Finally a recipe to blog! Seems like November is just flying by me at a warp speed. I made two absolutely delicious recipes this month and then forgot to get pictures of them. Otherwise, we have been enjoying several of our favorite meals that have already appeared here. I can't tell you how long I've had this recipe tagged to make. I've probably already mentioned in my blog that the Pastry Queen is one of my favorite cookbooks. Since purchasing that book several years ago I have added Rebecca Rather's additional books to my collection including her newest one, The Pastry Queen Parties. I had the opportunity to visit the Rather Sweet Bakery in Fredericksburg, Texas and I highly recommend it to anyone in the area. I also attended a cooking class hosted by Rebecca which was also fantastic. So with the weather turning cold and grey and this recipe popping up on several blogs I read I knew it was time to try it. Be warned, this is not a fast recipe to make. I estimate in preparation alone I spent well over an hour. I can say the time spent was well worth it. This was fantastic. Next time I will probably add some carrots as they are a requisite vegetable in a pot pie for me. I omitted the hot sauce to make it kid friendly. I also omitted the red bell pepper as it didn't seem right in a pot pie to me. I love the additional vegetable suggestions of turnips, asparagus and corn. I think any combination in this recipe would be great. This is comfort food at its very best. Now, if I had only made Rebecca's incredible recipe for Mexican chocolate cake to go with it!

Other Pastry Queen Recipes:
Tropical Carrot Cake
Tuxedo Cake
Larger Than Life Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake

All Sold Out Chicken Pot Pies

Yield: 6 servings

• FILLING

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped

• 1 large russet potato, peeled and diced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 red bell pepper, diced

• 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced

• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 purchased cooked rotisserie chicken or 1 whole stewed chicken, cooled

• 8 ounces fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (optional)

• 1 (8-ounce) package frozen peas (optional)

• CREAM SAUCE

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (optional) Dash of hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco

• Salt and freshly ground white pepper

• CRUST

• 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter

• 3 cups all purpose flour

• 10 ounces chilled cream cheese

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

• 1 large egg

1. To make the filling:

2. Melt the butter in a large sauté pan set over medium heat. Add the onion and potato; sauté for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bell pepper, and mushrooms and sauté about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the crushed red pepper and add salt and pepper to taste.




3. While the vegetables are sauteing, skin the chicken, pull the meat off the bones and shred the meat or cut into bite-size pieces. Place the green beans in a microwave-safe bowl and add enough water to cover. Cover the dish and microwave on high power about 10 minutes, until the beans are tender. Drain thoroughly. Stir the beans, peas and chicken into the vegetable mixture. Set the filling aside.




4. To make the cream sauce:

5. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the chicken stock and cook the sauce over medium heat until it thickens to the consistency of a cream soup. Add the cream, hot pepper sauce, and salt and white pepper to taste. Pour the cream sauce over the chicken filling and stir to combine. Fill individual 1’/4-cup capacity oven-safe bowls three - quarters of the way to the top with the creamed chicken filling.




6. To make the crust:

7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cut the butter into 16 pieces. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse the butter and flour until crumbly. Add the cream cheese, salt, and white pepper. Continue pulsing just until the dough forms a ball.




8. Set the dough on a flat surface dusted with flour. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Measure the diameter of the pot pie bowls—mine are about 4 inches across—and cut out dough rounds that are 1 1/2 inches larger in diameter. Whisk the egg in a small bowl. Lay the dough rounds on top of the pot pies, making sure the dough hangs evenly over each bowl. Brush the dough lightly with the beaten egg. Bake the pies for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Rather Sweet Variation

Pot pies lend themselves to all manner of vegetable additions, such as diced carrots, fresh corn kernels, diced turnips, sliced celery, cut-up asparagus spears, or sliced wild mushrooms. Just add them to the sauté mix and enjoy.

Tip:
My friend Suzie Humphreys Mayo is often on the road for work and likes to make sure her husband eats well while she’s away. She double wraps the pot pies in plastic wrap and pops them in the freezer. Her husband bakes them at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes and dinner is ready. (The pies will keep frozen for 2 to 3 weeks.) Miss Emily, the eighty- seven-year- old mother of another good friend, loves to have a stock of frozen pot pies in her freezer. I never put green beans in hers; she prefers peas.

Source: Rebecca Rather, The Pastry Queen, Ten Speed Press 2004.

