This weeks recipe for Barefoot comes from Lindsey of Noodle Nights and Muffin Mornings.  Chicken Piccata has become one of our rotation recipes because it’s just so darned good.  I originally made it to go with the Herb Roasted Onions we made a few months ago (which, by the way… if you haven’t [...]]]>

**not gluten free**

This weeks recipe for Barefoot comes from Lindsey of Noodle Nights and Muffin Mornings.  Chicken Piccata has become one of our rotation recipes because it’s just so darned good.  I originally made it to go with the Herb Roasted Onions we made a few months ago (which, by the way… if you haven’t made them… do so- they are fabulous!)

I made a couple adjustments to boost the flavor of the chicken since I’ve made this dish a couple times before.  First, in the flour mixture I use wheat flour and add about a teaspoon of garlic powder and about a half teaspoon of onion powder.  In the egg, I add a splash of milk instead of water to make it slightly more fluffy.  Finally, in the bread crumb mixture I add about a tablespoon of grill seasoning.

Of course, the sauce is delicious made as is… but I don’t use a whole lot of butter if I don’t have to so I opt to use a tablespoon of olive oil instead of butter for the beginning part of the sauce.  Once the wine and olive oil have mingled with each other for a while I throw in the lemon juice, cook for a minute then turn off the heat.  I always add one tablespoon of butter at the end to silken the sauce… which turns out wonderfully.

You can find the recipe for Chicken Picatta in Barefoot at Home or follow along with my additions.

Chicken Picatta
Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 c whole wheat flour
2 eggs
1/4 c milk (I always use 1%)
3/4 c dried bread crumbs
1 T grill seasoning
Olive oil
For the Sauce:
1 T olive oil
1/2 c dry white wine
Juice of 2 lemons (Halves reserved and a couple slices for garnish)
1 T butter
Chopped parsley, for garnish

In three separate shallow bowls combine the following:
Bowl 1: Flour, Garlic Powder and Onion Powder
Bowl 2: Milk and egg
Bowl 3: Bread crumbs and grill seasoning

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat with about 2 T olive oil (add more if necessary… those breadcrumbs are greedy).  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

If you have large chicken breasts, place them in a small zip-top bag one at a time and flatten with a meat tenderizer (or your head if you feel like banging your head against a wall because it’s been another one of those days… I kid.)

First lightly coat the chicken in the flour mixture, shaking off excess flour.  Place the chicken in the egg mixture and lightly coat, then into the bread crumbs to create a nice crust.  Immediately put into the waiting heated skillet.  Repeat with other chicken breasts until you’re out of room in the pan (two batches are generally necessary).  Once the first side is nicely browned after about 4 minutes, flip to the other side and brown.

Remove browned chicken from the pan to a cookie sheet then place in the oven for safe keeping.

To prepare the sauce: wipe out pan if there are any errant breadcrumbs, etc. floating around.  Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil and white wine to the pan.  Heat the olive oil, wine and lemon halves for about 5 minutes, or until the wine starts to bubble and cook down.  Remove lemon halves and discard, add lemon juice to pan and stir to combine, warm through for about 2 minutes then turn the heat off.  Place one tablespoon of butter into the pan and stir until melted.

Remove chicken from oven and plate, drizzling with the sauce and garnishing with chopped parsley and sliced lemons.

Enjoy!

You aren’t a Barefooter yet?  You should be ashamed of yourself!  We’re full of wonderful Ina recipes and good times… come join!

Head on back later this week for all sorts of Irish recipes… The Husband is (go ahead… laugh…) Half IRISH and half POLISH.  Yes, yes, yes… I have my hands full- but I love it.

Was it just me and my crazy Sunday that had problems with these meringues?  I’ve made meringues before… several times but  I’ve never quite experienced the problems I had with these.  I’m sure the other Barefooters faired well.

The first batch I made (yes, you read that correctly… the first batch) somehow glued themselves to my [...]]]>

Was it just me and my crazy Sunday that had problems with these meringues?  I’ve made meringues before… several times but  I’ve never quite experienced the problems I had with these.  I’m sure the other Barefooters faired well.

