Maple Chicken & Mashed Sweet Potatoes

I absolutely love sweet potatoes. Like, I really like them. Whenever I have sweet potatoes around the house, I skip my Captain Crunch breakfast for a bowl of warm sweet potatoes. I'll then proceed to skip a sandwich during lunch in exchange for a bowl of sweet potatoes. Dinner will accompany sweet potatoes. For desert? Not ice cream... sweet potatoes! If I'm lucky I'll get a chance to steal a bite of sweet potatoes for snacks in between as well. This is why Michael doesn't allow me to have sweet potatoes around the house very often. 

This meal is the perfect combination of all the flavors that remind me of autumn, combined in one. Don't let the ingredients scare you off - I understand that maple cooked with green onions and glazed over chicken smothered in steak seasoning doesn't sound appetizing. Then combine that with mashed sweet potatoes filled with onions - definitely not something you'd find in a restaurant. But once your taste buds meet with the creamy potatoes and the sugary yet spicy chicken, you'll fall in love!

-Sarah

Maple-Glazed Chicken

ingredients

·   1 lb. chicken breast tenderloins

·   2 tsp. steak grilling seasoning blend, such as Montreal

·   2 Tbsp. butter

·   ¼ cup maple syrup

·   ½ cup sliced green onion (about 4)

directions

1.Prepare sweet potatoes

2.Meanwhile, lightly coat chicken with steak seasoning. Heat butter in large skillet over medium-high heat; add chicken. Cook 5 to 6 minutes until no longer pink (170 degrees F), turning once halfway through cooking. Remove from skillet; cover and keep warm. Stir maple syrup into hot skillet; cook 2 minutes. Stir in green onions.

3.Divide chicken and potatoes among 4 plates. Drizzle with maple syrup mixture. Serves 4.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Caramelized Onions

ingredients

·         ½ cup unsalted butter or butter

·         2 pounds yellow onions, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced (7 cups)

·         ½ teaspoon salt

·         ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

·         4 pounds sweet potatoes or white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 10 cups)

·         ½ cup milk

·         1/3 cup dairy sour cream

·         Salt and ground black pepper

directions

1.To caramelize the onions, in a large skillet heat 1/4 cup of the butter. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Season with the 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Remove from the heat; set aside.

2.Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in a large pot, covered, in lightly salted boiling water for 12 minutes or until tender; drain.

3.Add the remaining 1/4 cup butter to the hot pot and let melt. Add the potatoes to the pot and mash with a potato masher until smooth. Stir in the milk, sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in caramelized onions, reserving a few onions for garnish. Cook and stir over low heat until heated through. Transfer to a serving dish. Top with reserved onions. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Streusel-topped Pear Pie

The other day I was invited to a dinner party hosted by a co-worker of Michael's. This particular co-worker of his makes the most delectable dishes that make me ashamed of stepping foot in the kitchen. So, of course, I had to find a meal that not only was delicious and aesthetically pleasing, but also a meal that was as much "made-from-scratch" as possible.
Morning of the dinner party, I began preparing the pie, and was relieved when I put the pie in the oven because from that point, it is free sailing. About 30 minutes into baking, my smoke alarms suddenly began to beep. I turned around to see smoke billowing out of the oven. I immediately raced to the closest smoke alarm to stop the horrible shrill noise. Not able to reach the ceiling, I frantically scrambled to the dining room to grab a chair and stumbled back to the smoke alarm with the chair. Standing on the chair wasn't enough, and I had to practice my Michael Jordan jump-shot to the smoke alarm. Once the house was once again filled with silence, I raced to the oven to assess the damage.
The pie was perfect! No scorching or burning at all! All the smoke had been caused from overflowing pear juice from the pie.
This is a great Autumn pie, especially because of the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves used. The combination of these spices are inviting and warm. Combined with the sharp cheese and the sweet pears, this pie makes a great addition to the dinner table.

-Sarah

Streusel-topped Pear Pie
From: The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook

Ingredients:
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
salt
1 cup butter or margarine
2-1/2 to 3 tbsp cold water
5 medium pears
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (I am partial to sharp Cheddar)

Preparation:

1. In medium bowl with fork, stir 2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt. With pastry blender or 2 knives used scissor-fashion. cut in 3/4 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Measure 1 cup mixture into medium bowl; reserve.

2. To remaining flour mixture, add cold water, 1 tbsp at a time, mixing lightly with a fork after each addition until moist enough to hold together. With hands, shape pastry into a ball.

3. On lightly floured surface with lightly floured rolling pin, roll pastry into an 11-inch circle; use to line 9-inch pie plate. Trim pastry edges, leaving 1-inch overhang. Fold overhang under: bring up over pie-plate rim: pinch to form a high edge: make a fluted edge.

