Category Archives: CHICKEN, TURKEY, GAME HENS, DUCK, ETC. RECIPES

CHICKEN SAUSAGE, KALE, AND WHITE SWEET POTATO SOUP

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I almost always have a four sausage package of Aidells dinner sausages in the freezer. So on nights when I’m not eager to spend hours in the kitchen, I have the main dish almost on the table before I cut open the package. I usually just pour a little water and olive oil in a small frying pan, cover the pan, and let the water evaporate while the sausages are heating. When the water is gone, the olive oil browns the sausages. When they are browned all around, dinner is ready.

When we were younger, we could both happily put away 2 sausages each. Not anymore. I usually have one and Mr. C. one and a half. So that leaves me with left over sausages. And yes I could just serve them the next evening, but if at all possible, I try to use them in a new and inspired way.

I don’t know what the weather is like where you live, but here on Camano Island, an hours’ drive north of Seattle, it is wet and windy. Drizzly wet and very windy. In other words, absolutely perfect weather for soup. So with soup in mind, I concocted this recipe based on our leftover dinner sausages.

And as usual, this basically vegetable soup contains the quintessential foursome – onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. (Can you even begin to think about a vegetable soup without these key ingredients? Of course not!)

Anyway, after that I went a little off grid by adding a bit of dry Marsala wine to the mix. But by then, I was already heading towards Italy, so Marsala only made good sense. (It’s made in Sicily after all!)

After that I pretty much resigned myself to this being an Italian style soup. The only deviation being no pasta (diced white sweet potato* instead) and kale. (Got to get our dark greens in as much as possible. Plus the stuff grows wild in our back yard!) But the rest of the soup couldn’t be more Italian if had been constructed in Italy by one of my Italian sisters. (I consider myself Italian if only by inclination. But by inheritance, I am mainly French, with a smattering of German and Swiss French thrown in for good measure. I figure my heritage is geographically close enough to Italy to make no never mind! So for all practical purposes, I feel Italian even without a pedigree. I figure God was just a little geographically challenged the day I was conceived. Could have happened that way. Right?) Anyway – I love Italian food. And this soup turned out to be really easy to prepare, delicious, low in fat, and chock full of really healthy ingredients. And perfect for a wet and windy fall evening. And very Italian tasting. So of course, I suggest you make this soup at your earliest convenience. It truly is tasty.

As always, keep thinking positive thoughts and keep being kind even to those with differing opinions. And I know, that isn’t easy. In fact I am writing this to remind myself to put my money where my mouth is. If this nation is ever going to heal, we need to learn more about the word respect. What it really means, and what it stands for. And then live the meaning and stand up for the principle. This is my favorite definition of the word. Respect – due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others. Peace and love to all.

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

2-4 chicken dinner sausages, any flavor, thinly sliced

½ lg. onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

¼ c. dry Marsala wine

½ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 bay leaf

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

tiny pinch crushed red pepper flakes

3 c. chicken stock

1 (14.5-oz.) can diced or crushed tomatoes (Italian if possible)

1 c. diced white sweet potato* (I cut the pieces fairly small)

2 loosely packed cups of chopped kale

½ c. fresh basil chiffonade

grated Parmesan or Pecorino-Romano cheese, for passing

Heat the olive oil in a covered stock pot over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook just until browned. Remove from pot and set aside. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the Marsala and cook until all evaporated.

Stir in the salt, pepper, bay leaf, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, chicken stock, and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the diced sweet potatoes and simmer for 20 minutes or until the sweet potato chunks are just tender. Add the kale and browned sausage to the pot and cook for five minutes until kale is wilted. Stir in the basil, adjust seasoning, and serve very hot. Pass the Parmesan cheese. Great served with cornbread (several recipes on site) or Garlic Bread or Garlic Toast. (Both recipes on site.)

*White sweet potatoes have a slightly drier texture than orange sweet potatoes, as well as a flavor that’s less sweet. While white sweet potatoes do not contain as many nutrients as their orange relations, they are still a healthier, lower calorie, and higher-fiber option than starchy, regular potatoes like russet or Yukon gold. White sweet potatoes can be roasted, baked, grilled, or mashed just like orange sweet potatoes. The main difference is in the flavor. They simply are not as sweet.   

HONEY SOY SAUCE GLAZED CHICKEN THIGHS

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I am forever looking for ways to serve chicken. And of course, of utmost importance, the chicken must taste good. Duh! And more often than not, I want recipes that take only a short time to prepare. Add to this wish list, accompanying dishes that are also easy to fling together. I know, every tired cooks dream meal.

Well, the other evening I took a recipe I found on the cafedelites.com site (great site BTW) and adapted it to fit my needs. And I’m here to tell you, the chicken was a winner. And it had been a dream to prepare.

First of all, you get to do the prep work way before it’s actually time to do any real cooking. I like that. You now have time to take off your apron*, and maybe sit down and read or get some other household chore accomplished. And then when it’s actually time to cook, by first donning your apron* of course, it’s only a few minutes before the whole meal is on the table. (There’s an asterisk by the word apron for a reason. You can go to the bottom of this post to read all about it.)

So the other evening by preparing this dish, throwing some rice in my rice cooker, and steaming some fresh broccoli, a really tasty dinner was on the table in no time flat.

