Chicken with Leeks, Watercress and Radish

Here it is .... the recipe you have been waiting for...
the dinner my husband and I talked about for days
after having...... Fantastic!

This recipe is from my Food Network Kitchens
"Making It Easy" Cookbook.

Chicken with Leeks, Watercress and Radish

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 bone-in chicken breast halves, with skin (about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 leeks (white and light green parts), halved and sliced crosswise
4 radishes, thinly sliced into rounds
1/4 cup dry white vermouth
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 bunch watercress, stems trimmed (reserve a few sprigs for garnish), roughly chopped

Directions
Slice and clean the leeks while pan-searing the chicken.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the oil. Pat the chicken dry and season with some salt and pepper to taste. Lay the chicken skin side down in the skillet and cook undisturbed until the skin is golden and crispy, about 4 minutes. Add a nut-size bit of the butter to the skillet, and when the butter smells fragrant, turn the chicken and cook until opaque, about 4 minutes more. Put the chicken in a baking dish or roasting pan and bake just until firm to the touch, 10 to 12 minutes.

Pour all but 1 tablespoon fat from the skillet and return pan to the heat. Add the leeks and radishes and cook, tossing, until wilted, about 4 minutes. Season with the 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Add the vermouth, bring to a boil, and reduce until syrupy. Stir in the cream and bring to a boil. Remove the skillet from the heat, add the watercress, and toss just until it is wilted. Add the remaining butter and swirl the skillet until it melts. Stir in any chicken juices that have collected in the roasting pan. Spoon the leek mixture onto 4 plates and arrange the chicken breasts on top. Garnish with the reserved watercress sprigs and serve.


This is a wonderful dish!

Tilapia with Panko

I enjoy cooking with Tilapia because it has a mild fish flavor and
I find that almost any combination goes well with this fish.
Because of its small size it cooks quickly making it a great
weekday dinner for us.


Tilapia with Panko Crumbs

4 tilapia fillets, about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
2 teaspoons honey Dijon mustard or Dijon mustard
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
Dash pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation:
Heat oven to 400°.
Lightly grease a glass casserole dish
Combine the mayonnaise and mustard in a bowl
Then rub the mixture over the tilapia fillets.

In a food processor, combine the panko and fine bread crumbs, paprika, parsley, pepper, onion powder, and salt. Pulse to combine. Pour bread crumb mixture into a wide, shallow bowl. Place the coated fillets in the mixture, turning to coat
the fish on both sides.

Place the coated fillets in the prepared baking dish.

Bake the fish fillets for about 12- 15 minutes. It may
take a little longer if the fillets are thick.








This is a very good recipe and healthy too!

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

It is the perfect time for a little "green" ice cream
being that St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner.


Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
recipe by Simply Recipes

3 cups of fresh mint leaves that have been rinsed, drained
1 cup milk
2 cups heavy cream (divided, 1 cup and 1 cup)
2/3 cup sugar
A pinch of salt
6 egg yolks
6 ounces semisweet chocolate or dark chocolate, chopped fine, keep in the freezer until used


Step 1:
Put the mint leaves in a heavy saucepan with the 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of the cream. Heat until just steaming (do not let boil), remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 30 minutes. Reheat the mixture until steaming, remove from heat and let stand for 15 more minutes.



Step 2
While the mint is infusing in step 1, prepare the remaining cream over an ice bath. Pour the remaining 1 cup of cream into a medium size metal bowl, set in ice water (with lots of ice) over a larger bowl. Set a mesh strainer on top of the bowls. Set aside.


Step 3:

Strain the milk cream mixture into a bowl, pressing against the mint leaves with a rubber spatula in the sieve to get the most liquid out of them. Return the milk cream mixture to the saucepan. Add sugar and salt to the mixture. Heat until just steaming again, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.

Step 4:
Whisk the egg yolks in a medium sized bowl. Slowly pour the heated milk cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly so that the egg yolks are tempered by the warm mixture, but not cooked by it. Scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Step 5:
Return the saucepan to the stove, stirring the mixture constantly over medium heat with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spoon so that you can run your finger across the coating and have the coating not run. This can take about 10 minutes.





Step 6:
Pour the custard through the strainer (from step 2) and stir into the cold cream to stop the cooking.

Step 7:
Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator (at least a couple of hours) or stir the mixture in the bowl placed over the ice bath until thoroughly chilled (20 minutes or so). Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.




Step 8:
Once the ice cream has been made in the ice cream maker it should be pretty soft. Gently fold in the finely chopped chocolate. Put in an airtight container and place in the freezer for at least an hour, preferably several hours.






Serve and Enjoy!

Fettichinni with Basil Cream Sauce

Do you ever open up your full refrigerator, look around
and think ..... what can I make for dinner?

A little of this, a little of that and I was able to make:

Fettichinni with Basil Cream Sauce

fresh basil leaves
garlic cloves
olive oil
cashew nuts
parmesan cheese
nutmeg
heavy cream
salt and pepper

I washed and dried about a cup or so of basil.
Placed it in my food processor with two cloves
of garlic and about a 1/2 cup of cashews.
Pulse on high until completely blended.
Add oil and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and pulse again.

Take the basil mixture out of the processor
and put in a small sauce pan.



Add about 1/2 - 3/4 cup heavy cream.
Heat and stir.
Add a pinch of nutmeg.
Add salt and pepper to taste.




Great comfort food. Thick, creamy and delicious!

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Some days are just made for Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup.
Sometimes the weather creates this craving in us
for melted cheese and the warm, creamy soup.
Sometimes when we aren't feeling great we crave this
comfort food to soothe our aches
and sometimes we crave this toasty sandwich
because it reminds us of being young and having
our mom or dad prepare lunch for us.

No matter the reason...homemade Grilled Cheese and
Tomato Soup is hard to beat!


This particular Grilled Cheese was made with
Cheddar, Provolone and Colby Jack Cheese.
The tomato soup is made from diced tomatoes,
butter, heavy cream and oregano and fresh basil.
The soup is cooked and then put through
the blender to make it nice and creamy
and then heated again before serving.

Shrimp and Cheese Grits

First time making Shrimp and Grits for me even though
we have lived in Georgia for about 16 years.

I have never really thought about making them and I
don't know why all of a sudden they came to my mind ~
but I'm glad I they did because this is a great dish!

So, with a little help from Bobby Flay I made:

Shrimp served on Cheese Grits

4 cups water
Salt and pepper
1 cup stone-ground grits
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 slices bacon, chopped
4 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 cup thinly sliced scallions
1 large clove garlic, minced
Directions
Bring water to a boil. Add salt and pepper. Add grits and cook until water is absorbed, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese.

Rinse shrimp and pat dry. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until browned; drain well. In grease, add shrimp. Cook until shrimp turn pink. Add lemon juice, chopped bacon, parsley, scallions and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes.

Spoon grits into a serving bowl. Add shrimp mixture and mix well. Serve immediately.


MMM, MMM, Very Good! What a great combination of flavors.

Sunday Morning Breakfast

I love having a Frittat Pan
because all you have to do is open the refrigerator
find some vegetables you like, chop them up.
Decide what cheese you want to add.
Crack some eggs and a little milk.
Pour in the veggies and cheese.
Mix everything together.




Pour into Frittata Pan.
Cook, Flip, Cook, Serve.







Such a great way to start the day!