Roast Chicken with Caramelized Shallots

This is a really quick and easy weeknight dinner that I make sometimes.  It uses ingredients that I usually have on hand and it's the kind of thing I make when I don't feel like making dinner.  It's really packed with flavour.  Next time I may double the sauce because it really is very good.  I serve it with mashed potatoes and green beans. 

Roast Chicken with  Caramelized Shallots
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 4 large shallots, peeled and minced
• 8 pieces bone-in, skin-on chicken (I used boneless skinless chicken breasts) 
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• Minced fresh parsley

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F (220 C).  In a baking dish large enough to hold all the chicken pieces in a single layer, combine the olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce and shallots; whisk to combine.  Toss the chicken in the mixture, coating with shallots.   Season with salt and pepper.  Place the chicken pieces in the pan so they are skin-side up.

Bake for 10 minutes, until the chicken pieces begin to brown on top.  Turn the pieces of chicken over and spoon some of the juices and shallots over the top.  Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the shallots are caramelized.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle lightly with fresh parsley.

Recipe Source: Annie's Eats

Pot Roast

I have been searching for a great pot roast recipe for ages and now I have finally found one!  The Pioneer Woman has come through for me again.  This is really great, no frills pot roast.  The best I've tried and I will definitely be making this again.  Serve with mashed potatoes.


Pot Roast
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 whole (4 To 5 Pounds/ 2 kg) Chuck Roast
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 whole Onions
• 6 whole Carrots (Up To 8 Carrots)
• Salt To Taste
• Pepper To Taste
• 1 cup Red Wine (optional, You Can Use Beef Broth Instead)
• 2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock
• 3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste
• 3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste
• optional: mushrooms, garlic 

What you do:

Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast.

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter/olive oil split).

Cut two onions in quarters and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel them, but you don’t have to). When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.

Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.

If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.

With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up.

When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups). Add in the onion and the carrots (and mushrooms and garlic), as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.

Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F (135C) oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.

Recipe Source:  The Pioneer Woman

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Yum! This was great! Total take-out fake-out!  The only thing I might do differently next time is perhaps use a touch less sugar. Although, I'm not sure I want to mess with this sauce too much because it really was great.  

Sweet and Sour Chicken
Serves 3-4 

Chicken:

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup canola oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg.  Shake off any excess egg. Fry in the oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sauce:

• ¾ cup sugar 
• 4 tablespoons ketchup
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes so it is evenly coated with the sauce. Serve over rice.

*Mel's Note: if you like extra sauce, double the sauce ingredients – pour half over the chicken and follow the baking directions in the recipe and pour the other half in a small saucepan. Cook the sauce on the stovetop at a simmer for 8-10 minutes until it reduces and thickens. Serve it on the side of the chicken. 

Recipe Source:  Mel's Kitchen Cafe 

Slow Cooker Chili

 This chili is great!  Thick and hearty and extremely tasty.  And best of all, it's easy!  I served it with baked potatoes, but you could also serve with corn bread or rice.


Slow Cooker Chili 
Serves 4 – 6

• 1 kg mince beef 
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 chopped red capsicum 
• 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 or 2 (400g) cans kidney beans, undrained
• 2 (400g) cans Mexican-style stewed tomatoes with jalapeño peppers and spices, undrained
• 6 oz. (340 g) tomato paste
  .

What you do:
Cook the beef in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until brown, stirring to crumble. Add chopped onion and the next 6 ingredients (onion through garlic), and cook for 5 – 7 minutes or until onion is tender. Place meat mixture in an electric slow cooker, and stir in beans, tomatoes, and tomato paste.
.
Cover with lid, and cook on low-heat setting for 4 hours. Spoon into bowls; sprinkle with cheese and sour cream.

Note: The chili can be made on the stovetop if you don’t have a slow cooker. After adding the beans and the tomatoes, bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, partially covered, 1 1/2 hours.


Recipe Source: slightly adapted from Amy Bites

Slow Cooker Asian Chicken

 This recipe is from my sister.  It was AWESOME! It seems like it's not enough sauce, but trust me, it's plenty of sauce!  Serve with white rice and steamed broccoli. 

Ingredients:

• 1 3-4lb whole chicken
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup firmly packed lite brown sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup sherry or apple juice
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 green onions, halved + trimmed
• 1 clove garlic, pressed

What you do:

Wash/dry chicken, remove giblets, neck, + excess fat. Put chicken in slow cooker breast side up.

