Chilled to the bone=Cream of Chicken Soup

Posted by chefconnie in Gluten Free, Soup, Stock, Chicken, Low Carb and tagged with , , , ,

This is my math equation for the day.  Chilled to the bone=Cream of Chicken Soup.  Since the home school Hubs and kids are always working on math when I get home from work I figured I needed my own math equation.

As I was walking home from work I became chilled to the bone.  It did not look very cold outside but once I started my trek home I realized that it was indeed quite cold. 

When I hit my front door I had the whole body shivers.  You know the ones where your whole body shakes and the shivers have taken control of you and you just kind of rattle.

I discard my shoes and go directly to the freezer and pulled out some frozen chicken breasts.  These are the kind that are quick frozen and can be baked without de-frosting.  I turned on the oven to 425 degrees and let it warm up. I baked the chicken after giving it a good covering of olive oil, italian seasonings, sea salt and cracked pepper and a dash of lemon juice.  While the oven was warming I assembled and diced celery, carrots and onions.  Fresh garlic, parsley, thyme and heavy cream were also ready on the counter.  I grabbed some of my most yummy ever chicken stock from the fridge.  Deep in color and thick with flavor this a chicken stock that I had simmering over night on thursday and then let it simmer most of the next day.

I sautéed my vegetable and added the chicken, stock, lemon juice, heavy cream and seasoned to taste.   The addition of a little bit of lemon juice brightens the flavor of the soup. 

The finished soup was lightly creamy, warm and satisfying.  When I sat down to enjoy my soup I felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction that can only come from home-made chicken soup. 

I will thicken the rest of the soup and add some biscuits because the Hubs was saying just this week he wanted some chicken and biscuits….Dinner for tomorrow is done too!

Cream of Chicken Soup

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 onion, chopped

6 celery ribs, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

8 cups chicken stock

1 tbs fresh parsley

1 tbs fresh thyme

3 cups roasted chicken, diced

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tbs lemon juice

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Sauté veggies with butter in a large pot. 

Pour over the chicken stock and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Stir in the chicken and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Stir in heavy cream, lemon juice, fresh herbs and season to taste.

 

Eat more Fish! Flounder with fresh tomatoes, lemon and herbs

Posted by chefconnie in Fish, Fresh Herbs, Gluten Free, Healthy, Low Carb, Low Fat, Meyer Lemon and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

When my husband and I were first married we lived  on the coast of California right outside of Monterey.  What a terrible place to live!  Great weather,  world-class restaurants, stunning ocean beaches all within 10 miles.  This is where most of the strawberries, garlic, lettuce and artichokes are grown that people enjoy all over the United States.  There were 2, year around farmers markets and dozens of organic farms within a 1/2 an hour drive. 

I worked for a couple of years at a wharf side seafood restaurant in Monterey.  It seemed that after going to see all of the wonderful fish at the aquarium at Monterey Bay people wanted to eat fish.  While working in a seafood restaurants it was  one of the first times in my life where I ate fish regularly.  Not just at  the restaurant I worked at but some of the other restaurants in the area.  I can remember having a cioppino in a little French restaurant with only 6 tables that tasted of the sea, sunshine and fresh fields.  We loved to go to a little clam chowder shack and have clam chowder in freshly baked bread bowls.  Not the kind you find in chain restaurants but real freshly baked tangy, tender and crunchy crusted sourdough.  I can recall a calamari dish that I can honestly claim had the most tender and flavorful calamari I have ever eaten.  I frankly have stopped ordering calamari at restaurants because it never lives up to my expectations after the calamari from Monterey Bay.  One evening when my husband and I were driving home late  I looked out over the bay and it was beautifully lit with little white lights.  Those were the calamari boats out fishing in the early hours of the morning.  It was one of the most captivating sights I have ever seen. 

We do not eat enough fish in my household these days.   I have been reading about sustainability issues and seafood and am committed to serving, to my family, more fresh fish that is sustainably farmed.  This brings me back to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and its wonderful website on sustainable fish and seafood.  You can download and print and fish and seafood buyers guide that will tell you which fish to choose for the most sustainable choice.  The Seafood and Fish Buyers Guild.

