grilled skewers

I love vegetables. My husband loves meat. I had been wanting to do skewers since, well, last summer when I bought some metal skewers.

We called these shish-ka-bobs growing up. It was a super easy very flavorful and flexible summer meal. Surprisingly, this was my first meal to ever grill myself. I was really proud of myself. Next up: grilled pizza.

Summer Skewers on the grill
makes eight skewers {or five skewers plus about 4 cups side veggies in a grill basket}
INGREDIENTS
1 squash
1 zucchini
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 onion
2 heads garlic
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 chicken breast (or more if you don't want to have just veggie skewers. Next I want do shrimp.mmmm.)
1/4 c. olive oil
2 t. pepper
Old Bay Seasoning
seasoning salt
DIRECTIONS
Heat grill to medium, somewhere between 300 and 350. Slice all vegetables. See pic above. Peel garlic into individual cloves. Toss vegetables and garlic cloves with olive oil, pepper, a few dashes of seasoning salt and generous amounts of Old Bay Seasoning, maybe 1-2 tablespoons. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and sprinkle with Old Bay. I'd allow this to marinate in something if I'd had the forethought.

Skewer everything in a fun alternating pattern. Be sure each skewer gets a clove of garlic or two. Be sure that you hog the mushrooms for yourself. I made sure as many cloves, onions and peppers were touching the chicken pieces as possible.

Grill for about 35 minutes, depending on the heat of your grill.

I tossed some corn with old bay and olive oil and put that on the grill as well along with the extra veggies in a basket. It was awesome and great the next day too!


yay!

cilantro pesto & the grown up gringo's green chicken tenders

pat on the back for creativity.

a tomatillo?

the grown up gringo's green chicken tenders with cilantro ranch dip

serves 2

INGREDIENTS

for this recipe you’ll need a skillet with a lid and i used a non-stick one.

2 T. butter

2 T. olive oil

2 chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise into strips and pounded into even thickness

3 tomatillos, roughly chopped

1/3 - 1/2 c. corona beer

1 c. flour + seasoning salt + onion powder + cumin + paprika

1/4 c. cilantro pesto, see recipe below

1/4 c. ranch dressing

DIRECTIONS

marinate chicken breasts in 3 T. cilantro pesto, coated evenly, for at least 1 hour. 

combine remaining pesto with ranch dressing to make cilantro ranch dip. to taste.

heat butter and oil in skillet to medium high until bubbly. dredge pesto covered chicken cutlets in seasoned flour and brown in skillet about 4 minutes each side. remove from pan. add tomatillos to pan and cook, stirring occasionally till browned and softened, about 3 minutes. add beer to skillet, reduce heat a bit, and stir till reduced to about half the original amount. return chicken to pan and cover, cooking about 3 minutes on each side or until internal temperature reaches 170.

serve with cooked tomatillos, saucy bits from the pan and chopped avocado. spoon cilantro ranch dip over tenders or serve on the side. would also be good with this.

{cilantro pesto}

yields approx. 1/4 c.

4 c. cilantro leaves (the leaves from 2 bundles of cilantro)

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

1-2 T. olive oil

1 T. cumin

3/4 T. garlic powder

1 T. white sugar

combine all ingredients in food processor. freezes well.

this pan cooked chicken, albeit confusing with its mexican flavors, turned out really good and helped me use up some cilantro pesto i'd made last week, with no clear intention regarding its usage. this was also my first time cooking with tomatillos, and i thought the way the beer cooked and caramelized them was SO yummy. they were sweet and a little spicy at the same time. awesome. 

cooking smaller pieces of chicken in the skillet helps everything stay crispy and flavorful. i think a non stick skillet with a lid is the best way to cook chicken here in our grill-less apartment life.

dark beer braised chicken, asparagus and mushrooms

i have tons of asparagus and mushrooms due to a costco overload. plus i've been wanting to practice braising. i like braising because it's a one-pot-meal and keeps the meat nice and moist. this was roughly adapted from a cooking light cookbook i got for christmas. you could make it with any vegetables you have. just saute root vegetables a bit longer than you would something more tender like asparagus. i used a lemon pepper seasoning mix i have to season the chicken, but imagine fresh lemon zest would be even better. it had coarse pepper though so definitely use coarse or freshly ground pepper.


