Triple Berry Crisp
Fruit Filling
1 Pint of Blackberries
1 Pint of Raspberries
1-1-/2 cups of Strawberries cut in half or if big quarters
2 Teaspoons of Flour
3 Teaspoons of white Sugar
Juice of half a lemon
Toss the berries with sugar and lemon juice and let them sit for at least 30 minutes. The berries will begin to breakdown and let out some juice after about 30 minutes sprinkle the flour over the top of the berries and give them a gentle toss. Flour is a natural thickening agent and will help create a really thick and yummy sauce.
To make the crisp topping
1/2 stick of butter cut into pea size pieces
3 teaspoons of flour
1 cup of rolled oats
1/4 cups brown sugar
You want to make sure that the butter is very cold, and with a fork cut the butter into the flour, oats, and sugar. The texture is going to be very chunky. Sprinkle the mixed topping on top of your fruit and bake at 350* for about 30 minutes or until the butter has turned the oats into a golden delicious topping and the fruit begins to bubble up.
Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and enjoy! This is the perfect cold weather dessert. There is nothing more comforting than this dessert. The tart berries mixed with the nutty oats and the creamy cold ice cream is like a party for your taste buds. This is fairly healthy as far as desserts go. On some occasions I have subbed the white sugar for splenda and it tastes the same. I would not suggest skimping on the butter, as it melts it does make the oats really nutty and helps create that crisp-ness. This can be made in individual oven safe bowls or make a big one for family style dessert. I hope you try it! Until next time.. eat, laugh, love & enjoy!
baked brie
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Monday, November 4, 2013
It's that time of year
It is that time of year again. The temperature begins to drop, it starts to get darker just a tab bit earlier and I need to locate all of my sweaters and finally say good bye to my tank tops. It is soup season. I love soup, all varieties. I think it makes the perfect meal or side dish, and on a cold day there is really nothing more comforting than a warm bowl of soup as you relax in your favorite comfy chair or curl up on the couch while you catch up on DVR or read a good book.
Here is a SOUPer easy (hah I had to) butternut squash soup recipe that is creamy and filling. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds, a few pieces of popped popcorn, crumbled bacon, or you can even cut a grilled cheese sandwich into crouton size pieces and float those on top! YUM
1 Butternut Squash
Olive Oil to drizzle (estimate 2 teaspoons)
1 Quart of Chicken Stock in a Box
1/2 Large Spanish Onion or 1 Medium diced
1 Palm of Paprika
1/2 Palm of Cumin
1/2 Palm of Cinnamon
1/2 Palm of Brown Sugar
1/8 Palm of Nutmeg (this is really just a generous pinch)
3 squeezes of Agave from the bottle (if you substitute honey do one at a time and adjust to your sweetness preference)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Splash of Half and Half
Start by cutting your butternut squash down the middle so you have two long pieces. Drizzle with Olive Oil and sprinkle each half with salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes. This will soften the squash enough for you to scoop it out of its skin. Squash is such a odd shape and the skin is tough, I have tried peeling it first and I always get fed up so I switched to this method. After 30 minutes let cool so you do not burn your fingertips.
In a pot on your stove top start to saute the onion, when they become translucent, add in your box of stock and the squash. Do not worry about cutting the squash, as it boils in the stock it will continue to soften and you are going to either blend with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender to puree. Add in your cumin, paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg and agave. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer cooking for about 30 minutes. Blend and taste. This is the time to add salt and pepper. I swirled in just a splash of half and half at the end to give this already creamy soup a really luxurious texture and mouth feel. Once pureed soup has cooled transfer to air tight safe tupperware for fridge/freezer storage. Or of course you can eat right away!
All of the spices used are really warm and have great soft spiciness to them. The initial squash flavor is sweet but as it settles in your mouth you are introduced to the smokiness of the paprika and cumin and the warmness of the cinnamon. This soup is easy, really healthy (makes approx. 6 cups and each serving is 0 WW points - since it makes 6 servings and you are using so little of Oil and Half and Half, the fat content of each serving is extremely low) and SOUPer satisfying. Until next time.. eat, laugh, love & enjoy!
