Chicken in Spicy Garlic Broth

This is a great dish for those nights you've had a long day and really don't want to spend much time cooking. It has great depth of flavor and a nice spicy kick. The best part was that it only took about 15 or 20 minutes from start to finish.

Chicken in Garlic Broth

Recipe from Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations, adapted

Serves 2

Total Cook & Prep Time - 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 chicken breasts, pounded a bit

1 TBSP butter & 1 TBSP olive oil

Flour, for dredging

Salt & Pepper

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, diced

1/4 - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 lb cooked fetuccini

Grated Parmesan cheese, optional

DIRECTIONS

Cook pasta to al dente. Drain & set aside.

Meanwhile, heat butter & oil in a large pan over medium heat. Season chicken with salt & pepper and then dredge in the flour. Cook chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a covered dish or the oven to keep warm.

Add a bit more oil to the pan if it is dry, and then sautee the garlic and onions until onions are soft. Add red pepper flakes.

Add wine and scrape up any brown bits, then add chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Toss pasta in the broth. Return the chicken to the pan and cover the chicken in broth.

To serve, pour some sauce over the chicken and serve next to the pasta. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Beer Can Chicken

Before I get started with this post, I have to say this: you must make this chicken. Now.

Beer Can Chicken was something I wanted to make for a long time, but didn't because I had a notion that it had to be grilled, and we didn't have a grill. So, when we got a grill, it was one of the first things I decided to make. Well, I should say that I enlisted my husband and his spectacular grilling skills to help me make it. I'm not sure why I put it off for so long - it really couldn't have been much easier and was the tastiest chicken I've ever had. You really do have to make it.

Beer Can Chicken

Recipe by Adam Gertler, via Carrie's Sweet Life, adapted

Serves 3-4

INGREDIENTS

1 (3-4 lb) chicken

1/4 cup kosher salt

1/4 + 1/8 (0.375) cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup paprika

1/8 cup chili powder

1/2 tsp dried rosemary (crushed lightly)

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/8 cup garlic powder

1 can beer

2 sprigs rosemary

2-3 cloves garlic

DIRECTIONS

Mix all spices together. Rub all over the chicken, including the inside cavity. Wrap in plastic wrap and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hrs, up to overnight.

When time to cook the chicken, open the beer and get rid of about half of it (what you do with the beer after you take it out of the can is your choice. ;) ) Put about 2 sprigs of rosemary and 2-3 cloves of smashed garlic in the can.

Put the can in a beer can holder (as seen in the picture above) and put the chicken on top of the holder.

Grill for about 1 1/2 hrs. Take it off the grill and let rest for about 10 minutes before carving.

Cheesesteaks

I haven't been intentionally neglecting my blog. I started a new job a few weeks ago where I stare at a computer for most of my day, so when I get home, staring at my computer for more time isn't necessarily appealing. Anyway, enough excuses.

I've never been to Philadelphia. Despite its historical significance to the country, I really don't have a huge desire to go there, either. Unfortunately, that means that I probably will not ever have a true cheesesteak. I wanted to try making one at home, though, so I looked at some "recipes" online that claim to be authentic and took a jab at it.

We were both quite pleased with the results. How it compares to the real thing, I have no idea, but it's probably better for my psyche that I never know that.


Cheesesteaks
Serves 2
Cook & Prep Time - 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb deli roast beef
1/2 green pepper, sliced thinly
1 small onion, sliced
butter & olive oil
salt & pepper
1 hoagie buns
1/3 cup melted cheese whiz or 6 slices provolone

DIRECTIONS
Season roast beef slightly with salt & pepper. Cook in equal parts butter & olive oil over medium-low to medium heat. After a couple minutes, add the onions and peppers to the pan and saute until just tender.

Meanwhile, melt the cheese whiz in a small saucepan or double boiler.

Toast the buns, if desired. Add meat, veggies, and cheese in desired amounts. Consider slicing in half to make it easier to eat, and enjoy.

Rhubarb Pie

With this post, I'd like to introduce what I hope to be a new segment on this blog called "Stuff I Made with Stuff I Grew in my Backyard." Yep, that's right - I have a garden this year. I'm very excited. My first creation from my homegrown goods was a rhubarb pie.

