Snowvember and Chicken Bites with Balsamic Dipping Sauce

Here in the Northeast we are having our first "snow" event of the season and as luck would have it, it is coming on the heels of a major hurricane. My thoughts and prayers go out to those still suffering from the effects of Sandy.
Mother Nature - knock it off.

These bites are packed full of flavor and would be perfect for a snowy afternoon or a football watching day.

Chicken Bites with Balsamic Dipping Sauce: (yield 36)

olive oil
2 pounds ground lean chicken
1/2 of a large sweet onion (such as vidalia)
salt and pepper
4 sheets puff pastry
16 ounces goat cheese
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eight ounce packages frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (optional)
1 egg, beaten (set aside)

Balsamic Dipping Sauce:

2 cups brown sugar
3 tablespoons corn starch
2/3 cups balsamic vinegar
2 cups chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Defrost the puff pastry for approximately 40 minutes on the kitchen counter or overnight in the refrigerator.
Combine the ground chicken, sweet onion, drained spinach (optional) and salt and pepper. Shape into 36 small balls (about the size of small golf balls) and brown in olive oil. No need to cook through as we are going to bake them in a bit. Remove from pan and set aside.

Combine the goat cheese with the basil, thyme and garlic. Set aside.

Unroll the puff pastry on a lightly floured board and cut each rectangle into 9 squares.
Place a tablespoon of the herbed goat cheese in the middle of each square and top with a chicken meatball. Wrap up the puff pastry around the meatball by pulling up each "triangle" end up and over the meatball. Place seam side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush each bite with the beaten egg (this will give the puffs a nice shiny, golden color)

Bake the chicken bites for 20 to 25 minutes until puffed and golden brown.

While the bites are baking, make the sauce.

Directions for sauce:

Whisk the brown sugar and cornstarch in a medium large pan. Add the chicken broth and balsamic vinegar and whisk. Add the minced garlic. Cook over medium high heat until boiling, stirring occasionally. The sauce will bubble and thicken. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve the warm bites with the warm sauce for dipping. If you want to make this a dinner instead of an appetizer add a light salad with warm vinaigrette dressing.

Stay warm, stay safe Northeast it can't be long till spring.

This recipe (including the sauce) can easily be halved. The sauce and the meatballs can easily be made in advance. Cover and refrigerate the meatballs. Warm the sauce before serving.

A Trip to Our Land and Roasted Tomatoes

TBHITW and I spent a wonderful weekend on our land.

First we took a tour of the mill that will make the logs for our home. We were very impressed with the craftsmanship, attention to detail and out and out LOVE of what they were doing. When they are milling the logs for our home, it is our home and only our home that they are building. They work on one home at a time. Then, once everything is milled, the house is actually built. Each log is marked in a complicated system of letters and numbers, then the house is disassembled and shipped to the building site. It boggles the mind. Or at least my mind, which can easily be boggled.

After the mill tour we met with our sales representative, Joan. We spent the better part of the afternoon discussing designs, options, wants versus needs and pricing. Joan is incredibly knowledgeable about the building process. She also gave us tons of good advice regarding design, function and livability of a log home. So many choices, further boggling of the mind.

We stayed overnight in a lovely old hotel on a trout stream and the next morning headed out early to our property.

The best part of the weekend was once again walking the land. Every time we drive up here we pinch ourselves and ask, "Is this really ours?".. We feel incredibly fortunate to be given the opportunity to be stewards of this lovely piece of land.

The first thing we did was clear a small patch of meadow and plant some pumpkin seeds.

A very small pumpkin patch in the center of a four acre meadow.
I planted some sunflowers too.
It felt good to put something into the earth. The ground was rich and brown and warm.
Then we walked to the stream to get some water.

We really like having a stream.

It is beautiful.

Later in the day we met with a local contractor and made arrangements for the driveway to be built. It's a lonnnnggg driveway. About 380 feet. Lots of stone. The driveway is one of the first things that needs to go in. It will accommodate the heavy equipment needed for building. It will also allow us better access to the land.

In the late afternoon, with the waning sun, we drove home, stopping on the way at what we are convinced will become one of our favorite watering holes; Buffalo Zach's. Really good food, reasonably priced and staffed with happy people.

It was a lovely way to spend the weekend and I am looking forward to so many, many more.