Now I know what you’re thinking. And yes I have been talking a lot lately about simple recipes. It’s because not only am I getting older and standing up for long hours in the kitchen is becoming harder and harder, it’s because for some of you, your lives have become busier because of the coronavirus pandemic. Where before you got your kids off to school and you found your home looking exactly as it did when all of you got home that evening, now it’s probably twice as difficult to keep it tidy, much less clean. Children are not tidy by nature. They are messy little creatures with no compunction not to leave a trail wherever they go. So my hat is off to all of you for whom your whole carefully choreographed life has been turned upside down. The only thing I can do to help, is provide you with easy recipes that I am sure your family will enjoy. (Sounds terribly altruistic, but in helping you I am definitely helping myself even more. So no loud applause please!)

As always, be safe, be sensitive to the needs of your family, and give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back. As cooks, we are very important to keeping our families healthy and comforted. Good, home cooked food is a blessing each of us can give to our family members. Peace and love to all.

3 T. honey

3 T. low sodium Tamari or soy sauce

2 finely chopped green onions

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

1 tsp. white vinegar

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 tsp. freshly minced ginger

pinch kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 T. vegetable oil

2-4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, as much fat removed as possible

sesame seeds

Whisk the honey, soy sauce, green onion, sesame oil, white vinegar, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper together in a shallow glass container. (I use a glass bread loaf pan.)

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and add to the container with the marinade. Toss the chicken in the marinade until all of the meat has been introduced to the marinade. Cover the container and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to several hours. (I marinate mine for about 3 hours.) Remove from refrigerator about 30 minutes before you plan to cook the chicken.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large enough frying pan to fit all of the chicken in a single layer. Remove the chicken from the marinade, reserving as much of the marinade as possible, and fry the first side until it’s a lovely dark brown. Turn the chicken and continue cooking until it’s done. Chicken should reach an internal temp of at least 165 degrees to be considered “done”.

Pour the reserved marinade over the chicken and cook it until it boils. As it boils it will thicken considerably. It can also burn because of the honey. So watch it carefully. To make sure the marinade, now a glaze, is safe to eat, take its temperature. Foodborne bacteria die at 165 degrees F, so this is your target temperature. When the chicken is done and the glaze (formerly the marinade) has reached at least 165 degree, take it off the heat, garnish it with sesame seeds, and serve immediately. Serve with steamed rice and a simple green veggie or salad, and dinners ready.

*For anyone who knows me personally and has been to our home for a meal, you have undoubtedly seen me wear an apron while I am cooking. Or even after the food is cooked and I am serving the food, or even when I am eating the food. This is not a once in a while thing. My wearing an apron is a habit I formed decades ago. And at the time, it wasn’t for health reasons. It was simply because I wanted to keep my clothes from getting stained. That is still a valid reason for wearing an apron, but there is more to it than soiled clothing. There are the health benefits for not only myself, but for the person or persons for whom I am preparing the food.

When we enjoy food prepared outside the home, there is always a risk of getting infected and suffering from serious illnesses. That risk is not confined to eating restaurant food however. It is equally applicable to home cooked food as well. (Maybe even more so because home kitchens are not subject to safety and health inspections the way restaurant kitchen are.) As home cooks, our clothes that we have been wearing throughout the day have lots of germs on them. And these germs can easily be transferred to the food we prepare. A simple step like wearing an apron can go a long way in reducing this risk. 

Wearing an apron prevents our clothes from coming in contact with the food, hence any germs, dust, cat hair, cleaning products etc., stay within the apron and off whatever food we are handling. Wearing an apron also keeps any loose clothing firmly secured to our bodies and therefore away from open flames, etc. From a practical standpoint, an apron (or 15 like I have) is one more way to stop the spread of disease. And of course, sloppy people like me from walking around in stained clothing.

 

CAJUN SMOTHERED CHICKEN

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When I was growing up, my grandmother usually cooked our main Sunday meal. Supper was served after church at about 2:00 pm. And the entrée (which is really too refined a word, but apropos) was most often chicken. (I did grow up on a chicken farm after all.) And any dish that my grandmother prepared that included chicken was always delicious. Always. Even though as an all-around cook, she was lacking in many areas. But that’s neither here nor there. Her chicken dishes were fabulous. And my favorite was basically fried chicken that she had dumped some heavy cream or whole milk over and then baked in the oven until the chicken melted in your mouth. Basically – smothered fried chicken. And then to top things off, she served the chicken with mashed potatoes. OMG. There just wasn’t any food better in my life in those days than grandma’s smothered chicken. So of course it had to be one of the first things I wanted to learn to build for my own family.

And for years I completely failed at making this simple dish as tasty as my grandmother’s. Until the day I realized I was not starting with the same product. Grandma started with a fresh (and I do mean fresh), grain fed chicken fried in butter. (Home churned butter from our cows.) And then baked in heavy cream, again from our cows. While I was starting with a chicken that was fresh all right. Freshly purchased from our local grocery store! And I’m here to tell you, there is simply no comparing the two, even if in reality they are the same critter.

So for years I beat myself up trying to reproduce grandma’s chicken. Finally I figured it out. And decided that I was going to have to add a whole bunch of flavor to the gravy if I was going to produce anything with any flavor at all. The chickens I was able to obtain were never going to be anywhere near as flavorful as the ones my grandparents raised.  

