Tex-Mex Chicken with Chiles and Cheese
I bought Fine Cooking's special all chicken magazine and have loved it! I made this recipe tonight and had to post it. From start to finish it took less than 25 minutes to prepare. Jerry and I rolled ours in flour tortillas served with sour cream and rice. Delicious and so simple!

Sorry I haven't put up any recipes in awhile,and even today I am not going to be able to post five meals worth. But I did want to share a couple that I think everyone will really enjoy. I also wanted to post some recipe that take less than an hour to get on the table since school is starting back and people are going to really busy over the next few weeks. Ok so the Fococcia takes a while, but the other recipe are short.

Summer Pasta with Turkey Sausage, Focaccia
This recipe is based off of the Pasta Primavera recipe from Cooks Illustrated, but with a few changes. This recipe would be just as delicious without the sausage, but it makes the dish more substantial and stretches it farther for big groups. This recipe does take several pans to pull together, but it is really delicious and totally worth it. This recipe takes about 45 minutes from beginning to end (feel free to cook the sausage a few days ahead so that is one less step you are doing the night of dinner.)

1 lb. italian turkey sausage 10 ounces sugar snap peas , cut into 3/4-inch pieces

3 medium zucchini , cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 cup frozen peas , thawed

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 large plum tomatoes (about 1 pound), peeled (see technique below), cored, and chopped medium (about 2 cups)

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 pound campanelle (I like it just because it is a fun shape but feel free to use bow tie or penne)

2 medium cloves garlic , minced

1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Parmesan cheese , grated

Instructions

1. Brown sausage in large skillet. Transfer to paper towel lined plate and set aside. Bring 6 quarts water to boil in large stockpot for pasta. Bring 3 quarts water to boil over high heat in large saucepan for green vegetables; add 1 tablespoon salt. Fill a large bowl with ice water; set aside. Add snap peas to boiling water in saucepan; cook 1 1/2 minutes. Add zucchini; cook 30 seconds. Add peas; cook 30 seconds. Drain vegetables and immediately plunge them into ice water bath to stop cooking; let sit until chilled, about 3 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat until foamy in now-empty saucepan. Add tomatoes and red pepper flakes (if using), reduce heat to medium, and simmer until tomatoes begin to lose their shape, about 7 minutes. Add cream and simmer until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes; cover to keep warm and set aside.

3. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta to boiling water in stockpot and cook until pasta is al dente (refer to package directions; cooking times vary with different brands). While pasta is cooking, heat remaining 3 tablespoons butter in large skillet until foamy. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant and very lightly colored, about 1 minute. Add blanched vegetables and cook until heated through and infused with garlic flavor, about 2 minutes. Add sausage to reheat. Season to taste with salt; set aside. Meanwhile, bring tomato sauce back to simmer over medium heat.

4. Drain pasta and add back to now-empty stockpot. (If your pot isn't large enough toss in a very large bowl.)Add tomato sauce to pot with pasta and toss well to coat over low heat. Add vegetables/sausage mixture, basil, and lemon juice; season to taste with salt and pepper toss well. Divide portions among individual pasta bowls. Serve immediately, passing cheese separately.

Focaccia
This is a great recipe. It makes much less than the other recipe I put up previously and is a little easier to work with. Of course it is a CooksIllustrated recipe!

Biga
1/2	cup (2 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3	cup (2 2/3 ounces) warm water (100-110 degrees F)
1/4	teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
Dough
2 1/2	cups (12 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour , plus extra for shaping
1 1/4	cups (10 ounces) warm water (100-110 degrees F)
1	teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
	Kosher salt
4	tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2	tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

Instructions

1. FOR THE BIGA: Combine flour, water, and yeast in large bowl and stir with wooden spoon until uniform mass forms and no dry flour remains, about 1 minute. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature (about 70 degrees) overnight (at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.) Use immediately or store in refrigerator for up to 3 days (allow to stand at room temperature 30 minutes before proceeding with recipe.)

