A Rustic Gluten Free ... Moment

I've lost track of how many years I've been baking them, the truth is--I love me some tomato tart. Especially Joanne Weir's. 

After discovering the tarts/galettes, I've got into the habit of making one for dinner about four- five times during the summer. Each baked bite tastes like all the best parts of summer-- fresh tomatoes and basil with cheese. (Swoon) 

Then, a handful of months ago, we discovered that N's gut no longer tolerates gluten. The changes weren't as life shattering as I feared. The bread is okay, not great. We've found good cookies and crackers. And most importantly,-- we've had some good luck with the gf flour blends. (Yay for pancakes!) 

We've made changes to our daily diet with good results, so why oh why was I dragging my feet about making a galette? This question caused me to have a bedtime chat with myself, "you were nervous and slightly reluctant to make your first pie crust, yet when you finally made one the world did NOT end or even shudder. Find a fekking recipe and make it, ya big baby!" And so, FINALLY, I did.

The dough was crumbly--reminded me a little of shortbread. After mixing the dough together, I did the usual wrapping in plastic wrap and resting it in the refrigerator. It improved slightly. I carefully attempted to roll it out on my old Tupperware pie crust mat. (I read something about rolling the crust out between two sheets of plastic wrap, but I was concerned about it turning into a big sticky mess.)

Without the elasticity of the gluten, the dough split apart along the outer edges (3" or so). I decided to carry on and not mess with the dough too much. I carefully distributed the mixture of cheeses and basil onto the middle 8-10" of the dough and stacked the thin sliced tomatoes on top. Bringing up the edges of the dough, to hold in the filling, was like a cut and paste project, as I tried to repair and hold together the edges, but it worked.

The end result was delicious, though the crust was more chewy than flakey. Next time I'll either add more butter or use one of Bob's Red Mill GF pie crust mixes. AND there will be a next time. 

Love, K

Roasted Miso Chicken Thighs

Round about three weeks ago I stumbled upon the first miso recipe. Not sure if I heard a story on the radio or read an article, but I was curious and Offspring-L was saying enticing and encouraging things about its uses. 

The first recipe was simply to massage the miso into chicken and roast. It did lend a nice yet very subtle flavor. I wasn't convinced. Then I spotted another recipe (below). After mixing the miso with ginger paste, rice vinegar, pepper, garlic and honey, and massaging it into chicken thighs for the barbecue, I'm in total complete food love. I keep thinking of what else I could use it for and what other combinations exist. Yes, it has become a craving.

And so, I decided to find the initial set of recipe inspirations and store the links here. If I remember, I'll add more as I find them. 

Love (to eat), K 💓

Went There 8 This

17 Ways to Make the Most Out of Miso

We So Love These 59 Miso Recipes

What Tastes Good With Miso

Search for Old Recipe Uncovers New Take

 Way back in the 80s, we used to enjoy a recipe for pork chops baked with sour cream and breadcrumbs on top. I don't know if it was the bread crumbs, the low fat sour cream or a change in cuts of pork, but the recipe eventually stopped pleasing. I began to crave it recently and set out to see if there were any variations. Yay! There are! Here's the one I found and enjoyed ... TWICE. 

Momma's Pot Roast recipe

Recently, I've been rediscovering roasts. In February, I found a recipe for a pork roast that turned out quite nice and fed us for a couple of nights --something I seem to do more of each year. Then we bought a two pack of 2.5 lb beef roasts and the first recipe I used was a disappointment. Then two days ago, I remembered Mom's old standby pot roast recipe. And it's as good as I remembered. I did make a couple of small changes--like searing all sides of the roast in my Dutch oven, before adding the veg and liquid ingredients. So good, I decided putting the recipe here will help me remember it next time around.

Mom's Roast

3-4 lb boneless beef roast (I used 2.5)

salt and pepper

3-4 halved or quartered potatoes (depending on size)

2 carrots cut into quarter inch coins

1 onion cut into fourths

1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce

1/2 cup of soy sauce

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp flour

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp of dry mustard

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. 

