Chicken with Mushrooms

Monday morning re-blog here and I made this for Sunday Night dinner last night. It is made in one pot on stove and oven, my trusty Le Creuset pot. I actually used fresh thyme and highly recommend trying to use it, dry is fine but the fresh was really tasty. I won’t lie this recipe takes a bit of prep but totally worth it. Obviously there are a lot of ingredients you may not have as staples in your house so read through the recipe carefully. You’ll need sherry and white wine ( I used Pinot Grigio) and it was nice to drink what was left in the bottle with the meal! Enjoy and everyone will love it and be very impressed with you. I served with brown basmati rice and roasted cauliflower last night.

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Fall NY 2012 031Fall NY 2012 032Fall NY 2012 036Fall NY 2012 041Just going to say that we just finished this meal and I was so impressed with myself that I cooked it! It was amazingly delicious, thanks to Ina Garten’s new cookbook “Foolproof” , this chicken and mushroom dish was 5 star for sure. I only used 1 chicken but followed directions as if I was cooking 2, so I obviously had a lot of sauce left over. I served over rice pilaf and it would be awesome with a green vegetable but I never did get to pick anything up so we just had the chicken and rice  . Perfect over rice , couscous or orzo, because the sauce is so so yummy.  I don’t know about you but I am always on the search for new ways to cook chicken. This is a winner and not crazy difficult, while there are some moving parts you’ll want to pay attention while you cook.  You can…

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“Make Believe” Mashed Potatoes made with Cauliflower

picstitch (2)photo (13)I have wanted to make this since I heard about “mock” mashed potatatoes. I was inspired by other recipes to come up with this variation. My friend Karyn adds egg whites and I may try that next time. I did one version with chopped garlic and one without and preferred it without. Be very careful with the garlic, somehow it added too much flavor and I only used 1/2 tsp. of chopped garlic, I would omit it the next time completely. I couldn’t stop eating it and I think I ate almost the whole cauliflower by myself, I got Joel to taste it but he couldn’t get past the fact that it was cauliflower. I highly recommend this as a side dish without all the carbs that are in mashed potatoes.  Nothing beats a good mashed potato but sometimes you just don’t want all the starch. The calories here are pretty low even with the little cream cheese and parmesan, I only added 1 tablespoon of butter.  App. 149 calories per serving and there are 4 servings as is. (even though I personally ate 3 servings) easy to do . I really enjoyed this variation, so give it a try. Please let me know your versions of “make believe” mashed potatoes.

*calories were for recipe as is from The Food Network

Ingredients:

1 medium head cauliflower ( just a normal head of cauliflower) clean and cut into small pieces

1 softened tablespoon cream cheese, softened. I used “light”

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

* 1- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, I used about a tablespoon. Completely up to you.

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic* totally optional , see note at bottom

*you’ll need an immersion blender or food processor

Shopping List:

1 head cauliflower, cream cheese, and grated parmesan cheese. ( or grate it yourself)

Staples should include unsalted butter , kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

Directions:

Set a stockpot of boiling salted water to boil over high heat.

Clean and cut cauliflower into small pieces. Cook in boiling water for between 6 and 10 minutes till cauliflower is cooked thoroughly, you’ll want it tender .  Drain well, do not let cool down too much. I patted cauliflower dry with some kitchen towels, or dry between several layers of paper towels. However you prefer, just get excess water out and don’t let cauliflower cool down too much.

In a bowl with an immersion blender stick or in a food processor, puree the hot cauliflower with the cream cheese, Parmesan, salt and pepper until almost smooth. I added 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter while it was being pureed.

I would go very easy with the garlic or omit all together, as I have already said I liked it better with no garlic. Just giving you the option. If you love garlic add in 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic and taste before adding more.  While you’re pureeing it you can taste it before you add more salt or garlic.  You can try roasting garlic which might be a nice addition.

You can garnish with some cut up fresh chives if you’d like .

Super Easy!

