Potato Leek Soup

I changed jobs this year, starting working at a community hospital that is a reverse commute from the city. It's a great area, folks stay in the county for generations, there are beautiful views of mountains and farms. So many friendly people. One perk of the job is the ability to join as CSA (something I've always wanted to do) that delivers the produce weekly right outside my office. I should have been blogging all summer about what I've made with the food. It's been fun figuring out what to make. 

I think the all time best, most delicious item is this soup. I had potatoes, I had a huge leek, I had a subscription to New York Times Cooking and you know I love to use that immersion blender -- it was quick easy and absolutely delectable. I will buy leeks and potatoes and make this again and again. 

2T Butter

2 medium (or one huge) leek -- light green and white parts only. Halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 garlic clove

4 C. chicken broth

1 1/2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 bay leaf

1 c. heavy cream

Melt butter in your dutch oven, add leeks, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened, not browned (4 to 5 minutes). Add garlic and stir until fragrant (1 minute)

Add broth, potatoes and bay leaf. Season with salt bring to a boil over medium high heat, cover reduce heat and cook at a gentle simmer until potatoes are tender (15 minutes). Discard bay leaf.

Use your immersion blender to puree the potatoes until smooth

Stir in cream and warm on low until heated through.

Broccoli Salad

My sister came to visit with her daughter and grandchildren, and I'm not going to lie, I was nervous about having healthy kid-friendly food in the house. I tried to make lots of things in advance, or at least prep so that I could spend time with my guests. One of the best things I made (IMHO) was broccoli salad. The Amish Market makes a version that I've bought before, but I have never made it! It was delicious! I don't think the kids ate it, but I'm putting it into heavy summer rotation. I honestly didn't measure anything (except the dressing) and had lots of the ingredients in my pantry. 

Ingredients

5-6 cups of broccoli florets cut into small bite size pieces
2/3 c. craisins
1/2 c. bacon crumbles
1/2 red onion finely chopped
1/2 c. salted sunflower seeds

Dressing
3/4 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. greek yogurt
1 1/2 T. champagne vinegar
3 T. sugar
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Toss salad ingredients with dressing, chill for at least an hour before serving. 

Creamy Spicy-ish Beans and Tomatoes with Greens

I have been blogging so long that the kids are all gone now. While I miss them terribly, it does give me some flexibility around the pickiness. This recipe came up on the New York Times and it sounded so good. I made it tonight, and it was delicious! A perfect weeknight cold winter dish.

Easy, cheap, delicious -- I actually think all the kids would love it and they should all make this at their homes! Guys, buy 2 cans of beans, 1 carton of arugula, a little can of tomato paste, a lemon, cheese and heavy cream and you are good to go.

Ingredients

4 T. olive oil

2/3 c. panko bread crumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

1 onion, minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 t. red pepper flakes

6 oz can tomato paste

2 (14 oz.) cans cannellini beans, rinsed

1 c. heavy cream

1/2 c. chopped sun dried tomatoes in oil

2/3 c. pecorino grated

3 oz. baby arugula (or arugula and spinach combined)

2 t. lemon zest + juice of 1/2 a lemon

Directions

1. Use a skillet to heat 2T of olive oil over medium heat. Add the panko and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Keep tossing until the panko is toasted and golden brown (about 4 minutes). Remove panko to a plate lined with a paper towel.

2. Add another 2T of olive oil to the same pan, add the onion, garlic and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are softened (another 4 minutes)

3. Add the tomato paste and stir until darkened and combined (about 3 minutes)

4. Add the beans, heavy cream, sun-dried tomatoes, 1/3 c. water and simmer, stirring occasionally until flavors meld (about 5 minutes). Stir in half the cheese.

5. In a medium bowl combine the arugula, panko, lemon zest, lemon juice and and remaining cheese. Massage it all together.

Serve in bowls; beans topped with greens. 

Rigatoni with Eggplant and Sausage

 My husband made this dish one night when I was absolutely exhausted and didn't want to cook. He'd seen Bobby Flay on the Today show, and thought he'd give it a go. It was absolutely delicious. Will certainly add to the rotation.

