Garlic Mustard Cream Sauce

I have to let you know right away that I am NOT a mustard lover. I will always choose ketchup for my hot dog. When I was 5 I made myself a mustard and cheese sandwich that was a Dagwood -style masterpiece (using all the cheese my family had in the refrigerator). I took one bite and refused to eat it. My mother was not pleased, and I am pretty sure she made me eat my shunned creation to drive home the point that I should not waste food. All that to illustrate that mustard and I have not been friends for a long time. But Germany changed my life. Seasonally, during Octoberfest, Aldi will carry a variety of whole- grain mustards. This one is my favorite. I buy a bunch of them so I can use them all year long.

Quality, whole-grain mustard is a revelation! It has the heat, texture and sweet that for some reason really appeals to me, much more than it's distant yellow deli cousin. I liked the idea of this recipe, but changed it to incorporate my whole grain friend.

This sauce is delightful; decadent, tangy, savory and sweet. We used it on salmon, but I think it would go well on poached eggs too.

Garlic Mustard Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 Tbsp whole-grain mustard
• 1 cup half and half
• 2 tsp fresh dill or 1 tsp dried
• 1 Tbsp Flour

1. For the sauce, in a small sauce pan melt butter. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk in the flour until blended and smooth.
2. Gradually add the cream and reduce heat to medium low. Stir in the mustard and dill. Salt and pepper to suit taste.

Crispy Skinned Salmon (in the oven)

Please Google...please show me a way to make crispy skinned Salmon in the oven.

You see, living in the city we have a problem...hard wired smoke alarms. It seems like a great idea. One smoke alarm in your house detects smoke and the entire house begins to scream. Unless you don't have a vent fan for your stove top that vents outside, like me. Every time we try and cook anything in a pan on the stove top that creates steam at all (pancakes, steak, bacon etc...) the alarms go off. Crispy Skinned Salmon is a recipe for ear-splitting reaction. We have learned how to create delicious bacon in the oven, steaks we reserve for the grill, pancakes we are still working on, but I really needed to figure out the salmon.

And we did!

We found a way to create awesome crispy skinned salmon without setting off our fire alarm. It is a cause for celebration. I read several suggested methods for creating a crispy skinned salmon, but all of them involved the stove top at some point. We developed this method that uses only the oven. Enjoy, and your are welcome for saving your ears.

Cripsy Skinned Salmon (in the oven)

Ingredients:

2 salmon fillets
salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a cast iron frying pan in the oven while the oven preheats.

2. Pat the fillets dry. Rub the fish all over with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.

3. When the oven has come to temperature, drizzle the hot frying pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and place the fish fillets into the pan, skin side down. Two things are important here: 1. the frying pan must be VERY hot. Make sure the oven has come to temperature. 2. Work quickly. You don't want to loose any of that heat.

4. Bake the salmon for 8 - 10 or until the fish is opaque. (This varies depending on the thickness of your cut of salmon, so watch your fish.) Squeeze with lemon, or dress with your favorite sauce and enjoy.

Rosemary Cranberry Chicken

We found another recipe that the family insists must go on the blog. 'Tis the season of cranberries, and I loved the idea of mixing the tart berries, sweet brown sugar and savory rosemary and chicken. It balances beautifully. The cranberries, vegetables and juices from the chicken create an excellent sauce. We had brie on the table, and Keith put some of the cooked cranberries on his brie and cracker which was awesome too

Rosemary Cranberry Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2–3 tbsp white wine vinegar, more for later
• 6 pieces bone-in, skin on chicken (I used 2 chicken breasts and 4 thighs)
• 6–8 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 1/2 tsp dry rosemary)
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/3 cup Private Reserve extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon, juice of (do not discard used lemon halves)
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 1/2 cup chicken broth or water
• More fresh rosemary for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a small bowl, combine the cranberries, brown sugar, and white wine vinegar. Set aside for now.
2. Pat the chicken pieces dry. Rub the chicken with the minced garlic on both sides (make sure to apply some of the garlic underneath the chicken skins). Season well with salt and pepper. Combine the rosemary and paprika then apply to the chicken pieces on both sides and again underneath the skin.
3. In a large bowl or deep enough dish, mix the olive oil, lemon juice and 2 tbsp white wine vinegar. Now add the chicken, celery, onions, and used lemon halves. Work everything together with clean hands. Set aside to marinate just for 15 minutes or so.
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
5. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet. Place the chicken skin side down to brown on medium-high for 5 minutes. Turn over and brown on the other side.
6. Place the chicken, onions, celery, lemon halves and any liquid from the marinade in a lightly oiled baking pan likethis one. Add 1/2 cup water or chicken broth, then add the sugared cranberries.
7. Bake in the 425 degrees F heated-oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through. Serve hot with Lebanese rice and your favorite salad.

