Chicken Chili

I found a new Chicken Chili recipe in the october issue of Food Network Magazine and it looked so good I just had to try it strait away!
It starts with a rotissarie chicken, so right away you know it is gonna be good and it is gonna be easy :) Saute one yellow onion in EVOO for a few minutes, then add 2 cloves of minced garlic, a 4 oz can of green chilis, one seeded and sliced fresh jalapeno (or if you are like me, and you don't want it to be too spicy, slice up a few pickled ones), and 2 teaspoons of ground cumin. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the cumin is toasted. Add 2 cups of chicken broth, 2 cans of pinto beans,(drain one can only) 2 cups of shredded Chicken, and one cup of frozen corn, bring to a boil and then let simmer for 15 minutes. Top with shredded Monteray Jack Cheese, sour cream and fresh cilantro! Serve with Cornbread and dig in.

Chicken Spaghetti

I know, I know, your thinking Chicken Spaghetti, really? But this is not just any Chicken Spaghetti. This is the Mother of all Chicken Spaghettis. We were doing a fund raiser at church this weekend and I made enough chicken spaghetti for the whole congregation! It took 3 of us 10 hours to make, but not to fear if you are making this for a reasonable amount of people, like say 10? It will only take you a few hours and most of that time is cook time :)
Cook a five to six lb chicken and reserve the stock. Debone the chicken and set aside. Cook down 2 yellow onions, 2 green bell peppers and 2 stalks of celery chopped in a little bit of olive oil. Once they all get nice and soft add 2 cloves of garlic. (This weekend my recipe needed 22 cloves of garlic, it is now 2 days later and my fingers still smell like garlic even with gloves on!) Then add a twenty ounce can of stewed tomatoes and 2 small cans of tomato paste along with 22 oz of chicken stock, 1 teaspoon of poultry seasoning and Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning to taste. You can add a little or alot of this, I like alot! Let that simmer for about 2 hours, now add back the chicken in bite sized pieces and a small can of mushroom. Serve over Angel Hair Pasta and Wowya!! Look out!

Chicken Soup- A Cure-All!

This weekend my Husband came down with Strep-throat! Yikes! He throat hurt so bad that I knew he would not be able to swallow too much and when my throat hurts all I want is Chicken Noodle Soup, it's like Jewish Penacillen :)I am Methodist and for us it is more like a well said Prayer.
I boiled, then simmered a 5lb Chicken (cut into pieces) with 6 cups of water, a little salt, a little pepper and one bay leaf for 2 hours. During the last half hour I added sliced carrot and celery. When the Chicken is falling off the bone, take it our of the water and debone it and chop it into bite sized pieces and set aside. Skim the fat off the top and add about a cup and a half of noodles. Cook until tender and add the chicken back to the pot. Sprinkle generously with parsley and voila!!
This soup makes being sick, not quite so bad :)

Sauces

No one ever gives enough credit to sauce! Can you think of a single meal that does not include or could not be improved with the right sauce? It could be as simple as Maple Syrup or Ketchup or as complex as a nice Beurre Blanc (a hot emulsified Butter Sauce, usually made with Vinegar, white white and shallots with cold butter is blended off the heat to avoid seperation)or a more popular Hollandaise (an emulsion of egg yolk and butter usually sweetened with lemon juice). OR if you are from my neck of the woods you might just want to smother everything with a good gravy, 'round here we do not ask if you would like gravy, we simply ask if you want brown or white!
I always eat a dish and think, this is good but what if I added _______? when I was 16, I was babysitting my youngest brother and for dinner I just pulled all the leftovers out of the fridge so that we could just sort of graze as it were. Well, we had Chinese food with the good red sweet and sour sauce and we had pizza. Sean and I decided to eat both :) So, I just dumped the sweet and sour sauce on everything and heated it up. OMGoodness, that was the best pizza ever, unfortunately you can not buy sweet and sour sauce of that calliber at the grocery store so unless you have just recently had chinese, you will most likely not have such a sauce, so what you ask could be substituted if you find yourself in this conundrum? I would say grape jelly baby!!!!!!! Oh yeah... Try it and tell me what you think.
I would also like to challenge everyone to come up with a dish that they believe is perfect and could not be improved with some sort of wetness, lol

