Sandwiches are one of the great pastimes in my house. I personally love to eat them and could have it every day if I could get away with it. They are quick and easy meals that are perfect for hectic weeknights or just for a lazy weekend dinner. Of course, they are great for lunch any time at all. I had bought a package of chicken tenderloins when they were one sale this past week and was looking for something to do with them, and this turned out to be a fine idea.Michelle had suggested sandwiches, so that’s the way I decided to go with it.
Chicken Tender BLAT (Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado and Tomato)
1 pound chicken tenders
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 slices bacon, cooked
4 leaves Romaine lettuce
1 tomato, thinly sliced
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
4 rolls
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place the bread crumbs in one shallow bowl, the beaten egg in a separate shallow bowl and the flour in a third bowl. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken tenders in the flour, shaking off any excess. Dip the chicken in the egg, allowing the excess to drip off, then roll the chicken tenders in the panko bread crumbs until well coated, shaking off any excess. Place the chicken on a separate plate and repeat the process until all the chicken is coated in the bread crumbs.
In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until it is shimmering. Add the chicken to the skillet in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. Allow the chicken to brown on one side before flipping it over, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and brown the second side until the chicken is cooked through completely, about another 4 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cover to keep warm while you repeat the process with any remaining chicken.
Once all the chicken is made, you can begin assembling the sandwiches. Place slices of tomato on each roll, followed by pieces of bacon. Then place one or two chicken tenders on the roll, followed by a piece of romaine lettuce and topped with avocado.
You could also put some mayonnaise or other sauce on the sandwiches if you wish. I actually added a little bit of sliced red onion to my sandwich as well and it was great. I served the sandwiches with some of the Alton Brown potato salad that I posted the recipe for yesterday and some homemade cole slaw that I had also made. You can serve these sandwiches hot or cold depending on whatever each person might like to have. it’s certainly easy enough to do for any night of the week and you could even use boneless chicken breasts sliced thinly into strips instead of buying the chicken tenders or use frozen chicken tenders if that is what you like best and eliminate the entire step of breading the chicken.
That’s all I have for today. Tomorrow is Father’s Day so I don’t know if I will get around to doing a post or not. We’ll have to see how the say goes, but I do have some recipes that I used this week that I intend to post, so keep checking back for those. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day, a happy Father’s Day to all of the Dads out there, and enjoy your meal!
I’ve been making potato salad recipes for years and years now. All along, I’ve really just been using the same recipe. I have these standard Hellmann’s potato salad recipe that you used to find on the back of the jar that I’ve been using all this time and it is always worked well. This last time, when I decided to make some potato salad as a side dish for dinner, I wanted to try something a little bit different. I went searching for recipes and came across this one from Alton Brown on the Food Network’s website. I don’t think I’ve ever tried a recipe of his that I haven’t liked, so I thought I would give it a try.
Cold-Fashioned Potato Salad
2 1/2 pounds red potatoes, large diced
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 tablespoon very thinly sliced garlic
3 tablespoons finely chopped cornichons
1/2 cup small dice red onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Place the potatoes into a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven. Cover the potatoes with cold water and place the pot over medium heat. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat and remove the lid. Gently simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the potatoes and place them in an ice bath to cool. Remove the skins from the potatoes. Slice the potatoes into rounds and place them into a zip top bag. Add the vinegar and toss to coat all of the potatoes. Place the bag into the refrigerator overnight.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, parsley, tarragon, garlic, cornichons, onions, and celery. Once everything is evenly combined, add the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Allow the salad to chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.
If you have never used cornichons before, they are those little tiny pickles that you can find in many of your local supermarkets. I did not have any red potatoes on hand, so I did use some russet potatoes instead and I think everything turned out just fine. Adding the vinegar ahead of time and allowing the potatoes to marinate overnight does seem to make a good difference in the taste. There were also a few things in this salad that I never added before, including the cornichons, garlic and mustard powder. You can really taste the mustard powder and it does come through quite nicely. I would certainly recommend this recipe and I’ll be using it again. The salad tasted even better the next day once it had time to sit and the flavors were allowed to meld.
That’s all I have for today. Check back again next time to see some of the recipes that I’ve tried out this week, including a pork chop with cherries, a crispy high roasted chicken and potatoes recipe and some others that I have been working on. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day, and enjoy your meal!
As the weather starts to warm up and we move closer and closer to summertime, not only will more people be grilling and cooking out, but you also want to make meals that are quick and easy to cook and can all be done in one pot or pan. I’ve made chicken and rice before in different ways but I came across this recipe in the Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook and saw how easy it was and thought it would make a great weeknight meal. Dinner for anyone during the week can get a little hectic, so if you have a recipe like this in your arsenal that you can pull out any time you have some chicken, it can make things a lot easier. While this particular recipe uses a whole chicken, I actually substituted since I only had chicken thighs on hand and used them exclusively.
Chicken and Rice With Tomatoes, White Wine, and Parsley
1 (3 1/2 to 4-pound) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (4 breast pieces, 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
2 cups water
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained with 1/2 cup of juice reserved
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season well with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place the chicken skin side down in the pot and cook until it is well browned, about 6 to 8 minutes, reducing the heat if the pan begins to scorch. Flip the chicken skin side up and continue to cook until lightly browned on the second side, about 3 minutes; transfer to a plate.
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pot, add the onion, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until it is well coated and glistening, about 1 minute. Stir in the water, tomatoes with the reserved juice, white wine, and 1 teaspoon of salt, scraping up any browned bits. Nestle the chicken thighs and legs into the pot and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Nestle the chicken breast pieces into the pot and stir the ingredients gently until the rice is thoroughly mixed; cover and simmer until both the rice and the chicken are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes longer. Stir in the parsley, cover, and allow the dish to sit for 5 minutes.
One of the things you want to be sure of is that you stir the rice as the dish goes along. When you cook a meal of this nature, some of the rice tends to get undercooked if you just leave it alone without mixing it up as you go along.The recipe actually puts the breasts in after the other chicken has started cooking so they do not dry out and get overcooked while the dark meat pieces cook.There are many different variations you can try on this – if you want to change it around every time you make it. You could certainly add different spices such as paprika, cilantro, saffron, cumin or even things such as bell peppers, peas, chili peppers, olives, anchovies or some lemon or lime juice. The combinations seem nearly endless depending on what exactly you want to go for. As I said before, you can use whatever pieces of chicken you happen to have on hand if you do not have a whole chicken. The meal only took about a half an hour to cook and clean up was a breeze since everything was done all in one pot.
That’s all I have for today. Check back again later on in the week as I’ll have some of the recipes of things I have cooked recently or things I am planning for later on in the week. I already made some chicken sandwiches, Alton Brown’s potato salad recipe and some braised pork chops with cherries, among other things. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!
The 21 Best Recipes to Cook for Father’s Day: BA Daily: Bon Appétit.
Looking for something great to make for Dad for Father’s Day dinner this year? Bon Appetit has put together 21 recipes of some great entrees and side dishes to make for dinner that any Dad is sure to love. There’s plenty of beef, fish, chicken, lamb and more to choose from as a main course, so check them out and see if you find something to make.
I am always on the lookout for new side dishes to try, particularly in the summertime. I want to try to make as many things I can without having to use the stove very much or even at all if I can avoid it when it is really hot. I came across this recipe on the Food Network website and saw that it would be good to go along with just about anything from burgers and hot dogs to pork or fish. I actually made it yesterday as a side dish for some Italian sausage and peppers.
Black Bean Salad
1 small garlic clove
Pinch salt, plus 2 teaspoons
1 1/2 lines, juiced (about 3 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh corn kernels (from about 2 ears)
1 orange or red bell pepper, diced
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small avocado, halved, seeded and diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, leaves and stems
To make the dressing, smash the garlic clove, sprinkle it with a pinch of the salt, and, with the flat side of a large knife, mash and smear the mixture to create a coarse paste. Whisk the garlic paste, lime juice, salt and chili powder together in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, starting with a few drops and then adding the rest in a steady stream.
