Chipotle Chicken Casserole

This is adapted from a SimplyRecipes recipe of a similar name.  We even got the daughters to eat this by being careful about the amount of chipotle I added.

Ingredients

• 15-ounce can of roasted, canned whole, diced, or crushed tomatoes 
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup of cilantro
• 2 chipotle chili peppers in adobo
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, each cut in half
• 4-6 ounces sliced Monterey jack cheese
• 1 tsp salt

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 
2. Blend tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, chipotle peppers and adobo, lime juice and salt in a blender or food processor.  Pulse a few times till just chunky.
3. Place the chicken pieces in a 9" x 13" casserole dish.  
4. Spread the chipotle salsa over the chicken pieces
5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. 
6. Remove the foil, and sprinkle or layer the cheese over the chicken. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes more.
7. Serve over rice, pasta, or with tortillas on the side, along with chopped avocado, more cilantro, and sour cream.

Lemon Verbena Pesto

We've started growing this in our new herb garden - took the old circle garden and broke it up into 4x4 raised beds.  I was scouting for something unusual and being mid-July, lemon verbena was one of the scraggly leftover herbs at the garden center.  It is a sub-tropical (zone 8-10 only), so I am going to let this grow till September then start cuttings indoors to overwinter them in my office at school.

There are lots of possibilities for lemon verbena (here are 5).  I would include as an additive to lemoncello, as a pesto, and as a flavor additive for mead (I am thinking of a dry lemon-infused mead, yum!).  Probably could do this with baked fish (especially foil-wrapped fish), roasted chicken (garlic and verbena leaves), and for summer teas (just floating in the infuser).

Here is lemon verbena pesto (based on this one).

Ingredients

• 1 cup of lemon verbena leaves (stripped from stems)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 4 tbsp of grated parmesan cheese
• 4 tbsp of olive oil
• 4 tbsp of pecans
• Salt and pepper to taste

Steps

1. Add verbena, garlic, cheese, and pecans to a food processor.  Pulse till the pecans are nearly unrecognizable.
2. Start up the processor on a medium speed and slowly drizzle in the olive oil to well combined.
3. Scrape the pesto into a lidded container and store in the fridge for 7 days, freezer for up to 6 months.

Berries and Mousse on the Biscuit

This is a very recent invention here at the Manor (thanks to Carol).  We had some leftover biscuits (a traditional butter-based version of baking powder biscuits) and a hankering for something sweet.  That coupled with a box kit of mousse and strawberry season providing us with more preserves lead to this concoction.

Ingredients

• batch of homemade baking powder biscuits
• Chocolate mousse (we use Dr Oetker's mousse mix)
• Strawberry preserves (ours is frozen, low-pectin, and is a little loose)
• Chocolate syrup
• Whipped cream

Steps

1. Slice a biscuit in half and lay both halves on the plate.
2. Spoon a 1/2 cup of chocolate mousse on the biscuit.
3. Spoon a 1/4 cup of strawberry preserves over top.
4. Drizzle chocolate syrup over the whole thing.
5. Top with whipped cream.

Chipotle Chicken Casserole

Tried this one last night for the first time - thank you, Simply Recipes!  And it was a hit, even with the "less-than-comfortable with spicy food" daughters.  Served it with guacamole (no avocadoes were ripe), sour cream, and a generous bag of tortilla chips.  Left out the lime juice (made it too Tex-Mex flavored) and salt (didn't need it).

Ingredients

• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup  of chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 chipotle chili peppers in adobo, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
• 1 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs), trimmed of excess fat, cut into 3-inch wide pieces
• 4 ounces grated or sliced cheese (cheddar, monterey jack)

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 
2. Place tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, chipotle peppers and adobo in a blender or food processor.  Pulse a few times so there are no more large chunks of anything, but not so much so that the salsa is completely smooth.
3. Place the chicken pieces in a casserole dish, just large enough to fit them all in a single layer.  Pour the chipotle salsa over the chicken pieces, turning the chicken pieces to coat them all over with the salsa.
4. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. 
5. Remove the cover, and sprinkle or layer the cheese over the chicken. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes more.

Ranger Cookies

These are a brilliant cookie - mythically named as an all-around food that you would want to eat as a Ranger, out in the forest with nothing but a swiss army knife and a tin of these to eat.  Lots of yummy crunch on the outside and moistness inside with coconut, raisins and butter.

OK, that part about the forest may be a bit far-fetched, but with just a tin of these and I will brave any classroom!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 cups rice crispies
• 2 cups oats
• 1 cup coconut
• 1 cup raisins

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 375.  
2. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.  
3. Add eggs and vanilla and mix in slowly.  
4. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, rice crispies, oats, coconut, and raisins and beat until mixed thoroughly.  
5. Cook for 10-12 minutes.

Perfect Prompt Pizza Dough

We found this one in "Food and Wine", of all places.  If we have time, we prefer to make this over-night dough from 101 Cookbooks. But when we are pressed for time, this dough works out great in just 2 hrs, start to finish at the table.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water (110°)
• 2 cups unbleached bread flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Steps

1. In a bowl, combine the yeast, 1/4 cup lukewarm water and 1/4 cup flour in a small bowl. Let it stand for 30 minutes.
2. Add the remaining 1-3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons luke warm water, olive oil and salt. 
3. Mix the dough thoroughly.  I use the dough hook and the Kitchen-Aid on low speed for 1 minute, scraping the sides if I need to. 
4. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth, elastic and a bit tacky to the touch, 7 to 8 minutes. For this, I keep going on medium speed with Kitchen-Aid and the dough hook for 5-6 minutes.
5. Place in an oiled bowl and turn to cover with spray oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place (75°) until double in volume, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
6. 30 minutes before you are ready, pre-heat the oven and pizza stone to 500 F.  Typical baking time is 12 minutes, more for heavier toppings.

Chicken Cacciatore, Hilltown Style

We love chicken cacc, but it (like many homestyle dishes) has many different variations.  We wanted one that retained the flavor but had less of the fat of the traditional breaded versions.  The crunch of the chicken was nice but not necessary, especially as leftovers got it soggy.  This is our result:


Ingredients

• 1 4lb chicken, cut up into 8 pieces and skinned
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large bell peppers, sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup green olive brine
• 1 ( 28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3/4 cup green olives
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano 

Steps 

1. In a large heavy saute pan, heat the oil over a medium-high heat. 
2. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and saute just until brown, about 5 minutes per side. If all the chicken does not fit in the pan, saute it in 2 batches. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. 
3. Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic to the same pan and saute over medium heat until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 
4. Add the brine, the tomatoes with their juice, broth, olives and oregano. Simmer 10 minutes.
5. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and turn them to coat in the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer. 
6. Continue simmering over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 30 minutes.
7. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a platter. If necessary, boil the sauce until it thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Spoon off any excess fat from atop the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the chicken
8. Serve over rice or egg noodles.