JBug's Kitchen Antics

Artichoke Chicken Salad

When you've a very hungry man to feed or even a gaggle of ladies from the bridge club, then here's a super solution to have on hand for a quick summer spread. 

Not your usual chicken salad, this one's extended by using that old San Francisco treat - Rice a Roni. Not something I ordinarily have in my cupboard, when I saw this recipe in a Junior League Cookbook, Saint Louis Souvenirs, I was intrigued enough to give it a go.

Prepared Rice A Roni is spiced up a touch with marinated artichoke hearts, green onions, red and green peppers and roughly chopped black olives and chicken of course. 

The recipe called for poached chicken, but I figured a little flavor boost was in order so kicked ours up a notch by grilling the butterflied breasts for more even cooking, then brushing them with some of our kicky kumquat marmalade. While that may be a stretch for some of you, I figure the same flavors could be achieved mixing orange marmalade with a little triple sec and a chopped up habanero pepper. Brushed on the chicken at the very end of the grilling time, I also mixed some of the marmalade into a mixture of mayonnaise and sour cream to dress the salad. 

We were both surprised by how delicious this salad is; in fact it's so tasty, it had my hungry man going back for seconds and there's a bunch left for lunch today too. It makes a ton, so be prepared to enjoy some leftovers but I don't think they'll hang around for long. 

Incidentally if you're stuck at the thought of using a whole habanero pepper for the glaze, they're really not as hot as you think they are. Carefully remove the seeds and ribs and you'll lose a huge part of the fire in the pepper. As well, the smaller the mince, the hotter the glaze so leave bigger chunks and you'll cut the heat even more. Of course if you're really worried about your glaze being too spicy, you can always substitute jalapeno or serrano's too but I'll have to call you a pansy if you do. Just sayin'. 

Artichoke Chicken Salad (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Saint Louis Souvenirs)

The Salad:

1 package chicken flavored Rice a Roni

1 – 12 ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained

4 green onions, chopped

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1 large can large pitted black olives, roughly chopped

Cook Rice a Roni according to package directions and cool. Combine with artichoke hearts, green onions, green and red pepper and black olives and refrigerate until needed.

Glaze:

2/3 cup orange marmalade

2 tablespoons triple sec (optional)

1 habanero chopped pepper, seeds and veins removed

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and heat in the microwave until marmalade has melted and mixture is hot. Set aside. Reserve 3 tablespoons of mixture for salad dressing.

The Chicken:

3 large chicken breasts washed and dried

Salt and pepper

Butter flavored cooking spray

Butterfly chicken breasts or pound to an even thickness. Season well with salt and pepper on both sides and spray liberally with cooking spray. Heat gas grill until very hot and carefully place chicken on grill. Lower temperature to medium low, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Flip chicken over, cover and cook for additional 4 minutes. Brush chicken with glaze and cook for an additional minute or until chicken is done. Remove to a plate and refrigerate until cold.

Salad Dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons orange/habanero glaze

Mix ingredients together and refrigerate until needed.

To serve – pile salad on plate and arrange sliced chicken over top. Top with a couple of spoonfuls of the dressing. Serves 6 to 8. 

A year ago - Sausage Meatloaf with Lemon and Parmesan

Two year's ago - Ziti with Pancetta and Fresh Tomatoes  

Whip Lash Chicken

Bet that got your attention. Kinda' got mine too. This chicken dish is courtesy of Grand Slam, More Recipes from the Best of Bridge Ladies and although the cookbook's been on my shelf since it came out in 1988, it's the first time I've made the dish.  My loss for sure!

I pretty well followed the recipe as far as ingredients go - sliced onions, green pepper and mushrooms, lots of oregano, crushed red peppers and sriracha, but I changed the method and instead of making a casserole, we did a quick stir fry.

The thing that gives this chicken dish it's name is a simple 3 ingredient peanut sauce that comes together very quickly thanks to an immersion blender. Who'd think a combination of diced canned tomatoes, peanut butter and a smidge of chicken bouillon be so darn good; in fact that's where it earns the name "Whiplash" because once the surprising taste hits your taste buds, hold on to your head! 

Excellent with chicken, it would be just as tasty with almost any protein including shrimp or pork, especially served with rice and some TJ's Chinese Vegetables. By the way, instead of using a packet or cube of dried chicken base, I tried one of Swanson's newest products "Flavor Boost" and believe me it's definitely worth the purchase. I really like the authentic chicken flavor and ease of use and no, they're not paying for my comments or opinions. It's a great product!

Whiplash Chicken – aka Chicken in a Peanut Sauce (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Grand Slam, More Recipes from the Best of Bridge)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

1 large onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings

1 large green pepper, cut into thin strips

2 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 to 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper (depending on your spice index)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon Sriracha (or Tabasco)

1 – 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

2/3 cup smooth peanut butter

2 teaspoons dried instant chicken bouillon (I used 1 package Swanson’s Flavor Boost)

1-1/2 pounds chicken tenders or chicken breast, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces

1/4 cup cornstarch

Salt and pepper

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large sauté pan and heat until shimmering. Add first 8 ingredients and stir fry until vegetables are tender crisp. Remove to a bowl and set aside. Return wok to heat and add remaining oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper and coat in cornstarch, shaking off excess. Fry in batches in hot wok until browned on all sides. When chicken is browned, return vegetables to pan. Using an immersion or regular blender, combine undrained tomatoes, peanut butter and chicken bouillon and puree until smooth. Add sauce to wok. Bring mixture to a simmer, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve over rice. Makes 4 to 6 servings. 

A year ago - A Six Sided Burger

Two year's ago - Rhuberry Pie

Party Hearty

Cooking for a crowd can be a challenge but you can make it easier on yourself by simply choosing the right menu. Many's the time I've stressed myself out by planning dishes that needed last minute care and attention but Monday night's menu was darn near perfect, if I do say so myself.

Composed of dishes that for the most part could be made in advance, we rounded out the appetizer menu by making a huge container of the Loaded Baked Potato Dip we tried Super Bowl Sunday from myrecipes.com. While I found it more spreadable than dip-able and a trifle lacking in flavor the first time I made it, this time I added a cup of prepared buttermilk ranch dressing along with a half package of dry ranch mix to loosen the dip up a tad and add more zip. Hit the link at myrecipes.com for the recipe but remember to doctor it up a bit. Served with some of those fabulous tiny iddy biddy potatoes that were roasted in advance and simply warmed up, it was an incredibly delicious and popular appetizer. Perfect "crowd" food!

