Winter Fruit Salad with Pomegranate

Possibly my favorite fruit salad ever. No extra frills, just an amazing combination of delicious fruit and their yummy juices.

1 pomegranate
2 oranges
2 grapefruits
2 crisp apples (such as fuji or honeycrisp)
1 ripe yet firm pear
1 tbsp. sugar (I don't usually even do this)

Slice the pomegranate in half, from the crown halfway to the bottom. Use your fingers to break the two halves apart, then squeeze the halves over a large bowl to release the seeds and juices. Don't worry about getting all the seeds out; just get as many as you can easily without pulling out the membrane. Squeeze out as much juice as possible. Remove any bits of membrane from the bowl.

For each orange and grapefruit, slice a little off the top and bottom. Using a serrated knife, go around the fruit and cut off the skin and white pith. Holding the fruit in one hand and working over the fruit bowl, carefully cut the segments out from between the membranes. Be sure to cut only until you reach the middle of the fruit. Squeeze the remaining membrane over the bowl to release all the juice.

Cut the apples and pear into slices and toss with the other fruits. Add the sugar if desired and toss well, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Salmon with Couscous Pilaf

Salmon with Couscous Pilaf

·      1 pound carrots (about 6 medium) quartered lengthwise and sliced ¼ inch thick diagonally

·      1 cup couscous (uncooked)

·      ½ slivered almonds

·      ½ cup raisins

·      ¼ cup chopped fresh mint

·      1 tablespoon olive oil

·      coarse salt and ground pepper

·      4 skinless salmon fillets (6 to 8 ounces each) –I leave the skin on and peel it off when it’s cooked.  It gives you all those extra healthy fats

·      lemon wedges for serving

1. Preheat oven to 450 F.  In a 9x13 pan, mix together carrots, couscous, almonds, raisins, mint, oil 1 1/4 cups water, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

2. Place salmon fillets on top of couscous mixture; season generously with salt and pepper.  Cover pan with foil; bake until fish is opaque throughout, 30 to 35 minutes.

3. Transfer fish to plates.  Fluff couscous with a fork; serve with fish and lemon wedges.

Roasted Rosemary Sweet Potatoes

Made this as a side for my crock pot rosemary roast chicken. Ridiculously low hassle and yummy. Excluded the parsley and pine nuts.

2 lbs. sweet potatoes, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tbsp. fresh parsley,  chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375. In roasting pan or large baking dish, combine sweet potatoes, garlic, rosemary and olive oil. Roast for 45 minutes, mixing occasionally.

Just before serving, add pine nuts, parsley, and salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Crock Pot Rosemary Roast Chicken

And yes, this is actually a picture of one of the times that I myself made this! Oh so proud. :)

SO, I recently learned how to roast a whole chicken in the crock pot, and I am now addicted. It is one of my absolute favorite meals to cook for company, because it can be really cheap, is so dang easy and is so beautiful! You can prepare the chicken the night before, you then stick it in the crock pot during the day, put it on warm if it is done a little early, then not really worry about it until just before the company arrives! The less stress I can get away with before company, the better.

One thing that contributes to this being just about the simplest thing every is my beloved crock pot. I found a well rated 6 quart oval programmable crock pot on sale for $35, and I have been oh-so-happy with that purchase! You need a large oval crock pot like this so that there is room for the chicken and a little room for the air to circulate around it. And with the one I have, it even has a temperature probe you can stick into your meat, and then the crock pot will turn to "warm" once it has reached the desired temperature. AMAZING.

Anyway, wanted to add this to the blog in case anyone else wants to try it, or even just so that I can have an online copy easily accessible. I know it looks long, but that's because I add a few variations/notes. Here it goes.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (recipe calls for 3.5 lb, I just did a 5 lb one today)
salt and pepper
8 rosemary sprigs
12 garlic cloves
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon, quartered
vegetables, like carrot, celery, or onion (optional. if you have some extras lying around)

Rinse the chicken under cold running water and pat dry, inside and out. Reserve the giblets. Salt and pepper the cavity of the chicken generously. place 6 (or more) garlic cloves, lemon slices, and 3-4 sprigs rosemary in the cavity. Truss the legs together. (I looked up how to do this on YouTube, and it really is pretty easy).