I have found out, from the seafood buyers guide, that the flounder that I  have purchased from Whole Foods is actually a recommended substitute but not the most sustainable choice.  I am now downloading the app from the Monterey Bay Aquarium so that I can know while at the store what is the best choice.

Tonight my fish entrée features flounder.  This mild tasting white fish has a sweet flavor.  If you do not like the “fishy” tasting fish then flounder is a good choice.  It has such a mild flavor that it will take on the flavors of the added ingredients.  I added some sweet grape tomatoes, sweet sun burst tomatoes, fresh thyme, rosemary, lemon juice and  minced shallots and just piled it all on top with a good drizzle of olive oil and roasted it in the oven on broil.  This is similar to the way I prepared Chicken with Feta, Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives and Fresh Herbs.

The best thing about cooking fish for dinner is it cooks quickly.  This dish took about 10 minutes to throw together and roasted in the oven on broil for 10 minutes. 

Flounder is a lean fish so you need to cook it quickly and with liquid.  The juices from the tomatoes, lemon juice and olive oil help keep the fish moist during broiling and will mix with the juice released from the fish for a light and flavorful sauce. 

Flounder with Fresh Herbs, Lemon, Tomatoes and Shallots

4 Flounder Fillets

8-10 Grape Tomatoes sliced in half lengthwise

8-10 Sun Burst Tomatoes sliced in half lengthwise

1/2 Shallot Minced

6-8 Sprigs Fresh Thyme minced

2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary minced

2 TBS Fresh Lemon Juice

2 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Pre-heat oven to broil or as high as you can set it.  I used broil setting on high.  Spread 1 TBS olive oil on bottom of baking dish.  Lay fish in a single layer on top of oil and season with sea salt and pepper.  Pour over lemon juice and top with shallots, herbs and tomatoes.  Top with remaining olive oil.  Bake for 10 minutes or until fish is completely white and flakes apart easily.

Freshly Made Blue Cheese

Posted by chefconnie in Blue Cheese, Fresh Herbs, Gluten Free, Low Carb, Side Dish, Vegetarian and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

My favorite salad dressing is blue cheese.  I love tart vinaigrettes, creamy ranch, greek feta dressing bursting with flavor and sweet and tangy honey  mustard but my hands down absolute favorite it blue cheese. 

I cannot buy it at the store because it must be made with fresh ingredients and top-notch blue cheese.

I have recently fell in love with a blue cheese from Costco.  I love Point Reyes Blue Cheese and Maytag Blue Cheese but this cheese fits nicely within my budget.  It is labeled as Kirkland Creamy American Blue Cheese seasoned with sea salt.  This creamy  blue cheese is priced at $4.49 lb. 

I  frequently serve it with bread and fresh fruit and berries or just crumbled on a salad but as blue cheese dressing it really shines.

Blue Cheese Salad Dressing

1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, milk or buttermilk

1/4 mayonnaise

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp fresh parsley minced

sea salt and pepper to taste

Mix mayo, cream, sour cream and lemon juice together in a large jar and mix with an immersion blender.  If you do not have an immersion blender mix with a bowl and whisk. 

Fold in 1/2 of the blue cheese (1/4 cup) and mix vigorously with blender or whisk.

Fold in remaining blue cheese and fresh parsley.  Season to taste.

Quick and Delish Salsa

Posted by chefconnie in Fresh Herbs, Gluten Free, Grilling, Healthy, Low Carb, Low Fat, Organic, Vegetarian and tagged with , , , , ,

Salsa is perhaps the most popular condiment in our house.  No only is it fresh, yummy and healthy but it only takes minutes to throw it together.  You can use a food processor or blender.  Just throw the ingredients in and pulse to mix.  You can blend until it is chunky or smooth which ever you prefer.  After making your own salsa you will never want to go back to the jarred ones again.

Rough chop 1/4 red onion, 1 grilled poblano pepper, 1 large handful of cilantro and add 1-2 chipotle chillies depending on how hot you want it.  Put this all in a blender or food processor.  Add one 16 oz can good diced tomatoes.  I like to use Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes.