4. Peel, core and cut pears into thick slices to measure about 4-1/4 cups. In large bowl, toss pears with sugar, lemon juice, 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt; put in crust. Preheat oven to 425°F.

5. In medium bowl, combine reserved flour mixture, brown sugar and next 3 ingredients. With pastry blender or 2 knives used scissor-fashion. cut in cheese and 1/4 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs and ingredients are well blended. Sprinkle over pears. Bake 40 minutes: cover with foil and bake 20 minutes more. Serve warm or refrigerate to serve cold

Roasted Rack of Lamb

I have always been a collector of recipes. Most of them have never even been read the entire way through, but sit dusty in a drawer in my kitchen, or in a box in the garage, or in the attic closet at my mother's house. Some were cut from magazines or newspapers. Others were mailed to me from my grandmother, picked from a selection at the grocery store, or removed from the back of a box of non-perishables. I don't know why I collect them, really. I suppose I get this grand idea when I see a recipe that someday, this recipe will come in handy, and that someday I'll have a large function with many people for whom I will be cooking. But this grand event with many people never comes, so the recipes sit dusty, untouched.

This one particular recipe hails from a book called, "The Party Book." Really, it is a huge magazine full of advertisements for Macy's helping future bride-and-groom-to-be pick out table wear for their new life together. However, being the recipe-collector that I am, I immediately noticed the recipes scattered amongst the pages, so I saved the magazine. For years, it sat in the drawer in my kitchen. Every time that I couldn't decide what to cook, I'd pull this magazine out, flip through the pages drooling over the photos, and then put it back in the drawer not finding a recipe to satisfy my needs, until last April. I had a craving to make lamb.

This recipe turned out awesome, and I could probably eat it every night if it wasn't so expensive to make! I made the meal exactly as the recipe calls for, and it turned out spectacular. I definitely recommend this recipe for your next special occasion. The photo in the magazine included green beans, along with sauteed tomatoes and sauteed pearl onions. I served this meal with fresh strawberries on the side, and of course, sparkling champagne over a candlelit table.

-Sarah

Roasted Rack of Lamb
2 racks of lamb, trimmed
MUSTARD COATING:
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. herbes de Provence
3 tbsp. grainy mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
6 tbsp. melted butter

Preheat oven to 500*. Score racks of lamb, making shallow crisscross slashes in the covering fat. Mix garlic, herbes de Provence and salt together. Beat in mustard and olive oil. Brush mixture over meat. Place lamb racks in oiled roasting pan. Fold strip of foil over rib ends to prevent scorching.
Roasting: Place lamb in upper middle part of the oven; roast for 10 minutes. Remove lamb, rapidly spread a coating of bread crumbs and drizzle with melted butter. Turn oven down to 400* and roast for 15-20 minutes to an internal meat temperature of 125* for rare or 130* for medium.

Crepes with fruit-cream cheese filling.

I am not a breakfast kind of girl. Typically my breakfast consists of Pop-tarts, Captain Crunch, or Lucky Charms. I am not a fan of eggs, and I would never go out of my way to bake a breakfast... except this particular one. Ever since the sixth grade, every time I was lucky enough to be sitting in an Elmers or IHOP, I wouldn't even need to look at the menu, I knew exactly what I was getting. Crepes filled with cream cheese and topped with strawberries.

My husband is a huge breakfast fan, and eats a mixture of eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, crepes, pancakes, yogurt, fruit, oatmeal, muffins, or other breakfast foods he can get his hands on. For his birthday, I recently went to the local Powell's bookstore and headed straight to the cooking aisle and picked up as many "morning food" cookbooks that I could find. I excitedly raced to the check stand and paid for the new gift, and hurried home. I am not one for patience when it comes to giving gifts. I didn't even wrap his gift, because the first thing out of my mouth when I got home was, "do you want to open your birthday gift now?" Michael has patience and loves to drive me crazy by refusing to open his gifts until his actual birthday. However, I was able to wear him down this time and he reluctantly "opened" his un-wrapped gift a few days before the celebration. The moment he saw that I got him cookbooks, he rolled his eyes and sarcastically thanked me. What kind of person buys their husband cookbooks for his birthday? The next thing I know, he is drooling over the pictures inside of these cookbooks, and calling his mom to tell her what I got him. She had about the same reaction as he had, "she got you cookbooks?" Ever since that day, I have seen these cookbooks on the counters in the kitchen being used quite often.

