Spiced Chicken with Shallots & Grapes

What I've fixed was significantly inspired by a recipe in Cooking Light.  I didn't have exactly the ingredients they indicated, and substituted a few things.  Also, the photo is my "reduced for one serving" prep of the recipe; the amounts below will feed at least 4, up to 6.

Ingredients
1-2 T olive oil
s & p
2 lb chicken pieces (about 1½ lb if boneless)
2 C seedless red grapes
1 C shallots, sliced
1 t cardamom
¼ t cumin
1/8  t cayenne
1 C chicken stock
2 T red wine vinegar
1 T butter
chopped parsley

Directions
Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet; sear chicken until golden brown on both sides. Remove chicken from skillet; if needed, finish cooking chicken (to an internal temperature of 165°F) in the oven, covered.

Add shallots to hot skillet, stirring until soft and translucent. Add grapes; cook, stirring or shaking pan occasionally, until skins are somewhat charred and beginning to burst. Add cardamom, cumin, cayenne, stock and vinegar; cook until reduced by almost half. Add butter; season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Return chicken to skillet - presentation side up - to warm through. Garnish with chopped parsley just before serving.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread II

I already have a recipe for a honey-wheat bread, which is delicious. It has three different windows for rising and proofing. This version cuts it down to just two, one of which is only about half an hour. That may not be ideal for great textured bread, but working with students and classes that meet for little more than an hour a day...multiple rising and proofing steps present a challenge to fit into our schedule. So this will likely be the better option for that reason.

Ingredients:
1 T regular active dry yeast
¼ C warm water (105-115°F)
½ C honey
¼ C butter, softened
1 T salt
2½ C very warm water (120-130°F)
4½ C whole wheat flour
3 C AP flour

Directions
Dissolve yeast in ¼ C warm water (105-115°F). Let stand 5 minutes.

Blend in next 4 ingredients (honey, butter, salt, water). Add 3 cups whole wheat flour, stirring (or blending in electric mixer with dough hook attachment) until flour is thoroughly incorporated.

Add remaining whole wheat flour and AP flour a little at a time until dough pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. Knead 5-10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Grease a large bowl with non-stick spray or a bit of oil; turn dough in bowl to coat all sides. Cover; let rise in a warm place about 40 minutes, until doubled in size.

Coat 2 loaf pans with non-stick spray. Divide dough in half. Briefly knead to deflate, shaping dough into loaves. Place dough in pans; cover and let rise about 40 minutes again until doubled in size.

Heat oven to 375°F. Bake loaves 30 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 350°F; continue baking another 15 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pans immediately to cooling racks.

Herbed Chevre Spread (or dip)

Depending on how much cream you add, this can be left as a thicker spread, or a looser dip. Suit yourself and your needs for the menu! (Note: the photo isn't mine - it's borrowed off the internet; I forgot to snap a picture when I last made this! Next time...)

Ingredients
3 - 6 T heavy cream
6 oz chevre, softened
3 - 4 T fresh herbs, finely chopped
     (rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, parsley, dill...*)
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 T lemon zest
s & p -- sea salt and freshly ground peppercorns recommended

* Any of these, and other, herbs will work, but maybe not all of them at once; too many and the flavors may get muddled.

Directions
In a small bowl, whip 3 T cream to soft peaks. Blend with chevre.  Stir in garlic, shallot, herbs and lemon zest. Season to taste with salt & pepper. If a looser dip is desired, thin with additional cream to desired consistency.

Serve with crackers, sliced vegetables, crostini...

Beef & Cheese Stuffed Manicotti

I can't imagine how this recipe hasn't gotten onto my blog earlier. Probably because it's easy to alter and adjust the stuffing with various ingredients, and I often make it without following any exact recipe. 

Ingredients
1 onion, diced
1 - 2 T olive oil
1 - 1½ lbs hamburger
s & p
½ green pepper, diced
½ red pepper, diced
3 - 5 garlic cloves, minced
32 oz ricotta cheese
8 oz grated parmesan (or cheddar, or other firm cheese)
8 oz sour cream
2 T Italian herbs - store bought mix, or your own favorites
64 oz spaghetti sauce
8-12 oz shredded mozzarella

Directions
Heat oil in skillet; add onions and cook until translucent. Add hamburger, cook until thoroughly browned. Salt and pepper to taste. (I often use garlic salt or onion salt for added flavor, and usually choose crushed red pepper flakes instead of black pepper.) Add garlic and diced peppers; heat through until very fragrant. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine ricotta, grated parmesan, sour cream and herbs.  Once beef and vegetables are cooled -- just enough so as not to melt cheeses -- combine them with ricotta mixture.

Pour a layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish. Stuff uncooked manicotti noodles, arranging them in the baking dish. Pour more spaghetti sauce over noodles; a second layer of stuffed manicotti may be added, or use a second casserole dish. Top with another layer of spaghetti sauce; sprinkle shredded mozzarella over tops.

Bake 1 hour at 325°F.
Casserole can also be frozen, and baked later.

Easy Soft Pretzels

These were always a fun favorite with my sister and brother and I when we were young. We weren't very good at twisting them into a traditional pretzel knot, but eagerly ate them up even if all we could manage were pretzel 'logs'.

