Linguini with Shrimp and Lemon Oil - Inspiration from Giada De Laurentiis

I was inspired to make this dish not too long ago while watching Giada De Laurentiis’ show on Cooking Channel, “Everyday Italian”.  As always, she made it look super easy to prepare (which it was) and it looked delicious – so I “pinned” the recipe to make sure I tried it.

When I initially did the grocery shopping, I purchased arugula to use in the dish but then it ended up being almost a week before I actually made it.  At that point, I had already used the arugula in a salad before it spoiled.  It was OK without it – but next time I will definitely make sure I have some.  I made a couple of other modifications here and there based upon what I already had in my kitchen and my version of the recipe is below.  If you'd like to check out the original recipe, you can follow this link.

My entire family loved this!  I hope you will prepare for yours as well!

Linguini with Shrimp and Lemon Oil
Serves 4-6
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

For the Lemon Oil:
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, zested

For the Pasta:
1 pound linguini pasta (I use whole wheat)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup diced onion
16 ounces frozen shrimp, peeled and deveined
¼ cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 lemon, zested
½ cup champagne
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried parsley

For the lemon oil, combine the olive oil and the lemon zest in a small bowl and reserve.

For the pasta, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8-10 minutes.  Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet warm the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the shrimp and cook until pink, about 5 minutes.  Add the cooked linguini, lemon juice, lemon zest, champagne {carefully!} salt, and pepper.  Toss to combine. 

Using a mesh sieve, strain the lemon zest out of the reserved lemon oil and add the oil to the pasta.  The zest can be discarded.  Add some of the cooking water to desired consistency.  Add the dried parsley to the pasta and toss to combine.  Serve immediately.

Popovers - A Family Favorite

I made these popovers for the first time and my boys loved them, they were a favorite of mine and my brother's growing up.  My mom still has the page of this recipe out of the September 1973 edition of Family Circle that she cut out and saved. 

My mom always makes these on a baking sheet in individual custard cups.  Since I have about a dozen of the same custard cups, I did the same.  I considered buying a popover pan, but decided that the last thing I needed to store in my kitchen, was another pan.  A muffin pan can be used as well.

At school, my 7 year old is learning about properties and matter in science, so he was especially interested in the chemical change these took on as they baked. 

For best results, make sure the eggs and milk are both at room temperature before mixing.  It is also really important to ensure the greased muffin pans (or custard cups) are sizzling hot before the batter is added.  I let my butter heat a little too long and wound up with browned butter, but it was still OK – just avoid burning it!

 

Popovers
Makes 10-12 Popovers

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten (room temperature)
1 cup milk (room temperature)
1 ½ teaspoons plus ¼ - ½ teaspoon melted margarine, melted butter, or beef drippings (I told you recipe was old!)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  While you are making the batter, heat muffin pan (preferably iron), adding between ¼ - ½ teaspoon melted butter or other fat to each muffin cup.  You want the pan and grease hot – but not burned.  My mom used custard cups on a baking sheet for years; I own a dozen of the same glass custard cups, so did the same.  Popover pans are now available – but I really didn’t need another pan to try and store somewhere in my kitchen. 

To make the batter, add sifted flour and salt into a deep bowl and make a well in the center.  Add 2 eggs to the well with ½ cup milk, and 1 ½ teaspoons melted butter or other fat.  Slowly stir flour into liquids until mixture is fairly smooth and like sour cream.  Stir in additional ½ cup milk.  Mixture should be smooth but not over beaten and should be the thickness of heavy sweet cream. 

Once the cups are sizzling hot, fill each one about 2/3 of the way with batter.  Bake in a very hot oven (450 degrees) for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees, and bake another 20 minutes. 

Whatever you do, do not open the oven door.  When done, remove from pan and prick a small hole on each side of the popover so that steam can escape. Otherwise, the popovers may turn soggy inside.
 
Lastly - enjoy with your family and watch their faces light up with happiness! 

