#12 Chicken Dijonnaise

You can never go wrong making one of mom's dishes and that's just what I did this week (with just a few additions) - I brought Minnesota to Mexico and enjoyed it with friends. Taste it for yourself and say thanks to mom.

#12 Chicken Dijonnaise

Ingredients:
10 oz. butter
3 (7-oz.) chicken breasts, boned
flour
1/2 c. thinly sliced yellow onions
1/2 c. mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 artichoke hearts
2 oz. Dijon mustard
1 c. white wine
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 c. steamed broccoli
fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:
In a skillet, heat butter. Dredge chicken in flour; saute in butter until lightly brown, about 2-3 minutes. When you turn chicken to brown second side, quickly add onion, mushrooms, garlic, broccoli and artichoke hearts. Let vegetables heat in residue. Stir to prevent garlic from burning. Add mustard and white wine, continue to move pan to blend mustard and wine. Let liquid reduce by half. As chicken gets ready, add cream, cook 3-4 minutes to a creamy consistency. Remove chicken to a serving dish. Pour sauce on top, sprinkle with parsley. Serve with rice or noodles. (It is really important to have all the ingredients ready before starting to cook.)

Buen Provecho!

#11 BBQ Ribs and French Fries

Whatever country you visit or read about, you learn that there is a signature dish. There is some meal or food that the country claims as its own. For example, Argentina is known for their steak, Mexico for its tacos, tortas ahogadas and pozole to name a few while people from around the world love fish and chips in England.

When people ask me what a signature dish is from the States I often struggle with an answer. Growing up in the Midwest we ate a lot of meat and potatoes and things called "hotdishes" (Known to the rest of the world as "casseroles"). While I remain without an answer for the signature dish of the US of A, my Peruvian boyfriend is convinced that the answer is BBQ ribs. And with that meal at the forefront of his mind, he has been drooling for some BBQ ribs. And so it is that when I started this blogging adventure through new recipes three months ago, he began earnestly begging me to make some BBQ ribs.

So fellow chefs, here you have this week's recipe. It was all really yummy, even if I'm not a fan of fighting a bone to get my meat (That's when the Peruvian novio came in handy as he volunteered to cut my meat for me. And yes, after sweating in the little kitchen slaving away all afternoon, I gladly obliged and let him cut it for me.) And honestly, the french fries were dangerously tasty, so watch out, it's a good menu this week.

BBQ Ribs

Ingredients:

2 pounds pork ribs

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground black pepper

2 tbsp salt

1 cup of BBQ sauce (I used Tomy Romo's original sauce)

Directions

1. Place ribs in a large pot with enough water to cover. Season with garlic powder, black pepper and salt. Bring water to a boil, and cook ribs until tender.

2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C)

3. Remove ribs from pot, and place them in a 9x13 baking dish. Pour BBQ sauce over ribs. Cover dish with aluminum foil, and bake in the preheated oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until internal temperature of pork has reached 160 degrees F (70 degrees C)

French Fries

Ingredients

2 pounds potatoes, peeled

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp garlic salt

2 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

1/2 cup water, or as needed

1 cup vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

1. Slice potatoes into French fries.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. While the oil is heating, sift the flour, garlic salt, salt, and paprika into a large bowl. Gradually stir in enough water so that the mixture can be drizzled from a spoon.

3. Dip potato slices into the batter one at a time, and plae in the hot oil so they are not touching at first. The fries must be placed into the skillet one at a time, or they will clump together. Fry until golden brown and crispy. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Buen Provecho!

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#10 Saturday Morning Pancakes

There's something liberating about not setting an alarm clock. The alarm clock doesn't bother me most mornings as I honestly enjoy the tranquility of the mornings, however there is something wonderful about not waking up to the beeping clock and not having much on the agenda.

For that reason, I absolutely adore Saturday mornings. I don't set the alarm yet still have somewhat of a routine. An ambitious (and ideal) Saturday finds me getting my weekend 8k run out of the way as soon as possible to avoid the suffocating afternoon heat so that when I come home, I can get the coffee brewing, the tunes playing and the baking started.

