Where has the time gone????

As you can tell (and from a few emails from people who have informed me that our blog hasn't been updated in a while), we have been QUITE busy the last few months and somehow our baby is turning 1 next month.  Can you believe it?!?!

He is quite a mover and a shaker these days with a very strong personality (don't know where he got that from)!  The last 11 months have been a journey for all of us... and Michael and I appreciate our parents more and more EVERYDAY.  But with all the frustrating aspects of parenting come all the rewards... the pride that comes with each milestone, the smile that you can't contain when your baby laughs, and the overwhelming love when that sweet little guy snuggles up against you.

Although I wish I was as productive as I used to be, I'm spending every free minute with an amazing little boy who is growing up too fast for his mama.  So in the mean time, keep up with our photos at our Tumblr blog: http://mmerschat.tumblr.com/  (It's much easier to update with photos from my phone!)

Michael is still cooking (thank goodness!) but I haven't had time to post recipes and photos.  But this week, he made this AMAZING chicken dish!!!!!  Quick and easy mid-week meal: Chicken Saltimbocca with Asparagus.  You will be licking up that sauce.  So good!

Chicken with Peach-Jalapeño Salsa

It has been so long since I've posted!  Can you tell I'm back at work and have less time to update our blog???  And since time is short, here's a quick and delicious Food & Wine recipe to use up those fantastic late summer peaches from the farmer's market!

INGREDIENTS
2 large peaches—peeled, pitted and cut into 1/3-inch dice
1 medium jalapeño chile, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup plain dry bread crumbs
3 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 large skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
6 tablespoons peanut oil, for frying

In a bowl, combine the peaches, jalapeño, lime juice and sugar.

In a large bowl, toss together the flour, bread crumbs, cornmeal, salt, thyme and cayenne. Put the chicken in a bowl of cool water. Remove the breast halves one at a time, let the excess water drip off and coat them thoroughly with the seasoned flour mixture.

Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a large heavy skillet. Add the chicken, skinned side down, and cook over moderately high heat until golden on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn the breasts and add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Cook, turning occasionally, until the chicken is browned and cooked through, about 11 minutes longer. Serve with the peach-jalapeño salsa.

(We ate it with warm garlic naan and greek yogurt on the side.  Mmmmmm)

And so Heath has started daycare in my office building and seems to be doing great!  He has already charmed all the ladies downstairs and is rolling over all the time.

And he gets to hang out with me in my office and I can go visit him throughout the day.  I could not imagine a better situation.  I feel so lucky!

And it's officially football season!  Michael had so much fun watching the University of Tennessee opener last weekend with his little boy.

Heath is already practicing how to throw the football.

And Michael is also enjoying the first weeks at his new job at Wentworth Studio.  It's a bit of an adjustment from the 10+ years he worked at Ossolinski Architects, but he's doing great.

Chicken Goulash with Biscuit Dumplings

For a cool spring evening, this is a quick and delicious meal that his the spot.  Another Grace Parisi success in Food & Wine.

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1 cup sour cream
1 large white onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons hot Hungarian paprika
3/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon thyme leaves

Preheat the oven to 425°. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dust lightly with flour. In a deep skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the olive oil. Add the chicken and cook over high heat, turning once, until browned on both sides, 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a plate.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse the 1 1/2 cups of flour with the baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Pulse in the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk 1/2 cup of the stock with 1/2 cup of the sour cream and drizzle over the dry ingredients; pulse until a dough forms.

Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic to the skillet and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 minutes. Return the chicken to the skillet. Stir in the paprika and caraway and cook for 30 seconds. Add the remaining 2 cups of chicken stock and 1/2 cup of sour cream and stir until smooth. Add the thyme and bring to a boil.

Scoop twelve 3-tablespoon-size mounds of biscuit dough over the chicken. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the biscuits are cooked. Turn on the broiler and broil for about 2 minutes, until the biscuits are golden. Serve the goulash in bowls, spooning the biscuits on top.

AND FOR DESSERT...

... I used our favorite moist chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream recipe to make a layer cake with strawberries.  It was so good and so easy!  Just split the batter into two greased 8 or 9 inch cake pans instead of putting them in muffin tins.  Then spread the buttercream and chopped strawberries in the middle layer and on top.  It really quenched my chocolate craving!

And I figured we deserved it since we finished the baby's corner... I hope he likes it!

It won't be long now... the doctor said I could go into labor at any time.  We can't wait to meet the little guy!!!

Curried-Chicken and Vegetable Pan Roast

With all this winter weather, this is a cozy delicious dinner to make this weekend.  So yummy with naan and yogurt... mmmm... Food & Wine again, of course...

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds butternut squash in 1-inch cubes (from one 2 1/2-pound squash)
1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts, halved
2 large red onions, cut into thin wedges
1 cup canola oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Madras curry powder
4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Warm naan, for serving

Preheat the oven to 450° and position racks in the upper and middle thirds. In a very large bowl, toss the butternut squash with the brussels sprouts, onion wedges and 1/2 cup of the canola oil; season with salt and pepper. Spread the vegetables on 2 large, sturdy rimmed baking sheets.