Chicken and Dumplings

I used to watch a TON of cooking shows on the Food Network - but now I rarely have the time.  I barely have time to keep up with what's in my DVR queue between reality TV, sit coms, and prime time dramas!  On occasion, I will put them on the list to be "DVR'd" - one that I recently watched was Tyler's Ultimate where he made chicken and dumplings and an apple brown betty.  Both looked amazing - I had high hopes of making both in one day, but that just didn't happen.  For tonight's dinner: chicken and dumplings, recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence.

The hubby has made chicken and dumplings a few times, but it certainly hasn't been in the rotation of meals for awhile.  There are less labor intensive ways of going about this (chicken breasts, canned broth, Bisquick) but I wanted to follow the Tyler Florence way and make it from scratch.  I know the recipe is long - please don't be intimidated by it!  If I could make it today, then so can you!

It was delicious, my boys preferred the chicken over the dumpling, but they are meat lovers so I wasn't terribly surprised.  I hope you give this dish a try and let me know how yours turns out!

Chicken and Dumplings
Serves 6-8
Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence

Chicken and Stock:
1 (3 to 3 1/2 pound) whole chicken (Tyler Florence uses organic)
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs thyme
4-5 black peppercorns
1 head garlic, split
2 tablespoons salt

Buttermilk-Chive Dumplings:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup chopped chives

1 cup buttermilk

 

Sauce:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons oil

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1/2 cup diced yellow onion (Tyler uses frozen pearl onions when peas go in, I am not a fan)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

6 cups chicken stock

1 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup heavy cream

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper, for garnish

Chopped chives, for garnish

 

For the stock:

Place the chicken and all stock ingredients in a Dutch oven or large stock pot and cover with water. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour until the chicken is tender. Skim the surface of fat and scum as it cooks.

When done remove the chicken to a cutting board. Strain the stock and shred the meat into big pieces - the stock will be used for the sauce and the chicken will be folded into it.

For the dumplings:
Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, using a whisk, lightly beat the eggs, chives and buttermilk together; pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold. Mix just until the dough comes together; the batter should be thick and cake-like.

For the sauce:
To prepare sauce: In a Dutch oven or large stock pot, over medium heat, add the butter and oil. Add the carrot, celery, onion, garlic, and bay leaves and saute until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Continue to stir and cook for 2 minutes to coat the flour and remove the starchy taste. Slowly pour in the chicken stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add frozen peas.  Add salt to taste.

Let sauce simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Stir in heavy cream.

Fold the reserved shredded chicken into the sauce and bring up to a simmer. Using 2 spoons, carefully drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dumpling batter into the hot mixture. The dumplings should cover the top of the sauce, but should not be touching or crowded. Let the dumplings poach for 10 to 15 minutes until they are firm and puffy. Taste test your dish and add salt as needed.  Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season with freshly cracked black pepper and garnish with chopped chives before serving.

Lemon Garlic Grilled Shrimp with Fingerling Potatoes

My family has been antsy about more steak and shrimp for dinners and less chicken.  I tend to lean towards chicken because it is "easy" - but really, it is "easy" to prepare steak and shrimp dishes too!  My boys LOVE the steak bites the hubby prepares - seriously, I told him the last time he needs to start buying more filet to prepare those because I swear I only get like 4 bites!

Tonight I decided to make one sauce and toss both my grilled shrimp and boiled fingerling potatoes in that sauce.  Seemed to work out pretty well for me.  For the four of us, I made too many potatoes and not enough shrimp - would definitely balance it out better next time!  We also served steamed carrots with this - my boys are suckers for carrots so they are on the dinner table frequently.

I also included some very yummy Guava Garlic Salt to the sauce that we purchased during our recent visit to Kauai from Salty Wahine Gourmet.  Certainly regular garlic salt is fine here, but the guava adds a little bit of sweetness to the salt!

The other bonus about tonight's dinner?  It was our first night since summer ended that we dined al fresco - this is a favorite for my family!  I paired my meal with a Rodney Strong Sauvignon Blanc - it was convenient as I also used it in my butter/garlic sauce.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Oh - and one more thing....today's my dad's 70th birthday!  Happy Birthday Dad!  Hope you enjoyed YOUR steak dinner tonight!