Here is a SOUPer easy (hah I had to) butternut squash soup recipe that is creamy and filling. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds, a few pieces of popped popcorn, crumbled bacon, or you can even cut a grilled cheese sandwich into crouton size pieces and float those on top! YUM
1 Butternut Squash
Olive Oil to drizzle (estimate 2 teaspoons)
1 Quart of Chicken Stock in a Box
1/2 Large Spanish Onion or 1 Medium diced
1 Palm of Paprika
1/2 Palm of Cumin
1/2 Palm of Cinnamon
1/2 Palm of Brown Sugar
1/8 Palm of Nutmeg (this is really just a generous pinch)
3 squeezes of Agave from the bottle (if you substitute honey do one at a time and adjust to your sweetness preference)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Splash of Half and Half
Start by cutting your butternut squash down the middle so you have two long pieces. Drizzle with Olive Oil and sprinkle each half with salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes. This will soften the squash enough for you to scoop it out of its skin. Squash is such a odd shape and the skin is tough, I have tried peeling it first and I always get fed up so I switched to this method. After 30 minutes let cool so you do not burn your fingertips.
In a pot on your stove top start to saute the onion, when they become translucent, add in your box of stock and the squash. Do not worry about cutting the squash, as it boils in the stock it will continue to soften and you are going to either blend with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender to puree. Add in your cumin, paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg and agave. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer cooking for about 30 minutes. Blend and taste. This is the time to add salt and pepper. I swirled in just a splash of half and half at the end to give this already creamy soup a really luxurious texture and mouth feel. Once pureed soup has cooled transfer to air tight safe tupperware for fridge/freezer storage. Or of course you can eat right away!
All of the spices used are really warm and have great soft spiciness to them. The initial squash flavor is sweet but as it settles in your mouth you are introduced to the smokiness of the paprika and cumin and the warmness of the cinnamon. This soup is easy, really healthy (makes approx. 6 cups and each serving is 0 WW points - since it makes 6 servings and you are using so little of Oil and Half and Half, the fat content of each serving is extremely low) and SOUPer satisfying. Until next time.. eat, laugh, love & enjoy!
Friday, November 1, 2013
As Seen On DDD: Arepa with Carne Mechada
I take a lot of inspiration for my cooking from things I eat at restaurants and see on TV. I like to memorize the flavors and colors and textures so that I can go home and try to re-create it. Cooking at home is pretty much always going to be a cheaper option to going out to eat, so anytime I can come close to making a copy cat at home I do!
There is a wonderful Venezuelan spot that Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives went to in Norwalk, CT. It is conveniently located minutes away from my apartment so I am a frequent visitor. From talking to a few of my hispanic friends I have learned about this corn cake/griddle cake/hispanic version of an english muffin, called an arepa. Arepa's are popular in Colombian cuisine as well as Venezuelan and I do not know how I lived until I had one. It is crispy on the outside and piping hot on the inside. They are about the size of an english muffin and cut in half and stuffed with any filling you can imagine -- eggs, chicken, pork, beef, veggies, nutella and fruit, the possibilities are endless.
I cannot tell a lie, my arepa recipe is still a work in progress. I followed the recipe provided on the masa* bag (*corn flour - available in the international foods aisle of most grocery stores). I suggest adding the water into the masa and go slowly, because you can always add more water. I made the error of adding the masa into the water so when the texture was to wet and I added more and more masa they fried up heavy. This takes practice but it is well worth the trial and error. Arepa batter should be thick like play-dough and then it is fried or baked.
My favorite filling is the carne mechada. It is a Venezuelan beef stew. You cook the meat down until it becomes fork tender and you can shred it. The shredded beef soaks in all the liquid it is cooked in and it really enhances the flavor.
I started by sweating a few tablespoons of sofrito (Goya makes a sofrito in a jar, best invention ever) along with 1 jalepeno minced. After the jalepeno looks like it has softened, add in 1 large spanish onion that has been quartered. Add in chunks of boneless short ribs and 1/2 of chicken stock in a box and 1 small can of crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Transfer the pot from the stove top to the oven and cook until the meat is tender. 325* for about 4 hours (check halfway through). Before shredding the meat, remove the onion -- it is basically just boiling so the texture isnt great, it has fulfilled its destiny by adding flavor. Shred the beef and put back in the liquid. This stuff is addictive. You will be eating it for days and when it is gone, you will just be thinking about it until the next time you make it.
