Some Favorite Recipes

I already spend way too much time thinking about food but in my dream world I'd spend hours and hours each day looking at food blogs, cook books, and food magazines and then make any recipe my heart desired. Since this is a dream world, I'd also not gain a pound ;-)

Anyways, I just thought I'd share a few of my favorite recipes. These are all tried and true, and approved by all four of the O'Malleys, even our picky kids:

Balsamic Chicken Risotto - A lady from our church made a "dirty risotto" once when we were over for dinner. It was so good that I came right home and set about making my own version. I had never made risotto before so I googled a few recipes but none of them seemed like "the one," so I made up my own. Once I got it right, I wrote it down and I now make it regularly because it's one of Brandon's favorite dinners. My sisters also request it every time we're together. It's pretty darn good if I do say so myself. By the way, you really can't mess this recipe up, I almost never follow it exactly, I just used the measurements as guidelines the first few times I made it. You can add more or less wine, more balsamic, leave out the worcestershire sauce, you could even use regular white rice if you wanted (although you wouldn't get the delicious, creamy texture of arborio). Oh and I've also started adding about 8 oz. of finely chopped mushrooms to it and it's even better! If you use the mushrooms, add them with the onions.

4-5 boneless, skinless chicken THIGHS (you could use breast meat, but the thighs are sooo good in this recipe, why mess with a good thing?)
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp. olive oil
4 cups chicken broth (more or less, as needed)
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
2 cups red wine
1 tbsp dried rosemary (2 tbsp fresh rosemary if you've got it)
3 tbsp. cold butter, diced into small pieces
1 cup parmesan or romano cheese, grated

1. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and cook over medium-high heat until done. Slice into strips, set aside.
2. In same skillet, reduce heat to medium, heat the olive oil up, add onion, season with plenty of salt and pepper, and cook until soft and translucent. Add rice, stir to coat in the olive oil, and cook for a couple minutes. Add 1 cup of wine and stir; once it's been absorbed, add the second cup and the rosemary and stir again. Once all the wine is absorbed, stir in 1 cup of broth, the balsamic vinegar, and worcestershire sauce, stir well again.
3. Keep adding some broth to the risotto (about 1/2 cup or so each time), stirring continually, and once it's been absorbed, add some more. Continue this for about 20-25 minutes, until the risotto is creamy and has an al dente texture. Use more or less broth as needed to cook the risotto.
4. Turn off the heat, stir in butter and parmesan cheese. Then mix in the chicken and serve! Roasted asparagus or sauteed green beans go perfectly with this.


Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce - Besides my beloved Ina, Pioneer Woman is my second favorite go-to lady for when I want to eat something delicious. This is beyond delicious. I don't use the pine nuts because they're too expensive and I sometimes substitute half and half for the cream - but only if I'm out of cream and I have to, because everything's better with real cream! And (aside from the cream of course) it's pretty healthy. I serve it with whole wheat pasta and the boys always want second helpings. This is a good, sneaky way to get picky kids to eat a serving of vegetables! Oh and I always add a teaspoon or so of red pepper flakes because I like my food spicy, but it's delicious as-is too.

Mango Chicken Curry- This is delicious, healthy and incredibly easy to make. About once a week, I bake a few chicken breasts and then dice or shred them to use for quick dinners later in the week. So I just pull a bag of pre-cooked chicken out of the freezer, dice up some mangos, mix up the sauce and let the rice cooker take care of the rice. I can have this on the table in 15 minutes, it's delicious, the boys love it! This is a recipe from an old Better Homes and Garden cookbook I have (called BHG Healthy Family Cookbook). The only changes I make are to double the sauce, it's so good and I like to have extra to flavor the rice.

- 1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
- 2 tbsp. lime juice
- 2 tsp. finely shredded lime peel
- 2 tsp. brown sugar
- 2 tsp. curry powder
- 1 tsp. cornstarch
- 12 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tsp. cooking oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup sliced red onion
- 2 cups chopped, peeled mango (or papaya)
- cooked rice for serving

1. In a small bowl, stir together the broth, lime juice, lime peel, brown sugar, curry powder, and cornstarch. Set aside. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, set aside. (Like I said, I usually use pre-cooked diced chicken and add it at the very end so I skip these chicken steps)
2. In a large wok or skillet, heat oil until very hot. Stir-fry garlic for 30 seconds, add onion slices, stir-fry for 3 minutes. Remove onion and garlic from wok, add chicken and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Push chicken from center of wok.
3. Stir sauce mixture and pour into wok, cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Return onion to wok, add mango and stir all ingredients together to coat with sauce. Cook 2 minutes more until heated through. Serve over rice.



