On the Menu (with Oven Chicken Stew recipe)

The past two weeks have been very delicious. Pinterest provides a treasure trove of new and fresh recipe links, and I've added a few new favorites to my On the Menu list:

• Spicy Asian Lettuce Wraps: these are phenomenal. Oh my goodness. I wish I had some leftovers right now. My one word of advice: the recipe calls for 2 tsp of red pepper flakes. We like spicy in our house, and I cut this down to 1/4 tsp. That was plenty, although a little more than that would have been OK.
• Best Muffins Ever: They really are. Our favorite combo is white chocolate and raspberries. Unbelievable and totally addictive!
• Pork Roast with Apples and Onions: I also added fresh cranberries in toward the end of the cooking time, and it was beautiful as well as delicious.
• French Dip: This is a fantastic crockpot recipe and serves 8-10 people. I add cheese (provolone, swiss or pepperjack) to the bread after lightly toasting it, and then put the bread in the oven for a couple more minutes to slightly melt the cheese. The meat will melt it the rest of the way.
• Slow Cooker Carnitas: Another slow cooker recipe that is fabulous. I didn't serve these on tortillas, as the recipe suggests, but just plopped on the plate with a side of homemade applesauce. Yum.

I've also tried a few recipes that weren't terribly exciting. Why is it always the ones that promise "Better than PF Changs!" or "The best I've ever had!" that are the failures?

One I just made a couple of nights ago and will be having again soon is a version of Shove-It-in-the-Oven Chicken Stew. I made several changes from the original recipe, so here is my version. this was a big hit in my family:

Oven Chicken Stew

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into large pieces
2 pounds red or yellow potatoes, quartered*
1 large onion, cut into large chunks
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
4 large cloves garlic, sliced
8-10 mushrooms, sliced
2-3 carrots, cut into chunks
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2-1 tsp sea salt (adjust)
1/2-1 tsp black pepper (adjust)
1/2-1 cup chicken broth

Adjust oven rack to near bottom position and heat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix everything except the chicken broth in a large roasting pan or cast-iron skillet. Cover, set pan in oven and roast about 30 minutes. Remove cover, add enough broth to form a stew, stir, and put in oven for another 15 minutes. Serve with warm, crusty bread.
*You may wish to leave the potatoes out and serve this with a side of mashed potatoes.

So here's what's on our menu for this week:

• Cassoulet Style Sausages with White Beans
• Pork Chops with Cheese Grits
• Tandoori Chicken with Cucumber Raita
• Taco Soup

Plus, one night my daughter is cooking and one night we are going to a Chinese restaurant celebration of Chinese New Year!

Linked up on Taste This Thursday, Tasty Tuesday and Menu Plan Monday