Chicken which did not give it's name

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Our friend Hilary brought this over for dinner for us, and made a very fast, very delicious meal. You can serve it over fresh spinach leaves, as she did, and the hot sauce wilts them nicely, or over pasta or rice. I'm not sure what the parchment's purpose is, but I won't force an experimental recipe change on your dishes. The sauce turns out to be a very delicious sweet and tangy glaze, with nice chewy reconstituted dried cranberry's in it. We think a little salt (1/2 t. ?) would help as well.

14 oz. Chicken Breasts, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
2 T Orange Marmalade
2 T Hot Pepper Jelly
2 T Orange Juice Concentrate
1 T Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 Cup Dried Cranberry's (Craisins)
1/4 t Dried Pepper Flakes

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line 8"  baking pan with parchment cut to fit on bottom, and wet parchment slightly. Lay chicken pieces in to fit tightly in a single layer. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook until chicken reaches 165 degrees, approximately 20 minutes. Pour sauce from chicken into a frying pan; cover chicken to keep warm. Reduce sauce for 5 minutes. Place chicken on raw spinach, rice or pasta and pour sauce over the top.

Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls

I made these for Easter this year. The potatoes make the dough amazingly moist and tender!

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Yield: 12 rolls
Ingredients:
Dough:
1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into small pieces
1 Tablespoon salt
1/2 Cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 large eggs
4 1/2 Cups (or more) unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 Cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)
2 1/4-ounce envelopes active dry yeast (scant 2 tablespoons)
2 Tablespoons sugar

Filling:
1 1/3 Cups packed golden brown sugar
2 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
3 Tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
9 Tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, softened

Glaze:
2 Cups powdered sugar
1/4 Cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 Tablespoons (or more) whole milk
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 Teaspoon salt

Preparation: Dough: Combine potatoes, 2 cups water, and 1 tablespoon salt in a large saucepan. Boil (uncovered) until potatoes are very tender and some of the water has evaporated, 15-18 minutes. Mash potatoes with water in pan (do not drain water). Add butter and mash until butter is melted. Whisk in eggs, then 1 cup flour; mash until very smooth. Let potatoes stand until barely lukewarm, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour 1/2 cup warm water into large bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment; stir in yeast and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add potato mixture to yeast mixture; mix on low speed until well blended, 2 minutes. Mix in 3 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, beating well. Beat until sticky dough forms.

Spread 1/2 cup flour on work surface. Scrape dough out onto floured work surface. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour by tablespooonfuls if dough is very sticky, about 8 minutes.

Coat large bowl with butter. Transfer dough to bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Filling: While dough is rising, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour in medium bowl. Using fork, cut in butter.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Turn dough out onto well-floured work surface. Roll out dough to 24x16-inch rectangle. Sprinkle filling evenly over dough. Starting at 1 long side, roll up dough jelly-roll style, enclosing filling. Using large knife dipped in flour, cut roll crosswise into 12 pieces. Transfer rolls to baking sheet, spacing rolls about 3/4 inch apart. Cover baking sheet loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, about 20 minutes (rolls will be very puffy).

Bake cinnamon rolls until golden, about 15-20 minutes. Cool rolls 10 minutes on baking sheet.

Glaze: While rolls are baking, whisk powdered sugar, melted butter, 2 tablespoons milk, vanilla, and salt in small bowl. If glaze is too thick to spread, add more milk by 1/2 teaspoonfuls as needed. Spread glaze over warm rolls.

Mmmmm....
Adapted from:
Greg Atkinson
Bon Appetit, March 2009

[vegan] split pea soup

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I still haven't gotten around to posting this on my blog, but wanted to post it here...  I don't care for celery so I usually leave it out of this recipe.  I LOVE the texture the barley gives to this soup.

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cups dry split peas
• 1/2 cup barley or brown rice
• 7 – 9 cups of water
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 4 stalks of celery, chopped
• 3 white potatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley or 3 tablespoons dried
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot over medium heat, add oil, onion, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes or until tender but not burnt. Add 7 cups of water with split peas and barley/rice. Salt and pepper, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for an hour and a half, stirring and adding water if needed.
Add carrots, celery, potato and herbs. Simmer for another 30-60 minutes or until veggies are tender and soup has thickened. Check taste to see if it needs more salt or pepper.
Serve with crusty bread.
Serves 6-8 people.
Source: The Clean Eating Mama

This year we had THE best Christmas dinner that I think I've ever fixed. The star attraction was a 9 lb. rib roast (purchased from Costco). Sides included a potato casserole that was based on a recipe from my sister Eileen, our family's standby Onion Mushroom Casserole, green beans with bacon, onions and garlic, sauteed mushrooms and yummy herb rolls. I've included a couple of recipes here and some of them are in our family cookbook (we still have some cookbooks available. If you'd like to purchase one please leave me a message on Facebook)

Foolproof Standing Rib Roast

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The original recipe came from Paula Deen, although my husband says his grandfather used to cook rib roast the same way when he visited him in Savannah, Georgia as a teenager (must be a Southern thing). To save you some time (I spent way too much time trying to find the answer to this question on the internet) it doesn't matter what size rib roast you have; since the thickness of a rib roast is pretty much the same no matter how many pounds it is, the cooking directions are the same. Paula's directions are for a 5 lb. roast, ours was 9 pounds and it came out perfectly done and so tender; the ends were done to medium, the middle was medium rare. We did some tweaking, of course, and here is what we came up with.

