Big Man, Little Kitchen

I know brussels sprouts are not everyone’s favorites but when roasted with bacon, they are so good. This is one of my favorite side dishes and when served with grilled chicken and sauteed mushrooms you have one excellent meal!These are simple to make and do not take to long. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash the sprouts, cut of the end and slice in half. Remove any loose leaves and toss in a baking dish. Now grab some bacon and dice. Toss in with the sprouts. Add about 2 tablespoons of melted butter and place in the oven. Roast for 30-35 minutes,tossing every 10 minutes. Remove and serve.We had the sprouts with grilled chicken breast smothered in sauteed mushrooms. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1-2 lbs brussels sprouts
1/2 lb bacon, diced
2 T butter, melted
salt
pepper

Directions

Wash the sprouts and cut off the root end. Slice in half, remove loose leaves and toss in a baking dish. Dice the bacon and add to the sprouts. Pour the melted butter over the bacon and sprouts, season with salt and pepper. Roast in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. Toss every 10 minutes to get an even roast on all side of the sprouts. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

It is time to get back to some healthy eating. With summer around the corner, now is the time to get back in shape with good food and exercise. Here is a clean, healthy meal that is a snap to cook up. Costco had halibut on sale so Kris and I picked up a nice 1 lb slab.Time to get cooking. I was going to grill the fish but I heard some thunder and it was starting to rain a bit so decided to cook this in the oven, wrapped in parchment paper. This is an excellent way to cook up some fish. The spices and flavors steam up and really flaover the halibut. Get out all your ingredients and start the assembly. First lay out a nice size sheet of the parchment paper. Put about 5 slices of fresh lemon down. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, oregano and sage. Set the fillet on top of the lemons and now season the fish with the same spices. I added some chopped onion and a tablespoon of a mango, coconut sweet and spicy marinade. Drizzle with some olive oil then wrap it up!Be sure to seal the fillets up tight to keep the steam from escaping while cooking. Set them on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven. The halibut should take about 9 minutes per inch of thickness. These were 2-3 inches thick so cook time was about 30 minutes. The fish will flake easily when done. Do not over cook!Serve right out of the parchment or drop on a plate and enjoy. I added a sides of jasmine rice and sauted green beans. Delicious!!

Ingredients:

2 6-8 oz halibut fillets
2 lemons, sliced
1 small onion, diced (shallots would be great here)
oregano
sage
salt
pepper
olive oil

Other

Parchment paper
Mango, coconut sweet and spicy marinade

Directions

Lay parchment paper out on the counter. Top with lemon slices and season with salt, pepper, oregano and sage. Place halibut on top and season fillet with the same ingrediants. Add some diced onion and a tablespoon of the marinade. Drizzle with olive oil. Wrap tightly in the parchment paper and place on a baking sheet.

Cook in a preheated 400 degree oven for 9 minutes per inch of thickness. Carefully open parchment as there will be plenty of steam! Serve in the parchment or remove to a plate.

Looking for an easy weeknight supper? Well here is it! Quick and easy, and tastes great too. I have not felt much like grilling with freezing temps, wind and blowing snow so have been using the oven a bit more this winter. Tonight was a simple supper of baked chicken, baked sweet potato and sauteed zucchini. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
4 bonless, skinless chicken breasts
2 sweet potatoes
2 zucchinis, peeled and sliced
chopped walnuts
maple syrup
cinnamon
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
salt
pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Drizzle chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in the baking dish and bake for 30 minutes, until chicken reaches an internal temp of 165.
While the chicken is cooking bake the sweet potatoes in the microwave. Wash potaotes, poke some holes in them with a fork and microwave for about 14 minutes. Let stand 2 minutes.
For the zucchini, heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Add zucchini and saute for about 5 minutes.
To serve – Drizzle chicken with the balsamic vinegar. Top the sweet potato with cinnamon, maple syrup and chopped walnuts.

I was watching the show ‘Mexican Made Easy’ on the Food Network and they made a mango salsa that looked really good and simple to make. Not only that but she used it to top a seared filet of fish and supper was born. After weeks of eating holiday foods and treats it was nice to have a light, refreshing dinner.The salsa only has a few ingredients and takes no time to make. First heat some oil in a pan and saute the jalapeno, just enough to brown up a couple sides of it, let cool. 

Chop up the mango and toss into a bowl. Add about 1/2 cup diced red onion, the juice from one lime. When the jalapeno is cool, cut off stem and remove seeds. Dice and add to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Finally add about 2 tablespoons of fresh, chopped cilantro and that is it.Now it is time to cook the cod. Simple is good for this as well. Season both sides of the filet with salt and pepper. Heat 1 T olive oil and 1 T butter in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Cook the cod for 3-4 minutes per side, until it flakes easily.

We served the cod on a bed of mashed potatoes and topped with the mango salsa. Enjoy!!

Mango Salsa
2 mangos, diced
1 jalapeno
1/2 cup red onion, diced
Juice from one lime
2 T fresh cilanto, chopped
salt
peppr

Directions:
Heat some oil in a pan and blacken the jalapeno on a couple of sides. Remove and let cool. Dice the mango and add to a medium bowl. Add the red onion and lime juice. Remove the seeds from the jalapeno and dice. Add to bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Finally add the cilantro and stir.

Pan seared cod
2 cod filets, about 8 oz each
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
salt
pepper

Directions:
Heat olive oil and butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season the cod with salt and pepper, both sides. When the butter is melted and the oil is hot add the cod to the pan. Cook 3-4 minutes per side, until fish flakes easily.

Well we are in the midst of another cold spell here. Temps topping out at zero for the high and negative teens for the low. That means it is time for some comfort food. Tonight we had some braised chuck roast with onions and carrots. A nice side of mashed potatoes and an excellent comfort meal.I used a 3 1/2 pound chuck roast. Pull it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking. Dry with paper towels then salt and pepper all sides. Slice up 2 yellow onions, mince some garlic and start cooking.Coat the bottom of a large dutch oven with olive oil and heat over medium high. Add the meat and brown all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside.Toss the onions and garlic into the pan to cook down a bit. Add some salt and cook until onions are soft and starting to brown. Next add about 1/2 cup red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up all the bits from the bottom. Add the meat back in and nestle in the onions. Pour a can of diced tomatoes, with juice over the roast. Toss in some sliced carrots next to the roast. Add more salt, pepper and dried thyme. You may need to add more liquid. I like to have the liquid to cover the roast about half way up. Use beer, chicken stock or what ever you have on hand. Bring to boil, cover and remove from heat. Put in a 300 degree oven and braise for 4 hours, until meat is very tender. Serve and enjoy!!

Ingredients:

3-5 lb chuck roast
2 yellow onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 cup red wine
olive oil
2 tsp dried thyme
salt
pepper
Note – may need more liquid, beer, chicken stock…

Directions:

Remove roast from fridge about 30 minutes before cooking. Dry with paper towels, season all sides with salt and pepper.
Add olive oil to a large dutch oven and heat to medium high. Brown roast, about 3 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
Add onions and garlic to the pot. Season with salt and cook until onions are soft and beginning to brown, 7-10 minutes. Pour in the red wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Put the roast back in the pan, nestle into the onions.
Pour the can of diced tomatoes, with juice over the roast. Toss the carrots in, alongside the roast. Season with salt, pepper and thyme. You may need to add more liquid here, you want it to cover the roast half way. Bring to boil, cover and remove from heat. Place in a preheated 300 degree oven. Braise 4 hours, until meat is very tender.