What I'm Cooking This Winter

Do you switch up your dinner menus based on the season? I do, and I love it because I can anticipate making and eating certain recipes for each season! In the fall and winter I, like most people, like a heartier dinner, lots of soups, and cozy meals for these long and dark evenings. I thought it might help some of you with your meal planning if I shared my go-to winter meals. Below are the recipes that I love and make over and over again. I've included 20 recipes with links, which should be more than enough for a whole month of dinners, since each recipe makes plenty of leftovers! 

Stuffed Pepper Soup
Crockpot Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
Roasted Sausage + Veggie Casserole
Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
Pasta Fagioli Soup
Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Chicken
Sausage & Tortellini Soup
Braised French Onion Chicken with Gruyère
Spinach Tomato Orzo Soup
Chicken Italiano 
Cheeseburger Soup
Italian Chicken Soup
Chicken Tomato Pasta Bake
Chipotle Pork Tenderloin with Apple Chutney
Black Bean Chili
Chicken Squares
Oven Baked Spicy Chicken Tacos
Easy Chili
Chicken & Poblano Stew
Stuffed Peppers

(images above are mine, except for 2, 4, 6)

Baked Four-Cheese Farfalle with Chicken

While we were on vacation, I asked Caleb if he missed my cooking.  He said yes, he did, but that he mostly just missed being full.  My husband likes to eat frequently (read: snacks before and after dinner and in the middle of the night), so he really missed having a fridge full of food at his disposal.  Caleb loves pasta, so I tried this new pasta dish right after we got home.  I loved the blend of the different Italian cheeses!  If you're also a cheese lover, you will enjoy this dish!

Baked Four-Cheese Farfalle with Chicken

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, or 3-4 smaller ones

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 stick unsalted butter

2 Tbsp flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1 (28-32 oz) can whole tomatoes in juice, drained (1 1/4 cups juice reserved) and finely chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 pound farfalle

2 1/2 cups coarsely grated mozzarella 

1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola

1/2 cup diced Fontina

1/3 cup grated parmesan Romano

Drizzle olive oil in sauté pan and allow to heat up.  Dice the chicken breasts into small pieces and cook in olive oil until cooked through.  Set aside.

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over moderately low heat.  Add flour and cook, whisking, for 3 minutes to make a roux.  Add milk and reserved tomato juice in a slow stream, whisking, then bring to a boil, whisking constantly.  Stir in tomatoes, salt, and pepper and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Cook pasta al dente according to package directions; drain.

In a large bowl, stir together chicken pieces, pasta, sauce, mozzarella, Gorgonzola, and Fontina.  Transfer to buttered 3- or 4-quart shallow baking dish and sprinkle with parmesan Romano cheese.  Bake at 375 degrees until golden and bubbling, 25-30 minutes.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

source:  recipe altered from The Gourmet Cookbook

New Twist on a Classic

I've found that when it comes to cooking dinner, I usually cook one of two things:  a classic favorite recipe courtesy of my mom, or something totally new I've found on a blog or in a magazine.  I rarely mix up the old favorites, because they're already perfectly wonderful how they are.  So this meatloaf was my attempt to break out a little and shake it up.  I actually did really like this meatloaf, something I am super picky about.  What are some of your favorite meals from growing up?


Meatloaf
2 slices bread
1/4 cup milk
half an onion, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 egg
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1.25 - 1.5 lbs ground beef (80-85% lean)
3 Tbsp ketchup
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Tear bread into little pieces and place in small bowl.  Pour milk over bread pieces and let sit for 10 minutes.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the onion, salt, pepper, garlic, egg, mustard, and beef (or you can use your hands).  Add the bread mixture and combine well.  Shape into a loaf and place in a baking dish lined with parchment paper.  In a small bowl, mix together the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce.  Spread the sauce over the top of the meatloaf.  Bake at 425 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until meatloaf is cooked through.  Let sit for five minutes before cutting and serving.

source:  recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living, February 2011