Want to add a bit of a kick to your arepa? Try blending 2 chipotle peppers with 1 cup of sour cream. Add a dash of salt and you will have a wonderfully tangy and spicy condiment.
This is a perfect twist on comfort food. It is slow cooked meat, and a deliciously fried vessel to help get it into your mouth. No complaints with this dinner. Until next time.. eat, laugh, love & enjoy!
EZ BBQ @ Home
BBQ brisket... Now we all wish we could have amazing pit masters smoker's but sadly when you live in a small CT apartment a smoker is not really an option. I created a delicious rub and slow cooked my brisket long enough to give myself that delicious southern BBQ taste in less time and in the comfort of your own home.
This is a great Sunday Football meal. I start it in the morning after I have had my 3 cups of coffee and by dinner time it is ready. This is really good for any party, it is easy to prepare and once shredded guests can assemble their own sammy's. If you have a grocery you really like try picking up a variety of BBQ sauces your guests can add to their sandwich. Or make a vibrant vinegar based coleslaw and put a scoop in with your sandwich--very popular way to eat it in the south.
I give my brisket a rub down in a wildly flavorful paste. The measurements are not precise because I just go directly from the spice bottle into the palm of my hand, but I will do my best to give you measurements in "palms." I added all the spices and olive oil into my magic bullet to blend into a smooth paste, but you could probably use a blender.
Palmful of smoked paprika
Palmful chili powder
Half Palm of cumin
Tablespoon of agave syrup (honey would work the same -- this will balance out the chipotle pepper)
4 chipotle peppers from the can. Added some of the liquid from the can also
Generous pinch of salt and pepper
Tablespoon of minced garlic
2-3 tablespoons of Olive Oil
cooked at 275* for 4 hours covered and 325* for 3 hours. I do the last 45 minutes to an hour uncovered to create a crust and some carmelization of the rub on the brisket. Cooked low and slow to maximize flavor and give you that fall apart tenderness. When the brisket has cooled a bit take two forks and start tearing it to shreds and serve piled high on a potato roll! I strongly reccomend a potato roll. They have a sweetness and are so soft and really soak up all the BBQ sauce that we have worked so hard to create (the meat will release juices and when mixed with the wet rub it will create a great sauce). Accompany with jalapeño cheddar corn bread
I used this Paula Deen recipe http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/moist-and-easy-cornbread-recipe/index.html
I tweak it depending on what I want to serve it with. This particular version I added in 2 minced fresh jalapeno and about 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar.
I hope next time you are frantic about cooking for a group you think of this recipe. I guarantee it will be a huge success and people will be so impressed with the flavors you coaxed out of the meat! Until next time..eat, laugh, love & enjoy!
This is a great Sunday Football meal. I start it in the morning after I have had my 3 cups of coffee and by dinner time it is ready. This is really good for any party, it is easy to prepare and once shredded guests can assemble their own sammy's. If you have a grocery you really like try picking up a variety of BBQ sauces your guests can add to their sandwich. Or make a vibrant vinegar based coleslaw and put a scoop in with your sandwich--very popular way to eat it in the south.
I give my brisket a rub down in a wildly flavorful paste. The measurements are not precise because I just go directly from the spice bottle into the palm of my hand, but I will do my best to give you measurements in "palms." I added all the spices and olive oil into my magic bullet to blend into a smooth paste, but you could probably use a blender.
Palmful of smoked paprika
Palmful chili powder
Half Palm of cumin
Tablespoon of agave syrup (honey would work the same -- this will balance out the chipotle pepper)
4 chipotle peppers from the can. Added some of the liquid from the can also
Generous pinch of salt and pepper
Tablespoon of minced garlic
2-3 tablespoons of Olive Oil
cooked at 275* for 4 hours covered and 325* for 3 hours. I do the last 45 minutes to an hour uncovered to create a crust and some carmelization of the rub on the brisket. Cooked low and slow to maximize flavor and give you that fall apart tenderness. When the brisket has cooled a bit take two forks and start tearing it to shreds and serve piled high on a potato roll! I strongly reccomend a potato roll. They have a sweetness and are so soft and really soak up all the BBQ sauce that we have worked so hard to create (the meat will release juices and when mixed with the wet rub it will create a great sauce). Accompany with jalapeño cheddar corn bread
I used this Paula Deen recipe http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/moist-and-easy-cornbread-recipe/index.html
I hope next time you are frantic about cooking for a group you think of this recipe. I guarantee it will be a huge success and people will be so impressed with the flavors you coaxed out of the meat! Until next time..eat, laugh, love & enjoy!
