Herbed Chicken in White Wine

I had a 1/3 of a bottle of white wine left from Thanksgiving and did some searching online for a new recipe to try to use it in tonight.  I came up with this after making some adaptations to this chicken recipe that I found on allrecipes.com.   During dinner, Scott asked if we could "add this one to the meal rotation." My five year old (who is usually telling me his dinner is gross) said "Mom, you're a great cook."  I think this recipe is a keeper!

-5 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into pieces (about 3 pieces each breast)

- garlic powder to taste

- 1 package (8 ounces) fresh mushrooms, sliced

-1 medium onion, diced

-1/2-1 teaspoon dried basil (I never measure but this is approximately the amount I used)                   

-1/2-1 teaspoon dried oregano

-1/2-1 teaspoon dried rosemary

-1/2-1 teaspoon dried thyme

-1 clove minced garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder

-ground black pepper to taste (probably 1/4-1/2 teaspoon)

-1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

-1-2 cups dry white wine (I used some chardonnay)

- 1 (10.5 ounces) can chicken broth

-about 1/2 cup water and 2-3 tablespoons flour stirred together until smooth in a separate bowl

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Sprinkle chicken with garlic powder, and brown on both sides. Remove chicken to paper towels.

Add mushrooms, minced garlic and onions to pot.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender.  Add wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.  Add chicken back to pot and sprinkle in all the herbs and seasonings.  Finally, add the chicken broth.  Give it all a thorough stir to combine.  Cover and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes.  Add the flour/water mixture to pot and stir until combined.  Continue to simmer on low (this time uncovered) for another 30 minutes or until your sauce thickens a bit.

Serve over warm egg noodles or rice.   

Roasted Asparagus

This is the only way I make asparagus anymore.  All three Segal boys fight over these at the dinner table....no joke.  So, so good (and easy)!

-1 bunch thin asparagus spears, trimmed (woody stalks removed)

-a few tablespoons olive oil

-Parmesan cheese

-sea salt

-ground black pepper

Lay asparagus on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle generously with a salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese.  Toss the asparagus with your hands and make sure spears are evenly coated in oil/seasoning.  Arrange the asparagus onto the baking sheet in a single layer.  Bake at 425 degrees until tender, 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness. The spears will just be starting to brown.  I promise you'll never make your asparagus any other way!

Raspberry Walnut Baked Brie

I am obsessed with Brie.  I could eat an entire round of it in one sitting.  I just tried this baked Brie recipe off of allrecipes.com last weekend.  Loved it and it's super simple!

-1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed
-1 (8 ounce) round of Brie cheese
-1/3 cup raspberry jam (I used raspberry preserves)
-2 tablespoons chopped walnuts (I used a little more than this)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil and grease with cooking spray.  Lay the puff pastry onto the prepared baking sheet. Center the Brie wheel onto the pastry.  Spread the jam over the top of the Brie.  Sprinkle the walnuts over the jam.  Fold the puff pastry over the top of Brie, sealing the openings.  Bake in preheated oven until the pastry is golden brown, about 20 minutes.  Serve with crackers (my favorite for Brie are Table Water Crackers).

Spanish Rice

This is a recipe that is so versatile.  I usually make it with leftover taco meat. When I make tacos, I brown 2 pounds of ground beef and drain the grease.  Then, I add a packet of taco seasoning and water along with a can of black beans (drained and rinsed) and a can of corn (drained).  This is my effort to sneak a few extra veggies/fiber/protein into the kids' tacos. We usually need about 1 pound of this beef mixture for our tacos leaving the second pound for me to use for something else....like this Spanish Rice.  It can be eaten as a main dish or as a side dish. Scott has been known to pile it on top of tortilla chips to make some nachos or on top of shredded lettuce as a taco salad.  It also works well as a burrito filling.

-1 pound ground beef with taco seasoning and corn and black beans (see above)
-4 cups cooked brown rice
-1/4-1/2 cup chopped peppers (red, green, yellow...whatever you have)
-1 can diced tomatoes (or rotel)
-2 carrots, chopped (or a about 10-15 baby carrots, chopped)
-2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
-1/2 medium onion, chopped
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-shredded cheese (cojack is my fave)
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Saute onion, celery, garlic, carrots and peppers in a little olive oil until tender.  Mix in beef mixture, rice, tomatoes, salt, chili powder, and a little water.  Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes until water is incorporated.  Add more water as needed so rice doesn't burn.  When serving, sprinkle with a little shredded cheese.  I also like some jalapenos on mine.