Rosemary Lemon Chicken Skillet

This is a recipe I got off Pinterest and it is PHENOMENAL. It is easy, simple, and - best of all? ONE POT MEAL. That's always a winner in my book!

Rosemary Chicken Skillet

3/4 lb. small red-skinned potatoes, halved, or quartered if large
Kosher salt
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus 1-1/2 Tbsp. leaves
2 cloves garlic, smashed
Pinch red pepper flakes
Juice of 2 lemons (squeezed halves reserved)
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, halved

Preheat oven to 450° F. Cover potatoes with cold salted water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until tender, about 8 minutes; drain and spread on a greased roasting pan. Mince and mash rosemary leaves, garlic, 2 tsp. salt and red pepper flakes into a paste. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in juice of 1 lemon and the olive oil. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Marinate at least 30 minutes.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken on both sides. Remove chicken from pan then add and sauté mushrooms. Place chicken over mushrooms and drizzle with any leftover marinade and remaining lemon juice. Add rosemary sprigs and squeezed lemon halves to the skillet. Transfer to the oven, along with potatoes, and roast, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and potatoes are crisped, 20 minutes.

Roasted Mushrooms

These mushrooms are absolutely DELICIOUS. If you like mushrooms, it's definitely worth a try - this blows sauteed mushrooms out of the water! They're simple and easy - and the best part is that they're even more hands-off than sauteed mushrooms are! They don't even need to be turned.

Roasted Mushrooms

1 lb. mixed mushrooms (oyster, shiitake, cremini), tough stems removed, sliced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 tsp. fresh thyme
1 Tbsp. butter

Preheat oven to 325° F. On a lined baking sheet, toss mushrooms with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, then evenly sprinkle thyme over mushrooms. Slice butter into small cubes and evenly distribute over mushrooms. Roast 20-25 minutes.

Shrimp and Grits

We're loving shrimp right now.  Especially when you buy it frozen at $5 a pound, whoohoo!  Give this one a try, even if you think you don't like grits (as my sweetheart thought before he tried this dish)!  It is killer delicious, relatively healthy (look for "Lite Polska Kielbasa" made by Hillshire Farms) and comes together so quickly.  You won't regret this one! 

1 Tbsp. canola oil

1 turkey kielbasa sausage, sliced into rounds

2 scallions, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced

Salt and black pepper to taste

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled, deveined

1/2 c. low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 c. quick-cooking grits

1/4 c. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat until lightly smoking.  Add kielbasa; cook a few minutes, until lightly browned.  Add scallions, garlic, and mushrooms.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until mushrooms are lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add shrimp and continue cooking until shrimp are just pink and firm to the touch.  Stir in broth and cook another 3 minutes, until liquid has reduced by half and shrimp are fully cooked.  Meanwhile, cook grits according to package directions, salting generously.  When thick and creamy, add cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Divide grits and shrimp mixture among 4 bowls.

Shrimp Rolls

Delicious, easy, quick (cooked, eaten, and cleaned up in 20 minutes), reasonably priced, and easy to make for just one or two if you buy frozen shrimp and portion out.  We bought "Extra Large" frozen shrimp (31-40 per pound... Not large by this girl's standards, but whatevs.  $5/lb is fine with me) and portioned 6 shrimp per roll.  These are an excellent summer dish when you want something light with a little mayo, but not your greasy, nasty, overloaded-with-mayo potato salad.  Give these a shot - you won't regret it!  

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled, deveined

2 celery hearts, diced

1/4 c. minced red onion

2 Tbsp. mayonnaise

1-2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Salt to taste

4 high-quality hot dog buns, toasted

Bring a small pot of water to boil.  Drop in shrimp, remove from heat, and let sit for 6-8 minutes.  When shrimp are pink and firm to the touch, drain and cool.  Mix together remaining ingredients.  Divide the shrimp mixture among the hot dog buns and serve immediately. 

Italian Subs

Sooo yummy.  Sinfully delicious and insanely easy.  Just pick up a few deli meats (it's way cheaper than getting 4 packages of presliced meats, since you only need 1/4 lb. of each) and a loaf of french bread, and you're pretty much on your way.  LOVE this recipe!  (We skipped the onions, but feel free to stick 'em in if you like.  Also, we added WAY more vinegar than oil.  Yum!) 


