Monthly Archives: November 2013

“Mama Z”: Slow Cooking Lemon Chicken

Posted on by

Thanks to “Mama Z” for submitting her slow cooker chicken recipe! With her Greek family history influencing this recipe, I can’t wait to try it.

This is the easiest way to make slow roasted chicken.  Turn the oven on to 400 degrees.  Choose a baking pan that you also want to serve in.  In the pan add olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  It doesn’t matter how much, you want to be sure you fill to cover the bottom of the pan and be able to roll the chicken in it.  Some Greeks like lots of lemons, 5-6, I personally use bottled lemon juice and put in about 1/3 cup, but don’t bother measuring.  Just pour in the lemon and olive oil.  Roll the chicken around in the liquid and bake the chicken breast side down. This method will insure that the white meat will stay moist.

Put the chicken in the oven and turn the heat down to 250 degrees.  Leave it for about 4 hours. I use a small chicken 4lbs, they cook faster.  For  a bigger chicken with a roasting popup you may need to leave it longer.  For the last hour (if I am home) I may turn the chicken over so the breast browns a bit.

Now for the best part!  Take the chicken out of the oven and put on the counter.  Let it rest for 10-15 mins and then cut it up right in the pan and serve.  There is so much natural juice that the chicken just falls off the bone.

Kali Orexi!

Dina's Lemon Chicken

Sunday Simmer

Posted on by

People say Sunday is the day of God, Rest, and Football. As you know I am a prolaxer (professional relaxer, for those of you slow on the uptake) So when it comes to a nice Sunday dinner, I am not one to slave over to stove for hours. I want something I can set & forget while I watch some NFL games and pray to God that my team wins! Here is an easy and yummy crock pot special that you can make any day of the week, mine just happened to be on a Sunday.

  • 1 package of  boneless, skinless chicken breasts (dark meat tends to be juicer and less dry so feel free to use chicken thighs vs. breasts. I just had breasts lying around…haha oh breasts.)
  • 3 chopped garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • Pinch of dried basil (if you do fresh, add it at the end and not to crock pot mixture).
  • Salt & pepper to  taste

(So I added a few of my own twists since again god forbid a recipe is too easy or short for me: 1 tbsp. of brown sugar, 1 chopped medium onion, 1 tsp of sri racha or a pinch of cayenne pepper)

Cut your chicken breasts in half, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in bottom of crock pot. Chop up your garlic cloves (or use 3 tbsp. of that jarred minced stuff we keep referencing) and add to the cup and half of liquids listed above (And my additions because I am an over achiever and act like I have an important cooking blog or something). Pour over chicken and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours.
Remove chicken from the crock pot and transfer to covered plate to keep warm. Simmer or reduce the sauce in a pot until thickened to desired consistency. Serve sauce over chicken.
Note, I made the jazzed up rice and steamed some broccoli to go with this and it was pretty yummy!
Happy Eating, XO.
Sunday Simmer

Goan Shrimp Curry

Posted on by

Goa is a part of India that is on the coast & is a beach town. Known for its great seafood and Thai style cuisine, this is a funky dish to add to your arsenal that will make you seem more global and culinary advanced than is actually required for making this dish!

  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 2.5 tbsp. minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp. of tomato paste
  • 2 tsp. each of: cumin, turmeric, ginger powder, garam masala, cayenne, coriander powder, salt, pepper (Seems like a lot of spices, but these are the staples of Indian cooking and can often be found in packets together)
  • 1 can of coconut milk
  • 2 fistfuls of baby spinach (I know that is a really accurate measurement, but I had some leftover from a salad and I didn’t want it to go bad so I threw it in and I really liked how much heartier it made the curry so its completely optional)
  • 1.5 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp (that’s a lot, but think about it- no one complains that there was too much shrimp in their entree. However 1lb will be fine too if on a budget)
In a nonstick pan (or wok) heat up a good amount of olive oil, I’d say enough to coat the bottom of the pan or about 3 tbsp. When on high heat add the onions and spices. Cook until the spices are all one color and the onions have softened (in Indian cooking this is known as tadka, it will legit make your whole apt/house smell so make sure the exhaust fan is working and the near by windows are open. Also note I don’t love garam masala so I lessen that and in place increase the coriander or cumin…these are all very Indian and very strong spices. Adjust the measurements on what you like and if you don’t know what you like, use equal parts for the 1st try).
Now add the garlic and tomato paste. Simmer until the tomato paste has melted into the onion mixture…keep stirring. (If adding spinach this is where you would, mushrooms would also be a good idea…I don’t know if I would try any other veggies though because the star of the dish should still be the shrimp). Reduce the heat to medium now and add the milk and shrimp. Stir once, but then leave it alone to come to a boil & for the shrimp to cook (approx. 5 min since shrimp really doesn’t take more than that to be done. Also note I am sure this dish would be just as good with scallops too).
Cut the heat, stir, and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro if you want the truly authentic Indian feel. Enough for 4-6 servings. Accompany with rice & Check out the sidekicks section on a quick recipe on how to jazz up rice for company!
Happy Eating, XO.

