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I know, another chicken dinner. But this one is absolutely wonderful! I found it on FB, but altered it slightly.The recipe is easy and fairly quick to make. 30 minutes and you are eating. It did not have a name, so I named it Creamy Chicken, even though it has no cream in it.https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Creamy-Chicken.pdf A good Niguri Creamy Sake would be great with this!
The finished product
The browning fry
Seasoning the chicken. After the garlic, vinegar, soy sauce and honey have been added
The finished product. Delicious!
The only changes I made were different types of salt, I used Celtic Sea Salt, fresh ground Tellicherry Black Pepper, unsalted butter and chopped green onion for the rice, I added braised Jasmin rice with the green onion.
I really think this is a fantastic way to make the chicken. Almost a fusion version of an Asian dish. You might want to add grated fresh ginger, too. The Jasmin rice gave the dish and extra boost of flavor, but searing it in butter is essential, in my point of view. If you make it let us know how you liked it.
This recipe actually comes from a longtime friend of ours who lives in California. It is an awesome dish with just a hint of tarragon. I did not alter it excessively, but did add a little chopped arugula at the very end, which does give the dish an interesting flavor profile. The official name of the dish is Chicken Breasts with Tarragon. Because of the additions I gave it, the name became Isaac’s Chicken. Here is the link to the recipe. Enjoy. https://www.rockinrs.com/Isaacs-Chicken-Rev.pdf.
I have to cut the chicken smaller.I also used a Sauvignon Blanc, but you can use any good French Bordeaux white wine. The alcohol gets cooked off, especially after you reduce it. Just the flavor remains. The dish is not difficult to make and within 30 minutes, you should be at the table eating, We tried this over Jasmine rice but like it better over noodles. Be sure to prep all ingredients before you start. I have a supply of paper bowls that I keep, just for prepping. Keeps the process organized.
Enjoy this dish. It is delicious! Let us know how you like it and any changes you made.
We had some things in the refrigerator and pantry that needed to be used. So I came up with CS Chicken Marinara, https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Chicken-Marinara.pdf and it was a hit! But I do have some suggestions. (1) This is not a tomato dish and the tomato sauce should not be forward. The recipe calls for 4 oz, but start with 2 oz and build from there. (2) I used a mixed frozen vegetable package and thawed it before adding to the mixture.(3) Sliced button mushrooms would also be good in this.
The dish is cooked in a large cast iron skillet.
Here it is plated with a topping of Italian Parsley
It is not a difficult dish to prepare. Use your imagination. As for the mushrooms, use any type you wish, but I would slice them. It’s your choice to use them nor not. I served it with a slice of toasted sourdough bread. Enjoy and “biadh mathl” – Eat well.
The flowers here are some I bought Robin (my wife) a few days ago. They are springy, and we all know we can’t wait until Spring! I hate to throw away food with a passion. And if there is anything Robin has taught me over the past 40 years, is to use the leftovers, She was a magician with les restes, leftovers. So, a week ago I made a Tarragon Roasted Chicken (https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Tarragon-Roasted-Chicken.pdf) that was awesome. We had some left over, so I thought about what to make. How about a Chicken Salad? And I’m glad I did. It was differently good with the addition of the tarragon and the cream sauce that went with it. Add un-peeled shredded carrot, diced celery, a little mayo and serve over chopped iceberg lettuce.
To the plate add some sliced tomato, corn on the cob and grapes and a wonderful dinner. Well, it’s almost Spring. Why not rush the season? I’m all for that! Voila!
About a week ago while watching the Today Show, they made a spatchcocked chicken dish with tarragon. Spatchcocking is defined as a chicken or other type of bird that has been cut open down the backbone from tail to neck, pressed flat, andcooked, either in the oven, stove top or grilled. An interesting process that takes some skill, either by kitchen shears or a chef’s knife. So I took their process and recipe and altered it to our liking. I added some sliced button mushrooms and a little more wine. I also used Celtic sea salt and fresh ground Tellicherry black pepper. Here is our recipe: https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Tarragon-Roasted-Chicken.pdf.
The chicken has been spatchcocked and it is in a large (12″), deep (2″) cast-iron skillet. It has been salted and peppered. The garlic is placed under the chicken.
After cooking in the oven for 30 minutes at 450 degrees F and the skin is browned – I should have added about another 10 minutes – add the sliced mushrooms and a liberal amount of white wine.
Then pour the heavy cream, chopped fresh tarragon leaves and Dijon mustard mixture all over the bird. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees Ft and cook for another 30-40 minutes.