Lobsta Pasta

 

photo (5)photophoto (4)photophoto (2)photo (5)What could be better than 2 of my most favorite foods together ? Lobster and Pasta and no wrangling with a messy lobster, just yummy lobster meat and tomatoes with pasta. I just adore this combo and while it may be a tad rich there is no heavy sauce just delicious fresh ingredients.  I picked up the lobster meat at Grace’s Marketplace in Greenvale and I also use Roslyn Seafood Gourmet on Willis Avenue.  I call ahead because they don’t always have it on hand so you may have to order ahead of time.
I got this recipe from the NY Times Wednesday dining Section and made a few adjustments to my liking. It is perfect for the summer, winter, spring or fall. I actually think it’s a perfect way to serve Lobster and the lobster goes pretty far in a recipe like this.
* 4-6 servings, or increase ingredients and make it for more.

Ingredients:

1 lb. cooked lobster meat

1 lb. pasta such as bucatini, lasagnetti, rigatoncini, or long ziti, macaroni or any sturdy type pasta.

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 large shallots finely diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (this was spicy so you may want to adjust to your liking)

app. 2 cups chopped cherry tomatoes or little grape tomatoes if you can find yellow tomatoes mix them in with the red tomatoes, I used a whole container , I sliced in 1/2 .

–I put 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and a few grinds of the pepper mill on tomatoes. I added a teeny bit more salt, you’ll have to taste for it –taste a piece of tomato and you’ll know if you need more salt and pepper.

app. 2 handfuls basil leaves, torn or roughly chopped–obviously this adds a bit of punch to the plate but not entirely necessary.

Directions:

Bring a pot of well salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to directions for al dente.

Pour olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook for a couple of minutes till shallots soften without browning. Add garlic and red pepper and cook down for another minute or so. Add tomatoes and season generously with salt and pepper, I like to break down the tomatoes a little, so I cooked for about 15 minutes.  Add lobster meat to skillet, stir to coat and heat through for another 5 minutes. Turn off heat until pasta is ready.

When pasta is al dente, drain, add to skillet, and season with salt and pepper. Toss well and transfer to a wide bowl or platter. Add basil, toss once more and serve immediately. Keep a little pasta water on hand if you need to moisten pasta.

This was amazingly delicious, and what the hey we’re worth it right?

Chicken Cacciatore

Monday re-blog . Fall is in the air and this is a most heart warming meal to take you from Fall into Winter. I made it for the first time last winter and we loved it. Makes for a beautiful gourmet presentation and would be lovely for a dinner party. Enjoy! Serve over rice, orzo or noodles or just as is.

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Chicken Cacciatore 011My daughter Jennifer turned me on to this delicious and I do mean delicious recipe. Original recipe from Giada de Laurentis . I took a few liberties with it and it turned out just perfectly. I only used 4 thighs and 2 breasts with skin on and bone in, if you’re not comfortable with the skin I would take out skin but leave the bone in.  I am certain that  there is enough sauce for at least 1 more thigh and 1 more breast , there was more than enough sauce.  I served over brown rice and it was just perfect. This is a beautiful meal for a dinner party  or just the two of you. I used my Le Creuset pot and it was a one pot meal. Thanks to Jenn for pointing it out to me, this one is a keeper.

Ingredients:

4 – 6 chicken thighs with skin on and bone in

2…

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Shelly’s Pumpkin Ginger Muffins – I love Pumpkin

Crisp air , gorgeous colors and delicious flavors of Fall. One of my most favorite ingredients for the Fall season is pumpkin, I can’t seem to get enough of it. I highly recommend Shelly’s pumpkin muffins if you’d like to get into the mood for Fall. Yum.

