What's for dinner: Chicken in salsa, spicy chick peas and asparagus in feta vinaigrette

Chicken in salsa is one of our favorite ways to cook chicken. Like many of my recipes it was born from an idea I got while perusing another recipe. I wanted to cook chicken one night and was stuck between two recipes. One recipe was for a baked chicken with lemon and olives. The other one had something to do with marinara sauce. I liked the idea and thought about merging the two recipes together. But I had no marinara sauce and didn't really have the patience or the desire to whip one up from scratch. What I did have, what was staring me in the eye from a shelf in the pantry was a jar of salsa. I looked at the recipes, I looked at the salsa. A new recipe was born!

Salsa Chicken
4 chicken breasts, trimmed, filleted and cut in half
1 large jar of mild or medium salsa
1/2 can of pitted olives, or 1/4 cup of pitted Kalamata olives
2-4 tbs good olive oil
garlic salt, sea salt and ground pepper to taste

This could not be an easier meal to cook on a week night or even at the end of a long weekend day. I have a thing with chicken. It simply must be browned. I cannot eat pale chicken. So while I bake this in the oven,
I do brown the chicken on the stove before hand. I am careful about the mess I create and the clean-up involved since it inevitably falls back on me to clean up the mess that I've created. I lightly sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder on each piece of chicken. The chicken then gets sauteed for a few minutes each side for a nice golden, brown color. From there it goes into a shallow, oven safe baking dish, that has already been filled with the salsa. I place each piece of chicken (1 breast cut into 4 pieces) in the salsa and place the dish in the oven at 375 for anywhere from 15 - 30 minutes. The chicken will not over-dry. The salsa  will keep the meat nice and moist. If you are worried, feel free to cover the top of the dish with aluminum foil or such.

Once the chicken has all been cooked and placed into the oven, place the chick peas, into the already hot pan. They will pick up some of the flavor and turn a pretty brown color. Season with cumin, garlic powder and sea salt to your liking. (Taste as you cook to see how you prefer to adjust the flavors.)

Spicy Chick Peas
2 cans of chick peas, drained and rinsed
cumin, garlic powder and sea salt to taste
1 -2 tbs good quality olive oil

When the chick peas are cooked, remove from heat and place into the serving dish you plan to use. You can always reheat in the microwave if necessary.

In the same pan, add the olive oil. (You can boil or steam the asparagus) fill halfway with water and add 1 tsp of salt. Bring to a boil. Place the asparagus in the pan and cook for 3 - 5 minutes. While the veggies are cooking you will prepare the Feta Vinaigrette. The asparagus should be tender enough to pierce through easily with a fork. When the asparagus is cooked, drain the hot water and plunge them into an ice bath for about 30 seconds. Removed the asparagus and drain to dry on a kitchen towel.


Asparagus with Feta Vinaigrette (from The Naptime Chef)
2 pounds fresh asparagus, peeled and trimmed
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons Kosher salt plus more as needed
2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
1/2 cup ( 2 oz) crumbled feta cheese

Chicken in Salsa

Spicy Chick Peas

Asparagus in Feta Vinaigrette

Bon Appetit!

Jessica

Lemon Pasta with Feta, Asparagus and Bacon

Asparagus is in season! Use it as often as you can! This pasta recipe is hearty and yet light... it's flavors are smooth and yet complex... A handful of ingredients make this an easy dish to make yet it tastes like you slaved over it for hours!

Ingredients:

1 large or 2 small bunches of asparagus, peeled
1 1/2 cups of feta cheese
1/2 cups of Parmesan cheese
2 - 3 cloves of garlic, crushed or minced
Zest and juice of 1 lemon (should yield about 5 tbs.)
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 lb box of pasta (I used shells)
1 package of bacon, cooked and crumbled
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add pasta to boiling water and cook per directions on package.

Start cooking bacon. Microwave is my method of choice! When bacon has cooked, remove from oven, let cool and crumble.

Bring a large saucepan to a boil and add asparagus. Cook no longer than 5 minutes and then remove from heat. When asparagus have cooled slightly, slice asparagus into 1/2 to 1 inch slices. Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl add together Parmesan cheese, feta cheese, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic and mix well. Set asside.

When the pasta is ready drain the pasta and return to the pan, adding back about 1/2 cup of pasta water. Mix well and add the cheese mixture from the bowl. Mix well. Add asparagus pieces. Mix well and serve immediately!

If unable to serve immediately keep the pasta over low heat on the stove. Do not add bacon until just prior to serving to assure crispiness.

A Perfectly Roasted Chicken

I love nothing more than the smell of roasting chicken... (Ok, I love it the same as I like the smell of baking pies and cookies!) Roasting a chicken is really very easy, and requires only a few simple ingredients and some time.

I like to buy organic chickens. And if possible those with the little pop-up indicator thingies. I do use and rely on a good meat thermometer as well.

