Republishing Really Good Recipes

My first cookbook, Really Good Recipes, was published in 2000 and is currently out of print. I've decided to republish it through Copper Canyon Cookbooks. Here's a look at the new cover. Pub Date: Not set.

I'm adding lots of new recipes and will be sharing some of the really good recipes with you on this blog in the next few months.

Monday Night Meatloaf

I love meatloaf... a basic, really good meatloaf. To me, meatloaf
is the ultimate comfort food. I've made many different recipes for meatloaf, but basic is the best.

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 medium egg
• 2 slices whole wheat bread, crumbed (I ripped the bread into pieces, put it in my mini food processor, whirred it around a few times and voila!... fresh crumbs)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce with oregano, garlic, and basil, divided

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, freshly ground black pepper, and about half of the tomato sauce in a large mixing bowl. Mix together just until combined.

Place the mixture into a glass meatloaf pan and pour the remaining sauce over the top. Put it in the oven and let it bake for an hour.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Mediterrean Chicken with Pasta

I made Mediterrean Chicken with Pasta a while ago based on a Tyler Florence recipe. I've noted the changes I made to the recipe in blue.

• 3 T. olive oil (I used the oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes; it added a lot of flavor)
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced diagonally
• 1 small onion, slivered (I added it halfway through browning the chicken)
  
• 1 (8-1/2 oz.) jar sun-dried tomatoes, julienned (1 cup)
• 2 T. garlic, minced
• 1 pound fresh angel hair pasta (I used whole grain thin spaghetti)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil (I had to substitute 2 T. dried basil because my fresh basil had turned brown and wilted; it was not a pretty sight)
• 1 (8-1/2 oz.) can artichoke hearts in water, quartered and drained (1 cup)
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted (1/4 pound) (I used chopped black olives)
• 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (I used half-and-half)
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• Salt and pepper, to taste (I omitted the salt and used freshly ground black pepper which I sprinkled on the chicken while I was browning it)

Boil water for pasta in a pasta pot, fitted with a strainer. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken strips until no longer pink -- about 3 minutes each side. Add sun-dried tomatoes and garlic to skillet. Saute for 2 minutes. In the meantime, add the fresh pasta to boiling water, cook until al dente, about 5 minutes.

Now add the basil, artichoke hearts, olives and feta cheese to the skillet. Saute 1 minute then stir in the cream. Strain the pasta and transfer to a large pasta bowl. Add the chicken saute to the pasta and toss. Season with oregano, salt and pepper before serving.

This was absolutely delicious (the picture doesn't do it justice). It came together quickly and easily, and was a wonderful weeknight dinner. It's a really good recipe!

Sauteed Chicken with Baby Bella Mushrooms in Wine Sauce Served over Garlic Spinach

This was one of the best dinners I've ever had and you can bet
I'll make this again. It's a keeper.

• 1/3 cup plus 1 T. all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 T. Tone's Garlic & Herb Seasoning (available at Sam's Club or substitute 1/2 T. garlic powder and 1/2 T. dried oregano)
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced lengthwise in half (they're much easier to slice if they're partially frozen)
• 1 T. vegetable oil
• 3 T. butter, divided
• 1 (16 oz.) container sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (10 oz.) bag fresh baby spinach
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup white wine
• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Put 1/3 cup flour on a dinner plate. Add the salt, pepper, and Garlic & Herb Seasoning. Stir to mix with a fork. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture.

Heat a deep, 12-inch chef's saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil and 1 T. of the butter. When the mixture bubbles, add the chicken and saute on both sides until nicely browned. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Add 1 T. butter to the pan. When it sizzles, add the mushrooms, let them brown on one side, then turn them over and let them brown on the second side. Remove and set aside on the same plate with the chicken.

If necessary, add just a little bit more butter to the pan. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, or until limp and just starting to brown.

Add the garlic and saute for one minute with the onions.

Add the spinach, stirring to mix it with the onions and garlic, and let it cook down. Remove to a separate plate and set aside. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Add the remaining 1 T. butter to the pan. When it bubbles, add the remaining 1 T. flour and stir constantly for about 30 seconds to make a roux. Stir in the chicken broth and the wine. Let cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

Add a squeeze of lemon juice and stir to mix. Return the chicken
and mushrooms, with any accumulated juices, to the pan and heat through.

Serve the chicken and mushrooms over a bed of spinach. (If the spinach has gone cold, just zap it in the microwave for about a minute.) Drizzle the wine sauce over.