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It seems I neglected to blog about a recent supper of Lemon-Dill Chicken Skillet that I prepared last week. I am also going to include two other recipes that came on the heels of this one.
 I had some remaining feta cheese from the baked eggs recipe I recently prepared for my friends. I was quite happy to find another recipe utilizing feta cheese. This was found in the May 2022 issue of Southern Living Magazine. The ingredients needed include Yukon gold potatoes, olive oil, bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, freshly ground black pepper, kosher salt, fresh lemon juice, feta cheese and fresh dill fronds.  This is a great recipe to keep close at hand as it has a prep time of 25 minutes and completed overall in 40 minutes. 
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I recently started to work at  Palmer’s Quality Meats in Neptune, NJ and I’m amazed at the various cuts of beef that a whole animal butcher shop has to offer.  It’s a nose to tail shop offering locally grown beef, pork and poultry.  Have you ever heard of coppa steaks, Thor’s Hammer or organ beef blend, neither did I until now. Now when I read recipes with beef cuts such as Bavette or teres major, I know where to find them. If I need advice about a cut of beef for a recipe, knowledgeable butchers are available to offer suggestions.
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​I love it when my family finds interesting recipes that they think my husband and I might enjoy.  This time around it was my husband that found an interesting take on spaghetti squash. On the Garden and Gun Magazine’s website, he found Spaghetti Squash with Kale and Pecorino Romano Cream. The recipe is by chef Ben Wheatley of Greyfield Inn, on Cumberland Island, off the coast of Georgia.
 
For the recipe you’ll need spaghetti squash, olive oil, chili flakes, fresh kale, lemon juice, butter, salt, shallots, fresh garlic, heavy cream, pecorino Romano cheese, sherry vinegar, salt, pepper, toasted walnuts and parsley.
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I graduated high school in 1974 and began working for a Swedish steel company in my hometown. It was a diverse group of people working there. One person who I became friendly with was a woman named Paddy, who was from Northern Ireland. One fall day, she invited a group of us to her house in White Meadow Lake, NJ for afternoon tea. She served endless pots of black tea along with Irish apple pie, chocolate haystacks and Napoleons filled with whipped cream and raspberry jam to name a few. Over the years we became a small core group. The group of seven would take turns over the years hosting. Bernice, who was Jewish, cooked brisket and potatoes latkes, Marlene was known for her Italian cooking, Jane was our health-conscious cook and Nancy and I would peruse cook books to prepare slightly involved meals. ​

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​In all things fall, it’s time to enjoy the bounty that the fall harvest brings. In the November 2021 issue of “Southern Living Magazine” a recipe for Sausage-Stuffed Squash caught my eye. Had I prepared my shopping list better i.e., title of the recipe, followed by the list of ingredients, I would have purchased the correct type of squash for this dish, but I didn’t.  For the recipe you’ll need delicata squash, olive oil, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, hot Italian pork sausage, red onion, fresh garlic, fresh oregano leaves, rainbow chard, water or chicken stock, day old cornbread, toasted and chopped pecans and pecorino Romano cheese.
 
As this was my dinner plan, for that evening, I decided to use the spaghetti squash I purchased for another recipe. The delicata squash is a much smaller vegetable than the spaghetti squash, sweeter and you can eat its skin. Despite my error, I plunged ahead and roasted the squash until it was tender.
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​The days are growing shorter, the nights cooler and we begin to change how we eat.  This is reflected in the meals I am now preparing.
 
My son-in-law likes to surf the web and send me interesting recipes. One of those was Creamy Tuscan Chicken, by Lena Abraham, a recipe he found on the website Delish. This dish is a great transition to slightly heartier meals, yet takes advantage of summer tomatoes. For the recipe you’ll need extra-virgin olive oil, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, dried oregano, butter, fresh garlic, cherry tomatoes, baby spinach, heavy cream, freshly grated Parmesan and lemon wedges.
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It was a busy summer for me this year. I babysat my grandson one day a week for a few hours and my daughter and granddaughters came down on Friday’s so we could enjoy the beach. We, the grandparents, are now relaxing after beach season.

One of the recent recipes I’ve made is Turkey-Zucchini Meatballs with Green Yogurt and Saffron Rice. I found this recipe last year in the weekend edition of The Wall Street Journal. The recipe is from Mona Talbott and her shop, Talbott & Arding Cheese Provisions in Hudson, New York.
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​Earlier this year, I found in The New York Times “Here to Help” column a recipe for Flourless Chocolate Cake by Genevieve Ko. As it’s just my husband and I, I couldn’t justify baking an 8-inch chocolate cake just to try and write about, but we were was having company over the Labor Day weekend and this gave me the perfect opportunity. My daughter suggested purchasing a dessert to save time, but I had all the ingredients on hand which made it easier just to whip this 
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While this recipe calls for using a slow-cooker, I used my pressure cooker aka InstaPot. I used split chicken breasts 1/2 cup of homemade chicken stock along and cooked under high pressure for 8 minutes. 
​Slow-Cooker Hot-Honey Chicken Sandwiches
By Sarah Digregorio
From The New York Times|”Here to Help” column July 19, 2022
 
 
Time: 4 to 5 hours and 20 minutes
Servings: 4
 
Ingredients
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste
1½ teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground sweet paprika
¼ teaspoon ground smoked paprika
Kosher salt and black pepper
¼ cup honey
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This week my local ShopRite food store has fresh, all natural, dry local sea scallops on special for $19.99/lb. Fresh Seafood Department All Natural, Dry Local Sea Scallops. While you're at it, live wild caught lobsters (1 to 1.25 lbs.) are $8.99/lb. with your PricePlus card. It's the perfect time to make your own lobster rolls. 

​Seared Scallops with Lemon-Herb Rice
By Karen Schroeder-Rankin
Southern Living Magazine, April 2021
 
Active Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4
 
5 scallions
6 tablespoons butter, divided
1-1/2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice
¼ cup dry white wine
2-3/4 cup lower-sodium chicken broth
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided


​meet donna

A former teacher, shop-a-holic, empty-nester redefining quick, family approved dinners.

​If you have questions or comments, click on the envelope icon above to contact me directly. 

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