{chicken braised with dark beer}
adapted from cooking light: way to cook
3 T. flour
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 T lemon zest
4 boneless chicken thighs
2 T. butter
1 T. canola oil
1 to 2 c. cut asparagus
1 to 2 c. sliced mushrooms
1/2 c. chopped shallots (i just used a yellow onion b/c i had no shallots but they'd be much better)
2 T. dry parsley
1 bay leaf
8 - 10 oz. dark beer (I used Fireman's Four --which isn't really dark)
2 t. white wine vinegar
DIRECTIONS
Combine flour, salt, pepper and lemon zest. Coat chicken in flour mixture. Heat butter and oil in large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken to pan; saute 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan. Add shallots and a tablespoon or so of the beer, saute until opaque. Add asparagus, reduce heat to medium, saute until just tender. Add mushrooms, dried herbs and more salt, pepper and lemon zest if desired. Return chicken to pan, nestling into vegetables. Stir in beer until chicken is mostly but not all the way submerged. Bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat. Simmer 30 minutes or until chicken reaches 160 degrees.

Remove chicken and vegetables from pan. Add vinegar, 2 T. flour to liquids in the pan and increase to medium. Stir constantly while bubbling until reduced and slightly thickened. Pour over veggies and chicken. Add fresh chopped parsley if you have it.

This can be done with any cut of meat, bone-in pieces may take longer to cook.

{image via apartmenttherapy}

chicken and root veggies with wine & rosemary

i think this is called braising. it was good and i think next time i will try it with a non-non-stick pan to be sure that the chicken as well as the carrots and potatoes, or whatever root veggies i use next, really brown a bit before adding the liquid. i think a big pot or dutch oven may be best, rather than a large covered nonstick sauce pan --which is what i used and it got a little crowded. i also think after browning everything, you could throw all this in the oven and it would turn out just great. i, however, was interested in minimizing clean up. but then that brings us back to the dutch oven idea.
anyway, this was good and is something i am interested in perfecting since, as i've previously mentioned, we have rosemary growing wild around here.
i think i'm done. here's the recipe.
chicken and root veggies with wine & rosemary
adapted from all recipes & the two of us and friends by jessie carry saunders
INGREDIENTS
4 bone-in chicken breast thighs or breasts, with skin
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 small potatoes chopped into bite sized pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced & divided
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
{optional sauce}
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons flour

DIRECTIONS
this would have been even better if i had NOT used a non-stick pan. more crispy goodies.
Season the chicken liberally with pepper and seasoned salt. Loosen skin and stuff half of diced garlic and chopped rosemary into skin. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once butter’s foam subsides, add chicken and cook until well browned on all sides. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Lower the heat, add the onion, and cook and stir until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, carrot, and potato, and cook and stir an additional 3 minutes.

Pour the chicken broth into the pan {I added only about 1 1/2c. because my pan was getting crowded}, and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the wine and reduce heat back to low.

Return the chicken to the pan and place rosemary sprigs among them. Simmer covered on low until chicken breasts are no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 40 minutes. Serve chicken and vegetables with sauces from pan or make separate sauce {it's just thicker}
{sauce}
Remove chicken and vegetables from pan and remove pan with liquids from heat. Allow to cool enough to skim off some fat and remove rosemary sprigs. In another pan, heat 2 T. olive oil over medium heat and once glistening, add flour, stirring or whisking continually. Add slowly until desired thickness: chicken and wine juices from pan, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Serve over chicken.