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My friend Shelly who is an excellent cook and baker gave this recipe to me back in 2012.  I wanted to try them because I love all things Pumpkin and ’tis the season. I was leaving Colorado for the season and  planned on freezing these delicious beauties so they would be here when we return. Shelly said that she freezes them, then takes them out for breakfast individually by putting the frozen muffin in the microwave  or toaster oven. A little butter and jam don’t hurt either. The list of ingredients may seem daunting. I had to shop for a few of the items, but don’t let this stop you because these are fairly healthy and a perfect brunch/breakfast item, or good for just mid-afternoon tea. They contain fiber and aren’t cloyingly sweet. I love ginger and I love pumpkin. If you don’t like the ginger spice you can cut down or eliminate the crystallized ginger…

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Chicken with Mushrooms and Artichoke Hearts

I wanted to make chicken but I wanted something new to do with chicken and just when you think you’ve hit the wall a recipe jumps out at you and there you go you have a new recipe to work on. At least that’s what happens to me and hopefully you’ll see this and you’ll want to make this recipe as well. I played around with ingredients and tweaked this one to where I liked it. I love artichoke hearts and wanted to use them in a recipe for a long time. I used bone in chicken breasts with the skin on because I really like them, you can use chicken cutlets as well, just modify the cooking of the chicken. I used cremini mushrooms and I would recommend frozen artichoke hearts.
Have fun with this recipe and enjoy it, we did.

After directions I now added shopping list and pantry items, hope this is helpful in your prep.

*serves 4 as is, can certainly be cut in 1/2

Ingredients:

4 chicken breast halves, skin on with bone ( you can certainly use boneless skinless chicken breasts if you like) *See note at bottom for boneless cutlets

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2 large shallots, chopped fine

8 ounce of mushrooms, I used cremini use whatever type of mushroom you like, totally up to you. From simple white, cremini, shiitake or oyster mushrooms. You’ll want to start with 2 cups of mushrooms.

2 T. all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken stock or broth

1 1/2 cup frozen artichoke hearts ( app. 10 hearts) quartered, defrosted and drained , I like the bag of frozen artichokes, if you can’t find frozen buy the canned

1 Tbsp.. Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1 tbsp. butter *optional

Directions:

Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, I used my Le Creuset dutch oven. When oil is hot add the chicken breasts skin side down . Cook about 3 minutes and gently with tongs take a look at it, you’ll want skin to be golden brown. * if you are using chicken cutlet style breasts , brown all sides. Remove chicken breasts to an oven-proof dish, and place in oven. Roast breasts for about 15 minutes for cutlets, and 30 minutes for breasts with bone-in , or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Meat thermometers come in handy with chicken, highly recommend a decent one.

While chicken is roasting, sauté the chopped shallots and mushrooms with a pinch of salt in oil and pan drippings ( you may need to add a little oil) until shallots are soft and mushrooms have begun to brown slightly and give off their liquid, stir in the flour and continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring frequently about 5 minutes.

Pour in 1 cup of chicken stock, and raise heat, until sauce starts to simmer and reduce . Recipe calls for 2 cups , I added another 1/2 cup not whole cup, you’ll have to see how thick your sauce is and how long it sits. You can always add more.

Reduce heat to low and stir in artichoke hearts, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and rosemary. Stir together and cook over low heat until sauce thickens and is blended together and fragrant. Taste for salt and pepper as you’d like. I turned off heat and covered pot till the chicken finished roasting.

If and only if you’d like you can add a Tblsp. of butter , not necessary but adds a bit of richness. Totally OK not to. Just saying….

When the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees, remove it from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes.

I plated chicken and put sauce over the chicken. Make sure you get plenty of artichoke hearts and mushroom pieces.

Over rice would be lovely. Or Orzo.

Yum!

*shopping list — is mushrooms, rosemary, chicken , shallots and frozen artichokes

*pantry staple— flour, lemons, Worcestershire sauce, kosher salt , ground pepper , butter, olive oil and chicken stock

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Pumpkin Soup – Happy Fall

OK it’s really Fall so for my re-blog Monday I decided to post this delicious heartwarming soup. Pumpkin is Fall for me, no turning back as beautiful as the weather is . Fall in a bowl! Enjoy!

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Fall is here, and time to make soups, and hearty meals. Heartwarming and comforting is what comes to mind. This pumpkin soup is all of that–warm,sweet  and savory all at the same time. It contains cream; and I do use heavy cream, you can probably substitute regular milk or skim milk I figure there are 8 servings and only 1/2 cup of cream in the total so it’s not too too terrible. You can also substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth for a vegetarian style soup. It’s a smooth delicious soup, and served with a nice green salad and some crusty bread, it’s awesome! Happy Fall.