Southwestern Quinoa Salad - This salad is really easy, healthy and delicious. We all love it! I try to plan at least one or two dinners each week without any meat and we often eat quinoa on those nights. I used the same basic dressing I always use to make a southwestern green salad but just made it with quinoa one day instead- because Brandon likes his dinners to be more substantial than a meatless green salad. If you want a quick and light dinner, this is perfect! I often make it on days when we'll be out running errands in the afternoon and I won't have time to cook dinner, we just pull it out of the fridge and eat!

- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 2 cups black beans (or one can)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 large tomato, diced
- 1/2 cup cotija cheese (you could also use feta, grated cheddar, pretty much any cheese that sounds good to you)
- 1/2 cup lime juice
- 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. adobo seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste

1. Rinse and drain quinoa. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add quinoa, cook until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Pour in chicken broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until quinoa has absorbed all the broth, about 10 minutes. Cool quinoa in fridge at least 10-15 minutes in a pie dish or some other shallow dish.
2. Mix together all the other ingredients in a large salad bowl, stir in quinoa, season with salt and pepper. Chill for at least 30 minutes, and serve! (Note: I usually leave the cilantro and cheese out if I'm going to refrigerate it all day and toss them in right before we eat)


Chipotle BBQ Chicken - This is a recipe from Rachael Ray's magazine. The first time we tried it, everybody pronounced it a keeper! Chipotle chiles are one of my favorite ingredients to cook with, they are delicious in anything!

- 3 tbsp. butter
- 6 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1/4 cup chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 3 tbsp. cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
- 8 chicken thighs (bone in, skin on)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. In a skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 3 minutes. Remove the garlic and set aside. Add onion to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally until golden, about 8 minutes.
2. Add the chipotle chiles, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, worcestershire and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, coat the chicken in the sauce and place skin side up on the baking sheet. Bake until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.


Grilled Lemon Chicken Salad - This is from the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. You wouldn't expect something this simple to be so good, it literally has like 5 ingredients. But it's one of my favorite salads and we eat it for dinner a lot in the summer. Leave it to Ina to make something so good out of just a few basic ingredients I never would have thought to throw together. I gave it to the boys a few weeks ago as we had a picnic dinner in the backyard and they LOVED it! Anything that can get my picky two-year-olds to eat raw bell peppers and snap peas is a keeper for sure! Oh and the chicken is also delicious as a main dish so I usually make a double batch of grilled chicken and we'll eat half of it for dinner one night and then use the leftovers to make the salad later in the week.

To make the chicken:

- 2 lbs. of boneless skinless chicken breast
- 3/4 cup lemon juice
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
- 1 tbsp. minced fresh thyme leaves (1/2 tsp. dried thyme)

Whisk all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl. Place chicken breasts in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. Grill (or broil) the chicken until just cooked through.

For the salad:

- 2 lbs. grilled lemon chicken
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup raw sugar snap peas, stems and strings removed
- 1 red/yellow/orange bell pepper
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Slice the chicken, toss it in a bowl with the other ingredients. Refrigerate until chilled.

Hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do!

My Favorite Summer Recipes

Here are just a few:

Fresh Corn Salad - This is a Barefoot Contessa recipe (of course) and definitely near the top of my list for favorite things to eat in the summer. I just discovered the recipe last year and made it for a BBQ. It was such a hit, numerous people asked me for the recipe. I now make it for every single potluck/BBQ we go to and it always disappears super fast! And it goes with absolutely anything! I'm actually making it for a BBQ with some friends tonight.

Chicken Satay - I don't remember which cookbook I got this from, but I do remember being blown away by how good it was! This is one of Brandon's favorite dinners, and I think it tastes as good or better than any restaurant satay I've ever had.