baked bbq chicken

My dad makes his dad's excellent bbq sauce from scratch. The first time I made this dish it was because my dad gave me nearly a gallon of leftover sauce. If you don't have a stellar family recipe sauce to use, pick out your favorite, quality bbq sauce.


baked bbq chicken
INGREDIENTS (serves 4-6)
4 chicken drum sticks, bone in
4 chicken thighs, bone in
2 - 3 cups good barbecue sauce

{spice rub slash marinade}
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon seasoning salt
2 teaspoons cracked pepper
1/4 cup olive oil or melted butter
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, or red wine

DIRECTIONS
{spice rub option} combine all seasonings without liquids (vinegar, butter or oil) and rub into meat and under skin immediately prior to cooking
{spice marinade option} combine seasonings with oils and rub into meat, allow meat to marinate in seasonings 2 - 6 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 and in large baking dish arrange chicken pieces in a single layer and cover completely and generously with sauce. It may be necessary to flip pieces to ensure the tops are coated in sauce. Bake uncovered 30 to 45 minutes.

Serve with rosemary roasted potatoes, twice baked potatoes, or baked macaroni and cheese

{image belongs to judithsweet}

orzo pasta with chicken, peppers and arugula

I'd never had, much less made anything with orzo pasta. I really liked it, and a little bit goes a long way. One serving size is 1/2 of a cup dry and I found that, once cooked very satisfying. I also liked that I could buy exactly the amount I wanted in HEB's bulk section and only pay a dollar and some change. That section is great when I need a little special ingredient but don't want to buy a large portion of it; or if I want to try something new --like orzo!
This is a great base for any veggies you have sitting around. I've been into arugula and have been finding tons of places in which to throw it. Definitely toast the pine nuts.

orzo pasta with chicken and arugula
{serves 4}
INGREDIENTS
2 T. olive oil
1 small shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 of a red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
2 cups arugula
1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted*
1/8 to 1/4 cup lemon vinaigrette dressing**
DIRECTIONS
*{toasting pine nuts: add to dry pot on medium heat, stirring occasionally until slightly browned and fragrant}

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add orzo pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain. Add to large bowl with toasted pine nuts and set aside. I toasted the nuts in the same pot, once the pasta was finished.

While pasta is cooking, pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into non-stick or cast iron skillet. Stir in onion, peppers and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent, add garlic and cook 2 more minutes, stirring often. Increase heat to medium high, pour in white wine; cook about 3 minutes. Liquid should simmer and reduce significantly.
Reduce heat to low, stir in chicken and arugula. Cover, and cook to warm through, about 3 minutes. Uncover and stir until arugula is wilted. Add mixture to orzo and pine nuts and toss with dressing.

You may need a little less pasta than that and perhaps a bit more dressing. I plated ours and added the chicken, pepper, arugula mixture and dressing separately to each plate to be sure the proportions were right. Then tossed.

**{if you don't want to make my lemon vinaigrette, you can also toss this with about 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil and a squirt of dijon mustard, or go a different route and do balsamic vinaigrette}

chicken salad

Taylor prefers his chicken salad done pretty plain. He likes Kitchen Door's Austin award winning chicken salad. I, on the other hand, prefer my chicken salad to have much more action-packed chunkiness going on than just chicken and mayo. Plus that wouldn't be exciting food blog fodder. "Shred chicken, mix with mayo. Eat on white bread." So here's my type of chicken salad.


Chunky Chicken Salad
{serves 4}
INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken
2/3 cup grapes, cut into eighths
1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/3 cup diced onions, cooked
1/4 cup celery, diced
1/2 tablespoon honey
3 teaspoons cracked pepper
3 teaspoons seasoning salt
2 teaspoons fresh tarragon, chopped
1/3 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise. I used Kraft's new kind made with olive oil.
DIRECTIONS
Combine first four ingredients. Add the honey and then remaining ingredients to taste. Serve stuffed in a big, ripe, yummy tomato or on a bed of lettuce with avocado slices. Or on your favorite toasted bread. The options are limitless, really.
{notes and modifications}
I used a combination of leftover grilled chicken breast and rotisserie chicken meat. Whole Foods makes theirs by adding a little bit of apple cider vinegar. Try that if you like, it sounds good but I make no endorsements since I didn't do it myself. I diced my onions, then zapped them in the microwave for about 2 minutes. You can toast the pecans by placing in dry skillet on medium low and stirring for about 3-5 minutes.


