This is a great quick weeknight dish that feels a lot more fancy than it is. It is from November Cooking Light (with a few tweaks).

Chicken Saltimbocca

4 chicken cutlets (I used two chicken breasts, which I cut with my knife parallel to the cutting board to make two pieces of the same size, but thinner)

salt and pepper to taste

12 fresh sage leaves

4 ounces thin proscuitto  – 8 slices (the recipe calls for 2 ounces, I used 4)

olive oil

1/3 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 tsp cornstarch

Place two slices of prosciutto on a cutting board, next to each other. Place a chicken cutlet on top, intersecting the pieces. Lay 3 sage leaves on top of the cutlet. Wrap the prosciutto up onto the top of the cutlet. Repeat for all cutlets. Heat the pan with some olive oil. Season the cutlets with salt and pepper and place seam up in the pan. Cook about 5 minutes on medium heat, then flip. Continue cooking until they reach 165 degrees. Remove from pan. Mix chicken broth, lemon juice, and cornstarch together then pour into the hot pan, scraping up bits stuck to the pan. Stir until the sauce thickens then pour over the chicken.

The leftovers are fantastic the next day in a salad or on a sandwich. This would also be good with a teaspoon of Dijon mustard added into the sauce. It’s super simple, but looks really pretty with the sage leaves under the prosciutto.

 

This is a great quick weeknight dish that feels a lot more fancy than it is. It is from November Cooking Light (with a few tweaks). Chicken Saltimbocca 4 chicken cutlets (I used two chicken breasts, which I cut with my knife parallel to the cutting board to make two pieces of the same size, … Read more →

I have to admit, I’m really liking Martha’s new cookbook, Martha’s American Food (disclosure: the publisher sent me a review copy after I asked for it – I looked at it in the library and really, really liked it). I’ve got lots of pages marked. Spicy peach-glazed chicken sounded really good, and it was grilled, which is even better on a hot summer day. I left out the cayenne when I made it since I don’t like really spicy foods, but the garlic definitely gave this plenty of zing. It was quick, simple and no marinating was required which meant it worked when I realized I needed to get something on the table in an hour.

1 cup peach jam or preserves

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp soy sauce

1 tbsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp cayenne

salt and pepper

4 skin on chicken breasts

4 ripe but firm peaches

Heat grill to medium. Mix preserves, garlic, oil, soy sauce, dry mustard, and cayenne and season with salt and pepper.

Brush grill with vegetable oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place skin side down on the grill. Cook about 10 minutes on each side before brushing with glaze. Cook another 10-12 minutes turning every 3-5 minutes. While chicken is cooking, place peach halves on the grill cut side down and brush with glaze and cook 2 minutes. Turn them and cook 3-4 minutes until the cavities fill with juices.

I used chicken leg quarters for this, left out the cayenne, whizzed up all the glaze ingredients in the food processor, and did not have any peaches to grill, but it was really tasty and delicious! I will definitely make this again and again.

I have to admit, I’m really liking Martha’s new cookbook, Martha’s American Food (disclosure: the publisher sent me a review copy after I asked for it – I looked at it in the library and really, really liked it). I’ve got lots of pages marked. Spicy peach-glazed chicken sounded really good, and it was grilled, which … Read more →

Acorn squash is my new pal, so I’ve been trying it out lots of different ways. I love it in this recipe with chicken and apple.

To make each individual packet:
1/2 cup cooked instant brown rice
1 chicken breast
1/2 cup peeled, roughly chopped acorn squash
1/2 of an apple, cored and roughly chopped
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp thyme
1 tbsp apple juice or cider
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
pinch dried mustard

You can cook the instant brown rice in the microwave in a glass bowl, or use leftover rice you have. Place the rice on the parchment and lay the chicken breast on top. Place the squash and apple on top. Drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle on the cinnamon, thyme and dried mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the juice or cider and vinegar. Fold and bake at 400 for 22 minutes. Allow to rest about 3 minutes before opening.

This is a great entire meal in a packet. The flavors are wonderful for a cold winter or fall night.

Acorn squash is my new pal, so I’ve been trying it out lots of different ways. I love it in this recipe with chicken and apple. To make each individual packet: 1/2 cup cooked instant brown rice 1 chicken breast 1/2 cup peeled, roughly chopped acorn squash 1/2 of an apple, cored and roughly chopped … Read more →

I must sound like a spokesperson for the Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook, but I swear I’m not. My latest recipe from this cookbook is Stuffed Chicken Breasts. Chicken cordon bleu is one of those things that was always on the menu 20 years ago. And you always got a really bad version of it banquets. So I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this recipe.

