Laura’s Quick Chicken Marsala

04/25/2020 by Laura 2 Comments

This is one of the more frequently served meals from our repertoire of quick chicken breast dishes. It looks far fancier then it actually is. It’s great for a weeknight but is also a worthy dinner party option.

This recipe includes one of my “dirty little secret” ingredients. British gravy granules Bisto. Bisto has been around for over 100 years and is used to color and thicken gravies and sauces. It adds a tiny bit of flavor, but not a lot. I add it to stews, sauces, and gravies that need a little thickening. I use it here to tighten up and finish the sauce in this Chicken Marsala. You can usually find it in the British/Irish section of the grocery store, or at many online retailers.

Ingredients, for 2-3 servings

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup flour

salt and pepper

olive oil for sauteing

1 Tablespoon butter, for sauteing

3/4 pound mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed and sliced

2 large cloves garlic, finely minced

1 cup sweet marsala wine

1 cup chicken stock

2 Tablespoons Bisto

1 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes (my preference) for serving

Place the flour in a zip lock bag. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken breast, dredge and pound the chicken into a flat filet. Repeat with the other pieces of chicken.

Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat in a heavy skillet. I use my cast iron skillet for this recipe. Brown the chicken on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the garlic and saute until soft. Add the mushrooms and saute until soft and a little brown. (You may need to add a little more oil or a pat of butter.) About 5 minutes.

Add the Marsala wine. Bring to a simmer and reduce the wine, about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken stock. Return to simmer and add the chicken. Simmer on low heat for at least 15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Finally, add two tablespoons of Bisto to the simmering sauce, to thicken it up. (Alternatively, you could use a couple tablespoons of corn starch dissolved in a little stock.)

Reduce heat to warm, while you prepare your pasta, rice or potatoes. Garnish the chicken with a little fresh chopped parsley.Serve with a fresh vegetable and a lovely, dry white wine.

Have a lovely evening. Thanks for stopping by.

MSLS

Our Favorite Coq Au Vin

02/19/2018 by Laura Leave a Comment

Our crazy Seattle weekend weather demanded warm comfort food. So between the repeating rounds of snow, wind, sunshine, and hail, I made one of my favorite dishes, Coq au Vin. I first fell in love with Coq au Vin when Mom and I made the recipe from the Time Life Foods of the World: Cooking of Provincial France. I loved making something so “exotic”! During my high school years, we frequented a little French café, and it was always my entre of choice. The entre was so popular, you actually had to reserve it when making your dinner reservation. I’ve had many versions of Coq au Vin from random French restaurants, during my travels. One of my favorites is from Anthony Bourdain’s restaurant in NYC, Les Halles. My recipe is from his cookbook of the same name. Bon appétit

Ingredients

1 liter, plus one cup of dry red wine

1 onion, cut into 1 inch dice

1 carrot, cut into 1/4 inch slice

1 celery rib, cut into 1/2 slices

4 whole cloves

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 bouquet garni (instructions below)

1 3.5-4 pound organic whole chicken

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 pound slab bacon cut into small lardons, about 1/4″ by 1″

1/2 pound small, white button mushrooms, stems removed (I could not find tiny mushrooms, so I quartered the ones I bought)

12 pearl onions, peeled (I hate peeling these – I used peeled, frozen pearl onions)

pinch of sugar

Boquet Garni

1 sprig flat leaf parsley

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1 small square cheesecloth

1 small piece of twine

Lay the herbs on the square of cheese cloth. Gather up the corners and tie with the string.

Equipment

3 large, deep bowls

plastic wrap

fine strainer

large Dutch oven or heavy bottom pot

tongs

wooden spoon

small sauté pan

small sauce pan

1 sheet parchment paper

whisk

deep serving platter

DAY ONE

Combine the bottle of red wine, diced onion, sliced carrot, celery, cloves, peppercorns and bouquet garni in large, deep bowl. Add the chicken and submerge it in the liquid so it is completely covered. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

DAY 2

Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry. Put it aside.

Strain the marinade reserving the liquids and the solids separately. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in the large Dutch oven. Sear the chicken on all sides turning with tongs, to evenly brown on all sides. Once brown, remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the reserved onions, carrot and celery to the pot and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to coat evenly. Stir in the reserved marinade liquid and the bouquet garni. Bring to a simmer and add the chicken back into the pot. Simmer very low, slightly covered for about 90 minutes, or until thigh temperature reaches 165′ on a thermometer.

