On Monday I just happened to catch The View and am so glad I did because I was so touched by this story. I was literally blubbering like an idiot for what seemed to go on for far too long. After I watched this interview I was ready to adopt this boy along with thousands of others. Any family who gets him will be so fortunate.

Davion

Greek-Style Chicken and Rice

If I see a tasty one pot meal that's easy...I'm there! And this was just that. Another thing I love about one pot meals is that usually it will last us a couple days since there's only 2 of us so we get a few meals out of it.

Ingredients:

• 6 chicken breasts or thighs (i always prefer the thigh)
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• paprika to taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 small yellow onion, minced
• 1 parsnip, cut into 1/2 inch thick coins
• 2 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch thick coins
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• 1/4 cup fresh dill (i used 1 tbsp dried)
• 1 large egg
• 2 tbsp wondra flour (i used regular flour)

Directions:

• Season the chicken on both sides with salt, pepper and paprike
• Heat a dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil and butter along with the chicken pieces. Cook for 6-8 minutes, making sure the chicke is nicely browned. Turn and cook for another 4-5 minutes on the other side. Remove to a plate and set aside.
• Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion, carrot, parsnip and garlic with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the veggies are softened and aromatic, about 5 minutes. Next add the rice and toast it with the veggies for a minute or 2. Add the chicken stock, reserving 1/2 cup for later, and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Add the chicken back in and cook, covered for about 20 minutes, until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through. The mixture will still be slightly brothy at this point. Keep it at a simmer. 
• Whisk together the egg, lemon juice and zest, dill and flour. Add the reserved 1/2 cup stock and whisk together to temper. Stir it in to the rice and chicken mixture to thicken and flavor the rice. Check for seasoning. 

On another note, I was enjoying the sunset last night.

 

 

Burgers

I was watching the Rachel Ray show last week and she showed this burger recipe that is a little different and looked SO good. Sometimes it's nice to add a little variety to my staple favorites and also be able to use the ingredients in multiple meals.

Maple-Dijon Bacon Burgers

Ingredients:

• 12 slices bacon
• 1/2 cup real maple syrup
• 2 tbsp grainy dijon mustard
• course black pepper
• 1 1/2 lb ground beef
• 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• salt
• canola oil
• 1/2 lb extra sharp white cheddar, sliced (or whatever cheese you prefer)
• 4 medium eggs
• 4 sandwich sized english muffins, toasted and lightly buttered

Directions:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees
• Arrange the bacon on a wire rack set over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
• Whisk up syrup, dijon and black pepper
• Drizzle half the syrup over top of bacon and bake 15 minutes. Flip bacon and baste them with the remainder syrup. Bake 5-8 minutes more until crisp. Remove from oven and reserve
• Season beef with worcestershire, salt and pepper. Form 4 patties
• Heat cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, drizzle with a little canola oil and cook patties 8-10 minutes turning once, melting cheese on burgers in last 2 minutes of cook time
• Remove patties to plate, wipe pan and add eggs. Cook to desired doneness, over-easy or up.
• Place cheeseburgers on english muffins and top with bacon and an egg

(I cut the recipe in half because there's only the 2 of us)

 

Fall Meal

Yesterday I was reading one of my favorite blogs and they had a post featuring bread bowls and soup. I thought, I think that's something I could do! So I made bread bowls and some veggie soup. The bread was delicious! I have never made bread before so to have it fresh out of the oven was a real treat. Here's a link to the recipe if you care to try. Now, I did take a picture but it doesn't look half as good as theirs but...ya know. An A for effort?

Bread Bowl Recipe