Lemon Garlic Grilled Shrimp with Fingerling Potatoes
Serves 4

2 pounds raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes, scrubbed and sliced in half lengthwise
1/3 cup olive oil, plus extra to brush the shrimp before grilling
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 lemon, cut in half
1 teaspoon Guava Garlic Salt (or regular garlic salt)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional - I opted not since my boys were eating it)
1/4 cup white wine
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup kosher salt
Skewers (1 for every 4 pieces of shrimp - if using bamboo, soak in water for about 30 minutes before adding shrimp)
2 -3 tablespoons chives, for garnish

Start by filling a 6 qt pot full of water and add the kosher salt.  Bring to a boil and once the salt has dissolved, add the fingerling potatoes.  Cook over a gentle boil for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Once you have added the potatoes, start your grill over high heat.  While the grill is heating, skewer your shrimp - tail to body, make a "C" on the skewer with the shrimp.  Put about 4 shrimp on each skewer ensuring there is space between each one.  Once skewered, head back out to the grill and make sure the grates are clean.  Before adding your shrimp to the grill, brush each side of the shrimp with some olive oil to prevent sticking. 

While the shrimp and potatoes are cooking, it's time to start your lemon, garlic, butter sauce (ahh..heaven!).  In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add your 1/3 cup olive oil and garlic.  Cook garlic for a few minutes then squeeze 1/4 of the lemon into your sauce.  Add salt/pepper to taste as well as the crushed red pepper.  Cook for 1-2 minutes then add 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter.

Don't forget about your shrimp.  Once they have been on the grill for about 5-6 minutes, flip them over.  The larger your shrimp, the longer they will take to cook. 

Once the 2 tablespoons of butter have melted in your sauce, add the garlic salt and 1/4 cup white wine.  Cook for 1-2 minutes.  Then add your final 2 tablespoons of butter.  Simmer until butter is melted, turn off heat.

When your potatoes are fork-tender, drain them and place them back into the pot.  Spoon some of the butter sauce over them and toss, plate them, and garnish with chives.

Remove your shrimp from the grill once cooked, spoon some of the butter sauce over them and toss, plate them, and garnish with chives.

I didn't add all of the sauce - I served the remaining on the side. 

Chilled Sesame Noodles with Shrimp and Lime

I've been on a bit of a Thai kick in the kitchen lately....I recently made this Chilled Sesame Noodles with Shrimp and Lime dish that originally came out of my Colorado Colore cookbook from the Junior League of Denver.  I added a few more ingredients (carrots, edamame, and black sesame seeds) to my dish and the hubby and I both thought it was delicious.  Not such a hit with my boys....I think it was the cold noodles, not something they are used to!

Chilled Sesame Noodles with Shrimp and Lime
Serves 6
Adopted from the Colorado Colore cookbook from the Junior League of Denver

16 ounces fine multigrain noodles
2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil (or enough to coat noodles)
1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste
1 small garlic clove, chopped
1/2 cup (about) hot water
8 ounces shrimp, cooked and peeled
1 cup ming bean sprouts (I couldn't find any bean sprouts at the grocery store so didn't include)
4 green onions with tops, finely chopped
1/2 cup edamame, shelled
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
1 lime, cut into wedges

Cook the noodles using package directions, drain.  Toss the noodles with the sesame oil in a bowl.  Chill, covered for at least 2 hours or for up to 24 hours.

Combine the peanut butter, fish sauce, 2 tablespoons lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, hot sauce, and garlic in a food processor.  Process until smooth.  Add the hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until the sauce is the consistency of heavy cream, processing constantly.  You may cover the sauce at this point and set aside for several hours.

To serve, toss the peanut sauce, chilled noodles, shrimp, bean sprouts, edamame, carrots, and green onions in a bowl until coated.  Sprinkle with the peanuts and top with lime wedges.  Squeeze limes over to taste. 

Brined Roast Chicken with Harvest Loaf Panzanella

This was a tasty dish!  After the first bite, my older boy said "this is really good chicken, Mom!"  You will be required to plan ahead a little bit as the chicken needs to sit in the brine overnight and quite a bit of time is needed to roast it.  But it was worth it! 

