Good Life | Get Yo Man Chicken

I am having the time of my life learning to cook the Neely Down Home way.  I received their cookbook as a Christmas present one year and never cracked it up until recently.  Every thing I've made has been delish!  So when I saw the recipe for Get Yo Man Chicken I had to try it...at least once to see if it worked.  Problem is the only  man I live with is my 14 year old son and his palate isn't that adventurous but he actually like it!  So here's the recipe and let Erika and I know if Yo Man loves it!

Ingredients

8 bone in chicken thighs, skins removed (hint I left mine on :)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup Chicken Stock
One 14.5 ounce an crushed tomatoes in thick puree
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
Hot buttered rice, for serving (optional)

Preparation

Rinse the chicken, pat dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a large skilled over medium-high heat.  Brown the chicken, meat-side down first and turn once.  Cooking about 4 minutes on each side.  Transfer to a plate and reserve.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the pan.  Add the onion and celery to skillet and sauté until tender.  About 4 minutes.  Add the stock and white wine to the pan, stir and scrape brown bits off the bottom of the pan; reduce by half; cooking 7 to 8 minutes.  Stir in the tomatoes, honey, vinegar, parsley, thyme and rosemary to return to a simmer.  Add the chicken turning to coat, then cover and cook over medium-low heat until the chicken is very tender and pulls easily from the bone, about 40 minutes.  Remove the cover, increase the heat to medium, cook for another 10 to 15 minutes to reduce the sauce.  Serve over hot buttered rice, with sauce ladled on top.  Serves 4 to 6

That's a picture of how mine turned out.  I did not add onions and celery because my son HATES onions and I ran out of celery but it was still delicious.  I also used drumsticks - hey it was what I had.  Give it a try and Get Yo Man or KEEP him! 

With Style,

Good Life | Braised Pot Roast Recipe

It’s September and Fall is upon us.  Nothing reminds me of Fall days more than the smell of a good pot roast simmering.  I’ve recently become a lover of Weight Watchers magazine (March/April 2013) and found a great recipe for a braised pot roast that I must try.  Even in Sunny-O Bakersfield I can see the leaves changing colors…okay well not in Bako but a little further up North.  Here’s the recipe and a few tips on the “braising” technique. 

Prep 25 Min | Cook/Bake 3 Hr 15 Min | Serves 8

Source

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Pat meat (3.5 lbs) trimmed lean beef dry with paper towels; sprinkle salt and pepper ¼ tsp of each.  Spray large Dutch oven with nonstick spray and set over medium high heat.  Add beef and cook, turning until well browned, 10 minutes.  Transfer beef to plate.  Spray Dutch oven with more nonstick spray.  Add 2 chopped onions, 2 chopped carrots, 2 chopped celery stalks and 4 chopped garlic cloves; reduce heat and cook, stirring until veggies are soft about 5 minutes.  Add ¾ c ruby port and cook, scraping the browned bits, 1 minute.  Add 3 cups low-sodium beef broth, 4 thyme springs and 2 bay leaves; simmer.  Add beef, cover pot with lid and transfer to oven.  Bake until beef is fork-tender about 3 hours.

Nutritional Information
369 cal, 8 g total fat for 2 slices of beef with ¼ cup sauce from pan 
Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value: 8

Braising Beef tips

Use a Dutch Oven or get a heavy cast –iron pot with a tight fitting lid.  If you don’t have a tight lid cover openings with aluminum foil.  Make sure to pat the beef dry to remove excess moisture before cooking.  Brown the meet first and then cook slow on low heat.

Happy Eatin',

StyleDIVA

Make Mine a Double Monday

Source

Do you have a sweet tooth like us?  Well here's something that can satisfy that craving AND a check on your list for having a fruit for the day.

Strawberries and dip

Microwave 3 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate, 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1 tablespoon butter until just melted, about 1 minute.  Whisk 1 teaspoon vanilla and 2 tablespoon brandy (DOUBLE LIKE).  Serve strawberries with the chocolate sauce, sour cream and turbinado sugar for dipping. 


Sounds great doesn't it?  And since it's Make Mine a Double Monday we'll be sure to double up on the brandy wink:wink!

*Recipe courtesy of Food Network Magazine

Kickin the C.R.A.P

I'm always up for a new way to shed some of my awesomeness so when I heard about the CRAP movement I decided to dedicate April to it.

C=Caffeine
R=Refined Sugar
A=Alcohol
P=Processed Foods

Can you imagine removing all of this from your diet all at one time? Luckily I have some support from one of my former cheer coach peers to get me through. So I am not much of a cook and the processed part is going to be a real challenge for me but thank goodness for Pinterest because I found some fantastic recipes and I'm sharing one with you tonight. Mine is actually in the oven as I type.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/06/crash-hot-potatoes/

Try it and let me know how yummy yours turned out.

With Style,


StyleDIVA