Greek Chicken Tenders - Martha Monday

Today's Martha Monday was my turn to choose. This summer my daughter and I are trying more and more restaurants and new things we find at the farmers market. So this week I let my daughter choose what we make for Martha Monday. She came up with two recipes from Martha Stewarts website. One bowl chocolate cupcakes - but we already made the one bowl chocolate cake so here is the other choice she made. Greek Chicken Cutlets. We will still make the cupcakes later.

This was actually a perfect choice for a quick summer meal. Very easy and healthy too!

I used chicken tenders because they were on sale and cutlets were not. I think it was a good substitute because they cook pretty much just as quick as the cutlets do. I seasoned them with some marjoram, garlic, and a poultry seasoning that I like to use...instead of just salt and pepper. I made up a whole batch because it was buy one get one free sale. I saved the rest for lunches to make a wrap and use in a Caesar salad.

Tender and good from the first night it was served and even the next day for lunch.

Good right down to the last bites.

Here is Brette's result she now has a blog Putting it All on the Table.

White Bean and Tuna Salad - Martha Monday

Today is Martha Monday and I am posting this on Monday! I know, I know, mark the calender!! It was Ana from Sweet Almond Tree turn to choose, and this is what she picked. You can see the recipe here.White bean and tuna salad was just what I needed today, and I actually finished it in daylight!

Oops, now that's better with some smoked salt and pepper! I made just half the recipe because my daughter never has liked tined tuna. So this was perfect size for me and lunch the next day, but my husband ended up eating  the rest of it when he came home late for dinner.

I just did a few things different again due to what I have on hand. I used shallots instead of onion, and soften them when I  warmed the beans with grapeseed oil. I also added the tuna while it was warming so the tuna would be warm too. It did kind of blend it together too much where it didn't photograph very well. I didn't have the red wine vinegar so I used some Chinese Black vinegar, it worked nice due to being slightly sweet like balsamic vinegar, and a little Chinese shao hsing (rice cooking wine). Cilantro instead of parsley. I used arugula/spinach mixed greens, and shaved some asiago cheese on top. I loved the different flavors that came together so well and the olives added just the right touch of tang that it needed.  I really enjoyed it, perfect for these hot afternoons in Florida! With this salad being so easy to put together I will be making it again for sure!



Leek, Bacon and Pea Risotto

Finally I made Martha Stewart's leek, bacon and pea risotto for Martha Mondays! I know it's not Monday and it was only about six weeks ago, seriously. It just goes to show you ...it's never too late!  This was Sassy Supper's choice and it was a good one, I just didn't get a chance to make it then. This week I had some organic leeks, and used up the end of the organic arborio rice, and I also had some bacon that was left over from breakfast and was already cooked!! Perfect I thought of this recipe.
About the only charge that I made to the recipe was the pre-cooked bacon..oh and I used up the chicken broth that I had on making chicken noodle soup for my "sickies" so I used beef broth, it was okay, but I'll bet it would be much better with the chicken broth.

Since I didn't have to cook the bacon, I added a little bit of oil in the pan to cook the sliced leeks until they were nice and tender.

After the leeks were tender I added the chopped bacon, then the arborio rice.

Cook until edges turn translucent, about a minute. 

Pour in a cup of white wine, and cook until absorbed about 2 minutes.

After adding all the broth a cup at a time, and the rice is al dente about 35 minutes, add the peas with the last cup of broth, then stir in the Parmesan cheese. Remove from heat and cover while you let it stand for 2 minutes. 

Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Top with a little fresh grated Parmesan!



Crepes with Chicken, Avocado and Bacon

My turn to once again choose for Martha Mondays, my pick was crepes! but I am just posting it now! Almost a week late. I did  make them on Monday, but couldn't get a good photo after dark, so I saved some and had them the next day too. My computer is so slow and old I am getting a new one. In the meanwhile I have to use my husbands on the weekends or evenings. I feel so neglectful to you all...
I'll be back in full swing soon, and back to my regular visits and posts.

We had FCAT testing the last two weeks and everyone is on edge...teacher, students, and parents. In the clinic we get the kids come in when the test is done because they came to school sick just for the test. We try to encourage them do satay home and do the make up test. You can almost hear the sigh of relief from everyone. Now we are working on field trips, and school end stuff, getting ready for next year.

