Birthday Dinner - Review Due Monday, 5/15/17

[cjs]

To all our old friends (and hopefully new friends) from Cuisine @ Home forum – we used to have a lot of fun with Birthday dinners and don’t you all think it’s time to bring the fun back into the C@H forum?
 
The way this dinner works is – someone whose B’day is looming chooses a dinner menu – either the whole shebang (appetizer, entrée & dessert) or just an entrée for those who are trying to get ready for a Bikini summer. We choose recipes from Cuisine @ Home magazine, choose a date for us all to review the recipes (usually we give 2 weeks for everyone to have time to work it into the schedule) and on the review date (AND NOT A DAY EARLY!!), we all write up our review – good, bad, indifferent; changes we may have had to make; wine recommendation (if any). In other words, everything  you have to say about the dinner. You don’t have to make the entire choice – maybe it’s a dessert you’d like to try, that’s great, also.
 
Since my B’day is coming up in May, I’m choosing a menu from Issue #122 (Mar/Apr 2017) For those of you who do not have the magazine and want to join us, I’ll be glad to post the recipes you’re interested in.
My Menu –
Starter:  Oranges & Strawberries with Honey Syrup (pg. 25)
Entrée: Apricot Chicken and Asparagus Couscous (pg. 21)
Dessert: Blueberry-Lemon Sauced Ice Cream (Cuisine for Two – Summer 2016)
 
And, if you join us and have a good time, we hope you’ll join us on the forum where we talk all things food – and get ideas for the age old question – what to make for tonight’s dinner!!
 
And, we have another B’day dinner coming up – Maryann’s Birthday is this month too and she always chooses fun menu.

[Mare749]

Great idea, Jean! Of course I will join in! And thanks for giving me more time to come up with the menu for my birthday dinner.

For all you new people who have just joined the forum, please join in the fun!

[madmax]

I'm in and so is Jim & Amber. 

Is or will someone post the recipes Pretty Please.

[cjs]

Fantastic Trace!!!! I will post them a little later today with the Blueberry-Lemon Sauce recipe

Oranges & Strawberries with honey syrup
Makes 4 servings (6 cups)
 
MINCE:
Zest of 1 navel orange
SUPRÊME:
6 navel oranges (2 cups)
1 lb. fresh strawberries, hulledand quartered (4 cups)
WHISK:
3 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Pinch of salt
Mince zest of 1 orange; set aside.
 
Suprême oranges by slicing off tops and bottoms, then slicing
around the oranges to remove the peel and pith. Cut segments from
between membranes over a bowl to catch the juice, then squeeze
remaining juice from membranes and reserve. Combine orange
segments and strawberries.
 
Whisk together honey, mint, sugar, lemon juice, salt, reserved orange
zest, and reserved orange juice; toss with oranges and strawberries.
 
Per serving: 156 cal; 0g total fat (0g sat, 0g mono, 0g poly); 0mg chol;
1mg sodium; 41g carb (7g fiber, 33g total sugars); 2g protein; 1mg iron;
79mg calcium
 
Apricot Chicken
Issue #122, April 2017
Although perfect for weeknights, this quick meal is elegant enough for guests.
Just double or triple the ingredients depending on how many you’re serving.
Makes 2 servings
 
FOR THE CHICKEN, HEAT:
2 tsp. olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (5–6 oz. each),
seasoned with salt and black pepper
FOR THE SAUCE, WHISK:
1/2 cup apricot preserves or jam
2 Tbsp. each Dijon mustard and honey
Chopped fresh parsley
Chopped roasted and salted pistachios
 
Preheat oven to 425°.
 
For the chicken, heat oil in a skillet over medium-high. Add chicken and sear until browned, 2 minutes per side; transfer to a baking sheet. Roast chicken until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°, 5–6 minutes.
 
For the sauce, whisk together preserves, Dijon, and honey. Add to same skillet, scraping up any brown bits, and cook over medium-low heat until thickened,
2–3 minutes. Return chicken to skillet, flipping to coat with sauce.
Serve chicken with sauce; garnish with parsley and pistachios.
 
Per serving: 484 cal; 9g total fat (2g sat); 100mg chol;
376mg sodium; 69g carb; 0g fiber; 33g protein
C@H Notes:

1. To give the chicken color and flavor,
   sear the breasts before they finish
   cooking in the oven.
   
2. Cook the sauce in the same skillet
   the chicken was seared in. The bits
   in the pan add more flavor.
   
3. Toss the chicken in the sauce to
   glaze it, and be sure to add any
   accumulated juices to the skillet.
    
    
   Asparagus Couscous
   Look for Moroccan couscous here. It cooks quicker than pearl couscous.
   Makes 2 servings (3 cups)
    
   TOSS:
   8 oz. fresh asparagus, trimmed, and cut into 2-inch pieces
   1 Tbsp. olive oil
   2 tsp. minced fresh garlic
   Salt and black pepper
   HEAT:
   1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
   1/4 cup dry white wine
   2 Tbsp. diced dried apricots
   1/2 tsp. kosher salt
   Minced zest of 1 lemon
   STIR IN:
   1/2 cup dry instant couscous
   2 Tbsp. crumbled goat cheese or grated Parmesan
    
   Preheat oven to 425°.
    
   Toss asparagus with oil and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Roast asparagus on a baking sheet until crisp-tender, 7–8 minutes.
    
   Heat broth, wine, apricots, 1/2 tsp. salt, and zest in a saucepan over medium-high to boiling. Stir in couscous; cover pan, remove from heat, and let sit 5 minutes. Stir in asparagus and cheese.
    
   Per serving: 347 cal; 10g total fat (3g sat); 5mg chol;
   587mg sodium; 46g carb; 5g fiber; 11g protein
    
    
   

[labradors]

I'm probably out of this one: it sounds a little too sweet for my mom's taste for chicken.

[Mare749]

I will be looking for something low/no sugar for my birthday menu, Labs. So, hopefully you will join in for mine.

[labradors]

Thanks. I'll take a look when the time comes.

[cjs]

Here's the last of the recipes for the Birthday dinner -

Blueberry-Lemon Sauce
C@H’s Cuisine Fast & Fresh Summer Meals for Two – Summer 2016
Lemon gives this sauce a nice touch of brightness, while cinnamon rounds it out so it’s not too tart.
Makes 5 servings (1 1/4 cup)

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/3 cup sugar
3 T. water
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of kosher salt
1 tsp. minced lemon zest
Vanilla ice cream

Heat berries, sugar, water, lemon juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt in saucepan over medium-high to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, about 5 min. Off heat, stir in zest.
Serve sauce warm over ice cream. Refrigerate leftover sauce.
NOTE: for the brightest flavor, be sure to stir the lemon zest into the sauce off heat, at the end of cooking.

[Gourmet_Mom]

I'm going to try!  Although, I may have to cheat on the couscous.  We have tried it a couple of times, and we didn't like it.  I think it was a mouth feel thing?  It has been a while, so I may give it a shot.

[cjs]

It's flexible....