Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuit Topping

Hi kids! Oooooooh this one's a good'un. But Dana, you say, pot pie in the summer? Hell to the yes. Pot Pie is delicious during all seasons, and also West LA has not been having much of a warm summer, so the pot pie was just the thing I needed.

The mister and I started this fab SND off with some AMAZING artichokes for an appetizer, and the mister is going to guest blog the recipe in a separate post. Ya'll are going to love it and never eat an artichoke any other way. Yeah I said it.

But back to pot pie. This one is a little fiss-fussy, so that makes it perfect for SND. The recipe that inspired me calls for pearl onions in the stew, and Adam had the brilliant idea to make the onions a la Julia: brown braised. I made them in my Beouf Bourgignon post, but here are the instructions again:

You'll need two thirds of a bag of frozen pearl onions, defrosted. Melt 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of butter in a three count of olive oil. I'd say over medium heat, and use a frying pan that has a cover. Drop in your baby onions with a little salt and pepper, and roll those guys around until they brown. As Julia says, "You cannot expect them to brown uniformly". That cracks me up, I don't know why. Anyhoo, after you've browned your onions lightly, add 1/2 cup of beef stock and (this is a Dana addition) 1/3 cup red or white wine (I used white cause that's what I drink). Cover the pan and lightly simmer those beauties for thirty for forty minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Do the onions first, because you'll want them ready for the stew - you can start the stew after the onions have been cooking for 15-20 minutes if you'd like. You'll need a pan (cast iron is best, but it needs to be oven safe) that is at least nine inches in diameter and four inches thick. Now you'll want to preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Heat four tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add one celery stalk (cut into 1/2 inch pieces), three medium carrots (1/2 inch pieces), and 7-8 quartered crimini or button mushrooms. If you want to brown the mushrooms more, add them first for a few minutes, then throw in the carrots and celery. Add a little S/P and and stir stir for about five minutes. Add your brown braised mushrooms and any leftover juices in that pan, and then add a heaping 1/3 cup of flour to your veggies. Stir everything together and cook for one minute more to get the flour cooked down a little. Now add four cups of chicken stock, bring everything to a boil, stirring your life away. Simmer until the stew thickens, 3-5 minutes or so. I added a couple of glugs of beef stock to the pot for a little depth of flavor when my stew was looking too thick. Try it if you have some on hand, otherwise if you think your stew is too thick you can add a little chicken stock or white wine.

Now it's time to add the chicken. If you'd like, poach a couple of chicken breasts in some stock with herbs (thyme/bay) but that's more work that I'd prefer, and I'm not a fan of poached chicken. Boring, dry. I go with the rotisserie chicken from the market, de-skinned, de-boned and shredded. Easy peasy. Plus Ella loses her mind when we get a rotisserie chicken, so she gets to have a few treats. That cat thinks she's people, and loves roasted chicken. But I digress.

So put your shredded rotisserie chicken into your simmering stew. I'd say we used about 2/3 of the meat from the chicken, but use your own judgment. Stir in the chicken, then add a handful of chopped parsley, minced chives, and some asparagus that you've cut into bite sized lengths. I used half of a bunch of asparagus, but put in as much as you like. Stir everything together, taste for seasoning, then turn off the heat and set aside whilst you make the biscuit dough.

Biscuit dough on a pot pie! I know right - sounds nuts! IT'S NOT. It's so freaking good. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups of flour, one tablespoon of baking powder, one teaspoon of sugar, and one teaspoon of salt until well combined. Rub 2 tablespoons of cold butter into the flour with your fingertips until it is completely absorbed into the flour mixture. Add five more tablespoons of cold butter (I cut it up into cubes) into the flour in the same manner, until the butter is combined and in pieces the size of a pea. In a separate bowl combine 3/4 cup of milk with the zest of half of a lemon and a handful of minced chives. Gently stir the milk, lemon and chives into the flour mixture to make a loose sort of dough.