Now back to the crepes my choice this week was made because this was another things I have always wanted to make and really have no idea why I haven't. I like to order savory crepes when we go to a favorite breakfast place in town...turkey dill. Since I don't have that recipe for their sauce, it reminded me of a hollandaise with dill...anyway, I decided to make up my own to go with chicken, bacon, avocado and tomatoes. I also added some green onions to a couple of them for the savory breakfast crepe.

I made a creamy dill with yogurt and a chipotle mayo sauce. The crepe recipe was easy to follow and I first tried making them on my 13" round griddle that I use to make dosa on and it's good for quesadillas. It did not work that well for the crepes because it needed the edge of the pan to create the round edge of the crepe, so I pulled out my 9.5" green pan and that one worked out great. Just lightly buttered the pan and it didn't stick at all.
For the Chipotle Sauce: 1/2 cup Greek Style yogurt, 2 tablespoons mayo, 2 teaspoons chopped chipotle in adobo sauce or chipotle powder.
 

Yogurt Dill Sauce: 1/2 cup Greek style yogurt 2 tablespoons fresh dill (chopped) or 1 teaspoon dried dill 2-4 tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon key lime juice pinch of garlic powder salt and pepper to taste.
I used the sauce on the inside and out.

I now know how to make crepes and found out how well the keep in the fridge for a couple of days. I will see how well they freeze. Next I'm making dessert crepes, with Nutella, strawberries and bananas!

Lime Bars - Martha Mondays

It was Megan's turn author of Megan's Cookin' and she chose Lime Bars for us to make this week for Martha Mondays. This was great! She chose lime bars from the St. Patrick's Day recipes, and I know it was supposed to be green and all, but....I still have some lemons left on my tree and I was looking for a lemon bar recipe so I thought I would make a slight change...
After all key lime pie doesn't turn out green...unless you add green color to it. I just used lemons instead of limes (I do love key limes so I'll try it that way later) I added a pinch of salt and a dash of vanilla extract that is all the changes I've made...not so bad for me!

Lime Squares with Pistachio - Graham Cracker Crust - Martha Stewart Living


I found this vintage juicer at a tag sale, I have a fancy electric juicer, but for small jobs this works best.

I also had this box of graham cracker crumbs already in my cupboard (I had planned on making lemon bars and a lemon cream pie). This is so nice, you can measure a cup if that's what you need, no fuss, no muss! Not that tossing them into a food processor is difficult, but these were on sale so cheap I couldn't pass up the ease.

So since I didn't have to pull out my food processor I just chopped the pistachios in a mini chopper that I have and after this I decided to get rid of it. It doesn't do that good of a job and it takes up space. I left the nuts a little big so you would know they were in there.

See...now you can even see them in the crust
I did use the parchment paper as she suggested to make it easy to pull out of the pan. You could probably use a tart pan with a removable bottom as well.


They were very good nice and creamy, sweet and tart, kinda like key lime pie would be. Yummy, but these pieces were rather large.


but we still ate it, right before lunch...no, just kidding we at it for dessert after lunch! The rest of them were cut smaller and I think I'll dust them with some powdered sugar.

My daughter gave it a thumbs up too.
We are on spring break this week so I have plans to get all sorts of things done.
We'll see...

Soft Pretzels - Martha Mondays

It was my choice for Martha Mondays and I usually pick something that I have been wanting to make and see if Martha has a good recipe for it. With it being Super Bowl weekend this time I was looking for a snack, so I chose soft pretzels. I and went through Martha's recipes and this one seemed easy and a different way to make them. You boiled them first like you would if making bagels. I also thought by cutting in the butter like she had you do was a good idea to make them flaky.

Well this is why I don't bake!! Mine didn't turn out. They tasted good, but were not very pretty.

Soft Pretzels - Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients:
2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast (1/4 ounce)
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Vegetable oil, for baking sheets
3 tablespoons baking soda
1 tablespoon pretzel salt
Assorted mustards, for serving
Directions:
1.Mix yeast, coarse salt, sugar, and warm water in a small bowl, whisking until sugar dissolves. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2.Mix flour and cayenne in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3.Slowly pour yeast mixture over flour mixture, stirring to combine. Using your hands, gather dough together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until it is no longer sticky, about 5 minutes. Cover with plastic, and let rise for 30 minutes.
4.Cut dough into 12 pieces, and roll each into an 18-inch rope. Form a U shape with 1 rope, and twist ends together twice. Fold twisted portion backward along center of U shape to form a circle, then gently press ends of rope onto dough to seal. Transfer to an oiled baking sheet, and repeat. Let rise for 20 minutes.
5.Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add baking soda. Boil pretzels in batches until puffed and slightly shiny, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to wire racks to drain. Return to baking sheet, sprinkle with pretzel salt, and bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Pretzels will keep, uncovered, at room temperature for up to 12 hours. Rewarm in a 250-degree oven if desired, and serve with mustards.

