Tarragon Pasta Salad.

I love the taste of tarragon.  I know some people don't care for it, but if you do, here's a recipe I adapted from a Cooking Light recipe.  The original called for asparagus, but (gasp) I'm kinda tired of asparagus.  Plus my wonderful husband likes "protein" in every meal, so I added some chicken.  This is a great, light and light-tasting pasta salad, not oily at all.   Here's what I did:

• Tarragon Pasta Salad with Prosciutto, Chicken, and Romano
• 8 ounces uncooked cavatappi pasta or elbow macaroni (I used rotini)
• 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 3 ounces prosciutto, chopped
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
• 1 cup diced tomato
• 2 chicken breasts
• 6 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more for chicken
•  Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 ounces pecorino Romano cheese, grated (about 1/3 cup packed)
• 
  
• Preparation
• 1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain.
• 2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Add prosciutto, and cook for 6 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove prosciutto from pan using a slotted spoon, leaving drippings in pan. Drain prosciutto on paper towels. Add the shallots to drippings in pan; cook over medium heat for 1 minute or until shallots are tender, stirring frequently.
• 3.  Add remaining olive oil to skillet.  Flatten chicken breasts to even thickness between two sheets of plastic wrap.  Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt.  Cook chicken about 5 minutes or until browned; turn and cook on other side until brown.  Chicken should be just barely done.  Remove from pan, wrap in aluminum foil and let sit for 5 minutes.  Remove from foil and chop.
• 4. Combine mayonnaise, lemon rind, tarragon, juice, pepper, and salt in a large bowl; stir well. Add pasta, prosciutto, shallots, tomato, chopped chicken, and cheese; toss well to coat. 

Week of January 16 - 22

This was pretty much a Cooking Light week!

Sunday -  Fettucine with Mushrooms and Hazelnuts  This doesn't sound good, but it was fantastic.
Monday - Pork Tenderloin with Red and Yellow Peppers  Also very good.
Tuesday - Had a meeting, so Walter was on his own
Wednesday - Honestly cannot remember what we ate...I just know I didn't fix what was on my list!
Thursday - Mexican Casserole with Charred Tomato Salsa
Friday - International Date Night - went to Huey's
Saturday - our favorite Memphis Pizza Cafe pizza

Mexican Chicken Casserole with Charred Tomato Salsa

(I'm sure you could just use some jarred smoky salsa, but this was delicious and not hard.)

Yield:  8 servings

Salsa:8 plum tomatoes, halved and seeded
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 seeded jalapeño pepper, quartered
Cooking spray
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Casserole:1 cup chopped onion
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 cup diced zucchini
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (10-ounce) can green chile enchilada sauce
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1. Preheat broiler.

2. To prepare salsa, combine first 4 ingredients on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil 20 minutes or until charred, stirring once. Remove from oven; cool slightly. Place tomato mixture in a food processor; add cilantro, lime juice, and pepper. Process until smooth. Set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 350°.

4. To prepare casserole, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly coat pan with cooking spray. Add 1 cup onion, corn, zucchini, and bell pepper; sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Add chicken and next 5 ingredients (through green chiles); sauté 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat.

5. Spread 1/2 cup salsa over the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange half of tortillas over salsa. Spoon 2 cups chicken mixture evenly over tortillas. Top with 3/4 cup salsa. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of each cheese. Repeat layers, starting with remaining tortillas and ending with remaining cheeses. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes until bubbly.


CALORIES 331 ; FAT 12.3g (sat 6.1g,mono 2.8g,poly 1.2g); CHOLESTEROL 74mg; CALCIUM 242mg; CARBOHYDRATE 30.8g; SODIUM 535mg; PROTEIN 26.1g; FIBER 4.2g; IRON 1.6mg

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2011

Chicken Fried Rice with Leeks and Dried Cranberries

I substituted pork tenderloin for the chicken and it was delicious.  Next time I'll put in only half the cranberries, though, cause it was a little sweet.

Other Time: 26 minutes minutes
Yield:  4 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups)


2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 cups thinly sliced leek (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 1/2 cups cooked, chilled long-grain brown rice
1 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1/4 cup dry white wine


CALORIES 452 ; FAT 11.1g (sat 1.9g,mono 6.2g,poly 2.1g); CHOLESTEROL 47.1mg; CALCIUM 70mg; CARBOHYDRATE 74g; SODIUM 433mg; PROTEIN 16.6g; FIBER 6g; IRON 3mg

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2011

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan, swirling to coat. Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon salt over chicken. Add chicken to pan, and sauté for 3 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove the chicken from pan. Add leek, black pepper, and remaining 5/8 teaspoon salt to pan; sauté for 4 minutes or until leek is tender and golden. Add leek mixture to chicken.

2. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add rice, stirring well to coat rice with oil; cook, without stirring, 2 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Stir rice mixture; cook, without stirring, 2 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Stir in chicken mixture, cranberries, and sage. Add wine; cook for 2 minutes or until mixture is dry, stirring constantly.