I like my salsa a bit chunky but not too big and it will take about 6-8 pulses in the food processor.

This salsa is great right after you make it and gets even better the next day.  It does not have a long shelf life.  I recommend 3-4 days when you store it in an air tight container in the fridge. 

You can enjoy this salsa with chips, tacos (it is particularly good with grilled fish tacos), quesadillas, scrambled eggs, grilled fish, grilled chicken, grilled skirt steak, fajitas and the list could go on….

Creme Fraiche-I made it!

Posted by chefconnie in breakfast, brunch, Dessert, Fruit, Gluten Free, Low Carb, Vegetarian and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

My family loves to have creme fraiche with berries for breakfast.  Whenever I go to buy it I find I am dismayed by the price.  This is just too expensive for everyday eating.   Creme fraiche translates into fresh cream in French.  It is actually cultured cream, much like sour cream or yogurt. 

I adore both sour cream and yogurt so I decided that cultured heavy cream made from high quality heavy whipping cream should be delish beyond compare.  Boy was I right.  De-freaking-lish!

The final product came out with a velvety and smooth texture from the heavy cream and a slightly sour taste that really made it special.  I seriously have to stop eating this stuff to get a good idea of how to describe it.  There is no added sugar in this recipe but it has a slightly sweet finish to it.  There is no need to add sweetener to it because it is great alone.

Home-made Creme Fraiche

1 quart heavy whipping cream (I used Organic valley)

1 pint Greek yogurt (I used Greek Gods)

Simmer heavy whipping cream on stove top stirring to avoid scalding for 5 minutes.

Let cool on counter until cream reaches 110 degrees.

Add yogurt and whisk to fully incorporate.  Over night the yogurt cultures will begin to work on the cream and flavor and thicken it.

Cover and leave in your refrigerator over night.

It should be thick and ready to enjoy the next day.

Some ways to use home-made creme fraiche:

Made cucumber dip for greek meatballs.  Add diced cucumber (peel it first) a little fresh garlic, lemon juice and parsley.

Add fresh garlic, herbs and sea salt and pepper to make a dip for veggies.

Dollop some next to pie or cobbler instead of whipped cream.

Serve for breakfast with berries and granola.

More Tender Meat….Salt Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Posted by chefconnie in Baking, blogs to love, Fresh Herbs, Gluten Free, Healthy, Low Carb, Low Fat, Pork and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Since I have been blogging on tender meat recently I thought this recipe on salt roasted pork tenderloin was perfect.  If you have not salt roasted meat before this is a perfect recipe to start with.  Only a few ingredients and short cooking time result in a tender and delicious roast. 

I am very fond of pork tenderloin.  It is already a tender cut with great flavor and low fat but this recipe ensures that it stays very tender during cooking.   I posted a recipe on salt roasted sweet potatoes and Lula from Lula Harp commented and told me about her salt roasted pork tenderloin.  I had to try her recipe.  One of the problems with this recipe is the meat came out so good my family and friends ate it all before I had a chance to photograph the finished product.  I will update this post later with a photo of the finished product after I make this dish again. 

Salt Roasted Pork Tenderloin

inspired by Lula Harp

3 lbs of sea salt, kosher salt or regular idonized salt (I used sea salt)

Sprigs of fresh herbs such as oregano, parsley, thyme, rosemary (I used rosemary, thyme and parsley)

1 (2) lb Pork Tenderloin

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix salt and about 3-4 tablespoons water in a bowl.  Lay out a bed of the moist salt in a roasting pan.  Lay about 1/2 of your fresh herbs on the salt bed.  Put you tenderloin on top of herbs and lay remaining herbs of top of tenderloin.

Cover with remaining salt until tenderloin is encased in a bed of salt. 

As you can see in the picture I made 4 tenderloins.  The recipe is written for 1 tenderloin which is what most sane people would cook. 

Bake in hot oven for 1/2 hour or until internal read thermometer reads 160 degrees.

