Black Beans and Rice with Chicken and Apple Salsa

The very first meal of the "Cook our way through the January 2012 issue of Bon Appetit" challenge:

I braved the snow and the crowds and decided to go grocery shopping on January 1st with the help of my little brother (although he's 6'3" so not really "little"). This recipe was perfect for the day I made it because I purchased one of the main ingredients and I didn't even have to prepare it- rotisserie chicken. Ohhh yes! The recipe actually suggests that you use one. Note: Ours turned out to be a little dry... I'd probably roast my own next time. Roaster chickens are easy to do and very inexpensive compared to the boneless, skinless chicken breasts that most people purchase.

Here is where the recipe can be found


I am not sure if I took a picture of this, but I will check our camera as there isn't one on my phone. Stay tuned for a photo:)

The beans turned out to be REALLY delish! We're always looking for new sides for Mexican dishes, and this is a great option. Personally, I've been looking for ways to incorporate more lean protein into my diet, and beans are a great way to do so!  I used roasted chipotle chili powder in place of normal chili powder, which kicked the spice level up a notch. I used 1/2 of what the recipe called for.

I made white rice because I was trying to make this on the fly, but I would have made brown instead if I had more time.

My kids loved the apple salsa! The beans were a bit too spicy for them, but overall it wasn't bad for a quick lunch dish!

Creamy Polenta with Sausage and Roasted Grapes

This recipe was our second in the "Cook our way through the January 2012 issue of Bon Appetit" challenge.  I was a bit leery of it because it consisted of a few textures that I wasn't sure would "mesh" in my mouth. I love polenta, and I liked that it used turkey sausage (for the lean factor), and I like grapes. I've told my husband that I will try anything once, this included.

Here is where the recipe can be found.

The verdict? I'd eat it again:) Typically, I eat all of one item, then move on to another. I made sure to have a bite of sausage and onion with a grape and some polenta, and the texture was not weird at all.

Chicken with Wild Mushrooms

The day after Christmas, my husband was flipping through the January 2012 issue of Bon Appetit with a friend of ours. I heard them ranting and raving and entered the room to hear them saying, "You start from the back, I'll start from the front, and we'll meet in the middle for a duck dinner!" They were pretty excited about it. After I flipped through it, I agreed- there were too many delish-sounding recipes to NOT cook through the entire magazine. Here is the first in a line of blog posts! I'll be sure to include all of the recipes.

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/01/sauteed-chicken-with-wild-mushrooms

Doesn't look that impressive. I was in a hurry! My son told me he was "hungy" and was being very persistent about eating.

 Admittedly, I am not a chef. Not even close. This dish needed something...

I omitted the porcini powder (didn't have it in the house, although the recipe says that if you have dried porcinis, then you can grind them in your spice mill to make the powder) and I used truffle oil instead of truffle butter. I also probably should have let the mushrooms brown a bit more to give them more flavor (don't crowd the mushrooms!). My husband added a splash of lemon juice to add acidity and cut through the fattiness of the beans, and that helped a lot. It also needs more sauce and next time I will flavor the orzo, possibly with rosemary. Or just have Mike make it:)