After all that work, just follow the recipe, plate it up with some corn on the cob, pour a glass of good chardonnay and sit down, relax and have a delicious meal. As a note, 1 bulb of garlic sounds like a lot, but it will cook down, become sweet and delicious.
The other product that I have working on for the past several months, is BBQ Sauce. And I think we are there with this one. https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-BBQ-Sauce.pdf It is a mix of St Louis Style and Texas Style. Can be spicy if you want, just add more Aleppo Pepper. And there is a sweetness to it that is not over powering. The longer you keep it refrigerated, up to 6 months, the better it gets. And probably the strangest thing in it is Pomegranate Molasses. Not much because it can be powerful, but enough so you sayu, “What is that?”
Hope you have enjoyed these recipes and give them a try. Let us know what you think. Chau!
There are times when one feels really challenged in the kitchen, whether it is perfecting a dish, Creamed Spinach for example, where something just does not come out as you had planned or pictured. And at other times you want to create something kind of different with pan drippings. Or you want to create a dish that can be daunting or challenging. Well here are 3 that did just that. Let’s take a look. (Click on the images to see them enlarged)
This one was, I thought, just a basic baked chicken and rice dish. But then I thought, plain Jasmin rice with a good baked chicken can be sort of mundane, so why not add some green onion – a very Oriental twist – and fresh spinach? That spinach was a surprise to some who ate it. And the pan drippings of the rosemary and sage can create a differently good gravy. It did! Even added a little to the rice, which gave it a whole new twist. I think, and use it quite often, that it is sinful to “dump the pan drippings” in the trash, so I used it. Not many in the household would do such a thing. Use those drippings!
Potatoes. They are good, but if it were up to some other cooks that need potatoes at every meal – you know who you are – at least change them up from peeled, water logged piles of something that resembles pablum, to maybe some good, crispy hash browns that don’t need to be only served at breakfast. And to, add something green, like the creamed spinach pictured here. Add some mushrooms to the pan dripping gravy from the seared pork chop. Don’t be afraid to be creative and adventuresome in preparing a meal. If nothing else, it’s fun!
Here is another adventure. Steak with Mushroom and Onion Pan Gravy, Asparagus with Lardons and Green Onion and Smashed Potatoes and Gravy. (I used an hand masher and left the potatoes a little lumpy and as always, left the peels on.)
I guess I like to “mix things up” in the kitchen and try different variations of a given dish. Have fun when preparing and use your imagination. And, I might add, most of the products here came from the Boise Farmers Market.
Sorry it has been so long since the last post. But things have been hectic. So now here are some meals that we have been working on. Some are using leftovers and therefore no real recipe. Others have recipes and posted with the photo of the meal. Hope you enjoy these. Let’s start with breakfast.
We had some Idaho produced polenta in the refrigerator so why not some Fried Polenta, Sausage Linjks and Basted eggs? That’s what we had. All very basic, except you might want to prepare the polenta on medium low heat to prevent burning. The eggs were basted – fry until whites are set then add water and a clear lid to steam the eggs. Only takes a minute or too. Found it works best with butter in the pan and not an oil.
Then there were what we like to call Eggs on Pillows. Basted eggs on “pillows” of fresh made hash browns. And then served with sausage links. Again, not difficult to make.
Now. Let’s move to dinners.
Nothing says one can not have a salad for dinner. Try this modified Caprice Salad, for example. Basically, a Caprice Salad -tomato, mozzarella cheese and lots of fresh basil. Then I added black olives and I had to use mozzarella string cheese – all I had. Then added celery and hard cooked eggs. and olive oil for a dressing. It worked. Different, but yummy!
And for dinner, a Tuscan Fried Chicken using Italian herb mix and some of our Herbs de Provence, http://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Herbs.pdf Topped each piece with some fresh basil. It was really good.
And then how about a Native American dish I called Totanka Stew. Totanka is Sioux for buffalo. The stew is a great one and we like it better than a beef stew. The buffalo was a sliced hump roast and the cut to bite sized pieces. http://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Totanka-Stew.pdf Not difficult to make, just takes a little time.
First of all. I made it to 80 the first of April and I thank all who helped me make it an awesome day! Parma Ridge Bistro and Winery for a super great dinner as always and the German Chocolate Cake! And Marnie and Eric for opening their house and the Open House. Thank you one and all!
The kitchen has been slow and moderately successful. If I must throw away “leftovers” then that tells me that it was not especially liked. But that’s just my opinion. So lets start with the German Chocolate Cake and homemade Cupcakes. Thank you Stephanie and Michelle. And a very special thank you to the Love of My Life, Robin – you always make these time so special!
Special Occasion Sweets by Michelle Smith, our Granddaughter-In-law Anna Shanner’s sister.
