Chicken Cutlets with Bacon, Rosemary, and Lemon

Wednesday night, Kate and Spencer came over to have dinner with us and to celebrate my birthday a little early.  They are moving to Michigan next week and will miss out on our other birthday plans.  They brought a delicious green salad that had lots of cheese, bacon bits, romaine lettuce, and red bell pepper, tossed with croutons and a vinaigrette.  Additionally, we had whole wheat couscous and the following main dish.

I was soo hungry that I forgot to take a photo until I was almost done eating.

CHICKEN CUTLETS WITH BACON, ROSEMARY, AND LEMON
- from Cook's Country magazine

Ingredients:
5 slices bacon, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:
1. Fry bacon in large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon with slotted spoon to plate lined with paper towels. Spoon off all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat.

2. Meanwhile, place flour in shallow dish. Season chicken with salt and pepper, dredge in flour, and shake to remove excess. Add butter to reserved bacon fat in skillet and heat over high heat, swirling to melt butter. When foam subsides, reduce heat to medium-high and cook chicken until browned on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plate, leaving fat in skillet and over loosely with foil.

3. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic, rosemary, and pepper flakes.  Cook until garlic is browned and crisp, about 2 minutes. Add broth and lemon juice, scrape up browned bits from bottom of skillet with wooden spoon, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes.

4. Return chicken and bacon to pan and simmer, turning chicken once or twice, until sauce is thick and glossy, 2 to 3 minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve.

Notes: 
1. I used chicken tenderloins instead of full breasts.  They cooked evenly and were very tender and delicious.  The only downside is that it takes longer to cook them.  I ended up adding more butter and bacon grease to get through all of the tenderloins.  

2. It is best to not have to clean puke off of your kitchen floor while the bacon is crisping.  It really makes it difficult not to burn it.  How is it that I can offer this advice?  Well, Kyle choked on a tortilla chip while in the kitchen and proceeded to puke ALL OVER THE FLOOR.  Yes, ALL OVER IT.  I managed to clean up the chunks just in time to wash my hands and prevent the bacon from burning.  After the bacon crisis was over, I was able to wet swifter the floor.  Then, Ben went to work with the Clorox wipes.  Ugh...it definitely delayed the meal.  
 

 

Monday, 2/14/2011

This afternoon, Ben and I had the pleasure of shooting his brother's engagement photos.  Whoo hoo for Kate and Spencer's upcoming nuptials!!!  Ben was the official shooter, and I was the light stand;)  We strapped Katie on my back in the ergo baby carrier and took off for a couple hours of shooting at Pike Place Market.  It didn't take long for Katie to become tired of being on my back.  After listening to her shout "down" and "walk" in my ear, I reluctantly gave her my iPod so that she could watch "Toy Story".  That was the best decision I made all day.  She didn't drop it and was mostly content with it.  

After the shoot was over, we picked up asparagus and steak at the market and headed back to our house.  I still had some work to do, so Ben was in charge of dinner.  He got the steak and asparagus on the grill and Spencer made up a batch of roasted garlic and herb couscous.  Other than a pretty big meltdown from Katie right as the food was ready to eat, we really enjoyed our meal.  We finished it off with chocolate cake.  

I used a Duncan Hines Decadent Triple Chocolate Cake mix, baked in a bundt pan, and made my own chocolate frosting.  The cake was delicious.  YUM!  The frosting was very tasty, but the texture wasn't what I was going for.  It was very dense.  I used butter, whipping cream, melted unsweetened chocolate, vanilla extract, a couple dashes of salt, and powdered sugar.  My dad recommended heating it all in the microwave for a few seconds to get everything to melt a bit.  That way, it could be spread on and would set as it cooled.  I'll have to try on the left overs;) 

Thursday, 2/3/2011

Our good friend Kalena came over for dinner tonight.  She then stayed to watch Katie for us while we went to a play at our church.  Thanks Kalena!  For dinner I served a pork roast, roasted broccoli with garlic, and couscous.  It was a pretty good meal.  I used the same recipe for the pork that we use when we make BBQ pulled pork sandwiches.  I just stopped at the point we usually start pulling and adding BBQ sauce. The pork was actually a bit dry, which was surprising.  Usually the pork is super juicy.  It could have been cooked in the crock pot too long or simply wasn't as fatty of a cut.  Either way, it was better when we poured the pork drippings over the top:)

As for the broccoli...I had two helpings!   Katie licked a piece of broccoli and said "no like it."  I tried to get her to have some pork, but she only wanted couscous.  And, she ate it with gusto.  At least she got most of it in her mouth.  Couscous is one of the messiest foods to give a toddler. 

Wednesday, 11/17/2010

We finished off the left over pork chops and couscous tonight.  I admit, we were too lazy to fix veggies to go with the meal today.  Again, Katie wouldn't try any of the pork and would only eat the couscous.  She is adorable when she says "couscous":)  She is adding more words to her vocabulary every day.

It is impossible to keep track of the words she can say.  She is still only saying a couple words together, and most combinations include the word "it".  For example: have it, want it, need it, hold it, take it.  I'm sure it won't be long before she is stringing more words together.  She is also trying to sing a bit!!!  When we listen to songs on the iPod (high-pod in Katie-speak), she will randomly shout out words she knows.  There are even a few "la, la, la's" during her favorite Caspar Babypants songs:)  What a joy she is!

Monday, 11/15/2010

We had marinated pork chops, roasted garlic and olive oil wheat couscous, and a green salad for dinner.  I marinated the pork chops in Stubb's Pork Marinade for six hours.  I broiled them in the oven on high for 7 minutes on the first side and 6 minutes on the second side.  They were cooked perfectly according to Ben:)  Couscous continues to be a big hit in our house.  Katie loves it, but it is even more messy than rice.  It gets everywhere.  I like how quickly it cooks--only five minutes after the water boils.