As for the main course, Big Guy put a couple of huge sirloin roasts on the Weber rotisserie and sliced them up to serve cold. Here they are in all their glory just off the barbecue and resting before being sliced.

The other entree choice was this fabulous Spicy Chicken with Apricots and Olives, courtesy of Noble Pig. Loaded with all manner of spices including cinnamon, cumin and smoked paprika it's the kind of dish that's ideal for entertaining because the chicken marinates for 24 hours before hitting the oven.

The incredible aroma and exotic flavor is darn near enough to make you want to catch the next flight to Morocco...but the good news is you don't have to! You can make this right at home. Incidentally, I multiplied the recipe by 6 and used 10.5 pounds of skinless boneless chicken thighs, which was about perfect for 40 people, give or take when served beside a big bowl of couscous with lemon, olive oil, fresh mint and toasted pistachio nuts. 

The rest of the main course was balanced by a huge tossed salad as well as our favorite marinated asparagus salad you've seen here several times before. We also whipped up perfect for a crowd pickled onion salad that's another gem from the past. Simply thinly sliced yellow onions marinated overnight in a sugar, vinegar, water mixture, the salad is finished by draining the pickling mixture from the onions and tossing them with sour cream and celery seeds. It is a perfect crunchy kinda' sweet tart accompaniment to thinly sliced roast beef and great on a sandwich or a burger and topping a bowl of beef with barbecue sauce like you'll see pictured below. Hey we had leftovers last night for dinner - see!

 

As for dessert, well you'll just have to hold your horses and come back tomorrow! Believe me, it'll be worth a return visit. 

Pickled Onion Salad (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from the Best of the Best, Best of Bridge Series Cookbooks)

4 large yellow onions, sliced very thin

1-1/2 cups white vinegar

1-1/2 cups water

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

Combine above ingredients in a large glass bowl or jar and marinate overnight. Before serving, pour mixture into a colander and drain liquid from onions, pressing out some of the liquid with a spoon to leave the onions relatively dry. Mix onions with

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon celery salt

Serve cold with sliced beef, roast beef sandwiches or it’s great on a burger too. 

A year ago - Creamy Roasted Potato Salad

Two year's ago - Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers 

Braised Duck Legs with Port and Cranberries

We're less than 8 weeks away from our annual trip north to the Oregon coast so I've been doing a little freezer diving lately. Last night's find happened to be two lovely duck legs with thighs intact which kinda' got the salivary glands in action. You all know how we love our duck!

A quick review of the pantry yielded an almost full bottle of tawny port along with some dried cranberries so I thought why not! Inspired by a previous recipe we'd used from Alice Waters, I simply sauteed some shallots and a carrot, added a little parsley, thyme, bay leaf and lots of black pepper, then added the duck to the pan along with some port and chicken stock and it hit the oven for 30 minutes. Flipped to skin side up, the legs were joined by dried cranberries and a good handful of diced pancetta along with a little more port and stock, then returned to the oven for another hour. 

The result incredibly delicious moist and tender bird with a pan sauce to beat all pan sauces, absolutely perfect for a bed of mashed potatoes. We'll be experimenting a little more often if it results in stellar food like this one. 

Well other than busy, I'm not too sure what kind of a day this is going to be but I'm convinced it's going to improve enormously. It started out with me running right smack into a big cactus which rather gives the word "prickly" a whole new meaning if you get my drift. It's a good thing I was wearing a hat but still I'll be picking spines out of my head for a good bit of the day. Yowza' - talk about a wake up call!

Braised Duck Legs with Port and Cranberries (from JBug's Kitchen inspired by Alice Waters)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large shallots, diced

1 carrot, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

6 sprigs fresh parsley, leaves only

1 bay leaf

2 to 4 duck legs (drums and thighs attached)

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

1 cup dried cranberries

3/4 cup Tawny Port

3 ounces pancetta, chopped

1-1/2 cups chicken broth (or more as needed)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425. In a large cast iron or other oven proof skillet heat olive oil until shimmering. Add shallots and carrot and sauté, stirring constantly until softened – about 4 minutes. Add thyme, parsley, bay leaf and cook, stirring an additional few minutes until vegetables are starting to brown. Meanwhile, trim excess fat from duck legs, wash and dry well. Season liberally with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Move vegetables to the edges of the pan and place duck legs, skin side down into pan. Add Port and chicken stock and heat until bubbling. (Liquid should be to a depth of 1 inch, so add more stock as needed). Place skillet into the oven and roast for 30 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and flip duck legs so they’re skin side up. Add the diced pancetta and cranberries. Check the liquid level and add more to maintain level to 1 inch. Return skillet to the oven, lower heat to 325 and cook for additional 1-1/2 to 2 hours until duck is tender and skin is dark brown and crisp. Skim accumulated fat from surface of pan and refrigerate for another use. Serve duck legs on a bed of mashed potatoes, and top with some pan sauce. Makes 2 to 4 servings. 

 

Chicken Paillard with Creamy Parmesan Salad

Imagine a lovely chunk of cluck breast pounded down to a mere half inch thickness and coated in crisp panko crumbs then fried quickly in a hot pan and topped with a peppery arugula salad. Garnished with tomatoes, iddy biddy boccancini balls as well as lots of shaved parmesan and dressed with a creamy version of caesar dressing, it was a perfect hot night in Tucson dinner.

Big Guy cooked up this recipe from the other stud muffin, Tyler Florence and believe you me, it tastes absolutely divine especially to someone who had spent the afternoon making whoopie pies and would rather have "whine" for dinner. Instead I got to watch with a glass of cool pinot gris in hand. Bonus!

With encouragement from the peanut gallery, Big Guy made a few changes to the recipe to bring up the flavor quotient by adding Dijon mustard to the egg wash for the chicken, as well as some to the dressing mix along with a little steak sauce. He would have used Worcestershire but I thought I was doing us all a big favour and bought the no-name brand instead of Lea and Perrins. It is without question not worth the pennies saved. 

Anyway, here's the link the Tyler's version at Foodnetwork.com and listed below is ours. It's another winner you'll want to place onto your regular rotation quick like. 

