Tag: stove top

Chicken Saute Plus

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4 (1 1/2 pounds) skinless, bonelss chicken breasts halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pan sauce, (see direction steps below)

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

In 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken and sauté about 7 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn and cook 6 to 7 minutes more, or until just cooked through. Transfer chicken breasts to plate (cover loosely to keep warm).

Make pan sauce of choice. Return chicken to pan and heat, spooning sauce over chicken, until heated through.

Balsamic Sauce:
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons flour

Sauté chicken as above. Pour off all but a light skim of fat from pan. Add balsamic vinegar and tomato paste, stirring to incorporate any pan drippings, and cook 3 minutes. Add chicken broth and cook 3 minutes.

In small bowl, with fingers, knead together butter and flour. Whisk into pan and cook 2 minutes, or until sauce is lightly thickened.

Rich Bourbon Sauce:
1/4 cup bourbon
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons flour

Sauté chicken as above. Pour off all but a light skim of fat from pan. Off heat, add bourbon. Return pan to heat, carefully ignite bourbon, and cook until flame subsides. Add chicken broth, black pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil and cook 4 minutes.

In small bowl, with fingers, knead together butter and flour. Whisk into pan and cook 2 minutes, or until sauce is lightly thickened.

Light Tomato Sauce with Thyme:
2 minced garlic cloves
2 chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt

Sauté chicken as above. Pour off all but a light skim of fat from pan. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. tomatoes and thyme and cook 3 minutes. Add chicken broth and salt and simmer until sauce is lightly thickened.

Pyrex Prepware 3-Piece Glass Mixing Bowl Set

Pepper Apple Chicken

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6 boneless chicken breasts
2 cups apple juice
2 tablespoons butter
2 large Granny Smith apples
1 tablespoon black pepper
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 tablespoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Wash chicken and dry thoroughly. Allow chicken to soak in apple juice for two hours in refrigerator. Remove chicken from apple juice (save juice).

In a skillet, melt butter. Add chicken, reduce heat from high to medium.

Peel and core apples, slice as thin as possible.

Turn chicken once after browned; then add apple slices. Spread evenly. Cover and allow to simmer until other side is browned. Add apple juice, nutmeg, brown sugar, cinnamon and pepper. Stir thoroughly and cover. Simmer 20 – 25 minutes.

Mix cornstarch in water. When mixture starts to bubble, add cornstarch. Stir until thick.

Serve hot.

Cooking with Brown Sugar: 51 Recipes

Pumpkin Soup (2)

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4 lbs. pumpkin, flesh
1 qt. apple juice
1 onion, medium size
1 tablespoon garlic, cloves
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Cayenne pepper or hot sauce, to taste

Begin by baking the pumpkin. We have found that you get about 4 pounds of cooked pumpkin flesh from an 8 pound whole pumpkin. If you do not have a fresh pumpkin, you can substitute either butternut or hubbard squash.

Wash and bake the pumpkin at 350 degrees F. in a conventional oven or in a microwave oven on “high” until the pumpkin becomes tender and begins to sag. Remove the pumpkin from the oven.

Wash and peel the onion and garlic, and place them in a covered dish and bake until cooked. If you are using a conventional oven, you can bake the onion and garlic at the same time you bake the pumpkin.

Cut the pumpkin in half from top to bottom. Remove the seeds and save them for roasting. Scoop the pumpkin flesh off of the rind and place the flesh in the container of a blender. Add some apple juice to aid in blending, cover and run at high speed until smooth. Pour into a large covered microwaveable dish or in a pot. Repeat as necessary until all the pumpkin is pureed. The baked onion and garlic can be pureed with the pumpkin.

Add any remaining apple juice and the other ingredients to the covered dish or pot and mix well.

If cooking in the microwave oven, cook on high for about 15 minutes.

If cooking on the stove top, simmer for about 30 minutes, mixing frequently.

Ninja Professional Blender

Thai Red Chicken Curry

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2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
1 cup sliced halved zucchini
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1 onion, quartered then halved
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces; cook and stir for about 3 minutes. Mix in the curry paste, zucchini, bell pepper, carrot and onion. Cook and stir for a few minutes.

Dissolve the cornstarch in the coconut milk, then pour into the skillet. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for 1 minute. Right before serving, stir in the cilantro.

Yields: 4 servings

Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Stainless 14-Inch Open Skillet with Helper Handle

Cheatin’ Chicken Soup

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1/2 cup microwaveable brown or long-grain rice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, minced
1 can (15 1/2 ounces) each: low-sodium chicken broth, diced tomatoes
1 to 2 cups cooked chicken
1 cup corn, frozen or canned
1/4 cup white wine
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence or dried herb blend of your choice
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
Freshly ground pepper

Cook the rice in the microwave according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; add the garlic and onion. Cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth, tomatoes, chicken, corn, the rice, wine, herbs, red pepper flakes and pepper to taste. Heat to a boil; lower heat and simmer 5 minutes.