Healthy Kick

Husband and I have decided that we need to lose some weight :) So, I will be attempting to cook healthier and also more frequent. It is either more expensive or more time consuming or both to eat healthier but we need it so, here goes...
Last night we had Lemon Pepper Chicken and green beans.
I bought Chicken Breast Tenders so that it would be a faster cook then the whole breast for a quick weeknight meal. I heated about 2 tbspoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and seasoned my tenders with salt and lots of black pepper (freshly cracked). Cook the tenders over medium heat, turning over every 3 to 4 minutes until you have some good color on the outside and they are no longer pink in the center. About half way through cooking process I vested a lemon over the top and then added the juice of 1/2 of that lemon (it was a good sized lemon). For the green beans, I hate to admit it but we used the canned variety :( But if you want soft cooked down green beans it is gonna take time, I like them a little crunchy but no one else in the house does, so what are you gonna do?? lol

Deep Fried

Here in the south we deep fry anything and everything! I was just listening to a local radio station, and they were discussing the new state fair item coming this fall, get this, DEEP FRIED BUTTER! What!! They said 1/2 the butter actually melts in the deep fryer so what you end up with is really buttery batter. We also have deep fried coca cola (don't ask me how they do that one!), deep fried oreos, deep fried snickers. I just can't take deep fried fat, I can feel my arteries clogging, haha.
My preference is deep fried vegetables, yummy. Green Tomatoes, squash, okra and my favorite- PICKLES!!! I first had this delectable treat at a gas station in Arkansas in 1998, I think this is probably where most of our better culinary endevours began, lol. I think the reason why the fried pickle appeals sooo to me is because you get that wonderful acidic bite from the vinegar, and the lovely sweet and spicy breading is the perfect counter point. I like my breaded in a mixture of corn meal and flour, seasoned with onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, paprika and just a touch of cayenne. Deep fried to a nice golden brown :) And dipped in a nice homeade buttermilk ranch dressing.
If you have not had the opportunity to try this culinary wonder, I would strongly suggest whooping up a batch of these, like pronto!! ENJOY

Chicken Pot Pie- Quick and Easy

ok, I know that it is not exactly cool enough weather for Chicken Pot Pie or any of my other favorite cold weather, comfort dishes but I just can't wait any longer!!!!!!!! School is starting back and I can see the pumpkins, feel the cool air, smell all the fair food that is coming! So, tonight I will turn the thermostat down to 65, put my "all the way down pants" on and enjoy this deliously easy Chicken Pot Pie :)
Ingredients Add to grocery list
2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (1-pound) package frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix
1/2 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 13x9x2-inch baking dish.

2.In a large bowl, combine soup, and next 6 ingredients. Stir in vegetables and chicken. Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish; set aside.

3.In a small bowl, combine baking mix and cheese. Add milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Drop biscuits by heaping tablespoonfuls evenly over chicken mixture. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until biscuits are browned and pot pie is hot and bubbly.

Recipe Courtesy of Cooking with Paula Deen Jan/Feb 2007

Who doesn't love a good Paula Deen Recipe? I love that lady. I asked my husband the other day which food network personality I was most like, i.e. my cooking style and I guess he thought he needed to pick someone really cute so as not to upset me and so he says "Rachel Ray". I told him that he must be eating at someone else's house cause I act and cook like Paula Deen or maybe Sunny Anderson :) Obviously one of my idols would be Ina Garten of The Barefoot Contessa but if we are going to be realistic here... well, maybe one day lol...

