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Cheesy Smothered Mushroom Chicken

Cheesy Smothered Mushroom Chicken

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with Mashed Potatoes & Roasted Carrots

Yield: 2 Servings

  • 9oz carrots
  • 12oz potatoes
  • 1oz chicken stock concentrate
  • 4oz button mushrooms
  • 2scallions
  • 10oz chicken cutlets
  • 3TBS sour cream
  • ¼cup Monterey jack cheese
  • 1TBS cooking oil
  • 2TBS butter

Prep:

Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425°F. Wash and dry produce. Trim, peel, and cut carrots on a diagonal into 1-inch-thick pieces. Trim and thinly slice mushrooms. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens.

Cook carrots & potatoes:

Toss carrots on a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil, salt, and pepper. Roast on top rack until tender, 25-30 minutes. Meanwhile, dice potatoes into ½-inch pieces (peel first for a smoother texture). Place in a large pot with enough salted water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, 15-20 minutes. Reserve ½ cup potato cooking liquid, then drain and return potatoes to pot. Keep covered off heat until ready to mash. Swap in asparagus for carrots; roast on middle rack, 10-12 minutes.

Cook chicken:

While potatoes cook, pat chicken dry with paper towels and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, 3- to 5-minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Mash potatoes:

Heat pot with drained potatoes over low heat; add half the sour cream and 1 TBS butter. Mash potatoes until smooth and creamy, adding splashes of reserved potato cooking liquid as needed. Season with salt and pepper.

Make sauce:

Heat a drizzle of oil in pan used for chicken over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and scallion whites, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until softened, 2- to 4-minutes. Stir in stock concentrate and ¼ cup water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Cook until slightly thickened, 1- to 2-minutes. Turn off heat; stir in remaining sour cream and 1 TBS butter. Season with salt and pepper.

Finish & serve:

Heat pan with sauce over medium low; add chicken and spoon sauce over top. Evenly top chicken with Monterey Jack. Cover pan until cheese melts, 1- to 2-minutes. Divide chicken, carrots, and mashed potatoes between plates. Spoon remaining sauce over

Pork Chops in Cranberry Shallot Sauce

Pork Chops in Cranberry Shallot Sauce

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with Garlicky Roasted Potatoes & Green Beans

Yield: 2 Servings

Cranberry shallot sauce: Sweet, tangy cranberries with savory shallot give pork pizzazz.
Prep: 5 Min Cook: 35 Min Calories: 580

  • 12oz potatoes
  • 1tsp garlic powder
  • 1oz dried cranberries
  • 6oz green beans
  • 1shallot
  • 1TBS flour
  • 10oz pork chops
  • 1oz chicken stock concentrate
  • 4tsp cooking oil
  • ½TBS butter

Prep:

Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 450°F. Wash and dry produce. Dice potatoes into 1-inch pieces. Trim green beans if necessary. Halve, peel, and thinly slice shallot.

Roast veggies:

Toss potatoes on one side of a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil, half the garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Toss green beans on empty side with a drizzle of oil, salt, and pepper. Roast on top rack until browned and tender, 18-20 minutes.

Tip: If green beans are done before potatoes, carefully remove from sheet and leave potatoes roasting. Tent with foil to keep warm if needed.

Prep pork:

Place flour in a shallow dish, season with salt and pepper. Pat pork dry with paper towels and season all over with remaining garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Working with one piece at a time, press pork into seasoned flour until fully coated.

Cook pork:

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add coated pork (shake off excess flour first), cook until browned and cooked through, 4- to 6-minutes per side.

Tip: Lower heat if pork begins to brown too quickly. Turn off heat, transfer pork to a plate. Wipe out pan and let cool slightly.

Make sauce:

Heat a drizzle of oil in same pan over medium-low heat. Add shallot, cook, stirring, until softened and lightly browned, 2- to 3-minutes. Add dried cranberries, stock concentrate, and ¼ cup water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 2- to 4-minutes. Turn off heat, stir in ½ TBS butter. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.

