herb roasted turkey breast

i love roasting.  whole chickens, pot roasts, stews (expect for the crappy beef and butternut one i made a few weeks ago), vegetables, etc.  the smell of something roasting in the oven just makes the house smell incredible.  as soon as the weather turned, i turned to this recipe.  a boneless, skin on, turkey breast with fresh herbs.  i also made an apple cider pan gravy to go along with it.  it's super easy to put together because you use a food processor to do all the chopping for you.  start by adding one small white onion in the processor.  once that is chopped fine, add a big handful of parsley, 12 sprigs of fresh sage, the zest of one lemon, salt and pepper.  process again.  then slowly add about 1/4 cup of olive oil to incorporate.  gently pull back the skin on the turkey breast and smear the herb mixture under and all around the breast.  drizzle a little olive oil, salt and pepper on top of the skin and rub all over.  have your oven pre-heated to 450 degrees.  in a roasting pan add two fresh bay leaves and lay the turkey breast, skin side up on top of the bay leaves.  put the pan in the oven and immediately turn the oven down to 400 degrees.  roast for 20 minutes, then drizzle a bit more oil over top.  continue roasting for an additional 20-25 minutes or until a thermometer reaches 170 degrees in the thickest part of the breast.  remove the turkey to a platter to rest while you make the gravy.  using the same roasting pan, set it over the burners at a medium heat.  add 2 tablespoons of flour.  whisk to combine.  add  1/4 cup of brandy, and continue to stir for 2 minutes.  next add 2 cups of apple cider and allow to thicken.  season with salt and pepper, and serve alongside the turkey breast.  i served acorn squash and brussels sprouts with the meal.  very tasty.  and ya know, thanksgiving is right around the corner. so, if it you don't want to be bothered with a whole bird, please do yourself a favor and at least make this.  it's thanksgiving after all.

ranch dressing

i make all of my salad dressings from scratch.  i try to vary what i make my clients, rather than providing a standard vinaigrette with every meal.  it's tricky when you get into the creamier dressings - mayonnaise is generally the base behind them.  i use a mixture of greek yogurt and reduced fat buttermilk to make my creamy dressings.  i must admit, they are good, but they definitely don't have the texture that good ole' bottle of ranch or blue cheese has.  the consistency is on the thinner side - but, it will also keep you on the thinner side.  to make my version of "ranch", here's what you need to do.  in a jar with a tight fitting lid, add 1/2 cup of nonfat plain greek yogurt, 1/2 cup of reduced fat buttermilk, the juice of half a lemon, 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh chives, salt, and pepper.  put the lid on the jar and shake away.  pour it over your favorite lettuce, or use it as a dip for your veggies.  try it for yourself - i bet you won't miss all the fat.

weekday leftovers

poor brian.  he used to have this line he would say to people, when they asked about my cooking.  "i eat better than anyone in the world".  he doesn't say that much anymore.  during the week, i am focused on what my clients are going to eat, not us.  i will sometimes have a little bit of this or that,  leftover.   we rarely sit down to a full meal on the weekdays.  i just don't have it in me to come home and cook us a meal.  and, while i am cooking during the day, i don't want to add two more "clients" to my plate, so to speak.  i always intend on starting off the weekends with a great meal for us.  but by the time friday rolls around, i ain't interested.  at all.  i mean, when my work week is over on friday, the last thing i want to do is come home and continue to work.  but, i also don't want to go out.  and of course i want to eat (i can't recall the last time i skipped a meal...).  so, that's where this photo comes in.  this was our dinner.  a few leftover saltines, one baby cucumber, some kalamata olives, onion, and two slices of havarti.  but wait, i did spice it up with some texas pete!  it sure wasn't bad, but it sure as hell wasn't memorable.  well, i guess that's not entirely true either or i wouldn't have posted about it...  some of my most memorable meals (trust me, this is not one of them) have been when there is no game plan.  when you just stand in front of your open fridge and pantry, and create.  my mom was always great about that when i was growing up, must be where i got it from.  now that i think about it, she used to make similar snacks for us, and any neighborhood kid that would come over after school.   i remember triscuits with a side bowl of dijion mustard, some sliced dill pickles, sliced onion,  and cheese if we were really lucky. 

