Quick Honey-Lemon Chicken

The weeks are just flying by aren't they? I can't believe its already fall. Time to break out the scarves! I've still been very busy with the house hunt so dinner has been very last minute, not giving me a chance to write posts and photograph. This meal, however, was fast and easy which gave me a moment to share it with you.  It has a few ingredients and very easy to make, and of course, the oven does all the work for you. Enjoy!

Honey-lemon Chicken

1 lb chicken tenders, breasts, or thighs

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup lemon juice, plus a few lemon slices for garnish

1 tablespoon rosemary, minced

1 garlic, minced

salt 'n' peppa

1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange chicken in one layer on oven-proof tray and season with salt and pepper.

2 Whisk lemon, honey, rosemary and minced garlic in a bowl and pour over chicken. Arrange lemon slices on tops of chicken and bake for 30 minutes. Done and done!

Shakshuka!

Many of you may not be familiar with this Israeli dish, but let me tell you, Israeli or not — you will LOVE this! I grew up on this dish and it was a treat every time my mom made it for brunch. Last year I had it at the famous Dr. Shakshuka restaurant in Tel-Aviv. They served it right out of the skillet and was absolutely amazing. It was even better with toast to soak up every last bit of juice. I decided to make it for dinner tonight as a treat and boy was it a treat! AND it was quick which made it even better. This is definitely a crowd pleaser and easy to double or triple the recipe. Perfect for guests or just yourself!

I forgot to add the basil before I took the picture, so pretend its there. Thanks!

Shakshuka (Serves 2)

1 onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pepper (green or red), sliced

1 can tomatoes, crushed (you can use fresh tomatoes and crush them by hand too)

1/4 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

black pepper

1/2 tsp cumin

3 eggs (you can use 4 for this recipe, but I only had 3 on hand)

cilantro, basil or parsley for garnish

1 Saute onions until softened. Then add green peppers until softened. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or so.

2 Pour tomatoes and water in the same pan as the veggies. Season with salt and pepper and cumin.

3 Crack egg into a glass and pour directly into the sauce. Proceed with the rest of the eggs, equally distanced from each other.

4 Cover and cook until eggs are set. Garnish with basil cilantro or parsley.

Lemon-Rosemary Roast Chicken with Braised Leeks

I was quite uninspired for dinner tonight. All I  knew was there was a defrosted package of chicken thighs and drumsticks in the fridge waiting for me when I got home, and had no idea what I was going to do with it. I stared inside the fridge. And stared. And stared. I realized that my fridge was full of odds and ends. Everything was either halfway done, or almost done. This bothers me. I hate buying and buying new stuff when I have a fridge full of scraps. Does this bother anyone else?

So, the moral of the story is that I ended up taking some of my odds and ends and put them in this chicken dish — an almost finished jar of dijon mustard, a spare leek that was left from the beef stew, rosemary that was about to go bad, and too many lemons that I bought from the market. The result was this delicious aromatic creamy herbal chicken with braised leeks. The meat was so soft and tender it fell off the bone. I cooked the leeks in the same roasting pan as the chicken so it had the juices and flavors from the chicken and just melted in your mouth. I have to say, this was quite the meal along with mom's roasted potatoes. It felt so good to air out the fridge a bit too!

Lemon Roast Chicken with Braised Leeks

1.5 lbs chicken thighs/legs

Salt 'n' peppa

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

1 tablespoon rosemary, minced

3/4 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon honey

1 garlic clove, minced

1 leek, sliced

1 Preheat oven to 375. Pat dry chicken parts and season with salt and pepper. Arrange chicken on tray.

2 Slice leek lengthwise and wash well to remove dirt in between the layers. Slice into 1 inch pieces and break up over the chicken pan.

3 In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice, rosemary, dijon, honey and garlic together and pour over the chicken, turning the chicken and leeks with tongs to coat with the marinade.

4 Bake for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown.

Beef & Bean Stew

I know its still hot outside, but even in the scorching summer I still crave beef stew. I love the fall-apart beef and hot flavorful vegetables. This time I added a can of soft cannellini beans that just melt in your mouth. I threw everything in the crock pot (the best invention ever!), went about my day and forgot about it. When I got home, dinner was ready and delicious!

Beef & Bean Stew

1.5 lb boneless beef chuck or round cut into 1 inch cubes (I bought mine already cut)

olive oil

Salt 'n' peppa

1 leek, sliced

3 cups stock

1/2 cup red wine

3 medium potatoes, cut into quarters (I left the skin on, but you can peel them if you want)

1 carrot, cut into 1 inch chunks

1 can cannellini beans, washed and drained

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 Heat a saute pan over medium heat with olive oil and let get very hot. Season beef cubes with salt and pepper and brown on the hot pan. Work in batches as to not overcrowd the pan. Cook on both sides until brown.