Chicken Paillard with an Arugula Caesar Salad (adapted from Tyler Florence, foodnetwork.com)

1 large chicken breast or two small

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 egg whites plus 1 whole egg

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 cups panko crumbs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

Cut chicken breast in half lengthwise, partially butterfly then pound to a half inch thickness between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Whisk egg whites and whole egg together then whisk in Dijon mustard. Place flour and panko on two separate plates. Season chicken well with salt and pepper, then dip into flour, coating all sides and shaking off excess. Coat with egg then panko, pressing panko crumbs onto each breast so crumbs adhere. Allow to sit for a minimum 10 minutes before proceeding to give coating a chance to dry slightly. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat until oil is shimmering. Fry chicken in batches for approximately 2 minutes per side or until golden brown on the outside and just barely cooked. Remove from pan to a wire rack placed over a sheet pan then season again with salt.

Salad Dressing:

2 anchovy fillets

2 egg yolks

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon steak sauce or Worcestershire sauce

Juice of 2 lemons

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place anchovies, egg yolks, garlic, mustard, Worcestershire and lemon juice into a blender and blend until well combined. With the motor running slowly add olive oil and process until dressing is creamy. Add grated parmesan and salt and pepper. Set aside.

Salad:

1 cup grape tomatoes cut into halves

1/2 bag fresh arugula, washed and dried well

8 oz. container of boccancini (marinated in olive oil) drained

Shaved parmesan and lemon wedges (optional) for garnish

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

Toss salad ingredients together lightly. To serve, place chicken paillard on a plate. Top with generous serving of salad, then drizzle with dressing. Garnish with parmesan cheese and lemon wedges if using. Pass the salt and pepper. Makes 4 servings.

A year ago - Nacho Pie on Corn Black Bean Salad 

Two year's ago - Asian Chicken Salad

BBQ Turkey on a Bun

Late night dinners are a whole different ball game around here. I don't know about you, but I have a hard time eating a heavy meal then going to bed and expecting to sleep. Of course sleep is rather fleeting around here this week anyway with the Maxer doing his seizure dance, but if I were going to catch some zzz's, I'd be hard pressed to do it after a heavy meal. 

 
Last night's dinner sure wasn't rocket science but it filled the void, was quick to make and filling but not the stuff kind of filling and rather tasty too. This sandwich is simply shredded leftover turkey, moistened with chicken stock and slathered in barbecue sauce on a grilled bun. That's it, that's all - except for the red onion, red cabbage slaw of course.

No mayo in this one - just the sharp bite of red wine vinegar and a 2 hour room temperature marination  and the crispy relish was ready as a true crowning glory on our sandwiches. Accompanied by some cold crisp crudites and sweet potato chips, we were sufficiently suffcified. 

In case you're wondering what's happening with the kitchen renovations, the new granite was installed  with a couple of hitches that need to be resolved which may mean the third time we go through this exercise. Believe me, it's not that I'm fussy ...just the guy that cut the granite must have been into the tequila because it's out almost a half inch on one side meaning there's a big enough gap between the granite and the wall that our backsplash tile isn't likely to cover.

The plumber has also been and gone. We've a new sink with actual running water in the kitchen, except the water is also running UNDER the sink so of course the plumber will have to come back to fix it and to pick up the faucet wrench he left behind. Oh, speaking of faucets, the faucet is too tall so we can't open the plantation shutters or the window for that matter so it's safe to say our string of bad luck is still rolling along. When I picked the darn thing I took that into account but apparently when they supply measurements, they only include the distance to the top of the faucet, not including the handle.

If you think that's all, you'd be wrong. Our precious wine fridge that has the dual duty of curing pancetta and storing wine was built into the island - in fact, the island was designed around the darn thing. The only problem is the fridge doesn't like its new location, even though the manual says it can be used as a built in or stand alone refrigerator. Needless to say, we now need to purchase a new wine cooler or find something else to do with the huge gap in the island. 

Oh and update on Max, he still doing the shaky dance - 14 and counting since Sunday night and we're working hard to get them under control but failing miserably. He's had enough valium to sink a battleship and if he's not careful his Momma will be stealing some ... I might have thought about it before now if it weren't for the fact they're suppositories. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Do I hear anyone laughing?

I can honestly say if I didn't know any better, one would think there's a curse on us. On a positive note - I love our new kitchen especially the cabinets and really love the pot drawers we added to replace cupboard doors. They're absolutely amazing and make the kitchen much more efficient!

BBQ Turkey Sandwiches (adapted from Bon Appetit)

Slaw:

1 small red onion, cut into very thin slices

1 cup shredded red cabbage

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and store at room temperature for a minimum 2 hours, then chill until serving.

 

Sandwiches:

4 panini rolls

Butter

1 pound cooked turkey

1 cup barbecue sauce ( I used honey flavored)

1/4 cup white wine or low sodium chicken stock

Tear or cut turkey into small shreds and place in a sauté pan along with barbecue sauce and wine. Heat slowly to a simmer, stirring often. Cut Panini rolls in half and butter well. Toast buttered side down on a hot grill. To serve arrange a generous amount of turkey mixture on grilled bun and top with slaw mixture. Makes 4 servings.

A year ago - Bacon and Blue Mac and Cheese 

Spicy Peanut Curry Noodles with Vegetables

I know my whining about not having a fully functioning kitchen must be getting as annoying to you as it is to me. It rather limits the dinner choices to the more simple foods, and draining pasta can be a real drag when you don't have a kitchen sink. With all of that said, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and give in to the odd craving.

For example, on my recent hour spent viewing Fine Cooking's web site for new ideas I came across a recipe for Spicy Peanut Noodles which although it looked rather delicious, reminded me of a fabulous recipe I'd made previously thanks to Mary at One Perfect Bite for noodles with a curried peanut sauce. It was out of sight, so I figured I'd just combine the two and come up with my own semi-original super delicious version.

Isn't that what cooking's all about anyway? Experimentation often gives way to some fabulous discoveries. I hope this particular bowl of yummyness doesn't get the kitchen police after me for combining a bunch of Asian flavors. Check out the recipe and you'll see what I mean.