Trim excess fat, dry off roast with clean towel. Rub entire roast with a mixture of salt and pepper. Heat Dutch oven on medium high heat. Put on your apron and lay out your sturdy tongs. Once Dutch oven is up to temperature, add oil. Sear all sides of roast for about a minute per side. Remove roast. Turn heat down to medium. Add vegetables and cook and stir for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and remove from heat. Put roast back into Dutch oven. Add tomato sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, flour, and dry mustard to bowl, stir together and pour over roast. Stir everything in Dutch oven around to distribute mixture amongst the roast and vegetables. Cover with lid and use potholders to put Dutch Oven into preheated oven for 3 and a half hours. 

Enjoy. Love, K

Telling a Story on Myself aka "Blogging"

When N and I, were first joining forces with one another, he was also taking care of the end of his prior relationship. It ended, over a year before we met, but he hadn't finalized anything. He'd been stuck with his big feelings, over the disappointment that the person he had formed an early union with, had changed, since they both had graduated from college. End result: So much sorting of stuff and deciding who would get what--even the recipes. 

One of those recipes, has been a long time favorite in the meal rotation, but the funny thing is ... I read the recipe's title wrong the first time and ... it stuck. In the beginning, it was called, "Costless Rice", but I (mistakenly) read it wrong and began calling it Costa Rican Rice ... and it stuck. 

In our early frugal years, this recipe worked well. The discount bacon ends and ground beef (divided into half pound packages to help stretch that dime) bought at the local market, were joined with garlic, onion, tomato sauce, and bacon, to create a tasty, rib sticking meal, for the four of us. And still today, a tasty meal for two that lasts more than one night.

*Update: decided to search for that recipe, by its original name. This is what popped up: https://www.emorycottage.net/recipes/vegetables/costlessrican_rice.html

That's it. That's the story. Now ... here's that recipe:

Costa Rican Rice

2 Tbsp oil

1/2 diced onion

2 cloves diced garlic

1 cup of raw rice

2 8oz cans of tomato sauce

2 cups hot water

4 strips of bacon 

1/2 - 1 lb of ground beef or turkey

Heat oil and cook bacon until half way done, add ground beef/turkey. Stir to separate. Once bacon and turkey are nearly done, add chopped onion. When onion turns transparent, add raw rice. Saute until grains turn white. Add diced garlic, stir for 20-30 seconds, add tomato sauce and hot water. Stir to combine. Bring to low boil, cover and reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. 

Love, K 

Something Smells Delicious ...

I need to browse this cookbook more often. Currently cooking in the oven and making the house smell delicious. Thank you, chiles rellenos casserole!

 In real life ...

Turning Turkey into Enchiladas

 I've been making this, about twice a year, ever since we lived in Roseburg, though the recipe book was a part of N's collection, when we married forty-three years ago today.

It's possible that the first couple of times I made it, I added more turkey and cream cheese than was asked for. And then there were the years of reducing the fat via low-fat sour cream and Neufchatel cream cheese. Now, I pay attention to the quantities used, as well as minding our portions. Which means more dinners. Winner, winner, leftover, tasty dinner!

Love, K

Another Decade, Another Strata?

Recently, I began thinking about the strata (breakfast casserole), that I usually make (once or twice) around the holiday season. And then a memory of older sis, sharing how well rye bread toast goes with over easy eggs, popped into my head. The flavor wheels in my brain began to spin and then I did a search and found a recipe. {cue trumpeting sound} 

At first glance, the recipe looked like a winner, similar to what I was imagining in my food brain. But when it came time to make a list of needed ingredients, I noticed the first problem--"a loaf of rye bread". And, "what size of loaf are they referring to?", irritated me wondered. There were a few other problematic things, but I soldiered on.

"Breakfast Strata Recipe with Rye Bread and Sausage"

(inspired by Today's Creative Life)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Ingredients

Glass baking dish approximately 10x15--buttered

1 loaf rye bread, cut into cubes, toasted (my loaf was 24 ounces and was more than needed)

1 lb of breakfast sausage (I used 2 Jimmy Dean sausage rolls--one hot and one regular)

3 Tbsp of Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 cups whole milk

10 eggs

2 cups of spinach (I cut mine into 1/4-1/2" strips)

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 cups of Swiss cheese, grated

