The 2 Spoons

so good. simple harissa chicken

March 8, 2020 by Becky Spoon

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This harissa chicken recipe was in the Food and Wine magazine issue for March 2020 and I just had to make it! I’m so glad I did because it is delicious!

Harissa is a North African hot chili pepper paste, the main ingredients of which are roasted red peppers, Baklouti peppers or serrano peppers, spices and herbs such as garlic paste, caraway seeds, coriander seeds, cumin and olive oil to carry the oil-soluble flavors.

I purchase it in a tube, however; I’ve seen it also in jars. Here’s a link to the brand and tube I buy. You can order it online or I am seeing it in grocery stores, like my local HEB now, so it is available in larger stores. https://amzn.to/2TGdxP8

so good. simple harissa chicken

Food and Wine Magazine had dried edible rose petals scattered over the finished chicken. i didn’t have any, but they made a beautiful presentation.

I wanted to serve these with something creamy to absorb the wonderful dishes. I thought about scalloped potatoes would be perfect and they were.

The potatoes were delicious. I used Yukon gold potatoes, sharp cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese and lot’s of thyme in this recipe. Oh, don’t forget the onions too. Here’s a link for the delicious potatoes. you won’t regret making them. https://the2spoons.com/easy-cheesy-scalloped-potatoes/

so good. simple harissa chicken

Here’s the recipe for the chicken. Enjoy!

Harissa Chicken

Print Recipe

Course dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Moroccon

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

3/4 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp plus 2 tsp harissa paste, divided
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
2 tsp grated garlic
1 tbsp black pepper, divided
4 10 oz chicken leg quarters
2 large shallots, halved
1 garlic head, halved crosswise
1 small lemon, halved
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp paprika

Instructions

Whisk together yogurt, lemon juice, 3 tablespoons harissa paste, 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, thyme leaves, grated garlic, and 2 teaspoons pepper. Place chicken quarters in a large ziplock plastic bag. Pour yogurt mixture over chicken, and seal bag. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours, turning bag occasionally.
Preheat oven to 375°F with oven rack in upper third of oven. Let chicken stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Scatter shallots, garlic, and lemon halves, cut sides down, in a heavy-duty roasting pan or 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Add thyme sprigs. Remove chicken from marinade, allowing excess marinade to drip off. Discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken with remaining 2 teaspoons salt and remaining 1 teaspoon pepper; arrange chicken, skin sides up, in a single layer in roasting pan. Add 1/4 cup water to pan.
Roast chicken in preheated oven until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 140°F, 30 to 35 minutes. Turn broiler to high. Baste chicken with pan juices, and sprinkle chicken with paprika. Broil, basting chicken with pan juices every 2 to 3 minutes, until thermometer registers 165°F, 8 to 10 minutes.
Transfer chicken to a channeled cutting board; let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, squeeze 1 roasted lemon half and 6 roasted garlic cloves into pan juices; reserve remaining lemon half for serving and remaining garlic cloves for another use. Mash shallots and garlic with a fork. Pour pan juice mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing to extract liquid; discard solids. Whisk in remaining 2 teaspoons harissa paste. Pour accumulated juices from cutting board into harissa mixture in bowl, and stir. Pour pan juice mixture onto a serving platter, and top with chicken. Serve immediately with reserved lemon half.

Keyword chicken, dinner, harissa, Harissa chicken, leg quarters, main course, moroccon, spicy

easy cheesy scalloped potatoes

March 8, 2020 by Becky Spoon

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These cheesy scalloped potatoes were the perfect side dish for my Harissa Chicken. I wanted a side dish that could soak up with the juices from the chicken and wow, the potatoes were the perfect side dish. They are so tender and have amazing flavors from garlic, thyme and of course the cheese!

easy cheesy scalloped potatoes

I love scalloped potatoes. My mother would make them growing up and all she did was layer potatoes with onions, added lots of butter and salt and pepper, then poured whole milk over them to cover. She would bake them until they were golden on top and the potatoes were fork tender.

I used Yukon gold for this recipe. I love the Yukon gold potato. They have such a creamy texture and so buttery making them perfect for sopping up the chicken juices.