In the same bowl, combine the cup of yogurt with the ginger, garlic, curry powder and the remaining 1/2 cup of oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and toss until thoroughly coated. Arrange the chicken on top of the vegetables. Roast for about 40 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until the vegetables are nearly tender and the chicken is nearly cooked through. Pour off any accumulated liquid in the pans and roast for about 20 minutes longer, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is lightly browned. Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a platter and serve with warm naan and yogurt.

MAKE AHEAD: The chicken and vegetables can be refrigerated overnight. Reheat gently before serving.

Vinegar-Braised Chicken with Leeks and Peas

Delicious and quick... this is our kind of dish!  We are rolling this recipe into our mid-week dinner rotation!

INGREDIENTS
8 whole chicken legs
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 large leeks, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
One 10-ounce package frozen baby peas, thawed
2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 cup crème fraîche

Preheat the oven to 425° and position a rack in the upper third. Turn the chicken legs skin side down on a work surface and cut halfway through the joint. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper.

In each of 2 large nonstick skillets, heat half of the butter and oil. Add the chicken, skin side up, and cook over high heat until browned, 5 minutes. Turn and cook the chicken for 1 minute. Pile all of the chicken into one skillet.

In the other skillet, cook the leeks over high heat until just beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and vinegar and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into a medium roasting pan.

Set the chicken on the leeks, skin side up; roast for about 25 minutes, until it is cooked through. Turn on the broiler and broil for about 2 minutes, until the skin is golden and crisp. Transfer the chicken to a platter.

Place the roasting pan over a burner and boil over high heat until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the peas, herbs and crème fraîche and simmer until the sauce is hot and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Crispy Chicken Thighs with Golden Raisin Compote

Michael has made this dish several times in the last year, but I've either forgotten to get a photo or it just turned out ugly.  So I'm just using the beautiful photo from Food & Wine because my poor photography skills should not keep you from trying this recipe.

We made it when we were in NC for Christmas and everyone loved it!  Farro is cooked similarly to rice and I've added a simple farro recipe at the bottom of this post.  This recipe had definitely made farro one of our new favorite grains.

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 ounces butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice (1 cup)
1 large shallot, minced
1/2 Granny Smith apple—peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/4 cups golden raisins (1/2 pound)
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons chopped thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
8 6 ounce bone-in chicken thighs

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a skillet, melt the butter. Add the squash, cover and cook over moderate heat until almost tender, 3 minutes. Add the shallot and cook for 1 minute. Add the apple, cinnamon and cayenne and cook for 1 minute. Add the raisins, wine, honey and thyme and cook until the wine is almost evaporated. Season with salt and pepper.

In an ovenproof nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the skillet, skin side down. Cook over high heat until the skin is crisp, 5 minutes. Turn the chicken, transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for 6 minutes, until cooked through; serve with the compote.

Serve with buttered farro with chives.

COOKING FARRO
2 cups (12 ounces) whole-grain farro
4 quarts of boiling salted water

Rinse farro in a strainer under cold running water. Have the salted water boiling in a 6-quart pot. Drop in the farro, stir and get water to a steady, lively simmer. Partially cover the pot and cook 30 to 45 minutes, or until tender. Drain the farro in a sieve. Eat hot or at room temperature, seasoning to taste.

Yield: Makes 4 to 5 cups

Southwestern Crockpot Chicken

This recipe is dedicated to our friends Simon and Claire -- new parents of beautiful baby Keira and working parents without a whole bunch of time to cook every night!

This recipe has been a staple in our home for the last couple years and it's so easy and versatile.  The hardest part is getting up 10 minutes earlier in the morning to throw all this stuff in the crockpot before you head to work.

It's perfect wrapped up in a whole wheat tortilla with a little cheese sprinkled on top or mixed up in a bowl with some rice or on top of some polenta!  Easy and delish!

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, chopped
15 oz. black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen or canned corn
12 oz. high quality salsa (we recommend Trader Joe's Double Roasted Salsa!)
2 fresh Serrano or jalapeno chiles, chopped
3 tbsp. cilantro, chopped
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste
shredded cheese, if you want

Place chicken breasts in bottom of crockpot.  Add onion, garlic, black beans, corn and salsa.  Stir until the mixture is evenly distributed in the pot.  Set crockpot on low for 8 hours.

When you come home from work, open the lid and shred the chicken breasts by moving against the grain with a fork.  Mix in chopped chilies and cilantro, season with salt and pepper, then close the lid and turn the crockpot on high for 30 minutes.

It makes a lot so it's also great for leftover lunch and/or dinner the next day too!

Simple Chicken Stock

So you're probably thinking "why would I make my own chicken stock when I can just go to the store and pick up a can?"  Oh, you do not know what you're missing!