Instructions

1. Set your oven to 400 degrees

2. Brown sausage with sliced red onion, drain and set aside

3. In medium bowl, whisk eggs, milk, mustard, salt, pepper, spinach, and half the cheese

4. Evenly and loosely, distribute the toasted bread cubes to the baking dish, do not overfill or strata will be too dry.

5. Evenly crumble the cooked sausage and onion over bread cubes

6. Pour egg mixture over the bread, sausage and onion

7. Add other half of shredded cheese over the top

8. Cover with foil and let sit in refrigerator for 2-12 hours

9. Remove from refrigerator, while oven heats to 400 degrees

10. Bake for 50-60 minutes and let rest for 5-10 minutes

11. Cut into desired pieces, serve and enjoy

12. Let me know what I missed--seriously

Love, K

Creamy Caramelized Onion Chicken Thighs

Creamy Caramelized Onion Chicken Thighs

I never tire of searching for certain food combinations, when looking for a recipe. It's amusing to me, at how rarely I'll receive the same search results. I guess google knows how to keep things interesting? Or it's a sign of how many folks are out there posting recipes. Yeah, probably that.

The recipe above, is one of those results that was new to me. Onions, mushrooms and chicken, will often make this belly happy. I had a couple of ideas on what to change up in this recipe, but decided to make it as written the first time. I was already planning on the next version, when N suggested that perhaps I make a couple of those changes with the leftovers tonight. See why I keep him around? 

So, tonight we'll be eating this again, but with a dab of dijon mustard and a splash of sherry. Let me know how you'd change it up. Love, K

Oven Baked Pineapple Chicken Thighs

When my older sis was in high school home economics class, she brought home a couple of soon to be favorite recipes. The ink on my old recipe card has faded in several important places, so I often head out for online recipe reassurance. Monday was one of those days. Lucky me, found a baked version, without breading. I lengthened the baking time, because I like fall off the bone chicken thighs. Enjoy, Love, K

Oven Baked Pineapple Chicken Thighs

(slightly altered from Real House Moms)

--Ingredients

8 ounces pineapple (crushed or tidbits) (1 can)

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 small yellow onion peeled and diced

I red pepper chopped

I smallish carrot diced

4-6 (depending on size) boneless skinless chicken thighs

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh parsley chopped, for garnish

Green onions thinly sliced, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, stir together the pineapple, chicken stock, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, cornstarch, and garlic powder until well combined. Set aside.

Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.

Place an ovenproof skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Then add the oil. Sear the chicken thighs for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until the chicken has a golden brown color. 

Remove chicken thighs. Deglaze pan with vermouth, if needed. 

Add more oil (if needed). Add onion, red pepper, carrot. Cook and stir, until onion is transparent, And return chicken thighs to pan.

Pour the pineapple sauce over the chicken thighs. 

Then bake for 45-35 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and sauce is bubbly and thickened.

Remove the skillet/dutch oven from the oven and allow the chicken to sit 5 minutes before serving. The sauce will thicken up as it cools.

Serve warm with rice. Add chopped green onions and parsley on top, if desired.

Notes

If you don’t have an ovenproof skillet, transfer the chicken and onions to a baking dish before pouring the sauce on top. Then bake as directed.

Chicken and Broccoli

Every single time I'm in the mood to make chicken and broccoli, I can't find the last recipe I used. Which usually means that that last recipe failed to amuse our taste buds. And so, off I go, looking for the elusive, perfectly suited recipe. This time, a recipe for chicken alfredo with broccoli, stood out. Mainly, because they didn't use a can of soup in place of making your own roux. 

But the recipe called for shells and I wanted to serve the dish with rice. No big deal, yet I was concerned I'd lose this recipe too, all because one day I'd look at that sheet of paper and exclaim, "I don't usually make recipes using shells". So here we go, writing it out for myself and hoping it makes enough sense for someone else to find their way.

Prep: Chop half an onion, cut up 2 cups of broccoli to desired size, shred a cup of parmesan cheese, cut up 2 cups of rotisserie/cooked chicken, mince 2-3 cloves of garlic, set out one ounce of cream cheese (if desired), one teaspoon Italian seasoning, measure out and set aside, 1/2 cup half and half with 1&1/2 cups of chicken broth, cook rice.

Oh, and since our historic ice storm, our oven has been out of action. I made this using an electric skillet.

Saute onions, in olive oil, over medium heat for 4-6 minutes or until translucent, add minced garlic for last 30 seconds. Scoop onions and garlic into a bowl.

