Today was crazy. Preparing the house for my son's Halloween party, running him to boxing training after school and choosing his costume made for a long and tiring day. It wasn't until 6:30 at night and two trips to Wal-mart before I could even get dinner started. Making the Polpette (meatloaf in the united states) was easy breezy, 1-2-3. I enjoyed mixing all the ingredients together and molding my oval shaped loaf of meat. I wasn't sure how the end result would be, but I jumped in with both hands. No pun intended. Since I didn't even search for mortadella in my neck of the woods, I simply used the turkey bologna that was left in my fridge. Soaking the bread in the milk added such juice within the meatloaf. Every bite oozed flavor and tenderness. I knew I had a winner on my hands when my grandmother went back for seconds and on the way made a point to stop and say "I don't think I'm ever gonna cook again" and "it was the best meatloaf I have ever tasted." I concur! This meatloaf was everything Lucinda said it would be. Because I'm used to some sort of tomato paste on top of my meatloaf, I quickly pulled together a little concoction of ketchup, dijon mustard and salt and pepper to taste as coating...adding just the right amount of zest. I decided to forgo the spinach with this meal because one, I had it yesterday, and two...I was just too damn tired by this point.
While the meatloaf was doing its' thing in the oven, I proceed to peel my potatoes for the pot of water I had boiling on the stove. 45 minutes later, I was chopping them into chunks, heating up the milk and butter and then mashing them down until they were almost smooth. Even though the recipe called for cottage or ricotta cheese, I forgot to pick either up on both my dashes to the store, so I just did without. These potatoes were so much better than the store brought flakes that pretend to be made with "real potatoes" which I purchased all my adult life. I have to be honest and say that mashing the potatoes with my new found utensil, the "potato masher" is the best invention ever! I didn't even know we owned one. And now I, Rochelle Lanphear, having never made mashed potatoes from scratch a day in my life, was using this gadget that actually mashed potatoes for me. I know, I know, I know, it's just a potato masher, but wow, when life has you traveling down a bumpy road every now and then, it's nice to know that you can always turn to your handy dandy potato masher to smooth out the pot holes of life.
For further confirmation of a job well done, my son who adamantly expresses his sincerely dislike for meatloaf helped himself to a slice so huge I had to stand guard. All and all, it was a long, tiring, running around town, trying to do it all, tummy filled, and can't believe I just made mash potatoes from scratch kinda day!
To get your mash on, click (or copy and paste) the link below for this recipe.
http://blog.madhungry.com/2010/10/recipes-from-todays-show-italian-comfort-food.html
Mad Hungry
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Stir-Fried Chinese Chicken and Peanuts with Celery Salad and Steamed Spinach
So now that I've returned from visiting my dear husband Arron at our home in Maine, I slipped right back into my chefs hat with ease. I missed watching Lucinda every morning, but thanks to DVR, I'll be playing catch up on the weekends. Funny how I went from doing a 187 (crime of murdering meat) in the kitchen to really building a relationship with my utensils and spices. Who knew within me there was a cook of a caterpillar waiting to bloom into this butterfly chef. As much as I love to explore different ingredients, expand my taste buds, and expound on this new side to me, there just wasn't enough time in the day to play wife, worker and whatever else came to mind.
However, I'm back on the saddle and couldn't wait to pour on the olive oil. I thought a little bit of comfort food would set me straight from missing Arron and was so thrilled to find Lucinda preparing meatloaf, mashed potatoes and spinach this morning. There's nothing like a good potato to fill the place of a loved one, but that recipe will have to wait. I gave my grandmother the option of meatloaf or chinese chicken and she chose the latter. If I must admit, she chose well.
Just like Lucinda said, "all of the ingredients needed for the chinese chicken recipe should be a staple in your pantry", and thanks to my grandmother who has been cooking it up in the kitchen for decades, they all were. While my chicken was thawing out and getting cleaned, I whisked all the liquid ingredients together for the marinade. It had a good earthy aroma. I was excited about pouring it over my diced up, pulled from the bone, skinless chicken thighs. Since I had everything necessary for the chinese celery salad at hand, I got that ready too! I wasn't sold on the salad, but I figured I'd try something new. My grandmother found it light and refreshing. I, however, did not. With the salad done and put aside in the fridge to chill, I poured the marinade over the chicken and placed that too in the fridge while I ran to the farmers market. Since I knew the celery salad wasn't quite my thing, my alternative green was spinach. The farmers market is the absolute best place to pick up fruits and vegetables. It's half the price of retail chains like Wal-mart or your local supermarket.