I used just a regular Parmesan cheese in this recipe. I like to use parmigiana-reggiano most times, but for this recipe it is not necessary. I purchased shredded or grated Parmesan that comes in a container. Here’s a link for what I used: https://amzn.to/2TAnNK5. You can find the grated or shredded in your local store.

Here’s the link for the Harissa Chicken: https://the2spoons.com/so-good-simple-harissa-chicken/

Here’s the recipe for these delicious potatoes! Enjoy!!

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

Print Recipe

Course easy side dish, Side Dish, Vegetable

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

3 tbsp butter
1 small onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup milk, half and half or heavy cream
1 1/1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, divided
4 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, sliced into 1/8 inch rounds
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish.
Melt butter in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add garlic and sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in the flour until it is evenly combined, and cook for 1 more minute. Gradually pour in the stock, and whisk until combined. Add in the milk, salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon thyme, and whisk until combined. Continue cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes until the sauce just barely begins to simmer around the edges of the pan and thickens. Then remove from heat and set aside.
Spread half of the sliced potatoes in an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Top evenly with half of the cream sauce. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the shredded Parmesan cheese. Top evenly with the remaining sliced potatoes, the other half of the cream sauce, and the remaining 1/c cup of cheddar cheese.
Cover the pan with a lid or foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through.
When the potatoes are tender and if you want the dish a little more brown on top, turn the broiler on, watching at all times and brown just a little. Sprinkle with fresh thyme. Enjoy!

Keyword cheese, easy side dish, potatoes, scalloped potatoes, side dish

Easy – Sausage and Mushroom Breakfast Casserole for 2

March 5, 2020 by Becky Spoon

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This Sausage and Mushroom Breakfast Casserole is for 2! It is easy and did I mention, it is delicious? So good! You can double, triple or increase the ingredients in this recipe to suit your particular number you are cooking for. Loaded with sauteed mushrooms, red peppers, onions, breakfast sausage, just to name a few of the ingredients, this casserole is loaded with flavor.

Sausage and Mushroom Breakfast Casserole

I love a breakfast casserole. I didn’t make this 24 hours in advance and store in the refrigerator overnight, but I could have. This is a perfect weekend dish or the perfect dish for a week day. This casserole is layered with cheese that makes this creamy and delicious. This dish can be reheated after cooking if you wanted to make ahead and just reheat in the microwave for your hectic weekday breakfast. Regardless of the size, this casserole takes about 45 minutes to bake in the oven.

I used provolone because I think it goes so well with mushrooms. You know, kind of like a pizza! Or a delicious lasagna with Italian sausage and provolone cheese with lots of mushrooms. So good!

I always buy the large packs of provolone from Sams Club. Here’s a link for provolone cheese at another store https://goto.walmart.com/c/2049504/568835/9383?veh=aff&sourceid=imp_000011112222333344&prodsku=651354299&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FCastlewood-Sliced-Provolone-Cheese-8oz%2F651354299.

I can’t find it at my rural grocery store, but the larger stores will have it. It’s a creamy and delicious cheese.

Before you go to the recipe for this delicious breakfast casserole, here’s another casserole I have on the blog! https://the2spoons.com/italian-sausage-and-peppers-breakfast-casserole/.

Italian Sausage and Peppers Breakfast Casserole

Sausage and Mushroom Breakfast Casserole

Easy – Sausage and Mushroom Breakfast Casserole for 2

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Course Breakfast, brunch, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword breakfast, breakfast casserole, brunch, casserole, sausage

Delicious Chicken Paprikash, Fast or Slow Cooking

March 3, 2020 by Becky Spoon

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This Chicken Paprikash can be made in your Instant Pot pressure cooking or you can set it on the slow cooking mode or use another slow cooker. I used the pressure cooking method and the entire dish was complete in less than 30 minutes of which 10 of that was allowing the chicken to rest after 10 minutes of cooking.

Even my husband loved this. He loves the Hamburger Stroganoff that’s loaded with sour cream over egg noodles, so I thought he’d love this because the sauce also has sour cream and lots of dill. Love both of those flavors. The tartness of sour cream mixed with fresh dill is delicious.

I saw this recipe in the January-February 2020 issue of the Milk Street publication. By the way if you are’t familiar with the milk Street publicaton, check it out!