My recipes for Smothered Fried Chicken and Chicken Paprika are already on this site. And they are darned delicious. But yesterday I wanted to come up with a Southern smothered chicken with a Cajun twist. So I went online and found the bones of this recipe on the Immaculate Bites web site. I did make some changes, but mainly this wonderful recipe is compliments of Imma. So thank you Imma for sharing your wonderful recipe.

Now, this is not a low calorie or carb dish. This is a down home, Southern comfort, diet be damned, treat. And absolutely perfect when what you need is a bit of pampering.

And can’t we all use a healthy dose of pampering right now as we ride out the pandemic, race relation havoc, wild fire and hurricane devastation, not to mention the upcoming presidential election. I think for Mr. C. and me, October is going to be dubbed “Comfort Food Month” here at Chez Carr! At least for this year. Hopefully next October will be another story and we can enjoy our usual restrained eating habits in preparation for the holidays. (Right, as if that ever happens!)  

Anyway, we really enjoyed this chicken dish last evening. I served the chicken with steamed rice and fresh green beans. Absolutely yum.

So as always, look on the bright side of life. And do whatever you can to make life better for not only yourself, but for everyone with whom you come in contact. Your smile might mean the difference between a bad day and a good day for a stranger. Your smile might help someone remember that kindness and courtesy are still the prevailing sentiment in our country. And your smile might remind someone that the essence of decency is still alive and well with the mass majority of US citizens.

Most of us are not racist, or homophobic, or xenophobic, or consider ourselves better than others. Most of us are just trying to live our lives as best we can. So please don’t let a few militants detract you from doing what you know in your heart is the right thing to do.   

I love this quote from Dr. Martin Luther King “Cowardice asks the question – is it safe? Expediency asks the question – is it politic? Vanity asks the question – is it popular? But conscience asks the question – is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it because it is right.”

Peace and love to all.

Frying the Chicken:

1 whole chicken

1 tsp. kosher salt

2-3 tsp. Cajun seasoning, or more to taste

¾ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

pinch cayenne pepper 

½ tsp. paprika

½ tsp. white pepper

1 tsp. granulated onion

1 tsp. dried thyme

2 tsp. granulated garlic

2 T. vegetable oil  

1 T. unsalted butter

1 med. onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, finely minced

Cut the chicken into 8 pieces – 2 thighs, 2 legs, 2 breasts – each cut in half. (I leave the skin on the chicken legs, but remove it from the thighs and breasts.) I use the wings and backs to make the chicken stock for the gravy. (See recipe below.)

Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel, then season both sides with the kosher salt and Cajun seasoning. Whisk the flour, cayenne, paprika, white pepper, granulated onion, dried thyme, and granulated garlic together in a shallow container. Dredge the seasoned chicken in flour mixture until well coated. Shake off excess flour. Save the rest of the seasoned flour.  

Heat oil and butter in a lidded cast iron or heavy skillet over medium heat. (I use my shallow lidded Le Creuset Cast Iron Braiser pan for this recipe.) Fry the chicken on both sides until golden brown. Remove chicken from skillet and place on a plate. (The chicken doesn’t have to be completely done at this point.)

Add the onion to the skillet; sauté until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another minute. Remove onion and garlic to the same plate with the chicken. Do not wash the frying pan.  

Making the Chicken Gravy:

3 T. unsalted butter

3 c. chicken broth, or more as needed (see recipe below)

¾ c. whole milk

Add the butter to the pan. Then add the remainder of the seasoned flour left over from dredging the chicken. Stir with a heavy whisk until it comes together and forms a dry paste. Let cook for a couple minutes over low heat until the roux starts to brown. Stir the whole time. (The darker the roux, the more flavorful the gravy.)

Then very slowly pour in the chicken broth and whisk like crazy. (You don’t want any lumps in your gravy.) And make sure you get every last bit of the stuck on brown stuff on the bottom of the pan. Therein lies a lot of flavor. Then add the milk and cook for about 5 minutes until the gravy is nice and thick. Return the chicken pieces including any juices, onions, and garlic to the pan. Mix all together. Taste the gravy and adjust seasoning. Bring gravy to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover pan and remove from heat.

Bake the chicken and gravy in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Halfway through the baking time, stir the chicken to prevent sticking. Add more chicken stock if the gravy looks too thick. When done, the chicken should be falling off the bone tender. Remove from oven and let sit covered for 5-7 minutes.  

Serve with rice or mashed potatoes and a green veggie or salad.

Please Note: You can use other chicken cuts based on your preference.

Simple Homemade Chicken Stock

4 c. water

1 T. chicken bouillon (I use Better Than Bouillon Chicken base)

wings and back from the cut up chicken

1 lg. carrot, cut into chunks

1 celery stalk, plus leaves – chunked

¼ lg. onion, chunked

1 lg. bay leaf

2 tsp. dried parsley

¼ tsp. dried thyme

¼ tsp. poultry seasoning

freshly ground black pepper

Place in a large covered soup pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for a couple of hours. Use as the broth for this recipe.