Week of December 12 - 18

Sunday the 12th we had split pea soup with friends at their house.  I took appetizers and some bourbon balls.  I went retro on the appetizers and took two different ones from the Heart and Soul cookbook:  Chicken-Pecan Bites and Cheese-Filled Phyllo.  Sorry, I don't have that cookbook with me.  If I get time when we get home, I'll copy and post them.  The chicken bites were good.  I even froze some to bring to BR for our Boxing Day party.  Where are they now?  In Memphis, in my freezer...  The phyllo things were too greasy for me.  But I'm posting the recipe for the Bourbon Balls, which were goooood!

Monday I fixed 9-Bean Soup from the recipe on the back of the soup mix (Barzi's.)  I forgot to soak the beans overnight, so I followed a shortcut method I found on the internet for softening the beans.  It didn't work so good.  Note to self:  look at the menu the night before to make sure no day ahead prep is required. 

Tuesday was pretty simple:  pork tenderloin rubbed with a spicy paprika rub, baked sweet potatoes, and steamed broccoli.

Thursday I attended the ArtsMemphis board meeting at the request of my friend Susan Schadt, who is the executive director.  I've been doing some consulting for them on a volunteer basis.  I was surprised and extremely honored when they recognized me as their volunteer of the year.  Really, this is too much.  They were very gracious and I got to meet some of the board members, which I enjoyed.  Thank you, ArtsMemphis staff.  I love working with you!

After I got home, I sauteed some shrimp, shallots, chopped tomato and garlic and made a sauce with marsala, chicken broth, and cornstarch.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Served over linguine.

Friday night we ate at Paulette's then went to see Black Swan.  OMG.  If Natalie Portman doesn't get an Academy Award for this, something is wrong.  Her performance and the movie were both amazing.

Saturday morning we woke up to a "dusting."  My friends in Blowing Rock, and especially my friend Donna in Minnesota, will laugh to see these pictures.  But it was fun - and shortlived - for us Southern folk.

my mailbox

my neighbor's Santa

entrance to my garden

Saturday night was HUGE.  Our friend Barney Rolfes' daughter, Ellie, got married to Rev. Ollie Rencher.  The service was at Grace St. Lukes and was pitch perfect.  They had a full choir from Holy Communion, where Ollie is a priest, and members of the Memphis Chamber Choir.  I felt like I was at St. James, watching a princess get married.  It was wonderful.  The reception was at Bridges.  It was very loud.  But I got a chance to catch up with my "sister from Chicago," Becky B's sister, Taylor, and to meet her husband, Eli.  Fabulous night - congratulations, Ellie and Ollie!

Early Sunday we were on the road to BR for Christmas.  Lots of snow here and more to come - even new snow on Christmas Eve!  I don't do a lot of cooking here, to Walter's dismay, but hey.  Do I ever get a vacation, besides my permanent one? 

Most of you know that Walter plans on being my "number one personal assistant" when he retires.  I suggested to him this week that a good job for him would be to take over the meal planning and cooking duties.  He didn't think that was such a good idea.  We have different definitions for NOPA.

I'm working hard on the Jean Hilton needlepoint project.  I'll post a progress picture when I get the Jessicas finished.

Chicken Paillard with Tomatoes, Fennel and Olives

Chicken Paillard with Tomatoes, Fennel and Olives

Reprinted with permission from Avec Eric: A Culinary Journey with Eric Ripert (John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010). Copyright © 2010 by Avec Eric LLC.

Serves 4

1 cup diced seeded peeled tomatoes

3/4 cup thinly sliced fennel

1/2 cup green olives, pitted and sliced

1/2 cup minced shallots

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1/4 cup raisins, plumped in dry white wine

2 tablespoons capers

4 thyme sprigs, leaves removed

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup olive oil, divided

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and lightly pounded flat

3 tablespoons fresh basil chiffonade

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

1.Preheat the oven to 450°F.

2.Toss the tomatoes, fennel, green olives, shallots, pine nuts, raisins, capers, thyme leaves and garlic in a mixing bowl. Drizzle most of the olive oil over the vegetables and season to taste with salt and pepper.

3.Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in a single layer on a large baking dish. Cover the chicken with the tomato mixture and drizzle the remaining olive oil over and around the chicken. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle the basil and parsley over the chicken and serve immediately.

Via Lynn Rosetto Kaspar’s Weeknight Kitchen

Week of December 5 - December 11

I'm kinda mixing up the length of my weeks, aren't I?  It just depends on when I get a chance to sit down and put the menus and recipes together.  I'm doing this on Sunday (12/12) morning, which seems to be working out to be the best time.

I forgot to mention that December 4 was my sister's birthday - Happy Birthday, Allison!

Clockwise, Allison (with glasses), husband Doug, son in law Chance and daughter Cara

So, going back to last Sunday (12/5), I intended to fix the slow cooker barbeque that our nephew, Todd, prepared for us over Thanksgiving in BR, but got busy that morning and didn't get it started in time.  So, Memphis Pizza Cafe to the rescue!

