Chicken Piccata with Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes and Herb-Roasted Onions

I actually made this dinner over the summer, but never got around to posting it. The recipes are all from the Barefoot Contessa at Home cookbook that Ashley got me for my birthday. This dinner was a huge hit, fun to make, and Ashley said it was really pretty too:)Chicken Piccata

(serves 4)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 extra-large eggs

1 1/2 cups seasoned dried bread crumbs

olive oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons), lemon halves reserved

1/2 cup dry white wine

sliced lemon, for serving

chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound it out to 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

Mix the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper on a shallow plate. In a second plate, beat the eggs and 1 Tablespoon water together. Place the bread crumbs on a third plate. Dip each chicken breast first in the flour, shake off the excess, and then dip in the egg and bread-crumb mixtures.

Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add 2 chicken breasts and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place them on the sheet pan while you cook the rest of the chicken. Heat more olive oil in the saute pan and cook the second 2 chicken breasts. Place them on the same sheet pan and allow them to bake for 5 to 10 minutes while you make the sauce.

For the sauce, wipe out the saute pan with a dry paper towel. On medium heat, melt 1 Tablespoon of the butter and then add the lemon juice, white wine, the reserved lemon halves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, add the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter and swirl to combine. Discard the lemon halves. Serve one chicken breast on each plate, spoon on the sauce, and serve with sliced lemon and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

(serves 5 to 6)

kosher salt

3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes

1/2 cup whole milk

1 stick unsalted butter

3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk, shaken

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water and 2 Tablespoons salt to a boil. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut them into 1 1/2-inch cubes. Add them to the boiling water and bring the water back to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes fall apart easily when pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile, heat the whole milk and butter in a small saucepan, making sure it doesn't boil. Set aside until the potatoes are done.

As soon as the potatoes are tender, drain them in a colander. Mash the potatoes with a food mill or potato masher. As soon as the potatoes are mashed, stir in the hot milk-and-butter mixture with a rubber spatula. Add enough buttermilk to make the potatoes creamy. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and the pepper, or more to taste, and serve hot. To keep the potatoes warm, place the bowl over a pan of simmering water for up to 30 minutes. You can add a little extra hot milk to keep them creamy.

Herb-Roasted Onions

(serves 6)

4 red onions

3 yellow onions

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)

1 Tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

1 Tablespoon minced, fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Remove the stem end of each onion and carefully slice off the brown part of the root end, leaving the root intact. Peel the onions. Stand each onion root end up on a cutting board and cut the onions in wedges through the root. Place the wedges in a large bowl

Combine the lemon juice, mustard, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Pour the dressing over the onions and toss well.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the onions to a sheet pan, reserving the vinaigrette that remains in the bowl. Bake the onions for 30 to 45 minutes, until tender and browned. Toss the onions once during cooking. Remove from the oven and drizzle with the reserved dressing. Sprinkle with parsley, season to taste, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Sauteed Zucchini and Yellow Squash

We were trying to think of a side dish to go with the Pesto Chicken Sandwiches that was light and not too overpowering... and we came up with this.Ingredients:

1 zucchini

1 yellow squash

1 clove garlic, minced

olive oil

pinch of dried oregano

pinch of dried basil

salt and pepper, to taste

.

Slice zucchini and yellow squash. Heat olive oil and garlic in pan for 30 seconds, careful not to burn the garlic. Add zucchini, yellow squash, and herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until tender.

Pesto Chicken Sandwich

So after we made all that pesto, we had to come up with a way to use it! Ashley and I came up with these sandwiches and they were SO good! If you make these, make sure you use the fresh mozzarella that comes packed in the liquid... it's so much better!

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

4 large slices tomato

4 slices fresh mozzarella

pesto

4 Kaiser rolls

Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Grill on medium high heat, 8 minutes on each side. Slice rolls in half and broil on high until slightly toasted. Spread a thin layer of pesto on each roll. Layer chicken breast, tomato slice, and mozzarella.

Pesto

In an attempt to use the rest of our basil from our herb garden (which was growing out of control!) we decided to make pesto. I have always wanted to make it because it can be used in so many ways for a quick meal. I've heard you can also make a large batch and freeze it in ice cube trays so you can just use a small portion at a time. We used Ina Garten's recipe, which called for both pine nuts and walnuts. I'm not a big fan of pine nuts, so we ommitted these and just doubled the walnuts instead.

Ina's Pesto

Ingredients:

1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 Tbsp. chopped garlic (9 cloves)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Place the walnuts, pine nuts, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

Yield: 4 cups

White Chocolate Macademia Nut Cookies

Macadamia nut cookies are one of my favorites. But when I saw this recipe on a blog, I realized that even though they are one of my favorites, I had never made them. So I decided to make them. They turned out really well. They were soft and chewy and the flavor was perfect. I would definitely recommend making them.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts

2 cups white chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine the four, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl, then set aside. Beat together the melted butter, brown sugar, white sugar, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla with a mixer until creamy.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture until just mixed. Stir in the macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips by hand. Drop by the spoonful onto a greased or lined baking sheet.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges look golden brown. Cool on the baking sheet for at least 4-5 minutes (so cookies can set) before moving to rack.

Last Day of Summer Brunch

Since today is the last day of summer and we all start school tomorrow, Callie and I decided to do a brunch for everyone to celebrate. We made scrambled eggs with vegetables, brown sugar glazed bacon, and Tyler made some apple cinnamon muffins. (Good job Tyler. They were so good. He loves cooking too and is turning into quite the chef :) For the scrambled eggs we just cooked some eggs and added chopped onions, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, and a little cream cheese. For the bacon, we got the recipe off of the Martha Stewart website:

Ingredients:
1 1/4 pounds thickly sliced bacon
1/2 cup dark-brown sugar

Directions:
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Lay bacon on the paper, and sprinkle the brown sugar liberally over bacon. Transfer bacon to the oven, and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer bacon immediately to a wire rack, and let sit until cool enough to eat.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Suprise Cookies

When I saw this recipe, I knew it would be a hit with the Payne family. We all like peanut butter and chocolate desserts so I thought I'd try them out. They turned out to be a little time consuming with having to divide both the dough and filling into 32 equal balls, but they were definitely worth it. They were so good and soft and the peanut butter middle was super soft and delicious.

Chocolate Cookies:

Ingredients:

1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 Tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Stir together flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix butter, sugar, brown sugar, and peanut butter. Add egg, milk, and vanilla, beating well. Beat in as much flour mixture as possible using a mixer. Stir in the remaining flour mixture. Form into 32 balls, about 1 & 1/4 inches in diameter. Set aside.

Peanut Butter Filling:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

Directions:

Beat together powdered sugar and peanut butter until smooth. Knead by hand if necessary. Shape into 32 balls.

Preheat oven to 350°. Slightly flatten a chocolate dough ball and top with a peanut butter filling ball. Shape the chocolate dough completely around the peanut butter dough. Roll into a ball.

Repeat with remaining dough.

Place cookies 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking pan. Lightly flatten cookies with a glass dipped in the sugar.

Bake for about 8 minutes or just until set. The cookie surfaces should be slightly cracked. Cool on pan for about a minute. Then, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.