Tuscan Chicken and Buttered Rosemary Rolls

I was in the mood to cook something fun this weekend and after much research I settled on Tuscan Chicken and Buttered Rosemary Rolls. They really turned out yummy. I have to say, I didn't make up the recipe.... they are from 2 different sites...

The chicken is from "The Gathering of Friends" a blog that is associated with one of my favorite cookbooks by the same name.

here is the link to her site and recipe.

http://thegatheringoffriends.com/2010/02/effortless-meal/

I took some pics along the way... her's look a lot better, but just to make sure you know I really did it...... here they are......

Pounding the chicken flat

browning in seasoning and extra virgin olive oil

.

Stir frying the vegetables (sorry Kim there are LOTS of bell peppers in this one).

Setting out the plates with spinach

Adding the chicken and pouring on the savory Glaze.

Yes it really was as yummy as it looks!!

Then we had the Buttered Rosemary Rolls - OH MY!!!

It is from the pioneer woman

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/10/buttered-rosemary-rolls/

and proof that I made them.....

Grma Iris made the dough in her breadmaker the day before, put it in the fridge, and then we let it warm up, shaped into rolls and put in the pans

Chopping the fresh rosemary.... my first time to do this, it was trickier than I thought it would be. But definitely worth the effort.

toasty brown out of the oven, still needing the last lather of butter.

Then the whole group enjoying the finished products.!! Brought to go along with was fresh fruit with jello mold and yogurt and the meal was finished off with fresh raspberry trifle.

Fun for all.

Christmas Delectiables

So over the Christmas festivus's I tried out a few new recipies.

First were my Buñuelos (cheese fritters) These are a Colombian Christmas dosh, and are traditionally served with natilla. I'm not sure how we felt about the natilla, it was actually very tasty, but we didn't get how it went with the Buñuelos . But the Buñuelos them selves were a HUGE HIT.

Buñuelos -

200g Feta or Paneer Cheese

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 tsp caster sugar (we used regular sugar)

1 large egg

Blend cheese and egg to form a smooth paste. add sugar and cornstarch and mix until well blended.

Roll into little balls and deep fry. Make sure the oil is not too hot.

Natilla -

2 cups whole milk

1/4 cup cream

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 heaped tsp golden syrup (i used molasses)

1 stick cinnamon

1/2 cup corn starch

1/2 T butter

Place 1 cup of milk, and the sugar, syrup, cinnamon stick and salt in a pot and simmer over low heat till the sugar and syrup have dissolved completely. do not boil. In separate bowl, stir remaining cup of milk and cornstarch until completely dissolved. stir into the sugar mixture on stove. Raise temp slightly and stir continuously to 'cook' the cornstarch. Add cream then raise the heat again to medium, continuously stir and scrape the bottom of the pot until the mixture has thickened. Remove pot from heat and add butter. mix well and remove Cinnamon stick. pour the mixture into a mould or serving dish. sprinkle with cinnamon.

Next I made some Indian Pudding. This is something I discovered while watching the Food Network, on a show called "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" where all the cooks and show hosts talk about their favorite foods.. I know evil show.

It is a very old recipe, but still delicious of course.

Ingredients
6 cups of milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup molasses
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 cup golden raisins (optional)
Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Directions
1 Scald the milk and butter in a large double boiler. Or heat the milk and butter for 5 or 6 minutes on high heat in the microwave, until it is boiling, then transfer it to a pot on the stove. Keep hot on medium heat. Preheat oven to 250°F. In a separate bowl, mix cornmeal, flour, and salt; stir in molasses. Thin the mixture with about 1/2 cup of scalded milk, a few tablespoons at a time, then gradually add the mixture back to the large pot of scalded milk. Cook, stirring until thickened. Temper the eggs by slowly adding a half cup of the hot milk cornmeal mixture to the beaten eggs, whisking constantly. Add the egg mixture back in with the hot milk cornmeal mixture, stir to combine. Stir in the sugar and spices, until smooth. At this point, if the mixture is clumpy, you can run it through a blender to smooth it out. Stir in the raisins (optional). Pour into a 2 1/2 quart shallow casserole dish. Bake for 2 hours at 250°F. Allow the pudding to cool about an hour to be at its best. It should be reheated to warm temperature if it has been chilled. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Then on Boxing Day I made an Egg Florentine Casserole, and Monkey Muffins. I got this recipe from the Pioneer Woman blog. check it out... YUM!

Monkey Muffins

The Forgotten Spice

Guest blogger Heather here...

