Fondue for two

I'm like a kid in a candy store at Williams and Sonoma. I need everything in there.

But sometimes I wonder if I'd actually use some of the "specialty items" they carry. The fondue pot I was eyeing at the end of last year was one of those cases. Would I use it?

But my sweet husband got it for me for Christmas so I didn't have to feel guilty about getting a product I didn't use. It's a Christmas gift - it's an indulgence!

The truth is... we use it about once a week. It's perfect for a quick weeknight meal and it's so. dang. good.

We've had a hard time coming up with a recipe that we love. And it actually brought up a situation in our house that we didn't expect to deal with. As LDS members, how do we feel about cooking with alcohol? We've eaten at the Melting Pot many a time and love it. I inquired about the alcohol used in preparation the first time we ate there and was told it would cook off.

Since then, though, I've come across several articles/studies that say that not all the alcohol cooks off. And managed to come across some pretty heated discussions about LDS cooking at the same time. Did you know some members don't use real vanilla because it contains alcohol? I was floored. That never even crossed my mind. I steer clear of tiramisu or anything obviously soaked in liquor. But sauces prepared with wine (as at many high-end Italian restaurants) didn't give me much pause (back to that 'it cooks off' thing).

Hans and I had a long discussion about it (which we don't need to get into here... I have a feeling everyone has their own strong opinions on this topic) and in the end decided we'd feel more comfortable using a recipe that didn't call for it. It has a lot to do with not having alcohol in the house, not so much for now as for later when we have kids.

All that to say: We made our own fondue recipe! And it's pretty tasty. So try it out :)

What you need:
1 cup sparkling cider
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
Juice of 1 lemon
4 teaspoons minced garlic
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons flour
4 teaspoons dry mustard
12 oz medium sharp cheddar
4 ounces emmentaler swiss

Shred the cheese

Add the flour and toss to coat. (You could also use cornstarch for the same purpose - to keep the cheese from separating)

Whisk together the lemon juice, worchestershire sauce, minced garlic, chicken broth and dried mustard.

Get the fondue pot heated up and add in the sparkling cider. Then stir in the garlic/chicken broth mixture.

Whisk in the cheese 1/3 at a time 

Cut up your dippers  (we like crusty bread and green apples)

Enjoy!

Chicken butternut squash stew (with quinoa)

My first new recipe of the year sounded so delicious and I was so excited about it. The look on Hans' face, both before and after, was less than enthusiastic. Whatever. I liked it... for the most part.

Adapted (only slightly) from Cookin' Canuck

What you need:

1 1/2 lb. butternut squash
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken (I suggest tenders, see below)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 can (14 oz) petite diced tomatoes
2/3 cup uncooked quinoa, soaked and rinsed
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Fill a small bowl with water and add your uncooked quinoa. I haven't done this in the past and was really put off by the bitter taste of the quinoa. I let it soak this time while I did the next two steps and it greatly improved the flavor.

Peel the squash and chop into 1/2 inch cubes (removing seeds). I hear costco has pre-peeled and chopped butternut squash - that would certainly cut the prep time in half.

Steam the squash for about ten minutes. Remove about half the cubes to a bowl. Continue steaming the other half another 4-6 minutes. Remove them to a different bowl and mash up with a fork.

 

At the same time, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add in the chicken. Now, the original recipe calls for thighs. I discovered, after using thighs, that I don't like them. They felt slimy and gross and too fatty. I didn't like this recipe nearly as much as I thought I would and I think it was because of the chicken. I'd suggest using tenderloins because there'd be less cutting and less fat. Breasts might work, if you cut them into smaller pieces first. I'd also like to try this recipe with those pre-roasted chickens you can get at HEB. That would also cut the prep time down considerably and would probably be pretty tasty.

Anyway, if you're cooking your own chicken, boil (covered) until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate and shred with two forks. Remove the broth to a bowl until later.

Return the pot to the stove, add olive oil, and cook onion on med-high until turning brown. Add in garlic and spices and cook until fragrant (doesn't take long!) Add in tomatoes and both the cubed and mashed squash.

Finally, add the broth and the drained quinoa. Simmer the whole thing for about 15 minutes. Then add the chicken and simmer a little bit longer.Then eat!

Makes enough for a small army. You could probably freeze half of it for a later date. I really liked it for dinner that night - loved that after a long run on a cold night, it was a warm, protein and fiber packed meal low in calories in fat. I did NOT, however, like it when I took it for leftovers for lunch the next day. I really blame the meat. I'll make it again and try with pre-cooked chicken. But if you're looking for something healthy and filling, this might be your dish.

