Greek Salad with Roasted Salmon

Salad for dinner is a hit in my house.

Greek Salad with Roasted Salmon is easy to prepare and a beautiful meal that has something for everyone. You can change your veggies to suit the tastes of the players in your family. An arranged salad platter makes it easy for each person dining to select the salad items that suit his or her fancy. I like to serve the dressing on the side. Be sure to serve your salad with feta. It's such a nice touch. 

I use the same dressing for the salmon marinade as well as the salad dressing. Just make sure to carefully spoon the dressing onto the salmon and don't cross contaminate by touching the salmon with your spoon. You could also divide your dressing into two portions just to be safe. You just need about 1 Tablespoon of dressing per serving of salmon. The rest can be used at the table for the salad.

I round out this dinner with homemade hummus, crudité and warmed pita. Be sure to serve your salad with feta.

This is such a fun dish to make. Your kids can help, and it's a pleasant deviation from the same ole' rotation we get into during the week!

Greek Salad with Roasted Salmon
Makes 3 to 4 servings

Greek dressing
1/2 tsp. oregano
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl combine all ingredients. Whisk vigorously. Set aside.

Salad:
Romaine lettuce, cleaned and dried, sliced into bite size pieces about 2-3 cups
1/2 English cucumber, sliced into bite size pieces
1/2 medium red bell pepper, sliced into bite size pieces
1/2 medium green bell pepper, sliced into bite size pieces
1/2 cup grape tomatoes
1/4 red onion, sliced
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, halved

To serve: Greek dressing (See above recipe) and crumbled feta cheese

On a large platter, arrange each salad ingredient side by side in a circular formation. Serve with crumbled feta cheese and remaining dressing that was not used to marinate the salmon

Salmon:
3 to 4 salmon filets with skin or without (The skin peels right off once the salmon is cooked)
2 tsp. olive oil
3-4 Tablespoons of Greek dressing (See above recipe)

Preheat oven 500 degrees Fahrenheit

Cover sheet pan with aluminum. Lightly brush with olive oil. Place salmon filets on prepared pan. Spoon a Tablespoon of dressing over each salmon filet. Using a pastry brush, brush dressing over the salmon so that the entire filet is covered. Let salmon sit for 15 minutes at room temperature. Place in oven.

Roast for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove skin from the bottom of salmon if necessary.

To serve: Place salad on a dinner plate. Top with dressing and feta cheese. Top with warm salmon.

Lemon Chicken with Croutons

This is currently a favorite dinner for my husband and son: Lemon Chicken with Croutons. It is from one of my most favorite Barefoot Contessa cookbooks: "Barefoot in Paris."

Perhaps it's my love of all things French from the style to the art to the oldness to the chicness, but this dish is everything. So simple and so elegant.

If you are planning to serve it for company, I suggest roasting two chickens. This is dinner for literally three people, which fits my little family perfectly.

I use way less salt then recommended by my girl Ina. I also dry the chicken before actually placing it in the roasting pan. Other than that, I follow this recipe as is.

The fact that the chicken is served over croutons means you are totally covered for a starch. I usually serve this with string beans and a salad. And wine, of course, Dahling.

The fall is the perfect time to roast things, so get on this recipe stat!

Lemon Chicken with Croutons
Serves 3 to 4
From "Barefoot in Paris"
By Ina Garten

1 (4- to 5-pound) roasting chicken
1 large yellow onion, sliced
Good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 lemons, quartered
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
6 cups (3/4-inch) bread cubes (1 baguette or round boule)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Take the giblets out of the chicken and wash it inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers. Toss the onion with a little olive oil in a small roasting pan. Place the chicken on top and sprinkle the inside of the cavity with salt and pepper. Place the lemons inside the chicken. Pat the outside of the chicken dry with paper towels, brush it with melted butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.

Roast for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Cover with the foil and allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. (The onions may burn, but the flavor is good)

Meanwhile, heat a large saute pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil until very hot.  Lower the heat to medium low and saute the bread cubes, tossing frequently, until nicely browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add more olive oil as needed. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Place the croutons on a serving platter. Slice the chicken and place it plus all the pan juices over the croutons. Serve warm.

Pork Chops Alla Pizzaiola

Pork Chops all Pizzaiola is the perfect din for a weeknight. It may not be easy to pronounce, but is totally easy to make.

The dish requires few ingredients, and all are items that I usually have on hand.

Pizzaiola means "in pizza style." Usually, steak is the meat of choice, but we don't eat a lot of red meat up in here so this recipe works for us.

The recipe calls for bone-in pork chops, but I often use boneless. It works just fine with either.

