Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce

This one was amazing! Jeff loved it, and we barely even had any leftovers. Thanks for the great recipe, Jenna!

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 t. curry powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1/4 t. chili powder

1 medium red onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (by seeding the jalapeno you lose most of the spice/heat but retain great flavor) -- I omitted this one, just because I am a wimp with spicy stuff (Jeff seemed to love it anyway!)

1 T. olive oil

1 (14 oz.) can light coconut milk (I used regular)

1 T. cornstarch

1 T. dried basil

1 t. grated fresh ginger (or 1/3 tsp. dried ginger)

3 c. hot cooked rice

Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Place in medium bowl. Stir together curry, salt, pepper and chili powder. Sprinkle over chicken, tossing to coat evenly. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours. In a large nonstick frying pan, stir onion, basil, garlic and peppers in hot oil over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, until onion is translucent. Add chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes until no longer pink. Combine coconut milk and cornstarch and whisk well to combine. Carefully add to skillet, whisking vigorously. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in ginger. Cook and stir for another minute. Serve over hot rice.

Recipe Credit: Jenna Steed

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons good olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt (optional), and serve immediately.

Recipe Credit: Food Network (Ina Garten)

Green Beans, Chicken, and Potatoes "One Pan Wonder"

• 12 oz. fresh/frozen green beans (about 2 handfuls)
• 4 chicken breasts, diced
• 1 lb. red potatoes, chopped (about 3 or 4)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 (0.6 oz.) Zesty Italian seasoning packet
• Salt and pepper (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Layer your green beans, chicken, and potatoes in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Cut your butter into 12-16 slices and spread evenly throughout pan.
4. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning packet evenly over the beans, chicken, and potatoes.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste (optional).
6. Bake for 1 hour.

Recipe Credit: High Heels and Grills

Homemade Oreos

Yield: 24 cookies, 12 sandwiches

Cookies:

1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil

Filling:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix Devil's Food Cake mix, eggs and oil in a bowl, the dough will be thick.

3. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and make dough balls smaller than the size of golf balls.

4. Place dough balls on cookie sheets, about 12 per sheet and pat down to make disks with fingers.

5. Bake for 7-10 minutes.

6. Let cool on cookie sheets for 3 minutes and then move to cooling racks.

7. Filling: Beat cream cheese and butter for 3 minutes. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Thicken with more powdered sugar if needed.

8. Frost the bottoms of half the cookies (once cooled) and sandwich them!

Place cookies in a tupperware and chill for at least an hour. Serve these treats chilled, they are MUCH better that way. And don't eat all of them yourself! :)

Recipe Credit: Your Cup of Cake

French Bread Rolls

YIELD: MAKES ONE DOZEN ROLLS

As with all yeast doughs, I never use the flour amount called for in the recipe as a hard fast rule (unless a weight measure is given and then I pull out my kitchen scale). Because humidity, temperature, altitude and a multitude of other factors can impact how much flour you need in your yeast doughs, I always judge when to quit adding flour by the texture and look and feel of the dough rather than how much flour I’ve added compared to the recipe. This tutorial on yeast may help identify how a perfectly floured dough should be. Also, here's a short video on how to shape the rolls.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 3/4 tablespoon instant yeast (or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, give or take a few tablespoons

DIRECTIONS

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl by hand, combine the warm water, yeast, sugar, oil, salt and 2 cups of the flour (if you are using active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, let the yeast proof in the warm water and sugar for about 3-5 minutes until it is foamy and bubbly before adding the oil, salt and flour). Begin mixing and continue to add the rest of the flour gradually until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Judge the dough not by the amount of flour called for in the recipe but in how the dough feels (see a tutorial on working with yeast here). The dough should be soft and smooth but still slightly tacky to the touch.
2. Knead the dough in the stand mixer or by hand until it is very smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes in a stand mixer or 8-10 minutes by hand. Lightly spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until it has doubled (this usually takes about an hour).
3. Lightly punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly greased countertop. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and form the dough into round balls. Place the rolls on a lightly greased or silpat-lined baking sheet about an inch or two apart. Cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap taking care not to pin the plastic wrap under the baking sheet or else the rolls will flatten while rising. Let the plastic wrap gently hang over the sides of the pan to fully cover the rolls but not press them down. Let the rolls rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through.

NOTES

*Freezable Option: I almost always make a double or triple batch of these rolls. Once they are baked and cooled, I place them in a zipper-lock freezer bag and put them in the freezer. I either take them out a few hours before I need them or I take them out frozen and microwave them for about 2-3 minutes on 70% power.

