Recipes

Ingredients
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced (I used 1 teaspoon of dried thyme instead.)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¹⁄₂ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (4 ¹⁄₂-pound) roasting chicken

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375*F and combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl.

3. Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Trim excess fat. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. Rub herb mixture under loosened skin and over breast and drumsticks. Place chicken, breast side down, on rack of a broiler pan or shallow roasting pan coated with cooking spray; place rack in pan.

4. Bake chicken at 375*F for 40 minutes. Carefully turn chicken over (breast side up). Bake an additional 40 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in meaty part of thigh registers 165*F. Place chicken on a cutting board; let stand 10 minutes before carving.

Comments
I’m not sure why I don’t roast chickens more often, since they’re very simple, moist, and tasty.  I think I didn’t roast them for a long time since Art only likes white meat and I didn’t want to be the only one eating the dark meat.  Lance, however, loves both so it’s much more feasible to roast whole birds now!  (Not to mention, Art has grown less picky over time.)  I found this recipe in the 2009 Cooking Light Annual; it looked like it had good flavors, so I decided to make it. 

It was fantastic!  Super flavorful due to the herb rub, extremely tender, and just about perfect. 

Shown here with Fresh Lemon Rice.

Cooking Light 2009

Ingredients
12 ounces center-cut bacon, sliced into ¹⁄₂-inch thick pieces
2 medium onions, chopped fine
1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into ¹⁄₂-inch cubes
6 cloves garlic, minced
¹⁄₄ cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (Omit if you desire a milder chili.)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¹⁄₂ teaspoon cayenne pepper (Omit if you desire a milder chili.)
2 pounds ground beef
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (28 ounce) can tomato puree
¹⁄₄ cup maple syrup
Salt

Instructions
1. Fry the bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring frequently, until browned, about 8 minutes. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat, leaving the bacon in the pot.

2. Add the onions, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, oregano, and cayenne and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and add half the beef. Cook, breaking up the chunks with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink and beginning to brown. Add the remaining beef and cook, breaking up the chunks with the wooden spoon, until no longer pink.

3. Add the beans, tomatoes, tomato puree, and ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt. Bring to boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Remove the cover and continue to simmer 1 hour longer, stirring occasionally (if the chili begins to stick to the bottom of the pot, stir in ¹⁄₂ cup water and continue to simmer), until the beef is tender and the chili is dark, rick, and slightly thickened. Stir in maple syrup.  Adjust the seasoning with additional salt to taste. Serve with desired condiments. 

Suggested condiments: diced fresh tomatoes, diced avocado tossed with lime juice, sliced green onions, chopped red onion, chopped cilantro leaves, sour cream, and shredded cheese. 

Comments
I have a confession.  I’ve never made a real meat chili before.  I have made vegetarian chilis, but meat chili has always been Art’s domain.  However, Art’s methods are not replicable and I wanted to find a chili method that I could blog about as well as enjoy.  I scoured a few cookbooks and found this recipe in The New Best Recipe.  I made a few minor adjustments, like the addition of maple syrup, and wished I had omitted the red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper as well.  It was just a tidge too spicy for my tastes, even with a nice dollop of sour cream! 

Those things being said, this was a fantastic chili.  Even Art approved and he’s picky when it comes to his chili.  The bacon added lovely smokiness, the ground beef was great for the major meat component.  I’m not a huge fan of kidney beans so the black beans were a fantastic change.  I was very pleased with the result of this recipe and I think I’ll enjoy making minor modifications in the future.  I could envision doubling the recipe and adding in an additional meat for more texture (like flank steak) and probably lentils or garbanzo beans as well. 

Note to Self: I cannot fit a double batch of this in my Dutch oven. 

Shown here with the absolute best Skillet Cornbread.

The New Best Recipe

Ingredients
1 teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground coriander
¹⁄₂ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (3-pound) boneless pork loin, trimmed
2 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped (I couldn’t get fresh thyme, so I used a bit less than a teaspoon dried.  This is probably a better summer recipe due to availability of fresh herbs.)
1 tablespoon olive oil
¹⁄₂ cup shallots, finely chopped
²⁄₃ cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth
¹⁄₄ cup fresh orange juice, about 1 large orange (I admit, I used a some Simply Orange.)

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 425*F.

2. Sprinkle first 3 ingredients over pork. Combine parsley and next 4 ingredients, rub over pork.

3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan; cook 7 minutes, browning on all sides. Place pork in shallow roasting pan or broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Or, if using an oven safe skillet, keep it in that.  Bake for 35 minutes or until a thermometer registers 155-160*F. Remove pork to cutting board. Cover loosely with foil; let stand 10-15 minutes.

4. Place roasting pan (or skillet) over medium heat. Add shallots to pan; cook 2 minutes. Add wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; bring to boil. Cook until mixture is reduced to ¹⁄₃ cup. Add broth and juice; cook until mixture is reduced to ³⁄₄ cup, about 5-10 minutes. Serve sauce with pork. 

Comments
Art isn’t a huge lover of pork chops so, in order to make pork, I tend to stick to roasts.  This one is from the 2010 Cooking Light Annual and was ridiculously flavorful and moist.  The sauce had just enough sweetness in it to provide a fantastic accompaniment to the meat.  We all enjoyed this quite a bit and I look forward to revisiting it in the summer when my access to fresh herbs is vastly improved. 

Shown here with Baked Four-Cheese Pasta.

Cooking Light 2010

Ingredients
4-6 slices bacon, chopped fine
1 small onion, chopped fine (I used a red onion, any type you like would work.)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup half and half
³⁄₄ pound penne or other short pasta, about 4 cups
Salt
¹⁄₂ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup frozen peas
Pepper
1 cup Italian cheese blend, shredded

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 500*F. Cook bacon, onion, and garlic in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add broth, cream, pasta, and ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt, cover, and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.

2. Off heat, stir in Parmesan and peas and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to 2-quart casserole dish and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and spotty brown, about 5 minutes. Serve. 

Note: You can also make this in an oven safe skillet and skip the whole “transfer to a casserole dish” part. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2007 Cook’s Country Annual and was very reminiscent of carbonara.  I found it very tasty and the bacon added a lovely smokiness to the entire dish.  I also liked that the cooking method seasoned the pasta itself, not just the sauce that was on top of the pasta. 

Shown here with Herbed Pork Loin with White Wine Reduction.

Cook’s Country 2007

Ingredients
12 ounces center-cut bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced
3 cups cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 450*F. 

2. Brown bacon in a 10-inch cast iron skillet or similar oven safe skillet.  Add the garlic and jalapeños and sauté until softened.  (At this point I remove some of the bacon fat by carefully pressing a few paper towels into the skillet.  Just to remove some of the fat, not all of it.) 

3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper and mix well.  In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs and melted butter.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just to combine. 

4. Quickly pour the cornmeal batter into the hot skillet.  Stir gently to distribute the bacon mixture and then place the skillet in the oven.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until firm and golden brown on the top.  Let sit for 5 minutes, turn out on cutting board, and cut into wedges for serving. 

Comments
I’m a lover of cornbread, but not a fan of the sweet cake-like variety that passes for cornbread in many places.  I like a more savory cornbread and it took me a while to find this recipe.  Then I found it, made it, and life was good.  It’s very flavorful, dense, and just all around awesome. 

Shown here, although messy since I was cutting it into smaller wedges than usual, with Beef Chili with Bacon and Black Beans.

Internet - Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients
For the refried beans
¹⁄₂ cup refried beans (I prefer the vegetarian ones.)
3 tablespoons pepper jack cheese, shredded (Use regular Monterey jack cheese for milder nachos.)

For the beef
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¹⁄₂ teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon brown sugar
¹⁄₂ cup water
1 medium canned chipotle chile in adobo, chopped, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
2 teaspoons lime juice

For assembly
1 (9 ¹⁄₂-ounce) bag tortilla chips (A heartier chip, like Tostitoes Naturals, is recommended.)
4 cups pepper jack cheese, shredded (Use regular Monterey jack cheese for milder nachos.)

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 400*F.

2. For the beans: Pulse ingredients in food processor until smooth. Transfer to bowl and cover until ready to use.

3. For the beef: Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Cook onion until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt and cook until fragrant. Add beef and cook, breaking meat into small bits with wooden spoon and scraping pan bottom to prevent scorching, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, sugar, chile, and adobo sauce and cook until paste begins to darken, about 1 minute. Add water, bring to simmer, and cook over medium-low until mixture is nearly dry, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in lime juice and transfer mixture to plate lined with several layers of paper towels. Use more paper towels to blot up excess grease.

4. To assemble: Spread half of chips on large oven safe serving platter or 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Dollop half of bean mixture over chips, then spread evenly. Scatter half of beef mixture over beans, and top with 2 cups cheese. Repeat with remaining chips, beans, beef, and cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and just beginning to brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Serve with desired toppings. (Such as salsa, sour cream, chopped green onions, chopped cilantro, and diced avocado tossed with lime juice.) 

Comments
I didn’t have the goal of making nachos initially, but I found this recipe in the 2007 Cook’s Country Annual while looking for a good Game Day appetizer.  The recipe seemed like a great starting point and I just toned down the heat significantly by switching to regular jack cheese and not topping the whole shebang with sliced jalapeños.  Everyone enjoyed these and I could definitely see making them again.  I think we all found them easiest to eat with forks and plates, since they are a bit on the messy side.  As nachos should be!

Note: I’ve actually started making this as a dip with the tortillas on the side instead of incorporated all together.  I will try to post a revised recipe before too long that reflects this change.

