Dinner 7/5

This may well be the easiest dinner of all time, short of take out. Bear said that it heated up well for leftovers the next day, and all of his co-workers commented on how good his lunch smelled and that his wife "must be a really good cook."

If only they knew.

I would definitely recommend using a seasoned chicken sausage* and be sure to steer clear of turkey sausage, as it definitely has a taste reminiscent of hot dog. You don't want it be THAT easy, do you?


Roasted Chicken Sausage and Potatoes
(adapted from Martha's Everyday Food blog)

Ingredients:

1 pound smoked chicken sausage

1 pound potatoes (I used about 3 regular baking potatoes)

1 T fresh rosemary

2 T olive oil

Salt and Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut sausage into 1-inch pieces and potatoes into 1-inch cubes and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle rosemary over the top and drizzle with olive oil. Salt and pepper throughly. Toss to coat and spread evenly. 

2. Roast 30-35 minutes, tossing occasionally until potatoes are tender and sausage is browned. 

*Is sausage a funny word, or is it just me? 

Dinner 7/2

I'm a bit behind on posting, but thought I'd share this recipe with you, as the Husbear said it was his favorite dinner so far. 
That means, to a Sicilian, it beat homemade spaghetti and meatballs. The significance of this cannot be overstated.
This wasn't the most heart-healthy meal, but, we so rarely eat fried things or heavy cream that I felt ok about the splurge. The chicken, thanks to the Sriracha, has a great spicy taste to it, without being overpoweringly spicy.

 Kickin' Fried Chicken

ingredients:

1/2 a chicken (or 4 various pieces)

1 1/2 cups flour

1 T garlic powder

1 T onion powder

1 t paprika

1 t cayenne

pepper

2 cups buttermilk*

2 T Sriracha

3-4 cloves garlic, rough chopped

1/2 T rosemary

*Because we're on a limited budget, and buttermilk isn't something to just keep on hand, I use the powdered buttermilk you can find in the baking aisle. It's a great alternative. 

1. Put the chicken in a large mixing bowl and completely cover with water. Add 2 t salt to the water and allow the saltwater to brine the chicken overnight. 

2. Mix well the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and cayenne in a medium mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

3. In another mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk and Sriracha. Season with salt and pepper. 

4. Drain the chicken and pat it dry. Dredge in the flour mixture, then dip into the buttermilk mixture.

 Dredge again in the flour, making sure that each piece is completely covered in the flour. 

5. Put about 3 inches of oil into a large cooking pot. Add the remaining herbs and garlic and heat over medium-high heat. When the oil comes to 350 degrees, it's ready. It would be helpful if you have a thermometer for this. I don't. So I guessed. 

6. Slowly drop the chicken into the oil and fry until golden brown, turning once. (Mine took about 18 minutes, but that may have been because the oil wasn't warm. Keep an eye on it!)

7. When the chicken is done, take out with skimmer or long-handled tongs, shake off excess oil and lay on paper towels until all the chicken is done cooking. 

To go with the fried chicken, I roasted sweet corn in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes in the husk. Once it was done, we just peeled back the husk and tied it in a knot. 

I also did some mashed potatoes, but realized I have no recipe to make mashed potatoes. I've used marscapone, buttermilk, heavy cream and sour cream to mix them up, just usually whatever I have on hand. This time, I used heavy cream and butter. 

Just call me Paula Deen. 

Happy weekend, y'all!

Dinner 7/6

Asian Chicken with Satay Sauce

Last night, I got home about an hour late, and was dreading making dinner. I just wanted a foot-rub and a glass of wine, mmkay? But...the Bear gets growly if I don't feed him. This dish has, in just a few weeks, become a go-to for an easy meal. Last night would have marked its third appearance, so I dressed it up again with an easy satay sauce. 

Oriental Chicken

Make a marinade for 1 lb chicken using 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup water, 1 T ginger (fresh, not powder), 1 T garlic and some Sriracha to taste. Marinate overnight, or just 30 minutes, depending on how well you plan ahead. 

Over medium-high heat, pour 1 T olive oil into a medium-sized skillet. Place chicken (but not marinade!) in the skillet and  pour 1/4 cup soy sauce and 1/4 cup water into skillet. Cover and cook completely, making sure to flip halfway through. The soy and water will sort of steam the chicken, and keeping it covered will keep it from drying out. 

Satay Sauce

ingrediants:

1/4 cup peanut butter (I used Naturally More.)

3 T lime juice

3 T water

1 T ginger

1 T garlic

1/4 t salt

1 T brown sugar

Sriracha to taste

Combine ingredients, using more or less water to make thicker or thinner. 

Serve with steamed broccoli or green beans and rice. Serves 2.