For your perfectly roasted chicken you will need:

1/4 Cup of Herbes de Provence, Italian Seasoning or Williams-Sonoma Turkey Seasoning
1 tbs of salt
2 lemons, thinly sliced

Preheat your oven to 375 (if using a conventional oven)
If using a convection oven your oven may convert the temperature automatically, otherwise you will need to see what the recommended temperature is for your convection oven.

Directions:

*Take your chicken and remove everything from the cavity.
*Rinse thoroughly under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
*Using your hands gently, slowly separate the skin from the meat on the breast as well as the legs. Your bird will be much more flavorful if you season the meat underneath the skin.
*Take some of the herbs and rub them against the meat, under the skin. Be generous!
*Repeat on the drumstick and thigh.
*Take the lemon wedges and carefully place them between the skin and the meat, where you had placed your herbs. You should have roughly 1 sliced lemon left over

If your chicken seems to have fallen apart slightly from separating the skin from the meat, simply tie the legs together using kitchen string/rope.

*If you have a roasting pan, place the roasting rack inside the pan, and place the extra lemon wedges on top of the rack.

*Place the chicken, breast side up, on top of the lemon slices.

The leftover meat, bones and drippings will make The Best Chicken Broth Ever. Do NOT discard. (Recipe to follow)

We served the chicken with wide, buttered egg noodles and

Garlic Sesame Asparagus

1 to 2 bunches of asparagus, ends trimmed
Garlic powder
Sea salt
1 tbs sesame oil
1 tbs olive oil

*In a large saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil.
*Immerse asparagus in water and cook until vibrant green, 3 to 5 minutes.
*You want the asparagus to still be crunchy. Remove asparagus from the water.
*Remove water from the pan and pat dry with paper towel.
*Pour in the oils, and bring to high heat.
*Add the asparagus -- it should sizzle as it hits the hot oil. Turn heat to low and sprinkle desired amount of garlic powder and salt.
*Turn heat off. The asparagus will continue to cook. Turn and toss to make sure that asparagus is well coated. Keep in pan until ready to serve, but not more than 5 minutes.

Chicken with green olives, lemon and garlic... Couscous... Asparagus with Brown Butter Shallot Sauce

I needed something to prepare quickly. The natives were restless and hungry. I opened my fridge and the following items just jumped out at me. It helps that I had just done a major grocery shopping and shows the importance of a well stocked pantry. I created this as I went along and am beyond thrilled with the results!

As I was in a mad rush to get the food on the table... I didn't "plate" my dinner beautifully so my pictures will not do this meal justice... I would normally serve the chicken on a platter, couscous in the middle, then the chicken would have been arranged around the couscous and the olives would have been placed strategically around as well. Instead, I Dumped and Served. The result was delicious none the less. Since I created this as I went along my measures are approximate, so feel free to tweak it as you like.

To make the chicken:

I used 5 chicken breasts. (1 per person)
1 jar of Spanish olives
Juice from 2 lemons
2 XL cloves of garlic
A dash of sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
Olive oil

Trim the chicken of all fat and cut each breast in half.
In a pan add 2 to 3 Tbs of olive oil and turn heat to high.
When oil starts to get hot, add chicken and a dash of sea salt.
Let chicken brown, about 3 to 4 minutes, turn over, brown other side 3 to 4 minutes.
Add garlic, another Tbs of olive oil if needed and move chicken around so that each piece gets a good amount of garlic. The lemon juice and olive oil will start to brown. With a rubber spatula scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan and rotate chicken so that each piece absorbs the liquid. (This will add a lovely golden color to the chicken.)
Add the olives from the jar and half the juice.
Place a lid over the pan and simmer, on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. There is enough juice at this point to keep the chicken from drying out.

To make the couscous:
In a separate pan add water and bring to boil. Then add couscous (I use Near East) and cook per directions on box.

To make the Asparagus:
While asparagus is cooking, take 1 medium shallot and chop finely.

In a small sauce pan place 2 Tbs of butter over medium heat until butter melts and starts to turn brown. As soon as it turns brown, remove from heat immediately. Add shallot and add about 1 tsp of olive oil. Keep warm.

In a large saute pan, fill with a few inches of water. Bring to boil. Add asparagus and cook about 4 to 5 minutes. Asparagus should be firm to the bite but not tough. When done remove from water. Place on a plate and pour Brown Butter Shallot Sauce over asparagus.

Remove chicken from pan and place on a large plate or platter. Be sure not to leave any of the delicious juices behind!

Serve immediately.

This meal takes no longer than 30 minutes start to finish!

Asian Inspired Father's Day Lunch

Menu

Hoisin Garlic Barbecue Chicken, Peanut Dipping Sauce
Asian Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing
Asparagus lightly sauteed in Sesame Oil
Cilantro Rice

Blueberry Pie
Apple Pie
Home Made Vanilla Ice Cream

My apologies as I have no pictures of any of the final products... I had completely forgotten!