2. FOR THE DOUGH: Stir flour, water, and yeast into biga with wooden spoon until uniform mass forms and no dry flour remains, about 1 minute. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 15 minutes.

3. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons salt over dough; stir into dough until thoroughly incorporated, about 1 minute. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature 30 minutes. Spray rubber spatula or bowl scraper with nonstick cooking spray; fold partially risen dough over itself by gently lifting and folding edge of dough toward middle. Turn bowl 90 degrees; fold again. Turn bowl and fold dough 6 more times (total of 8 turns). Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes. Repeat folding, turning, and rising 2 more times, for total of three 30-minute rises. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position, place baking stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees at least 30 minutes before baking.

4. Gently transfer dough to lightly floured counter. Lightly dust top of dough with flour and divide in half. Shape each piece of dough into 5-inch round by gently tucking under edges. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with 2 tablespoons olive oil each. Sprinkle each pan with ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Place round of dough in pan, top side down; slide dough around pan to coat bottom and sides, then flip over. Repeat with second piece of dough. Cover pans with plastic wrap and let rest for 5 minutes.

5. Using fingertips, press dough out toward edges of pan. (If dough resists stretching, let it relax for 5 to 10 minutes before trying again.) Using dinner fork, poke surface of dough 25 to 30 times, popping any large bubbles. Sprinkle rosemary evenly over top of dough. Let dough rest until slightly bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes.

6. Place pans on baking stone and reduce oven temperature to 450 degrees. Bake until tops are golden brown, 25 to 28 minutes, switching placement of pans halfway through baking. Transfer pans to wire rack and let cool 5 minutes. Remove loaves from pan and return to wire rack. Brush tops with any oil remaining in pan. Let cool 30 minutes before serving.

Chicken and Dumplings
I love this recipe! It is based off of a recipe from the chef at The Inn at Little Washington where each meal cost from $148 to $178 per person. So since I will obviously never be eating there the least I can do is try some of his recipes at home. And this one is delicious and only takes about 45 minutes to prepare from start to finish.

Dumpling Dough:
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup club soda

Stew Part:
4 cups chicken stock
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 -3/4 cup diced carrots
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Salt and Pepper

1. In a small saucepan heat the milk and butter until butter is melted then remove from heat.

2. In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Then add the club soda and milk-butter mixture until the dough just forms. Be careful not to over stir. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.

3. In a large pot bring the stock to a simmer and add the chicken and carrots and thyme. Poach the chicken for about 12 minutes. (Alternatively you can roast 3 split chicken breasts earlier in the day or the day before and just add carrots at this step. The carrots won't take the full 12 minutes to get tender.) Using a slotted spoon remove the chicken and carrots and let the cool on a plate. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle cut into bite size pieces. Boil the chicken stock till reduced by half.

5. While the chicken stock is reducing slowly heat the heavy cream. (It will reduce a little and that is fine. Make sure to keep an eye on it because heavy cream has a tendency to overflow if it boils.)

6. Once the stock has reduced slowly whisk the cream into the stock.

7. Add in the chicken and carrots season with salt and pepper.

8. Drop the dough by small spoonfulls into the simmering stock, and cover tightly and cook for 7 minutes. Serve hot.

*He also adds mushrooms to his chicken and dumplings, but I leave them out because I am more of a purists when it comes to chicken and dumplings, the whole idea of less is more.

It is amazing how busy summer time is and how much I am looking forward to fall and life slowing back down a little bit.

Monday: Corn Chowder, BLT's
Tuesday: Grilled Lemon Parsley Chicken, Saffron Couscous with Raisins, and Almonds
Wednesday: Stromboli, Chopped Salad
Thursday: Burgers, Crispy Oven Fries, Coleslaw
Friday:Baked Ziti, Salad

Monday: Corn Chowder, BLT's
Corn Chowder
This corn chowder recipe is simple and delicious! I usually just double or triple the amounts as needed and it works well.

