Pantry Purge

 

We are fully in the throws of my favorite time of year. Knee deep in the holiday happy. I love this season: the aroma of cinnamon, pumpkin, and apple pie. The twinkle lights, the festive music, the children decked out in matching pajamas. Bing Crosby belting out our favorite holiday tunes. Oh yes, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. In preparation for the good eats and sweet treats that come with the holiday season, I take the opportunity (loathingly...is that a word?) to clean out the pantry of miscellaneous ingredients collected throughout the year and to delve into the bowels of the deep freeze in order use up any extra random cuts of meat or frozen casseroles. This sometimes usually results in my family enjoying choking down meals consisting of my haphazard concoctions thrown together from said miscellaneous ingredients. Such is life. They will survive. Occasionally, however, I hit a home run with my unpredictable meals and happen upon a winner. Something I might actually make intentionally at some other time of year. Totally lacking in any great feat of culinary skill, but yummy and simple and fairly quick too - I hope you and yours enjoy it as much as we did. 

 

 

Italian Chicken & Rice

 

2 cans chicken broth

2 cans italian diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

4 large chicken breasts, split in two to yield 8 cutlets (cutlets cook faster and are more tender)

garlic salt and pepper to taste

mozzarella or monterrey jack cheese

 

First, bring to boil 2 cans of chicken broth, 1 can italian diced tomatoes, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and 1 tsp. garlic powder. Add two cups of rice, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook about 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. While the rice is cooking, melt 3 Tbs. of butter in a cast iron skillet. Season about 8 chicken cutlets on both sides with garlic salt and pepper and brown in the cast iron skillet until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Then place the chicken on a sheet pan, cover with a spoonful or two of italian diced tomatoes and a layer of mozzarella cheese, sprinkle a little extra dried oregano or basil on top. Place in the broiler for a few minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve on top of rice. 

 

 

*photo's taken with iPhone 4s and edited in Photoshop CS6

Caprese Chicken

I love a good red sauce. I wish I could share  my favorite red sauce recipe here, but mine is in "the vault" - the vault being a fictitious location deep within the recesses of my mind, where I tuck away methods that have never been written down. Within the vault I salt away a few of my most cherished formulas - I hope I don't end up with Alzheimer's. Anyway, for this Caprese Chicken you will have to, unfortunately....get your own red sauce. Such is life.  Red sauce aside, this is the simplest, easiest, most convenient go-to recipe for flavor and speed. We're having it again today. It meets all South Beach diet standards and pleases everyone around my crazy kitchen table. Or at least, they're all smart enough to clean their plates without complaint. Either way, I've trained them well.

Now...for the chicken.

Butterfly a chicken breast and lay open to season:

Generously sprinkle with garlic salt, pepper and chopped basil (fresh or dried, but fresh will be yummier):

Add a slice of mozzerella cheese, again fresh or packaged will work, but please not pre-shredded, that stuff is...well, gross:

Fold the chicken breast over the cheese and place in a baking dish. Season the outside of the chicken the same as the inside - garlic salt, pepper, basil:

Top the seasoned chicken with your red sauce. Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees, for 20 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center, removing foil after 15 minutes and baking uncoverd for the remaining 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Orange You Thankful for Chicken?

I made this recipe for the first time approximately six weeks ago. I remember it very clearly as it was later that same week that I came down with the worst case of the flu that I have ever experienced. While I remember this dish as being very delicious, I also remember the flu when I look at it, hence the lapse in time between making it and blogging it. Just couldn't bring myself to think about it. The coating on this chicken is absolutely delicious though I'm certain the next time I prepare it I will use chicken breasts instead of thighs. I picked thighs, not just because they were on sale, but also because I remembered a tri-athlete friend mentioning that chicken thighs have some specific quality that is beneficial for runners. Now...I don't consider myself a "runner" proper...more of a jogger who occasionally indulges in a moment of insanity and signs up for a 5K and honestly, when I bought the thighs and planned this recipe, I must have thought that simply eating chicken thighs would somehow inspire a run - something I hadn't done in several weeks. I was wrong.  Nonetheless, these were delicious and will land on our table again in the near future. 