Now for the dinners. One of the better ones was a Salmon Papillote. Eric caught the Kokanee 2 days prior ton the meal and it was delicious! Moist and succulent.
Salmon Papillote right from the oven.
Salmon Papillote plated with a Green Salad and Carrots and Broccoli cooked in the papillote
And finally, we had some boneless, skinless chicken thighs leftover from the Butter Chicken, so I made some Chicken Rice Soup and I really liked it.
Homemade Chicken Rice Soup
So there you have some of the menus we had in the past week or so. The “not so popular” ones are not included. But enjoy these. I did. There is no recipe for the papillote. From Wikipedia, “En papillote (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃ papijɔt]; French for “enveloped in paper”), or al cartoccio in Italian, is a method of cooking in which the food is put into a folded pouch or parcel and then baked. This method is most often used to cook fish or vegetables, but lamb and poultry can also be cooked en papillote. It is a combination cooking method of baking and steaming.
The parcel is typically made from folded parchment paper but other material, such as a paper bag or aluminum foil, may be used. The parcel holds in moisture to steam the food. The pocket is created by overlapping circles of paper or foil and folding them tightly around the food to create a seal.
The moisture may be from the food itself or from an added moisture source, such as water, wine or stock. The choice of herbs, seasonings and spices depend on the particular e being prepared.
The parcel can be opened at the table to allow people to smell the aroma when it opens.”
It is always fun to see what is in the refrigerator or in the kitchen, in general. This week was no different. No particular recipe, “Just Do-It!”. And I don’t usually post an advertisement within a post. But there are exceptions. This is one of them. “Oma & Popies” is very local to Boise, and is very good. But, Swiss Hibiscus, https://swisshibiscus.com/made-in-portland-oregon is a superb dressing and is totally produced in Portland, Oregon. You can call them at (503) 477-9224 and place an order, or use the link. If you are in Portland, or in the area, their address is 4950 NE 14th Ave, Portland, OR, 97211. This dressing is great on salads, but I like to dip French Fries in it or use it on baked salmon. Yum-O! OK. Enough of the ads (They don’t know I have this blogged!)
Daughter Marnie, said she had some chicken and would make dinner. There was some cabbage that needed to be used so she made this delicious AirFryer Chicken with steamed cabbage. It was delicious!
There was some sea scallops – those are the big ones – and large, 16-20 count, shrimp, parsley and parmigiano that was begging to be used. So how about making a Scallop and Shrimp Alfredo. Easy one pot meal. Made it with fettuccini and and some white wine and served with chopped parsley.
Wife Robin asked for Chicken Fried Steak one night. Had some steak that needed to be used and some crushed saltines (won’t use saltines twice for this!), but they did not adhere to the steak like I wanted. Served with baked potato and peas and carrots. Good, but not Earth shattering.
And finally, meatloaf. Hard to find a good meatloaf. This was good, but a little too loose. This is what the crushed saltines were originally used for. A cup of milk in the mix is a little to much. Need to cut back to a half cup. Flavors were good. The salad was some canned beets from last summer, spinach and lettuce blend and had cooked eggs. All-In-All, a good, flavorful dinner. http://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Meatloaf.pdf
Coq au Vin, Rooster in Wine, was my choice this year to make for Robin, my wife of almost 40 years, and Marnie, my daughter. It’s not for the faint of heart. It takes some ambition and time. But it is well worth it. Delicious!
Just a few suggestions. Prep your ingredients first. I suggest paper bowls for your prep work. Take your time and don’t rush through this. If you are thinking of using an Instant Pot, try, instead, a large cast-iron skillet, at least 2″ deep and a glass lid, you can’t watch the cooking through a solid lid. The dish takes almost a constant vigil.
I used a package of frozen Pearl Onions instead of fresh ones that I would have to peel; heirloom carrots instead of the orange ones; Courvoisier Cognac instead of brandy; dried morel mushrooms reconstituted in the wine used for the dish instead of button mushrooms; pork belly cut into strips instead of bacon and for the beurre manie, I just added to the oil in the pan some flour for thickening. For the chicken, I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. The original recipe, Julia Child’s, calls for you to cut up a chicken. (Still had to skin and de-bone the thighs.)
And this really needs to be emphasized: Watch your temperatures and don’t burn the sauce. Keep the liquid level just covering the chicken – use chicken stock, not broth, if necessary – and use a medium to low simmer temperature.
In my opinion, the dish has enough vegetables in it. So I did not use asparagus or rice to serve with it. I also served it with a dish of fresh cut fruit. Marnie had a Red Velvet Cake for dessert Try this and let us know what you think. We loved it.
Boise Foodie Guild 