Monday: Chicken Parmesan and Salad of Red Leaf Lettuce, Cucumber, and Balsamic
Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman) has the the most delicious recipes. This one shouldn't be any different. Seriously, check out her blog. You probably won't know what to try first.
Tuesday: Cheeseburgers and Fries
For the fries, I am trying this: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-french-fries-i/
For the fries, I am trying this: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-french-fries-i/
For the burgers, here is my recipe (serves 2):
- 1/2 pound organic grass fed beef (85/15), seasoned with a sprinkling of garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper, mixed together, and divided into 2 patties; grilled to your personal perfection (I use a grill pan, because I am too lazy to get my BBQ going)
- 2 generous slices of cheddar cheese, or any other you'd prefer
- 2 buns, covered with butter and grilled butter side down until gold brown
- all the fixings (and, order matters. Here is the winning permutation: bun, mayo and ketchup mixed, hamburger patty with melted cheddar, onion, tomato, lettuce, mustard, top bun). After much research, this really is the best way to assemble a burger. Trust me.
Wednesday: Chicken Paprikash (A family recipe given to me by my 85 year old Grandma, who received it from my Grandpa's mother - her mother in law. I am sharing an heirloom. Feel very fortunate:
You will need:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I use organic, free range...but Grandma doesn't. It's your call.)
- one small yellow onion (chopped)
- 1 or 2 heaping tbsp Hungarian Paprika (not the regular kind...the good stuff comes in a rectangular prism red container)
- 2 tbsp olive oil; another other oil is fine
- 32 oz of low sodium chicken broth (I use organic, free range...but Grandma doesn't. It's your call.)
- 2 or 3 large carrots
- 2 - 4 tbsp flour, a little water - combined until super smooth (you will be adding this to the broth at the end to thicken it up)
- 1/4 cup sour cream
Start by heating oil in a large pan over medium heat. Sautee the onions until soft. Turn off the burner, and stir in paprika. Add each chicken breast, coating with the mixture. Once all chicken is coated, cover chicken with broth. Add in carrots. Bring to a light boil, and then simmer on low (covered) for 1.5 - 2 hours or until chicken is super tender. Longer is usually better in this case.
Once chicken is tender, turn heat up slightly, and stir in your flour water mixture. Let the broth become thick. Usually a few minutes. Add more of a flour-water mixture as needed to thicken, but be careful not to put too much flour (yucky taste!). Once thick, put sour cream in a 2 cup measuring cup. Add a little hot sauce from the pan, and stir stir stir! Add a little more sauce until the cup is full. You want to add a little liquid at a time to avoid curdling the sour cream. Once the measuring cup has a nice sour cream- broth mixture, add it to the pan, and stir. Yummmmmmmm!
Serve with dumplings (I have a great recipe if you want it).
Here is a picture of the most nostalgic meal I know:
Thursday: Chicken Ravioli in a Wine and Broth Reduction with Shallots, Garlic, Olive Oil and Butter; Paired with Baby Greens
The only thing homemade here is the sauce. Why? Because after the previous four days of cooking, I'm tired!
Here's the recipe:
- 1 package of chicken ravioli (or any other you like)
Sauce: Sautee a shallot and 2 cloves of garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil; add 1/2 cup (total) of chicken broth and white wine; reduce down by half; turn heat off, and stil in 1 or 2 tbsp of butter. Toss with ravioli, and top with parmesan. Done and done. (I've never tried this...it'll be a first. If there's one thing I know, you can't go wrong with garlic, shallots, wine and butter. Always a winner.)
Ciao!
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