Slow cooker chicken and orzo

 For two - 

• 1/2 a finely chopped onion
  
• 2 skinless chicken thighs
  
• 1 small can mushrooms
• 1/2 cup white wine
  
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
  
• 2 T olive oil
  
• 1/4 cup parsley chopped
  
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
  
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  
• 2/3 cup orzo pasta 
  
• 1 cup (240ml) boiling chicken stock or water. - may not need
• Fresh spinach 

To slow cooker add everything except orzo and extra water. Cook on low 5 hours. 

Reserve chicken to side. Cover w foil. 

Turn heat to high. Add orzo. Cook 15+ minutes. Evaluate- add additional chicken stock to finish cooking the orzo. 

Add two handfuls spinach - stir in to cook. 

Return chicken and drippings to pot. Keep warm until dinner.  

Ribs in the oven

 

Barbecue Pork Ribs

Serves 4 to 6

2 racks of pork baby back ribs
¼ cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons dry mustard powder
4 teaspoons smoked paprika
1½ tablespoons kosher salt
4 teaspoons black pepper, freshly ground
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups barbecue sauce (homemade or store-bought)

1. Preheat the oven to 275°F.

   
2. Pat the ribs dry with a paper towel. Remove any silver skin or membrane from the ribs.

   
3. Combine the dark brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, dry mustard powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix well. Add the vegetable oil and mix until you form a paste. Rub the ribs all over with the spice paste.

   
4. Wrap both racks of ribs in foil packets, sealing the edges, making sure the ribs are completely sealed inside. Place the packets on one or two baking sheets, depending on the size of the packets.
   
5. Place the ribs in the oven and cook for 2 hours and 30 minutes. You can finish the ribs on the grill or in the oven (see directions for both methods below).
   
6. Finishing on the grill: Remove the ribs from foil packets, being careful to reserve the juices. Add the juices to the barbecue sauce and mix well. Place the ribs on a preheated grill and baste with the sauce for another 20 minutes or until the ribs are beginning to fall off the bone.
   
7. Finishing in the oven: Cut the foil packets open using kitchen shears and carefully fold back the foil to expose the ribs. Liberally coat the ribs with barbecue sauce. Turn the oven up to 400°F and return the ribs to the oven without rewrapping them. Cook for another 25 minutes or until the ribs begin to fall off the bone.

Bok Choy

 Bok Choy

Slice off the root end and break down the head into its separate stalks. Wash thoroughly. Chop into bite size pieces. Spin dry. 

Large wok. Laurdons 4 slices of bacon. Set aside. 

To reserved fat, add a small onion - large chop. I add some red bell pepper for color.  Sauté. Onions should begin to brown  

Add Bok Choy and sauté approximately 10 minutes. Add reserved lardons, salt, pepper, ground ginger, soy sauce and thinly sliced garlic at 5 minute mark. 

Serve with a roast chicken breast.  Lightly oil - evoo. Add spices as you like. 20 minutes at 400. Rest in foil. Slice to serve  

LONDON BROIL MARINADE

 

LONDON BROIL MARINADE

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. good-quality balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Freshly ground black pepper

¾ tsp. baking soda

1½–2 lb. London broil

Whisk together 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, 2 Tbsp. good-quality balsamic vinegar, 2 Tbsp. soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire saucein a medium bowl or baking dish; season with freshly ground black pepper. Whisk in ¾ tsp. baking soda (don’t worry if marinade fizzes; that’s the baking soda Prick one 1½–2 lb. London broil all over with a fork and add to marinade; turn to coat. Let sit at room temperature at least 1 hour or cover and chill up to 12 hours.

Heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium. Remove steak from marinade, letting excess drip back into bowl, and pat dry with paper towels; reserve marinade. Season steak generously with kosher salt and cook, turning once, until deeply browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 125° for 

medium-rare, 8–12 minutes. Using tongs, stand steak on its sides and cook until lightly browned, about 30 seconds per side. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 10 Meanwhile, transfer reserved marinade to a small saucepan, add ⅓ cup water, and bring to a boil (mixture will foam up). Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to avoid overflow, until foaming subsides, about 3 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp. unsalted butterand whisk vigorously to emulsify sauce. Keep warm until ready to serve. 