Back at home, I'm ready to put my poultry to the pan. But first, you know what they say, "when in Rome, do like the Romans." And when you're cooking chinese anything, rice better be present. For the first time every, I made something called Jasmine rice, but instead of using water, I used chicken broth. It gave the rice such nice coloring and flavor. Now, I'm ready for the chicken. You'll notice I did not include peanuts to my version of this dish for which the recipe suggest...my son begged me to skip the peanut part and it's important that he loves the meal as well. Plus, Lucinda did say it was okay! To set the stage for the chicken, I proceed to stir-fry an onion (scallions were missing at the market), the red peppers and garlic. Coated with cornstarch at the last minute, the chicken has finally made it's appearance at the party. While I waited for it to be done, I quickly poured some olive oil in my heated pan, tossed in some minced garlic, and threw in the cleaned spinach. Ten minutes later, I'm helping myself to another serving of everything, minus the salad. The chicken is brimming with flavor, the rice is fluffy and the spinach is tender. Not exactly comfort food, but I took comfort in knowing that I prepared yet another delicious dish, and it sure did hit the spot.
Even though I miss Arron terribly, I'm happy to be cooking up cool cuisine again. Can't wait to see what's in store for tomorrow.
If you'd like to tap into your Asian alternative, click (or cut and paste) the link below.
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/stir-fried-chicken-and-peanuts-mad-hungry
For those that have made this dish WITH the peanuts, I anxious to know if by omitting them I've completely missed the mark.
Please share your experience.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
German Apple Cake
I'm in heaven. Tonight I made this German Apple Cake recipe and it was out of this world. Normally, I'm an out-of-the-box cake maker, but never again. After licking the bowl and my fingers, I was hooked. Of course, my son agreed while he was licking the mixing paddle. From this point forward, I'll be making all my cake batter from scratch. Thank you Lucinda.
With every meal prepared, I learn new and different ways to compliment food...add a little bit of this and a little bit of that and BAM! Fork full of fabulousness. However, I didn't know that it could be done with sugar, cinnamon and lemon. Once I cut the apples, tossed them in the lemon, then added the sugar and cinnamon, I was astounded by the texture, the smell, and the taste. I'm in awe! As I arranged the apple slices coated in this rich cinnamon-sugar mixture, I felt like a pastry chef!
The 45 minutes or so it took for the cake to bake, the aroma floating through the air reminded me of "granny's kitchen." Not my granny of course, but someone's. It took me back to the days when life was simple. When you used to sit on your front porch until 2am hanging out with friends and family. When life was more about living your dreams and less about reality tv. When face to face was more important than Facebook. Oh, the good ole days!
When my walk down memory lane was over, I put my cake to the plate, and sweet heavens. I could close my eye and swear I was in a five star restaurant. It was so good. I ate a third of the cake in one sitting. My grandmother had to stop herself from consuming more than a corner. And my son gave me two thumbs up as he stole the middle piece with the most apple coverage. To top it all off, I had to top it off...with ice cream that is. Yes! There's nothing more fantastic than German Apple Cake and one scoop of butter pecan ice cream. Sigh! That's it! I'm done! There's no debating it. I keep eating like this, and I'm gonna be FAT!!!
Earlier today, since I didn't want the bananas to go to waste, I made Lucinda's Banana Daiquiri. That was very sweet and very yummy. I didn't add as much rum as the recipe called for, but it was still good. It's a nice summery kinda feel good drink. Perfect for the Arizona weather or for those times when you can sit on your front porch, hanging out with your friends and family.
If you want to walk down your own memory lane, click the link below for this recipe.
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/german-apple-cake-mad-hungry
Until we eat again!
Bon Appetit!
