Chicken Taco Burgers

Elly Says Opa! is one of my favorite blogs.  Her food always looks fabulous and whenever I make a recipe it’s always brilliant!  Today’s recipe is no exception.  These chicken taco burgers were delicious!

INGREDIENTS
1lb. Ground chicken
1/3C. Scallions, sliced
1.5t. Chili powder
3/4t. Cumin
1/2t. Oregano
1/2t. Paprika
1/8t. Cayenne
1/2t. Salt
2T. Parsley, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, pressed
2T. Cornmeal
Buns and your favorite toppings (we used romaine lettuce and Sriracha mayo)

DIRECTIONS
Lightly mix together all ingredients (through cornmeal).   Form into 4 patties.

Grill or pan-fry the burgers until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes per side.  Place on buns and serve with your favorite toppings.

Husband Rating – 3 out of 5 – “Just OK.  Bella loved them, though”

–

NOTE: I finally have a break from school, so H and I are headed back to Amsterdam!  I’ll be away for a week or so, but never fear, I will return with gorgeous pictures of tulips!

Read Full Post »

Clams Casino Pasta

I’m a huge fan of clams casino and will often order it when it is on a restaurant menu.  I mean, what’s not to love … clams, bacon, peppers, butter, garlic …

**wipes drool from lips**

Ahem, sorry about that.  Anyway, I came across this recipe on How Sweet It Is the other day and couldn’t wait to make it.

This pasta dish is wonderful and tastes just like clams casino!  It was easy to put together and the flavor is really outstanding.  We’ll definitely make this again soon!

INGREDIENTS
2T. Olive oil or bacon grease
1/2C. Chopped red peppers
1/2C. Chopped onions
3 Cloves garlic, minced
2 cans Minced clams in clam juice, 13 ounces total
1/2C. Dry white wine
1T. Butter
4 Slices bacon, fried and crumbled
1/2lb. Pasta of choice
1/4C. Parmesan cheese + more for garnish
Freshly chopped parsley for garnish

DIRECTIONS
Cook pasta according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, heat a skillet on medium heat and add olive oil (or, if your bacon isn’t already cooked, cook the bacon first and reserve a little of the grease to use when cooking the veggies).  Add chopped onions and peppers with a pinch of salt and saute until soft, about 8 minutes.  Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.

Add in both cans of clams + juice and bring the mixture to a boil.  Add white wine and let mixture simmer for about 5 full minutes.  Stir in butter.

Turn heat down to low and add cooked linguine. Toss to allow the noodles to soak up the sauce. Add Parmesan cheese, crumbled bacon and parsley.

Serve with additional Parmesan.

Husband Rating – 4.5 out of 5 – “I wanted to write a haiku about this dish, but it just wasn’t happening tonight – just know I loved it enough to spend 5 minutes trying to write a clams casino haiku.“

Read Full Post »

Spaghetti with Braised Kale

Another snow day here in Connecticut.  Snow AND ice this time.  Yippie!  (please note the sarcasm).  I’m getting really sick of this white crap.

School was canceled again today so I decided to switch around the meal plan and make this tonight instead of later in the week.  It’s not the quickest side dish (I served it with sliced lemon garlic pork tenderloin) but it is worth the time.  It was delicious!  A nice, hearty, and tasty dish to chow down on while we recuperate from all of this shoveling!

This gem is from the most recent edition of Bon Appetit Magazine.

INGREDIENTS
1lb. Kale, large center ribs and stems removed, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
3T. Olive oil, divided
1 Yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2C.)
8 Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2lb. Spaghetti
2t. Lemon juice
Finely grated Parmesan cheese (soy cheese works well here)

INGREDIENTS
Rinse kale. Drain; transfer to bowl with some water still clinging.

Heat 2T. olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Add sliced garlic and sprinkle with salt; cook until onion is golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Add kale and remaining 1T. olive oil and toss until wilted, about 3 minutes. Cover pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking until kale is very tender, stirring occasionally and adding water by teaspoonfuls if dry, about 20 minutes (mine took closer to 30 minutes).

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in medium pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1/4C. cooking liquid. Add cooked spaghetti to kale mixture in pot. Add lemon juice and 2T. reserved cooking liquid; toss to combine, adding more liquid by tablespoonfuls if dry.

Sprinkle spaghetti with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Husband Rating – 3 out of 5 – “Kale still kinda scares me, but this was pretty tasty!”

Read Full Post »

Garlic Mashed Cannellini Beans

This week I found myself wanting something other than our usual side dishes to go along with some boneless pork chops I picked up on sale.

I ended up finding the perfect thing in these garlic mashed cannellini beans.  They were wonderful!  Very flavorful and a delightful alternative to mashed potatoes!

Adapted from Proceed with Caution (who adapted it from Elly Says Opa).