On Monday I finally fixed the barbeque.  Easy cheesy - well, not cheesy, but you get my point.  I bought Schnuck's creamy coleslaw from their deli and also gussied up some canned beans to go with it.  It was gooood!

Tuesday night I fixed this Stuffed Pepper Casserole from a Schnuck's recipe.  Frankly, I've been shocked to find that I like a lot of their recipes!  They have a Schnuck's Cooks kiosk set up in the store I usually go to (on Truse) and you can taste the recipe of the week there.  And I also want to put a little plug in for that store.  The employees there are so nice.  They always say hello and ask if they can help you find something.  Even the manager has walked aisles with me.  And - this is big, iPhone users - Schnuck's has an app called "Aisle411" that you can use to find things in the store, scan barcodes, get coupons, and more!  I don't know if Memphis has it yet, but I read about it on their website when I copied the casserole recipe.  I didn't spend a lot of time on the website, but it looked like it had good stuff.  If you're a Schnuck's customer, you should check it out.

On Wednesday Walter had a dinner meeting so I just had the leftover casserole.  It was better the second night.  Oh, remember my post about cleaning up around the Poplar-White Station Library?  I had contacted the library director on Nov. 19 about the sad state of the trash and weeds there.  Well, Ms. McCloy emailed me within a couple of days and told me that the district director would be contacting me.  So Wednesday I met with Ms. Norvel Adams-Walker and the branch manager and we discussed ways to improve the curb appeal of this branch.  You know, it's the same old story, not enough people and not enough money.  But we came up with a plan to get started.  Hopefully, you'll see some improvement there soon.  I was very gratified to have such a quick response and these ladies are genuinely interested in doing a good job with the limited resources they have.

Thursday night I went to a Metropolitan Planning Organization meeting at the main library to help give input for the Imagine 2040 transportation plan.  This evening was one of a series of public meetings hosted by the MPO and Livable Memphis.  I was thrilled to see the turnout, mostly young people who are intensely interested in improving Memphis.  Gives me great hope.  Walter says we're wasting our time because the MPO will do what it's always done, but he's so cynical.  The MPO staffer who facilitated our small group was definitely on board with our ideas and helped us articulate them.  He said that they had been hearing the same things at every public meeting:  less sprawl, take care of what we've got, better public transit, better walk/bike opportunities, more greenways.  So we'll see.  But if you don't ask, you'll never get, right?

Ok, back to food.  Thursday morning I made this Chipotle Chicken and Tomato Soup that I've made many times since the recipe was in Cooking Light in 2006.  Walter was able to just warm it up when he got home.  He also made a grilled cheese sandwich, judging by the dirty dishes...

A big day for us on Friday.  We sold Chase the house that he's been living in while he went to college.  He finally graduated, has a great job that he loves, and he's ready to be a real grownup!  Congratulations, Chase!

Friday night we went to the Half Shell and ran into Barney and Becky, so we sat together and visited.  Barney's daughter, Ellie, is getting married next Saturday night, so this is a busy and happy time for them.

Saturday morning I had another episode of some muscle spasms in my back, so Walter helped me go to the grocery store, then he headed off to Dallas to visit his Aunt Nell.  I just scrounged around for supper, cause I wasn't feeling too hot.  Took a muscle relaxant and went to bed at 7:15!  As I write this on Sunday morning, I'm feeling ok, but the spasms are still there.  Very annoying.

Ok, everyone, we're on the countdown to Christmas!  Are you about ready?

Chipotle Chicken and Tomato Soup

Chipotle Chicken and Tomato Soup

A chipotle chile (canned smoked jalapeño pepper) adds smoky heat to this soup. If you want to tame the spice, substitute 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika for the chile.


Yield: 4 servings


1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (15.5-ounce) can navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added stewed tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce, finely chopped
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (about 1/2 pound)
1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Partially mash tomatoes and beans with a potato masher. Stir in chicken; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in oil. Place 1 1/4 cups soup in each of four bowls. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons sour cream and 1 tablespoon cilantro.


CALORIES 325 (28% from fat); FAT 10g (sat 3.6g,mono 4.4g,poly 1.1g); IRON 3.1mg; CHOLESTEROL 58mg; CALCIUM 120mg; CARBOHYDRATE 30.4g; SODIUM 741mg; PROTEIN 28.9g; FIBER 7.5g

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2006

Week of November 28-December 4

It takes nine hours to drive from BR to Memphis.  Walter grudgingly allows a stop whenever I request one, but he makes us get lunch and gas in one place and eat on the road.  So it's a pretty hard nine hours without BR to look forward to at the end.  We got back to Memphis about 4:00 Sunday evening and both of us were dog-tired. I pulled some Costco lasagna out of the freezer and we had that for dinner with some buttered bread.

Monday night I tried a dish that was one of the Cooking Light Reader Recipe winners: Spicy Chicken Sausage Cacciatore on Creamy Polenta.  It was so easy and very good.  This will be a new staple!