Mince 6 cloves of garlic and mash into a paste with some kosher salt. Finely mince 4 sprigs rosemary and combine with the garlic paste. (You can also just combine all of this in a small food processor. I also sometimes add some pepper and thyme). Combine the rosemary garlic paste with the olive oil in a gallon zip-lock bag. Place the chicken in the bag, and massage the rosemary/garlic/olive oil into the chicken. Refrigerate overnight.

If you have veggies lying around (like carrots, celery or onions), put enough in the bottom of the crock pot that it will sort of lift the chicken off the bottom, so it won't stew in its own juices. These veggies will also add a little flavor to the stock, in case you want to make a gravy or something with it. Put the giblets in the bottom of the crock pot as well, as they will add a richer flavor to the juices. If you don't have veggies to lift the chicken a little, just make a few little balls of aluminum foil and put them in the bottom, and they will do the same trick of lifting the chicken. Place the chicken on top, and cook for about 1/2 hour per pound on high, or about 1 hour per pound on low. (It took about 5.5 hours on low for my 5 lb chicken).

Once it is done, keep on warm in crock pot until just about ready to serve. If you want to have a nice crisp browned roasted outer layer rather than the sort of translucent, soft moist skin from the slow cooker (yes please!), turn your oven to 500. Transfer the chicken to a roasting pan (I use my cast iron pan as shown in the picture), then roast for 8-10 minutes, or until the skin is golden brown. Wait a few minutes, then serve your delicious, crisp on the outside/moist on the inside, beautiful roast chicken!

ALSO, the juices really do make an incredible stock or gravy. If you want to have the gravy as a side, just skim what fat you can get off the top, strain it well, then heat it on the stove and use a little cornstarch to thicken it. Mmm!!

Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

From my "Crock Pot: Incredibly Easy Recipes" cook book. Good tasty comforting meal.

2 slices bacon, chopped
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs, trimmed of excess skin
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried sage
1 cup converted long-grain white rice (we actually just used regular long grain white rice and it worked fine)
1 package (4 oz.) wild rice
6 ounces brown mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered
3 cups hot chicken broth, or enough to cover chicken
salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. chopped parsley, for garnish

Cook bacon, and transfer to slow cooker. Add olive oil and spread evenly on bottom. Place chicken in slow cooker, skin side down. Add remaining ingredients in order given, except parsley. Cover; cook on low 3-5 hours, or until rice is tender. Uncover and let stand 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper, if desired. Remove Skin before serving, if desired. (I usually shred the chicken off the bone and mix it in, more like a casserole). Garnish with chopped parsley.

Mediterranean Chicken (or Shrimp) Stew

Also from the Great Food Fast cookbook. Trying to put some of my favorites from random cookbooks on here for quick reference so I don't have to take my bulky cookbooks to Boston! Yummy Mediterranean flavor. We liked it best doing half chicken and half shrimp. You can also replace the chickpeas with cannellini beans.

"Creamy polenta provides a wonderful counterpoint to this hearty stew. (See previous post for recipe). To time everything right, brint the water to a boil while the chicken is browning, then add the polenta to the water when beginning step three of the chicken recipe."

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds chicken, cut into 3/4-inch chunks (or shrimp)
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
3 tsp. olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 plum tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (2 cups)
2 tbsp. chopped pitted kalamata olives (about 5)
1 tsp. white-wine vinegar
1/3 c. chopped fresh parsley
polenta (see previous post), for serving

Season the chicken with 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tsp. of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium-low; add the remaining tsp. oil to the skillet. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the chickpeas and 1 c. water. Bring to a boil; cook until the liquic is reduced by half, about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes; cook over medium heat until starting to break down, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the olives, vinegar, and chicken along with any accumulated juices to the pan; toss until warmed through, about 1 minute. Stir in the parsley. Serve over polenta.

Soft Polenta

From my Martha Stewart "Great Food Fast" cookbook. In Romania this went by the name of mămăligă and was a staple side dish like potatoes or pasta, or served for breakfast (like grits). Yummy and satisfying.

Ingredients:
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
4 cups water
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal or polenta (not quick cooking)
1/4 cup finely grated cheese (calls for parmegan, asiago or sharp cheddar)
1 tbsp. butter

In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups water, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper to a boil over high heat.  Whisking constantly, very gradually add cornmeal in a thin stream (so as not to let it clump).

Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, whisking often, until thickened, 10-15 minutes.  Remove from heat; stir in cheese and butter until smooth. Serve immediately.