Easy Skillet Dinner for One (using leftovers)

Above is just another photo from the flower show....spring is coming!

Recently I came home from my Zumba class and needed to whip up something for myself for dinner.  I'm amazed at how easily one can use leftovers from the refrigerator to make a dinner in a cast iron skillet.  I previously made an omelette for one person with the 6" skillet (see post of 12/19/2010), and the other night I made this for myself in the 8" skillet:

Easy Skillet Dinner for One (using leftovers)

I heated up a tablespoon of lemon-pepper flavored olive oil,
added 1/3 of a red onion, chopped,
3/4 cup of cooked green beans, and
2 slices of deli ham, torn into pieces. 

I sauteed that together a bit, then
put on a sprinkling of garlic-pepper seasoning
(but I probably didn't need it due to the flavored oil I used...).

I beat up one egg with a Tbs of water
and put that in to cook.
It didn't make an omelette, it just coated the mixture somewhat.
(No, I wasn't looking for an omelette's effect....)

I sprinkled it all with parmesan to serve.
(I obviously have some Italian roots....)

When hubby came home, I told him,
"You missed a great dinner!"
(even though I probably wouldn't have made it if I was cooking for both of us....).

Hmmm....although it would be easy to double a recipe like this and use a larger skillet....

Fraiche Mushroom Pasta (with chicken)

When I was at the Flower Show last weekend, I picked up this little thing to use with garlic:

You moisten the plate, which has sharp-ish bumps.  Slide your clove of garlic into the blue silicone tube on the left and roll it around to remove the peel.  Take your peeled garlic and rub it around on the plate, discarding the stem end.  It's supposed to be far superior to using a garlic press.  I'm not sure of that, but it looked like fun, anyway.

I went grocery shopping last week after a difficult day at work.  A tough day often makes me justify some impulse purchasing.  I spotted a container of "creme fraiche" in the deli area.  I had never tasted creme fraiche before, but I had heard about it, and my hubby actually had it once at a social event that I didn't attend.

I bought the container, and checked online for ways to use it.  I developed the following recipe, crossing my fingers that the family would like it. 

John came home from college last night for spring break.  I wanted to have a nice dinner for him.  I put my creation together last night, said, "Well, let's see how it tastes!"  
Lo and behold, we all liked it! 

I was surprised when I tasted the creme fraiche.  I expected it to taste like sour cream, but it didn't at all.  It was much creamier, and almost sweet.  Very nice.

Fraiche Mushroom Pasta (with chicken)
(serves 6)

Start water to cook your GF pasta.  I cooked up 16 oz of "Notta Pasta" fettuccini.
(It's a rice pasta.)

Take your 12" cast iron skillet.

Saute two cloves garlic, minced (but I used the cool grater dish above), and
16 oz of sliced fresh mushrooms
in 2 Tbs olive oil.

When it looks about ready, sprinkle with Italian herbs.

Add one 9-oz package Perdue Short Cuts (grilled Italian style),
which is cooked chicken that has been sliced up nicely for quick and easy use.

Add ~5 oz of white wine.  I used a Chardonnay from a single serve bottle.

Let that simmer a minute.

Add 8 oz of creme fraiche and let it just heat through.

Turn off your heat. 

Pour this over your cooked and drained pasta, in a big bowl.

Serve with the ever-beloved parmesan to sprinkle on top!

Chicken with LOTSA Garlic

I had an opportunity last weekend to go to the Hartford Flower Show.  I had never been to a flower show before, believe it or not!  I took LOTSA photos, spent LOTSA money, and had LOTSA fun.....even though I went all by myself.

I like this photo of butterflies courtesy of the "Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory & Gardens" in South Deerfield, Massachusetts.  I'm fascinated by the way the butterflies reflect on the glass in this photo.  The clear wings of the butterflies in the center are very interesting.

The following recipe, which I made last week, is nice as we await Springtime.  I browned the chicken in my cast iron skillet, and finished the dish in my crock pot.  Having LOTSA garlic lifts my spirits the way butterflies and flowers can.

Chicken with LOTSA Garlic
(Serves 6)

In your skillet,
lightly brown 6 boneless/skinless chicken breast halves in 2 Tbs olive oil.

Place 12 new potatoes (or cut up potatoes for 6 servings)
in the bottom of a crock pot.

Add 1 onion, cut up as desired,
1 Tbs oregano, and
a whole head of garlic, peeled and minced.

Put your browned chicken on top of that.
Spoon a little garlic up onto the chicken,
drizzle it with another Tbs of olive oil,
give it a few turns of the pepper grinder, and
sprinkle it with a little more oregano.
I sprinkled the chicken with 1/2 tsp. salt, too.

Cover.  Cook 5-6 hours on high,
or 9-10 hours on low.

**Be sure to spoon the tasty glaze (that sits in the bottom of the pot) over the chicken.  The meat benefits from the moisture, and the flavor is awesome!**

 Those carrots were roasted in the cast iron skillet, like other vegetables I have posted about.

Off the Handle: Graham Cracker Chocolate Chip Bar Cookies

This is a little counted cross stitch piece that a client of mine made for me when I was a grad student.  She was an elderly lady.  I was honored that she took the time to make this and give it to me.  It has been hanging in my kitchen ever since I got married and moved in.

I'm sure she would be happy to know I have treasured it so much.

Too bad the food we create gets eaten and you can't look at it 30 years later.  I guess that's where photos, blogs, and memories come in handy. 

These cookies, however, were really quick to put together.  Not like counted cross stitch!!