Pasta-laya

Why does Pasta-laya tastes so much better to me than Jambalaya lol? I think it is because that pasta is sooo tender in this dish because honestly it probably gets a little over cooked, so if your one of those die hard AL Dente people then this is not for you.
I like to start with chopped onions, green bell peppers, celery, and garlic, all cooked down and fragrant. (I cook it down in extra virgin olive oil) then add some smoked sausage and some chopped smoked pork (all meats already cooked) and some cooked pasta, really any will do as long as it has been broken up small enough. And this is just me but i like to add a little tony's and a little kitchen bouquet :)
Let me know how you like it!

Boudin...Did you know

Last nite Husband was feeling generous, so he offered to take care of dinner. This means that he picked something up, bless his heart. And he went to Tony's seafood in Baton Rouge and got us some fried catfish, boiled shimp, boiled corn and my favorite the Boudin Balls!! Yum!
Did you know that Boudin is a french dish? This does not surprise me as most New Orleans cuisine has had it start in either France or Spain. For French boudin blanc is a highly perishable sausage made with pork, chicken, and/or veal mixed with milk, cognac, and spices.
In Louisiana we usually make ours with pork and always, always with lots of rice and a delectable mixture of cajun seasonings :)

Whole Foods

I love love love whole foods!!!! But I can barely afford to shop their and certainly not all the time :( Do you know why I love whole foods because their fruits and veggies are always fresh, well for the most part and their meat is fantastic. But why should I have to pay a freakin arm and a leg to get meat and produce that is not on the verge of spoilage all in one store!!! I currently buy my meat at the local associated grocery (Oak Point) but their dairy is usually dated with use by the current date! So, I go to Albertson's for Dairy but I don't like the look of their chicken and for the most part their meat is overpriced! Walmart is the devil but I still buy most of my prepacked goods there, I just have to, everyone else is twice the price. And as far as the fruit and produce go I just get what I can, when I can between a combo of these stores :(
But as soon as I win the lottery, I will shop exclusively at WHOLE FOODS!!

Check out this link, it is for the you tube video "Getting real in the whole foods parking lot" too funny :)

Best Chicken Enchiladas!!

I know that everyone says that their recipe is the best but I gotta tell ya this is the BEST one that I have ever had!! It is a variation of a recipe in one of Paula Deen's Magazine but oddly enough does not contain any butter :( lol
I use a rotissarie Chicken this just speeds things up and to me inparts more flavor. Go ahead and debone the chicken, and grate or buy pre-grated cheese ( you are gonna need something crazy like 2lbs :) I like a combo of sharp cheddar and mexican but whatever you prefer will work. Your also gonna need the juice of one lime, a handful of fresh cilantro (chopped), and about 1/2 of a yellow onion (also Chopped). You could also add a small can of green chilies but that is strictly optional. Now combine everything (except for about 1/3 of the cheese) and roll up in tortillas ( I like flour ) then pour 2 cans of enchilada sauce on it and top with remaining cheese. Bake this at 350 for about 15 minutes and then top with sour cream!!
Ps. Shout out to Mike and Kelly!!

This will be dinner tonight!

Breakfast! It's what's for Dinner :)

What is your go-to weeknight meal, when you have nothing planned, you didn't leave anything out and you don't want to go to the store? I usually do grilled cheese and soup but tonight I am craving Breakfast :) Eggs, Bacon and Pancakes. I have this skillet that I bought at wal-mart years ago, called a pancake skillet. It has a lid and you can actually flip it over and cook it on the other side. You will never again have to do without pancakes!!! hahaha

Manicotti- Any way you like it

The traditional Manicotti is a mixture of italian cheeses (usually including ricotta) inside pasta rolls, topped with sauce and then more cheese (typically Monzarella or Parm). I made this dish Husband friendly by stuffing the shells ground meat, onions, green bell peppers and garlic, cooked together and seasoned well. Topped with a previously prepared marinara and after baking this for about 20 minutes, I topped with Monzarella and then cooked until melted and bubbly! Even your pickiest eaters with enjoy this :)

