Double-Post Tuesday

Besides being Taco Tuesday, it's also Double-Post Tuesday. Today's offerings include Spicy Chili Trinity and Nutella Mug Cake. Enjoy!

CHICKEN BALSAMICO

This comes from FamilyTime, and begins, “Yes you can make a gourmet-style dish in just 30 minutes! It's as simple as this skillet chicken dish, served in a creamy balsamic sauce with olives, sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese...yum!”

Serves: 4 servings; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 20 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast half (about 1 pound)

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup water

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)

1 cup diced plum tomato or 1/2 cup thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes

1/2 cup sliced pitted kalamata olive

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Hot cooked orzo pasta

Directions

Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes or until well browned on both sides. Remove the chicken from the skillet.

Stir the garlic, vinegar and water in the skillet. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the soup, tomatoes, olives, if desired, and oregano and heat to a boil. Return the chicken to the skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with the cheese. Serve the chicken and sauce with the orzo.

INA GARTEN'S MAPLE-ROASTED CARROT SALAD

Recipe from ‘Cooking for Jeffrey,’ by Ina Garten

To view this online, click here.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings; Prep Time: 25 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

2 pounds carrots, preferably with leafy tops

Good olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup pure Grade A maple syrup

2/3 cup dried cranberries

2/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (2 oranges)

3 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar

2 garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane

6 ounces baby arugula

6 ounces goat cheese, such as Montrachet, medium-diced

2/3 cup roasted, salted Marcona almonds

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Trim and scrub the carrots. If the carrots are more than 1 inch in diameter, cut them in half lengthwise. Cut the carrots in large diagonal slices 1 inch wide × 2 inches long (they will shrink when they roast) and place in a medium bowl with ¼ cup of olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Toss well and transfer to two sheet pans. (If you use just one, they’ll steam instead of roasting.) Roast for 20 minutes, tossing once, until the carrots are tender. Transfer all the carrots to one of the sheet pans, add the maple syrup, toss, and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until the edges are caramelized. Watch them carefully! Toss with a metal spatula and set aside for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the cranberries and orange juice in a small saucepan, bring to a simmer, then set aside for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Place the arugula in a large bowl and add the carrots, cranberries (with their liquid), goat cheese, almonds, and the vinaigrette. Toss with large spoons, sprinkle with salt, and serve at room temperature.

SPICY CHILI TRINITY

This recipe comes from Publix.

Servings: 8; Total Time: 3 hours, 15 minutes; Active Time: 15 minutes

To view this recipe online, click here.

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef, 7% fat

1 lb hot Italian sausage

3 links smoked sausage (7–10 oz)

1 (8-oz) package prediced yellow onions

1 tablespoon roasted minced garlic

1 (1.25-oz) package chili seasoning

1 jar chunky pasta sauce (20–24 oz)

1 (15-oz) can black beans, undrained

1 cup fire-roasted corn

Directions

Preheat large, nonstick sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Mix beef and Italian sausage until blended. Chop smoked sausage coarsely.

Add beef mixture to pan; cook 5–6 minutes, stirring to crumble meat, and until no pink remains. Drain and discard grease from beef mixture.

Place cooked beef mixture into slow cooker. Add chopped sausage, onions, garlic, seasoning, pasta sauce, beans, and corn. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 1/2–3 hours (or LOW for 3–4 hours), or until thick and beef is 160°F. Serve with favorite chili toppings.

WINTER SQUASH AND WILD MUSHROOM CURRY

This is from The New York Times cooking e-newsletter, and begins, “This is comfort food, Indian-style, adapted from a recipe by Madhur Jaffrey. It's also vegan, and perfect for a fall evening. Use a mixture of cultivated mushrooms; they come in all shapes and sizes. Look for royal trumpets, a large, meaty type of oyster mushroom; shiitakes, and small portobellos. Use some wild mushrooms too, if you can, like golden chanterelles, lobster or hen of the woods. You can make this as spicy as you wish, but be sure to include some cayenne and green chile, to complement and play off the creamy coconut milk sauce. Serve with basmati rice, rice noodles or mashed potatoes.”

Yield: 4 to 6 servings; Time: 30 minutes.

This was featured in “A Warming Curry for Fall”, and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

10 ounces butternut or other winter squash, peeled and diced in 1/2-inch cubes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 or 2 small whole green chiles, such as jalapeño or serrano

3 medium shallots or 1 small onion, finely diced

1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

Handful of fresh or frozen curry leaves, optional

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon ground coriander

Pinch of cayenne

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 pound mushrooms, preferably a mix of cultivated and wild, trimmed and sliced 1/8-inch thick

3/4 cup coconut milk

2 tablespoons lime juice

Cilantro sprigs, for garnish

Preparation

In a wide skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add squash cubes in one layer. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes, letting cubes brown slightly, then flip and cook for 2 minutes more. Use a slotted spoon to lift squash out, and set aside.

