Chicken Thighs Braised in White Wine

This isn't a quick dish per se, but it's the kind I can get started and then go do something else, like walk on the treadmill, while it cooks. It's great with any green vegetable. The recipe comes from Everyday Food, here. Beezer was asking for a good recipe, and it's cold out in his neck of the woods, so this is a great meal. My son loves this.

(The picture is from the magazine too.)


Chicken thighs braised in white wine
(serves 4)

Prep time: 15 minutes. Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

8 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs (about 2-3/4 pounds)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced.
1 cup dry white wine
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
1 lemon, cut into 8 thin slices, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon cold butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
Cooked rice, for serving (optional)

1. In a 12-inch skillet with a tight fitting lid, arrange thighs, bone side up; season with salt and pepper. Add garlic, wine and thyme. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook 30 minutes.

2. Turn chicken over. Place a lemon slice on each piece; cover and continue simmering until tender, about 15 minutes. Leaving garlic and liquid in skillet, transfer chick and lemon slices to a platter. Cover tightly with foil to keep warm.

3. Bring liquid in skillet to a boil; cook until reduced to ½ cup, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Add butter, parsley and lemon juice; stir until better has softened and sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken with sauce and, if desired, rice.

Chili with Potatoes, Tomatoes and Beans

This is one of those nice, hearty, stick-to-your-ribs meals. It's quick to make and reheats very well. For those who cannot tolerate wheat, this is a nice alternative. I found this recipe in the newspaper about 10 years ago.

Chili with Potatoes, Tomatoes and Beans

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, quartered and thinly sliced
1 14-1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes in juice (I use spicy tomatoes with jalapeno peppers or some with garlic)
1 large garlic clove, pressed
2 Teaspoons chili powder
½ Teaspoon oregano leaves
1-1/2 pounds (about 5 medium) unpeeled Yukon Gold or all-purpose potatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup water
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil. (if you do not have a nonstick skillet, heat up a large skillet, add the oil, and let it heat up) Add onion and sauté until softened and starting to brown, about 4 minutes.

Add undrained tomatoes, garlic, chili powder and oregano; mix with a large spoon. Add potatoes, beans, water, salt and pepper, and turn with large spoon to distribute evenly.

Cover and bring a to a simmer; adjust heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. If necessary, add more water to keep mixture juicy.

Sprinkle cheese over top; cover, remove from heat and let stand 1 minute or until cheese melts.

Serves 4. Reheats very well in a microwave (but you might need to add more water)

Granola

I love granola. I eat it for breakfast in the morning with vanilla yogurt. It's good just to munch by itself as a snack. It's good over ice cream. Here is a very basic granola recipe.


Homemade Granola

6 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
2 cups sliced almonds
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup maple syrup (or honey)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Toss the oats, coconut and almonds together in a large bowl (LARGE BOWL). Whisk together the oil and honey (or mix till gently heated in a pan on the stove). Pour the liquids over the oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until all the oats and nuts are coated.

Pour into a 13 x 18 x 1 inch sheet pan (I coat mine with vegetable oil first). Spread around till even. Bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the mixture turns into a nice, even golden brown, about 45 minutes. (After 30 minutes, KEEP AN EYE ON IT. It tastes AWESOME when golden brown, not quite so good when dark brown.)


Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool, stirring occasionally.

When COOL (this could be overnight, even) add the dried fruit, seeds and nuts.

You can add some or all of these goodies:
1-1/2 cups diced dried apricots
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup dried golden raisins
1 cup currants
1 cup dried banana chips (broken up)
1 cup roasted, unsalted cashews (or other nuts or a mixture. No peanuts)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
(Or any combination of dried fruits and nuts and seeds that pleases you)

Stir to mix. Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 5 pounds.

Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is another Chocolate Chip Cookie for Adults variation. As everybody knows, Mocha is a combination of chocolate and coffee. Simply adding espresso powder dissolved in water didn't seem to "do it" for me, so finally I decided to cut up an Espresso Infused Dark Chocolate bar by Seattle Chocolates and use that in place of the semisweet chips. Adding some white chips (or a cut up bar of good quality white chocolate) and almonds really took these to the "next level."

