In a World of My Own: Teaspoon

Showing posts with label Teaspoon. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

The Resourcefulness of Peasants

Here is my poor little upside down chicken. My chicken has actually had a tremendous adventure before jumping into this pan. This recipe was really very simple but then again, it is peasant food. The was drenched with chicken stock. To be more specific this chicken swam in it.

Juicy Roasted Chicken
Recipe Original by Evelyn Rogers
Adapted from : Vidalia Onions: Blue Blue Recipes
1 chicken, about 4 1/2 lbs
3 cups water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped into pieces
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon salt
Mix the water, sugar, Vidalia onion, dry sherry, salt, and ginger in a pot and bring to a boil.
Clean the chicken. When the mix comes to a boil, add to the chicken and boil for 10 minutes. After you add the chicken you may have to turn the heat down slightly.
Take the pot off the heat and let rest for 20 minutes.
Take the chicken and put it into a shallow pan with a pan and roast at 375F about 40 minutes or until tender.

Here is the chicken stock that is leftover.
Cool this chicken stock. Pour them into freezer containers, label and freeze.

Now I have never made chicken stock before, let alone tried it in this fashion. So I definitively know it is different.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Kalamata-Lemon Chicken

I was born Italian, but there is a little bit of Greek in me. So when I saw this dish had a Mediterranean style flavor I couldn't resist. I liked the flavor. It's supposed to be served in a shallow bowl, and trust me, this dish is very easy. I found this recipe on Food.com.

Kalamata-Lemon Chicken
This is a very good Mediterranean style chicken dish that I love (lemon lover here). You just brown the chicken for a few mins and add the rest of the ingredients and place it in the oven while you go about making a salad (or whatever).
4 servings 45 min 10 min prep
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon olive oil
⅔ cup dried orzo pasta
½ cup drained pitted kalamata olives
½ lemon (cut into wedges or chunks)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon all purpose Greek seasoning
hot chicken broth (optional)
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth snipped fresh oregano (optional)
Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a 4-quart Dutch oven brown chicken in hot oil over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, turning once.
Stir in orzo, olives, the can of broth, lemon wedges, lemon juice, Greek Seasoning, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
Cover and bake for 35 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink.
Serve in shallow bowls with additional broth, if desired. Top with snipped oregano.

I also started reading the book, The Route to Family Wisdom by Joan F. Jenks.

The book contains recipes, Meditation, and ways to work with genealogy.
At this time of year, after the recent tragedy, it is good to think about family, past and present.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Macaroni and Cheese and Butternut Squash

I am not a big macaroni and cheese fan. I realize this is a colonial favorite dating back to Thomas Jefferson, and there are a large number of families, including my own, who have Kraft Macaroni and Cheese sitting in their pantry. I am proud to say I am not one of those people.

Now if the dish has something like butternut squash in it, that to me is something worth trying.

Cucurbita moschata 'Butternut'. Original description: Courges butternut (Cucurbita moschata) Photo JH Mora, septembre 2005 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I went to Foxglove and Madison Cheese in Madison CT. They were very helpful.

Katie Webster's Macaroni and Cheese and Butternut Squash

Makes 6 servings, 1 generous cup each. Active Time: 45 minutes. Total Time: 1 hour.
4 cups cubed butternut squash, about 1 ¼ pounds
2 cups whole-grain macaroni, 8 oz.
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon canola oil, divided
2 shallots, chopped
3 cups low-fat milk, divided
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
6 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese, about 2 cups
3 tablespoons whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs, such as Ian’s
½ teaspoon paprika
Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
Meanwhile, bring several inches of water to a boil in a large saucepan fitted with a steamer attachment. Add squash and steam, covered, until very tender 8 to 12 minutes. Mash about half of the squash in a small bowl and set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook macaroni 2 minutes less than package instructions. Drain and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallot, and cook, stirring often until softened and starting to brown, 1 to 3 minutes. Add 2 cups milk and bring to a simmer. Whisk the remaining 1 cup milk, mustard, rosemary, white pepper and the remaining ¾ teaspoon salt in a small bowl until smooth. Whisk the flour mixture into the simmering milk, whisking constantly. Continue to cook just until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Remove from the heat.
Whisk the Gruyere cheese into the thickened milk mixture until it is melted. Add the mashed squash and whisk until combined. Stir in the macaroni and the remaining squash. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish.
Mix breadcrumbs with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Add the paprika and stir until evenly moist and bright orange. Sprinkle over the macaroni. Transfer to the oven and bake until bubbling hot and browned on top, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.
Calories: 401. Fat: 15g. Sat Fat: 6 g. Protein: 19g. Fiber: 6g. Sodium: 499mg.

Fresh out of the oven

This recipe gives you a good reason to give Macaroni and Cheese. The best macaroni and cheese you can have is macaroni and cheese with butternut squash.