Apricot Chicken with Stir Fried Green Beans

This is a dinner I make without a real recipe. Right after I graduated from college, I started watching 30 Minute Meals.  It was 2001 and no one really knew who this Rachael Ray woman was but I loyally watched after work.  This was when my cooking skills were still pretty novice and unless Jenn (who was my roommate at the time) and I were eating together, I was mostly making simple things for just me.

I remember seeing Rachael make Apricot Chicken and I started trying to make it myself.  I never followed a recipe, I just did what I remembered her doing.  I haven’t made this in at least two years so tonight’s version is probably very far from the original (like cooking whisper down the lane) but it still tastes delicious.

Ingredients:

• half an onion chopped
• one pound of chicken cut into one inch(ish) pieces
• some chicken broth (maybe 3/4 of a cup?)
• half a small jar of apricot preserves
• teaspoon of cornstarch

I heated some olive oil in a pan over medium high heat and added the onion. When it was soft, I added the chicken and cooked it until I couldn’t see any more pink.  I deglazed the pan with the chicken broth.  After it came to a boil,  I lowered the heat to medium low and stirred in the apricot preserves and let it simmer for about five minutes.  I added some cornstarch to thicken up the sauce and let it simmer on low until the sides were ready.

The stir fried green beans were a little more done than I like but also simple.  I just heat some olive oil in a pan, add the beans, cook to my liking (or more tonight), then I toss them with some teriyaki sauce and cook a minute or so longer.  At the end I stir in some crushed red pepper and sesame seeds.

The sweet apricot chicken and the salty slightly hot green beans go great together. For a weeknight meal, it’s relatively simple and quick. I don’t know why I haven’t made this in years.

My Hamantaschen: A Cooking Drama Not Quite As Dramatic As the Book of Esther

Although my family has never been very religious, I remember that for the period of time that we belonged to a synagogue Purim was a time to wear costumes, play games and win prizes at a bazaar, and watch the rabbi and the other men get drunk while reading the Book of Esther. However, even in the non-synagogue years, we always made Hamantaschen for Purim.

When I first graduated from college, my mom must have given me her recipe over the phone.  I know I made it a few times, but today was the first time I’ve made in years. Here’s what I found on my 3 by 5 card.

Humantoshen

Combine:

• 4 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• shake of salt

• 1 stick of butter
• 1/2 to 3/4 cups of sugar
• 2 eggs
• (grated orange or lemon rind)
• oranje juice

• cream sugar and butter
• add eggs beat well
• add flour mixture with rind gradually
• add orange juice to moisten
• refrigerate for an hour
• roll out 1/8 inch
• brush with egg wash
• bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes

Yes, that’s really how I spelled hamantaschen and orange.  There are numerous recipes from that year that also say sause. I was a pretty sloppy speller but oranje?

I was really excited to get started and make the most of my recipe and enjoy my hamantaschen. I was especially excited to roll out dough on my counters instead of struggling with that rolled pastry mat.

It went pretty well and I used a glass to cut out circles that would be filled with the cherry pie filling and apricot preserves I bought.

I noticed they were a little thin and sort of heavy but I got them on the tray, gave them a brush of egg wash and put them in the oven.

I went on to roll out my second batch.  I made them a little thicker this time and they definitely looked nicer.

These went in when the others came out and the first batch looked awful.

And when they were cool enough I tried to get them off the tray.  I never greased the sheet because the recipe didn’t say to and these thin heavy hamantaschen resisted.

There were a few casualties, mostly little corners that still tasted pretty good since I ate them as they fell off.

At this point I felt a little defeated. I knew my second batch was definitely better because the dough was thicker but I hadn’t greased the sheet and I was worried they would also break apart when I tried to get them off.

So I greased a new cookie sheet, dropping it on the floor and scaring away my baking companion Chica who was so patiently sitting by my feet. And then I decided there would be no more hamantaschen but I didn’t want to waste the dough. I mixed together some cinnamon and sugar and sprinkled it over the remaining rolled out dough.

Then I sprinkled it with some raisins and began rolling it up.

I cut it into about one inch rolls and and put it on a greased baking sheet.

Meanwhile, my second batch of hamantaschen were finished baking and they looked perfect.

And when I braced myself for chipping them off the baking sheet, they came right off. No chipping necessary.

This batch was such a success.

Mike and I sampled hamantaschen from the first batch and they still tasted pretty good. But these look great and I bet they’ll taste wonderful.

And those rolled up dough things.  They look pretty good too.

I haven’t tasted one yet but I’m sure that they’ll be sweet and soft and good.  I guess if you’re not a raisin fan, they might suck.  Mike asked hopefully if the brown things were chocolate chips.  I guess that would make them even better but in my frustration I went with raisins first.

So it all turned out well.  I thought I would have tons of hamantaschen to share but this is a nice mix of delicious treats.  Good thing I did eight miles this morning.

Granary Gourmet Candlelight Dinner

 

The Lemont Village Association hosted their eighth annual Gourmet Candlelight Dinner in the John I. Thompson Grain Elevator and Coal Sheds (the Granary).

The dinner raises funds for the renovation and restoration of the Granary.  It’s a really beautiful old building and the Lemont Village Association has invested a lot of money so that the community can continue to use and enjoy this unique feature in our town.

The eight course meal with a North African theme was catered by Tom Everly, Culinary Arts Chef, and his wife, Judy Everly of Keystone Yankee Catering in Lemont and Pastry Chef, Julie Meiser Rioux.

Here was our table.

Mike and I both had the meat option and I tried to get pictures of each course. I was challenged by the light but you should get a good idea of the dinner.

Appetizer: Lamb Meatballs with Apricots

Soup course: Lamb Yohgurt

Fish Course: Casablanca Salad

Releve: Pork Loin with Moroccan Spices

Entree: Marrakech Style Chicken with Rice with Pistachios and Orange Water

Salad Course: Tossed Salad with Lemon Juice and Olive Oil

Cheese and Fruit Course: Local Cheeses and Dates

Dessert: Pear Tart with Ice Cream

My favorite things were the lamb meatballs, the soup, the rice (orange is one of my number one flavors and it was just so good), the cheese plate and the ice cream with the tart. But everything was really delicious and the company was great. We got to sit with some of our neighbors who we’ve never met before and enjoy a nice evening out in a really unique space.

We cooked on a Friday

We typically do not cook dinner on Fridays.  A lot of times we are out with friends and get something, eat leftovers, or order pizza.  So when we do cook on a Friday, it feels so weird and special.

We sort of screwed up Wednesday’s dinner plan by forgetting to defrost the pork tenderloin so we decided to make it tonight. We made Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Mustard with Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta with Roasted Asparagus as a side.

I don’t really love pork. But this recipe is perfect.  It gets a crispy sweet glaze on the outside that is perfect. We’ve found that going heavier on the apricot preserves and lighter on the mustard makes it the perfect amount of sweetness.  Also, we don’t roast the apricots or leave the glaze for dipping. We just put more on the tenderloin when we flip it halfway through the broiling time.

The pasta (we didn’t have cavatappi but farfalle worked just fine) alone could be dinner but this way we have plenty of leftovers, especially since Sunday night is my knitting night with friends and a quick dinner works out well.