The first batch I made (yes, you read that correctly… the first batch) somehow glued themselves to my cookie sheets! I had to use a paint scraper to get the glue cookies off of the cookie sheets (paper and all).  After I scraped the cookies off, I had to soak the cookie sheets for 2 hours then scrub them again with the paint scraper.  Finally.  I had victory and started over on Tuesday night.

I could blame Sunday night’s fiasco on several things.  I could blame it on the fact that The Husband walked through the kitchen and saw the eggs on the counter and very thoughtfully put them back in the refrigerator.

I could blame it on one of the neighbors stopping by to gossip about other neighbors (which still makes me shake my head in shame), interupting the process of whipping the whites.

I could also blame it on the cops blocking my driveway so The Husband couldn’t get back in the house because of an incident next door… forcing me to have to stop everything again and go outside to gawk at the spectecal myself.  (All I can say is, God help me when I have teenagers!)

I could blame it on my poor Kitchen Aid getting tired after 23 minutes on high speed without success.

I could also blame it on the fact that this recipe just seemd off from the beginning and I should have known better.

I accept the fact that sometimes things just don’t work out.  This was one of those times.  It worked out in the end.  Sunday is one of the days I don’t have martial arts.  I needed to do something physical, like scraping cookie sheets.

Of course, I had to do something to mess with the recipe.  Berries were $5 for 1/2 pint this weekend.  I decided to go with a fig and honey  layer for my square cookies and a chocolate layer for the round ones.  Check out the recipe for Ina Garten’s Meringue Chantilly, but make sure you use 3/4 t cream of tartar and only bake them for an hour at 200 degrees… not 2 hours.

**not gluten free**

Fig & Honey
1/2 package dried figs
1/2 c rum
1/2 c honey
1 vanilla bean, seeded

In a small saucepan, combine the reconsituted figs (discard leftover rum), honey and vanilla bean.  Bring to a gentle boil over medium low heat.  Garnish a meringue with the figs and enjoy.

Not a Barefoot Blogger yet?  You should be ashamed of yourself.  Come join us!  Thanks BMK at Reservations Not Required for the great selection this week!

A big thanks is in order for Rebecca of Ezra Pound Cake who chose this week’s Barefoot recipe.  What is the thanks for?  The excuse to try out another recipe for spaghetti and meatballs?  Sure.  The crazy antics that she’s always coming up with that make me laugh so hard I have stitches?  Absolutely.  The extra kiss [...]]]>

A big thanks is in order for Rebecca of Ezra Pound Cake who chose this week’s Barefoot recipe.  What is the thanks for?  The excuse to try out another recipe for spaghetti and meatballs?  Sure.  The crazy antics that she’s always coming up with that make me laugh so hard I have stitches?  Absolutely.  The extra kiss I received from The Husband Tuesday night when we sat down to eat?  Okay.  

Really, I want to thank Rebecca for choosing a recipe that has wine in it.  It was the perfect excuse to pour a glass while slowly relaxing in the kitchen as I made dinner.  Somehow between the first sip and the fourth sip all of my worries slipped away.  Don’t get me wrong… the four sips were well spaced out, I hadn’t even finished the glass by the time the mammoth meatballs were in the marinara.  

Has that ever happened to you?  One minute you’re fine… enjoying a glass of wine (which is not a rare occurrence) and suddenly you’re singing AC/DC’s Big Balls at the top of your lungs?  Don’t lie… you’re laughing at me because you can relate.  At some point in your life the full moon has zapped all tolerance from your body and made you the lightweight of the century.  The half a glass of wine you were enjoying has suddenly turned you into an immature teenager dancing through your house singing the absurd lyrics to a song from your youth that would never grace your lips in a more sober lucid moment.  

Okay, okay.  You’re all better people than me.  Maybe it’s the stress I’m under lately.  Maybe I haven’t had a drink in a few weeks… who knows.  All I know is this was one excellent recipe.  I think.  I can’t really recall. What I can recall is this: the only changes I made to this recipe were to reduce fat and up the nutrients.

