Honey Dijon Chicken with Potatoes and Broccoli

I couldn't believe that this recipe turned out so well. It was just as easy and delicious as advertised.

Honey Dijon Chicken with Potatoes and Broccoli

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
½ tsp Kosher salt plus more to taste
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, to taste
16 ounces baby red potatoes, halved or 1 lb red potatoes cut into 1 inch chunks
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 5-6 oz each, pounded to even thickness (about 1/2 to 3/4 inch)
20 ounces broccoli florets

Directions

Whisk together 1 Tbsp of the olive oil with the honey, Dijon, garlic, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper.

Reserve half of the sauce for later, then marinate the chicken in the rest of the sauce for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Parboil the potatoes by placing them in a pot and adding 1 tbsp salt and enough water to cover them by an inch.  Bring the water to a boil over high heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Toss the potatoes with the second Tbsp of olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a small spoonful of sauce.  Toss for about 1-2 minutes until covered with a starchy coating. Place them on a baking pan on one half and lay the chicken breasts on top.

Bake 15 minutes.  Add broccoli to the other half of the pan, then drizzle the reserved sauce over the top of the broccoli (and a couple dabs on the chicken if there is enough).  Cook an additional 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender.

Original Link:
http://tiphero.com/honey-dijon-chicken/
https://www.facebook.com/tiphero/videos/10154477673848761/

One Pot Chicken Alfredo

This was a very easy and very tasty meal.  I would definitely recommend for any weeknight.

One Pot Chicken Alfredo

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 chicken breasts, cubed
3 garlic cloves, minced
14 oz chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 lb uncooked Penne pasta
1.5 cups grated Parmesan
Parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions

In a pot or deep skillet, heat the oil and brown the chicken. Add garlic, and sauté for about a minute. Add broth, cream, and pasta, and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer for 15-20 min. Turn off heat and stir in Parmesan cheese. Top with parsley if desired. Enjoy!

Original Link:
https://www.facebook.com/buzzfeedtasty/videos/1685259908393318/

Juicy Buttermilk Pork Chops

This incredibly simple recipe was surprisingly amazing.

Juicy Buttermilk Pork Chops

Ingredients

4 1-inch-thick bone-in pork rib chops (about 12 ounces each)
1 quart buttermilk
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

In a large bowl, cover the pork chops with the buttermilk and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Drain the chops, pat them dry and season with salt and pepper. In a very large ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the pork chops and cook over high heat until browned on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Turn the chops, transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for 10 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the chops registers 135 degrees. Let the chops rest for 5 minutes, then serve.




Original link:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/juicy-buttermilk-pork-chops

Steamed Artichokes

Artichokes are so delicious.  They make an excellent snack or side dish for a long drawn out meal.  I found this great way to cook them up with simple aromatics to make them even tastier.  I always eat mine with melted butter as dipping sauce.

Steamed Artichokes

Ingredients

1 or more large globe artichokes
2 cloves of garlic
1 bay leaf
1 slice of lemon

Directions

Cut of the tips of the petals: If the artichokes have little thorns on the end of the petals, take a kitchen scissors and cut of the thorned tips of all of the petals. This step is mostly for aesthetics as the thorns soften with cooking and pose no threat to the person eating the artichoke.

Slice off the top of the artichoke: Slice about 3/4 inch to an inch off the tip of the artichoke. A serrated bread knife works great for this.

Remove small petals at the base: Pull off any smaller petals towards the base and on the stem.

Cut off excess stem: Cut off excess stem, leaving up to an inch on the artichoke. The stems tend to be more bitter than the rest of the artichoke, but some people like to eat them.

Alternatively you can leave the whole long stem on the artichoke, just cut off the very end of the stem, and peel the tough outside layer of the stem with a vegetable peeler.

Rinse the artichokes: Rinse the artichokes in running cold water. While you rinse them, open up the petals a little so that the water does get inside more easily. (This is where it helps to have cut off the thorny tips, it makes the artichoke easier to open without getting poked!)

Set up a pot with some water, aromatics, and a steaming basket: In a large pot, put a couple inches of water, a clove of garlic, a slice of lemon, and a bay leaf (this adds wonderful flavor to the artichokes). Insert a steaming basket.

Steam the artichokes: Place artichokes on top of the steaming basket. Cover the pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 25 to 45 minutes or until the outer leaves can easily be pulled off.

Original link:
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_cook_and_eat_an_artichoke/

Classic Pot Roast with Root Vegetables

This is an amazingly delicious pot roast recipe, and it's very simple to do.  Great for a large family meal.

I've updated the recipe based on the most recent attempts.  Letting the roast rest in the fridge advance adds so much flavor.  The meat is still tender, but not mushy at all, and it soaks up all the flavor from the wine and tomato.

Classic Pot Roast with Root Vegetables

Ingredients

1 (3 ½- to 4-pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast, pulled into two pieces at natural seam and trimmed of large knobs of fat
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions, halved and sliced thin (about 2 cups)
1 large carrot, chopped medium (about 1 cup)
1 celery rib, chopped medium (about ¾ cup)
2 medium garlic cloves, smashed but left whole
1 cup beef broth, plus 1 to 2 cups for sauce
½ cup dry red wine, plus ¼ cup for sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf

1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 sprig plus ¼ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
Ground black pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces
1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces
1 ½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and halved lengthwise, each half quartered

Directions

Sprinkle pieces of meat with 1 tablespoon salt (1½ teaspoons if using table salt) or Montreal seasoning, and place on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet.  Put in fridge and let sit for up to 48 hours, uncovered.

Before cooking, let roast stand at room temperature at least 1 hour.  Pat dry, if needed.

