Here is the latest creation to come out of Jenn’s Kitchen, including a new and improved recipe for Lemon Couscous.

Citrus Chicken

1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp grated orange rind
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp grate lime rind
2 tbsp fresh thyme (remove leaves and discard stems)
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground red/black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp olive oil
baby spinach

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Trim fat off chicken and pound to 1/2 inch thickness with meat tenderizer or small skillet. Pour 1/4 cup juice mixture into a large zip-lock bag and add chicken. Seal and shake well to evenly coat chicken pieces; marinate for 5 minutes. Add oil to remaining juice mixture; stir well with a whisk. *Start boiling water for lemon couscous.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Remove chicken from bag and discard marinade. Add chicken to pan and cook 5 minutes on each side or until done and chicken is no longer pink. Place 1/2 cup of prepared Lemon couscous and 1 cup fresh baby spinach on each plate. Divide chicken evenly among servings, place on top of couscous and top each serving with 1 tablespoon juice mixture.

Lemon Couscous

1 cup water
3/4 cup uncooked couscous
1/4 cup sliced green onion
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp red/black pepper

*Bring water to boil while chicken is marinating. Remove from heat and add couscous. Cover for 5 minutes, then fluff with fork. Stir in onions and remaining ingredients.

Serving Suggestions:

If desired, toss baby spinach in olive oil and top with grated carrots, sliced cucumber, chopped tomatoes and/or red pepper strips. Normally, I enjoy a contrasting flavor in the beverage, but for this dish I stayed in the citrus family by serving iced tea with lemon and red sangria with lemon and lime wedges (cherry and umbrella optional). As for dessert? Try this recipe with Lemon Poached Oranges, although plain orange slices would work too. The extra veggies and oranges add some nice color to the table and fresh flavors to compliment the main dish.

Maple Walnut Fudge

October 30th, 2006

This is a great recipe I found on the Nestle Toll House website www.verybestbaking.com and decided that it would be perfect for fall.

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup (5 fluid oz can) Nestle Carnation Evaporated Milk (2% low-fat can be used)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups miniature marshmallows
2 cups Nestle Toll House Premier White Morsels
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 tsp maple flavoring
About 50 walnut halves or pieces (optional)

Line a 13×9 baking pan with foil if using walnut halves. If not, use a 8×8 inch baking pan.

Combine sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt in a medium heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes and remove from heat.

Stir in marshmallows, morsels, walnuts and maple flavoring. Stir vigorously for 1 minute or until marshmallows and morsels are melted. Pour into prepared baking pan. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Lift from pan, remove foil and cut into pieces

If using walnut halves: On top of fudge, place nut halves in rows spacing about 1/2 inch apart. Press into fudge and refrigerate until firm. Cut into squares with 1 nut half per square.

I’ve received many requests for peanut butter fudge, and my previous attempts have been decent but not quite been the flavor I wanted. Here is an updated version that gave me the taste and texture I was looking for:

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup (5 fluid oz can) Nestle Carnation Evaporated Milk (2% low-fat can be used)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 1/3 cups Reese’s Creamy Peanut Butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Line 8-inch square baking pan with foil. TIP: To line a pan with foil, turn over and shape foil using the bottom of the pan. This will give the perfect mold to fit inside the pan (no, I didn’t think of this myself but I can’t remember where I heard it to give credit).

Combine sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt in medium heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes and remove from heat.

Stir in marshmallows, peanut butter and vanilla extract. Stir vigorously for 1 minute or until marshmallows and peanut butter are melted. Pour into prepared baking pan. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Lift from pan, remove foil and cut into pieces.

Beef Taco Bake

October 29th, 2006

This weekend, my mom and I made this tasty dish from my Campbells 1-2-3 cookbook. The original recipe was fairly simple, so we punched it up a bit. When deciding between mild, medium or hot salsa/picante sauce, keep in mind the preferences of everyone. It’s easy to make a dish spicier with hot sauce but almost impossible to make a dish milder.

1 pound ground beef
Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix* OR 1 package taco seasoning
3/4 cup water
1 can (10 3/4 oz) Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup (low sodium/healthy request okay)
1 cup Pace Thick & Chunky Salsa OR Picante Sauce
1/2 cup milk
6 flour tortillas (8 inch) OR 8 corn tortillas (6 inch), cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
chopped onions, peppers and/or tomatoes, as desired

Preheat oven to 400F

Brown beef over medium-high heat, stirring to separate meat. Pour off fat and add Homemade Taco Mix and water. Simmer over medium heat until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

In a 2 quart shallow baking dish, mix soup, salsa, milk, tortillas and half the cheese. Add meat and vegetables (if using) and stir well.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Serve with sour cream, hot sauce, mexican rice, tortilla chips and/or veggies as desired (chopped veggies can be baked in or served on the side). Goes well with lemonade or another citrus drink.

*Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsps paprika
1 1/2 tsps cumin
1 tsp garlic powder (or garlic salt)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp brown sugar
dash cayenne (for the braver taste buds only)

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

October 27th, 2006

Another adventure in spud-land. This is another easy and tasty recipe from the Lipton Recipe Secret Soup Mix magic cookbook.

6 medium potatoes
1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secret Savory Herb and Garlic Soup Mix
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter

Wash potatoes well in lukewarm water, peel if desired, and cut into chunks. Cover potatoes with water in a large pot and bring water to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain potatoes and return to pan. Mash potatoes with a hand mixer.

Stir in soup mix, milk and butter, blending well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired and serve. Voila!