Everything's Better Roasted

Tonigt's Recipe: Roasted Chicken Breasts and Asparagus





Everything's better roasted. Really, meat, vegetables, you name it. And the process is pretty universal, high heat, drizzle of olive oil, few seasonings, and roast.

So the Cutters Cross spice in this recipe was given to me as a gift back in my working days. I used to belong to a professional group, TEC (they call themselves Vistage now). Our chair gave these as a Christmas gift one year. Anyway, these are great! spices. The steak seasoning is killer, and though I've been out for awhile the California Style Garlic Salt is a favorite of mine, too. I've always wanted to start a spice business, but life just keeps getting in the way. If you're looking for a gift for a foodie friend, I highly recommend a box of these spices.

Roasted Chicken and Asparagus

3 chicken split breasts



paprika



kosher salt



fresh ground pepper



Cutters Cross Cajun Spice



olive oil



asparagus


Heat oven to 425. Drizzle chicken breasts with olive oil. Season chicken breasts, with paprika, salt, pepper, and a generous sprinkling of cajun spice. Place chicken in a saute pan and roast in oven about 45 minutes or until chicken reaches 165 internal temp. Occasionally baste chicken with pan juices.


When chicken reaches 165 remove from oven to rest. Reduce oven temp to 400. In another saute pan shake asparagus with 2 tbsps olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper. Roast in oven 8 minutes or 9 if they are thick asparagus.


I also made the Barefoot Contessa's Brown Rice, Tomatoes and Basil except, I was low on both tomatoes and basil, so I only used four roma tomatoes, and 4 basil leaves. And I didn't have Texamati rice, so I used regular long grain brown rice. It was delicious. Ina Garten is my hero.

Sides to Liven Up Leftovers

Tonight's Recipe: Leftover Turkey with Creamed Spinach and Lentils

If you've been following along, you might be wondering what happened to the 12.5 lb turkey. We aren't an army, just four people, and two of them sometimes refuse to eat anything but Veggie Booty. With the leftovers, we had some turkey sandwiches, tonight's menu, and next week we'll have turkey based soup.

I'm trying to get better about reducing our food waste while not winding up bored to tears with identical leftover meals. I've never been a great left over eater, but it does warm my heart a little to be able to get 4-5 different meals from one dish.

Creamed Spinach
16 oz package frozen organic spinach

3/4 of a white onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tbsp. butter

1/3 c. half and half

1/3 c. 2% milk

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

nutmeg

In a saute pan, melt butter. Saute onions 6-7 minutes on medium high heat until soft. Add garlic, saute another 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat if onions or garlic appear to be browning.

Thaw spinach and squeeze all the water out through a strainer. Add to onions and garlic, saute 3-4 minutes. Add half and half and milk, stir and continue to heat about 3-5 minutes until liquid is reduced by half. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste.

Lentils
3 cups chicken stock

1.5 c brown lentils

murray river salt

fresh ground pepper

Rinse lentils thoroughly. Bring chicken stock to boil in a saucepan. Add lentils and reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook about 25 minutes, until lentils are soft. Season to taste.

I know, I know. That's not even really a recipe. But lentils are new to our rotation by about 2-3 years. I didn't grow up eating them and had never cooked them at all until relatively recently. Lentils are very high in protein, iron, folate, and fiber. When I had gestational diabetes with my son, I had an extremely hard time keeping my blood sugar in check. I think that was what pushed lentils further into our rotation. They are practically the perfect pregnant lady food. And they are dirt cheap. Bonus!

Nutmeg is one of my favorite spices and it does wonders for spinach. But don't overdo it or your dinner will constantly push memories of eggnog into your brain. Fresh nutmeg is considerably stronger than dried, but is really fun and smells marvelous. We picked some up on a trip to Jamaica last year, which incidentally had a fascinating rafting trip where our guide pointed out all of the local spice plants. Think of how much faster you can take a trip to Jamaica if you start eating more lentils.

Not Thanksgiving, but a regular old Turkey Tuesday

Tonight's Recipe: Roasted Turkey with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

12.5 lb fresh turkey, rinsed, neck and giblets removed


olive oil


kosher salt


fresh ground pepper


paprika


turkey herb mix


4 cloves garlic


butter

Preheat oven to 425. Drizzle the turkey with olive oil and tuck wings under. Add 2 tsps kosher salt, 2 tsp turkey herbs, garlic, and 1/2 tsp pepper to inside of bird. Sprinkle the skin with kosher salt, pepper, a teensy bit of the herb mix, and paprika. Put bird in oven and let cook for 25 minutes.

Reduce heat to 325. Continue cooking for about 15 min per pound. Every 45 min or so, rub the skin with the butter. After the turkey reaches an internal temp of 165, remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes.

Mashed Potatoes


4 Russet potatoes


4 tbsps butter


3/4 c. 2% milk


Murray River Pink Salt


Fresh Ground Pepper

Peel and slice potatoes to 1/2 inch thick. Put in a pan of room temperature water, bring to a boil and continue to boil until potatoes become soft and edges start to crumble. Drain, return to pan. A potato ricer gives the best texture, but in a pinch a slotted spoon will mash just fine. Add butter and milk, stir. Season to taste.

Turkey Gravy


Drippings from roasted turkey


3-5 tbsps flour


25-30 oz of turkey stock or water


Kosher Salt


Fresh Ground Pepper

Let drippings reach room temperature. In a large shaker container, start with 3 tbsp flour and 25 oz stock if you have it or water. Shake, shake, shake until blended. Add to drippings and stir, stir, stir with a wooden spoon. Start with medium heat, and increase as gravy begins to thicken. Wait until gravy boils and is fully thickened, then add your additional flour/stock in a similar fashion if necessary to thicken. Season to taste.


