Mac and Cheddar Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli

This is a great mac and cheese recipe if you are looking for a whole meal in one. We have had it a few times and when I made it last time I used the leftover chicken from my chicken dijonnaise. I am so glad I thought of this and it is a great way to use your leftover chicken (especially if your leftover chicken had mustard on it)!

I often watch Rachael Ray to get ideas for dinner and this is one of her mac and cheese recipes. Enjoy!

Mac and Cheese!

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan

1 pound chicken breast tenders, chopped (we used leftover chicken from our Chicken Dijonnaise)

salt and pepper

1 small onion, chopped (we used frozen diced onion)

1 pound macaroni elbows or cavatapi corkscrew shaped pasta twists

2 1/2 cups raw broccoli florets, available packaged in produce department (we used frozen florets)

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

3 cups whole milk

1 cup chicken stock

3 cups yellow sharp Cheddar

1 tablespoon prepared Dijon mustard

Place a pot of water on to boil for macaroni.

Heat a medium pan over medium to medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and chicken and season with salt and pepper. Saute a couple of minutes then add onion and cook another 5 to 7 minutes until onions are tender and chicken is cooked through. Turn off heat and reserve.

To boiling pasta water, add pasta and salt to season the cooking water. Cook 5 minutes, then add broccoli and cook 3 minutes more or until pasta is cooked to al dente and florets are just tender.

While pasta cooks, heat a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add butter and melt, then add flour, cayenne and paprika and whisk together over heat until roux bubbles then cook a minute more. Whisk in milk and stock and raise heat a little to bring sauce to a quick boil. Simmer sauce to thicken about 5 minutes.

Drain macaroni or pasta and broccoli florets. Add back to pot and add chicken to the pasta and broccoli.

Add cheese to milk sauce and stir to melt it in, about a minute or so. Stir in mustard and season sauce with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and broccoli and cooked pasta and stir to combine. Adjust seasonings, transfer to a large serving platter and serve.

Chicken Dijonnaise

My husband and I absolutely LOVE this dish. This is right up there with Chicken Marbella. In fact, it is from the same cookbook, The Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. This is a really nice, simple dish that we serve with rice and broccoli. We love to drizzle the sauce over the whole plate and dig in! Enjoy!

Chicken Dijonnaise

1 Chicken (2 1/2 to 3 lbs.), quartered-- I don't do this, I just buy chicken drumsticks and thighs since thats what my husband likes.

1/3 cup mustard- we use three types: Mild & Creamy dijon mustard (made with white wine), Harvest coarse ground with whole mustard seeds and Regular Dijon mustard (all three are Grey Poupon). Also this measurement is only for spreading on the chicken, we add more mustard when making the sauce to have more of it.

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup vermouth or dry white wine (we use the wine)

1/2 cup Creme Fraiche or heavy cream- we use the creme fraiche. For us you can buy it in 8oz containers and we use the whole container when making the sauce, so instead of a 1/2 cup we use 1 cup.

Salt, to taste

Coat the chicken with the mustard and set it in a bowl, covered to marinate at room temperature for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Arrange the chicken, skin side up, in a flameproof baking dish. Scrape out any mustard remaining in the bowl and spread it evenly over the chicken. Season lightly with salt and pepper and pour the wine around the chicken.

Set the dish on the center rack of the oven and bake, basting occasionally, until the chicken is done, 1 hour. You may have to bake the dark meat sections for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Scrape the mustard off the chicken and back into the backing dish (I always use a small sauce pan, it is easier for us). Transfer the chicken pieces to a serving platter, cover and keep warm.

Skim as much fat as possible from the cooking juices and set the baking dish over medium heat (or small sauce pan) This is where I add extra mustard (I always add equal amounts of all 3 kinds and I just add as much as I think will make enough sauce to our liking). Bring to a boil, whisk in the creme fraiche and lower the heat. Simmer the sauce until it is reduced by about one third, 5 to 10 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Taste, correct the seasoning if needed and spoon sauce over the chicken (and sides if you wish). Serve hot or at room temperature.

Do you remember "The Next Food Network Star" season that ended a while back?

This recipe is from the last season of "The Next Food Network Star". My husband and I really liked the show and thought Melissa d'Arabian's pilot she auditioned with on the last episode was great and I decided to make her recipes from the show.

5 Minute Individual Potato Gratins

Vegetable spray

2 large russet potatoes, roughly peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese

2 green onions, finely chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

¾ heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray 8 muffin tins with vegetable spray. Layer potato slices, cheese, and onions into each muffin cup. Season with salt and pepper and top each gratin with 1 or 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Cover with foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, removing the foil halfway through cooking time. Invert gratins onto plate and serve.

