Cooking Method: Simmering

Pollo a la Mostaza (Chicken with Mustard)

A few years ago, we met our friends at their favorite Mexican restaurant. They always order this Pollo a la Mostaza (Chicken with Mustard). This isn't anything we would have ever ordered, but we tried it. It's probably one of the best things we have ever had. We think and talk about it all the time. We went back and talked to several waitresses to find out what the ingredients were. I had already figured out what it was and they confirmed it. So my husband and I worked on recreating it at home. It took a few times, but this is it. We nailed it. This is the description on the menu:

Grilled chicken breast with our special creamy mustard sauce enhanced with chipotle. Served on a bed of rice and Julienne vegetables.
It's sweet, spicy and has these crispy frizzled carrots and leeks on the top... 

By Leslie Blythe

Grilled Sausages with Caramelized Onions on Corn Polenta

Grilled Sausages with Caramelized Onions on Corn Polenta is a delicious combination. The sausages are nestled on a bed of polenta that has fresh corn and Parmesan cheese and then topped with grilled sausages and richly sweet, caramelized onions. It's perfect for a cool autumn night.

By Leslie Blythe

Chicken & Stuffing Casserole

I made this Chicken & Stuffing Casserole for my Dad. It's a bit of a jump start on Thanksgiving. You can use chicken or turkey. I used chicken thighs. It's covered in stuffing and baked until it's golden brown and crunchy on top. There are no cans of condensed soup involved in this recipe. You can make it ahead and put it in the oven later in the day. Usually, you would make something like this to use up leftovers, but I threw caution to the wind and made it now. Oh, and I also made him a pumpkin pie. If only i could wear a sweater and go out for a walk through some piles of fallen leaves!  This is the one thing I truly hate about living in Los Angeles in the autumn, I feel like I've been robbed! That will change in February!

By Leslie Blythe

Sausage, Apple, and Squash Sheet-Pan Supper with Fragrant Herb Oil

There is nothing easier than dinner on a sheet-pan. I love cooking with minimal effort. This Sausage, Apple, and Squash Sheet-Pan Supper with Fragrant Herb Oil is a perfect meal this time of year. You can buy butternut squash already cut up to make it even easier and you can use any combination of herbs. Also, you can use sweet Italian sausage or the spicy version. You can probably guess which one I used! I think the spicy sausage and the sweet butternut squash and apple is a winning combination of flavors.

By Leslie Blythe

Chicken Saltimbocca

Saltimbocca (alla Romana or Roman-Style) is an Italian dish made of veal lined or wrapped with prosciutto and sage; marinated in wine, oil. This dish is also popular in southern Switzerland. My friend Melanie made this Chicken Saltimbocca, which is the American version that uses chicken instead of veal, spinach instead of sage and is rolled up and cooked in stock or you could use white wine. Saltimbocca in Italian means 'jump in your mouth’.

By Leslie Blythe

Spicy Miso Ramen

I got a text from my friend Barbee in San Francisco asking if she could substitute white miso paste for red. She was making this Spicy Miso Ramen that she found in an article titled Selena Gomez Dishes on Her Favorite 'Comfort Foods' and Learning to Cook in Quarantine in People magazine!
Miso Paste 101
Red miso is the saltiest, most pungent variety. You only need a little bit to add some serious umami to your dishes. It's typically made with fermented soybeans and barley or another grain and is saltier than white miso. It ranges from dark brown to red in color
White miso (which is actually light yellow in color) is made with fermented soy beans and rice. It's fermented for a short period of time, which makes it more mild and sweet in taste. Since it's the most mild kind of miso, it's also the most versatile. If you're buying only one miso to use in a bunch of recipes, this is the best choice.

Anyway, she said it was absolutely delicious!

By Leslie Blythe

Autumn Pumpkin Turkey Chili

I decided to make this Autumn Pumpkin Turkey Chili so that I could jumpstart my favortite time of year. I overheard my husband talking to my daughter on the phone saying that "Mom is making some kind of weird chili that invovles a can of pumpkin purée". I have to say when I was shopping for ingredients for dinner, I was on the fence as to whether to use chunks of pumpkin/butternut squash instead. I decided to try it. My husband said it was delicious and went back for seconds!

I have provided 3 different methods of making this dish - stovetop, slow cooker and Instant Pot. It's the perfect thing for a chilly night, which I can only dream about living in LA. It is supposed to top 100° F this weekend!

By Leslie Blythe

Chicken with Jezebel Sauce

Jezebel Sauce has been popular in the south since the 1950s. It is a sweet and spicy sauce. The original recipe used a combination pineapple preserves and peach preserves and also sometimes apple jelly. I just used apricot preserves, but it’s up to you. It also has some horseradish and mustard powder, which gives it a spicy zing.

Jezebel, the evil Phoenician princess in the ninth century BC, has come to be known as an archetype of the wicked woman!

You can serve it over crackers with cream cheese, dipping sauce for coconut shrimp, fried seafood, and eggrolls.

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Caramelized Onion Jam

My daughter Zoe sent us a jar of onion jam from the east coast and it turns out it's not readily available on the west coast. We liked it so much, that I decided to make it myself. Here is my version of Caramelized Onion Jam. It's really good on grilled cheese, quesadillas, or just cheese.

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Tuscan Portobello Stew

This Tuscan Portobello Stew is vegetarian, but you'll be hard-pressed to find anyone, meat-eater or otherwise, who doesn't love it. Did you know the portobello is really a brown crimini mushroom? Once the little crimini grows up to be about 4" - 6" in diameter, it becomes a portobello. The portobello in Northern Italy is called "cappellone" which means "big hat". This stew is wonderfully rich, but only has about 310 calories per serving. I suppose adding the big hunk of crusty bread might take it over the edge! The recipe calls of dried herbs, but I used fresh.

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