While the chicken cooks, sauté the bacon lardons in a small pan over medium heat until lightly brown. Remove to paper towel to drain. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings and sauté the mushrooms in the same pan until golden. Set them aside.

In the small saucepan, combine the pearl onions, a pinch of sugar, a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of butter. Add just enough water to cover the onions, then cover the pan with a circle of parchment paper the same size as the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until all the water has evaporated. Remove the paper and cook until the onions are golden brown. Be careful as this happens fast!

Remove the onions from the pan, set aside. Add the remaining cup of red wine. Reduce by about half or until thick and syrupy. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

When the chicken is cooked through, carefully remove it from the liquid to a deep serving dish.

Add in the bacon, mushrooms and onions to the stockpot. Bring to a gentle simmer. Adjust the sauce for seasoning and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Pour the sauce over the chicken. If the sauce is not a thick as you like, tighten up with a beurrre manie.

We typically serve this dish with fluffy mashed potatoes. Enjoy with a Washington Syrah and an arugula salad!

I hope you’ll give this recipe a try. You will be happy you did.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful evening.

Laura

Quick and Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

02/02/2018 by Laura Leave a Comment

Can you believe it is February 2nd today? According to Punxsutawney Phil, there’s 6 more weeks of soup weather ahead of us!

January was a total blur for me. I got that ridiculous virus (flu). I really hope you have escaped it, and if you catch it, do take it seriously. I started hacking on Boxing Day; coughing so hard and uncontrollably I could not catch my breath at times. (Before you ask, YES I GOT A FLU SHOT!) I saw the Dr. on the 27th of December and was given steroids, antivirals, and inhalers. If you know me at all, you know I will do anything to avoid taking Prednisone. This time, I did not even consider putting up a fight! I would have done anything to STOP the coughing! When there were clear signs of infection a week later, I was put on antibiotics. I ran fevers of about 100′ off and on for three weeks. It was just last week that I honestly believed I would make it to Valentines Day! I’m surprised our food delivery folks haven’t called to see why the Hot and Sour soup orders have stopped! Anyway, with my absence explained, and all the crap I ordered on-line while sick; returned, I’m here to share this recipe with you!

We love chicken tortilla soup! So flavorful and satisfying. I always have a whole chicken in the freezer, and roasted tomatoes in the pantry. Onions, avocados, tortillas, and cilantro are usually restocked weekly. I discovered a frozen southwest veggie mix a couple summers ago. It is the perfect add-in to this soup. This frozen veggie combo also makes a great cold salad with a lime, cumin, cilantro vinaigrette. This veggie mix has become a staple in the freezer as well. This post is not sponsored…I’m sharing this “short cut” with you ’cause that’s what I’m all about.

For the soup

Place one whole chicken* (extra fat, skin and giblets removed), in a large stock pot.

cover the chicken with 3 quarts of fresh, cold water
season with salt and pepper

Simmer about two hours, over low heat, until chicken is done – no pink in the thighs.

Remove chicken from pot. Strain the broth into a large bowl and set aside.

Pull the chicken off the bones, removing the skin, breaking the meat into bite size pieces. Set aside.

*You could use rotisserie chicken and three quarts of chicken stock, if your prefer to not cook a whole chicken. Just start with the steps below.

1 large or 2 small jalapeno peppers, minced

1 large, sweet onion, diced

4 T. olive oil

Sauté the onion and pepper in the olive oil over medium heat in your stock pot, about 5 minutes, until tender.

Add:

1 large can diced, fire roasted tomatoes
2 T ground cumin
1 T chili powder
Salt, pepper
2 bags of southwestern style frozen vegetables

Pour the reserved stock back into the stock pot. Taste for Seasoning. Simmer about 30 minutes.

15 minutes before serving, add the reserved chicken meat to the pot. Simmer gently to warm the meat through. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

While the soup is heating, prepare the garnishes:

Cut 4-5 corn tortillas into strips. Add 4 T of oil to a sauté pan and cook them until lightly brown and crisp. Cool on a paper towel to remove any excess oil.

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

1 bunch of green onions, sliced

2-3 avocado’s diced

lime wedges – 1 per serving

grated cheese, for serving

sour cream for serving

When ready to serve, ladle soup into a serving bowl bowl. Top with tortilla strips, shredded cheese, avocado, cilantro, onion and sour cream. Add a lime wedge on the side.. This soup is fantastic leftover and also freezes well.

Make it soon, you won’t regret it!

Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful evening.

Laura

Garbage Day Soup!