Basic Tomato Sauce

EVOO

1/2 onion chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

28 oz can peeled wole tomatoes 

2 T. chopped fresh basil

2 T. chopped fresh parsley

pinch of sugar

Pasta

1/2 eggplant, peeled and cut into 1" chunks

1/4 c. + EVOO

Rigatoni

3 links Italian sausage (or pancetta would be great too) meat released from casing

1/4 c. red wine

1/4 sour cream

1 t. oregano

1 1/2 T. chopped fresh basil

basic tomato sauce (above)

For the sauce

Heat oil in a saucepan, cook onions until softened (5 minutes). Add garlic for about 1 minute until fragrant. Add tomatoes and their juices and cook on low for about 45 minutes.

Use a potato masher to break tomatoes apart as they cook.

Stir in parsley and basil and use immediately or freeze for up to 1 month.

For the Pasta

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and place rack in the middle of the oven

Line a sheet pan with foil, and spray with non-stick spray

Place the eggplant on the sheet pan in a single layer, drizzle olive oil on top, season with salt and pepper, place in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes

Meanwhile, bring a big pot of well salted water to a boil. And cook Rigatoni for 2 minutes less than package instructions (7 to 9 minutes). Reserve one cup of pasta water when the pasta is done.

While the pasta cooks, use a sauté pan to heat oil and cook the sausage. When sausage is done, remove from the pan. 

Add wine to the pan and reduce by half. Then add the tomato sauce and cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add sausage and eggplant. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes. 

Reduce heat and add pasta and sour cream. Stir to combine. Add pasta water to get the desired consistency. Stir in herbs.

ENJOY!

Rice Salad

 

I have no idea why, but when dreaming up this week's menu I found myself craving rice salad. I had taken a cooking class years and years ago where we made rice salad, and it just seemed like the perfect summer side dish. The 2022 version was absolutely delicious -- I think the most ingenious part was when it called for cooking the pancetta in the oil from the sundried tomato jar.

I used our favorite Gazebo Room Dressing instead of making anything. It was so good.

1 c. uncooked Basmati rice

8 oz. pancetta

1 orange pepper chopped

1/2 cucumber chopped

1/2 red onion chopped

8 sundried tomatoes chopped

3/4 c. grape tomatoes quartered

Kalamata olives

5 T. Gazebo Room dressing

Cook rice according to package directions, when done, transfer to a large bowl and let cool.

Saute pancetta in 1 or 2 T. of oil from the sundried tomatoes, let cool on a paper towel

Chop all the pepper, cucumber, onion, and and tomatoes, combine with olives in a bowl

Combine with rice and add pancetta. Add dressing and herbs. Mix well.

ENJOY

Sheet Pan Greek Chicken Thighs

I think a miracle occurred yesterday afternoon. One minute, we had no idea what to make for dinner, the next I was pulling stuff out of the refrigerator and we had a delicious meal on our hands. Ladies and gentleman, I give you Sheet Pan Greek Chicken Thighs

Marinade:

• 1/2 c. olive oil
• juice of one lemon
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 2 t. oregano
• 1 t. thyme (I was forced to use tarragon, we were out of thyme)
• 1 t. salt
• pepper to taste

Throw 5 or 6 bone-in/skin attached chicken thighs a gallon bag with the marinade, seal the bag and turn a few times then let rest for 30 minutes.

Set the oven to 425 degrees.

Cover a sheet pan with aluminum foil

Prepare veggies:

• Bell pepper
• Grape tomatoes
• Sweet potato
• onion

Chop everything a pretty uniform size. 

When the chicken is done marinating arrange it on the sheet pan.

Put the veggies in the bag and massage them around to cover in marinade

Pour veggies and marinade onto the sheet pan and pop it into the oven for 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes sprinkle chicken and veggies with:

• crumbled Feta cheese
• pitted Kalamata olives

Return to the 425 degree oven for another 10-15 minutes

Remove from oven when chicken registers 165 degrees. Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

Greek Chicken

I found this recipe on the interweb, and it had the markings of a winner. We love Cava, and this was like making a bowl at home. And BONUS: it uses the instant pot and can be thrown together in 30 minutes. I was thinking this would be great in mason jars for lunch as well.

