Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Garlic and Citrus Chicken

I'd post a photo, but ... we ate it all before I could do so. Sorry.

From Jen's kitchen:

Whole fryer chicken
olive oil
salt & pepper
whole bunch of garlic
whole orange
whole lemon (lime or grapefruit work in a pinch)
orange juice
chicken broth

Preheat oven to 400*, put rack in middle. Remove innards from chicken and salt and pepper the inside of the bird. Cut up an orange and lemon and cut the whole garlic bunch in half across the top. Put the citrus fruit and garlic into the cavity of the bird. Rub the bird with a little olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Put it in the oven. Roast the chicken for about 1 to 1.5 hours until thermometer inserted in thigh reaches 170*, and baste the bird every 20 minutes or so, alternating between broth and orange juice for the basting liquid.

If you have extra time to make the gravy (it's really good), about half-way through take some of the pan juices from the bird and put them in a pan. Add about 2T of butter (to about 1/2 to 1c of pan juices), and add about 1-2T of flour. For extra zing, add about 2t of OJ to the pan. Stir until mixed, adding extra chicken broth to thin. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour over your chicken.

Monday, March 19, 2007

i am lame

so it is me Amy, who posted the salmon and garlic appetizer dish-I forgot to put my name....aren't you proud???

Roasted Garlic Appetizer

Oh my God! You will have an orgasm upon first bite! BEWARE! You may have to add a little more of these ingredients-just watch while you cook-you cannot go wrong!

4 whole garlic heads
2 TBS. Olive Oil
2 TBS. fresh thyme
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup finely chopped sundried tomatoes
4 oz. goat cheese
loaf of french, sourdough, or italian bread
fresh thyme

Peel outer paper off garlic heads-as much as you can. Slice the top off so some of the heads are showing. Arrange in an 8x8 baking dish. Drizzle olive oil on garlic. Sprinkle with thyme and pepper. Pour broth into pan. Sprinkle dried tomatoes around garlic. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 min or until garlic is tender...KEEP BASTING with chicken broth and add more if it gets too dry. Uncover. Add goat cheese...bake uncovered about 10 min or unril cheese softens...Serve with sliced bread and either spread onto bread as you go or just tear and dip!!!!!

Barbeque Roasted Salmon

This has been an easy favorite in our house ever sincewe got married-great as leftovers too!!!

Serves:4

1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 TBS. fresh lemon juice
4 (6 oz) wild salmon fillets
2 TBS. brown sugar
4 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. grated lemon rind
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
cooking spray

1.) Combine first three ingredients in a cip-lock bag, seal, and marinade in refrigerator at least an hour.
2.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees
3.) Remove fish from bag, discard marinade. Combine next five ingredients (sugar-cinnamon) in a bowl. Rub over fish; place in a 11 x17 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 min or until fish flakes...
4.) Serve with lemon slices

Friday, March 16, 2007

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

From Andrea's Kitchen
One tip, anything I make generally does not have measurements...ask anyone that has tried to make my scrumptious hummus. I am going on what I think I put in last night. The sugar and honey are the only things I am sure of because I did not want to use too much. Adjust to taste!
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10 oz baby spinach
6 strawberries
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp sugar (I use sugar in the raw)
1 tsp honey
(you could probably use one or the other, but I like the combination of flavors)
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Slice strawberries and toss in with spinach. In a separate dish, mix liquid ingredients and sugar. Whisk vigorously then toss in with spinach and strawberries and serve! Tasty!!
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Sunday, March 11, 2007

The Breakfast Detective's Super-Easy Quiche

From Sgt. Jill Friday's Kitchen.......The Breakfast Detective
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Frozen deep dish pie crust (or make your own)
2 cups grated cheese - swiss, cheddar, your choice
5 eggs - beaten
1 cup plain lowfat yogurt
1 can sm. mushrooms, or chicken, ham, sausage or veggies!
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Place meat or veggies in bottom of crust. Cover with grated cheese. Beat eggs together -- Add one cup of yogurt & mix well. Pour over cheese and filling. Bake for 45 min to 1 hour at 350-degrees.
I love to load it up with mushrooms, but I also love broccoli & cheddar, sausage and green peppers, or ham and red peppers. I try to only use veggies if I know it will get eaten right away because they don't taste as good in the leftovers. If I'm feeling ambitious, sometimes I put foil over the crust so it doesn't burn or get too brown, but the crust is not my favorite part, so usually I don't bother.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Blog Links

Ok all,
I have been doing some exploring and I am definitely going to start trying for more pictures. Check out some of our new links I found. I am making most of the recipes you guys have put up while Ben's folks are here, so we will photo them. I am inspired!!

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Italian Market Meat Loaf

From Andrea's Kitchen thanks to the Pampered Chef "It's good for you" cookbook:
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1 package (3oz) Sun Dried Tomatoes (dry pack)
2 1/2 lbs 99% lean ground turkey breast
1 c chopped onion
1 c fine bread crumbs (Italian)
1/2 cup )2oz) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 c snipped fresh Italian parsley (coarsely chopped)
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
1 egg
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 c red currant jelly
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1. Preheat oven to 375*. Cover sun dried tomatoes with boiling water and let stand 10 minutes. Drain and coarsely chop.
2. Combine all ingredients using only 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce in a large bowl and mix lightly. Form into loaf pan and bake 1 hour.
3. While baking, melt jelly in a microwave safe dish for 15 seconds at a time until it is smooth (stirring between each interval). Add the tomato sauce. Spoon over the loaf and bake 10 minutes more or until the loaf reaches and internal temperature of 160*. let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Friday, March 2, 2007

Cilantro Pesto Chichen Tenders

Posted by Kelly

2 pounds of chicken breast tenders (chicken cutlets work good)
1 lime, cut into wedges

Marinade

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped walnuts
2 medium garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
1/2 cup looselyl packed fresh Italian parsley leaves and tender stems
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

To make the marinade: In a food processor, finely chop the walnuts and garlic. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the cilantro, parsley, salt, and pepper and process until finely chopped. With the motor running, slowly add the oil to create a smooth puree.

Place the chicken in a large zip lock bag and add the marinade. Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Turn/shake the bag to distribute the marinade and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Remove the chicken from the bag and thread onto skewers. Grill (bbq is best) over Direct High heat until the meat is firm and the juices run clear, 6-8 minutes, turning once.

Serve warm with the lime wedges.


Last time I made this I only use 1 pound of chicken and saved half the pesto in the fridge, and used it a few days later to marinade shrimp.