We have been so busy the last week with all the birthday celebrations at our house. I think we are finally at a point of cake overload! My birthday and my son's birthday are only a few days apart which is fun but makes for a hectic week! I got this beautiful new dutch oven for my birthday and have been waiting to use it. More rainy cold weather here yesterday meant the perfect day to break it in. I've had this jambalaya recipe flagged for a while and it seemed fitting for my first recipe in the new pot and the gloomy weather. My husband loves Cajun food and is a big fan of my gumbo so I knew this would be right up his alley! Sure enough, he loved it! This recipe takes a bit of prep work with chopping and cooking on the stove but once you get it in the oven its good to go. I ended up with extra ham and thyme leftover from this recipe so I'm looking forward to making Emeril's creamy ham and potato pie in the next few days! I love it when a good plan for leftovers comes together!

Other Cajun Favorites:
Chicken Andouille Gumbo
Slow Cooker Red Beans with Andouille Sausage
King Cake

One 3 1/2-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Emeril's Original Essence (I used the cajun seasoning I already had)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 cup chopped onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 pound andouille sausage, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 pound boneless smoked ham, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 cups rice
2 cups Chicken Stock, or canned low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup canned whole tomatoes, drained and crushed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Emeril's Kick It Up! Red Pepper Sauce, or other hot sauce, plus more for serving
4 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons finely sliced green onions, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
2. Season the chicken with 2 tablespoons Essence and the salt.
3. Heat the oil in a small Dutch oven or heavy lidded pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides, working in batches if necessary, 8 to 10 minutes per batch.
4. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Add the celery, bell peppers, and onions and cook until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes.
5. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
6. Add the sausage and ham and cook for another 2 minutes.
7. Add the rice, stir to blend, and cook for another 2 minutes.
8. Add the Chicken Stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire, the remaining 1 teaspoon Essence, the pepper sauce, bay leaves, and thyme. Stir to combine and return the chicken to the pot, nestling the pieces in the rice mixture.
9. Cover the pot and bake until the chicken and rice are tender, about 40 minutes.
10. Remove from the oven and let stand, still covered, for 5 minutes. Garnish with the green onions and serve with hot sauce.

I needed some quick dinner inspiration so I consulted my well worn copy of The Lady and Son's cookbook. This recipe sounded great and I only needed to purchase the feta to make it as I had everything else on hand. We really liked this recipe. This would be great entree for a casual dinner party. The dish is pretty simple to prepare and makes an elegant presentation, especially if you tie it with the leeks as suggested by Paula Deen. I skipped that step since it was just a week night dinner for us. I think next time I might subsitute chicken broth for the melted butter just to make it a bit healthier. I served this with a Near East rice pilaf mix and a strawberry spinach salad.

Herbed Stuffed Chicken Breasts

4 whole skinless boneless chicken breasts (approximately 5-7 oz each)
One 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
3 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon dried sweet basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon House Seasoning
4 slices bacon
1 leek, optional
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Wash and pound each chicken breast flat. Lay chicken breast on cookie sheet and spread it with cream cheese, followed by 1/4 of the feta cheese. Mix together basil, oregano and House Seasoning and sprinkle with chicken. Roll up each breast and wrap with a slice of bacon. At this time, if desired, you can tie up each rolled chicken breast with the green top of the leek. Place chicken breasts in a casserole dish and pour melted butter all over. Cover casserole dish with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Uncover dish and increase temperature to 350 degrees. Continue to bake, allowing the bacon to brown, for 15-20 minutes. Or you could place dish under broiler for a few minutes to brown. Serve over rice with pan juices poured on top.

Source: The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook, Random House, 1997.

We had my in-laws over this past week for a belated Mother's Day celebration. My in-laws are very willing subjects and are always up to try whatever I'm making. Having them over is the perfect opportunity to try out new recipes! Jaime Oliver's chicken in milk recipe has been popping up all over the web in the last few weeks. The recipe was touted by many as the only chicken recipe you need. I was a bit hesitant about pouring milk over my chicken, fearing a curdled chicken mess! I decided to conquer my fear and forge ahead. This chicken was very easy to prepare, making this ideal for weeknight entertaining. The chicken was perfectly moist and delicious and had a very nice flavor. The cinnamon, sage, milk combination was very reminiscent of Asian dishes I have had. Everyone really liked the chicken. I'm more of a traditionalist so this doesn't replace my two favorite roast chicken recipes (see links below). I would definitely make this again. I think it would be absolutely fabulous to prepare the chicken this way to use the meat in Asian dishes or a chicken salad. To round out the meal I served this with Jaime Oliver's recipe for the best whole baked carrots, Ina's vegetable tian and Jaime's rice pudding with quick strawberry jam.


