Olive and Tomato Baked Chicken

Simple, easy, fancy, but definitely company-worthy. I think the lemon zest makes all the difference. Wonderful served with crusty bread (to soak up the juices) and a green salad.

Olive and Tomato Baked Chicken
3/4C mixed olives (make sure they're pitted)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
1/2C fresh parsley, chopped
2T lemon zest
8oz cherry or grape tomatoes (tomato wedges work too)
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt

Note: If your olives are packed in brine (as opposed to oil), soak them in cold water for 5 minutes to remove the excess salt. Drain, then add 2T olive oil to the olives.

Mix the olives, garlic, parsley, lemon zest and tomatoes together.

Place the chicken pieces in a 9" x 13" pan.

Spread the olive and tomato mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle with black pepper and sea salt.

Bake at 400 F for 30 - 40 minutes until chicken juices run clear.

Roated Butternut Squash

Not all squash is smooshy. I didn't know this until I tried this recipe which makes squash sophisticated, savory (as opposed to sweet) and way out of the league of baby food.

Roasted Butternut Squash
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1" cubes
1 medium red onion, cut in 1/2" pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
1T finely chopped sage
1T finely chopped parsley
3T olive oil
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
1/2C toasted walnuts
1/2C grated Parmesan cheese

Place squash, onion, garlic, sage, parsley and olive oil in large zippered plastic bag. Mix all the items inside the bag until all pieces are coated with oil.

Spread squash mixture evenly on foil lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper.

Bake at 375 F for 30 to 40 minutes, until the largest squash pieces can be easily pierced with a fork.

Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and walnuts over squash while it's still hot from the oven. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Thai Curry Nori Wraps

The sauce is the main thing in this quick sandwich - a zippy, spicy, perfect addition. The original recipe called for rice paper wrappers, but I like the flavor and fun color of the nori wrappers better. You could substitute sliced deli turkey for the roast beef. You could also go vegetarian by leaving the deli meat out.

Thai Curry Nori Wraps
Sauce:
1/3C mayonnaise
1t Thai green curry paste
2T lime or calamansi juice
1/4C chopped cilantro
1/4C chopped mint

Filling:
thin sliced deli roast beef
shredded vegetable mix - I used carrots and radishes
avocado, cut in thin strips
chiffonade green leafies - I used leaf lettuce and spinach

nori sheets

Spread 1T of sauce over entire surface of a nori sheet.
Lay 2 slices of roast beef on the nori sheet, leaving 1/2" clear along one edge.
Spread shredded vegetable filling in a row along the opposite edge of the nori sheet.
Lay avocado slices on the shredded vegetable filling.
Top the avocado with a healthy pile of chiffonade green leafies.
Dab another tablespoon of sauce onto the green leafies.
Roll the nori sheet from the vegetable end, using a knife to hold the vegetables in as you go. Use the last 1/2" of sauce-only area to seal the roll closed and let the roll sit for a minute so the nori softens and sticks together.
Slice at an angle (to show the pretty interior) into manageable chunks.

Note: I think this sauce would be fantastic slathered over boneless, skinless chicken breasts and then baked. Something to try!

Quilt

Does anyone know the name of this design? It's a variant of Log Cabin.

My first foray into quilting in a long time. And I used all scraps except the binding and backing - woohoo!

This is a thank you gift for one of my beta readers - for wrapping up in while she's doing the research for her own writing.

Creamy Jalapeno Chicken

Decadent and rich, a marvelous treat. Great with a crunchy green salad.

 
Creamy Jalapeno Chicken
4 chicken breasts, cut in half
1/2t cumin
1/2t chili powder
pinch of salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
4oz cream cheese, cut in 1/2" cubes
3/4C chicken broth
4 slices bacon
3T fresh cilantro, chopped
3/4C shredded cheddar cheese

 Pan fry the bacon. Remove the bacon from pan and set aside. Save the grease.

Sprinkle cumin, chili powder and salt on each side of chicken breast.

Fry chicken in bacon grease. Turn as needed to cook through. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Saute jalapeno and garlic in bacon grease for 2 minutes.

Add chicken broth and deglaze the pan.

Add cream cheese and mix until melted.

Add cheddar cheese, bacon and cilantro and stir until thoroughly incorporated.

Spoon sauce over chicken to serve.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

For those who think of cream of mushroom soup as that tan, congealed, glop that comes from a can, think again. This soup is worlds apart, and amazing! Main dish-worthy with crunchy croutons and bacon crumbles.

Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 1/2oz dried mushrooms (I got the unnamed variety at my favorite Asian food store)
2 1/2C water
4oz unsalted butter
1/2C olive oil
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1lb fresh button mushrooms, chopped
7/8C flour
4C chicken stock
2C heavy whipping cream
2C milk
1/4C Worcestershire sauce
kosher salt to taste
black pepper to taste

Bring water to a boil and pour over dried mushrooms. Let sit for 30 minutes.

Remove dried, now reconstituted mushrooms from water, pat dry and chop. Save the water.

In large stock pot, melt butter over low heat. Add the olive oil.

Cook the green onions and button mushrooms in the butter/olive oil mixture for 10 minutes.

Raise the heat to medium and sprinkle the flour over the mushroom mixture. Stir constantly until flour is cooked and mixture is bubbly, about 3 minutes.

Add the mushroom water and chicken stock to the mixture 1 cup at a time, stirring thoroughly between additions. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture thickens and bubbles.

Lower the heat and add the reconstituted dried mushrooms, cream, milk and Worcestershire sauce. Cook, stirring often for another 15 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with chopped fresh parsley, parmesan shavings, bacon crumbles and/or croutons.

