Recipe Catch Up - Week of 6/28 - Roasted Chicken Breasts with Lemon, Rosemary, Garlic & Seasoned Potatoes

I'm way behind on my blogging, so I'm trying to catch up. I have two weeks in June that I can't remember for the life of me what I made. I tried to scan through my camera for pictures to jog my memory, but I couldn't find any for the missing weeks. I thought maybe it was because I forgot to take pictures. But, what I actually forgot was that our camera was broken. So that would explain why there are no pictures. I guess those two weeks are just gone forever.

Anyway, the week of 6/28 I made this:

Roasted Chicken Breasts w/ Lemon, Rosemary, Garlic & Seasoned Potatoes
from Good Things Catered by Katie

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat
1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened but not melted
Zest of 1/2 large lemon, lemon reserved
2 large cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
2 tsp fresh rosemary leaves
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
3 russet potatoes, washed thoroughly and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
Kosher salt ground pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line large baking pan with foil for easy cleanup.

Pat chicken breasts dry, season liberally with salt and ground pepper, and place breast-side up at least one to two inches apart in pan.

In small bowl combine butter, lemon zest, garlic, and rosemary and stir with spoon to thoroughly combine. With back of spoon, spread butter mixture on top of chicken breasts evenly.

Slice reserved lemon and place slices in pan around the chicken.

In medium bowl place cubed potato and toss with 1 tsp olive oil, parsley and salt and pepper.

Scatter potatoes around chicken breasts.

Place baking dish in oven and cook about 30-40 minutes or until thickest portion of chicken breast has reached 175 degrees.

Remove from oven, take chicken breasts out of pan onto a warm serving platter and tent with foil.

Take one pinch more of Kosher salt to sprinkle over potatoes, toss and place back in oven for 5-10 minutes.

Remove potatoes and serve with chicken.

The Verdict
Of course, I have no idea if I substituted anything. More than likely, I used either Yukon Gold or red potatoes. I have a vague recollection of picking up the Russets in the grocery store and my husband's requesting something different. How I remember that, I don't know. I remember the most random things.

Anyway, I do remember it was good, and I will probably make it again!

Recipe of the Week - Orange and Chipotle Rubbed Chicken Breasts

This recipe is from an e-mail newsletter I get - "Weeknight Kitchen" by Lynn Rossetto Kasper of "The Splendid Table" show on NPR. I don't get to listen to her show much, but I like to get the newsletter. Although most of the recipes are quick, they frequently have somewhat exotic ingredients, so I'm not inclined to make them. But, this one seemed really simple so I decided to try it out.

Orange and Chipotle Rubbed Chicken Breasts
I got it from "Weeknight Kitchen" by Lynn Rossetto Kasper.
She excerpted it from: Grill Every Day: 125 Fast-Track Recipes for Weeknights at the Grill by Diane Morgan. Used with permission of Chronicle Books LLC. Copyright 2007 by Diane Morgan.

Ingredients
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 boneless, skin-on chicken breast halves

Directions
Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill on medium-high.

In a bowl or baking dish large enough to hold the chicken, combine the orange juice, olive oil, chiles, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir to mix thoroughly. Add the chicken breasts and turn to coat on both sides. Let the chicken marinate while the grill heats.

To create a cool zone, bank the coals to one side of the grill or turn off one of the burners. Oil the grill grate. Place the chicken breasts, skin side down, directly over the medium-hot fire and sear on one side, about 3 minutes. Turn and sear on the other side for 3 to 4 minutes. Move the chicken to the cooler part of the grill, cover, and grill until the juices run clear when the thickest part of a breast is pierced with a knife, or an instant-read thermometer registers 165 F, 6 to 8 minutes longer.

Divide the chicken breasts among warmed dinner plates. Serve immediately.

The Verdict
Overall, we liked this one. I thought it was a little too pepper-y so I will probably reduce the black pepper next time (but I don't really like pepper so I'm probably not the person to believe on this one). I could not find minced chiles so I got the whole ones and minced them myself. It took about 3 chiles to get 2 Tbsp.

I made it on our indoor grill, which only takes 5 minutes to heat up so I knew that just letting the chicken marinate while the grill heated would not be enough. So, I let it marinate for about 15 minutes, flipping it 1/2 way through. I did pierce the chicken before I put it in the marinade. Still, I did not thing it marinated long enough. Next time, I will try it for an hour or so. The chicken was still very moist and tasty, I just didn't get much of the orange.

I served it with a side of black beans. I tried these canned "Ranch Style" beans that are supposed to be already seasoned but they were pretty plain. I should have bought regular beans and done one of my other black bean recipes.

Our camera is still broken, so no pictures. We did get some of that canned air stuff the other night to try and clean out the crevices around the lens (the problem being that the lens won't open all the way). That is one of the tips I found on-line for fixing the problem. Hopefully that will work (because none of the other tips I've found have).

