cup olive oil, and 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Stir. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the bulgur to sit at room temp for about an hour.


Place the chicken breast on a baking sheet and rub it with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until just cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
Remove the chicken meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into medium dice and add to the tabbouleh. Add the scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and one teaspoon pepper. Season to taste and serve immediately or cover and refrigerate. The flavors will improve as it sits.


When I made my batch, as you can see above, I used the hour while the tabbouleh sat to prep and combine my other ingredients. It was a lot of choppin'... This chicken tabouleh tastes great on its own, but I loved it in a pita pocket with mayo. This would be delish without the chicken too, for all you non meat eaters out there.

Home made Chicken Noodle Soup (...great for those of you battling swine flu! Be strong out there!)

I have never measured it out, but I would guess this recipe -as is- gave me about 8 hearty servings when I made it the other night.

You will need:
- 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper (and I use a couple cloves of fresh garlic, mashed in a garlic press) to season.
- 2 celery
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 carrots chopped
- 2 small potatoes, chopped
- 10 cups of liquid: 8 cups of water with 6 to 8 chicken and/or beef bouillon cubes to season.
- 2 chicken breasts
- 2 cups small shell pasta, or your preference of noodle
- chopped fresh parsley to taste (optional)
- juice of 1 lemon (optional)

Directions:
Melt the butter in the bottom of a large soup pot and add the vegetables as well as salt and pepper (and garlic, optional). Allow them to soften over medium high heat, about 10 minutes. Once the veggies have had a chance to get tender, add your chicken breasts and liquid. Allow chicken to cook in liquid about 20 minutes, until cooked through. Remove chicken breasts and shred or cube meat, then return to pot. Add your noodles. When pasta is done check your seasoning, and parsley and lemon, then serve!

Fried Buffalo Chicken Wraps, for Laura's Little Ghetto Superstar.

Jeremy, it would be cruel to simply mock your taste in food without offering you a more appetizing replacement. Here is a cheep new chicken dinner that will hopefully satisfy some of the same flavor cravings as the original, without making your son puke at the dinner table. All of the ingredients are things that, if you don’t already keep them on hand in your fridge, you can easily start. The recipe is for fried buffalo chicken wraps. They are just as good reheated the next day for lunch (or dinner round two) as they are fresh.

Not my most beautifully photographed meal, but who am I kidding, I’m not that great with a camera…

You will need:

- 1-4 chicken breasts cubed, depending on how many people you are feeding and if you want leftovers. I always cook up four at a time.
- Buffalo Sauce, which ever brand looks good to you.

- Ice burg lettuce
- Ranch dressing
- Tortillas (I would love a recipe for home made tortillas if anyone knows of one…)

I like to marinade my chicken in the buffalo sauce for about an hour before I start cooking, but it really doesn’t matter. I also like to dredge the marinated chicken chunks in flour and fry them up in oil because I like the extra flavor and the crispiness that results. If you don’t feel like going through the extra effort then just fry up the chicken chunks in a non-stick skillet until done. Roll the chicken up in a tortilla with the lettuce, ranch dressing and a little extra buffalo sauce if you like it spicy.

Super easy, super inexpensive, and all the ingredients can be used in other recipes as well so it’s not like you have something random hanging out in your fridge that you will never use again. Jeremy, I care about you, and Laura and I both think you deserve better than cheez-it crusted chicken—no offence to your mom, really, Laura always has the most wonderful things to say about her. It’s just the chicken…

Parmesan Chicken, Puttanesca Tomato Salad, and the Best Garlic Bread Ever (so say Jacob and Grayson)

I know it sounds like a lot, but it is really easy and comes together fast if you plan it right. If you watched food network today then you’ve likely already seen two of the three recipes. The Puttanesca Salad is a Rachael Ray recipe, so you know it’s easy (and is jam-packed with E.V.O.O.), and the garlic bread was on Guy whatever’s show today. The parmesan chicken is an old Ina Garden recipe. If I ever let loose and get totally wasted, I’m doing it with Ina. She looks like a woman who knows how to grip it and rip it.

If you are gonna make all this in one night (like I did) here is the game plan I would suggest:

- Prep the garlic butter for the bread first.
- Next, assemble your tomato salad and store it in the fridge while you finish everything else.
- Pound out your chicken breasts and prep your flour/egg/bread crumb stations. Then get your skillet preheated and ready.
- Slice your bread, and coat with the garlic butter. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil (you will be glad you did come clean up time) and put the buttered bread on it. Preheat the broiler.
- Start breading and cooking your first and second chicken (I had to cook my chicken breasts one at a time because my skillet was too small), put the garlic bread in to cook about the same time you start your last chicken breast on the skillet.


