Lazy Day Gourmet

Rosemary's Chicken & Pasta

Today, I'm featuring a recipe that falls into a unique Lazy Day Gourmet cooking category. I call this recipe a Make One - Freeze One. Make one to eat tonight, and while you're making that one, make another one to stick in the freezer for later.  Much like our favorite Moo Noodle Pie or "Moodle Pie" recipe, this dish is completely cooked before you wrap it up to put it in the freezer.

If you want to Make One - Freeze One, you'll need to double this recipe.

Rosemary's Chicken & Pasta
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast(s)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
3 large button mushrooms, chopped
2 1/2 cups whole milk (can sub half and half)
1/2 yellow onion(s), diced
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
12  ounces penne pasta
Salt & Pepper to taste

Freezer Prep:
Place the chicken breasts on a small, rimmed baking sheet or pie pan and drizzle with olive oil. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool and cut into small cubes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta for 6-7 minutes, until not quite al dente.

Heat the butter and oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, making a roux. Add the mushrooms and cook for a minute, just to soften, add the milk and stir to thicken. Let cool.

Cut the chicken in to small pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the onion, rosemary, cheese and add salt and pepper, to taste.

Gently fold in the pasta. Place the mixture into a baking dish and cover with foil.Using packing tape, place the label on the top and place it in the freezer.

Warm Up Instructions:
Thaw
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake, covered for 1 hour. Serve immediately.

Let's Roast a Chicken!

If you're an incredibly busy cook like myself, you have probably (more than once!) bought a pre-cooked roasted or rotisserie chicken at the grocery store.  They come in all flavors like Mojo, BBQ, Lemon Pepper, and really couldn't be any more convenient.  And oh man, if you've even gotten one from Costco, YOWZA, so juicy!

Cooking the whole bird may seem like some sort of mystical task that should only be tackled by your grandmother and on special occassions, but roasting a chicken is actually super easy, and makes the house smell divine while dinner is cooking.  Give it a try this week!

Yummy Roasted Chicken
1 whole chicken (4-5 pounds)
1 TBS mayonaisse
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Onion Powder

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2. Remove the giblets from the chicken.  If this if your first time roasting a chicken, the giblets are usuallly packed in a little bag inside the chicken body. Just reach in, and remove the giblet package. You can dispose of them. We won't be needing those!

3. Pat your chicken nice and  dry with paper towels.

4. Now comes the fun part! Take your 1 TBS of mayonaisse and rub it all over the chicken, just like you're applying it's oven ready suntan lotion.  Don't miss an inch. Just keep rubbing.

5. Once the chicken is well lotioned, sprinkle it will equal parts of salt, pepper, paprika, and onion powder. Make sure you flip the chicken and season it on all sides. 

6. Place the seasoned chicken on a rack in a shallow roasting pan, and place it in the center of your pre-heated oven.

7. Roast for 1 and 1/2 hours.  Juices should run clear when you penetrate with a fork between the thight and the body.  Once the juices run clear, remove the chicken from the oven, and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. 

And THAT IS IT!  That's all there is to it.  This is the perfect meal to make while you are preparing your Lazy Day Gourmet meals for the week. By the time you finish preparing and packing 5-7 dinners in the freezer, you've got a succulent roasted chicken ready to serve for dinner.   Now that's smart cooking.

Twisted Chicken

Ingredients
4 Boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 cups of coarsely crushed up pretzels (See, I told you it was Twisted!)
1/3 canola oil
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup water
3 TBS red wine vinegar
Coarse Salt and Pepper

Cooking Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Take the pretzels, and pour them into a freezer bag. Using a rubber mallet, rolling pin, or can of soup, crush the pretzels into bits until you have a nice coarse consistency of crushed pretzel. You will have both coarse and fine pretzel crumbs when you are done, which is perfect.

Pour the pretzels from the bag onto a large plate, and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the Dijon mustard, the oil, water, and vinegar.  Mix with a fork or whisk until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

On a large plate, pour HALF of the mustard mixture over the chicken strips to coat completely. After coated, dredge the chicken through the pretzel crumbs, and then put them into a greased baking pan or a baking sheet with a rim.

Once all of the strips are coated and crumbed, bake for 25 minutes or until cooked through.

Serve with the remaining mustard dressing as a dipping sauce!

Serving Suggestions:
Buttered lima beans and Mixed Green Salad.

Key Lime Mahi Mahi with Grilled Leeks

4 Mahi Mahi Fillets
1/4 Cup Key Lime Juice (Juice from 8-10 small key limes)
2 teaspoons minced ginger or ginger from a tube (Gourmet Gardens brand)
1 Tablespoon honey
2 Medium Leeks, whites and light green parts only, sliced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Season the mahi mahi with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Take out a small airtight container, and squeeze the key lime juice into it until you have around 1/4 cup. Mix in the honey and ginger. Mix until well blended. Put the top on the container, and shake to blend.  Put the key lime mixture in the fridge until a half hour before you are going to cook the fish.

About a half an hour before you are ready to eat, pour the key lime marinade over the mahi, and allow it to sit in the fridge loosely covered for 25 minutes.  While the fish is marinating, season the leeks with salt and pepper.

Remove the fish from the marinade, keep reserve. Grill the mahi on a grill pan or on and outdoor grill , allowing  it to brown nicely on both sides, around 4 minutes per side.  Grill the leeks along side the mahi, frequently tossing the reserve key lime marinade on both items.

Serve the mahi with the lucious leek mixture on top. Tangy and tasty!