Ingredients
1 pkg yeast
1 T sugar
1½ C warm water
4 C flour
2 t salt
1 egg, beaten
Optional: additional coarse salt for sprinkling

Directions
Mix yeast and sugar with warm water; let stand 5-10 minutes until bubbly. Add flour and salt, kneading until smooth and elastic. Shape on ungreased cookie sheet (lined with parchment for easy clean up!) Brush with beaten egg; sprinkle with coarse salt, if desired.

Let pretzel rest while oven preheats to 400°F. Bake 15 minutes (more or less depending on thickness of pretzel shapes) or until golden.

Serve with yellow mustard.

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients
3 eggs
2 C sugar
3 t vanilla
1 C oil
2 C zucchini, shredded
3 C flour
½ t baking powder
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
optional: 2 C chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat 2 loaf pans (9x5) with non-stick cooking spray; line with parchment paper if desired.

Beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, vanilla and oil, blending well. Stir in zucchini.

In another bowl, combine dry ingredients; blend into zucchini-egg mixture. If desired, fold in chocolate chips.

Pour into prepared pans. Bake 1 hour.

Downton Abbey Smoked Salmon Mousse

My good friend Gayleen and I recently exchanged Christmas gifts (belated, but no less appreciated). We have both enjoyed Downton Abbey, and she knows I love to cook, so this is what I got:

I tried out a couple recipes today. Since the Smoked Salmon Mousse recipe is already a page posted on Barnes & Nobles' website, I suppose there's no copyright infringement in including it here as well. Besides, as a teaser, it may entice you to invest in the book itself. Photo of MY preparation of the recipe (at right) -- I had crackers on hand, not crostini this time. Photo of the recipe in the book (...with silver platter and crystal goblet!) is below.


Note: I'm not sure why it's called Smoked Salmon Mousse as there's nothing smoked or smokey in it (aside from the fact that the paprika I have in my pantry happens to be smoked paprika)...though I'm inspired to try smoked salmon instead of poached the next time I make this as that sounds delicious!

With recipes for upstairs service, downstairs dishes, and a whole section on Afternoon Tea at Downton, I'm anxious to try more!

Thanks, Gayleen! :)

Downton Abbey Cookbook: Crawley Sisters' Stuffed Mushrooms

This is another recipe from the Downton Abbey cookbook I got for Christmas...

Salted Caramel Sauce with Bourbon

I already have a basic caramel sauce -- buttery, lightly salted, fairly thick. I LIKE it. But I was intrigued by a couple others I've seen lately. The bourbon in this one is very apparent. I like bourbon, but...not sure if I like it this much in my caramel sauce because I LIKE my caramel! But depending on what I'm serving it over, that might be a nice twist.

This recipe comes from the Food Network magazine: Cook 1 1/2 C sugar and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, swirling the pan but not stirring, until dark amber, about 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in 1 C heavy cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. Whisk in 2  tablespoons bourbon. Let cool completely; transfer to jars to refrigerate. Makes about 2 cups.

Lavender & Fleur de sel Caramel Sauce

After making the Salted Caramel Sauce with Bourbon which had a good kick from the bourbon, I tried out this lavender & fleur de sel version. In this one, I could use a bit more lavender; it's there, but it's subtle. It's always a risk, bumping up florals; you don't want it to taste like soap or a mouthful of perfume. But next time with this one, I'd bump up the lavender a bit, or maybe just smash them up more before adding them to release more flavors.

The original recipe for this one is from Martha Stewart:
Heat 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, and 1/4 cup corn syrup in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves, 3 to 4 minutes. Bring to a boil, and cook, washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming, until medium amber, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and add 3/4 cup heavy cream. Return to heat. Cook, stirring, until combined. Remove from heat, and stir in 5 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon lavender, and 1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel. Let stand for 15 minutes. Strain. 

Granita

A Fresh & Frosty Happy New Year to you! (new DECADE)

Simple is sweet. You can dress up a granita, or just go 'naked'. Sometimes simple and classic is just as good. In it's simplest form a granita is nothing more than frozen fruit juice (That's it; your complete ingredient list is fruit juice. I used cran-raspberry). As it freezes, the juice is raked with a fork about every 30 minutes so it sets up in large chunky crystals...a classic frozen dessert easy to make withOUT an ice cream maker!

Dress it up if you want...go for mixed fruit juice flavors; add a splash of lemon or lime to brighten sweeter juices with a touch of zestiness; add a little extra sweetness from sugar, honey, maple or another syrup; or add herbs or spices -- even a kick of chile or pepper. Splash in some liquor if you want, but don't go too heavy handed since too much alcohol will keep it from freezing.

Have fun experimenting!

Caramelized Onion Dip

Ingredients
1 T oil
1 large sweet onion
8 oz cream cheese, softened
¾ C sour cream
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ t garlic salt
½ t onion powder
pinch pepper
1 scallion

Directions
Thinly slice the onion. Sauté the onion in oil until it browns (5-7 minutes). Stir in ½ cup water, gently scraping up any browned bits from the pan. Continue to cook until onion is golden brown, translucent and very soft.

While the onion is cooking, combine softened cream cheese, sour cream, Worcestershire, garlic salt, onion powder and pepper. Stir until creamy. Stir in onion. Chill until serving. Before serving, slice green part of scallion; top dip with scallion slices. Serve with chips or fresh veggies...