December Recipes

From Joelen & Rels09

From Joelen:
http://joelens.blogspot.com/

FN: Chicken Francese (Tyler Florence recipe) - we can never have too many chicken dishes and this one is a great one!
Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 11/2 pounds)
All-purpose flour, for dredging 4 large eggs
3 tablespoons water
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 lemon, with rind, cut in thin rounds
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Directions
Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them. Pound the chicken breasts with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, beat the eggs with 3 tablespoons of water to make an egg wash. Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet.
Dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 2 minutes on each side until golden, turning once. Remove the chicken cutlets to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.
Toss the lemon slices into the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the wine, broth, and lemon juice, simmer for 5 minutes to reduce the sauce slightly. Roll the butter in some flour and add it to the skillet, this will thicken the sauce. Stir to incorporate and dissolve the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and return the chicken to the pan; place the lemon slices on top of the cutlets. Simmer gently for 2 minutes to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Non FN: Nestle Toll House Cookie (Nestle recipe) - I'm curious to see how folks take this classic recipe and make it their own.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:PREHEAT oven to 375° F.
COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
PAN COOKIE VARIATION: Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.
SLICE AND BAKE COOKIE VARIATION: PREPARE dough as above. Divide in half; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Shape each half into 15-inch log; wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.* Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen cookies. * May be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer for up to 8 weeks.
FOR HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING (5,200 feet): Increase flour to 2 1/2 cups. Add 2 teaspoons water with flour and reduce both granulated sugar and brown sugar to 2/3 cup each. Bake drop cookies for 8 to 10 minutes and pan cookie for 17 to 19 minutes.


From Rels09:
http://savorysafari.wordpress.com/

Dan and Steve's chicken and sausage stew over oven-roasted potatoes:
Ingredients
10 tablespoons butter
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thigh meat, cut into 2 -inch chunks
Salt and pepper
8 ounces andouille sausage, sliced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into thick rounds
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
5 cups chicken stock
1 orange, zest grated
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white wine
Oven roasted potatoes, recipe follows
Directions
Melt 6 tablespoons of the butter in a large, heavy bottomed stockpot over medium heat. Just before the butter begins to brown, add the chicken. Season with a little salt and pepper and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the andouille and cook 2 more minutes. Remove the meat to a large dish and set aside.
Melt the remaining butter in the same pot. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, fennel, thyme and bay leaves and cook over medium heat until the onion turns translucent, about 20 minutes.
As the vegetables cook, pour the chicken stock into a large saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low.
When the vegetable mixture is ready, add the orange zest to the pot along with the reserved meat and any juices. Mix well. Add the flour and stir to coat the vegetables and meat. Cook 2 minutes. Add the wine and stir. The mixture will thicken immediately. Add the warm chicken stock to the pot 1 cup at a time, stirring as the stock is added. Once all of the stock has been used, bring the stew to a simmer for 20 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve.
Oven Roasted Potatoes:
10 medium red potatoes, washed and diced or 25 small potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large bowl, toss the potatoes together with the oil, salt pepper, thyme, rosemary and parsley. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and put into the top half of the oven. Roast 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender, golden brown and crispy. Remove from oven and serve as a bed for the stew

The second one is a fun appetizer recipe - Texas Caviar

3 16-oz cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed of all juice
1 small jar chopped pimentos, juice included
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, green part only
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
3 canned or fresh jalapeño chiles, chopped
1 firm, ripe, chopped tomato
2 cups vinaigrette
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
3 cloves fresh garlic, pressed or minced
Preparation
In a large bowl, stir all ingredients very well. Refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours, preferably overnight, in a sealed or covered container. Remember the longer it sits, the better it gets!
Serve with old-fashioned saltine crackers or with corn tortilla chips.