Rosemary Chicken with White Beans

Posted on November 10, 2009 by kitchenbelle

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This meal is the definition of an easy and quick weeknight meal.  The tomatoes make this almost like a chunky soup/stew.  In fact, I wish we had some fresh bread on hand because this is a perfect dish for dunking!  I served this with a simple arugula salad.  We really enjoyed this dinner and I look forward to enjoying it again for lunch! 

Notes:

  • For the chicken, I used Perdue thinly sliced chicken breast.  I love how they are nice and lean and cook so quickly!
  • For the stewed tomatoes, I like to use Contadina Diced Tomatoes.  They are perfect for quick weeknight meals!  For this recipe I used the “roasted garlic” variety.
  • You can always use fresh herbs in place of dried herbs.  In fact, I suggest you use fresh herbs as often as possible.  However, sometimes you find yourself in a pinch and it’s necessary to rely on your stash of dried herbs.  (Like when you have a hungry husband and you can’t get to the farmer’s market or the grocery store!)  Whenever you substitute dry for fresh always use one teaspoon of dry for every one tablespoon of fresh that the recipe calls for. 

Rosemary Chicken with White Beans:

  • 2  tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary (if you have fresh, use fresh!)
  • ~1/2  teaspoon  salt
  • ~1/2  teaspoon  black pepper
  • 2 pounds of boneless chicken breast, sliced thin 2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
  • 2  (15 ounce) cans navy beans (or any other white bean like cannellini), drained
  • 1/4  cup  chopped pitted kalamata olives

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Combine rosemary, salt, and pepper and sprinkle over both sides of chicken. Place chicken in pan and cook until brown, turning once.  (Depending on the size of your pan, you may have to cook chicken in batches.  Make sure there is enough space in the pan so that each peace of chicken touches the bottom of the pan.) Once all chicken pieces are brown set aside on a plate.  Deglaze pan by adding tomatoes (with juices) to pan.  Use a spatula to scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Reduce heat to medium and add chicken. Add the beans; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in olives.

Adapted from MyRecipes.com.

Filed under: beans, cannellini beans, chicken, Main Dish, olives, tomato | 1 Comment »

Mandarin Orange and Pomegranate Tart

Posted on November 2, 2009 by kitchenbelle

October

This cake on MyRecipes.com caught my eye.  I absolutely love the brilliant orange of the mandarins contrasting with the bright ruby pomegranate arils!  Isn’t it such a beautiful and striking combination for fall?  I decided to use it as an inspiration for this tart. 

Mandarin Orange and Pomegranate Tart:

For the crust I combined about two cups of ginger snap cookie crumbs with granulated sugar, melted butter and a pinch of salt.  I baked it and let it cool.  For the filling I used this pastry cream filling  recipe and poured it into the cooled crust.  I then arranged the fruit (about two small cans of mandarin oranges and the seeds of half a fresh pomegranate) on top and painted it with some melted apricot jam.  For more tart ideas check this out!

 October

Filed under: Dessert, orange, pudding, tart, vanilla | 7 Comments »

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Silver Peanut Butter Frosting

Posted on November 1, 2009 by kitchenbelle

October

The recipe in the previous post makes enough batter for three round cake pans yet I only have two.  Rather than wash, cool, and reuse one of the cake pans to make a sky high cake, I decided to use the remaining batter to make mini cupcakes!  (Luckily, I also had quite a bit of leftover peanut butter frosting.)

What’s funny is my intention was to make the frosting purple.  Into the frosting I whipped several drops of Wilton red and blue gel coloring.  However, because the frosting was taupe to start (the color of the peanut butter) rather than achieve the royal purple I had intended I ended up with this silvery gray color–and I love it!  I topped each cupcake with silver sprinkles and it totally works on this aluminum serving piece.  There is both eeriness and elegance to them.  If you want to make these cupcakes follow the recipe for the cake and frosting here. 

October

Filed under: chocolate, cream cheese, cupcakes, Dessert, frosting, icing, Peanut Butter | 10 Comments »

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Posted on October 31, 2009 by kitchenbelle

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!