Oh, and please do not get the impression that I'm knocking Kitchen Door. They have good ice.
And oatmeal cookies and frosted cookies and brownies. But I'm sad they left Lake Austin Blvd. Moment of silence...

{image belongs to scottishcow}

green pizza

Pizzas are such a great leftovers meal. Especially since I'm overcoming my fear of yeast. Since we've been frequenting The Grove, it's inspired me to throw just about anything on there. Too bad I didn't have any mushrooms, then it'd be heavenly. But then I probably couldn't call this Green Pizza.


I realize I'm using spaghetti sauce on this but I sort of like how it's sweeter and plus this jar is much more versatile if I use it for more than just spaghetti. I also like how these come in flavors. The tomato & basil has chunks of tomato that add to pizzas. In my honest opinion. Obviously you could just use marinara sauce or even tomato paste with some garlic but that wouldn't be as random....
Note the feta placement in the bottom picture. Taylor claims to not like strong cheeses, but I really do. And they make pizzas and a lot of other dishes much more fun. So I thought I start him out on feta {since blue cheese would probably be a criminal starting place....but we'll work up to that}. I put a little cluster to see what would happen, and he ate it! I informed him later, at The Grove actually, that he likes feta. Was that mean? I'm not sure but it makes it easier to cook for both of us if I can work on cheese diversification.


green pizza
INGREDIENTS
this pizza dough, or prepared dough {some hebs sell raw dough near their deli section}
1/4 cup thinly sliced and then quartered zucchini
1 cup uncooked baby spinach leaves
4 tablespoons of this pesto, or basil pesto
1/3 cup cooked chicken, diced
1/3 cup shredded colby jack cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesean cheese
3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup of your favorite, well seasoned tomato sauce {or omit and increase the pesto!}
DIRECTIONS
Lightly saute zucchini and spinach {or zap in the microwave} until just beginning to look and feel cooked. I cooked the spinach just about all the way and then squeezed out the moisture and diced it. I cooked the cut zucchini till it was tender but not completely cooked. {see note}

Oven to 550. Cover pizza stone or baking sheet with parchment paper if you have some. {I'm never consistent about using parchment paper}. Roll out pizza dough to desired thickness, will {or should} rise some. Spread pesto then tomato sauce. Sprinkle with about 2/3 of the cheeses. Add zucchini, spinach and chicken evenly. Sprinkle the rest of the cheeses. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

{note} I'd never tried these veggies on a pizza and wasn't sure if they'd cook all the way, being put on the pizza raw. So I gave them a head start. I have no idea if it was necessary but they turned out great.


{recommended variations for your green pizza} asparagus, green peppers, green tomatoes, arugula. ooooo arugula...

fettuccine with light white sauce

This could be called fettuccine alfredo. Except that a real alfredo sauce, I think, based upon minimal online research, is made mostly with cream and much more Parmesan. I made a sauce base, similar to my Mac & Cheese and my
Pot Pie, used 2 % milk then added some cheese and a little bit of lemon. It was a bit lighter than alfredo sauce.