This Saturday found me experimenting with my normal pancake recipe as I played with the size and flavors. And now these plate-sized flapjacks may have to take somewhat of a permanent place on the Saturday morning menu.

Saturday Morning Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cup milk (maybe a little more to make the pancakes thinner)

1/8 cup vegetable oil

1 Tbsp. melted butter

1 1/2 tbsp. sugar

3/4 tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Yummy Saturday Morning Add-ins:

1. Sliced Bananas and Chocolate Chips

2. Chopped Apples and Cinnamon

3. Blueberries

Beat egg with hand beater until fluffy; beat in remaining ingredients until just smooth. Grease a heated griddle (or frying pan). Pour about 3 tbsp. batter from tip of large spoon or from pitcher onto hot griddle. Cook pancakes until puffed and dry around edges (tiny bubbles will begin to form). Turn and cook other sides until golden brown, flipping once. The first pancake isn't the best one. Makes about 9 4 -inch pancakes or 4 pan-size pancakes.

Buen Provecho!

#9 Ginger-Soy Pork on Shredded Lettuce

Wanting something healthy and not making chicken and veggies again, this week I went for a stir-fry alternative using pork which was tasty and relatively healthy with the absence of carbs. It made for a yummy meal and as Rachel Ray comments in her book, it is nearly like ordering "take-out."

Ginger-Soy Pork on Shredded Lettuce

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil (3 times around the pan)

6 1/4 inch thick pork-loin chops, cut into thin strips

Salt and Black Pepper

1 tbsp of ginger flakes

4 large garlic cloves

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips

1 tbsp basil

1 onion sliced

1/4 cup tamari (dark aged soy sauce)

3 tbsps honey

1 head of iceburg lettuce, shredded

Directions:

Heat a large nonstick pan over high heat. Add the vegetable oil. It should smoke up a bit. Add the pork and season with a little salt and lots of black pepper. Stir-fry for a minute to sear at the edges, then add the ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes and red pepper slices. Cook for 2 minutes more.

Add the onions and stir-fry for another minute, then add the tamari and honey to form a sauce and glaze over the meat. Remove the pan from the heat. Add basil.

Cover a platter with shredded lettuce, top with the pork and serve.

Buen Provecho!

#8 Sweet Pea Soup with Bacon-Parmesan Toast

One of my favorite meals growing up was my mom's homemade cheddar broccoli soup. Yum. When the weather got chilly and the winds started blowing, mom would make this hearty soup for the family.

With that in mind, it's slightly ironic that as the temperatures have been soaring here in Guadalajara with a recent heat wave that I decided to make a soup this week. And though it's not my favorite childhood soup with broccoli from days past, it's another veggie taking the spotlight this week - peas.

So whether the weather is warm or cold, this sweet pea soup from Rachel Ray (slightly modified) is worth a bowl-full.

Sweet Pea Soup with Bacon-Parmesan Toast

Ingredients:

2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil (twice around the plan)

4 slices bacon, chopped

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tbsp thyme

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

A couple dashes of tabasco sauce

1 bag of frozen peas

1 quart chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half

8 slices french bread or baguette

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup fresh parsley (a generous handful), chopped

Juice of one lime

Directions:

Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat with the EVOO. Add the bacon and cook until crsip, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the crispy bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon to drain on a paper towel. Add the onions, garlic, and thyme to the pot and season with salt, pepper, and a few dashes of hot sauce. Cook while stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the onions are tender. Add the frozen peas and continue to cook until the peas are defrosted and heated through, 2 to 3 minues. Transfer the onions and peas to a blender or food processor with 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and puree until smooth. Add the pureed peas back to the soup pot and stir in the remaining 3 1/2 cups of chicken stock and the cream, bring up to a simmer, and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, toast the baguette utnil golden brown in the broiler or toaster oven. In a bowl, miz the cheese with the reserved bacon and parsley. Once the toast is nice and golden, sprinkle the bacon-Parmesan mix on top of the bread and return to the broiler or toaster oven to melt and lightly brown the cheese.

To finish the soup, add the juice of one lime, stir to combine, and transfer the soup to serving bowls. Float 2 pieces of Parmesan toast on top of each soup bowl and serve immediately.

Buen Provecho!