What’s Cookin’ in the Parsonage?

One of the best smells in the world is supper cooking in your own kitchen…and you didn’t do a thing!  I got a text from Alli on Friday that said, “Mom, can I make supper Saturday night?  I found a recipe I want to try.”  Of course my answer was, “Sure!”  It was a great idea for many reasons, but one being it was really delicious.  If there was no other good reason to teach your daughters to cook, here is one! My husband commented that this is like a meal you’d get at Carrabba’s or Olive Garden.  He’s right.  But this was not Carrabba’s – this was the parsonage kitchen, and boy, were we glad!

Spaghetti in Garlic Gravy with Herbs and Lemon Marinated Chicken and Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients:

500 grams spaghetti pasta (cooked al dente) Alli used shells instead of spaghetti and I thought it was great because it held little puddles of that wonderful sauce!  Mmmmm!
1 pound chicken breast fillets (sliced into 1 inch chunks)

For the chicken marinade:
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped (if using dried, use half of the amount)
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ a lemon
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt (not table salt)
½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (to sauté the marinated chicken)
– Add all the marinade ingredients into the chicken and marinade for 20 minutes (if making this dish in pronto) or over night (if making this dish the next day… much better).
– Saute the marinated chicken in extra virgin olive oil until cooked (about 4-5 minutes) then set aside.

For the garlic gravy:
½ stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, finely minced
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups chicken stock
1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup parsley, chopped (to sprinkle/finish the pasta)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups whole cherry tomatoes
– Place saute pan over medium heat and add butter and olive oil.
– Saute garlic until fragrant and soft.
– Add the flour and cook for a minute.
– Add chicken stock and simmer gravy until thickened then add the chopped basil.
– Season with salt and pepper.
– Add the sauteed chicken in the gravy then toss the cooked spaghetti into this sauce.
– Add the cherry tomatoes and finish the dish with the chopped parsley and grated Parmesan cheese (serve extra on the side).
Makes 5-6 servings.

Okay, it’s not the healthiest dish, but it is scrumptious! No wonder – she got the recipe from Goddess of Scrumptiousness Recipes!

For Sunday morning breakfast, I made Lemon Blueberry Biscuits – an old recipe I clipped from a Taste of Home Magazine.  These are soooo good, friends.  They’re great any time, but they seem like a summertime breakfast or brunch. These don’t require any “Biscuit-making skills.”  Just mix and drop onto a baking sheet!

Lemon Blueberry Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (8 ounces) lemon yogurt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• GLAZE:
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Directions:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, egg, butter and lemon peel; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in blueberries.
• Drop by tablespoonfuls 1 in. apart onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over warm biscuits. Yield: 1 dozen.

Enjoy!

What’s been cooking in your kitchen this week?

From my parsonage kitchen,