easy

Chicken Breasts ‘n Rice with Roasted Red Peppers, Mushrooms and White Wine

Easy prep, then pop in the oven for 1 hour. Viola – dinner!!

When I was a young mother I discovered an I Hate to Cook Book by Peg Bracken at our local library. The author supposedly ‘hated to cook’, so her recipes are all easy to make – but delicious at the same time. And that’s how I found the original recipe for this dish.

Years later I printed a cookbook for my twin sons and included the recipe, reminding them how it used to be my ‘go to recipe’ whenever we had company because I could do all the prep work, then clean up the the kitchen while the chicken and rice was cooking. (Some of you may remember me mentioning what a truly messy cook I am.)

The version I prepared today was based upon any ‘goodies’ I happened to have on hand. I decided against black olives but decided for Baby Bella Mushrooms, roasted red peppers and white wine. I think you’ll enjoy it. And, you may want to order a copy of the original I Hate to Cook Book!

Oven at 350 F Bake (covered tightly) for 1 hour Serves 5 – 6

INGREDIENTS

3 chicken breasts – cut in half to equal 6 pieces ++ I highly rec. using bone-in chicken breasts with the skin. Or… even part of the skin. The flavor is just so much richer!! ; o )
1 Tbs. butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 (8 oz) package Baby Bella sliced mushrooms
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup jarred roasted red pepper, roughly chopped
1/3 cup white wine ++ I used Pinot Grigio
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
3 1/2 cups chicken bouillon, boiling ++ You can add more salt and a chicken bouillon cube if you wish.
paprika
1 Tbs. butter

Cut three chicken breasts in half to equal six pieces. ++ If using bone-in chicken breasts, you can leave on the skin if you wish. Set breasts aside.

Put 1 Tbs. butter in a medium skillet. Add 1/3 cup chopped onion. Cook over medium heat until softened. Add 1 (8 oz) package Baby Bella sliced mushrooms and 1 large clove minced garlic. Cook until mushrooms are wilted. Add 1/3 cup chopped jarred roasted red pepper, 1/3 cup white wine, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Bring 3 1/2 cups chicken bouillon to a boil. Spread 1 1/2 cups long grain rice on the bottom of a 10″ x 13″ casserole. Place cooked veggies on top of rice, trying to spread veggies somewhat evenly. Place six (halved) chicken breasts on top of the veggies and rice.

Pour boiling chicken bouillon over everything. Sprinkle some paprika over chicken breasts and dot with 1 Tbs. butter. Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 350F for an hour. Enjoy!

You may want to serve Green Beans with Browned Butter and Sesame Seeds

March 24, 2018April 10, 2018

My Yellow Farmhouse - Cooking with Love!13 Comments

Cranberry Sauce with Crushed Pineapple and a Hint of Oranges

The addition of crushed pineapple mellows out the tartness of the cranberry sauce without changing that great cranberry taste.

This is another one of those recipes I like to call ‘Quick, Easy and Good’. Like all cranberry sauces, it can be made ahead, which is always a good thing, right?

I don’t know about you, but I am a cranberry sauce FREAK. I just love cranberry sauce! I also love pineapple. So for me, this Cranberry Sauce with Crushed Pineapple is a win-win situation. And adding 1/4 tsp. grated orange peel (..no pith allowed..) adds just the right bit of zip.

This recipe makes a thick and chunky cranberry sauce. It’s like ‘all fruit.. all the time’.

++ If you prefer your cranberry sauce a bit more saucy, just add 1 – 2 Tbs. more water to the ingredients.

++ If you prefer your cranberry sauce less sweet, add a bit less sugar.

INGREDIENTS AND METHOD

12 oz. fresh cranberries ++ Did you know cranberries can be frozen. I learned that when we lived in Malta and cranberries were only sold during the Christmas season. ++ 12 oz. fresh cranberries equals about 3 cups
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple – DRAINED
1 cup sugar
3 tbs water ++ Want a bit more ‘sauce’… add 1 – 2 more Tbs. water
1/8 tsp finely grated orange peel ++ DO NOT grate into the pith – the white part.

Pick through cranberries, eliminating any ‘squishy’ ones and taking off any little stems. Rinse in a colander.

Place cranberries into a medium saucepan. Add 1 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons water and 1/8 tsp. finely grated orange peel. ++ Remember – no pith!

Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves and cranberries are soft – about 10 minutes.

Raise heat to medium and cook until the cranberries burst – about 12 minutes. Allow to cool. Refrigerate leftover cranberry sauce.

As I like to say, “It doesn’t get much easier than that.” Enjoy!

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November 22, 2016December 5, 2016

My Yellow Farmhouse - Cooking with Love!10 Comments

‘No Name Bread’ – – A dense, round loaf made with flour & cornmeal. Perfect with chili, soup or stew!

No Name Bread is delicious, but what makes it really special is how little ‘hands on’ time is needed. You mix flour, salt, water and instant yeast, then let the dough sit overnight. (Or a total of 12 – 18 hours.) About an hour before you plan to eat, add some cornmeal & some seasonings and knead dough for about 5 minutes. Cover dough and allow to rest for a half hour. Bake for a half hour and ‘et voila’ – a dense moist bread which holds up to being dunked in soup, chili or stew. ; o )

I’ll let you in a secret. This loaf of bread is NOT the bread I intended to make. I won’t go into a lot of detail about The Problem. I’ll just mention that ‘all flours are not made equal’, meaning Canadian flour is slightly different than flour used in the States. Due to that difference, the dough ended up being sticky and soft. But the yeast worked it’s magic and that’s the most important thing!!