With every meal prepared, I learn new and different ways to compliment food...add a little bit of this and a little bit of that and BAM! Fork full of fabulousness. However, I didn't know that it could be done with sugar, cinnamon and lemon. Once I cut the apples, tossed them in the lemon, then added the sugar and cinnamon, I was astounded by the texture, the smell, and the taste. I'm in awe! As I arranged the apple slices coated in this rich cinnamon-sugar mixture, I felt like a pastry chef!
The 45 minutes or so it took for the cake to bake, the aroma floating through the air reminded me of "granny's kitchen." Not my granny of course, but someone's. It took me back to the days when life was simple. When you used to sit on your front porch until 2am hanging out with friends and family. When life was more about living your dreams and less about reality tv. When face to face was more important than Facebook. Oh, the good ole days!
When my walk down memory lane was over, I put my cake to the plate, and sweet heavens. I could close my eye and swear I was in a five star restaurant. It was so good. I ate a third of the cake in one sitting. My grandmother had to stop herself from consuming more than a corner. And my son gave me two thumbs up as he stole the middle piece with the most apple coverage. To top it all off, I had to top it off...with ice cream that is. Yes! There's nothing more fantastic than German Apple Cake and one scoop of butter pecan ice cream. Sigh! That's it! I'm done! There's no debating it. I keep eating like this, and I'm gonna be FAT!!!
Earlier today, since I didn't want the bananas to go to waste, I made Lucinda's Banana Daiquiri. That was very sweet and very yummy. I didn't add as much rum as the recipe called for, but it was still good. It's a nice summery kinda feel good drink. Perfect for the Arizona weather or for those times when you can sit on your front porch, hanging out with your friends and family.
If you want to walk down your own memory lane, click the link below for this recipe.
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/german-apple-cake-mad-hungry
Until we eat again!
Bon Appetit!
Friday, October 15, 2010
The Three "C"s - Curry Chicken, Red Chard and Mango Chutney
Wow. This was a crazy combination to prepare, but I think I pulled it off. However, Top Chef will not be calling.
So, I started with the Curry Chicken, but I did things a little different this time around. Since I had a little mix-up preparing last night's dinner due to hunger and lack of direction (totally on my part), I read the instructions very carefully, even twice this time, then got all my ingredients together. Once I measured out what was necessary for the meal, I proceed to brown my chicken. That, if you ask me, was the best part about the meal. The aroma from the meat searing is divine. I could have stopped right there and been satisfied. Nevertheless, mush! I had a meal to make. Once the chicken was all golden brown, I retired them to a plate to await the concoction of onions, garlic and curry powder. Wow! Talk about senses...woke my nose right up. After that was blended nicely, I added the tomatoes, plus the salt and pepper. Since my local supermarket didn't have a clue as to what a Scotch bonnet pepper was (nor do I for that matter), regular ground pepper was just gonna have to do. Seeing how this recipe did call for "chicken", I returned my earlier browned skinned chicken legs to the pan to soak up all the sauce I just made. I let that simmer for 45 minutes until the meat is tender and get on with my Red Chard recipe.
Just so you know, Red Chard is a foreign object to me. I'm looking like a deer caught in the head lights walking down the produce section wondering...what the hell is a chard and why is it red? Once I finally found it, I was a bit hesitant to purchase for fear of selecting the wrong thing. I know Lucinda's recipe is actually laid out for Callaloo, but she did say it was okay to substitute it for Swiss Chard or Mustard Greens. Swiss Chard, Red Chard...it's all the same thing (so the very inexperienced supermarket associate swears to me). Therefore, with the green light from Lucinda (and a "I'm positive" from the associate), I brought a bushel.
Just like with the ingredients for the Curry Chicken, I laid out everything I needed for the Chard. This to was relatively simple. Threw some oil and butter into my pan, tossed in the onions and scallions and let them do their thing. I added my Chard, salt, pepper, water and covered. Eight minutes later, done! It was just that simple.