09/27/2017 by Laura 2 Comments

It’s human nature to have many routines, whether they’re conscious or unconscious! Often, we’re not even sure how long we’ve had them or how they got started. One of mine is cleaning the fridge the night before the compost, recycling, yard waste, (garbage, if you’re not from Seattle) are collected. I’m pretty sure my mom does the same thing. However, now that I have “more time than money” I am very conscientious about the wasting of anything. It’s not that I was not conscious before, but when your unpredictable work schedule takes you away from home 3-5 days a week, you don’t always manage the larder as efficiently as possible; leftovers get tossed, planned meals don’t get cooked, and the freezer quickly fills with foil packets I call UFO’s….unidentifiable frozen objects, that are rarely interesting a month or two later!

Even with the best intentions, sometimes what’s left at week’s end, is pretty drab and has very few opportunities to be repurposed! I’d love to hear ideas for leftover lettuce based salads, as that is one item that fills my compost bucket routinely! Chicken or salmon – easily become next days sandwich with a little help of mayo, celery, bell pepper. Potatoes, vegetable and gravy – perfect set up for Shepard’s pie, or “dinner for breakfast” potato pancakes.

I got lucky this week, when I opened the produce drawer to “clean it out”. I had a few ears of corn, a half-dozen poblano peppers, a couple jalopeno peppers, cilantro and some leftover chicken. I knew immediately I would be making a corn, pepper, chicken chowder. We had onions, garlic, baby potatoes and chicken stock in the pantry, so I jumped right in. This could all be thrown together in a crock pot, but I actually made the base one day, and reheated it with cream the second day. This soup is delicious and will stay in our rotation throughout the winter, even though we will have to sub frozen corn for the fresh.

For the corn, poblano and chicken chowder

1 large sweet onion, chopped

4-6 cloves of garlic, minced

2 jalopenos , stems and seeds removed and finely chopped

5 poblano peppers, stems and seeds removed and chopped

4 ears of corn, cut away from the cob

12 tiny potatoes, quartered

1 quart chicken stock

2 cups water

2 cups cooked chicken meat in bite size pieces (from leftover chicken)

1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped – retain a few leaves for garnish

1 pint heavy cream

oil for sautéing

salt and pepper

grated cheese for serving – Mexican style

Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in the bottom of a heavy soup pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion, garlic, peppers until soft, about 7 minutes

Add the corn cobs, chopped cilantro, potatoes and chicken stock, and allow to simmer at least an hour.

At this point, I added the chicken, simmered it about an hour more and then moved the pot to the fridge. You could easily complete the soup, but I think the extra day with the corn husks in the pot really pumped up the corn flavor! Add salt and pepper as needed.

About an hour before serving, I brought the soup to a slow simmer. I reduced the heat as much as possible and added the pint of cream.

We served this with grated cheese and fresh-baked corn bread. I really hope you’ll give it a try, whether you have the ingredients on hand or not!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great evening.

Laura

Mediterranean inspired Chicken, Potato and Green Bean Sheet-pan Supper

03/08/2017 by Laura 2 Comments

I always thought that when I retired, (Yes, RETIRED! More about that in an upcoming post.) I’d spend my days making elaborate meals! Meals that took lots of planning, shopping for exotic ingredients and hours in the kitchen. I’ve kind of surprised myself with my recent desire for simplicity. Simplicity of ingredients, quick cooking and easy, often one pan, clean up! Additionally, anything I cook usually makes two appearances. The roast chicken below became chicken salad for lunches, two days in a row. I am sure I will continue to explore elaborate and exotic adventures in food, but they will not be as frequent as I’d thought they would be.

Sheet-pan suppers are gaining in popularity for good reason. They are quick, nutritious, delicious one pan alternatives to the crock pot. Don’t get me wrong, I love my crock pot for many things. But, you will never get crispy skin on a chicken or roast potatoes, in a crock pot! Also unlikethe crock pot, you can prep, cook and serve in 45 – 60 minutes, which fits in better with my current state of spontaneity!

For this recipe, I suggest you spatchcock your chicken. It will cook quickly and evenly and provide a safe, steamy haven for the green beans. If you do not know how to spatchcock a chicken….Google it and watch a video or two. Alternatively, you could ask your butcher to remove the back bone for you. Just make sure you retain it, for your scrap bag of chicken parts, for stock.