Dust your clean work surface with a handful of flour and turn your dough out onto it. Pat the dough with your hands into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle, then fold it into thirds like you would a buisness letter. Now pat that bad boy into a 10 inch in diameter circle. Bring your stew back up to a low boil, and gently place your biscuit circle on top. Word of sage, experienced advice: do this with a rolling pin or a bottle of similar shape. I've made this recipe a few times before, and never used a rolling pin until the other night. No rolling pin = epic fail. Rolling pin = clean execution. Roll the dough onto the pin without any smushing, and re roll it back onto your stew. Lovely. Also please note, you do NOT need to hang the dough over the sides of the pan like you would with a regular pot pie. Note my picture above, and just try to get the dough to the edges of the pan as best you can. Use a sharp paring knife to slice a small hole in the middle and shove that pan into the oven for around 20 minutes. You want your biscuit dough to get nice and golden brown.

Remove your pot pie masterpiece from the oven and let cool for ten minutes and enjoy! You'll never go back to regular pot pie, I'm tellin' ya! Make it and report back to me, BFFs!

Word.

D

The Perfect Roast Chicken

I really can't believe I haven't written about the perfect roast chicken yet - it's the Mister and I's go-to Sunday Night Dinner. In fact, I think it was the first SND that I made for us. I really can't think of anything better than a roast chicken - amazing, tender, and juicy. It's a little fussy, but when it comes out right OH MAN is it tasty. I'd love to hear your versions of this classic dish, but for now here's what I think you should do. My version is inspired by the great Ina Garten, and I will NOT tell you what Robb calls her because it's super mean and I love her. So there.

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Start with a 4 - 5 pound whole chicken - try to go for organic/free range if you can. It makes quite the difference in flavor, and it's way better for you. Both Trader Joe's and Whole Foods have great options. Remove the giblet package (you can freeze this and use later if you make your own chicken stock) and then give that chicken a rinse inside and out. Be sure to pat dry thoroughly with paper towels and set aside.

Slice up two large onions - white, yellow, or red are all fine - or a mix would be nice. Scatter those in the bottom of your roasting pan with 5 carrots that you've peeled and chopped into pretty diagonally sliced chunks. Don't make them too small or they'll cook too quickly, but you want them to be bite sized. Another don't - don't salt and pepper your veggies at this point, when you S/P the chicken, plenty of that seasoning will fall off into your onions and carrots.

Now back to your chicken - salt and pepper the cavity, then add one half of a large orange, a big ol' handful of fresh thyme, a halved lemon, a halved clementine (you can skip this citrus if you don't have, just add another halved lemon if you'd like), a bulb of garlic halved crosswise, and finish with the other half of your orange, if you can fit. You want the skin of the orange to be showing through the top of the cavity - it will hold everything in if you do this. Tie the legs of the chicken together firmly with some butcher's twine (any butcher will give you a length of this if you bat your eyes, but it's also readily available at kitchen supply stores). Soften two tablespoons of butter - don't melt it completely, just soften it. Time to give that chicken a butter massage! Set the chicken in the rack of the roasting pan breast side up over your veggies and rub that butter all over the skin. Liberally salt and pepper (AFTER you've buttered, it sticks that way - also some of the seasoning will fall down on your veggies) and you'll get a delicious salty crust when you roast.

Pour 1/2 cup of white wine and 1/2 cup of chicken stock over the veggies, and then slide the roasting pan into the oven - make sure the rack is in the middle of the oven. Roast the chicken and the vegetables for ninety minutes. Make sure that there is always some liquid covering the onions and carrots - they will burn otherwise. Add more wine or chicken stock accordingly. When there is about thirty minutes left, take the chicken out of the oven and quickly turn it over so that the underside can brown as well. Turn the chicken back breast side up for the last ten or so minutes of cooking. You want your guy to be 160 degrees - I really recommend a digital thermometer that has an oven safe cord, they're amazing. Mine lets off a little alarm when the desired temperature has been reached. Once your chicken reaches 160 degrees, take it out the oven and transfer it to a wooden cutting board (preferably one with a groove running around the border of the board to catch the delicious juices). Tent that guy with some aluminum foil and let it rest at least twenty minutes before you carve - you'll scald your fingers if you don't wait.

Remove the onions and carrots from the roasting pan with a slotted spoon and cover with foil to keep warm for later when you're ready to eat. Strain the pan drippings into a saucepan and spoon off any fat that has risen to the top (or you can use a handy dandy fat separator - it's the greatest invention ever and available at Crate and Barrel). Add any juice that has collected around the chicken on the cutting board and a splash or two more of the white wine you used before as well as bit more chicken stock. Just eyeball it - you want to have a cup and a half or so of liquid in the sauce pan. As you're simmering that, whisk three tablespoons of cornstarch with a quarter cup of chicken stock in a separate bowl, then whisk that into your saucepan. The gravy should start to thicken right away. Keep whisking, and if it's too thick, add some more chicken stock - too thin, mix a little more cornstarch with some chicken stock and add to the gravy. Taste for seasoning and you should have some spectacular gravy!