BAKED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH SWISS CHEESE AND SPINACH

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So whatever possessed me to ask Mr. C. to pick up some Swiss cheese and a big old container of spinach last time he made a grocery run was both prescient and fortuitous. Because twice this week already, I have wanted to use both ingredients. And there they were. Just waiting to be discovered in my refrigerator.

I used the Swiss cheese in my Shrimp, Sautéed Onion, and Swiss Chard Quiche. And last night I used it in this dish. I sautéed the spinach a couple nights ago as a side veggie, and used it again last evening in this glommed together chicken casserole. So it truly does pay to be well prepared. Even if, as in this case, my having both of these wonderful ingredients on hand can only be attributed to old fashioned blind luck.

But whatever the reason, it was great fun yesterday piecing this dish together. I read a few chicken casserole recipes before starting, but most of them either contained ingredients like cream of chicken soup or stuffing mix that I didn’t have on hand. Or didn’t include ingredients I did have on hand like various kinds of cheese and fresh spinach. So I stopped researching recipes and decided to wing it. And I’m so glad I did. It forced me to invent my own version of a can of condensed cream of chicken soup, and it allowed me to use some more of the fresh spinach and most of my remaining Swiss cheese. And the result? Magnifique!

So if you too would enjoy owning a recipe that features chicken, Swiss cheese, and spinach – I highly recommend this one. It’s quite easy to prepare. And yes, if you must, you can substitute a can of condensed cream of chicken soup and a bit of dry white wine for the first 9 ingredients in this recipe.  

Since the first 9 ingredients are basically the equivalent of undiluted cream of chicken soup, I replicated the recipe at the bottom of this post in case you would like to print it as a stand-alone recipe. It is really tasty and would be a fine substitute in any recipe calling for a can of C of C soup. I also posted my Condensed Cream of Mushroom soup recipe, just in case you might want to make your own C C of M soup rather than opening a can.

Since I am being magnanimous today, I am going to spare you my thoughts concerning our current government leaders, racist idiots, bigots, gun freaks, maskless morons, and other groups of people who absolutely do not meet my non-prejudicial, accurate, and reasonable assessment of their value in today’s society. In other words – it’s your lucky day!

As always, peace and love to all.

8 T. (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided

6 T. flour

¼ tsp. seasoned salt, plus a pinch more for topping

freshly ground black pepper

lg. pinch granulated garlic

lg. pinch granulated onion

1 c. chicken stock or 1 c. water and 1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base

½ c. whole milk or ¼ c. heavy cream, ¼ c. water  

¼ c. dry white wine

2 lg. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half, then sliced in half again lengthwise (you want all the chicken to be about the same thickness)  

2 c. roughly chopped fresh spinach

generous 1/8-inch thick slices Swiss cheese (enough to cover the chicken pieces)

1 c. Panko bread crumbs

In a small sauce pan, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter over medium low heat. Add the flour and whisk together to make a roux. Add the ¼ teaspoon seasoned salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and granulated onion. Add the chicken broth, milk, and white wine. Whisk together to smooth out the lumps, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. (The sauce will be very thick. That’s what you want. And it can be made ahead.)  

Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish or 8×10-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Place chicken pieces in pan in a single layer, top with the raw spinach, and then the Swiss cheese slices. Smooth the sauce evenly over all. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the topping.

To make the Panko topping, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small pan. Remove from heat. Add the Panko bread crumbs and a pinch of seasoned salt; stir to combine.    

After the 45 minutes of baking time, remove from oven and evenly sprinkle the Panko topping over the casserole. (I turn on my ovens convection option at this time to help brown the Panko topping.)

Bake another 15 minutes, remove from oven, and let sit for about 5 minutes before serving. I served the chicken last evening with seasoned brown rice (see recipe below) and steamed fresh green beans. Made for a lovely meal.

SEASONED BROWN RICE (made in a rice cooker)

1 c. brown rice

1¾ c. water

¼ tsp. seasoned salt, or more to taste

freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

Throw everything in your rice cooker. Set the rice cooker on GO. Takes about an hour.

CONDENSED CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP (homemade version = roughly 1 can)

6 T. (¾ stick) unsalted butter

6 T. flour

¼ tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

lg. pinch granulated garlic

lg. pinch granulated onion

1 c. chicken stock or 1 c. water and 1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base

½ c. whole milk or ¼ c. heavy cream, ¼ c. water  

¼ c. dry white wine

In a small sauce pan, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter over medium low heat. Add the flour and whisk together to make a roux. Add the seasoned salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and granulated onion. Add the chicken stock, milk, and white wine. Whisk together to smooth out the lumps, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. (The sauce will be very thick. That’s what you want. And it can be made ahead.)

CONDENSED CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP (homemade version = roughly 1 can)

3 T. unsalted butter

½ c. chopped button mushrooms, or mushrooms of choice

3 T. flour

¼ tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

pinch granulated onion  

pinch granulated garlic

¼ – ½ tsp. dried mushroom powder*, opt., but really makes a difference

1½ c. whole milk

1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base
 

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the chopped mushrooms. Sauté slowly until the mushroom start to brown.  

Add the flour and whisk together to make a roux. (If it feels like a little more butter would be nice, add a bit.) Add the seasoned salt, pepper, granulated onion, granulated garlic, and ¼ teaspoon of the dried mushroom powder. (You can always add more mushroom powder when you taste and adjust seasonings later in the recipe if you would like a stronger mushroom flavor.)