My Favorite Traditional Roast Chicken Recipes:
Garlic and Citrus Roast Chicken
Lemon Chicken with Croutons

Chicken in Milk

I've seen many oven baked fried chicken recipes floating around and was skeptical that any would be more than breaded baked chicken. Good? Yes. Exciting? No. In any way comparable to real fried chicken? Highly unlikely. I'm very biased when it comes to fried chicken. My Mom makes the very best. So last night I attempted this recipe but did not hold high expectations. Oh how very wrong I was! The chicken was moist and flavorful and the coating was crunchy enough to evoke memories of real fried chicken. This one is a keeper and its low fat!

I haven't cooked much in the last few weeks, mainly due to a busy schedule. I did manage to make some tacos and cheesy baked tortellini but nothing exciting enough to blog. Yesterday, I was ready and inspired to get back in the kitchen. I star lots of items from other blogs to try but often forget about them when getting ready to cook. This week, I decided to try a few things. I started by making some Cowgirl Cookies with Spelt Flour and Oats that I saw on Taste Spotting which lead me to decide to bake my own homemade hamburger buns as seen on Branny Boils Over. Once I had the buns in progress I decided it was the perfect time to try these Thai turkey burgers I had starred last week. My husband and I love Thai food. This recipe from Cara's Cravings has tons of flavor and is healthy too. We really enjoyed these burgers and the way they incorporated a nice punch of our favorite Thai flavors. These are easy for a weeknight and would be great for outdoor grilling. I grilled mine on my stove top grill. I liked the chili mayonnaise, however, I can't help thinking that a peanut sauce would also be a great topper. Cara recommends serving these with butternut squash fries which I think would be a great match however my husband hates most squash. So, I served mine with a green salad with mango and cucumber with papaya poppy seed dressing and a side of steamed Asian vegetables.

Thai Peanut Turkey Burgers

8oz ground turkey
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 large scallion, minced
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp chili garlic sauce
2 tbsp natural peanut butter
freshly ground salt & pepper
1/2 tsp ground ginger

2 tbsp light mayonnaise
handful of cilantro, finely minced
1-2 tsp chili garlic sauce

hamburger buns of your choice
mixed greens

Combine burger ingredients a mixing bowl and combine thoroughly. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Form the turkey mixture into two patties. Cook for about 7-10 minutes per side, until cooked through. Serve on buns with cilantro-chili mayo and greens.

Source: Cara's Cravings My Life in the Kitchen

Ever since our beautiful spring weather hit, I've had the urge to use our grill. I thought this year I would try some new recipes and spice things up a little. I know there are numerous variations of Beer Can chicken out there, I happened to see this one on an episode of Grill It with Bobby Flay. I really liked the idea of using a smoker box to smoke meat on the grill. I had no idea you could smoke meat on a gas grill. I did a quick search and found that Sur La Table carries these smoker boxes. I picked one up last week along with some hickory chips and set to work making this recipe. The chicken came out perfectly cooked and really moist. Very much like a rotisserie chicken. I have read the beer can method is supposed to imitate spit cooking. We didn't get as much smoke flavor as we anticipated, however, we think maybe we should have started the smoker box on the grill before the chicken. After we took the chicken off the grill, the smoker box was really smoking. The recipe was good, although a little spicier than I anticipated. I loved cooking the chicken this way and think I'm going to invest in a vertical roaster. I'm looking forward to trying more new fun recipes on our grill this spring and summer.


