Tag Archives: Main Course

Football Food Roundup

Posted in Football Food by

This week a lot of people are excited about the game, I am not one of those people. My beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t even make the playoffs, even though they had a better record than Seattle. But I promise to not go off into a tangent. As much as I love football and hate this time of year when it’s almost done, I just don’t like the two teams playing. I have many loved ones who are huge Steelers fans and being here in PA it’s a bit hard for me. I’m just ready for the weekend to be over and a new season to begin. Till then, people are going to be planning their big parties and they need some food. That’s where I can help. I have a great list of recipes for anyone planning a party to watch the game (or the commercials).

Dips:

Finger Foods/Sides:

Main Dish:

Dessert:

Stovetop Chicken Fajitas

Posted in Chicken, Main Dish by

We love fajitas in our family and the best way to make them is on the grill. I know there are people out there who will continue to use their grill in the snow and freezing cold; but I am not one of them. That’s why when I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it. Making fajitas on the stove is a great to enjoy them on those really cold snowy days. I had been craving fajitas and these hit the spot. The whole dish came together nicely and we had no leftovers. I served these with a fresh tomato salsa. I can’t wait to make them again.

 

Stovetop Chicken Fajitas:

  • 2 tsp canola oil
  • 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced thin
  • 1 red onion, halved and sliced thin
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 4 (6oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed, pounded so the chicken is all the same thickness
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 3/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
  • 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 2 tsp minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
  • 1 tsp yellow mustard
  • 1 tomato, cored, seeded and chopped medium
  • 3 scallions, sliced thin
  • 8 whole-wheat flour tortillas, warmed
  1. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add the bell peppers and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and well-browned, 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cover to keep warm.
  2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Combine the orange juice, 1/2 cup of the cilantro, Worcestershire, garlic, and chipotles in the skillet. Add the chicken and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, about 5 minutes. When the liquid is simmering, flip the chicken over, cover, and continue to cook until the chicken registers 160-165 on an instant-read thermometer, 10-12 minutes longer.
  3. Transfer the chicken to a plate and shred it into bite-sized pieces when cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, continue to simmer the sauce over medium heat until slightly thickened and reduced to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes.
  4. Off the heat, stir in the mustard, tomato, scallions, remaining 1/4 cup cilantro and shredded chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve with the pepper-onion mixture and warm tortillas.

Source: America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook

Chicken In A Pot With Thyme and Lemon

Posted in Chicken, Main Dish by

The flu bug has officially visited my house. I was the second person to get hit and hopefully the last. I can finally look and think about food again. I was wanting to post this recipe earlier but there was no way I could even think about it. Thankfully I’m on the mend and can start giving you wonderful recipes again.

Cooking a whole chicken in a pot is the classic French way to cook a chicken. I’ve never tried it before and I’m so glad I finally made it. I now have my favorite way to cook chicken. The recipe comes from my new America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook, which is now one of my favorites. I loved that everything is cooked in one pot. You brown the chicken with the onions and then throw it in the oven. After 2 hours of baking, I checked the chicken to find it was not done. I decided to crank the temp on the oven to 350 and let it go for 40 minutes. That did the trick, the chicken was cooked perfectly. The sauce was my favorite part of the meal! We spooned it over the chicken and the basmati rice pilaf I made to go along side it. I could have kept eating the sauce with a spoon. This made a great Sunday night dinner for us, but could easily be made during the week.

 

Chicken in a pot with Thyme and Lemon:

  • 1 (4lb) whole chicken, neck and giblets removed
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, halved and sliced thin
  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2-4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  1. Adjust oven rack to the lower position and heat the oven to 250 degrees. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, tuck the wings under the chicken. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken, breast-side down, and scatter the onion, garlic, bay leaf and thyme around the chicken. Brown the chicken on both sides, 10-12 minutes. Turn the chicken breast-side up.
  3. Off the heat, place a large sheet of aluminium foil over the pot and press to seal, then cover tightly with the lid. Transfer the pot to the oven and cook until the breast registers 160 to 165 degrees and the thighs register 175 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes.
  4. Transfer the chicken to a carving board, ten loosely with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes. Strain the juices from the pot into a fat separator (if you don’t have one strain them into a bowl and skim off the fat), reserving the strained vegetables. Let the juices settle for about 5 minutes.
  5. Add the defatted juices, strained vegetables, and any accumulated chicken juice back to the pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Off the heat, discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs, stir in the lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Carve the chicken and remove the skin. Serve, passing the sauce separately.

