One Dish Dinner: Lemon Garlic Chicken

The busiest time of day in this household is generally between 4-6pm.  During that time, I need to supervise homework, complete household chores left from before work, make sure we have everything we need for evening activities and all the while preparing, eating and cleaning up dinner! The challenge is always how to get a good nutritious meal on the table without creating a mountain of clean up work!  That's where one dish meals come in! I love the quick prep time and minimal mess of these types of meals!  For this particular dish, chicken is so versatile, you can pair whatever veggies you like with it.  I chose potatoes and asparagus, but it would be just as great with turnips and green beans!  The total prep time is about 20 minutes which is mostly cleaning and cutting the veggies, lemon and garlic. Putting the dish together takes less than 5 minutes, it is just layering process.

Lemon Garlic Chicken:

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 lemons

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 potatoes, quartered 

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*F. Thinly slice 1 1/2 lemons.  Reserve a half lemon for the juice.  Coat a 9x13 casserole dish with 1 tbsp of olive oil and then place the sliced lemon in a single layer in the dish.  In a bowl, mixed together 3 tbsp of oil with the juice of the remaining lemon half.  Add the minced garlic, salt and pepper and mix well.  Gently toss the asparagus in the lemon garlic mixture and then place in an even layer over the lemon slices in the 9x13.  Repeat the same process with the potatoes and chicken.  Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.  Let dish rest for 5 minutes out of the oven before serving!

Bacon Wrapped Pork Roast with Mustard Duck Sauce Glaze

When I go grocery shopping, I make a meal plan and vow that I will stick to my list.  Inevitably, I end up buying extra meat that is on sale and I have no plan of what to do with it.  This week, I brought home a lovely small pork roast.  When I was ready to use it, I rummaged through my fridge and pantry for things to go with it and came up with bacon!  I looked up recipes for this combo and most had some sort of glaze.  Since this wasn't a meal that I planned in advance, I didn't have all the ingredients for any one specific recipe so I improvised. Instead of honey, preserves or chutney, I used packets of duck sauce that I had left over from Chinese takeout.  If you're like me, you always have extra takeout condiments floating around in your refridge!  Sean and the boys enjoyed my improv & I hope you will too!

Bacon Wrapped Pork Roast with Mustard Duck Ssice Glaze:

Ingredients:

1-2lb pork roast

4-6 slices of bacon

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp country brown mustard

4 packets duck sauce

1 packet hot mustard

4 tbsp oil split in half

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325*F.  In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, garlic salt and the two peppers.  Rub this mixture evenly over the pork roast.  Wrap the roast in the slices of uncooked bacon and fasten with toothpicks.  Inserting the toothpicks on the side of the roast works best.  Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in an oven proof pan over medium heat on the stovetop.  Place the bacon wrapped roast in the pan and sear it on all sides about 8 minutes per side.  While the roast is searing, mix together the remaining oil, brown mustard, hot mustard, and duck sauce.  After the roast has been browned, remove the pan from the heat.  Brush the mustard duck sauce on the roast and place the pan in the oven.  Cook for 45 minutes to an hour. The roast should have an internal temperature between 150-160*F.  After you remove the roast from the oven, let it rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Mushroom Ranch Pork Chops

Tonight's recipe was an effort to create a crunchy crust that seals in the juiciness of the pork! I threw this together on the fly so I didn't take as many pictures as usual!  If you are s pork lover then you will really enjoy this yummy recipe!!

Ranch Mushroom Pork Chops:

 Ingredients:

4-6 boneless pork chops

1 cup flour

1 packet buttermilk ranch dressing

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

2-4 tbsp butter

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 green onions, sliced, tops reserved for garnish

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375*F.  Mix flour and ranch dressing packet together in a shallow dish.  Salt and pepper the pork chops and then dredge through the ranch and flour mix.  Melt 2 tbsp butter in an oven proof skillet over medium heat.  When the butter is melted, place half the chops in the skillet and sear for 5-6 minutes on each side.  Drain on paper towels and sear the remaining chops.  Add 2 more tbsp of butter if needed.  While the pork chops are cooking, mix together the chicken broth, cream of mushroom soup and the green onions.  Place the drained pork chops and the soup mixture in the hot skillet.  Bring the soup mixture to boil.  Place the skillet in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Top with the mozzarella and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Let meat rest got 5-7 minutes before serving.  Garnish with green onion tops and enjoy!

Bacon Breakfast Braid

Hello, All!  It has been several months since my last post!  We've had so much going on that I haven't had time to post!  We moved into our new home in May !  I've been enjoying cooking and entertaining in my new space!  

I've been baking up a storm for family and friends the last couple of months!

To top off the summer, we had a wonderful young man from China come and spend the month of August with us!  We spent lots of time showing him what family life is all about here in Indiana!

I hope your last few months have been as enjoyable as mine have been!!

This morning, I thought I would get a little fancy with our breakfast!  I made a wonderful simple bacon breakfast braid.  This would be an ideal dish for a brunch buffet table.  

Bacon Breakfast Braid:

Ingredients:

Scrambled eggs (6-7 eggs)

7 bacon strips, cooked 

1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 can Pullsbury Crescent Dough Sheets

Directions:

 Preheat the oven to 375*F.  Roll out the dough sheet on to a parchment lined baking sheet and cut 2 inch slits up the long sides of the dough sheet.