You can serve this amazing chicken with the onion, carrots, kick-ass gravy, and some mashed taters or crusty bread. When I made this the other night, I served it with the artichoke gratin that I've featured in an earlier post. Check it out, it makes a really nice accompaniment.

And there you have it! Fairly simple - once you've gotten the chicken in the oven you've got plenty of time to relax with a glass of wine and some port salut.

XO,

D

Swedish Meatballs!

Oh hai everyone! Sorry I missed last week, I was celebrating our country's independence by setting off some totally legal fireworks. For this week, I decided to make a SND from my heritage: Swedish Meatballs! Also, the Mr. loves him some meatballs and has wanted me to try this for a while.

It was a really delicious experiment, but I'd love to hear from ya'll to see if/how your recipe differs, but this is what I humbly suggest via Alton Brown, Marcus Samuelsson, and my own head.

Okay first of all what is with grocery stores not carrying ground pork?? Super irritating. Sometimes they have it, sometimes they don't. Well, Whole Foods always has it, but after I had gone to Trader Joe's and Ralph's I had had it! So when you, my little darlings, try this at home go for half ground pork and half ground beef. I used all ground beef (80/20 fat content heh) and they were tasty, but everything is better with a little pork fat, ya hrrd?

Anyhoo, you want a pound and a half of ground meat - half pork/half beef. If you were politically incorrect you could use some ground veal in there too, or lamb. Delicious. Mix your ground beef in a bowl with 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs, 1 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice, and 1/2 cup (about one half of a medium large) finely chopped red onion. Before you add the onion to the mix, soften it in a pan over medium heat with a two count of olive oil and S/P. Mix everyone together using your hands - it's the best way to get the best mix! After you've mixed, form little meatballs and set aside on a plate or sheet pan. Don't make them big, you want them to be around bite sized (and you need them to cook all the way through), I'd say around 1/2 or 3/4 inch.

Now it's time to cook those suckers! Using the same pan you cooked your chopped onion in, heat two tablespoons of butter and a three count of olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown your delectable meatballs on all sides. Be careful not to burn - you want them to brown evenly but not burn and still cook all the way through, so keep a weather eye on your heat and adjust accordingly. You may have to cook your meatballs in shifts, and when they are done set them aside - you can keep them warm in an oven set to low. Time to make the Swedish Sauce!

Turn the heat down to low in your pan and add a heaping 1/4 cup of flour to the accumulated fat. Whisk that around until you've cooked and browned the flour slightly, it should take two minutes or so. Next add three cups of warmed beef broth - whisk it in a cup or so at a time to thicken your sauce. Okay here comes a weird addition: add 3 tablespoons of pickle juice. No don't argue, just do it! It adds a little somethin' somethin' in the background of the sauce. Whisk that in, then add 1/2 cup of sour cream. Whisk whisk whisk and taste for seasonings, you'll probably need to add some S/P. Whisk over low heat until the sauce is at your desired thickness.

As you cook the sauce, cook some egg noodles or baby red potatoes. Serve your amazing Swedish Meatballs over the noodles or potatoes and ladle your kick ass sauce over the lot. Have some raspberry (or lingonberry) preserves at the ready for those who want, sprinkle some fresh parsley and enjoy! Hooray for the Swedes!

'Til next time...

D

Brooklyn SND - Pulled Pork/Chicken, Coleslaw and Goat Cheese Polenta

Hullo friends! I spent a fab weekend in NYC with my sisie for her birthday, so I now present to you Brooklyn Sunday Night Dinner! Sis wanted pulled pork for her birthday SND, so I came up with a kick ass marinade....which I proceeded to pour some beer into 'cause it would be delicious. Fail. For those of you that don't know, Sisie is allergic to all wheat and gluten. Ah, balls.