Attempting freezer meals

Lately in the blogosphere and on Pinterest, I've been seeing a lot about freezer meals. Hans and I cook dinner together almost every night. We eat out on weekends, but never do fast food or prepared meals during the week. It's just not how we were brought up.

But sometimes we come home and after a long day really dread having to spend an hour cooking dinner. Some nights we default to spaghetti just because it's quick and easy. So I decided I'd see what this freezer meal thing is all about.

So this past Saturday was all about cooking. I picked seven meals and cooked most of the day. Almost all of the recipes could be split into two smaller casserole dishes, meaning that we got 13 meals out of it. Our freezer is now stocked and hopefully I don't have to cook on a weeknight for the next three weeks.

Most of the recipes are ones we normally use, but a few are new and I hope we like them. We'll see how it goes. Here's the line up, if you're interested in checking any of them out:

Chicken Pot Pie - My mom's recipe
Chicken Chili - Annie's Eats
Chicken Almond Rice Casserole
White Chicken Enchiladas - Let's Dish
Baked Ziti - Annie's Eats
Classic Lasagna - The Pioneer Woman
Beef Stew

Pepperoni monkey bread

I've never tried any kind of monkey bread before, but I found this recipe from Confections of a Foodie Bride and thought I'd give it a try. And now, I don't think we'll ever go back to normal pizza. We've already made it a couple times, I'm just now getting around to posting about it.

This recipe could be made even quicker if you skipped the homemade dough. I had the time, and I like it, so I went for it.

What you need for the dough:
1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp. sugar
1 packet rapid rise yeast
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/4 cup warm water
4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tsp salt

In your mixing bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Sprinkle the yeast over it and allow it to sit for about five minutes. Add the rest of the olive oil and warm water.

With the dough hook on your stand mixer, turn on to a low speed and add the bread flour and salt. After it's pretty thoroughly combined, turn the speed up to medium and knead until the dough is stretchy and smooth (about five minutes). Cover and allow to rise in a warm spot for about an hour.

What you need for the monkey bread
8 oz mozzarella pearls
1 package of mini pepperonis
3 cloves garlic, sliced
6 tablespoons butter

In a small skillet on medium heat, melt the butter with the sliced garlic. Allow to simmer until fragrant. Brush the melted garlic butter on the inside of a bundt pan.

Pull off small chunks of dough (a little smaller than golf ball size) and use your fingers to spread it out on a floured surface. In the center, add some mozzarella and pepperoni (be generous!). Now pull all the sides up and pinch closed to make a little dumpling. Brush the outside with butter and throw it in the bundt. Repeat until all the dough is used up.

Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes, until it's well-browned. Let it cool in the bundt pan for a little while before you try to dump it out, otherwise the whole thing falls apart! Serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping.

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings

I'm all about the crock pot lately. Especially the "throw it in and turn it on" variety. This one fits that bill. And Hans loves it. That makes it a winner in my book.

What you need:
Chicken breasts (3-4)
2 T. butter
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken broth
1 small onion, diced
salt and pepper to taste
Pillsbury grands (yes, I used the kind in a can!)

Put chicken in pot. Add butter.

Toss in soups and onion and season with salt and pepper.

Cook on high for 5-6 hours.

Pull the chicken out. Shred with two forks. Add back into the pot. Cut up the grands biscuits and toss them on top of the mixture. Cook another 30 minutes.

Yum.

Recipe originally from Bubble Crum.

Honey garlic balsamic chicken

Sometimes we get in food ruts. We fall back on the same old meals that we know we like and they're quick and easy to make. And that works. But sometimes I get bored and want to try something new. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't.

This honey garlic balsamic chicken from Baked Bree is awesome. And will probably get added to our "same old meals." It took 30 minutes from start to finish (and my chicken was still majorly frozen).

What you need:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons honey (I LOVE Austin's Good Flow honey. Eat it with a spoon).
1 tablespoon lemon juice (I didn't have this and left it out, and it was fine).

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in butter and olive oil. Once the butter has melted, add chicken breasts to the pan. Sprinkle them with a lil' salt n' peppa. Cook until there's no pink left inside - took me about 10 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate.

In the same skillet, add in the garlic, vinegar, broth, honey and lemon juice. Raise the heat a little and cook for 5-7 minutes until the mixture thickens.