Serves 2

KOVOT Set of 4 Speckled Ceramic Soup Bowls With Spoons – 22-Ounces Each

Butterfinger Fudge

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2 (12oz).pkg. semisweet chocolate chips
2 (14oz) cans sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (16 pieces) mini Butterfinger Bars, chopped

Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line with enough wax paper to overhang 2 sides by 2 inches.

In pot, combine chips and milk over medium heat cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is melted and smooth.

Remove from heat; stir in vanilla extract. Cool 1 minute.

Stir in candy bars. Reserve 1/3 of it for the top. Spread mixture evenly in pan. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. Use wax paper to help remove from pan. Peel off paper, then cut into squares.

Makes 36 pieces

Wilton Perfect Results Square Non-Stick Cake Pan Multipack, 8-in. x 8-in. (2-Pack)

Spanish Galician Potato Soup

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1 pound large chorizo — or linguiça sausages, about 3 or 4
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion — diced
3 large garlic clove — minced
2 teaspoons paprika
8 cups water — or stock
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes — about 5 large, unpeeled, cut in 1/2-inch dice
3 cups chopped broccoli rabe — (discard the toughest stems but most are quite edible), kale, or spinach, tightly packed
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons salt — decrease if using salty stock
freshly ground black pepper — to taste

Prepare the sausages – grill or pan-render: To grill the sausages whole, cook them for about 10 minutes, turning once. When cooked through, cut them lengthwise, slice crosswise, and add to the soup at the end.

For even richer flavor: halve and slice the sausages and then render in the soup pot over medium heat. Then use the rendered fat to saute the onion and garlic in Step 2. Set the cooked sausages aside.

If using rendered fat, decrease the oil by 1 tablespoon and heat the oil/fat in a heavy 6-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until it begins to brown. Add the garlic and paprika and cook briefly, just until the garlic begins to brown.

Add the water or stock, potatoes, broccoli rabe, and the bay leaf, and simmer, partly covered, for about 30 minutes, or until potatoes and greens are soft. If you’re using spinach, add it later in the simmer – wait until the potatoes are almost soft.

Remove the bay leaf, add salt and pepper, taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Cool and run through the food processor or use an immersion blender right in the pot, before adding the sausage.

Add sausage and serve with fresh flatbreads. Traditional Galician breads often have lots of caraway and rye in them – think northern Europe, not the Spanish Mediterranean.

Serves 6 to 8

Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Stainless Stockpot with Cover, 6-Quart

Vegan Chickpea, Garlic, and Thyme Soup

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6 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for garnish
3 15 ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
4 cups good vegetable broth, preferably homemade
Kosher salt, to taste
Sherry vinegar, to taste

Add 3 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, thyme, and pepper flakes to a large straight-sided sauté pan or Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the aromatics begin to sizzle but have yet to brown. Add the chickpeas, and cook 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.

Add remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Blend until smooth with an immersion blender, or carefully transfer to a standing blender. Season to taste with salt and sherry vinegar, starting with 1 teaspoon each and adding more until the soup tastes balanced.

Ladle into bowls, and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Yield: Serves 3 as a meal

Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven with Dual Handles, Pre-Seasoned, 5-Quart

Chicken Thighs Cacciatore

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8 chicken thighs — skinned, if desired
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil — divided
1 small onion — chopped
2 garlic cloves — minced
1/2 cup dry red wine or beef broth
2 cans Italian-style diced tomatoes — (14-1/2-ounce) undrained

Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large deep skillet, cook chicken in 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat for 3 minutes per side, or until
lightly browned. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet then saute onion and garlic until tender.

Return chicken to skillet; add wine and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer 10 more minutes then serve topped with sauce.

Serving Size: 4

T-fal Specialty Nonstick Oven Safe Jumbo Cooker Saute Pan with Glass Lid Cookware, 5-Quart, Black

Spaghetti Squash With Cognac Mushroom Ragu

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1 spaghetti squash — about 3 pounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and ground black pepper — to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 pounds mixed wild mushrooms — cleaned, woody stems removed, and caps coarsely chopped
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1/4 cup cognac — Port or red wine
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
Fresh lemon juice — to taste

Split the squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Place the squash in a microwave-safe dish with about 1/2 inch of water; cover and microwave on high for about 15 minutes, until squash has softened all the way through. Let sit until cool enough to handle, and then use a fork to pull the insides of the squash into shreds. Transfer to a bowl, toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper; keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil with the butter in a large pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the mushrooms and shallots. Cook, stirring, until the mushrooms have softened and released some of their liquid, about 5 minutes. Stir in the thyme, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour in the cognac and chicken stock; stir to combine, then cook for about 3-4 minutes, until the liquid has partially evaporated. Remove from the heat, and stir in the cream and chives. Season to taste, adding a squeeze of lemon juice, if needed. Pour over the squash, toss to combine, and serve.

Serves 4

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