First of all, The Husband and I don’t do veal… so I just omitted it and ground some extra pork chops with my Kitchenaid meat grinder*.  I also omitted the water in the meatball recipe because I baked my balls instead of frying them in a skillet.  Other than that, I switched all purpose pasta for whole-grain pasta and added about a teaspoon of red pepper flakes to my oil as it heated to prepare the marinara.  The recipe for meatballs is very similar to my own… just on a larger scale and the addition of nutmeg (which I loved).  Find the recipe here.  

Since we had so many left over mammoth sized meatballs, I made chopped meatball subs for dinner after Martial Arts last night.  Which, of course, were fabulous.

If you aren’t a barefoot blogger yet… shame on you.  Come join us!  We’re full of deliciously good times!

*If you’ve ever toyed with the idea of purchasing the  meat grinder attachment for your Kitchenaid… I strongly suggest you take the plunge.  It is the most amazingly wonderful “gadget” I have!

Mosey on back tomorrow for a last minute Valentine’s Day treat for you and your sweetie.  Whatever you thought about chocolate covered strawberries is about to change forever.

For Christmas, The Mother-In-Law gave me the new Barefoot Contessa book.  My normal mode of operation when getting a new cookbook is to pour over it with a pad of posties next to me marking pages of things I really want to make.  The new book was so marked with orange posties I could hardly [...]]]>

For Christmas, The Mother-In-Law gave me the new Barefoot Contessa book.  My normal mode of operation when getting a new cookbook is to pour over it with a pad of posties next to me marking pages of things I really want to make.  The new book was so marked with orange posties I could hardly recognize it.

One recipe that stood out immediately to me in Ina’s new book was Roasted Potato and Leek soup.  Instead of following the recipe to the letter, I switched it up a little building it into something amazingly yummy.

We eat a lot of soup in the Cat House, when I make soup I tend to do my own thing; adding ingredients I think will work well together using  spices and herbs as I go along.

Roasted Potato & Leek Soup
Whiskey Style

2 T olive oil
4 potatoes
4 leeks
Salt & Pepper
4 carrots
6 c chicken stock
2 oz reduced fat cream cheese
For garnish,
4 slices prosciutto
2 scallions, sliced
Shaved parmesan

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a large cookie-sheet with foil and lightly spray with non-stick spray (not using too much olive oil on the potatoes keeps the soup lowfat, therefore needing a little extra umph to make sure nothing sticks).

Peel potatoes and cut into 3/4″ cubes.  Place potatoes on the lightly greased cookie sheet.  Clean the leeks by cutting in half lengthwise, then running the cut side under cold water to release all of the sand and ick from the folds.  Slice the leeks in about 1/4″ slices and place on cookie sheet.

Top potatoes and leeks with 2 T olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Rub the oil, salt & pepper evenly and spread the potatoes and leeks into an even a layer as possible.  Roast at 425 for 20 minutes.  Prepare the carrots by peeling and cutting into 1/2″ slices.  Remove potatoes and leeks from oven, add carrots to the sheet and toss everything.  Roast for another 20 minutes.

Once the veggies have roasted, transfer the veggies to a dutch oven (or large soup pot).  Add chicken broth and bring to a boil (about 3 minutes).

While the oven is still hot, place prosciutto on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes (or until crispy.)  Set aside.

Using an immersion blender*, blend the potato mixture until smooth, leaving a few chunks for texture.  Stir in cream cheese until melted and warmed through.

Serve garnished with broken crispy prosciutto, sliced scallions and shaved Parmesan.

Karen of Something Sweet by Karen chose Ina Garten’s Banana Sour Cream Pancakes as the very first recipe of 2009.  My palms were sweaty as the realization hit.  I have to make pancakes!  Oh, it’s going to be a disaster!  After all, we’ve been down this road before.