Slice up the chicken and pour the pan sauce over it. We served ours with garlic rice pilaf and it was delish. Enjoy.

Baked goat milk brie

I've always been a big brie fan. But I've never tried preparing it. Just stuck my whole face in it.

Then I came across this beautiful little recipe from Eat, Live, Run. So simple. So mouth-watering. And so easy.

Here's what you need.
1 wheel goat milk brie (about 4.4 oz)
Phyllo dough
Olive oil
2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
Almonds

Lay about six sheets of the phyllo dough in a stack on a cookie sheet. Lightly brush the whole surface with olive oil. Place the brie in the middle.

Top with the brown sugar. After I ate it, I realized it would have been good to put some in a circle around the brie, right on the phyllo dough. There were bites where I didn't get much brown sugar and I think it would have helped to have it on the sides, too.

In any event, no matter. Starting with one corner, fold the phyllo dough on top of the cheese, working your way around. Brush with some more olive oil to hold it in place. Top with the almonds.

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until the almonds are golden and the cheese gooey. We ate ours as a sort of picnic dinner with crackers, a good loaf of french bread, and some strawberries and apples. It would make a yummy appetizer as well.

Chicken almond casserole

Mmmmm.... this is one of my favorites. And I swear I started to take pictures of every step in the process, but then my camera battery died. So you only get an end result one. Sorry.

It comes from Savory Sweet Life. Cook time is pretty quick so it makes a great weeknight meal. You can also prepare it in advance and pop it in the oven. We love it for the leftovers - it makes great lunches for the next few days.

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked rice
2 tablespoons butter
1 white onion, chopped
2 cups celery, chopped
1/2 cup almonds (I used sliced)
1 1/2 pound chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
1 1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 box of Stove Top stuffing mix (I like the low sodium)
4 tablespoons melted butter

In a medium-size skillet, toast almonds. Remove to a large mixing bowl. Add 2 tablespoons butter to skillet and warm over medium-hot. Add in chicken pieces and cooked until browned. It doesn't have to be cooked all the way through, just no more visible pink. Remove to the bowl with the almonds. Add onions and celery to the skillet and cook until tender, 5-7 minutes. Remove to the chicken/almond bowl.

To the mixing bowl, toss in the mayo, soup, and salt and pepper to test. Mix it up reeeeeaaaallll good. Transfer to a greased 9x13 baking dish.

Open the top of the stuffing mix bag and pour in the melted butter. Squish it around to absorb into the stuffing. When it's pretty well distributed, add to the top of the baking dish.

Bake at 400 for about 25 minutes.

Dr. Pepper pulled pork tacos

I can't believe I've never blogged this! This recipe has become one of our favorite and most frequently used. It's quick, easy, and delicious.

The original recipe comes from Ree, or the Pioneer Woman as many know her. It's pretty much the same, with just a few changes - I made this a slow-cooker meal! It takes 10 minutes max to prepare. So here we go.

Ingredients
Pork Butt Roast, 3-7 lbs
1 large white onion
1 (12 oz) can chipotle peppers in adobe sauce
2 cans Dr. Pepper
2 Tablespoons Brown sugar

Cut onion into large wedges.

Layer on the bottom of the slow cooker. Toss in the pork butt. Ree suggests 5-7 pounds - I always do three because a) it's cheaper and b) it's just the two of us (and occasionally Paul attacks the leftovers).

Cover the pork with the peppers and sauce. We like it spicy, like makes your lips tingly spicy, so I use the whole can. You might use half if you're only using a 3 lb. pork.

Pour in the Dr. Pepper and add brown sugar.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours. 8 is probably plenty, 10 is just what it takes me from the time I leave the door til the time I walk back through it after work.

Serve with tortillas - I like corn, Hans likes flour. And we're boring - we just eat it straight, but you could add some pico or salad or something. Go nuts.

Parmesan crusted chicken with beurre blanc

Here's the recipe you've been looking for for a fancy date night, birthday celebration or other special occasion. There's nothing particularly difficult about this meal, it just takes a very long time to put together. But it's very, very tasty. It helps to have a cooking companion on this one - I was having a hard time keeping an eye on the beurre blanc while cooking the chicken. It helped when Hans came to take over. I think this meal would have been a little better, also, if I had pounded the chicken breasts a little thinner.