But wait! It all turned out okay - I made the gluten soaked pulled pork BUT ALSO some kick ass pulled chicken! Huzzah! Here's how I did it all:

For the pulled pork, I did an all night marinade. I used a three pound bit of pork shoulder that had a lovely fat cap on it. In a large glass bowl I whisked together 3 tablespoons of salt (kosher, people!), 1 tablespoon of cracked black pepper, 1 and 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 3 smashed cloves of garlic, 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper (yup! make it as spicy or not spicy as you want though - but don't be wussy) and the leaves from three sprigs of fresh thyme. Next add half to three quarters of a bottle of your favorite beer - I recommend a summer brew or a hefewiezen to counter act the cayenne; I used Honeymoon by the makers of Blue Moon. Dude, it's delish! Whisk everything together and put your pork shoulder in. Make sure the pork is covered with this delightful mixture, then cover with saran wrap and refrigerate overnight. If you can't do overnight, I'd recommend at least three hours so the flavors can penetrate (heh) the meat.

Okay, fast forward to the next day, time to cook! I heated a three count of olive oil in a heavy bottomed frying pan (Sisie's Le Creuset risotto pan to be specific) and browned that gorgeously marinated piece of pork shoulder. After I got a good sear on all sides, I put the meat along with the liquid marinade into a handy dandy crock pot and covered. I went with the high setting for three hours, then set it down to low until we were ready to eat. The liquid was poured out and discarded (thank you delicious gluteny marinade!) Take two forks and shred that meat - it will fall apart and you'll be taking taste after taste because you won't be able to resist! After the meat was shredded, I poured some BBQ sauce over it and it was AMAZING. Use your favorite flavor of sauce - Sweet Baby Rays would be good, especially with the cayenne pepper that you used. Serve on some buns and you're in pulled pork heaven.

Hold on! If you are allergic to wheat and gluten, here's what I made for sis! I bought three leg/thighs combos from the butcher - bone in skin on. Gotta go dark meat here, sports fans, if you want the falling apart consistency. Prepare the chicken by giving it a good ol' spice rub. Use your favorite BBQ spice rub, or make one up! I used chili powder - probably a tablespoon total and just massaged it all over the meat. Next, take one leek and thoroughly clean that sucka. Dirt loves to hide between those leaves. Slice up the leek and and throw it in a frying pan that has a cover with a three count of olive oil. Saute the leek for three minutes (add some S and P), then add two sliced carrots. Cook for a few minutes more, then make some room and add the chicken skin side down. Once the chicken is properly browned, add enough rose wine (NOT white zinfandel, shudder) to deglaze and simmer the chicken in. There should be about a half inch of wine covering the bottom of the pan - I eyeballed it, probably a third of a bottle. You could also use white or red wine, or your favorite beer. Cover the pan and turn the heat down to low and simmer for about an hour. You'll know when it's ready - the meat will be fall off the bone, just poke at it with a fork. Once it's ready, turn off the heat and let it cool a bit so you can debone and deskin the chicken. After you've removed the skin and bones shred the chicken back in the pan with the veggies and mix with your favorite sauce! For Sisie's chicken I used a spicier sauce because the chicken was cooked with sweet carrots and the wine. We served her sammich on a delicious gluten free roll and she was in birthday heaven!

I also made a yummy cole slaw. I threw ingredients together into a bowl until it tasted right. It was mayo based, so all you mayo haters out there just need to GET OVER IT. Mayo is freaking delicious. Use one cup of mayo, and whisk in in the bottom of a salad bowl with a 1/4 cup of white or red wine vinegar, two tablespoons of Dijon mustard, a squeeze of honey or maple syrup, a pinch of cayenne or chili powder and some S and P to taste. Whisk and taste, whisk and taste until it's right. A squeeze or two of lemon would be great too. Add some shredded cabbage and carrots on top of your dressing (we used shredded broccoli too, yum) and toss. Now, if you're super cool, you'll put coleslaw on top of your pulled pork or chicken and eat the sammich like a pro.

Serve this all up with some goat cheese polenta and you've got a Brooklyn SND for the ages!

-D

PS I realize I've written this post in several different voices/tenses. Deal with it. It's Sunday Night Dinners not Sunday Night Grammar. Boosh.

Stroganoff Shmoganoff!