Filling:

1 tbsp butter

1 small onion, minced

1 small garlic clove, minced

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1 tsp minced thyme

2 ounces cheddar, shredded

4 slices deli ham

Chicken:

1 (5-6 oz) chicken skinless boneless chicken breasts

3/4 cup flour

2 eggs

1 tbsp plus 3/4 cup vegetable oil

4 slices white bread, made into coarse crumbs and dried

Melt the butter and add onion and cook 15-20 min. Add garlic and cook 20 seconds.

Mix the cream cheese with a mixer until fluffy, 1 minute. Stir in the onion mixture and add thyme and cheddar and salt and pepper to taste.

Butterfly the chicken and then pound it to 1/4 inch thickness. Place the chicken smooth side down and spread with 1/4 of the cheese mixture. Salt and pepper it. Place 1 slice ham on top. Roll up the cutlet from the tapered end, folding in the edges to form a neat cylinder. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450. Beat egg with 1 tbsp oil. Dip chicken in flour, egg, then breadcrumbs. Place on a wire rack and let it rest 5 min.

Heat 3/4 cup oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat until shimmery. Add the chicken, seam side down, and cook 2 min until golden. Turn and cook the other side 2-3 minutes. Transfer seam side down to a baking sheet and baked at 450 about 15 min until the center is 165 degrees.

Wow. It really worked. The chicken had an incredible crunchy outside and a divine creamy center. A couple of things I would do differently: I would use less cream cheese and more of some other cheese. It was a little bland. I would also use less oil for the pan frying aspect of this. Other than that, I highly recommend this recipe!

I must sound like a spokesperson for the Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook, but I swear I’m not. My latest recipe from this cookbook is Stuffed Chicken Breasts. Chicken cordon bleu is one of those things that was always on the menu 20 years ago. And you always got a really bad version … Read more →

I love the flavor of apple with chicken. There’s something warm and homey about it. So I created this recipe so I could enjoy the tastes with no mess!

4 boneless breasts of chicken
2 apples, grated (peeled or unpeeled, whatever you prefer)
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 tsp olive oil
8 tbsp cider or apple juice
2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Place the breasts on individual pieces of parchment. Salt and pepper them. Divide the apple among the packets. Sprinkle 1/8 tsp of onion powder and 1/8 tsp of cinnamon on each packet. Drizzle each with 1 tsp olive oil, 2 tbsp cider and 1/2 tsp vinegar. Seal the packets and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

The apple roasts to softness and all of the flavors meld with the chicken to create a lovely fall dish.

I love the flavor of apple with chicken. There’s something warm and homey about it. So I created this recipe so I could enjoy the tastes with no mess! 4 boneless breasts of chicken 2 apples, grated (peeled or unpeeled, whatever you prefer) salt and pepper 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp cinnamon 4 tsp … Read more →

I know you’re supposed to save the best for last, but for my first recipe, I’ve got to share one that my family thinks is absolutely incredible.

I called this Party in a Packet because the flavors of this dish taste like party snacks to me. You’re going to LOVE it.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I always use organic when available)
4 tbsp French onion dip (the kind in the dairy case)
1 cup semi-crushed cheese crackers (like Cheez-Its or Goldfish – I actually used Late July organic cheese crackers which are the same thing)
Salt and pepper

Yes, that’s right. 4 ingredients.

Prepare this dish as 4 individual packets. In each packet place one chicken breast in the center. Salt and pepper it. Brush 1 tbsp of the dip over it. Cover with 1/4 cup of the crackers. Repeat for the other packets. Seal up the packets and bake at 400 for 25 minutes.

Open it up and enjoy your party! This has a rich, deep flavor that makes you feel like you’re snacking on high calorie party snacks, when actually you’re enjoying a healthy chicken dish. Ssh – don’t tell the kids!

*Reader favorite: This appears in The Parchment Paper Cookbook

I know you’re supposed to save the best for last, but for my first recipe, I’ve got to share one that my family thinks is absolutely incredible. I called this Party in a Packet because the flavors of this dish taste like party snacks to me. You’re going to LOVE it. 4 boneless skinless chicken … Read more →

In celebration of the two year mark for this blog, I’ve gone back through every recipe of Martha’s I’ve cooked and put together a list of the best of the best (with links!). It was quite an eye opening experience. Apparently, I am a fan of dips! I also didn’t realize quite how many Martha recipes I’ve cooked. Over 600. That’s pretty amazing. So I guess you could say I’ve really become a de facto expert. Of those 600, there were some that were simply awful. The most memorable of those for me would be that awful chocolate pudding made with avocado and the no bake brownies. Truly disgusting. A lot of things fall into the ok, but not memorable category. Some were good, but not great. What I’ve tried to do here is list the things that I think were fantastic.

