ICY IN ITALY

LASDI©

Yep. I’m a New York Italian living in The Great State of Texas! But I don’t forget my roots, oh no! I try to incorporate my history and heritage into our meals from-time-to-time. I’m that Themer Girl, and that Chef Girl, and The Hubster typically eats whatever I put before him. But he asks for this one a bit more often than other January staples. (Not as much as those glorious chicken & dumplins, but that’s a recipe for another January!) I pair this chicken with freeze dried herbs in barley or some other white, comforting low glycemic grain, and some Tuscan-seasoned broccoli and it is the perfect balanced meal for a cold winter’s night! Cozy up by the fire with your sweetie, a glass of room-temp sauvignon (or some cocoa!) and this meal! See you in the Spring!

GARLIC BUTTER PARMESAN CHICKEN BREAST

4 chicken breasts

2 cups grated parmesan

1 stick butter, melted, sligtly cooled (see notes)

2 tbs minced garlic

black pepper, to taste (see notes)

Set oven to broil. Maker sure chicken is dry; if not, pat it with a few paper towels. (see notes) Mix all ingredients in a bowl and toss until chicken is well covered by the mixture. Place the chicken on a prepared baking sheet, making sure there is at least an inch betwixt each piece. Place under the broiler for 13 minutes. Let rest on a wire rack for 2 minutes before serving. (see notes) Eat up, enjoy, and stay warm!

NOTES: Make sure the melted butter is cooled enough that it doesn’t turn your parm into a stringy mess when mixing. I don’t use any salt in this recipe because I feel the parm is salty enough and I want to be able to enjoy the flavor of the cheese and the chicken itself. Making sure the chicken breast is dry ensures the coating sticks to each piece. Letting the cooked chicken rest on a wire rack helps the chicken rest and stay juicy without removing the parm coating from the bottom.

WINTER WONDERLAND

We've had a few Winter Wonderland menus in the last couple of years, and this one did not disappoint!  I absolutely love the idea of trying to come up with foods that not only deliver flavor that resounds comfort for chilly winter nights, but that reflect same in appearance as well.  After all, we eat with our eyes first, right?  Well, to be completely honest, I eat with my eyes first for about ten seconds.  THEN I eat with muh mouth!!  This particular night, we had some friends and partners of Life As She Does It, talking give-aways for the blog.  So I had no choice but to get them food-drunk so they would feel more "giving"! for You, Dear Readers, to have wonderful give-aways.  We dined on a most-gorgeous cheese tray and artichoke-spinach crostini,  a hearty salad of cranberries, candied nuts, and Gorgonzola cheese, slow-cooked clam chowder with fresh clams, Cornish game hens with decadent potatoes and zucchini-squash ratatouille, and a GORGEOUS white cake (pronounced whhhhhhhhat-cake, emphasis on the ha-part of the h).  

The recipe below is for the clam chowder, with all it's snow-white glory and ocean-goodness. It was not only creamy and wonderland-wonderful (sorry, I HAD to go there), it is LOW-CARB.  It was BEYOND...... Or, as The Daughts says: "I. Can't. EVEN."  Wanna make someone special in your life food-drunk and made to feel warm and fuzzy for chilly nights?  DO THIS.

WINTER CLAM CHOWDER

6 strips bacon, cooked and chopped fine

1 onion, chopped fine

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

2 large turnips, peeled and chopped into chunks

3 sprigs rosemary, chopped fine

2 bunches thyme, tied with butcher's twine

4 cans diced or chopped clams

2 jars clam juice

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 can cannellini or navy beans, blended

2 bay leaves

2 tbs butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tsp sea salt

2 tbs white pepper

1 tbs garlic powder

Throw all ingredients into a crock-pot and let cook on low all day.  Remove thyme twigs and bay leaves.  Serve.  THAT'S IT!!

NOTES: Remember that slow cooking can mute flavors, so be certain to add more of your spices to taste at the end and stir.  I simmered fresh clams in white wine and butter in a pan on the stove, and then added them to everyone's bowls just before serving. We simply ladled the soup over them for a more authentic look and flavor.  It was authentically AWESOME!!

HAM IT UP!!

SHE2016©

This was a Christmas catering job, and it was so much fun!  The menu was magical, and not only perfect for the season, but great for the cooling winter months!  There was Shiner Bock beer bread with sweet honey-cream butter, bacon-wrapped green bean almandine stacks, a honkin-huge bowl of salad with honey mustard vinaigrette, sweet potato casserole with home-made marshmallows melted on top,  red velvet stack cakes, and the most gorgeous ham with orange-balsamic-honey-mustard-and-clove glaze.  And that, Ladies & Gents, is the recipe that follows!

ORANGE BALSAMIC HONEY MUSTARD & CLOVE GLAZE

juice and zest of a large orange

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1/2 cup honey

2 tbs ground clove

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth.  Baste ham as it bakes, and pour remaining glaze over the ham as soon as it comes out of the oven.  Let rest.

NOTES: I used organic aged balsamic and orange blossom honey, but I'm certain any variation on this recipe with similar ingredients would taste just as amahz!!