Tuesday was Walter's birthday!  We went to dinner at Andrew Michael on Brookhaven Circle.  He had the Maw Maw's Ravioli and I had their lasagna (can't have too much lasagna!)  Theirs has a white sauce instead of a red sauce - different and good.

Wednesday I just sauteed some shrimp in some olive oil and seasoned it with Tony Chachere's seasoning.  He's my relative in some way, you know.  My maiden name is Shassere, so we're different branches of the same tree!  Added a salad and we were good to go.

Thursday.  Oh, man.  I made one of our favorite comfort foods, Beef Daube Provencal.  Just throw away all of your other beef stew recipes, cause this is the one.  Make it and let me know if I'm not right!

Friday (aka International Date Night) we headed over to DCI Gallery for their open house.  Our friend Ami Austin recently purchased the Designers Choice business and she's making lots of great improvements inside and out.  You need to check it out!  Then we went to Grove Grill for dinner. The bar was hoppin' - lots of partying going on in there.  But the dining room wasn't crowded and we had a nice time.  I had the Butternut Squash/Lobster Bisque and couldn't really detect much lobster in it, so I'll have to take their word for it.  And I have to say that I was disappointed in my crab cake.  Usually they're good, but this time it tasted floury, if that's a word.  Walter had the rotisserie chicken and cleaned his plate, so I guess he liked it.

Saturday afternoon we drove over to Jonesboro to visit with Walter's Uncle George and Aunt Margaret.  He's 93 and she's 83, and both are sharp as a tack.  Margaret is an insanely good cook.  She put together a spiral bound collection of her favorite recipes and we started paging through the book while we were there.  I've had a copy that I got about 10 years ago, but it's kinda slipped my mind.  No more.  I'll be getting that baby out for sure.

Saturday night we ate at Salsa and got to catch up with our friends, Ann and Jules Wade.  We sat at their table til our food arrived and thereby avoided eating our usual two baskets of chips and dip!  Then we went to see Burlesque with Cher and Christina Aguilera.  The story line was totally predictable, the acting was so-so and the singing and dancing were spectacular!  The movie ran for an hour and forty minutes and Walter slept for an hour and thirty minutes. 

This morning we got out early and walked the new section of the Wolf River Greenway.  We couldn't go over the new bridge 'cause it doesn't open til this afternoon.  But we got an idea of how it's going to work and it's awesome.  I'm worried about parking, though.  We parked on a street in River Oaks and walked about a block to get there, crossing Humphreys Blvd.  What's going to happen when lots of folks want to be there at the same time?  I guess someone smarter than me is in charge of this.  Wouldn't you know I didn't take my camera.  I'll get some shots next time.

When we got home we put out our Christmas decorations with the exception of the front door wreath which I will go purchase shortly.  Look at this wonderful wreath that we bought at The Last Straw in BR last year on the day after Christmas for half price!

We hung it on the french doors in the breezeway so you can see it from the living room, or even from the front door.  It's 26" across and gorgeous!

Here's the back door.  I'm going to do a front door wreath just like it.  Wish I could find another wreath-hanger like this one.  We got it half price, too.

We don't do a whole lot of decorating because we're not usually here during most of the holiday.  But this year we'll return from BR early as Matthew and Martin are coming in from Seattle for a few days at the end of December.  We last saw Matthew when we went to Seattle in April, but we haven't seen Martin in forever!  He was in Budapest in April, doing a mathematics seminar - very smart guy and we're very proud of him, maybe you can tell.  So we're really looking forward to having all our boys in Memphis at one time. 

Have a great week!

Week of November 14-20

Last week the Commercial Appeal had an article about slow cookers that included several recipes.  I love my crockpot!  A couple of them sounded good and I had a weeknight things to do this week, so I clipped them out to try.

Tuesday night was my Search class (this week was Homer's The Iliad - good stuff!) and I made African-Style Braised Chicken in Peanut Sauce.  Delicious!  But the chicken literally falls off the bone, so you have to be careful eating - little bones were everywhere. 

Wednesday I made Beef and Wine Stew.  Again, the meat was fork tender.  However, I didn't think it had much taste.  Maybe more seasonings next time?  I used red wine, but the recipe also suggested a dark stout beer and maybe that would be better. 

Thursday night I had a Grants Review meeting for the Women's Foundation, so Walter was on his own.  He had leftover beef stew (shock) and said it was better than the night before.  I haven't tried it as leftovers, so I can't say.

Friday I went over to Broad Street and spent a few hours helping them set up for their New Face for an Old Broad event this weekend.  I worked like a dog!  Got home about 4, then Becky picked me up and we hit the Potters's Guild Show and Sale at the Botanic Garden, then the Holiday Bazaar at Memphis College of Art.  I got a very nice casserole dish by David James Johnson at the pottery sale; unfortunately, I was on a beeline to a couple of paintings by Michele Pinstein at the Bazaar only to have them snatched them out from under my nose.  But I bought a "whimsical" candy dish and some really neat notecards.  Here's a picture:

We went on to meet our cute boys at Cafe 1912 for dinner.  I'm sorry to say that our service was less than stellar and it was so noisy I could hardly hear Becky, who was sitting on my right.  And I had to decline my onion soup because it was burned and way too salty.  But my crabcake was wonderful, Becky loved her grouper, Barney had a huge, and I mean huge, plate of mussels that he scoffed up, so all was ok in the end.

