We’ve been taking our time and looking for our dream house in this neighborhood… and we finally found it, two blocks away from our rental home.  We bought the house and we’re currently creating my dream kitchen in this home.  Needless to say, I am giddy with happiness!  I will have much more space than I’ve ever had before and I’m splurging on an Induction cooktop.  This is MY version of Christian Louboutin shoes.

Anyway, all this kitchen planning has given me a burst of cooking creativity and I’ve been cooking much more lately.  I made these quick chicken kabobs last night that I wanted to share!

Chicken Kabob recipe

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 yellow pepper, cut in large pieces
1/2 sweet onion, cut in large pieces
12 cherry tomatoes
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh chopped oregano (or 1 tbsp dried)
salt
pepper

1. Cut the chicken breasts into 1 inch chunks and place in a large bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Thread the chicken, pepper, onion and tomatoes onto metal skewers and grill for 8-10 minutes, turning often until he chicken is cooked through.

Note:  If you don’t have metal skewers, use bamboo skewers that have been soaked in water for an hour.

Since it actually hit the freezing point here in Ft Lauderdale a few weeks ago, I was craving some comfort food, and chicken pot pie was the first thing that popped in my head.  I forgot how easy and quick this is to make.  If you want to make it even easier, top it with store bought puff pastry.

Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

Filling
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 c all purpose flour
3 c chicken stock
salt
pepper
2 c cooked chicken, diced
3 carrots, 1/2 inch dice
3 medium potatoes, 1/2 inch dice
3 stalks celery, 1/2 inch dice
1 c frozen green peas, thawed under running water
1/2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a medium sized pan, over medium heat, melt the butter and add the flour.  Stir well to combine and cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly.

2. Gradually add in the chicken stock, whisking constantly to avoid lumps.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

3. Gently stir in the remaining ingredients and bring just to a simmer and remove from the heat. Divide mixture among oven safe crocks or ramekins.  Or if you want to make one large pie, use a large pie dish.

4. Top with the biscuit round.  If making one large pie, either top with circles of dough that touch at the sides, or one large piece of dough.  If you do one large piece, make sure you cut a few holes in the dough or you might have a mess on your hands later!  Brush with milk or buttermilk.  Place the crocks or pie plate on a sheet pan.  Bake for about 20 minutes until the biscuit is golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Buttermilk Biscuit Topping:
2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut in small cubes
3/4 c buttermilk

1. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt to a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.  Add the butter and pulse 5-6 times, until the butter is a little smaller than pea sized.

2. Add the buttermilk all at once and pulse a few more times to incorporate.  Do not overmix or the biscuit will be tough.

3. Scrape out the biscuit mixture onto a lightly floured surface and quickly roll out to 1/2 inch thick.  Cut circles to top your crocks or ramekins.  Press together the scraps and cut more circles.

Makes about 6 servings

Note: This is even better if you take the time to start with a whole chicken and make your own stock.  In this case, I simply broiled two chicken breasts in the oven and used organic store bought stock.

On to the food… The past month or two, Stephan and I decided to concentrate on eating healthy.  Well we always eat pretty healthy, but we’ve avoided the sweets… that’s also part of the reason I’ve been so quiet on the blog… Who wants to see grilled fish with steamed veggies… again?  Yeah, I didn’t think so!  LOL!   This salad is definitely blogworthy!  Its stupid easy and quick to prepare and lastly… very yummy!

Asian Chicken Salad Recipe

2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Mirin (rice wine)
3-4 tbsp rice wine vinegar (to taste)
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/2 inch fresh ginger, grated
2 chicken breasts

1 head romaine lettuce, torn in bite size pieces
1/2 c red cabbage, shredded
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1/2 english cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 small orange, segmented

sesame seeds, toasted
crispy rice noodles or wonton strips

1. Whisk together the first 7 ingredients and let sit for half an hour to dissolve the sugar.

2. Place the chicken breasts in a plastic ziploc bag and add 3 tablespoons of the dressing.  Whisk the dressing very well before adding to the chicken.  Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least half an hour, turning the bag over a few times.  Grill until done.  Once grilled, let cool and slice into thin strips.

3. Combine all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl.  Whisk the dressing again very well to incorporate and toss with the salad ingredients and divide into large salad bowls. Top with the grilled chicken strips and garnish with sesame seeds and rice noodles/wonton strips.

Makes 2 servings as a large dinner salad or 4 as a side salad.

Note: The dressing is also very tasty with a tablespoon or two of peanut butter whisked in.

This is a very simple sandwich, cooked on my grill pan.  I don’t have one of those fancy Panini Pans (YET!) but I do have a basic cast iron grill pan.  I simply place the sandwich on the hot pan and then place a glass pie dish on top to mash it down.  After a few minutes, turn, press… and voila!  Pressed sandwich.  Easy Peasy, and without a $150 pan!

Pressed Chicken Sandwich Recipe

4 slices good bread (I used onion rye)
1 tbsp prepared pesto
4 slices swiss (I used KerryGold)
6-10 slices Boars Head deli chicken or turkey
small handful arugula
olive oil

1. Heat grill pan over medium heat for several minutes until hot.  Spread pesto on one side of each piece of bread.  Assemble sandwich with a slice of cheese on both sides of the bread (on the pesto side), and the turkey and arugula between the cheese slices.  Brush outer pieces of bread with olive oil.

2. Carefully place the sandwich on the hot grill pan and press down with a pie pan or small casserole dish.  Let cook for 3-4 minutes.  Flip and repeat.

Makes 2 Servings

A few days later, I received a nice box of goodies that included dryglazes, lemon and orange pepper and saffron rice. The first thing I noticed was the packaging is very modern and clean, not something you would see in a grocery store. The second thing was the ingredients… all natural herbs and spices. I have this thing about eating food that has ingredients I can’t pronounce with more than 15 letters. Monosodiumslimslam. OK, I made that word up, but you get the drift. The seasonings were also not loaded with salt, which it seems most prepared seasonings are. So no worries of having a case of hot-dog fingers from the excessive sodium! Whew!

I liked the idea of the dryglazes. All you do is coat the meat with olive oil and then sprinkle on the dry rub and place in the fridge. In half an hour, the rub becomes a luscious glaze. All I did then was simply grill the chicken. It was so moist and tasty you would have thought it marinated for hours. Perfect for those evenings you don’t have much time to cook, and are contemplating boring grilled chicken for the third time this week. Both the Puebla Mole and Vermont Grill were flavorful and will definitely be used again.

Here is Broiled Salmon with Sonoma Pepper. I marinated the salmon in orange juice for 30 minutes, sprinkled with salt and Sonoma Pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and broiled for 7-8 minutes. Great citrus flavor from the orange and lemon zest.



Simple Grilled Chicken with the Vermont Grill dryglaze: