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

Peruvian Grill-Roasted Chicken

This is definately a Saturday or Sunday meal, but so worth the effort. Unfortunately I tried to make this on a Wednesday and we ate at about 9:30 pm. I took the leftovers to work the next day and it was delicious! I thought I could get away with minced garlic, but my gourmet daughter insisted on grating the garlic. I also didn't follow the smoking instructions -- I tried to soak a cedar plank and put the chicken on top, which caught fire. I'll try to actually follow the real instructions next time. These are the instructions for gas grilling.The most delicious part of this is the dipping sauce -- must make the dipping sauce.

1 12 oz. can of beer, divided

1 T. finely grated garlic

2 T. lime juice

2 T. soy sauce

2 t. table salt

2 t. yellow mustard

1 t. pepper

1 t. dried thyme

1 t. ground cumin

1 whole chicken

1 c. wood chips

1 13x9 disposable aluminum roasting pan

Whisk 1/2 c. beer, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, salt, mustard, pepper, thyme, and cumin together in liquid measuring cup. Refrigerate remaining beer, still in can, until ready to grill. Using your fingers or handle of wooden spoon, gently loosen skin covering chicken breast and leg quarters. Using your paring knife poke 10 to 15 holes in fat deposits on skin of back. Tuck wingtips underneath chicken.

Place chicken in bowl with cavity end facing up Slowly pour marinade between skin and meat and rub marinade inside cavity, outside skin and under skin to distribute. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, turning chicken halfway through marinating.

Using a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil, wrap wood chips in 8 x 4 1/2 inch foil pocket. Make sure chips do not poke holes in packet. Cut 2 evenly spaced 2-inch slits in top of packet.

Place beer can in a large shallow pan (I use a cake pan) Spray can all over with Pam (or whatever non-stick spray you have). Slide chicken over can so drumsticks reach down to bottom of can and chicken stands upright. Set aside at room temperature until grill is ready.

Remove cooking grate and place wood hip packet directly on one of the outside burners. Set grate in place, turn all burners to high; cover and heat grill until hot and wood hips are smoking, about 15 minutes. Turn 2 outside burners to medium and turn off center burner. (The goal is to maintain grill temperature at 350 degrees -- for me that means low)

Put chicken with can to center of cooking grate with wings facing outer burners at 3 and 9 o'clock. Cover grill and ook for 15 minutes. Using tongs and wad of paper towels, rotate bird 90 degrees so wings are at 6 and 12 o'clock. Continue cooking and turning chicken at 15 minute intervals until thickest part of thigh registers 170 degrees, (can take 1 hour to 1 1/4 hour)

With a wad of paper towels in each hand, transfer chicken and can to clean bowl (or pie pan) and let rest for 15 minutes. Don't toss the paper towels, use them to remove the chicken off the can of beer and onto a cutting board.

Serve with Peruvian Yellow Chile Sauce

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded and chopped coarse

5 T. minced fresh cilantro

2 T. grated cotija cheese

2 T. lime juice

1 garlic clove, minced

Combine all ingredients in the blender and process until smooth (about 1 minute).

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.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

We have been through the ringer at our house -- COVID, the flu, work from home, back to the office. I have completely lost track of meal planning and any organization I ever had. We are downright European at this point -- and by that I mean going to the store every day, or worse, several times a day, and buying just what we need to get through the night's meal.

On Sunday, for some reason, we all agreed that soup would be a good idea. And while I do have some great recipes for soup here on the blog, I wanted to try something new. Ta Da! Broccoli Cheddar Soup!

Here's the deal

4 T. butter

4 T. flour

1/2 onion chopped

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 or 2 carrots grated

1 large head of broccoli cut into small florets

2 c. chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 t. paprika

2 c. half and half

8 oz. medium or sharp cheddar grated

 

Melt the butter in your soup pot. 

Add onions and saute until tender (about 5 minutes). 

After the onions are soft and translucent, add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute more. 

Mix in the flour and heat over medium until the mixture turns golden brown (about 3 minutes)

Add veggies (carrots and broccoli), salt and pepper, paprika and chicken stock. Mix well.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low to allow veggies to cook (about 15 minutes)

Once veggies are softened and cooked through, add half and half and cheddar cheese.

Stir until cheese is melted.

Sticky Buns

 

I recently told my 85+ year old mother about an article in the Washington Post that talked about obtituaries that mentioned what the decesased was famous for cooking, in particular casseroles. She asked me what she'd be remembered for. I told her it was her sticky buns. I don't know why, but I was never a huge fan of these gooey treats, but I remember my dad would slather on the butter and devour a tray of them at Christmas time. My sister recently reported making them, and I asked her to send the recipe. Turns out, my youngest son doesn't like the nuts (the best part in my opinion) but they were universally loved over the holiday.

