Sauteed Chicken with Olives

From Tuscany The Beautiful Cookbook

Another great recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks. This is a variation of the Roasted Chicken with Potatoes and Olives. 

Special Ingredients:

- fennel seeds

- white wine

- olives

Chicken and Rice Casserole

by Food Network Kitchen

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/chicken-and-rice-casserole-recipe-2111696#

This is my favorite week night comfort food recipe. Instead of rotisserie I use skinless chicken fillets with spicy rub and fry on cast iron pan. Once I substituted milk for sour cream and it turned out dry. Sour cream adds the creaminess to the dish. I used 4 canned tomatoes, but would use 2 or 3 next time, since I could feel some sourness. I also added green peas at the end. I would love to try the recipe with mushrooms - I would cook them at first with the onions and garlic. The spice rub on the chicken was not enough to make the dish spicy. I would add chili, flakes or cayenne next time.

Will I make it again? - yes. I can make it every week as a weekly staple dish.

Asparagus Fettuccine Carbonara

By Food Network Kitchen

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/asparagus-fettuccine-carbonara-3886424#reviewsTop

Great recipe to have the spring asparagus. Full of flavor and still well balanced. Fairly hearty, but still a lighter dish. I like the spice in it. I doubled the red flakes, but can triple the amount next time. Bacon was not overpowering, but I did drain the bacon fat as recipe says, to reduce it’s flavor.

Besides the asparagus, the remaining ingredients are normally in my pantry, so an easy weeknight dish. I used a wide grader to slice the asparagus. The dish had plenty of it’s flavor due the whole pound of asparagus used in the recipe.

Will I make it again? - yes. I should make it every year for the asparagus season. It is different from the prosciutto dish, but I also like the heartiness that the bacon and yolk bring to this dish.

Keema Matar with pickled onions and homemade Naan

Authentic recipe by Anjali

Pickled Onions
https://cookieandkate.com/2018/quick-pickled-onions-recipe/

Naan
https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/homemade-naan.html

This is a very easy recipe for a weekday night, if you have all spices on hand. The tomatoes add nice freshness. The spices were mild but complex. I believe I had 2 lb of meat and should have doubled the spices. Other recipes suggest adding ginger, garam masala and tomato paste. I want to try this recipe with ground turkey next time. Pickled onions added great flavor and all the flavors went very well together. Naan was fairly easy to make. Next time half portion would probably be enough. I would also use instant yeast rather than dry yeast, as it rises faster and easier.

Butter Chicken

By New York Times

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016754-butter-chicken?regi=1&join_cooking_newsletter=true&register=facebook

This is a delicious recipe and will definitely make it again as it has been hard to find a good Indian recipe that’s not too simple and not too difficult. Chicken had to cook much longer than recipe called, so I would brown it more before adding the liquids. This is not a spicy recipe so I added chili garlic paste.

Special Ingredients:
- heavy cream
- tomatoes, fresh
- tomato paste
- spices: garam masala, cumin, turmeric, cumin seeds, cinnamon stick
- Greek yogurt
- ground almonds

Ramen

http://seonkyounglongest.com/ramen/

We love take-out ramen once a week, so I had to learn to make it myself. This is a weekend dish since it takes at least 3 hours of boiling the broth. However you can freeze the leftovers for a weekday meal.

Notes:
- I used 5 lb of neck bones and the copper pot which fit about 15 cups water. I would use 3 lb of bones if using the same pot, or use larger pot with 6 lb meats to follow the recipe.
- The nori made the broth taste too fishy. I would use 1/4 pack instead of a full pack (1 oz) according the recipe.
- I boiled my eggs 5 minutes and they were too runny. I would boil them for 6 minutes next time. 10 minutes for a fully cooked soft egg.
- For toppings I used only what I had - eggs, green onion, pork from broth and red flakes. I would like to use the sprouts to cut through fat and add freshness.
- Use tare to salt the broth at the end (did not read through the whole recipe and missed the tare).
- Add a dash of sesame oil
- Needs more spice

A very good chart how to boil eggs to wanted softness:
- Heat water to boil and add eggs. Cook for the number of minutes according to the following chart for desired softness.

Lithuanian Cabbage Rolls - Balandėliai

https://www.beatosvirtuve.lt/receptai/balandeliai-nuostabieji/

I did not follow a recipe, and then found the one by Beata with a good idea of adding more veggies to the meat. Although I got ideas for improvements, the rolls still turned out delicious.

Notes:
- I used 2.5 lb ground pork, 1 cup rice, 1 large cabbage. I had some cabbage leftover, so could use more meat or rice for the filling.
- Good note in the recipe to core the cabbage before boiling.
- Fry rolls first, rolled in flower. I simmered the rolls right away and it took a long time for the cabbage to cook. The frying helps cook the cabbage which adds flavor and the flour will thicken the sauce.
- I fully cooked the rice and it blended too much with the meat. Parcook the rice a little. The recipe says to use raw rice and simmer the rolls for an hour.