Stroganoff on the Stovetop

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Chicken Cacciatore

The last time I posted about chicken cacciatore I used a photo I found on the internet.  We had it again the other night and above is an actual photo of the dish Dale made.  It was delicious.  The meat was juicy and the root vegetables that went along with it were delicious!

Last Night's Dinner - Baked Rigatoni

Dale and I were in great need of comfort food last night.  We turned to our old standby of baked rigatoni.  Dale had chocolate cake for dessert with a chocolate ganache frosting.  I had chocolate with a sea salt and caramel frosting.  I never would have thought salty frosting would work. This worked.

Dinner with Friends - Chicken Cacciatore

Dale and I had Mike and Charisse over last night.  It was a lovely evening.  They had been in Arizona over the holidays and brought us back a wedding vase.  It was a very thoughtful gift.  Mike is doing a month long cleanse where he is eliminating alcohol.  I was a little disappointed since it's always fun to have a drink with him but I soldiered on alone and had a Sidecar, one of my favorite non-martini cocktails.  Dale made chicken cacciatore which he thought was a little dry but I had to disagree with him.  I thought the meat was just right. I think the fact that it is cooked in liquid helps.  It was a hit with Mike and Charisse as well.  Here's the recipe Dale used which is credited to Giada De Laurentis:

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs, 4 chicken breasts with skin and backbone - halved crosswise, 2 teaspoons salt - plus more to taste, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper - plus more to taste, 1/2 cup all purpose flour for dredging, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 large red bell pepper - chopped, 1 onion - chopped, 3 garlic cloves - finely chopped, 3/4 cup dry white wine, 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes with juice, 3/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth, 3 tablespoons drained capers, 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves, 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon of each salt and pepper.  Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour to coat lightly.

In a large heavy saute pan, heat the oil over a medium-high flame.  Add the chicken pieces to the pan and saute just until brown, about 5 minutes per side.  If all the chicken does not fit in the pan, saute it in 2 batches.  Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.  Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic to the same pan and saute over medium heat until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.  Add the tomatoes with their juice, broth, capers and oregano.  Return the chicken pieces to the pan and turn them to coat in the sauce.  Bring the sauce to a simmer.  Continue simmering over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 30 minutes for the breast pieces, and 20 minutes for the thighs.

Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a platter.  If necessary, boil the sauce until it thickens slightly, about 3 minutes.  Spoon off any excess fat from atop the sauce.  Spoon the sauce over the chicken , then sprinkle with the basil and serve. 

Twelfth Night 2013

Dale and I combined celebrating Twelfth Night and an early anniversary by going to Vincent.  I started with a Tanqueray martini.  For a first course I had the cream of chestnut soup.  I believe it was chicken based and it was divine.  Dale had a salad.  For dinner Dale had fish and I had cassoulet.  For dessert Dale had a cheese plate and I had the "three creams" - a custard, pot de creme, and creme brulee.  Vincent never disappoints.  Happy 19th, Dale!

New Year's Eve 2012

Dale and I put together a grazing tray for New Year's Eve.  We set out shrimp, herring, apples, grapes, carrots, broccoli, brie with fig jelly, and crackers.  We drank champagne along with it and managed to get quite full.  For dessert we finished up a pumpkin roulade that we had originally brought to Noel's for her annual holiday fete. I mistakenly referred to it as a Buche de Noel.  I included her response with the above photo.

Christmas Day 2012

We had Mom over for dinner on Christmas Day.  We ate beef stroganoff and had a chocolate roulade for dessert. 

Christmas Eve 2012 - Dinner at Mom's

Mom made cheese fondue.

Mom also made steaks and a simple, yet colorful, salad.

We had Baba Dessert for dessert.

Sweet Potato Fries

Dale made sweet potato fries. 

12-12-12

Abby and Xander at the table for Thanksgiving 2012.

Thanksgiving 2012

We're at my brother Pete's house for Thanksgiving. Dale, Mom, and I left this morning very early to fly to Memphis. In Memphis we rented a car to drive to Jacksonville, Arkansas which is just outside Little Rock and is where Pete and his family live. Pete and his wife, Stepanie, made green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, turkey, ham and sausages. What a feast! I sat next to my nephew, Xander. He would only eat turkey and I helped cut it up for him. We had pumpkin pie made with cream cheese made by Stephanie for dessert. Abby, Xander, and Emma were all very well behaved.

Chili with Stew Meat

We had Warren and Gary over for dinner last night. Dale made chili but we tried it with beef stew meat rather than ground turkey.  The night before he dredged the meat in flour and lightly fried it off. He then assembled the chili, let it cook on low for about an hour, and then refrigerated  it overnight. A couple of hours before our guests arrived we put it back on the stovetop over a low heat. The result was spectacular!

We had some Gorgonzola cheese with sliced pears and crackers planned for an appetizer. It was all set out and ready to go just after our guests arrived. Our mistake was leaving it unattended in the living room while we went to grab our drinks in the kitchen. Athena ate half of the substantially sized wedge of cheese. Naughty girl (although you gotta give her a little credit for knowing to go for the good stuff!).

Pumpkin pie and whipped cream for dessert. Yum.

Quiche Part 2

The quiche recipe we use is Mom's. Here it is written in her own handwriting. We've used this recipe for a quite a few years.

Quiche

Dale and I made a quiche last weekend. It didn't turn out as well as I would have liked because I forgot one important ingredient - the swiss cheese. How I forgot that I'm not quite sure as I've never forgotten it before. We bought it when we went to Kowalski's to get all the ingredients but for some reason I forgot to add it while assembling it. Anyway, it was tolerable. Dale seemed to like it a little more than I did. We had pumpkin pie from Kowalski's for dessert. We usually use whipped cream with it but this time we had vanilla ice cream which was a fabulous combo.

Chili

Dale and I had chili for dinner tonight. We made our basic recipe except we used beef instead of turkey and  red wine instead of beer. Delicious. Broccoli was our vegetable.

Pumpkin Pie

We had pumpkin pie for dessert last night. Mrs. Kowalski baked it.

Steaks on the Grill

Dale made steaks on the grill last night and let me just say...

;-)

Beef Stroganoff - The Finished Product

How did the beef stroganoff turn out the other night? It was divine!

Athena Eats Ice

I dropped an ice cube while making a martini tonight. Athena bolted into the kitchen. I figured she'd sniff it and walk away. Instead, she devoured it.

Time for Beef Stroganoff

It's always something of a big deal when Dale and I make beef stroganoff for the first time every fall season. It's such a wonderful fall and winter meal.