Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

3 Large Sweet potatoes
1 small onion
Garlic
half a jalapeno
chicken broth
Cream
Cumin

Peel and grate your sweet potatoes using the food processor. Cut up an onion and sweat it. Chop and add half the pepper (only the meat, no ribs or seeds). Add the garlic and let it cook of for a bit. Add the shredded Sweet potatoes and enough chicken stock to cover them almost. Get it to boiling then back off to a simmer for 30 mins. Then Puree and add cream and Cumin.

Eat with ABC sandwiches or homemade bread.

Company Chicken over wheatberries with Green Beans Almondine

The signature menu for me.
Company Chicken Aka half a bottle of wine chicken (the other half is for the chef)

Chicken breasts
Sour Cream
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Mushrooms
Tarragon
Parsley
Chardonnay

This can be made with chicken breasts or tenderloins. Mix together Sour Cream, Cream of Mushroom Soup, Tarragon, Parsley, and Mushrooms. Then mix in half of a bottle of wine.
The sauce should stick to the chicken breasts but be translucent. You then need to season the chicken and place it in the sauce. This should cook covered for about an hour at 350 and then uncovered to thicken the sauce for about 30 more mins.

Serve this with Green Beans Almondine and a rice-y starch

Green beans almondine
French cut Green beans
Onion
Garlic
Limes
Almonds

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until soft and a little golden. Zest and juice the limes usually 3. Then drain and wash the beans add them to the pan and let the beans get warm. Start toasting the almonds. Once the beans are warm add the lime zest and juice. Then add the almonds as soon as they are ready. YUM!

Braised Short Ribs with Creamy Grueyre Grits

Maybe not ribs, but beef of some kind.

Chuck Roast cut into pieces
Bottle of Red wine
3-4 cloves of Garlic
butter and olive oil
Italian Seasoning, Bay Leaves

Melt Butter and mix with olive oil. Sear the beef on all sides and remove from the pan. Put whole garlic cloves in to the remaining oil and soften. Then pour in most of the bottle of wine in, add bay leaves and Italian seasoning, reduce to about one cup. Add the meat back and simmer for 3 hours.

Cheese Grits
Mama's Grits- work on getting that into a recipe.
Swiss cheese according to original but cheddar works just as well.

Green vegetables would be great with this.

Tomatillo Salsa, Steak and Yellow Rice

The Salsa is the most important part

Fried Goat Cheese Salad

I realize the two seem unrelated
Weekend of May 1

Log of Chevere Plain
Panko Breadcrumbs
Olive Oil
Herb salad
Toasted Almonds
Cherry Balsamic Vinegar

Slice the goat cheese into rounds about 1/2 inch thickness and coat in dry breadcrumbs. Place in the freezer for 15-30 mins. Heat olive oil in a small frying pan test the heat with the crumbs when it cooks immediately it's ready. You can cook about 2 at a time cook for about 30 secs on each side or until golden brown. Serve immediately over salad. The Cherry Balsamic Vinaigrette is Amazing on this. Wisk equal amounts of vinegar and oil with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Chicken with Coconut and Lime

Weekend of May 1
Originally I envisioned this on rice noodles but Egg noodles work just fine. Tastes just like Coconut soup from Top Spice.

Chicken breast
2 Limes, Zested and juiced.
Nature's seasoning
Egg Noodles
Cilantro
Scallions

Sauce
One can coconut milk
Zest of limes
Juice of one Lime (more is good too)
2 Garlic cloves broken
1 TBS Fish sauce
Couple of shakes of cayenne pepper
Fresh Cilantro Leaves

Cut up the chicken after seasoning it and mix it with one of the limes' juice. Cook for about 20 mins at 400.

Heat up the coconut milk, Lime juice, Lime Zest, fish sauce, and garlic. Do not let boil. Keep at a gentle simmer. Put in the cayenne, and the cilantro after about 10 mins.
Start boiling water for the noodles, salt the water, cook the noodles and strain.
To serve place the noodles, then chicken, then sauce garnish with fresh cilantro and chopped scallions.

Saturday April 10th 2010

Santa Fe Chicken Pizza and Ham and Cheese Calzone

Santa Fe Chicken Pizza
Pizza dough made in bread maker.
Mozzarella
Chicken breasts
Cilantro
Lime
Onions
Spice Rub (Brown Sugar, Paprika, Chili powder, Cumin)
Sour cream
Guacamole
Pico de Gallo
Tomato sauce

Prepare the spice rub and dredge the chicken breasts until coated. Cook at 400 for 30 ish mins.
Cut the onions in to half moons (go ahead and cook 2 medium onions) and caramelize them.
Spread the pizza dough out using olive oil, spread Mozzarella, then caramelized onions, then chicken. Cook in the oven at 400 for 20 mins until the crust is golden. Sprinkle fresh chopped cilantro and lime zest. Spread sour cream, Guacamole, and Pico de gallo on as wanted on individual slices

Ham and Cheese Calzone
Cut up Canadian Bacon, Spread the dough out. On half of the dough spread mozzarella cheese and Canadian Bacon. Fold over the dough, pinching the edges shut. Fork the top a bit to allow steam to escape. Cook in the over at 400 for about 20 mins until the crust is golden. The tomato sauce is for dipping. Take a can of tomato sauce and wisk it with

Since you have the oven hot and space roast some garlic at the same time. Serve with Salad for greenery.

Saturday April 9th 2010

Coq au Vin with Roasted Potatoes
You need to start the roasted potatoes first.
Ingredients
Chicken breasts
Red wine
Carrots
Onion
Garlic
Butter/Olive oil
Tarragon
Thyme
Bay Leaves
Nature's Seasoning

Potatoes
Olive oil
Nature's Seasoning

Coq au Vin
Sear the chicken breasts in butter. Remove the breasts once seared.
Place the onions (cut into ~16ths ) and carrots (in one inch pieces) and let them cook until the onions are translucent. Add the herbs and let them release into the oil then add the chicken back to the pot and pour in enough red red wine to cover the chicken. Cover the pot and let simmer for 20 mins until the chicken is cooked through.

Roasted Potatoes
Peel and cut potatoes into 8ths, Sprinkle with Nature's Seasoning then drizzle with oil. Place in the oven at 400 until the chicken is done

Add Broccoli or some green something!!!