1/2 t. oregano

1/2 t. paprika

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 1/2 lb. chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces

1/4 c. olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

juice of one lemon

1 c. full fat Greek yogurt

cucumber

cherry tomatoes

Kalamata olives

1 c. feta cheese (I used flavored feta)

1 c. coucous

salt and pepper

Mince the garlic, cut the chicken, prepare tomatoes and cucumbers set aside.

Mix yogurt with lemon and 1 garlic clove and 2 T. water in a small bowl.

Mix paprika, oregano, pepper flakes and 2 minced garlic cloves with olive oil and 1/2 c. water in the instant pot. Add chicken 2t. of salt and a few grinds of pepper.

Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes and use instant release when cooking time is finished.

Remove chicken from the pot, and turn off the power. Pour in couscous, add 1/2 t. of salt and some pepper mix well and replace lid on the instant pot -- let sit for 7 minutes. 

Create serving plates by layering yogurt sauce, coucous, olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, chicken and feta on each plate.

Orecchiette With Spicy Sausage

 I made the Fried Rice Paella and had left over chorizo, so googled a recipe to use it up. I found this to be better than the fried rice. 

Orecchiette pasta
8 oz of chorizo casing removed
2 spring onions slices (white and green)
2 cloves garlic
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 c. grape tomatoes, sliced
1/2 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. pecorino cheese

Cook the pasta in salted water

Start the sausage cooking in a skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add spring onions cook for about 3 minutes, add garlic and mushrooms for about 3 minutes, add tomatoes for another 3 minutes.

When pasta is done, reserve 1c. of water. Add broth and cook for a minute, stir in pasta and cheese. Add water if necessary. Drizzle with additional olive oil and top with cheese and spring onions.

Instant Pot Salmon with Garlic Potatoes and Greens

 Husband found this recipe for our New Year's Eve dinner. It checked so many boxes -- elegant, easy, delicious, and ONE POT to clean.  Will definately make again.

1 1/4 lb red skinned potatoes, quartered or smaller
4T. butter
4 center cut salmon fillets (5 or 6 oz each)
1/4 t. Paprika
1/2 t. lemon zest
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4c. spinach and arugula mixed

Salt and pepper

Put potoatoes in the bottom of the instant pot, add 1c. water, 2T. butter, season generously with salt and pepper.

Place steamer rack on top of potatoes

Rub salmon fillets with paprika and lemon zest, season with salt and pepper, place salmon on top of the steamer rack. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes, release steam immediately.

Remove the fish and steamer rack, and turn on saute. When the potatoes begin to sizzle, add garlic and stir for about 1 minute. Stir 2T. butter and season with salt and pepper. When potatoes are tender, smash with a wooden spoon. 

Turn off the heat, and stir in spinach and arugula until wilted. Spoon potatoes onto plates, serve salmon on top of  potatoes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Amy Schumer's Husband's Potatoes

Suffice it to say, we have been cooking A TON during this pandemic. It's nice to have my daughter home and helping -- it's really brought some creative juices into the mix, for sure. We had a great time watching Amy Schumer Learns to Cook on Food Network and have tried a bunch of the recipes she watched her husband, Chris Fischer make. But the one that we keep going back to, the one that was actually requested for Father's Day this year was ASHP (Amy Schumer's Husband's Potatoes) -- they take a long time to cook but they are absolutely worth it.

Amy Schumer's Husband's Potatoes (ASHP)

Potatoes (as many as you need for your family -- I usually do one person + one extra)
Olive Oil
Salt
Garlic (2 cloves)
Mayonnaise
Paprika


Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Wash potatoes (keep skin on) and cut into bite sized pieces
Boil potatoes in salted water for about 20 minutes (until tender)

Drain and put potatoes into a bowl add olive oil (enough to coat) and generous amount of salt. SAVE THIS BOWL

Turn them out onto foil lined baking sheet(s) and pop into preheated oven

Cook for 30 minutes, then remove pan from the oven and flip the potatoes
Return to the oven for another 30 minutes

While the potatoes roast mix a dollop of mayonnaise (enough to lightly cover the amount of potatoes you're working with) and enough paprika to influence flavor without overpowering everything. Stir in grated or minced garlic. Do this in the bowl you used prior to roasting potatoes

When potatoes are done roasting add potatoes to mayonnaise mixture, stir gently to coat.

Best.Burgers.Ever

I made these burgers following Cooks Illustrated's July/August 2020 recipe. My kitchen still smells like the burgers, and I don't think I'll ever get all the grease off the stove... but it was completely worth it. I will never make big fat burgers again.

Smashed Burgers

Sauce
2 T. mayonnaise
1 T. minced shallots
1 1/2 t. finely chopped dill pickles
1/2 t dill pickle brine
1 1/2 t. ketchup
pinch sugar
pinch black pepper

Burgers
Hamburger buns
Each burger is 4 oz ground beef (80/20 preferred)
1/4 t. vegetable oil
pinch salt
American cheese
Lettuce
tomatoes

A 28oz can with foil on the bottom
A plate near the stove
A metal spatula

Divide the beef into 2 oz. balls (not too tightly packed).
Place oil in a pan (they say not stainless steel, I used my Caphalon skillet)
Use a paper towel to rub oil into the bottom of the skillet
Heat until it smokes (about 5 minutes)
Place the balls on the pan (I could fit four in my pan)
Use the 28 oz can to press the balls flat
Put the can back on the plate (you'll need it for the next round of burgers)
Sprinkle with salt and pepper
Cook the burgers until they are about 3/4 browned on the top
Flip with the spatula and let cook about 30 seconds more
Toast the hamburger buns
Spread sauce on the bottom
Top with on patty, topped with american cheese, topped by 2nd patty
Add lettuce and tomato then top of bun

For second round, remove brown bits from the bottom of the pan
Use the paper towel again (off the heat) to wipe the pan
Repeat the process

Serve immediately

Shepherd's Pie

It's kind of cold and time for comfort food. My husband suggested Shepherd's Pie (which is weird because he usually doesn't like mashed potatoes OR casseroles...) but I thought the recipe he found sounded great. There was horseradish and cheese in the potatoes, and lamb, rosemary and spices in the meat part of the dish. It came together fast and was universally accepted.

1 1/2 lb. potatoes
2 T. olive oil
1 lb. ground lamb
2 carrots peeled and chopped
1 onion coarse chop
1 stalk celery chopped
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 c. red wine
1/2 c. chicken broth
2 T. tomato paste
2 T. fresh rosemary
assorted spices (cumin, celery seed, coriander, thyme)
2 T. butter
1/4 to 1/3 c. half and half
2 T. (or more) prepared horseradish
1 c. sharp cheddar shredded

Peel and quarter the potatoes
Place them in a pot covered with cold water, cover and bring to a boil
Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes until potatoes are soft and ready to mash

While potatoes cook, place carrots, onion and celery in a food processor and pulse until chopped and combined
Heat olive oil in a sautéed pan over medium heat, add lamb and veggies
Once the meat starts to brown, add  garlic, rosemary, tomato paste and spices, let cook for about 1 minute
Add wine, broth, and spices mix well, and let cook for 10 minutes

Mash the potatoes with half and half and butter
Fold in horseradish and cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
In a deep oven safe dish, put meat mixture in the bottom
Pat down and then cover with mashed potatoes
Pat down potatoes to form a seal
Place in the middle rack of the pre-heated oven (place a sheet pan on the rack below to catch spills)
Cook for 30 minutes or until potatoes begin to brown

Remove from oven, and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Tomato Pie

We went to a baby shower a long time ago, and one of the featured food items was Tomato Pie. I am under the impression that it's a Philadelphia thing. My daughter (who was about 14 at the time) came home, found a recipe, and made it all by herself (SO PROUD). Then we never made it again.

I love the blog Simply Recipes as a resource for recipes -- and they had tomato pie featured recently. I made it last night, and it was a hit again. Using store bought crust was a huge time saver -- and while it takes a bit of investment to pre-bake the pie shell and get the pie done, it is certainly worth the effort and a great summer Sunday meal!