In bowl combine: everything I said above. Pour over chicken, cover and cook on high for 3.5-4.5 hrs.

Remove chicken.

Remove and discard onions. Add 2 tbsp cornstarch abd 1 tbsp water to sauce. Stir over heat. Toast 2 tbsp of sesame seeds and serve on top of chicken and white rice with a side of broccoli.

Recipe Source: My sister

Burger Patty Melts & Special Sauce

Ok, these burgers are awesome.  They are basically a combo of a grilled cheese sandwich and a hamburger.  The sauce is simply divine! Served this with my Cajun French Fries and baked corn on the cob.  Now, if you are doubling the amount of beef, then I wouldn't necessarily double all the other ingredients.  I got 700 g of beef last time and doubled the ingredients and it was a bit oniony, so I may just stick to the original amounts next time. 

Burger Ingredients:

• 1 pound (~450 g) 85% lean ground beef
• 1 medium yellow onion grated
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• butter
• wholemeal bread (or gluten-free bread)
• slices of cheese

 What you do:

In a medium bowl, combine the meat, grated onion, egg, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Form into 6 thin patties.

Heat a bit of olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the patties for about 3 minutes per side, or until browned. Remove from the pan and place on paper towels to drain. Set aside. Drain the grease from the skillet.

Spread the butter on one side of each slice of bread. Place butter side down in the skillet. Top each with a slice of cheese and a burger patty. Top with the remaining cheese, if desired, and a final slice of bread, butter side up.

Cook for about 2 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Remove from the heat and serve with special sauce (recipe below).

Recipe Source: Serious Eats

Burger Sauce

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• small squirt of mustard 
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet pickle relish
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

*Mix all sauce ingredients together. set aside. 

Recipe Source: Unknown

The Best Lasagna

I have made a few different lasagna recipes (including that of my Italian grandmother) and sorry nan, but this one takes the cake!  Everything holds together so perfectly and the flavour is just right, and most importantly it gets Mark's approval! Check out Food Wishes for a video.  Since Mark is gluten-free and I don't feel like eating his gluten-free pasta, I have to make this recipe in 2 smaller dishes, but I'm sure the amount of ingredients would be the same in one big dish.

Oh and you know what else?  You can use all these same ingredients for baked ziti (or baked penne) if you like.  Just cook the pasta, drain it, mix it with pasta sauce and the cheese mixture from below, spread it out in a large glass baking dish, top with mozzarella and parmesan cheese, cover with foil and bake for an hour (take cover off for the last 15 minutes) and VOILA! You have some excellent baked ziti!

Lasagna 
Yields two 20 x 20 cm baking dishes

Ingredients:

• Lasagna sheets (it's best if you soak them in warm water first, but you can skip this if you are in a hurry)
• A large jar of your favourite pasta sauce (or if you have the time, make your own!)

Cheese mixture:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 kg (2 lbs) ricotta cheese
• 225 g (8 oz) mozzarella cheese, cubed or shredded
• 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese 
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley

What you do:

Soak the lasagna sheets in warm water for ~30 minutes and mix together the ingredients for the cheese mixture in a bowl.  Then:

1. Spoon some sauce on the bottom of the baking dish
2. Lay out the lasagna sheets in a single layer
3. Spread out some of the cheese mixture over the noodles
4. Drizzle some sauce over top the cheese mixture (don't use too much or it will be too saucy!).  You could even just do a few big globs
5. And then do as many layers as you want in this order: noodles, cheese, sauce, repeat
6. For the final layer you sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan cheeses over top the sauce

Bake covered for 30 min and uncovered for 30 min in 190 C (375 F) oven.

Let it cool for about 10 minutes and then enjoy! 

Recipe Source: Food Wishes

Corn Potato Chowder

This corn chowder is actually really really tasty.  I developed it myself and after a few attempts, I have tweaked it so it's just perfect.  P.S. the pinch of cayenne pepper is absolutely essential, it won't make it spicy!


Corn Potato Chowder
Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 stalk celery, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 4 cups water (or chicken stock)
• 3 small red potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch dice
• 3 cups frozen sweet corn kernels
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• freshly ground black pepper

What you do: 
  
In a stockpot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery, garlic, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until the onion and celery begin to soften.