Christmas is one of the aromatic holidays.

What... you didn't know there were aromatic holidays?
OK, so I just made that up.


But don't you agree? Our memories of Christmas are so often coupled with aromas - pine and cinnamon and peppermint and chocolate and nutmeg and ginger.

There is one scent that I believe should be added to that list, one spice that I love to cook with and that I think is sadly overlooked in our holiday cuisine. That spice is cardomon.





One breath of the intense earthy, mellow spiciness that is cardamom and I'm suddenly transported to an exotic bazaar, where colorful spices lie heaped in copper ewers and spill out of rough burlap bags.


What can you do with cardomom? There are scads of recipes for this wonderful spice, which can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. But lets start with something easy. When you're making that wassail this Christmas, skip the cinnamon. Instead, toss in a half dozen cardamom pods and heat as usual. You may never use cinnamon sticks again!

Heather's Holiday Wassail

Mix apple juice and cranberry juice to taste in your large crockpot (6 quart is great). I tend to use 1/3 cranberry to 2/3 apple, but I like it rather smooth.

Add a bit of sugar to counteract the bite of the cranberry juice and a splash of lemon juice to brighten it all up. Give it a quick stir.

Now for the fun - toss in eight to twelve lovely green cardamom pods. You can crush them lightly before hand, just leave the pods intact. Or you can be lazy and drop them right in. No problem. No other spices needed.

Heat on low until it reaches your desired temperature and then set to warm.

Lovely!

How about making cardamom snaps instead of ginger snaps? Ginger and cardamom are closely related, so this is an easy substitute and makes the kitchen smell soooo good.


Next you might want to try cardamom bread. A quick goggle or bing on "cardamon bread" should net you a dozen recipes. In part that's because the Scandinavians love cardamom and we all know how wonderful their breads are!


There are many quick cardamom breads, but here's a recipe that's just begging you to make it. It takes kneading and rising time, but it's so worth the work. Cardamom Bread, Sweet and Rustic from the Razor Family Farms blog.







Substitute a few slices of warm bread for that plate of cookies and Santa will be extra nice to you. I promise.




A snobbish spice note: Sure, you probably have cardamom powder in your cupboard, but let me urge you to head to your local ethnic store (here in the Northwest we're blessed with an abundance of Indian groceries) and buy a bag of cardamom pods. I use green cardamom, I think it's the best but black is also available and is sometimes less expensive.


Like most spices, the intense aroma and taste of cardomom are carried in the oils of the plant and are lost quickly to evaporation once they are ground. That nice bottle you have will only give you a pale imitation of the heady pleasure of real cardomom. I promise.


Once you've incorporated cardamom into your holiday baking and your family sings your praises, you'll be ready for our next adventure - Indian curries with cardamom.




One more important note - you need to teach your family that you never EAT the cardamom pod. Only one bite and they'll learn this lesson, but it would be kind of you to warn them. Ground cardamom is fine, but whole pods can be overpowering. Just skim the little pods out of the wassail and discard once they have steeped thoroughly . (I leave them in, but I like to live on the edge.)


Happy baking and Merry Christmas to you and yours!

If you've been wondering what Christmas gift to take to your neighbors or co-workers... wonder no more! We've been making this recipe for a couple of years now and have had nothing but rave reviews back from the recipients. It looks so festive with those cranberries and the orange-cranberry combo makes for tangy-sweet goodness!

Usually we make four loaves at a time (that's the max capacity for our mixer) so you'd just adjust the measurements accordingly. I've been wanting to go out and buy some mini-loaf pans though -- they'd make just as thoughtful a gift and you could crank out more than three at a time (you always have to keep the fourth one for yourself).

Cranberry Orange Bread

(recipe adapted from a post on about.com by Diana Rattray and picture taken from bakingbites.com/2005/02/orange-cranberry-bread)

FOR ONE LOAF

Ingredients:

• juice and grated peel of 1 orange (we've used grapefruit in a pinch)
  
• boiling water
• 2 tablespoons butter (cut it up to help it melt)
  
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup fresh cranberries (we buy a ton when they're on sale -- they freeze forever)
  
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (haven't ever tried it with the nuts)
  
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preparation:

Put orange juice in a 1-cup measure. Add enough boiling water to orange juice to make 3/4 cup. Add grated orange peel and butter; stir until butter is melted. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat sugar and egg together; add orange mixture and stir until well blended. Add cranberries and nuts. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Stir into egg and orange mixture. Pour batter into a greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Bake at 325° for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean.