Mother's Day

Mother's Day at the Henderson household (my parent's level on down) is usually a combination Cinco de Mayo and Mom's Day - we have fish tacos, chicken or pork tacos and all of the 'fixins'.
Although there has really never been any drunken debauchery associated with these festivities (as can happen with many Cinco de Mayo celebrations) we do like our Mexican heritage (7th generation Californians...hello!) and of course WE LOVE OUR MOMS!!!

Here's to the planning this year:

Celebration of the MOMs (30+ people):

Sunday, May 8, 2016 @ 4:30 PM at the Condo

Grilled Fish                                                                        JD
Pork for tacos                                                                  Michael

Tortillas – Corn & Flour                                                  Clark
Cheese                                                                              Clark
Shredded Lettuce                                                           Brian
Shredded Cabbage                                                         Brian
Salsa                                                                                  JD
Fish-Taco sauce                                                              Daniel
Mex. Beans                                                                     Daniel
Mex. Rice                                                                         CD
Tomatoes – Diced                                                           Brian
Sour Cream                                                                      Brian
Chips                                                                                 Brian
Cilantro                                                                             JD

Paper Products                                                                Dad

Desserts                                                                            Brian – Angel food Cake and Berries

                                                                                           JD – Almond Cake(s)
                                                                                           Michael - PB & Chocolate bars

Spring time with a hint of Winter...Welcome to March in Utah

This is a weird time of year in Utah, 70°F one day and then snow the next.  Not sure what to wear, eat, do outside, do inside, it's a real quandary (I know, not a word I usually use but seemed to fit).
So, in trying to eat healthier and still have a relatively quick weeknight meal, I'm trying to use a lot of chicken thighs. Let's face it, more tasty, less expensive and can take overcooking if it happens.  This dish combines the comfort quality of roasted chicken with the spring-time ingredients of asparagus and white wine.  We served this over white rice with a salad, but you can serve it however you would like!

SKILLET ROAST CHICKEN WITH ASPARAGUS AND WHITE WINE SAUCE

Yield:  4 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 3- to 4-lb. chicken, trimmed and cut into 8 pieces, or 8 bone-in, skin-on thighs
Lawry’s Season Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 onion, halved and then sliced thin
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut in half
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1/3 c. low-sodium chicken stock
1/3 c. dry white wine
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Rinse and dry chicken thoroughly, then generously season with salt and pepper. Massage 2 tablespoons butter over and under the skin.
2. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat; add garlic and onion and sauté until soft, careful not to burn garlic. Place chicken skin side up on top of vegetables (avoid overlapping chicken) and roast until internal temperature is 165°F, 30 minutes – If using convection roast, time should be around 20 min. and if you desire crispier skin, finish chicken under broiler.
3. Transfer chicken to a plate to rest and cover loosely with aluminum foil.  Return skillet with onion and pan drippings to the stove.  Add stock and wine and season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, then add asparagus and mushrooms.  Using a wooden spoon, scrape bottom of pan to release brown bits.  Reduce temperature and simmer until asparagus is almost fork tender, 5 minutes. Add remaining butter and stir into sauce.
4. Add chicken and juices back to skillet and spoon sauce over chicken.  Put dish back in oven for about 5-6 min. for everything to come up to temp.  Sprinkle with sea salt and garnish with parsley. Serve over rice/potatoes/pasta.

Braised Pork - Comfort Food 101

I have been trying to perfect a good braised pork recipe for a while now, and I think I may have done it.  Whether served over rice, mashed potatoes or pasta (egg noodles, penne, etc.) this is comfort food at its best - and it's pretty damn easy, just takes a long time in the oven...

BEST BRAISED PORK EVER!

Serves: 4 with leftovers
Prep Time: 20 min. Cook Time: 3 hours

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 6 large chunks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup red wine
1 1/2 cups beef stock or broth
4 fresh thyme stems, 4 fresh oregano stems tied w/a string.  Or use ~1 tsp. dried leaves of each.
2 bay leaves
1 cup water

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.  Pat the pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, and working in batches brown the meat on all sides until a golden crust forms.  Transfer the pork to a plate.

2. To the pan add the onion, celery, and carrot and sweat until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.  Add the garlic and sweat another 2 minutes.  Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes to cook off the raw flavor and caramelize it.  Sprinkle with the flour and cook another 2 minutes to cook off its raw flavor.  Whisk in the wine and reduce it by half.

3. Return the pork to the Dutch oven, then stir in the beef stock, herb stems, and bay leaves.  Add the water if liquid does not come up to the top of the pork.  Do not cover the pork with liquid. Cover the pan and place it in the oven to braise until the meat is fork tender, about 3 hours.  I suggest stirring everything after 1 ½ hrs. to make sure nothing is sticking on the bottom of the Dutch oven.

4. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.  Transfer to a serving platter and serve over your choice of rice, pasta (egg noodles, penne, etc.), or tasty mashed potatoes.

Way Too Easy Lasagna?...

Another easy mid week meal...

SKILLET RAVIOLI LASAGNA WITH SPICY ITALIAN SAUSAGE

This 'Way Too Easy' lasagna is genius: You start with simmering marinara in a skillet, add ravioli and cooked sausage, and top it off with cheese for a melty one-pot meal.
Serves:  4 with leftovers
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. Hot Italian sausage, casings removed
Mrs. Dash, Garlic Powder and Italian Herb Seasoning
2 ½ c. marinara
½ c. liquid - water, white wine, chicken stock
1 lb. cheese ravioli
1 1/2 c. ricotta
1 large egg
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 c. shredded mozzarella
½ c. shredded parmesan
DIRECTIONS
1- Heat broiler. In a cast-iron or ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, cook sausage until browned and no longer pink, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon, 6 to 8 minutes, throw in additional seasoning and cook for 1-2 min. (Drain fat, if desired.)  Add marinara and liquid to pan and bring to a simmer. Add ravioli and let simmer until ravioli is tender and sauce slightly thickens, 10-13 minutes.
2- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta and egg and season with salt and pepper. Drop spoonfuls of ricotta mixture all over the ravioli, make holes in the dish and plop some in, and let cook 3 minutes.
3- Sprinkle mozzarella and parm all over, then transfer skillet to oven and broil until cheese is golden, 3 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes, then serve.

Easy Chicken and Pasta

I have been trying to add some new things to my repertoire because I have been cooking the same damn thing over and over - Spaghetti, Tacos, Grilled Chicken, etc.  So, to add some variety I decided to look on Pintrest (that's right, I have been somewhat convinced by Julie and the girls that there is some value to that phenomenon.
So, in the spirit of branching out, I'm going to try a few things that sound good.  Of course, they will have my spin on them but let's see how it goes...

CHICKEN AND BACON PASTA WITH SPINACH AND TOMATOES IN GARLIC CREAM SAUCE

Prep Time: 20 minutes/Cook Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb. chicken breast or tenders.  For a quicker recipe, use a rotisserie chicken or previously grilled.
1 tsp. Lawry’s Season Salt
1 tsp. Italian seasoning (thyme, oregano, basil - combined)
5 medium tomatoes, chopped in large cubes or 1 14.5oz. can diced tomatoes.
1 cup cooked spinach (1 box frozen, cooked per directions)
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. crushed red pepper
6 bacon strips, COOKED, DRAINED OF FAT, AND CHOPPED
1 1/3 cups Half & Half
1 1/3 cups Parmesan cheese, shredded
10 oz. penne pasta cooked per directions
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large skillet, on high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until hot. Add chicken and cook on one side on high heat for 1 minute. While it cooks, sprinkle the uncooked sides of the chicken with paprika and Italian seasoning. Flip the chicken over, and cook on the other side for 1 minute on high heat. Reduce heat to medium, flip chicken over again and cook, covered, for several minutes until no longer pink in the center. Remove chicken from the pan and keep chicken warm.
2.To the same pan (but without chicken), add chopped tomatoes, spinach, garlic, crushed red pepper, half of the chicken (sliced into small strips) and half the bacon (already cooked and drained of fat). Mix everything.
3. Add Half & Half and bring to boil. Only after Half & Half starts boiling, add grated Parmesan cheese - immediately reduce to simmer and stir, while simmering, until the cheese melts and makes the sauce creamy, only about 2-3 minutes. Then, immediately remove from heat. Season with more crushed red pepper and salt, if needed.
4. In the meantime bring a large pot of water to boil, add pasta and cook it according to instructions. Drain the pasta, rinse with cold water and drain again.
5. Add pasta to the skillet with the sauce. Add remaining half of bacon (cooked and drained of fat) and chicken. Season with more salt if necessary. Be careful not to over-stir and break up the pasta. To serve, top the pasta grated Parmesan cheese.

This turned out pretty damn good, if I do say so for my damn self!  The recipe makes about 4 good servings with enough for left overs.

Quick Coq au Vin

So, over the weekend we had Region Drill Finals.  The girls have been through so much this year: girls on and off the team, girls hurt, practicing hurt and seemed like constantly re-spacing their dances for the unforeseen injury.  Needless to say it was a tough year.  I have played many sports in my life but I have NEVER seen a tougher, more dedicated group of athletes than these girls.
For breakfast on the day of the event, we made Waffle Love waffles, fruit salad and stuff for them to kick their day off well.  The outcome of Region competition was not what we wanted or expected but these amazing athletes performed their dances impeccably and should be proud of what they have done this year!  Bravo Chars!

On Sunday, after all of us slept in, and after Big Papi's wings for football I decided to try a recipe I have been wanting to try for a while...