Finish & serve:

Add pork to pan with sauce and turn to coat. Divide pork, potatoes, and green beans between plates. Spoon remaining sauce over pork. Serve. Add chicken or steak to pan with sauce and turn to coat.

Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread

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Yield: 1

Sally’s Baking Addiction

Irish Soda Bread is a quick bread that does not require any yeast. Instead, all of its leavening comes from baking soda and buttermilk. This Irish soda bread recipe is my grandmother’s and has been cherished in my family for years. It’s dense, yet soft and has the most incredible crusty exterior. Buttermilk and cold butter are the secret to its delicious success!

  • 1¾cups buttermilk*
  • 1large egg (optional, see note)
  • 4¼cups AP flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for your hands and counter
  • 3TBS granulated sugar
  • 1tsp baking soda
  • 1tsp salt
  • 5TBS unsalted butter, cold and cubed*

Preheat oven & pan options: Preheat oven to 400°F. There are options for the baking pan. Use a regular baking sheet and line with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (bread spreads a bit more on a baking sheet) or use a seasoned 10–12-inch cast-iron skillet (no need to preheat the cast-iron unless you want to), or grease a 9-10 inch cake pan or pie dish. You can also use a 5-quart (or higher) Dutch oven. Grease or line with parchment paper. If using a Dutch oven, bake the bread with the lid off.

Whisk the buttermilk and egg together. Set aside. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers. Mixture is very heavy on the flour but do your best to cut in the butter until the butter is pea-sized crumbs. Stir in the raisins. Pour in the buttermilk/egg mixture. Gently fold the dough together until dough it is too stiff to stir. Pour crumbly dough onto a lightly floured work surface. With floured hands, work the dough into a ball as best you can, then knead for about 30 seconds or until all the flour is moistened. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour.

Transfer the dough to the prepared skillet/pan. Using a very sharp knife or bread lame, score the dough with a slash or X about ½ inch deep. (“Score” = shallow cut.)

Bake until the bread is golden-brown, and center appears cooked through, about 45-55 minutes. Loosely tent the bread with aluminum foil if you notice heavy browning on top. For a more accurate test, the bread is done when an instant read thermometer reads the center of the loaf as 195°F.

Remove from the oven and allow bread to cool for 10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm, at room temperature, or toasted with desired toppings/spreads.

Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. We usually wrap it tightly in aluminum foil for storing.

Pasta with Shrimp & Broccoli

Pasta with Shrimp & Broccoli

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Yield: 2
Scott Nowell

A simple pasta with shrimp and broccoli. Easy and flavorful, it only takes about 30 minutes to put together.

  • 12shrimp (21-25), defrosted if frozen
  • 8oz penne, rotini or other pasta
  • 1head broccoli, trimmed into small florets
  • 4TBS extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 4TBS butter
  • 4-6large cloves garlic, sliced thin
  • ½cup dry white wine
  • fresh basil, chiffonade or chopped fine
  • 1pinch red chili flakes
  • salt & freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot, add 1 quart of water and bring to a boil. Salt the water and cook the pasta until al dente. DO NOT DRAIN. Use a spider to remove the pasta to a bowl. Stir a couple of TBS of olive oil into the pasta. Reserve a half cup of pasta water and set aside.

Add the broccoli to the boiling water. Cook until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain, chill with cold water and set aside.

Return the pot to the burner and reduce heat to medium.

Add 4 TBS butter to the pot and melt. Add the garlic to the pan. Sizzle until aromatic, about 30 seconds.

Add the prawns and a pinch of salt and cook until pink on both sides, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Return the pasta, broccoli, shrimp, red pepper flakes and the half cup of reserved pasta water to the pot and stir to combine. Cook for a couple of minutes so the water reduces.

