Chicken Vesuvio

Several weeks ago, my Mom and I started talking about what we were going to have for our family celebration of January birthdays (hers and mine).  She wanted something different.  Chicken Vesuvio rose to the top of the list of possibilities quickly.  It's something I have never made so I did some research.  So many recipes were for whole chickens or dark meat chicken and quite frankly, I don't like dark meat chicken.  After a little more research, I found 3 recipes that sounded appealing and what I made today was a combination of the three.

Keep in mind, I made 20 chicken breasts and roughly 8lbs of potatoes--so basically quadrupled the recipes as they were written.  It's labor intensive when you're making that much but it turned out fantastic so it was worth it.

I fried the chicken and potatoes in my wok.  It really worked well.  I have a cast iron Dutch oven which would have worked well if I had been making dinner for 4.

I started by peeling the potatoes I used russets.  I peeled them and cut them into spears.  For 4 servings, use 3-4 potatoes.  I set the potatoes aside in a pot of cold water to keep them from turning brown.

Each chicken breast was rinsed and patted dry and then dredged in a mixture of flour, dried basil, dried oregano, dried thyme, pepper, salt, a pinch of rosemary (I put my rosemary through a spice grinder) and a pinch of sage.

When you think of chicken Vesuvio, you think garlic.  Now, not everyone in my family likes garlic as much as I do so I tried to figure out how to get the fantastic garlic flavor without offending those who don't want to repel every vampire in a tri-state area.  I poured 2 tbsp. olive oil into the wok over medium heat and crushed some garlic cloves and tossed them into the wok along with the dredged chicken breasts four at a time.  I used 4 crushed garlic cloves for each set of four chicken breasts.  When they started to burn, I swapped them out for new ones.

Brown the chicken breasts approximately 4 minutes on each side.  Place chicken breasts in a roasting pan when browned.

When the chicken was done, I started with the potatoes, approximately a dozen spears at a time.  I added a little olive oil for each batch of potatoes and sprinkled some granulated garlic, dried basil, dried thyme, dried oregano, salt and pepper.  After 8-10 minutes the potatoes are browned.  I had so much chicken and potatoes, I had 3 roasting pans.  If you're making a smaller batch, I would put the potatoes and chicken in the same pan.

I deglazed the wok with 3 cups of white wine...I used a pinot grigio.  Once the wine reduced by half, I poured it over each of the three roasting pans.  Just before baking, I added about a half cup of chicken broth to each pan.  I baked the potatoes at 375 for 45 minutes and the chicken for 25 minutes.  Just before everything came out of the oven, I cooked 3 cups of peas in the microwave according to package directions.  I poured the peas over the chicken and potatoes and then sprinkled everything with minced fresh parsley.

I don't like to brag but this meal got rave reviews from the family and I am my own worst critic and thought it was the BOMB!

Pasta Fagioli

Pasta fagioli is one of my favorite soups.  I made this recipe today; I actually doubled it.  I also didn't find any specifically spinach pasta I wanted to add to the soup so I used tri-color tortellini instead.  If you use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, you have meat free meal.  I tried it and it's really hearty.  This is going to be a fantastic meal with some crusty bread.

1 tbsp. olive oil
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
salt to taste
1 14.5oz. can chicken broth
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
1 15oz. cannelini beans, with liquid

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Cook celery, onion, garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and salt in the hot oil until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.  Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes and tomato sauce, and simmer on low 15 to 20 minutes

Add pasta and cook 10 minutes until pasta is tender.

Add undrained beans and mix well.  Heat through.  Serve with grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Christmas Baking 2012

Yes, I know...Christmas was almost two weeks ago.  I am a little behind...when you catch a cold 3 days before Christmas and it blossoms into a raging sinus infection for New Years...you don't spend a lot of time blogging.  I'll be honest...the last few evenings, I have spent most of my time napping.  I am finally returning to the land of the living so I can recap the baking extravaganza of 2012.  These are my finished trays.

They look yummy, don't they?

I started, as I always do with my mini loaves of bread.  This year I made chocolate chip banana and cranberry pecan.

Then I got going with the cookies...

The top photo of the three above is a new recipe this year.

Recipe: Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chip Pretzel Cookies
Makes 24 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. of salt
• 1/4 tsp. of baking soda
• 1/2 cup of butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup of tightly packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
• 1/2 cup broken up pretzel pieces
• Preztel Salt or Sea Salt

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a larger bowl, beat the butter and sugars together on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). On low speed, slowly add the beaten egg and vanilla extract. Beat to combine, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the flour mixture and beat just until there are no more streaks of flour. Stir in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and preztels. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out well rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough and sprinkle with pretzel salt. Leave about 2 inches between each ball. Bake for 10 minutes. If you prefer crispier cookies increase the baking time by 1-2 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing.

The second photo are malted milk ball brownies...I wasn't impressed with these, they were just OK.  It was just a Betty Crocker brownie mix with crushed malted milk balls in them.

The third photo is Peppermint Kiss Sugar Cookies and they are the BOMB!