I expected that the list might be more diverse than it is. The most exotic and hardest to make thing on the list is the Croquembouche. The things that were most memorable for me were the Thanksgiving turkey, perfect roast chicken, spatchcocked chicken, stuffed cabbage, rolled omelet, Baked Alaska, and rice pudding. I’d forgotten about many of these recipes until I went back through the blog, but once I saw the posts, it all came back to me.

I was struck by the fact that most of these things are homey, traditional foods. There’s not a lot here that would make people gasp at a dinner party (until they tasted it and realized how good these recipes are). I don’t know if that means Martha is best when she sticks to the basics or if I’m boring and just like traditional foods (I don’t think that’s the case  though- I love to try new things). Some of the recipes are not true Martha (well, as true Martha as something can be when she employees tens of thousands of people to do everything for her), some are from Lucinda Scala Quinn and one is from Emeril, but they all appeared in Martha’s magazines or on her show, so I’ve included them.

Enjoy Martha’s greatest hits!

Soups

Cream of Broccoli Soup This is a go-to recipe for me that I’ve made over and over. It’s simple, tasty and my kids love it.

Corn and Shrimp Chowder Simple and delicious.

Roasted Fall Vegetable Soup This one is recent, but I liked it so much I’ll do it again.

Dips

Artichoke Dip with Fontina I love dip. And cheese. And artichoke.

Bean Dip I really love dip.

Caramelized Onion Dip with Fingerling Potatoes Dip plus potatoes is as good as it gets!

Seafood

Shrimp and Zucchini Tostadas I love the ease of this recipe and it’s very adaptable to whatever you have in the fridge.

Golden Crab and Papaya Salad The flavors in this were amazing and it was beautiful to serve.

Seafood Bake This one surprised me with how good it was and how much it was to make.

Mr. Jim’s Shrimp To die for! The best shrimp ever.

Poultry

Perfect Roast Chicken This is a recipe everyone needs!

Thanksgiving Turkey I’ll be using Martha’s recipe again this year, although it seems she is no longer selling turkeys.

Spatchcocked Chicken Thank you Lucinda for the amazing sauce that goes with this.

Chicken, Spinach Casserole This one is recent, but memorable. Simple and much more fab than it sounds.

Tortilla Pie with Chicken Delicious! Great flavors.

Other Entrees

Mrs. Kostyra’s Meatloaf Who knew meatloaf could be so much fun?

Emeril’s Meatloaf Apparently Emeril knew meatloaf could be fun because his is fantastic too! This is actually a turkey meatloaf.

Lamb Chops with Citrus Sauce This one is an elegant dish.

Marinated Steak Thank you Lucinda. Easy and delicious way to make inexpensive cuts of meat taste great.

Sides

Spanish Rice I need to make this again.

Green Bean Casserole Surprisingly great! But very rich!

Baked Onion Rings I forgot about this and will be making it again soon!

Tomato Hand Pies Another one I forgot about, but something to remember when I have some wonderful tomatoes to use.

Warm Potato Salad with Goat Cheese Incredible! Not a combo I expected to like, but I really did.

Potato Gratin A basic, but simply amazing.

Rolled Omelet So easy and so delicious! I was hooked on this one for weeks after I first made, making it in the toaster oven!

Irish Soda Bread I like my version a lot, but Martha’s is quite good too!

Stuffed Cabbage Something I never thought I would like!

Desserts

Double Chocolate Brownies Ah, brownies….

Croquembouche Impressive! Boy was I proud of this one.

Icebox Cake Surprisingly delish! And tres retro.

Soft Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies Dude Martha’s fave!

Mrs. Kostyra’s Spice Cake Close to my wedding cake but not quite, but still excellent!

Baked Alaska A friend of Teen Martha’s still talks about how good this was.

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes I need to make these again – amazing.

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies I’m going to make these for Christmas again.

Genoise Something I never thought I’d try and it was great.

Rice Pudding This is now a staple in my house and I make it often.

Now it’s your turn. What are your favorite Martha recipes that you go back to time and time again? Have you made any of the ones I’ve listed? Do these appeal to you?

In celebration of the two year mark for this blog, I’ve gone back through every recipe of Martha’s I’ve cooked and put together a list of the best of the best (with links!). It was quite an eye opening experience. Apparently, I am a fan of dips! I also didn’t realize quite how many Martha … Read more →

On page 50 of March Martha Stewart Living, there are instructions for creating an edible roasting rack for chicken. Basically you rip up a baguette and put it on the bottom of your roasting pan with some garlic and thyme. Brush the chicken with some butter and put some thyme under the skin, and place the chicken on the bread and roast it. I have to say I sort of scoffed at this initially, but it wasn’t bad. The biggest problem was that any bread that was not directly beneath the chicken burned to a crisp and was inedible. The bread that stayed under the chicken was delicious, and probably really bad for you! It was crunchy and greasy and really, really, really tasty. That being said, I don’t see myself doing this again. I felt WAY too guilty eating bread soaked in chicken grease and there wasn’t anything convenient or easier about this compared to a regular roasting rack.