Let tenderloin rest for five minutes and knock of salt crust.  I rinsed my meat a bit in warm water because I could not get all of the salt off.  It was a bit salty but very tasty.  We used an asian ginger glaze to coat the meat and served with rice and veg.

More links on salt roasting…

“Salt Roasted Sweet Potatoes”-Marinating Online

“Salt Roasting-I’ts White Magic”-Los Angeles Times

“How to Salt Roast”-Serious Eats

“Salt Roasting Basics”-D’Artagnan

Meyer Lemon and Rosemary stuffed Chicken

Posted by chefconnie in Chicken, Fresh Herbs, Gluten Free, Low Carb, Meyer Lemon, Uncategorized and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Roasted Chicken is my favorite weeknight dinner. 

There are hundreds of ways to flavor and roast chicken but the one I use most frequently is one that involves stuffing the bird with whole lemon, fresh herbs and garlic.  This method is simple and delicious.  The lemon helps keep the bird moist while imparting a light lemon flavor.  You do not need to peel the garlic clove just give it a good bash with the side of your chef’s knife.

Stuff the cavity of the bird with a whole lemon that you cut 3/4 of the way down to help release the juices.  Bash up some garlic cloves and add some fresh herbs.  I like to use rosemary but you can use thyme, oregano or basil.

Pre-heat your oven to a high temperature of 425 degrees.  Wash your chicken well and dry it off.  Drying helps the skin to crisp up instead of steam.  Season with sea salt and pepper.  Tie up your chicken and stuff with the lemon, garlic and herb mixture.  Bake chicken at 425 until browned and turn temperature down to 350 to finish.  Remove chicken when internal read thermometer temperature reads 160 degrees.

Greek Lamb Salad

Posted by chefconnie in Baking, Beef, Braising, Feta Cheese, free range eggs, Fresh Herbs, Gluten Free, Greek Salad, Healthy, Kalamato Olive, Lamb, Low Carb, meatball, Uncategorized and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

After the rib fest this weekend salad seemed like a great idea.  I love the combination of lamb and feta cheese.  This recipe works well as a salad but I usually make up about 40 meatballs and freeze them for other dishes.  The meatballs work well in a curry, soup or with a tomato oregano sauce over rice. 

These meatballs are both low carb and gluten free.  I do not use any bread crumbs as a binder.  Just feta cheese, herbs, organic eggs and red wine with lots of garlic.

Bake the meatballs at a high temperature of 425 until browned and fully cooked inside about 20 minutes.

Cool in oven and serve with organic salad greens, fresh grape tomatoes, feta cheese and kalamata olives.  Drizzle the salad with good extra virgin olive oil and just a splash of red wine vinegar. 

Greek Lamb Meatballs

1 lb Ground lamb

1 lb Ground lean beef

3 cloves garlic minced fine

2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano or 1 tablespoon dried

1/2 cup good feta cheese crumbles

2 organic eggs

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup red wine

Mix everything together in a bowl and let sit in your refrigerator for 1-2 hours or until cold.  This will help all of the flavors blend and the meat to firm and keep a meatball shape better.

Shape meat into balls and bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees.  Let cool and serve with feta cheese, organic salad greens, fresh grape tomatoes, kalamata olives and greek yogurt.  Also good with grilled pita bread.

Freeze remaining meatballs for later use.

 

 

 

Perfect Ribs on the Grill…in the snow!

Posted by chefconnie in Gluten Free, Grilling, Low Carb, Ribs and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

This weekend I was craving some perfect baby back ribs that just fall off the bone with and smoky crust

My husband and I were talking about what we were going to do today.  I said to him “I am going to grill some ribs.”  He looked at me like I was crazy.  We currently have about 4 feet of snow in our yard.  He said “can you find the grill?”  “Can you find the charcoal?”  My answer was “not totally sure but I will make a huge effort.”  I adore baby back ribs cooked long and slow on the grill.  Who says it has to be a beautiful summer day to grill?  Can’t it be a beautiful winter day? Since we live in the mountains of Colorado then it makes complete sense to grill with snow on the ground.  Fire danger frequently makes summer time grilling an unwise idea. 