Slowly whisk in the milk and vegetable base. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and adjust seasoning as required. Use in any recipe calling for an a can of cream of mushroom soup.

* Dried Mushroom Powder: Can be purchased online or you can make mushroom powder at home. Start with any type of dried mushrooms. Place in your blender or spice grinder and let it whirl. (My spice grinder is an inexpensive coffee grinder dedicated just for the purpose of grinding herbs, spices, and anything other than coffee!)

Store mushroom powder in an airtight container. Great for adding depth of flavor to almost any dish that calls for mushrooms.

   

       

BROCCOLI CHICKEN WITH GREEN ONIONS AND CASHEW NUTS

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I like life to be easy, because I’m basically a simple person at heart. I don’t like conflict, I don’t like snarky people, and some days I don’t like spending hours in my kitchen. And yesterday was one of those days when I was not in the mood to spend hours preparing our evening repast. Plus Mr. C. had a 6:00 pm zoom meeting with the rest of the board members of our HOA (Home Owners Association). Never fun to begin with, but with Covid-19 to consider, and the annual meeting less than 2 months away, there was a long agenda with many important decisions to be made by these valiant members of our community. And since we enjoy a late and leisurely dinner, we decided to postpone dining until after the meeting. So I knew that whatever I was going to serve had to be prepped ahead of time so that it could be cooked and served right after the meeting was over. So what to fix?

First of all I knew that my rice cooker, with its helpful warming function, would keep perfectly cooked rice warm until we were ready to eat. So then, what to go with brown rice?

Since there is rarely a time when I‘m not in the mood for Chinese American food, I decided to fix a chicken and broccoli dish. I desperately needed to use the head of broccoli that had been in our last farm box. Plus I wanted to use some of the chicken thighs that are currently residing in our slowly dying freezer, the demise of which is imminent! So I went online and found the bones of this recipe on the errenskitchen.com site. We enjoyed this dish very much. And it was perfect for this occasion. I had been able to prep everything ahead of time, so that when Mr. C. opened the pocket doors to our den, announcing that the zoom meeting had been adjourned, dinner was on the table within about 10 minutes.

So if you too would benefit from having a recipe for a delightful and easy to prepare chicken and broccoli dish that can be prepped well in advance, you now have a way to make that happen. (The means are up to you.)  

As always, keep smiling, stay positive, and keep cooking delicious and healthy food for yourself and your family. Peace and love to all.

1 lg. head of broccoli, peeled stems and florets cut into bite sized pieces

2 T. vegetable oil, or more if required

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces

2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

4 green onions, sliced  

1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

3 T. Tamari or soy sauce, or more to taste  

2 T. hoisin sauce

6 T. chicken stock

2 T. honey, or more to taste

1 T. water

1 T. cornstarch

⅓ c. roughly chopped cashews

sesame seeds, opt. 

Steam the broccoli until crisp tender. Set aside.

Heat a heavy frying pan over medium heat. Add the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and cook lightly on all sides. (The chicken doesn’t need to be totally cooked at this point.) Remove chicken to a container and set aside. 

Add the sesame oil and additional vegetable oil if necessary to sauté the garlic, green onions, and ginger for 30 seconds.

Add the crushed red pepper flakes, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chicken stock, and honey; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and add the partially cooked chicken and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is reduced by about half.

Whisk the cornstarch and water together and add to the sauce. Add the broccoli and simmer until the broccoli is heated through and the cornstarch has thickened the sauce.  

Stir in the cashews, remove from heat, and lightly sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately. Perfect with steamed brown rice.

    

LEFTOVER CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

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OK, I don’t know about you, but I could eat chicken noodle soup any time of year. And I just happened to have some leftover baked “fried” chicken that once again had been a majestic failure. Oh the chicken was semi-tasty, but the recipe author had promised me that the breading would be crisp and crunchy even though the chicken was baked rather than fried. And he had stated that the spices would really set this chicken apart from every other baked “fried” chicken I had ever prepared or tasted. All I can say to that is – liar, liar!

OK, maybe I didn’t prepare it correctly. But for once I actually followed the instructions. (Perhaps that was my first mistake.) Anyway – I was not happy with the results. So I had a whole passel of not crispy, rather blah tasting “fried” chicken residing in my refrigerator. And if a platter of leftover chicken can manage to look forlorn, this chicken had it down pat! So, what to do?

Well for sure I’m not into throwing chicken away. So I thought about using it in a casserole. But I wasn’t in the mood for a casserole. I know, picky, picky! But I have to be in the mood for a certain food or type of dish before I can really do it justice. Just like with colors.

When I am creating a mosaic object, I have to like the colors I’m using or I simply can’t create the piece. So much so that when my daughter Paula asked me to do a table top for her in purple and green, I just couldn’t do it. Couldn’t make myself work with purple. I did make a table top for her, but it sure didn’t include purple!

Anyway, food is the same way for me. If I don’t like an ingredient, I can’t force myself to use it. And you wonder why I never became a chef! Anyway, I wasn’t into eating a casserole for dinner last evening, but I knew I would totally enjoy a big old bowl of homemade soup. Hence, this recipe.

