More Roast Chicken

I have definitely been in a mood for roasted chicken lately. It's most likely the cold weather and my desire to have a warm, delicious-smelling home. I scored a great deal on this pre-seasoned lemon pepper chicken at the store. I added some potatoes and sweet potatoes to create a good meal.



Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut the potatoes into about 1.5-inch cubes. I have to say, it was a good idea to mix up the sweet potatoes and russet potatoes. It lent some variety to the dish. Next time I'll probably add carrots and/or parsnips to the mix.



Get a roasting pan and put the chicken in breast side down. Spread the potatoes out around the chicken.



Put the chicken in the oven for 15 minutes. After that, remove it from the oven, carefully turn the chicken over, and put a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. You will also want to drizzle the potatoes with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put it back into the oven until the thigh temperature reads 165 degrees.



After it's out, it should look like this. Doesn't that look delicious?



The potatoes were also scrumptious:



Allow the chicken to rest for about 10 minutes or so. Then carve it into serving sized pieces.



After you have eaten this meal and feel satisfied, don't forget to save the bones for stock!

Roasted Salmon Steaks With Pinot Noir Sauce

This is my first Mark Bittman recipe and, let me tell you, I was excited to try it. I got the recipe from Bittman's blog on the New York Times website.

Ingredients:
Salmon fillets (recipe calls for 4 steaks but this is what was gotten out from the freezer)
Pinot Noir
Sugar
Rosemary
Balsamic Vinegar
Butter
Salt and Pepper



Put 1/2 cup sugar in a pan. Heat the oven to 450 degrees so it's ready to go.



Bittman says not to worry too much about stirring; just shake it up every now and then. Look, it's halfway there!



Now it's ready.



Pour 2 cups of Pinot Noir into the pan verrrrrry carefully and very slowly. Then heat the sauce up so the sugar dissolves again.



After the sugar has dissolved, add the rosemary sprig.



Boil the sauce over high heat until it reduces to about 1/2 cup.



Meanwhile, put a little olive oil in a pan and heat it up. After it's hot, place the salmon in the pan and immediately put it in the oven.



After three minutes, take it out of the oven and turn it over. Then put it back in the oven for three more minutes, or until it is done to your liking (Bittman says he likes his medium rare).



After the sauce has reduced, place the butter and balsamic vinegar in the pot. Stir until the butter has melted.





Put the salmon on the plate and spoon the sauce over the fish. I served it with green beans and pappardelle that was tossed with a tablespoon of butter and some freshly grated parmesan.



This
was
delicious!

Seriously, it was candy for adults (and kids, too). We all loved it! The preschooler even ate a bit (but not much because she's not a big dinner eater). I will definitely make this again and I think it'd be delicious over pork. Mr. Mary Cooks thinks it would be good on lamb as well!

Sunday Dinner

So tonight I went with a Mexican/Southwestern type of feel to dinner. I had gotten pork shoulder out and suddenly got a craving for my mom's chile verde. Let me go on record as saying I know (and she knows) it's not real nor authentic chile verde. Nevertheless, it is so delicious and easy I knew I had to make it myself and teach you all how to make it as well.

First, though, let's start with homemade Spanish rice. This needs a little tweaking since it was a bit bland but still I feel a personal victory since it didn't come out of a box!

I put about a tablespoon into a pan.



Drain some stewed tomatoes. Put the juice into a measuring cup.



After the oil has heated up, put a cup and a half of brown rice into the pot.



Stir it and let it heat for a few minutes. Then add the tomatoes.



Stir them around and break up the tomatoes.



Now add the liquid. It should measure about 2 cups. Come to think of it, I think the juicy tomatoes saved my butt since it should have been about 3 cups of liquid total. Anyway, add your liquid.



Stir, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for about 50 minutes.

Meanwhile, it's time to make the chile verde. Ingredients: 2 lbs. or so pork shoulder, one 14.5 oz. can whole tomatoes, one 4 oz. can green chiles, oregano, garlic powder, one half onion, sliced.



Slice your onions. You can use a whole one of a half onion. We had half so that's what I used.



Cut the pork shoulder into about 1.5" or 2" cubes. You'll want to trim as much of the fat off as possible.



Put it in a pan with the heat on medium-high. Add about 2 tablespoons of oregano.



Next, add about a half tablespoon of garlic powder. Maybe more, maybe less; it depends on taste.



Stir it around so all the pieces have a good amount of oregano and garlic on them.



Meanwhile, drain the tomatoes. Reserve the juice in case you need it later.



Break the tomatoes up with your hands.



Back to the pork, it is time to add the onions.



It was looking a bit dry so I added a little bit of the tomato juice.



Next, I added the tomatoes.



Finally, I added the diced green chiles (undrained).



Stir everything so it's blended, lower the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the pork is cooked. If you have more time, you could definitely let it simmer away for an hour or so I'm sure.



After about 20 minutes or so, this is what the pork looks like.



The Spanish rice is done now. Doesn't it look delicious?



Serve with tortillas, refried beans, and salad. It was a delicious dinner!



The chile verde is just as I remember from my childhood.

Chicken Breasts in Cream Sauce with Capers and Pickled Asparagus

I made this up tonight for dinner. It was delicious and "a keeper", according to Mr. Mary Cooks. The sons ate it all up but the preschool-aged daughter did not (but I think she's feeling a bit under the weather since she didn't even eat her salad like usual).



Chicken Breasts in Cream Sauce with Capers and Pickled Asparagus

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp. lemon pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dill
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp. capers
1 Tbsp. pickled asparagus tips, chopped

Combine the lemon pepper, garlic powder, salt, and dill in a small bowl. Rinse the chicken breasts and pat them dry. Sprinkle the seasonings evenly over all chicken breasts and both sides of each.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, put the chicken breasts in gently. Brown first side for 5 minutes. Flip and brown the second side for 5 minutes. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, approximately 15-20 minutes total. Remove the chicken to a serving platter.

Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Whisk, stirring up the brown bits. Add the cream and whisk until it is reduced by half. Add the capers and asparagus. Cook for about 30 seconds then pour over the chicken.



I'm going to try something new this time, since I just gave you my recipe. I'm going to just post the photos and let them speak for themselves. Let me know if you like this better or if you simply think I'm being lazy (I kind of am!).