Baked Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

Great sauce for chicken, especially simple baked or pan-fried chicken breast: Chef Mommy: Baked Chicken with Mushroom Sauce.

Stovetop popcorn

Finally made stove top popcorn today! So easy and way more fun than the bagged version :) used this recipe but looking forward to coming up with variations.

Coconut Oil Popcorn on the Stove Top

You can use coconut oil, or butter or a mixture of the two. If you want just a small, easy snack 2 Tbsp of dry popcorn kernels make 1 Quart of popcorn.

Coconut Oil Popcorn

makes about 2 1/2 quarts (10 cups)
1/3 cup organic popcorn kernels
3 Tbsp coconut oil
2 Tbsp grass-fed butter
salt to taste

I use a very heavy bottomed, stainless steel stock pot with a lid for this recipe. I think just about any heavy pot will do (including heavy frying pans).

Place coconut oil, popcorn kernels and butter in pot. Turn heat to medium-high and place lid on pot. Every 10 seconds or so shake the pot to avoid burnt popcorn. Once the popcorn starts to pop, you can stop shaking. There will be a fast burst of popping, after that turn off the heat and let it finish popping. Remove lid and add salt to taste.

Squash and Cabbage.. something

I'm not sure there is name for this, nor do I think there needs to be a name for every dish. I've been trying to make the most of the organic vegetables I get from my farmshare, and I think this is one of those dishes I could actually eat with rice as a meal and be really satisfied.


Yellow Squash and Red Cabbage Dish

Ingredients:
1 green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
2 medium yellow summer squash, cut into chunks
1 small head of red cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup of shredded carrot
kosher salt
white pepper
black pepper
onion flakes or powder
garlic powder
celery seeds

(I can't offer any measurements for the spices because I didn't use any! I would say use the garlic powder and celery seeds sparingly.)

Heat a deep pot on medium-high. Add the green pepper, then the squash. Saute the squash until it softens a bit, and then add the cabbage and carrot. Season with spices, add 1/4 of water, and simmer on low for 10-15 min until cabbage is cooked. If there's still water, turn the heat back to medium-high and stir fry till the mixture is dry. Serve over rice, with some soy sauce if you like.

Quick dinner recipe

I've been looking for quick recipes that won't smell up the kitchen in my on-the-market house the way my homecooking usually does. Came across this one and looking forward to trying it out tonight.

Dad's Roast Chicken -- My Way with a Parsley Lemon Juice Oil



Recipe courtesy Dave Lieberman

Prep Time:20 min
Inactive Prep Time:--
Cook Time:40 min
Level:Easy
Serves:3 to 4 servings.

Ingredients:

For the chicken:
1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken cut in 8 serving pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
Olive oil, for drizzling
The rind of 1/2 lemon, zested

For the parsley drizzle:
1/2 bunch parsley
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degree F.

Trim off any excess skin or fat from the chicken. Cut off and discard the wing tips. Place the chicken pieces in an 11 by 13-inch baking pan, or any pan that that they fit in without crowding. Season the chicken pieces generously with salt, pepper, olive oil, the herbs, and the lemon zest. Toss through all the seasonings and then arrange the chicken piece skin side up in the pan. You can season the chicken pieces and set them up in the roaster up to a day before you cook them. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Roast until the skin is nicely browned and there is no pink near the thigh bone and the juices run clear, about 35 to 40 minutes. Check both white meat and dark meat. If the white meat is done before the dark meat, take it out and set it on the serving plate until the dark meat is done.

For the parsley drizzle, wash and dry the parsley. Remove the leaves from the stems and chop the leaves finely. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and use immediately to garnish the roast chicken.

Bottle gourd and shrimp: Bangla classic

A relative was kind enough to share some of the surplus from their wonderful garden this week. Lau, or bottlegourd, is one of my favorite veggies and my mom makes a delicious dish with it and shrimp. I found a similar recipe online and had a yummy home cooked meal that reminded me of home. http://weekendtongueteaser.blogspot.com/2012/03/bangla-classic-lau-chingri-shrimp-with.html?m=1

Ingredients:

1 medium Lau/Bottlegourd (approx. 3 to 4 cups)- Peeled and cut into chunky cubes
2 cups of shrimp
1 cup of onion
1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric
1/2 a teaspoon of garlic paste
3/4 of a teaspoon of coriander powder
4 to 5 green chilies
2 tablespoon of chopped green coriander leaves
2 to 3 tablespoon of oil
Salt to taste

Cooking process:

First, fry the onions till golden brown. After that, put the turmeric, coriander powder and garlic paste in. Then, as the spices are mixed in nicely, throw in the shrimps and cook them till they turn pink(for 2 to 3 minutes). Once done, throw in the Lau/Bottlegourd. Bottlegourd contains a lot of moisture, so, no need to put in extra water. Put salt and put the lid on and let it cook till the bottlegourd becomes absolutely tender. Now, if your bottlegourd gives you trouble in becoming tender, you can put some water. When the bottlegourd becomes tender and the gravy has reached a nice thick consistency, put the green chilies and the coriander leaves in.

Finally, serve it with steamed rice and enjoy this classic Bangla comfort food.

