Open Faced Croque Madame

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

Ham and cheese go together in perfect harmony, especially when you put an over easy egg on top of it :) This was my idea for breakfast this morning. Nick forced me to get up with him to work out this morning, and I decided to thank him for it by making him some breakfast afterward! This was really yummy. It will probably make the regular menu. Feel free to use the cheese of your choice. I used baby swiss for Nick because it's his favorite, but I used shredded fontina myself :) Delish.

Ingredients:
1 English muffin, cut in half
1-2 slices ham off the bone
1/4 cup shredded fontina (or cheese of your choice)
1 tb dijon mustard
1 egg, fried over easy (or medium if you like)
dash of butter

Directions:
Top the English muffin with the dijon, ham, and cheese. Broil on low heat for approx. 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. In the meantime, fry an egg with a tad of butter. Cook until desired and top the English muffin. YUM.

Persian Style Chicken Kabobs

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

Moby Dick's House of Kabob is one of my favorite places ever. Anyone that knows me is aware of this...I usually go there once a week. I've always thought of attempting kabobs at home, but never got around to it. Today I decided to wing it! I knew that the key ingredient to keep the chicken moist is to marinate it in yogurt, so this is what I came up with. I will say the one adjustment I would make is in the spices - I would probably not use cinnamon the next go around, but to each their own! I served this with lime zest basmati rice (yep, out of a box - but I did add some fresh lime juice), homemade tzatziki sauce, and a side of tomato and cucumber salad. You can also get creative with the vegetables you add to the skewers.

Kabobs:
1/3 cup plain yogurt
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric - approx.
1/2 tsp paprika - approx.
1/2 tsp cinnamon - approx.
1/2 tsp dry mustard - approx.
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1 inch chunks )
1 zucchini squash, sliced equally into bite sized pieces
1/2 onion (I used yellow), cut into bite sized pieces
1 orange bell pepper, cut into bite sized pieces

bamboo skewers (soak for 20-30 min. beforehand so they will not burn, or use metal)

Mix together the first 7 ingredients in a bowl. Toss them in a ziploc bag with the chicken. Make sure all pieces are covered with the marinade and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours. I've read you can do this up to 24 hours. Skewer up the chicken and vegetables, leaving room in between to cook. Grease grill pan with olive oil and grill each side of the skewer for approximately 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken. I finished mine off in the oven at 375 degrees for approximately 10 minutes. It kept the chicken moist.

Tomato Cucumber Salad:
1-2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
dash of oregano
dash of salt and pepper
handful of chopped, seedless cucumber

Mix together and serve on the side. This can be refrigerated prior to cooking.

To serve, I laid down the rice (use your favorite), the skewer, and topped with tzatziki sauce and the tomato cucumber salad.

Chicken Stelline Soup

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

This recipe stemmed from the fact that I'm sick, again. This is the third cold I have had in two months! I blame this indecisive weather of ours in the Northern VA area. In any event, I decided to make some soup and thought I'd take a chance with my own concoction. It turned out really well I thought! I made just enough for me to have today and tomorrow, but you could easily increase the recipe to make more. It would be great as leftovers. Spring is coming, get your comfort food in before it gets too warm! (NOTE: You could also use cut up chicken tenders to cook in the soup. I chose to roast the split chicken breast.)

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
• 1 packet Flavor Boost chicken stock packet
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 split chicken breast, skin-on and bone-in
• 1/4 stelline pasta (or pasta of your choice)
• dash of garlic powder with parsley
• A small handful fresh dill, chopped
• dash of Italian seasoning
• olive oil, for chicken breast
• juice of half a lemon

Directions:
Rub the split chicken breast with olive oil and season with Italian seasoning (or seasoning of your choice), salt, and pepper. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20 minutes. Remove skin and cut up chicken into chunks once cooled. Set aside. Add olive oil to dutch oven over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, and celery. Season with salt and pepper and throw in the bay leaf. Stir a couple of minutes until a little softened, making sure not to burn. Add the chicken broth, water, and Flavor Boost packet. Stir and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for about 5 minutes. Throw in the chopped chicken, lemon juice, garlic powder and dill. Stir for a couple more minutes and serve.

Stove Top Mac n' Cheese

Adapted from Alton Brown

When Nick told me he was making Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf, I decided I would make the side. My choice were obviously between mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese. I asked him which he'd prefer and he said macaroni and cheese, so the search began! I've made this before, as I would think most people have, but I thought I'd try a new recipe. I found Alton Brown's which appeared to be quicker than most and wouldn't interfere with Nick's baking of the meatloaf in the oven. I adapted the recipe just by adding a different cheese, so feel free to get creative in that department!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 eggs
• 6 ounces evaporated milk
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• Approximately 5-6 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
• Approximately 5-6 ounces fontina, shredded

Directions:

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Return to the pot and melt in the butter. Toss to coat. Whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard. Stir into the pasta and add the cheese. Over low heat continue to stir for 3 minutes or until creamy.

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Courtesy of Paula Deen

Nick came home one day to me watching the Food Network - this happens a lot. He then got sucked into Paula Deen's show - which also happens a lot. He was essentially drooling at this one particular episode, so he decided he was going to make it over the weekend. I was perfectly OK with that idea :) Since Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf screams comfort food, unhealthy, etc. I decided I would make a similar side to go along with it, which will posted separately. Stay tuned for the Macaroni and Cheese. I think what made the meatloaf was the sauce and the fried onions, yum.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground chuck
• 10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 (8-ounce) package sharp Cheddar, grated
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs, toasted
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 1 (3-ounce) can French fried onions

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck and next 8 ingredients, mixing well. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup and mustard. Stir 1/4 cup ketchup mixture into meat mixture, reserving remaining ketchup mixture. Press meat mixture into a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan, or shape into a loaf and place on a rack in a broiler pan. Spread remaining ketchup mixture over loaf. Bake 40 minutes. Top with French fried onions; bake another 10 to 15 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink.

Roasted Baby Carrots with Herbs

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

I love baby carrots. Who doesn't love mini versions of vegetables? They're fun to cook with and good for your eyes! My Mom always told me that growing up and turns out, she was correct. She was not just making it up to make me eat vegetables :) This was extremely easy to prepare and you can get creative with the fresh herbs that you use.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1-2 batches baby carrots, washed, rinsed, and stems trimmed down
1-2 tb olive oil
1 tb chopped fresh rosemary
1 tb chopped fresh dill
dash of garlic powder, salt, and pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss together the carrots, dill, and rosemary to coat with the olive oil. Lay on a baking pan, lined with aluminum foil. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Roast for approximately 30 minutes.

Chicken with White Wine Sauce

Courtesy of Swanson - Campbell's Kitchen

This is the second recipe I've pulled from the Swanson website, mainly because I bought their new Flavor Boost packets to try. I'm a sucker for new food products, what can I say? This was a pretty easy dish to cook and it was quite tasty. I did modify it by using chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts, but you could easily do either!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (or 4 chicken thighs)

1 shallot, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 cup dry white wine

2 packets Swanson® Flavor Boost™ Concentrated Chicken Broth

Directions:

• Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat.  Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes or until well browned on both sides.  Remove the chicken from the skillet.
• Add the shallot and thyme to the skillet and cook and stir for 30 seconds.  Stir in the wine and cook for 2 minutes or until the mixture is reduced by half.  Stir in the concentrated broth.  Return the chicken to the skillet.  Cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.