Pumpkin Crinkle Cookies

So sometimes I see a recipe and I think..."That might be good." Sometimes those recipes are good, sometimes they are unremarkable, and sometimes they are so amazing you think twice about bringing them to the event they were made for, and maybe just bringing the half box of cookies from Trader Joe's in stead so you can eat them all yourself. This cookie recipe is one of those. They are crazy delicious!! The dough is easy enough to make, but they are a bit high maintenance because they require two sugar treatments before they can go in the oven. It is so worth it though because the sugar creates a sweet and crunchy bottom, the center is soft and spicy, and the top has a cracked sugar coating with preview peeks of the delicious pumpkin goodness beneath.

Some tips:
-The dough needs to rest for 10 minutes, DON'T SKIP THIS!
-The dough is very wet...that is on purpose. It helps to use a cookie scoop, or two spoons. The dough will stick to your hands

Pumpkin Crinkle Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature

• ½ cup pumpkin puree (unsweetened - not pie filling)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar, for rolling
• 1 cup powdered sugar, for rolling

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Melt the butter and set aside to cool.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, eggs,pumpkin and vanilla until smooth. Add the  
5. butter and whisk until combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture just until no dry ingredients remain visible. Set the cookie dough aside for 10 minutes.
6. While the dough is resting, place the 2/3 cup granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Place the powdered sugar in a separate shallow bowl.

1. 7.Using a small cookie scoop, drop 1 heaping scoop (about 1 tablespoon) of cookie dough directly into the bowl with the granulated sugar. The dough is super soft so it won't be like other sturdy cookie dough balls.  Scoop some of the granulated sugar over the dough and gently push it around the bowl until covered.  Place the sugared dough ball in the palm of your hand.  Form your hand into a cup and gently roll the dough around until it forms a ball. Place the ball of cookie dough in the powdered sugar and roll to coat. Place the dough balls on the parchment lined baking sheets, at least 2-inches apart. Work quickly to roll all the dough balls - there should be about 12 cookies on each pan. Once you have one pan filled, go ahead and bake and keep rolling and forming more cookies. Work as quickly as you can to get them all ready to go.

1. 8. Bake for 14 minutes or until the cookies are puffy, and cracks have formed. The cookies will still be soft and look a little raw in-between the cracks. Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Melt In Your Mouth Chicken (fast & easy)

I had chicken breasts in the refrigerator and I knew I needed to use them for dinner tonight. It was staff meeting night, so I knew I would not be home until minutes before my hungry hoard. I did not want to put them in the crock pot for shredding, I wanted something new and fun and fast. I found this recipe on Pinterest, had all the ingredients, so I figured I would try it. IT WAS THE BOMB! Everyone loved it. The recipe is easy: easy prep, easy cooking, super great. If you need a good idea in a pinch, this is a safe bet.

Melt In Your Mouth Chicken

Ingredients:

1 cup sour cream
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
Salt & pepper to taste
3 lbs chicken breasts cut into thirds
Fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl combine sour cream,1 cup of the cheese, garlic, paprika salt & pepper, mix well.

2. Arrange chicken on a large baking pan or roasting pan. (the bigger the better, the more space between the chicken the more the juice will evaporate) Spread the cream cheese mixture over the chicken, then sprinkle the remaining cup of shredded cheese and fresh parsley over the top.

3. Bake for 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and cheese is browning on the top.

Crockpot Greek Chicken and Stuffed Tomatoes

The crock pot is a magical thing. You can create some fantastic meals with this kitchen tool, but I have also created some soggy messes that were kind of gross. That is my least favorite result.  No one wants a pot full of sludge for dinner. This crock pot recipe creates two elements for dinner, and each turns out perfectly without everything turning into goo.

I tried this at the end of the tomato season when we had a lot of tomatoes laying around, and everyone was a little tired of tomato soup. This recipe was a great way to end a Sunday. I hope you
enjoy.

Crock Pot Chicken with Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients:
6 tomatoes, tops trimmed and insides scraped out

Tomato Filling:
1 tablespoon butter
1 zucchini, diced
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3 cups chopped fresh spinach
1/4 cup red wine
8 oz crumbled feta cheese
1 egg slightly beaten

6 bone-in chicken thighs, skins removed
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 cup Greek olives
salt, pepper

Directions:
1. Heat a medium frying pan over medium-high heat melt the butter. Saute the zucchini, onion, garlic and pepper flakes. Cook for 5 minutes until onions are translucent and zucchini is tender. Toss in the spinach, add the wine, continue to toss until wine is reduced. Season with salt and pepper. In a medium bowl stir in feta and beaten egg.

2. Distribute the filling evenly between the tomatoes and set aside.

3. Season the chicken thighs with salt pepper and oregano. Arrange the chicken thighs in the bottom of the crock pot and sprinkle olives on top.

 Next, arrange the stuffed tomatoes on top of the chicken.

Set the crock pot on low and cook for 6 hours.