Add potatoes then water to pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Partially cover and simmer gently for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are completely soft.  Add corn and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in milk and cream and heat very gently for 1 minute more. Add the pinch of cayenne pepper.


Puree with stick blender to your desired thickness. You can add a tablespoon of corn starch if you like.


Season with pepper and cayenne, ladle into bowls, serve with crusty bread.

Oven-Baked Chicken Nuggets

I made these for my 2-year-old to have for dinner and he loved them!  Will definitely be making them again for him.  I served them with rice mixed with peas, and corn. 

Oven-Baked Chicken Nuggets 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound chicken cutlets, pounded thin and cut into strips (or cut into nuggets)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• garlic powder
• salt

What you do

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (200 C).  Place the beaten egg on one plate for breading, and the panko on another plate. 

For each chicken nugget, dip it first in the egg, and then in the panko, and place it on a wire rack over a baking sheet (like what you would use to cool cookies).  If you don’t have a rack, just place the chicken directly on a baking sheet, but you will need to turn them halfway through baking.  Sprinkle the garlic powder and salt across the chicken fingers.

Bake the chicken fingers for about 10 minutes, and then increase the heat to 450 degrees (230 C) and bake for another 10 minutes.  Serve warm, with honey mustard or ketchup.

Recipe Source: Sugarlaws

Herbed Breaded Chicken

These chicken drumsticks are a surprisingly tasty and easy dinner that I sometimes make for myself when Mark is away on business.  I haven't tried them with gluten-free breadcrumbs, but I will next time.  They pair nicely with potatoes (either mashed or perhaps potatoes au gratin) and green beans or salad.

Herbed Breaded Chicken 

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of chicken legs (mixed drumsticks and thighs are fine too - about 8 medium sized pieces)
• 2-3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 Tablespoons parsley (dried or fresh is fine)
• 2/3 sprigs fresh rosemary (dried is also fine - about 1 1/2 -2 Tablespoons will do)
• 6 leaves chopped fresh basil (dried is fine)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar 
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/3 cub plain bread crumbs 
• 1-2 Tablespoons butter

What you do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180 C fan forced)

Place chicken parts in a bowl, add garlic, all herbs (dried or fresh), salt, pepper, vinegar and olive oil and toss/coat chicken very well.  Sprinkle bread crumbs over top (bread crumbs will absorb all liquid) and coat chicken

Lay chicken out in a roasting pan - be sure to place any bits of the bread crumb coating on the chicken, as the goodness should not go to waste.  Pat with butter on top and roast for 35-40 minutes.

Once chicken is cooked through, finish off in the broiler for 3-5 minutes (watch well so it doesn’t burn) so bread crumbs darken and chicken fat crisps

Remove chicken from pan and place on a dish.  Enjoy!

 Recipe Source: Tina's Nom Noms

Refrigerator Pizza

This is my favourite pizza.  It's called refrigerator pizza because I was looking in my refrigerator one night and this is what I had lying around.  The combination of ingredients is so tasty that I now use these toppings every time!

Refrigerator Pizza

Makes about 2 large pizzas and one little pizza

Ingredients:

• 500 g mushrooms sliced
• 1 red capsicum sliced thinly  
• 1 red onion sliced thinly 
• 3 cups of raw spinach 
• cherry tomatoes   
• Grated parmesan cheese  
• Feta cheese 
• Grated mozzarella cheese

What you do: 

Make your pizza crust dough and bake the crust ahead of time (or use store bought).  Then preheat the oven, and pizza stone if using, to 500° (260 C) while you prepare the toppings.

Sauté the vegetables in a couple of teaspoons of olive oil while the crust bakes (I like to use garlic olive oil, but that's not essential)

Assemble the pizza as follows:

• Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of good quality olive oil over the pre-cooked crust.
• Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the drizzle of olive oil. 
• Spread the sautéed vegetables, one by one, over the pizza.  Their order doesn’t matter.  
• To finish off the pizza and to prevent the topping from burning, crumble the feta cheese over everything and then end with the mozzarella cheese.

Place the pizza in the 500° (260 C) oven on the preheated pizza stone. If you don’t own a pizza stone, a pizza pan works just fine and doesn’t require preheating.  If you don’t have a pizza pan, use a cookie sheet.  It cooks fairly quickly, so watch it and remove when it starts to brown.