"Video" for Pan Seared Chicken Breast with Rosemary Potatoes and Asparagus

I was planning on roasting some chicken and making a video with this meal, but it turned out my "camera man", wasn't able to make it tonight and my day was a little longer than expected. Instead of roasted chicken, I went for pan seared and instead of a video, you'll be getting a play by play with still photos. I apologize ahead of time for the bad lighting and bad angles, this is the first attempt, so here is hoping it only gets better!

Pan Roasted Chicken Breast
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
2-3 medium potatoes, or 6-8 small potatoes ( pre cooked whole potatoes with skins work the best. Perk of this, it makes the pan roasting part go super quick. Also, you can use russet, red, or white potatoes) *baking trick: use the microwave, takes 3-5 minutes. **cooks recommendation: If you do decide to pre cook them, as I did in the pics below, bake the potato whole, whether you are using the oven or microwave. Something with the starches get's thrown off when you dice and then microwave. Believe me, I've tried and it just doesn't work as well.
1 bunch of asparagus, about 6-8 pieces a person
1 small white onion, or 3/4 of a medium one (red or yellow would work too, I just had a white today)
1tbs plus 1 tsp diced garlic (3-4 cloves) *I'm a garlic lover, cut back if you are not a big fan
1tsp dried sage
2tsp dried rosemary (if using fresh, you may need to use closer to 4tsp)
1-2tsp crushed red pepper flake
salt to taste
pepper to taste
4-6 tbs olive oil

First off, I rinsed my veggies and had my potatoes already pre cooked before I started. I like to get multiple uses out of my kitchen equipment, so I try to whenever possible to save the meat prep for last. It saves on washing and "cootie" cleaning. Also, when possible I use the same pan to cook everything. Saves on having to heat up multiple pans, gives the dish a lot more flavor and saves on clean up! Always a good thing! This dish works great and I only dirtied the 3 dishes, besides the cutting board and knife.

I then got my asparagus ready by, checking where the asparagus naturally breaks, holding it at both end and then bending out until it snaps. This will get rid of the really tough bottoms and leave you with the more tender tops. (Thanks Ma, for being "my hands" in this photo, it just wasn't working out for me to use both hands to check the asparagus and snap a pic. lol.)

Once you know where one breaks, you can line that one up with the rest and give them all a cut.

 Place them in a bowl, or on a plate and toss with 1tbs olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then set aside.

Now onto the potatoes. Cut them into 1/2 - 3/4 inch cubes. If you do pre cook them, it's always better to leave them a little under done than over done. When you start to cut them, you want them to hold their shape. So they are solid enough that you can stir them in the pan without a fear of turning them into mashed potatoes.

 Then place potatoes in a bowl.

Now you are going to dice the onion, and add to the bowl of potatoes.

Then add 3tbs of olive oil, 1tbs diced garlic, rosemary, crushed red pepper, salt (about 1tsp), and pepper (about 1/2tsp) to taste. Stir until potatoes are well coated in oil and seasonings. Then set aside.

Now onto the chicken. Get the two breasts and place them rounded side up.

You're going to take a sharp knife and cut down the middle center of each breast, while holding pressure on the top. Repeat to both chicken breasts. You'll end up making four separate pieces, all about the same size.

Now season both sides of each chicken breast with salt, pepper, 1tsp garlic, and sage. Make sure to rub it in well.

 Once chicken is seasoned, in a large frying pan, head up 1-2tbs olive oil on medium high heat. When the pan has heated up, place the chicken in, making sure to not over crowd the pan.

Chicken will take about 3 minutes per side. Once chicken is browned, then flip to the other side. When internal temp reaches 160-165F at the thickest spot, chicken is done. Pull out of pan, place on a plate and allow to the meat to rest.

Next, cooking potatoes. Keep heat on medium high and add potatoes into pan.

Make sure to spread out the potatoes in the pan, so they will brown evenly. This will take 3-5 minutes. Resist the urge to stir them, you want the potatoes to get a good browning on them before you turn them. Use a flat headed spoon to stir, being careful to not break them up to much, while also scraping of the good bits that were left by the chicken. Once browned, remove from pan and set aside.

It's the asparagus's turn now. Turn the heat down to just below medium high and place the asparagus into the pan. Just to warn ya, you might get a little smoke, so make sure you have your stove fan going!