A Weekend Dinner

I saw this recipe on Apartment Therapy's the kitchn and have been waiting to try it.  It's a recipe from Faith Durand, who oversees the kitchn and wrote the cookbook Not Your Mother's Casseroles (here).  She also happens to be my sister's sister-in-law, so I have heard first-hand how excellent Faith's cooking is.  I knew cooking this was going to take a little more time than I usually spend for a weeknight dinner, but it just sounded too good to pass up.  So I made it last Friday when I had a little more time to spend in the kitchen, and we were not disappointed with the results.  I changed a couple of things, but the general ideal is still the same.  We loved this dish, and I can't wait to make it again!

apologies for the poor quality photo; it doesn't do this delicious dinner justice!

Braised French Onion Chicken with Gruyère
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 onions, sliced into thin half-moons
salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
rosemary, to taste (I think I put a little too much in; 1-2 tsp should be enough)
2 cups chicken broth, divided
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 ounces Gruyère cheese, finely grated (about 1 cup)

Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat.  When the butter has completely melted and foams up, add the onions.  Stir as you add the onions to coat them in the butter.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and black pepper.  Cook the onions for about 40 minutes over low or medium heat, stirring occasionally.

When the onions have developed an evenly light beige color throughout, add the garlic and rosemary, and cook for a few minutes more, stirring frequently.  Turn the heat up to high and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  You want dark, slightly burnt spots to appear on the onions, and for them to develop a rich mahogany color.  When the onions get quite dark, add 1 cup of the beef or chicken broth.  Add it slowly, stirring and scraping up any burnt or stuck-on bits.  When the liquid has been added, bring it back up to a simmer and simmer lightly for 5 minutes, or until it is somewhat reduced.

Take the onions off the heat and pour them into a 3-quart ove-safe dish with a lid (if you don't have one you can use a 9x13-inch baking dish covered with a double layer of foil).

While the onions are cooking, brown the chicken.  Heat a 10-inch pan over medium-high heat.  Pat the the chicken breasts dry and season lightly with salt and pepper.  When the pan is hot, add the chicken and brown for about 5 minutes on each side.  When they've developed a golden-brown crust, remove from the pan and set on top of the caramelized onions in the baking dish.

Add the remaining 1 cup of broth to the pan.  Stir, scraping up any browned bits on the pan.  Whisk in the balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard.  Simmer about 5 minutes, or until reduced by half.  Pour this sauce over the chicken and onions, and put the lid on the baking dish.  The chicken and onions will look quite saucy; there will be a good amount of liquid in the baking dish.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the chicken.  Return the dish to the oven and cook another 4-5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Source:  recipe slightly altered from the kitchn

Here's To Trying New Things

I've always been a little hesitant to cook fish.  And I don't know why.  I think because I've never really seen anyone handle or prepare fish, aside from the fishmongers at the Chinese market.  (And I sure as heck will not be buying and cooking a whole fish, eyeballs and all.)  Last night I put my hesitations aside and just went for it.  Since there was already a significant chance that dinner would flop, I decided to give couscous a try as well.  Both dishes were so easy and delicious!  If you've also been leery of preparing fish, this recipe is great for starters.  And the couscous might be one of my new favorite summer dishes. Enjoy!

Summer Couscous           Serves 6-8
2 cups couscous
1 1/2 Tbsp dried parsley
4 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
3/4 cup olive oil
2/3 cup freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice (about 1 large grapefruit)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 1/2 lemons)
1/4 tsp coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put couscous in a large bowl and add one cup boiling water. 

Stir and let couscous rise while you chop the veggies.

Chop up the cucumber and tomatoes, removing the seeds of both.

Place the tomatoes, cucumber, and parsley in a bowl.

Juice the grapefruit and lemons.  Whisk together the juices,

olive oil, and sea salt in a separate small bowl.

When the couscous has cooled a bit, fluff it with a fork

and then sift with hands to separate the individual grains.

Add the veggie mixture and dressing, and toss 

to combine.  Season with the cumin and black pepper

and give it a final stir.  This dish is best left covered in the

fridge a few hours before serving, so flavors can settle.

