On most week nights, I still come home wanting to eat home-cooked food-- as opposed to bringing home take-out. I'm pretty much the Chief Cook in the house, and I need meals that come together quickly. I often resort to pan-searing meat and making a pan sauce. I love pan sauces. They transform boring old chicken, pork or beef into something that resembles restaurant quality food. It couldn't be simpler. When the Pioneer Woman recently posted this recipe, I knew that this would be dinner. That very night!
I stopped by my meat market, and picked up two luscious pork loins. I already had the rest of the ingredients on hand-- red wine, garlic cloves, beef broth and balsamic vinegar. So, here we go-- the pork is seasoned with coarse salt & black pepper. Then it's seared in a screaming hot skillet with a little oil and unsalted butter.
I did something a little differently that "PW" does... I prefer to sear my meats on one side until golden brown, and then put them into a 425F oven to roast them. (I already had baked potatoes going, so it was convenient to do this.) This method pretty much assures me that the meat will be moist. I roasted these for about 4 minutes, then removed them and lightly covered them in foil. (Otherwise, just flip them more a few more minutes, because you'll finish cooking the pork in the sauce.) To the skillet, I added about 8 peeled cloves of garlic, and tossed the about on medium heat until golden brown. Look at all the brown deliciousness on the bottom of the pan...flavor, just waiting to happen!
So, now I add some red wine, a bay leaf and let that bubble and reduce for a few minutes. Last, I add some beef broth and the chops and let them simmer for a few minutes more.
I add a bit of balsamic vinegar, and swirl the pan a bit...
For a final ta-da, I turn off the heat and add some unsalted butter and whisk it in.
I served this with a baked potato, and a salad with a light white balsamic vinaigrette.
TASTING NOTES: I do consider pork to be the "other white meat" and we love it. I realize that this isn't exactly a child-friendly dish, but my baby is already a grown young man. The garlic was sweet, and cooking it removed any kind of strong garlic "bite". I wish I had added even more garlic cloves. The sauce was so flavorful, with that very subtle tang of balsamic. Loved this dish. Love, love. This recipe is going into my regular rotation for those nights when I'm hungry, but tired. Super easy to make, and good enough to serve company for dinner. Thanks, Ree!
A printable recipe card is at the end of this post.
I've never been to Chicago. Some day I will. In the meantime, I trust Marie of "Proud Italian Cook", who lives in Chicago. Marie shared her recipe for Chicken Vesuvio, a while ago. She says that this dish is a Chicago American-Italian traditional dish. I trust her expertise. There's a reason why I chose "A Feast for the Eyes" as the name of my food blog. I'm so highly visual, that if I see a delectable photo of something to eat I am completely driven for a need to make it! I can look at photos, even if I'm not hungry, and still drool over the vision that is before me. That's the effect I had when I saw Cathy, of Wives with Knives, photo of this dish. It was the final push for me to jump in and make it for myself.
This dish has a lot going for it, besides tasting great. It's easy to make. It's not too expensive, especially if you keep white wine on hand at all times (which I do). I made only a few minor changes to their versions.
First, I only used two large bone-in chicken breasts (but you can use both dark and white meat), that I seasoned with salt & pepper, dried oregano and granulated garlic. (Just be sure that the chicken has been patted dry, so that you'll get a beautiful brown sear.) The prep work isn't too time-consuming-- maybe 15 minutes cut potatoes and peel whole cloves of fresh garlic. I used red potatoes, so I didn't have to peel the potatoes. I think these are the perfect choice for this dish, but use whatever spuds you have on hand.
I used my large cast iron skillet and heated some olive oil and a little unsalted butter, for extra flavor. Skin side down, on medium-high heat, sear the chicken and brown the potatoes (from 5-7 minutes).
Then, flip the chicken and potatoes to brown them on both sides. By the way, the reason I don't recommend using boneless chicken, is that the meat has a tendency to dry out. Bone-in, pretty much guarantees moist chicken.