I found the recipe in the Food & Wine Annual Cookbook 2012 and pretty much followed it - making a few modifications.  I only made one chicken and the cookbook calls for two.  I also thought olive bread would be easier to find.  Instead for the panzanella, I used a Harvest Bread from Fresh and Easy that was probably a healthier option!  Plus I know I have a lot of non-olive loving followers out there!  This was a hearty wheat loaf made with flax, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds - it was a favorite at the table too. 

With a salad on the side, this made a very nice family dinner for us tonight!

Brined Roast Chicken with Harvest Loaf Panzanella
Serves 4
Adapted from the Food & Wine Annual Cookbook 2012

2 quarts tepid water
1 cup dry white wine
2 heads of garlic, halved crosswise
1/2 cup kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 orange, thinly sliced
5 rosemary sprigs, plus 1 teaspoons chopped rosemary
1 three and a half pound chicken
1 loaf of good bread, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons melted butter

In a very large pot, combine the water, wine, garlic, 1/2 cup of kosher salt, 2 tablespoons of pepper, lemons, orange, and 2 rosemary sprigs.  Stir to dissolve the salt.  Put the chicken in the brine, breast side down.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Chicken in the brine

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry.  Put the chicken in a roasting pan, breast side up.  Stuff the remaining 3 rosemary sprigs into the cavity of the chicken and tie the legs together.  Season lightly with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the chopped rosemary.  Roast for 30 minutes.  Add 1/2 cup water to the pan and roast at 375 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes longer, rotating the pan every 15 minutes, until the juices run clear.

Lift the chicken and tilt them to let the cavity juices run into the pan.  Transfer the chicken to a carving board and keep warm.  Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees.  Add the bread cubes and melted butter to the pan, toss well.  Spread the bread in an even layer and bake in the upper third of the oven for 5-10 minutes, until crisp on top and moist underneath.  Note:  cookbook calls to cook for 20 minutes, my bread crisped very quickly!  Carve the chicken and serve with the panzanella. 

Note: Food & Wine recommended a lemony, floral Greek white:  2010 Tselepos Mantinia Moschofilero with this dish. 

Shrimp Pad Thai

I made this dish tonight, not only was it delicious - but it was super quick to make!  One of my boys enjoyed the shrimp and not the noodles and the other was just the opposite.  If you know my boys, I'm sure you can figure out the favorite for each one! 

This recipe was in the Food & Wine Annual Cookbook 2012 and I made some slight changes to it.  Most of them because of what I had in my refrigerator!

Give this one a try - I think you'll like it!

Shrimp Pad Thai
Serves 4
Adapted from the Food & Wine Annual Cookbook 2012

8 ounces pad thai noodles, preferably A Taste of Thai or Thai Kitchen brands
2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about the juice of 1 1/2 - 2 limes), plus lime wedges for serving
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 Thai bird chiles or 1 serrano chile with seeds, stemmed and thinly sliced (optional)
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 large shallots, thinly sliced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
12 ounces shelled and deveined medium shrimp (I used small - easier for the boys to eat!)
2 large eggs, beaten
4 scallions, thinly sliced (not pictured here, I didn't have - would have liked to have included them, used about 2 tablespoons of chopped white onion instead)

For Serving:
Roasted peanuts, chopped cilantro, shredded carrots, bean sprouts, sesame seeds

Put the pad thai noodles in a very large bowl and cover them with very hot water.  Let the noodles soak while you do the rest of the prep work until they are pliable. 

In a small bowl, whisk the fish sauce with the lime juice, light brown sugar and sliced chiles.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the canola oil until shimmering.  Add the shallots and garlic and cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.  Drain the pad thai noodles in a colander and shake the excess water off of them.  Add them to the pan and stir-fry with the shallots and garlic until the noodles are heated through, about 2 minutes.  Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally until they begin to curl and turn pink.