Now for the recipes...


For the Garlic Bread you will need:

- 1 loaf sourdough or French bread, cut in half lengthwise
For the Garlic butter:
- ¾ pound unsalted butter (3 sticks of butter), room temp.
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- Pinch of paprika or cayenne pepper ( I prefer cayenne)
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- garlic salt (Guy roasted his own garlic which took an hour, I used garlic powder and it was better than fine…to each his own.)
To top:
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- either sun dried tomatoes or roasted tomatoes in olive oil, whichever you prefer. I used the latter because I think sun dried tomatoes are a little to strong/sweet if you know what I mean…
- about 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Basil


For the Garlic butter simply mix all the ingredients together. Top the bread with the butter and then broil until toasted. Slice the toasted bread, and top with the parmesan cheese, tomatoes and basil. You better serve this with something delicious, because this bread will seriously steal the show.

For the Puttanesca Tomato Salad you will need:

- ½ cup E.V.O.O. (Rach, that you so much for that…(sarcasm…))
- 1 jar large capers (drained and patted dry if you plan to fry them, but I don’t think you need to…I tried it and thought that frying took away their flavor.)
- 1 clove garlic grated or finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste (don’t be scared)
- 6 plum tomatoes (I used roma and was fine)
- 1 small red onion, or ½ medium very finely sliced (I used ½ a small onion and it was still a lot)
- ½ cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley (I used the same Italian parsley that I used in my garlic butter)
- a handful of pitted good quality black olives (Harmon’s has an olive bar, hopefully you have access to some place with one, like a Wholefoods…canned black olives aren’t gonna cut it this time…)
-salt and black pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes for seasoning

If you want to fry the capers: Heat 1/4 cup oil in small pan over medium-high heat. Add capers but be careful, they will spatter. Fry the capers 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until golden, drain on paper towels.
Then, combine remaining 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil with garlic and anchovy paste. Add tomatoes, onion, parsley and olives. Season with red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. Garnish with capers and serve. This recipe has a lot of what I like to call ‘adult’ flavors. It is strong, but really good served on top of the parmesan chicken, so give it a try!

Thank you Harmon's, and your plentiful olive bar...

For the Parmesan Chicken you will need:

- 3 chicken breasts, pounded until they are ¼ inch thick
- 1 cup all purpose flour
-1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs, beaten with a tablespoon of water added
- about 1 and ¼ cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan, plus extra for serving
- unsalted butter
- olive oil (Ina Garden is way too cool to say E.V.O.O.)
Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Serve with the additional parmesan and some of the puttanesca tomato salad.

I will tell you that I didn’t pound out my chicken to the thickness specified by Ina, and I spent about ten extra minutes cooking each breast. It was a bummer, and Jacob and Grayson didn’t get to eat until almost nine o’clock. The moral of the story, plan well fair chefs, plan well. I didn't take a picture of my chicken because it was all cut up and ugly, but you can go here to see the one Ina posted on foodnetwork.com:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/parmesan-chicken-recipe/index.html

Mormon Mom Enchiladas. (10/5/2009)

My sister-in-law Ashley and her fiancée are in town apartment hunting, visiting friends ect. Lucky for Jacob and I they made some time for us and came over for dinner along with our brother Grayson. Grayson is a mad dater and left around nine to go hook up with a hottie but Ashley, Jake, Jacob and I curled up on our bed and gossiped for a couple wonderful hours.

I love my family! I am so excited for Jake and Ashley, who have been dating since Ash was 15, to get married. Jake likes my food and my crazy kid, so I love him! If you know me well, then you know there is nothing I love more than spooning on the bed and hearing a good story. Tonight was heaven! And the enchiladas were good too.
My mother-in-law Larene gave me the recipe, but it’s just your basic ‘mormon-mom’ enchilada. The most Mexican thing about this recipe is the canned green chilies. This is real, heavy, cheesy, delicious comfort food.

For the enchiladas you will need:

- 4 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
- 16 oz. sour cream
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup
- 2, 4 oz cans green chilies
- 10-12 small flour tortillas
- about 3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
-salt and pepper to taste

Mix together sour cream, cream of chicken soup and green chilies along with a little salt and pepper to taste. Layer a little of mixture on bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Roll cheese and chicken into tortillas and place in baking dish. Pour remaining sour cream mixture on top of tortillas. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 min, add cheese to top and bake another 5-10 min until cheese melts.