If you adapt this recipe, as I did, I made this a one skillet recipe. I simply removed the chicken and potatoes and set them aside on a plate. Otherwise, you'll transfer the chicken and potatoes to a roasting pan. Next, I added the whole garlic cloves to the skillet and cooked them until golden brown (just don't burn them on a high heat). Now, add some white wine (I use Sauvignon Blanc) to deglaze the pan, and get those lovely bits of brown flavor loosened up. NOTE: Though I used half the amount of chicken in the recipe, I didn't decrease the sauce. Cathy said it was so good, that I wanted more for myself.
White wine and garlic makes us hungry! Both my son and husband were sniffing the aroma, and saying that something smelled really good. I had to break it to them, that they had about another hour to wait... add some chicken stock and then reduce the sauce on medium-high heat for about five minutes. If you're using a separate roasting pan, you pour this sauce over the chicken.
I did the reverse, and returned the chicken and potatoes back into the skillet, then popped into a 375F oven. I guestimated about 45 minutes (165F internal temperature) for the chicken to be cooked. In the meantime, tidied my kitchen and washed most of my utensils so that I could have less cleanup after eating dinner.
In the last 15 minutes, I added about one cup of frozen peas.
There's a lot of sauce, since I doubled the liquid recipe. The aroma is enough to make anyone hungry!
This is comfort food, in my book.
TASTING NOTES: My son prefers dark meat. He said that this was the first time he'd eaten a chicken breast that tasted really moist and flavorful. My husband went back for thirds seconds on the potatoes. This dish has a European flavor, with that thin pan sauce. I would definitely make this recipe again, and I'll use a whole cut up chicken. I wish I'd had some crusty bread to soak up the sauce, because it is really flavorful.
As always, a printable recipe card is at the bottom of this post. I'd like to thank both Marie and Cathy for inspiring me to try this Chicago dish. It's delicious and easy!
Just in time for the 4th of July, our coastal County of Monterey finally had it's first taste of hot summer weather. Compared to Phoenix, that had a temperature of 118F and various parts of the country-- 80 degree weather isn't a walk in the park for us. But, for we locals, we are used to temps that range from the mid 60's to mid 70's during the summer. Air-Conditioning isn't something that is built into most of our homes. If we're hot, we plug in fans or go to an air-conditioned movie theater. I can count, on one hand, how often Craig and I have headed to our local public library, to bask in the air-conditioned computer lab due to temperatures that hit triple-digits. We're heat wave whimps, and I'm very happy with the climate where I live, thank-you-very-much. I begin to turn various shades of red when the mercury hits the 80's. Beyond that, I'm pretty much useless. I'd never survive in the South, that's for sure.
After a few summers of begging pleading for my husband to invest in some new patio furniture, he finally agreed. Granted, the Salinas Valley winds can sometimes blow really strong in our backyard. But, that's usually in April-May. By summer, we get some winds in the later afternoon, once the coastal fog begins to roll onto the shore-- about 25 miles inland. On Sunday, we were having guests for a backyard barbecue of ribs and "Butterflied Chicken".
I had a hankering to make a White Peach Sangria. Ever since our trip to Palm Springs, last October, I've wanted to see if I could recreate that refreshing drink that I enjoyed-- while dining at a trendy restaurant, sitting under misters at 8:00pm, and it was still close to 100F outside. I was parched. I was a little cranky. This cocktail cheered me right up. After doing a little internet surfing, I settled on Bobby Flay's White Peach Sangria. The recipe calls for fresh oranges, apple and peaches-- these peaches happen to be white peaches. On a whim, I discovered two of my numerous kitchen gadgets work really well to prepare peaches. My apple corer made quick work of peeling peaches-- and my mango splitter did a great job of removing the pit. Ya gotta love gadgets!