Orange Crumb Chicken Bake
2 Tbs. orange juice
2 Tbls. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
2/3 cup cracker crumbs
1 Tbs. grated orange zest
1/4 cup chopped white onion
1/4 tsp. black pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9x13 baking dish. Combine orange juice, mustard and salt in a cup. In a shallow dish, combine cracker crumbs, orange zest, onion, and pepper. Brush mustard mixture on both sides of chicken, then coat with crumb mixture - give a good firm press to ensure the crumbs stick to the chicken. Place chicken in baking dish and bake 15 minutes, turn chicken and bake about another 20 minutes until cooked through. The recipe is easily doubled and highly recommended. Enjoy!

xox,
A

Save the Ta-Ta's

I know I'm a full four months past Breast Cancer Awareness month...or a good eight months early, depending on your perspective. But I'm not really intending to write about saving the ta-ta's in the usual  meaning of the phrase. We have a mildly inappropriate reference for certain anatomical chicken parts here in my crazy kitchen. What's for dinner? Chicken boobies. What do we grill to put in our panini sandwiches? Chicken boobies. What do we eat so much of the Music Man thinks he may be growing feathers? Chicken. Boobies. Did you catch the "crazy" part about life in my kitchen? We've perfected crazy around here. We eat our chicken boobies many ways, sometimes healthy...sometimes not. Here we've stuffed them - a little implant, if you will - to make them more filling. Before I digress to the level of raunchy (as if I wasn't there already) I shall give to you my super yummy stuffed chicken boobies at approximately 184 calories per serving.

Spinach Stuffed Chicken

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thawed

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 small onions, chopped

1 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

2 carrots

1 celery stalk

1 (10-oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1/2 cup bread crumbs

3/4 cup fresh grated permesan cheese

1 cup chicken broth

Place mushrooms, carrots, and celery in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to chop, set aside. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened, about five minutes. Add mushroom mixture and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, another five minutes. Remove skillet from heat, stir in spinach, bread crumbs, parmesan and 1/4 cup of broth. Set aside. Using a sharp knife, make a horizontal cut in each chicken breast creating a pocket for the spinach mixture. Stuff each breast with spoonfuls of stuffing mixture and place in a 9x13 baking dish. Pour remaining 3/4 cup of chicken broth into the baking dish, around the chicken and lightly sprinkle each breast with garlic salt and pepper. Bake in a 350 degree oven until chicken is no longer pink - about 25 minutes.

xox,

A

No Bottle Necessary

Chicken stir fry - a one bowl wonder that often comes packed full of sodium...via the sauce. With all the bottled stir fry sauces on the market, it's disappointing to find the vast majority packed full of too much salt, msg, and other not-so-natural wonders. This girl is super sodium sensitive and while I love a steaming bowl of goodness, I can live without the puffy eyes it brings. Here I've made my own sauce - just as yummy when you simmer it all together and pour over your favorite combo of stir fry veggies and rice.

Chicken Stir Fry

1 1/2 lbs. bonless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 large carrot juliened*
1 small green pepper, sliced thin*
1 cup broccolli flowerets*
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced thin*
2 cups peapods, trimmed*
1 can chicken broth
1 Tbs. cornstarch
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 cup cashews (optional)
4 cups rice, cooked according to package directions

In a small bowl, whisk together broth, cornstarch, soy sauce and ginger, set aside. In a large skillet, or wok, heat the vegetable oil and stir fry chicken until no longer pink. Remove chicken and set aside. Add to skillet the onion, green pepper, and mushrooms, stir frying until tender. Pour sauce into skillet with the vegetables and stir until thickened and bubbly. Return chicken to the skillet, adding the peapods as well, stir until heated through. Serve over hot rice and top with cashews.

*can easily substitute your favorite stir fry mix of fresh, frozen veggies.