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken / vegetable stock ( either one)

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

4 cups ( 2 cans) pumpkin puree ( not pie filling – be careful)

1 medium yellow onion chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme ( you can use fresh )

1 clove…

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Caesar Salad Dressing

This salad dressing has almost always been part of my rotation of salad dressings and I can’t praise it enough. It never fails me. It’s easy and delicious just as it is and has enough kick and bite to hold up to any lettuce. I go traditional with romaine and add protein which is a whole dinner on it’s own. This is a keeper, Hold on to this recipe. I remember trying so many versions when I came up with this one, some were too this and some were too that, but we love this one! This is by far one of Joel’s favorites.

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FullSizeRender (2)I have already posted this and I am  re-posting it because it sort of got lost under my other salad dressing. ( mustard Vinaigrette) so here it is all on its own with a picture all its own. it is a delicious dressing, easy to make with the mini processor. I put all ingredients into the food processor and chop and blend! so easy and so delicious! and only 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Perfection! I really do make this salad dressing all the time. Always stock anchovies, Worcestershire sauce , eggs, olive oil, lemons and Dijon mustard! Grab some fresh romaine and a protein and you have a perfect meal for lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (I go heaping here but I like strong Dijon flavor)

your particular liking)

freshly ground black pepper

4 – 5 anchovies ( i like it salty and…

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Fettucine with Sausage and Kale

Original Post on this pasta was April ’13. Right after Passover, so looking for a wonderful recipe for right after Rosh Hashana and came upon this. Ready to start a new year and start cooking again. It’s really September already and we’re back to school, back to work and back in the routine. This is simple, hearty and delicious, and very easy to prepare. Enjoy this re-blog Monday Recipe.

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photophotophoto (4)photo (3)I made this for dinner before we left Colorado and was so crazy busy with Passover and Passover recipes, I had no time to post it. Now that the holidays are over I am back with some wonderful new recipes for Springtime.  High recommendation for this delicious pasta dish, what a perfect springtime anytime dish.  It was so very tasty, and easy to prepare.  If you like sausage and you like kale, and who doesn’t like fettucine? Joel managed to pick out every last piece of kale, but I don’t mind because he put it all on my plate. I used baby kale which is just perfect and if you can get turkey sausage it will be that much healthier. It is light, only 3 tablespoons of olive oil, a little chicken broth and Pecorino Romano and you’re finished. Very quick meal, very few ingredients, and it is restaurant worthy for sure…

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Blintz Souffle–Break Fast Food

I originally posted this on October 5, 2011. Now that’s a more civilized time to be celebrating the Jewish New Year, but what can I say? It’s here and here we go again. This is probably one of the oldest recipes on my blog. I remember my Mother making it and always loving it. Along with the baked French toast this is a wonderful breakfast and brunch staple. This dish can be assembled ahead of time, kept in the refrigerator and baked right before eating. This is a keeper and a tradition in our house. Always delicious and the ultimate in comfort food. You can buy almost any of the frozen blintzes, homemade ones are great but it doesn’t really make that big of a difference with this recipe. This is super easy with excellent results.

Ingredients:

6 blintzes ( you can use cheese or fruit filled, whichever you like) . Depending on how many people I’m feeding, I usually make 1 fruit and 1 cheese tray. Blintzes can be found frozen in many supermarkets or specialty stores.

2 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp. unsalted butter or margarine

3/4 cup sour cream (lite is fine)

1 tsp. vanilla

Dash of cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter or margarine in saucepan. Spray baking dish with Pam Spray. Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl together. Place frozen blintzes in baking dish. I usually use 9×13 size baking dish but anything close to that will work. You can double the recipe, in which case you’ll obviously need a larger baking dish. You need room for the blintzes to expand a little and for the egg mixture (custard)  to rise around it. Don’t spread it too thin.

Pour the melted butter on top of the frozen blintzes, followed by the sour cream mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30-40 minutes. Let it sit for a few minutes out of the oven before cutting into it.

Happy Healthy Sweet New Year!