French Onion Fench Bread Pizzas

1 stick butter
1 tsp. dried thyme
6 large yellow onions, thinly sliced (we used 3 lb bag)
2 fresh bay leaves (we used dried)
Salt/pepper
1/3 C. dry sherry
2 cans (10.5 ounces each) beef consomme
1 large loaf French bread, split horizontally and halved crosswise (we created 8 instead of 4 pieces)
2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese
12 ounces ripe Camembert cheese, sliced (we used Brie)

In a large high-sided skillet, heat the butter over medium heat.  Add the thyme, onions, and bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.  Cook low and slow (on medium heat, stirring occasionally) until deep caramel in color and very sweet (35-40 minutes, but ours went for about an hour).  Deglaze with the sherry, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon.  Sir in the consomme and cook down for 5 minutes (or longer - until not a thin liquid but a well developed sauce).

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Toast the bread in the oven on a cookie sheet.  Remove the bay leaves from onion mixture and top the bread with the onion mixture and cheeses.  (We layered the onion mixture and made sure to allow the liquid to sop into the toasted french bread for greater flavor and then layered the sliced Brie and topped it with the shredded Gruyere).  Return pizzas to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.

We also used the "leftover" onions & consomme as an au jus to dip our pizzas in for even more french onion flavor.

*Original recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray My Year in Meals, 2012, p.118.

Feb 25 - March 31

This monthly planning thing is going great! 

We love having the meals planned and scheduled as it makes for a very quick time preparing the shopping list and more time for actually enjoying our weekends!

This month is a bit crazy as we had to adjust the last week of February for Snowmagedden 2013 and wanting meals that fit a bit more in the snowed-in theme along with spring break, weekend debate tournaments, and hosting dinner meetings the first 3 Mondays this month.  It's looking to be a very eventful month.

Since there are so many new recipes to try, there aren't that many recipes already posted on our blog.  However, don't despair, we'll do our best to get them on here as soon as we've tried them and approved them.

Here's the updated menu along with what's for dinner during March.  You will find we selected and are attempting MANY new recipes this month.

Feb. 25 - "Better than Stroud's" Skillet Fried Chicken*
Feb. 26 - French Onion French Bread Pizzas*
Feb. 27 - Crispy Parm-crusted filet of fish & buttery bow ties
Feb. 28 - Chicken Fried Steak
March 1 - Stuffed Hot Sausage Meatball Subs
March 2 - Butter-me-up Buccatini w/ scallops
March 3 - Open
March 4 - Spinach & Artichoke Mac'n'cheese
March 5 - Spanish Frittata
March 6 - Chicken & Spinach Tortilla Bake
March 7 - Prosciutto & Portobello Mushroom Pizza
March 8 - Fajita Chilaquiles Casserole
March 9 - an evening out @ Drop Bar
March 10 - Open
March 11 - Pesto-presto Chicken
March 12 - Crispy Tortilla w/ ham, chile, spinach, & fried eggs
March 13 - Beef Polenta Pie
March 14 - Skillet Shrimp Fajitas
March 15 - DB8 tournament
March 16 - DB8 tournament (Room 39 after)
March 17 - Open
March 18 - Corned Beef & Cabbage
March 19 - Orecchiette w/ Broccoli rabe pesto & Sausage
March 20 - Honey-glazed ham panini
March 21 - Brown-sugar Mustard Glazed Salmon*
March 22 - Avocado Salad Topped Steak Tacos
March 23 - Affare & Hearland Men's Chorus Concert
March 24 - Open
March 25 - Brazilian-style Chicken w/ Okra
March 26 - Shrimp & Cheese Grits w/ Okra*
March 27 - Beefy Tex-Mex Stir Fry*
March 28 - Avenues Bistro & KC REP
March 29 - Plaza III
March 30 - Snow & Co. & Off Centre Theatre
March 31 - Easter Sunday (menu TBD)

*Recipe included on blog.

Chicken & Leek Pie

OMG - we made this last night and it was SO good!  We had to share the recipe quickly.  As we are enjoying a nice snow day today, this meal would've been a great snowed-in recipe to enjoy! 

