Lemon Pesto Chicken

If you're a regular blog follower of mine, you know that I love to cook chicken in the crock pot. It's such a easy, no fuss way to cook chicken that always turns out great. In fact, I rarely use my crock pot for anything other than chicken. So, I come to you with yet another crock pot recipe. I hope you don't mind.

This recipe is so simple, but sounds so fancy. I love those kinds of recipes, don't you? When I say simple, I mean really ridiculously simple. All the ingredients (except for the chicken itself) are pictured right here:

Why are lemons so pretty in pictures?

I mixed the chicken with the pesto and lemon juice in a separate bowl before putting it all in the crock pot. Looking back, this was silly. I didn't need to get that extra bowl dirty - I should have just mixed it all right in the crock pot.

Add a few extra lemon slices and the red onion on top, pour in a little water, and set.

6 hours (on low heat) later...

Wine + salad (and a constant remind that we REALLY need to get to sanding and finishing this table of ours).

Mushrooms and cherry tomatoes were sautéed until tender and tossed with some shell pasta. The chicken was served on top, but this was by no means crucial to the dish. The chicken would be great by itself, or over plain pasta, marinara pasta, couscous, rice, or any other type of grain. 

Completed dish.

Dinner is served!

Lemon Pesto Chicken Recipe

Serves 4

- 4 small to medium chicken breasts

- 3 tablespoons pesto (we used classico brand, but home made or another brand would work fine too)

- 2 lemons (one for juice, and one sliced into 1/4 inch rounds)

- 1/2 red onion, sliced into 1/4 inch half moons

- 1/2 to 1 cup of water

Directions:

- Place the chicken in the crock pot.

- Put the pesto and the juice of one lemon onto the chicken and toss to coat.

- Place the lemon and red onion slices on top  of the chicken.

- Pour enough water in the crock pot to cover the bottom and almost cover the chicken breasts (see picture above).

- Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours, or high heat for 4 hours.

- Let cool and serve over your favorite pasta or grain.

Summer Style Beans and Rice

Good morning! It's cool, crisp, and dry in Boone this morning. I'm loving it, and loving these hydrangeas that are keeping me company as I type. Who else thinks blue hydrangeas are just the best? Thanks to an awesome co-worker of mine who has given me access to her backyard flower collection anytime I want!

Beans and rice is one of our staple meals. We usually have some type of variation once a week. It's easy, cheap, healthy, and filling. I'll usually steam, grill or roast some veggies to go along side, maybe throw a little sour cream or guacamole one top. Since we're such bean and rice frequents, I always have a stock of canned beans on hand. They may cost a little more than the dried variety, but you can't beat the convenience. 

Secondly, I always have rice on hand. Brown and white. Lately, my new favorite is this short grain brown rice - it cooks up so well and has a great texture (some brown rice can become a little mushy upon cooking).

Since summer is in fully swing (which I still can't believe. It's almost AUGUST?!), I decided to turn our weekly favorite into a cool summer dish. More of a beans and rice salad, if you will. So, I gathered all the veggies I had in the fridge, and got to trimming and chopping.

The only things that I actually "cooked" for this dish were the zucchini/garlic, and rice. The zucchini needed just a few minutes to soften up and gain some flavor from the chopped garlic.

Want to know the best way to chop fresh garlic? Take however many clove you need, lay them on the cutting board, and use the flat side of a large knife to hit each clove. This will break the clove and make it easy to peel the husk off.

 While in Michigan a few weeks back, my Grandma gave me a cool little collection of infused olive oils and vinegars! I put the lemon infused oil to use in this recipe (and it was awesome), but it was by no means crucial to the dish. Regular lemon juice and regular olive oil together will work just fine. 

Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper, two peas in a pod. Necessary in every kitchen.

Once all the little elements were thrown into one large bowl, I tossed it all together. Taste, season, taste, season. Perfecto! Great served cool or at room temperature. Even better with some sweet watermelon on the side.

