One Pan Chicken and Buttery Orzo

These days I'm all about dinner that I can make in one pan. Paddy appreciates it more because he's the one who cleans up. This is from Bon Appetit and is super easy. A great use of Grandma's old cast iron pan, which she used for her famous roasts of all kinds :)

4-6 skin on chicken thighs (you could also use a couple of bone in breasts)
3 tbsp butter, divided
1 fennel bulb, chopped
1 leek, chopped
8 oz orzo
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 400. Pat dry chicken and season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat 2 tbsp butter in a large cast iron pan or other oven safe skillet. Nestle chicken skin side down and cook until meat is opaque around the edges and skin is a deep golden brown (6-8 mins). Turn chicken skin side up and bake uncovered until cooked through 10-15 mins. Transfer to plate and keep warm.

3. Place fennel and leek in skillet, season with salt and pepper and cook until soft and golden. Add orzo and stir until darkened and smells toasty. Pour in wine and cook until evaporated. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth at a time and let it absorb like you're making risotto. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, zest and remaining butter. Serve with chicken.

Mini Meatloaves Wrapped in Bacon

Yes - good as it sounds. These are super easy and sooooo good with mashed potatoes (and a salad or something so that you don't feel too bad about the rest of it). This is from Fine Cooking. You can use mini loaf pans (which I don't own) or ramekins. You could also use a muffin tin if you want to make them really really mini!

8 slices of bacon
1/2 chopped onion
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 cup breadcrumbs or panko
1 egg
3 tbsp ketchup
1/2 tsp Worcestershire
Salt and pepper
1 lb ground beef (pref. 85% lean) or meatloaf mix (beef, pork, veal)

1. Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Arrange bacon on sheet and bake until crisp along edges, about 10 mins. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to cool.

2. In a food processor, pulse onion and garlic. Add breadcrumbs, egg, ketchup, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Pulse a few times to blend. Transfer to a bowl, add the meat and mix until combined.

3. Spray your ramekins or pans with cooking spray. Cross two slices of bacon in each, across the bottom and up the sides. Let an excess hang over. Pack in the meatloaf and fold the bacon over the top.

4. Bake about half hour or until meat is 165. let cool and remove from pans. When finished top with equal parts ketchup and bbq sauce.

Summer Squash and Basil Pasta

Between Jack's later bedtimes these days and no nap weekends...not only do I have a huge pile of recipes to post but I have no time to cook. So 30 minutes or less here, people, that's the goal. I got this one out of Bon Appetit and it's a great summer pasta dish.

1/4 cup olive oil
6 thinly sliced garlic cloves
2 lbs summer squash and zucchini - quartered lengthwise and sliced
1 tsp crushed red pepper
12 oz pasta - papardelle or another wide noodle works well
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp lemon
1/2 cup basil

1. Heat the olive oil over medium. Add the garlic and stir until lightly browned around the edges. Add the squash and season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until squash breaks down and gets jammy, about 15 mins.

2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente. When done, transfer to pan with squash, reserving pasta water. Add about 1/2 cup of pasta water and the cheese in stages until cheese is melted and incorporated and pasta is cooked.

3. Add the lemon juice and basil and serve with more cheese.

Chicken Shawarma Salad

Chicken shawarma is one of my favorite ways to eat chicken. It reminds me of hot, sunny afternoons in Greece and treats to myself when living in Mali. This recipe from Food and Wine skips the pita and goes for salad, which I actually prefer.


Chicken
1/3 cup olive oil
6 tbsp lemon juice
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp paprika
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 lbs chicken thighs
2 red onions cut into 8 wedges

Salad 
Head of romaine lettuce
Chopped tomato and cucumber
1 cup creme fraiche or plain yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup cilantro
3 scallions
2 tbsp finely chopped jalapenos - deveined and seeded

1. Whisk the oil through the spices in a bowl and pour into a large ziplock with the chicken and onion. Marinate overnight or at least one hour.

2. Preheat oven to 450 and bake chicken and onions on a foil lined baking sheet for 30-40 mins or until browned and chicken cooked through.

3. For the salad, whisk the creme fraiche/yogurt, olive oil, and lemon zest and juice and season with salt and pepper.

4. Serve the chicken sliced with lettuce, tomato and cucumber. Top with cilantro, scallions, and jalapeno and the craime fraiche/yogurt on the side.