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Who needs take out?
I love to slow cook meat. It makes the entire house smell wonderful, and it is little to no effort what so ever, I can chop & drop my ingredients and pop in my dutch over or slow cooker and come back a few hours later when I am ready eat and it is all set for me. This is a recipe for Asian short ribs. Brian (my boyfriend) came home from Costco with enough short ribs to feed an army, so we divided them up into freezer bags and them promptly began to come up with different flavors and idea's for each serving. The Asian short ribs came out so flavorful and tender -- they were salty, spicy, sweet and honest to goodness tasted like I had slaved in my kitchen, when in reality I just watched netflix all afternoon. A great twist on a Sunday meat supper!
Start by adding 1/2 lb of boneless short ribs cut into medium size cubes to a dutch oven or a slow cooker. To this we are going to add in our cold braising liquid, you want the meat and liquid to come up to temperature together.
Braising Liquid - I used foodnetwork.com and made my own additions to the recipe
1 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 (5-inch) stalk lemongrass, halved and smashed
1 tablespoon peeled and minced ginger
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 quart water (I used chicken stock instead of water)
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
I added 1/2 of frozen mango, 1/2 cup of frozen pineapple
Pop in the oven at 325* for about 3 hours covered and about 1 hour uncovered. The soy and brown sugar will start to reduce and get really sticky and sweet, it is awesome! When you have reached the 4 hour mark, start to shred your beef using two forks -- I am a glutton for punishment and used my fingers, but that gives me the opportunity to lick my fingers. Place the shredded beef back in the braising liquid and continue to cook stove top to reduce liquid if necessary. Serve over rice or you can take a healthy approach and use ice berg lettuce leaves and voilaaaa you have Asian lettuce cups! The cold crunch of the lettuce gives the dish a whole other element of surprise in your mouth, I would strongly suggest it.
No meal is complete without a side dish. I made an Asian coleslaw to go along side (or on top) of the short ribs.
1 cup of carrot cut in thin shoe strings
1 medium red onion thinly sliced
1 small red pepper in thin strips
1 small yellow pepper in thin strips
All tossed in a homemade sesame dressing (1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter, 1 tablespoon of garlic minced, and if you like it spicy add some crushed red) The dressing is going to be thick, but remember it is a slaw and you want the dressing to coat and stick to all the veggies! [This recipe gave us about 4 meals]
until next time..eat, laugh, love and enjoy!
This recipe gave us about 4 meals
Start by adding 1/2 lb of boneless short ribs cut into medium size cubes to a dutch oven or a slow cooker. To this we are going to add in our cold braising liquid, you want the meat and liquid to come up to temperature together.
Braising Liquid - I used foodnetwork.com and made my own additions to the recipe
1 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 (5-inch) stalk lemongrass, halved and smashed
1 tablespoon peeled and minced ginger
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 quart water (I used chicken stock instead of water)
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
I added 1/2 of frozen mango, 1/2 cup of frozen pineapple
Pop in the oven at 325* for about 3 hours covered and about 1 hour uncovered. The soy and brown sugar will start to reduce and get really sticky and sweet, it is awesome! When you have reached the 4 hour mark, start to shred your beef using two forks -- I am a glutton for punishment and used my fingers, but that gives me the opportunity to lick my fingers. Place the shredded beef back in the braising liquid and continue to cook stove top to reduce liquid if necessary. Serve over rice or you can take a healthy approach and use ice berg lettuce leaves and voilaaaa you have Asian lettuce cups! The cold crunch of the lettuce gives the dish a whole other element of surprise in your mouth, I would strongly suggest it.
No meal is complete without a side dish. I made an Asian coleslaw to go along side (or on top) of the short ribs.