If you remember the asparagus was only seasoned with a little salt and pepper, but because you are cooking it in the same pan, as the garlic and rosemary goodness, it will pick up a little of that flavor too! This was thin asparagus, it took only 3 minutes or so to cook. You don't want it to be to soft, it should still have a bit of a snap to it and be bright green.

And there you have it folks! Start to finish, with already thawed chicken, was about 35 minutes. (don't mind the shiny silverware, it just makes the picture look cooler. haha.)

And here is a close up.

I really hope you enjoy it! These potatoes are one of my go to recipes when I need something quick. They pair well with pork and beef too!

New Pages!

Hi all!

I wanted to let you know I created a few new pages on the blog! Check them out, they are right under the Blog Title. This is my official ****Disclaimer**** on them, they are a work in progress, humor me. Let me know what you think and if you would like to see some other things added too!

Thanks!
Sarah

Dinner Meal Plan for August 7-August 13

Hello! Here is the Meal Plan for this week. Sorry for not getting it up sooner! I'll get you all the grocery list sometime tomorrow too. This is going to be a fun week though! I'll be posting my coupon adventuring outcome (*update: please refer back to "Coupon Adventure!" for the outcome), My recommended kitchen essentials a.k.a. what I keep in my cupboards and fridge at all times, another recipe of the week, and a cooking video! Also, the first Restaurant Review is coming!

Sunday: Chicken Pot Pie
Monday: Tostadas with Spanish Rice
Tuesday: Grilled Turkey Sandwiches with Salad
Wednesday: Roasted Chicken with Rosemary Potatoes (See Cooking Video)
Thursday: Spaghetti and Meatballs (see Recipe of the Week)
Friday: Chili Cheese Burgers with Bakes Sweet Potato Fries
Saturday: Restaurant Review!

Coupon Adventure!

So, since I would like to do my grocery shopping tonight and Saturday, I've decided that today is a good day to start my shopping list and get an idea for my menu next week... This whole idea of writing it down before I shop is kinda weird. Not bad, just weird. lol.

I'm also going to see about this coupon craze that is happening, and see if I can get in on it! Who doesn't like to save money! I would not be offended in the least if you wanted to shoot me some hints, experiences with "coupon-ing" that you may have *wink* I am going to look the traditional routes of mailers and newspapers, but also checking out the online sites. Mainly, mommysavesbig.com and coupons.target.com. Wish me luck!

Now, toooo theeeee aaaadds! (channel a super hero commentating voice when you say it, it makes it much more appealing. lol)

***UPDATE***

What an adventure! It has now been two medium shopping trips in (a combo of food and house supplies) since my original post, total savings on just the food using coupons was around $45. A good amount of that went to ground beef, which I found for $0.99/lb! I saved $2.50/lb just on that! I also learned to combine an "In Store" coupon and a "Manufacturer's" coupon for an even better deal!

I found that, with buying the fresh produce, there are not many coupons out there, but you can find the store that has them for the best prices in the weekly ads. Sadly, the only place that price matches and takes competitors coupons in Tucson, that I have found thus far, is Walmart. A store I usually don't like to shop at, for multiple reasons, that I don't need to get into on this here food blog, but I did succumb. I went there for the first grocery trip because I wanted to see coupon-ing in it's entirety. It was cool!

side note: not all cashiers are created equal, find out if they like to get the coupons all at the end, or during the transaction, so they can make sure you get what the coupon states, and finally, make sure to bring the entire add you want them to price match, along with the entire ad with the competitors coupon, if their name isn't on the coupon itself (the store you buy it at will need to send the coupon back to the company that the coupon is from). One last thing, I had to get over the apologetic feelings I was having for all the people behind me in line because it was taking so long at checkout. I guess it's not written anywhere that says grocery trips and checkout have to be done at record speeds. lol.

Final note: I will absolutely be taking my time each week to look over the ads! The "In Store" coupons are usually good just for a week, but "Manufacturer's" coupons are usually good for a few. I now have to deal with the psychology of it's ok not to buy something, even though I have a coupon for it. haha.

p.s. I also learned that for cleaning supplies and non food items, coupon-ing makes perfect sense! I got cheaper, toilet paper, paper towels, bleach wipes, bathroom cleaner, 409, deodorant, and canning supplies too.