I had to first locate the grill and then shovel a tunnel over to it. Grill in the snow 

The process to make perfect grilled ribs takes all day so I started in the morning.  The baby back ribs needed a bit of brining to ensure tender and flavorful meat.

 After brining the ribs for 2 hours I rinsed and dried the meat put on the rub and set it aside to rest for about 45 minutes. 

Since it was a perfect snow day and we had friends over I decided to start the ribs in the oven so that they could go unattended while we played in the snow.  I left the ribs in a low oven at 300 degrees for 1 hour to go sledding.

 

The Hubby manned the grilled and piled the briquets up on the side to allow for indirect heat.

Our grill has a side compartment for indirect heat.

After the ribs had par cooked in the oven for 1 hour we put them on the grill.

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The Hubs stayed outside to man the grill in an entirely manly way!  It is not as cold as it looks.  I got the kids dry and Maddy started some of her famous hot chocolate.

After the ribs cooked on the grill for about 1 1/2 hours while we munched on fresh berries, cheese and crackers and drank red wine and laughed while watching Portlandia.  The kids were playing Spore in the other room…I will never look at cacao the same again…

Cooking, sledding, red wine, laughing and friends what a great day!

Baby Back Ribs on the Grill

When planning to serve ribs figure on 4 ribs per person.

I use baby back ribs from Costco.  I love the quality and freshness of their ribs.

Rib Brine

1 cup salt

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon garlic granulated

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Dry Rub

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons cumin

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon garlic granulated

1 tablespoon onion powder

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon italian seasonings

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Brine your ribs for 2 hours. You can either add about 2 lbs of ice to brine or put ribs back in fridge while brining to make sure they stay at a safe temperature.  Rinse and dry.  Apply dry rub and let rest for 45 minutes.  Pre-cook ribs in the oven at 300 degrees or you can put them on the grill.  This will take longer but will have a deeper smoke flavor.

When par cooking the ribs should take around 1 1/2 hours on the grill and if you choose to use the grill without pre-cooking they should take 3-4 hours.

Set up your grill with indirect heat.  Cook the ribs turning every 1/2 hour until internal read thermometer reads 200 degrees and meat between ribs is butter tender.  If you are using a wet sauce only apply the sauce in the last 15 minutes of cooking.

Let the ribs rest for 15 minutes covered with foil (loosely) before cutting and serving.

 

 

 

Super Tender and Healthy Chicken Cordon Bleu

Posted by chefconnie in Baking, Chicken, Fresh Herbs, Gluten Free, Healthy, Low Carb, Organic and tagged with , , , , , , ,

This week I have been featuring how to cook tender and flavorful chicken with bone-less, skin on chicken breast.  My daughter Maddy loves Chicken Cordon Bleu.  I wanted to make a healthier and lighter version for her with the same salty ham and cheese combo in a white meat chicken breast filet.  I used the first steps in the last two recipes but ended up rolling the filling into the breast, tying it with kitchen twine and baking it.  The result was outstanding. 

Super Tender and Healthy Chicken Cordon Bleu

Gluten Free, Low Carb and Low Fat

2 boneless skin on chicken breasts

4 oz good ham such as Cure 81

8 oz Gruyère cheese or Swiss cheese

 Sprigs of fresh thyme, rosemary or sage or all 3

Kitchen Twine

Olive Oil

Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper

1.  Pan sear chicken breast skin side down in a hot pan for 3-4 minutes and pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

2.  Dice ham and cheese and clean and cut herbs.

3.  Lay chicken breast skin side down on a cutting board with the kitchen twin underneath lengthwise and pile cheese, ham and herbs on the skin less side.

4.  Roll chicken breast and tie with twine.  This takes a little time and is just a tad bit difficult but have patience it is worth it.  Spread a small amount of oil oil on the bottom of your baking pan so that the chicken does not stick.

5.  Arrange chicken breasts in pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until skin is crispy and internal thermometer reads 160 in this thickest part of the chicken.  Do not insert thermometer into ham and cheese center but off to this side in the chicken meat for best results.

Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.