We got this recipe from the knife skills class at L'Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda that we took a couple years ago.  It has changed our culinary lives.  Not only do we debone all our own organic, free-range chickens (which is cheaper than buying chicken parts piecemeal), but we also use this delicious chicken stock in all our recipes.  The flavor of the stock provides much more depth than the canned stuff... it automatically steps the food up a notch!

INGREDIENTS
4 pkgs chicken backs or 3 large pkgs chicken wings
(We use the carcasses of 3-4 chickens after we take off all the good stuff)
5 carrots, each cut into 4 pieces
3 stalks celery, each cut into 4 pieces
3 leeks, white par only, cut in half and rinse
3 onions, cut into large pieces
handful of black peppercorns
4 bay leaves
1/2 cup fresh parsley or parsley stems
1/4 cup dried thyme

1. Place all ingredients in large pot
2. Cover with cool water
3. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to a simmer
4. Simmer at least 2 hours
5. Strain (see below)
6. Divide up into 1 cup containers and freeze until needed

Here are some pictures of our ghetto straining method just in case you don't have cheese cloth (or don't feel like buying any).

Pour stock into colander in a big mixing bowl.

Then find a strainer with little holes to catch all the little herb bits.

Let cool and skim off fat before freezing.  This makes a lot and lasts us a few months.  Trust me, it's worth it.

Fast Baked "Fried" Chicken

Here's a quick and easy fried chicken recipe that's baked in the oven.  We tried this recipe from good ol' Food & Wine because we usually have frozen chicken breasts in the freezer.  It only takes about 30-40 minutes from start to finish so this is a great recipe to whip up when you have nothing else in the fridge.  This time, we served it with salad and leftover quinoa but next time, I'll have a proper fried chicken dinner with mashed potatoes and sweet and sour green beans.

Note: You will need a meat mallet to pound the chicken, but we didn't have one so I improvised and used the pestle from our mortar and pestle.

INGREDIENTS
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups panko
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 large skinless, boneless chicken thighs, lightly pounded
1/2 cup canola oil
Lemon wedges, for serving

DIRECTIONS
Place a rimmed nonstick baking sheet on the lower rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 450°. Put the beaten eggs, panko and flour in 3 shallow bowls. Season the flour with the celery salt, garlic salt and cayenne. Dust the chicken with the flour, then dip it in the egg, and finally in the panko, pressing to help the bread crumbs adhere.

Pour the canola oil onto the baking sheet. Carefully dip the chicken thighs in the oil, being sure to coat both sides evenly, and set them on the baking sheet. Bake the chicken thighs for about 25 minutes, until they're golden and crispy, turning halfway through. Drain on paper towels and serve with lemon wedges.

Delicious Twist to Chicken Salad

We're not huge mayo fans, but chicken salad is a great sandwich stuffer!  Plus, it's a fabulous way to use up leftover beer can chicken or one of those roasted chickens from the store.

This recipe has been modified from the one on Epicurious.com

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups cooked chicken, pulled apart from whole chicken
1 cup chopped drained spicy giardiniera from jar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup (packed) chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon giardiniera juices
1 teaspoon dried salad herbs
1 package whole wheat dinner rolls
1 container of sprouts

DIRECTIONS
Combine chicken and next 5 ingredients in medium bowl and stir to blend well. Season salad with salt and pepper if you wish. Put it in the bread with sprouts. Enjoy!

Beer Can Chicken

This has been one of our favorite recipes since Michael has found a way to do this in our oven because you can have open flames on balconies in DC.  A couple Christmases ago, Mom and Dad Merschat gave Michael a beer can chicken stand (who knew?) and that's really helped the stability factor.  You don't NEED a grill and you don't NEED a beer can chicken stand, but that's how it's "traditionally" made.  Here's the non-grill version:

INGREDIENTS:
1 fresh whole chicken (about 4 to 5 pounds)
1 can of beer (Boddingtons works well because it has a tall can)

Spice Rub:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup Italian herb seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Alternate spice rub on Epicurious.com for those who like it spicier.

DIRECTIONS:
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove giblets from chicken and discard.  Then rinse the chicken inside and out; pat dry.

In small bowl, mix spice rub.  With your fingers, gently loosen skin over breast, being careful not to tear the skin.  Gently rub mixture over breast meat under the skin.

Now take a can opener and cut off the top of the beer can.  TAKE OUT the plastic widget if you're using Boddingtons or Guinness.  Then you need to get rid of 1/3 of the liquid (somehow!) so it doesn't boil over.

Put the 2/3 full can in the beer can chicken stand (or just by itself) on top of a baking sheet (we like to line it with foil for ease of clean up) and then set the spicy rubbed chicken on the throne.  It's easier to lift from the bottom with the legs towards you and then slowly and gently sit the chicken over the can.  Don't force it too much... you should be able to just wiggle it down.

Now put it oven for an hour.  After an hour, check the temperature at the deepest part of the breast and thigh.  It should be 160 degrees.

MMMM... juicy, tender chicken meat with crispy, savory skin...