1 cup of carrot cut in thin shoe strings
1 medium red onion thinly sliced
1 small red pepper in thin strips
1 small yellow pepper in thin strips
All tossed in a homemade sesame dressing (1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter, 1 tablespoon of garlic minced, and if you like it spicy add some crushed red) The dressing is going to be thick, but remember it is a slaw and you want the dressing to coat and stick to all the veggies! [This recipe gave us about 4 meals]
until next time..eat, laugh, love and enjoy!
This recipe gave us about 4 meals
Monday, August 19, 2013
Seared Scallops, a dinner that won't flounder
My name is Megan, and I LOVE SCALLOPS but I am afraid to cook them. There I have admitted it. I never would have thought I would let a protein get the best of me, but I first fell in love with scallops just about 8 months ago when I had the most perfectly seared scallops at my favorite celeb chef Alex Guarnaschelli's restaurant Butter, and decided that one day I would get up the courage to make them myself. Well this past Sunday was the day and let me tell you. Scallops aren't scary! So what, they are like crazy expensive and if they over cook they turn to rubber and it is money wasted. I had to take the bull by the horns (sorry I just can't think of a great seafood pun) and do it!
I went over to my local Whole Foods and picked out 4 fat chubby scallops and 10 perfect sized shrimp for my tex mex inspired seafood dinner: Seared Scallops with mango jalapeno salsa and lime marinated shrimp quesadillas. This is an easy preparation and tastes like a million bucks.
I marinated my shrimp in this kick ass lime marinade that can literally be used for anything. I keep this stuff in a bottle in my fridge. It is the perfect quick marinade because it has so much acidity that it will tenderize the protein with little to no time. I am telling you, once you make this stuff it will be like crack! It is sweet, spicy, tangy -- not only have I marinaded with it, I tossed it in with an Asian pasta salad and it was AMAZE-BALLS! Take a look below for the recipe
Lime Chili Marinade
1/2 cup of Rice Wine Vinegar
2 Tablespoons of Sesame Oil
2 Tablespoons of white sugar
juice of 2 limes
zest of one lime
heaping tablespoon of minced garlic
3 large pinches of crushed red pepper flakes (I went heavy because I am a spice whore, but adjust to your taste)
Marinate the shrimp for about 5 minutes per side. This is going to go quickly because the acid will start to cook the shrimp and we are not making ceviche we are making quesadillas. After about 10 minutes grill your shrimp about 2 minutes per side until the marinade has caramelized and the shrimp have gone from opaque to a pretty shade of pink.
To make the quesadilla, add a pat of butter to a hot skillet and put in the tortilla. The butter is going to give you a nice brown crust on the outside of your quesadilla. Sprinkle with cheese of your choice -- I went with a queso fresco and a Mexican cheese blend, when the cheese has started to melt add in your grilled shrimp (chopped for a more even distribution -- I want shrimp in every bite!) and fold over until cheese has melted fully.
Now it is the moment of truth -- SCALLOPS! My amazing boyfriend was a huge help in the preparation, he has had some professional cooking experience and is the most handsome and wonderful Sous Chef I could ask for ... with that being said, we preheated a skilled and added in our olive oil. Now the amount of olive oil will vary depending on the pan size, so what your are looking for is enough oil that when your drop your scallops the oil comes to about 1/8 of an inch high around the scallop. This helps create that great sear. The important thing is to not touch the scallop. You need be patient and let the crust form otherwise the scallop will stick and tear when your try to flip. For our chubby scallops we gave them about 2-3 minutes per side. The great thing is that the color of the scallop changes so you can kind of tell when it is time to turn them.
When both sides are seared to perfection, drain the excess oil on a paper towel and plate on a bed of mango jalapeno salsa. I hope you love it. Until next time... eat, laugh, love & enjoy!
Mango Jalapeno Salsa
2 mango's diced
1/4 of a ride onion minced
1/3 cup of chopped cilantro
juice of 1 lime
1/4 of a jalapeno minced
pinch of salt
I went over to my local Whole Foods and picked out 4 fat chubby scallops and 10 perfect sized shrimp for my tex mex inspired seafood dinner: Seared Scallops with mango jalapeno salsa and lime marinated shrimp quesadillas. This is an easy preparation and tastes like a million bucks.
