One Pot Meal: Chicken and Asparagus Skillet Supper

 

Hi there!  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday.  Ours was filled with pretty decorations, great food, and lots of love.

But, the party season isn't over yet!  New Year's is just around the corner.  Not sure about you but we're expecting lot of friends popping in over the weekend and into the new year.  

One thing I like to do after a big holiday spread is to cook some easy dishes. This chicken dish is a one pot wonder, done all in your skillet.  Don't you just love one pot meals?  Simple, good quality ingredients make for one tasty dish...plus the clean up is a breeze!

Chicken, asparagus and summer squash go great together, and when cooked in a wonderful broth you get that comfort feeling.  I would add a little white wine to the broth next time for added flavor, but it's wonderful as it is.  Then to top it off...we have BACON!  Just a touch for that extra something special.  Everything's better with bacon as they say...I do agree!

So when you need a quick meal on the table over the next couple of days, reach for your skillet and put this one together.  It's something the whole family will enjoy.

Happy Holidays!

Chicken and Asparagus Skillet Supper

Serves 4

4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts

salt and ground black pepper

4 slices bacon, coarsely chopped

1 pound asparagus spears, trimmed

1 small yellow summer squash, halved crosswise and cut into 1/2-inch strips

1/2 cup chicken broth

2  tablespoons flour

1/2  teaspoon  finely shredded lemon peel

Lemon wedges 

Pound chicken between plastic wrap until they are even.  Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet cook bacon over medium heat until crisp.  Remove and drain on a paper towel.  Add chicken to dripping and cook for 8 minutes, turning half way through.  Remove chicken from skillet; keep warm.

Add asparagus and squash to the skillet and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.   In a small bowl stir together broth, flour and lemon peel.  Add to the skillet.  Cook and stir until thick and bubbly, several minutes.   Add chicken  and cook an additional 5 minutes more or until chicken is completely done.   Sprinkle with bacon and serve.  

Chili Mac

 Do you have a gazillion recipes pinned on Pinterest?

I think I have a gazillion and one...

So it's high time that I make some of these fabulous dishes I keep drooling over.  

Flipping through my boards, I was looking for some comfort food.  Something I could make in under 30 minutes yet be satisfied.  Something that reminds me of fall.

Tall order?  Not really.  One of my favorite bloggers is Kristen of Iowa Girl Eats.  She is an amazingly good cook.  I love reading her blog and I find my self getting hungry staring at all the wonderful dishes she makes.  

Today's dish is one I "pinned"  from Iowa Girl Eats.  Her Skillet Chili Mac and Cheese sounded like heaven on earth.  

This is my adaptation of Kirsten's soulfully comforting dish.  It's perfect during the cool fall evenings.  You can make this during the week with no problems.  A plus is that it is all made in one skillet!  No joke!  Best part?  The FLAVOR baby!

Enjoy!

Chili Mac

Serves 3-4

Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

½ lb ground sirloin
1 shallot, small diced
1 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz  petite diced tomatoes, slightly drained
3 T tomato paste
7 oz kidney beans, drained & rinsed
2 c low-sodium beef broth
1 ½ t chili powder
1 t cumin
½ t paprika
½ t dried cilantro
1 /4 t salt
¼  t dried oregano
1 c elbow macaroni
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
2 T King Arthur Vermont Cheese Powder

Toppings: shredded cheese, cilantro 

Add ground beef, onion, and garlic to a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Season with salt & pepper then cook beef until no longer pink. Drain then return to the skillet.

Add petite diced tomatoes, tomato paste, kidney beans, beef broth, and spices to the skillet. Bring to a boil then add macaroni noodles and place a lid on top. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until noodles are just barely al dente (do not overcook,) stirring once. Add cheese then stir until smooth. Let dish sit off the heat and thicken for 10 minutes before serving.

Easy Blueberry Skillet Cake

My love of breakfast goodies also runs over into brunch items too.

Having brunch with close friends is always fun.  Taking the time to eat outdoors is always a treat during the summer in Los Angeles.  The weather is generally cooler in the morning and it's a great time to sit and relax, laugh with friends and enjoy the day before the heat blasts us back inside for cover and cool air-conditioning.  

I came across a wonderful dish from Paula Deen that is perfect for a summer brunch. It's semi-homemade using canned biscuits as the base for the cake.  Add some fresh berries and some flavor powerhouses like brown sugar and cinnamon, and you have a winning combination!

Not only was this easy to put together, it feeds a crowd, and you serve it in the dish you cook it in!  How easy is that?  I love using my cast iron skillets to bake in and serve with.  Double duty all the way!  So off to the brunch this went and the most important part?  The taste!  I love anything with cinnamon and brown sugar.  So this was an instant winner for me.  However, the addition of the blueberries put this over the top.  

Let's just say there won't be any leftovers!

Easy Blueberry Skillet Cake

Adapted From Paula's Best Dishes Episode: Breakin' For Breakfast

Servings: 4 to 6

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 35 min

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

Streusel Topping:
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Coffee Cake:
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 (12-ounce) tube buttermilk biscuits
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen and thawed

Directions

For the streusel topping: Combine the almonds, sugar, butter, flour, and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse until large crumbs form.

For the coffee cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a 9-inch cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet, cook the butter and brown sugar over medium heat until melted. Arrange the biscuits in a single layer in the skillet. Scatter the blueberries over the biscuits, and then distribute the streusel topping over the berries. Bake until the biscuits are golden and a tester inserted in the center of a biscuit comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and serve from the skillet. 