Tuesday:Grilled Lemon Parsley Chicken, Saffron Couscous with Raisins and Almonds
Grilled Lemon Parsley Chicken
Yes I am making this again it is one of those foods I always have in my fridge and garden.

Saffron Couscous with Raisins and Almonds

For the fluffiest texture, use a large fork to fluff the grains; a spoon or spatula would destroy the light texture. The simple flavors of the pilaf pair well with a wide variety of meat, poultry, and vegetable dishes. Specialty markets may carry couscous of varying size, but stick to the classic kind. Other sizes require different cooking methods.

4	tablespoons unsalted butter
2	cups plain couscous
3/4	cup sliced almonds
1	small onion , chopped fine
	Pinch saffron threads , crumbled with finger tips
3/4	cup golden raisins
	Table salt
1 3/4	cups canned low-sodium chicken broth
2	cups water
1 1/2	teaspoons fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon
	Ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the foaming subsides, add the couscous and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until some grains are beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Scrape the grains from the skillet into a large bowl and return the pan to medium heat. Add the almonds and cook, stirring frequently, until they are lightly toasted and aromatic, about 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape them into a small bowl.

2. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet. Once it melts, add the onion, saffron, raisins, and 3/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened and is beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and water, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil.

3. Add the boiling liquid to the bowl with the toasted couscous, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and allow to sit until the couscous is tender, about 12 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap, fluff the grains with a fork, and gently stir in the almonds and lemon juice. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Recipe from Cooks Illustrated.com

Wednesday:Stromboli and Chopped Salad
Stromboli
I love Stromboli! This is a great recipe to start with. I usually don't put all that stuff in the filling. I usually just use what I have in the fridge for example: pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, bell pepper and lots of cheese. Serve with marinara sauce.
Marinara Sauce
Here is a basic recipe for marinara sauce.
Chopped Salad
This recipe is in an earlier blog.

Thursday:Burgers, Crispy Oven Fries, and Coleslaw
Charcoal Grilled Burgers
Sorry I don't have exact measurements on what I put in my burgers, but I am going to list the ingredients and you can put how much looks and smells right to you.

85% lean ground beef
Worcestershire sauce
garlic powder
onion powder
Salt and Pepper

I know it sounds crazy, but I mix and add until it smells like a burger I want to eat. Make sure not to over mix the meat, because it can make it tough. Also, remember to use your fingers to make an indent on top of the burger so it doesn't bubble on you.

Crispy Oven Fries
You need a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet for this recipe; our favorite is the Lincoln Foodservice Half-Size Heavy Duty Sheet Pan.

Serves 4

4	russet potatoes (6 to 8 ounces each), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick fries
6	tablespoons vegetable oil
1	tablespoon cornstarch
1	teaspoon salt

1. MICROWAVE POTATOES Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Place potatoes in bowl, wrap tightly with plastic, and microwave until translucent around edges, 3 to 5 minutes, shaking bowl to redistribute potatoes halfway through cooking. Transfer potatoes to cooling rack and thoroughly blot fry with paper towels.

2. HEAT OIL Coat rimmed baking sheet with 5 tablespoons oil. Transfer to oven and heat until just smoking, 5 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk remaining oil, cornstarch, and salt in large bowl. Add potatoes to bowl and toss to coat.

3. BAKES POTATOES Arrange in a single layer on hot baking sheet and bake until deep golden brown and crisp, 25 to 35 minutes, flipping potatoes half-way through cooking time. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate and blot with additional paper towels. Serve.

Recipe taken from Cookscountry.com

Friday: Baked Ziti, Salad
I am adding in this recipe this week at a request of a friend who has been waiting for it to show up on the blog. So I hope she enjoys! Remember this website is free so just sign up and you can get to the recipe.

Extra: 82 Queen's Peach Praline Cobbler
This cobbler is delicious! Although the next time I am going to add more peaches because I like a lot of peaches, but if you like a lot of cobbler with a few peaches make it just the way it says.