Pepperjack Chicken

Certain cheeses complement chicken very well, and one cheese that has a zip to it is pepperjack.  Combined with chicken that has been sauteed with olive oil, a little butter, and fresh herbs, the cheese is the perfect finish.  I used three herbs from my garden - thyme, marjoram and sage - but feel free to experiment with different combinations.  You will get a different taste every time - and try substituting the cheese, too.  Swiss, havarti, and gouda are all good choices.  This chicken can be paired with wild rice, pasta or potatoes, and served with asparagus, broccoli, or a vegetable medley.  Bon appetit!

Peppperjack Chicken
4 chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/2 in. thickness
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. butter
1 clove garlic (optional)
1 tbsp. each chopped fresh thyme, marjoram and sage (a few sprigs each of thyme and marjoram, leaves stripped off the stem, and about 5-6 sage leaves)
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 slices (sandwich size slices) of pepperjack cheese

Season chicken breasts on both sides with sea salt and pepper.  In skillet, heat olive oil and butter together on medium heat.  Add minced or pressed garlic and chopped herbs, and saute for 20 seconds.  Add chicken breasts to skillet and brown on both sides.  Reduce heat to med. low and cover, cooking chicken until it is no longer pink inside, approximately 10 minutes, turning occasionally.  Remove cover and place 1 slice of cheese on each chicken breast.  Replace cover and continue cooking until cheese is just melted.  Serve immediately.  4 servings.

Stir the Pot

One thing that always brings people together is cooking.  People like to help, and when they ask, sometimes one of the easiest things to do is hand them a spoon.  Contrary to cautionary tales, "stirring the pot" is very rewarding! 

Yesterday I made chili - and I wanted to experiment with using ground turkey instead of ground beef, pork instead of steak, and some farmers-market-purchased Italian sausage.  One thing I do fairly well is chili, and experimenting is always so much fun.  There are certain essentials to good chili flavor, and other than that, my only rule is "no beans".  I use fresh herbs instead of dried whenever possible, and since I've picked up a few herb plants from the Royal Oak Farmers Market recently, I had fresh thyme, oregano and rosemary on hand.  That is a wonderful thing, in the dead of winter!

So what are the essentials?  At the top of my list are cumin and chili powder.  Beyond that, I always include onions, fresh garlic, sea salt, pepper, Morton's Natures Seasons (I'm a huge fan of this seasoned salt) and crushed or diced tomatoes.  I like spicy chili, so I generally add chopped jalapenos or pepperoncini (and if jarred, some of the liquid from the jar), and I love chunky chili, so I have chopped celery and  green pepper in addition to the chunks of steak.  Here's where the fun comes in - going through the refrigerator and my spice cabinets to add everything else!  In no particular order, I add some of these to get an explosion of tastes: basil, parsley, thyme, oregano, marjoram, sea salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, cayenne pepper, barbecue sauce, ketchup, mustard, V-8 juice or Bloody Mary mix, beef bouillon, onion soup mix or onion powder (even though I already have chopped onions in the recipe), garlic powder, apple cider or red wine vinegar, chocolate syrup (or if I use baking chocolate, then I also add some brown sugar), Frank's hot sauce or Tabasco (especially if I'm short on hot peppers) and tomato paste.  Chances are there are even more ingredients I've added in the past that just aren't coming to mind now.

The formula is always the same - saute the onions and garlic in olive oil in a large stockpot, then add the ground meat and chunks of meat to brown.  Drain the fat, and start adding the tomatoes and other liquid ingredients, then add any other vegetables, then the seasonings and spices.  Allow to simmer for at least an hour before adjusting any seasonings, stirring occasionally to keep meat from sticking to the bottom.  After two hours I usually add 1/2 can of beer (and then let someone drink the other half), and let the chili simmer at least another 1/2 hour.

This is a work in progress - I will add two chili recipes shortly!

Herb-a-licious cocktails

Rum-Thyme Lemonade

(thyme plant in background)

It's "Rum Time"!

Many cocktail recipes call for combinations of various liquors, sodas, and fruits, but outside of Mint Juleps, there isn't a lot of focus on adding fresh herbs to create a refreshing new cocktail.  Here are a couple from the Martha Stewart Living magazine, March 2011.  I couldn't find them online yet at http://www.marthastewart.com/ but they should be there eventually, along with many other cocktail recipes.

If you're not familiar with the term "muddle" there is a bar tool called a muddler that is used to mash (muddle) fresh herbs, fruits and spices in the bottom of a glass to release their flavor and oils.  You can use the end of a wooden spoon to serve as a muddler.

By the way, I was absolutely compelled to try making the Lemonade drink with rum instead of tequila, and take my word for it, it's delicious!

Tequila-Thyme Lemonade (from Martha Stewart Living)
( or Rum-Thyme Lemonade) (tested in-house!)
Muddle 3 thyme sprigs with 1 tsp. sugar and 2 lemon wedges in a glass.  Add 3 ounces silver tequila OR 3 ounces light (as opposed to dark) rum, 1 ounce cold water, and ice.  Stir.  Makes 1.



Mint-Ginger Caipiroska
Muddle three slices fresh ginger with 1 1/2 tsp. sugar in a glass.  Add 5 mint sprigs.  Muddle until fragrant.  Add 4 ounces vodka and ice.  Garnish with mint.  Stir.  Makes 1.

Herb Bread

I admit it - I have not yet advanced to making bread the old-fashioned way - letting it rise, punching it down.  No, I still use a bread machine.  For the time being, I'm allowing myself this concession because let's face it - it saves time.  I took a recipe that came with my bread machine, then added a few ingredients, changed a couple of others, and voila!  A loaf of herb bread that was so delicious it was gone in one meal.  Here it is, and you can probably make a few changes of your own to suit your tastes.

Herb & Asiago Bread (for a bread machine)

1 3/4 cup bread flour
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. dry milk
1 1/4 cup water (lukewarm)
1 Tbsp. fresh basil, leaves cut into tiny pieces
1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary, stripped from stem and chopped
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stem
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/4 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese
1 packet active dry yeast

Put all of the ingredients except yeast into the bowl of your bread machine.  Close the lid and add the yeast to the top dispenser.  Use the regular Bake mode - 4 hour setting.  Makes one average sized loaf.

Oh, Rosemary!

How fitting to give an herb a name that is pretty and feminine.  Rosemary!  It does flower in the spring and the leaves look like soft pine needles. The good smell and taste is also like pine. Rosemary is a versatile herb, used in savory and sweet dishes, and also found in many oils and lotions for the skin.  I hear it grows wild out west, is often found growing near the ocean, and is even grown as decorative shrubs when the climate is suitable.  It likes sun.  I didn't have any luck growing rosemary in Michigan last year, BUT where I planted it, it only had partial sun.  Unlike basil, that grew in the partially shaded spot despite it also liking full sun, my poor baby rosemary never took root.  Besides learning about the sun issue, I have also discovered that for climates that aren't mild year round, the best bet is to grow rosemary (from cuttings) in pots so that it can be taken indoors when the temperatures dip down to the 30s.  It will still require sunlight, however, so you will have to have a sunny window for the pot.

There are many wonderful recipes with rosemary, but let's go for the simple options first. 

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes
2 lbs. new potatoes, or small russet, scrubbed and quartered
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
2 tsp. fresh snipped rosemary, leaves stripped from stems
2 tsp. fresh snipped thyme, leaves stripped from stems

Arrange potatoes in 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish.  Mix remaining ingredients in small bowl, then pour over potatoes.  Cover with foil and bake in oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Remove foil.  Stir potatoes, then bake an additional 15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.