Graham Cracker Chocolate Chip Bar Cookies
(Makes 18)

Preheat your oven to 350.

Grease a 8x8 square baking pan. 

In a mixing bowl, combine:

One 10.5-oz box of Kinnikinnick gluten free graham style crumbs
          (about 2 1/4 cups),
1 cup (or a little more) gf chocolate chips,
1 tsp. baking powder, and
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional). 

I had hazelnuts handy, for some reason. 
(I store nuts in my freezer, fyi.)

After the dry stuff is mixed together, add:

1 14-oz can of sweetened condensed milk, and
1 tsp vanilla.

I had to use my [clean] hands to mix it a little toward the end. 
The mixture is extremely thick!
Put the mixture in your pan, using wet fingers to smooth it down.

Bake 30-35 minutes.  A toothpick inserted near the center should come out clean.
Let cool *completely* before cutting.

This is nice alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 
I also liked it drizzled with a little bit of that chocolate sauce from the last post.

Just plain is good, too!

Off the Handle: Simple Chocolate Syrup

This photo is from the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. 

I always amazed at how much information is at our disposal if we want it.  I love to spend my time in bookstores, libraries, and perusing the internet to research questions I have. 

I recently was attempting to figure out if chocolate syrup is okay for a gluten free person to consume.  But really, even if it's gluten free, did I want to have my company consuming all of that high fructose corn syrup? 

I looked around and--in my usual research style for recipes--found a number of ideas for making homemade chocolate syrup.   I take a little from this, a little from that, tweak something here, change something else, and the next thing I know I have my own recipe that really isn't like anyone else's.   If it comes out good, I put it on the blog.

Simple Chocolate Syrup
(Makes over one cup.)

In a medium saucepan, combine

2/3 cup cocoa,
1 3/4 cup sugar, and
1 cup of water.

Bring it to a boil.  Boil gently one minute. 
Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp. vanilla.
Let it cool.
Store in the refrigerator.


I had made gluten free chocolate cupcakes.
I poked holes in them,
poured chocolate syrup over it, and
topped it with whipped cream.

A little messy, but everyone gobbled them up!

You really can't go wrong with those ingredients. 

And what if we added some cinnamon to the mix?  Or peppermint? 
Hmmmm.....a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing!

Roasted Broccoli and Peppers

This is a manatee in the South Florida museum in Bradenton, Florida.  He is a pretty old manatee (over 60 years old!) that cannot be released into the natural environment. 
His name is "Snooty."  He likes lettuce and broccoli and things like that. 
I had the opportunity to see him in early 2010.

Manatees are fascinating beings.  Big and slow and adorable. 
I watched this guy for quite a while. 

Snooty likes his veggies fresh, but roasting them is nice for humans.  For my Mom's birthday dinner I roasted broccoli and red peppers.  I need to do more of this roasting. 
I could have used more leftovers on that one!

Roasted Broccoli and Peppers
(Serves 4-6)

Preheat your oven to 425.  (400 will work, too.)

Take 3 stalks of broccoli, trim the stalks a little, and halve them lengthwise.

Slice up a red bell pepper into chunks or strips.  (I made pieces about 3/4" by 2").

Coat your skillet with olive oil, put the veggies in artistically,
and drizzle olive oil over it all.

Sprinkle with seasonings to taste.  I used that WOW seasoning that I have used in the past.  You probably want a small amount of salt in the seasoning. 
A little garlic is nice, too.

Cover with foil.  Bake 10-15 minutes.   Uncover.  Bake 10 min. more. 

Breaded and Baked Boneless Chicken

Today is my Mom's birthday!

When I was first married, Mom was taking classes on painting.  She depicted this serene scene, gave it to me, and I have had it in my living room ever since. 



It's nice to have family-created items.

I had a dinner party for Mom this weekend, with 10 people at the table.  I find cooking for 4, 6, or even 8 not so bad, but 10 gets me a little nervous.  You need to double most recipes!  When I have this size of a group, I try to keep it simple, and I write out a timeline as well as a menu.  However, I forgot to plan on some minor disaster happening.....which it did, when the oven got turned off instead of the timer.  In the end, dinner was about 30 minutes late, but still delicious.  Here was my main dish:

Breaded and Baked Boneless Chicken

Preheat the oven to 425.

Take however many boneless chicken breast halves as you need. 

(I had way too many!  But that's okay because they make excellent leftovers.)

Bang them a little with a meat mallet to tenderize them slightly.

Spread the chicken with some olive oil on both sides. 

Roll the chicken in an appropriate coating.  In Whole Foods, I found an interesting pre-made coating mix called "Kariba Farms Wheat & Gluten Free NutCrusters" in an Almond-Lemon Flavor.  This contained almond meal, soy, flax and spices.  I used this coating mix until I ran out, then we quickly scrounged up some gluten free bread and whirled it in the food processor for a while, then adding parmesan, spices and salt to taste.  Both coatings were very good.  Tonight I will have leftovers of the breadcrumb-parmesan style, topped with tomato sauce and some provolone to make a chicken parmesan alongside some gluten free pasta. 

Coat the bottom of your cast iron skillet with some olive oil. 

Put your chicken in the skillet.

Bake the chicken (uncovered) for 30 to 35 minutes.  We always check our meat for done-ness with an instant-read meat thermometer.  I'd hate to find it wasn't cooked enough after it had been served!

Those little pieces are little bits of tenderloins and such that didn't cut neatly.  Mmmmmm....chicken nuggets!

The lighter-colored piece at the bottom right had the bread crumb mixture on it.