Beef Stroganoff with Horseradish Sour Cream

Ready for some comfort food?

What a great way to take the chill off, other than making comfort food.  This recipe will have dinner on the table in 30 minutes and is made all in the same skillet.  I just love one pot dishes, don't you? 

Beef Stroganoff was such a big hit back in the 70's and 80's, and for good reason.  You can't beat the flavors of rich beef, mushrooms, sour cream, and horseradish.  Memories of this dish bring back pleasant feelings. Always served over egg noodles, I just love it.  Like eating mashed potatoes, such a homey feeling.

So the other day my love got me a special edition magazine called Cuisine One Dish Dinners. What a great book.  If you happened to see it at the grocery store do yourself a favor and pick on up.  It is filled, filled, filled with excellent recipes, and side dishes.  So this recipe for Beef Tip Stroganoff with Horseradish Sour Cream caught my eye and I knew I needed to make this, and soon.  

It appears as a more elegant version of the old classic with a dollop of horseradish sour cream on top rather than stirred into the entire dish.  Also this version is served over rice instead of noodles.  The recipe also called for Beef tenderloin tips which I substituted for a nice top sirloin steak cut into bite sized pieces.  

This dish turned out perfect.  Better than I remembered and definitely considered comfort food.  Great for the family (omit the horseradish for the kiddos) or even elegant enough to serve company.  I just love this dish and intend to bring back the Beef Stroganoff single handedly.  Would you like to join in?

Beef Stroganoff with Horseradish Sour Cream

Adapted from Cuisine One Dish Dinners

Serves 4

Time:  30 minutes

3 T unsalted butter, divided

1 lb beef top sirloin, cut into bite size pieces

8 oz button mushrooms, stemmed

2 c thinly sliced onions

1 T tomato paste

1 T garlic, minced

3 T flour

½ c dry sherry

1 1/3 c reduced sodium beef broth

½ c sour cream

2 T prepared horseradish

1 T fresh minced dill

2 t lemon juice

white or brown rice, cooked

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add beef and sear until browned about 2-3 minutes.  Transfer beef to a place using a slotted spoon.  Melt remaining 2 Tablespoon butter in the same pan.  Add mushrooms and cook until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes.  Add onion and cook about 4-5 minutes.  Stir in tomato paste and garlic and cook 1 minute.

Sprinkle mushrooms with flour and cook another minute, stirring.  Deglaze pan with sherry, scraping up any brown bits.  Stir in broth and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  Stir in beef and return to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

For the sour cream, combine sour cream horseradish, dill and lemon juice.  Stir until well combined.  Serve stroganoff over cooked rice and add a dollop of horseradish sour cream.


Linked to:  Weekend Potluck
                Foodie Friday

                Full Plate Thursday

Sunday Supper: One Pot Pasta

What's more comforting than a big bowl of pasta?

Not much...

This is a great meal to serve for Sunday Supper.  It's quick, hearty, and best of all it's a One Pot Meal!  Oh yea, it really, really, tasty too!

I found this recipe from Southern Living magazine...one of my all time favorite sources.  It was just unique enough to catch my eye and to try it right away.  The uniqueness is that you make a sauce and then use "ravioli" as your pasta, cooked right in the pot.  Almost like a baked dish, without the baking of course, but the result is similar.

I was so pleased with the flavors, and that I could get a hearty meal on the table in about 30 minutes.  Just serve with a nice Italian salad and some garlic bread and you are all set.

Here's how you make it:

Take your ground beef and place it in a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat.  Cook, breaking up the meat in to crumbles, until no longer pink.

Meanwhile, chop your onion and slice the mushrooms.

Remove the meat from the pan and place on a plate.  If you have a lot of grease left in the pot, wipe it clean.  I used ground sirloin so mine didn't leave any.

Add your oil to the pot and heat.  Add the slice mushrooms and onions.  Cook until caramelized about 10 min.

Add the garlic and let it cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 min.

Add your meat back to the pot, add the marinara sauce (I used Trader Joe's Traditional Marinara), water, Italian seasonings, salt & pepper.  Stir to blend. 

Lookin' good!  Smells great!

Bring your sauce to a boil.  Add the ravioli, and using a spoon depress them into the sauce.

Turn down the heat to a simmer.  Cover, and cook for about 10 minutes or until the pasta is done.

Now for the good part!  Remove the lid and add the cheese!  Yes, cheesy goodness.  This makes the dish creamy and gooey...yum!

Stir it all together so the cheese melts.  Your done!  A One-Pot Wonder.  Get your salad and your garlic bread and it's manga time!  Buon Appetito!

Like my fall table runner??

Can you say comfort food?

Happy Sunday Supper!

One Pot Pasta

by Southern Living

Serves 4

1 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 (8-ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (26-ounce) jars tomato-basil pasta sauce
1 cup water
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (20-ounce) package refrigerated four-cheese ravioli
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook ground beef in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Wipe Dutch oven clean.

Saute onion and mushrooms in hot oil over medium-high heat 8 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, and saute 1 minute. Stir in beef, pasta sauce, 1 cup water, and next 3 ingredients.

Bring sauce to a boil; add ravioli. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes or until pasta is done. Stir in cheese. Serve immediately.


Linked to:  Melt in your Mouth Monday