Ingredients: (this is what we used for 9 pounds; adjust according to the size of your roast)
1 standing rib roast
3 Tablespoons kosher salt
1 Tablespoon cracked pepper
2 Tablespoons minced garlic

The day before roasting, mix the salt, pepper and garlic together and rub all over the roast, including the ends. Wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate. The next day, allow the roast to stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour (this is the part we forgot about so we left it in for an additional 10 minutes before we turned the oven off).
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
Place the roast on a rack in a roasting pan with the rib side down and the fatty side up. Roast for 1 hour. Turn off the oven. Leave roast in the oven but do not open the oven door for 3 hours. About 30 - 40 minutes before serving time, turn oven to 375 degrees and reheat the roast. Important: do not remove the roast or open the oven door from the time roast is put in until ready to serve.

This recipe was so easy because you just put it in the oven and forget about it! And I kid you not, it rivaled any prime rib I've ever had in a restaurant.

Potato Casserole

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This recipe is based on one from our family cookbook, but since there are a few people in my family who are not fond of onions, I cut back on the onions and added some fresh herbs.  Also, since we already had a dish with cheddar cheese, I used Gruyere instead.

8 medium potatoes, unpeeled
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup butter
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 1/2 cups sour cream
2 green onions, finely chopped ( I used mostly the green ends for a more subtle flavor)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped, fresh thyme (or to taste)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1 - 2 Tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350
Spray 2 1/2 quart casserole dish with non stick spray.
Boil potatoes with bay leaf until barely tender.  Cool, peel and grate coarsely.   Melt 1/4 cup butter in saucepan and add soup.  Stir until smooth.  Blend in sour cream, salt, pepper, green onions, herbs and cheese.  Mix into potatoes and stir gently until blended.  Spoon into casserole dish.  Dot with remaining butter and bake, uncovered for 30 - 40 minutes, or until heated through.
Serves about 8

Herb Rolls

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3 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 oz. package rapid rise yeast
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup half and half
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup chopped fresh herbs ( I used 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, 1/4 cup fresh chives and 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the flour, yeast, sugar and salt.   Fit the mixer with the dough hook.  In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the half and half and the 6 Tablespoons butter, stirring until the butter melts and the liquid registers 120 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.  With the mixer on medium low, pour the warm milk mixture into the dry ingredients.  Add the egg yolks.  Mix on medium low until the flour is completely incorporated, 1 - 2 minutes  Increase the speed to medium high and knead until the dough is very smooth and elastic and pulls away from the bottom of the bowl, about 5 minutes.
Add the herbs and mix until incorporated.
Scoop the dough out of the bowl and shape into a ball. Lightly grease a bowl and put the dough into it.  Cover the top with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until nearly doubled in size, 45- 55 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently press to deflate.
To shape the rolls:
Divide into 16 equal pieces, roll each piece into a ball and place in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan, or shape as desired.  (We pinched off smaller pieces and put three balls together into greased muffin cups.)  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until they're doubled in size, 40 - 60 minutes.
Heat the oven to  350 degrees F
Remove the plastic wrap and bake the rolls until they're well browned, 10 - 15  minutes.  Remove from the oven and brush the tops with melted butter.
If making a day ahead, prepare the dough and shape the rolls.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.  Take the rolls out of the fridge about 4 hours before you want to bake them.  Set them in a warm place and let them rise as described above.  Or bake the rolls a day ahead and store them, well wrapped in foil at room temp.   Heat the oven to 300 degrees F and warm the rolls, loosely wrapped in foil, for 5 - 10 minutes.

Green Beans with Bacon and Onions

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8 slices bacon, diced
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds greens beans, rinsed and ends trimmed ( I bought the Costco ones that were already washed and trimmed)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white wine
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven until it is well browned, about 5 minutes.  Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, 3 - 4 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for just another minute or two.  Don't over cook the garlic or it gets bitter.  Add the green beans and toss to combine.  Increase the heat to medium high and add the water and wine.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer the beans for about 6 minutes.  Remove the lid, season with salt and pepper, and mix well.  Cover and cook until the beans are tender, 1 or 2 minutes longer.
Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and serve.
Makes 4 - 6 servings

Cranberry Salsa

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This has a delicious fresh taste.  A "holiday" change from the usual tomato based salsa.
1 bag fresh cranberries – chopped (I do this in a food processor)
¾ cup cilantro (or more if you like cilantro) chopped
3 bunches green onions – chopped
2 jalapeño peppers – seeded and chopped
½ cup sugar
¼ cup oil
Mix it all up, refrigerate overnight and serve with tortilla chips.

Cranberry Sherbet

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This is a recipe that has been in my family for years. We traditionally eat the sherbet with Thanksgiving dinner, not as a dessert. The recipe can be doubled or tripled if needed, but you will need much larger pots/bowls.

1 lb or 2 bags of fresh cranberries
2 cups warm water

1 package of gelatin
1/4 cup cold water

2 cups sugar

2 cups ginger ale

Combine the cranberries and water in a large pot, checking for sticks and shrubs. Bring to a boil and cook until all or most of the cranberries have split, they make a great popping sound.

Combine gelatin and water and set aside.

Mush cooked berries with a potato masher. Run the hot, mushed up cranberries through a fine strainer for a smooth consistency or a potato ricer for a chunkier consistency. The goal of this is to get out all of the skins and sticks, I like to run the mush through the ricer and then the fine strainer.

Add the sugar and stir until combined, then add the gelatin. Continue stirring until the sugar and gelatin have been dissolved and the liquid is no longer gritty.

Slowly add the ginger ale, stir to combine. WARNING: you will need a large bowl to do this step because the ginger ale will cause lots of foaming.

Freeze the liquid over night in a large, flat pan. We use a glass 9x13.

The next day take the frozen cranberry mixture and fluff it with a fork and then whip it until light and fluffy, we use the whip attachment on the Kitchenaid. Place frozen, whipped cranberry mixture into freezer safe containers and freeze until use.