Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce

It's the last day of 2015, readers! I hope 2015 treated you well and that 2016 treats you even better! 

Last night I made my final home-cooked meal of 2015 courtesy of my second culinary influence: Ree Drummond. I swear readers, her newest cook book, The Pioneer Woman Cooks Dinnertime is fantastic! You all need to pick up a copy for yourself and then gift a copy to all your friends and family. 

This dinner was quick, easy and only used one skillet! Who doesn't love an easy cleanup? 

Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce 

4 chicken breasts, sliced in half 

Salt and pepper 

2 Tbsp olive oil 

2 Tbsp butter 

3 garlic cloves 

1 C brandy, white wine or chicken broth

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard 

1 Tbsp stone ground mustard 

1/2 C chicken broth 

1/3 C heavy cream 

Chopped parsley, for garnish 

I only used 2 chicken breasts so I halved the recipe. 

Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken. 

In a cast iron skillet (man mine has been getting a lot of use the last couple days), heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Cook chicken 3 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Remove chicken to a plate. 

Add minced garlic to skillet and stir it around so it won't brown. 

Cut off the heat and add the brandy, wine or chicken stock. I used a Pino Grigio. 

Turn the heat back to medium-high and stir. The liquid will bubble and deglaze the pan. Cook until the liquid has reduced by half, should take about 3 minutes. 

Add the mustards (yummy!). Whisk them around and let them bubble. 

Pour in the chicken broth and whisk the sauce. 

Pour in the cream, season with salt and pepper (mine only needed pepper). 

Pour over chicken breasts and add a sprinkling of parsley. 

The sauce had the great vinegar bite of mustard, the richness from the cream and paired so well with the crisp and juicy chicken. Oh Ree, you did it again! 

There was some leftover sauce in the pan and I had some frozen broccoli in the freezer so I dropped the heat down to medium, threw the broccoli in, stirred it around in the sauce and steamed it for 5 minutes. I also solved my no-lid-big-enough problem! I took a piece of aluminum foil and covered the skillet. 

I also had some Parmesan couscous in the pantry that came with us from Albuquerque so I paired that as well. 

This whole meal was absolutely sublime! Seriously, try this ASAP! 

I hope you spend the final day of 2015 well and stay safe out there, readers! 

Black Bean Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries

There are two culinary authorities I look up to: Julia Child and Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman. 

As of Christmas, I now own all of the publications (cookbooks and non-fiction) that Ree Drummond has released; the most recent being The Pioneer Woman Cooks Dinnertime. This cookbook is filled with dinner recipes, everything from soup and breakfast-for-dinner to freezer meals and even 16-minute meals! Seriously, who doesn't have 16 minutes to make dinner? It takes longer to order a pizza for delivery. 

It's day 2 of sticking to my New Year's Resolution, that's probably some sort of record. I should probably consult the Guinness people on this because I think I'm entitled to a full-page article for my great accomplishment. Anywho, for tonight's home cooked meal I looked for inspiration in my new (and quickly becoming my favorite) cookbook: The Pioneer Woman Cooks Dinnertime by Ree Drummond published 2015. 

Black Bean Burgers

2 cans seasoned black beans, drained 

1 C Italian bread crumbs

1/4 C grated onion 

1 egg

Salt and pepper, to taste 

1/2 tsp chili powder 

A few dashes of hot sauce, I used Frank's Red Hot sauce 

2 Tbsp butter 

2 Tbsp olive oil 

Hamburger buns, for serving 

Sliced cheese, for serving 

Mash black beans in a medium bowl using a potato masher. The recipe calls for a fork but I quickly abandoned that idea and traded it out for the masher. The key is to not over-mash. There should still be some texture to the beans. 

Add in the breadcrumbs, onion, egg and spices and stir until combined. 

Add in hot sauce of your choice and let sit for 5 minutes. 

Form the patties to be slightly larger than the buns, the patties do not shrink during cooking. 

The cookbook says this recipe yields 4 patties, however I would even say it could make as many as 8. The patties themselves were large and dense. 

Melt butter over medium-low heat and add in oil. Cook patties for 5 minutes or until a brown crust forms (yum!). Carefully flip the patty, top with cheese of your choice and cook for another 5 minutes or until heated through. Use a lid to assist in melting cheese, if necessary. 

Unfortunately I don't have a lid big enough to cover my cast iron skillet so my cheese was not as melty as I would've liked (sad life). 

These burgers were absolutely delicious and so simple to make! I cannot believe it! I also loved how moist they were. I've noticed that black bean and other non-meat patties can be very dry and fall apart but that definitely wasn't these! Oh my gosh I'm already dreaming of the next time I can eat these burgers. 

I HIGHLY recommend picking up a copy of ALL of Ree Drummond's cookbooks as they are all phenomenal. 

