Cookish - Throw It Together

Cookish is my new favorite cookbook! I have loved America's Test Kitchen for so long. I even applied to work there! Christopher Kimball, the author of this book, founded America's Test Kitchen, but then he created Milk Street.

Watching Milk Street cooking shows is the only thing that gets me on the treadmill every day after school. I am a recipe/cookbook junkie, and I somehow still learn something new every time I watch an episode. 

I love the places they visit and all of the unique spices they use. If you're in a cooking rut, tune in to this show or buy this cookbook!

Last night I made Za'atar Chicken and Eggplant Traybake. I've had a bag of Za'atar in the back of my spice drawer for a while (too long?), and I was so thrilled to be able to use it. I have been missing out not using this spice! The spice has this very cool lemony, sesame seedy taste that is so unique. 

I learned about this spice from Sam's Bakery, in Fall River, MA. They sell delicious meat pies using this spice. 

This spice can be difficult to find in your local grocery store. I highly recommend buying yours from The Spice House. Their prices are unbeatable, and they are the freshest you'll find anywhere. Tip: Always buy flatpacks so you don't have to pay for shipping. 

I'd show a photo of my dinner, but we ate it all before I remembered to snap a photo. This is the spice you need in your life! Za'atar also tastes great sprinkled on hummus (homemade or store bought). 

Chicken with Pesto-Mushroom Cream Sauce

Boneless chicken breast is a staple in my house, my family will attest to that. I figure it is a healthy way to get protein into our diets.

Sometimes, however, we get chickened out. How many times can you eat grilled chicken breast in a summer? Looks like I'm on my way to setting a record.

A few days ago, I made homemade walnut pesto which I used as a sandwich spread in one of our favorite sandwiches, which we affectionately call "tomato mozz". You can put fresh basil in the sandwich, or you can use pesto. Both ways make for a delicious sandwich.

Then I had a little pesto leftover. This recipe uses two of my favorite ingredients - boneless chicken breast and pesto. I modified it so that there is not much "cream" in it. If you want it to be thicker and richer, feel free to increase the cream and decrease the chicken broth. It was delicious!

Chicken with Pesto-Mushroom Cream Sauce

1-1/2 lb. boneless chicken breasts
3 T. olive oil
10 oz. white mushrooms, sliced thinly
5 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup half & half
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup pesto
2 T lemon juice

Heat 1 T. olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Cook chicken until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil.

Add 2 T olive oil to skillet and cook mushrooms until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Add half & half, broth, and chicken to skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through (about 15 minutes).

Transfer chicken to serving platter and cover with foil. Return skillet to high heat and simmer until sauce is thickened (about 5 minutes). Off heat, stir in pesto and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Easy Chicken and Dumplings

It's hard to believe that a dish like Easy Chicken and Dumplings would taste great and hit the spot at the end of June, but here we are.

I had my first bowl of Chicken and Dumplings a couple of months ago, and I couldn't believe how simple and yummy it is. Where has this dish been my whole life? Dumplings = A Yummy Treat.

I've been tweaking it and adjusting it to my family's tastes, and tonight I hit the jackpot. DB prefers boneless chicken breasts, but the kids and I love dark meat, so we got our way tonight. It's way better with dark meat, I must say.

It's such a cheat to use store-bought biscuits. When I have the time to try them from scratch, I'll let you know the results. And you may prefer to cook the carrots along with the chicken. I cook them on the side so people can add how much they want, and they don't get overcooked. Try adding onions and fresh dill.

This dish will chase your summer chills away!?!