I think the lemon and fresh parsley really set this sauce apart. I was honestly surprised at how good it was, and I was amazed at how easy the sauce was to whip up with basic kitchen ingredients. It was even be better the second day, after all the flavors became better acquainted. I imagine that baking it is not a necessity but I think it helps the noodles soak up some of the sauce flavor....I'm not sure. Try it both ways!

image belongs to chowdownphoenix

fettuccine with light white sauce
inspired by PioneerWoman
8- 10 oz wheat fettuccine pasta (3-4 cups cooked)
2 cups grilled or roasted chicken, diced

1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
generous dash of nutmeg
2 t. cracked pepper
1 t. salt
3/4 to 1 c. milk (room temperature recommended)
3/4 c. low sodium chicken broth
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese divided
3 t. lemon juice
3 t. chopped, fresh parsley

Heat oven to 375. Cook fettuccine according to package directions, drain and place in oven safe dish. In small pot, warm chicken broth. Melt butter in saucepan on medium heat, add garlic and lemon juice and whisk occasionally until butter is bubbly, about 3 minutes. Add flour slowly with pepper, salt and nutmeg and whisk until combined, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and slowly whisk in broth and milk, alternating. Add more milk if it seems too thick. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup cheese. Pour over noodles. Add chicken. Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. (Don’t bake too long or the pasta will dry out.) Top with remaining cheese and parsley. Yield: 4 servings.

chicken pot pie

Thanks for letting me take about a week hiatus. With school wrapping up, graduations, Memorial Day weekend, there was just not enough time in the day to keep you updated on my culinary adventures. Or perhaps I was just too lazy to upload my pictures. ...you may never know...While this dish may not seem summer appropriate, allow me to posit that it can be spring appropriate. We had some drizzly, dreary spring weather early last week and I thought it would be perfectly apt to attempt homemade pot pie. Now I did not make the pie crust. So, to be candid and true to you loyal readers, I made homemade pot and store bought pie.

I had fun making them individually, the smaller one was taken out about ten minutes early. The big one is in about a 16 oz dish and the small one, about 10 oz. Here you can see the filling station.

My sloppy pie crust job resulted in some excess dough that inspired my artistic sensibilities, but you'll have to glaze over the recipe to reach the finale. I think the next time I make this, I'm going to grate about a 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese into the filling. You know, for the added calcium.

Chicken Pot Pie
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1.5 whole chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on (I used 2 cups diced rotisserie chicken meat)

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teasp nutmeg
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk (room temperature recommended)

1/2 (10-ounce) package frozen peas (or approx 1 cup)
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced potato
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
1 egg beaten
1/2 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. white wine
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
1 egg beaten
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
{chicken}
Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 2 to 3 cups of cubed chicken. (Can be done in advance)
{veggies}
Heat large non-stick saucepan with lid on medium. Add potatoes, 1/2 c. chicken broth, wine, lemon juice and garlic. Bring to boil and cook covered 5 minutes, add carrots and cook 5 min more, stir uncovered for 3 minutes to allow liquids to reduce. {see note}
{filling}
Add any remaining liquid from vegetables to small pot. Add the rest of the broth to the small pot and heat on low. In large saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper. Slowly stir in milk and warmed chicken broth Simmer over medium-low heat until thick, stirring often. Add the cubed chicken, potatoes, carrots, peas and parsley. Mix well.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Sprinkle bottom of deep pie plate lightly with flour, spread into a thin layer with your fingers. Press crust into bottom of dish and repeat with flour. Pour the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Bake 45 min. Allow to cool for 5 - 10 minutes before serving.
{note}
I did not have carrots. Also, an alternative to cooking the vegetables is to just blanch them: Add diced potatoes to 2 quarts water and boil for about 10 minutes. Add diced carrots to boiling water for about 2 minutes. Remove together and submerge in ice water. Drain and set aside. This is the truly British (though arguably less inspiring) way of cooking the vegetables.
Ah yes, and there's what I did with the excess dough. Who doesn't want a personalized pot pie? Now you're certainly realizing that is what your soul has been missing.
That's a cursive T. In case you're having trouble.

the simple but scrumptious saturday sandwich

Yes. I'm devoting an entire post to a sandwich. Will you write this off? Or will you open your mind to all that this sandwich holds for you? For you, loyal readers, I am divulging my secrets.