To accompany these fantastic burgers (seriously, I'm still drooling over here) I decided to make some sweet potato fries. Now call me picky but I believe sweet potatoes are sweet enough on their own and therefore I don't like to add anything else sweet. It's too overpowering, so I try to pair sweet potatoes with spicy or smoky flavors. 

Sweet Potato Fries

2 sweet potatoes, washed and peeled 

4 Tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste 

1/2 tsp smoky paprika 

Fill a medium-sized bowl with tap water. After peeling the potatoes, cut the potatoes into wedges. Place the wedges into the water for at least 3 hours. This step may sound strange but it really helps to cut the starch in the potatoes and help them cook a little faster. 

After letting the potatoes soak, preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Toss potatoes in 2 Tbsp olive oil and spices. 

Coat a baking sheet with the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil.  

Bake for 30 minutes, flipping the potatoes after 15. 

I served these potatoes with sriracha-spiked ketchup. 

This meal was absolutely amazing and I definitely think everyone should try them as soon as absolutely possible. 

Huge thank you to my mother-in-law for the cookbook and to Ree Drummond for producing such amazing recipes for me to try! 

Feta Crusted Salmon and Cauliflower Steaks

Well readers, we arrived in Raleigh at 1:30 AM today, went to sleep at 3:00 AM and woke up at 10:30 AM. To say I'm beat is an understatement. However, to try to counteract all the decadent, fatty, hearty, full-of-love meals that Nate's parents treated us to, and to begin my New Year's resolution (to make more home cooked meals for my husband) I decided to make something I saw while watching the Food Network. 

Nate and I don't have cable television. If we can't pick it up on our rabbit ears or see it on Netflix we don't watch it, so while watching Food Network at my in-laws' I came across Valerie Bertinelli's  cooking show. 

During this particular episode, Valerie was preparing a meal for last-minute guests. She made salmon and bread but what really caught my eye was she made cauliflower steaks with a crunchy topping.  

Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Golden Raisins and Pine Nuts 

1 head cauliflower 

Olive oil 

Salt and pepper, to taste 

2 tablespoons sliced almonds (because I had them on hand and couldn't find the pine nuts at the store) 

1/4 C golden raisins 

1 Tbsp butter 

1/4 C fresh parsley (or 1 Tbsp dried because you don't wanna buy fresh) 

Preheat oven to 425. Clean cauliflower and cut the head vertically into 1/2 inch thick steaks. You will only get about 3 whole steaks out of a head. 

Drizzle olive oil onto a baking sheet and place steaks (and smaller florets) onto sheet and season both sides with salt and pepper. 

Bake for 20 minutes, flip after 10 minutes. 

While your cauliflower is roasting away, toast almonds (or pine nuts) in a medium skillet over medium heat until brown. Add in raisins and butter. Coat almonds and raisins in butter and cook over medium heat until raisins begin to plump up. Stir in parsley and remove from heat. 

Spoon onto roasted cauliflower. 

The cauliflower was crisp, flavorful and definitely filling. I wish I had made more (and had more stomach to put it in) 

I served this fantastic side with salmon. It has been so long since I have made salmon which, frankly is insane because it's healthy, it's delicious and it's so easy to make! 

This recipe I found using the Food Network In The Kitchen app. 

Feta Crusted Salmon 

2 2 oz salmon fillets 

Fresh thyme 

Olive oil 

1/2 lemon 

Salt and pepper, to taste

8 oz feta cheese 

3 oz white wine 

Preheat oven to 375. Place thyme in the bottom of a baking dish. 

Wash salmon and dry using paper towels. Coat both sides of the salmon with olive oil and lemon juice. Salt and pepper the meat side and crumble fresh feta cheese. Pour wine into the baking dish. 

Bake for 25 minutes.  

The salmon was flaky, tender and full of flavor. I would suggest garnishing with a wedge of lemon to bring out the freshness of the fish. 

The entire meal took about 45 minutes to prepare from start to finish and was most definitely one I will put into my regular dinner rotation and highly encourage you all to do the same! Enjoy, readers! 

Goddess and the Baker

Every time we visit Nate's parents we take a train to downtown Chicago and spend the day and this trip was no different! 

On Wednesday (December 23), we took the train bright and early to go to Millenium Park (home of "The Bean"), the Art Institute, the Willis Tower Skydeck and Macy's (formerly known as Marshall Fields). 

Unfortunately for us, the weather wouldn't allow us to go on the Skydeck at 10 AM as we had hoped (it was foggy), the Art Institute didn't open for another 30 minutes and there's only so long you can look at a reflective bean so we decided to stop into Goddess and the Baker for breakfast (and libations for one vacationing husband). 