I'm a bigger fan of turkey than chicken, or maybe it's just that chicken is so omni-present in our American lives. Plus, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, so why not bring it out more often. And after the week my friends are having, I have a whole lot to be thankful for. Meet Ike, if you need to feel sobered.

So a few things here, one might ask, "Why the Murray River Pink Salt, Lane?" Well, I have a bit of a passion about salts for purposes. And the Murray River Pink Salt is a flaky salt that I particularly like to use when finishing heated items, as it's just not as coarse as kosher salt. And there's the whole thing about it aiding the inland salinity problem in Austrailia. Also, "Why Russets and not waxy potatos?" It's a texture thing. Russets yeild a fluffier mashed potato, which I personally prefer.

Another thing I'm working on this year is ways to reduce waste. I cook a ton, mainly from scratch, but useful things find their way to my garbage. I'm saving my turkey neck for a stock I'm going to make in a couple of weeks. I'll let you know how it turns out.



Be thankful. Love Life. Promote Peace.

Chicken and Goat Cheese Enchiladas, Food is Love

Tonight's Recipe: Chicken and Goat Cheese Enchiladas



6 chicken split breasts


8 oz fresh goat cheese


olive oil


10 sprigs leafy fresh thyme, stems removed


4 large basil leaves, chopped


sea salt


1 large red onion, chopped


4 large garlic cloves chopped


2 tsp cumin


2 tsp Mediterranean oregano


2 dried ancho chilies


1 cup dry white wine


20 oz purred tomatoes


3 cups chicken stock


kosher salt


fresh ground pepper


corn tortillas


shredded monterey jack cheese



In a large pot, cover chicken breasts with water. Bring to a boil and continue to boil gently for an hour.


In a small bowl, combine goat cheese, 3 tbsps olive oil, thyme leaves, and basil. Add finely ground sea salt to taste. Let sit to combine flavors.


In a pan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add ancho chilies. Remove from heat and let stand for 30 minutes. Remove stems and seeds. Place chilies and 1 cup of soaking water to a food processor and puree until smooth.


In a saute pan, add 3tbsp olive oil and onions. Saute on medium heat until soft. Add garlic, cook 1 minute, add cumin and oregano, cook 2 more minutes. Add chili puree and bring to a gentle boil, cook on medium 4 more minutes. Add wine, tomatoes and stock and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste.


Remove the chicken from the water to a bowl and shred removing bones and skin. Place a stack of tortillas in a microwave between two damp paper towels. Microwave for 45 seconds.


Coat the bottom of two 9x12 glass casseroles with chili sauce. Take one tortilla and spread the middle portion with goat cheese mixture, then cover with shredded chicken. Roll and place seam side down in casserole. Repeat until filled. Cover with chili sauce and then top with monterey jack. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until bubbly.




Ancho chilies are dried poblanos. They make a wonderful deep flavor. I used to have troubles finding these, and made this with green chilies, which just wasn't the same at all. They store nicely in your pantry though, so buy a bunch and keep them around.

Also, the goat cheese is excellent this way, but if you are trying to cut down on steps, CheesyGirl's Femme Fatale is a nice substitute. I imagine any herbed goat cheese would be good.

Enchiladas in any form are a bit of work. But they make good leftovers and freeze well. Also, they are a very easy food to portion out. If you're going to the trouble to make them, invite over friends or make a pan for a friend. This recipe makes about 20 enchiladas. Years ago, my friend Marti and her sister used to often make double portions then swap a dish. I was always truly envious of the arrangement. I've never managed to pull off a regular arrangement like this, but Sunday dinner has long-standing been an open invitation in my house. Actually, most any night is an open invitation. I've never been great at cooking in small portions, and love to feed friends. Food is Love in my book.

Black Eyed Pea Soup and Home Sweet Home

Tonight's Recipe : Black Eyed Pea Soup

1 leftover shank bone with some meat attached from a ham

1 lb of dried black eyed peas, pre-soaked

1 whole yellow onion, chopped

1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced

9 stalks extra large celery with leaves, sliced

2 tsp cayenne

2 tsp chili powder

2 cans Italian seasoned tomatoes

1.4 lbs sausage

salt and pepper to taste

In a 6qt stock pot, cover the ham shank with water, boil for 2hrs. Add onion, carrots, celery, tomatoes, cayenne, and chili powder. Boil for another 2hrs. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, cover the black eyed peas in two inches of water. Simmer for 45 min or until soft. Drain and add to soup. Let simmer another 30 min. Grill sausage in a grill pan, slice and add to soup. Let simmer 10-20 min and serve with some crusty bread if desired.

We've been on a short vacation, and we're just returning home. Nothing like the comforts of homemade food. My husband travels all the time, I seem to travel in spurts. Sometimes when I'm here, I'm wishing desperately that I were in a hotel, free to shower with millions of fresh towels and promptly leave them strewn about for someone else to pick up. But when I do travel, I really start to miss the comforts of my own home. I miss my kitchen, and cooking my own food the way I like it. It does wonders for my meal planning, as I can actually think through what I want to make in the upcoming days instead of the typical 4pm what's in the refrigerator panic.

Soup is love, and this hearty soup will warm your heart. You can alter it up by using fresh or canned black eyed peas or increasing the spice level. I'm feeding toddlers, and even though mine like spicy food, I can't really serve five-alarm dishes. This soup is even better the day after, but for the most part, I tend to add my sausage near serving time, not leaving it to soak for days.