Summer Style Beans and Rice Recipe:

Serves 6 as a side, 4 as a main dish

- 2.5 cups cooked brown rice (cooked according to package directions)

- Two cans of beans, rinsed and drained (I used black beans and garbanzos, but any will do)

- 1/2 cucumber, chopped

- 1/2 cup chopped carrots

- 1 green pepper, chopped

- 1 ear of corn, taken off the cobb (I use it raw - yum!)

- 1/4 cup red onion, chopped

- 1 small can sliced olives

- 1 cup zucchini and/or yellow squash, chopped

- 3 cloves garlic, chopped 

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- Dash of salt

Dressing Ingredients

- 1 lemon, juiced

- 3 tbsp olive oil

- 1 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp pepper

- Grated parmesan (optional)

Directions:

- Saute' the zucchini/yellow squash and garlic over medium heat with a tablespoon or so of olive oil.

- Season zucchini/squash and garlic with a dash of salt and cook until just tender.

- Add beans, rice, and all other chopped veggies to a large bowl.

- Once the zucchini mixture has cooled, add it to the bean and rice mixture.

- Next, add all dressing ingredients.

- Taste the salad as you season and add more or less of your favorites.

- If you have any fresh herbs on hand, they would be a great addition at this point.

- Grated parmesan for a garnish and salty kick!

Simple Salmon Cakes with Cool Lemon Dill Sauce

My sister, Sara, cooked these up once when I was visiting her during college. The cakes were so delicious, and reminded me of crab cakes. I love crab cakes, but I do not love the price tag that comes along with real lump crab. Two years later, I'm finally getting around to creating my own version of these delicious things. These are a great cure for a crab cake craving on a budget.

The salmon I bought was from Trader Joe's and was labeled as "wild caught alaskan salmon". I think the can was around $3 or $4. You can't beat that!

Once I drained and sorted through the salmon (I like to pick out the visible bones and skin), I tossed it with some lemon zest, green onion, parsley, salt, a tiny squeeze of good mayo, and an egg.

Heat up the oil nice and hot (but not smoking hot) so you get that crispy golden outer layer on the cakes.

While the oil is heating, form the salmon mixture into patties the size of your palm, and dredge in egg/milk, then panko style bread crumbs.

Carefully place each cake into the hot oil and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden and crispy. Don't burn yourself with hot oil like I did. Ouch.

Serve with a dollop of cool lemon dill sauce and a lemon wedge.

This night's sides were steamed rice and sautéed vegetables. 

Ever wonder what a typical Junaluska Julep dinner table looks like? Here you have it. Jacob bought me these pretty spring flowers, aren't they nice?

Simple Salmon Cakes Recipe:

Makes 4 palm sized cakes

- 1 can of salmon (one 14 ounce can, or two 7 ounce cans)

-  2 eggs

- 1 tbsp mayonaise

- Zest of one lemon

- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

- 1 tbsp chopped green onion

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/2 cup milk

- 1 cup panko style bread crumbs

- Olive oil (or canola oil) for pan frying

Directions:

- Mix together the salmon, one egg, mayonaise, lemon zest, parsley, green onion, and salt.

- Form the salmon mixture into palm size patties, set aside.

- Coat a deep skillet with 1/4 inch oil and turn the heat to medium/high.

- While the oil is heating, mix together the remaining egg and milk.

- Dredge the cakes in the milk/egg mixture, then the panko bread crumbs.

- Carefully place the coated patties in the hot oil and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side (or until golden and crispy).

- Serve with cool lemon dill sauce (recipe below) and garnish with a lemon wedge, parsley, and/or green onion.

Cool Lemon Dill Sauce Recipe:

- 3 tbsp sour cream

- 1 tbsp mayonaise

- 1/2 tsp dried dill (or 1 tsp chopped fresh dill)

- 2 tsp lemon juice

- 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

 - Mix all ingredients together and serve with simple salmon cakes!