Tomato Pie
INGREDIENTS
1 9-inch pie shell
1 small onion chopped
3-4 tomatoes, cut in half horizontally, squeezed to remove excess juice, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup sliced basil
2 cups  grated cheese (combination of sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack, or Gruyere or Mozzarella) I used Gruyere and Mozarella -- yum!
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon (or more to taste) of Frank's Hot Sauce (or Tabasco)
Freshly ground black pepper

Pre-bake pie shell to a light brown
Put the chopped tomatoes in a colander with salt while shell bakes, when you are ready to use them, blot with a paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible
Layer onions, then tomatoes, then basil in the pie shell
Combine cheese, mayo, and hot sauce in a medium bowl -- mix thoroughly. Add enough mayo to make the combination somewhat spreadable.
Spread cheese combo over pie contents
Bake 350 degrees until lightly brown and bubbly (I started the timer at 25 minutes, then checked every 5 or so until it looked done -- I think it took about 40 minutes total)

Back to School -- Back to Reality

Week of September 5
Back to school week! Activities every night! Here's what we have planned

Monday (Labor Day)
Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggies

Tuesday (Nats Game)
Zach makes frozen Toquitos

Wednesday (Book Club)
Cincinnati Chili

Thursday (Back to School Night)
Dad's Taco Casserole

Friday
Fancy Gourmet Hamburgers
French Fries
Baby Carrots

Macaroni Milanese

I spent some time at my sister's house this weekend while she's recovering from surgery. It's been like a retreat with my sisters and mom. We don't leave the house and the only activity is eating. We plan lunch while we are eating breakfast, and dinner while eating lunch. I have been getting New York Times recipes in my email every day -- and decided to take some time to investigate options when we were discussing dinner yesterday, and we landed on Macaroni Milanese. Universally rated a thumbs-up -- I do think this could be a keeper for my family as well (as long as they are open to mushrooms). I doubled the recipe to feed all 5 of us.

Macaroni Milense

1 lb. gemelli pasta
4 T. tomato puree
1 lb. mushrooms
8 slices of ham (can also use prosciutto)
4T. Madiera (we used dry sherry -- I'm sure red wine would work too)
4T. unsalted butter
6 T. Gruyere cheese
6 T. parmesan

1. Cook pasta in heavily salted water
2. In a separate saute pan, cook mushrooms, tomato puree, ham and wine over medium high heat (until liquids cook down to a glaze)
3. When pasta is done, reserve a cup of pasta water, and then drain the pasta
4. Return pasta to the pot, mix with cheese, butter and enough pasta water to get the cheese to melt
5. Add the mushroom/ham combination and mix well

Pasta e Ceci

We were cleaning out the DVR yesterday, and came across an episode of America's Test Kitchen that I must have recorded (weird) -- I had the time and watched it -- and it had a recipe for Pasta e Ceci -- which sounded absolutely delicious. So my husband and I cooked to together last night. Yes, we are now at the point in our relationship where cooking together on a Saturday night is as about as exciting as it gets. This was great, by the way -- I'll eat the leftovers this week.

Pasta e Ceci (with garbanzo beans)

Ingredients
4oz pancetta
1 carrot (chopped)
1 celery rib (chopped)
4 garlic cloves
1 onion, chopped
1 anchovy fillet (rinsed, patted dry, minced)
2 t. chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
1/4 c. olive oil
2 cans garbanzo beans
1 14 oz. can whole tomatoes
1 t. salt
2 c. water
 8 oz. small pasta (ditalini)
1 T. chopped fresh parsley
1 T. lemon juice
salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese to taste.


In the food processor combine pancetta, carrot, celery, and garlic. Pulse several times to chop and combine. Add onion, pulse several times to incorporate. Add anchovy, rosemary and red pepper flakes, pulse again several times. Turn mixture into dutch oven, add olive oil and saute approximately 10 minutes, stirring frequently

While cooking pancetta combination, put whole tomatoes into the food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped (not pureed).

After cooking pancetta combination, add garbanzo beans (with canning liquid), tomatoes, salt and water to the dutch oven. Heat to boil then reduce and simmer for 10 minutes.

Once the sauce has cooked for about 10 minutes, add the pasta, and continue simmering for 10 minutes.

Before serving, stir in parsley and lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Lemon Garlic Pork with Bulgur Wheat

I cannot recall a time when my youngest child (now the only one left at home) said, "That was good Mom," when he left the dinner table. But this dish made that happen. Needless to say, I want to make it every week for the rest of the year. Poor thing, he once told me he liked a turkey sandwich and it's the only thing he gets for lunch every weekday. At the very least, this dish is going into heavy rotation.