pan seared chicken legs

i make chicken legs every tuesday for one of my clients. she loves them.  i can honestly say that i have never much been into dark meat.  i always lean towards boneless, skinless breasts.  well, this weekend i wanted to try the recipe that i have been making every week and see what all the "hype" was about.  now i know.  i went to whole foods on sunday and sorta just wondered around looking at all of the new produce.  i decided to roast fall vegetables with the chicken, and boy was it good.  for the chicken, i bought chicken legs.  some refer to them as chicken quarters.  it is basically the drumstick and thigh together.  start by chopping some fresh rosemary and garlic.  toss it in a zip lock bag with the chicken and add some olive oil.  let marinate for a few hours.  make sure to get the garlic and rosemary up under the skin.  (you'll thank me for this).  with about an hour left before you are going to cook the chicken, squeeze one lemon into the bag and mix to incorporate.  pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.  in a non stick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat.  salt and pepper the chicken.  once the pan good and hot, add the chicken legs, skin side down, and brown for 5 minutes.  turn the chicken over and pop in the oven for 25 minutes, or until a thermometer reaches 165 degrees.  i decided to add the vegetables into the pan with the chicken and roast them alongside.  i used a combination of purple potatoes, turnips, parsnips, carrots, black radish (yum), cipollini onions, and a few whole garlic cloves.  i also tossed in some green olives during the last 5 minutes of roasting.  outstanding.  give this meal a try.  it is perfect for these fall nights upon us.

acorn squash

another new favorite recipe.  and so, so easy to do.  i have to admit i am new to acorn squash,  i have made soups in the past with it, but never alone.  i am thinking fall recipes now, and this one "falls" into that category.  this recipe is for 2 acorn squash.  slice both in half, scoop out the seeds.  set the stove to 425 degrees.  in a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil (yes, we are not using butter!), 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup.  on a side note,  pancake syrup is not the same as maple syrup - so put away the aunt jemima and go by the real stuff.  whisk all three ingredients together and brush on the squash.  sprinkle with a little salt.  bake with the cut side up for 40-45 minutes.  eat right out of the "bowl".  this is so fantastic and fun and healthy! think about serving this at your thanksgiving dinner!  have a good weekend everyone.  i hope to get back into the groove of things next week.  have sorta been on a blogging break!

chicken saltimbocca sandwich

good god this was good. i'm having it again tomorrow for lunch.  seriously. it's my take on chicken satlimbocca.  it has all the ingredients of this popular italian dish, but on a toasty baguette.  i did use fresh basil instead of sage, which is traditional.  i have been trimming chicken breast so they aren't so darn big, and instead of feeding the slivers of chicken to the dog, i made a sandwich.  i briefly marinated the chicken in olive oil, dried basil, and garlic.  grilled it, topped it with a few slices of prosciutto, fresh buffalo mozzarella, and fresh basil.   a slice of tomato would have been good on this as well.  i'll make that adjustment tomorrow...

beef and butternut squash stew

i made this stew last week and although it was delicious, i would do it completely different next time around. the recipe stated to add the beef and butternut squash in the pan and cook together for 1 hour.  well, there is no way in the world you can get tender beef in an hour, unless you use a tenderloin.  and there is no way your butternut squash won't be baby food after being cooked for an hour.  i still find challenges in the kitchen and just mark them up to "lessons learned".  of course once i realized the mistake, i thought, "how in the world did i not make these adjustments in the beginning".  i hate when i am not 100% satisfied with a meal i have prepared.  but, it happens sometimes.  truth be told, i think i am much harder on myself than need be.  i actually let this stew effect my weekend a bit.  i worried that my clients were disappointed.  come to find out, they actually liked it.  try using butternut squash in the next stew you make - it is really good, and much better for you than a white potato.  the orignal recipe can be found here.  next time i make this, i will follow the instructions, except i will add only the beef to the pan and cook for 2 hours or so - then add the butternut squash and mushrooms ( i added those to this meal) and continue to cook for another 45 minutes.  this will ensure very tender meat and perfectly done squash.