Spicy Curried Peanut Noodles with Ground Chicken and Vegetables

(Inspired and adapted from recipes from finecooking.com and One Perfect Bite)

Sauce:

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 cup light coconut milk

Juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1-1/2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (more or less to taste)

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine above ingredients in a small saucepan and heat, stirring constantly until sauce comes together. Set aside.

1 – 10 ounce package of Chinese Noodles (I used Annie Chun Chow Mein Noodles)

1 tablespoon olive oil

3/4 pound ground chicken (or ground pork)

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce

1 jalapeno sliced

1/2 small zucchini cut into julienned strips

3 mini peppers, assorted colors, julienned

Grated carrots

Several sprigs of fresh mint, chopped

3 large fresh basil leaves, chopped

Fresh limes, Chopped Nuts

Cook Chinese noodles per package directions and drain well. Meanwhile heat sauté pan over medium heat and olive oil. When shimmering add ground chicken and cook stirring constantly until no longer pink. Add ginger, garlic and sweet chili sauce. Cook for additional 2 minutes.

Add drained noodles and prepared sauce to chicken and toss to coat well. Serve in bowls and sprinkle with jalapeno, zucchini, peppers, and carrots. Garnish with chopped mint and basil. Serve with lime wedges.  Makes 4 to 6 servings.

A year ago - Stuffed Eggplant

Two year's ago - Crispy Parmesan Chicken Drumettes 

 

Chicken Wings Times Two

The Big Guy's birthday request this year was pretty easy to accomplish. He could have asked for something exotic that I don't like to make like beef cheeks, fried oysters or boiled cow tongue but he didn't. Thankfully! He merely wanted a feast of wings and an extra dry gin martini, stirred not shaken and a giant serving of tiramisu.

Because the request was so easy, I took it upon myself to come up with a couple of different versions of wings and that's when I had a brilliant idea. Use the same method of cooking the little bird appendages - in our case a simply dusting with salt, pepper and cayenne, then a roll in cornstarch and a good long settle before they hit the deep fryer and then the sky's the limit as far as sauce ideas. Incidentally I hooked up the electric fryer outside on the patio so I wouldn't wreck my new kitchen cupboards and cooked each batch of wings for 10 minutes a piece.  

In our case, the chicken dippin' sauces included an orange sauce adapted from Annie's Eats that I had made previously using lemon as the citrus of choice, along with our own "Multicultural" wing sauce that's got a little heat to it; however, you could use just about anything to dip those little crispy nuggets of chicken goodness into like say the Neely's burger sauce we had last week, or simple purchased barbecue sauce or even a mix of Buffalo wing sauce. Heck you could even make the General Tao sauce we made here, or whatever.

Arranged in a basket with the two sauces as dippers, it's a perfect way to satisfy a multitude of wing lover's taste buds, never mind cooking up a bunch of wings, freezing them on a sheet pan then transferring them to a zip bag for storage could really solve the problem when a crew of people show up to watch the hockey game on TV. Heck, pull the wings out of the freezer, heat 'em up and whip up a sauce and they'll all think you're a magician. 

We haven't tried freezing the wings before so I'm not sure how crispy they'll be after a warm up in the oven, but I'll let you know, OK? We'll be doing this again PDQ. For sure I know they're darned delicious even without a sauce. 

JBug’s Basic Chicken Wings an original from  JBug’s Kitchen

3 pounds chicken drumettes (about 24 pieces)

Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper

Cayenne pepper

1 cup cornstarch

Oil for frying

Wash chicken under running water and dry well using paper towels. Season all sides with salt and pepper and sprinkle liberally with cayenne pepper. Coat in cornstarch and set aside to dry for a minimum of 10 minutes before frying.

Meanwhile heat 1 quart of oil in deep fryer to 375. Fry wings for 10 minutes in batches. Drain on racks over a sheet pan. Serve with sauce of your choice.

A year ago - Easy Cheesy Chicken and Noodles

Two year's ago - Seafood Pie with Phyllo Crust

Chicken Risotto with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Olives and Capers

Risotto is our "go to" meal when we're needing something exceedingly delicious and relatively quick, never mind it is a dish than can easily be accomplished with a drink in hand. Drinks were a definite requirement last night, although I'll admit I was doing the drinking while Big Guy whipped up the risotto.

Flavored with pancetta, onion and garlic along with fresh and oil packed sun dried tomatoes, salty Greek olives and capers, the real picker upper in this one is the last minute addition of fresh mint. Now one would naturally think basil would be the herb of choice but believe me the mint is a great addition that really perks up the flavor of this bowl of creamy deliciousness.

The recipe's adapted from John Ash's "From the Earth to the Table" Cookbook although his version is vegetarian. You know in our house we must have meat so you'll see our adaptation below; however, don't shy away from picking up the cookbook if you've a chance. It's a real cook's book with not a photo to be found - just fabulous examples of wine country cuisine. (No, I wasn't paid to say this as Chef John Ash has no clue who the heck I am. Big Guy picked up the treasure for me on his last trip to Napa Valley.)

To update you on our "progress" here, that darn Murphy with his law was back to haunt us yesterday although after the weekend we endured it could be argued that he never left. The granite was installed yesterday on our kitchen counters but there were a couple of major screwups.... and if you're smart and thinking I'm still without a sink, you'd be absolutely 100 percent correct. 

The largest piece that was to include the undermount sink just happened to break when it was being installed and so the saga continues. The hunt was on to find another slab that matches what was already in place. If you're not up on granite, from what I can gather in my recent education, it comes in "blocks" that are cut into slabs. Of course among the blocks, there are no two pieces the same because it is a natural stone so color and pattern vary a lot. Needless to say, I was rather particular about the slabs I selected for our kitchen, so the destruction of one is a real tragedy never mind that it's not like bamboo. It doesn't grow on or like trees and the likes of it will never come again. 

The other of the 2 "bookend" slabs I picked had a large starburst pattern of quartz that was unbelievably beautiful and the main reason I had picked that particular stone in the first place. Naturally I requested the slab with the quartz  "star" receive place of honor on the new 8 foot island. That didn't happen either even though the request was marked on the paperwork and I had been VERY explicit in my instructions with the template guy.

To say I'm disappointed is putting it mildly - disappointed, frustrated and worried because we're less than 3 weeks away from a BIG party here (our turn to host the end of season class bash) and I'm still without a fully functioning kitchen. Join me if you will please in a resounding chorus of "Que Sera, Sera - whatever will be, will be..."