If you don't have Herbes de Provence on hand, you could easily substitute Italian seasoning.

This is super nice to serve with rice and a big salad or sautéed spinach. It's also easy to double, which is what I usually do.

Pork Chops alla Pizzaiola
(4 servings)
From "Giada's Family Dinners" by Giada DeLaurentiis

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4-inch-thick bone-in center-cut pork loin chops (about 12 ounces each)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
2 tsp. Herbes de Provence
1/2 tsp. crushed dried red pepper flakes, or more to taste
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Heat 2 Tbsp. of the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle the pork chops with salt and pepper. Add 2 pork chops to the skillet and cook until they are browned and an instant read meat thermometer inserted horizontally into the chop registers 160 degrees Fahrenheit, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Transfer the pork chops to a plate and tent with foil to keep them warm. Repeat with the remaining 2 pork chops, adding more oil to the pan as needed.

Add the onions to the same skillet and saute over medium heat until crisp-tender, about five minutes.

Add the tomatoes with their juices, herbes de Provence and 1/2 tsp. of red pepper flakes. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend and the juices thicken slightly, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes. Season the sauce to taste with salt and more red pepper flakes if you like it spicier. Return the pork chops and any accumulated juices from the plate to the skillet and turn the pork chops to coat with the sauce. Heat until warmed through, a minute or so; do not overcook the chops.

Place one pork chop on each plate. Spoon the sauce over the pork chops. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Please note: The Jersey Girl used thick boneless pork chops instead of bone-in chops.

Crockpot Chicken Cheesesteaks

So I know the whole InstaPot thing is the hotness, but the only plug-in cooking vessel I use is a crockpot. And even that thing only sees the light of day maybe six times per year.

I look at my crockpot as a bit of a means of cheating to cook. I also say to myself when lugging it up from the confines of my basement kitchen gadget auxiliary, "Wow, is this what it has come to?" But alas, sometimes even the most Nigella Lawson/Lidia Bastianich/Ina Garten obsessed gals need to take a shortcut now again. Truth, the crockpot is very useful when you are having a frantic day/night/week and you just need to chop up a few things, open a can, place ingredients on top of each other and call it a day.

Such is the case with this recipe for Crockpot Chicken Cheesesteak Sandwiches from Life in the Lofthouse. I discovered it on Pinterest. I have made the dish three times, so I would declare it a success. I would also declare quite firmly that the final product is NOTHING like a for reals Philly chicken cheesesteak, but the dish does make for a great dinner. I served it on hoagie rolls with provolone cheese. Voila!

This is a good one to make if your family is coming and going and needs to eat in between activities.

Crockpot Chicken Cheesesteak Sandwiches
From Life in the Lofthouse
Yields 4 to 6 sandwiches

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 medium yellow onion, sliced into thin strips
1 green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1/2 cup chicken broth (Please note: The Jersey Girl used an entire can of chicken broth)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3 Tablespoons steak sauce (I used Heinz 57)
6 hoagie buns

Spray inside of crock pot with non-stick spray. 

Lay the onion and bell pepper slices in the bottom of crock pot. Pour chicken broth over the veggies. Lay chicken breasts over the top of vegetables. 

Sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic powder and steak sauce over the chicken.

Cover with lid and cook on low heat for 6 to 7 hours OR on high heat for 3 to 4 hours (or until chicken is tender and cooked through)

Carefully remove chicken from crock pot and shred with two forks. 

Return to crock pot and stir to combine the shredded chicken and veggies. (There will be liquid in the crock pot but I leave it in to keep the chicken moist)

Using a slotted spoon scoop up chicken mixture and place inside hoagie buns. Top with desired sliced cheese, such as provolone.

A Package Deal

Any recipe that calls for assembly line prep, make-ahead possibilities, and easy cleanup gets me every time.

Salmon Baked in Foil has all of those attributes. I've made this on a few occasions and it is always a hit with my family of three. I love how dinner is cooked all nice and neat in a packet of foil. Order in a world of chaos is always a fab thing, no?

I prefer fresh tomatoes but the option of canned is awesome if you are in a pinch. Both times I made this dish recently I have used a regular ole onion as opposed to the fancier pancier shallot. And it worked out totally fab. Just sayin', as they say. Here's a peek at the topping:

Don't the herbs look scrumptious?

I've made salmon 100 different ways throughout the years, and this recipe is definitely in my top three for preparing the super food. They say salmon has lots of nutrients and omega-3 fatty acids (whatever that means) so eat more of it, dear readers!

I served this dish with basmati rice and a salad on the side. But I feel like string beans or asparagus would be a nice veg to go with the fish.