Now of course this recipe is just like every other chicken noodle soup recipe out there. But I wanted to remind you that just because a recipe doesn’t come out as you envisioned, doesn’t mean that you can’t take what’s left of it, or parts of it, and turn it into something outstanding. (Called making lemonade out of lemons.) (It also doesn’t mean that you can’t dump the whole darn thing and start anew!) And just because one cook likes a dish and is proud enough about it to post it for the entire world to view, doesn’t mean everyone is going to appreciate it as much as they do. Everyone’s taste is different. And everyone’s level of experience in the kitchen is also a consideration on how well any given dish will turn out. So when I wrote liar, liar earlier, it was just for the fun of being able to write it out. (I’ve actually always wanted to yell it at the top of my lungs at someone, but have as yet to lower myself to that level. But it still could happen. I’m getting older after all!) But back to this recipe. (It’s so hard for me to stay on track!)

Like I said, this is just a plain old everyday chicken noodle soup recipe. No fancy ingredients, no special secret to the best soup you will ever taste. Just a good recipe for building a healthy soup using leftover chicken. (Notice I didn’t write that this was going to be the best soup you ever tasted. Absolutely cannot make that statement!)

What I can say however, is that I still plan to never ever wear purple! Because I’ve heard it said that at least in western culture, purple is a symbol of jealousy, deceit, and sadness. In fact, in the 16th century it was the official color of grieving. Even earlier, around 1200, Pope Innocent II made it the official color of repentance. Hence the deceit part. (Because everyone knows that those who must repent are deceitful!) So I plan to forgo deceit too if at all possible. (Now if only those in charge of our country would do the same…….but I digress!!)

So to reiterate: this is a recipe for a good chicken noodle soup, made with healthy ingredients, and at least in my case, a whole lot of love. (That’s always one of the secret ingredients I include in all of my recipes.)

So till next time, stay healthy, stay happy, and stay focused on being the best possible person you can be. Peace and love to all.

2 T. butter

½ onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

2 small carrots, halved then thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 T. chopped fresh parsley, divided

6 c. chicken stock

2 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base

1 bay leaf

¼ tsp. dried thyme

½ tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

½-1 c. frozen petite peas

½ – ¾ lb. leftover chicken, cut into bite sized pieces (no bones, but coating is fine)

2 c. thick egg noodles, cooked al dente 2-3 sliced green onions

Heat the butter in a large, covered soup pot. Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Cook until the veggies begin to soften. Add the garlic cloves and 1 tablespoon of the parsley; cook for 1 minute.

Add the chicken stock, chicken base, bay leaf, dried thyme, seasoned salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover pot, and simmer gently for about 45 minutes or until the carrot pieces are completely tender.

Just before ready to serve, stir in the peas, chicken pieces, remaining fresh parsley, and the al dente noodles. (And no, don’t cook the pasta in the chicken broth. Cook the pasta separately. If you cook the pasta in the soup broth it just adds unnecessary starch to the soup.) Adjust seasoning and discard the bay leaf.

Serve in soup bowls garnished with sliced green onions. Pass oyster or regular saltine crackers.  

CREAMY CHICKEN CHILI

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I don’t know what the weather is like in your part of the world right now, but here on Camano Island its misty moisty and fluctuating around 65 degrees. Not offshore misty, but rather rainy misty. And not really cold, but not warm either. So to my thinking, it’s still soup and chili weather. So I thought about it for a while yesterday morning and decided to serve chili last evening for dinner.

Now just because I wanted chili for dinner, didn’t mean that I wouldn’t appreciate a new take on an old favorite. And one type of chili I had never made before was a chili containing chicken rather than beef or pork. I like chicken. I’ve got chicken in the freezer. So chicken chili it is! Only one problem. I don’t quite know where to begin. So to the internet I proceeded.

And based on the white chicken chili recipe I found on the cookingclassy.com site (with my own adaptations of course), I prepared this really delicious and comforting dish for supper last evening. It was easy to prepare, contained ingredients I had on hand, and was basically a one dish meal. I like one dish meals. But I decided to fancy up the meal a bit, so I made a small plate of nachos to go with the chili. Simple really. Just a layer of tortilla chips, a bit of both sharp cheddar and mozzarella cheese, and a smattering of pickled jalapeño. Bake for 4-5 minutes in a 400 degree oven, and Bob’s your uncle! (And no, I don’t usually use mozzarella cheese in either chili or on nachos. But I didn’t have any Monterey Jack, so I used what I had on hand.)

So if you too would like to serve chili for dinner some evening, but a chili that’s a bit different, give this recipe a try. Want more heat? Add some fresh jalapeño. Don’t have any cannellini beans on hand, use canned chili beans in a sauce like I did last evening. Don’t like beans, leave them out. Don’t like chicken, leave it out too. Wouldn’t matter. The chili would still be delicious.

In any event, stay happy, stay healthy, and keep trying new recipes. I think one of the reasons I am weathering this coronavirus pandemic with all of its ramifications as well as I am, is because I get to try out new recipes, write about my triumphs, and share them with you. You simply don’t know how much it means to me to be able to include you in my life in this very simple way. Peace and love to all.