It’s bad enough that the million [...]]]>

**not gluten free**

Karen of Something Sweet by Karen chose Ina Garten’s Banana Sour Cream Pancakes as the very first recipe of 2009.  My palms were sweaty as the realization hit.  I have to make pancakes!  Oh, it’s going to be a disaster!  After all, we’ve been down this road before.

It’s bad enough that the million plus readers at Smitten know that I can’t cook a pancake to save my life… my boss, Slick, sends me videos of Alton Brown making perfect golden pancakes, my father-in-law grabbed a bowl and a spoon when he visited over the summer and whipped up the most superb scratch-made pancakes I’ve ever eaten (how’s that for a run-on sentence!).

Yesterday in the middle of my meltdown I cried to Chocolatechic and told her the woes of my pancake dilemma.  A panic attack was eminent.  I had every intention of making the pancakes Tuesday evening, but luck ADD had another plan.  I was left with Wednesday evening to prepare pancakes that were gorgeous.  I didn’t even care if they tasted good at this point, I was simply concerned that they looked good.

You see, The Husband bought me a very cool and incredible camera for Christmas.  With all of the running around over the past two weeks, we just installed the cables to the computer.  I knew this was going to be the debut of my fancy new photo skills… the pancakes had to do the camera justice!

The Husband and one of our friends went to the range yesterday afternoon.  I put off making the pancakes as long as I could.  I went shopping after work, I spent way too long on the phone.  I tried to let time slip away! My grumbling tummy wouldn’t allow me to wait any longer.

I washed the perspiration off my hands.  I said a prayer and began chanting, ‘You can do this. You can do this.  Don’t let a pancake defeat you.  You are stronger than a pancake.’

I made a few changes to the recipe.  First, I mashed the banana and mixed it in with the wet ingredients.  Diced banana sprinkled on top of an evil pride defeating uncooked pancake sounded like a bit more than I could handle.    Second, I used (sorry Chocolatechic) 1/2 ricotta cheese and 1/2 sour cream.  Also, since our friend was coming for dinner I doubled the recipe (Okay… really, I doubled the recipe because I was hoping that out of a double batch I would at least have ONE pancake worthy of photographing!) so I used 1/2 vanilla extract and 1/2 almond extract.  Also, I learned from watching my father-in-law make pancakes that there is copious amounts of baking powder in his cakes… so I used (gulp) 4 Tablespoons of baking powder.  I cooked them medium-low on the double griddle that stretches my stove.  I used a mixture of melted butter and canola oil for my grease.

The result?  Seriously?  TheBestDamnPancakesIHaveEverMade!  Thanks Chocolatechic.  Really.    You talked me down from the ledge.  Oh, and Karen… thanks for the pick.  It was totally worth all the anxiety!

If you aren’t a fellow Barefooter with us… then shame on you.  I won’t hold out on you though, you can still find the recipe here.

A season filled with such joy is also filled with unending errands, parties and dinners.  Tonight I’ll be making a double-header at my office Christmas party (yes, we still call it a Christmas party!) and the Joint Services Military Ball.  Sometime this afternoon I’ll be transformed from a black-clad girl to a princess in red. [...]]]>

A season filled with such joy is also filled with unending errands, parties and dinners.  Tonight I’ll be making a double-header at my office Christmas party (yes, we still call it a Christmas party!) and the Joint Services Military Ball.  Sometime this afternoon I’ll be transformed from a black-clad girl to a princess in red.  Oh, what joy! (can you hear the sarcasm?)

Try as I might, I could not back out of the ball.  The Husband wouldn’t hear of it.  He doesn’t expect much, but unfortunately a woman on his arm at this silly thing is a requirement.  I’d rather be anywhere else than at a military ball with a bunch of  giddy little girls wearing last year’s prom dress.  I’m too old for this.  Give me a real military ball and I’ll be happy to go (but still be bored).

Anywho, this week’s barefoot recipe was chosen by Bethany of This Little Piggy Went to the Market.  This recipe was absolutely delicious.    I even tried bribing The Husband with this dinner to forget he was married tonight… alas, it did not work.  Of course, I didn’t have all of the ingredients so I improvised a little.