Fast or Slow Cooking – Chicken Paprikash

This recipe calls for a sweet paprika. I had a sweet smoke paprika on hand so that is what I used. If you can’t find sweet paprika in your local grocery store here is a link of some that I’ve purchased before. https://amzn.to/39h8vyZ

This is a Hungarian dish, so the sweet Hungarian paprika is a good choice. Make sure you use fresh paprika, because a stale paprika that’s been in your pantry for years will taste flavorless and dull.

You also want to use regular sour cream. The low fat will make your dish lack richness and will result in a watery dish.

Here’s the Hamburger Stroganoff for you to try also. My husband loves the stroganoff and it is such an easy dish for a weeknight and the kids love it too. Add a green vegetable and you have a perfect meal for your family.

Fast or Slow Cooking – Chicken Paprikash

Here’s the recipe for the Paprikash! Hope you try it soon and enjoy!

Chicken Paprikash

Print Recipe

Course dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Hungarian

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

2 tbsps salted butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp tomato paste
3 lbs bone in, skin on chicken thighs, skin removed and discarded after cooking
1 cup sour cream
1 tbsp cornstarch
4 tbsp chopped fresh dill, divided

Instructions

START: On a 6-quart Instant Pot, select More/High Sauté. Add the butter and let melt. Add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add the paprika and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in ½ cup water, scraping up the browned bits. Nestle in the chicken in an even layer, slightly overlapping the pieces if needed.
Cancel, lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual; make sure the pressure level is set to High. Set the cooking time for 10 minutes. When pressure cooking is complete, allow the pressure to reduce naturally for 10 minutes, then release the remaining steam by moving the pressure valve to Venting. Press Cancel, then carefully open the pot.
SLOW: Press Cancel, lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Venting. Select Slow Cook and set the temperature to More/Low. Set the cooking time for 3 to 4 hours; the chicken is done when a skewer inserted into the largest thigh meets no resistance. Press Cancel, then carefully open the pot.
FINISH: Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a dish and tent with foil. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and cornstarch. Stir the mixture into the pot, then select More/High Sauté and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce begins to simmer and is lightly thickened. Press Cancel to turn off the pot, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Stir in 2 tablespoons of dill. Using potholders, carefully remove the insert from the housing and pour the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons dill.

Keyword chicken, chicken paprika, egg noodles, hungarian, paprika, sour cream

easy breakfast all in 1 – ham and cheese grits bowl.

March 1, 2020 by Becky Spoon

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I love a ham and cheese grits bowl! I actually love all things that you can put in a bowl! I mean why not have a bowl of cheesy grits that you top with ham, some spinach, more cheese and a fried egg? So good and all in one yumminess!

I used quick grits in this recipe which are simple and take minutes to make. If you have stone ground grits, they are perfect, I just didn’t have any. Stone ground grits do take longer to cook but they are well worth the effort.

Here’s a link for the grits I used: https://goto.walmart.com/c/2049504/568835/9383?veh=aff&sourceid=imp_000011112222333344&prodsku=170834708&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FQuaker-Quick-5-Minute-Grits-40-Oz%2F170834708.

Here’s a link for some stone ground grits that I have used that I love: https://amzn.to/2IjcXBP

Whichever grits you decide to use will work in this bowl. Just follow the directions on the package!

For the ham I used some black forest deli ham that i heated in a pan in a little butter, reserving the skillet to fry my egg. For the Spinach, i just sauteed in a separate skillet and set aside to add to the bowl.

easy breakfast all in 1 – ham and cheese grits bowl.

Want more ideas for breakfast? Try some of these from the blog. https://the2spoons.com/best-10-minute-breakfast-fried-egg-quesadilla/

These are amazing and one of my 10 minute breakfast!

Ok, here’s the simple recipe for this so very easy grits bowl! Enjoy!!

easy breakfast all in 1 – ham and cheese grits bowl.

