Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs

I started to run out of ideas for dinner, I cook more and more everyday so it's getting tough.  But one thing I can always count on for dinner is a chicken dish.  You can make chicken a thousand or more different ways, it's so versatile. Supermarkets sell chicken in a variety of ways - ground chicken, whole chicken, chicken parts, cutlets, boneless, skinless, whatever you are looking for they will have or cut it for you.  I am not a fan though of chicken with bones in it, however, thighs are a good choice.  They are tender and juicy, and you can also buy them boneless if you choose or debone them yourself.  I left the bone in my chicken thighs for added flavor.

For my dinner I made Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs in a dutch oven, baked them in the oven, and the meat just fell right off the bones. There was virtually no work in preparation of the chicken and I let the oven do the rest.

This is how I made them:

I used eight thighs, they are not that big so I figured 2 for each person.

I coated the bottom of my dutch oven with a little olive oil. Sprinkle thighs with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the thighs around the pan and in the middle.  Brown on  both sides over medium high heat on top of the stove.  After they were browned I sprinkled 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary and 2 teaspoons fresh thyme over them, and added a quartered whole sweet onion to the pan.  Bake at 375 for 1 1/2 hours, or until juices run clear.  The skin was crispy, the meat was tender and the flavor was awesome. Honestly I don't think I even checked on them once while they were roasting.

And here they are! All done, ready to eat and they were fabulous.

Alongside my chicken was fresh Asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto di Parma.  Clean the asparagus, drizzle a little olive oil on a sheet pan, wrap each asparagus spear in prosciutto, line up on the sheet pan, drizzle with a little more olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake at 375 degrees until asparagus is slightly tender and prosciutto is crispy.

I also served mashed potatoes as another side. This meal was delicious I have to say, a comfort food for sure. Enjoy!

Green Pasta

Just me and my son the vegan in the house last night for dinner.  We were both hungry, he just came in from school, and I hadn't eaten all day.  I had a lot of fresh veggies to use up in the refrigerator, but with no meat on the menu for him, I had to come up with something good for both of us to eat.  I had broccoletti, asparagus, all kinds of colored peppers, fresh parsley and garlic waiting for me in the refrigerator.  I also had watercress, a favorite of mine in there too, so I made a simple salad out of that.  We both enjoyed it, got our bellies full and satisfied.  I topped mine with grated Parmesan cheese.  This is how I made it.

On high heat, put on a pot of salted water for the pasta. Wash and trim the broccoletti and the asparagus, pat dry.  

  In a saute pan, on medium heat, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 3 minced cloves of garlic.  I used a red pepper for color in this dish, cut it into bite size pieces and add it to the garlic.  Chop the broccolini and slice the asparagus on the diagonal and add to the pan.  Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.  Cook the vegetables just until they are tender, not mushy, they should have bite to them.  

 When the water starts to boil, add your pasta.  I used Farfalle, we love that shape of pasta.   Right before serving, hit the veggies with juice from 1/2 of a lemon, and 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley.

 Top with grated cheese if you like, and a side salad of watercress, red onion and grape tomatoes with garlic dressing rounds out the meal.

Lazy Mary Fettuccine - Mangia! Mangia!

My name is not Mary, and I AM NOT lazy hahaha! but this is my short version of Fettuccine when I am in a hurry and everyone is hungry.  I put together this fast, easy, and great tasting recipe for Fettuccine Alfredo with Asparagus and Chicken. When you don't have a lot of time to cook, this is the dish to make.  No asparagus, or don't like it, use green peas, cut whole green beans or anything you like.  That's why it's 

e-a-s-y.  My whole family loves Italian food, go figure, we're Italian.  If they like it, it must be a winner.

Brown up the chicken and cook the asparagus in a skillet with a little olive oil.  Here's the sauce.

I buy these egg nests at Wegmans, cook according to the package directions, we like ours al dente.

Creamy and good.

Make the salad while the pasta is cooking.  The Garlic Expressions Dressing is also from Wegmans, it is not garlicky at all, it's just a very good Italian dressing.  Don't forget the bread and wine.  The wine is an old family favorite Italian table wine.  I remember my grandfather use to drink this all the time, and it still comes in the jug! He also made his own, as well as, dandelion wine.  It's a very smooth wine and great with an Italian meal.

 

Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken and Asparagus

2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 package of precooked chicken strips

1 medium size bunch of asparagus

1 jar of Bertolli Alfredo Sauce

1 package of Delverde Egg Tagliatelle Nests No. 91

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano - Reggiano Cheese

Salt and Pepper

Start a pot of water on high heat with 1 Tbsp. salt.  To a skillet - the 2 Tbsp. of olive oil and add the chicken, break up any really big pieces. Cook until the chicken is slightly browned.  Remove from pan to a plate.  Wash, pat dry, and snap the ends off the asparagus and cut on the diagonal.  Add the asparagus to the pan and saute just until tender, it should still be crunchy, not mushy.  Remove from heat and onto the plate with the chicken. When water has started to boil add the pasta (4 nests will serve 4 people) and stir.  Continue to cook until it is done to your taste.  Drain the pasta. Combine the chicken and asparagus with the pasta then pour in the Alfredo sauce.   Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top and some fresh black pepper.  Serves 4.