Herb Gardening and Tasty Treasure's Chicken

A while back I mentioned that I grow a lot of my own herbs. It's wonderful to walk out of the back door and snip the fresh stuff.

Let me point out that I'm not a gardener; although I am really enjoying what I'm growing and learning as I go. A.J. is the real gardener in our family. I really think he could make a shoe grow.

Of course I wouldn't be me if i didn't mess with him when he's outside tinkering. I grab the big green bottle of root starter and he'll ask, "Where are you going with that?", to which I reply, "To fertilize your veggies, they look like they need something." He freaks, I laugh, he puts the root starter on the top shelf where I can't reach it, then I sick the dog on him...not really.

Let's take a look at what we have so far -

Rosemary and basil.

Spearmint -I've chopped on it a lot for tea and it's getting leggy, I need to cut it back.

Chives, which I use the heck out of and thyme. I think all of the rain may be turning my thyme yellow, what do you think? I promise, I didn't put root starter on it.

Italian parsley, I've cut it to bits, it was so bountiful. I don't know what's wrong with it. Maybe it does need root starter!

A.J.'s red bell peppers. I picked about 4 the day before. These are like gold to me.

These are jalapenos, I haven't seen red ones before, have you? I suspect there's some hanky- panky going on out on the deck and the red bell peppers are involved somehow.

This is the only one of the jalapeno plants that is producing green jalapenos. They are evidently innocent and have been asked about the shenanigans on the deck and they aren't talking. See he's got his back to me!

I think these are more bell pepper plants. You see, the minute I went back to work and I am serious about "the minute", A.J. ripped up his tomato plants which were basically done for the summer and he ripped up the cucumber plants because the cucumbers were round and bought some new plants. Maybe he felt more independent and didn't need my unsolicited comments and advice. In hindsight, I haven't seen the root starter in the last three weeks.

These are green beans and I've made sure they are no where near the bell red bell peppers. I don't think I could stomach red green beans!

Donna from My Tasty Treasures posted this recipe last week and I just had to try it. This will become a staple in my chicken rotation. We all loved it! Thank you Donna for sharing this!

Chicken Breasts with Bacon, Rosemary and Lemon -

4 slices bacon, chopped
¼ cup unbleached flour
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Emeril's Essence
1 tablespoon butter
4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
3 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Brown bacon in a large skillet over medium high heat until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate with a slotted spoon. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease from skillet. Add butter to reserved bacon grease.

Pour the flour in a shallow dish. Season chicken breasts with Essence (or salt and pepper). Dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off excess. Brown the chicken on both sides (the thickest part of the chicken should register an internal temperature of 160 degrees) about 5 to 7 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and tent with foil.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic, rosemary, and pepper flakes. Cook until the garlic is browned about 2 minutes. Stir in the broth and lemon juice and simmer, scraping up the browned bits, until slightly thickened about 4 minutes.

Return the chicken and bacon to the pan and simmer, turning the chicken once or twice, until the sauce is thick and glossy, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with Essence or salt and pepper to taste.

Peach Pie

How long did you think I could really go without posting something sweet?

This recipe is loosely, very loosely adapted from a Peach Cobbler recipe in my River Roads II cookbook, that I gush so much about. This pie turned out way better than my expectations would have ever dared to dream!

Instead of you rolling you eyes and sighing while I go on and on about how good this pie is, let just start baking.

Because this pie was made on the fly, I didn't have the inclination to make my own pie crust, I used the store bought stuff.

1 box refrigerated pie crust (each box contains two rolls of pie crust

5 peaches peeled, de-seeded and sliced into 6 slices per peach

1/4 cup of water

1 cup organic sugar (white granulated sugar is fine too)
1 tablespoon of flour
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup butter melted
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray pie dish with non-stick cooking spray. Place one of the sheets of pie dough into the pie dish, side will hang over. Using a fork, poke holes in the dough all over.

Cook peaches in water until tender. Mix flour, salt and sugar. Add to peaches and combine. Pour melted butter into the peach mixture and combine. Pour peach mixture into prepared pie dish.