Print Recipe

Course Breakfast, dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

For the Grits

1 cup quick grits (you can use stone ground grits and follow the recipe on the packaging)
4 cups water ( or 2 cups water and 2 cups milk)
1/4 tsp salt or to taste
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup cheddar cheese or cheese of your choice

To finish the dish

2-4 eggs cooked to your liking ( I fried eggs over medium)
2-4 oz deli ham or ham of your choice
2 tsp olive oil (divided)
1 lb fresh spinach (will cook down to 1 cup)
fresh parsley
your favorite hot sauce like Louisiana Hot Sauce or Cholua (optional)

Instructions

For the Grits

Bring the water or the milk/water combination to a boil. Add the grits whisking at the same time to prevent lumps.
When the water comes back up to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer, place a lid on and cook until the grits have thickened.
Remove the lid when the grits have thickened, add the butter and cheese and combine. Turn off the heat, replace the lid and keep warm while you are completing the dish.
In a small skillet add the teaspoon of olive oil. When heated add the ham and cook just until heated through. Remove to a plate and add your eggs to the skillet, one or two at a time and fry to your liking. If you decide to scramble, use a different skillet, add a little butter scramble as you normally would.
In a separate skillet, add a little oil. When heated add the spinach tossing until the spinach has wilted down. Season with a little salt and pepper
To serve, divide the grits among two bowls. Top with the ham, the spinach and your eggs. Garnish with a little fresh parsley and add your favorite hot sauce if desired. Enjoy!

Keyword breakfast, cheese, grits, grits bowl, ham, ham and cheese, ham and cheese grits bowl

love, love these blueberry-banana lemon ricotta pancakes.

February 26, 2020 by Becky Spoon

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Blueberry-banana lemon ricotta pancakes just say weekend to me! I love any kind of pancakes but these really are special!

I’m not sure which one to talk about first, the lemon or ricotta? Wow! The lemon zest and juice in these pancakes combined with the fresh blueberries burst in your mouth! Then the ricotta! These pancakes are light and fluffy and like I said before, luscious!

Honestly, what brings back childhood memories more than homemade pancakes. The smell of butter sizzling on a griddle and the sweet smell of syrup heating? The best.

blueberry-banana lemon ricotta pancakes

I used whole milk ricotta in this recipe. I actually always use whole milk. There are just somethings that I don’t want a reduced fat because I think it really does change things in your recipe, milk and ricotta are two of those things. I always buy whole milk for cooking along with whole milk ricotta. Sargento is a fairly inexpensive yet good brand. Here’s a link for this product: https://goto.walmart.com/c/2049504/568835/9383?veh=aff&sourceid=imp_000011112222333344&prodsku=108098214&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FSargento-Whole-Milk-Ricotta-Natural-Cheese-15-Oz%2F108098214.

I had a container of HEB brand whole milk ricotta that I used. Both brands are good, and there are many great brands depending on the store you shop.

I also used real maple syrup. I know it’s a little more expensive, but it really is worth it. https://amzn.to/2HWGqB2. I’ve used this brand before and it’s good.

blueberry-banana lemon ricotta pancakes.

Need another pancake recipe? Try my delicious Buttermilk pancakes. They are melt in your mount good also. Here’s the link for those. https://the2spoons.com/simple-delicious-buttermilk-pancakes/

Here’s the recipe for these blueberry-banana lemon ricotta pancakes. Enjoy!

blueberry-banana lemon ricotta pancakes.

Print Recipe

Course Breakfast, brunch

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
2 eggs
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 tbps sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (you can use frozen also)

For the Lemon Syrup

1 cup maple syrup
2 tsp lemon zest

Instructions

Add the buttermilk, eggs, ricotta, butter, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest in a large bowl. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine but don't overwork. There will be some lumps.
Add the blueberries and combine. Allow the batter to sit a few minutes before making the pancakes.
Heat a large skillet or griddle to medium high. Add a little butter. Pour either 1/4 cup or 1/3 cup batter for each pancake, but try to be consistent with your size. Allow the pancakes to sit until all the bubbles have popped and there are wholes on the surface. One you turn them it will only take a minute or so for them to finish cooking. Repeat until all of the pancakes are made.
If you are making several you can place on a sheet pan and place in an oven on warm.

For the lemon syrup

Warm the maple syrup and lemon zest over very low heat while you are making your pancakes.
Serve the pancakes with pats of butter, the warm syrup and additional blueberries if you like.

Keyword banana blueberry pancakes, blueberry pancakes, breakfast, brunch, pancakes, ricotta pancakes