A Real Keeper

I can't wait to make this for my man. I can even see it being added to our repertoire of meals to serve to guests.
Polenta is not something I usually make and I picked up precooked polenta at Trader Joes, so I wasn't sure how it would work with this recipe. It was too firm to stir in the rosemary, but worked well just by sprinkling it on top.
Little things I did differently than the recipe were instead of a frying pan, I used a dutch oven. I knew that would work well in the oven and I wasn't as sure with my frying pans. Then when folding the chicken over, I used toothpicks to keep it in the taco shape.
This is so much fun!

stuffed yummity yum yum.

yummeeeeeeeeeeee yum yum yum.

 

i made this delight for the mister and i this evening. in theory this should have been a simple affair...make a shopping list and then follow the recipe. but in my world, nothing is ever simple. first i had the brilliant plan to make an apple pie to end the meal. then i thought i would use fresh chicken breasts instead of the ones in our freezer, which was quickly followed by the inspiration to buy the breasts with the bones, because i thought "oh sure, no problem, i can take out the bone" (note the singular form of "bone"). finally, i convinced the hubby that he need only eat a little snack, because "dinner will be ready soon." oh dear, oh dear.

i started with the apple pie, because after baking, the recipe said that before we eat it we should let it rest for two hours. oooookay. done. then i got started on the chicken. i am not sure what gave me the mistaken impression that chicken breasts have a single bone. they don't. they have an entire effing rib cage! whaaaat? egads. plan b. put those boney breasts back in the fridge and thaw out some frozen BONELESS breasts. done. and then we come to the part of the recipe where you have to butterfly the chicken. ummm...let's just say that i am not adept at butterflying chicken. but somehow i got some things resembling stuffed chicken into a frying pan and baking in the oven. done. so the plates are looking all pretty and i moved the frying pan out of my way.....EGADS!!! burnt the hand. ow. ow. ow. ow. the frying pan was fresh outta the oven and i forgot.

needless to say, i ate dinner while clutching ice cubes. but it was amazing. oh, except for the part where the mister declared that he does not like polenta. not at all. this is the second time i have made it for him, but this time it was made with water, so i thought maybe he would like it plain. nope. no such luck. anyhow, he and i loved loved LOVED the chicken. and the apple pie was rather tasty too.


GREAT CHOICE CHEF V!!

YUMMEE POLENTA!

This was absolutely scrumptious!

We skipped the mushrooms to be sure that Todd didn't go into anaphylactic shock (pesky allergy), and used parmesan instead of fontina because I brilliantly forgot all about the fontina when we were out shopping. Ohh, and I accidently bought chicken tenders instead of chicken breasts... but despite all this it all worked out. And it is definitely a keeper! Thank you Chef V.!

Stuffed Chicken with Rosemary Polenta

Ok ladies, sorry I missed the first delectible meal....I was out of town :( Newport OR to be exact.

So here is the next month's official recipe. Stuffed Chicken with Rosemary Polenta-from Sunset magazine (Nickel-I know you don't like rosemary so you may want to try leaving out the spice or add a little thyme or marjarom instead)

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
5 ounces baby spinach
1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
4 boned, skinned chicken breast halves (8 oz. each)
4 slices (4 oz. total) Italian fontina cheese
1 cup polenta
2 tablespoons butter, cubed
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large ovenproof frying pan over high heat. Add onion, mushrooms, and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened and starting to brown, 4 minutes. Add lemon juice, spinach, and 1/4 tsp. salt; cook until slightly wilted, 4 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.

2. Bring 4 cups water and 1/2 tsp. salt to a boil. Cover; turn off heat. Meanwhile, cut chicken breast from the side, stopping halfway through; unfold to lay flat. Place each between 2 pieces plastic wrap and, with a mallet or small saucepan, pound until 1/4 to 1/2 in. thick.

3. In frying pan, cook chicken in 2 batches, 1 tbsp. oil per batch, until brown on 1 side. Sprinkle each with 1/4 tsp. salt and transfer, uncooked side up, to a cutting board. Scoop 1/4 cup spinach mixture onto half of each breast, then top with a cheese slice. Fold chicken over filling like a taco shell; press to close.