Robin Koury's Spice of Life Beer Can ChickenSource: Grill It with Bobby Flay/Foodnetwork.com

I love when I can simplify things, make efficient use of ingredients and best of all have three tasty meals while only cooking once! This menu plan was courtesy of the April issue of Everyday Food. I used one whole chicken to make chicken soup, chicken Caesar salad, and a tortilla pie. All were simple and delicious. Better yet, I have several containers of the soup left in my freezer. The magazine had a recipe for an Asian chicken salad but I was in the mood for Caesar so I made my own. I served that Caesar with my goat cheese and tomato tarts. The tortilla pie only took me about ten minutes to prepare and it was delicious. I did have an issue with it falling apart when I first served it hot out of the oven, however, the next day as leftovers, it was firm as shown in the magazine picture. I'm not sure if I should have let it sit before cutting in or made it ahead and allowed it to chill in the refrigerator before reheating. That aside, these recipes will definitely be regulars in our house.

Simple Chicken Noodle Soup

Serves 8

• 1 whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds), giblets and liver discarded
• 1 pound carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1 pound parsnips, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 2 medium onions, cut into thin wedges
• 4 teaspoons coarse salt
• Cooked wide egg noodles, for serving

For this month's Barefoot Blogger recipe, Tara of Smells Like Home and the founder of Barefoot Bloggers, and I took a technological leap. We hooked up on the Internet with a web cam via Skype and cooked this recipe together. It took a bit of foresight to go this route, I had to prep all my ingredients ahead of time and read through the recipe to have all the equipment ready. However, I ultimately think this helped me prepare the recipe faster and more efficiently. This is something I am going to try to do more often. Despite a few technical difficulties, it was really fun. We were able to discuss the recipe in real time and bounce ideas off of each other as we cooked. We both had the same initial reaction to the sauce--way to sour. I was a bit worried about the sauce before I even started the recipe as many reviewers complained the lemon was overpowering. I only used 1 lemon instead of the two called for based on those reviews, but would probably cut that to half a lemon next time So with a potential problem at hand, Tara and I put our heads together and doctored the sauce with more wine and butter and it turned out great! It was really nice to have someone to cook with and something I would love to do again. Thanks to Lindsey of Noodle Nights and Morning Muffins for picking this recipe. Its a good easy weeknight dinner. My husband especially loved this dish. I served mine with buttermilk mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.

Chicken Piccatta

2 split (1 whole) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 extra-large egg
1/2 tablespoon water
3/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
Good olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons), lemon halves reserved
1/2 cup dry white wine
Sliced lemon, for serving
Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for serving

Directions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and using a rolling pin pound to 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

Mix the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a shallow plate.

In a second plate, beat the egg and 1/2 tablespoon of water together.

Place the bread crumbs on a third plate.

Dip each chicken breast first in the flour(shaking off the excess) and then in the egg and bread crumb mixtures.

In large saute pan over medium to medium-low heat, heat 1 tbsp olive oil.

Add the chicken breasts and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until lightly browned.

Place them on the sheet pan and bake in preheated oven for 5 to 10 minutes.

For the sauce: wipe out the saute pan with a dry paper towel and return to medium heat.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and add the lemon juice, wine, the reserved lemon halves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Boil over high heat until reduced in half(2 minutes or so).

Remove from heat and add in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir to combine.

Discard the lemon halves spoon the sauce over chicken breasts once plated.

Garnish with lemon slices and fresh parsley.

Source: Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa At Home, Clarkson Potter, 2006.

This recipe from the March 2009 issue of Everyday Food embodied all the traits I admire about the magazine's recipes; it was simple, fresh and easy. This recipe comes together really fast. Even faster if you are able to find chicken cutlets at the store. My store did not have any so, I resorted to pounding out my chicken breasts with my trusty meat mallet! I loved how light this dinner was. I would make a few changes to this recipe next time. I would not rinse the capers or artichokes. I think the brininess that is the trademark of these ingredients was lost. Since no additional salt is added to the dish, I think it could really use the punch of flavors of these two ingredients. Also, I would double the chicken stock so I would have more sauce. My chicken quickly absorbed what little sauce I had left after the reduction. Finally, I would squeeze fresh lemon over the top to brighten all of the flavors. This dish lends itself really well to many variations. I think tomatoes would be a nice addition. I can imagine eating this on my patio this summer with a nice glass of pinot grigio! It was as good as any restaurant dish.

Chicken with Artichokes and Angel Hair

Serves 4.

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 8 thin chicken cutlets (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts packed in water, rinsed, drained, and quartered
• 2 tablespoons rinsed and drained capers
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 8 ounces angel-hair pasta
• 1/2 cup parsley leaves

1. Set a large pot of salted water to boil. Place flour in a shallow dish, and season with salt and pepper. Dredge cutlets, shaking off excess. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Cook chicken in batches, adding remaining oil as needed, until light golden, 1 to 3 minutes per side; transfer to a dish.

