Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Amish Chicken and Skillet Scalloped Potatoes

The Amish Chicken is a keeper and so is the Skillet Scalloped Potato recipe. I already knew the potato recipe was awesome, but didn't know about the chicken recipe. They're both fairly easy and made with lots of butter.

Amish Chicken
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1/2 C flour
2 t paprika
1 t pepper
1/4 t dry mustard
1 t salt
1 cut up broiler or parts of chicken (I used boneless skinless chicken breasts.)
1 stick (1/2 C) butter

Heat oven to 350º. Place butter in a 9"x13" casserole dish and place in oven while heating up to melt. Mix dry ingredients in a gallon size plastic bag. Clean chicken and pat mostly dry. Place chicken in bag with dry ingredients and coat chicken well. Remove casserole dish from oven. Place chicken in pan. Bake 1 1/2-2 hours for chicken pieces or 25-35 mins (or until juices run clear) for boneless skinless breasts.



Skillet Scalloped Potatoes

- serves 4 -
Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
1 1/4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8th inch thick
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 bay leaf
2 ounces grated cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Heat a large iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter. When melted, add the onion. Cook for 4 minutes, or until soft.

2. Toss in the garlic and thyme, and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Dump in the potatoes, chicken broth, cream, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and then cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 10 minutes.

3. Remove the cover, sprinkle the cheese on top, and place the iron skillet in the oven. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and slightly browned. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Weekly Menu 3/28-4/3

I have been in a cooking slump lately. Not sure why, but I have been. Maybe I should blame it on the changing of the seasons. You know, the time's changed (back to daylight saving time), the days have gotten longer, the temps are getting warmer and it's actually pleasant outside, and I long to spend more time outside working in my garden and playing in the dirt. It's time to move from the heavy, stick-to-your-ribs meals of winter to the lighter, less labor intensive, less heat in the kitchen producing meals.

The Husband (God bless him!) has been doing most of the cooking and that's getting really old...fast! I've been tinkering with the idea of a weekly menu, but I'll be the first to admit, I'm not good at sticking to any kind of plan. This morning while emptying the dishwasher and putting away the rest of the groceries from yesterday's trip to Sam's and the grocery store that The Husband made, I decided on a few meals I'd like to cook this week. Maybe if I write them down and post them, it'll actually happen!

Here's my plan for this week. Some of these recipes are new, so if they pass muster, I'll post them for you to all enjoy.

Sunday~Amish Chicken, some kind of green beans, and either rice or some kind of potato dish. Peach cobbler for dessert.

Monday~Grilled hamburgers w/ fixins and pork & beans

Tuesday~Leftovers (working the closing shift)

Wednesday~Crock Pot Roast w/ veggies

Thursday~Chalupas

Friday~??

Saturday~Beef soup/stew with leftover roast

There you have it folks! We'll see if I stick to it!

:>)