Goddess and the Baker, located at 33 S Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60603 (there is a second location at Navy Pier) has a vast menu of breakfast favorites, comforting lunch sandwiches and a huge bakery case of delicious looking pastries. 

Decor: good. There's a coffee bar with a few single seats, a long table in the middle (you get real friendly with other patrons), and a few (like maybe 5) single tables lining the walls. The space has maybe 30 seats total. 

Food appearance: good. Some orders were served on silver trays while others were served on nicer plates but it all looked tasty (and was). 

Food taste: excellent. I adore a good bagel and lox and Nate's order was fantastic! The bagel was fresh and toasted, veggies fresh and the salmon was superb! I would've eaten his whole meal had he let me. I ordered a Croque Monsieur for myself. If you don't know what this is, first of all we can't be friends anymore and secondly, you need to be educated. A Croque Monsieur is the best ham and cheese sandwich your taste buds have ever known. Theirs was served on brioche bread with a crust of béchamel (aka mana of the Gods). I had to consciously stop myself from diving in mouth first. 

Service: good. This restaurant is a walk-up-and-order type so the interaction with employees is a little limited but the employees were friendly and helpful. Food was delivered in a timely manner.  

Cleanliness: good. Tables and spaces were turned over quickly so new guests didn't have to wait long for a place to sit. 

Total: 11/15

I would highly recommend visiting Goddess and the Baker the minute you are able to! Everything looked and smelled divine and I wish I had had a chance to go back before we left Chicago. 

La Voute

It's 3 days until Christmas and that means the annual Hart family Christmas dinner! Typically, this dinner takes place in downtown Chicago, however, earlier this year a boutique hotel opened up in Nate's hometown called La Banque. La Banque is located at 2034 Ridge Rd, Homewood, IL 60430 and is housed in what was a bank (hence the name). The hotel is also home to La Voute, a French inspired bistro and bar ran by chefs Dominique Tougne and Tomas Donnelly. 

La Voute definitely pays homage to the bank roots in the decor department (there is a giant bank vault door that serves an an entrance to the kitchen). 

Decor: excellent. La Voute seems like a perfect place to have a fancy meal, a girls' night out or to just have a couple drinks at the bar. Dark wood tables and chairs, servers in black chef coats, dim lighting. The atmosphere was one of elegance and decadence.

Food appearance: poor. This is where I believe La Voute faulters slightly. Water is poured from fancy decanters, servers recite you the specials of the night, and how is bread served to you? In a basket with checkered wax paper. The dichotomy between the elegance of the restaurant and this small detail I believe cheapen the experience. Why not put the bread in a linen napkin? They already use them for silverware. We ordered escargot and mussels to start out with. The escargot were served in the traditional escargot dish topped with puff pastry, which was a disaster. The pastry was undercooked on the bottom layer and was frankly a nightmare to deal with. Flakes of pastry littered the table. Mussels served in an individual steamer pot with two (yes, only two) pieces of bread as a side. What is the purpose of that? There was at least a pound of mussels in the steamer, why only offer 2 slices of bread? The second complaint would be the delicious lemony-garlicky-mussel-y broth could not be accessed because 1) there was not enough bread to soak it up and 2) they didn't offer a spoon. My father-in-law and brother-in-law ordered Grilled Calamari salad which was definitely not grilled. The entrees all looked delicious but their tastes will be addressed in the next section; same with the desserts. 

Food Taste: good. At $20+ per plate one would think (at least hope) that the food would be phenomenal. The food here was just so/so. The escargot was cooked well and buttery, but the puff pastry was unnecessary and distracting. The mussels were probably the best thing I would say we ate (and I don't even like mussels). 

The Calamari salad was not grilled, squid was over cooked, and the salad was nothing special. 

I ordered the Rack of Lamb, cooked medium rare (of course) and it was served with ratatouille and scalloped potatoes. The lamb was crusted in a pepper mixture, cooked perfectly and the ratatouille was perfectly seasoned and tender but the potatoes were a disaster. They were played to look like mashed potatoes but when cut into were just an undercooked, under seasoned mess. 

All other entrees ordered were nothing spectacular. We ordered two desserts: the Buche De Noel (Yule Log) and Apple Crisp. Both were delicious. 

The Buche De Noel was rich and chocolatey with a hint of banana gelee to cut the richness. 

The Apple Crisp was like the most buttery and decadent apple pie you've ever eaten. 

Service: poor. Our server was rude. Flat out rude. It was 7:00 PM on a Tuesday night (it wasn't busy, mind you) and he acted as if we should be honored to be served by him. If someone didn't order when he looked at them, he moved on to the next person. This resulted in two guests not getting drinks with the rest of the table. He also acted bored, as if he wanted to be anywhere but serving us. They also were unable to make Nate's grandma's order of Duck and Pear. It was 7:00 on a Tuesday. I find it hard to believe they sold out. 