Scrape the noodles and shrimp to one side of the pan and add remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the empty side of the skillet.  Add the beaten eggs and cook, stirring occasionally, until nearly set, about 1 minute.  Add the sliced scallions and toss everything together, keeping the eggs relatively intact.  Add the fish sauce mixture and stir-fry until the noodles are evenly coated, about 2-3 minutes.   This was easiest to do with a pair of tongs.

Transfer the pad thai to a platter.  Top with roasted peanuts, cilantro, carrots, bean sprouts, and sesame seeds.  Serve immediately with lime wedges. 

Note:  Food & Wine recommended a ripe, lime-scented Pinot Gris from Oregon:  2009 O'Reilly's to serve with this dish.

Spaghetti Torta

While planning our meals for this weekend, I was thinking about a spaghetti pie.  Something I could prepare ahead of time and then let cook in the oven while we visited with our friends.  I remembered that I had a Spaghetti Torta recipe in my Simply Classic Cookbook from The Junior League of Seattle so headed there to come up with the dish.

I made some adaptations to the recipe, you could certainly do the same.  It calls for Italian sausage, onions, mushrooms, and green olives - this is where you could make some changes.  Other ingredients that came time mind were artichoke hearts, prosciutto, zucchini....whatever sounds good to you!  I also topped it with cheese and used more spaghetti and sausage than what was called for in the recipe. 

The pictures didn't come out great - but everyone thought it was delicious.  The kids all ate it too....we did get some "faces" initially, but I think that mostly had to do with the fact that it just "looked different". 

We also served a warmed marinara sauce alongside (you could make your own or buy a jar at the store) and everyone spooned some over their slice of the torta. 

Spaghetti Torta
Serves 6-8
Adapted from Simply Classic Cookbook from The Junior League of Seattle

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 pound spaghetti
1 1/4 pounds Italian sausage (I used sweet Italian turkey sausage)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup green, pimiento-stuffed olives, sliced
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
2 cups Mozzarella cheese, grated
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Olive oil

To Serve
Marinara Sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Butter an 8 1/2 inch springform pan.  Coat inside of buttered pan evenly with grated Parmesan.  Cook spaghetti according to package directions.  Drain and transfer to large bowl.

Remove sausage from casing and discard casing.  Crumble sausage into a medium skillet.  Saute over medium heat until cooked through, about 10 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to paper towels and pat dry.  Add to large bowl with spaghetti.  Add onion to skillet and saute until soft, but not brown, about 5 minutes.  Add mushrooms to onion and saute until mushrooms are golden, about 7 minutes more.  If skillet becomes too dry during cooking, add olive oil.  Combine onion and mushrooms with spaghetti.  Let this mixture cool slightly (I did this because I was afraid to add the eggs to a bowl of hot food!).  Add olives, eggs, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper.  Toss to combine.

Turn half of the spaghetti mixture into the prepared pan and press it down.  Cover with 1 cup of the Mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup of the grated Parmesan.   Top with remaining spaghetti mixture, press down, and cover with remaining Mozzarella and Parmesan.  (The torta can be prepared a day ahead up to this point.  Cover and refrigerate.  Increase cooking time by 10 minutes if torta is chilled when placed in oven.).  Bake, covered with foil, for 40 - 45 minutes until heated through.  Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes.  Run a knife around inside edge of pan before unmolding.  Cut torta into wedges with a serrated knife and serve with marinara sauce. 

Chicken with Tarragon and White Wine

As my family starts to get back into a better routine with summer break recently coming to a close,  I wanted to return to one of my favorite things to do.....crack open my cookbooks and plan weekly meals!  I very much enjoy doing this....Sunday mornings, with my cup of coffee, going through my cookbooks and creating a meal plan for the week along with my grocery list.  Then, I head to the grocery store.  All.....by....myself.  I will do ANYTHING to not take my boys with me grocery shopping!  And I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual!

This week, one of the cookbooks I chose was a newer favorite, "Weeknights With Giada" by Giada De Laurentiis.  The recipe called for both boneless chicken breasts and thighs, I decided to go with just the chicken breasts.  I also cut the breasts lengthwise to speed up the cooking process.  It was just my boys and I, so am always trying to make the most out of my time in the kitchen when there are only three of us!