Now, here comes the party where I throw caution to the wind and combine all the ingredients necessary for the Mango Chutney. What the hell? Yup, that's what I'm really thinking as I toss mangos, ginger, onion, garlic, red pepper, raisins, sugar, salt, vinegar and water into my sauce pan. I can't believe that what I'm about to make is actually edible. Needless to say, I was amazed by the finish product, but more over, that I, yes me, the chick that just started cooking eight days ago, actually made it! I was proud of myself for being able to venture outside my comfort zone of preparing just the dishes I knew how to pronounce. Honestly, I never heard of Chutney or Chard before this morning. Who knew!
Tonight's meal was very good. The chicken was tasty, the chard was tender, and the chutney was blazing. Chutney, for this chump, is a no-go. However pleasing to the eye, it was too spicy for the tongue. For those that enjoy spicy foods, this Chutneys' for you!
When everything was said and done, I was too hungry to wait any longer for the daiquiri, so tonight I choose my other favorite red wine; Casa Rossa Piedmont by Vino dei Fratelli. Accompany your dish with this wine suggestion. For $10 a bottle, it's worth a try.
If you want to wow your friends and possibly even yourself, click the link below for this recipe.
http://blog.madhungry.com/2010/10/recipes-from-today’s-show-jamaican-dinner.html
Bon Appetit!
So, I started with the Curry Chicken, but I did things a little different this time around. Since I had a little mix-up preparing last night's dinner due to hunger and lack of direction (totally on my part), I read the instructions very carefully, even twice this time, then got all my ingredients together. Once I measured out what was necessary for the meal, I proceed to brown my chicken. That, if you ask me, was the best part about the meal. The aroma from the meat searing is divine. I could have stopped right there and been satisfied. Nevertheless, mush! I had a meal to make. Once the chicken was all golden brown, I retired them to a plate to await the concoction of onions, garlic and curry powder. Wow! Talk about senses...woke my nose right up. After that was blended nicely, I added the tomatoes, plus the salt and pepper. Since my local supermarket didn't have a clue as to what a Scotch bonnet pepper was (nor do I for that matter), regular ground pepper was just gonna have to do. Seeing how this recipe did call for "chicken", I returned my earlier browned skinned chicken legs to the pan to soak up all the sauce I just made. I let that simmer for 45 minutes until the meat is tender and get on with my Red Chard recipe.
Just so you know, Red Chard is a foreign object to me. I'm looking like a deer caught in the head lights walking down the produce section wondering...what the hell is a chard and why is it red? Once I finally found it, I was a bit hesitant to purchase for fear of selecting the wrong thing. I know Lucinda's recipe is actually laid out for Callaloo, but she did say it was okay to substitute it for Swiss Chard or Mustard Greens. Swiss Chard, Red Chard...it's all the same thing (so the very inexperienced supermarket associate swears to me). Therefore, with the green light from Lucinda (and a "I'm positive" from the associate), I brought a bushel.
Just like with the ingredients for the Curry Chicken, I laid out everything I needed for the Chard. This to was relatively simple. Threw some oil and butter into my pan, tossed in the onions and scallions and let them do their thing. I added my Chard, salt, pepper, water and covered. Eight minutes later, done! It was just that simple.
Now, here comes the party where I throw caution to the wind and combine all the ingredients necessary for the Mango Chutney. What the hell? Yup, that's what I'm really thinking as I toss mangos, ginger, onion, garlic, red pepper, raisins, sugar, salt, vinegar and water into my sauce pan. I can't believe that what I'm about to make is actually edible. Needless to say, I was amazed by the finish product, but more over, that I, yes me, the chick that just started cooking eight days ago, actually made it! I was proud of myself for being able to venture outside my comfort zone of preparing just the dishes I knew how to pronounce. Honestly, I never heard of Chutney or Chard before this morning. Who knew!
Tonight's meal was very good. The chicken was tasty, the chard was tender, and the chutney was blazing. Chutney, for this chump, is a no-go. However pleasing to the eye, it was too spicy for the tongue. For those that enjoy spicy foods, this Chutneys' for you!
When everything was said and done, I was too hungry to wait any longer for the daiquiri, so tonight I choose my other favorite red wine; Casa Rossa Piedmont by Vino dei Fratelli. Accompany your dish with this wine suggestion. For $10 a bottle, it's worth a try.