Side note: This recipe calls for 1/4 cup of white wine. I've really never bought wine before, which was a surreal experience. And it kind of sucked to buy a whole bottle just for that small amount. My co-worker benefited from that. But anyway, I went through the checkout line at HEB and they didn't card me. Umm... don't they have to card you til you're like, 40? Incidentally, about a week before that as I was chaperoning our stake's youth conference, the YW stake president was wondering why I didn't have a wristband before someone cleared up the confusion and let her know I was a leader, not a youth. So.... in a week's time I went from being 16 to 40. Either that or no one can determine the age of an Asian.

But I digress. You just want the recipe.

For the Beurre Blanc:

1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 Tbsp. finely minced shallots
salt and white pepper
2 sticks of butter, cold, cut into 16 pieces

In a medium saucepan combine vinegar, wine, shallots, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer until it reduces until about 1.5 Tbsp. Remove from heat and immediately stir in two pieces of butter.

After the butter disappears, add another pieces. Stir continuously.

Return the pan to low heat and add the butter one piece at a time, waiting to add one piece until after the last one has completely melted. Keep stirring! When all of the butter has been added, remove from heat and serve. I wasn't quite ready when it was done, so I put it on the lowest hit and stirred frequently.

For the chicken:
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
4 large boneless, skinless breasts
4 eggs, beaten
½ cup all purpose flour
1 cup Panko
1 cup shredded Parmesan
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Start early - this needs to brine for two-three hours!

Take your chicken breasts (hopefully defrosted, mine were still a little cold!) and put them in a gallon-size plastic baggie. With a kitchen mallet (or ya know, a heavy wooden rolling pin, whatever works), pound the chicken breast thin. Aim for 1/2 inch thick.

In a medium bowl or dish, combine the chicken broth and salt. Add in the flattened chicken breasts, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Did you read a book? Take a nap? Good. Time to continue.

Remove the chicken from the brine and blot dry with paper towels.

Beat eggs in a medium bowl. Place flour onto a plate. Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt and pepper in another medium bowl. Dredge the chicken first in the flour (use your fingers to rub it in!), dip it into the beaten egg, and then dredge in the parmesan mixture. Make sure it coats really well. It helps to let it sit there for a few minutes, so that everything doesn't just fall off.

In a large skillet, heat some oil (twice around the pan is good) over medium heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook 'til browned and done all the way through.

Top with beurre blanc and add some yummy sun-dried tomatoes! We served ours with white cheddar mashed potatoes - mmmmmm, mmmmmm! I had the leftovers for lunch the next day and it was just as good!

Flank steak with Chimichurri sauce

Oh, yum. This is so simple. And so good. And guess what? I didn't make it! I had to run errands last night and asked Hans if he could handle dinner. Didn't he do an awesome job? I'm one lucky girl.

He took a 1 lb. flank steak and grilled it on the stove with a little salt and pepper.

Then he made the Chimichurri sauce. Now, neither of us have tried this before. We just keep hearing how awesome it is. And it really is. No joke.

1 cup parsley
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt

Throw the parlsey, garlic, pepper, cumin and salt into a food processor. Blend a little to break it up. Add in the oil and vinegar together. Process until smooth (there will still be some parsley chunks). [Note: You can add 1/4 cup cilantro. We didn't, because I hate it (did you know that?)].

Spoon over the flank steak and devour. I must add, Hans cooked that flank steak perfectly. Moist and tender and well done. [Pat on back]. And the best thing about this meal? It uses very few dishes and as long as your meat is well-defrosted (ours wasn't), this meal can be on the table in 20 min. I think this is going to become a week-night standby.

Sun dried tomato, basil and goat cheese casserole

Sounds good, right?

I really wanted to love this. I mean.... sun dried tomatoes? Yes, please. Basil? Can't go wrong. Goat cheese? Get in my belly.

But this casserole from Belle of the Kitchen was just kinda ho-hum. It wasn't bad... it just didn't blow me away. I think it could have used more goat cheese, less tomatoes and something else... something spicy, maybe. I dunno. Like I said, it was good. Good for a brunch, good to make ahead, and good if you're feeding vegetarians.

Ingredients
1 cup sun dried tomatoes packed in oil
8 cups day-old French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
2/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/2 cup basil, julienned
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon pepper
9 eggs
3 cups milk

Preheat oven to 350.
Butter a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. Layer the bread evenly onto the bottom. Sprinkle with tomatoes, cheese, basil, salt and pepper.

In a bowl, stir together milk and eggs. Pour evenly over bread.

Bake for 40 minutes. (Can be prepared the night before, just cover and refrigerate).