Today I want to get back over to Broad Street to see it in action.  Very exciting stuff!  It's so wonderful to see a neighborhood pull together to try to improve their area.  Would that every neighborhood would take that initiative.

Oh, one other thing I did on Friday.  The Poplar-White Station Library has been driving me nuts with the weeds and trash all around it.  So Friday morning I went over and picked up all the trash, then emailed Keenan McCloy, the Library Director, to ask her to send Public Works over to trim the weeds.  I also offered to meet with her to come up with better landscaping.  No reply as of yet.  Mark this date, folks.  We'll see how long it takes...

African-Style Braised Chicken in Peanut Sauce

African-Style Braised Chicken in Peanut Sauce

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

3 lbs. chicken pieces, washed, patted dry; skin-on breast, skinless legs and thighs

2 onions, peeled, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled, minced

1/2 to 1 long red or green chile pepper, minced

2 tsp. curry powder

1 tsp. dried oregano leaves

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cracked black peppercorns

1/2 cup condensed chicken broth, undiluted

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup peanut butter

2 tbsp. sherry or lemon juice

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

Hot cooked rice (about 3/4 cup per serving)

In a nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the chicken pieces and brown on all sides. Transfer to the slow cooker.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions to the skillet and cook, stirring until softened. Add the garlic, chile pepper, curry powder, oregano, salt and peppercorns. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the chicken broth, tomato sauce and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Pour the mixture over the chicken pieces in the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours, until the chicken is tender and the juices run clear when pierced with a fork.

In a bowl, combine the peanut butter and sherry. Add a little cooking liquid and stir to blend. Add to slow cooker along with the red bell pepper. Cover and cook on high for 20 minutes, until the pepper is tender.

Discard the bay leaf and serve the chicken over hot white rice. Serves 6.

Week of November 8-13

You already know about Sunday the 8th and Monday the 9th.  Here's what I did the rest of the week.

Tuesday, November 10

Spicy Pork and Spinach Salad

Wednesday, November 11

Oh, boy, did I get good wife points for this one!  Walter almost fainted when he walked in the door and saw this being dished up.

Chicken and Dumplings

Thursday, November 13

I had a Master Gardeners meeting tonight, so I ate leftover chicken and dumplings before I left for the meeting.  Walter worked late (he actually got home after I did, which was about 8:00) and he got a pizza from Memphis Pizza Cafe.  I was a nominee for a spot on the Board of Directors, but didn't get elected - maybe next year!  But as I always say when I'm practicing before the mirror:  I want to thank the members of the Academy - it's an honor to be nominated!

Friday, November 14

International Date Night.  We went to Andrew Michael (I LOVE that place) then to the movies to see Morning Glory.  The meal was great and the movie was cute.  A fun way to wrap up the week.

Saturday, November 15

We were going to ride bikes this morning (now that the Peddler folks have repaired all flat tires) but just as we pedaled down the driveway it started to rain.  Bummer.  We were hoping to get a ride in before the rain hit. 

I MUST start using meals that I have put in the freezer!  For tonight I'm pulling out some crab stuffing that I made earlier this year, putting it into large pasta shells and covering with a good quality marinara sauce that I'll get today at the grocery store.  A quick salad and some good bread and we'll be set for a quiet evening at home.

Have a great weekend!

Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and Dumplings

Serve 6 to 8

Don't use low-fat or fat-free milk in this recipe. Start the dumpling dough only when you're ready to top the stew with the dumplings.

Ingredients

Stew

• 5 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 4 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
• 4 carrots , peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2 ribs celery , sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 large onion , minced
• 6 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Dumplings

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 tablespoons reserved chicken fat (or unsalted butter)

Instructions

• 1. For the Stew: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add half of the chicken and cook until golden on both sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and remove the browned skin. Pour off the chicken fat and reserve. Return the pot to medium-high heat and repeat with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and the remaining chicken. Pour off and reserve any chicken fat.
• 2. Add the butter to the Dutch oven and melt over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the flour. Whisk in the sherry, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the broth, milk, thyme, and bay leaves. Nestle the chicken, with any accumulated juices, into the pot. Cover and simmer until the chicken is fully cooked and tender, about 1 hour.
• 3. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Discard the bay leaves. Allow the sauce to settle for a few minutes, then skim the fat from the surface using a wide spoon. Shred the chicken, discarding the bones, then return it to the stew.
• 4. For the Dumplings: Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Microwave the milk and fat in a microwave-safe bowl on high until just warm (do not over-heat), about 1 minute. Stir the warmed milk mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until incorporated and smooth.
• 5. Return the stew to a simmer, stir in the peas and parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Following the photos below, drop golf-ball-sized dumplings over the top of the stew, about 1/4 inch apart (you should have about 18 dumplings). Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the dumplings have doubled in size, 15 to 18 minutes. Serve.