Chicken Risotto with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Olives and Capers from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from The Earth to the Table Cookbook Revised Edition, by John Ash)

4 ounces pancetta, finely diced

4 ounces chicken tenders, cut into bite sized pieces

2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil

1 large onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 quart good quality low sodium chicken stock, heated

1 cup mini plum tomatoes, halved

1/3 cup chopped oil packed sun dried tomatoes

1/3 cup kalamata olives

1 tablespoon capers

Small handful mint leaves, torn

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Fresh ground pepper & salt to taste

Heat large sauté pan over medium high heat and cook pancetta until crisp. Remove from pan and set aside. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to sauté pan. Cook, stirring until chicken is cooked through – about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Add oil to pan and when hot, add onion and garlic, cooking until onion is transparent. Stir in Arborio rice and sauté with onions, stirring to coat rice. Set stove timer for 17 minutes, and slowly start adding hot chicken stock a ladle full at a time. Continue stirring risotto, adding stock until rice no longer absorbs stock and is cooked to an al dente stage. Return chicken and pancetta to the pan, along with plum tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives and capers. Stir in white wine and add more stock as necessary for creamy rice. Finish with mint leaves and parmesan cheese. Makes 4 servings. 

A year ago - Chicken Paillards with Asparagus and Pancetta 

Two year's ago - White Chocolate Carousel Cake

Cajun Jambalaya

Big Guy's been after me for a month now to make something with his homemade smoked Andouille sausage so last night I tried it out in a pot of jambalaya. I've got to tell you the sausage is really superb so he's going to have to make another batch and write down his secrets so I can share it all with you.

As for the jambalaya, an Emeril Lagasse recipe via foodnetwork.com, this version starts with the usual trinity of onion, celery and green pepper, and includes copious amount of garlic and bay leaves too along with shrimp and chicken as well as the Andouille sausage I bragged about above.

I know there's at least a b'zillion recipes for jambalaya but I have to say this may be one of my least favorite versions. I should have gone with my instincts and deviated from the recipe but hesitated to do so because after all this is EMERIL; however, the flavors would have been much better had I browned the Andouille pieces till they were kinda' crunchy on the outside and coated the chicken in seasoned flour and browned it too, never mind that I overcooked the darned rice to begin with. Perhaps I'm just being overly picky since Big Guy didn't seem to have an issue with any of his servings.

Anyway - here's the link to the recipe if you're so inclined. Personally, I'd much rather have a big pot of gumbo so I'll be putting it on the menu very shortly. In the meantime, it could very well be that I'm suffering from kitchen renovation "itis" so reservations may be the order of this day and several to follow. Oh well - I guess even food blogger's hit a funk every once in a while. 

For those of you that just dropped by for a look see at JBug's Kitchen Antics, I must apologize for the fancy dinner ware you see in the photograph but we're in the midst of renovating our kitchen and we're without a kitchen sink (among other things). Believe me using disposable plates while the kitchen's being renovated is becoming a life saver ....or should I say wife saver!  

A year ago - Meatloaf Panini with Crunchy Broccoli Salad

Two year's ago - Sloppy Joe's

Turkey Noodle Casserole with Artichokes

The leftover turkey from Easter dinner's been a real godsend this week as there's nothing that's more versatile than leftover poultry. This quick casserole makes good use of chunks of white or dark meat mixed with artichoke hearts, black olives, green pepper and pimento for color and onion for flavor and some quick cooking wide egg noodles. 

It's a pretty basic recipe from my Wall Drug Cookbook that had not one other spice or herb in it, so I took the liberty of adding garlic, tarragon and lots of salt and pepper. Slathered with grated parmesan cheese, it held admirably in the refrigerator until I got the call that Big Guy's late class was over. Forty minutes later he was home and the casserole was almost ready. 

So what did we think about it? Big Guy said it was OK which means "it's OK but you don't have to put it on the make again list". Me ....I thought it was boring as heck and was much better with a half bottle of Arizona Gunslinger hot sauce slathered over top. OK, so that's an exaggeration, but let's just say it needed more than a few drops to jazz it up.

If you're making lunch for your great aunt Sylvia and the rest of the bridge gang, then this might be just the thing for a ladies who lunch kinda' dish, but I'd be inclined to leave the noodles out of the equation, add some mushrooms and serve the turkey/artichoke/olive/green pepper/pimento/onion mixture in some puff pastry shells instead, garnished with toasted almonds for crunch. Just sayin'. 

For those of you that just dropped by for a look see at JBug's Kitchen Antics, I must apologize for the fancy dinner ware you see in the photograph but we're in the midst of renovating our kitchen and we're without a kitchen sink (among other things). Believe me using disposable plates while the kitchen's being renovated is becoming a life saver ....or should I say wife saver! 

Turkey Noodle Casserole with Artichokes (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Wall Drug Cookbook)

2-1/2 cups cooked turkey or chicken cut into bite size pieces

1 – 14 ounce can artichoke hearts, well drained

1/2 cup sliced black olives

1/2 cup finely diced green pepper

1 small jar pimento

1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup sour cream

Salt and coarse ground black pepper to taste

6 ounces wide egg noodles, cooked to al dente and well drained mixed with 1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl mix together turkey, artichoke hearts, black olives, green pepper, pimento, onion, garlic, and tarragon until well combined. In a small bowl whisk together chicken soup, white wine and sour cream. Fold into turkey mixture. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

Place half the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Layer buttered noodles on top then add remaining turkey mixture. Top with grated parmesan cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes. Serves 6.

A year ago - Zippy Chicken and Rice Soup

Two year's ago - Two Potato Salad with Mustard and Bacon

Curried Turkey Salad and Sour Cream Scones

Other than the turkey sandwich I had for lunch yesterday, the next best thing I wanted to put together from the leftover Easter turkey is this curried turkey salad we had for dinner last night.

Thrown together without a recipe, it's got all the usual bird salad ingredients in it like celery and red onion, but in addition I loaded it up on dried cranberries and slivered almonds too just for a different crunch. What really gives this one a step up is the curry flavored mayo based dressing I concocted.