For the Mediterranean inspired chicken, potato and green bean supper

Organic ingredients whenever possible

1 half-sheet, sheet pan

1 fresh young chicken 3-4 pounds, preferably organic, spatchcoked and patted dry

7-8 cloves of garlic, minced

leaves from 4-5 sprigs of fresh oregano, minced

zest of one lemon, finely grated on a microplane

juice of zested lemon

Mix the garlic, oregano, lemon zest and lemon juice together in a small bowl with about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil

1 large lemon, sliced thinly

3/4 – 1 pound of fresh green beans, ends removed, uniformly sized

1 pound tiny red and gold potatoes, quartered

Salt and Pepper

additional olive oil

Drizzle a little olive oil on the sheet pan. Pile the green beans in a tight pile, in the center of the pan.

Place the flattened chicken over the green beans, ensuring the beans are all tucked underneath it.

Drizzle olive oil over the chicken and massage it in! Place a couple teaspoonful’s of the garlic, oregano and lemon mixture, under the skin. Place a few lemon slices under the skin as well.

Place the potatoes around the chicken, in a single layer. Drizzle the potatoes with the remaining herb mixture. Toss well to ensure they are coated.

Season well with salt and pepper and Greek style seasoning. (Greek blend offered by numerous spice companies.)

Pop it in a 400′ oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the temperature in the thigh registers 165′.

Let the chicken rest 10-15 minutes before serving.

I hope you will give this meal a try!

Thanks for stopping by.

Have a great evening,

Laura

Orange – Oregano Roast Chicken with Olive Gremolata

02/11/2017 by Laura Leave a Comment

Do you eat as much chicken as we do? The versatility, the convenience and the price all contribute to the reason it shows up on our plate so often. Diana Henry has by far, the most versatile, interesting and flavorful chicken recipes. While she has an entire book devoted to the proud bird, titled A Bird in the Hand, this recipe is from her newest book Simple. Simple focuses on recipes that include things you typically have in a well stocked pantry. My large bag of Cara Cara oranges led me to choose this recipe for last nights dinner. It’s quick and flavorful, and I had all the ingredients on hand. It’s simple enough for a weeknight meal but fancy enough for a dinner party.

Adapted slightly from Diana Henry’s newest book, Simple

For the chicken – this is best if allowed to marinate overnight

6 whole chicken legs, trimmed of extra skin and fat

1/3 cup chopped oregano leaves

8 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped

juice of 2 oranges, and thinly sliced rind of 1 orange

2 oranges, thinly sliced

1/3 cup of olive oil

salt and pepper

Finely chop the oregano, garlic and orange rind. Place it in a large bowl that you will marinate the chicken in. Add the juice from the orange and the olive oil. Mix well. Add the chicken. Massage the marinade into the chicken, with your hands. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight, or a minimum of 2 hours.

Meanwhile, make the gremolata

1 cup mixed green and black olives, pitted and finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

2 red Fresno chiles, seeded and finely chopped

zest of 1 orange

2 Tablespoons chopped oregano leaves

1/3 cup of olive oil

1 Tablespoon of orange juice

1 Tablespoon of white balsamic vinegar

a squeeze of lemon juice

Chop the olives, garlic, chiles and orange zest together on a cutting board. Place in a small bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Set aside to let the flavors infuse.

To prepare the chicken

Heat the oven to 375′. Remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off the excess. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in an oven proof sauté pan, that will allow the chicken to lay flat in a single layer. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and brown on both sides. Finish with the chicken skin side up. Place in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven. Place the orange slices under and around the chicken. Return to the oven and roast another 20 minutes, or until chicken reaches 165′ on a thermometer. Scatter the gremolata on top. Serve from the sauté pan with couscous or roasted potatoes.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Thanks for stopping by.

Have a great evening,

Laura

Game Time Spicy Miso Chicken Wings

01/22/2017 by Laura Leave a Comment

All geared up for a Seahawks win last Saturday, I made some extra special snacks for the game. I love tradional Buffalo Wings, but I really wanted to try something new. Flipping through Sara Moulton’s Home Cooking 101, I found a Japanese twist on the traditional little drummers. Hiroko Shimbo shared her recipe from her book Hiroko’s American Kitchen, Cooking with Japanese Flavors for these wings, which are adapted slightly by Sara. Dave had requested Egg Rolls as well, and the two dishes went together perfectly. Let’s just say, the snacks were way better then the game. Next year ‘Hawks!