2. Add broth to skillet, and bring to a boil; cook until reduced by half. Add artichokes, capers, and the chicken with any juices. Gently swirl to combine, and bring just to a boil. Remove skillet from heat. Swirl in butter, and cover to keep warm.

3. Add pasta to boiling water. Cook until al dente; drain. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta, topped with parsley.

As would be expected, one of my favorite stores is Williams Sonoma. I love not only their fabulous cooking supplies but their food products too. I previously used their Beef Burgundy simmer sauce with really great results. As much as its fun to prepare a whole meal, there are some days you want something that you can throw together quickly but that will still make a good meal. I like that these sauces have a great depth of flavor but are made of all natural ingredients. For this recipe, I tried the Cacciatore simmer sauce. I'm not sure if this one is still available everywhere, but I think the cooking technique would be easily replicated with your favorite store bought tomato sauce. The one downfall to these sauces is they tend to be seasonal and they are constantly changing the availability. For this recipe, the chicken was cooked entirely on the stove top and produced a very moist and savory dish.

1 Whole Chicken (cut up)
1 Jar Simmer Sauce or your favorite tomato sauce
3 tbsp Olive oil plus more as needed

Heat 3 tbsp olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Sear chicken in batches about 3-5 minutes per side to brown. Add more oil to pan if needed. Remove chicken from pan and drain oil.

Add chicken back to pan. Pour sauce over and cook covered for 20 minutes. Remove lid and cook uncovered another 25 minutes. Serve over pasta or rice.

Finally, a blog update! We've had a series of colds and viruses run through our house so there hasn't been much noteworthy cooking in my kitchen! I'm happy to report that we are all feeling well now and ready for a happy, healthy holiday and new year and of course lots of yummy recipes! This Coq au Vin was a perfect way to get back in the kitchen. It was also the perfect meal for a night with a rare Texas winter storm. We really loved this dish. I think I may like Coq au Vin even better than Beef Burgandy. The flavors in this dish were outstanding. I didn't have the Cognac or an onion but didn't feel this dish was missing anything. I served mine over mashed potatoes as suggested by Ina. This is definitely a great recipe for a nice Sunday dinner or casual meal with friends. Thanks to Bethany at This Little Piggy Went to Market for a delicious December pick. I will definitely be making this one again.

Coq au Vin

Source: Ina Garten/Food Network

I saw this recipe on No Slivers Here. I love that she is always trying recipes from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. It gives me a chance to preview recipes I might like! I was just waiting for an excuse to break in my new Martha Stewart Green Pan. I originally went to Macy's intending to purchase a wok and came out with a stir fry pan from the Green Pan collection instead. I love that it is non-stick but environmentally friendly and the sides are deep like a wok. This recipe was fairly simple to make and really flavorful. The only change I would make next time is to add more vegetables. I think water chestnuts, broccoli, carrots or an Asian vegetable mix would be great. Now, I can't wait to use my stir fry pan to try recipes from my Martin Yan cookbook!


Lighter General Tso's Chicken
Source: Everyday Food

Serves 4

• 1 1/4 cups long-grain brown rice
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 pound snow peas, trimmed and halved crosswise
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated and peeled
• 3 tablespoons light-brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 2 large egg whites
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower

I'm a huge fan of Thanksgiving dinner. Its one of my top ten favorite meals. This recipe is a good short cut for when you want the flavors of a Thanksgiving dinner without all the work. This meal requires only a few ingredients and very little prep so its especially good for a weeknight meal. Sauteing the onions in the chicken sauce adds a nice depth of flavor to the cranberry sauce and prevents it from being overly sweet. I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts and my chicken was a bit dry. Next time, I would use the bone-in chicken breasts called for in the recipe. I served this meal with roasted sweet potatoes and stuffing. Another bonus, cranberries are high in antioxidants thus adding an extra health benefit to this meal!

