Italian Beef Stew

My lady friend was still feeling under the weather, so tonight I worked up Comfort Food Dinner #2…Italian Beef Stew, heavy on the veggies. 2 1/2 pounds chuck roast cubed1/4 cup olive oil1 medium onion diced3 medium carrots diced2 large celery ribs diced1 Orange bell pepper8 ounces Bella mushrooms sliced1 cup dry red wine2 cups low sodium beef stockSalt and pepper to taste1 tablespoon fresh rosemaryA few springs of thyme1 large bay leafHandful of parsley Preheat oven to 300f and make room on the middle rack for a large Dutch oven. Heat a large Dutch oven to medium-low heat, then add the olive oil, carrots, celery, bell pepper and onion. Cook for 5 minutes then add the mushrooms, turn heat to medium, and continue to cook stirring frequently. While the veggies...

Don’s Chicken and Dumplings

Tonight: Chicken and Dumplings This was something my mom used to make, and I have never tried to replicate, until tonight. My partner wasn’t feeling 100%, so I decided to lean into a healthy comfort food, either the classic Chicken Noodle Soup, or Chicken and Dumplings. Essentially they are the same. But with a nod to my mom making this recipe, I went the dumpling route. I wanted to make it VeggieCentric, so I made up my own recipe, based off of things I read online. In my crock pot, I placed 3 chicken leg quarters and seasoned them with poultry seasoning. Then I sliced 3 large carrots, 1 red bell pepper, 1 sweet onion, 2 stalks of celery and one very large jalapeno pepper. To this I added a can of Campbell’s Cream of Chicken soup and about two cups...

Don’s Chili Lasagna

Tonight was something that stuck in my head…Chili Lasagna with Heart of Palm ‘Noodles’. On Monday night I was given a dinner challenge by my dinner partner and paddle-board-buddy of Ground Turkey, so I made my classic Chili dinner, and made a healthy Chili. https://goodpointofview.com/2022/11/14/dons-chili/ For tonight, I just had to do something fun with this, and in throughout the day, one thing stuck in my mind…without going to the store…could I make a lasagna? And yes, I could. I had my Heart-of-Palm Lasagna noodles (really just big slices of heart of palm), the chili from the previous night, several slices of cheese and some sour cream. Thus, in a 9″x9″ glass baking dish I layered… Heart of palmA cup of last...

Tuscan Chicken with Mushrooms and Artichokes

Via a text, my dinner partner issued my challenge for Saturday night’s dinner based off items in her fridge. The were…Chicken breasts, mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes. I replied within 15 seconds…Tuscan Chicken with Mushrooms and Artichokes served on a bed of heart of palm angel hair pasta. Perfect for a cool Fall evening. 4 chicken breasts, cut into strips1 can of artichoke hearts in water1/2 cup plain all-purpose flour (replace with gluten free flour blend if needed)1/4 tsp salt1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper1/2 tsp dried oregano1/2 tsp dried thyme1/2 tsp dried paprika1/4 tsp garlic salt3 tbsp olive oil1 brown onion peeled and sliced2 cloves garlic peeled and minced1/2 tsp dried oregano2 tsp paprika1 cup sun dried tomatoes1 red bell...

Savory Brown Butter Pan Seared Haddock with a White Wine Side-of-the-house Herb Garlic Reduction in a Light Cream Sauce

This was a new challenge. I asked my lady friend what herbs she had growing on the side of her house with the plan of building a dinner around those. The reply was…”Basil, Thyme, Rosemary and Chives”. So tonight I give you a Savory Brown Butter Pan Seared Haddock with a White Wine Side-of-house Herb Garlic Reduction in a Light Cream Sauce. The result was AMAZING. I made my usual flour dredge (mostly almond flour) with pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and salt. I pat dried the fish and rolled it in the dredge, then cooked it in a browned butter, about 2 minutes each side, and then put it to the side, covered. This was done in a cast iron skillet. In the same pan, while still hot I poured about a cup of white wine to...