Tomatoes won't ripen for another two months around here but I am already craving a meaty, zesty tomato sandwich. In times like this, when I just can't wait another few weeks for the real thing I roast up a batch of Roma tomatoes. Unlike other brands of greenhouse tomatoes Romas are surprisingly flavorful and juicy, year round.

I know, I know, this goes against all my locavore beliefs. But sometimes a girl just needs a good tomato, you know?

Roasted Romas:


10 ripe roma tomatoes
olive oil - about a tablespoon or two
kosher salt

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

Wash and dry the tomatoes. Slice off the stem end and slice in half the long way. Place on a rimmed cookie sheet. Very lightly drizzle olive oil on the tomato halves and using your hands, toss around to coat. Arrange tomatoes cut side up on the cookie sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt (about a teaspoon).

Roast in the oven, undisturbed, for about 4 hours or until edges are curled and middles are still juicy.

Remove from oven.

To use:

Serve a few tomato halves with a round of herbed goat cheese and slices of crusty baguette.

Or rounds of fresh mozzarella and basil leaves.

My favorite sandwich:

Roasted Roma halves
Fresh mozzarella round
fresh basil
a few slices of ripe avocado
drizzle of olive oil
sprinkle of salt
On fresh baguette.

Yum. I can't wait for summer.

A Cook's Notes: Store your roasted romas in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The tomatoes will actually taste even better after a day or two and will keep up to 4 days.

A Natural Born Diva and Asparagus Pizza

I got an email today from a former student. 

You may remember Abby. 

Abby had a Good Cook birthday party where she, and seven of her BFF's (her words, not mine) made vegetable dip, personal pizzas, cupcakes and taco (waffle) sundays. 

Abby's email was in regards to the recent post I did of Lilyanna, another little girl who recently, with her mom, took one of my cooking lessons. 

Abby wanted to know why there was a picture of "some little girl who isn't me on The Good Cook's Blog? I was the one who had the party"..

Ahh.. a Diva is born.

Abby's mom sent me this recipe to try out. Since I have asparagus and recently made goat cheese (chevre) and pesto I'm going to make it tonight. 

Let's all enjoy Abby's mom's recipe and beware of 7-year old diva's sporting chef hats.

Goat Cheese and Asparagus Pizza

(For a crispier pizza coat the crust with cooking spray before adding the toppings)

 

1/3 cup prepared pesto

1 Boboli pizza crust (Abby's mom used a Boboli whole wheat crust and said it was good)

2-3 plum tomatoes

8 asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch pieces

3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled goat cheese

 

Preheat oven to 450. Spread pesto over the pizza crust, and top with tomatoes, asparagus and cheese. (I put my crust on a baking pan but the recipe said to place it directly on oven rack). Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes or until asparagus is crisp tender and cheese melts.

A Cook's Note: I think this would be great on the grill. Simply rub one side of the crust with olive oil and grill lightly (2-3 minutes). Turn over and place your toppings on this side. Then, transfer to grill and grill until toppings are hot and melted. 

If you are using a gas grill. Light the outside burners to medium high. Light the middle burners to low. Place the pizza on the middle burners and close the lid. This should bake and grill the pizza nicely - but watch closely!! 

 

Strawberry Fields Forever... Mixed Greens with Goat Cheese and Strawberry Vinaigrette

Sometimes life just hands you one of those days. 

A great day. 

Full of sunshine. 

Fresh Air. 

A strawberry field. 

A good friend to share the ride.

A nice dog. 

And two of the cutest littles around. 

I had one of those days this week. 

The strawberries are coming in fast and furious here in the Northeast. "They are ripe for the picking" as the saying goes; so when my daughter-in-law called and asked if I'd like to meet her and the grand littles for a morning of strawberry picking, I was out the door with my basket faster than you can sing "Strawberry Fields Forever"

Meet Hannah, 3 years old: she liked the sweet red ones and NOT the sour green ones.

And Jillian, 1 1/2: she liked ALL of them.

And a very nice yellow dog, he liked the girls. Seems happy, doesn't he?

Strawberry Vinaigrette:

10 strawberries, washed and hulled

1 teaspoon sugar or honey

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/4 cup white or red wine vinegar

1/2 to 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste.

Put the strawberries, sugar, and dijon mustard in a blender. Puree. Add vinegar and pulse again. With motor running on low, slowly drizzle in olive oil to emulsify (mix and thicken) Season with salt and pepper. Check seasoning with a piece of green. Adjust if necessary.

Serve over a bed of mixed baby greens, sliced strawberries and goat cheese crumbles. Yum.