Cut a lengthwise slit in each chile to open it, but leave whole. (This allows the heat and flavor of the chile to release into the sauce without making it too spicy.)

Add shallots to skillet, salt lightly and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves and let sizzle for 30 seconds, then add garlic, coriander, cayenne, turmeric and chiles. Stir well and cook for 30 seconds more.

Add mushrooms to pan, season with salt and toss to coat. Continue to cook, stirring, until mushrooms begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Return squash cubes to pan, stir in coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Lower heat to medium and simmer for another 5 minutes. If mixture looks dry, thin with a little water. Taste and season with salt.

Just before serving, stir in lime juice. Transfer to a warm serving dish and garnish with cilantro leaves.

DOUBLE APPLE PIE

This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter, and begins, “This recipe is a keeper. Gently spiced with cinnamon, tinged with brown sugar and loaded with apple butter, it’s as deeply flavored as an apple pie can be, all covered with a buttery wide-lattice top crust. Although it’s at its most ethereal when baked on the same day you serve it, it’s still wonderful made a day ahead. (Don't let making your own pie crust intimidate you: our pie guide has everything you need to know.)”

Yield: 8 servings; Time: 2 1/2 hours, plus at least 3 1/2 hours' chilling and cooling.

This was featured in The United States Of Thanksgiving and can viewed online here.

Ingredients

For the Crust

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 1/2 sticks/20 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

4 tablespoons vodka (optional)

1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

For the Filling

3 pounds apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced crosswise (1/8-inch)

1/2 cup granulated sugar, more as needed

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Pinch ground cloves

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons apple butter

Heavy cream or milk, as needed

Whipped cream, sour cream or crème fraîche, for serving

Preparation

Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse together flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add butter and pulse until mixture forms 3/4-inch pieces. Mix vodka with 4 tablespoons ice water (or use 1/2 cup ice water). Add half the ice water mixture to dough, pulse a few times, then continue adding liquid a tablespoon at a time until dough just comes together (you might not use all the liquid). Dough should be moist, but not wet, and hold together when pinched. If there are visible pieces of butter in the dough, all the better.

On a lightly floured surface, gather dough into a ball. Remove a third of the dough and form into a disk. Form remaining dough into a disk. Cover both tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 5 days.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out larger disk to a 12-inch circle. Transfer dough to a 9-inch pie plate. Fold over any excess dough, then crimp edges. Prick crust all over with a fork, then chill crust for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.

While dough chills, heat oven to 400 degrees. Line chilled crust with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes; remove foil and weights and bake until pale golden, 5 minutes more. Cool on rack until needed. (You can bake the crust up to 24 hours in advance.)

Toss apples with sugars, tapioca, spices, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the lemon juice. Fold in apple butter. Transfer apples to crust and press gently to make sure fruit is tightly packed.

Roll out remaining dough disk to a 10-inch round. Use a knife to cut strips 1 3/4 inches wide. Arrange strips over the filling in a lattice pattern. Brush top of crust with heavy cream or milk. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Bake 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling thickly, about 1 hour 15 minutes more. Let pie cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before cutting. Serve with whipped cream, sour cream or crème fraîche.

NUTELLA MUG CAKE

This easy yumminess is from TheSpruceEats, and begins, “This gloriously simple mug cake recipe puts you just 60 seconds away from a super indulgent dessert for Nutella lovers looking to satisfy a craving in a hurry. With ingredients you probably already have on hand, this is a perfect sweet treat for one.”

Total Time: 7 minutes; Prep: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 2 minutes; Yield: 1 Serving.

To view this yumminess online, click here.

Ingredients

1/4 cup whole milk (can also use 2 percent)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup Nutella

Directions

Gather the ingredients.

Add milk, flour, and baking powder in a 12-ounce microwave-safe mug. Whisk until smooth.

Add the Nutella and stir until the batter has no lumps.

Microwave on high for about 45 to 60 seconds.

Continue microwaving slowly in 15-second intervals. Microwaves vary but what you’re looking for is to see the cake look set and dry, the edges will pull away from the side of the mug and the cake will feel springy and fluffy to the touch. It will probably take an additional 30 to 60 seconds in total.

For best results, serve immediately.