Cook’s Country 2007

Ingredients
12 ounces ground beef
4 ounces hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
4 cloves garlic, minced
¹⁄₄ teaspoon red pepper flakes (Only use half if using hot sausage.)
¹⁄₄ teaspoon dried oregano
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
8 ounces spaghetti, broken into rough 2-inch pieces
2 cups water
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₄ cup half and half
6 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped
1 cup Italian cheese blend, shredded

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat broiler. Cook beef and sausage in large oven safe nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until no longer pink. Drain meat on paper towel-lined plate and pour off fat from skillet. Return meat to skillet. Add garlic, pepper flakes, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2. Stir in tomatoes, spaghetti, water, and salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until spaghetti begins to soften, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, covered, until spaghetti is al dente, about 10-15 minutes.

3. Stir in cream, basil, and ¹⁄₃ cup cheese. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and broil until surface is spotty brown, about 3 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. Serve. 

Comments
While this doesn’t look very pretty, it was pretty delicious!  The original recipe is from the 2007 Cook’s Country Annual and I tweaked it a little to suit my tastes.  We all enjoyed the dish, especially on a cold and rainy winter day.  The recipe doubles very well assuming your skillet is large enough.  If your skillet doesn’t have high sides stick with the recipe above and don’t double anything.  It serves four quite comfortably.

Cook’s Country 2007

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 ¹⁄₄ cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt or ¹⁄₂ teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
¹⁄₄ cup sugar
1 ¹⁄₄ cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions
1. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. 

2. Pour the melted butter into mixing bowl and add the sugars.  Cream on medium speed.  Add the egg, yolk, milk, and vanilla.  Mix until well combined.  Slowly incorporated the flour mixture until completely combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour. 

3. Preheat oven to 375*F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. 

4. Using a #20 ice cream scoop (about 2 tablespoons), scoop 6 balls of dough onto each cookie sheet.  Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Rotate the sheets halfway through cooking for even browning.  Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. 

Comments
This recipe makes about 2 ¹⁄₂ dozen cookies and is from Alton Brown’s fantastic episode on cookies.  I made all three varieties of cookies from that episode and settled on this one as my favorite.  You can easily add nuts to the recipe, or use other types of chips if you prefer.  These are delicious, chewy, and chocolaty.  In my opinion, they’re pretty much the perfect chocolate chip cookie.  Especially with a cup or two of chopped walnuts added to the dough!

Internet - Alton Brown

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
6 tablespoons powdered sugar, plus extra for rolling
2 cup all purpose flour, plus extra as needed
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350*F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper. 

2. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and powdered sugar.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Continue adding flour until you can form firm balls. 

3. Working with 2 teaspoons of dough at a time, roll into balls and lay them on the baking sheets, spaces about 2 inches apart.  Bake until just starting to brown, about 12 minutes. 

4. If desired, roll in powdered sugar while hot.  Cool completely on wire racks. 

Comments
These are one of my all time favorite cookies.  This recipe is from Art’s mom and she sent us a bag of them for Christmas in 1997 and I fell in love.  I think she adds more flour than I do since I can never quite seem to get them to form perfect balls like she makes.  I also skip rolling in sugar step which gives these cookies their name since it also gives them the ability to make quite a bit of mess.  I love them with or without the powdered sugar coating.  Yum.

Person - Art’s Mom

Ingredients
1 ¹⁄₃ cups all purpose flour
¹⁄₂ cup salted dry-roasted peanuts
¹⁄₄ teaspoon baking soda
¹⁄₄ teaspoon baking powder
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¹⁄₃ cup dark brown sugar, packed
¹⁄₃ cup granulated sugar
¹⁄₂ cup creamy peanut butter (I used the all natural type.)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350*F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Process ²⁄₃ cup of the flour and the peanuts in a food processor (or mini chopper) to a coarse meal, about 15 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and stir in the remaining ²⁄₃ cup flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beat in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl as necessary.

3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture, mixing until combined, about 30 seconds. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until the dough is stiff, about 30 minutes.

4. Working with 1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons of dough at a time, roll the dough into balls and lay them on the baking sheets, spaced about 1 ¹⁄₂ inches apart.

5. Bake the cookies until just set and beginning to crack, 9 to 11 minutes. Working quickly, remove the baking sheet from the oven and firmly press one Kiss into the center of each cookie. Continue to bake the cookies until lightly golden, about 2 minutes longer.

6. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.

Comments
This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies and is from The Cook’s Country Cookbook.  When I was a child, my mom and I would make Peanut Butter Blossoms and just have a blast.  I remember one year we decided to experiment with sticking the Kisses in the cookies point side down, just to see what would happen.  (They were still tasty.)  When I asked my parents for suggestions for my 2010 holiday baking extravaganza, they both requested that I make these.  Since I didn’t have my mom’s recipe, I decided to try out this one from Cook’s Country and I was pleased, as I always seem to be with their recipes!

The Cook’s Country Cookbook