INGREDIENTS
2t. Olive oil
3 Garlic cloves, pressed
1 small Yellow onion, diced
1 can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2t. Fresh chopped parsley
3/4C. Chicken or vegetable broth
2t. Lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
Heat a skillet over medium heat and then add the oil until shimmering.  Saute the onions in the oil until soft.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Next, stir in the cannellini beans and parsley.

Add broth to the skillet and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

Stir in the lemon juice off the heat and mash the beans with a potato masher (I used my stick blender – worked perfectly).

Husband Rating – 4.5 out of 5 – “Delicious!”

Read Full Post »

Portuguese Kale Soup

Christopher and I have tried a bunch of times to copy restaurant recipes that we love.  They always turn out just so-so.  But not this time!

Over the weekend we shared a bowl of Portuguese kale soup in P-Town that was incredible!  So, we dissected the soup and purchased all the ingredients.  We were so happy with the finished product.  A little spicy, full of veggies and perfect for fall.  I’m so proud we were finally able to copy a recipe and have it turn out just as well as the original!

INGREDIENTS
1 coil Linguica, spicy Portuguese sausage (casing removed)
4C. Chopped kale
5 Yukon gold potatoes, cut into small dices
1 large Yellow onion
2 cloves Garlic, pressed
1 can Dark red kidney beans
3/4C. chopped Carrot
4C. Chicken stock
4C. Water
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a large dutch oven, heat 2T. oil over medium-high heat.  Add crumbled linguica and cook 4 minutes.  Add onion and carrot and cook until onion is soft – about 5 minutes.  Add garlic during the last minute of sauteing.

Add stock, water, kidney beans and potatoes.  Simmer 10 minutes, until potatoes are just barely soft.  Add kale and cook another 10 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly.

This soup is great served immediately, but is even better if you make it ahead of time and re-heat.  Enjoy!

Husband Rating – 5 out of 5 – “Absolutely delicious!“

Read Full Post »

Soft Garlic Knots

What is your favorite smell?  Maybe it is fresh cut grass, old books or summer rain…but for me, it is fresh baked bread.  There is no better smell on this planet!  Add garlic and butter to that fresh baked bread, and I’m SO there!

This recipe has been floating around the blogosphere for as long as I have been blogging.  Why oh why has it taken me so long to make these?  Honestly, I don’t have a good answer for that.  But, I can tell you that it will not be long before I make these again.  They are fabulous!  Soft, chewy, buttery, garlicky.  **drool**

Recipe adapted from Amber’s Delectable Delights (originally from King Arthur Flour).

INGREDIENTS
For the dough
3C. Bread flour
1/4C. Milk
1T. Granulated sugar
2t. Active yeast
1-1/4t. Salt
2T. Olive oil
1C. plus 2T. Lukewarm water (it was very humid here today, so I didn’t use the last 2T.)

For the topping:
2 cloves Garlic
2T. Melted butter
1/2t. Italian seasoning

DIRECTIONS
To make the dough, combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment.  Add the milk, olive oil and water, and mix until ingredients have formed a dough.  Switch to the dough hook, and knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.  Transfer dough to a slightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces.  Roll each into a rope, about 10 inches long, and tie each into a knot.  Take the end that is lying underneath, and bring it over the top, tucking it into the center.  Then take the end of the knot that is lying on top, and tuck it underneath and into the center.  Transfer rolls to a baking sheet lined with a lightly oiled sheet of parchment paper.  Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 45 minutes, until very puffy.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  To make the topping, finely mince the garlic and combine with the melted butter and Italian seasoning.  Brush or drizzle the glaze onto the shaped rolls.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, until lightly browned.

Husband Rating – 5 out of 5 – “OMG, these are awesome!  I’m so full from dinner but want another.  *whispers* I already had 3.”

Read Full Post »

Provencal Style Chicken

Hubs and I are big fans of the site Reddit (a social news website).  Within the site there are tons and tons of sub-categories.  My favorites, of course, are based around food.  A contributor posted this recipe to the cooking category (I’m not sure where it came from before that) and it looked SO amazing, we put it on our menu for the week right away.

It is delicious!  The flavors are spot on (even though I didn’t use the capers)…it was wonderful!  I suggest you try this soon!

I decided to serve the dish over a small bed of egg noodles to help sop up all the lovely sauce.  It was perfect!

INGREDIENTS
4 Whole chicken legs
1 Small zucchini, cut into 1/2″ rounds
1/4 Medium sweet union, thinly sliced
2 Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 Medium tomato, cut into eighths
1T. Sherry vinegar
2 Sprigs of fresh oregano
1T. Capers, drained
Thinly sliced basil
Olive Oil

DIRECTIONS
Add 1T. oil to a tall-sided pan and heat over medium-high for 2 minutes.

