a little of each

A family's cookbook

Grilled Chicken Breasts with Lemon and Rosemary May 16, 2013

Filed under: Main Dishes — alittlemoreofeach @ 9:28 am
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Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup fruity olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbl fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Arrange chicken breasts in a single layer in a shallow glass or ceramic pan. Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and rosemary together in a small bowl and pour over chicken breasts. Let marinate in the refrigerator, turning once or twice, at least 4 hours.

2. Grill the chicken breasts 5 to 6 inches above the hot coals 4 to 6 minutes per side, brushing with any marinade remaining in the dish. Serve at once.

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Fish Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Crema May 15, 2013

Filed under: Main Dishes — alittlemoreofeach @ 3:25 pm
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Jen first made this 2006 Cooking Light recipe with fish as called for, but then she tried it with shrimp and fell in love.  For a healthier variation, she uses Bibb lettuce leaves, doubled up, in lieu of the taco shell and add carrot and avocado as toppings.

She really wanted to share this delicious and refreshing meal with everyone in the family so I figured out a way to make it into an appetizer: Shrimp Bites.

Ingredients

Crema:
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbl mayonnaise
3 Tbl sour cream
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced

Tacos:
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 pounds red snapper fillets
Cooking spray
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cabbage

Directions

To prepare crema, combine the first 8 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.

To prepare tacos, combine cumin and next 5 ingredients (through garlic powder) in a small bowl; sprinkle spice mixture evenly over both sides of fish. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 9 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Place fish in a bowl; break into pieces with a fork. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide fish evenly among tortillas; top each with 1/4 cup cabbage and 1 tablespoon crema.

 

Salmon with Pesto Mayo April 8, 2013

Filed under: Main Dishes — alittlemoreofeach @ 8:27 pm
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Ingredients

4 (5-6 oz) salmon fillets

2 Tbl crumbled firm-textured bread

¼ cup mayonnaise

3 Tbl purchased basil pesto

1 Tbl grated Parmesan

 

Directions

Thaw fish, if frozen. Preheat broiler. Place bread crumbs in a shallow baking pan. Broil four inches from the heat for one or two minutes, stirring once, until lightly toasted. Set aside. Measure thickness of fish. Place fish on greased unheated rack of broiler pan, tucking under any thin edges. Broil four inches from heat for four to six minutes per ½ inch thickness or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Turn one-inch thick fillets over halfway through broiling. Meanwhile combine mayonnaise and pesto; set aside. Combine toasted breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Spoon mayonnaise mixture over fillets. Sprinkle with bread crumb mixture. Broil one to two minutes more or until crumbs are lightly browned. Makes four servings.

 

Tilapia with Chili-Lime Butter

Filed under: Main Dishes — alittlemoreofeach @ 8:26 pm
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From the St. Petersburg Times, June 2004

 

Ingredients

6 (6 oz) pieces skinless tilapia fillet

½ tsp salt

2 Tbl vegetable oil

 

For the Chili-Lime butter, stir together in a bowl:

½ stick unsalted butter, softened

1 Tbl finely chopped shallot

1 tsp finely grated fresh lime zest

1 tsp minced serrano chili

½ tsp salt

 

Directions

Heat one Tbl oil in a skillet over moderately high heat until just smoking, then sauté three pieces of fish, turning over once with a spatula until golden and just cooked through, four to fie minutes total, and transfer to a plate. Sauté remaining three pieces of fish with the remaining oil in the same manner. Serve with a dollop of chili lime butter.

 

 

 

Chicken Marsala April 3, 2013

Filed under: Main Dishes — alittlemoreofeach @ 9:39 pm
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chicken marsala

 

Ingredients

4 boneless chicken breasts

4 tsp butter

4 shallots, finely chopped

½ pound mushrooms, sliced

¼ cup dry Marsala

½ cup heavy cream

1 tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese for garnish

 

Directions

Pound chicken breast with mallet until thin. Lightly brown in 2 tsp. butter. Remove and set aside. Melt remaining butter in same sauté pan. Add shallots and mushrooms and cook until lightly browned. Add Marsala and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pan. Add cream and lemon juice and return to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Return chicken to pan and continue cooking until done, turning chicken as needed. Serve with cooked pasta and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

 

Honey Horseradish Chicken March 27, 2013

Filed under: Main Dishes — alittlemoreofeach @ 9:47 am
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If you are invited to my house for a meal, you will be experimented on. As much as I want to stick with tried and true standbys, I can’t resist the urge to try new recipes on unsuspecting palettes. Even at times like Thanksgiving and Passover when a dud could really put a damper on things.

Last night’s seder had no duds. Not even close. The dilled matzo ball soup turned out well, the salmon was tasty, the haroset was tweaked nicely, the roasted root vegetables were perfect in their simplicity and not al dente as I feared, but the stars were this roasted chicken dish and an unusual salad.

I am a sucker for sweet and hot or sweet and tangy or other somewhat unexpected flavor combinations. So when I saw the recipe for Honey Horseradish chicken come through my inbox (via Kveller.com), I pounced. I used an oven bag (a really useful tip from my mother-in-law that has never let me down), and reduced the amount of garlic to one bulb (honestly, I don’t know how five bulbs of garlic could even think about fitting inside a five-pound chicken…). Next time I might reserve some of the honey and horseradish blend, or make a slightly thicker version, to use as a condiment.

 

Honey Horseradish Chicken

from The Nosher

 

Ingredients

1, 5-pound whole chicken, rinsed well and with innards removed
½ lemon
5 bulbs garlic (I reduced this to one bulb of garlic.)
½ white onion
5 fresh rosemary springs
¼ cup kosher for Passover prepared horseradish
¼ cup kosher for Passover honey
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
Parsley for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Rinse the chicken under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Then put the chicken breast side up on a roasting rack in a roasting pan.