Recipe Credit: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

French Dip Sandwiches

3 lb. boneless chuck roast

1 1/2 cups water

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 tsp. dried rosemary leaves

1 tsp. dried thyme leaves 

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 dried bay leaf

pepper

french bread or rolls (see french bread roll recipe)

Trim excess fat from beef. Place in 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker. Mix remaining ingredients except bread and pour over beef. Cover and cook on low heat setting 7 to 8 hours or until beef is tender. Skim fat from surface of juices in slow cooker. Discard bay leaf. Remove beef from slow cooker and cut into thin slices. Fill bread or rolls with beef and serve with strained broth for dipping. Note: This was a good one from the Betty Crocker books Lynette gave Mari for Christmas.

Recipe Credit: Mari Olson

Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, and Cheese Toasted Sandwich

2 slices Sourdough Bread (from square loaf)

2-3 slices tomato

2 large leaves of Romaine

2-3 slices cooked bacon

Havarti or Cheddar (or any kind) Cheese

mayo (to taste)

mustard (to taste)

salt and pepper (sprinkled lightly)

Spread mayo and mustard to taste on both sides of bread. On one piece of bread, add tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lay the lettuce flat over the tomatoes. Line the bacon on top of the lettuce. Add slices of cheese on top of the bacon. Close the sandwich by placing the second piece of bread on top. Carefully butter the top slice of bread. Carefully turn the sandwich over onto a heated frying pan. While that is cooking for a minute or two, butter the now top side of the sandwich. Toast both sides. Enjoy!

Recipe Credit: Jenna Steed

Old World Belgian Waffles (yeast-leavened)

2 1/2 c. AP flour
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 1/4 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
1/3 c. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups very warm milk (120-130 degrees to activate yeast)

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, yeast and salt to blend. In medium bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, butter and vanilla; add to dry ingredients, mixing until large lumps are moistened. Cover; let rise in a warm, draft-free place 1 hour or until light and bubbly. (Or, cover and refrigerate overnight.) Stir down batter; pour onto hot greased waffle maker and bake, two and a half minutes (with our waffle maker). Makes about 4 1/2 c. batter

Recipe Credit: Oster Flip Waffle Maker User Guide

Pan-Roasted Salmon

All I can say is, I think I may have converted Jeff to seafood (or at least salmon) with this recipe alone. He LOVED it. And he usually hates anything that tastes even remotely fishy. This was a definite success!

Makes 4 fillets

4 6-oz. salmon fillets, skinned
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
½ tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. dry mustard
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine brown sugar, salt and spices for the salmon in a small bowl.  Rub spice mixture on the top side (non-skin) of the salmon fillets.

Sear fillets, rub-side down, in oil in a large oven-proof non-stick skillet over high heat.  When the fish releases easily and rub side is browned, about 2 minutes, flip fillets and transfer pan to the oven.

Roast fillets until they flake easily with a fork, about 5-6 minutes.

Enjoy!

Recipe Credit: A Sweet Pea Chef

Cast Iron Roast Chicken

So Jeff and I received a cast iron skillet for Christmas, which I was super excited about! I have heard many good things about them, and I have seen them in action before, so I was excited to give this thing a shot. Oh my goodness, this chicken was delicious! Crispy and yummy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. Wow.

prep time 10 minutes

cook time: 45 minutes

serves: 4-6

• 1 3-4 lb. chicken
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon good-quality paprika*
• salt and pepper

1. Begin by preheating your oven to 425F**.
2. Place your cast iron skillet on a low rack  in the oven while it preheats.
3. Remove your chicken from the packaging and pat it dry with a paper towel (if there’s a packet of parts in the cavity, be sure to remove that, too).
4. Combine the olive oil and paprika in a small bowl, and rub it all over the chicken – get some inside the cavity as well.
5. Sprinkle the chicken all over with salt and pepper.
6. Once the oven is good and hot (and the skillet, too), transfer the seasoned chicken to the hot skillet.
7. Let roast at 425F for 45 minutes, or until the meat registers 150-155F on a meat thermometer (it will continue to cook after you take it out of the oven).
8. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes before carving and serving.
9. Enjoy!

*You can use pretty much any seasonings you want here.  The paprika is nice, but you could also use garlic and herbs, or lemon and herbs, or go a more Latin route and use cumin and chili powder, or even Asian with soy sauce and ginger.  Get creative.  What’s important here is the technique.  

**Bittman recommends a temperature of 450F, and some of the other recipes I’ve seen call for 475F.  I did mine at 425F, and it was perfectly done after 45 minutes.  Sometimes I think my oven runs hot, though, so there’s that.  If you do it at one of the higher temperatures, check it after 35 minutes, just to be sure it’s not getting to dried out.

Recipe Credit: Life in Recipes