Tag: recipe

Pan Roast Chicken with Carrots and Almonds

This pan roast chicken with carrots and almonds is the kind of food that makes my heart sing. It’s crazy simple and straightforward, with just a few basic ingredients, but the taste is out of this world. The chicken is moist with crispy skin, the carrots and sweet and earthy, and it all gets pulled together with lemony yogurt – one of my very favorite condiments. Oh, did I mention that the whole thing can be on the table in under an hour? It’s basically magic. I wish I could say I splurged for the very best ingredients with this one, using carrots that were just plucked from my garden or that, at the very least, were purchased at the farmer’s market. It wouldn’t be true though – in fact, I used carrots that were shoved in the back of my fridge and half frozen. I actually had second thought about using them, but they were still delicious. The one thing I did splurge a little on was Marcona almonds, which are moister, sweeter, and all around more delicious than “regular” almonds. They’re a little pricier, but a little goes a long way and I think they’re worth every cent. I also used coarse gray sea salt, which isn’t particularly expensive but might require a special trip to a gourmet store. It tastes like the ocean and it really shines in simple dished like this one.

Pan Roast Chicken with Carrots and Almonds

Author: Lauren Keating

Serves: 2

Ingredients

6 carrots, sliced at an angle
¼ cup Marcona almonds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
grey sea salt and cracked black pepper
2 skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts
½ shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
¼ teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
¼ cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt (I like Cabot)
1 lemon, juiced

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375*F. Toss carrots, almonds, honey, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small baking dish. Season with salt and pepper; roast 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the chicken skin-side-down on the hot skillet; cook 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Turn the chicken over and transfer the pan to the oven (just stick it right next to those carrots). Roast 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through.
Remove the chicken from the skillet. Add the carrots, shallot, parsley, and rosemary. Stir gently, coating the carrots with the pan juices and allowing the heat from the pan to soften the shallot.
In a small dish, mix together the yogurt and lemon juice. Season with salt. Serve the chicken and carrots with the yogurt sauce.

3.2.2089

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BLACKBERRY CHEESECAKE BARS ON A VANILLA PECAN CRUST

Have you seen Pioneer Woman bake these yet? If not, set your DVR…love her!!!!

Ingredients

Crust:
nonstick foil
One 11-ounce box vanilla wafers
1/2 cup pecans
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Filling:
Three 8-ounce packages cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream

Topping:
4 cups fresh blackberries
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust: Line a 9-by-13-inch pan with nonstick foil.

Food process the vanilla wafers and pecans into crumbs. Add the melted butter and
vanilla and pulse again until combined. Pour the mixture into the pan and press the crumbs into the bottom.

Filling: Beat cream
cheese and sugar in mixer until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Add the
sour cream and mix again.

Pour the filling on top of the crust. Smooth top with offset spatula and bake for 50 minutes. Turn off the oven, open the oven
door and allow the pan to sit in the open oven for 15 minutes. Remove
and set aside to cool.

For the topping: Add the blackberries,
sugar and 1/4 cup water to a saucepan. Bring to a boil over
medium-high heat and cook until the juices thicken slightly, 4 to 5
minutes.

In a small bowl, make a slurry by stirring together the
cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water until smooth. Add the slurry to the
berries, return to the boil and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Turn
off the heat and cool the mixture. Oops-you can see I was in a rush and didn’t cool it but next time I will!!!

Pour the blackberries over the
cheesecake and place the pan into the fridge to cool and set for at
least 2 hours but longer is better.

When ready to serve,
remove the cheesecake from the pan by lifting the edges of the foil.
Slice into squares a big knife.

Recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman

BUTTERFLY CUPCAKES

As a little girl, these cupcakes were always at my birthday parties!! I’m bringing them back for all my kiddies!! They are so easy and light and so so pretty!!

BUTTERFLY CUPCAKES

A package of your favorite White Cake Mix, or your favorite White Cake Mix recipe
Whipped Cream – the heavier the better
Powdered Sugar
Any decorations you’d like

Make your cupcakes according to the directions on your recipe or on the package. When they are baked, let the cupcakes cool completely.

Once your cupcakes are completely cooled, slice the tops of the cupcakes off.

Put whipped cream on top of the cupcake.

Take the top of the cupcake that was sliced off and slice that in half. Place each half on an angle in the whipped cream.

Using a sieve/sifter, dust some powdered sugar on top of the cupcakes. Add any decorations that you’d like. When using whipped cream, make sure that you keep the cupcakes in the refrigerator to prevent spoiling. Also, these are best when served immediately!! Enjoy!!