Week of October 24-30

Let's see, what did we do last weekend?  Friday night we went to see Wicked at the Orpheum, which was very enjoyable.  Walter and I were lucky enough to see it on Broadway and this production was almost as good.  We had a nice dinner at Felicia Suzanne's.  I had a goat cheese and carmelized onion tart to start and it was outstanding.  Saturday Walter worked, as usual, and I had my needlepoint group, then we went to Huey's for dinner.  Great fries.  Sunday night I cooked:

Chicken Marsala
Rice Pilaf with Vermicelli
Sugar Snap Peas with Lemon, Garlic, and Basil

All of these recipes are from Cooks Illustrated.  I will say, don't attempt this menu unless you're pretty good at doing several things at once.  I was mighty challenged, but it all came out ok and almost at the same time!  The pilaf and the peas were especially good to know about as I am always looking for good side dishes.

Monday 10-25-10

Chicken and Parsnip Soup

From Cooking Light, this soup was very easy and tasty.  I cooked some extra chicken when I was doing the Chicken Marsala yesterday, so I had that part done.  I intended to make some biscuits to go with this, but Walter informed me at the last minute that he wouldn't be home for dinner and then I was running late for my lit class, so I just did the soup.  My friend Pam and I spent almost all day on a gardening project, so I was pretty tired when I got home.  This soup was perfect.


Tuesday 10-26-10

My former neighbor Nancy invited Dotsie and Wanda and me to lunch today at her new digs at Trezevant Manor.  How nice is that place!  Nancy and Gordon have an apartment in the new building and it is first class.  They're very happy and very busy there.  We had a great lunch and a great visit with each other.  Thanks again, Nancy!  I took her these chocolate chip cookies which Walter later proclaimed as the best cookies ever (of course he says that about every cookie I make...) I had my Search class tonight so didn't really feel like cooking. Thankfully, Monday night's Lore of Literature class was the last one for this semester so I won't have double class nights for the rest of the year.  My wonderful neighbor Troy made a huge batch of spaghetti gravy earlier this month and brought some frozen to me.  I snatched that sauce out of the freezer and had spaghetti for dinner!  Thanks, Troy!

Wednesday 10-27-10

Get ready.  I made Pork Ragu Al Maialino and it was fantastic.  Notice that I'm big on one-dish menus.  They're not always balanced, but I don't worry about Walter, he eats pretty good all day long.  And I get lots of vegetables at lunch, so nights are kinda whatever.

Thursday 10-28-10

It's Thursday morning as I write this and we're leaving today for North Carolina.  We're driving to Asheville to spend the night, then to Charlotte on Friday where we're going to shop for a Murphy bed to put in Walter's upstairs office.  Then on to Blowing Rock for the weekend, can't wait.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Chicken and Parsnip Soup

Chicken and Parsnip Soup

Time: 40 minutes minutes
Yield:  4 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)


1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 cup thinly diagonally sliced parsnip (2 parsnips)
3/4 cup thinly sliced shallots (2 shallots)
1 (4-ounce) package gourmet mushroom blend (I used 8 oz of regular white mushrooms)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1 cup chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 cup shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon hot sauce
1 thyme sprig
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley1. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add parsnip, shallots, mushrooms, and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Add broth and next 7 ingredients (through thyme); bring to a simmer, and cook 10 minutes or until parsnips are tender. Remove from heat; stir in parsley.

CALORIES 204 ; FAT 4.1g (sat 0.8g,mono 1.9g,poly 0.9g); CHOLESTEROL 30mg; CALCIUM 62mg; CARBOHYDRATE 25.3g; SODIUM 607mg; PROTEIN 17.4g; FIBER 5.1g; IRON 2.3mg

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2010

Chicken Marsala

Chicken Marsala

Serves 4. 

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 5 ounces each), pounded to even thickness

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 

 Table salt 

 Ground black pepper 

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 

2 1/2 ounces pancetta (about 3 slices), cut into pieces 1 inch long and 1/8 inch wide

8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced (about 2 cups)

1 medium clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)

1 teaspoon tomato paste 

1 1/2 cups marsala wine (sweet)

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice from 1 small lemon

4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces, softened

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves 

Instructions

1.  Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, place large heatproof dinner plate on oven rack, and heat oven to 200 degrees. Heat 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until very hot (you can hold your hand 2 inches above pan surface for 3 to 4 seconds), about 3 minutes. Pat chicken breasts dry. Meanwhile, place flour in shallow baking dish or pie plate. Season both sides of chicken cutlets with salt and pepper; working one piece at a time, coat both sides with flour. Lift breast from tapered end and shake to remove excess flour; set aside. Add oil to hot skillet and heat until shimmering. Place floured cutlets in single layer in skillet and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using tongs, flip cutlets and cook on second side until golden brown and meat feels firm when pressed with finger, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to heated plate and return plate to oven.