Coq Au Vin (Whiskey Style)
Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa

2 T olive oil
4 oz bacon or pancetta, diced (I used bacon)
1 (3-4 lb) chicken, cut into 8ths (I used boneless, skinless breast)
Salt and pepper
1/2 lb carrots, cut diagonally in 1″ pieces
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 t chopped garlic
1/4 c Cognac or brandy (I used one of those airplane bottles… no idea how much that was)
1/2 bottle good dry wine, such as Burgandy (I used a white Pinot Grigio because that’s what was open)
1 c good chicken stock, preferably homemade (straight out of a bottle, dude.)
10 fresh thyme sprigs (I used about 1 T dried)
2 T unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided (I used 1 T)
1 1/2 T flour
1/2 lb frozen small whole onions (I just realized I forgot to use these)
1/2 lb cremini mushrooms, stems removed and thickly sliced (we don’t do fungus… sorry, we used green beans instead)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven.  Add bacon and cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned.  Remove the bacon to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Meanwhile, lay the chicken out on paper towels and pat dry.  Liberally sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.  When bacon is removed, brown the chicken pieces in batches in a single layer for about 5 minutes, turning to brown evenly.  Remove chicken to a plate with the bacon and continue to brown until all the chicken is done.  Set aside.

Add the carrots, onion, 2 t salt and 1 t pepper to the pan and cook over medium heat (I thought this was a lot of salt so I left it out) for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.  Add the cognac and put the bacon, chicken, and any juices that collected on the plate into the pot.  Add the wine, chicken stock, and thyme and bring to a simmer.  Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just not pink.  Remove from the oven and place on top of the stove.

Mash butter and flour together and stir into the stew.  Add the frozen onions (or green beans while totally forgetting about that pesky bag of frozen onions!).  In a medium saute pan, add the remaining 1 T butter and cook the mushrooms over medium-low for 5 to 10 minutes, until browned (or boycott fungus like me and save yourself from more dishes!)  Add to the stew.  Bring the stew to simmer and cook for another 10 minutes.  Season to taste.  Serve hot with mashed potatoes.

There’s really no way to tie this story into the recipe, so bear with me as I must share what [...]]]> Better late than never, right?  I actually made this soup the Tuesday before Thanksgiving thinking that my life would somehow, magically open up a moment in time that I could write about it.  Not so much.

There’s really no way to tie this story into the recipe, so bear with me as I must share what occurred in my bedroom last night.  Recently through a little encouragement from Kate, I’ve decided to start taking Martial Arts lessons in January.  This decision has made me smile throughout the day and yearn to actually start.  Last night over dinner I again began to talk about my excitement at taking the lessons.  My head was filled with Martial Arts fantasies as I lay in bed waiting for my slumber.  The Husband was in his man room drumming away on homework when I must have slipped into a deep sleep.

Sometime during the night The Husband climbed into bed and reached a peaceful rest himself.  Suddenly, I jumped out of bed… back into bed screaming HIIYA! and proceeded to punch my husband in the torso.  The grand finale?  A knee to his back and a, “Oh.  Honey?  I’m sorry.  I didn’t realize you were in bed.”  I flopped back into bed and went immediately back to sleep.  Not before, however, glancing at the foot of the bed to where Gomer and Radar sat staring at me with absolute wonderment.  ’Goodness that woman is nuts!’ I can almost hear them say.

Welcome to my world.  As if I don’t make life for my wonderful husband difficult enough at times, I just made him afraid… very afraid of me and my sleep.  This morning in the shower I noticed that my knee was a little sore (what knee wouldn’t be after launching itself into a spine?) and the whole horrid recollection hit me like a mac truck.  I rinsed my hair, ran to the bedroom and woke my sleeping husband.

“Honey?  Hooooney?  Did I, uh… did I… did I hurt you last night?”
He replied, “It’s fine.  I’m sorry I didn’t separate the peanut butter.”
“Peanut butter?”
“Yes, your crazy ass was talking nonsense about separating peanut butter.”
“Oh.  Okay.  That doesn’t make sense.”
“I think the troublesome part here is that you’re trying to make sense of this.”