Sup duders. I feel like I have fond memories of Mom's beef stroganoff. Ma, did you make that a lot for us? I don't remember, but when I stumbled upon Tyler's Ultimate stroganoff the other day I got super excited. I must make this! So I did, and it was totally yummy, but I was left a little underwhelmed. I'll tell ya'll how I made it and let me know how you would alter? Thanks, BFF!

The absolute best part of this recipe is the beef - Tyler's Ultimate Stroganaff recommends you use beef short ribs cooked lowww and slow. It takes a couple of hours, but it was sooooo worth it. The meat fell apart and was like buttah.

Start with three pounds of beef short ribs. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Now you're going to make a yummy yummy herb paste for those suckers. Chop up five cloves of garlic - you don't need to mince here. Throw those into a bowl with a good dose of salt and pepper - use your judgment here. I probably used a half tablespoon and it made a delicious salty crust. Tear the leaves off of a couple of sprigs of rosemary and thyme, and roughly chop up a small handful of parsley. Add the herbs to the garlic and s/p, then add enough olive oil to make a sort of paste. Use your fingers to mix here, this is the time to get good and dirty. Place the ribs bone side down on a cookie sheet (a sheet of aluminum foil to catch the drippings is a good idear). Rub your herb/salt paste all over the top of all the ribs and toss those guys into the oven for two to two and a half hours until that meat is buttery and falling apart. When the meat is done, let it rest for ten to fifteen minutes and it will be easier to slice. Cut that yumminess off of the bone and then slice into servings to put on top of your noodles and sauce.

Sauce! Start with one pound of crimini mushrooms and one pound shitake mushrooms. Slice them up and throw into a large frying pan over medium heat with a five count of olive oil in it. Salt and pepper those 'shrooms and cook until the they brown. Add a 1/3 cup of minced shallot and two cloves of minced garlic and stir to combine (or do the fun pan toss). Cook that for a few more minutes (but don't burn that garlic!) then add a 1/4 cup of cognac. Be super careful when adding the cognac so you don't catch on fire! Maybe take the pan off of the heat when you add the cognac if it makes you nervous. De glaze with the cognac for a few minutes, then add the silky deliciousness of two cups of heavy whipping cream. Awww damn. I said it. Remember - this is SND! You can splurge! Calories don't count on Sundays, I swears on the precious. Turn your heat down a bit and simmer until the cream is reduced by about half. Add one tablespoon and a half of Dijon mustard and a 1/2 cup of sour cream. Turn off the heat and stir well to combine - be sure to be tasting your sauce for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Remember, your short ribs have a salty crust on them, and your sauce should be silky and a little sweet from the cream to counter act that. Toss on some freshly chopped parsley and you're done!

Serve by cooking some egg noodles and tossing those guys with butter, then top with your beautiful mushroom sauce, and your salty amazing short ribs on top. A nice crisp salad on the side or some fresh peas would be a nice accompaniment.

And go! Make this up this Sunday and let me know: what would you change to pump this up? Or was it just right?

Kisses,

D

Julia Sunday Night Dinner!

Hello again friends. The subject of this post has already been blogged about by other people, but that doesn't mean I can't follow suit! This is the first Julia (but not the last ohhhh no) recipe that I've done for SND. Mr. B. gave me Volumes I and II of Julia et al's masterpiece a while ago, and I've been waiting for the perfect time to make..... Boeuf Bourguignon. Guhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh it was sooooo gooooooooood. I INSIST you make this right now. It really is the Ultimate SND. Start to finish it took me a good four hours and me oh my was it worth it.

So, BB. This is a multi step process. I'm going to tell you how I did it, and it probably wouldn't hurt you to look up Julia's recipe if you're going to make it as I'm writing this from memory.

First things first - you gotta boil some bacon. What what what, you say! I know. Bizarro. But Julia knows what she's talking about people. If you don't boil the bacon, the smokiness will overtake the flavor, and this dish is a symphony of flavors not to be overpowered by one (albeit delicious). So chop up half a packet of bacon (6 ounces) into lardons around an inch wide. Simmer the bacon for ten minutes and then drain.

Ooh! Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees! Now!

You need to use a oven and stove-top proof pan for the majority of the cooking. I used a smaller dutch oven, but anything that will hold 5 or so cups of liquid plus the meat and veggies will do. It needs to have a lot of surface area for browning, so no saucepans/kettles. Pour in a three count of olive oil and fry your boiled bacon for around five minutes - render some of that fat and get it lightly browned. Take the bacon out of the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on some paper towels.