Pasta with Tomatoes and Mozzarella

Fusilli alla Caprese
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis .
Prep Time:10 min
Inactive Prep Time: --
Cook Time:10 min
Level:Easy
Serves:4 to 6 servings.
Ingredients
1 pound fusilli pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered (about 1 1/2 pints)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, torn
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced (about 1 1/4 cups)

Directions Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta into a large bowl and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. In a medium skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. As the tomatoes cook and soften, smash them with a fork. Continue to cook until the tomatoes make a chunky style sauce, about 4 minutes. Transfer the tomato sauce to the bowl with the pasta. Toss to combine. Add the basil leaves and mozzarella. Stir to combine. Add the reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, until the pasta is moist. Serve.

Onion chicken curry

Saute 3 onions sliced, with salt and pepper and evoo.

Add chicken cubed and lots of turmeric.

Add 2 -3 cups water, All Spice, 1/3 tsp cardomom, Nutmeg, More salt and pepper, and turmeric.

Let boil until chicken is done.

Serve over rice and top with toasted almond slices if desired.


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Lentil Salad

I'm used to having soupy lentils, so I thought this was a novel and healthy idea. Made it for a potluck and it seems to have been popular. I liked the acidity, though my husband didn't. To each his own :) On a side note, a cherry pitter is the absolute perfect thing to remove the pits of olives!! It's like magic, I swear.

For this recipe, I used the small brown lentils. I did brine my lentils, and as promised they kept their shape beautifully.



Lentil Salad with Olives, Mint, and Feta. (from Cook's Illustrated)
Serves 4 to 6
French green lentils, or Lentilles du Puy, are our preferred choice for this recipe, but it works with any type of lentil except red or yellow. Brining helps keep the lentils intact, but if you don't have time, they'll still taste good. The salad can be served warm or at room temperature.

Ingredients
1 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed
Salt and pepper
6 cups water
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
5 garlic cloves, lightly crushed and peeled
1 bay leaf
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pitted kalamata olives
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 large shallot, minced
1 ounce feta cheese, crumbled (1/4 cup)

Instructions
1. Place lentils and 1 teaspoon salt in bowl. Cover with 4 cups warm water (about 110 degrees) and soak for 1 hour. Drain well. (Drained lentils can be refrigerated for up to 2 days before cooking.)

2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Place drained lentils, 2 cups water, broth, garlic, bay leaf, and ½ teaspoon salt in medium saucepan. Cover and bake until lentils are tender but remain intact, 40 to 60 minutes. Mean-while, whisk oil and vinegar together in large bowl.

3. Drain lentils well; remove and discard garlic and bay leaf. Add drained lentils, olives, mint, and shallot to dressing and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to serving dish, sprinkle with feta, and serve.

Poached Salmon with Herb and Caper Vinagrette

This was so delicious, and the salmon was truly silky in taste. I want to have salmon every night after this...

Poached Salmon with Herb and Caper Vinagrette.
Published May 1, 2008. From Cook's Illustrated.


Serves 4
To ensure even-sized pieces of fish, we prefer to buy a whole center-cut fillet and cut it into four pieces. If a skinless whole fillet is unavailable, follow the recipe as directed with a skin-on fillet, adding 3 to 4 minutes to the cooking time in step 2. Remove the skin after cooking (see instructions below). This recipe will yield salmon fillets cooked to medium. If you prefer rare salmon (translucent in the center), reduce the cooking time by 2 minutes, or until the salmon registers 110 degrees in the thickest part.

Ingredients
2 lemons
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves , stems reserved
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves , stems reserved
2 small shallots , minced (about 4 tablespoons)
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
1 skinless salmon fillet (1 3/4 to 2 pounds), about 1 1/2 inches at thickest part, white membrane removed, fillet cut crosswise into 4 equal pieces (see note)
2 tablespoons capers , rinsed and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions
1. Cut top and bottom off 1 lemon; cut into 8 to ten 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut remaining lemon into 8 wedges and set aside. Arrange lemon slices in single layer across bottom of 12-inch skillet. Scatter herb stems and 2 tablespoons minced shallots evenly over lemon slices. Add water and vinegar.

2. Place salmon fillets in skillet, skinned-side down, on top of lemon slices. Set pan over high heat and bring liquid to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until sides are opaque but center of thickest part is still translucent (or until instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part registers 125 degrees), 9 to 14 minutes. Remove pan from heat and, using spatula, carefully transfer salmon and lemon slices to paper towel-lined plate and tent loosely with foil.

3. Return pan to high heat and simmer cooking liquid until slightly thickened and reduced to 2 tablespoons, 4 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine remaining 2 tablespoons shallots, chopped herbs, capers, honey, and olive oil in medium bowl. Strain reduced cooking liquid through fine-mesh strainer into bowl with herb-caper mixture, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Whisk to combine; season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Season salmon lightly with salt and pepper. Using spatula, carefully lift and tilt salmon fillets to remove lemon slices. Place salmon on serving platter or individual plates and spoon vinaigrette over top. Serve, passing reserved lemon wedges separately.

Mom's Nite Out