Pat chicken legs dry and season with salt and pepper.  Place in pan skin side down and brown for 5 minutes.  Flip and cook another 5 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Discard any fat in the pan, add 1-2T. fresh olive oil and heat until it starts to shimmer.

Add the zucchini pieces and cook until lightly browned on both sides.  Add the onions and cook for about 3-4 minutes until the onion starts turning translucent.  Lightly season with salt, add garlic for about a minute, then add the tomatoes and stir together.

Once most of the tomato juices are cooked out, add the vinegar and cook until almost gone.  Add chicken back to the pan on top of the vegetables.  Add enough water to come up to the top of the vegetables (keep below level of chicken skin so it stays crispy).  Add the sprigs of oregano, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.

Simmer 15-20 minutes.  As the chicken is braising, keep adding water so the pan does not dry out.  Once the chicken is done, let it rest for about 5 minutes.  Add the capers to the vegetable mixture and mix through.

Husband Rating – 5 out of 5 – “Wonderful, simple flavors, amazingly crispy chicken skin!”

Read Full Post »

Crispy Baked Rosemary-Garlic Chicken Legs

Surprise, surprise…another Tyler Florence recipe!  These chicken legs were wonderful – super crispy, very moist and quite flavorful.

I do not own a mortar and pestle, yet, so I’m sure the garlic and rosemary could have been more powerful, but I really enjoyed the milder flavor (as rosemary isn’t one of my favorite herbs).

Note:  The cooled chicken makes awesome chicken salad the next day!

INGREDIENTS
12 Chicken legs
2 Cloves garlic, minced
4 Stems rosemary, leaves picked and roughly chopped
4C. Panko bread crumbs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Eggs
2C. Milk
3C. All-purpose flour
Extra-virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Put a sheet tray in the oven to preheat.

Wash and trim the chicken legs of any excess fat.  Mix the garlic, rosemary and panko together in a shallow rimmed dish and season well with salt and pepper.  Alternately, crush the garlic and rosemary with some olive oil and salt in a mortar and pestle.

Crack the eggs into a similar dish, add the milk and whisk to combine.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  In another dish add the flour and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Take the chicken legs and 1 at a time, dredge in the flour, then the egg wash and then coat well with the rosemary-garlic panko bread crumbs.  Lay the chicken legs out on a tray lined with parchment paper, as you work.  Refrigerate the legs for about 15 to 20 minutes for the breading to set.

Remove the hot sheet tray from the oven and drizzle with a good amount of olive oil.  Arrange the chicken legs carefully on the tray, spacing them out evenly.  Roast until the chicken legs are golden and crispy, about 35 to 40 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the oven to a serving platter.

Husband Rating – 3.5 out of 5 – Crispy and juicy!  Could be garlic-ier.

Read Full Post »

Grilled Garlic Herb Flank Steak

While at Whole Foods the other day Christopher and I spotted some yummy looking marinade in front of the meat counter and figured “what the heck, let’s give it a whirl.”  So, we picked it up along with a great looking piece of flank steak.  It was SO good!

(I have not been compensated for recommending the marinade, I just thought it was super-tasty and wanted to share our new find)

INGREDIENTS
1lb. Flank Steak
1 Bottle, ‘Whole Meat’ Garlic Herb Marinade
White Rice, for serving

DIRECTIONS
Pierce meat with a fork and put in a large Ziploc bag.  Add marinade and let sit at least 2 hours.

Grill 5 minutes on each side or until desired doneness is achieved.

Let rest at least 5 minutes.  Serve over rice.

–

Husband Rating – 3.5 out of 5 – “mmmm…meat!”

Read Full Post »

Rigatoni with Sausage, Broccolini and Parmesan

Another entry for the WC Ingredient Challenge – this week the special ingredient was Parmesan Cheese.   Yum!

My Grandparents were visiting from Illinois this week.  We had them over to see our new house and for dinner one evening.  I decided to try and re-create a dish I had a few weeks ago at a local restaurant.  This recipe came pretty close.  It was delish, and I’ll totally make it again.

INGREDIENTS
1lb Italian Sausage, casings removed
1lb Rigatoni
2 Bunches, Broccolini
1 Shallot
2 Cloves Garlic
2T Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Brown sausage in a large, deep skillet.  Once cooked remove to a side plate and keep warm.

In the same skillet, add olive oil and shallot.  Saute 4 minutes.  Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more.

Meanwhile, boil a large pot of water and cook rigatoni according to package directions.  During the last 4 minutes, add washed broccolini.

Drain, reserving 1C of pasta water.

Add all ingredients to the skillet long enough to re-warm the sausage.  Add pasta water until sauce is to your desired consistency.  Salt and Pepper to taste and serve with shaved parmesan cheese.

–

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “very good, could have been ‘saucier’.”

Read Full Post »