Easy Chicken and Dumplings
1 package boneless, skinless chicken thighs (5)
3 cans lower sodium chicken broth
salt & pepper

2 T. corn starch mixed with 1/4 cup cold water

1 can Pillsbury biscuits

cooked carrots and peas on the side

Place the chicken in a Dutch oven on the stove. Cover with chicken broth. Add a little water if needed to cover the chicken. Bring it up to a boil, skimming off any scum. Then, let it simmer gently until it's cooked through. (Mine took about 45 minutes.) Then, remove the chicken and shred it with two forks. Mix the corn starch with the water, and pour that into the simmering broth. Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces. Plop them into the broth. Submerge the biscuits a little with the back of your spoon. Cover for 10 minutes at a simmer. Remove the cover and cook until the biscuits are done, about 10 minutes more. Serve with cooked carrots and peas.

My Boneless Chicken Routine and Knife Scare

Tonight we had lemon-pepper grilled chicken, but I must confess...The marinade came from a bottle! Gasp! I also made some basmati rice, steamed broccoli and a simple Romaine salad with balsamic vinaigrette. My kids even loved it. To quote my 11-year-old, "I'm a big fan of this chicken."

Boneless chicken was on sale this week in massive packages. As a wise kitchen gal, I came home and dealt with the chicken immediately. After cutting off the extra fat, I cut each breast into two pieces and pounded them a little so they would cook quickly on the grill. Knowing that I have even more of this pounded chicken in the freezer (safe in freezer bags) is quite exciting to me. They defrost quickly and cook quickly. All the work up front definitely pays off.

But get this! I almost lost my eye while I was cutting the chicken! It came as a shock when my serrated knife suddenly broke in half and flew up to my face. This knife is a good quality knife that I've had for about ten years. Let this be a warning to you! I won't tell you the name of the company until I give them a chance to respond. I was not injured but merely frightened to death. I may have some future knife phobias, however...

Update: The company, Henckels, advised me to send the knife to them, and they'd look at it. A new serrated knife arrived in the mail a short time later at no charge. However, a piece from the handle of the new knife has already broken off. It is now uncomfortable to use. I'll buy myself some new knives when I can. (Probably not Henckels, however.)

4th of July Bash

We ended up having an extremely fun party on the 4th. The food came out great and the rain held out until the end.

I served the BBQ Beef Brisket (that I had tested a few days before) and it was a hit. My best reviews to date! (Please see July 1st post for recipe.)

We had about 21 adults and 14 kids. It turns out, however, that I bought too much brisket (15 pounds). I just had too many other food choices.

I was surprised how much the brisket cost ($60). I froze some and will bring the leftovers to another party tomorrow. Here's the whole menu.

4th of July Menu:

BBQ Beef Brisket (in rolls)

Sweet Italian Sausage, Onions and Peppers

Meatballs in Marinara

Hot Dogs (for the kids, mostly)

Baked Beans

Zucchini and Tomatoes

Homemade Cole Slaw

Store bought Red Bliss Potato Salad

Garden Salad

For dessert we had sliced watermelon, cheesecake bites and brownies with ice cream.

I spent yesterday cleaning up, for the most part.

So what's the photo of, you ask? My very thoughtful neighbor brought this chicken teriyaki on skewers as an appetizer. I loved how she presented it. There was chicken on one side, and on the other skewers were: green and red peppers, onions, and fresh pineapple. They went like hot cakes! She just marinated the chicken in bottled teriyaki sauce and grilled them. Highly recommended!

Slow Cooker Vegetable Chicken Soup

In my new slow cooker, I made a soup with veggies and split chicken breast that came out quite tasty! It looks pretty, and it must be good for me.

Vegetable Chicken Soup

2 boxes low salt Chicken Broth
1 small onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
1 zucchini, diced
2 handfuls of baby carrots, each cut into 3 pieces
2 small tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 split chicken breasts, skin removed
bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

cooked rice or noodles (Pastina or orzo)
Parmesan cheese

After it is done cooking, remove the bay leaf and the bones, dice the chicken and put it back into the soup. Then stir in your cooked rice or pasta. It also tastes good if you put a few diced potatoes in there at the beginning of cooking it. I cooked mine on low for over 8 hours. Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.