For our green salad, I added diced pears and glazed walnuts to sweet butter lettuce.  I dressed the salad with a delicious homemade balsamic vinegar and honey dressing.  A little of this dressing goes a long way.  I have historically used too much when I have made this salad.  Tonight I used less than normal, but it was still too much for Ben.  Even so, he gladly finished his salad.  

Wednesday, 7/21/2010

Oh, yum! Tonight's dinner was soo good! I made Foil-Wrapped Ginger Chicken, roasted garlic and olive oil couscous, and grilled asparagus. The chicken makes the house smell wonderful. Ben walked in the door after work and said "mmmm...something smells good." I'll take that as a compliment:)

I had fun plating the meal tonight. I pressed the couscous into an egg ring on the plate and then carefully stacked the chicken on top. It felt like I was on Iron Chef:) Thanks to Ben for taking this great shot of the meal!

Monday, 7/12/2010

In a little less than two weeks, Ben and I will be the photographers for our friends Laura and David's wedding. They came over tonight so that we could discuss their shot list and have dinner. We grilled bbq chicken breasts and asparagus, and I made roasted garlic couscous to go with it. For dessert I made Flaky Cherry Cobbler which we topped with vanilla ice cream. It was heavenly--if I do say so myself:)

On our way back from Spokane last week, I purchased bing cherries at the Thorp Fruit & Antique Mall. After realizing Ben wouldn't eat any of them, it seemed like a good idea to make a dessert with them. There was no way I could eat them all before they went bad. I found a recipe for the cobbler in a cookbook called "Small-Batch Baking" by Debby Maugans Nakos. All of the recipes are created for 1-2 people. I purchased the cookbook years ago and this is the first time I have actually used it. Here's the recipe:

FLAKY CHERRY COBBLER

Makes 2 cobblers; serves 2

For the Filling:
2 cups fresh Bing cherries, pitted, or frozen sweet cherries, thawed and drained
1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch

For the Topping and For Serving:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cold unsalted butter, diced
2 1/2 tablespoons cold buttermilk
2 1/2 tablespoons cold whipping (heavy) cream
Ice cream, sorbet, or topping of choice

Baking Dishes Required:
Two 1- to 1 1/2 cup ovenproof bowls or ramekins, or one 2-cup souffle dish or casserole

Directions:
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease the baking dishes with unsalted butter and set them aside.
2. Make the filling: Place the cherries and the almond extract in a medium-size mixing bowl, and toss to mix. Add the sugar and cornstarch, and toss to blend. Transfer the cherry filling to the prepared baking dishes, dividing it evenly between them. Bake until the filling is hot, 15 minutes.
3. Make the topping while the filling is baking. Place the flour, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium-size mixing bowl and whisk to blend well. Add the butter pieces and toss to coat the butter with the flour mixture. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it resembles coarse meal.
4. Combine the buttermilk and cream in a small bowl, and stire to blend. Sprinkle the buttermilk mixture over the crumb mixture, tossing it with a fork until the dough comes together.
5. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls over the hot filling to cover it. Sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar evenly over the top. BAke until the topping is golden and cooked through, 23 t0 25 minutes; a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the topping should come out clean.
6. Remove the baking dishes from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Serve warm, with your choice of ice cream or topping.

I doubled this recipe, baking in two- 2 cup ramekins. I did some ingredient prep work during the day to make it easier to put the dessert together during the evening. I combined the dry ingredients in a bowl, diced up the butter and refrigerated it, combined the buttermilk and whipping cream, made up two bowls of sugar and cornstarch--one for each ramekin, and washed and pitted the cherries. When Laura and David arrived, I started putting the dessert together. By the time we were ready to eat dinner, the cherries had cooked down and the topping was ready to be spooned on. The baking was done about when we finished eating, leaving plenty of time for them to cool while we chatted and did a little cleanup. The timing was great and the dessert was fantastic. What a perfect summer treat!

I forgot to take a photo of the cobbler tonight. I think I will have to make it again in a couple weeks when we have more company. I'll be sure to get a photo that time.

Wednesday, 6/30/2010

The last time I was at Costco, I purchased chicken tenderloins instead of chicken breasts. The breasts they sell usually come with the tenderloins attached. And, we find those are the most tender and tasty parts. When I noticed that tenders were sold separately and at $0.10 less than the breasts, it seemed like a no-brainer. I was right!

Tonight I marinated a package of the tenders for only 15 minutes and then Ben put them on the grill for 10 minutes. They were flavored throughout and were still moist and tender. I marinated them in Grill Mates Tomato, Garlic, and Basil marinade. Katie was eating her chicken faster than we could cut it up for her. Yes! She wouldn't touch the banana I cut up for her and really enjoyed drinking water out of a straw. Ben and I finished off our left-over couscous and had spinach with balsamic vinaigrette. It was a good, simple dinner.

Sunday, 6/27/2010

I was really down and out today. Not sure if I have a cold or the flu, but I was in no position to make dinner. I spent most of the day sleeping on the couch. For dinner, Ben looked up recipes for chicken drumsticks. He wanted to do something with herbs. He didn't find one he liked, so he made up his own. It was really good! I don't know how much he used of each ingredient, but I know what he used.

HERBED CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS

Ingredients:

melted butter

olive oil

garlic powder

freshly cracked black pepper

kosher salt

dried oregano

Directions:

Mix ingredients and brush onto chicken drumsticks.

Grill on indirect-medium heat for 45 minutes, turning once.

We made up a box of Near East Parmesan Couscous to go with it. It was pretty tasty. I think next time I will add in the minced garlic and green peas recommended on the box.