I marinated my shrimp in this kick ass lime marinade that can literally be used for anything. I keep this stuff in a bottle in my fridge. It is the perfect quick marinade because it has so much acidity that it will tenderize the protein with little to no time. I am telling you, once you make this stuff it will be like crack! It is sweet, spicy, tangy -- not only have I marinaded with it, I tossed it in with an Asian pasta salad and it was AMAZE-BALLS! Take a look below for the recipe
Lime Chili Marinade
1/2 cup of Rice Wine Vinegar
2 Tablespoons of Sesame Oil
juice of 2 limes
zest of one lime
heaping tablespoon of minced garlic
3 large pinches of crushed red pepper flakes (I went heavy because I am a spice whore, but adjust to your taste)
Marinate the shrimp for about 5 minutes per side. This is going to go quickly because the acid will start to cook the shrimp and we are not making ceviche we are making quesadillas. After about 10 minutes grill your shrimp about 2 minutes per side until the marinade has caramelized and the shrimp have gone from opaque to a pretty shade of pink.
To make the quesadilla, add a pat of butter to a hot skillet and put in the tortilla. The butter is going to give you a nice brown crust on the outside of your quesadilla. Sprinkle with cheese of your choice -- I went with a queso fresco and a Mexican cheese blend, when the cheese has started to melt add in your grilled shrimp (chopped for a more even distribution -- I want shrimp in every bite!) and fold over until cheese has melted fully.
Now it is the moment of truth -- SCALLOPS! My amazing boyfriend was a huge help in the preparation, he has had some professional cooking experience and is the most handsome and wonderful Sous Chef I could ask for ... with that being said, we preheated a skilled and added in our olive oil. Now the amount of olive oil will vary depending on the pan size, so what your are looking for is enough oil that when your drop your scallops the oil comes to about 1/8 of an inch high around the scallop. This helps create that great sear. The important thing is to not touch the scallop. You need be patient and let the crust form otherwise the scallop will stick and tear when your try to flip. For our chubby scallops we gave them about 2-3 minutes per side. The great thing is that the color of the scallop changes so you can kind of tell when it is time to turn them.
When both sides are seared to perfection, drain the excess oil on a paper towel and plate on a bed of mango jalapeno salsa. I hope you love it. Until next time... eat, laugh, love & enjoy!
Mango Jalapeno Salsa
2 mango's diced
1/4 of a ride onion minced
1/3 cup of chopped cilantro
juice of 1 lime
1/4 of a jalapeno minced
pinch of salt
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
winner winner chicken dinner
-6 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on [as a member of WW i cooked the chicken with the skin on but when it came time to eat i removed the skin, boyfriend kept his on for an added crispiness]
-1 onion diced
-3 oz of dried apricots, cut in half
-1 can of diced tomato
-1 apricot beer [i happened to have a leftover Dogwood Apri-hops in my fridge which is part of the dishes inspiration]
-1 half of a box of chicken stock
-1 large teaspoon of brown sugar
Start by seasoning your chicken thighs with a little salt and pepper and place them skin side down in your dutch oven/oven safe large pot. you want to cook at a med-low temp to render out the skin's fat creating a bit of crispiness on your chicken thighs. once the skin looks crispy, remove chicken and add in the onions to begin to sweat, add in your can of tomato, beer, chicken stock, brown sugar and apricots. nestle the chicken back into the braising liquid, cover and pop in your oven for 2 hours at 325* COVERED. after 2 hours remove the cover and continue to cook for 30 min uncovered, this will give the liquid a chance to reduce and thicken. [side note, you can also reduce the liquid on your stove top]
The great part about this dinner is it is pretty much set it and forget it. it takes minimal effort in prep time and you get maximum flavor at eating time. i chose to serve this dish over a bed of cous cous because i thought it would really tie in with my middle eastern idea. cous cous is great, its good for you and really easy to make. 1 whole box will feed 4-5 people and it is good warm and just as good cold. for this dish i added some golden raisins and sliced almonds to add texture and flavor. the raisins added a bit of sweetness and the almond adds a nice crunch. Recipe is super easy, follow the box instructions [i sub the water out for chicken stock] when the cous cous is done use a fork to gently fluff and add in your almonds and rasins. serve on the plate as a bed for the chicken and voila time to eat!
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