Next you need the main attraction: the beef! Use three pounds of 'stewing' beef. I got mine at Costco, and it was already cubed into 2" cubes. Thanks Costco! You're the bestest. Before you toss the beef into the hot pan, pat each piece dry with a paper towel - it won't brown if it's damp. Brown the beef in the bacon fat in shifts until you have some nice color on all sides. I was sorely tempted to salt and pepper these, but that comes later - I promise. Trust me and Jules. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside.

Again using the same fat, brown one sliced onion and one sliced carrot. This took about seven minutes or so over medium heat. If there is a ton of excess oil, drain that from the pan and return the beef and bacon to the pan. Toss everything with one teaspoon of salt and a quarter teaspoon of pepper (I used a pinch more of both). Sprinkle on two tablespoons of flour and toss again. Set your pan on the middle rack of your pre-heated oven and roast for four minutes. Use a timer, my dear friends. That is a hot oven and you do NOT want to burn. After four minutes take the pan out and carefully give it shakey shake and put it back in the oven for four more minutes.

Remove the pan and turn the oven down to 325 degrees. Add three cups of Chianti (insert Silence of the Lambs reference here), and around two cups of beef stock. Pour the wine in first, and then pour the beef stock in until the meat is juuuuuuuuuuust covered. Then add one tablespoon of tomato paste (I added a bit extra, prolly a tblsp and a half, sorry Jules), 2 minced cloves of gahlic, 2 teaspoons of thyme (I took it off of the stems and roughly chopped) and a crumbled bay leaf. Bring this pot o'delicousness to a simmer, cover, and put in the oven. The rack should be in the lower third of the oven this time. This should cook in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Be sure to check on it often - you want the liquid to simmer NOT boil. If it's boiling turn the oven down until you reach a nice simmer.

Whew! That's a lotta work, right? Well friends you are about halfway done. You can take a breather at this point and enjoy a glass of wine and some nibblies. Don't rest too long though because you've got braised onions and sauteed mushrooms to make!!

Okay, so watch your timer. The braised onions take about thirty to forty minutes, so plan accordingly. Lovely Julia says to use 18-24 pearl onions. I used 24 and fervently wished for more later. They are soooooo delicious that I'll probably use forty or so next time. You can use fresh pearl onions if you so desire, but they are kind of a pain in the ass to peel (drop into boiling water for 2-3 minutes; drain; cut of the tops and peel). I used frozen pearl onions that are already peeled! Hurrah! I just took them out of the freezer as I began to prep, and they were thawed by the time I was ready for them.

Back on track: melt 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of butter in a three count of olive oil. I'd say over medium heat, and use a frying pan that has a cover. Drop in your baby onions with a little salt and pepper, and roll those guys around until they brown. As Julia says, "You cannot expect them to brown uniformly". That cracks me up, I don't know why. Anyhoo, after you've browned your onions lightly, add 1/2 cup of beef stock and (this is a Dana addition) 1/3 cup red or white wine (I used white cause that's what I drink). Cover the pan and lightly simmer those beauties for thirty for forty minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Mushroom time! These take no time at all, so cook them when the meat has ten or fifteen minutes left. You need 16 ounces of mushrooms for this - I used porcinis but you could go with shiitake as well. Clean them by wiping the tops lightly with a damp towel and quarter. Melt two tablespoons of butter in a three count of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Don't let the butter burn, but get it nice and bubbly. Add your mushrooms with some salt and pepper and toss in the pan to get everyone nice and coated with delicious butter. Use a wooden spoon if you don't have the frying pan food toss down yet (it took me a little while and some spilled food, but it sure is fun!). Keep the mushrooms moving so they don't burn, but do get some good color on them - this will take ten or so minutes. Finely mince one shallot and throw in the pan for the last minute of cooking. Remove everything from the pan and set aside with the braised onions for later.

