Chicken, Zucchini, and Ricotta

• 2 medium zucchini, shredded
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 15 ounces whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 4 5x4-inch pieces focaccia or ciabatta bread, halved horizontally
• 2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced

• 2-4 roasted chicken breasts (about 1 pound), skinned, boned, thinly sliced crosswise

1 Mix zucchini and salt in medium bowl. Transfer to colander; set over bowl. Let stand 15 minutes to drain liquid from zucchini. Rinse and drain zucchini. Squeeze zucchini to remove liquid. (Can use a potato ricer.)
2 Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and sauté 2 minutes. Remove pan to a bowl, cool slightly. Add ricotta, Parmesan and lemon peel to zucchini. Stir to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. \

3 Preheat broiler. Arrange bread pieces cut side up on baking sheet. Broil bread just until lightly toasted. Spread ricotta mixture generously over 8 focaccia pieces. Broil until ricotta mixture is heated through and beginning to brown in spots, about 4 minutes.

4 Top 4 bread pieces with tomato slices, then with chicken slices, dividing equally. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with remaining 4 bread pieces, ricotta-mixture side down. Cut sandwiches diagonally in half and serve.


Makes 4 servings.

BLT

• 2-3 slices thick smoked bacon
• 1-2 thin slices of a fresh, large tomato
• 1-2 ounces (a couple handfuls) fresh baby arugula (can substitute watercress)
• 2 slices of bread
• Mayonnaise

Method

1 Heat a large sauté pan or cast iron pan on medium low heat. Lay the strips of bacon in a single layer on the pan. Slowly cook the bacon, rendering out the fat, until lightly browned on one side. Using a fork or tongs, turn the strips of bacon over to cook the other side. When the bacon strips are sufficiently cooked remove from pan and place on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb the excess fat. Pour out excess fat from the pan (leaving about half a teaspoon in the pan) into a jar or a container to either dispose of or to store. (Never pour bacon grease down the sink, it will clog your pipes.)
2 In the same pan, add handfuls of fresh baby arugula or watercress. Toss in the remaining remaining fat. As soon as the greens start to wilt, remove from heat and remove from the pan to stop the cooking.
3 Toast bread slices in a toaster. Spread mayonnaise (or your favorite spread, butter will do too) over the slices. Layer the sandwich with bacon, sliced tomato, and lightly wilted arugula. Cut on the diagonal.
Eat immediately.
Makes one BLT sandwich.

Beer Can Chicken

This can also be done in your oven

• 1 4-pound whole chicken
• 2 Tbsp olive oil or other vegetable oil
• 1 opened, half-full can of beer, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1 Tbsp dried thyme
• 1 Tbsp black pepper

1 Prepare your grill for indirect heat. If you are using charcoal, put the coals on one side of the grill, leaving another side free of coals. If you are using a gas grill, fire up only half of the burners.

2 Remove neck and giblets from cavity of chicken, if the chicken came with them. Rub the chicken all over with olive oil. Mix the salt, pepper, and thyme in a little bowl, then sprinkle it all over the chicken.

3 Make sure the beer can is open, and only half-filled with beer (drink the other half!) If you want, you can put a sprig of thyme (or another herb like rosemary or sage) in the beer can. Lower the chicken on to the open can, so that the chicken is sitting upright, with the can in its cavity. Place the chicken on the cool side of the grill, using the legs and beer can as a tripod to support the chicken on the grill and keep it stable.

4 Cover the grill and walk away. Do not even check the chicken for at least an hour. After an hour, check the chicken and refresh the coals if needed (if you are using a charcoal grill). Keep checking the chicken every 15 minutes or so, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 160°F - 165°F. The total cooking time will vary depending on the size of your chicken, and the internal temperature of the grill. A 4 lb chicken will usually take around 1 1/2 hours. If you don't have a meat thermometer, a way to tell if the chicken is done is to poke it deeply with a knife (the thigh is a good place to do this), if the juices run clear, not pink, the chicken is done.