Add the basil, mix and add more olive oil to taste.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Sam’s Friend Kate’s Mom’s, Neighbor’s Holiday Stuffing

Sam’s Friend Kate’s Mom’s, Neighbor’s Holiday Stuffing

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Yield: 10 to 14 Servings
Vance Neighbor’s Holiday Stuffing

Divide in half unless you want enough for an army. I made a half batch and used one 12-oz bag of stuffing. Fills a 9 x 13 baking dish.

  • 2lb Jimmy Dean Sausage, special sage recipe
  • 8TBS butter (1 stick)
  • 8celery stalks, sliced
  • 1large onion, chopped
  • 2Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
  • 2cans GOLDEN mushroom soup
  • 1soup can water
  • 38 oz bags seasoned Pepperidge Farm stuffing crumbs

Brown the sausage in a LARGE skillet, breaking it up as it browns.

Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon allowing the drippings to remain.

Add the butter to the pan and brown the vegetables and apples. When celery is transparent, but still crisp (8-10 minutes), return the sausage to the pan.

Add the soup plus the 1 soup can of water. Stir to mix. Sneak a bite.

Now add the crumbs a little at a time. You will probably only need 2½ bags of crumbs. (Sneak another bite).

Correct the seasoning. Allow stuffing to brown a bit while adding crumbs, stirring occasionally.

Put the stuffing in a pan you can bake it in; (eat the crumbs that spill), store in the fridge until 1 hour before dinner. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes to an hour.

Chicken and Rice IP

Chicken and Rice IP

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Yield: 4 Servings
Adapted from: Cook’s Illustrated

An Instant Pot take on classic chicken and rice using bone-in chicken breasts. Stirring the rice makes the dish gluey, so simply fluff it with a fork when incorporating the peas, lemon juice, and parsley.

  • 4(12-oz) bone-in split chicken breasts, trimmed
  • salt and pepper
  • 1TBS vegetable oil
  • 3carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
  • 1onion, chopped fine
  • 1½cups long-grain white rice
  • 4garlic cloves, minced
  • 2cups chicken broth
  • 1cup frozen peas
  • 3TBS minced fresh parsley
  • 2tsp lemon juice

Build Flavor: Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in pressure-cooker pot over medium-high heat until just smoking.

Brown: Set a 6-qt Instant Pot to the SAUTÉ HIGH setting. Add oil and heat until shimmering.

Brown chicken in two batches, skin side down, until golden, about 6 minutes; transfer to plate. Use additional oil if needed.

Pour off all but 1 TBS fat left in pot. Add carrots, onion, and ½ tsp salt and cook until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in rice and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth. Using wooden spoon, scrape up all browned bits stuck on bottom of pot and brush any rice off sides of pot. Nestle chicken, skin side up, firmly into rice.

Pressure cook: Seal Instant Pot and set to MANUAL HIGH pressure for 15 minutes.

Quick release pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.

Before Serving: Transfer chicken to serving dish and tent loosely with aluminum foil while finishing rice. Sprinkle peas, parsley, and lemon juice over rice, cover, and let stand until for 5 minutes. Fluff rice gently with fork and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with chicken.

Sous Vide Chicken Breasts

Sous Vide Chicken Breasts

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Yield: 2 to x Servings
Scott Nowell

Say hello to delightfully tender chicken breasts. Boneless, skinless or bone-in skin-on, both come out moist and luscious.

  • 28- to 10-oz chicken breasts, boneless, skinless or bone-in skin-on
  • salt & pepper
  • Lawry’s seasoning salt (Optional)
  • seasoning of choice, Herbes de Provence, Italian, Poultry, Five Spice, etc.
  • 1-2TBS cooking oil or clarified butter

Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 150°F/60°C in 7-quart or larger container.

Note: Do not use brined chicken.

Pat the breasts dry with paper towel. Season well with salt and pepper. It is fine to use more salt than normal. The slow cooking is well suited to absorbing the salt.