2 Throw browned beef into the crock pot. In the same pan, cook leeks and carrots until softened. Season with salt and pepper and throw into the crock pot with the beef.

3 Pour stock, red wine, potatoes, and beans on top and give a good stir in the crock pot. Set on low for about 8 hours or 4 hours on the high setting.

Cinnamon French Toast

I've been experimenting with french toast lately. A lot. Is that a crime? I didn't think so.

I've tried:

-orange french toast (just add some orange juice to the beaten eggs)

-vanilla french toast (just add a touch of vanilla to the beaten eggs)

and

-apple french toast (just add some apple juice to the beaten eggs)

All of them were good and I still licked the plate and all, but I think cinnamon is by far the best because its closest to the classic french toast flavors. I added cinnamon to the beaten eggs and light brown sugar and maple syrup as a topping. Doesn't it look delicious? I served it with grapefruit juice as something tart to balance the sweet. I wish I had time to make this every morning! What's your favorite way to eat french toast?

Cinnamon French Toast

Challah bread, however many slices you need

2-4 eggs, beaten

1 tsp cinnamon

1 Slice up your challah, medium thick slices. Prepare a bowl with the beaten eggs and add the cinnamon.

2 Dip the challah slices into the beaten eggs and let it absorb for a few moments, both sides.

3 Place egg'd challah on a skillet over medium high heat and cook until brown on both sides.

4 Continue to dip and cook the slices until all the slices are cooked. Top with favorite toppings (Maple syrup is a must!)

Fresh Okra and Tomato salad

I love okra any which way — raw, fried, or sauteed — but what I don't love is the slime. Why? Why? Why must there be slime when you cook okra?! I believe the trick is to keep them whole, and not cut them into bite-sized pieces. In this lovely side dish, I cooked the okra whole over medium high heat and then threw in some grape tomatoes. The sauce is lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Thats it! This is a perfect weeknight dinner side dish or a festive labor day dish!

Sauteed Fresh Okra and Tomato Salad

1/2 lb fresh okra

10 or so grape tomatoes, split lengthwise

1 garlic clove, minced

Juice of half a lemon

salt 'n' peppa

1 Trim ends of okra and cook over medium high heat until bright green and slightly softened.

2 Throw in the tomatoes and garlic, and squeeze lemon juice into pan and mix all together.

3 Season with salt and pepper and serve!

Phyllo "Cigars"

This dish reminds me of my grandmother's friday night dinners. She would always prepare these "cigars" and we always looked forward to them. Mine, however did not come out as thin and perfectly rolled as hers, but still tasted wonderful. This is the first time I worked with phyllo dough, the thin papery dough that becomes crispy in the oven, and it was a bit difficult. It is extremely thin and delicate but after I got the hang of it, it became easier to work with. I made two varieties, one with minced meat and fried onions, and another with mashed potatoes. The potato one is not pictured because it just came out a mess. I think I didn't use enough of the phyllo dough layers to hold the heavy potatoes, so it kind fell apart. It's ok, I fed it to my dog so it didn't totally go to waste :) But the meat ones were so good!

These are great as an appetizer or a fun side dish. I want to try them in those puff pastry shells, and then maybe with a layer of mashed potatoes on top since it will hold it better, like a cup rather than a roll. Then in the oven it goes and the top of the mashed potatoes get all brown..yummm meat and potatoes! Sorry, I'm thinking ahead of myself! I can't wait to try it, and if one of you does, let me know how it comes out!

Meat filled Phyllo Rolls

1/2 lb ground beef

Half an onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

salt 'n' peppa

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp crushed red pepper optional

1 tsp dried parsley (was out of the fresh stuff)

1 Preheat toaster oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a bowl with the ground beef and break up with the back of wooden spoon. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, and garlic.

2 Chop and mince onion and saute over medium heat in a large skillet until soft and golden.

3 Pour ground beef in the same skillet as the onion and brown until no pink shows. I turned the heat up at the end to get some real color on the beef. When beef is done cooking, put aside.

4 Prepare the phyllo dough by taking 5 layers and brushing each layer with melted butter or margarine and stacking them on top of each other (These directions are on the box).

5 Spoon a thin line of meat lengthwise across the phyllo and begin to roll, tightly, without tearing the dough. Place the roll seam down in the oven. Brush top of roll with butter or margarine and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown and crisp. If doing more than one roll, repeat steps 1 through 5 again.

6 Once rolls are baked and golden, cut them in half for easier to eat pieces. Enjoy!