Add 3-4 cups of water, bring to boil, add broccoli, cover, cook for 4-7 minutes, according to broccoli preference. Strain--save water for cooking rice, if you wish.

Gently toast 2 Tbsps of flour over medium heat, for one minute, add 2 Tbsp of olive oil, stirring constantly with a fork, for two minutes.

Add 1 oz of cream cheese, mash into roux. Gradually stir in a mixture of 1/2 cup of half and half and 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth, while constantly stirring. When thickened, add broccoli, onions and cooked rice. Add chicken broth if needed. Serve over rice. Enjoy.

And this is where I start wondering what detail I left out. Please let me know. Love, K

Hot Browns for the Win

I don't know if it's true, but it feels like I've been thumbing through the cookbook collection more often in this past pandemic year. I happened across this recipe last week. And with some leftover rotisserie chicken in the refrigerator, the timing was right. 

I only used 4 slices of bread, and a little less bacon, and it was delightful. Makes me wonder if the amazing BLTs, I used to get from a small cafe years ago, had some worcestershire sauce and parmesan in the mayo. 

If the recipe is too difficult to see, I might scan instead of using this photo. Let me know. Love, K

 

Breakfast Strata

 Way back, in the last half of the eighties, our wee crew was living in Roseburg. That welcoming community, that made us feel right at home, also made sure we were involved. And the main involvement for both N and I, was at Melrose Elementary. Before we knew it, we were involved in raising funds for a bell tower and I was being urged to take a position in the PTO.

One of the big yearly events, was a volunteer breakfast, that the PTO board put on for all of the school volunteers. And that's when I learned about breakfast strata. Susan Yoder, PTO president and encourager of others, had invited me to her house (the day before the breakfast) to help put together the stratas. I was impressed with her ability to estimate how much to purchase and how to divvy up the ingredients on the fly, for such a large group.

The tasty and easily changeable casserole, was something I decided to add to our family recipe file. I'm not sure how it was relegated to Christmas morning breakfast and eventually included Thanksgiving, but it made the enjoyment slightly special. (Maybe that was my plan.)

Now, I prefer making skillet strata--they're smaller and are put together and baked at the same time, rather than sitting in the refrigerator overnight. Plus, making them more often than twice a year, has placed that recipe in my memory--the recipe now is rarely needed ... unless I'm thinking of making a change up of ingredients and want to see what others have done. 

There are oodles of recipes out there. Go find one that matches your belly and your larder. Lykkelig å spise! 

Love, K

Rotisserie Chicken: And How Many Days it Can Feed Two

     Oh boy, do I enjoy Costco's rotisserie chicken. So moist, so tasty, and a bit on the buff side. It's sustained us for many quick dinners and chicken salad lunches. There are other businesses doing the same, but their chickens tend to look scrawny next to the "pumped up" Costco version.

     The first dinner, is usually (depending on time of day of purchase) rotisserie chicken with veg and baked potatoes. Since there's just the two of us, after dinner, I remove all of the leftover chicken from the carcass. It tastes better removed, than if I left it on the carcass. Perhaps this is a personal preference. {shrug}

     I have some favorite uses of those moist, tender, leftovers--not counting how I like to dip a small piece in mayo to nosh on. One of my favorite, is (what I affectionately refer to as an accidental dinner) a combination of onion, garlic, chicken, rice, tomato, black beans, chicken broth-- seasoned with oregano, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes. I try to make just enough to be sure there will be lunch leftovers to stuff into flour tortillas.

     Then there's chicken and cauliflower over rice: I trim and prep the cauliflower into bite size or slightly smaller pieces, place on sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil and season lightly with coriander and ginger and salt. Massage together. And roast in 425 degree oven for approximately 12-17 minutes. Then I saute onion and red pepper, add rice, diced chicken, chicken broth. Season with cumin, coriander and chili powder to taste. Add cauliflower when roasted.