If you want to wow your friends and possibly even yourself, click the link below for this recipe.
http://blog.madhungry.com/2010/10/recipes-from-today’s-show-jamaican-dinner.html
Bon Appetit!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Fish Fillet with Rosemary (Lucinda) and Grilled Scallops (Lanphear)
Okay, excuse me if my words are spelled incorrectly or my grammar is improper because I'm still floating on cloud nine after having prepared this dish.
OMG! Where do I start? Okay. So I knew I was going to make this dish tonight instead of the German Sausages with Apples, Sauerkraut, and Onions that Lucinda prepared on today's show because my mouth was still watering from the fish episode. When the fish hit the pan, it was love at first sight. I dreamt about my first bite.
I already put my family on notice in regards to the menu for tonight, but while in route to boxing practice with my 13 year old son and his annoying ipod at max volume, he screamed "scallops mom, scallops." So snapper and scallops was the meal I prepared.
First I got the scallops seasoned and placed in my very hot frying pan laced with olive oil. Funny how all this time I thought the trick to grilling up scallops was butter. Nope! The butter just makes the scallops stick to the pan. While my scallops are soaking up the olive oil, I pull out my other pan, heat it up, then proceed to get the red snapper seasoned, and dredged. For those of you new to the cooking world like myself, "dredge", really means "to coat". To give my fish a little extra kick, I like to season my flour with italian bread crumbs, salt, pepper and some paprika. So, after I mixed my spices, I sprinkled some onto the fish, pat it around, turned it over to do the other side, then shook off the excess. Now, my frying pan is hot and ready for oil and fish.
As I let the fish get nice and brown I dig out the garlic, white wine, black olives, rosemary, and butter. Because I was hungry, but mainly because I didn't read the directions thoroughly, I made the mistake of adding the garlic, wine, olives, and rosemary before I flipped the fish to cook on the other side. Not to worry though...you can't really mess up this easy dish. I just stirred the ingredients around, let it cook for a minute or two, then flipped the fish. I didn't get any complaints. It was all good...trust me.
So while I let the fish continue to brown, I turned my scallops over so they can get grilled on the other side. Yummy! The aroma is floating around like circles of smoke in the air. Another four minutes and I'm ready to plate. Here comes the best part!
At first I didn't quite understand what the butter was for. I was thinking...all this olive oil and I still need butter. Lord have mercy! Nevertheless, I plated the fish, added the butter to that same frying pan with all the fish drippings and presto! That sealed the deal! I soaked the fish drippings and butter sauce all over everything. I'm on a butter high right now. I gathered up my scallops, laid them next to my fish and done! This all time favorite dish was accompanied with a salad and that oh-so-yummy-three-mustard vinaigrette from yesterday's dinner. Tonight I added my favorite glass of red wine called Adesso to enhance the flavors even more. Trifecta! Fish, Scallops and Wine.
Before I go, I must add that the peanut butter rice krispies I made yesterday was a huge hit at my son's school. When I went to pick him up, he got in the car so excited about the line the kids made, not only to partake of Lucinda's delicious recipe, but also to give him some attention. Go figure!
To add some deliciousness to your family, click the link below for this recipe.
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/fish-fillet-with-rosemary-mad-hungry
Bon Appetit!
OMG! Where do I start? Okay. So I knew I was going to make this dish tonight instead of the German Sausages with Apples, Sauerkraut, and Onions that Lucinda prepared on today's show because my mouth was still watering from the fish episode. When the fish hit the pan, it was love at first sight. I dreamt about my first bite.
I already put my family on notice in regards to the menu for tonight, but while in route to boxing practice with my 13 year old son and his annoying ipod at max volume, he screamed "scallops mom, scallops." So snapper and scallops was the meal I prepared.
First I got the scallops seasoned and placed in my very hot frying pan laced with olive oil. Funny how all this time I thought the trick to grilling up scallops was butter. Nope! The butter just makes the scallops stick to the pan. While my scallops are soaking up the olive oil, I pull out my other pan, heat it up, then proceed to get the red snapper seasoned, and dredged. For those of you new to the cooking world like myself, "dredge", really means "to coat". To give my fish a little extra kick, I like to season my flour with italian bread crumbs, salt, pepper and some paprika. So, after I mixed my spices, I sprinkled some onto the fish, pat it around, turned it over to do the other side, then shook off the excess. Now, my frying pan is hot and ready for oil and fish.