Amazing Bulgogi

So, the Bulgogi turned out AMAZING!! The little man at the Oriental Market told me that you are actually suppose to use eye of round for Bulgogi, so I got him to slice me 1 1/2lbs of that very thin. I took it home and marinated it in 1/3 cup of soy sauce, 3 tbls of sugar, 1 tbl of sesame oil, 2 green onions (chopped), 3 cloves of garlic (minced), 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper, 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated ginger and a few pinches of black pepper. This was refridgerated for one hour. Then I got a skillet hot and covered on the bottom with oil (you will probably need to add a little more oil after every batch) and fried each piece laying completely flat. They are sliced very thin and take about a min per side.
I am almost sure that My friend Patricia's mom use to use Coca Cola in this recipe somewhere but I have not seen a recipe with it. But this dish really brought me back to her kitchen and to Sue's in Missouri :)
Hope you enjoy this dish as much as I did.

Bulgogi- and ode to Pattie-O

I want to make a Korean Dish called Bulgogi for dinner this evening. My BFF in High School was Korean and I always wanted to eat at her house. I was not afraid to try much, I have always been adventurous when it comes to food! Then after College I lived in Missouri near an Army Base and they had the most yummy Korean joint right outside of the Base, but here in Baton Rouge there are no such establishments :( So, I will just have to attempt to make this at home. Bulgogi is basically a Korean bbq. You use very thinly sliced Ribeye, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and green onions, marinate and then grill. Serve over rice and voila!!
If this turns out anywhere as good as I remember then I will share the recipe and pics tommorrow. If not, I will be continue on my search for a good recipe for this. And while I am at the Asian Grocery this evening I will pick up some Kimchi and some Korean Noodle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Arts and Crap...

Picked up my son from daycare the other day and he pulls a ziplock bag of shredded construction paper out of his Cubby and says, "look Mommy, I made this for you!". I said wow, I love it, but what is it sweet pea, without missing a beat he says "It's my Arts and Crap project Mommy :)" It just made me giggle, I love that little punk Monkey sooooo much.
Right now he is on a kick to get a skateboard (he is only 3) because Kick Buttowski (a cartoon on Disney XD) has one and goes everywhere on it, with his daredevil Jumpsuit on! He also wants a jumpsuit with a matching helmet, hahahaha. THis kid is nuts. I think I am gonna get the skateboard but only let him use it when he is wearing knee and elbow pads and a helmet!!!!!!!
I want him to be independent and cool, and grown up but I really just want him to curl up in my lap and let me rock him :)

Chicago Dogs

What is your favorite Hot Dog? I would say that the Chicago Dog is definetly one of mine! But like a bloody mary, it has to be done a certain way. I got one today for lunch at Chicago Al's in Baton Rouge, LA. It was quite tasty, the dog itself was perfect. Nice tight casing and juicy inside, gives it a nice bite. Poppy Seed bun, half slices of tomato (not diced), kosher pickle spear, onions, mustard and bright green sweet pickle relish and then the big finish with the sprinkling of celery salt. They also serve their fountain drinks over snow ball ice :)

A southern Staple

Black Eyed Peas or Red Beans
1 Onion Chopped 1/2 Bell pepper Chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 ribs celery chopped 1 med sized Smoked Ham Hock 1lb dried Beans or Peas 1 can Chicken Stock This recipe is the same for either the beans or the peas, so I went ahead and made both yesterday... :)Start by soaking your beans or peas in a bowl of water for 1 hour. Wilt all the veggies in Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a dutch oven or other heavy bottom pot. Ad the beans and or peas to the veggies, along with the Ham Hock and enough water to Cover Plus the can of Stock. This is where you add the seasonings. I added Tony's, Black Pepper, a very small amount of salt (remember the salty Ham Hock) and Thyme. I did not measure any of these just kind of did it to my own taste. Bring the bean and or Peas to a slow boil and simmer on med heat for one hour for the peas and 2 to 2 1/2 hours for the red beans :) At the end if you have not yet acheived the desired consistency then smash some of the beans and or peas along the side of the pot and then incorporate to thicken! Serve over rice and Buttery Cornbread.

I could talk about FOOD...