2.  Return skillet to low heat and add pancetta; sauté, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits until pancetta is brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. With slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towel--lined plate. Add mushrooms and increase heat to medium-high; sauté, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom, until liquid released by mushrooms evaporates and mushrooms begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, and cooked pancetta; sauté while stirring until tomato paste begins to brown, about 1 minute. Off heat, add Marsala; return pan to high heat and simmer vigorously, scraping browned bits from pan bottom, until sauce is slightly syrupy and reduced to about 1 1/4 cups, about 5 minutes. Off heat, add lemon juice and any accumulated juices from chicken; whisk in butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in parsley. Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately.

Week of Oct 17 - 23

Sunday morning my wonderful husband made Bud's French Toast for breakfast!  We were going to ride our bikes on the Greenline, but my bike's front tire was "flatter than a fritter" so we just took a walk around our neighborhood.

Remember the pizza I made last week with the butternut squash?  Well, the squash showed up again in this bisque that I made for lunch.  I substituted my leftover carmelized onions for the shallots, and I used the leftover bechamel sauce to come up to 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk.  It was very good, but I think I'll add about half again more squash next time.  I also made Sour Cream and Cheddar Biscuits from a recipe that I got from Smitten Kitchen.  As you may know, I'm on a mission to duplicate the wonderful cheese biscuits that they serve at Kojay's in Blowing Rock.  Kojay's is very stingy with their recipe!  Today's biscuits weren't even close, but they were good just the same.  They have Jalapeno peppers in them, so they have a little kick.

Sour Cream and Cheddar Biscuits

No cooking Sunday night - our homeowners association had our annual fish-fry, yummy!

This was a fairly busy week for me as I had several site visits for the Women's Foundation.  So I fell back on what my family considers "favorites."  These are very quick, very easy, very good, and very inexpensive dishes that they request over and over.  I'll set up a page with links to these recipes so that they're easy to find.  These are the tried and true dinners that get my highest recommendation!

Monday 10-18-10

Summer Sausage Skillet Supper

Boys love this - Walter will even eat leftovers!  I cook this a lot on class nights cause I can fix it before I leave and it's on the stove for Walter when he gets home.

Tuesday 10-19-10

Chicken Salad

A couple of weeks ago in needlepoint class, we were comparing what we had brought for lunch and my friend Leslie had chicken salad.  So we started talking about the multitude of recipes for chicken salad and Leslie said one of her favorites was from the 1964 Women's Exchange Cookbook.  The Women's Exchange is a Memphis institution.  They have a tearoom (fabulous food!) and a shop where they sell exquisite handmade items to support the women who make the items and to fund their various charitable projects.  I asked Leslie to send me the recipe and I made it today.  It's very different from the recipe I usually make.  I like pecans and grapes in mine; this one has almonds and capers.  But I have to say it's pretty good.  I coated the chicken breasts with olive oil, sprinkled them with kosher salt and pepper, roasted them in a 450 degree oven until the internal temperature was 165, then covered them and let them rest for about 10 minutes.  Usually I flatten the breasts to an even thickness then saute them, but this worked just as well and was not as messy.  I doubled the recipe because I wanted to take some to my neighbor who has just had some surgery. 


Wednesday 10-20-10

Slow Cooker Pepper Pork Chops
Rice
English Peas (yes, from a can!)
Buttery Pecan Rounds & Ice Cream

My former neighbor and soul sister, Tandy Gilliland, was in town and came over for dinner.  She lives in Lexington, KY now but still has ties to Memphis.  It was so good to catch up with her!  One of my PAR buddies, Kay McAdams, brought these cookies to the picnic Saturday and she kindly sent me the recipe.  I served them with ice cream, really frozen vanilla yogurt.  Delish!

By the way, my favorite frozen yogurt is Fresh Market's Homemade brand.  It has just the right flavor and consistency and no yucky aftertaste.


Thursday 10-21-10

Fiesta Enchiladas

First I have to say that I met with my needlepoint group today and took some of the chicken salad and cheddar bisquits for my lunch.  The ladies loved both, but the big hit was the container of Buttery Pecan Rounds.  We even got a lot of stitching done between the eating and talking!  I'm almost finished with my current piece, which is a good thing since we're supposed to start a new piece soon.  I'll post a picture, hopefully in a couple of days.

Fiesta Enchiladas is another family favorite.  Very easy and tasty and quick.

Friday, 10-22-10

Ok, my kitchen is closed for the week.  Friday is International Date Night, you know, and tonight we're going to see Wicked at the Orpheum.  We have dinner reservations at Felicia Suzanne's (no relation, darnit!)  Have a great weekend!