The key here, the ticket to greatness, the road straight to the heart of your eagerly awaiting recipient, is an overripe avocado.

Cut that avocado in half, twist the halves apart, stab the seed, yank it out and throw it away. Whew. Using one of the halves, cut a few thin slices lengthwise. I recommend four slices. You want these four slices to be about a half inch wide at their widest part. Since your avocado is just slightly overripe, the skin will peel right off. Place one slice at a time onto your favorite, toasted bread and cut into it, spreading the thin slivers onto the bread as you move the sliver of avocado across the bread.

Repeat with remaining slices, spreading gently and generously.Now avocado is the key, but this, dear readers, is your secret ingredient....
Now that you're intrigued by that bottle and lusting after that avocado, let's just cut to the chase...

the simple but scrumptious saturday sandwich
INGREDIENTS
1/2 boneless grilled chicken breast, cut thinly lengthwise (or meat of choice)
2 slices good bread
2 thin slices provolone cheese
4 thin roma tomato slices
1 leaf Romaine lettuce or spinach
1/4 to 1/6 overripe avocado
1 - 2 tbs. Newman's Family Recipe Italian dressing
yellow mustard
DIRECTIONS
Heat broiler to low. Place bread slices on baking sheet and toast one side to desired crispness, perhaps about 2 minutes. Remove and flip to non-toasted side. Drizzle slices (slowly!) with dressing and spread with knife. Return slices, dressing side up, and continue toasting, but remove one slice after about a minute, once you can barely see it's starting to toast. Allow the second slice to finish toasting and remove.

Spread avocado onto the dressing side of both slices of bread, as demonstrated in above tutorial. Onto fully toasted slice, spread yellow mustard. Avocado and mustard? Yes. Trust me. Onto partially toasted slice, place chicken and top with provolone cheese. Return to broiler until cheese gets sweaty and droopy, about 2 minutes. Top with tomatoes, leafy greens and pickles. Top with the other slice of bread.
This picture shows the sandwich done with turkey lunch meat and uninspiring bread. I have plans to make a wheat bread soon, so stay tuned.

This is a technicality but nevertheless: If you like your sandwiches cut in half, so you can bite into the non-crust side, I've found it's easier to cut the bread in half before beginning with the broiler et cetera and deal with four halves, rather than trying to cut it in half later. But that wasn't worth explaining in the directions. It probably wasn't worth explaining at all....except that then I would be withholding an element of this Simple but Scrumptious Saturday Sandwich, and I promised to divulge my secrets.

Serve with Zapps and fruit and a chocolate chip cookie.

White Lasagna with Chicken and Satueed Mushrooms

I thought this had great flavor and wasn't too rich since I used 2% milk and there's not much cheese. It's a pretty good base for any additional ingredients --like prosciutto, spinach, diced roma tomatoes.... I think it's a good balance between the food I like and the comfort food that Taylor is partial too.

White Lasagna with Chicken and Sauteed Mushrooms
adapted from Gourmet
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup minced shallots (about 6)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3 3/4 cups whole milk (I used 2%)
1 cup rich chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided
12 (7- by 3-inch) no-boil egg lasagna sheets
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 cup sauteed sliced mushrooms
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
Cook shallots in butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes. Add flour and cook over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, 3 minutes. Add nutmeg, then slowly whisk in milk and stock. Bring to a boil, whisking, then simmer, stirring occasionally, just until sauce lightly coats back of spoon, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool to warm, stirring occasionally. Stir in eggs, salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 cup cheese.

Spread about 1 1/4 cups sauce over bottom of an 11- by 8-inch baking dish. Cover with a layer of 3 lasagna sheets. Coat sheets in about 1 1/4 cup sauce, sprinkle with cheese, mushrooms and chicken. Repeat layering 3 more times, then top with remaining sauce and remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake, uncovered, until browned, 45 to 55 minutes.