Cleanliness: excellent. The hotel was immaculate, the restaurant and everything in it were clean. 

Total: 10/15 

After much deliberation, I must say I would probably not return to La Voute. I wouldn't want to spend top dollar for food and service that definitely doesn't deserve it. Their libations sounded good, but I probably wouldn't order any food. 

I guess, readers, use your judgment. It's possible these problems are all the result of growing pains but I know I will not be returning any time soon. 

Christmas Party

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas is my favorite season, everyone is a little kinder, a little more generous and a little happier. It's almost like the colorful lights and Christmas trees make everyone remember a simpler, gentler and more care free time. Well readers, you should know by now that Nate and I adore throwing dinner parties and tonight is no exception! We decided to throw a formal dinner party complete with name cards, table cloths and lots of champagne. 

To take some of the pressure off of Nate and I, we asked our guests to each bring a side dish or a dessert (along with wine or champagne, of course). 

My contributions are a cheese plate appetizer and a snowy white layer cake for dessert. 

Cheese Plate 

My cheese plate consists of a wedge of Brie, aged sharp cheddar and my personal favorite, Jarlsberg cheeses. I'm serving these with water crackers and Concord grapes I picked up at the State Farmer's Market here in Raleigh. 

Snowy White Layer Cake 

1 C milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 C unsalted butter

2 C sugar 

3 C Cake Flour 

1 Tbsp Baking Powder 

5 egg whites 

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 8 inch round cake pans with parchment paper and grease with butter and flour. 

Stir together milk and vanilla. 

In your trusty stand mixer, cream the butter until fluffy and gradually add in sugar until well creamed. 

In a separate bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. 

Alternate adding flour mixture and milk mixture in batches to butter mixture and beat until well blended. 

In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. 

Fold egg whites into batter and pour into prepared pans. 

Drop the pans on the counter a couple times to get out any bubbles and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick can come out clean. 

Vanilla Buttercream

1 C Butter

1/4 tsp salt 

1 32 oz package powdered sugar 

6-7 Tbsp milk 

1 Tbsp vanilla extract 

In your favorite stand mixer, beat softened butter and salt until fluffy. 

Gradually over medium-low speed add in the powdered sugar in intervals with the milk (i.e. Add powdered sugar, beat until combined, add milk, beat until combined, etc.) until all the powdered sugar and 7 tablespoons of milk have been added. 

Add in the vanilla extract and frost your cake using an offset spatula. 

I retrieved these recipes from Southern Living's book "Christmas All Through the South" which is a wonderful book full of Christmas stories, pictures of Christmas decorations and fabulous recipes. 

Nate decided to make a bison roast with roasted vegetables for our guests to enjoy. 

Irregardless

I've always heard it's important to date your spouse so Nate and I decided to implement a monthly date night. Monthly we switch off on who picks the date and november's date was mine and I wanted to treat Nate to a spectacular meal. 

I chose Irregardless located at 901 W Morgan St, Raleigh, NC 27603 because I'd only heard good things about the food and they had nightly live music. Another great thing about Irregardless is their expansive vegetarian menu! Vegetarian appetizers, dishes, and desserts, oh my!

Decor: good; the restaurant was bright and open with 2 dining rooms, a separate bar and a stage for musical acts to perform. Seeing as it was the beginning of Christmas season, it was also decorated accordingly and looked beautiful and welcoming. On the night we went, the live music was a husband and wife team who played jazz covers. It was a very nice accompaniment to champagne and bourbon. 

Food appearance: excellent. Every dish was beautifully plated, every drink expertly poured and created. Just look at it! 

Food taste: good. Nate and I decided to start off with mushroom fritters, off of the night's special menu. The fritters were fried but not greasy and came with an aioli that was spicy but the perfect compliment to the mix of mushrooms and made a great dressing to the salad garnish on the plate. I decided to order the poached salmon off the specials menu because it sounded fantastic, salmon poached in white wine, sautéed mushrooms, lemon sauce and some polenta. All sounded delicious separately but the end result wasn't very tasty. The salmon was delicious, the mushrooms were delicious and the sauce was delicious but when I took a bite with all the elements together there were just too many competing flavors going on and therefore, I wasn't completely satisfied with my dish. However, Nate's paella was phenomenal! The seafood was all fresh and perfectly cooked, the saffron rice was flavorful and all the elements of the paella were just amazing. 

Service: excellent. Our server was friendly, attentive and definitely added to our experience at Irregardless. 

Cleanliness: excellent. The restaurant was clean, tables were turned over quickly and there was nothing left in tables or on the floor. 

Total: 13/15

I would definitely return to Irregardless, I'll just stay away from the poached salmon special. Luckily for me, there were tons of other great looking dishes on their menu.