OK, a bit of a heads up, this isn't a quick meal to make.  It takes some time (close to 2 hours with baking), so plan accordingly.  However, it's oh so worth it. 

Modifications we made:  we used fryer legs as we had them thawed from the freezer & are making fried chicken next week.  We also skipped the "cool completely" stage & also only let the pie cool for about 15 minutes after baking and it turned out fine, but if you want to cool it completely as it suggests, we suggest making the filling the night before and let it cool overnight.  Then, make the pot pie the next day with the puff pastry topping.

Servings:  4 (We ate it all in one sitting, just the 2 of us)

3 whole corn-fed chicken legs (thigh & drumstick) - we used 6 chicken leg fryers
Salt/Pepper
1 Tsp. EVOO
2 Tbsp. stick butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 leek (white & pale green parts only), cut into half length-wise, then cut into 1/2-inch strips
1 Tbsp. coarse-grain mustard
1/4 C. all-purpose flour
1 C. chicken stock
3/4 C. whole milk (+ 1 Tbsp)
1/4 C. heavy cream
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh tarragon
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 large egg
Sesame seeds, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Sprinkle chicken legs heavily with salt, pepper, and drizzle with EVOO.  Place in a large, heavy, rimmed baking sheet and roast 15 minutes.  Turn the legs over and continue roasting 15 minutes more or until they are golden brown and cooked through.  Set them aside to cool slightly, and reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees.  Reserve the pan drippings on the baking sheet.

When legs are cool enough to handle, shred meat into large chunks and place in a bowl.  Discard the sinew, bones, and skin.

Melt the butter in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onions and leeks and saute for 5 minutes, or until tender but not browned.  Stir in the mustard, then the flour, and cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. 

Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, the 3/4 C. milk, the cream, and the reserved pan drippings.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens.  Stir in the shredded chicken and the tarragon, and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Set the mixture aside to cool, and then refrigerate it to cool completely.

To assemble the pie:  Spoon the chicken mixture into a 1.5 quart baking dish.  Roll out the sheet of puff pastry to form an 11-inch square.  Drape the puff pastry over the chicken mixture and press it against the rim of the baking dish to seal.  Cut slits into the pastry to allow steam to escape.  Mix the egg and the remaining 1 Tbsp. milk in a small bowl to blend.  Brush the pastry with the egg mixture, and garnish with sesame seeds.  Set the pie on a heavy baking sheet and bake for 50 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.  Set it aside to cool for 30 minutes before serving.

*Recipe courtesy of Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone, p. 181

French Onion Salisbury Steak with Cheese Toasts

French Onion Salisbury Steaks
1 1/4 lb. ground chuck
1/4 cup fresh minced parsley, plus more for garnishing
2 Tbsp. scallions, minced
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. EVOO
3 red onions, sliced
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 cups beef broth
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
4 tsp. parmesan cheese

Combine chuck, parsley, scallions, 1 tsp. salt, and pepper. Divide evenly into 4 portions and shape each into 1" thick oval patties, making sure the center is thinner and the edges are thicker. Place 2 Tbsp. flour in a shallow dish; dredge each patty in flour, reserving 1 tsp. flour.

Heat EVOO in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add patties and cook 3 minutes on each side, or until brown crust forms. Remove from pan.

Add onions and sugar to pan; saute 5 minutes, making sure to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in garlic and tomato paste; saute 1 minute, or until paste begins to brown. Sprinkle mixture with the reserved tsp. of flour; cook 1 minute. Stir in beef broth and wine, then add the salt and thyme (rub the thyme leaves between fingers to better release the oil and flavor).

Return meat to pan and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 10 minutes.

Cheese Toasts
4 thick slices French bread or baguette, cut diagonally (1 in. thick)
2 Tbsp. room temperature butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of paprika
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese
1 Tbsp. shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place bread on a baking sheet. Combine butter, garlic, and paprika; spread on one side of each slice of bread. Combine cheeses and sprinkle evenly over butter. Bake until bread is crisp and cheese is bubbly (about 10-15 min.).

Serve steaks on Cheese Toasts with onion soup ladled over. Garnish with parsley and parmesan.

* Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light