On page 50 of March Martha Stewart Living, there are instructions for creating an edible roasting rack for chicken. Basically you rip up a baguette and put it on the bottom of your roasting pan with some garlic and thyme. Brush the chicken with some butter and put some thyme under the skin, and place … Read more →

Yesterday we spent the day taking down the decorations, which is an all day job. I needed something easy for dinner, but I’m so very tired of eating bad food that I wanted something tasty and definitely did not want takeout. I decided to go with Martha’s Chicken with Israeli Couscous from page 118 of January Living.

First confession – I didn’t have Israeli couscous, so I used regular. It’s next to impossible to find Israeli couscous in this neck of the woods, although I do like it. Second confession, I used leftover chicken. I brought some chicken home from a holiday dinner the other night. I simply deconstructed it (it was wrapped in filo with cream cheese, spinach and a little crab) and added it to this recipe at the end to get it warm.

Since I cheated and used regular couscous and pre-cooked chicken, this dish came together in a flash. All I did was simmer some tomatoes with garlic, onion, lemon juice, chicken stock, and white wine until it was coming together. Third confession – I don’t have any saffron, so I had to skip adding that. Then I dumped in the couscous and waited for that to set up. At the end, I added the chicken breasts and peas. Very simple.

I thought it tasted great. I’m a big fan of couscous and I loved the tomatoey sauce this made with it. I would definitely make this dish again.

Yesterday we spent the day taking down the decorations, which is an all day job. I needed something easy for dinner, but I’m so very tired of eating bad food that I wanted something tasty and definitely did not want takeout. I decided to go with Martha’s Chicken with Israeli Couscous from page 118 of … Read more →

I’ve only completed half of this cooking school lesson so far. Martha and Sarah Carey made chicken piccata (to demonstrate sauteing) and then an Indian spice yogurt marinaded chicken that was pan-fried. I’ll get to the second one at a future date (or not since I’m not a big fan of spicy Indian food).

The first step in this

was to make chicken cutlets. I must confess, I never knew what that was really! I just thought it was a chicken breast that was pounded thin. I had no idea you were supposed to cut it in half, to reduce the thickness. Color me ignorant on that. I was a little apprehensive about cutting the breasts in half, but it was super easy. They came out evenly and there was no anxiety necessary!

Next you are supposed to pound the cutlets to make them thin. Martha uses a metal mallet. My mom always used the side of a wooden tenderizer mallet and that’s what I use too (don’t worry – I cover the breasts in plastic so the wood does not get contaminated – no salmonella for this family). This was no problem to do either.

I coated the breasts in the seasoned flour and cooked them in the oil and butter. No problem there either. They cooked really quickly. Once done, I removed them and added the wine, lemon juice, capers and parsley.

This was super simple,

super quick, and super tasty! I have never had chicken piccata before – I guess I thought it sounded boring. I’ve also never eaten capers before. I thought they were like olives (which I

don’t like) so I’ve always avoided them. I have to say, they gave a nice flavor as long as you didn’t eat too many at a time.  I love how the chicken was nicely browned and kind of crunchy. This one’s a good thing! Thanks Martha!

A Side Note

As a side note, I want to mention that I made Martha’s matzoh ball soup (from the Cooking School book) earlier this week. I was sick as a dog and didn’t manage to take any photos. Basically I made chicken soup like I always do (this time I threw in some of the leftover celery root and parsnips from Cooking School lesson 3 – the braised pork shoulder). Her matzoh balls are different than the recipe on the side of the matzoh can. I must confess the first time I ever even tried this kind of soup was last year, so I’m a newbie at this. Martha has you whip the egg whites separately. This did make the dough lighter. I liked their flavor, but found it was hard to get them to come out very round. Mine were all lop-sided and disturbed looking. They tasted great though. So that one gets a thumbs up too.

My December issue of Living recently came in the mail, so I’ll be moving forward to projects from there soon. That issue is a little intimidating – everything is so over the top. I also have Martha’s holiday special issues for both food and crafts and will be using those as well. Christmas is really creeping up on us. I’m looking forward to having a Martha Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. I feel as though Martha is helping me pay attention to details more than I normally would, which I am appreciating.

I’ve only completed half of this cooking school lesson so far. Martha and Sarah Carey made chicken piccata (to demonstrate sauteing) and then an Indian spice yogurt marinaded chicken that was pan-fried. I’ll get to the second one at a future date (or not since I’m not a big fan of spicy Indian food). The … Read more →