Here ya go:

Salmon Baked in Foil
From "Everyday Italian"
By Giada DeLaurentiis
4 main course servings

3 tomatoes, chopped, or 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice drained
2 shallots, chopped
2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (from about 1/2 lemon)
1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano or 3/4 tsp. dried
1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme or 3/4 tsp. dried
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
4 salmon fillets (about 5 ounces each)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium bowl, stir the tomatoes, shallots, 2 Tbsp. of oil, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper.

In the center of each of four large sheets of aluminum foil, spoon 1/2 tsp. of oil.

Place 1 salmon fillet atop each sheet of foil and turn to coat with the oil. Sprinkle the salmon fillets with the remaining 1/2 tsp. each of salt and pepper.

Spoon the tomato mixture over the salmon.

Fold the sides of the toil over the fish and tomato mixture, covering completely, and seal the packets closed.

Place the foil packets on a large, heavy baking sheet. (The salmon packets can be prepared up this point 6 hours ahead. Refrigerate until ready to bake.)

Bake until salmon is just cooked through, about 25 minutes. Using a large metal spatula, transfer the foil packets to plates and serve. (You may want to unwrap and plate the fish in the kitchen before serving.)

Please note: The Jersey girl used one medium yellow onion instead of shallots.

Pasta Dinner Total Winner

Every momma needs some crowd-pleasing dinner plans up her sleeve that can be whipped up ahead and heated when need be.

That's how I feel about this one: Orecchiette with Mini Chicken Meatballs.

This is made with ingredients I pretty  much always have lingering around: A box of pasta chilling in the cupboard, a package of ground chicken waiting it out in the freezer, a pint of grape tomatoes hanging out, and a pot of basil adorning my windowsill. The other players are all pantry staples, except for a container of fresh bocconcini (small mozzarella balls, for those of you not fluid in culinary Italian lingo). And those bad boys, I just throw on my grocery list and all is good in the hood. This dish with a bit of fresh bread and a fresh salad - my boys are happy.

For working mommas - you can mix up the meatballs the night before so that the meat is all ready to roll when you get home from work. You can also halve your tomatoes and mozzarella so that your cooking time can happen in a snap. I'm a big fan of prepping. It's how I manage to stay sane while running a business, a house, a child and a husband.

I add garlic to the meatballs, because I just love garlic in meatballs. That's that. Ha. 

I find that getting any small task done the night before is always sooooo helpful when you are down to the wire trying to get din on the table.

Due to my work schedule, I actually prepare the whole dish ahead in the morning and my husband just heats up a bowl for himself and one for my son when he gets home from work. I also prep a salad and make a salad dressing so that my guys have a veg component with din. I often don't eat my own din until well after 9:30 on weeknights because piano students come to me all hours of the day once school is out. It sounds insane, but I'm used to it!

So many moms and dads work weird hours, and I hope this recipe helps you get a good meal on your table rather than ordering takeout or fast food out of desperation.

This recipe is by Giada DeLaurentiis, and it is from her book "Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites." I hope it will become one of your family favorites!

Orecchiette with Mini Chicken Meatballs
From "Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites"
By Giada DeLaurentiis

1 pound orecchiette pasta
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp. whole milk
1 Tbsp. ketchup
3/4 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground chicken
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces bocconcini (small mozzarella ball, halved)
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, milk, ketchup, Romano cheese, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and combine well. Using a melon baller or a teaspoon measure to scoop of the mixture, roll the seasoned chicken into 3/4-inch mini meatballs.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs and cook without moving until brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Turn the meatballs and brown the tops, about 2 minutes longer. Add the chicken broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil, using a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the tomatoes are soft and the meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water. Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl and add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Toss to coat the orecchiette lightly, adding some of the reserved pasta water to help make a sauce. Add the meatball mixture, bocconcini, and 1/2 cup of the basil and combine. Garnish with the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan and the remaining basil.

Please note: The Jersey Girl used Italian style bread crumbs instead of plain and a parmesan-romano blended grated cheese. She also adds three cloves garlic, minced, to the meatball mixture.

Popcorn Chicken is the Best

So this tidbit slightly horrifies me: Popcorn chicken was invented by KFC.

And my son lives for Popcorn Chicken.

Deep breaths, Susan.

Nothing against KFC, just the thing is The Jersey Girl does not do fast food. Oh yes, I ate my fair share b-b-b-back in the day. But I gave that shiz up for Lent in 1997 and haven't gone a day with it ever since. A great decision, I must say.

So my 6-year-old first got his hands on some popcorn chicken at school. Which is comical. Fast food. School lunch. Same thing? Argh. I hope not. My ignorance is bliss.