     Chicken Alfredo with broccoli (so many recipes for different tastes available out there, but here's one...) https://www.thekitchn.com/make-these-chicken-alfredo-shells-tonight-244597

     Tomato, Spinach, Chicken Spaghetti, is another recipe with plenty of options. I sub pesto for the basil: https://juliasalbum.com/tomato-spinach-chicken-spaghetti/

     But, barbecue chicken sandwiches, might be my favorite. It's a situation when the barbecue sauce, and bread matter . . . a lot. Bacon can add a little something extra, as well as some nice thick tomato slices on top of the spinach leaves, and don't forget that sour dough and a bit of horseradish sauce. Sometimes I'll add a slice of Monterey Jack cheese on top--telling myself that it's all about keeping the chicken from falling off the bread.

     What's your favorite use of rotisserie chicken? Because I'm always looking for another good recipe.

   

One Pot Chicken Broccoli Rice

There are months when all I seem to do is search for some new recipe that will be 'life altering'? ;>)
My life hasn't changed much since I made this recipe, but it's definitely a keeper. I tried the author's link to another recipe (Easy Chicken Spinach Mushroom Skillet), but the link is no longer active and she hasn't answered my email. I found another similar recipe and it was also very tasty. If I remember, you'll find the recipe below. But for now, enjoy the following recipe.

Here are the changes I made:
I roasted the broccoli and onion (less fat and more flavor imo) before adding to recipe.

One Pot Chicken Broccoli Rice
Traci Antonovich

Ingredients

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 cup Onion (1 small onion diced)
2 Garlic cloves (finely grated)
1 cup White Long Grain Rice (uncooked)
1 1/4 cup Milk (fat content your choice)
1 1/4 cup Chicken Broth
1/2 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Black Pepper
2 cup fresh Broccoli (bite-sized pieces)
1 cup rotisserie Chicken Breast (shredded)
1/2 Lemon (for serving)
1 Tbsp fresh Parsley (chopped)
Instructions

In a large, nonstick skillet on medium flame, heat OLIVE OIL until shimmering (about 2 min).
Add ONION and GARLIC; sauté until tender and fragrant (about 3 min).
Add WHITE RICE; continue heating until moisture is removed and rice becomes fragrant and lightly toasted, stirring as needed (about 3 min).
Add MILK, CHICKEN BROTH, SALT, and PEPPER; stir to combine; adjust flame to HIGH and come to a gentle boil (takes about 3 minutes).
Cover skillet, turn flame to medium-low, and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
Add BROCCOLI and CHICKEN BREAST to the surface of the rice (but DON’T stir into rice yet); cover and simmer 10 more minutes to steam everything.
Remove lid, toss everything together; squeeze fresh LEMON over entire surface; top with PARSLEY; serve warm.
Notes

The rice in this dish likes to soak up the moisture even after it’s cooked, so just before serving, I recommend adding small amounts of milk (or water) to promote creamy consistency, especially when reheating leftovers.

Creamy Chicken & Spinach Skillet Dinner

This is the recipe I referred to, but may have been looking at another for flavor ideas at the same time. I used rotisserie chicken, red pepper flakes and parmesan for the cheese
Recipe #2

Ingredients
6 thighs boneless, skinless
1 Tablespoon oil
1 Tablespoon butter
8 oz mushrooms sliced
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon garlic crushed
1/2 cup cream heavy or whipping cream
1/2 cup Swiss cheese shredded
2 cups spinach chopped
Instructions
Heat a large skillet to medium high and add the olive oil.
When hot, brown the chicken thighs on both sides. This should take about 3 minutes per side.
Take out the thighs and set aside. Add the butter and sliced mushrooms and brown for about 3-5 minutes.
When the mushrooms are browned, add the broth, thyme and garlic and mix well.
Add back the chicken, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes over medium heat.
Take out the thighs to make this part easier. Add in the cheese and cream and mix well until the cheese is melted.
Take off the heat and add in the spinach. Mix and then pour over chicken thighs or add the thighs back to the skillet if serving from the skillet.
Serve as is for a low carb dinner or over egg noodles.

Crunchy Cornmeal and Tomato Galette

The following recipe is from JoanneWeir.com
The only reason I've added it to my blog is the hope I never lose it. I've made this recipe over 4 times this summer (sorry, summer is now over, but I'm in denial), because it's so dang delicious.
Thank you, Joanne.

