This Sundried Tomato, Chicken, Spinach and Cheese medley is as flavorful as it gets. As always, I recommend chicken thighs, but you can substitute chicken breasts if you prefer. When I first tried this dish, the spinach, sundried tomatoes and cheese were rolled up in a pounded out piece of chicken. But then I tried cutting the chicken into small pieces and sautéing it with the rest of the ingredients and found that it was tastier and yielded more portions. A simple marinade gets the chicken ready for the skillet and from there it’s a quick stir and then served over a bed of Orzo pasta. Enjoy the flavors of the Mediterranean all in one skillet this week!
chicken broth
Creamy Avocado Bisque with Spiced Shrimp
The Cubano Sandwich
He produced and directed The Jungle Book.
He directed Iron Man, Iron Man 2 and Elf.
He co-starred in The Breakup and Couple’s Retreat.
But when actor Jon Favreau starred in the movie “Chef,” it gave America a new obsession. We fell in love with The Cubano. Did see the movie? It’s a foodie’s dream. Chef Carl Casper, played by Favreau, gets sideways with a food critic and loses his restaurant job. His loss is our gain, because he revs up a new sandwich food truck called El Jefe, and introduces America to the new darling of the sandwich world, The Cubano Sandwich.
Is that where the fad started? Or, was it just the Cubano’s time to get discovered by a larger food loving community.
The Cubano sandwich is so more than a fad. It has found a place in our hearts and on our plates. Why? Because it’s filled with all the things we love anyway; cheese, shredded or sliced pork, pickles, ham, bread and butter—and mustard! (You can find prepared pulled pork in most grocery stores, but if you want to make it from scratch, I’ve included a simple method.)
But what makes the Cubano so much better is that it’s grilled and toasty and cheese oozes out and the bread makes a great crusty-cracky sound when you slice into it and it’s just downright delicious! Yep. It’s time for a new “hero” and the Cubano sandwich is it!
Warm Farro Salad
If you’ve never tried Farro, this is the recipe to try! This ancient grain super food when paired with the amazing flavors of roasted vegetables makes your salad an unforgettable main meal! Plus, you’ll find out why Arizona is known as the Winter Salad Bowl of the country!
Tomato Basil Bisque and Homemade Cheese-Its
It’s truly the most delicious tomato soup I’ve ever tasted! With cooler weather finally here, this soup will warm your tummy and your heart. Kids love tomato soup and I think they will really enjoy this more “adult” version of one of America’s favorite soups! The homemade Cheeze-Its are the perfect accompaniment. They’re fun to make and completely addicting! Dive in to a bowl of goodness!
Coq au Vin
What in the heck was I thinking? I’ve done my fair share of ranting in this column about how boring chicken dishes can get. We always seem to fall back on the few recipes we are familiar with and that we’ve made dozens of times. Why have I been hiding the recipe for Coq au Vin, a classic succulent French dish slow braised in red wine?
Coq au Vin (pronounced coke-oh-van) literally meaning “rooster and wine” and any chef will tell you that it is a “must make” at least once in your life. But I think if you make it once, it will be part of your chicken recipe rotation! Whether you choose a whole chicken cut in parts, Julia Child’s version with legs and thighs, or my version with just chicken thighs, you’ll find this elegant dish ever so satisfying, especially served with mashed or melting potatoes and a nice charred slice or two of a French baguette. Chicken dinner never tasted so good!