Chicken and Sausage Pot Pie with Cheese Gravy, Caesar Salad, and a side of Cranberry Sauce! Happy Friday, baby! (9/25/2009)

Today was a day filled with chores. The most horrible of which was actually purchasing car insurance. I tried to put it off as long as possible. I mean, my old insurance, paid for by… not me, expired in August. Soooo…yeah, six months of peace of mind costs $684 dollars.
This calls for comfort food!!!
The pot pie recipe is a twist on my mother-in-laws already delicious original. The mild Italian sausage adds a little peppery kick, and the cheese gravy is the perfect topper. It was Jacob’s idea to serve it with cranberry sauce—“The boy’s a genius!” And the Caesar Salad dressing is Jacob’s favorite. I got it from an episode of Tyler’s Ultimate on the Food Network.
I hope you all love it. It’s the perfect meal for a game night with friends, or for eating yourself into a coma. I’m reminded of something a friend said to me once, but he said it about alcohol. Tonight I’m not eating for fun, I’m eating to forget.

For the pot pie you will need:

-1 cooked chicken breast, chopped (I just buy a rotisserie chicken, and use both breasts)
-2 links of mild Italian sausage, casings removed, cooked
-1 Can Cream of chicken soup
-1 Can Cream of potato soup
-1 Can Whole Potatoes (cut them into chunks yourself)
-1 Can Corn
-1 Can Green beans
-1 Can Carrots
-1 Can Peas
-1 cup Milk
-onion powder, kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper
-pre-made pie crust (top and bottom)

(This recipe makes enough for two full sized pot pies. I usually freeze the leftover filling to use later, but you could always just use half a can of each and store the leftover vegetables in a bunch of little Tupperware containers…if you do that, keep the meat portions the same.)

Combine all ingredients except sausage in a large bowl. Line bottom of pie dish with first crust and fill half way with chicken and vegetable mixture. Add sausage, then add chicken and vegetable mixture to fill. You will not use all the chicken and vegetable mixture, so don’t try to fit it all in there! Store the remaining mixture in the freezer until you are ready for another pie. Cover with the second crust, and seal the edges. Cut slits in top of pie to help steam escape. I usually take an egg and mix it with about a teaspoon of water, then brush the egg wash over the top of the pie.
Bake the pie for an hour at 350 degrees. I cover the pie with tin foil for the first half hour to keep the crust from getting too dark.

While the pie bakes, you can get your cheese gravy and your salad ready!

For the Cheese Gravy you will need:

-1 tablespoon butter

-1 tablespoon flour

-1 cup milk

-1 to 1and 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

In a small sauce pan melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and some fresh ground black pepper until the flour and butter are completely blended and no lumps remain. Stir in milk and continue to wisk gently over medium heat until sauce thickens and begins to bubble across entire surface. Add cheese and stir until melted. Remove from heat and serve.

For the Caesar dressing you will need:
-2 anchovies
-2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ lemon, juiced
-2 egg yolks
- ¼ cup grated parmigian cheese
-1 cup olive oil
-2 tablespoons water
-kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

In a blender combine the anchovies, garlic, lemon juice, egg yolks and grated Parmesan. Pulse a couple of times to combine, then add the water and blend again. With the motor running, gradually pour the oil through the feed tube and continue to blend until emulsified. Season, to taste, with salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Use to top your favorite mix of greens. Thanks Tyler Florence, you’re the bomb! I hope you kids had a better Friday than I did!

Greek Salsa Chicken (9/24/2009)

Last night was Wednesday night, the exciting night of the week when my brother-in-law Grayson comes over for dinner. It was so hot, and Finn and I had been out visiting friends all morning, so I wanted to make something easy. This recipe was simple and came together quickly which was nice because I wanted to sit around and chill-ax.

For the salsa you will need:

-4 oz. crumbled plain feta cheese
-1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
-1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
-1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
-1/4 cup lemon juice
-1/4 cup olive oil
-1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano

For the chicken you will need:

- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- about 2 tbsp olive oil
- one lemon, cut into wedges

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sauté chicken pieces in the olive oil in a large roasting pan, or skillet, over medium-high heat until chicken is browned on one side.

--If you are using a roasting pan simply turn chicken over, cover with lemon wedges, and place in the oven until chicken is cooked (about 30 min, or when internal temp. reaches 160 degrees).
--If cooking with a skillet, like I did, remove chicken from skillet and place cooked side down in a baking dish that you have already prepared with olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Cover the partially cooked chicken with lemon wedges, and place in the oven until chicken is cooked (about 30 min, or when internal temp. reaches 160 degrees).