When planning a sit down meal for 13 people, 5 of them children, I needed to come up with a menu that was pleasing to children and adults alike... something that could be prepared fairly quickly with three kids snapping at my heals. Times like these require help and shortcuts.

While I love to make my own dressings and marinades, there are some prepared varieties that are so spectacular that you are better off going with those.

This is my Secret Sauce. It is nothing less than fabulous!

Prepare your chicken as you would for your favorite BBQ sauce. I like to offer smaller pieces, roughly the size of my palm, with the option of returning for more. (I do have small hands!) I place the chicken in a marinating dish and let sit 3 - 4 hours so that the marinade really has a chance to penetrate the meat. Grill as usual and enjoy. Or you could cut your chicken in to strips, thread a skewer through the meat and voila, a chicken lollipop that the kids will adore!

Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

1 lemon
2 packets of sugar or Splenda
4 Tbs. low sodium soy sauce
4Tbs. natural peanut butter
1 tsp. garlic powder
4 Tbs. water
dash of crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper
I made my own Peanut Sauce as it is incredibly easy. I doubled this recipe and placed it in small ramekins on the table.

The Secret to my Asian Salad is Marie's Sesame Ginger salad dressing. It doesn't stray from those dressings found at the best Japanese restaurants.

Asian Salad



2 heads of Romaine lettuce, lettuce cut into 1 inch pieces -- I slice right across the lettuce and break the leaves up in the salad bowl
4 or 5 scallions, trimmed, using both green and white parts
1 cup of petite peas -- if cooking prior to making salad, let cool fully before adding to the lettuce to prevent leaves from wilting
1 cup of shelled, cooked edamame
1 cucumber, cubed
1 large handful of raw pistachio meats
6 asparagus stalks, diced, tips removed (I cooked them prior-- in boiling water 3 minutes. DO NOT overcook)

Place all ingredients in salad bowl and just prior to serving add dressing

Cilantro Rice



I used regular Uncle Ben's rice and followed the cooking instructions on the box.
I added 1 tbs. olive oil to the water
and 1 good dash of sea salt prior to the water boiling.

While the rice was cooking I chopped up some cilantro, about 2 heaping Tbs. (You can add more or less as you like.)

After the rice was cooked I stirred in the cilantro and let it sit until it was time to serve. I quickly reheated it in the microwave for 1 minute

Asparagus Lightly Sauteed in Sesame Oil

2 bunches of asparagus ends trimmed
1 dash of sesame oil
1 Tbs. olive oil
dash of garlic powder, to taste
dash of sea salt, to taste

Clean and trim asparagus
Place in large saute pan, in boiling water for 3 minutes, no more!
Remove from water, drain well
Replace to saute pan
Add the oils, seasonings, stir well so that all the stalks are covered
Saute lightly over medium heat for another minute or two.
Remove pan from flame.

May be served hot or at room temperature.

My mother in law brought the pies... they were absolutely fabulous. I can get the recipes for those who wish.

The kids made the vanilla ice cream using our LLBean Ice Cream Ball. We followed their recipe.

1 quart cream or half and half

3/4 Cup of sugar

1 Tbs. vanilla

It was mighty tasty, especially on the home made pie!

Fabulously Simple Grilled Chicken, Asparagus with Shallots, Corn on the Cob

Our last "summer dinner" was a simple and delicious one. There is always so much to be taken care of the night before school starts. I wanted a family dinner as they don't happen as often during our busy school year, and I needed a dinner that was quick to prepare and quick to clean!

For the chicken I bought breasts and trimmed them neatly, and cut them into pieces about the size of the palm of my hand. In a large Tupperware or marinating dish I placed the chicken breasts neatly alongside each other. I covered each piece ever so lightly with a little olive oil and then used this:

It is a dry rub of various spices including salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, etc... It is so flavorful! For more information, including her Black Magic (which we use on steak all the time) check out her website.

I let the chicken absorb the spices for a couple of hours, in the fridge and then, when it was ready to be grilled (I let Don handle that part) grill each piece for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of each piece. I always make too much so that we have leftovers!

For the asparagus, I must admit I was influenced by Katie over at Good Things Catered who had a wonderful looking recipe with green beans and shallots. I adore shallots and decided that I would add them to my asparagus.

I trimmed my asparagus so that the tough, woodsy bits would end up in the garbage, not my mouth! Then I parboiled the asparagus for a couple of minutes so they turned that lovely spring green. I removed them from the water, drained them and set aside. In a non-stick saute pan I sauteed up 3 thinly sliced shallots. When the shallots were translucent, and just a little brown I added the asparagus to the shallots and cooked for another 2 minutes.

Lastly the corn on the cob. I prefer it boiled. On the stove. I have tried the fancier methods with herbed butters and grilled and whatnot, but when corn is in season it needs nothing. Maybe just a little butter and salt. Just a little. I placed my corn in boiling water and removed it after 4 minutes. I tested a couple of kernels with a fork tyne. When it popped I knew it would also pop in my mouth! I can not stand overcooked corn!