Stovetop Roast Chicken

Roast Chicken in a pot

Since I live in one of the smallest functioning kitchens in the country, I decided to conquer something seemingly impossible.  A roast chicken.  I relied on my large Sur La Table stock pot to do all the cooking.  Instead of searing then finishing in the oven, I simply seared and continued to cook on the stovetop on very low heat.

literally a chicken in the pot

sliced and served

Ingredients

• 1 3lb whole chicken
• olive oil
• Spice Mix
• 1t salt
• 1/2t pepper
• 1/4t paprika
• 1/4t thyme
• 1/4t oregano
• Chicken Cavity Filling
• 10 Sprigs of parsley
• 1T lemon juice
• 7 cloves of garlic (one head)
• Vegetables and aromatics 2C
• Diced assortment of root vegetables ex. onions, leeks, carrots, parsnips, celery etc

Directions

Make sure chicken is thoroughly clean and patted dry. Stuff the body cavity with the lemon, parsley, and garlic. Combine salt, pepper, herbs, and paprika in a small bowl. Sprinkle it onto the chicken and rub into the skin with your fingers. Drizzle the olive oil on top and gently rub to coat the chicken.

In a 5-quart dutch oven, heat the oil.  Add the whole chicken (any side down). Brown that side of the chicken for 5 minutes. Flip over and brown the other side for 5 minutes. Repeat until all sides are brown. You may need to stand the chicken up in order to do this– use tongs and/or get someone to help you.

After all sides are brown, throw in the diced vegetables to the pot. Turn down the burner to low and cover the dutch oven with its lid. Let it cook for 40-45 minutes for a 3lb chicken. Check to see that the juices run clear when you slice the meat and that the dark meat near the bone is cooked through.

When done, turn off the burner and remove the chicken from the pot. Let it rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board. Tent the chicken with foil.

Slice and serve immediately with the veggies from the pot. Leftovers can be shredded and refrigerated to use later in chicken salad, chicken noodle soup, stir fry, etc. The bones can be used to make chicken stock.

St. Paddy’s Day #1 Cabbage Duo

I have taken a few weeks off, but no worries I have a lot of fun to come.  Stay tunes tomorrow for a fun St. Paddy’s Day recipe.  It is that time of year again where I see cabbage at the local grocery store and decide to buy one with no plans of what to do with it.  

Ahhhh the small but mighty head of cabbage.  Once cut, it grows into a forrest of greens that is useful for large batches of multiple recipes.  In this case I decided to go with a chicken cabbage soup and a traditional creamy cole slaw.  The cole slaw was actually adapted from the recipe on the back featuring pretty basic ingredients.  I added a kick of Sriracha (about a tbsp) and used half greek yogurt and half mayo in the dressing, both which I highly recommend.

 

Creamy Cole slaw

Cabbage and chicken soup

The “dump” soup was a result of an impulse buy of cabbage in honor of St. Patrick’s Day so I used ingredients I had at home.  First searing carrots and celery in a pot, then adding the a few cloves of garlic.  Then I added a can of crushed tomatoes and chicken stock I made a few weeks prior from the bones of a roast chicken.  At that time I added the cabbage and let simmer about 15 minutes before adding the chicken which I poached in the liquid until cooked through before pulling into smaller pieces.  As I recall the only other addition was salt and pepper.

Lemony Chicken Piccata

Since I had extra capers in the fridge a great way to use them up is making chicken piccata.  This dish is super flavorful with the addition the the acidity in the lemons and white wine, but the flour is the key to avoiding tough overcooked chicken.  The recipe is adapted from Skinnytaste.

Todays post includes a mystery box…  There is only one hint here.  There is also lemon in this recipe.

Mystery Box

Lemon Chicken Piccata

• 1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved
• 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
• 2 Tablespoons capers, rinsed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 4 (2-inch) strips lemon zest
• 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• Spread 1/4 cup flour in a shallow dish. Pound each chicken breast half into thin cutlets (for 4 cutlets total). Dry cutlets with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Dredge one side of each cutlet in flour, shaking off excess.

Dredged Chicken

Lentils

Chicken & caramelized lemon

Completed Dish

Instructions

Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, lay 2 cutlets, floured side down, in the skillet. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown. Flip cutlets over and continue to cook until no longer pink, about 1 more minute. Transfer cutlets to a plate and tent loosely with foil. Repeat with remaining 1 Tablespoon oil and 2 cutlets.

Add capers and garlic to the skillet. Return to medium heat and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Stir in remaining 1 teaspoon flour until incorporated. Whisk in broth, wine and lemon zest strips, scraping any browned bits for additional flavor. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened slightly and reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 10 to 15 minutes.  I also sautéed the lemon slices in this step.

Return cutlets into the sauce, simmering until heated through and spooning sauce over chicken, about 30 seconds. Transfer chicken to serving plates. Off heat, remove lemon zest and whisk lemon juice and butter into sauce.

Serve to individual plates and spoon sauce over the chicken.  I served mine with a simple side of green lentils with celery, carrots, mushrooms and onions.