In the mean time, prepare the salsa by combining the feta, tomatoes, olives, parsley, lemon juice, ¼ cup olive oil, and oregano in a bowl. Cover and chill salsa until ready to serve.

Top the cooked chicken with the salsa, and enjoy! I served this chicken with fried potato wedges. For three people I used 2 small potatoes, cut them into wedges, and steamed the wedges until tender. I fried them in the same skillet I started the chicken in, until a crusty skin formed. Soooooo good with the Greek Salsa Chicken!

Chicken Salad with Orange and Fennel (9/22/2009)

Yay fennel! So delicious, so cool looking.

I love chicken salad. My Aunt makes a mean chicken salad, and it was my favorite, then I found this recipe in my Cuisine magazine. I had a sandwich for dinner with some of my soup from last night, and wow!

You will need:
-2/3 cup mayonnaise
-2 tbsp orange juice, plus zest of half and orange
-2 cooked chicken breasts, diced
-1 cup grapes, halved (red or green)
-3/4 cup diced fennel bulb
-1/4 cup slivered almonds (toasted, optional)
-2 tbsp chopped fennel fronds
-1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
-Salt and pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl, chill.
That’s it! So easy, so yummy—just like me!... What? Um. I hope you like it. The chicken salad is so good on just about any type of bread, or mixed with lettuce for a salad.

P.S. To those of you who knew me when I was seventeen/ eighteen…even nineteen, why didn’t any of you ever say anything to me about the over plucking of my eyebrows? I was looking through old pictures and I was shocked! My alien head, sure, I heard about that. My shovel teeth, yep, that too. But the one thing I could actually do something about… nothing. Thanks a lot.

Cajun Chicken and Kielbasa Sausage Alfredo (9/20/2009)

So tonight I am cheating. Kind of. Jacob and I actually got invited out tonight! We are so cool and popular! With, like, two couples…

Our wonderful friends Andrea and Ben had us over and made the most delicious apple-butter pork tenderloin! Yumm… She looked up the recipe on a website that I will get from her and post, because it sounded really cool. In the mean time, however, I will post a recipe for a pasta dish I made this last Wednesday.

Every Wednesday my brother in law Grayson comes over for dinner. My new little guinea pig. I love having him over, although Jacob turns into an even bigger pervert when he’s here. Hard to believe, harder to be around… But anyway, this recipe is one of Grayson’s favorites. My man-friend Jason and his girlfriend Claire also made it the other day, and I think they really liked it too, though they said it made a ton of food, which is true. So maybe consider cutting the recipe in half, and give yourself plenty of prep time because there are a ton of vegetables.

You will need:

-4 oz dry farfalle pasta
-½ cup evaporated milk
-¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
-1 egg yolk
-1 tsp.Cajun seasoning (try to find salt free…)
-½ lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size chunks
-1 tble spoon olive oil
-8 oz turkey kielbasa, sliced into half moons
-2 cups sliced button mushrooms
-1 onion chopped
-1 red bell pepper chopped ( I like more…)
-2 cloves garlic minced
-¼ cup reserved pasta water
-1 cup frozen peas
-Kosher salt to taste
-Sliced scallionsParmesan cheese to top

Start by preparing your vegetables.
Boil the pasta.
Wisk together evaporated milk, ¼ cup parm cheese and egg yolk in a bowl and set aside.
Coat chicken in Cajun seasoning. Saute chicken over medium high heat in LARGE sauté pan until meat is browned and fully cooked (about 4 min.). Remove the chicken and set it aside.
Add olive oil to this same pan. Over medium high heat add kielbasa, mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the warm olive oil. Cook until kielbasa browns (4-6 minutes).
Deglaze pan with the reserved ¼ cup pasta water. Reduce until the water has nearly evaporated. Add the chicken, cooked farfalle pasta, and peas. Add the evaporated milk mixture, stirring until thickened.
Season with salt to taste, and garnish with scallions and Parmesan cheese. (It looks really cool if you use a potato peeler to shave off ribbons of Parmesan cheese.)

This recipe is from Cuisine Magazine. It is a really neat magazine that is all recipes and cooking tips. There are no ads, and no random articles. There is a companion website with demonstration video clips that I have used before and found very helpful (http://www.cuisineathome.com/).

Love it? Hate it? Let me know! I'll be eating mint chocolate chip ice cream and watching Zac Efron movies...