Friday Foods

By the end of the week we are tired. Tired of work, tired of shopping and cooking.  Tired of cleaning and washing up.

We remember fondly the days when the week ended and we were ready to go OUT! Now, going out is reserved to Saturday afternoons or nights. These days, on Fridays, we want to take the puppies for a leisurely walk and then put our feet up. Curl up with a book. Do a little reading. A little writing. A little watching the TV shows we recorded all week long (Hooray! Jeopardy!).

Easy dinners help us do that, and I am grateful for them. I regularly search both my cookbooks and magazines and the internet for tasty quick recipes. Last week we had a chicken dish that was really easy and tasty, and sounded like it was rather gourmet! I present, for your enjoyment, Chicken and Brussels Sprouts with Mustard Sauce.
 

This recipe appeared in Cooking Light's December 2011 issues, and is on the internet in many places as well. Below is the recipe as written in the magazine:

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
3/8 teaspoon salt, divided
 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth, divided
1/4 cup unfiltered apple cider
2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
12 ounces Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

Preparation
Preheat oven to 450°.

Heat a large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper; add to pan. Cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken; place pan in oven. Bake at 450° for 9 minutes or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

Heat pan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup broth and cider; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 4 minutes or until thickened. Whisk in mustard, 1 tablespoon butter, and parsley.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add Brussels sprouts; sauté 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Add remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup broth to pan; cover and cook 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Serve sprouts with chicken and sauce.

We didn't have parsley, so just left that out.  We also didn't have cider vinegar.  So we got creative and added a splash of balsamic vinegar and a little more chicken broth.  It was delicious, and I simply loved the mustard sauce. We served it with the ever simple Rosemary Potatoes and some white wine. Not a bad way to relax on Friday evening!  

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
12 ounces quartered red potatoes

Preparation
Preheat oven to 450°. Combine olive oil, thyme, rosemary, salt, black pepper, and potatoes in a bowl. Spread potatoes on a jelly-roll pan. Bake at 450° for 25 minutes or until golden brown and tender.