Basil Coconut Curry Chicken

The best Indian dish I've made from scratch so far. Yummy, spicy and pretty fast to make. I fiddled with the spice mixture a bit because I don't love turmeric and don't commonly have cardamom in the house. I also reduced the jalapeno to a one-Kleenex amount.

Basil Coconut Curry Chicken
1/2t salt
1/2t ground coriander
1/2t cumin
1/2t ground cloves
1/2t cinnamon
1/4t black pepper
1/4t chili powder
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes
1 large red onion,chopped fine
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2T olive oil
7oz light coconut milk
1T Worcestershire sauce
3T fresh basil, chopped
1T fresh ginger, peeled and minced
salt to taste

Mix salt, coriander, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper and chili powder together in a shallow dish (a pie plate works perfectly).

Pat the chicken pieces dry and toss in the spice mixture until completely coated. Let sit for half an hour while you chop the onions, jalapeno and garlic and heat the oil.

In a large skillet (I use a Dutch oven to reduce splattering), heat 1T olive oil on medium high heat. Add the onions and jalapeno and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside.

Add the remaining 1T olive oil to the pan and cook half the chicken pieces, spreading them out so they do not touch. Turn after a few minutes to brown evenly. When cooked through, remove from pan and set aside with the vegetables. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.

Add the coconut milk and Worcestershire sauce to the pan and deglaze it. Add the basil and ginger and cook for 2 minutes.

Return the vegetables and chicken to the pan and stir to coat with the sauce. Add salt to taste.

Marvelous as is, but would also be excellent served over rice. If you want more sauce relative to the quantity of meat, add another 7oz of coconut milk (this would be the whole 14oz can). Coconut milk freezes fine, so I usually save the other half of the can for later that way.

Doubled Up - New Release

The alter ego's been busy, which is why I haven't posted here lately. But here's what Jerusha's been working on:

Doubled Up
Imogene Museum Mystery #2
Meredith Morehouse, curator of the eclectic Imogene Museum, stumbles upon the remnants of a stolen shipment of scary-looking wood figurines. Are they smuggled national treasures or clever fakes?

While Meredith is sucked into the secret federal probe of the fishy figurines and their importer, her ex-fiance — a man so annoyingly arrogant he could easily drive someone to murder — returns for another round of marriage proposals, and he won’t take no for an answer. Just when her friendship with hunky tug boat captain Pete Sills might be heating up.

What’s a girl to do?

New Book

Just thought I'd mention I have an alter ego, and she writes....
Jerusha's first book just went up on Amazon. You can see it here.

And the blurb:
Meredith Morehouse, curator of the eclectic Imogene Museum, is suddenly short-staffed. Her favorite (and only) graduate student intern, Greg, is missing — without leaving behind an empty pizza box, to say nothing of a thesis draft.

Plus, a prowler has been rearranging the museum’s brand new chamber pot exhibit. When Meredith's nighttime vigil to flush out the intruder results in witnessing a murder, she and Sheriff Marge Stettler and nearly all the other inhabitants of the small town of Platts Landing, Washington (including hunky tug boat captain Pete Sills) are in on the hunt — for the killers and a body that’s drifting down the Columbia River. Is the dead man her intern or somebody else? And if it's somebody else, where on earth is Greg?

Jerusha's in all the usual places:
Twitter @JerushaJones
Pinterest JerushaJones
Facebook Jerusha Jones
Website www.jerushajones.com

So please come by and say hi to me (her). Thanks!

Queso Fundido

Queso Fundido
3oz monterey jack cheese, cubed
1/4C black beans
1/4C fire-roasted salsa
3 small corn tortillas, but into wedges (6 wedges per tortilla)
olive oil pan spray
salt

On foil-lined cookie sheet spread tortilla wedges. Spray with pan spray and sprinkle with salt. Bake under broiler until just browned at edges, about five minutes.

Place cubed cheese in ovenproof baking dish and bake under broiler until cheese is golden and bubbly. Remove from oven and spread black beans then salsa on top.

Serve warm.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
1 red bell pepper, roasted, seeded
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
3 cloves garlic, sliced
3T olive oil
3T tahini
3t ground cumin
3T lemon juice (bottled)
1/2t salt + more to taste

In a food processor, chop the red pepper into pea-sized chunks.
Add remaining ingredients and whirl until incorporated.

Notes:
Roasted red pepper - Prick pepper with fork several times. Place on foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 450 F for 40 minutes, turning once. Immediately move hot pepper to a plastic zippered bag, seal and let sit 10 minutes. Let cool until comfortable to handle. Peel and seed.

Lemon juice - this is one of the few recipes where I think bottled lemon juice is better than fresh. Sometimes fresh lemons can be almost sweet, and I really want the tang and acidity of bottled juice for this dip.

Summertime (and the living is easy)

Walla Walla Onion Rings

I splurge once a year and buy Walla Walla onion rings from Burgerville when they're in season. They're delicious but so greasy and heavy. Here's a baked version that's much healthier and just as tasty.

Baked Walla Walla Onion Rings
1 large Walla Walla onion, sliced into thirds and separated into individual rings
1/2C breadcrumbs
1t salt
1/4t white pepper
1 egg
1/4C milk

Toss the breadcrumbs, salt and pepper together in shallow bowl.

Whip egg in small, deep bowl. Then add milk and whip to incorporate.

Dunk onion rings into egg and milk mixture, then roll in breadcrumbs to coat. Place on foil-lined baking tray.

Bake at 375 F for 25 minutes until still firm but no longer crunchy.

Lacamas Valley Sheepdog Trial

It's so fun to watch these border collies work. And the work is hard.
The treat at the end of their run? A soak in the tub and a few slurps of bathwater.