For the salad, cook the corn, bell pepper and onions in the olive oil until beginning to brown over medium-high heat in a large skillet, about 5 minutes. Toss in the black beans and cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Add the dressing and toss to coat evenly. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the skillet from the heat and gently fold in the tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro. Serve warm or at room temperature.
I did change the recipe around just slightly and added a little bit more corn. I did not have any cherry tomatoes on hand but I did have other tomatoes so I just seeded and sliced one up and used that.I also had some black beans on hand that were not in a can but had been originally dried. They had already been soaked so I didn’t have to do that process however, I did add a little bit of water to the skillet once I added the beans and covered the skillet for about 10 minutes to soften up the beans more. I think it tasted just fine using the dried beans, but it will add a little more time to the recipe. I love the flavor of the lime and the garlic in the dressing and what it adds to the flavor of the vegetables and I think this would be a great side dish to use throughout the summer. As I said, I served this with the baked Italian sausage, peppers and onions recipe that I had posted on here recently.
That’s all I have for today. Check back again in over the next few days to see what other recipes I use. I do have some things in mind that I hope to get to over the next few days and when I do my shopping this weekend I’ll see what I get and picked up to make for the coming week. Keep checking back and see what comes along. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day, and enjoy your meal!
Making a one-pot meal for dinner has some great advantages to it. Not only does it make cleanup after the meal simple and easy, but cooking everything together in one pot or pan gives all the food the chance to meld flavors. As soon as I saw this recipe in bon appétit Magazine, I knew I was not only going to give the recipe a try, but that I was going to add vegetables to it so we could have the complete meal together.
Roast Provençal Chicken with Roasted Vegetables
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup herbes de Provence
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 3 1/2 to 4 pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 parsnips, peeled and chopped
2 onions, peeled and cut into quarters
2 sweet potatoes, chopped
2 Yukon gold potatoes, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 475°. Mix the garlic, herbes de Provence, oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the mixture all over the pieces of chicken, covering the skin on both sides. Place the chicken on a wire rack.
Add the carrots, parsnips, onions, sweet potatoes, and potatoes to the roasting pan. Mix the olive oil with the vegetables, tossing to evenly coat everything. Season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and roast the chicken in the oven until the skin begins to brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350° and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the largest piece of chicken registers 165°, about 30 to 40 minutes longer. Remove the chicken from the oven to a separate platter and cover to rest for 10 minutes. Put the roasting pan back in the oven to allow the vegetables to roast longer and caramelize for another 10 minutes. Remove the vegetables and place on a separate serving platter.
If you didn’t want to cut the chicken up beforehand, you could certainly leave it all and then rub the herb mixture inside and outside the chicken before you roast it. If you like your vegetables a little crisper, when you place them back in the oven after removing the chicken you could turn the heat up on the oven to 450° and let them roast at a higher temperature for a little bit longer. I particularly like the way the spices came out on the chicken itself. They tasted great with the vegetables and you could use any vegetables that you like here, although vegetables work best for this type of roasting because they can sustain in the oven a little bit longer than the other vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower or the like.
That’s all there is for today. Check back again next time to see what other recipes I use for the week. I still have a couple of other things planned for the coming days so hopefully I can get to them. I know I’ll be making something with Italian sausage, some type of chicken sandwich and I also have a couple of pork recipes that I want to try out soon so keep checking back to see what I decide to make. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!
Our Favorite Grilling Recipes: Bon Appétit.
Because you can never have enough great grilling recipes, here are 22 ideas from Bon Appetit for grilling beef, pork, seafood, chicken, burgers, vegetables and more. There’s a little bit of everything so you can easily find something that suits your tastes and wants. Check it out!
Fun, unusual and forgotten designations on our calendar.
Happily Ever After Lives Here
a little bit naughty a little bit nice
Letting Life Lead
Simple and delicious dinner inspiration
onedadskitchen 