Recipe of the Week - Vegetarian Curry Pasta

This is the first recipe that I made up all by my lonesome to hit the internet. It is my... drum roll please...

Vegetarian Curry Pasta Salad!
and can I say YUM! Serves 2-3 as the main course, may go further if used as a side dish. Can be eaten warm or cold.

You'll need:
1/2 box whole wheat spaghetti (break noodles in half before cooking)

1garlic clove or 1 tsp diced garlic
1 small green or red pepper, 1/2" dice
1 medium "meaty" tomato or 2 Roma, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 cup pre cooked butternut squash, 1/2" dice
1/4 cup corn (fresh or frozen that has been thawed)
2tsp yellow curry powder
1pinch ground corriander (optional)
1 tbs orange marmalade (prefer using mandarin orange marmalade, but regular will work too)
3 tbs butter
1tbs olive oil
salt to taste

Pasta: Start a pot of water with a pinch of salt on the stove (at least 2 qts) and bring to a boil. Once boiling, place spaghetti noodles and cook until just past al dente, about 10min). Drain and set aside. You can time this so you will be able to add the noodles directly to your curried vegetables when they are done too, just wait to put noodles in the water until your veggies have all been prepped.

Curried Vegetable: On med/hi heat, place oil and 1 tbs butter in a large sauce pan, add garlic, celery, and green pepper. Once they start to soften, add corn, tomato, squash, curry powder, corriander, marmalade, and salt to taste. (if using unsalted butter, make sure to taste before adding noodles) Once the tomato is starting to soften and the marmalade has completely melted into the veggies, turn off the heat, and pour the cooked spaghetti in the pan. Put in the remaining 2tbs of butter and stir until melted and noodles are well coated in curried vegetable goodness!

I hope you like it! I have no doubt other veggies would taste great too, broccoli and cauliflower, yum!

Dinner Meal Plan for July 31-August 6 2011

My idea is to meal plan off of what is on "sale" that week at the grocery store, so not only is it a ready meal plan for everyone, but budget friendly too. Well, budget friendly for those folks who live in Tucson *wink*.  I want to warn you all now that, this is a learning experience for me! I love to cook, I'm just not that organized and on track with meals for myself. So humor me until I find my groove. lol. Post comments if you have any suggestions, questions, or if I didn't explain something well enough. Now onto the Meal Plan...

I'll also post one recipe for the week, unless you would like me to post more. I like to play in the kitchen and experiment, so... I will keep recipes I made up or saw updated with what worked and did not work for me

Sunday: Curry Pasta Salad (See Recipe of the week)

Monday: Vegetable Stir Fry with wild rice

Tuesday: Sliced Ham with glazed carrots and mashed potatoes

Wednesday: Chicken Fajitas with homemade tortillas and Spanish rice

Thursday: Warm bean salad with a side of couscous

Friday: Stuffed potatoes! Broccoli, green onions, cheese, etc.

Saturday: This is the Saturday before Fast Sunday (which is a day of fasting observed by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), and I will be fasting from this dinner. To know more about fasting, ask me, a member of the church you may know, or visit lds.org

My Plan

Hello All!

Thanks for checking out the blog! This is one amazing life adventure I am going on. I want to introduce myself and my obsession with food!

My name is Sarah, and I love food! Not only eating it, but shopping for it, smelling it, feeling it, planning menu's with it, cooking it, and just in general experimenting with it. I have been in love with learning about and cooking food since I was about 16. Right around the time The Food Network was created! I do remember watching Graham Kerr when I was in elementary too though... so maybe I've always been in love with learning about food...

I have had the chance to work in a professional catering kitchen as a prep cook. I also have had the chance to teach kids to cook in a fun summer cooking class, but the most fun I have is in my own kitchen. I am not a trained cook, but self taught and encourage everyone to try their hand in the kitchen! It is an amazing de- stresser!

I try to cook with fresh ingredients (not always organic, but fresh) as much as possible and I try not to use anything that is highly processed. So, this blog is to help me on my adventure of personal/family menu planning and a place for me to share ideas and recipes that I've come up with.

I hope you enjoy it coming on this adventure with me!

Sarah