Sweet & Sour Chicken

I love the fall....and everything fall-like. I love the scents & flavors of fall...warm & spicy. I love the change of color on the leaves. I love the foods of fall....pumpkins, apples, turkey and cranberries and hot cocoa & apple cider! I love the way the weather changes as the heat of summer fades into the cool, brisk, sunny days.....

And then reality hits and I realize I'm in FL and that just doesn't happen here! This time of year makes me so homesick....and I think I am more so this year because I haven't been home since last summer and it is the longest I have ever been away since I moved to FL. I am uber jealous of my friends who have gone apple & pumpkin picking....and doing other fun fall things....and of the weather they are having.

It's this time of year that I love to incorporate the foods of fall into my cooking (even if the temp is still 90 degrees outside). So when I saw this recipe, I had to try it. It's Sweet & Sour Chicken made with Apple Cider and Raisins. I was not disappointed. Great flavor...and the chicken came out perfect!



Sweet & Sour Chicken:

Ingredients
1 3 1/2-to-4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
All-purpose flour, for dusting
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound shallots, halved
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup unfiltered apple cider
1/3 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Directions
Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.

Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Dust the skin side with flour. Place a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook until the skin is golden, about 5 minutes. Turn the pieces and pour off the excess fat. Tuck the shallots under and around the chicken and cook until just golden, about 2 more minutes.

Push the chicken aside, then stir in the tomato paste and thyme and cook until the paste darkens, about 30 seconds. Add the vinegar, apple cider and raisins, bring to a boil and simmer 1 minute. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the chicken until just cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.

Transfer the chicken, skin-side up, to a heatproof serving dish and return to the oven (turn the oven off). Bring the sauce left in the pan to a boil and reduce by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Lower the heat and whisk in the butter. Spoon the sauce over the chicken.

Bacon Egg & Cheese Soup

Over the weekend I received my new Food Network Magazine (thanking my sister, again, for my subscription). There were a couple of really good looking recipes in it this month. The weather here in FL is finally starting to cool off a bit, so I can make things like soups and stews that just don't work in 95 degree heat with 90% humidity. Well this one caught my eye and it surely didn't disappoint! I'll spare you the visual of me licking the bowl....

The only thing I did differently is add an extra clove of garlic.

Bacon, Egg & Cheese Soup

½ lb slab or thick cut bacon, cut into ¼ inch cubes
4 slices of rustic Italian Bread, cut into ½ inch cubes
2 Tbsp of EVOO
Kosher Salt & Fresh ground pepper
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
3 cups of low sodium chicken broth
1 ¼ cups of grated parmesan cheese, plus 1 small piece of rind
4 tbsp fresh parsley, torn
1 large eggs

Preheat oven at 375. Cook the bacon in a medium pot over medium heat until crisp, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate with a slotted spoon, then discard all but 2 tbsp of the drippings from the pot. While the bacon cooks, toss the bread cubes with the olive oil on a baking sheet and season with salt & pepper. Bake until golden & crisp, about 8 minutes.

Add garlic to the bacon drippings and cook until slightly golden (careful not to burn), 1-2 minutes. Add broth with 1 ½ cups of water, the parmesan rind and 2 tbsp of parsley; season with salt & pepper. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook 10 minutes.

Adjust the heat so the broth is barely boiling. One at a time, crack each egg into a small bowl and gently slip into the broth. Poach until just set, about 2 minutes. Transfer the eggs to individual soup bowls. Stir 1 cup of parmesan cheese and the remaining parsley into the broth and season to taste. Ladle the broth into the bowl and top with the croutons, bacon and sprinkle remaining parmesan.

From Food Network Website:

Cheesey Chicken Enchilads w/Mexican Rice

Wow, it's been a few weeks since I posted something new. I'm not sure if that's because I haven't made anything new (whoopsie) or if because I've been trying to get back into the swing of cooking since being on vacation....and failing miserably. I keep saying I really need another 2 hours in a day...but unfortunately if that were the case, I'd probably get stuck working longer.


For tonight's dinner I have two recipes (trying to make up for lost time?? LOL).


Cheesey Chicken Enchiladas w/Mexican Rice


For the Enchiladas:

1 can of cream of chicken soup
½ cup of sour cream
1 cup of pace picante salsa
2 tsp of chili pepper
2 cups of chopped cooked chicken
½ cup of shredded jack cheese
6 tortillas
1 small tomato – chopped
1 green onion, sliced

Stir soup, sour cream, picante sauce, and chili powder in medium bowl

Stir one cup of the picante mix, chicken and cheese in large bowl

Divide chicken mixture among tortillas. Roll up tortillas and place seam side up in 2 qt shallow baking dish. Pour remaining picante sauce mix over filled tortillas. Cover and bake @ 350 degrees for 40 mins or until enchiladas are hot & bubbly. (Add extra cheese if wanted.) Top with tomato and onion to serve




For the Mexican Rice:


1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 cloves of garlic - diced
1/2 small small onion, diced
2/3 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
3 ounces canned diced tomatoes (I actually used Rotel)
1/4 cup of tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt & pepper
1 1/2 cups of chicken stock


In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Stir in onion and saute until translucent.


Pour the rice into the pan and stir to coat grains with oil. Mix in cumin, chili powder, tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and chicken stock. Cover, bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Cook at a simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir occasionally.

The enchiladas were delicious....and the rice was really good, but a tad too spicy. I think I'd want to play with it a bit. I'm sure it was the Rotel that did it. Maybe next time just diced tomatoes. Hmmm. Either way - I topped it off with a yummy margarita! I love me some mexican! :)