QUICK COQ AU VIN

The Coq au Vin can be made in advance, covered and simmered over low heat on the stove or in a 275°F oven until ready to serve.  If slow cooked, you will need to add more chicken broth or wine to keep the sauce from getting too thick.  Chicken thighs are also recommended to avoid dry chicken if cooking all day.
Yields: 4-6
Total time: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS
4 thick cut slices bacon, chopped
4 Tbsp.  olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 sweet onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
2 Stalks Celery, chopped in ½” pieces
2 medium size carrots, chopped in ½” pieces
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 ½ lbs. boneless chicken tenders or small chicken breasts chunks (may sub thighs if desired)
2 cups button mushrooms, sliced
2 cups red wine, plus more if needed
2 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
4 whole sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

 DIRECTIONS

Heat a large skillet or Dutch Oven over medium-high heat and cook bacon until crispy.
Add another drizzle of oil if needed and then add the onion, garlic, carrots and celery. Cook the veggies, stirring often until soft and lightly caramelized, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste and then remove the veggies from the pan and set aside.
Add a drizzle of oil to the pan if needed.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the hot pan and sear on both sides until browned.  About 4-8 minutes per side, depending on how thick your chicken is. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
Add veggie mixture back into the pan, and toss in the sliced mushrooms and cook another minute or two.
Slowly pour in the red wine and chicken broth.  Add the bay leaf and thyme and season with salt + pepper.  Gently stir everything to combine then add chicken and then bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the sauce has reduced by about 1/3.
To serve, remove the bay leaf and thyme from the Coq au Vin.  Serve with mashed potatoes, chicken on the side of the mashed potatoes and then ladle the sauce & veggies over the chicken.  Sprinkle with fresh parsley or finely chopped chives.

Seemed to be a hit, it was a snowy day so the 'comfort food' factor was pretty high!

Cast Iron Care...

THE TRUTH ABOUT CAST IRON

Adapted from an article on Epicurious

Cast iron cookware holds a special place in our culinary hearts because it's economical, durable, versatile, holds heat well, and cooks food evenly. Properly seasoned and maintained, cast iron can last for generations and sustain a longer-lasting easy-release surface than contemporary non-stick pans. But in order to do all this, cast iron has to be well taken care of. And that's no small task, because no other piece of cookware incites greater debate and panic over its care and maintenance.

1. Wash with soap only once.

When you purchase a piece of new or used cast iron cookware it's okay to use mild soapy water for the first washing. But that's it! Avoid harsh soap and scouring pads thereafter because they can remove the seasoning you'll be trying so hard to achieve. And don't even think about running your pan through a dishwasher.

2. Season your pan.

We're not talking about salt and pepper here. "Seasoning" on a pan is fat or oil baked into the iron, which helps create a natural non-stick coating. The more you use your pan, the more seasoned it will become.
To season a cast iron pan, preheat the oven to 300°F. Place a layer of foil on the bottom rack of your oven and the pan on the top rack. Heat the pan for 10 minutes and remove. Using a cloth or paper towel, coat the pan with about 1 tablespoon of vegetable shortening, lard, or bacon grease. (Don't use vegetable oil—it creates a coating that feels sticky.) Place the pan back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Remove and pour out any excess fat or oil. Turn the pan upside down and return it to the top rack of the oven (position it over the foil to catch any drips). Bake for 1 hour, turn off the oven, and let the pan cool in the oven. Repeat this process often to maintain and intensify your pan's seasoning. Some new pans are labeled "pre-seasoned" but we recommend seasoning them at home anyway to create a stronger seasoning bond.

3. Get cooking!

Cast iron cookware is great for everything from pan-searing pork chops to baking cornbread. With new pieces, we recommend starting off with foods with a high fat content (like bacon) to help with the seasoning process and solidify the non-stick surface. Note: never store food in cast iron. Acids in food can break down the seasoned surface.

4. Keep it clean.

We don't recommend letting your cast iron soak. Wash your (preferably still warm) pan with hot water and use a sponge or stiff non-metal brush to remove cooking residue. To slough off tough bits of stuck-on food, pour a cup of coarse kosher salt into a still-warm skillet. Squeeze a folded kitchen towel with tongs and scrub the pan with the salt. Toss the salt and rinse the pan with hot water.

5. Dry it completely, every time.

Moisture is the enemy. Not properly drying your cast iron can cause it to rust. So after rinsing, dry it well and place it on the stove-top over low heat. Allow to dry for a few minutes, then use a cloth or paper towel to rub it with a little shortening, lard, bacon grease, or vegetable oil. Heat for 5 to 10 minutes more, remove from heat, and allow to cool. Wipe with another cloth or paper towel to remove excess grease.

6. Store it carefully.

Keep your cast iron cookware in a dry place with the lids off to avoid rusting. If rust appears, scour your pan with steel wool to remove it and re-season the pan.