 I just got my September issue of Food & Wine Magazine, and it is filled with some fabulous recipes for Fall. This one looked like a winner for the Delaney Test Kitchen, and I was right. It took 35 minutes total, has a good amount of protein for my athletes, and I always love a soup with kale. It was a really nice soup for a cozy day.
While I used hot Italian sausage as per the recipe, I felt like it could have used some more heat. So next time I’ll be adding some red pepper flakes while the kale is wilting. I served it with fresh French bread so soak up all the goodness. Side note: it made a lot of food. I let the extra cool and then stored it in mason jars in the fridge. It will keep for up to four days. To reheat it, just pour it into into a saucepan and heat it over medium low heat. We will definitely be making this again. Happy Autumn! Creamy Tuscan Chickpea Soup Ingredients:
 This is another 25-30 minute meal that is a winner in our house. This recipe serves 2-3 people, so you'll need to double it if you're cooking for a family of four with big appetites. Or if you want seconds and/or leftovers.
This recipe is great because everybody loves it, and it is easy to make at the end of a long day. It is an easy win! Crispy Thai Beef & Snow Peas served over gold turmeric rice INGREDIENTS:
PREPARATION: STEP 1: In a pot that will hold 2 cups of rice, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil over medium. Add the tumeric and the rice and toast for 2-3 minutes. Then add 1 ½ cups of water & a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Once it boils then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook for 12–15 min. Step 2: Trim snow peas and slice into 1–2" pieces. Put to the side. Step 3: In a large sauté pan, heat 1 Tbsp oil (2 Tbsp) over medium-high. Pat ground beef dry, then add the beef to pan and flatten into an even layer, and cook for 4–5 min without stirring to crisp the bottom. Keeping beef in the pan, spoon out most of excess fat and discard. Step 4: Break beef up with a wooden spoon and add Beef Starter & the chopped snow peas, and cook for another 3–4 minutes until the peas are just tender. Step 5: Zest and juice lime(s), keeping them separate. Then chop the cilantro. Step 6: Make the sauce by first removing the beef & peas from pan. Then reduce the heat to medium. Then to that same pan, still on the heat, add the lime juice & Thai Sauce Starter. Stir it to combine while scraping up any browned bits in the pan for 1-2 minutes. Step 7: Add lime zest to rice and fluff with fork. Step 8: Scoop rice onto a plate, top with crispy beef & snow peas mixtures, and drizzle with the sauce. Garnish with cilantro.  This is a great 30 minute recipe for 2 - 3 people, which works perfectly in our house right now. I don't eat a lot, and our son eats a ton so it all evens out. This is a balanced, healthy meal of protein, greens, and a starch and with lots of flavor. It is also a great recipe for mid-week when we are all busy - on those nights that I have to stay late for a board meeting, my husband in working late, and our son has soccer practice. Even on busy nights like that, I can make this work.
The recipe is from Garnish & Gather in Atlanta, and we are huge fans. If you live in the ATL and have not tried their recipes and meal kits, you really need to. They source everything from local farmers and chefs. Its awesome. Szechuan Chicken & Chili Crisp with basil – scallion rice and stir-fried green beans INGREDIENTS:
PREPARATION: 1. PREP VEGGIES & COOK RICE
2. STIR FRY GREEN BEANS & MAKE CHILI CRISP
3. COOK CHICKEN & FINISH RICE
 In honor of my 29th (!) wedding anniversary, I thought it was time to add “Marry Me Chicken” to the blog. This is one of our favorites that I’ve been making for years, and only recently realized I had not added it – so here it is.
I have tried a few versions of this recipe, but my favorite is the one from NYT Cooking. As they said “This cozy dish, which went viral on TikTok with claims that if you prepare it for someone, you will end up getting married, features boneless chicken breasts nestled in a creamy, tomato-y sauce. With wedding bells in mind or not, this dish comes together fairly quickly and is just as great for entertaining as it is for a family meal.” That is perfectly stated in my opinion. Plus - it is an easy, a one pan dish (bonus) and the sauce is so yummy thanks to the sun dried tomatoes and the tomato paste. I recommend serving this over rice (if you cook it in the rice cooker, it still only counts as a one pan meal!), or with fresh crusty bread from the bakery or that you cooked earlier using my favorite recipe for The Easiest Loaf of Bread. Marry Me Chicken INGREDIENTS: · 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or 6 chicken cutlets (about 2¼ pounds total), patted dry · Kosher salt and black pepper · ¼ cup all-purpose flour · 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed · 3 t Tbsp unsalted butter · 3 garlic cloves, chopped · 1 Tbsp tomato paste · ½ tsp dried oregano · Red-pepper flakes, to taste · 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock · ½ to ¾ cup heavy cream · ½ cup (1½ ounces) grated Parmesan · ⅓ cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil · Fresh basil, for serving PREPARATION: Step 1: If using chicken breasts, start from the thickest end and slice each chicken breast in half horizontally so you end up with a total of 6 cutlets (see Tip). Season both sides of the chicken cutlets well with salt and pepper. Step 2: Scatter the flour on a large plate and coat the cutlets, shaking off the excess. Transfer the cutlets to a sheet pan or large plate in a single layer. Step 3: Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high. Once hot, reduce the heat to medium and add the butter. As soon as it melts, add the cutlets and cook until golden on one side, about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook the other side until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Do this in batches, if needed, adding more oil, if needed. Transfer the cutlets to a plate or sheet pan. Step 4: Reduce the heat to low, add the garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stirring until the color deepens, about 2 minutes. Add the oregano and red-pepper flakes, to taste. Step 5: Increase the heat to medium, add the stock and bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan, until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Step 6: Add ½ cup of the cream and warm through, stirring, until it thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Watch the cream closely, reducing the heat if necessary, to maintain a gentle simmer. Stir in the Parmesan and the sun-dried tomatoes. Add more cream, if you like, and season the sauce. Step 7: Place the chicken back in the pan to warm through, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and scatter basil on top. |