Crunchy Cornmeal and Tomato Galette

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour, frozen for 1 hour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal or polenta, frozen for 1 hour
Coarse salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into  1/2" pieces, frozen for 1 hour
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 ounces coarsely grated mozzarella
3 ounces coarsely grated fontina
1/4 cup basil leaves, cut into thin strips
3 ripe but firm medium tomatoes, cored, thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
Place the flour, cornmeal and ½ teaspoon salt on a work surface.  Add the butter to the flour and with a pastry scraper, cut the butter until it is the size of peas and oatmeal.

Alternately this step can be done in a food processor by pulsing several times

Whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and 1/3 cup ice water and add a tablespoon at a time using a fork to toss and distribute the water.  Add water until the dough holds together.  If you use all the water, add additional water, a teaspoon at a time, until it holds together.   Let rest 30 minutes in the refrigerator or overnight.

Preheat oven to 400oF.

Roll the dough on a floured surface to make a 12" circle.  Trim the edges to make a rough circle shape.  Place on a baking sheet.  This can be done several hours in advance and stored in the refrigerator until ready to finish.

In a bowl combine the mozzarella, fontina and basil.  Spread the cheese over the dough leaving a 2" border around the edge.  Place the tomatoes over the cheese overlapping slightly.  Season with salt and pepper.  Fold the uncovered edge of the pastry over the cheese, pleating it to make it fit.  There will be an open hole in the center.  Bake until golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes.  After 5 minutes, slide the galette off the pan and onto a serving plate.  Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or room temperature.

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

Thanks to daughter Fran, whenever I try a recipe that features broccoli, carrots, squash or cauliflower, my first impulse is to prep and roast in the oven. I enjoy the taste of the caramelization that occurs during the roasting process. She also taught me that chicken is more tender and juicy cooked whole (breasts or thighs) and cut for recipes after a short rest.

Here's what you need:

2 chicken breasts
2+ cups of broccoli (approximately)
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 cloves of garlic
Salt
Pepper
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp (or more) olive oil
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup cream
1 1/2+ cups of chicken broth
3 cups of Casarecce or Penne pasta

Let's begin:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Prep broccoli by cutting into pieces you feel comfortable eating in a casserole type dish. I like mine fairly small. Place cut broccoli onto a full size (18x26) baking sheet pan, ideally with a silicone mat. Add about 1 Tbsp of olive oil, 1/4 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 of ground pepper, toss together.

Prep chicken breasts with a thin coating of olive oil along with a few grinds of salt and pepper on both sides. Add to a small foil lined baking dish.

Place both the broccoli and chicken breasts into the preheated oven. In my oven, both are usually done after 20 minutes, depending on size of broccoli and whether chicken breasts are completely thawed. I like my broccoli to be a medium golden brown around the edges. Check temperature of chicken after 15 minutes. Once it's up to 100 or so degrees, cooking can be complete within 5 minutes. Be sure not to cook it beyond 155-160 degrees.

While the broccoli and chicken cook, finely shred both the Parmesan and Monterey Jack cheese and mince garlic.

You can begin to make the roux during this time:

Heat a large non-stick skillet or dutch oven over medium low heat. Pre-measure your cream and broth to have ready. Heat large pot of water for pasta.
Add flour to dutch oven/skillet. Stir for approximately 1 minute. Add butter, olive oil and minced garlic. Using a wire whisk, stir constantly for approximately 2 minutes or until you can smell the garlic. Begin to slowly add the cream while stirring constantly. The mixture should begin to thicken. Do the same with the broth. Add more broth if the consistency seems too thick for a white sauce. Turn heat down to low, stir in shredded cheese until melted. Turn off heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook and drain pasta--saving a cup of pasta water in case dish needs more moisture once all the ingredients have been added.

When chicken is done and has rested for 5 minutes, use a sharp knife and fork to slice. I slice each breast in half, lengthwise and then 1/4+ slices crosswise.
Add pasta to cheese sauce, stir to coat. Then add chicken and broccoli. Stir to coat. Be sure to taste. Adjust salt and pepper as needed or add a few dashes of red pepper flakes for a bit of heat.

Bacon Corn Chowder

Usually a search for a recipe becomes having to choose between several versions, because they all sound calorie worthy. This was not the case when I did a search for corn, potato, bacon, chowder.
90% of the recipes that populated my results used 'cream of something' soup, canned potato soup or pre-cooked bacon. I understand that's simply the way some people cook, but 90% of the results? Ugh.