All righty....we're getting there!! After about two hours in the oven, test your meat with a fork - it should pierce the beef easily. If it's not tender enough, back in the oven it goes. If it is....you're so close to done! Strain the contents of the pot into a saucepan, then put the meat and vegetables back into the pan. Add the braised onions and mushrooms on top of the meat. Skim the fat off of the top of the sauce (or use the handy dandy fat separator gadget from Crate and Barrel!). You should have around two and a half cups of sauce, and it should coat the back of a spoon. If it's too thin, you can boil it down a bit - but I'm too impatient for that. I put around a third of a cup of beef stock in a bowl with a heaping tablespoon of cornstarch and whisked it together, then added it to my simmering sauce. It tightened right up. If your sauce is too thick, add some more stock. Taste for seasoning, then pour the sauce back over the meat and vegetables. Top with some chopped parsely and whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa you're done! Eating time! Oh man I promise all this work is worth it.

I served this amazing-ness with some boiled potatoes - just some new potatoes boiled until soft, drained, then tossed with a little butter (ha, more butter) and salt. I put the potatoes down first in a bowl, then smothered with the meat/veggies/sauce. And enjoy!

Srsly, please try this. Yes, there are a lot of steps - but the end product is so satisfying and happy making. Even more so since it took lots of hard work to make. As always kittens, let me know how it turned out and if you added/changed anything.

BFF,

D

(Pretty) Easy Lemon Chicken

Oh hai everyone! Listen I don't want to hear it. It's been a while but c'mon. Planning a wedding is a LOT of work! Now I'm a married old lady, and Sunday Night Dinners are back bitches.

Okay, so Lemon Chicken. This is an Emeril Lagasse recipe that I've jacked just a little bit. His recipe calls for just white meat but I'm a big fan of dark meat too, so I've added that and made it a bit saucier.

First thing: full disclosure. I hate making rice with the fire of 1000 suns. Hate it. Maybe because I'm super bad at it. I always mess it up. So I have Adam make it. Since you guys don't have Adam, you should make it in a rice maker. Or just be better than me at making it. But make it first, mmkay? Just keep it warm without overcooking. Good luck with that.

All right, so then you should make the lemon sauce, it'll save you time later. Mix 1/2 cup of lemon juice with 4 tablespoons (plus a pinch more cause I like it) of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 2/3 cup chicken stock, and the zest of one lemon. Wisk it up and set aside for the right moment.

Finely chop up four teaspoons each of fresh garlic and fresh garlic, as well as 1/2 cup of green onions. Set aside FOR LATER. Trust me.

Okie now, take one package of chicken breast tenders and one package of chicken thighs. The tenders are the right shape and size that you need, so slice the thighs into thinnish strips to match the tenders. Next, put 1/2 cup of cornstarch in a shallow dish, and beat two eggs into another. Dip each strip of breast and thighs into the cornstarch, egg, then cornstarch again. Your hands will get all gooey but get over it. It washes off. Set those aside to set up for about five minutes after you're done.

Ooh! One more thing to do as prep! Mix three teaspoons of cornstarch with one tablespoon of water. Wisky wisk that and then set aside. It's totally worth it later to do the prep work first. And clean as you go, right Mom?

Take a large frying pan or wok and heat up 1/4 to 1/3 cup or so of canola or peanut oil until almost smoking over medium high heat. Fry the chicken strips for three minutes on each side. They should get browned but not super dark. Set aside to blot on paper towels. Pour out most of the oil, and put the pan back over medium heat. Toss in the green onions and fry for one minute. Add the garlic and ginger and fry with the onions for thirty additional seconds. Next you're going to add that delectable lemon sauce mix. Give it another wisk then put it in the sauce pan with the ginger, garlic and green onions. Bring the sauce to a boil and then add your cornstarch/water mix and wisk in. The sauce should thicken immediately. Add the chicken back to the pot, cover all the chicken with the sauce well, and turn the heat down to low.

Serve this deliciousness with some veggies if you'd like. I like to buy a fresh "stir fry" ** packet at the market - it's carrots, snow peas, and broccoli all cut up and cleaned neat and proper like. I just heat up a bit more canola or peanut oil in a separate pan with some red pepper flake and more chopped ginger, garlic and green onion. Sautee those veggies for a bit to soften but make sure they still have some crunch. ** Be sure to buy the fresh vegs, not frozen. I purchased the frozen packet once it was an epic fail.

Serve your fantastic meal with over your properly made rice, and enjoy!

It's good to be back! Let's continue this super ride, and hit me back and let me know if you made this or any of my other dinners. I'll take Sunday Night Suggestions, too!

Kisses!

-Mrs. B.