Wonderpot - One Pot Dinner

So the weeknight dinners in our house are forever changed. Forever. This took less than 30 minutes. It was delicious. It had tons of veggies. It was SO easy! I'd seen this kind of thing floating around on the Internets, but I had yet to try it. I don't know why I was waiting. 

I changed this up quite a bit from all the recipes I found online, but the basic idea stayed the same - all components of the meal are plunked into a big pot and cooked together. It's like a super easy crockpot meal, but in less time than it takes to watch a Seinfeld rerun. Amazing.

Wonderpot: One Pot Dinner - adapted from Budget Bytes and the Internets
Serves 4+ in less than 30 minutes

1 pound of dried pasta - I used linguini
8 ounces mushrooms
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 large onion sliced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 6oz jar marinated artichoke hearts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup water
10oz fresh spinach
crumbled feta cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Place sliced onions, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, garlic, marinated artichoke hearts, pasta, spices, oil, chicken broth, wine and water into a giant pot. 

With a cover on the pot, let everything boil, stirring a few times to mash everything down and rearrange the ingredients. Turn the flame down to a simmer and replace the lid. While the pot simmers, stir occasionally to keep the noodles from sticking together.

When the noodles are done - about 5 or 6 minutes after the pot boils - put all of the spinach in the pot and stir to wilt and incorporate. 

Serve in bowls and top with feta cheese, ground pepper and salt. Enjoy!!

A few things about this recipe...
I found recipes for this with fewer veggies and more limited variety. I am always looking for ways to up the veggies and up the variety and this was a great one for extra veggies.
If you don't like using wine, forget about it. Use another cup of chicken broth or more water. 5 cups of liquid worked well for the amount of veggies and pasta I used. 
I think this has potential to be a thousand different flavors - kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes - pretty much anything I'd want on a pizza sounds good here!
One recipe listed canned, diced tomatoes - that sounds like a great alternative to the cherry tomatoes I used. 

Things made this time last year...
Hot Chocolate Mix with Dark Chocolate Bits - a perfect gift in a jar!!

Broccoli and Cheddar Soup - a great meal for a cold night... also a pretty quick dinner.

Chicken with Melted Lemons

This is not the first time that Antoinette and I have been on the same food page... a few weeks ago we both wanted comfort food... here and here... now we are both craving fresh, clean, lemony flavors. 'Twas the season to overindulge and 'tis the season to get back to reality!

This is a rip-off meal - my take on a chicken dish at a local Italian restaurant that is so delicious I could eat it every day. I had to find an at-home solution to avoid going broke. They call it Chicken Stephano, so to us, this is Chicken Stephano McIver, and it's one of our faves.

Chicken Stephano McIver, aka Chicken with Melted Lemons

1 pound chicken beast cutlets
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

2 lemons 
6 ounces feta cheese
2 tablespoons capers
1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts
1 tablespoon olive oil

In a shallow bowl or on a dinner plate combine flour, salt and pepper. Dredge chicken tenders and set aside on a clean plate. Over medium-high flame heat olive oil in a saute pan or dutch oven that has a lid. Lightly brown chicken on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.

When chicken is browned on both sides, cover cutlets with sliced lemons. Reduce the heat to low and cover the dish. Cook for 10-12 minutes. Add in marinated artichokes and the liquid they are packed in. (I found a large jar at Trader Joes and used only some of the liquid. I usually buy the smaller jars and use all of the liquid.) Cover and continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Add in capers and feta cheese, cover and cook 3 more minutes or until the cheese has melted a bit.

We like to eat this with butter and oil pasta. Ok, I understand this kind of negates the "fresh and clean" aspects of this meal, but it's seriously good and that's how Nona's does it. And people, Nona's is right. 

Butter and Oil Pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 pound of pasta
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons minced chives

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and while pasta is hot, toss with butter, olive oil, garlic and minced chives. The hot pasta will melt the butter and bring out all of the garlic flavors. Amazing. Simple. 

A few things about this recipe...
Nona's throws in some crispy pancetta. Delicious. Bacon also works in a lovely way.
The cutlets cook for a long time on very low heat, so they are really forgiving... 10-12 minutes can easily become 15-18 minutes if you find yourself caught up making a salad.
The pasta is delicious with a little bit of red pepper flakes instead of chives.
Make sure you get some of the lemony sauce on the pasta... it's wonderful.
Don't eat the melted lemons. Promise, it's not good.