Improvised Stuffed Peppers

Since there were not many ingredients at the store due to the high demand before the storm, I made an improvised stuffed pepper.  Also lets be honest it’s all about making a meal with ingredients you like or already have on hand.  In this case I bought and roasted red peppers in a 400 degree oven cut side up for 10 minutes.

sauté in the front and simmer in back

Sauté onions, mushrooms, and kale set aside.  In another pot cook 1C quinoa with 2C water and seasoning to taste (I used chili powder and salt).  Combine cooked quinoa with mushroom mixture and sprinkle in cilantro.  Sauté ground meat (I used turkey) and once cooked stir in 1 jar of salsa (I prefer Pace hot).  Combine all ingredients and stuff in pepper.  Top with cilantro and serve.

stock closeup

Final Veggie stock

Better yet I combined all the veggie scraps I used throughout the day to make a simple vegetable stock!  I just kept adding to the pot and let simmer a few hours before straining and portioning into separate containers.

Snow Day Date-Nut Bread

Since it is the storm of the century here in NYC, I decided to post some of the things I cooked today while happily stuck in the apartment.  Since I was aware of the storm earlier in the week I pre measured and froze buttermilk.  I waited a bit too long to go to the grocery store as the line was wrapped around the block just to enter and the line to checkout was another half hour wait winding throughout the store.  In the end I found plenty of ingredients to make dishes ranging from a greek yogurt kale dip, to stuffed red peppers, roasted artichoke hearts, and even managed to make a homemade vegetable stock.

Date- Nut Bread from ATK Healthy Cookbook

This recipe comes from a favorite cook book America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook.  I ended up making this recipe as directed but baked in an 8X8 in pan since I didn’t have a loaf pan.  I learned that the dates can turn tough when baked so it is important to soak in hot water and baking soda to weaken the skins to remain soft while cooking.

Batter:

• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups pitted dates, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅔ cup buttermilk, chilled
• ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare one 9x5x2¾ inch loaf pan (I greased and placed parchment along bottom of an 8X8). Tip: to make baked bread easier to remove from pan, lightly grease the pan, line with parchment paper, and then lightly grease the top of the parchment paper and dust with flour.

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine boiling water, baking soda, and dates. Cover and set aside about 30 minutes or until the dates have softened and the water is lukewarm.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine buttermilk, brown sugar, melted butter, and egg; whisk together until well blended. Stir in the date and water mixture. Add flour mixture; stir just until blended. Stir in nuts.
4. Bake: Pour batter in the loaf pan. Bake 60 minutes (mine took 25) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove pan from oven and let cool about 15 minutes. Grabbing the top edges of the parchment paper, lift bread from loaf pans and place on a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Remove parchment paper and discard.
   

   Snow up to my knees

   

   Barren NYC street

   

   Ingredients ready to combine

   

   slice of warm joy

   

Lemongrass Lentils and Quinoa

green lentils and tricolored quinoa

This only sounds super impressive and tasty but really simple.  I prepared a cup of dry lentils according to the package instructions.  I simply swapped out the water for lemongrass tea I purchased from David’s Tea.  I set the lentils aside and repeated the process with the quinoa.  I added a bit of salt and 1/4C unsweetened coconut flakes to the mixture and it was ready to go!

Tune into the next post to see how it became a full meal with the help of some baked tofu!

Free People Fail

As many on social media have already announced, the clothing company Free People just released a new line of ‘ballet” clothes featuring a girl who has no clue how to tie a pointe shoe, miraculously misses her boxes of both shoes while dancing, and sickles her biscuits which are highlighted as closeups in a seemingly too high-def video.  It shocks me that clearly no one from corporate or casting put an end to this before embarrassing themselves to the world.  Here is the link for you to see for yourselves. http://www.freepeople.com/fp-movement-ballet/

Now I know this is a bit harsh, but hey the truth and frustrating for the countless dancers in the country who have put countless hours into their training and would have donned the clothes beautifully.

Also since everything must relate back to food and we are not all perfect here is an example when things do not go your way in the kitchen.  Hey we all make mistakes after all.  The pressure got to this spaghetti squash where I clearly did not prick it enough before nuking.

And for anyone in Orlando come see real dance, puppetry, live music, and artistry combined at the Fringe in Henson’s “Flight”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV0Tc7ECoNk

Food Fails

 You win some and you lose some in life as well as cooking.  I figured this post would be appropriate for all those who have felt the uphill battle lately or for those who are just down in the dumps because another snowstorm is approaching.  Some may know the feeling of shadenfreude best described in the musical Avenue Q finding pleasure in others misfortune.  Here are some epic fails and why they have failed…

sweet potato gnocchi

why I thought it would work: I thought taking a traditional spinach and goat cheese gnocchi recipe and substituting potato gnocchi with sweet potato gnocchi would work.

why it failed: The sweet potatoes brought on their own flavor.  They should really just be eaten out of the saucepan all buttered up.