Recipe of the Week - Salmon Cheddar Bake

I found this recipe on the back of the Honey Boy (r) Salmon can when I bought some for the salmon burgers I made a while back. Since they were on sale, and Alec and I thought this recipe sounded good, I picked up a second can. I finally decided to make it this week. It is basically a salmon and Cheddar quiche.

Honey Boy (r) Alaska Salmon Cheddar Bake
from the Honey Boy (r) Salmon can

Ingredients
1 can (14.75 oz.) Honey Boy (r) Pink Salmon
8 to 9 slices bread, crusts trimmed
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
6 eggs
3/4 c. milk
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp each salt & pepper
1/4 c. sliced green onion
1 Tbsp melted butter

Directions
Drain & flake salmon, set aside.

Cut bread slices diagonally to make triangular pieces. Arrange bread in spiral pattern in a greased 9-inch pie plate to cover bottom. Arrange remaining triangles upright around edges to form a crown. Sprinkle 1/2 c. cheese over bread in bottom of pie plate.

Whisk together eggs, milk, dill, salt and pepper until well combined. Stir in salmon, green onion and remaining cheese. Spoon evenly into pie plate.

Brush edges of bread with melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until center is set. Check after 15-20 minutes. If bread is browning too quickly, cover edges with aluminium foil.

Makes 6 servings.


As usual, I had a few changes. I skipped the "crust" and just poured the filling into a greased pie plate. I didn't sprinkle any cheese in the bottom, I just put the whole 1 1/2 cups in the main mixture. Since I don't like dill, I substituted dried thyme. I unintentionally left out the onion. I didn't even realize it until I was writing this post! I planned to sub regular onion, as I'd used 1/2 an onion earlier in the week for another recipe so I was going to use that up instead of buying the green ones.

Overall, it was good. It maybe had too much egg. If I make it again, I might just use my usual crust-less quiche recipe from Joy of Cooking for the egg and milk measurements.

Recipe of the Week: Honey Nut Chicken Sticks

This is actually from the week-before-last. I made it early in the week and then with getting ready to go out of town, I never posted it.

It's another recipe from Food Network, so I'm just posting the link:

Honey Nut Chicken Sticks
from 30 Minute Meals

Of course, I made a couple of substitutions and changes. First of all, I halved the breading recipe. I couldn't find honey Corn Flakes, so I used Honey Bunches of Oats. I used chicken breasts instead of chicken tenders.

Overall, it was a good dish. I did think the grill seasoning was a little overpowering. I think next time I will cut it back. I could hardly taste the honey from the cereal.

I served it with sourdough toast (our grocery story bakery makes awesome breads!) and my go-to green veggie, peas.

This may be the last picture for a while. Our camera went on the fritz on Friday.

Recipe of the Week - BBQ Turkey Meatloaf

This week's recipe of the week comes from my new favorite Food Network show, Down Home with the Neelys. Pat and Gina Neely own a family BBQ restaurant business in Memphis, TN and they just debuted their show this year. They are so much fun to watch and their recipes always sound so good. This is the first one I've tried, though.

Instead of typing out the recipe, I'm just putting in a link to the Food Network site. It's probably easier to print out from there, anyway, if you want to make it.

BBQ Turkey Meatloaf
from Down Home with the Neelys

I did make a couple of substitutions. First, I didn't have enough paprika to mix up their BBQ seasoning. So, I used Lawry's Season Salt - it has basically the same ingredients. Second, I didn't make the BBQ sauce. I just used the sauce we love, Stubbs, made in Austin, TX. I've never been to the restaurant and I don't know if DH has. But, they make some darn good sauce. I definitely want to go to the restaurant when we go to Austin! (Not that I know when that will be!) I also cut the recipe in half (I just eyeballed the egg). It made plenty for DH and I to have generous servings for dinner and enough for lunch today. I served it with red-skin mashed potatoes (with the skin on).

The recipe was easy to put together and it was very tasty! DH wants it in the regular rotation so that's a good sign!

I did remember the pictures this time! It doesn't look very pretty on the plate, though.

Recipe of the Week - Goat Cheese Enchiladas

I made these on Monday in honor of Cinco de Mayo! I forgot to take a picture..

Overall, we liked them, though the goat cheese was a little rich. I think next time, I'll add some shredded chicken to the mix - maybe boil it with the liquid from the chile and some of the Mexican oregano for flavor. I halved the recipe, mainly because goat cheese is expensive! It made 5 enchiladas. I was afraid it wouldn't be enough food, so I also made a quesadilla with some shredded Mexican-blend cheese. Two enchiladas and 1/2 of a quesadilla was perfect for each of us.