4. Return chicken to pan (with juices) and bake until cooked through and cheese is melted, 10 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, return water to a boil. Add polenta and cook, stirring constantly, until softened, 10 minutes. Stir in butter and rosemary. Divide polenta among 4 plates and top each with a chicken breast. Spoon broth over chicken.

6. EAT and hopefully say YUMMMM!

cranberry scones.

greetings darling lasses. only one week until our second official recipe. super exciting!! our first foray into our cooking club was gads of fun and i cannot wait to see what we are making next. while we wait i thought i would share a yummy recipe that the mister and i love. cranberry scones. yummmmmmeeee! we found this recipe in parade magazine, made a couple of adjustments, and voila....super easy and super delish breakfast treats. happy baking.

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 Tbsp cold butter, cut into bits
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 tsp raw sugar (optional)
  

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Whisk the egg and milk together in one bowl and the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in another.

Drop the butter into the flour and, using your fingers (I use a pastry cutter), cut and rub until the mixture is pebbly. Pour in the milk and egg. Mix with a fork until the dough is evenly moist. Add the cranberries and give the very sticky dough a few more stirs.

Turn the sticky dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough comes together into a ball. Gently pat the dough down and/or roll until a squarish shape that is about 1/2" thick (you can make this up to 3/4" thick depending on your preferences). With a sharp knife cut the dough square into 2" or 3" strips.

Cut these strips into rectangles and then cut the rectangles diagonally to make triangles (if the edges of your "square" are slightly rounded, do the best you can to come up with pieces resembling triangles). The recipe yields about 24 triangle scone bites.

Transfer the triangles onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet (I use a  silicon baking mat instead of the paper). These little ladies will rise up, but will not spread out so you can  put a bunch on one sheet (I put 12 on each sheet). Sprinkle the top of each scone with some raw sugar to create a crunchy top. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown. Cool for a few minutes. Serve warm and ENJOY!!!

*recipe is a variation of the Raisin Scones recipe from Parade Magazine
*inspiration for triangle shape came from watching Paula Deen make Sour Cream Scones on Food Network

Empanada Night at Chez Brooklyn

So sometime last fall, Mr T and I went to Williams-Sonoma to use some of the gift cards we had gotten for our wedding. We had a few dollars left on one of the cards, and Mr T spied this lovely little heart-shaped pie mold:

Clearly, this was a kitchen item we could not live without! Okay, so maybe we could mostly live without it -- after we got it home, it stayed, sadly unused, in its little box.

That is, until... empanada night!

The verdict: Yum!

In retrospect, it probably would have been a good idea if Mr. T & I had made a salad or something otherwise healthy and green to go along with these cheesy little wonders.

Ahh well.

Ginkochef, we did have a lot of filling left over, too:

We're thinking quesadillas later this week. How did you use your leftover filling?

We also have quite a few that we made but didn't cook-- we are going to try freezing these, uncooked, so we can just pop them in the oven for a tasty little treat when the fancy strikes.

Thanks, Pickel, for a delightful kitchen adventure!

chicken empanadas.

since this is our first go-round with our grub club, i thought i would stick with a single dish. the mister and i watched paula deen make these on the food network last week. they looked yummy and i wanted to try them...so here goes nothing.

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped, cooked chicken
• 1 (8-ounce) package shredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheese blend
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
• Water

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Lightly grease a baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine the chicken and next 7 ingredients. Unroll 1 piecrust onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 15-inch circle. Cut out rounds, using a 3-inch cookie cutter. Re-roll dough as needed. Repeat procedure with remaining piecrusts, making 12 to 15 circles total. Arrange 1 round on a clean, flat surface. Lightly brush the edges of crust with water. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of chicken mixture in the center of the round. Fold the dough over the filling, pressing the edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with the remaining rounds and chicken mixture. (Up to this point, the recipe can be made ahead and frozen for up to 1 month). Arrange empanadas on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

recipe and photo from Paula Deen on Food Network