Stuff chicken with the lemon, garlic, onion, and rosemary sprigs.

In a small bowl, whisk together horseradish, honey, olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread all over the chicken, making sure to get under the skin as well.

Place in oven bag, if desired.

Roast chicken for 1 hour and 20 minutes, and then turn the oven up to 450 degrees F to brown the skin. Continue cooking about 20 more minutes until the internal temperature near the thighbone is 160 degrees F and the juices run clear (it should continue to cook once removed from the oven until the temperature is 165 degrees F).

Let chicken rest for 20 minutes. Garnish with parsley if desired.

 

Lemon Rosemary Turkey Meatballs December 24, 2012

Filed under: Main Dishes — alittlemoreofeach @ 10:06 am
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MeatBall Army

MeatBall Army (Photo credit: Mr. Usaji)


Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion, cut into chunks (I omitted)
  • 2 large cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 1 1/4 teaspoons dried, divided
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 3/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
  • 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine (or substitute more chicken broth)
  • 1 (14 oz) can chicken broth
  • 4 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

Place onion, garlic and lemon zest in a food processor. Add 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried) and pulse just until the mixture is finely and evenly chopped (but not mushy).

Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and gently mix in turkey, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper until combined. Use a generous 2 tablespoons each to shape the mixture into 12 meatballs (about 1 1/2 inches in diameter). Place flour in a shallow dish and roll the meatballs in it to lightly coat. (Reserve the remaining flour.)

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, add meatballs and cook, turning once, until brown, 3 to 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.

Add wine (or 1/2 cup broth) to the pan, increase heat to medium-high and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until almost evaporated, 1 to 3 minutes. Add the can of broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and return the meatballs to the pan along with the remaining 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (or 1/4 teaspoon dried). Cover and cook until the meatballs are cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the meatballs to a serving bowl.

Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until reduced to 1 cup, 4 to 8 minutes. Whisk lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of the reserved flour in a small bowl (discard any remaining flour); whisking constantly, add the flour mixture to the sauce along with butter and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Simmer, whisking, until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve. Serve the sauce over the meatballs.

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Greek Frittata December 20, 2012

Filed under: Main Dishes — alittlemoreofeach @ 9:06 pm
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Ingredients (serves 6)

  • 2 large red potatoes
  • olive oil
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 4 oz feta cheese
  • 1-2 Tbl Penzeys Greek Seasoning

Instructions

Slice the potatoes into 1/4-inch slices. Layer them in the bottom of a casserole or deep-dish pie plate. Overlapping is fine. Drizzle a little olive oil on the potatoes and cook at 350 for about 10 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking a little, whisk together the eggs, milk, and mayonnaise.

Separately, chop up the feta cheese.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and sprinkle them with a generous sprinkling of Penzeys Greek Seasoning.

Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes, sprinkle the feta cheese evenly into the egg and bake in a water bath (I used a baking dish for the water) at 350 for about 45 minutes.

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Spaghetti with Pesto Trapenese

Filed under: Pasta and Grains — alittlemoreofeach @ 9:05 pm
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Ingredients (serves 4)

  • ¾ pound cherry tomatoes, very ripe and sweet
  • 12 leaves fresh basil
  • ⅓ cup whole almonds, lightly toasted
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed and peeled
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for cooking the pasta
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated

Instructions

Rinse the cherry tomatoes and pat them dry. Rinse the basil leaves and pat dry.

Drop the tomatoes into the blender jar or food processor bowl followed by the garlic clove, the almonds, basil leaves, and 1/2 tsp salt. Blend for a minute or more to a fine purée; scrape down the bowl and blend again if any large bits or pieces have survived.

With the machine still running, pour in the olive oil in a steady stream, emulsifying the purée into a thick pesto. Taste and adjust seasoning. (If you’re going to dress the pasta within a couple of hours, leave the pesto at room temperature. Refrigerate for longer storage, up to 2 days, but let it return to room temperature before cooking the pasta.)

To cook the spaghetti, heat 6 quarts of water, with 1 tablespoon salt to the boil in the large pot. Scrape all the pesto into a big warm bowl.

Cook the spaghetti al dente, lift it from the cooking pot, drain briefly, and drop onto the pesto. Toss quickly to coat the spaghetti, sprinkle the cheese all over, and toss again. Serve immediately in warm bowls

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Spicy Apple-Glazed Chicken with Gorgonzola Grits

Filed under: Main Dishes,Pasta and Grains — alittlemoreofeach @ 9:03 pm
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Ingredients (serves 4)

    For the Chicken

    • 4 skinned, boned chicken breast halves
    • 1/4 cup apple butter
    • 1/4 cup spicy brown or Dijon mustard
    • 1/4 t salt
    • 1/4 t ground red pepper
    • 1/8 t black pepper
    • 2 T chopped green onions to garnish
    • Oregano sprigs (optional)

    For the Gorgonzola Cheese Grits

    • 2 cans (14.25 oz.) chicken broth
    • 3/4 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
    • 1 cup (5.8 oz.) creamy Italian Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
    • 1/3 cup sour cream
    • 1/4 t ground nutmeg
    • 1/4 t fresh ground pepper

    Instructions

    For the Chicken

    Preheat oven to 350. Place chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap and flatten to 1/2″ thick. Place chicken in a greased baking dish.

    Combine apple butter, mustard, S & P; brush sauce over chicken. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

    Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually add grits, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in cheese and remaining ingredients.

    Cut chicken into 1/2″ slices. Spoon grits onto salad plates or into shallow bowls. Top with slices of chicken and garnish with green onion & oregano.

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