I served the chicken with a wild rice (thanks to Uncle Ben's genius idea of rice in a microwavable bag!) and grapes.  I almost made sauteed zucchini, but realized I would be the only one eating it so went with a red and green grape medley instead!

The boys enjoyed the meal (no sauce for them, of course!) and I thought it was delicious!  I hope you give it a try!

Chicken with Tarragon and White Wine
Serves 4
Recipe courtesy of Weeknights with Giada by Giada De Laurentiis

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 (8 oz) boneless and skinless chicken breasts
4 (4 oz) boneless and skinless chicken thighs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons flour
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup dry white wine
2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat the oil over high heat.  Season the chicken with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and dust with 2 tablespoons of the flour.  Cook the chicken, turning occasionally until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.  Remove the chicken and set aside on a large plate.

Heat the same pan used for the chicken over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Cook, stirring frequently , for 4 minutes, until softened.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until aromatic.  Increase the heat to high. Add the wine and scrape up the browned bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.  Return the chicken pieces to the pan.  Add 2 cups of the chicken broth and 1/2 cup of the tarragon.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce the heat, cover the pan, and simmer for 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.  Remove the chicken pieces to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup chicken broth and the remaining 2 tablespoons flour until smooth.  Whisk the flour mixture into the simmering cooking juices.  Whisk in the mustard.  Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve the sauce over the chicken and garnish with the remaining tarragon.

Marinated Filet with Roasted New Potatoes

Tonight I served marinated filet, roasted new potatoes, and steamed carrots - my family LOVES steak, so the more I serve it to them, the happier they are!  The boys aren't super fond of potatoes, but they devour the carrots every time!

Marinated Filet
I know a lot of people say not to marinate a filet - it's like "ruining" it - I disagree!  I love marinating filet at home, adding a new flavor to the already awesome taste of it!

Marinated Filet
Serves 4
allow for 6-8 hours of marinating time

4 filets
2-3 tablespoons of Worschestire sauce
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons minced ginger (the stuff in the tube works just great!)
2 teaspoons course ground Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
Dash hot sauce
Cracked black pepper
The Melting Pot Garlic and Wine Seasoning (obviously optional - but I love this stuff!)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 bottle of beer - your choice, today I used Widner Hefeweizen)

First you'll want to decide how much (if any) of the fat you want to trim from the filets.  The fat adds flavor while cooking, but then you have more to deal with at the time of eating.  I trim some of the big pieces - something I can quickly cut off goes!  Go ahead and tenderize the filets too....take two forks to them and poke a bunch of holes in them - on both sides.  Some of you I'm sure are cringing after reading this step.  Put the filets in a glass baking dish. 

Next, you can combine all of these ingredients in a separate bowl, or just dump it in as you go over the filets in the baking dish then mix at the end.  Either way, you'll be fine.  Combine, Worchestire sauce, garlic, ginger, mustard, liquid smoke, hot sauce, pepper, Melting Pot seasoning (optional), onion powder, olive oil, and beer - to just barely cover the filets.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6-8 hours, turning occasionally.

Start up the grill, as the grill is heating, go ahead and take out the filets and let sit on the counter for a bit - just to take the cold edge off of them.  Grill them to your liking - enjoy!

Roasted New Potatoes
I absolutely love these potatoes!  They are so easy to put together and the leftovers make excellent breakfast potatoes the next morning!  Cut them small enough (or cut up smaller the next morning) and you can add them to a breakfast burrito.

Roasted New Potatoes
Serves 4

Preheat oven to 400.

7-8 new potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite sized pieces
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Worchestire sauce
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt, pepper to taste
2 teaspoons paprika
4-5 fresh rosemary sprigs (or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary)

Place the potatoes in a baking dish and add the olive oil, stir.  Add the Worchestire sauce, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, and rosemary.  Stir the potatoes again coating them with everything you have added.

Roast for 45-50 minutes, or until fork tender.  Stir frequently during the roasting process.
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