Mom's Sticky Buns

1 pkg. dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)

1 t. granulated sugar

1/4 c. warm water (105-115 degrees)

4 c. all purpose flour, divided

1/4 c. granulated sugar

1/2 t. nutmeg

3/4 t. salt

1 c. evaporated skim milk, divided

1/4 c. water

1 large egg, lightly beaten

cooking spray

1 1/4 c. packed dark brown surgar, divided

1/3 c. dark corn syrup

2 T. butter

3/4 c. chopped pecans

1 T. ground cinnamon

1. Dissolve yeast and 1 tsp. granulated sugar in 1/4 c. warm water in a small bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups level with a knife. Place 3 3/4 c. flour, 1/4 c. sugar, nutmeg and salt into a food processor; pulse 2 times or until blended.  Combine 2/3 c. milk, 1/4 c. water, and egg. With the processor on, slowly add milk mixture and yeast mixture through food chute. Process until dough forms a ball, then process for another minute. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes). Add flour to prevent sticking.

2. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm place free from drafts until doubled in size (about 45 minutes). 

3. When the dough is done rising, punch dough down and let rest for 5 minutes.

4. While dough is resting, combine 1/3 c. milk, butter, 1 c. brown sugar, and corn syrup in a small sauce pan. Stir constantly as you bring it up to a boil. Remove from heat and divide among two 9" cake pans.  Sprinkle with chopped pecans.

5. Roll the dough out into a 24 x 10" rectangle. Coat the surface of the dough with cooking spray. Combine 1/4 c. brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mixture evenly over the dough. Beginning with the long side roll it up jelly roll style. Pinch the seam, but not the ends. Cut the roll into 1" slices and place them cut side up in the prepared cake pans. Cover with plastic wraped coated in cooking spray. Let rise in the refrigerator 8 to 24 hours (until doubled in size)

6. When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 dgrees, cook for 20-23 minutes. When done, run a knife around the edge of the pan, and invert the rolls onto a serving plate.

Ham and White Bean Soup

 I need to perfect this soup -- I've made it a few times, most recently during the Christmas holiday and it didn't turn out great, but I'm willing to try try again until I get it right.

Ham bone, hame shank or ham hocks

2 qt. water

1 T. olive oil

1 onion diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 ribs of celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

8 oz. white beans (canned) or dry -- but prepped in the instant pot

Cover the ham bone with water add dried herbs or seasoning to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for about 1 hour. 

Saute onions in olive oil for 8 minutes until translucent. Add minced garlic for an additional minute.

Add beans, onions and garlic, celery and carrots to the ham hocks and simmer for an additional 40 minutes.

Pull the meat off the bones, and remove bones. Season with tabasco and parsley

Summer Berry Tart with Short Bread Crust

I was searching for something on this blog, and saw that I had made a fruit tart at some point, said it was a success, but never recorded a recipe. For Memorial Day this summer, I wanted to try to recreate it since the strawberries and blueberries look so great right now.  So I searched on line and found an easy shortbread crust, then used a custard recipe from the wonderful Mary Berry. Next time, I might skip the whipping cream in the custard, it seemed to be able to stand alone without it. Chef's kiss -- delicious. 

Easy Short Bread Crust

2 sticks of butter softened

2 c. of flour

1/2 c. of confectioner's sugar

Mix ingredients together then press into your tart (or pie) pan. Press carefully to cover evenly and make sure to move crust up the sides of the pan.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes

Remove from oven and cool completely before filling

Mary Berry's Custard

1/2 c. sugar

2 1/2 t. cornstarch

1 T. gelatin (I used one envelope)

2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk

1 1/2 cups milk

1 t. vanilla extract

2/3 c. whipping cream (I think this could be optional)

Berries/fruit 

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and gelatin. In a medium bowl with a wire whisk beat the eggs and egg yolk with milk and vanilla. Stir egg mixture into gelatin mixture. Let stand for 5 minutes

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats a spoon well. About 20 minutes (mine came together faster than that). Remove saucepan from the heat.

Pour the custard into a large bowl, cool, then cover and refrigerate until the mixture mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

In a small bowl, whip the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. With a rubber spatula fold the whipped cream into the custard.

Carefully remove the tart from the pan, place on a serving plate. Spoon the custard into the tart crust and top with the fruit or berries.