He grabbed me, slapped a kiss on my lips and pushed me downstairs to grab my morning Joe.

It’s going to be one of those days…

On to the Barefoot recipe I am so shamefully late at posting.  This Last month’s recipe was chosen by Judy of Judy’s Gross Eats.  Okay, I’ll admit it.  I have a favorite Chicken Tortilla Soup that is my standard fall back for such treats.  I was a little sceptical of this recipe and had to force myself to make it as was.  Oh, how you wonderful fellow Barefoot girls (and guys) would be proud.  I hardly made any changes!  The most important change I made was using my immersion blender to blend the vegetables for about 10 seconds to get a good consistency instead of large chunks of vegetables.  Also, I cut the tortillas into little squares instead of strips.  Remember?  I have this thing about soggy bread?  The only other thing I did was double the cilantro (adding it at the very end so it didn’t cook too much and get bitter) and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

The soup was incredible!  Just what The Husband and I needed on a cold Midwestern night.  Neither one of us finished a single bowl though, it was incredibly filling.  The pot took us through to Thanksgiving eve where we stood with spoons over the reheated pot.

Mexican Soup
Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa

4 split chicken breasts, bone in, skin on (yeah right… you know I used boneless skinless!)
Good Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
2 c onion, chopped
1 c celery, chopped
2 c carrots, chopped
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 quarts chicken stock (I actually only used 3 c chicken stock)
1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes, crushed (again, used the immersion blender)
2 to 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 t ground cumin (I used 2 t)
1 t ground coriander
1/4 to 1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro not optional Ina! (I used at least a cup)
6 fresh white corn tortillas
To Serve:
Sliced avocado
Sour Cream
Cheddar Cheese
Tortilla Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place the chicken on a foil lined baking sheet and sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper.   Roast 35 to 40 minutes (if using boneless skinless roast 375 for 15-20 minutes).  When chicken is cool enough to handle discard the skin and bones, shred the meat.  Cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 3 T olive oil in a large soup pot.  Add the onions, celery and carrots, cooking over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until onions start to brown (I actually cooked the jalapeno with the veggies instead of adding them later).  Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.  Add chicken stock (I used 3 c only because a. I didn’t need to feed an Army.  b. I like thicker soups).  Add the chicken stock and tomatoes, jalapenos (if you haven’t already added them), cumin, coriander, salt and pepper to taste.  Ina says add the cilantro now.  I say wait… wait until about 5 minutes before you serve it because cilantro has a tendency to get slimy and bitter.

At this point, I used the immersion blender to break down the chunks of vegetables.  Cut the tortilla chips into strips (or cubes) and add to the soup.  Bring soup to boil, then lower heat and simmer 25 minutes.  Add chicken and season to taste.

Serve soup topped with sliced avocado, sour cream, cheddar and tortilla chips.

Dang.  I really wish I had some of this for lunch today.

Life seems to be slipping through my fingers these days.  Can you tell… 2 posts in a week… and I actually have many wonderful things to write about!  

Thankfully, menu planning was a little easier this week because it’s Barefoot Bonus time.  Deb, of Kahakai Kitchen referred the most people to [...]]]>

Life seems to be slipping through my fingers these days.  Can you tell… 2 posts in a week… and I actually have many wonderful things to write about!  

**not gluten free**

Thankfully, menu planning was a little easier this week because it’s Barefoot Bonus time.  Deb, of Kahakai Kitchen referred the most people to the Barefoot site, so she got to choose a dish and Lisa from Lime in the Coconut created our cool new avatar so she got to choose too!

Tuesday night when The Husband was playing Air Force with the kiddos in ROTC, I made the risotto cakes, lit the grill for some steaks and stir-fried some mini bell peppers.  The risotto cakes were fabulous.  No matter how fabulous they are, I don’t, however, recommend making them while talking on the phone with a sister-in-law who is telling funny stories about a lady-killer nephew that will leave you in stiches.  Laughter and hot oil… not such a great combo.