Enjoy!


Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies

1-1/2 cups cake flour
¾ teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
9 Tablespoons butter-flavored shortening
1 cup minus 1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 Tablespoons instant espresso powder dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water
2 2.5 oz Espresso Infused Dark Chocolate bars, chopped
1 cup white chips
1 cup sliced almonds
Nonstick cooking spray


1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and cocoa in a medium mixing bowl.
3. Using an electric mixer, cream fat and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat thoroughly. Beat in the vanilla. On low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Scrape down the sides once with a rubber spatula. Add the almonds and chocolate and white chips. Beat 5 seconds on low. Use the rubber spatula to finish mixing in well.
4. Spray cookie sheets lightly with nonstick cooking spray. With tablespoon or small ice cream food scoop (I use a #40, about 1-1/2” diameter), drop slightly heaped tablespoons of batter about 2 inches apart onto the greased sheets. Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the sheet on a cooling rack for 3 minutes, then remove the cookies to a rack to cool completely.


Makes about 2-1/2 dozen cookies.

Biscotti!

I love biscotti. They are not too sweet, and they are crunchy. I found this recipe in the Sunday paper many years ago. I haven't tasted a better chocolate biscotti. They always disappear whenever I bring them anywhere. The dough is very stiff, and a stand mixer is helpful to mix in the dry ingredients thoroughly. Aside from that, this is a really easy recipe to make. They are pictured at the far right in the photo above. The lighter ones are Lemon-Pistachio Biscotti, and I will post that recipe in a few days.


Chocolate Pecan Mandelbrot

2 eggs
1 cup sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups flour
2 Tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, miniature
1 cup pecan halves

Set the oven to 350 degrees. Rub a baking sheet with oil or line it with parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients together in a bowl and stir to combine. With the mixer set on its lowest speed, mix in the dry ingredients until well mixed and the just until the nuts break up slightly.

Spoon the dough onto the prepared baking sheet in two strips, making sure there is plenty of room between them. Flatten and smooth the logs with a metal spatula so they are 12 inches long and about 4 inches wide. Transfer the baking sheet to the hot oven and bake the strips for 40 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Remove them from the oven and let them sit for 5 minutes.

Carefully transfer the strips to a board. Using a sharp, serrated knife, cut the strips on a diagonal into ½ inch slices. Place the slices on a baking sheet, cut sides up. Return the sheet to the oven and bake the slices for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are golden brown.

Remove them from the oven and transfer them to a rack. Store the cookies in an airtight container. Theoretically they will keep for a couple of weeks. Mine get eaten sooner than that.


From The Boston Sunday Globe Magazine

Avocado Vinaigrette

This little salad couldn't be simpler. Halve a ripe avocado, remove the pit and fill the cavity with your favorite vinaigrette dressing, then serve. My son adores this.

Vinaigrette Dressing
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 Tablespoons vinegar (here I've used Balsamic)
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Whisk together the garlic, mustard and vinegar along with salt and pepper to taste. Gradually whisk in the olive oil in a slow steady stream, until the sauce is emulsified.

Pesto

When you have Basil like this, you make Pesto.

Obviously you don't get Basil like this in December. I made lots of Basil Pesto this summer, and froze it in ice cube trays for use later.

It's later. It's nice to have pesto available to me at this time of year. I use the pesto cubes in spaghetti sauces and soups, or as an addition to mayonnaise in chicken salads. You can also add pesto to mashed potatoes! They are green, but -oh- so good!


Basil Pesto

2 cups fresh basil
1 cup fresh Italian parsley (helps keep the pesto bright green)
1/2 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated (I prefer Romano)
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted (spread on baking sheet and put in a 350° oven for 4 minutes)
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons water

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Puree until the mixture forms a smooth, thick paste.

To keep the pesto for later, divide into ice cube trays and freeze.
When frozen solid, turn out and save in zip bags.