Chicken Au Jus recipe

I love me some prime rib with au jus (mmm French Dip, too!) but chicken is much more affordable. Yeah, let's save some money and then use the savings to buy some ice cream :D

Fun Fact: I drank some of the au jus. No shame.

Printable Recipe

Chicken Au Jus

ingredients:
• 6 chicken thighs, bone-in & skin-on
• 3 tbsp sun dried tomatoes, chopped (packed in oil & Italian herbs)
• 6 tbsp red wine vinegar, preferably aged
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp kosher salt + more for sprinkling
• freshly ground black pepper + more for sprinkling

instructions:
1)  Line a 13x9 baking dish with foil for easy clean up. Put chicken in a zip top bag and place the bag on the baking dish.
2)  Whisk the remaining ingredients in a bowl, including any oil accumulated on the cutting board from the sun dried tomatoes.
3)  Pour the marinade over the chicken. Squeeze as much air as you can out of the bag, seal the bag, and massage the marinade into the chicken. Let marinate in the fridge for at least 6 hours to overnight.
4)  Take the chicken out of the fridge to bring to room temperature 1 hour before cooking. Preheat oven to 400° F.
5)  Dump the chicken along with the marinade into the prepared baking dish. Arrange the chicken skin side up in a single layer. Cover with foil.
6)  Bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake for 30 minutes more.
7)  Transfer chicken to a plate. Pour the marinade into a fat separator and gently squeeze the juice out of the tomatoes with a spoon. Pour the au jus into a bowl.
◘ tip: Alternatively, transfer the au jus to a bowl and skim the fat off the top if you don't have a fat separator.
8)  Serve chicken with rice and au jus as a dipping sauce.
   

Angel Hair Pasta with Cherry Tomato Sauce and Italian Sausage recipe

My husband wanted to name this dish Wonderfully Delicious Pasta. When your love wants to name your recipe like that, you know you fed him glorious food. Just saying.

Printable Recipe

Angel Hair Pasta with Cherry Tomato Sauce and Italian Sausage

For the Italian Sausage
ingredients:
• 3-5 links hot Italian sausage
• ½ cup water
• kosher salt
• Italian seasoning
• garlic-pepper seasoning (McCormick Salt Free)

instructions:
1)  Preheat oven to 350° F. Place links in a 9x13 baking dish, making sure they are not touching each other. Pour water over the links and season with salt, Italian seasoning, and garlic-pepper. Bake for 30 minutes. Flip the links and season that side with the same seasonings; bake for another 30 minutes.

For the Pasta
ingredients:
• ½ lb angel hair pasta
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• water

instructions:
1)  Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add salt and pasta, give it a stir. Cook to al dente according to package directions. Drain pasta.

For the Cherry Tomato Sauce
ingredients:
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ cup white wine (chardonnay: medium-dry to dry)
• asparagus, half of the bundle (about 10-15 spears)
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tbsp Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped

instructions:
1)  Trim off the tough ends of the asparagus (about 2-inches off the bottom). Cut the asparagus into fourths.
2)  Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper, cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3)  Add tomatoes and let soften for 2 minutes. During this time, start turning the tomatoes so that they are cut side down. Gently mash tomatoes with a fork.
4)  Add asparagus and white wine; let bubble up for 1 minute, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
5)  Add heavy cream, half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt, dried oregano, black pepper, dried basil, and parsley. Give it a stir and let simmer for 5 minutes.
6)  Add pasta to the sauce, toss to coat. Add the rest of the cheese and toss again. Off the heat.
7)  Add a serving in a dish and serve with sausage sliced on the bias/diagonal.
    

Beef and Shrimp Chow Mein recipe

Sorry to disappoint you, but there's no hand-pulled noodles here. You know you like shortcuts, too!

This is a stir-fry dish which means you gotta get your mise en place ready! Alright?!

Printable Recipe

Beef and Shrimp Chow Mein

For the Sauce
ingredients:
• 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp Sriracha
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp honey, preferably raw
• 1 tsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 3 garlic cloves, grated
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

instructions:
1)  Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

For the Chow Mein
ingredients:
• 1 package (6 oz) Wel•Pac Chow Mein Stir-Fry Noodles
• 2 quarts water

instructions:
1)  Bring water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add noodles and cook for 3 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse under cold running water for 3 seconds. Drain well and set aside.