Place the chicken in a single layer in suitably sized zip-lock of vacuum seal bag(s). Gently lower bag into prepared water bath, and then clip top corner of each bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag.

Cook for 90 minutes.

Remove bag with tongs.

Boneless, skinless breast: Open and serve boneless, skinless breasts.

Skin-on breasts: Heat the oil or butter in a skillet until shimmering. Place breasts skin-side down and cook for 2- to 3-minutes until you reach desired brownness. Serve.

Finishing steps – stovetop:

Remove the chicken from the bag, discard any aromatics (if using) and place it on a paper towel-lined plate. Pat it dry very carefully on both sides. Place a heavy cast-iron or stainless steel skillet with one tbsp / 15 ml of vegetable, canola, or rice bran oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Because skin-on chicken has natural insulation, it’s not necessary to use the super-high heat that is required for searing things like steaks or pork chops.

Carefully add the chicken to the hot oil, skin side down.

For best results, use a flexible slotted fish spatula or your fingers to hold the chicken down against corner of the pan in order to maximize contact between the chicken skin and the hot oil and metal. Tilting the pan towards the chicken to help the fat pool up under the skin can also help. Be careful, the chicken may splatter and pop as it sears. I recommend wearing gloves and long sleeves if you are very sensitive to small oil splatters.

Carefully lift and peek under the chicken as it cooks to gauge how quickly it is browning. Let it continue to cook until the skin is deep brown and very crisp. This will take about two minutes total.

Remove chicken from pan and let it rest until cool enough to handle, about two minutes.

As soon as the chicken is cool enough to handle, carefully remove the wishbone, which runs along the fatter end of the breast. It should pull right out (there may not be a wishbone if it was removed in-store).

Next peel the breast off of the breastbone by running your thumb in between the meat and the bone. It should come right off.

Use a sharp chef’s knife or boning knife to slice the chicken on a bias.

Cut the chicken into 3 to 4 thick slices to make it easier to eat when serving.

Serve the chicken immediately garnished with lemon wedges, extra virgin olive oil, or a vinaigrette or sauce as desired.

Safety:

While the USDA recommends 165°F (74°C) for poultry, sous vide allows for lower temperatures for longer times, which can still be safe.

Temperature and Texture:

140°F (60°C): Very soft and juicy, ideal for chicken salad when served cold.

145-150°F (63-66°C): Juicy and tender, a good balance for most applications.

150°F (66°C): Slightly stringy when served hot, but still juicy.

160°F (71°C): Traditional, juicy, firm, and slightly stringy when served hot.

Timing:

1 hour: Minimum time to ensure safety at 145-150°F.

1.5-4 hours: For softer texture, especially at 140°F.

Finishing:

You can finish the chicken in a pan with cooking oil, salt, and pepper, or a rub, or reheat in the water bath.

Sous Vide Spanish-Style Spicy Shrimp with Olive Oil

Sous Vide Spanish-Style Spicy Shrimp with Olive Oil

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Yield: 2 to 4
Adapted from ATK

TIME: Sous vide: 30 minutes; active cooking time: 40 minutes, Temperature 140°F/60°C
The Spanish tapa gambas al ajillo is a simple dish of shrimp quickly cooked in an abundant amount of olive oil with garlic and chilies. Served with crusty bread and a glass of wine, it’s a great way to start a meal. For our sous vide version, we started by boosting the flavor of our olive oil by infusing it with shrimp shells, garlic, and pepper flakes. After straining the mixture, we bagged up the oil with our shrimp. We set the water bath to 140°F—our preferred temperature for both shrimp and lobster since it keeps them both tender and moist. Finishing the dish off with a touch of sherry vinegar added brightness while chopped parsley gave it some fresh color.

  • 1lb extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per lb), peeled and deveined, shells reserved
  • salt
  • ½cup olive oil
  • 6garlic cloves, sliced thin
  • ½tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1tsp sherry (or unflavored rice wine) vinegar
  • 2TBS chopped fresh parsley

Note: Use weights to make sure the shrimp are fully immersed during cooking.

Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 140°F in 7-quart container.

Sprinkle shrimp with ½ tsp salt and set aside.

Prepare oil: Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add shrimp shells and ½ tsp salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until shells turn deep orange, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is golden-brown, and oil is rust-colored and aromatic, 2 to 4 minutes. Strain oil through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on shrimp shells with rubber spatula to extract as much oil as possible, discard solids. Allow oil to cool for at least 5 minutes.

Sous vide: Transfer shrimp and oil to 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag and toss to coat. Arrange shrimp in single layer and seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Gently lower bag into prepared water bath, weight bag until shrimp are fully submerged, and then clip top corner of each bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.

Finish: Transfer shrimp and oil to serving bowl. Stir in vinegar and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.

Making this recipe in advance is not recommended.

Crustless Spinach Quiche

Crustless Spinach Quiche

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Yield: 6
All Recipes

Cheesy, savory quiche is the perfect addition to any brunch menu. It’s easy to make, takes less than an hour, and it’s a crowd favorite. When you’re in need of a crustless quiche that will brighten up your breakfast or brunch, turn to this tried-and-true recipe.

  • 1TBS vegetable oil
  • 1medium onion, chopped
  • 1(10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach – thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
  • 5large eggs, beaten
  • ¼tsp salt
  • ⅛tsp ground black pepper
  • 3cups shredded Muenster cheese


Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie pan.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in spinach and continue to cook until excess moisture has evaporated.

Whisk together eggs, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add Muenster cheese and spinach mixture and stir until well blended. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven until eggs have set, about 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Rice

Rice

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Yield: 4
Jean-Pierre

If you’ve ever wondered how to cook rice and get if perfectly fluffy every time, wonder no more! With just a few simple tips, you’ll be on your way to becoming a rice-cooking pro.
Cooking rice may seem like a simple task, but there is a real art to getting it just right. If you’ve ever had a plate of mushy or under cooked rice, you know how disappointing it can be. On the other hand, when it’s cooked perfectly, rice is light, fluffy, and positively delicious. So how do you achieve that perfect result? Here are a few tips:
First, it’s important to rinse your rice before cooking it. This helps to remove any dust or debris that may be on the grain. Rinsing also helps to prevent the rice from sticking together while cooking.
Next, it’s time to start cooking! Be sure to use the correct amount of water for the type of rice you’re cooking. For example, long grain rice requires more water than short grain rice.
Bring the water to a boil before adding the rice, stirring gently to distribute it evenly. Then put a lid on the pot and reduce the heat to low.
Finally, let the pot simmer until all the water has been absorbed by the rice. This should take about 20 minutes. Remove the pot from heat and let it sit for another 5 minutes to allow the steam to escape before fluffing the rice with a fork and serving.

  • 1cup Basmati rice
  • 2-3TBS sweet butter
  • 2TBS onion or shallots chopped
  • 2cups stock, chicken or vegetable
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • chives, cilantro or parsley chopped (optional)

Wash the rice until the water comes out clear and not cloudy.

In a 2-to-3-quart pot (with a tight cover), add the butter and when hot sauté your onion or shallots and cook until light golden-brown. Add the rice and mix well. Add the stock mix well and bring to boil. Cover and reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave in the pot COVERED (do not open the pot) for 10 more minutes.

Using 2 forks, be sure to fluff the rice to remove most of the steam. This will avoid the rice from continuing to cook and lose its texture.

If you have some you can certainly add some freshly chopped chives, cilantro or parsley.

Short grain rice: 1 cup rice to 1½ to 2 cup water or stock

Brown rice: 1 cup rice to 2 water or stock

Arborio rice (risotto): 1 cup rice 3 cups water or stock

Sushi rice: 1 cup rice 1¼ water