Flexible 4-Step Chicken for Family and Company - Rustic Lemon-Onion Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves,

1 teaspoon dried thyme, plus 1 small bunch fresh thyme, leaves chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup white wine, optional

1 cup chicken broth

3 lemons, juiced

1 to 2 tablespoons butter

Season chicken with dried thyme and salt and pepper. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and add the oil. Dredge the chicken in flour, add to the hot oil and saute until cooked through. Set chicken aside to rest on plate tented with foil.

In same saute pan, over low heat, add onions and fresh thyme and cook until aromatic.

In a measuring cup, measure out wine, if using, and broth, and add the lemon juice. Turn the heat up to high, and deglaze the pan with the broth mixture until starting to reduce.

Remove the pan from the heat and finish the sauce by whisking in butter. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Beer Can Chicken

I am so behind in my blogging but this recipe we made while in Colorado in July. This is one of those recipes that everyone makes at some point while they are up at the ranch, it is kind of like a tradition. The box for the beer can chicken said you only need one whole chicken, 1 12oz. can of beer, 2 tablespoons of worcestershire sauce and 2 tablespoons of cajun spices (one tablespoon for the beer can and one to use as a rub on the chicken). Pretty simple and very good! I decided that I would add my own touch to this recipe so I went to the pantry and found a few things to add to the rub. Here is my version of the beer can chicken recipe:

Beer Can Chicken

For the Rub:

1 tbs. cajun seasoning

1/2 tbs granulated garlic powder

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. onion powder

2 tbs. lemon juice

1/2 stick unsalted butter (melted)

Prepare the beer can with the beer (of course), worcestershire sauce and cajun spice. Set the beer can in the holder for the chicken. Place the chicken over it. Brush the chicken with the melted butter and mix the seasonings together for the rub in a bowl. With your hands or brush, coat the chicken completely with the rub. Also, take a quarter of an onion and stick it in the top of the chicken to keep the moisture from the beer mixture in and don't forget to put something to catch the juices that Cook the chicken on the grill on medium, indirect heat until the thigh juices run clear.

Chinese Five Spice Chicken with Ginger-Scented Rice and Snow Peas with Almonds

This is such a great dish! I have made it a couple of times before and it is very much a crowd pleaser! The recipe came from Bon Appetit magazine which I received a subscription gift from my Mother in Law. (I have THE best In-Laws ever!) I have used this particular issue on numerous occasions in fact, it is the same issue that my crab cakes came from! Enjoy!

Chinese Five Spice Chicken

4 garlic cloves, pressed

2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt (I used to taste, 2 tablespoons seems too much).

1 tablespoon freshly cracked pepper (I added this).

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder- I probably used closer to 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons.

1 cut-up chicken (8 pieces; about 3 1/2 pounds) – I used thighs and legs (about 10 pieces).

1 large onion, peeled, cut into 16 wedges

Combine garlic, salt, olive oil, and Chinese five-spice powder in large bowl. Add chicken pieces; turn to coat. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange onion wedges in 13x9x2-inch roasting pan. Arrange chicken, skin side up, atop onions. Roast until chicken is cooked through, basting occasionally with pan juices, about 50 minutes. Remove chicken from oven and let rest 10 minutes. Arrange chicken and onions on platter and serve.

Snow Peas with Toasted Almonds

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed- The store didn’t have any so I used Sugar Snap, the were great and I also made a 1 pound not a half.

2 teaspoons minced shallot

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Salt and Pepper to taste- I added this.

Melt butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Add almonds and cook until golden and fragrant and butter begins to brown, stirring frequently, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add snow peas and shallot; sauté until snow peas are crisp-tender, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; add lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and serve.

Ginger-Scented Rice

1 3-inch-long 1-inch-thick piece fresh ginger, peeled, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces- I used ground ginger… I didn’t really measure, I would a guess maybe 1 tablespoon.

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup jasmine rice, rinsed

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Using garlic press, squeeze enough fresh ginger into small bowl to measure 1 1/2 tablespoons juice with pulp. (Remember, I used ground ginger, so I skipped this step.) Transfer ginger to small saucepan. Add 1 1/2 cups water, rice, butter, and salt to same pan. Cover; bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat; let rice sit 10 minutes. Uncover; fluff rice with fork.

