Sep 28 2009
I had been planning to grill some chicken, but suddenly had the urge to do something else. I had some boneless, skinless chicken breasts already thawed. I also had a leftover green bell pepper. I broke out the Le Creuset “French Oven”, seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper, and browned the breasts. I added tomatoes, garlic, onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, and some seasonings. 15 minutes of simmering and dinner was done. Continue Reading »
Apr 08 2009
Mar 15 2009
We fed the boys early and had this dish after they were in bed. It’s very easy, very tasty and vegetarian to boot. Not too much to explain, the recipe is pretty straight-forward. It’s from Good Deal with Dave Lieberman on Food Network. Link here. We served it with a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy…
Here’s the recipe… Continue Reading »
Mar 05 2009
I’ve had enough of chicken breast fajitas, so I bought some chicken thighs (change doesn’t come easy to me) and tried a one skillet chicken and button mushroom dish. The starting point was a Emeril Lagasse recipe for Braised Chicken Thighs with Button Mushrooms, I’ll note the changes.
Here are the ingredients (the essence was a gift from Scott)
Feb 24 2009
Since Fat Tuesday was coming up, the “Bite. Sip. Repeat…” team decided to get together last weekend and cook a New Orleans classic. Dr. Steve and I shopped and met up at Dr. Curtis’ house for the cooking and sipping. I’d been thinking of what to cook and came across one of Emeril Lagasse’s first books, “Louisiana Real & Rustic“. It’s copyrighted 1996, after he started doing “The Essence of Emeril”, but before he got really big. I like this book a lot. Emeril provides a variety of recipes, including Louisiana standards as well as basics, like mayonnaise and other sauces.
The recipe that caught my eye was Shrimp and Okra Gumbo (full recipe at end of post). So Dr. Steve and I headed to Harvest Ranch Market for supplies.
Actually, they didn’t have okra or andouille sausage, so we just got the produce and shrimp there. Continue Reading »
Feb 17 2009
It’s the chili-time of the year and I made a batch last week. Here’s the basic recipe…
Heat the oil over medum heat in a large pot. I use a 12-quart stock pot. Sweat the onions for 3-5 minutes then add the garlic and sweat for 2 more minutes. Turn the heat up to medium-high, add the beef and sausage, break up into small chunks and brown thoroughly. Move the mixture to one side of the pot, tip the pot up a little and, using a turkey baster, remove the accumulated fat.
Add the tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, cloves, and Worcestershire sauce and stir. Turn down to low and simmer for 1 hour. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain and rinse the kidney beans and add to chili, cooking an additional 10 minutes on low. Just before serving, stir in the chocolate until melted. The chocolate adds a layer of flavor; you can’t taste it, but it enhances the taste.
Serve with any or all of the following: grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped green onion, cilantro or crushed tortilla chips.
Feb 11 2009
My in-laws visited on Saturday to install a closet organizer they’d bought for us (thanks, Wally and Hilda!) and I wanted to cook a nice lunch for them. We cleaned out some cabinets a week ago and I saw my two Le Creuset Dutch Ovens that had migrated to the back of the cabinet. The large one was a gift from my wife and it’s a bit spendy, but whenever I cook in it, I love the results. I resolved to find some more uses for it.
A few weeks ago, the America’s Test Kitchen tv show (ATK) had an episode where they made a whole chicken and French Onion Soup, both in a Le Creuset Dutch Oven. The chicken looked so moist and juicy, I had to try it. Don’t be put off by cooking a whole chicken. I find them to be cheaper and fresher than the cut up chicken parts. They’re easy to cook and easy to carve. I like the organic whole chickens from Trader Joes.
Following the ATK technique, I started with a whole chicken, Continue Reading »