Cut the remaining sheet of dough into lattice pieces and weave on top of peach mixture. Brush egg wash over lattice peaches and lightly sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake pie in preheated 350 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool and serve.

Broccoli AuGratin

Oh c'mon don't boo! It's just broccoli, everyone's favorite vegetable right? This is one recipe I am very excited about!

If I could get my youngest homegirl to try it (ok, I had to pay her seven bucks upfront) and she actually liked it but wasn't going to ruin her reputation of eating another bite without payment and I was tapped out...anyway this is the bomb for broccoli. In fact, I bet you could even use this method to put cauliflower over the top. It's all about disguising your vegetables so your family will eat them and more importantly like them!

Broccoli AuGratin -

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a one quart casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

I used one package of (about 10 - 12 ounces) of frozen broccoli cuts at 98 cents per bag, compared to fresh at $2.49 per pound. If you use frozen broccoli let it sit out in a collendar for about 1 hour. If you use fresh broccoli, wash and cut florets and stems into bite sized pieces.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat using one tablespoon of canola or vegetable oil. when oil is heated, add one medium size yellow onion diced. Season with Emeril's Essence or salt and black pepper. Saute onions for about 2 minutes and add 2 cloves of minced garlic and saute for another minute.

Now add the broccoli and saute for about three minutes. You don't want to wilt the broccoli, you just want to warm it up a bit. Pour broccoli mixture into prepared casserole dish.

In a medium bowl, mix together one cup of evaporated milk, 1 egg, 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of smoked gouda cheese.

Whisk together.

Note: You can substitute romano if you like for the parm. In fact if you don't want to use smoked gouda, you could subtitute gruyere, regular gouda or cheddar. You want a cheese that melts really nice.

Pour milk/cheese mixture over broccoli.

Stir to thoroughly combine.

Melt 1/2 stick of butter over medium heat. Once butter is melted, pour in 1 cup of seasoned Italian bread crumbs. Stir to thoroughly combine.

Spread bread crumb mixture evenly over broccoli and place in preheated 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until bread crumb topping is browned and crunchy.

Oh yeah baby, come to Mama!

Honey Mustard Pork Chops

Once again I was fortunate enough to participate in the Tastemaker's program over at Foodbuzz. We received some products from Emeril's collection and were asked to be creative.

Today I will focus on the mustard and Emeril's Essence.

One of the products we received was Emeril's Kicked-Up Horseradish Mustard. Did you know I love horseradish and spicy mustard? Well put them together and guess what? It's nirvana!!! So I had to think of something to prepare using this delectable treat that A.J. and the homegirlz would enjoy. The homegirlz don't share my affinity for horseradish.

The mustard is not overpowering and does not contain the grit that a lot of grainey mustards on the market contain. This was a win-win!

Many of you that have read my blog for any amount of time know I use Emeril's Essence in my cooking. Usually, I mix my own Essence, this is the first time I have used the bottled Essence. the bottled Essence smelled and tasted just a tad more garlicky than mine, but my philosophy is you can never have too much garlic.

Honey Mustard Pork Chops -

Heat a 2 tablespoons of canola oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Generously season bone-in loin chops on both sides with Emeril's Essence. Massage the seasoning into the meat and set aside.


In a shallow pan (I used a pie pan), mix together 1/2 cup of Emeril's Kicked-Up Horseradish Mustard and 1/2 cup of clover honey.

Whisk the mustard and honey together and set aside.

Dip each seasoned pork chop into the mustard and honey mixtures and thoroughly coat both sides.

Dredge each pork chop in seasoned Italian bread crumbs. After dredging, pat the bread crumbs onto the chops.

Place the chops into the heated skillet and cook until the chops are golden brown and cooked through.

Place cooked chops onto a baking sheet and place in preheated oven to keep warm until the rest of your meal is ready.

Both A.J. and the homegirlz gave me their official seal of approval and between you and me...I know A.J. got up in the middle of the night and ate one cold.

