Chicken with vinegar

From the NY Times and Mark Bittman

2 tablespoon olive oil
3 pound chicken pieces
1/4 cup scallion or shallot, minced
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon butter

Instructions: Heat oil in oven-proof skillet.  When hot, place chicken in skillet and cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes or until nicely browned.  Turn and cook 3 minutes on the other side.  Season with salt and pepper.

Put skillet in the oven at 450.  Cook 15-20 minutes or until almost done.  Remove chicken to a plate.  Pour out all but 2 T of cooking juices.  Place over medium high heat and add shallots/scallions.  Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring, about 2 minutes.  Add vinegar and raise the heat to high.  Cook a minute or two, until the powerful acrid smell subsides.   Add 1/2 c water and cook another 2 minutes, stirring, until slightly reduced and somewhat thickened.  Stir in butter.

Return the chicken (and any juices under it) to the skillet and turn the chicken in the sauce.  Serve immediately.

Chicken:  slow-cooker chicken and gravy

Modified from www.paleogrubs.com


4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon cornstarch
5 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
2 cup raw rice

Instructions: Mix onion powder, garlic powder, celery seed, thyme, salt, pepper and flour.

Place rice in slow cooker. Place chicken on rice.  Mix seasoning powder, water and broth.  Pour over chicken and rice.  Cook 6-8 hours on low.  Chicken should have no pink in the center, and liquid should be absorbed.

Spaghetti squash lasagna

Slightly modified from Cooking Light.

2 Small spaghetti squash (about 1 1/2 lb each)
2 teaspoon olive oil
4 clove garlic, minced
1/2  cup ricotta cheese
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 pound ground beef, venison, turkey or chicken
1 1/2 cup marinara sauce
1/4  cup parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions: Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds, and place cut side down on a jelly roll pan with a little water.  Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.  As soon as it's cool enough to handle, scrape out the strands with a fork, leaving a small layer of squash in the shell.  Drain strands or squeeze in a towel.

Mix garlic, oil, cheese, salt and 1/4 c mozzarella with the squash strands.

Cook ground meat, if using, until browned.  Add marinara sauce, cover and simmer 4 minutes.

Increase oven temp to 425.  Layer in squash shells:  sauce, squash mixture, mozzarella,  sauce, squash, mozzarella, parm.  Bake for 20 minutes.

If desired, place under broiler for 1-2 minutes to brown the cheeses.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Pear scones

Pear drop scones

1 3/4 Cup flour

1/3 Cup honey

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 pinch salt

1/3 cup butter, chilled

1 egg

1/2 cup half and half

1 cup pear, chopped

Instructions: Mix dry ingredients and cut in butter until mixture has a crumbly texture.  Stir in egg and half and half.   Stir in pear.  I have used other fruits, and added walnuts--very good.  Drop large spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet.  Bake at 375 about 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Great sandwich bread

Whole Wheat Honey Oatmeal Bread

2 c boiling water
1 c old-fashioned oats
1/2 c honey
1/4 c butter
1 T kosher salt
1 t cinnamon

Mix together and let sit until lukewarm (not too long--warmth helps the yeast).

Mix in

1 T yeast
1 1/2 c white whole wheat flour
4 c unbleached all-purpose flour

***Here I also add 1/4 c flax seed, 1/4 c sunflower seeds and 1 c walnuts.

Knead (I use the dough hook on my mixer) 5-7 minutes (10 minutes if by hand).

Oil bowl and surface of dough lightly, cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Place in greased pans (I use one 13" Pullman pan; otherwise use two regular loaf pans), cover and let rise, 60-90 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.  Tent lightly with foil for the last 10 minutes to prevent over browning.  Cool on a wire rack.

Modified from joythebaker.com

Chicken parmagiana pizza

I don't much like chicken or turkey dark meat, so I started looking for recipes using ground chicken.  And look what I found!  This is from Rachael Ray on Food.com.  And it's really good.  The crust is from Taste of Home.

Pizza crust

2 1/2 c flour
1 t salt
1 t sugar (I use honey)
1 T yeast
1 c warm water
1 t oil

Combine flour, salt, sugar and yeast.  Combine water and oil, and add to flour mixture.  Add flour if needed to form a soft dough.  Knead on a lightly floured surface for 1-2 minutes, until smooth and elastic.  Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 20 minutes.  Punch down dough; press/pat to desired size on pizza pan.

Poke a few holes in the crust and drizzle with olive oil.  Bake the crust for about 10 minutes at 425.  

Pizza topping

2 T oil
1 lb ground chicken
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 t oregano
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 c shredded parmesan cheese
1 1/2 c shredded provolone (I used mozz)
5-6 leaves of fresh basil, sliced thin


Heat 2 T olive oil in a large skillet.  Add chicken, onion, garlic, salt and pepper.  Break up chicken as it cooks.  When cooked (5-6 minutes), add parsley, oregano and tomatoes (and a couple pinches of red pepper flakes, if desired).  Heat through.

Top partly cooked crust with sauce and cheeses.  Return to oven and bake until golden and bubbly, 5-10 minutes.  Top with fresh basil and serve.

Crisp cucumber salsa

No leftovers here!  Use up those cucumbers!!

2 c cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/2 c tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/4 c red onion, chopped
2 T fresh parsley, minced
1 1/2 T fresh cilantro, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c sour cream
1 1/2 t lemon juice
1 1/2 t lime juice
1/4 t cumin (I use 2 x this amt)
1/4 t seasoned salt

Combine vegetables.  Make dressing from sour cream, juices, cumin and salt.  Pour over vegetable mix toss gently, and serve immediately with chips.

This is from Taste of Home.  The original recipe also has a jalapeño pepper seeded and chopped in the vegetable mix.