I made the sauce on Sunday, just to save time when actually preparing dinner.

I'm linking to the original recipe, in case you want to read it or print it out without all my editorial comments.

San Antonio Style Goat Cheese Enchiladas
from Bobby Flay on the Food Network website

Ingredients
Red Chile-Tomato Sauce, recipe follows
12 blue corn tortillas (I used regular flour tortillas)
Goat Cheese filling, recipe follows
8 oz Monterrey Jack, grated
3 T chopped cilantro, for garnish (I left this out. I don't like cilantro)
Sour cream, for garnish
Chopped green onions, garnish (I left these off, too. We all know I don't garnish food when it's just DH and me!)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spread 1/2 c. of the Red Chile-Tomato Sauce into a medium, deep casserole.

Dip tortillas in remaining chile-tomato sauce to lightly coat both sides. (I found a pie plate worked well for this.) Spoon about 2 T of the Goat Cheese filling in each tortilla, roll up. (I put the tortillas on a cutting board to do this step. I also used way more than 2 T. of filling. But, I was using the big tortillas. Corn tortillas are usually smaller.)

Arrange the rolled tortillas in a casserole so they fit snugly. Pour 1 1/2 c. of the remaining chile-tomato sauce over the enchiladas, and top with grated cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the enchiladas are heated through. Remove and sprinkle with chopped cilantro, dollop with sour cream and garnish with chopped green onions.


Red Chile-Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
2 ancho chilies (After much searching in the produce area, we found these in the Mexican food section. They are dried.)
3 T vegetable oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 T ground cumin
1 T dried Mexican oregano
1 c. dry white wine
1 (16 ounce) can plum tomatoes, pureed (I don't know if the tomatoes I used were plum or not. It didn't say they were. I just got canned whole tomatoes.)
2 c. homemade chicken or vegetable stock (I actually had homemade turkey stock that I froze at Thanksgiving.)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Directions
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add chilies, remove from heat and let sit for 30 minutes. (I used 2 cups even with 1 chile. I still didn't cover the whole thing, so I flipped it over after about 15 minutes.) Remove stems and seeds, place in food processor with 1/4 cup of the soaking liquid and puree until smooth.

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add cumin & oregano and cook for 1 minute. Add ancho puree and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add wine, tomatoes and stock and cook for 20-25 minutes or until slightly thickened. Season with salt & pepper, to taste.


Goat Cheese Filling
Ingredients
1 1/4 pound goat cheese
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/4 c. freshly graded pecorino Romano
2 T fresh lime juice
1/4 c. finely chopped cilantro (I left this out. Again, I don't like cilantro.)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Place goat cheese, garlic, pecorino Romano & lime juice in a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt & pepper and fold in the cilantro.

Last Week's Recipe of the Week - Chicken with Sweet Corn and Potato Saute

Wow, I've been bad about blogging! I made this last week and I never posted it. The flavors were good, but my potatoes were a little too al dente. I also made way too much of the corn & potato saute. I should have cut that in half! But, I'll be making it again since overall we liked it.

As a bonus, I got to use my new zester that I got in Dallas!

Chicken with a Sweet Corn and Potato Saute
from Express Lane Meals by Rachael Ray

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and black pepper
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 large baking potatoes, scrubbed clean or peeled
4 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 t. dried thyme 1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 10-oz. box frozen corn kernels
1 1/4 c. chicken stock
2 T. butter
1/4 c. fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions
Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Let the chicken marinate while you get the rest of the meal going.

Cut the potatoes into quarters lengthwise. Arrange the quarters cut side down on a cutting board. Thinly slice the potatoes across the width - you want thin, bite-size pieces.

Heat a nonstick large skillet over medium-high heat with about 2 T. of the olive oil. Add the potatoes in an even layer across the hot skillet. Season with salt, pepper and thyme. Resist the temptation to stir the potatoes for about 2 minutes to let them brown up a little bit. Once the potatoes brown, stir in the onions and garlic and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes or until the potatoes are flirting with tenderness. If the potatoes are getting too dark, turn back the heat a little.

While the onions and potatoes are cooking, preheat a second large skillet with the remaining 2 T. olive oil. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side.

While the chicken is cooking, add the corn kernels to the potatoes and cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken stock, turn the heat up to high and bring the stock up to a bubble. Continue to cook for 3 minutes, or until the liquids have reduced by half. Turn the heat off and add the butter, parsley and lemon zest, stirring until the butter is completely melted.


Serve the chicken whole or sliced on top of the sweet corn and potato saute.

The only change I made was to use red potatoes instead of baking potatoes. I did 4 poatoes for the two of us and I should have only done 2. I couldn't find a 10 oz. bag of corn, but I did find a 12 oz. Again, way too much. Next time, I'll just get the 16 oz. bag and use 1/2 of it.