Chicken with Cranberry Sauce
Source: Everday Food: Great Food Fast by Martha Stewart Living Magazine

This recipe from Giada's Everyday Pasta has been on my list of recipes to try for a very long time. For some reason I just now got around to making it and I'm glad I did. Even though the chicken wasn't breaded, the first thing I thought when I tasted this dish was chicken Parmesan deconstructed! This dish was extremely easy to make and my husband liked it so much, he requested it be in our "regular rotation!" I read some reviews that suggested this dish was a bit bland so I kept that in mind while making it and made a few changes. I also changed up a few of the ingredients based on what I had on hand. My changes are noted below.

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina
Source: Everyday Pasta by Giada de Laurentis

I'll admit the title of this recipe does not sound like anything exciting, but this was one really good meal! It reminds me a lot of my other favorite easy and delicious meal. This not unexpectedly is another winner from the Everyday Food collection. This is a perfect fall meal with the inclusion of one of my favorites, acorn squash. You could add any other vegetables or mix and match depending on what you liked. I'm thinking new potatoes, carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, butternut squash. This recipe only takes 10 minutes to prep and makes a beautiful presentation with all of the pretty fall vegetables! I would say this one is a keeper.

Roast Chicken with Vegetables
Source: Everyday Food: Great Food Fast

1 acorn squash, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 pound cremini mushooms, trimmed and halved
1 large red onion, cut into 1/2 inch wedges
8 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Coarse salt and pepper
4 bone-in chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon dried rosemary crumbled (I substituted herbs de provence)

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Combine the squash, mushrooms, onion, garlic, and oil in a roasting pan; season with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Roast until the squash is beginning to soften and all the vegetables are heated through, about 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, lift up the skin from the chicken breasts; rub the flesh with the rosemary and some salt and pepper. Replace the skin and season the chicken all over with more salt.

3. Remove the roasting pan from the oven, and place the chicken, skin sides up on top of the vegetables. Return to the oven; continue roasting until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender, about 35 minutes. (my chicken took about 45-55 minutes to be cooked through)

I finally remembered to buy a bottle of Marsala wine when I was out grocery shopping the other day. I knew the first thing I wanted to use it to make was a chicken marsala dish. I found this recipe on the Martha Stewart site and loved that it was quick and easy. This came together very well. My only complaint is that the sauce cooked up really quickly. Next time, I would probably double the sauce. I served this meal with buttermilk mashed potatoes and a fall salad with apples, grapes, mixed greens and walnuts.

This Barefoot Bloggers pick for Butterflied Chicken is a great summer recipe. I served it with Ina's Panzanella and it was a nice light meal. The chicken was moist and succulent. The flavors of the herbs and lemon were infused throughout. This would be a great recipe for cooking chicken for chicken salad or just to add to a green salad. An easy, simple and classic recipe from Ina. Thanks to Stefany of Proceed with Caution for a perfect recipe for August. I did not butterfly the chicken per the recipe instructions. Rather, I purchased chicken breasts and used them instead. I accidentally grabbed the boneless, skinless and they worked fine.

Butterflied Chicken
Source: Ina Garten/Foodnetwork.com

1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary leaves, plus 2 sprigs
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
Good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 roasting chickens (2 1/2 to 3 pounds each), deboned and butterflied
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced

Mix the chopped rosemary, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a small bowl to make a paste.

Place the chickens on a sheet pan, skin side up, and loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers. Place 1/2 of the paste under the skin of each chicken. Rub any remaining paste on the outside and underside of the chickens.

Turn the chicken skin side down and scatter the lemon slices and sprigs of rosemary over each chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Roll each chicken up, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Heat a grill with coals. Spread the coals out in 1 dense layer and brush the grill with oil. Unroll the chickens, place them on the grill and cook for 12 minutes on each side.

Chicken and Dumplings
Source: Emeril Lagasse (Foodnetwork.com)

4 chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat, about 2 pounds total (I used chicken breasts that I chopped into pieces roughly the size of chicken thighs)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion, plus 1 large onion, cut into 1-inch chunks (I omitted since I didn't have one!)
3 carrots, cut on the diagonal into 1/2-inch slices, plus 1/4 cup coarsely chopped carrot
1/4 cup coarsely chopped celery plus 2 stalks celery, cut on the diagonal into 1/2-inch slices
4 sprigs fresh thyme (I omitted this as well. I substituted with about 1/2 tsp Old Bay since I didn't have dried thyme or poultry seasoning either)
1 bay leaf
6 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves (I used dried)