Sauce can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered (once cool).

Update {07/13}: I halved this recipe but thought that I needed to up the flour to compensate for the less thick 2% milk. Such is not the case, equal parts butter (fat) and flour is the base of this type of sauce. Then add and stir liquids to desired consistency. Halving it should not be a problem.

Chicken Gyros with Cucumber Salsa and Tsatsiki

First I have to say that it is so typical of Epicurious to categorize this as "Quick & Easy" when it involved not only homemade tsatsiki but homemade salsa and homemade garlic sauce. This was certainly good --all the flavor I'd expect from an Epicurious recipe but not what I'd call "Quick & Easy." Save your categories for Top Chef, Epicurious.

Chicken Gyros
adapted from Gourmet
INGREDIENTS
2 cucumbers, divided
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, divided
5 garlic cloves, minced, divided
1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
dried parsley
1/4 cup chopped mint
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4-5 tablespoons cup fresh rosemary, chopped
1 (12-ounces) package naan bread (four 8-inch pieces)
or 4 (8-inch) pita rounds
1/2 roast chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded (about 2 1/4 cups)
8 leaves of spinach, shredded or chopped

DIRECTIONS
Tsatsiki
Peel and grate 1 cucumber, then squeeze it with your hands to remove excess water. Stir together with yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, one third of garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper to make tsatsiki.
Cucumber Salsa
Cut remaining cucumber into 1/4-inch pieces and stir together with tomatoes, onion, dash of parsley, mint, remaining 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, and dash of salt and pepper to make salsa.
Garlic Oil Spread
Gently simmer oil, oregano, rosemary, remaining garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and dash of pepper in a small heavy saucepan, stirring constantly, until garlic is fragrant but not browned, 1 to 2 minutes. (I did this in the microwave.) Generously brush one side of bread with oil and toss chicken in with the remainder. Stir to keep warm while toasting bread.

Heat bread, oiled side up, on cookie sheet, covered with foil, 3 to 4 inches from broiler 3 minutes. Uncover and broil, flipping bread for even coloring, until golden in spots, about 2 minutes.

Open pita and fill with spinach, salsa, chicken and tsatsiki. Or serve all ingredients on top of pita or naan bread. This is even better as leftovers, as chicken stored in garlic rosemary sauce has marinated in the flavor. YUM!

I accidentally put oregano in the salsa. Don't do that.

risotto-style chicken and rice

This is adapted from my Bride & Groom's First and Forever Cookbook. It's more or less a risotto, but the first time I made it, Taylor said he didn't like risotto. So we're not calling that anymore. To change it this time, I used more water, in mixture with the broth to make it less crazy-creamy, and we put our grilled fajita chicken meat in it. I also substituted the mushrooms it originally called for, for peas. . . as suggested by a recipe on the back of the brown rice box. For the wine, I used a cute little mini bottle of Pinot Grigio. The little bottles you buy in fours. I included the mushrooms in the recipe here, since I really liked it with the mushrooms. This I would say serves 2 or 3 as a main dish, more than that, sans-chicken, as a side. I think it is SOOO good, and is totally worth the patience required by constant stirring.
The Best Risotto Ever (with chicken)
INGREDIENTS
1 -1/2 c. cooked chicken, chopped
3 T. EVOO
1/4 c. chopped yellow onion
2 T. diced garlic
1 c. brown rice (I used quick rice)
2 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1 c. water
3/4 c. dry white wine
1/2 c. chopped mushrooms
1/2 c. frozen peas
1 T. fresh thyme
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 T. butter
cracked pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Combine broth and water in small pot and bring to a simmer then keep warm.
Add olive oil to large pan and heat on medium. ( I used a sauce pan, that almost looks like a wok) Add onions and heat till translucent, about 2 min, add mushrooms and cook, about 8 min, add garlic and stir. Cook about 2 min. Add rice and stir til moistened, about 30 seconds, add wine and simmer, stirring until liquid is absorbed. Add heated broth 3/4 c. at a time, stirring until each addition is absorbed. On the last broth addition, add the peas. Should take about 20-30 min. Once all broth is added and rice is tender and creamy, add butter, cheese and thyme and pepper to taste. Combine with cooked chicken.
To make it more of a real risotto, do all broth, no water. But, I think that since I'm using quick rice, it cooks and then gets creamier faster. So you could even do half water and half broth. Also. The ladies who authored my cookbook claim, "the key is to keep stirring the whole time." I found that if I let each addition build to a simmer before stirring, it went faster and was still good. It sounds like more onerous than it is especially if you cut up and prep all the ingredients while waiting for the broth and water to start bubbling. Also, if you've cooked your chicken beforehand it's even easier. The recipe on the back of the rice called for chopping the chicken and cooking in the oil first. Perhaps that will be my next experiment. Anyway, I think this is SO good. It's like macaroni and cheese for adults. And that's the pic of Taylor's plate...