I added 4 teaspoons of curry powder to a 1/2 cup of mayo and a 1/4 cup of sour cream, then realized I might have gone a tad overboard with it. Curry can be a little bitter if it isn't mellowed in a hot pan first which of course I didn't do, so I added a half cup of our homemade kumquat marmalade to sweeten it up a bit. Any orange marmalade will do just fine, but there's something special about one that you've fashioned yourself out of kumquats from your own trees. Anyway, it was just what was needed to put this salad up there with one of our best. By the way, the salad would be wonderful with more fruit added to it in addition to the dried cranberries. Try mango chunks, or green grapes or some diced up apple and see what I mean.

I knew the plate needed one more thing and since I didn't have any dinner rolls hiding in the freezer, I went to the internet and found Paula's Sour Cream Scone recipe online at foodnetwork.com. They came together in the food processor in a flash but I left out the heavy cream/raw sugar finish she recommends and the top was perfectly golden and crunchy anyway, thank you very much.

The only thing I didn't do was work them a little more when the dough came out of the processor so if anything, the finished scones were a little too light and fluffy. Imagine having such a problem when often they can be like dry hockey pucks instead of the moist tender morsels they ended up as. I should make that mistake again soon! Thanks Paula!

Hit the link here to head directly to Paula's Sour Cream Scone recipe, and see the Curried Turkey Salad recipe below. 

Curried Turkey Salad (an original from JBug’s Kitchen)

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1/2 cup dried cranberries

3 cups diced cooked turkey (or chicken if you wish)

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

3 to 4 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 cup orange marmalade (I used our homemade kumquat)

Salt and coarse ground black pepper to taste

Salad Greens

In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, curry powder and orange marmalade and mix well. All to sit for 5 minutes, then taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as required. Add celery, onion, cranberries, turkey and almonds to the dressing and toss well to combine. Refrigerate well covered for a minimum 1 hour to blend flavors. Serve on bed of mixed greens. Makes 4 servings.

For those of you that just dropped by for a look see at JBug's Kitchen Antics, I must apologize for the fancy dinner ware you see in the photograph but we're in the midst of renovating our kitchen and we're without a kitchen sink (among other things). Believe me using disposable plates while the kitchen's being renovated is becoming a life saver ....or should I say wife saver! 

Two year's ago - Maui Tacos with Seared Pineapple Salsa

Cheater Chicken Pot Pie

I'm sure you've noticed we've been eating rather simply the past week and this chicken pot pie is no exception. I've been making it for years and years when I want a quick no fuss but tasty pie and while I enjoy one made with freshly cooked chicken with assorted cubed fresh veggies in a roux based gravy of chicken stock and cream, this version really does in a pinch.

Adapted from a recipe in my old tried and true original Purity Cookbook, it makes use of pre-cooked chicken -  I used Trader Joe's grilled version found in their freezer section, a small package of frozen mixed veggies, a cubed cooked potato and a can of cream of chicken soup jazzed up with sherry and other spices to form the base. Rest assured, I very patiently hand picked all the peas out of the frozen vegetables so I wouldn't hear a groan from you know who.

The pie was topped with a flaky cap made from puffed pastry I happened to have hiding in the freezer. The pastry was baked separately on a sheet pan so it wouldn't get all soggy on the bottom, and decorated appropriately with some chicken shaped cut outs and an ax. Yup, that rather morbid suggestion was Big Guy's idea so don't think I've gone over to the dark side on you. By the way, if you want your puff pastry to puff all over, don't do what I did and slash cutouts in it, but even with the goof, it came out looking rather interesting. 

It was all ready in no time with limited mess and delicious served with a coleslaw loaded with dried cranberries and toasty almonds.  

Cheater Chicken Pot Pie (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Purity Cookbook)

1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted per package instructions

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon butter, room temperature

1/4 cup minced sweet onion

2 cups cooked cubed chicken

1 small packaged frozen mixed vegetables

1 medium potato, peeled, cubed and boiled for 5 minutes then drained

1 – 10 ounce can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup dry sherry

Dash each poultry seasoning, rosemary, sage

Coarse ground black pepper

Unfold puff pastry onto a floured board and roll slightly to remove creases. Cut into shape of casserole dish and move to a parchment lined sheet pan. Decorate as you wish and place pastry into freezer to chill until needed.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400. Grease a medium sized casserole dish with softened butter and add onion, chicken, mixed vegetables, and potato to the casserole. In a small bowl combine cream of chicken soup, sherry and seasonings. Pour over chicken/vegetable mixture and using a fork, fold it into the veggie/chicken mixture. Cover casserole with foil and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes (45 minutes total).  Remove pastry from freezer and brush with egg/water mixture. Bake for 15 minutes or until puffed and golden.  Take casserole from oven and remove foil. Carefully place cooked pastry on top and serve. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

A year ago - Bacon Blue Burger with Bourbon Onions

Two year's ago - Basque Chicken with Chorizo

Duck Carnitas

There's something amazing about leftovers, especially when it is leftover braised duck legs. There's at least a b'zillion things you can do with it, assuming of course that you haven't gorged yourself on the original like we wanted to do on Sunday night. 

Thankfully we held ourselves back because I knew this week would be a challenge, so last night we simply warmed up our little red Coleman grill, replaced the grates with griddle pans and made short work of crisping up the meat for soft tacos. I merely chopped up the meat, sprinkled it with fresh lime juice and the Big Guy fried it up till it was perfect. I warmed flour tortillas on the other side of the grill and dinner was ready.

Thank Trader Joe's for the peach salsa that adorned our duck carnita tacos along with shredded cabbage, slivered sweet peppers and a touch of chopped green onions. Delicious!

For more inspiration in the leftover quack department, just hit the links for 

Duck and Mushroom Risotto   or my personal favorites  Duck PIzza with Caramelized Onions and Brie or with Figs, Pancetta and Brie

   

In case you're curious about what's happening around here - well, the AC guys finished at noon yesterday and it is absolutely amazing how quiet and efficient the new unit is. They did a fabulous job for a very reasonable price.  Today American Kitchen Cabinets arrives to start the kitchen reno and I can't wait to see the results!

A year ago - Turkey Casserole with Apple Raisin Slaw

Two year's ago - Mexican Cowboy Beans 

Red Wine Braised Duck Legs

We love duck in our house and personally, I'd rather have it that almost anything else. Rich, moist and incredibly delicious and very easy to make, this particular recipe from Gourmet magazine is about as good as it gets.