I had a beautiful bowl of cherries, and so I decided they'd be fun and colorful to add to the sangria, instead of an apple. Here's another one of my gadgets:
This Norpro Cherry Pitter makes quick and easy work of pitting cherries. I love it!
Now, to make Sangria! I added one bottle of Sauvignon Blanc (Bobby uses Spanish table wine). I later found out, on Batch #3, that a White Zinfandel works well, too. A cup of pineapple juice goes into the pitcher...
... add a cup of fresh orange juice. I added about 2 ounces of simple syrup. That triggered an idea-- I had some fresh, sliced pineapple so I added that to the mix. I also added 3 ounces of Peach Schnapps (Bobby uses brandy) and 3 ounces of Triple Sec-- but, I later added a lot more... like 3/4 cup of each. Why? I'll explain in a moment...
Bobby Flay used a peach puree, but my peaches weren't quite soft and ripe enough. I decided to take a short-cut. Peach nectar worked great!
This lovely concoction went into the fridge for several hours.
The reason I added more Triple Sec and Peach Schnapps is that I wanted to some "fizz" to the Sangria. I decided that I would add club soda, and I figured that would water down the booze. Sounds sensible, right? It's up to you, but I decided to not add the club soda all at once. I didn't want to risk the sangria going flat. Your choice... To serve this, I poured a couple inches of club soda in each glass, added ice and then the white sangria.
I confess, that I made this on Saturday to test the recipe.
VERDICT: Cheers, Bobby Flay! Refreshing! Peachy. Sweet, but not over-the-top sweet. My husband said "it's a girlie drink", while holding on to a bottle of beer. Girlie? Really. We'll see...
Feeling satisfied that this Sangria was going to be a hit, I topped it off with more Sauvignon Blanc, a splash or two more of Peach Schnapps and Triple Sec and put it in the fridge, overnight.
By the time our guests arrived, it was hot! Our two male dinner guests (who are about as macho as they come) couldn't get enough of this drink. Now, who are you gonna call "girlie"? Oh, how quickly my husband forgets. I think I saw him sipping two or three of these. I had to make a total of two more pitchers of this refreshing drink. While Sangria tastes best, when allowed to chill for several hours-- this works fine if you make it on the fly. It's a perfect summer cocktail. It's also versatile-- add or take away whatever fruit suits your fancy.
A printable recipe card is at the end of this post.
One of my favorite cooking magazines is "Cuisine At Home". If you've never seen an issue, please order a free preview issue from their website! (I'm not sponsored by this magazine, nor am I being paid to say this. I just believe that when something is really good, it deserves a shout.) The format of the magazine is missing something. Ads! Each page has step-by-step photos and recipes that can be a little bit fussy, along with plenty of very simple recipes. Like the family of Cook's Illustrated's publications, their issues teach and inspire me to cook or bake recipes that are new to me.
This June issue has several recipes that are on my radar. I've already made a few of them, but my laptop is giving me some trouble. My husband, who has a career working with computers, is as bumfuzzled as I am frustrated with my laptop not being able to recognize USB ports! Hence, I can't upload photos to my laptop! It's been well over a week, so I've had to resort to a painstaking workaround. I am confident the problem will be fixed-- someday. Hence, I have recipes and photographs that are backed up and I'm anxious to share with you. This recipe is very simple, and needs only four ingredients-- other than salmon. I didn't have to take a lot of photos, so this recipe is being posted first.
I spotted fresh wild-caught sockeye salmon at Whole Foods. At $18.00 a pound, it sounds very pricey. However, I've read enough information about the dangers of farmed-fish, and so I splurged. I paid about $6.00 per fillet. I particularly love the beautiful red color of sockeye salmon -- unlike the cheaper farm-raised salmon that has red-dye injected into it. You didn't know? It's something to think about...
Simple seasonings-- coarse salt & fresh cracked pepper.
