Saturday, March 17, 2012

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I love the Shamrock Plant. I bought one of each color and then potted them together.

Looks so pretty.
Traditional Irish dinner. This year I made:

Roasted Cabbage with Lemon

1 medium-sized head of green cabbage
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice (I used 1 lemon)
generous amount of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a roasting pan with non-stick spray or olive oil.
Cut the head of cabbage into 8 same-size wedges, cutting through the core and stem end. Then carefully trim the core strip and stem from each wedge and arrange wedges in a single layer on the roasting pan (leave some space around them as much as you can.)
Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice. Then use a pastry brush to brush the top sides of each cabbage wedge with the mixture and season generously with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Turn cabbage wedges carefully, then brush the second side with the olive oil/lemon juice mixture ad season with salt and pepper.
Roast cabbage for about 15 minutes, or until the side touching the pan is nicely browned. Then turn each wedge carefully and roast 10-15 minutes more, until the cabbage is nicely browned and cooked through with a bit of chewiness remaining. Serve hot, with additional lemon slices to squeeze lemon juice on at the table if desired.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Lemon Chicken Breasts

Recipe:

1/4 cup good olive oil

3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)

1/3 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on

1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minutes but don't allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9x12-inch baking dish.

Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn't browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.

This recipe comes from Ina Garten "How Easy Is That" cookbook.

This week I will be joining:


and

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Maple Granola

Recipe:

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup dried unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup each pecans, walnuts, and pistachios

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 teaspoon coarse salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix together oats, coconut, nuts, wheat germ, syrup, oil, sugar, salt, and nutmeg. Spread granola in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, for 40 minutes. Add cranberries, and bake until granola is toasted, about 10 minutes more. Let cool completely. Maple granola can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.


This week I will be joining:


and

Monday, January 2, 2012

Keurig Cafe One-Touch Milk Frother



I love it:) In minutes I had the best cup of coffee!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Took Mom to Joe's Crab Shack

We both enjoyed a Bucket of 1-1/4 pounds of Garlic Dungeness Crab served with new potatoes and a fresh ear of corn. What a way to spend New Years Day:) We both had a wonderful time!