-Sarah

The first recipe is for Crepes, and is from the book, "Crepes, Waffles & Pancakes!" by Kathryn Hawkins.
Basic Crepe Batter
This produces a smaller, more refined pancake, rich and deliciously tender. Add the sugar to the batter if serving with a sweet filling.
Makes 12 crepes.
1 cup plain flour
2 Tbsp extra-fine sugar (optional)
1 pinch salt
2 while eggs
2 egg yolks
1 1/4 cups milk
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

Combine the flour, sugar, if using, and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the center, break in the eggs, then add the extra yolks. Add half the milk and gradually work into the flour using a whisk. Beat lightly until smooth, but don't over-mix.
Add the remaining milk gradually, whisking gently until it is well combined. Transfer to a batter bowl, cover loosely, and leave in a cool place for 30 minutes. Stir 1/4 cup melted butter into the batter before using.
Lightly brush a small frying pan - 6 in base diameter- with a little of the remaining butter and heat until hot. Holding the pan, pour in about 1/4 cup batter and tilt the pan from side to side so that the batter runs into a thin, even layer across the bottom of the pan.
Place the pan over moderate heat and cook for about 1 minute, or until the crepe browns around the edges and begins to curl away from the pan. Slide a palette knife under the crepe and flip it over. Brown the underside for a further minute.

I then add the filling to each crepe made. The filling is my variation of a recipe called "Berry-filled Custard Crepes" from the recipe book, Morning Food" by Margaret S. Fox and John B. Bear. Typically I double or triple the recipe below, because I love to have leftovers. (The leftovers are great for cupcake filling). Mix the ingredients below to your preferred texture.

4 ounces whipped cream cheese
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons white sugar
A handful of fruit such as strawberries or blueberries

Top the crepes with whipped cream, fruit, powdered sugar, etc.

Mustard & Ketchup Stir-fry, Honey & Sesame Slaw

I recently spent an entire day laying on the couch, in day old sweatpants and t-shirt, sporting this new look called bed head, eating pop-tarts and fruit snacks, watching Rachael Ray reruns. On my way home from work today, I frantically called my husband and coerced him into searching her website for a recipe for stir fry that uses ketchup and mustard, and a slaw with honey and sesame seeds. The recipe was promptly emailed to my Droid and I walked through the grocery store, juggling the shopping list on my phone with produce bags and of course the infamous grocery store cart with the wobbly wheel. What? You've shopped with that cart before too? The shopping trip was pretty quick and painless overall since I had most of these ingredients in my fridge at home. My husband helped me prep everything. Without his help it would have taken well over 30 minutes to prepare this meal.

Some suggestions for next time: The ranch-flavored mashed potatoes were good, but I recommend adding more buttermilk than the recipe calls for. I also had a hard time fitting all the cabbage into the stir-fry pans. Although it condensed down at the end of the cooking time, next time I will either need larger frying pans or less cabbage overall.

I liked the meal, and it was so unique for me. I would have never tried stir-fry with mashed potatoes before. Although I was hesitant to cook with the outlandish ingredients that didn't seem to even fit into the same sentence let alone a meal, it turned out to be quite delicious.

-Sarah

Warm Sesame Slaw Salad

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray, 2008

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable, peanut or canola oil
• 1 small head red cabbage, shredded
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Directions

Heat the oil in large skillet over high heat. Stir-fry the cabbage 5 minutes then season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add vinegar and honey, sesame seeds and oil. Serve warm.

Sweet n Sour Sirloin Stir-Fry with Ranch Mashed Potatoes

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray, 2008

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pound piece sirloin, 1-inch thick
• 2 pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed
• Salt
• 3 tablespoons vegetable, peanut or canola oil
• 2 large red bell peppers, seeded and sliced
• 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• 1 bunch scallions, cut into 2 to 3-inch pieces on bias, greens and whites
• 2 cups shelled frozen edamame
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 cup yellow mustard
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• Freshly ground black pepper
• A few dashes hot sauce
• Handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Handful fresh dill, chopped
• Handful fresh chives, chopped

Directions

Pop the meat in the freezer for a few minutes to stiffen it up for slicing.

Place potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil. Salt the water and cook the potatoes until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain.

Halve the steak lengthwise then very thinly slice the meat. Heat the oil in a very large skillet over high heat. When oil wafts smoke and ripples, add the meat and stir-fry until caramelized 3 minutes. Add peppers and stir-fry 2 minutes then add in scallions and edamame for 2 minutes more. Stir together the sugar, soy, mustard and ketchup and pour over stir-fry the last minute of cooking. Season, to taste, if necessary.

Mash potatoes with buttermilk, salt and pepper, hot sauce, parsley, dill, chives, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve with stir-fry on top!