Tuscan Chicken Stew

15 servings - Prep time : 60 min - Cook time : 1 hour 45 min

Ingredients:

1 5-6 lb. whole chicken
2 cups water
4 cups chicken broth
2-3 teaspoons salt, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper, divided
1 bay leaf
4 stalks celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
1 large onions, diced
5 medium red potatoes, sliced
1 15-oz. can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp dried thyme
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

4 roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise and sliced

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• In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, simmer chicken, water, chicken broth, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper and bay leaf, covered, over medium-low heat for one hour.

• Remove chicken and set aside to cool.  

• Pour broth through strainer and add broth back to Dutch oven.

• Bring broth to a boil and add celery, carrots, onions, potatoes, beans, thyme, garlic, paprika, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, tomatoes and remaining 1-2 tsp salt (this depends on how salty your prepared chicken broth is – salt to taste) and 1/2 tsp pepper.  Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered for 45 minutes (cooking this uncovered will help reduce it and enhance the flavor).

• Meanwhile, remove skin and bones from chicken; shred or chop chicken, cover and set aside.  

• Once vegetables and broth have cooked for 45 minutes, add chicken and stir to combine.  

• Cover pot, remove from heat and let stew rest for 30 minutes.  

• Stir and serve.

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From SouthYourMouth.blogspot.com

Cauliflower gratin

6 servings - Prep time : 10 minutes - Cook time : 20 minutes

Ingredients :
1 cauliflower, about 1kg, washed and cut in florets
3 onions
1/2 liter reduced fat milk
40g corn starch
70g grated cheese, (gruyere, parmesan, emmental)
salt, pepper, nutmeg

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• Preheat oven at 480 degrees.
• Cook cauliflower in boiling water for 10 minutes and drain.
• Mince onions. Cook onions dry, in a saucepan, until translucent and starting to become golden.
• In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with a little bit of the milk. Pour remaining milk in the saucepan with the onions. On low heat, pour the cornstarch mixture in saucepan. Heat and stir with a whisk until the sauce thickens. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.
• Place cauliflower floret in a dish. Top with bechamel and grated cheese.
• Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Grill at the end if desired.

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From marmiton.org

Chicken and Mushrooms in a Garlic White Wine Sauce

4 servings - Prep time : 15 minutes - Cook time : 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breast or tenders
2 tsp butter
2 tsp olive oil
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup white wine
1/3 cup fat free chicken broth
salt and fresh pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

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• Preheat oven to 200°.
  
• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge in flour.
• Heat a large skillet on medium heat; when hot add 1 tsp butter and 1 tsp olive oil. Add chicken to the skillet and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side, or until chicken is no longer pink. Set aside in a warm oven.
• Add additional oil and butter to the skillet, then garlic and cook a few seconds; add mushrooms, salt and pepper stirring occasionally until golden, about 5 minutes.
• Add wine, chicken broth, parsley; stir the pan with a wooden spoon breaking up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook a few more minutes or until the liquid reduces by half.
  
• Top the chicken with the mushroom sauce and serve.
  

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From skinnytaste.com

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

48 servings - Prep time : 30 min - Bake time : 14 min per batch 

Ingredients: 

3/4 cup butter, softened (170 grams)

 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150 grams) 

3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar (150 grams) 

2 large eggs 

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

2 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (285 grams) 

1 tsp baking soda (6 grams) 

3/4 tsp salt 

1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels

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• Beat butter and sugars at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until blended.
• Combine flour, soda, and salt in a small bowl; gradually add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in morsels. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto lightly greased baking sheets.
• Bake at 350°f (174ºC) for 8 to 14 minutes or until desired degree of doneness (12 minutes for chocolate chip cookies). Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Options :

• Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies: Decrease salt to 1/2 teaspoon. Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter with butter and sugars. Increase flour to 2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons. Proceed as directed. (Dough will look a little moist.) - 5
• Oatmeal-Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies: Reduce flour to 2 cups. Add 1 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats to dry ingredients and 1 cup raisins with morsels. Proceed as directed - 4
• Pecan-Chocolate Chip Cookies: Add 1 1/2 cups chopped, toasted pecans with morsels.Proceed as directed - 4
• Almond-Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies: Reduce morsels to 1 cup. Add 1/2 cup slivered toasted almonds and 1 cup almond toffee bits. Proceed as directed. Note: For testing purposes only, we used Hershey's Heath Bits O'Brickle Almond Toffee Bits.
• Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies: Substitute 1 (12-ounce) package dark chocolate morsels for semisweet chocolate morsels. Proceed as directed. Note: For testing purposes only, we used Hershey's Special Dark Chips. - 3
• Chunky Cherry-Double Chip Cookies: Microwave 1 tablespoon water and 1/2 cup dried cherries in a glass bowl at HIGH 30 seconds, stirring once. Let stand 10 minutes. Substitute 1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chunks for morsels. Add 1 cup white chocolate morsels, 1/3 cup slivered toasted almonds, and cherries with chocolate chunks. Proceed as directed.
• Coconut-Macadamia Chunk Cookies: Substitute 1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chunks for morsels. Add 1 cup white chocolate morsels, 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut, and 1/2 cup macadamia nuts with chocolate chunks. Proceed as directed.

- - - - - - - - - - From myrecipes.com

Carrot-Ginger Soup

6 servings - Prep time : 10 minutes - Cook time : 30 minutes

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp (or less) butter
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 1/4 lbs carrots, peeled, chopped (3 cups)
3 cups (or more) vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste

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• Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat.
• Add onion, saute 4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic, saute 2 minutes.
• Add chopped carrots, saute 1 minute
• Add 3 cups stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly.
• Puree soup in batches in blender. Return soup to pot. Season with salt and pepper.

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From Sur La Table cooking class

Sweet Potatoes and Greens

4 servings - Prep time : 10 minutes - Cook time : 20 minutes

Ingredients:
2-3 large sweet potatoes
2 bunches of greens(collards, kale or chard)
2 cloves garlic
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
salt and pepper
1/4 Tbsp olive oil

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• Peel and cut sweet potatoes into bite-size pieces (the size of the pieces is less important than making them uniform). Heat 1/2 the oil in pan over med heat and add potatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just brown on all sides and soft(about 12-15 minutes, depending on size. If the potatoes become very dark before they are soft, reduce heat). When they are cooked, add spices and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
• While the potatoes are cooking, wash the greens(do not dry), remove stems and cut leaves into small pieces. Heat remaining oil over med heat, add the garlic and cook for a minute before adding greens. Stir often and cook until tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Combine potatoes, honey and lemon juice with the greens, stir and serve.

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Enjoyed with Kristin!