Rachael Ray’s Brandied Tarragon Cream Chicken (Chicken a la Vallee d'Auge), Camembert Rice and Beautiful Summer Salad

This is another one of those meals you could have over and over again! Sometimes I watch Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals and want to make what she is cooking. This was definitely one of those times! The way she was describing the flavors, I felt like I could smell them through the TV!!!! I paired this dish with a simple summer salad I made, I was going to add mandarin oranges but the chicken smelled so good I forgot!

Rachael Ray’s Brandied Tarragon Cream Chicken (Chicken a la Vallee d'Auge) and Camembert Rice

3 tablespoons butter, divided

1 1/2 cups rice

3 cups chicken stock

4 ounces Camembert cheese, cut into small pieces (I found this next to the brie in my local grocery store and I removed the rind of the cheese before putting it the rice)

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast (we only had 3 pieces, no biggie)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 large shallots, thinly sliced

1/4 cup calvados or applejack brandy (I used applejack brandy)

6 large white mushrooms, thinly sliced (I bought the packaged sliced kind-one little packaged crate is enough)

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves (I used 2 ½ to 3 tablespoons, really brings out all the favors)

In a medium sauce pot over medium heat melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add rice and toss to coat, toast 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant.

Add stock and bring to a boil. (At this step I decided to pour in 1 ½ tablespoons of the Applejack brandy right from the bottle- it really gave this a great flavor and I plan to do this again the next time I make it). Reduce heat to a simmer and cook 18 minutes, fluff with fork and stir in Camembert to melt.

While the rice cooks, heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dredge chicken lightly in flour and shake off any excess.

Brown chicken 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Remove chicken and reduce heat a little and melt in remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Sauté the shallots 3 minutes until soft but not browned.

Remove pan from the heat, add the brandy and ignite with a long kitchen match until the flame subsides.

Return pan to the heat, add mushrooms and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add wine and reduce 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cream and tarragon and slide chicken back into the pan.. Reduce heat to low and simmer 8 to 10 minutes. Place rice and chicken with sauce on a plate and enjoy!

Quick and Beautiful Summer Salad

1 package of Fresh Express Field Greens Salad (or whatever brand you can buy)

1 yellow bell pepper, julienned (not thin)

½ pint to 1 pint strawberries, sliced

1 cucumber sliced

1 package of cherry tomatoes, tomatoes sliced in half

Champagne dressing (enough to lightly coat the salad and to taste)

Salt and Pepper

Take a large salad bowl and combine all ingredients together until well combined, sprinkle salt and pepper to taste and then add the dressing. Yum!

Our Favorite Chicken Dish

This dish has got to be our absolute favorite chicken dish of all time (maybe even favorite of any dish!). Sure, when you first read the ingredients you see some odd things but it is good! My husband is sort of picky about food and he loves it! The recipe comes from a fantastic cookbook called "The Silver Palate Cookbook" and it is by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. I have three favorites when it comes to cooking: Ina Garten, Giada De Laurentiis, and this cookbook. There are so many wonderful recipes, you can't go wrong!

Chicken Marbella

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup pitted prunes

1/2 cup pitted spanish green olives (don't worry if the olives have pimento, use as is)

1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice (I use a whole 3.5 oz jar of capers with juice- just dump the whole thing)

6 bay leaves

1 head of garlic, peeled and finely pureed (I use my little food processor to puree, takes no time at all)

1/4 cup dried oregano

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

4 chickens (2 1/2 pounds each), quartered (I just get a bunch of chicken pieces, I don't reduce the rest of the recipe if I don't have enough chicken)

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup fresh italian parsley

Combine all ingredients except for the brown sugar, wine and parsley in a large bowl. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Arrange the chicken in a single layer in one or two large shallow baking pans (I don't do this, I use one dish and it usually contains 10-12 drumsticks and thighs and sometimes things overlap and it is fine). Spoon the marinade over the chicken evenly (This is what the book says but the chicken should be covered in it and go into the pan when you put the chicken in).

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with the brown sugar and pour the white wine over the chicken.

Bake, basting frequently with the pan juices, until cooked all the way through (50 mins to an hour).

Take the pan out of the oven and sprinkle the parsley over. Serve.

I like to take to make some rice (tonight I cooked some brown rice) and a veggie and spoon the pan juices over it. It is so good! We have the ingredients on hand all the time to make this so we can have it whenever we want. It is so easy just take 10 mins the night before and put it together. Then when you are ready for dinner, take it out of the fridge, put the sugar and wine on and bake! So yummy!