Creamed Spinach

I have a love affair with spinach. I love it raw in a salad or sandwich, I love it boiled, I love it with cheese, I love it in a lasagna, I just love it. Unfortunately, my family does not share my passion, so like okra (which I love more than spinach) I rarely eat it. And I won't lie to you, my family does not love creamed spinach. But I do! This recipe is so simple and sooooooo good.

You will need:

1 box frozen spinach
1 T butter
1 tsp garlic
3/4 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
squeeze of fresh lemon

Optional: pinch of cayenne pepper



Thaw your spinach and squeeze out the water.



In a medium-size saucepan, melt the butter and garlic. Cook over medium heat for one minute, but don't let the garlic color.



Add the spinach...



cream, lemon, salt, and pepper.



Cook over low heat, stirring often, until the spinach is soft and the cream has thickened. It should take about 15 minutes.





That's it! Your spinach is ready to eat.



I ended up eating it all by myself, but I'm not complaining. So tasty!! I served it with some honey baked ham.



Perfection. Enjoy!

Lemon Chicken

Whenever I make this dish I think of Debra Barone from Everybody Loves Raymond. It was a running joke on the show that it was the only food she could make that was halfway decent. It makes me smile to say we are having Lemon Chicken for dinner. This recipe is so simple and can be cooked on the grill, in a pan, or in the oven.

You will need:

2/3 cup lemon juice (fresh squeezed or bottled)
1/2 cup oil
2T Dijon mustard
2 tsp garlic
salt and pepper to taste
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (each cut into thirds)



Add your lemon juice to a bowl...



then add your spicy mustard...



then garlic...



add your oil and mix well.



Pour over your chicken and marinade for at least 20 minutes, an hour is better.



Don't marinade the chicken overnight. Remember that citrus can "cook" fish (called Ceviche) and it reacts similarly with chicken. So, marinade a maximum of two hours. But that's what is so great about this recipe--you do not have to marinate for long. Also, if you like you can reserve some of the marinade for basting.

Fry in a pan with a little oil until no pink remains, bake it at 350 for 25 minutes, or grill it. So simple and sooooo tasty! (When I cook it in a pan I take out the chicken pieces and add them to the pan without all of the extra marinade. You can dump the whole concoction into a pan to bake it, though.)



Debra would be pleased. Enjoy!!

Food Network Copycat Breadsticks

I was so excited to get a new issue of Food Network Magazine this month! They have the most amazing recipes and photographs of food. True food porn and I am addicted. My favorite part of the magazine may be the Recipe Index. Instead of descriptions of articles with page numbers, they list every piece of food with a thumbnail image and page number. Brilliant. It also has a section called Weeknight Cooking, which details a number of entrees (including a budget-friendly one), sides, salads, tips, and a dessert. Then there is Fun Cooking. For the June/July issue they made a copycat recipe of Olive Garden's breadsticks and let me tell you, it is spot on.

For the dough:
1 package active dry yeast
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used bread flour)
2 T butter, softened
2 T sugar
1 T salt (I used 1 tsp kosher salt)

For the topping:
3 T butter, melted
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Pinch of dried oregano



Why I used bread flour...I was running low on all-purpose, true, but I always prefer to use bread flour. It is higher in gluten, which gives you more rise and a chewiness that I love in bread. Also, bread flour has a small amount of barley, which helps the yeast retain its gas. (I can hear my kids laughing at that explanation.)



Place 1/4 cup very warm water in the mixer bowl with the yeast and leave it alone for 5 minutes or until it looks like this:



Add the flour, butter, sugar, salt, and 1 1/4 cups plus 2 T warm water and mix with the paddle attachment until a slightly sticky dough forms, about 5 minutes.




This dough is a beautiful, wonderful thing. I wanted to name it (Pierre?) and keep it as a pet. Perfect texture. (It kind of looks like a Thanksgiving turkey in the picture, though, doesn't it?)

The recipe suggests kneading the dough on a floured surface for about 3 minutes, until it is very soft and smooth. I didn't want to stop kneading.



Ah, Pierre. You are so beautiful...to me.

Roll the dough into a 2-foot-long log. I spread out some wax paper, floured it, and then made small marks to delineate the 2-foot length.



Cut into 16 1 1/2 inch-long pieces. Despite using a measuring tape, I did not have perfectly even pieces. I do not blame Pierre.



Knead each piece into a 7-inch-long breadstick and place them 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. I used two sheets.



Cover with a lightweight dish towel in a warm spot until almost doubled, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 400. After they have doubled, brush them with 1 1/2 T butter and 1/4 tsp salt. The recipe calls for sprinkling on the salt, but I mixed it with the butter.



Bake for 15 minutes then brush with remaining butter and sprinkle with the salt, garlic powder, and oregano. (Again, I mixed it all together and brushed it on.)