I have found that the common denominator amoung all people is food. YOu might love to cook but even those who don't love to eat. Everyone has a favorite dish, a favorite restaraunt or a favorite snack food! and isn't it amazing how particular foods can bring back a rush of memories. For my Birthday every year as a child my grandmother would cook me anything that I wanted and every year I asked for the same thing. A big pan of Chicken and Cornbread Dressing and Strawberry Jello Cake for Dessert :) I would eat my dressing in a bowl with cranberry sauce and stir them until mixed Completely, wow, talk about good.
It was not until I was grown did I realize what a good cook my Grandmother was. I had no interest in cooking as a child or even as a preteen, which is unfortunate because there were so many wonderful cooks around me then and I could have learned sooo much, but I still have the memories that the familiar dishes conjure up in me, with every bite :)

Fried Pork chops, fried Green Tomatoes, mashed potatoes and green beans!

This is what I am making for dinner tonight, at Husbands request. I am going to buy super thin boneless Pork Chops, bread them with seasoned flour and fry them in a shallow pan of extra virgin olive oil on each side for about 4 min. each. For the mashed Potatoes, I will peel and dice potatoes, boil until soft and drain, then return to the pot and put back on the burner for minute or so and this will assure that all the water is gone. Then add lots and lots of butter, lots of salt a little pepper and a little milk, blend well while mashing and tada! I think that I will bread the green tomatoes in a mixture of seasoned flour and cornmeal (about half and half).
A friend of mine told me that if you add just a few sprinkles of beef bullion to the canned green beans with cooking and it will add alot of flavor without all the fat of adding a strip of bacon, which is what I have been previously been doing and it is super tasty, I will do that tonight :)
For dessert I am thinking about chocolate dipped pretzel sticks!
What are you eating for dinner?

Spaghetti & Mustard Greens

All day yesterday, I was craving Mustard Greens! Called husband, he said that he and my son both wanted Spaghetti :( So, I made both lol. Got home and started chopping onions for both. I wilted a cup and a half of chopped yellow onion with 3 ham hocks in about a tablespoon of olive oil. I let that sweat for about 10 min then added 2 cloves of minced garlic, let that cook for 1 minute and added 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth, brought it to a boil and added about 2 pounds of cleaned and chopped mustard greens. Once the greens wilted (and you will want to add the greens a handful at a time) I added a few dashes of hot sauce and a few dashes of worcestershire, and a few grinds of fresh ground black pepper. Let it cook uncovered for 20 minutes and covered for 30 minutes, and you talk about good :) I made Jiffy Cornbread to go with it.
The spaghetti was a simple, easy one. I started sweating one yellow onion chopped with 1 lb of ground beef 85/15. Once the meat was cooked through, I drained it and seasoned the meat with Tony's, black pepper, salt (go light with this because the Tony's is salty), and Garlic powder. Then added an already prepared Tomato sauce (remember I said this was a quickie) haha. I used Mama Mia, a local sauce made in Shreveport, la.
The boys were happy, I was happy :)

Tuna Fish Sandwich

Yesterday for lunch all I could think about was finding a good Tuna Fish Sandwich! But let me tell you, the perfect Tuna Fish sandwich is not one that you can buy at a store or restaurant :( IT must be made at home. The perfect Tuna to me is Canned Tuna, Mayo, Sweet Pickles sliced up very small (relish will not do!), eggs and then season with salt and pepper. This sounds very simple but really this is just something that does not need to be fancied up. Serve this on Toasted Bunny Bread and you will really have something!
I ended up going to The Whistle Stop Cafe in Denham Springs, LA. The sandwich was nice, the tuna itself was like what you get at subway, a veritable paste made of Tuna and Mayo with perhaps a little sweet pickle relish, blah, but what made it at least nice was the thick fresh wheat bread, and the mix of greens and tomato added :)
If you are in a pinch for some Tuna and you are feeling adventurous, I would also recommend Whole foods, at least down here they do a Tuna with mayo, raw yellow onions and Craisins. It sounds odd but trust me you will not be dissappointed.