Souper Simple

Can I tell you my favorite thing about this post? It isn't the simplicity of ingredients or the fact that the warming nature of soup is appealing during times such as these when I'm so cold I can hardly feel my nose or toes (okay, I'll admit it's my continued use of flip-flops in 40 degree weather that prohibits me from feeling my toes). Anyway, none of these things matter as I am simply thrilled that the above photo came straight from my camera...unedited. UNEDITED! Those of you who blog or simply enjoy playing around with photography will understand how rare it is to shoot the perfect photo on the first try. Especially when capturing food. Nearly all of my photo's get a little editing, from color balance to contrast adjustment or if nothing else, a little crop around the corners. But not this photo...ah, such a small thing to make my day complete. Now, for the truly important part - the recipe...

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 tsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium jalapeno, finely diced
1/2 green pepper, finely diced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 1/2 cup frozen corn
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 cans chicken broth
2 (14oz) cans petite diced tomatoes
2 (8oz) cans tomato sauce

Heat olive oil in the bottom of a heavy pot. Add onion, garlic, jalapeno and green pepper, sauteing over medium-high heat until vegetables become tender. Add the remaining ingredients...yes, put the chicken breasts in whole. Bring to a simmer and after about 15 minutes, remove the chicken breasts and shred with a fork (or use two forks, the chicken will be hot!). Return shredded chicken to the pot and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Serve topped with crushed tortilla chips and shredded monterey jack cheese.

Cool Weather Comfort

I love, love, love this cooler weather! It's a rarety here in East Texas so we take it when we can get it! Of course, steamy bowls of goodness hit the spot when the evening temperature is dropping into the 40's and this has become our favorite recipe for chicken and dumplings. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Chicken & Dumplings

For the Chicken and Stock:
1 whole chicken
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. salt

For the Dumplings:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk

For the Sauce:
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. oil
2 carrots, thinly slice or diced
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
chicken stock from chicken
1 cup frozen peas or corn
1/4 cup heavy cream
chopped parsely for garnish

For the stock: place your whole chicken in a large stock pot or slow cooker and add enough water to ust barely cover the chicken. Place your bay leaves, thyme, pepper, garlic and salt in the pot with the chicken. Cook on the stove top, partially covered for about 2-3 hours at medium-low heat or in a slow cooker (crock pot)for about 4 hours. I think the slow cooker yeilds a richer stock if you are able to take the time and cook it with this method. Remove the cooked chicken from the stock, discard the bay leaves and shred the chicken when it has cooled. Strain the stock and set aside. It will be used for the sauce.

For the Dumplings*: Stir together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, using a whisk, lightly beat the eggs, and buttermilk together; pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients adn gently fold. Mix just until the dough comes together; the batter should be thick and cake-like.

For the Sauce: in a large pot or dutch oven, over medium heat, add the butter and oil. Add the carrots, celery, garlic and bay leaves, sauteing until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Continue to cook an stir for about 2 minutes to remove the starchy taste. Slowly pour in the chicken stock, one cup at a time, stirring or whisking well after each addition. Add the frozen peas or corn. Let the sauce simmer and thicken for about 10-15 minutes; stir in heavy cream. Fold the reserved chicken into the sauce and bring to a simmer. Using two spoons, carefully drop heaping tablespoons of the dumpling batter into the hot mixture. The dumplings should cover the top of the sauce, but should not be too crowded. Poach the dumplings for 10-15 minutes until they are firm. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Top with chopped parsley.

*Live-It-Up-Variation: Stire 1/4 cup chopped chives into the dry ingredients when preparing the dumplings.

Chicken, Black Beans and Rice, Oh My!

I'm always on the look-out for one pot recipes that can be made up in a snap. During hectic times when I'm baking wedding cakes back-to-back and the Music Man's semester is crazy busy, I like to pull together something healthy and easy to reheat for lunches. I threw together this recipe last week and it was a huge hit with the whole family - especially the little people.

Chicken, Black Beans and Rice

3 1/2 cup chicken broth (about two cans)
3 Tbs. butter
1 tsp. fresh black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
Zest and juice of one lemon
2 1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 can black beans, rinsed and well drained
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3 chicken breasts, poached and then shredded

Bring broth, butter, pepper, garlic powder and lemon to a boil in a large pot. Stir in rice, cover and reduce heat to medium-low, cooking for about 25 minutes. When rice is cooked, stir in shredded chicken, black beans and cilantro. Serve warm.