As I let the fish get nice and brown I dig out the garlic, white wine, black olives, rosemary, and butter. Because I was hungry, but mainly because I didn't read the directions thoroughly, I made the mistake of adding the garlic, wine, olives, and rosemary before I flipped the fish to cook on the other side. Not to worry though...you can't really mess up this easy dish. I just stirred the ingredients around, let it cook for a minute or two, then flipped the fish. I didn't get any complaints. It was all good...trust me.
So while I let the fish continue to brown, I turned my scallops over so they can get grilled on the other side. Yummy! The aroma is floating around like circles of smoke in the air. Another four minutes and I'm ready to plate. Here comes the best part!
At first I didn't quite understand what the butter was for. I was thinking...all this olive oil and I still need butter. Lord have mercy! Nevertheless, I plated the fish, added the butter to that same frying pan with all the fish drippings and presto! That sealed the deal! I soaked the fish drippings and butter sauce all over everything. I'm on a butter high right now. I gathered up my scallops, laid them next to my fish and done! This all time favorite dish was accompanied with a salad and that oh-so-yummy-three-mustard vinaigrette from yesterday's dinner. Tonight I added my favorite glass of red wine called Adesso to enhance the flavors even more. Trifecta! Fish, Scallops and Wine.
Before I go, I must add that the peanut butter rice krispies I made yesterday was a huge hit at my son's school. When I went to pick him up, he got in the car so excited about the line the kids made, not only to partake of Lucinda's delicious recipe, but also to give him some attention. Go figure!
To add some deliciousness to your family, click the link below for this recipe.
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/fish-fillet-with-rosemary-mad-hungry
Bon Appetit!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Baked Chicken and Mustard Glaze
Today I attempted to not only make the Baked Chicken with Mustard Glaze, but I also got a little ambitious and made the Hash Browns, the Three Mustard Glaze and the salad vinaigrette. Oh, lest not forget...the Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Cookies as well.
Let me just say, it's absolutely okay to not have all the ingredients. I substituted the three mustards for just one. I went to Wal-mart to find the whole grain and maple mustards, but no such luck. Plus, with three jars of mustard in my refrigerator (that I just recently cleaned since starting my cooking quest), I figured why let them go to waste...so I just used the one I had, which happened to be Dijon. With that aside, I was ready to rock and roll.
While I was at Wal-mart, I marinated the chicken in the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and herbs for an hour as suggested. It was the most savory mixture marinate that I've ever seen...and tasty too! If it tasted good plain, I just knew it would be delicious on the chicken. After about an hour in the fridge, I placed the chicken in the olive oil covered pan, wrapped it up and stuck it in the oven. I figured while I was in the chicken mood, I'd start the glaze just to have on hand. No lie when I say, I could have eaten the mustard glaze right out of the bowl. It's to die for!
While the chicken was getting its bake on, the glaze had been whisked into perfection, and I had all the ingredients needed for the mustard vinaigrette, I got busy. Oh my, once I mixed it all together, I was surprised at the creamy texture and flavor that just lingered in the air. This was the first time in years I was excited about a salad. Oh, I couldn't wait to get my munch on.
With the salad dressing chilled in the fridge, I proceed to get the potatoes boiling. That was a no brainer. At the same time, I got my large sauce pan out and poured the ingredients together for the Peanut Butter Rice Krispies. I didn't know sugar could do that! By the time I poured in the rice krispies, I was licking the wooden spoon. I poured the mixture into my 9x12 parchment covered pan, distributed throughout and waited for it to cool. Heaven help you if you are a peanut butter lover. These delectables can't stay in my house. Once this blog is complete, I will pack up several zip lock bags full of these pb treats for my son to take to school. Unless I don't want my husband to be able to tell the difference between me and Santa this Christmas, THEY HAVE TO GO!
