Braised Herb Chicken Thighs with Potatoes

This recipe came from myrecipes.com.  This makes the house smell so good, and it's a simple, hearty meal for the chilly fall weather.

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 chicken thighs (about 2 pounds), skinned 
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups (2-inch-thick) slices carrot
• 1 large onion, cut into 8 wedges 
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (I just added extra broth instead of the wine)
• 1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes, quartered (I used cubed russet potatoes)

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken; seal bag, shaking to coat.
2. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chicken and remaining flour mixture to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly brown. Add carrot and onion; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add broth, wine, and potatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes or until chicken is done and vegetables are tender.

Menu Plan Monday

Find more meal plans at orgjunkie.com!

I did a great job of sticking to my menu plan last week--it's so nice to have it all planned out for the week.  The only change I made is having Chicken and Wild Rice Soup on Saturday instead of plain old chicken soup.  Here's what we're eating this week:

Sunday--BBQ chicken strips with leftover sides from the fridge
Monday--Crock pot pork roast, baked potatoes, corn, homemade bread
Tuesday--Chicken enchiladas
Wednesday--Hamburger/potatoes/carrots/diced tomatoes in the crockpot
Thursday--Breakfast for supper
Friday--Pizza
Saturday--TBD

I added a recipe this week for Refrigerator Pickles.

Refrigerator Pickles

This is my favorite way to use up the bounty of cucumbers from my garden.  I adapted this from myrecipes.com.

• 6 cups thinly sliced pickling cucumbers (about 2 pounds) 
• 2 cups thinly sliced onion
• 1 1/2 cups white vinegar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds (instead of these spices, I used 2 tsp. of pickling spice)
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (I don't use garlic in my refrigerator pickles)

1. Place 3 cups cucumber in a medium glass bowl; top with 1 cup onion. Repeat procedure with the remaining 3 cups cucumber and remaining 1 cup onion.
2. Combine vinegar and remaining ingredients in a small saucepan; stir well. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Pour over cucumber mixture; let cool. Cover and chill at least 4 days.

Packed in a jar

I usually put these in jars instead of a bowl.  Depending on how tightly I pack the cucumbers, I sometimes need to make more vinegar/sugar mixture.

With vinegar and spices

Adventures in Breadmaking: Couronne and Pain d'Epi

This week I continued with Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by making Couronne and Pain d'Epi.  Couronne is a ring-shaped bread.  Pain d'Epi, or wheat stalk bread, is shaped like a stalk of wheat.  I need to work on my shaping technique still, but the Pain d'Epi was really good.  It was crunchy on the outside and light and chewy on the inside.

Couronne 

Pain d'Epi

Menu Plan Monday

Visit orgjunkie.com for more menu plans!

The weather is looking a whole lot like fall this week, with highs expected to be in the 50's most of the week.  I spend more time in the kitchen when the weather cools off.  Here's what we're eating this week:

Sunday--Roasted turkey breast, sweet potatoes, carrots
Monday--Spaghetti and garlic bread
Tuesday--Fish, pasta side, veggie
Wednesday--Parmesan Drumsticks, mashed potatoes, veggie
Thursday--Hot ham and cheese sandwiches, applesauce, raw veggies
Friday--Pizza
Saturday--Chicken soup

I added a recipe for Blueberry Crumb Bars this week.

Adventures in Breadmaking: Ciabatta Bread

I got the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois for Christmas last year and have been working my way through the different recipes.  The book has a base recipe and then additions and different shapes/sizes for different types of bread.  This week I tried Ciabatta Bread.  It is oblong-shaped and rather flat.  We ate it with the chili I made.

Blueberry Crumb Bars

 From--where else?--allrecipes.com.

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup shortening (I used butter)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon (optional)
• 4 cups fresh blueberries (I used frozen)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 teaspoons cornstarch

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and cinnamon, if desired. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the shortening (butter) and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.
3. In another bowl, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares. 

We had these the first day warm with ice cream, and after that cold from the refrigerator.  They were great both ways!