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/4 cups butter, room temperature
1 tsp peppermint extract (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup finely chopped Candy Cane flavored Hershey’s Kisses
Granulated Sugar
About 30 unwrapped Candy Cane Kisses

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Make room in either refrigerator or freezer for your cookie sheet.

2. In large mixer bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter, extracts and egg. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often until creamy (2-3 minutes). In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to wet mixture and beat, scraping bowl often until well blended (1-2 minutes). The mixture will be a bit crumbly. Stir in chopped Kisses.

3. Shape dough into ¾-inch to 1-inch balls; roll in granulated sugar. Place 1-inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set. As soon as they come out of the oven, press a Candy Cane Kiss in the center of each cookie. They’ll crack a little around the edges, so just use your fingers to hold the cookie together while you set the kiss inside. Put cookie sheet (with cookies) immediately into the freezer (preferred) or refrigerator, so that the Kisses will set quickly. As soon as you press them into the cookie, they will begin to soften… so if you can get them into the freezer then they will keep their Kiss shape.

4. Store in a covered container- at room temperature for up to a week. In the freezer they should be good for a couple of weeks.

I have a side by side freezer and putting a cookie sheet in the freezer is not a realistic expectation the week before Christmas so my kisses were a bit mushy but  they still tasted good!

Holly Crackles

You've seen these before on a Christmas cookie tray...corn flakes covered in a green marshmallow mixture and dotted with Red Hot candies.  Simple and quite frankly yummy.  I made some this morning as part of my  Christmas baking blitz.  This is Mr. Food's recipe.  I used to love when he would appear on our local news show and was sad to hear of his passing literally a couple of weeks ago.  Thanks, Mr. Food!  I thought of you fondly while I was up to my elbows in bright green marshmallow fluff!!

1/2 C. (1stick) butter

30 large marshmallows (a 10-ounce bag contains 38 to 40)--I used minis today and they worked fine

1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons green food color

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups cornflakes cereal

Red-hot cinnamon candies, for decorating

  In a medium saucepan, melt butter and marshmallows over medium-low heat, stirring constantly.

When melted, remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon food color and the vanilla. Add more food color, if desired. Stir in cornflakes.

Drop mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, onto wax paper. Decorate with candies. Let stand 30 minutes, or until cool.

McCormick Chocolate Crackle Cookies

I have made a similar cookie with powdered sugar instead of the spices.  If you have tried my Mexican brownies (OK Aaron Sanchez's Mexican brownies) you have experienced the chocolate and pepper combination that is out of this world.  Time permitting, this may be in my Christmas cookie line up this year.

12oz. semi sweet chocolate, divided
3/4 C. flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ancho chile powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 C. butter, softened
1/2 C. granulated sugar
1/4 C. firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp. vanilla

Melt 8oz. of the chocolate as directed on the package.  Set aside.  Coarsely chop remaining chocolate.  Mix flour, roasted cinnamon, ancho chile pepper, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.

Beat butter and sugars in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla, mix well.  Add melted chocolate, beat until well blended.  Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed.  Stir in chopped chocolate.  Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 1 1/2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven about 10 minutes or just until cookies are set and slightly cracked on top.  Transfer cookies on parchment to wire rack and cool completely.  Makes 3 1/2 dozen.

Cranberry Pecan Bread

I am going to try this for the holidays I think.  This is close to the cranberry bread  I have been making for years...the almond extract is interesting though.  Also, anyone who has been reading alone knows my love for pecans.

1 1/2 C. fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped
1 C. chopped pecans
3 C. all purpose flour, divided
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 C. sugar
1 C. canola oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 C. whole milk

Glaze
6 tbsp. powdered sugar
2 tbsp. orange juice
1/2 tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. almond extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 3 loaf pans with cooking spray; dust with flour, tapping out excess. Toss cranberries and. pecans in 1/4 C. flour to coat.

Whisk remaining 2 3/4 C. flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.  Beat sugar and oil in large bowl at medium speed 1 minute or until combined.  Add eggs one at a time, beating just until blended.  Beat in 1 1/2 tsp. each vanilla and almond extracts.  At low speed, beat in flour mixture in 3 parts alternately with milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Stir in cranberry mixture.  Divide batter between pans.

Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pans on wire rack 15 minutes.  Meanwhile whisk all ingredients in a small bowl.  Remove bread from pans, place on wire rack.  Brush with glaze, cool completely.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This is the original chocolate chip banana bread that Mom and I have been making for years.  I usually omit the nuts because I have many friends who love this bread who do not have the same love for nuts.  I make mini loaves with these and give them as gifts at Christmas time.

2 C. unsifted all purpose flour
1 C. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 C. mashed ripe bananas (about 3 small)
1/2 C. shortening
2 eggs
1 C. mini semi sweet morsels
1/2 C. chopped walnuts

Grease bottom only of 9x5x3 inch loaf pan; set aside.  Combine all ingredients except the chips and walnuts in a large mixer bowl, blend well on medium speed.  Stir in mini chips and walnyts.

Pour into prepared pan.  Bake at 350 degress for 60 to 70 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan.  Cool completely on wire rack.