5 Carefully transfer the chicken to a tray or pan. I say "carefully" because the beer can, and the beer inside of it, is quite hot. One way to do this is to slide a metal spatula under the bottom of the beer can. Use tongs to hold the top of the chicken. Lift the chicken, beer can still inside, and move it to a tray. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes. Carefully lift the chicken off of the can. If it gets stuck, lay the chicken on its side, and pull out the can with tongs.

Serves 4.

Eggnog

• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 2 whole cloves
• Pinch of cinnamon
• 1 cup cream
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp each of bourbon and rum or brandy, or to taste (can omit for kid-friendly eggnog)
• *4 egg whites (optional)

1 In a large bowl, beat egg yolks until they become lighter in color (can whisk by hand or use a mixer for this). Slowly beat in the sugar, whisking until fluffy.
2 Combine the milk, cinnamon, and cloves in a thick-bottomed saucepan. Slowly heat mixture on medium heat until it is steaming hot, but not boiling.
3 Temper the eggs by slowly adding half of the hot milk mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly while you add the hot mixture. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
4 Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it begins to thicken slightly, and coats the back of the spoon. It helps to have a candy thermometer, but not necessary; if you have one, cook until the mixture reaches 160°F. Do not allow the mixture to boil, or it will curdle. (If the mixture does curdle you may be able to save it by running it through a blender.) Remove from heat and stir in the cream. Strain the mixture through a mesh strainer to remove the cloves. Let cool for one hour.
5 Mix in vanilla extract, nutmeg, and bourbon/rum and brandy (feel free to omit for kid-friendly eggnog). Chill.
Optional: Beat egg whites until they reach soft peaks. Add a teaspoon of sugar and continue to beat until they reach stiff peaks. Gently fold into eggnog.
Makes 1 quart. Serves 4-6.

Mountain Dew Apple Duplings

2 (8 count) cans crescent rolls

3 -4 tart apples

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 (12 ounce) can Mountain Dew soda

Spray a 13x9 baking dish or pan.

2 Peel and slice apples into 16 pieces.

3 Roll each apple slice in 1 section of crescent roll.

4 Place rolled slices in pan in two rows, put extras along side.

5 Melt butter, add sugar and cinnamon and pour over apples.

6 Pour can of Mountain Dew over all.

7 Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

8 Serve warm with vanilla ice cream

Serving Size: 1 (108 g)

Servings Per Recipe: 16

Amount Per Serving

% Daily Value

Calories 253.4

 

Calories from Fat 72

28%

Total Fat 8.0 g

12%

Saturated Fat 4.2 g

21%

Monounsaturated Fat 2.5 g

12%

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6 g

3%

Trans Fat 0.0 g

0%

Cholesterol 32.7 mg

10%

Sodium 234.0 mg

9%

Potassium 67.0 mg

1%

Magnesium 10.4 mg

0%

Total Carbohydrate 42.8 g

14%

Dietary Fiber 1.9 g

7%

Sugars 25.1 g

100%

Protein 3.4 g

6%

Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 55 mins

BIB

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$2,000 Pizza

Let’s talk about the dangers of buying a pizza. Katie Boucher shows us you can get more than heartburn from a pie — you can also go broke.
The AP reports that the Connecticut woman was mistakenly charged $2,600 for her $30 pizza, an oopsie that a clerk quickly voided but that still cost Boucher $230 in overdraft and late fees.
Boucher said her bank told her it would take up to 10 days before the debit card overcharge, which occurred last week at Amano’s Pizza in Bristol, would be refunded. Owner Von Manolitsis signed some forms that helped reduce that time to 4 days.

Still there were those fees. Boucher says Manolitsis offered to pay her back — in pizza. Better be some darn good pizza.
Posted by lkurtzman 11/26/10, 10:39 am

BIB
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