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

¾-1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite sized chunks

seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

½ c. diced onion

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 c. chicken broth

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies

¾ tsp. cumin

½ tsp. paprika

½ tsp. dried oregano

½ tsp. ground coriander

pinch cayenne pepper

1 c. cooked cannellini beans or 1 can beans of choice  

1 c. corn (frozen, canned, or fresh)

2 oz. (¼ pkg.) cream cheese

1 c. grated mozzarella, Monterey Jack, or other melty white cheese

2-3 green onions, thinly sliced

2 tsp. fresh lime juice, or more to taste

tortilla chips

sliced avocado

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add the chicken. Sprinkle with seasoned salt and pepper. Cook the chicken just until it’s done. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the onion and sauté until soft. Add garlic; cook for one minute.

Add the chicken broth, green chilies, cumin, paprika, oregano, coriander, and cayenne pepper. Bring mixture just to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes.

Add the beans, corn, and cooked chicken. Bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, green onions, and lime juice. Adjust seasoning.

Serve in soup bowls with tortilla chips and avocado passed at table.

Note: If you have leftover chicken, by all means use it in this dish. Add it along with the beans and corn as instructed in the recipe.   

   

CREAMY PESTO, SPINACH, AND LEFTOVER CHICKEN PASTA

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The other evening I was hungry for pasta. Mr. C. had just been to our local grocery store and brought home a bag of living potted basil and I still had some leftover chicken from the roasted chicken I had fixed a couple nights before. (Search Brined Oven Roasted Whole Chicken if you want to read about the chicken I used in this recipe.) So I thought to myself, a pasta dish with pesto and cooked chicken might just make for a pretty darn good meal. So to my computer I scurried in search of the perfect pasta recipe.

Based on a recipe I found on the budgetbytes.com site, I fashioned this dish to accommodate the ingredients I not only had on hand, but I knew we would both enjoy. But I over-achieved. The pasta was very flavorful, but a bit too rich for our older metabolisms. So the recipe you find below is the result of the cut-backs I made in behalf of all of our digestive tracts!

I reduced the amount of pesto I used originally (pesto is actually very rich), substituted whole milk for heavy cream, and said good-by to any sign of cream cheese in the mixture. I also decided that next time I served this pasta dish, there would be no extra Parmesan on the table. Simply not necessary. (The girl can learn!)

Now that I have dissed this dish to the point where you have probably decided it will never grace your dining table, let me tell you how good it is. Seriously, we really liked the flavor, it was fairly simple to prepare, and a very good way to use up leftover chicken. The first iteration was simply too rich for our older tummies. So don’t be afraid. If you love pesto, perfectly cooked pasta, and chicken – you are going to love this dish. Scouts honor!

Until next time, stay happy, stay healthy, and always remember these sage words from Tom Lehrer. “Life is like a piano. What you get out of it depends on how you play it.”  So play on dear readers, play on!

¾ c. mashed down fresh basil, plus more for garnish

½ c. finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 lg. garlic clove, minced, divided

4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 T. unsalted butter

¼ c. finely chopped onion

½ c. chicken broth

¼ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1 c. whole milk

2 lightly packed c. chopped fresh spinach

8 oz. penne pasta cooked al dente (save some of the water)

1-2 c. bite sized pieces of cooked chicken breasts or thighs

For the pesto: Combine the basil, ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese, half of the minced garlic, and olive oil in a food processor. Whirl until the basil is chopped. (You don’t want to make a paste.) Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large fry pan. Add the onion and sauté until soft. Add the remaining minced garlic; cook for 1 minute.

Add the chicken broth and cook until the pan is almost dry. Add the salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, milk, and pesto. Stir and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens a bit. Add the remaining ¼ cup of grated Parmesan and stir until combined.

Add the spinach, al dente pasta, and cooked chicken. Cook until the spinach is wilted and the chicken is hot. If the sauce appears dry, add a bit of the pasta cooking water. Taste and adjust seasoning. Garnish with basil leaves. Serve immediately.

Note: as always – don’t cook your pasta ahead of time. Pasta is absolutely at its very best when you have cooked it just until al dente, transferred it directly to the sauce with a slotted spoon, and taken big bites of it within a few short minutes. You just gotta trust me on this.

BRINED OVEN ROASTED WHOLE CHICKEN

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Several weeks ago, I read that there might be a shortage of chickens coming down the pike. So I decided to be proactive and order a “couple” whole chickens, some boneless skinless breasts, and some boneless skinless thighs from a local custom meat packer. Great, no problem. I ordered, Mr. C. picked up the order, and we tucked our newly purchased provisions safely into our freezer. Feeling terribly smug for being so on top of things, I conveniently forgot about the whole chickens until the day before yesterday. (I hardly ever bake a whole chicken, so I don’t usually buy whole chickens. But for some unknown reason, I must have felt that in so doing so, I was being especially well organized pre-planning for every eventuality.) And I was right! However, the eventuality turned out to be that I would completely forget about these whole birds until my memory was jogged by looking at a piece of paper.

You see, Mr. C., being the well-organized person that he is, actually keeps a list of the contents of our freezer. And there on the list under the heading “Chicken” appeared the words Whole Chickens – 4. Four?!?! What in the heck had I been thinking when I placed my order? A mini Armageddon was imminent? Chickens everywhere would be escaping their confines and running amuck in the suburbs? What?? I could understand me ordering 1 whole chicken. Maybe even two. But four? Crazy! Anyway, I decided after checking the list that perhaps I’d better get on the stick and actually use one of the chickens I had so zealously ordered. So that’s just what I did.