But he talked on and on (he tends to do that) about this mysterious Popcorn Chicken. Mommy, have you had Popcorn Chicken? Popcorn Chicken is the best. It looks like popcorn. It tastes like popcorn. Mommy, is popcorn actually in Popcorn Chicken? Mommy, we MUST make Popcorn Chicken.

So Pinterest to the rescue. Yeah, I am one of THOSE moms. I pin a good game, but do I really follow through on my 8,000-plus pinning acqusitions? Probably not.

The Baked Popcorn Chicken recipe from Tastes Better from Scratch is the bee's knees, for sure. Three out of three kiddos approved. And this is a great recipe to get your kids in the kitchen "helping" out. Banging the bejesus out of cornflakes is super fun. See below:

I served the popcorn chicken with ranch, spicy mustard and of course, ketchup for the kiddos. BBQ and buffalo sauce are also great dips. And I'm not gonna lie: The grownups got their popcorn chicken on, too. Enjoy!

Baked Popcorn Chicken
By Lauren Allen
Taste Better from Scratch

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces (about 2-3 large breasts
2 large eggs
¼ cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 1/2  cups corn flakes cereal lightly crushed
½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon paprika

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Place chicken pieces in a bowl or ziplock bag and add flour, stirring or shaking to coat completely. Set aside.

Add eggs and milk to a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside. In another shallow bowl combine crushed cornflakes, salt and pepper, garlic powder and paprika.

Dip each piece of flour-coated chicken into the egg mixture, followed by the cornflakes, gently pressing the cornflake mixture into the chicken. Place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Flip chicken and return to oven for an additional 7-8 minutes or until cooked through. 

Serve warm with BBQ sauce, ranch, or your favorite dipping sauce.

Turkey Cutlets

Like most peeps trying to get din on the table day to day, I often rely on chicken making frequent appearances on the menu. Roasted, grilled, baked, breaded, sauced, stir-fried, slow-cookered. You follow me, I'm sure.

Of course noshing on the the same thing again and again no matter how you shake it up is the B-word: Boring. Oh, how I loath boring. Boring is a bore! Who wants to be boring? Nobody! That's who.

So I decided to get wild and crazy with chicken's unboring cousin: Turkey.

Right. Turkey is totally boring, too. It's not like I'm talking about quail or duck or pheasant. Just a turkey. But this recipe uses turkey cutlets. Ooooooh. Cutlets.

And turkey tastes way different than chicken. And it has it's own texture. And it's not chicken. So.....there.

Ta da:

No you aren't missing anything. This dish isn't exactly setting the culinary world on fiyah. Glamorous. Sexy. Food pornish. No. Not really at all. That's not what we're going for here, are we?

I can tell you it's good. And your kid will eat it. And it's fast. What more do you want from me?

If you do not have fresh rosemary or thyme just use some dried. As I often do, I cook din at 9 a.m. in the morning and the husband and kiddo heat up the grub at din din time while I work my weirdo-person hours. The turkey reheats just beautifully. It goes great with noodles, rice and of course potatoes in all forms. The last time I made it I put some buttered corn on the side because my kindergartner has a thang for corn. Yes it was frozen. But I made homemade bread that day, too, so we have that going for us.

I got this recipe on Pinterest. I love it. I made it twice and honest to goodness it works. 

This is like a very organized recipe. I love lining up the cutlets on a sheet pan to season them all orderly like so:

 Yeah. I said I love doing that. 

And everything cooks in one pan. First the turkey:

Then the sauce:

Easy peasy. This is a great recipe for all y'all who don't like to cook. Very low stress.

Rosemary and Thyme Turkey Breast Cutlets

From I Wash You Dry

Ingredients

• 1 lb. thinly sliced turkey breast cutlets
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 4 tbsp butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme

Instructions

1. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan.
2. Season the turkey breast cutlets* with salt and pepper on both sides. Once the pan is nice and hot, add the turkey cutlets and sear for about 1 minute on each side, then remove from skillet to a plate to keep warm. You might have to do this in batches if your skillet is not large enough to fit them all in at once.
3. Once all the turkey is cooked, pour in the white cooking wine** and use a spatula to scrap the bottom of the pan to loosen all the browned bits. Once the liquid has reduced, lower the temperature to medium-low and add in the butter, stirring till the butter melts. Add in the chicken broth, rosemary and thyme and simmer for a couple minutes.
4. Add the turkey breast cutlets back to the pan, including any juices that may have collected at the bottom of the plate. Coat the turkey with the sauce and let simmer a couple more minutes, until the turkey is heated through again. Enjoy!