Skyler's Summer Salad

Skyler's Summer Salad
Serves 4

2 cups spring mix lettuce, torn
2 cups spinach, torn
1 can Mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup fresh raspberries
2 ozs goat cheese, crumbled
Handful raw walnuts, crumbled
1 thick slice of red onion, minced
2 grilled chicken breasts, chopped
1 avocado, diced
Raspberry balsamic dressing (I used Annie's but any type of raspberry or strawberry dressing will do)

Toss all ingredients in a large serving bowl & then drizzle with dressing (don't toss). Cover with plastic wrap & let the salad sit for 10 - 30 minutes in the refrigerator (this marries all of the flavors). Toss, Serve & Enjoy



Darling Skyler herself, eating edamame with chopsticks



Coq Au Vin

Coq Au Vin
Serves 4

8 Chicken thighs
Extra virgin olive oil
1 cup flour
Salt & pepper
Herbs de Provence
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 onion, minced
1 large shallot, diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
6 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1" pieces
1 bag frozen pearl onions
1 lb cremini mushrooms, wiped clean
1 can Italian stewed tomatoes
1 cup of Cabernet sauvignon
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
Parsley, roughly chopped
Parmesan cheese, grated
Hot buttered egg noodles or rice to serve
Crusty French bread

Preheat oven to 275 degrees
In a shallow dish add the flour, salt, pepper & herbs de Provence and toss together (heavy on the spices).  Dredge chicken in flour & brown in a large dutch oven with a splash of extra virgin olive oil.  Once it has browned remove it from the pan and add another splash of olive oil and the minced onion & shallots.  Saute for about 10 minutes, add the garlic and let it brown, another 2 minutes or so. Add the tomatoes, wine & broth.  Bring to a light boil.  Add the chicken to the bottom of the dutch oven and then top with carrots, frozen pearl onions, mushrooms, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, sprinkle of salt & pepper, and cover.  Bake at 275 degrees for two hours.  Remove thyme sprigs & bay leaf.  Serve over noodles or rice with a sprinkle of parsley & Parmesan cheese & French Bread.
Enjoy!!!

Southern Chicken Curry

Chicken Curry over Brown Rice with Thyme Roasted Carrots

Southern Chicken Curry
Serves 4 -6

2 cups shredded chicken
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 sweet or yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
3 Tbs butter
4 Tbs flour
2 Tbs curry powder
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 Tbs sherry
Salt & pepper

Toppings - Peanuts, chopped green onions & crispy, crumbled bacon

Over medium heat saute the onion, pepper & celery in the olive oil with touch of salt & pepper until softened.  Remove them from the heat & melt your butter in a dutch oven. Add the flour to the butter, making a roux, and stir until light brown (watch closely this can only take a few minutes).  Stir in curry powder.  Add 2 cups of broth slowly while stirring the roux.  Add the chicken, onion, celery & green pepper to the roux.  Turn the heat down and simmer for 45 minutes while adding broth and Salt & Pepper as needed. Add sherry in the last 5 minutes. Serve over brown rice with toppings.
 
I served this dish with Roasted Baby Carrots for our Sunday Supper.

This is an old recipe from our church.  The ECW throw an annual chicken curry luncheon to raise money for various causes.  Each year it is a success not to mention a great lunch.  They serve the Chicken Curry over white rice along with marinated green beans, tomato aspic & a rum cake that will knock your socks off (literally).

Tomato Jam for a Simple Chicken Dinner

 I had never even heard of Tomato Jam until our CSA provided it last week for our fruit share.  Amazingly tasty! Here is a link to a recipe from the NY Times Food Dining & Wine section. Ideas for its use included serving with cheese, pasta, or topping on chicken or fish.  We tried out the chicken option this weekend.  Easily pan sheared some chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper.  Topped with a bit of tomato jam and a dash of red pepper flakes and baked at 375 for 10 minutes and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese right before serving.  Absolutely delicious.  If you happen to see some at your local farmers' market - definitely pick some up, or test out the recipe linked above.

Balsamic & Champagne Chicken

Balsamic & Champagne Chicken
Serves 4

1 whole chicken, cut up, or 4 breasts, bone-in & skin on
1 sweet onion, roughly chopped
1 pint of grape or cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
Juice of 1 small lemon
Grey Salt & Pepper
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley 

Preheat  oven to 350 degrees.  Add the chopped onions to the bottom of a roasting pan forming a nice layer, top with the tomatoes & season with salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon of thyme.  Place chicken over seasoned onions and tomatoes.  Mix together the oil, vinegars and lemon juice & drizzle over the chicken.  Season chicken with additional salt, pepper and thyme.  Bake for an hour and 10 - 15 minutes (or until juices run clear).  Place chicken on serving platter & tent.  Also place the tomatoes and onions in a serving dish, but reserve liquid in pan.  Place the pan over medium heat on the stove top and add white wine.  Increase heat and allow liquid to come to a roaring boil for about 7 to 10 minutes, make sure to scrape up all the bits on the bottom of the pan.  Spoon sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with chopped Italian parsley, and serve.

Chicken Saute with Fine Herbs

This dish seemed appropriate to utilize all of the herbs that are going wild in our potted garden.  Hope you enjoy.

Chicken Saute with Fine Herbs
adapted from James Beard's House & Garden article, December 1959
Serves 3 to 4

3 to 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons butter
Salt and Pepper
1 cup of white wine
3 tablespoons (chopped) of any one one of the following fresh herb combinations:

Tarragon & Parsley
Tarragon, Parsley & Chives
Parsley & Rosemary
Parsley & Chervil
Parsley, Chives & Dill
 
Pound the chicken slightly & season with S&P.  Brown chicken in the butter, turning to keep even.  Once brown add 1/2 the wine and season with a touch more S&P.  Bring to a light simmer, turning at least once, until cooked (5 to 8 minutes). Add your chopped fresh herbs and remaining wine, turn chicken to make sure it is coated, letting the sauce come to a slight simmer and then remove from heat.  Plate the chicken and cover with the pan juices & serve.

So far I have tried the tarragon and parsley combination.  It was a very light, clean tasting dish - perfect for a weeknight supper.

Chicken and Wild Rice

This is the perfect Sunday Supper for a rainy, cold evening.  It is too thick to be a soup and too thin to be a casserole - we can go with a stew maybe?  Anyway serve it with crusty bread, biscuits, or crescent rolls & enjoy!!!

Chicken and Wild Rice
1 onions diced
2 cups quartered baby carrots
1 cup sliced celery
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 bay leaf
1 6oz box Long Grain & Wild Rice
2 1/2 cups shredded chicken, rotisserie is perfect
7 1/4 cups Chicken Broth
Salt & Pepper
1/4 cup sherry
Hot Sauce
Parsley & Parmesan Cheese

In a stockpot add onion, celery, carrots & olive oil, saute for about 10 minutes.  Add 3 1/2 cups chicken broth, bring to a boil, add bay leaf and garlic & simmer for about 35 minutes.  The point here is to really soften the veggies.   Remove the bay leaf & add rice and seasoning packet & 2 1/4 cups of broth, bring back to a boil & reduce to a simmer for about 35 minutes (until you can really see the rice & liquid has cooked down).  Add sherry, chicken, 1 1/2 cups of broth and hot sauce & boil down for about 20 minutes.  Serve topped with touch of chopped parsley & Parmesan cheese.

Leftovers are wonderful too!