Now I am a great fan of brining or salt (dry) brining whole turkeys. And I had read that brining chickens also insured succulent meat. So off I went to research recipes. And this brining recipe that I found on the dinneratthezoo.com site is absolutely perfect. The chicken skin browned beautifully and was super delicious, and the meat was tender, juicy, and flavorful. Everything anyone could ask for in a baked chicken. (Tonight some of the chicken breast meat is going to be featured in a chicken Caesar salad. Yum. I can hardly wait!)

So next time you want to bake a whole chicken, give this recipe a try. It does require that you start the process the day before you plan to eat the bird. But it’s worth the effort. And because we enjoyed the chicken so much last evening, I am truly glad I have 3 more whole birdies in my freezer. So maybe I wasn’t so crazy after all. Only time will tell.

So as always, stay safe, stay sane, and make a difference. I leave you with this quote from Maya Angelou:

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.

Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible.

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.

I know why the caged bird sings.

Nothing will work unless you do.

Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.

You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.

You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lines. You may trod me in the very dirt, but still, like dust, I’ll rise.”

Brining the Chicken:

8 c. water

½ c. kosher salt (do not use table salt)

¼ c. honey

3 dried bay leaves

5 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped   

1 T. whole black or multi-colored peppercorns

3 sprigs fresh rosemary or 2 tsp. dried rosemary

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves or ½ tsp. dried thyme leaves

1 T. chopped fresh parsley or 1 tsp. dried

2 lemons sliced

3-4 lb. whole chicken (as much fat removed as possible)

Place the water, salt, honey, bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme, parsley, and lemon slices in a large nonreactive pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 3-4 minutes or until the salt has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Add the chicken to the cooled brine. Make sure the chicken is completely submerged. Cover the pot and refrigerate for 8-24 hours.

Baking the Chicken:

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

freshly ground black pepper

Four hours before roasting, remove the chicken from the brine and rinse with cool water; pat dry with paper towels inside and out. Place the brined bird on a small rimmed baking sheet and return to the refrigerator to air-dry, uncovered, for about 3 hours. Remove from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees at this time.

Slather the chicken with the melted butter and generously season inside and out with pepper. Place the chicken on a rack set inside a low sided roasting pan. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine.  Roast on the middle rack for about 70-80 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh meat (away from the bone) registers 170 degrees. Note: After about 30 minutes, check to see if the skin is getting too brown. If so, loosely cover with aluminum foil.

When the chicken is done, remove from oven and let chicken sit, loosely tented with aluminum foil, for at least 15 minutes before carving.

  

BAKED CHICKEN WITH SOUR CREAM AND MUSHROOMS

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OK, before you get all hot and bothered about the can of cream of mushroom (c. of m.) soup used in this recipe, let me just say that I stopped buying cream of mushroom soup by the case after my kids were all out of the house. But as a working mother, c. of m. soup really came in handy. And to this day, I always have at least one can in my pantry. Why you ask, when it’s so easy to build a white sauce? Well, in case you are new to reading my blog, you know that on occasion I welcome a little help as much as the next cook. And of more importance, some of my favorite recipes, like this decades old standby, are perfect as written. So who am I to choose culinary purity over recipe integrity?

And yes I understand there are unpronounceable ingredients in canned c. of m. soup. But I probably only use c. of m. soup a couple times a year. So don’t bother writing me defending your choice to never use this scary ingredient laden product. I understand your position. But I’m going to pigheadedly ignore the facts and stick to my guns on this one. (Hey – if our political leaders can ignore facts, and crazy people can bear arms, I feel it’s acceptable for me to defend my use of c. of m. soup on a very sporadic basis!)

Anyway, now that I have explained myself, I can get back to telling you about this great dish. It’s really easy to prepare. And it tastes like you have been slaving in the kitchen for hours. And it’s comfort food to the max. And it’s company worthy. (When it’s once again safe and sane to entertain guests, that is!) So now’s the time to make this delightful chicken dish in preparation for serving it to guests in (hopefully) the near future.

As always – stay safe, stay positive, and who knows? Maybe someday food scientists will discover that disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate are actually good for us!  

And sorry about no picture. Some days I just space out on parts of my duty as keeper of the blog. I blame it on my age.

8 pieces of chicken (boneless, skinless thighs or halved breasts)

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 c. sour cream

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1/3 c. chicken broth or water

1 can cream of mushroom soup

8-10 sliced button or cremini mushrooms

paprika (Hungarian sweet paprika is best for this dish)

Place chicken in a shallow, lightly buttered baking dish. Lightly sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Whisk the sour cream, lemon juice, chicken broth, and soup together. Stir in the mushrooms.

Pour evenly over the chicken. Sauce should coat and almost cover the pieces. Sprinkle generously with paprika.

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 90 minutes or until the chicken pieces are done and the top is lightly browned.

Great served with Simple Baked Rice Pilaf (recipe on site) and a steamed green veggie. A nice chilled Semillon is also perfect with this meal.