Last night I realized that I still needed to make the Orange Chocolate Chunk Cakes that Lisa chose.  I set to task immediately after work, only for my sister to call in the middle of everything.  I still managed to make the cakes, and the uh… bit? I had was fabulous.

I realized about 5 minutes after I threw the cakes in the oven that I forgot to spray the rose-shaped bundt pans with non-stick spray.  ’No problem.’ I thought.  It’ll be okay, it’s one of those cool non-stick pans. Yeah.  Problem.  I tried to flip them out of the pan without luck.  Fine.  They’re warm, right?  Heat makes things expand… ‘ah… put them in the freezer!’ That made it worse.  They were easier to work with when they were warm, ‘back in the oven!’ Whatever.  I ended up having to pick the cakes out of the pan.  I threw it in a bowl, drizzled the syrup over it and decided I might do something with the crumbs tonight.

After much frustration, at 8:56 when The Husband walked in the door, I dished out bowls of Prudy’s Tuscan Vegetable Soup and finally, everything was right with the world again.

To get the recipe for the Risotto Cakes and Orange Chocolate Chunk Cakes visit the Barefoot Bloggers website (click away!)

I know I’ve been neglectful to some of my friends out here in the internet world.  I promise, I’m trying to catch up on everything you’re doing.  As The Husband would say, I have 26 hours of things to do every 24 hours.  It’s bound to slow down soon, right?  Right?!??!

The Husband and I are like two planes flying without navigation in the skies right now.  Someday we’re bound to find each other, but for now…. we’re making due with the short snippets of time that we actually fly by.  

Monday, The Husband called at 8:30 to say he was on [...]]]>

The Husband and I are like two planes flying without navigation in the skies right now.  Someday we’re bound to find each other, but for now…. we’re making due with the short snippets of time that we actually fly by.  

**not gluten free**

Monday, The Husband called at 8:30 to say he was on his way home, and was dinner ready?  He hadn’t eaten all day.  I said, “it will be by the time you get here.”  ”Great,” he replied, “What are we having?”  ”Herb Roasted Onions,” I distractedly replied.  ”Onions?” he asked, “Onions?  We’re having onions for dinner?”  ”Uh… yes.” I firmly stated.  Were you expecting something more?”

Of course, I’m an awfully facetious woman.  I looked up the recipe that Kelly with Baking With The Boys had chosen for this week’s analysis and determined that I would simply make the full meal that Ina Garten orchestrated for her Jeffrey.  It’s Barefoot time again… which means pulling together a group of ingredients and shocking your taste buds with something fabulous!

This was a fabulous meal.  The only gripe I have about it (besides the normal gripes about butter, butter, butter…) is that I should have planned to do this on a weekend when I wasn’t so frazzled from the day.  I was actually quite excited about this because when our family makes roasts or big family meals, the bowls of steamed or roasted onions are the first to go.

I actually made the recipe exactly as written.  You can find it on the Food Network Website… here.

Oh… I used marjoram instead of thyme… that’s the only change I made… promise!

By the way… don’t you love the new Barefoot avatar?  Courtesy of Lime in the Coconut!

Every year a bunch of A-10 pilots, maintainers and enthusists get together to pay tribute to fallen warthogs, then compete in a tactical gunnery and bombing competition called Hawgsmoke.  This of course, prompted The Husband to organize a group of people to drive to Salina, KS to watch the competition last week.  Knowing I desperately [...]]]>

**not gluten free**

Every year a bunch of A-10 pilots, maintainers and enthusists get together to pay tribute to fallen warthogs, then compete in a tactical gunnery and bombing competition called Hawgsmoke.  This of course, prompted The Husband to organize a group of people to drive to Salina, KS to watch the competition last week.  Knowing I desperately miss our military community and the smell of jet fuel, on his way out of the door last Thursday, The Husband looked at me and said, “Come on… call in sick!  Come with me!”  Always the good girl, I reluctantly hugged him goodbye and told him to have a good time without me.