Ingredients:

-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, each cut into 3-4 smaller pieces
-1 tsp ground coriander seeds
-1 tsp cumin
-1 tsp salt
-1 tbsp curry powder
-1 tbsp turmeric
-3 tbsp sugar
-2 tbsp soy sauce (I use reduced sodium)
- 1/4 cup vegetable/canola oil
-1/2 cup coconut milk

Ingredients for Peanut Sauce:

-2 tbsp vegetable/canola oil
-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp red curry paste (I just use the curry powder again)
-1 tbsp sugar
-1 tsp salt
-1 tbsp lemon juice
-1/2 cup coconut milk
-1 cup chicken broth
-1/4 cup crushed peanuts

Directions:

1. Mix all marinade ingredients in bowl, place chicken in marinade, refrigerate for at least 8 hours. (This is important so it gets really flavorful, I usually make it either the night before or in the morning and let it marinate all day.)

2. Make peanut sauce: Heat oil in frying pan, add garlic, fry until golden brown. Add curry, mix well; add coconut milk, mix well, cook for about 10 seconds. Add broth, sugar, salt, lemon juice and mix well. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add peanuts, stir well, pour into serving bowl. (I would recommend either cutting the peanut sauce recipe in half or doubling the chicken part of the recipe. I always have leftover peanut sauce.)

3. Broil (or grill if you have one) the chicken for 8-10 minutes, flipping each piece so they cook evenly. Serve with peanut sauce. (I usually serve it with rice and some stir-fry veggies.) Enjoy!

Lemon Fusilli with Arugula - This is another of Ina's recipes and one of the best tasting things I've ever put into my mouth! If you like pasta dishes with cream and parmesan cheese (I sure do!) then you'll love this! I hardly ever have arugula in the house, though, so next time I plan on using some of the fresh parsley and basil that's growing in my window instead.

Homemade Enchilada Sauce - I found this recipe online and tweaked it a little bit. It's better tasting, cheaper, and has much less sodium than canned enchilada sauce and it's not too much work either. By the way, I buy my chiles from a Mexican market nearby, but I've also seen them in the regular grocery store- they're just a lot more expensive there.

Ingredients:

-5-7 dried ancho chiles, depending on how spicy you like it. I use 7 which makes it fairly spicy but even Jack and Cullen love it this way.
-1 6 oz. can of tomato paste
1/4 cup vegetable oil
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-1 1/2 tsp salt
-1 tsp oregano
-1/2 tsp cumin
-3 cups beef broth

Directions:

1. Toast chiles in 400 degree oven for 3-4 minutes. Let cool a little, then remove stems, pulp and seeds. Place peppers in bowl and cover with very hot water. Let soak for 1 hour.

2. Combine the chiles, tomato paste, oil, garlic, salt, oregano, cumin, and 1 cup of broth in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a sauce pan, add remaining broth and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before dipping the tortillas into it. Otherwise, just use it like normal to make your enchiladas. It's sooo good!

Lemon Risotto- This is much healthier than other risotto recipes, probably because there's no cream or cheese in it, but it still tastes really good. I serve it with Ina's Lemon Grilled Chicken and a side of asparagus. It sounds like a lot of lemon, but I don't think it's too much. But maybe that's just me, I love lemon in the summer!

Tandoori Chicken Burgers - I've only made these a couple times, but they're delicious! However, I think grinding up your own meat is quite a bit of work and I don't always have that much energy to make dinner, but these are worth it if you have the time!

And lastly, we need a delicious dessert of course! My new favorite is this Peach and Raspberry Crisp. (Except I use blueberries because I can never afford raspberries and prefer to eat them fresh whenever I can afford them.) This crisp is sooo good, the first time I made it, Brandon and I ate half the pan in one night! Peaches are on sale again this week and I've already got a pint of blueberries in the fridge so I'm sure I'll be making it again soon!


Is there any better cook in the world than Ina Garten? I challenge you to find me one! I just adore her simple recipes that use good, fresh ingredients. That's what summer's all about! I love her so much I'm considering naming my first daughter Ina- if only I could get Brandon on board with that!

I only have one of her cookbooks (by the way, thanks Mom, I think it's the best present you've ever given me!) but I like to check her others out from the library and copy down the recipes that I want to try. I think I've checked them all out at least twice now and I always find new ones that make my mouth water. Speaking of mouthwatering, I'm going to go make my corn salad for tonight... maybe I'll sneak a little bit for lunch.