Okay I think I got the rolling and the twist down pat...


...then bring it over to the top and gently press dough together


placed on an oiled baking sheet...now this is one area I was unsure of...I oiled my stoneware pan and I usually don't have to, but I followed the directions to a T...


let the rest and rise for 20 minutes...


...after boiling them for a minute or two per side is where it really didn't work or look pretty after that...it's like they deflated after I scooped them out of the water and set them on a wire rack to drain....then back on the oiled backing sheet.

The next part was also a fail...after baking for at the right temperature for the right amount of time....they stuck to the pan. I can't believe it!!! nothing sticks to my stoneware baking pans and I usually don't oil them and things don't stick!!! I even oiled them and it stuck! Go figure!


Here are my little flawed gems...the broken torn ones on the bottom. I made some plan...


...and made some with black and white sesame seeds, garlic and salt (I keep that blend in a jar on the counter and use it often)...you might call it an everything pretzel...only I forgot the poppy seeds. It even stuck to the pizza stone :(

Next time I will roll them into thinner strips so the pretzels won't be so puffy when the rise.

If you want to see a successful Martha Monday soft pretzel check out Brette's on her Martha and Me blog.
and be sure to check out Pru's pretzels and she's never even tried one before Perfecting Pru blog.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Lemon Arugula and Pistachios

Martha Mondays was perfect this week, after making all those comfort meals it was nice to lighten things up a bit. Pru from Perfecting Pru chose Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Lemon, Arugula, and Pistachios. I didn't check it out until today and it was pretty easy to assemble. I have not really used arugula that much until this past year, and I want to tell you I really enjoy the flavor of it. It has a little bitter, peppery bit that is not off putting. The lemon in this compliments it well.

I didn't change it much at all, except I didn't use a Meyers lemon because I have a lemon tree full of lemons now. I had a flashlight and went out to our tree and asked my husband to pick the one I had pointed out to him...just the right one. As a matter of fact you just might be seeing more lemon recipes from me coming up real soon. My lemon tree is a Bearss lemon and is what I call a lemonade lemon....real lemony...so I used a half of lemon instead of a whole one and it was just the right amount. It works well in taking the bitterness of the arugula and smoothing it out a bit.



Ingredients
1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios
Sea salt or coarse salt
1 small shallot, cut into eighths
1 Meyer lemon (about 5 ounces), cut into eighths and seeded
3 tablespoons lemon or regular extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound whole-wheat spaghetti
2 cups packed baby arugula
Freshly ground pepper
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread pistachios on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in oven until fragrant, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; let cool completely.
2.Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, pulse pistachios and shallot in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl. Without cleaning processor bowl, finely chop lemon. Add to pistachios and shallot; stir to combine. Stir in 2 tablespoons oil.
3.Add pasta to boiling water; cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water. Toss pasta with pistachio mixture until coated. Add reserved cooking water; stir until sauce coats pasta. Stir in arugula, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining tablespoon oil; season with pepper. Divide among 4 serving plates
Easy to make if you have a food processor, I think you will really enjoy it like we did. Maranda even made a remark on how much she liked it. Good choice Pru!


I did put a bit of Parmesan cheese on top of mine but it really didn't need it. I tucked away a little for my lunch tomorrow. I am sure I will be making this again.

My parents are down visiting for the month, and we were over at their place yesterday...so we got to see the sunset from a little different angle...oops a little late. We didn't get to see if there was a green flash or not. Oh well next time!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares - Martha Mondays

My choice this week for our Martha Mondays hosted each week by Brette with Martha and Me and let me tell you she participates in each one every week! One time she missed a week because she was sick, and then she apologized for it! She's amazing, and an author of several books, a new one just out The Parchment Paper Cookbook one of her other blogs is No Pot Cooking. Check it out for some good no mess cooking ideas and recipes. If you would like to join us for Martha Mondays just let her know. There is no pressure to do it every week and you get some good feedback and meet some great people.


Oh yeah,...back to my pick...Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares I chose this because of my daughter...she has been wanting me to make her some pumpkin something for her birthday...she loves pumpkin every thing So this was great, Martha had a wonderful pumpkin bar recipe, and what better time to try it...two birds, you know!



Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Squares
Martha Stewart Living Special Issues, 2006

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2.With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
3.Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.
4.Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into 24 squares
Tip: If you can't find pumpkin-pie spice, substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon each allspice and cloves (all ground).

It was a two bowl, (most baking recipes will have you use one bowl for dry and another for the wet ingredients), straight forward recipe.The only different thing I did this time was add a little more cinnamon, and used half chocolate chips and half cinnamon chips.

I sprinkled some extra chips on top of the batter after it was spread out in the pan. I like the looks of them sitting on top like that...maybe more next time!


This is definitely a keeper. It was moist and delicious, the texture was kind of like between a cake and a muffin. The pumpkin held up well to the spices and chocolate was not too much, of course I used half the amount of chocolate, but used cinnamon chips to compete the amount called for in the recipe. I didn't have a 9x13 pan, the pan I used was a little smaller so they came out a little tall. I can't believe I don't have a 9x13 glass baking dish...Christmas wish list!

My family actually finished them all up...I didn't have any to bring in to work.

Edited to add the Tip: after the recipe, for those of you who can't find pumpkin pie spice. This was the first time I had used it, I happened to run across it.

Savory French Toast

I have always wanted to make a baked French toast...one with some nice fruit on the bottom and cinnamon and spices melding through it. So when it was my turn to choose the recipe for Martha Monday I was searching for that when I came across a Savory French Toast! Perfect! For breakfast...lunch...or dinner! We had it for dinner tonight!! But for me it is great for breakfast too because I don't like things too sweet for breakfast. When I eat French toast I never put syrup on it just butter....so this is a kicked up version of the perfect French Toast!

From Martha Stewart Living, April 2001

Ingredients
5 ounces (about 6 slices) bacon
2 onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice
12 ounces button mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, half-and-half, or milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces), plus more for serving
1 teaspoon coarse salt
6 slices 1-inch-thick bread, such as sourdough, each cut into 3 long strips
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Directions
1.Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add bacon; cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove bacon with tongs, drain on paper towels, and set aside. Add onions to skillet with bacon drippings; cook, stirring constantly, until onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook until tender and most of the liquid released has evaporated, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl to cool. When cool, finely chop half the mixture, and set aside the other half.
2.In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, Parmesan, and salt. Stir in the finely chopped vegetable mixture.
3.Place the bread strips in a shallow baking dish large enough to hold them in a single layer. Pour egg mixture over bread; soak 10 minutes. Turn strips over, and soak until bread is soaked through, about 10 minutes more.
4.Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet; set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry half the bread strips until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to wire rack; place in oven while cooking remaining bread.
5.Wipe out skillet; repeat with remaining butter, oil, and bread. Keep in oven until ready to serve. Heat remaining onion mixture in a small skillet until warm. Serve French toast warm, topped with reserved onion mixture, crumbled bacon, and Parmesan, if desired.


I cut the recipe in half, because I have a small family, but added more Parmesan cheese. I did follow the recipe pretty close (for me)...except I added my Bonne Herbes to the eggs, cream, Parmesan mixture, and I didn't soak it for 10 minutes on each side. I think I would do that if I was to put it in a baking dish and bake it in the oven. I didn't feel the need to keep it warm in the oven until served...I just served when I was finished browning the toasts strips.
I also dusted it with a little garlic powder...since I like my grilled cheese with Parmesan and garlic powder...so...why not?


The other difference was by mistake...the mushrooms that I had were in the fridge were there too long and I really didn't feel comfortable using them...so I went without...to my daughter's delight...I might add. Mushrooms are not one of her favorites yet (I have been able to sneak them in here and there). So other than the shallots instead of the onions and no mushrooms...

...and the added herbs (also fresh chives from the garden). I didn't use the bacon grease to cook the shallots I used butter and olive oil, then I put some aside and spooned that over the top,I was thinking the onion sauce they spoon over perogies! then the bacon and the fresh grated Parmesan cheese!


Yes...it was a lovely tender, yet crisp on the outside tasty bite! Savory with a little salty flavor from the bacon and cheese.

Maranda had hers without the shallots, but she didn't forget...



the bacon! You can leave out the bacon if you want a vegetarian meal! Great with a salad!

To check out how other's had made their savory French toast be sure to visit
Brette at Martha and Me
Pru from Prefecting Pru
Feel free to join us for Martha Mondays!