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Saturday, October 13, 2012

Weekend Cooking- Pinterest Testing Three Chicken Recipes


This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food.

As I posted last week, I spent a few hours updating and reorganizing my Pinterest recipe boards last week. I made a pledge to cook more recipes from Pinterest, and this is a round-up of my week.

Sunday- I tried a new recipe, Firehouse Chicken Bleu. I enjoy taking dishes we like and deconstructing the flavors, putting them together in a different way and this one was a winner. Instead of a whole chicken breast with ham and Swiss cheese rolled inside, it is a pasta dish with chunks of chicken and cheese in a swiss cheese sauce.
The Pros- It had good flavor. I bought a 1/2 lb. of glazed ham from the prepared foods section of our Italian grocery store and shredded gruyere cheese to give it a flavor boost. I also used fresh penne instead of boxed. It's even better the next day as leftovers, as the original poster mentioned.
The Cons- I thought this would save a lot of work- pounding, rolling the chicken- but I used so many pots! One to cook the chicken, one for the pasta, one to make the sauce, and a baking dish. Whew! I thought it would be easier than making cordon bleu, but it wasn't.
Tweaks-I added paprika instead of cayenne pepper, and I would maybe cook in 400 degree oven for 10 minutes, then broil for 4 minutes to brown. When I took it out from the broiler I had to microwave to heat it through.
Verdict- My husband really liked it, and I know my sons will enjoy it.
Served with- Jamie Oliver's Corn Chowder (foolproof!), Trader Joe's banana bread, caesar salad.

Monday- Firehouse Chicken Cordon Bleu leftovers- yay, no cooking!
Tuesday- We had company and tickets for the Broadway show Chaplin, so we had dinner at The Capital Grille on West 51st St. We got the $39 Pre-Theatre Dinner, a great bargain and the Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake for dessert was the highlight.
Wednesday- Still had company and had a kgb deal for Tony DiNapoli's restaurant. The meal was terrific, especially the White Sangria and Pear & Gorgonzola Salad and we have a new favorite dessert- Tartufo Exotic, four slices of fruit gelato covered with white chocolate and whipped cream. It was delightful!

Thursday- A new Pinterest recipe- Outback Steakhouse Aussie Chicken. 
The Pros- I had all the ingredients on hand, so no need to go to the grocery store. The recipe was easy to follow, not a lot of chopping, very few ingredients. It has cheese, bacon and mushrooms, so it tastes good.
The Cons- It calls for bacon, which I don't like to cook because the apartment smells like bacon grease all night. The cheese and bacon add a lot of calories, so this is a dish I wouldn't serve very often.
Tweaks- The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of cheese on each chicken breast, I cut that down to 1/4 cup and the flavor was still there.
Served with- Smashed potatoes would be great with this, but my husband had a craving for rice, so it was rice and Trader Joe's crescent rolls.
Verdict- My husband enjoyed it, and I would make it again, but not too often.

Friday- Another new Pinterest recipe- Honey Beer Chicken. I was looking for a quick, easy recipe since I got home late and the Yankees playoff game began at 5pm. 
The Pros- This one was very easy, and used ingredients that I had on hand. It only took about 30 minutes total. The sauce was full of flavor, and the soy sauce gave it a beefy taste. You only use 1/2 cup of beer, so you can finish the can while you cook. The recipe came from Cooking Light magazine, so it is lower in calories. I used to cook from that magazine all the time, they have many terrific recipes.  
The Cons- The chicken itself was a tad bland.
Tweaks- I didn't add the parsley at the end; my husband is not a fan of parsley (or cilantro).
Served with- Leftover rice (the sauce was good over that) and we started with Rachael Ray's Pumpkin Soup with Chili Cran-Apple Relish, which had honey in the relish that echoed the honey in the chicken sauce
Verdict- This is a good, healthier entree and I would make this entire dinner again. My husband gave it an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
Source: betsylife.com via Diane on Pinterest

Did you cook any new recipes this week? Let me know in comments.

25 comments:

  1. First, that Tartufo Exotic sounds really good. Yummm. And *clap, clap, clap* for using your Pinterest boards. You are a better woman than I am.

    Next, I think of all the recipes you tried, the beer chicken would be the one I'd try -- perhaps with some added spices. I too used to cook from Cooking Light all the time. I really should remember to check it out.

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    1. Yes, I would kick up the spices on the Honey Beer Chicken next time. I need to visit Cooking Light more often, I used to cook from there all the time.

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  2. Wow, what a bonanza of goodness! I'm intrigued by the Aussie chicken. And thanks for including the link to Jamie's Corn Chowder. I'll be busy this weekend. Thanks :).

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    1. I cook the corn chowder all the time- it uses milk so it's lower in fat. (And I use skim milk and it's fine)

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  3. The Honey Beer Chicken looks delicious, quick, and easy... I just repinned it to try this week. Thanks!

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  4. Oh wow - I love your cooking and food journal! My week was much less interesting. I hosted Canadian Thanksgiving on Monday night, and we ate Thanksgiving leftovers for the rest of the week. Delicious, but unvaried.

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    1. I unwittingly celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving last week when I had a hot open face turkey sandwich and mashed potatoes at the diner with my mother-in-law. I love Thanksgiving leftovers!

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  6. Pinning all of these, What a week of recipes, everything looks delicious! This past week I've used recipes from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. I need to check my pin boards more often!
    How was the show?

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    1. Chaplin was very good, Rob McClure was amazing as Chaplin. Even my husband who is not a big musical fan, he loved the show.

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  7. Thanks for all your Pinterest experimenting. Honey Beer Chicken would be my choice for the health aspects, with extra spices as you and Beth F suggest.

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    1. I do like cooking healthy as often as I can. I'm making an Eating Well brisket recipe along with a new recipe for low fat twice baked potatoes.

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  8. It sounds like all of the dishwashing makes up for any other time savings on the Firehouse Chicken Bleu, and since some pots will not go in the dishwasher, this sounds like one to skip. The other recipes look good though, especially the Honey Beer Chicken.

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    1. The Cordon Bleu would be good for big groups. I may make this when we have our annual family get-togethers. Someone else can wash the pots. :)

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  9. By the time I got to the end of your post, I was so hungry for chicken. I am thinking of trying the Firehouse Chicken Bleu first.

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  10. Firehouse Chicken Bleu sounds delish, but as to the rolling and pounding of stuff chicken breasts, you must check out my recipe from last week's WC. so much easier...http://caitesdayatthebeach.blogspot.com/2012/10/weekend-cookingchicken-cordon-bleu.html

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    1. I did see your post last week and bookmarked it to save and try. I'm all for easier ways to make dinner.

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  11. I am not eating chicken, but have to admit that the second meal looks very yummy.

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  12. I am impressed that you actually are using your Pinterest boards for more than just pretty pictures.

    They all look good but I do wonder what makes the chicken Aussie!

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    1. I'm having fun with Pinterest, and my husband and son are reaping the tasty rewards.

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  13. The honey beer chicken sounds great! How was Chaplin?

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    1. Chaplin was terrific! Rob McClure was amazing as Charlie Chaplin, and my husband, who is not a big musical fan loved the show.

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