1 1/4 cups water
3/4 cup uncooked bulgur
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 cups small broccoli florets
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup unsalted chicken stock
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Bring water, bulgur, and 1/4 t. salt to boil in a saucepan, reduce heat cover, and cook for 12 minutes

Heat a bit of oil in a saute pan and cook the broccoli, remove from the pan (about 3 minutes)
Combine pork and cornstarch in a bowl, toss well
Add 1T of butter to the pan, and cook pork until browned on all sides.
Add garlic, 1/4 t. salt, chicken stock, lemon juice and honey to the pork
Heat until the sauce thickens
Stir in remaining salt, pork and basil
Top bulgur with pork mixture and serve.

Pad Thai

Everyone is home from college and all of a sudden it's hard to feed everyone again. I have no idea who suggested we try to make Pad Thai (or why, we never eat Thai food as a family) -- but I did, and it worked out really well. This recipe was adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook. This was such a hit that we didn't even have leftovers!

4T. Oyster Sauce
7 oz dried flat rice noodles
2 T. vegetable oil
2 large egg, lightly beaten
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 small shallots, coarsely chopped
1 chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1 package of baked tofu (rinsed, patted dry and cut into cubes)
1 bunch scallions chopped
4 T crushed roasted peanuts
1 1/2 t. red pepper flakes

Boil a big pot of water, add the noodles, remove from heat and let soak for 8 minutes
Meanwhile, add oil to a wok and heat, then scramble the eggs, remove from wok
Add more oil to the wok and cook garlic and shallots, add chicken and cook through. When chicken is cooked, add tofu for about 1 minute. Transfer everything to the bowl with the eggs.
Put noodles in the wok, add oyster sauce, add eggs and chicken, toss in scallions, peanuts and red pepper flakes, toss to combine. Serve with lime wedges.

Surprise! You are hosting dinner for 9 in three hours

All the kids were home from college and we had big plans to go ice skating and meet friends for dinner. It was Kate's last night at home,so we wanted to be sure we went someplace she liked. Long story short ... Plans changed on a dime and it was decided that we'd have dinner at home.

We ran to the grocery store and threw together a shopping list on the fly. Tenderloin was on sale, so I purchased that, Kate loves a red wine reduction sauce, and goat cheese mashed potatoes are becoming kind a traditional last-night-before-returning-to-college side dish.


Tenderloin
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
Rub roast with live oil
Place in roasting pan over heavy baking sheet
Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste
Cook for 30 minutes or until themometer reads 135 or so
Let stand at least 15 minutes before serving


Red Wine Reduction Sauce
1/2 diced shallot
1/2 c red wine
1/2 c beef stock
1T cold butter
1T Dijon mustard
1T parsley

Sautée shallots in olive oil, be careful not to burn them. Add red wine and reduce by half. Add beef stock and reduce by half. Add butter and mustard, mix well to incorporate. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with the tenderloin.

Goat cheese mashed potatoes

Yukon gold potatoes (I usually do one per guest)
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
8 oz goat cheese
4 T. Butter
1/2 c. Milk
1 1/2 c. Sour cream
Parmesan cheese, grated

Boil potatoes and garlic for 25 minutes. When they are soft, drain and rice potatoes and garlic into a large bowl. Add goat cheese, butter, milk, and sour cream. Turn that mixture into abating dish and sprinkle. With Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes.

Chicken with Balsamic Fig Sauce

A friend at work suggested this recipe. She is a much more adventurous cook than I -- but I believe I should probably take her advice more often. This was universally loved (and I'll continue to make it as long as the kids eat it).

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup finely chopped dried figs (such as Mission)

Preparation

Sprinkle both sides of chicken evenly with 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; keep warm.
Reduce heat to medium; add butter to pan. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add broth, vinegar, soy sauce, and figs. Simmer until sauce is reduced to 1 cup (about 3 minutes). Add 1 tablespoon thyme and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cut chicken breast halves lengthwise on the diagonal into slices. Serve sauce over chicken.