Source: America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook

Pork Roast with Hoppin John Stuffing

Posted in Main Dish, Pork, Rice, Sides by
It’s officially 2011 and I’m so ready for the start of the new year. My family went through a rough 2010 and I am determined to make 2011 much better. I don’t make resolutions at the beginning of the year because I feel we always need to make changes in our lives throughout the years. But it doesn’t hurt to try and use this time to change something. I’m going to be a lot more positive about our situation and not worry about little things. I know that in a few months things are going to be looking up! I truly hope that everyone has the best year yet!
A great way to kick off the new year is by making some good luck food. It’s not too late to make this. Hoppin John Stuffing is a southern dish that combines food thought to bring you good luck. I took this from Wikipedia as it best describes what the ingredients mean.
The peas, since they swell when cooked, symbolize prosperity; the greens symbolize money; the pork, because pigs root forward when foraging, represents positive motion
We could all use that in our life.
The recipe has a few steps and you don’t have to make the pork in order to have the stuffing. I’ve made the Hoppin John to be served on it’s own. I still recommend using the egg to help bind the stuffing, but make sure to bake it at 350 for at least 40 minutes.
This is what the stuffing looks like after it’s been all mixed together. Yummm
If you are stuffing the pork roast, this is what it’ll look like when you have it butterflied and added the stuffing. Be sure to always season the pork with salt and pepper before you add the stuffing.
Here it is all tied up. There are many methods in which to tie up a roast. Do what you are comfortable with as long as it’s tied, who cares how it looks. It’ll be cut off before serving anyway.
Enjoy!
Pork Roast with Hoppin John Stuffing:
  • 1 small onion, diced small
  • 1/2 medium-size green bell pepper, diced small
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked long-grain rice
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen chopped collard greens, thawed (I used one 15oz can drained, since I could not find frozen)
  • 1 15oz can Black Eye Peas, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup diced cooked country ham (used leftovers from Christmas)
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 (2 1/2 – 3-pound) boneless pork loin roast
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  2. Saute onion and bell pepper in olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat 5-7 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat. Add rice and next 5 ingredients; stir in egg. Set stuffing aside. (If only using stuffing, place in casserole dish and bake at 350 for 40 minutes)
  3. Butterfly pork loin roast by making a lengthwise cut down the center of 1 flat side, cutting to within 1/2 inch of bottom. From bottom of cut, slice horizontally to 1/2 inch from left side; repeat procedure to right side. Open roast, and place between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap (or ziplock bag); flatten to 1/2 inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin.
  4. Spoon 1 1/2 cups stuffing evenly over roast, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Roll up; tie with kitchen string at 1 inch intervals. Place seam side down, in a lightly greased 11×7-inch baking dish.
  5. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in center reaches 150 degrees. Place the remaining stuffing in small casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes.

Source: Southern Living Magazine, Published around 9 years ago.

Weeknight Bolognese

Posted in Main Dish, Pasta by

I love a good bolognese and in order to achieve that it takes all day to make. The past couple weeks have been down right chilly and snowy. When the weather is like that, I want hot comfort food to warm me up. I wanted something like bolognese but didn’t have time to spend all day in the kitchen. My daughter is keeping me super busy with her cheerleading schedule and finding time in the kitchen has been hard. So, I turned to Ina’s new cookbook to help me out. She has a weeknight bolognese that doesn’t take long to make. This turned out fantastic. If you are like me this time of year, and have to run around like a crazy person. You can take comfort in knowing that you can still put a delicious meal on the table, even in the middle of your busy holiday schedule.

Weeknight Bolognese:

  • 2 tbs good olive oil, plus extra to cook pasta
  • 1 lb lean ground sirloin4 tsp minced garlic (4 cloves)
  • 1 tbs dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 1/4 cups dry red wine, divided
  • 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
  • 2 tbs tomato paste
  • Kosher salt & black pepper
  • 3/4 pound dried pasta, such as orecchiette or small pasta (I used 1 pound)
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
  1. Heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a large (12 inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground sirloin and cook, crumbling the meat with a wooden spoon, for 5-7 minutes, until the meat has lost its pink color and has started to brown. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 more mintue. Pour 1 cup of the wine into the skillet and stir to scrape up any browned bits. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 tbs salt, and 1 ½ tsp pepper, stirring until combined. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a tablespoon of salt, a splash of oil, and the pasta, and cook according to the directions on the box.
  3. While the pasta cooks, finish the sauce. Add the nutmeg, basil, cream, and the remaining 1/4 cup wine to the sauce and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. When the pasta is cooked, drain and pour into a large serving bowl. Add the sauce and ½ cup Parmesan and toss well. Serve hot with Parmesan on the side.

Source: How Easy is That? by Ina Garten

Lemon Chicken Breasts

Posted in Chicken, Main Dish by

I’m on an Ina Garten “How Easy Is That?” kick. I love her new cookbook! There are so many great and easy recipes in it. I wish now that I had already bought all my Christmas gifts for family, because this cookbook would make a perfect gift for a lot of them. Anyway, I saw the recipe for lemon chicken breasts and I had a lot of the ingredients already. I knew I had bought chicken breasts from Costco a few week backs and pulled them out of the freezer. As I go to make the dish, I realize I didn’t buy chicken breasts but instead bought chicken tenders. Ugh! Well, gotta make the best of the situation so I used the tenders and I don’t think it made one bit of difference. I ended up doubling the recipe because I had a lot of tenders. The sauce is amazing and really made those chicken tenders taste great. I’m looking forward to trying this with chicken breasts next time to see how those turn out.

 

Lemon Chicken Breasts or Tenders:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 tbs minced garlic (9 cloves)
  • 1/3 dry white wine
  • 1 tbs grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
  • 2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on or 1 package of chicken tenders
  • 1 lemon
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don’t allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 tsp salt and pour into a 9×12 inch baking dish.
  3. Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.
  4. Bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn’t browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.

Source: How Easy is That? by Ina Garten