That evening after lengthy discussions of the day spent watching our beloved hogs (the a-10 is The Husband’s jet…) and spending time in the company of other military service members, The Husband announced, “Honey!  I forgot to tell you… I might have found another military wife for you!  I told him I’d check with the Commander (that’s me) about having them over for dinner Saturday night.”  Sweet. After checking the calendar I told The Husband the mission was a go.

We had a million things to do this past weekend so I wanted to serve something quick and easy for my audition dinner guests.  Knowing Deb over at Kahakai Kitchen chose vegetable pot pies for this week’s Barefoot recipe, I grabbed the ingredients needed for my own chicken pot pie, plus a butternut squash thinking I’d have everything necessary.

Dinner was fun.  It was nice to be around another military wife for a change.  Between the lingering smile lines on The Husband’s face from being around his hogs, to the light banter between the Marine Corps family and us, The Air Force family… the evening could be counted mostly a success.

Nothing is ever a true success in the Cat House though.  Our guests arrived on time, but I was nowhere near ready to serve dinner. As I cooked, The Marine Wife and I chatted back and forth about military life and ADD.  I forgot to take pictures of the pot pies when they came out of the oven and after grace, we all dug in.  About a quarter of the way through my dinner I looked at The Husband, who was finished and quietly asked him, “Honey, please take a picture really quick… it’s for Barefoot.”  Misunderstanding what I was saying, he dug in and ate the rest of my dinner. Of course, after a very strange look from me (it was probably raging hunger and panic at the fact that my dinner was now happily residing in his stomach) he asked me what was wrong… I said, “I asked you to take a picture of that…”  He replied, “Oh.  I thought you were finished.  I’m sorry.”  He jumped up and grabbed the camera and snapped a really terrible picture…

I remade the potpies last night so I could at least give them a chance at glamour.  Of course, I couldn’t make Ina’s recipe exactly as written.  I made my lightened up version with a few additions to make it more Inalike.  I’m glad I met this new family, I’m not sure if it will lead to a lasting friendship or anything more than friendly acquaintances, but I do know that we will always make pot pies in the Cat House.

Delta Whiskey’s Lightened Up Chicken Pot Pie

A Delta Whiskey Original Concoction

1 T butter
1 T olive oil
3 chicken breasts, cut in 1/2″ pieces
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled, halved then sliced 1/2″
2 ribs celery, halved then sliced 1/2″
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1/2″ pieces
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed into 1/2″ pieces
1/2 lb fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1″ pieces
Salt and pepper
1 t dried basil
1/2 t dried thyme
4 c chicken broth
1 c 1% milk
2 T cornstarch
8 sheets phyllo dough
Butter flavored non-stick spray (genius!)

In a large stockpot, heat olive oil and butter over medium high heat.  Add chicken pieces and brown.  Stir in remaining vegetables with the exception of green beans (they really need a little crunch for me).  Season with salt and pepper, add basil and thyme.  Cook over medium high heat for about 2 minutes until vegetables just start to soften.

Add chicken broth, bring to a light boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, just until potatoes and squash have cooked through.  In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and milk.  Stir into chicken and vegetable mixture.  Cook for about 2 minutes until thickened (add a little more cornstarch/milk if needed).

Ladle the chicken and vegetable mixture into 4 individual serving bowls (or a medium sized casserole dish), set aside.

Lay out a single layer of phyllo dough and spray lightly with butter flavored non-stick spray.*  Lay another piece of phyllo dough on top of that, spray with non-stick spray again, then repeat with 2 more pieces of phyllo dough until there are 4 sheets together.  Cut the phyllo dough in half so you have two slightly rectangular squares.  Lay one squarish piece on top of one of the bowls and tuck in.  Repeat with remaining bowls and 4 sheets of phyllo dough.  If desired, garnish the dough with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until phyllo has lightly browned.  Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

*I’ve tried several different brands of butter flavored non-stick spray for phyllo purposes.  PAM has the best flavor in my opinion.  Using the butter PAM cuts down considerably on calories, as you are skipping the melted butter.