Chicken Piccata & Kale Caesar

It's time to dust off the old cooking blog and get my current recipes on here, as people have been asking...

This was a hit with everyone in the house, so it'll be dinner tomorrow, and we're making it with some family on Zoom or Teams. We'll add in Mads' fave smashed potatoes (small goldens or reds, steamed or boiled, then crushed on a cookie sheet, drizzled with EVOO and seasoned/roasted), and Kale Caesar (adapted from Dr. Andrew Weil, and enjoyed in our home at least twice a week).

Chicken Piccata (Chicken with Lemon and Capers)

Serves 6-8 (great for leftovers)

3-4 chicken breasts split in half into cutlets (or sub thighs if you prefer)

1/2 cup flour

2 tsps lemon pepper

2 tsps salt

2 tsps garlic powder

2-3 lemons (zested, and juiced)

4 Tablespoons olive oil

1.5 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup capers

4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

1-2 Tablespoons half-and-half

Split your chicken breast in half (into cutlets) and then pound them thin (I do this in a Ziploc bag with a rolling pin). I then cut each half into two or three pieces. If you're using thighs, just pound them thin. Two chicken breasts fed our family of four dinner, with leftovers for lunch for two the next day.

Mix the flour and seasonings together in a pie pan or on a large plate, and coat the chicken pieces. Add pieces to a large skillet to brown, about 8 mins, depending on thickness. Turn the chicken to brown evenly. Move the chicken to another plate or pan as you finish cooking all of the chicken.

Whisk together the lemon juice and zest, broth, and garlic, then pour it into the chicken drippings in the pan. Stir and reduce a bit, and add half-and-half. Add the chicken back to the pan, and sprinkle in the capers to warm up to serve.

Kale Salad

5-6 cups chopped Italian (Lacinato) kale, ribs removed (or a triple-washed package of baby kale)
Juice from 1 large lemon, or two small lemons
4-5 Tbs. olive oil (truffled olive oil from Trader Joe's is amazing in this)
4 cloves pressed, fresh, garlic
Kosher or sea salt (to taste)
lemon pepper (or Penzey's Sunny Spain) to taste
3/4 cup shaved or grated Parmesan, Asiago, or other hard, flavorful cheese

Whisk the fresh-squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, pressed garlic and seasonings in a large salad bowl, then add all but 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese and whisk again. Let sit for at least 5 minutes, just before serving, and top with remaining Parmesan.

Unfussy: Grilled Endive

Thumbs down from both kids on the grilled endive, but Mads loved the garlic vinaigrette that it was dressed with. The chicken roasted perfectly in 40 minutes, and the carrots are absolutely delicious (and I don't care for cooked carrots).

Sunday Cooking

Using the recipe from The Cupcake Diaries books (from Sue & Nonno for Christmas), I made a dozen cupcakes while the kids were working through homework. They both deserved a treat for all of the work they plowed through.

And, since I'd seen a demo of "no-fail" fried chicken on Queen Latifah's show, I made fried chicken for the first time ever, and finally used the cast iron chicken fryer for its intended purpose. It was tasty, not greasy, and far superior to any from the store or restaurant. 

Trial Run: Spatchcocking

Erik said, "No, mom, we need a bigger turkey than that. This one's so wee." I pointed out that it's a chicken. It was delicious, and I'll make avgolemono soup today!

Bananas and Nuggets and Chocolate

I stumbled upon a list of "3-Ingredient Recipes" awhile ago and pinned this banana cookie recipe. It was surprisingly good, although I am certain the children would find them vile, and Joel was uninterested too. 

3-Ingredient Banana Nut Cookies

2 large, very ripe bananas

1 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup chopped pecans (the original recipe called for walnuts, but I didn't have any)

Mix, drop by rounded Tablespoons onto cookie sheet and bake at 350-degrees F for about 14 minutes. I makes exactly 12 cookies. 

These would be perfect as "breakfast" cookies. If only the kids would eat them. But, they abhor oatmeal, and Madeline doesn't like nuts anymore. Unless they are blended into the form of peanut butter. 

So, for dinner, over fries and homemade chicken nuggets.Not really a recipe, since I eyeballed a recipe on my phone, and then blatantly did my own thing. There were herbs in the crumb mix which would've make Erik fuss. And, since I've been intentionally making food that makes him practice dealing with things he doesn't like, I took in easy on him tonight. I just took chicken tenderloins from Costco, cut into bite-sized pieces, dipped in melted butter then shook them in a bag with panko crumbs seasoned with sea salt and smoked paprika. Baked at 400-degrees F for 20 minutes (I turned them after 10). They were a huge hit. Even with Madeline, who now claims to hate chicken (but will eat salad all day long). 

And, this double-chocolate banana bread from the Smitten Kitchen blog is divine. Really, really chocolaty and delicious. Decidedly more enticing to everyone else in the house than my "healthy cookies-like things" (Whatever.) 

But, really, make Deb's chocolate bread. You can't even taste the banana. 

 

What's For Dinner?

An amazing recipe from Joy, and I only changed it a little... added a little more oil and brown sugar since I was adding more chicken than she uses, and I used chicken thighs instead of breasts. My mom recently used this marinade on pork and says it was fantastic!


Joy's (slightly altered) Rosemary Grilled Chicken


2 Tbs  stone ground, whole grain or Dijon mustard (preferably Plochman's) 
1/4 c. coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 c. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbs dark brown sugar
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh-ground black pepper
10 chicken thighs


In a large mixing bowl, stir together the mustard, chopped rosemary, lemon juice, brown sugar, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Toss the chicken pieces in this marinade until thoroughly coated. Refrigerate covered for 1 to 2 hours. Grill or bake the chicken in the marinade (baked lends more juiciness and extra sauce for rice or potatoes - or bread-mopping). Cook 10 to 15 minutes per side.


Servings: 6-8


Preparation Time: 2 hours
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Slow Food

I recently needed to have dinner cooking while I was at the school volunteering in the late afternoon, and so I cooked up this keeper in the crock pot. It was originally from Allrecipes.com, but I've altered it so heavily, that it is now my own creation. And, there are no photos, because we scarfed it all down before evidence of the dish could be created.

Enjoy!!

Arroz Con Polo Limón

3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves or thighs
2/3 c. lime juice
4 c. chicken broth
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. sea salt
4 Tbs. butter, melted
4 c. uncooked instant brown rice (= one box of Minute Rice - brown)

Put the chicken in the slow cooker; pour in the lime juice and chicken broth, add the garlic, cumin, pepper, and butter. Cover, and cook until the chicken is tender. Stir in the rice during the last 20 minutes of cooking time.

Cooks on Low 8-10 hours, on High 4-6 hours, or on High 2 hours if you pre-cook chicken in the microwave on 1/2 power for about 15 minutes, before adding to the slow cooker.

Serve with cubed avocado, diced onions, salsa, green chile sauce or sour cream on the side, fresh fruit, tortillas and a simple salad.