For the Beef and Shrimp
ingredients:
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 1 tbsp grapeseed oil (or any neutral, high smoke point oil such as canola)
• 8 oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained & rinsed
• 8 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 tsp ginger, grated
• 3 garlic cloves, grated
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 3 tsp sesame oil, divided use
• ¼ cup Shaoxing rice wine
• 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Sriracha
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

instructions:
1)  Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet or wok over high heat. Just before it starts to smoke, add mushroom, broccoli, and 1 tsp sesame oil. Saute for 3 minutes. Scoop the vegetables out and transfer to a plate; set aside.
2)  In the same skillet or wok still over high heat, add ground beef, ginger, garlic, scallions, and 2 tsp sesame oil. Cook for 4 minutes or until no longer pink.
3)  Add shrimp and Shaoxing rice wine; cook for 3 minutes. Add the vegetables back in the skillet, and water chestnuts.
4)  Give the sauce a final stir then add it to the skillet. Toss for 2 minutes.
5)  Add noodles, soy sauce, Sriracha, salt, and pepper; toss everything around for 1 minute.
6)  Serve and enjoy! Pass the Sriracha bottle around the table for drizzling in case someone wants to make it spicier.
     

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus with Lemon Butter Sauce recipe

Does your child not like veggies? Wrap them in bacon! Okay, maybe that isn't the best advice, sorry! Luckily, my little boy likes vegetables so I don't really need to mask them for him to eat veggies. He even gets compliments from people at restaurants when they see him eating my salad. I'm so proud of him! :)

Printable Recipe

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus with Lemon Butter Sauce

For the Asparagus
ingredients:
• 15-30 asparagus spears
• 5-10 bacon strips, preferably thick cut
• olive oil
• kosher salt

instructions:
1)  Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a sheet pan with foil for easy clean up. Trim off the tough ends of the asparagus (about 2-inches off the bottom).
2)  Grab 3 asparagus and wrap it in 1 strip of bacon, from bottom to the top. Place the wrapped asparagus on the sheet pan, seam side down. Repeat process for the rest of the asparagus, and make sure the bundles are not touching each other on the sheet pan.
3)  Lightly drizzle the bundles of asparagus with olive oil. Bake for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, make the sauce (recipe follows).
4)  Sprinkle a little bit of salt over the top as soon as the asparagus comes out of the oven. Transfer wrapped asparagus to a platter.

For the Lemon Butter Sauce
ingredients:
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1½ tsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

instructions:
1)  Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add garlic and give it a stir. Turn the heat off once garlic becomes very fragrant, about 1 minute.
2)  Whisk in Dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper until sauce is smooth.
3)  Pour sauce in a bowl for dipping, or drizzle sauce over the asparagus.
 

Bay Scallops in Cream Sauce recipe

When I first came up with this recipe last year I named it "Petite Patagonian Scallops in a Creamy Sauce", and it really did get a lot of hits and I was certain that it was because people were searching for recipes for petite Patagonian scallops. So why did I change the name then? Well, because every time I go to shop for petite Patagonian scallops now, I can't find them anywhere, ever since last year!

You can serve these tiny delectable things as an appetizer (ooh, fancy!) or as a main entree. A multitasking and elegant-looking dish, what more can you ask for?! Okay, maybe you have more to ask for but stuff your mouth with this deliciousness for now.

Printable Recipe

Bay Scallops in Cream Sauce

ingredients:
• 1 lb bay scallops or petite Patagonian scallops
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, divided use
• 2 garlic cloves, cut in half
• 8 tsp white wine, divided use (chardonnay: medium-dry to dry)
• 4 tbsp heavy cream, divided use
• ½ tsp kosher salt, divided use
• 8 tsp Italian or seasoned bread crumbs, divided use
• 4 tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated & divided use
• 4 chives, chopped
• freshly ground black pepper for garnish

instructions:
1)  Preheat oven to 400° F. Place 4 gratin dishes on a sheet pan and add 1 tbsp butter to each dish. Grate each half of garlic clove over top of each cube of butter. Place the sheet pan in the preheating oven to melt the butter. Pull the sheet pan out of the oven once butter is melted.
◘ tip: I used 2 5-inch quiche dish and 2 6-inch creme brulee dish.
2)  Add 2 tsp white wine to each dish, give it a stir. Add 1 tbsp heavy cream to each dish, give it a stir. Add 22-23 scallops to each dish and season with 1/8 tsp salt each, toss to coat.
◘ tip: A 5-inch quiche dish fits 22 bay scallops and a 6-inch creme brulee dish fits 23 bay scallops.
3)  Arrange the scallops in a single layer. Sprinkle 2 tsp bread crumbs over top of each dish. Top each dish with 1 tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano. Return the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 12 minutes.
4)  Without opening the oven door, switch the setting to 'Broil' and broil for 8 minutes.
5)  Immediately garnish with chives and a few grinds of black pepper while still bubbling hot.
◘ tip: A light sprinkling of cayenne or paprika would be nice.