Next, layer on the eggs followed by the bacon then sprinkle the cheese over the top.

Pull the dough strips gently towards the center at an angle to create the braid.

Bake for 12-13 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. After removing from the oven, let rest for 2-3 minutes before cutting.

Sunday Dinner: Roast Pork with Onion Jam and Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

Like most families, we are in the 4th Quarter crazy zone!  There are 5 weeks left in the school year paired with Spring sports.  We are on the run every day except Sunday.  Our dinners are reduced to sandwiches, pizzas and the like so on on Sunday, I try to make something a little more substantial.  Today's menu was all my youngest son's favorites, pork, green beans and corn on the cob!  I haven't blogged in so long, I didn't take the usual step by step pictures, but the recipes are super simple so I don't think the pictures are necessary.  I used all reduced sodium items in the recipe to keep it from getting too salty.

Roast Pork with Onion Jam:

• 3 lb pork loin
• 1½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp dried parsley
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 1 medium onion cut into 8 sections
• 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
• 
  

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350*F.  In a small bowl, combine garlic powder, ground ginger, salt, thyme, and pepper, whisking to combine. Rub seasoning all over the entire surface of pork loin.

Heat oil in a large oven proof pot over a medium-hot burner.  Add onion to hot oil and cook 2-3 minutes until they start to soften.  Place the seasoned pork int the pot and brown it on all sides. Mix the broth, lemon juice and soy sauce together and pour into the pot with the pork and onions.  Place pot in oven and cook for 3.5 hours.  Remove pot from oven and place roast on board to rest for 20 minutes under a foil tent.  Remove the onions and reduced liquid to a measuring cup and allow it to rest also.  After 10 minutes, skim the fat off the measuring cup and remove.  Place what remains in the measuring cup into a small oven proof ramiken and place back in the oven for 5-10 minutes.  Remove and serve over the pork roast.  

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans:

1 pound fresh green beans

8 slices of bacon  

4 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Wash, dry and pinch the ends off the green beans. Bundle together 10 green beans. Wrap a slice of bacon around the center of the beans to hold it together. Lay the bundle bacon seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with remaining beans. Heat a small saucepan over low heat. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until melted and combined.  Brush the mixture over top of each green bean bundle. Cover the bundles with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Turn up the oven heat to 400*F.  Remove the foil and bake for 10-15 minutes more or until bacon gets crispy.  After removing from oven, let rest for 2-3 minutes before serving.

Crockpot Honey Sriracha BBQ Chicken

 

Hello, Everyone! Long time no posts!!  My husband thinks I have people out in the blogger world missing me 😉

We are in the home stretch of building our new house which has eaten up my time.  It is coming along and I anticipate being in my new kitchen sometime in April!!

Here is what the kitchen looks like right now!  Not ready for a meal yet, but soon!

In the meantime, I've been cooking lots of meals from http://www.blueapron.com  which I love, love, love!!  Check them out if you are interested in getting groceries delivered along with easy, yummy recipes! 

When I'm not cooking Blue Apron meals, I'm using my crockpot & that is what I did last night! This recipe is the perfect blend of sweet and spicy.  It took all of 15 minutes to prep.  I used bone-in chicken with the skin for extra flavor, but boneless, skinless would work fine too! I served the chicken on a bed of brown rice with a side of green beans, a winning combination for my 9 year old son.  Give it a try and tell me what you think!  

Crockpot Honey Sriracha BBQ Chicken

4 chicken breasts 

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup honey

3  garlic, minced

1/2 small onion, diced

3 tbsp Sriracha 

3 tsp sesame oil

3 tbsp rice wine vinegar 

Place the chicken pieces in the bottom of the crockpot.  Mix all the rest of the ingredients together and pour over the chicken.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours.  Enjoy!!

Creamy Baked Acorn Squash

It's my favorite time of year, squash season!!  I love the creamy warmth of slow roasted squash!  Butternut, acorn, Hubbard, you name the squash and I'm all in! I usually fix acorn squash with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar.  I made Beer Can Chicken last night and was thinking mashed potatoes, but we are trying to watch the white starch so I looked for a good substitute and found this super simple Martha Stewart recipe online.  I changed out the cream in the recipe for coconut milk so it is great for people who are dairy intolerant!  

I also roasted my squash low and slow with the bird and then turned it up at the end to melt the cheese. If you are dairy intolerant, you can switch the cheese for a vegan non-dairy choice.  During the last 30 minutes, I also added some carrots that had been tossed in olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.  Yum!!

Creamy Baked Acorn Squash:

Ingredients:

2 acorn squash, split in half w/seeds removed

Kosher Salt

Black Pepper

8 sprigs thyme

1 can coconut milk

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250*F.  Level the bottoms of the squash halves so they sit nicely in a baking dish.  Season the squash with salt and pepper to taste.  Divide coconut milk evenly between the squash pieces.  Place 2 sprigs of thyme in each squash shell.  Bake for 2 hours uncovered.  

After 2 hours, tuen up the heat to 350*F.  Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese evenly over the squash and bake for an additional 30 minutes uncovered.  Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.