Thankfully, I finally stumbled upon the following recipe after I tweaked my search terms for the 5th time. It's a keeper AND I only made one change--a bay leaf. Almost forgot to add: beer bread was a nice accompaniment.

Bacon Corn Chowder

Author: Dara
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
8 oz smoked bacon, diced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cup frozen yellow corn
1lb white or red potatoes, washed and chopped into 1″ chunks
3 cups low sodium chicken (or vegetable) broth
1 cup half and half
1 tsp salt
1.5 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp fresh thyme, washed
1 tbsp fresh chives, washed and chopped

Instructions
In a large soup pot or dutch oven, saute onion, celery, and bacon in olive oil on medium heat for 5-6 minutes, until softened
Add corn, potatoes, stock, salt, pepper, and paprika
Cover and bring to a boil
Reduce heat and simmer on med-low 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender
In a food processor, puree 1.5 cups of chowder with 1 tbsp of flour
Whisk pureed mixture back into chowder
Add half and half, thyme and chives
Cover and simmer on med-low for another 10 minutes
Serve hot with chives and black pepper

Korean Grilled Shortribs

All summer I have kept my eyes open for flanken cut beef short-ribs at Winco. On Friday, there they were. I scooped them up into my cart for dinner and then Fran found the following marinade online.
This was the best version we've ever eaten--which is why I'm leaving the recipe here. I don't want to forget it. :)

Kai Bi (Galbi) - Korean Grilled Beef Short Ribs

Marinade:

1/2 cup natural brewed soy sauce
1 small onion
1 small Nashi (Asian) pear or semi sweet apple
6 cloves garlic
1 inch fresh ginger
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar or 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons honey
4 spring/green onion
2 teaspoons pure toasted sesame seed oil
1 tablespoon rice wine
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
water as needed

We put the marinade in a plastic bag with the ribs for an hour and then grilled them over charcoal.

Chicken Thighs Baked with Lemon, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme

It's either my cravings or the need to use a certain ingredient that cause me to search and find recipes like the following. But mainly my cravings.

This particular recipe made me realize I need to replace our mortar and pestle. The small bowl on the food processor is usually the tool of choice for this type of task, but it's not efficient when there aren't enough ingredients in the bowl. 

Also, I used boneless, skinless thighs to make this. Next time I'll use thighs with their bone, but remove the skin. I believe thighs have enough flavorful fat on their own.

Enjoy this keeper from Fine Cooking dot com:

Chicken Thighs Baked with Lemon, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme

In addition to the lemon and fresh herbs, the chicken thighs are flavored with an emulsified mash of garlic, salt, and olive oil, called allioli. I like to garnish each plate of chicken with a spoonful of romesco sauce.

2 large cloves garlic

Coarse salt or sea salt

3 to 4 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

12 chicken thighs, trimmed of fat, rinsed, and patted dry

2 large lemons, each cut into six 1/4-inch rounds

1 bunch fresh rosemary, snipped into twelve 2-inch pieces

1 bunch fresh thyme, snipped into twelve 2-inch pieces

12 sage leaves

Freshly ground black pepper

Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic with a large pinch of salt to create a coarse paste (or use a small mixing bowl and the back of a spoon, or mince the garlic very finely on a cutting board). Add the oil very slowly in drops while pounding and grinding the paste, continuing until the allioli is thick, creamy, and emulsified. Put the chicken in a bowl. Rub the allioli all over, including under the skin. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

Heat the oven to 425°F and set an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Arrange the lemon slices in one layer in a large shallow roasting pan or baking dish (9x13x2 inches is good). Top each slice with a piece of rosemary and thyme and a sage leaf. Set the chicken thighs, skin side up, on top; sprinkle them generously with salt and pepper. Bake until the skin is golden and the juices are clear, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Sometimes the lemons and chicken produce a lot of juices, in which case you can make a delicious pan sauce. Transfer the chicken (keeping the herbs and lemon slices underneath) to a plate and cover loosely with foil. Tilt the pan to pool the juices in one corner. Spoon off the fat that rises to the top. Set the pan over medium heat (if the pan isn't flameproof, pour the juices into a small skillet) and scrape up any stuck-on juices. Let the juices boil and reduce so they thicken to a saucy consistency. Drizzle the sauce around, not on, the chicken to maintain the crisp skin.