Browned in my favourite Dutch oven on medium high until golden colored on both sides, I scooped the fat out of the pan as it accumulated so I could save it for another use down the road - like maybe some oven roasted potatoes! After the duck was nicely browned, it was removed to a plate, and red wine reduced to a syrupy consistency then joined by 2 bulbs worth of skinned garlic cloves, fresh thyme and a mixture of dried fruit including sour cherries, raisins and apricots. The duck was returned to the pot and topped with chicken stock, then the whole thing braised in the oven, uncovered for 2 hours.

The result - incredibly moist, tender, flavorful meat and very crisp mahogany colored skin. I changed the recipe a might and contrary to the recipe's instructions, I saved all the garlic and fruit in the sauce and finished it with a glug of Applejack brandy, more dried fruit and a touch of cornstarch to give it a glossy finish. I mean why let that soft sweet buttery garlic go to waste? Served on top of some lemon pepper papparadelle, it was restaurant quality divine and all from the comforts of home. 

Speaking of home, Big Guy made it in one piece although I think his muscles are telling him he should have taken it a little easier. He ended up going 18 miles his first day with a 30 pound pack on his back and camped out by some water overnight to be kept awake by cramping legs and singing frogs. He called me at exactly 10:27 yesterday morning to say he'd limped through the last 4.5 miles was waiting at the park entrance for a ride home. He looked really rough, definitely dehydrated, super tanned and very proud of himself. What can I say except it's obvious to me that God definitely takes care of fools and idiots. Just sayin'. 

Red Wine Braised Duck Legs with Dried Fruit (adapted from Gourmet Magazine)

6 whole duck legs, thighs attached (approximately 4.5) pounds of meat

2/3 cup dry red wine

2 heads garlic, cloves separated, peeled and left whole

8 fresh thyme sprigs

1-1/4 cups mixed dried fruit (I used sour cherries, apricots and raisins)

5 cups chicken broth (or more as needed)

2 to 3 tablespoons Applejack brandy

1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons chicken stock

Salt and pepper as required

Buttered noodles

Wash and dry duck legs well, trimming any excess fat away. Season well with salt and pepper. Heat heavy Dutch oven over medium high, add duck legs skin side down and b rown in a single layer until skin is golden colored. Remove fat from pot as it accumulates and save for another use. Turn legs over and cook until browned on the other side, then transfer to a plate.

Preheat oven to 350. Remove fat from Dutch oven and return pot to heat. Add red wine and stir bottom of pot to loosen any browned bits. Cook until wine is reduced to a syrup, then add garlic, thyme and half of the dried fruit. Return reserved duck legs and any accumulated juices to the pot, arranging duck in a single layer with skin side up. Add chicken stock and bring pot to a simmer. Place pot in oven, uncovered and cook for 2 hours or until duck is very tender. Check liquid level during last half hour of cooking and add more as necessary – as long as the pot isn’t dry.

Remove duck legs and place on a platter. Skim any additional accumulated fat from Dutch Oven – (I placed a layer of paper towels on top of the pot to blot up the fat, then very quickly and carefully removed it with tongs), leaving as much of the braising liquid as possible.  Remove thyme branches from pot using tongs. Over low heat, add remaining dried fruit, brandy and cornstarch slurry to the pot and cook until sauce is clear and glossy. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve duck legs over noodles topped with sauce.  Serves 4 to 6

A year ago - Fudge Crinkle Cookies 

Two year's ago - Pork Chops with Balsamic Reduction

Kumquat Honey Butter Roasted Chicken with Curried Apple and Sweet Potato Pilaf

I consider myself extremely lucky to be sharing the kitchen with someone who loves to cook as much as I do and we make a rather incredible team if I do say so myself. Normally the barbecue/grillin' guru, my big guy's plans to spit roast a chicken were kiboshed due to a blustery stormy day so he oven roasted his first bird and did a heck of a job too.

He mixed butter with slivered kumquats, fresh thyme and rosemary along with about a tablespoon of honey and slathered it beneath the skin of the breasts and thighs of the bird. Then he stuffed the inside with about 8 more kumquats and additional rosemary before trussing it all up. Resting on a bed of onions, it hit a 400 oven for an hour and came out perfectly cooked and incredibly moist on the inside with a really crispy perfectly colored skin. Amazing! 

While my alter ego was resting on his laurels, I hit the kitchen and made a curried rice pilaf, loaded with onion, garlic, sweet potatoes and granny smith apples. Seasoned with curry powder and cumin, I added some raisins and cranberries for additional color and sweetness.

Then Big Guy returned to the kitchen to toast some gorgeous man sized croutons as a bed for the wonderful chicken and "sopper upper" of all the glorious juices and I shared the stove with him and steamed some fresh asparagus. Before we knew it after a lot of laughter and the odd stolen kiss too, dinner was on the table and I have to say, we enjoyed it immensely. 

By the way, I know we're lucky being able to pick fresh kumquats off our trees to enjoy, but if you're unable to find the little gems, substitute an orange, a tangerine or even a few cuties instead. The flavor will the slightly different, but the idea's the same. 

Oh and for heaven's sake, don't forget to hit the kitchen with your significant other. It's a great way to enjoy time together and create a fabulous dinner you can both be proud of. 

Curried Apple and Sweet Potato Pilaf (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from The Best of the Best, Best of Bridge Series Cookbooks)

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 green onions, chopped (including green part)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup uncooked long-grain rice

2 cups low sodium chicken stock

1 medium sweet potato or yam, peeled and diced

2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and diced

1/4 cup seedless raisins

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat olive oil in a medium sized saucepan over medium high heat. When oil is shimmering add onions and garlic and cook stirring constantly until slightly softened – about 2 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring for another minute. Add chicken stock and sweet potato. Bring pot to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add apples, raisins, cranberries, curry powder, cumin and salt and toss well to combine. Cover and simmer briefly over low heat until heated through. Serves 4 to 6.

By the way, not only did Big Guy cook most of dinner, he also made the most glorious Sunday morning breakfast out of our shamrock day leftovers - see crispy outside and moist inside potato cakes made from colcannon along with crispy corned beef pieces with two perfectly poached eggs on top. It was absolutely incredibly wonderful! Now see why I brag about him all the time?