Chicken Salad from the 1964 Women's Exchange Cookbook

Chicken Salad Recipe from the 1964 Women's Exchange Cookbook:

5 c. cooked cubed chicken                                                        1/8 t. white pepper

2 t. grated onion                                                                        1/2 t. curry powder

1 c. minced celery                                                                     1 T. taragon vinegar (or dry white wine)   

1/4 c. capers                                                                             4 hard-boiled eggs

1/4 c. coffee cream                                                                    1/2 c. toasted slivered almonds

2/3 c. mayo (or a little less)                                                                  

1 t. salt

Combine chicken, onion, celery, and capers.  Mix cream with mayonnaise.  Add salt, pepper, curry and vinegar.  Pour over chicken mixture, mixing well.  Just before serving, fold eggs and almonds into mixture. 

Week of Oct 10-16

Sunday I went to see the Tennessee Shakespeare Company's production of Othello.  It was fantastic!  We're so lucky to have so many Shakespeare resources here.  The TSC has a great program going into local schools to introduce kids to Shakespeare.  Check it out.

I got home around 5:15 and, of course, Walter was starving.  So I made a pasta dish that I'd gotten from a weekly e-newsletter that I get from The Splendid Table.  It came together very quickly, but it was just ok.  It had a sauce that was basically ricotta cheese and we didn't care too much for it.  For a quick dish, I'd probably say do the pasta and the sweet italian sausage part, but use a good bottled marinara sauce instead of the ricotta cheese.  Here's the recipe, Rigatoni alla Pastora, so you can judge for yourself.


I was on my own again Monday night (do I even have a husband?) so just ate leftover salad before I went to class.  Ice cream afterwards, of course!

Tuesday 10/12/10

Chicken Saltimbocca
Orzo
Broccoli

I got the chicken recipe from a weekly email I get from one of my favorite recipe sources, Cook's Illustrated.  You can sign up for their Notes from the Test Kitchen here.  Like Sunday's pasta, it was a little bland for our tastes, but very pretty.  I cooked the orzo al dente, then tossed it with a little olive oil and some grated romano.  It was good.  Broccoli is broccoli.

Wednesday 10/13/10

Butternut, Goat Cheese & Argula Pizza

I cut this recipe out of the Commercial Appeal.  Shelley Baltz writes a cooking column for the paper and also has the blog, Morsels and Moments, which I have listed to the side.  Making this pizza is not for the faint of heart!  IF I do it again, I'll make the bechamel sauce and carmelize the onions ahead of time.  All in all this took me about an hour and a half and I was busy the whole time - and used lots of cookware, so cleanup was a lot.  Was it worth it?  I'm not sure, Walter said he liked it.
The good news is that I have leftover squash, onions & bacon.  Sounds like there's roasted butternut squash soup in our future!

Thursday 10/14/10

Leftover pizza (Walter was out of town again!)  The pizza actually tased better warmed up!

Tonight was the Women's Foundation for a Greater Memphis' Grants Showcase and Volunteer Recognition Event.   I'm very humbled to have been honored as Volunteer of the Year by this great organization.  Truly, when I think of the hundreds of hours invested by hundreds of volunteers, my contribution is very small.  My friends Becky Boone and Joyce Carter were there to share this honor with me.  Walter couldn't be there, but he arranged for flowers to be presented to me along with the engraved plate.  It was a special night.

I'm excited about this honor!

Joyce & me

Chicken Saltimbocca

Chicken Saltimbocca

Serves 4. Published March 1, 2008. From Cook's Illustrated.

Buy cutlets that are approximately 5 to 6 inches long. If the tip is too thin, trim back 1 to 2 inches to make the cutlet of uniform thickness. If cutlets are unavailable, you can make your own with four (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  Although whole sage leaves make a beautiful presentation, they are optional and can be left out of step 3. Make sure to buy prosciutto that is thinly sliced, not shaved; also avoid slices that are too thick, as they won’t stick to the chicken.

Ingredients

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Ground black pepper
8 thin-cut, boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (about 2 pounds), trimmed of ragged edges as necessary (see note)
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves , plus 8 large leaves (optional)
8 thin slices prosciutto , cut into 5- to 6-inch-long pieces to match chicken (about 3 ounces)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 cups dry vermouth or white wine
2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 4 pieces and chilled
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
Table salt

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Combine flour and 1 teaspoon pepper in shallow dish.

2. Pat cutlets dry with paper towels. Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off any excess. Lay cutlets flat and sprinkle evenly with minced sage. Place 1 prosciutto slice on top of each cutlet, pressing lightly to adhere; set aside.  (I moistened the prosciutto with water to help it stick.)

3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until beginning to shimmer. Add sage leaves (if using) and cook until leaves begin to change color and are fragrant, about 15 to 20 seconds. Using slotted spoon, remove sage to paper towel-lined plate; reserve. Add half of cutlets to pan, prosciutto-side down, and cook until light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook on other side until light golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to wire rack set on rimmed baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and cutlets, then transfer to oven to keep warm while preparing sauce.

4. Pour off excess fat from skillet. Stir in vermouth, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until reduced to about 1/3 cup, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Turn heat to low and whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Off heat, stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper. Remove chicken from oven and place on platter. Spoon sauce over cutlets before serving.