1/2 large onion, thinly sliced

12-inch loaf soft Italian bread

5 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

5 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 lb. deli-sliced provolone cheese

1/4 lb. deli-sliced Genoa salami

1/4 lb. deli-sliced boiled ham

1/4 lb. deli-sliced mortadella

1/4 lb. deli-sliced capicola

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, finely shredded

1/4 to 1/2 c. pickled banana peppers (optional)

3 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

1-1/2 tsp. dried oregano

Soak the onion slices in a large bowl of cold water, 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, split the bread lengthwise, then pull out some of the bread from the inside.  Mix together olive oil, vinegar, and oregano; sprinkle half over the bottom of the bread.  Season with salt and pepper.  Layer cheese and meat on bread.  Drain onion and pat dry.  Top the meat with the onion, lettuce, banana peppers, and tomatoes. Season generously with salt and pepper.  Drizzle the cut side of the bread top with the remaining oil-vinegar mixture, then place on top of the sandwich.  Cut into 4 pieces.

Spaghetti and Seriously Awesome Meatballs.

Try them.  SOOOO worth your time.  Serve with any pasta you like - but I prefer Dreamfields (super healthy and low carb without tasting low carb!).   If you like, add a handful of grated Parmesan to meatball mix.

1¼ lbs. ground sirloin
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 egg, beaten 
1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs, a couple of handfuls 
1/4 yellow onion, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, chopped 
Salt and pepper 
1/2-1 c. beef stock
1 jar spaghetti sauce (whichever brand you prefer)

Mix beef and Worcestershire, egg, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Roll meat into 1½-inch medium-sized meatballs.  Heat a medium pan over medium-high heat.  Brown meatballs on all sides (no oil needed).  When sufficiently brown, add beef stock, cover, and allow to steam 10 minutes or until brown all the way through.  Add spaghetti sauce and allow to warm through.  Serve over hot cooked spaghetti.

Loaded Mashed Potatoes

Absolutely. Delicious.  Seriously - you need to give these a try.  If you're not into the individual ramekins you can always just put it into one smaller baking dish and have everyone dish up for themselves.  Also, while I'm usually opposed to the kind of dishes you have to cook once and then cook again, this is totally worth it.  It's not that big of an effort.  Plus, you can totally make these ahead and refrigerate them until you're ready to bake, which is extra nice if you're dealing with company.  Besides, the presentation is gorgeous!  One side note on bacon: if you're concerned about the horrible-ness of bacon, especially its fat content - check out Center Cut Bacon.  I was shocked to learn that 3 (count 'em, THREE!!!) pieces of cooked, center-cut bacon only have 8% of your daily saturated fat content!  (a.k.a., each slice is 1/3 the fat of a normal slice.)  Compare that with 1/4 c. shredded cheddar jack cheese, which has 30%!!!  Bacon is NOT that bad!  Especially when you're spreading it across 4-6 servings... seriously!  Especially for the flavor boost.  Give it a shot!

Finally, I only give the ingredients without the specific measurements because most people know how to make mashed potatoes, and some people like them thinner while others like 'em thicker.  It's up to you.  Make them how you like them, then add in the toppings... you'll love them!  Comfort food at its finest.

Loaded Mashed Potatoes

4-6 large russet potatoes, peeled, cubed

Milk

Butter

Sour cream

Shredded cheddar jack cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2-3 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

Chives, snipped

Preheat oven to 350° F.  In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook potatoes until fork-tender.  Drain water and return potatoes to warm pan.  Allow to dry a few minutes, then add milk, butter, sour cream, 1/2 c. cheese, salt, and pepper to taste.  Mash to desired consistency.  In 4-6 buttered ramekins, spoon 1 serving of mashed potatoes.  Sprinkle more cheese, crumbled bacon, and snipped chives over top.  Place ramekins on a lined baking sheet.  Bake for 5-8 minutes, or until cheese is hot and melted.