For the Spicy Miso Sauce

1 cup aged brown or red miso

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of sugar

3/4 cup mirin

1/3 cup sake

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

Prepare the miso sauce: Place the miso, sugar, mirin and sake in a medium pot, and whisk until smooth. Place the pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook the mixture about 5 minutes, while stirring constantly. Add the lemon juice, reduce the heat and let cook another 8-10 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and stir. Keep sauce warm, on the lowest heat possible, while you prepare the wings. You will have extra sauce, which is also great on grilled steak!

For the Chicken Wings

1 1/2 pounds chicken wings

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon sake

6 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 tablespoons of ginger juice, from a 5 inch knob of freshly grated ginger, divided into 2 – 1 tablespoon portions

(Peel and grate the ginger on a microplane. Place the ginger in a garlic press to squeeze out the juice.)

1/2 – 3/4 cup Spicy Miso Sauce, from recipe above

2 teaspoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons hot paprika

1 scallion, sliced thinly, green part only

Vegetable oil for frying

Prepare the wings: Remove the wing tips and cut the remaining wings into 2 pieces at the joint. Combine the onion powder, salt, egg, sake, cornstarch and flour and 1 tablespoon of the ginger juice in a large bowl. Add the wings, mix thoroughly to make sure they are evenly coated.

Heat 3 inches of oil in a heavy skillet to 330 degrees. Fry the wings in small batches, about 6 minutes, turning from time to time. Remove to a cooling rack placed over a pan, to allow the oil to drain.

Prepare the sauce to coat the wings. In a small bowl, combine the warm Spicy Miso Sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and paprika.

Heat the oil in the skillet to 350 degrees. Refry the wings, to ensure crispiness and that they are thoroughly cooked through, about 3-4 minutes. Drain on rack. When all wings have been fried the second time, place them in a bowl and pour the sauce over them, stir to ensure they are evenly coated. Plate the wings and garnish with the sliced scallion. Serve, with lots of napkins!

I hope you try this recipe, next time you’ve got a craving for wings.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great evening.

Laura

50’s Flashback – Chicken (or Tuna) Noodle Casserole

01/15/2016 by Laura Leave a Comment

We all have comfort food favorites and Chicken (or Tuna) Noodle Casserole is definitely near the top of my list. I’ve been reluctant to post this recipe knowing it’s not that interesting or adventurous, and would also require my admitting to use of “that canned soup”. With encouragement from friends who’ve received this casserole after surgeries, babies, illnesses or other trying times, I decided to share the recipe. It’s something I always have the ingredients on hand for and comes together quickly whether in crisis mode or not! It’s as good with tuna as it is with chicken. It freezes well and is great the next day for lunch, or a second dinner. If you hate mushrooms don’t use them, and use Cream of Celery soup instead. I’ve stepped it up from the 4 ingredient tuna casserole version of my childhood, by adding cheese, sour cream, and vegetables. I hope you’ll like it as much as we do!

For the Chicken (or Tuna) Noodle Casserole

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped into bite size pieces OR 3 7oz. cans of rinsed, drained tuna

2 cans Cream of Chicken, or Cream of Celery or Cream of Mushroom soup

1 1/2 cups of milk

1 cup of sour cream

1 cup shredded white cheddar, or mozzarella, or Monterey jack or any combination of cheese you like

3/4 cup diced celery

3/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1 cup sliced mushrooms (ok to skip mushrooms if you aren’t a fan)

1 teaspoon minced, dry onion

1 cup frozen, petite peas

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs (potato chip upgrade, but you can use them if you must!)

olive oil spray

EVOO for sautéing the vegetables

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1 package (12 ounces) Wide Egg Noodles

Heat the oven to 375′. Spray a casserole dish with oil to prevent sticking. Cook the noodles according to package directions in a large pot of salted boiling water. Drain in a colander and set aside.

In the same pot that you cooked the noodles, sauté the celery, peppers, mushrooms and dry onion in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until soft and tender. (By sautéing the veggies and mixing the ingredients in the same pan you boiled the noodles in – you have only one pan to wash!)

Remove from the heat. Stir in the soup, milk, sour cream. Add the noodles and mix well. Add the chicken (OR tuna), the shredded cheese and the peas. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

When all ingredients are combined, pour into the casserole dish. Sprinkle the Panko bread crumbs evenly over the top. Spray the crumbs with a little oil to aid in even browning.

Bake for about 40 minutes until casserole is bubbly and the top is slightly browned, about 180′ on a thermometer.

Serve with fresh fruit or a tossed green salad.

Have a wonderful evening,

Laura

I love sharing my bird photos. Here are the jays that enjoy the peanuts we put out for them!