I thought of adding a bit more flour to the dough but was out of flour. (Thank you flour moths…) But I did have cornmeal – and the rest of the story will go down in history as How ‘No Name Bread’ Came to Be!

INGREDIENTS ++ Remember to start the dough the afternoon or night before!!

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. instant OR rapid rise yeast ++ Bread machine yeast IS rapid rise yeast
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water ++ Run your hands under the water to check. If the water feels slightly warmer than your hand – it’s perfect!
1 cup cornmeal.
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/3 tsp. garlic salt with herbs
2 Tbs. pine (pignolia) nuts ++ optional
parchment paper
RIGHT BEFORE BAKING….
olive oil
1/4 tsp. Italian seasonings

METHOD

Oven at 450 (F) Bake on a parchment paper-lined cookies sheet for 25 mins.

In a large bowl, whisk together 3 cups flour, 1 3/4 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. instant (rapid rise) yeast. Mix in 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to sit for 12 – 18 hours. (You can peek it at… I know I did!)

About an hour before you plan to serve the bread, turn out dough… which will be VERY sticky… onto a heavily floured work surface. Roll dough around a bit so it picks up some of the flour. Add 1 cup cornmeal. Work the dough with your hands until cornmeal is thoroughly mixed in. Add 1/2 tsp. Italian seasonings, 1/3 tsp. garlic salt with herbs and 2 Tbs. pine nuts and work into dough.

Knead dough for about 5 minutes. Scrape dough onto the middle of a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Form into a 7 1/2″ circle. Cover dough with the same large bowl, turned upside down, and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

See, it’s bubbling again!

Drizzle dough with olive oil (you can be generous with the olive oil) and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. Italian seasonings.

Bake in a preheated 450 (F) oven for 25 minutes. ++ Loaf will look more ‘golden’ than brown. I recommend letting the loaf of ‘No Name Bread’ sit for 5 – 10 minutes…. if you can wait that long!!

Follow this link for my recipe ‘Thick ‘n Creamy Charred Red Bell Pepper and Potato Chowder’

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November 7, 2015January 27, 2017

My Yellow Farmhouse - Cooking with Love!6 Comments

What Happens When Arugula, Baby Spinach, Artichoke Hearts, Kalamata Olives & Parmesan Meet Bowtie Pasta – Creamy Caesar Pasta Salad !

This is NOT one of those Plain-Jane Pasta Salads! There’s tons of flavor from the artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives and Caesar dressing!

I attended a fun Kentucky Derby party yesterday. Luckily the weather cooperated and it was lovely and sunny outside. The guests were asked to bring a dish to share and I decided to make some type of salad. Liking the looks of the Kale Caesar Pasta Salad in the May issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, I riffed off that – and ended up changing pretty much everything. However, I did stick pretty close to their caesar dressing ingredients ’cause it’s easy and delicious. (In fact, yesterday one guy returned three times for more of this salad. Now THAT’S a recommendation!!)

I used spinach and arugula instead of the kale called for in the original recipe. I HIGHLY recommend being sure to add arugula – no matter what other greens you may decide to use!! The slight peppery flavor of arugula is perfect combined with the artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives and red onion.

+ I know this isn’t a traditional Caesar Salad dressing but it’s not a good idea to eat raw eggs. +

++ Arugula, also known as salad or garden rocket, is one of the nutritious green leafy vegetables of Mediterranean origin. In fact, when we lived in Malta, we could pick arugula in a meadow or the side of the road. And I believe the British simply call it ‘rocket’. ++ The young leaves are tender and less peppery than those of a mature plant.

Ingredients

1 (12 oz.) box Farfalle (bowtie) pasta, cooked according to directions – drained and cooled.
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
6 Tbs. mayonnaise
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/3 freshly grated Parmesan
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. milk
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 (5 oz.) bag spinach/arugula mix ++ This is the first time I’ve found this mixture. Otherwise, purchase spinach and mix with equal parts arugula.
1 (6 oz.) jar brined, PITTED Kalamata olive – drained
1 (12 oz.) jar marinated artichoke hearts – drained and cut into bite-size pieces
1/3 cup chopped red onion

Method

Cook Farfalle (bowtie) pasta according to package directions but add 1 Tbs. olive oil and 1 tsp. salt to cooking water. ++ I recommend covering cooked, drained pasta once or twice with cold water to eliminate any heat. ++ Be sure to drain pasta well.

In a small bowl whisk together 6 Tbs. mayonnaise, 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice, 1/3 freshly grated Parmesan, 1 Tbs. olive oil, 1 Tbs. milk, 1 clove garlic, minced, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Set aside.

Place 1 (5 oz.) bag spinach/arugula mix, 1 (6 oz.) jar brined, PITTED Kalamata olive – drained, 1 (12 oz.) jar marinated artichoke hearts – drained and 1/3 cup chopped red onion in a large salad bowl.

Add cooled cooked pasta. Mix pasta with greens. Pour the caesar dressing over all and mix to cover all your salad ingredients. And that’s all there is to it – your Creamy Caesar Pasta Salad is ready. ENJOY!!