Chicken breats with mushroom-artichoke ragu and buttermilk mashed potatoes

and it was a decent success! Now I know the pictures don't look that appetizing, as my plate is swimming in the sauce, and my camera isn't the best, but it was pretty darn good. Best part? No leftovers! My neighbor JD ate with me and since the recipe was out of my previously mentioned Cuisine for two cookbook, we ate it all. The potatoes were buttermilk, delicious goodness, and I ate up the mushrooms like candy! JD didn't enjoy them as much, but she said she doesn't like them to begin with. I know my picture isn't all that appetizing, but if you're interesting...





You'll need:
3 cups of shiitake, crimini, and/or button mushrooms, halved (quartered if large)
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 cup thinly sliced leeks, rinsed
2 bonless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 5 oz. each)
salt & pepper
1/2 cup dry Riesling or white wine
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. apple jelly
4 canned artichoke hearts, quartered
1 tsp. minced fresh tarragon
salt and pepper to taste

Basically you saute the mushrooms in 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat, tossing occasionally until brown, abut 5-7 minutes. Add leeks and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes.



Remove this mix and wipe out the skillet, then add the chick with 1 tbsp olive oil and saute until brown, about 4 minutes. Flip and sear another 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with wine & chicken broth, cover and simmer 8-10 minutes, then place on a plate and keep warm. Simmer the wine mixture over high heat, then add jelly and about 2 tsp of the butter-flour mixture and whisk together, cooking until thick, about 3 minutes. Add the mushroom mixture, artichoke hearts, tarragon, salt, and pepper to the sauce.

The one thing I would change next time is to leave the tarragon out, or switch it with another herb. Tarragon left a very strong licorice flavor that I wasn't too keen on.

As for the mashed potatoes you need 2 russet potatoes, peeled & cubed
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
salt, white pepper, and ground nutmeg to taste



I actually didn't see that it was white pepper until typing this up! How awful, considering I HAVE white pepper and would've loved to use it for once! Anyways, boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes (start the mushrooms and chicken while the potatoes are cooking). Drain, and return to pan over medium heat to dry. Stir potatoes until a film forms in pan. Remove from heart, and mash with the rest of the ingredients. Cover to keep warm.
Well, that wasn't so hard was it? I did manage to nick my finger in the process of chopping the potatoes, which was a first.

Tomorrow I'll be cooking southwestern tenderloin steaks with sauteed spinach & tomatoes, and chipotle potatoes on the side. I'm a little nervous about this as I'm not a big spice person, and the potatoes sound spicy, but well see! With that, have a good night, and happy cooking!

Hopefully I can someday take better food pictures..

A year and a half later..

I finally have returned.

I'm still in this cooking for one dilemma. Sometimes I have more people to cook for, but thats just my boyfriend (Austin), who lives five hours away, and my friend (JD), who lives next door. But nonetheless, I am hereby putting my foot down and saying I will cook at least two meals a week!

I found a great cookbook that is done by Cuisine At Home magazine called Cuisine For Two, and has tons of great recipes in it all portioned for two people. Each recipe also includes a side dish, and they all look so easy to make. I've already attempted one of the recipes with the help from Austin, but we doubled it to make enough for his parents as well. Wouldn't that figure? My first time with a cooking for two cookbook and I double the recipe to feed four. Sidenote: apparently I got volume 2, which means I'm going to hunt done volume 1 asap.--Correction: just ordered it. :)

I also ordered Small Batch Bakingby Debby Maugans Nakos, and am looking forward to receiving it in the mail. It claims to have a ton of small portion baking recipes, such as small cakes, or enough cookie dough just for 8 cookies. How wonderful, considering when I make a batch of cookies or a regular sized cake I'm the only one around to eat it..

On another note, I signed up for the Daring Kitchen challenges. That means once a month I will receive a cooking AND baking challenge to be completed, which is a semi daunting task. I looked through some of the previous months challenges, which included things like sushi and Vols-au-Vent, and the pressure is on. If you skip 4 out of 12 months you're kicked out of the "club". So I gotta be on the ball. I should get my first challenges in May, as there is a waiting list.. Hmm..