Quick, Comforting, One Pan Chicken with Delicata Squash and Brussels Sprouts

11/24/2015 by Laura 2 Comments

Thanksgiving week. I cannot believe it is here already. So much has happened in the last few months. I’m still waiting to exhale; to take in a deep breath and let it out, without stopping half way. Those of you who follow my blog know Dave had major surgery in August. You can read about it here. In the midst of all this, I lost my Dad. He passed peacefully on September 25th, after a long illness. Like all families (eventually) do, ours has experienced a shit storm in 2015. A Job change, cancer and the loss of a parent. It has been one of the most challenging periods in my life. I am grateful for going through it, and coming out on “the other side”. I honestly wasn’t sure I could, but I did! We did. Thank you for your support.

Dave began 8 weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatments in mid-September. It was extremely rough. Nothing you can prepare for, but something you have to endure; one day at a time. And that is what Dave did, he endured and persevered. He ended up spending his last two weeks of treatment in the hospital. Dave (and I) received fantastic care throughout this entire process. I will be forever grateful to the staff on 12-East at Swedish Hospital in Seattle, as well as the Swedish Cancer Care Treatment Center. Dave is improving everyday. It is a slow process. There is still a long way to go after treatment stops.

It has been hard cooking for just myself, for a lot of reasons. Dave and I have always looked forward to cooking meals and eating together; Dave doing the shopping and the clean up! I learned so much about things I never thought about, prior to Dave’s illness, mostly because I just never had to. Like….what day the garbage gets picked up, how much “output” is created by 2 large golden retrievers, how many pans I dirty when I cook, and that I have no clue how to turn on the music or watch a movie on our system! Thankfully, the music is on again, and I am catching up on Netflix!

I’m posting this recipe as it was something I made once or twice over the past few months. It goes together quickly, it’s comfort food and even a little on the healthy side. You can easily control the portions and amount of leftovers. For me, I stretched this recipe into two dinners and one lunch. For some reason, I always seem to have Brussels Sprouts and Delicata squash around, this time of year. Both are also great added to a salad with a few walnuts, goat cheese and dried cranberries, or to this chicken dish!

For the One Pan Chicken with Delicata Squash and Brussels Sprouts

2, 4, 6, or 8 chicken thighs, depending on how many people you are feeding (I used 4)

olive oil

salt, pepper

one, finely sliced shallot

1, 2, or 3 Delicata squash, halved, seeded and sliced

6-8 Brussels sprouts, per serving, halved

1/2 cup dry white wine

Heat the oven to 350′. Trim the chicken thighs of excess fat and skin, and pat dry. Season well with salt and pepper on both sides. Warm 2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of a heavy, oven proof skillet. Brown the thighs on both sides over medium heat. Add the sliced shallots to the pan to brown with the chicken. Remove to a plate, and set aside. Wipe the pan to remove any burnt, potentially bitter bits, and excess oil. Return the pan to the heat, give the Brussels sprouts about five minutes in the pan, sautéing gently. Remove to a plate and set aside. Repeat with the Delicata squash, adding a little more oil, if needed. Return the chicken to the pan, then add the Brussels sprouts and top with the shallots. Add a little more salt and pepper, the 1/2 cup of dry, white wine and place the entire skillet in the oven. Cook about 30 minutes, until thighs register 165′ on a meat thermometer. Let rest about 10 minutes and serve.

Of all the things I’ve learned over the past few months, I learned that Dave and I can make it through anything! His last treatment was November 2. We are going to Hawaii on January 5th, where we will celebrate his birthday with both our Mom’s. We will return to cooking, photographing, blogging and eating together soon!

Have a great evening and a wonderful Thanksgiving,

Laura

These beauties are Stellar’s Jays. We have had a pair hanging around for years. The go crazy for peanuts!

Let the grilling season begin!

06/10/2015 by Laura Leave a Comment

Summer has arrived ahead of schedule in Seattle. We are experiencing record breaking temperatures in the low 80’s. Our garden is loving every minute of it, and I am certain I will have ripe tomatoes very soon.

As you know, we grill all year ’round for pleasure, but when it is as hot as it is, it is out of necessity.

One of our summertime favorites is Dave’s bbq chicken. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, low heat and frequent turns result in moist, juicy and tender chicken. We love the whole chicken legs as they cook evenly and have lots of flavor. Our favorite side dish is our traditional potato salad. Did you know nasturtiums flowers and leaves make lovely garnishes and they are edible! Stay cool and enjoy!

BBQ Chicken and Potato Salad Directions

Have a wonderful evening,

Laura