 Halloween is truly one of my favorite holidays.  I have so many great childhood memories associated with Halloween.  Every year my grandmother, who was the type of woman who always looked for a reason for a celebration, would have an over-the-top Halloween party in her basement.  I remember going to her house days prior to decorate and prepare.   We would tie strings from the ceiling pipes in preparation of the doughnut eating contest.  We’d tape black cat and witch cardboard cutout decorations to the walls and the mirror behind the bar.  We’d fill a bucket of water so that we could bob for apples.  (Those were the days when bobbing for apples was fun and not fearful–no one seemed to worry about transmitting viruses like they would today!)  We’d even create a haunted house in the unfinished portion of the cellar!  After my grandmother died my mom continued the tradition by having Halloween parties and always keeping the holiday fun and festive.  What’s funny is we don’t really have any traditional family foods or recipes associated with Halloween.  It’s more about using it as a good reason to have some fun.

I always look for a reason to bake sweet treats and there is certainly not a shortage of Halloween-centric desserts!  From the moment I saw this cake on Smitten Kitchen I couldn’t let it go.  The chocolate ganache seemed like the perfect canvas for a spider web and the chocolate peanut butter combo speaks for itself. I would say this is the perfect dinner party dessert.  It has that wow factor and the richness means a small slice goes a long way.  You will not be sorry you made this cake!

Notes:

  • I only have two round cake pans so I made a double rather than a triple layer.  (I used the leftover batter and frosting for cupcakes!)
  • Deb stresses the fact that these cakes are really soft and somewhat difficult to work with. I highly suggest you follow her advice and wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and freeze prior to frosting with a crumb coat.  Return the assembled and crumb-coated cake to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before frosting with your final layer of frosting.  Refrigerate again before topping with the warm ganache.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cake pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine them well. Add the oil and sour cream and whisk to blend. Gradually beat in the water. Blend in the vinegar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and be sure the batter is well mixed. Divide among the 3 prepared cake pans.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Let cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, carefully peel off the paper liners, and let cool completely.

 To frost the cake, place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or large serving plate. Spread 2/3 cup of the Peanut Butter Frosting evenly over the top. Repeat with the next layer. Place the last layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.

To decorate with the Chocolate–Peanut Butter Glaze, put the cake plate on a large baking sheet to catch any drips.  Pour the glaze over the top of the cake, and using an offset spatula, spread it evenly over the top just to the edges so that it runs down the sides of the cake in long drips. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to allow the glaze and frosting to set completely. Remove about 1 hour before serving.

Peanut Butter Frosting
Makes about 5 cups

10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Continue to beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

8 ounces seimsweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used the Scharffen Berger Chocolate I received in the swag bag from BlogHer Food)
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup half-and-half

In the top of d double boiler or in a bowl set over simmering water, combine the chocolate, peanut butter, and corn syrup. Cook, whisking often, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the half-and-half, beating until smooth. Use while still warm.

Adapted from Deb at Smitten Kitchen.

Filed under: cake, chocolate, cream cheese, Dessert, Fall, frosting, icing, Peanut Butter | 4 Comments »

Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes

Posted on October 26, 2009 by kitchenbelle

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My friend hosted a costume Halloween Party and I couldn’t have been more excited!  I love getting dressed up and it is so much fun to see how creative others can be with their costumes.  I wanted to bring a little treat so I made Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes.  Each one was like a bite of perfectly moist pumpkin bread!  (Don’t forget to keep an eye on mini cupcakes while they are in the oven–even just one little minute too long and they can end up dry.  They bake much faster than full-sized cupcakes.) 

I decide to top them with chocolate frosting, but I think that many types of frosting would pair well:

My friend went above and beyond and served the cutest most creative cupcakes at her party.  I just have to share photos with you:b2

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How cute are they?! You can tell she is an artist!

Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes:

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Use a mixer to cream together butter and sugars in a large bowl until fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after adding each.

In another bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.  Use a wooden spoon to combine.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternating with the milk. Mix until combined.  Stir in the pumpkin and vanilla and beat until smooth.

Line cupcake tin with papers and fill three quarters of the way to the top with batter.  Bake 10-14 minutes.  Cool in pan for 5 minutes then finish cooling on rack.  When cupcakes are completely cool, top with your frosting of choice.

Adapted from Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina Castella.

Filed under: cupcakes, Dessert, Fall, frosting, pumpkin | 11 Comments »

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