Bundt Pan Chicken with Green Beans and Lemon Rosemary Mashed Potatoes

Springtime food in my mind should includes lots of tender green vegetables, fresh herbs, and lemon. This meal incorporates exactly those things. Bundt pan chicken with green beans and lemon rosemary mashed potatoes would make a wonderful start to your easter dinner menu! I came across this idea not out of creativity, but out of desperation. I don't own a roasting pan, and I don't like spending lots of money on kitchen items that I know will only be used for one thing. So, I researched some roasting pan - free ways to roast a whole chicken. I decided on the bundt pan method. You can throw whatever goodies you like in the bottom of the bundt pan, just be warned that whatever goodies you choose will be slow roasted in chicken fat (it tastes way better than it sounds, promise). I chose mushrooms this time around, but roasting the potatoes this way is also divine.

Since the oven was already going to be on, I decided to roast the veggies instead of steaming them. Pictured here are the veggies and the lemon/rosemary items for the potatoes.

While we waited for the chicken to roast... Hors d'oeuvres at the living room bar. A little vino, anyone?

Finished veggies.

Finished potatoes

And finally, finished chicken! Roasting it on the bundt pan ensures that the bird stays nice and moist throughout cooking.

 A completed plate. Now where are the cadburry eggs?

Bundt Pan Chicken Recipe

- 1 whole chicken, rinsed and patted dry

- 2 tbsp butter, softened

- Salt and pepper

- 1 tsp dried rosemary

- 1 tsp dried sage

- 1 package of sliced white button mushrooms

- 1 small onion, sliced into rings

Directions:

- Place mushrooms and onion in bottom of the bundt pan, season with salt and pepper to taste.

- Combine softened butter and dried herbs into a paste.

- Rub the butter mixture under the skin of the chicken and on the outside of the chicken.

- Place the drumstick side of the chicken on the middle of the bundt pan so that it rests securely.

- Sprinkle salt and pepper on the outside of the bird.

- Roast in a 350 degree oven for 1.5-2.5 hours depending on the size of the bird. The internal temperature of the thickest part of the breast will need to register at 165 degrees before the bird is taken out of the oven.

- Once the bird reaches 165 degrees, remove it from the oven and let it rest on a plate for 10 minutes before carving.

- Serve with mushroom "gravy".

Rosemary Mashed Potatoes Recipe

- 5 lb red skinned potatoes, washed well and cut into 1 inch cubes (leave the skin on!)

- 1/2 stick butter, softened

- Splash of milk

- 1 lemon, zested

- 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped finely

- Salt and pepper

Directions:

- Place cubed potatoes in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil.

- Once the potatoes are tender, drain them and put them back in the pot they cooked in.

- Mash the potatoes with butter, milk, rosemary, and most of the lemon zest (save a little for garnish!)

- Season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer potatoes to a serving dish and garnish with lemon zest and a sprig of fresh rosemary.

Lemon Olive Oil Pound Cake

As promised...

Citrus is the livelihood fruit of the winter. How many fruits are actually in season during the winter months? Not many. Citrus fruits are some of the only fruits that can be found fresh and non-imported during the days of little daylight. As you will quickly find in the future, I typically only purchase things at the grocery store that are on sale. It's hard to find produce that's on sale if it's not in season. Which is why I stumbled upon this recipe.

MLK Day seemed a perfect fit for cake baking to begin. Jacob and I got the day off and I spent the morning baking, organizing, and cleaning. The cake took a bit longer than expected to create, but proved well worth while in the end. It started with zesting and juicing three large lemons.

Other steps involved beating egg whites to stiff peaks (by hand, not on purpose), and folding them into a batter full of lemon essence and good extra virgin olive oil. For more on good quality olive oil, and what those funny terms "extra virgin" mean, go here.

After oiling and flouring my bundt pan more generously than ever before, the cake came out of the pan perfectly.

I topped it off with a drizzle of lemoncello icing and some more freshly grated lemon zest. Served with a (big) scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a dusting of powdered sugar. Mmm. Truly amazing, refreshing, and light. While eating this cake, I had a short moment when I forgot that we would be experiencing below freezing temps and record winds all week. Sigh...