Jazzed Up Rice

Posted on by
  • Chicken broth
  • Medium onion
  • 1 tbsp. of butter
  • 1 cup of rice
Boil with chicken broth instead of water. (Add flavor where you least expect it). Slice up half of a medium onion and let that float at the top of the rice & broth mixture (chill, you can use the other half for one of the salads or eggs the next morning, we aren’t wasting food). Add one tsp. of dried parsley flakes (not fresh because that would just wilt when boiling).
Once rice is cooked, fluff with fork and stir in one 1 tbsp. of butter. (feel free to leave out if you are counting calories, but if not you should see the richness & glow it adds to the rice when serving…divine!) Also if you are like me and are forever forgetting how to actually make rice, note the ratio is 2:1 (2 parts liquid for 1 part rice) That also means that 1 cup of cooked rice should yield 2 servings.
*Editor’s note, if you don’t like onions leave them out, or sub the onions for frozen corn…get creative & leave comments on how you changed this recipe up or jazzed up rice in your own way.
Happy Eating, XO.

Turkey Meatloaf

Posted on by

What a bad rep meatloaf has. Often referred to as: cafeteria cuisine or diner drab, meatloaf is known as dry & un-flavorful. Plus if you take away the fat of pork or beef, you are setting yourself up for failure. FALSE! The old myth that only fat=flavor is debunked with this recipe. Not only is this meatloaf delish, its a great example of comfort food done right.

  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1.5 cups of mirepoix mix (you can chop your own or buy the pre chopped stuff. Its just diced celery, carrots, and onions so don’t be fooled by the fancy French name. Note it can be equal parts of each or adjusted based on what you like. I personally decrease the carrots and increase the onions, but to each his own).
  • 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce (I lied its actually a total of 2 tbsp. 1 will go in the dish and 1 will be used as a glaze: see cooking instructions below).
  • 1 tbsp. bbq sauce (any brand of the bottled stuff, don’t need home made on this one).
  • 1 tbsp. ketchup
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup bread crumbs (I do the Italian seasoned ones, but if you have plain lying around don’t sweat it).
  • 2 tbsp. minced garlic (keep a jar of this in your fridge, upwards of 5 recipes on the blog use it).
  • Salt & Pepper to taste (I add a few pinches of red chili flakes too, but I love spicy).

In a non stick pan, sautee the mirepoix, olive oil, salt pepper, garlic, and chili flakes. Once the veggies are softened (and cooled! don’t add hot, straight from pan. you will end up cooking the egg versus using it as a binder) add to the meat, along with the egg, sauces, and breadcrumbs. Mix well. Pour in meatloaf pan and take the same portions of the sauce (1 tbsp. worcestershire, 1 tbsp. bbq, and 1 tbsp. ketchup, mix and pour glaze on top of the meatloaf (I spread it with the back of  a spoon to coat evenly. Trust me on this, not only does it hold in the moisture, but it adds a great crust of flavor since the sugars will caramelize when baking). Throw into a pre heated oven at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes based on how deep your loaf pan is. Comment below if this hasn’t changed your mind about meatloaf. Note, I served with the pantry gravy (recipe under sauce boss) when my dad came over for dinner. Also note, word on the street is there is a great variation on this using dry French onion soup mix, stay tuned for more on that.

Happy Eating, XO.