Egg Noodles with Roasted Mushroom and Pink Beans

I was watching French Food at Home and the host made a roasted mushroom salad. I liked the idea of roasting mushrooms and decided to incorporate it into a pasta dish.

Egg Noodles with Roasted Mushroom and Pink Beans

You may ask, why pink beans. Well I wanted pinto beans however they aren’t available in canned, with low sodium. So I used the pink. Google results tell me they are considered a “meaty” bean. My not.

Brussels Sprout Hash

My friend Sarah mentioned making this and I was fascinated by the concept. When I read the recipe she gave me it sounds good. Then I thought, this would be even better with bacon!. And low, it came to pass and it was pretty darn good with bacon.

Everything is better with bacon!

Moroccan Beans

Like many I struggle with an addiction to cookbooks. I can spend hours in the bookstore looking at recipes and pictures. When I need some inspiration for dinner, be it a weeknight meal or our weekly Saturday night gathering, I know there’s an idea hiding away on the shelves of cookbooks.

This week’s find came from a book I picked up from Borders during their end-of-days clearance sale. The original recipe can be found in Modern Mediterranean Cooking.

Moroccan Beans

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Some days you just want something sweet to munch on. These cookies are fairly easy to make, at least they are if you have a big stand mixer. One of the things I like about them is they stay reasonably soft even days after baking. Not that the lot of them tend to last for days. 🙂

Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips

Saturday night – 11/17/2012

T-minus five days until Thanksgiving. I’m thankful that someone else is cooking the turkey this year. 🙂

Menu
Baked Chicken Drumsticks
Israeli Couscous with red peppers
Moroccan Beans (from Modern Mediterranean Cooking)
Sauteed kale with lemon and garlic

Hartford Election Cake

Soup with vegetables and chicken

You wouldn’t think titling a recipe would take several minutes and yet this one did. This isn’t a classic chicken soup nor is it a vegetable soup with chicken added. Well maybe it is the later though I think the chicken plays an equal role with the veggies.

This is what I think of when I want soup for dinner.

Soup with vegetables and chicken
Servings: 6-8
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced small
• 2 ribs celery, diced small
• 1 medium onion, diced small
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced small
• 2 Tbsp. bacon fat (or more olive oil)
• 10 oz. mushrooms, brushed clean and quartered
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. dried rosemary
• 8 cups water
• kosher salt & black pepper
• Parmesan cheese for grating (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat 1 Tbsp. of olive oil in a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium high heat. While it heats pat dry the chicken thighs and season both sides salt & pepper. Add the thighs to the pot and brown on both sides, 3-4 minutes per side. The chicken should release easily before turning. If you need to give more than a gentle tug let it be. When both sides are browned remove the chicken and set aside.
2. Drop the heat to medium and check the oil level. If you have more than tablespoon drain a bit; less than a tablespoon, add a bit. Add the onion, celery, carrots and sweet potato. Toss with the oil, season with salt & pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes. Scrape the bottom of the pan from time to time to loosen up some of the fond from browning the chicken. When the veggies have begun to soften (4-5 minutes) set them aside with the chicken.
3. Add the bacon fat (or remaining olive oil). When melted/heated add the mushrooms. Toss with fat and cook for 1-2 minutes to add a bit of color.
4. Return the chicken and veggies to the pot. Add the thyme, rosemary and water. Cover and bring to a boil.
5. Uncover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
6. Remove the chicken thighs and chop into 1/2″ pieces. Return the chicken to the pot and taste for flavor. Add salt & pepper as needed. A little paprika might be nice as well.
7. Dish it up and grate a bit of Parmesan cheese on top.

Notes:
You may ask, what is a small dice? I went with somewhere around 3/16″. There wasn’t a ruler involved, that’s just what it seems like now looking at a ruler as a sizing guide.

The sweet potato became a bit mushy. It wasn’t bad, just a bit overdone. I could use a larger dice in the future or add them later in the cooking process.

Yes, you can use chicken broth or stock if you like. Be careful of the salt content in store bought ones.

Saturday night – 11/03/2012

Menu
Herb-Crusted Pork Loin
Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Cumin Glazed Carrots

Creme Brulee

Green Rice Patties

Last week I made Mexican Green Rice as part of our weekly get-together with friends. It was well received however, as with most weeks, there was a bit left over. Leftovers often become lunch during the week however we had an abundance for leftovers this week so I decided to repurpose the rice. With the addition of a few ingredients they became green rice patties and an excellent side with sauteed tilapia.