Dinner of the week! and overdue Double Green tip + Dessert recipe is on the way!

Happy Sunday! I hope everyone else is enjoying beautiful change-of-season weather like we are in MS! Just getting a hint of fall is so exciting- I've been cooking squash, grilling out, burning spice candles and listening to flocks of geese through wide open windows... just typing these things puts a contented smile on my face.  I hope everyone else loves fall weather (or at least fall food) because I guarantee you'll be seeing a fall-ish trend on this blog for a bit (until I get sick of it and turn to Christmas!).

So... how about a SUPER easy Dinner of the Week with a side of Roasted Butternut Squash?

 FANTASTIC Marinated Grilled Chicken
(from the kitchen of one of my best friend's mothers)

Ingredients

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (you can also buy skin-on bone-in for cheaper and do it yourself- I'll give you tips!)
1 large bottle of basic Italian dressing (brand really doesn't matter- we went totally cheap-o when we did this)

Method

Tips to de-bone and skin chicken breasts yourself: 

Skinning it-

1. TOTALLY thaw the chicken if it's frozen
2. Put a large bowl/container, a large trash can, and a big paper towel roll by the sink BEFORE you start. A strainer is also useful for rinsing the chicken, but not completely necessary.
3. Turn the water on- you want very warm (but not hot) water.  A gushing stream is not necessary, however.
4. One piece at a time, hold the chicken breasts under the water.  There will be a slit somewhere in the skin- try to get the flow to go between the skin and meat there.  This helps separate them.  Place your thumb in the pocket between the skin and meat, and pull.  Discard skin in the trash as you pull.  Once you get the skin mostly off/mostly loose, you can use a paper towel to grasp it better and pull it completely off. 
5. I find it useful to place skinned chicken in a bowl as I finish it, then rinse them all in a strainer and pat them dry with paper towels.  It's easier to cut chicken that's not slippery wet.

Deboning it-

1. Use a slender, serrated knife.  Find the flat bone that runs along one side of the breast.  Slice into the breast as close to it as possible, and try to slide/scrape the knife between the meat and bone across the width of the chicken.  This gets you the majority of the breast.
2. Using a similar scraping technique, cut off the smaller pieces of meat remaining.  Discard the bone in the trash.

Cooking Method:

Fill a tupperware-type container with chicken breasts and pour the entire bottle of dressing over them.  Refrigerate/marinate overnight (you can even do it for two days- YUM!)
When your grill is ready, shake the excess marinade off the chicken, and grill for about 5-8 minutes a side, until no longer pink in the center. 

Roasted Butternut Squash

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash
2-4 cloves fresh garlic, chopped coarsely
1 T fresh chopped or dried rosemary
1 T fresh chopped or dried parsley
1 t fresh chopped or dried thyme
1 t salt
1 t pepper
2 T olive oil
Parmesan cheese

Method:

Microwave the whole squash for about 3 minutes on 70-80% power.  This makes it easier to cut.  Using a large butcher knife, cut it in half lengthwise.  Use a vegetable peeler to skin it.  Peel it until the orange flesh shows and the green veins are gone.  Use a tablespoon to scrape out the seeds.  Slice into appx. 1 inch cubes. 
Toss squash and all other ingredients except cheese in a large bowl.  Line a roasting pan or casserole dish with foil or parchment paper.  Put squash mixture in the dish and back at 450 degrees for about 35-45 minutes.  Ever 10 minutes or so, gently flip and stir the squash.  When it begin to get darker and a little golden, Sprinkle heavily with Parmesan cheese and broil for about 5 minutes.  Squash and garlic should be lightly browned. 

Enjoy!!

Pasta and a Sweet Tooth Treat :)

Sorry for neglecting you for a while! School started not long after my last post, which means my time is much more precious.  I do, however, intend to squeeze a few minutes for this. :)

For the record, I'm quite excited to share this Dinner of the Week with you.  It was SUPER easy, healthy, cheap, and the hubby loved it! Can't get much better than that.  

Pasta Alla Norma (aka eggplant spaghetti) 
from Spicy Food

Ingredients:

1 eggplant
3 cans diced tomatoes
2-4 cloves garlic, chopped
5-6 T olive oil
salt alternative
salt
crushed red pepper
pasta of your choice
Parmesan Cheese

Method:

Slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch thick rounds.  Layer in a strainer, sprinkling each layer with salt, and place a heavy plate on top.  This helps some of the bitter juices to drain out.

In a large cast iron skillet, saute garlic in olive oil.  When it begins to color (it should turn more yellow), drain the tomatoes and add them to the skillet.  Sprinkle with salt alternative and red pepper to taste.  I do about 1-2 tsps salt and 2-3 tsps red pepper.  Allow the tomatoes to simmer, stirring occasionally, for a FULL 15 minutes.  While the tomatoes cook, boil your pasta with a tsp of olive oil until it is "al dente," i.e., done but still a little stiff, not soft. 

Drain pasta,and toss in an oven-safe dish with tomato sauce.  Cover with an oven safe lid or foil and place in the oven on warm. 

Using a paper towel, press and blot eggplant slices.  Saute in the same skillet you used for the sauce, adding olive oil as needed to keep slices from sticking.  Cook them until they are browned on both sides. Place finished slices on a plate while you cook the rest. 

Pull pasta dish out of the oven and lay eggplant slices on top.  GENTLY toss until mixed.  When you serve it, top each plate/bowl with Parmesan. 

Enjoy!! this makes about 4 servings. 

And now for.... Dessert!!!

Easy Lemon Icebox Pie

Ingredients

6 lemons

4 eggs, yolks and whites separated

2 cans sweetened condensed milk
graham cracker crumb crust (bought or made)
cool whip or meringue topping (I'll share how I made my meringue)
1/2 t cream of tartar (for meringue)
1/4 c sugar (for meringue)
Method:

If making your own crust:

place about 8-10 whole graham cracker squares in a large ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin.  In a bowl, mix with 1/4 cup white sugar and 1/2 c melted butter (add only a little more melted butter if it's too dry.  However, it should be crumbly).  Carefully press into a pie pan, and bake at 300 for about 10-15 minutes, until the edges are golden and it's very fragrant.  Place on countertop and allow to cool.

Zest and juice all 6 lemons in a large bowl. Whisk in sweetened condensed milk.  In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks until the color changes (this may take up to 10 minutes, but the improved texture and richness is worth it.)  Whisk in egg yolks.  Pour into crust.  If making meringue, follow below directions.  If not, bake 15 minutes at 350.

For Meringue topping:

Using about 3/4 of the egg whites, and cream of tartar, beat egg whites on high until they form soft peaks.  add sugar one Tbsp at a time, continuing to beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Spread over pie filling, sealing the edges to the crust.  Bake at 350 10-15 minutes, until tips are lightly golden.

Allow pie to cool at room temperature, then store in the fridge.  If using cool whip topping, top AFTER it's cooled. 

What's your favorite pie?  or favorite pasta?  Please share via email or comment, I'd love to hear what you have to say!


till next week, 

Jess