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium high heat until shining.  Sear each side of the roast until golden brown.  Set aside on a plate, making sure to capture all juices while resting.

Heat butter over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, carrot and celery; continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes longer. Stir in 1/4 cup wine until fully absorbed.

Stir in 1 cup broth, 1/4 cup wine, tomato paste, bay leaf, rosemary sprig, and thyme sprig; bring to simmer.

Nestle meat on top of vegetables, pouring any juices from the plate back into the pot. Cover pot tightly with large piece of foil and cover with lid; transfer pot to oven. 

Cook beef for 3 hours.  Flip halfway through cooking, and add carrots, parsnips, and potatoes. 

If needed, continue cooking until beef is fully tender and sharp knife easily slips in and out of meat, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Once pot roast and vegetables are fully cooked, transfer large pieces of carrot, parsnip, and potato to serving platter using slotted spoon, cover tightly with foil, and proceed with recipe as directed.

Transfer roasts to cutting board and tent loosely with foil. Strain liquid through mesh strainer into 4-cup liquid measuring cup. Discard bay leaf and thyme sprig. Transfer vegetables to blender jar. Allow liquid to settle 5 minutes, then skim any fat off surface. Add beef broth as necessary to bring liquid amount to 3 cups. Place liquid in blender with vegetables and blend until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer sauce to medium saucepan and bring to simmer over medium heat.

While sauce heats, remove twine from roast and slice against grain into ½-inch-thick slices. Transfer meat to large serving platter. Stir chopped thyme, remaining ¼ cup wine, and vinegar into sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon half of sauce over meat; pass remaining sauce separately.


Make-Ahead Pot Roast

This can be made up to 2 days ahead.  Chilling the whole cooked pot roast overnight improves its flavor and makes it moister and easier to slice.

Follow the recipe through step 4, transferring the cooked roasts  and root vegetables to a large bowls.  Strain and defat the liquid as directed in step 5 and add beef broth as necessary to bring the liquid amount to 3 cups.  Transfer the sauce vegetables and liquid to he bowl with the roasts, cool for 1 hour, cover with plastic wrap, cut vents in the plastic, and refrigerate up to 48 hours.  One hour before serving, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees.  Transfer the cold roasts to a cutting board, and slice them against the grain into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place them in a 13 by 9 inch baking dish, cover tightly with foil, and bake until heated through, about 45 minutes (do the same with the root vegetables in a separate dish).  While the roast heats, puree the liquid and vegetables as directed in step 5. Bring the sauce to a simmer and finish as directed in step 6 before serving with the meat.

Original link:
https://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/6225-classic-pot-roast-with-root-vegetables

Mexican Street Corn

I must have been dreaming of summer because I'm seriously craving this tasty treat.

The link below, by the way, is actually an excellent, free cookbook that has great recipes for small budgets.

Mexican Street Corn

Ingredients

4 cobs corn
4 tbsp mayonnaise
½ cup cotija, queso blanco, feta, Romano or Parmesan
Grated chili powder
1 lime, sliced into wedges

Directions

Turn your oven’s broiler up to high.

Peel off the outer layers of the corn and clean off all the corn silk. Leave the green ends attached for a convenient handhold.

Place the cobs on a baking pan under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, then rotate them and repeat until they’re brown and toasty all the way around. The broiling shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes total.

Working quickly, spread a tablespoon of mayonnaise over each cob, lightly coating every kernel. Next, sprinkle the cheese all over the corn. It should stick fairly easily to the mayonnaise, but you’ll probably get a little messy coating them thoroughly. Sprinkle chili powder over the corn, but not too heavy or it’ll be gritty. Use any chili powder you like; ancho or cayenne are great. Lastly, squeeze lime juice all over and serve hot!


Original link:
https://cookbooks.leannebrown.com/good-and-cheap.pdf (page 60)

Holiday Ham with Riesling and Mustard

After the holidays, ham was incredibly cheap.  I took advantage of the sale and made a post-holiday holiday ham.  Now what to do with all the leftovers...

Holiday Ham with Riesling and Mustard

Ingredients

1 14–16 lb. whole cured, smoked bone-in ham
2 cups sweet (Auslese/late harvest) Riesling, divided
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
3 sprigs thyme plus 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup whole grain mustard (or stone ground mustard in a pinch)
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Small pinch of kosher salt

Directions

Arrange rack in lowest level of oven; preheat to 300°. Leaving fat in tact, remove outer rind from most of ham, leaving a band around the end of the shank bone. Score fat crosswise (do not cut into meat) on top of ham with parallel cuts spaced 1/2” apart. Place ham in a large roasting pan. Boil 1 cup Riesling and 7 cups water in a saucepan for 5 minutes. Pour into bottom of roasting pan. Bake ham, basting with pan juices occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the ham registers 110°, 2 1/2–3 hours.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and thyme sprigs; cook, stirring often, until shallots are very soft, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat; stir in the remaining 1 cup Riesling. Return to stove. Increase heat to medium-high, bring to a simmer, and cook until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 8 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs and transfer mixture to a food processor. Add thyme leaves, mustard, honey, pepper, and salt. Process until well blended.

Remove pan from oven and increase heat to 350°. Using a pastry brush, spread Riesling mixture over ham. Return pan to oven and bake ham, tenting with foil if browning too quickly, until internal temperature registers 135° and crust is golden brown, 15-30 minutes.

Transfer ham to a large platter. Let rest for 30 minutes before carving. Skim fat from pan juices, reheat, and pour juices into a medium pitcher; serve alongside.


Original link:
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/holiday-ham-with-riesling-and-mustard