For the dumplings:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon salt

Season the chicken thighs on both sides with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a cast iron Dutch oven and, when hot, add the chicken thighs, skin side down, and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Turn the chicken thighs over and add the chopped onion, carrot and celery and cook until the thighs are lightly browned on the second side, about 3 minutes. Add the thyme, bay leaf, and chicken broth. Cover the pan and cook on medium heat until the thighs are tender and the meat pulls away from the bone easily, 25 to 30 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, combine the butter and flour in a small heatproof bowl and, using your fingers or a pastry blender, blend until smooth. Set aside.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken thighs and chopped vegetables from the cooking liquid and transfer to a plate to cool. Ladle 1 cup of the hot cooking liquid into the bowl with the butter-flour mixture and whisk to combine. Add this mixture to the pan along with the onion chunks, sliced carrot and sliced celery and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, or until the vegetables are just tender.

While the veggies are cooking, make the dumplings by combining the flour, baking powder and salt in a small mixing bowl. Heat the milk and butter until warm and the butter is melted. Add the warm milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Transfer to a floured work surface and knead lightly once or twice. Using a floured rolling pin, roll to a thickness of 1/8-inch. Using a knife, cut the rolled out dumpling batter into 1 1/2-inch strips.

When the chicken has cooled enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and discard the bones, chicken skin and cooked vegetables. Reserve the meat separately.

When the veggies are crisp-tender, uncover the pan and add the reserved chicken meat, peas, and parsley to the cooking liquid. Stir to combine, increase the heat to medium-high and, when the mixture comes to a boil, add the dumplings, 1 strip at a time, to the pan, using a spoon to gently submerge the dumplings in the hot mixture. Cook, uncovered and undisturbed, until the dumplings are cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir gently and serve in wide shallow bowls.

I love figs! I'm not sure how it started but once I discovered figs, both dried and fresh I was hooked. Fresh figs are only available a short time so you have to grab them when you see them. Unfortunately, they can't be frozen. In the winter months I like to use dried figs in salads, baking and roasting. My husband and I visited Napa/Sonoma several years ago and I fell in love with The Girl and the Fig Restaurant. Their fig salad is delicious. My husband bought me the cookbook so I could recreate some of the recipes at home. I also purchased Fig Heaven which is full of yummy fig recipes. Although I didn't make this recipe exactly as directed it was delicious. The figs, bacon and goat cheese are a perfect match and serve to complement the roast chicken well. I served this with brown rice and a spinach salad with blueberry basil vinaigrette. Below is the recipe for the chicken with my changes. I hope to showcase more fresh fig recipes soon.

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Fresh Figs and Goat Cheese
As Adapted from Fig Heaven by Marie Simmons

4 large boneless and skinless chicken breast halves, fillets removed (I used bone-in chicken breasts with the skin on and stuffed the filling under the skin)
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup diced fresh green or black figs (about 6 figs)
1/2 cup crumbled, well chilled goat cheese
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fresh minced garlic
4 slices pancetta or bacon (I used bacon)
1/2 cup dry white wine (I omitted)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (I cooked mine at 350 since I didn't use the boneless).

2. Place the chicken breasts smooth side up on the work surface with the thickets portion to your right. Butterfly the breast by cutting through the thick side toward the tapered side so you can open the breast like a book. Sprinkle the butterflied chicken inside and out with 1/2 tablespoon thyme leaves, pinch of salt and pepper. (I omitted this step)

3. In a small bowl combine the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of thyme, the figs, the goat cheese, 1 tbsp olive oil, the garlic, 1/2 tsp salt and a grinding of black pepper. Toss to combine. Spoon the stuffing onto one side of each chicken breast, dividing it evenly. Close the chicken over the stuffing. Wrap a slice of pancetta around each chicken. Hold the breast closed and the pancetta in place with a toothpick or small metal skewer. (I omitted this step and stuffed the filling under the skin).

4. Oil a large 13x9 shallow baking dish with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place the chicken breasts in the pan and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes. Turn and roast the other side until cooked through, about 10 minutes. (I cooked mine at 350 degrees for about 45-55 minutes).

5. Remove the pan from the oven, transfer the chicken to a serving platter and cover with foil. Add the wine to the pan and heat to a boil over high heat, scraping the browned bits and reducing wine to syrup about 5 minutes. Drizzle wine over chicken and serve. (I skipped this step).