Author Archives: patty

Baked Caesar Chicken

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INGREDIENTS

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds total)
  • 1 cup creamy Caesar dressing
  • 2 ounces  Parmesan cheese, finely grated (about 1/2 cup)
  • 2 tablespoons  coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 400ºF.
  2. Pound 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts one at a time: Place 1 chicken breast in a gallon-sized zip-top bag and pound with a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat mallet to an even 1/2-inch thickness. Set aside and repeat with the remaining breasts.
  3. Pour 1 cup creamy Caesar dressing in a baking dish large enough to fit the chicken in a single layer. Place the chicken breasts in the baking dish, then flip them so that they are evenly coated with dressing.
  4. Bake until the chicken is golden-brown, cooked through, and registers 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, 20 to 25 minutes. Meanwhile, finely grate 2 ounces Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup) and coarsely chop enough parsley leaves to get 2 tablespoons, if using.
  5. Heat the broiler to high. Remove the baking dish from the oven. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the chicken in an even layer. Broil until the cheese is melted and lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve the chicken garnished with the parsley if using.

RECIPE NOTES

Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Beef and Noodles

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INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 1/2 pounds chuck roast
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 cups beef stock, divided use
  • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 1 guajillo chili pepper, dried – optional
  • 2 cups water
  • 16 ounces egg noodles
  • 1/2 cup butter, divided use
  • Parsley
  • ½ cup sliced/grated carrots

Instructions

  • Season both sides of chuck roast with salt & pepper, rubbing it in gently.
  • Heat oil in a large skillet until popping.
  • Add roast.
  • Brown for 3 minutes, turn, and brown the other side.
  • Remove from heat.
  • Oil the inside of your slow cooker.
  • Add the onion, celery, and garlic.
  • Transfer the roast to the slow cooker.
  • Pour 1 cup of the beef broth into the cooker.
  • Add the guajillo pepper if you are using it and the Worcestershire sauce
  • Cover crock pot and cook on low for 8 – 10 hours.
  • Remove the celery and shred the meat with two forks about 30 minutes before cooking time is over.
  • Replace the cover to the slow cooker.
  • About 10 minutes before you are ready to serve dinner bring 2 cups of water and the remaining beef broth to a boil in a large pot.
  • Add the 1/4 cup butter and the egg noodles.
  • Cook until tender.
  • Drain and stir in the remaining butter.
  • Serve the beef over the noodles.
  • Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Instant Pot

  • Turn the instant pot on high and add the oil.
  • Cube the beef and season it as in the recipe. When the oil is hot add half of the beef cubes to the pot and sear on each side.
  • Remove the beef from the pot to a large plate. Repeat the process with the rest of the seasoned beef cubes and then remove them to the plate.
  • Add about 1/4 Cup of the beef broth to the instant pot and use a wooden spatula to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Turn the Instant Pot off.
  • Add the beef, onion, garlic, celery, and guijillo pepper to the instant pot. Place the lid on the pot and set the valve to seal.
  • Cook on manual high pressure for 45 minutes. When the timer is up, allow the instant pot to natural pressure release – don’t open the seal!!- for 10 minutes. Once 10 minutes is up, open the seal to manually release any pressure that is left.Cook the noodles as directed in the recipe.

Stove Top Instructions

  • Season the meat as in the recipe then brown it in the oil in a Dutch oven.
  • Add the broth, onion, celery, guijillo chile, and garlic. Simmer, covered, on low heat for about 1-1/2 hours on top of the stove.
  • Cook the noodles as directed in the recipe.

Notes

You can thicken the gravy by pouring it into a saucepan and stirring in 2 tablespoons of cornstarch that has been blended with 1/4 cup cold water. Simmer until thick.

More Tips 

  • Browning the meat gives it a more robust flavor and adds some texture. You can skip that step if you must but I don’t recommend it. Without the browning step the recipe is pretty average. Once you brown that beef though – WOW.
  • I add part of the beef broth to the water I cook the egg noodles in because it gives them that “second day” flavor. You know, things like this are always better on the second day because they’ve had time for the flavors to blend? Well this speeds that process up.
  • Use 10 ounces frozen seasoning mix instead of onions and celery to save time.

Pull Apart Bundt Bread

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INGREDIENTS

  •  1 cup warm water
  •  1/4 cup granulated sugar
  •  1 tablespoon instant yeast (see note for active dry yeast)
  •  1 large egg
  •  1 tablespoon oil
  •  1 teaspoon salt
  •  3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (see note for whole wheat)
  •  8 tablespoons butter, melted (I use salted)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (you can make this by hand, too) add the warm water, sugar, yeast, egg, oil, salt, and 2 cups of flour.
  2. Mix until combined – it’s ok if it is a little lumpy. With the mixer running, continue to gradually add flour until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and forms a ball that is soft but not overly sticky. Knead for 2-3 minutes. Cover the top of the bowl, and let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes. It should puff slightly.
  3. Pour half (4 tablespoons) of the melted butter evenly in the bottom of a bundt pan (if you don’t have a bundt pan, you can use loaf pans).
  4. On a lightly floured or greased countertop, press or roll the dough into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle, about 12X10 inches. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into 24 semi-equal squares.
  5. Grab one square at a time, dip the bottom of the square in the butter in the pan and layer the squares against each other (kind of like a trail of dominoes that has fallen over on each other). See pictures in the post for a visual. All 24 squares should fit in a layer around the bottom of the pan. Lift and rearrange the squares, if needed, to fit them all in.
  6. Cover the bundt pan and let the dough rise until noticeably puffy, 45-60 minutes. After the dough has risen, pour the remaining 4 tablespoons butter over and around the top of the bread.
  7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  8. Bake the bread for 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top and baked through. Remove the pan from the oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes before turning out onto a plate or platter (lay the plate upside down over the bundt pan and holding onto both the plate and pan at the same time, flip it over so the bread falls out onto the plate).
  9. Serve warm or at room temperature.

NOTES

Yeast: to substitute active dry yeast, use increase the amount to 1 1/4 tablespoons and dissolve the yeast in 3-4 tablespoons water, letting it rest until the mixture is bubbly and foamy. Use in the recipe as directed.

Cheese + Herbs: I think this bread would adapt VERY well to other flavors. Maybe sprinkle Parmesan or Asiago cheese on the bottom over the butter before layering in the dough? Or some fresh or dried herbs? Yum.