The basting sauce consists of Pure Maple Syrup (not pancake syrup, please), bourbon, unsalted butter and cider vinegar. (The cider vinegar adds acidity, which balances the rich sweetness of the baste.) Simply boil the ingredients over medium-high heat until thickened (3 minutes).
Grill fillets, covered, 3 minutes. Flip fillets, baste with maple glaze and grill until firm to the touch, 2-3 minutes more.
TASTING NOTES: The salmon was moist, and the basting sauce had gentle notes of sweet. The bourbon wasn't overpowering at all (as a side note-- I'm not a bourbon drinker in any way!). I appreciated the simplicity of the basting sauce, the healthy Omega-3 fats from the salmon, and the summer color and flavors of fresh corn and tomatoes. As for my husband, he kept thanking me for the dinner I made for us. He said it made him feel good. I know what he means. It's a guilt-free kind of meal that leaves your appetite feeling satisfied and not overstuffed!
For the next two weeks, I will be working a "day shift" at my job-- I'm so excited! That means, I can be home before 6pm, rather than 9pm-- I think my family is even more excited to have my home-cooked dinners. I look forward to having more time to catch up on writing and editing recipes and photos to share with you!
(Printable recipe cards are at the bottom of this post.)
Springtime and Lemons. Works for me! Thanks to my husband's efforts to nurture and take care of our Eureka and Meyer lemon trees, I can enjoy one of my favorite citrus flavors. I've been enjoying this season's shows on Food Network's "Barefoot Contessa" because she is featuring recipes from her recently released cookbook "How Easy Is That?"
This particular cookbook become one of my favorite choices when I am searching for inspiration for quick and flavorful meals. As Ina promised, this is a very easy recipe to make, and my whole family loved it.
We have an herb garden, and our thyme is thriving. you also need fresh garlic-- like 9 cloves!
Begin by zesting 2 lemons, and finely chopping the garlic. Next, squeeze 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice and set that aside. You need 1/4 cup of olive oil. Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don’t allow the garlic to turn brown.
Off the heat, add 1/3 cup dry white wine, lemon zest, dried oregano*, thyme, and 1 teaspoon sal. *Ina says that fresh oregano would be too overpowering.
...add the lemon juice.
Here is where I took a small detour from the recipe. I used chicken breasts, bone-in, instead of Ina's suggested boneless chicken breasts. Why? I was being cheap thrifty, and decided that I didn't want to pay for boneless chicken. After seasoning the chicken, I quickly seared them, because I wanted to be sure to have a nice brown color. You can view how to do this below, from the Rouxbe Online Cooking School:
Otherwise, skip this step and pour the sauce into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish.
Then, pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper.
Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned.
The aroma will make your family run to the dinner table. Note: If the chicken isn’t browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.
I served this with brown basmatti rice and steamed broccoli. Delicious!
TASTING NOTES: Next time, I'll pay extra and use boneless chicken breasts. De-boning and slicing the chicken was a bit of a hassle for me! Plus, the presentation is much prettier with boneless chicken breasts. I also realized that this recipe reminded of another Ina Garten recipe I've made before-- Baked Scampi!
This is a great weeknight family dinner, or can be fancy enough for a dinner party. How easy is that?
A printable recipe is at the very bottom of this page. I recommend buying the book, though. There are lots of great recipes!
Note: I have recently become a Rouxbe Cooking School affiliate partner. Rouxbe is the world's first-ever online cooking school. I partnered with Rouxbe to help you improve you cooking skills. As part of their affiliate program, I have the power to give you a free, full-access, no-videos-barred, 14-day pass to their site. All you have to do is go to the Rouxbe Online Cooking School and redeem the 14-day Gift Membership. After the trial, you can join for as little as $29.95 per month; however, there is no obligation. It's awesome! Please check it out by clicking here.
made quick work of peeling peaches-- and my 
did a great job of removing the pit. Ya gotta love gadgets!
makes quick and easy work of pitting cherries. I love it!
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