New Orleans Style Garlic Bread

Nothing completes a meal like a really good buttery slice of garlic bread made from crusty, fresh French bread. Even if you're not up for making your own French bread, you can use this method for your favorite type of bread and add some pizazz to your meal.




Figure 1-1/2 sticks of salted butter per loaf of French bread. Melt the butter over very low heat in a large skillet. When the butter is halfway melted, add 2 cloves of minced garlic. After the butter has melted, let the butter and garlic hang out together in the skillet, still over very low heat so the garlic can infuse the butter.

Slice the French bread in half lengthwise and then cut each in half. Take the quarter piece of French bread and lay it cut side down in the butter. Pick it up and lay it cut side up on your baking sheet.

Sprinkle each piece with a little paprika and some finely chopped parsley.

Place the bread under the broiler until the edges begin brown. You REALLY have to watch the bread, because it will begin to charr then burn in no time flat.

Hint: We used this to mop up the Shrimp Riviera!

Cajun Chicken and Rice

Thank all of you that have emailed and commented asking about my new job. I'm loving it! The hours are a little longer, but it is certainly challenging. Also, the homegirlz are back in full swing with high school soccer. These are the reasons why I have been light on posting lately. I appreciate all of you kind thoughts. hugs to all of you!

Anytime rice is included in a meal at my house, it's a winner. I've told you all before that my family happens to be serious rice addicts. Me, I'm more of a pasta girl. But you know how it goes, you have to cater to the crowd. I am so glad I did! After making this, I realized that there are so many ways to change this up depending on what kind of flavor you are trying to achieve. You could totally vary this for a southwest or Asian flair. In reality you could change it up a bit and make it once a week and my family would be none the wiser.

Cajun Chicken and Rice -

2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
1 medium onion - diced
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 cups extra long grain white rice, cooked according to package directions
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar
Emeril's Essence

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Prepare an 8 x8 or 9 x9 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Cut chicken into hearty bite-sized pieces. Season generously with Emeril's Essence and brown in heated butter and oil. Remove brown chicken from skillet and add onions and saute over medium heat until translucent. Remove from heat and transfer to prepared casserole dish.

Add browned chicken and remaining ingredients except cheddar cheese and Essence to casserole dish and mix together until thoroughly combined. Season to taste with Emeril's Essence. Sprinkler cheddar cheese over the top and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.

One quick note - it will be gone by the next afternoon...they will want to re-heat for lunch the next day!

Edit Note:

A few people wanted the recipe for Emeril's Essence. So here it is. Once you try it, it will become a staple on your spice rack! I usually double the recipe and keep it in a Mason jar.




Emeril's Essence

* 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
* 2 tablespoons salt
* 2 tablespoons garlic powder
* 1 tablespoon black pepper
* 1 tablespoon onion powder
* 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
* 1 tablespoon dried oregano
* 1 tablespoon dried thyme


Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Damn Good Grilled Pork

Chris from Nibble Me This calls this Porkus Chopus Maximus, but I just call them Damn Good. Because brining is so versatile. it has become status quo for me especially with grilling.

Chris used thick cut bone in pork chops. Our local grocer had these lean, thick cut boneless chops on sale for $1.99 per lb. I just had to buy them!

The brine consisted of 2 cups of apple juice, 2 cups of water, 3/4 of a cup of turbinado sugar and 1/2 cup of coarse kosher salt. The pork chops were placed in a large re-sealable plastic bag and the brine poured over the chops. The chops were allowed to brine in the refrigerator for about 3 hours.

After brining, rinse and towel off the pork chops and add your massage your favorite dry rub on these babies. I used 1/4 cup turbinado sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup smokey paprika, 2 tablespoons of garlic powder, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 2 tablespoons of kosher salt, 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, 1/2 tablespoon chipolte powder.

Sear the chops on both sides and then move them to in direct heat until they have an internal temperature of 150 degrees. Allow the chops to rest and the juices re-distribute for about 5 minutes.

You won't need any side dishes, these chops are total beasts all by themselves!