Romesco

 

• ▢ 12 oz jarred roasted red peppers, drained
• ▢ 14 oz canned fire-roasted tomatoes, well drained
• ▢ ¾ cup raw blanched almonds, toasted
• ▢ ¼ cup raw blanched hazelnuts, toasted,optional, you can use 1 cup almonds instead
• ▢ ¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
• ▢ ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ ½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ▢ 1-2 garlic cloves chopped
• ▢ juice of half a lemon
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

Chicken and butternut squash

 Scale chicken, squash and other ingredients as needed. Meal works with other cuts as well

• chicken thighs, skin on, trimmed. 
• butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and 1” cubed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 bulb garlic, halved
• 4-5 fresh thyme sprigs
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F/ 200C, having the rack in the middle.
2. In a large bowl, add chicken thighs and cubed butternut. Add olive oil, paprika, fresh thyme and salt and pepper and give them a good toss, making sure that the olive oil and condiments mix is evenly distributed on the chicken and butternut.
3. Place the whole mixture into a large oven proof pan or baking sheet and place the in oven.
4. Roast in the oven for almost 50 minutes, until chicken is dark golden with cripsy skin and butternut is soft. Remove from oven and allow to cool down for a couple of minutes before serving.

 Easy Kielbasa and Sourkraut

Peel potatoes and put on to cook  

Open sourkraut and drain

Dice some onion and garlic

Cut Kielbasa into 1/2” coins 

In hot Dutch Oven melt two T butter (foaming). 

Add in Kilbasa and brown. About five minutes. 

Reserve Kielbasa and add in onion. Cook to golden. Add in garlic and sauté one minute. 

Add in Sourkraut, some chicken stock (1/2 to 1 cup) and a sprinkle of Caraway     

Add in the Kielbasa.  Mix.  Allow to simmer while you prepare mashed potatoes. 

Souvlaki

 Lamb souvlaki with marinated pieces of lamb, threaded on skewers, and char-grilled to perfection. I like to serve these with rosemary garlic roasted potatoes, a Greek salad, and pita bread.

• ⅓ cup olive oil

• 1 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

  1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 ½ pounds boneless leg of lamb, trimmed of all fat and cut into 1-inch cubes

  
  

  
  

  
  

Hoppin John - my version

Quantities are based on having two links of smoky sausage and a can of black beans. 

Chop up the trinity:  a stalk of celery, a carrot and a small onion. I like to include a half of a red and green pepper.

Sauté in a turn of EVO. After four to five minutes add some garlic, salt, pepper and a pinch of thyme. 

Stir in a cup of rice and sauté for another three or four minutes

Add two plus cups of chicken stock, a can of drained black beans and the chopped up sausage. It should be pretty soupy at this point. If not, add more stock. 

Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer; cover. 

Check after 10 minutes and add additional stock if necessary (you are cooking rice at this point.). Continue to simmer until rice is ready - another 10 minutes at least. 

Serve with buttered bread and some sliced scallions.

Salmon

 

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place the salmon fillet in a glass, ceramic, or stainless-steel roasting dish and season it generously with salt and pepper. Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice and drizzle the mixture evenly over the salmon. Let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, stir together the scallions, dill, and parsley. Scatter the herb mixture over the salmon fillet, turning it so that both sides are generously coated with the green herbs. Pour the wine around the fish fillet.
4. Roast the salmon for 10 to 12 minutes, until almost cooked in the center at the thickest part. The center will be firm with just a line of uncooked salmon in the very center. (I peek by inserting the tip of a small knife.) Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Cut the salmon crosswise into serving pieces and serve hot with lemon wedges.

Chicken with Mushrooms in a creamy sauce

https://www.recipetineats.com/chicken-breast-in-creamy-mushroom-sauce/