I grew up eating rhubarb and I love it. When baked, it's somewhat similar in taste to an apple, but softer and more tart. It pairs well with berries, but I prefer it on its own. It's very easy to work with, too. When picked out of the garden, it should look like this:


Don't be alarmed... your pile should be that size. Trim off the leaves. Don't be alarmed if some of your apparently mature rhubarb stalks are more green than red - they taste the same as the deep pink ones, they just aren't as pretty. Don't eat the leafy greens. Be sure to wash the stalks well. When you're all done with that, they should look like this:


Isn't that better? Cut them up into little pieces like you would chop up celery.

For this pie, I used my regular apple pie recipe, but used rhubarb instead of apples and coated them in a bit more cinnamon & sugar than normal. The result is an amazing pie.


You must try it right away.

Fetuccini Alfredo

Despite how much I love it, eating fetuccini alfredo makes me feel really guilty. My favorite recipe calls for something like 12 tablespoons of butter, over 2 cups of cream, and 1 1/2 cups of cheese. Don't get me wrong, it's pretty much the best Alfredo sauce ever, but healthy... it is not.

So, along came this recipe. It's great - smooth & creamy, and much healthier than my beloved recipe discussed above. It definitely won't take over the #1 spot, but will enter our regular rotation so we can leave the calorie-laden stuff for special occasions.


Fetuccini Alfredo
Inspired by Cooking Light
Serves 2-3
Prep & Cook Time - 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS
8 oz uncooked fetuccini noodles (fresh or dry)
1 TBSP butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP flour
1 1/2 cups 2% milk
1-2 TBSP 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
Cook fetuccini to al dente. Drain & set aside.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, or until garlic is fragrant. Add flour and whisk together. Cook for about 1 minute, wisking constantly.

Add milk and combine thoroughly. Increase heat to medium and allow it to simmer until the sauce thickens, about 5-7 minutes.

Add cream cheese and Parmesan cheese and whisk together until cheese is melted. Toss with the cooked fetuccini noodles and top with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Tomato Tortellini Soup

Sometimes there isn't a whole lot that's more satisfying than sitting down to a nice, hot bowl of a tomato-y soup with a grilled cheese. Sure, your exact preferences for the soup and sandwich may have changed a bit from you were a kid, but the combination is always just as satisfying.

This was the perfect twist on the old classic. The soup was nice and creamy with a nice, unexpected hint of spice and paired perfectly with my husband's excellent grilled cheese sandwiches.

Please click on the link below for a much better picture. Thanks.

Tomato Tortellini Soup
Recipe from Better Homes & Gardens, adapted
Serves 4
Prep & Cook Time - 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1-2 TBSP butter or olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (try to get reduced sodium)
4 oz flavored cream cheese - chive & onion or garlic & herb
1 can tomato soup
1 (9 oz) package refrigerated cheese tortellini)
dash red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS
Melt butter in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion & garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, or until onions soften. Season with salt & pepper, if desired.

Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook the tortellini in the broth for about 5 minutes, or until almost al dente.

Remove about 2 ladles of broth into a smaller bowl and whisk the cream cheese into the broth. Once smooth & creamy, return to the pot and stir until well-combined.

Add tomato soup and stir until combined. Season with salt & pepper, to taste. Add a dash of red pepper flakes and stir to combine.

Italian-Style Chicken & Noodles

I really wanted to make this recipe for dinner. It had been on my menu planning list for about a week and a half. I'd combed through my cupboards and decided I had all the necessary ingredients. Then, I went to make it. I didn't have a packet of Italian dressing mix. So, I improvised and came up with this really tasty, really easy chicken & pasta dish. We both really liked it and will be making it again.


Italian Style Chicken & Noodles
Serves 3
Cook & Prep Time - 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS
2-3 TBSP butter
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper
2-3 TBSP flour
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups chopped rotisserie chicken
1/4 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 frozen basil cube from Trader Joe's (or equivalent)
8 oz egg noodles, cooked to al dente

DIRECTIONS
Melt butter in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Season with salt & pepper and let cook until onions soften and begin to be translucent (about 5 minutes). If the skillet is dry, add a little more butter. Add flour and whisk together to form a roux and whisk constantly for about a minute. Add chicken broth and stir to combine.

Reduce heat to medium low and add milk. Stir and let simmer until it begins to thicken. Once thickened to your liking, add Parmesan cheese and stir until the cheese melts. Season with salt & pepper, to taste.

Reduce heat to low. Add the basil cube and stir until cube is melted and combined in the sauce.

Add chicken and cook until heated through. Serve over the egg noodles.