Okay, so let's recap. The glaze is done, the vinaigrette is chilling, the rice krispies are cooling, and my potatoes are ready to be shredded. That dish was simple and oh so yummy. I cut my onions, laid in my potatoes and puff, deliciousness has arrived! I was even able to flip my frying pan over just like Calder did. Wish I had a camera ready! (ummmmmmm, now that's a thought) However, when it was all done, it broke apart when I was trying to get it from the pan to the plate.;-( Did you think that would stop me from consuming it? Hell to the NO! It took everything I had to keep my fork to myself.
In between flips, I checked on the chicken. More than 25 minutes passed and it didn't look anything like what I saw on tv this morning. No fear, I flipped it over and continued cooking. After about another 10 or so minutes, still not as cooked as I preferred, I spread the glaze over the chicken then popped it down in the broiler for 5 minutes. Since I love my chicken really done, I turned it over, coated that side with glaze too and gave it a few more minutes. Needless to say, when it was all done, it was a golden brown crispiness with honey dripping off the sides. Have m-e-r-c-y!
This combination of chicken, potatoes and salad was just the comfort food that the doctor ordered. All it was missing was a drink. Any ideas for something light and refreshing...with or without alcohol?
Let me just say, it's absolutely okay to not have all the ingredients. I substituted the three mustards for just one. I went to Wal-mart to find the whole grain and maple mustards, but no such luck. Plus, with three jars of mustard in my refrigerator (that I just recently cleaned since starting my cooking quest), I figured why let them go to waste...so I just used the one I had, which happened to be Dijon. With that aside, I was ready to rock and roll.
While I was at Wal-mart, I marinated the chicken in the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and herbs for an hour as suggested. It was the most savory mixture marinate that I've ever seen...and tasty too! If it tasted good plain, I just knew it would be delicious on the chicken. After about an hour in the fridge, I placed the chicken in the olive oil covered pan, wrapped it up and stuck it in the oven. I figured while I was in the chicken mood, I'd start the glaze just to have on hand. No lie when I say, I could have eaten the mustard glaze right out of the bowl. It's to die for!
While the chicken was getting its bake on, the glaze had been whisked into perfection, and I had all the ingredients needed for the mustard vinaigrette, I got busy. Oh my, once I mixed it all together, I was surprised at the creamy texture and flavor that just lingered in the air. This was the first time in years I was excited about a salad. Oh, I couldn't wait to get my munch on.
With the salad dressing chilled in the fridge, I proceed to get the potatoes boiling. That was a no brainer. At the same time, I got my large sauce pan out and poured the ingredients together for the Peanut Butter Rice Krispies. I didn't know sugar could do that! By the time I poured in the rice krispies, I was licking the wooden spoon. I poured the mixture into my 9x12 parchment covered pan, distributed throughout and waited for it to cool. Heaven help you if you are a peanut butter lover. These delectables can't stay in my house. Once this blog is complete, I will pack up several zip lock bags full of these pb treats for my son to take to school. Unless I don't want my husband to be able to tell the difference between me and Santa this Christmas, THEY HAVE TO GO!
Okay, so let's recap. The glaze is done, the vinaigrette is chilling, the rice krispies are cooling, and my potatoes are ready to be shredded. That dish was simple and oh so yummy. I cut my onions, laid in my potatoes and puff, deliciousness has arrived! I was even able to flip my frying pan over just like Calder did. Wish I had a camera ready! (ummmmmmm, now that's a thought) However, when it was all done, it broke apart when I was trying to get it from the pan to the plate.;-( Did you think that would stop me from consuming it? Hell to the NO! It took everything I had to keep my fork to myself.
In between flips, I checked on the chicken. More than 25 minutes passed and it didn't look anything like what I saw on tv this morning. No fear, I flipped it over and continued cooking. After about another 10 or so minutes, still not as cooked as I preferred, I spread the glaze over the chicken then popped it down in the broiler for 5 minutes. Since I love my chicken really done, I turned it over, coated that side with glaze too and gave it a few more minutes. Needless to say, when it was all done, it was a golden brown crispiness with honey dripping off the sides. Have m-e-r-c-y!
This combination of chicken, potatoes and salad was just the comfort food that the doctor ordered. All it was missing was a drink. Any ideas for something light and refreshing...with or without alcohol?
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