Classic Mozzarella Pizza

why I thought it would work:  Easy because we purchased store bought crust and had fresh mozzarella basil and tomatoes

why it failed: I failed to pat dry the mozzarella and should have used smaller tomatoes with less juice

Cheerio Breakfast Muffins

why I thought it would work: straight from the Cheerios website I thought these muffins would be a great start to my mornings

why it failed:  they were too healthy and even after adding fruits and coconut and added sugar they were flavorless and dense

Spinach Dip

why I thought it would work: Everyone boasts about using greek yogurt as a substitute for mayo and sour cream so I thought I would give it a go in this version of the dip

why it failed:  The flavor was so off that after adding spices and cheese it was only worse and was eventually tossed.

Sweet and savory cous cous

why I thought it would work:  I read about cpus cpus side dishes all the time and I thought this would be a nice addition to packed lunches but boy was I wrong

why it failed:  I blame this mostly on the fact that the apple was mealy, but seriously I should stick with the mint and pine nut version of this dish I know I enjoy.

Popcorn Balls

why I thought it would work:  Everyone seems to have luck with this “easy, kid- friendly” dessert, but stick to rice crispy treats next time.

why it failed:  The popcorn balls were sticky and hard to form.  Once placed in wrapping they became rock hard.

 

 

Thumbprint cookies

why I thought it would work:  I love thumbprints from a bakery in Ohio and wanted to make my own and did significant research before beginning this recipe.  Lets just say I had too many different recipes to choose from.

why it failed:  I do not even know where to begin.  A shortbread or a sugar cookie? By the time it came to frosting, I simply gave up and  broke a cardinal rule by icing the cookies while hot.  Not to mention the icing tasting like pure confectioners sugar.

 

Parmesan Rind Soup

why I thought it would work:  I was just trying to use up the leftover rind and foodies say to use it in a soup base and it elevates the dish to a whole new level.

why it failed: Blah not enough flavor and I somehow let the beans soak overnight and they were still hard.  I am sticking to canned beans and tossing the rind.

 

Baked Pepperoni Chips

why I thought it would work:   Since paleo is all the rage these days, I thought it would be fun to find a new “chip” to dip.

why it failed:  They were even spicier after baking and I was craving a tortilla chip.

 

Broiled Grapefruit

why I thought it would work:  I love sweet grapefruits and after adding a touch of sugar this baked treat looks like a win.

why it failed:  After all of the anticipation waiting for the oven to heat and bake my fruit, it was just weird.  Too much work for little result.  Warm fruit…keep it at room temp next time and drizzle a little honey or sugar to taste.

Hopefully I will still have a few readers after this post.  Now you have really seen the good, bad, and the ugly.  Like a celebrity without makeup. Like the great pinterest fail posts we all read. 

Cranberry Bliss Bars- Starbucks Knockoff

I figured I would continue on the quest for cranberry cooking this time using only dried cranberries.  Many are aware and addicted to the amazing Cranberry Bliss Bars at Starbucks.  Unfortunately they are far from homemade and come frozen in a package.  I found this recipe online and followed it pretty closely.  My only changes would be to bake the bars longer than stated in the directions and use the orange flavored cranberries from Trader Joe’s for additional flavor.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar, unpacked
• 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate (I used one 4oz. bar)
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped

For the Frosting:

• 8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Lightly spray a 9 x 13 inch non-stick baking pan with cooking spray.  I had trouble removing the bars and would recommend parchment paper next time. *I read that if warm bars are not removed after 10 minutes they will stick to the pan…I waited an hour and wondered why they were stuck.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and stir to blend.

In another bowl, whisk the sugars with the butter, egg whites, applesauce and vanilla until light and fluffy.

Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two additions until the batter is very well blended. Batter should be thick. Fold in white chocolate chips and 1/3 cup cranberries. Spread batter onto the baking pan using the back of a measuring cup to smooth evenly.

Bake 15-18 minutes, until the edges are light brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Don’t over-bake or your bars will be dry. Let it cool completely on wire rack.
Meanwhile, prepare the frosting; in a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until well-blended. Frost bars and sprinkle with remaining cranberries.

When the chocolate sets, cut into 15 large squares (5 cuts by 3 cuts with the knife). Then cut each square in half diagonally to create triangles. Keep at room temperature unfrosted, or freeze frosted for later consumption.

I am heading to a holiday party tomorrow evening and think they will be a great holiday treat to share.  I think I could make a few revisions, but overall very pleased with the little triangles of joy!

Flu Season:( David’s Tea:)

Well there has to be a first for everything.  For the first time I had a delivery of chicken noodle soup and ginger ale to the 6By6 kitchen.  Unfortunately under the weather yesterday, but quickly recovered after the help of Aunt Lori.  It is also the start to Davids Tea 24 days of tea where I will review my thoughts on each of the teas until Christmas.

Day 1 :

White Chocolate Frost- sweet herbal tea with minty notes.  Very good to enjoy before bed.

Day 2:

Alpine Punch- sweet rooibos.  Not a fan of the oily film that forms on the top of the cup from the coconut oil.  Interesting addition of peppercorns to the mix.

Tomorrow back to the blogging with a successful cheese soufflé.