Purses!

Don't know if all of you have seen some of my latest creations, so I thought I would share! I am using the green one right now- The purple one needed some reconstruction, but is fixed now!

Italian Chicken with Pasta

The latest inspiration was really no inspiration at all... Basically, I just felt like slow-cooking chicken thighs in my dutch oven, and I didn't want to go to the grocery store to buy anything. So, I did the usual "Stephanie" thing, and used what I had in the house! (And yes, I do keep pancetta on hand at all times- very crucial ingredient in many recipes!) Surprisingly, I didn't think that this was going to turn out as good as it did-- and it was even better the second day!

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or one package)

4 oz pancetta, diced

1 clove garlic, pressed or chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

3/4 cup red wine

28 oz can diced or whole plum tomatoes, with juice

2 bay leaves

1 tsp italian seasoning (I like the versatile Bouquet Garni from Penzey's)

11 oz can V8 juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

salt and pepper

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. Heat dutch oven over medium heat with some olive oil in the bottom of the pan. Brown chicken on all sides, then remove from pan and cover to keep warm.

Add pancetta to pan and saute until browned and fat is rendered. Add garlic, cook for a few seconds, stirring. Then add onion and carrots and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.

Pour red wine into pan, gently scraping the bottom to deglaze the pan.

Add tomatoes and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, then return chicken to pan. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add V8 juice and basil. Return to a simmer, covered for an additional 45 minutes, or until chicken is cook through and falls apart easily with a spoon. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Serve with sides of butter pasta seasoned with salt and pepper and sauteed spinach. (And of course plenty of parmesan or romano cheese!)

NOTE: The picture shows sauteed spinach mixed in with the chicken, but it is great on the side as well!

Comfort Chicken and Pasta

Guess I've needed some comforting lately... so what else would I crave but something rich and delicious! Since I can't eat eggs, I sorely miss making spaghetti alla carbonara. Therefore, I wanted to make a pasta that was reminiscent of the egg version, to at least somewhat curb my cravings! Breaded and pan-fried chicken cutlets always remind me of my childhood-- Nine times out of ten, if we had chicken in the house, we cooked it in this manner! (Again, we usually used an egg batter to bread the chicken, so I have substituted buttermilk, which I think works even better than eggs!) The best part about this meal is that it takes less than half an hour to make!

Comfort Pasta

8 oz pasta, small shapes such as shells or ditalini

2 oz cubed pancetta

4 T butter

1 cup half and half

4 oz finely shredded hard cheese (combination of parmesan and asiago works well! However, we always used up whatever we had in the house for this type of sauce!)

1 T fresh thyme, finely chopped

1 T fresh oregano, finely chopped

1/2 cup frozen green peas

Cook pasta in boiling water. When pasta is almost done, add frozen peas and cook for 1 minute.

While pasta is cooking, saute pancetta in a skillet until browned and fat is rendered. Reduce heat to medium low, then add butter and half and half, stirring mixture with a wooden spoon. Once butter is melted, gradually add in cheese, stirring well after each addition, until all the cheese is incorporated into the sauce. Stir in thyme and oregano, then season with pepper (and salt, if desired). Pour sauce over cooked pasta and peas. Serve with extra parmesan if desired.

Comfort Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 to 1 1/2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs (store bought or homemade)

Salt and pepper

Pound chicken breasts flat between 2 pieces of wax paper. Cut each piece in half and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Sprinkle with flour on both sides.

Pour buttermilk into a wide bowl. Pour half of breadcrumbs onto a plate. Dredge floured chicken in buttermilk, then place on top of breadcrumbs. Pour extra breadcrumbs on top of chicken and press breadcrumbs to help them stick to the chicken, pressing breadcrumbs on the sides as well. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Pour about 2 T olive oil (or your favorite cooking oil) into hot skillet. Saute chicken on each side until golden brown.

Serve with Comfort Pasta.

Classic Sheffield Buttermilk Pancakes

This recipe was from an ancient cookbook my mom had. None of us ever liked pancakes from anywhere else, because these were just that good!

1 cup flour

½ tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp soda

2 tsp sugar

1 T. ground flax soaked in 3 T water (or 1 egg)

1 cup buttermilk

¼ cup melted butter

combine salt, powder, soda, sugar and flour. Mix flax mixture with buttermilk and add to dry ingredients. Combine until smooth. Add in melted butter.

Dollop about 1/4 c of batter onto a hot griddle. Flip when small bubbles appear on the top of the pancake. Spread additional butter on top, if desired. Serve with your favorite toppings, real maple syrup is a must!

I like to use white whole wheat flour—you can get it at Trader Joes or Whole Foods, sometimes the regular grocery as well…

I also like to put different toppings- of course, we always did blueberries once and a while, but bananas are good, and sometimes I make an apple compote—I sauté a couple chopped/diced apples in a couple tablespoons of butter, then add a nice scoop of brown sugar, and cinnamon. Sometimes I also put in walnuts or pecans with the sautéing apples… yum!