Lemon Garlic Tilapia 

3 or 4 tilapia fillets

3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

dried parsley flakes to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Rinse tilapia fillets under cool water, and pat dry with paper towels.  (I used frozen tilapia.  Just make sure to thaw it before preparing). 

Place fillets in baking dish sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray.  Pour lemon juice over the fillets, then drizzle olive oil on top.  Sprinkle with the garlic and lemon zest.  Sprinkle parsley, salt, and pepper over the fillets.  Bake at 375 degrees until the fish is white and flakes when pulled apart with a fork, about 30 minutes.

the tilapia fillets, before cooking

Source:  tilapia recipe slightly adapted from eat drink pretty.  couscous recipe adapted from Lunch in Paris, by Elizabeth Bard

Spiced Chicken

If you're looking for an easy weeknight dinner, here you go.  You marinate the chicken overnight, and then basically dump all the other ingredients in a pot and let it cook on the stove until you're ready to serve it.  And you serve it over rice, which means it is an immediate favorite of mine.  I made this for my family a few days before I got married.  I was nervous that we wouldn't like it, because it is kind of a different recipe.  But it was a hit!  I decided it was time to try it out on Caleb.  He ate so much of it, so I think it is safe to say I will be making this again someday.


Spiced Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper*
1/4 tsp cumin
1 lime, juiced
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup butter
1 can (14.5 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes
1 pint whipping cream

Combine raw chicken pieces, garlic, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin, and juice of lime to marinate overnight in the fridge.

Saute the onion in the butter until soft.  Add marinated chicken and cook about 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.  Add the tomato sauce and the diced tomatoes.  Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat, with the lid on.  Right before serving, add the whipping cream and stir to combine.  Serve over jasmine rice.

*This had the perfect amount of kick for me, but Caleb likes things spicier and thought it could use a little bit more.  Increase or decrease the amount of cayenne depending on how spicy you want this to be.

source:  recipe adapted from tasty kitchen

Stuffed Peppers

I started to like cooking when I was about 13.  We were in living in China, and I loved spending my time perusing AllRecipes and adding recipes to my online recipe box.  I think this hobby was partly because I craved so many American foods that we didn't have access to, but I also just loved reading recipes and thinking about if I would like them or not (something I enjoy to this day).  I often helped my mom cook (especially if it was fajita night, which required us to make our tortillas and salsa from scratch since China had not yet realized the delight of Mexican food), but I really wanted to just make dinner by myself one night.  So I decided on stuffed peppers and these crescent rolls (no cans of Pillsbury at the Chinese market).  This recipe for stuffed pepers is originally my Grandmom's.  Like most recipes, it has been tweaked and altered by my mom and I think I've even made a few changes.  Every time I make these, I remember that first night I made them.  Somehow I burned the rice down to just a black circle of ash (which is pretty humiliating since we were living in China, the land of rice), and I had to make another batch while trying to air out the kitchen.  In the end they were delicious, and they are now one of Caleb's favorite dinners that I make.

Stuffed Peppers
1 - 1 1/2 lbs of ground beef
1/2 cup uncooked rice (I like Jasmine)
1 cup water
6 green bell peppers
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp oregano, divided
salt and pepper to taste
mozzarella cheese, optional

Place rice and water in saucepan and bring to boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.  In skillet over medium heat, cook beef until evenly browned.  Prepare the peppers:  remove and discard tops, seeds, and membranes.  Arrange peppers in baking dish with hollowed sides facing upward.  (You may slice a little of the pepper off the bottom so it stands up straight.  Usually I just look for peppers that have even bumps on the bottom.)

In bowl, mix browned beef, cooked rice, 1 can tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, and oregano.  Spoon an equal amount of the mixture into each pepper.  Mix the remaining tomato sauce and remaining 1/4 tsp oregano in a bowl, and pour over the stuffed peppers.

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour, basting peppers with sauce every 15 minutes until peppers are tender. (Sometimes I don't do this, because I like a little crunch with my peppers.)  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese the last 10 minutes of baking.