soouuuth'rn parmesan chicken

This little dish holds a near and dear place in my heart because, after the Ziti, it was the first married dish I made that Taylor RAVED about and said was his favorite. This one is Paula Dean inspired so get ready for butta.

Souuth'rn Parmesan Chicken
INGREDIENTS
1 to 1.5 lb. chicken tenders (about 8)
2 cups parmesan cheese (I tried fresh grated last night and it was great!)
1 T. fresh thyme
1 t. garlic powder
1 T. cracked pepper
1 c. fine bread crumbs
butter
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 c. flour
DIRECTIONS
Season chicken with pepper and pound to even thickness. Combine bread crumbs, spices, herbs and cheese in shallow bowl. For each tender: coat in flour, dredge in beaten egg and coat with bread crumb mixture. Heat 2 T. butter in skillet on medium heat (4 on my stove :). Cook tenders, about 4 minutes on each side or until coating is dark and crispy. I served this with spaghetti last night. It makes a huge mess, but is pretty quick, very easy and nice and crispy goodness. I've seen recipes calling for cooking this in EVOO but the butter has the best result. Also, I use tenders because they are thin enough too cook through while the coating is getting crispy. When done with breasts, at least in my amature cooking experience, you have to cover the skillet and actually "cook" them and then the coating gets mushy.

This is one of our favorite dishes but sorry, no pic yet.

epic pesto feta stuffed chicken

I have to pat myself on the back for this one because Taylor and I both agreed that it turned out well. All the recipes I found, mostly on Epicurious which, by the way, I think is the most brilliant name EVER. Epicurean meaning gourmet, full, yummy, delish...but epicurious to me seems to be derived from epi- mean like always, maybe, am I making this up...some latin root? and then curious! like, always curious... how to make more good food! I mean, maybe I'm pulling this out of nowhere but surely their marketing people had these punnesque intentions.
Anyway back to the pesto. Here's what I did.

Pesto Feta Stuffed Chicken
INGREDIENTS
6 Chicken breast halves, with an incision cut for stuffing
4-6oz or one tub crumbled feta cheese
3 generous T.s of pesto
1/2 c. diced cherry tomatoes
2 T. fresh thyme
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 and line baking dish with foil. Season the breasts with kosher salt and ground pepper and tenderize until even in thickness. Mix together pesto, thyme and feta in microwave-safe bowl and heat about a minute. Stir in tomatoes. Set aside. Heat oil in skillet on medium high heat. Cook each side of each breast about a minute, or until white and slightly browned. Place in baking dish. Stuff each breast with the pesto mixture and use toothpicks to keep them together if needed. Pile a bit of the mixture on top of each breast-half as well.

Bake for around 15 minutes.

This was SO good with my roasted veggies and I was proud of myself for making something that was not only good, but healthy. Thus far I've been doing well making great tasting, not-so-healthy things....