 

Fried Chicken Salad

I don't know about you but we happen to love fried chicken. Of course the problem is controlling the intake because each crispy crusted piece hollers for another...and another... and ah heck just one more. Well here's a rather ingenious solution. 

Another fabulous recipe inspired by Cinda Chavich in her book, High Plains, The Joy of Alberta Cuisine, this one makes use of chicken breast pieces coated in a Dijon mustard and spice rub then marinated for an hour and finished with an egg/milk wash and flour coating. Fried quickly in a relatively small amount of oil, the trick is to place the warm chicken pieces on top of a mixed green salad.

Of course I made some changes by using skinless chicken tenders rather than breast pieces - hey, they were on sale and I can never pass up a good sale. I also increased the spice quotient just a little and made a different salad dressing because I was craving this Maple Balsamic Dressing on my bed of mache' greens and baby spinach. Garnished with sweet onion and a few quickly toasted pecan halves for some added crunch, the whole thing was rather satisfyingly delicious and especially suitable to our warm 82 degree day.

Oh I know there's something mildly crazy about a transplanted Canuck describing 82 as "warm" when back in Calgary 82 would be considered hot, but I happen to have it on good authority that HOT like triple digit HOT is right around the corner here in the desert. Kinda' depressing isn't it?

Fried Chicken Salad (from JBug’s Kitchen inspired by Cinda Chavich, High Plains The Joy of Alberta Cuisine)

1 pound chicken breast (or skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into strips)

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Combine mustard, pepper, paprika, salt, thyme, garlic and cayenne pepper together in a small zip bag. Add chicken pieces, zip bag and massage with fingers to coat chicken pieces with rub. Place in refrigerator to marinate for a minimum of 1 hour.

1 egg

1/4 cup whole milk or buttermilk

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Canola oil for frying

Beat egg together with milk. Place flour onto a plate. Dip marinated chicken pieces into egg/milk mixture and shake off excess. Roll in flour, coating well and set on baking sheet lined with parchment to dry. Chill for 10 minutes.

 Meanwhile place a 1/4 inch of canola oil into bottom of heavy skillet and heat over medium high to 375. Fry chicken pieces without crowding pan until golden brown and crisp – approximately 3 minutes per side. Set aside to drain on paper towels.

Maple Balsamic Dressing (adapted from Maple Syrup Cookbook by Ken Haedrich)

3 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Juice of 1 lime

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon chopped cilantro (optional)

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup canola

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine vinegar, maple syrup, lime juice, garlic, cilantro and mustard into blender. Pulse to mix well. With motor running slowly drizzle in oils to emulsify mixture. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as required. Refrigerate covered for at least 1 hour to blend flavors.

Salad:

Mixed greens (I used combination of Mache’ and fresh baby spinach)

Finely chopped sweet onion

Toasted pecans for garnish

To plate – toss greens, onion and a small amount of dressing together in a bowl. Move to plates and top with chicken pieces. Garnish with toasted pecans. 

A year ago - Baked Jamaican Jerk Wings 

Two year's ago -  Clam Chowder with a Blush

Ain't No Butter Butter Chicken

Traditionally Indian butter chicken has the obvious in it - that would be butter; however, there's isn't much tradition in this house although I'll admit, I feel guilty calling this "butter" chicken. I mean we Canadians are usually so literal, when we say somethin' is somethin' it usually is just that. 

Adapted from one of my favorite Canadian cooks, Julie Van Rosendaal of Dinner with Julie fame, this somewhat lighter version will certainly appeal to the non-conformist since it contains not one smidge of butter. I changed the recipe and method enough that I feel comfortable posting it here, but please hit the link above to go to Julie's original. While you're there, check out her site because she's an amazing talent and I have a feeling you'll want to mark her site as a favorite!

As you know, I have a thing about browning meat without dredging it in flour first, so I added that step and increased the spice quotient too with the addition of a little cayenne for a pleasant zing. The braised chicken is very tender and the sauce amazingly rich and flavorful. Finished with a touch of heavy cream at the very end - yogurt, sour cream or even coconut milk would work very well too.

Next time you're craving a curry fix, give this one a try. We loved it and I for one could eat it every day of the week and twice on Sundays. By the way, like most curries the leftovers are even tastier.

Butter Chicken without the Butter (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from dinnerwithjulie.com)

8 skinless boneless chicken thighs

Salt, pepper and flour for dredging

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 large onion, cut in half then sliced

1/2 sweet onion, sliced

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

1-1/2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon curry powder

2 teaspoons garam masala

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1 cup low sodium chicken stock

1 – 28 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 cup heavy cream (or yogurt or sour cream)

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high. Cut chicken thighs in half, season well with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, shaking off the excess. When oil is shimmering, brown chicken in batches on all sides, removing to a plate when finished.

Add onions to pot and cook, stirring occasionally until onions are softened and just starting to brown. Stir in garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute, then add chili powder, curry powder, garam masala, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Stir well to incorporate with onions and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken stock to de-glaze pan and cook scraping up browned bits from bottom. When stock is reduced by half add diced tomatoes and tomato paste.

Return chicken to the pot, bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer, cover pot and cook for 35 to 40 minutes or until chicken is very tender. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Just before serving, remove pot from the heat and stir in cream. Serve over rice with warm Naan bread on the side. Makes 6 servings. 

A year ago - Spicy Shrimp with Andouille on Grits 

Two year's ago - French Onion Soup with Beef and Barley

Moroccan Chicken with Green Olives and Lemon

Ah chicken! We never get tired of the stuff likely due to the b'zillions of ways it can be cooked. I have to laugh when I hear someone liken the flavor of some obscure meat such as alligator or rabbit to my favorite bird as it has to be the ultimate compliment in my books, as evidenced by the number of chicken recipes on this blog. It's never boring.

Last night's chicken is truly finger lickin' and worthy of accolades. Adapated from another epicurious.com find, I seasoned the skinless boneless thighs with salt and pepper, dredged 'em in flour and browned them well in a step away from the original recipe. I think the time it takes is more than justified because it makes an enormous difference in flavor and appearance.

Joined in the pot by golden brown onions, a good amount of garlic and an exotic combination of spices including paprika, cumin, cinnamon and ginger, the thighs braised along with wedges of Meyer lemon and chicken stock for a mere 30 minutes. 

Finished with green olives and more fresh lemon juice, we topped our servings with whole wheat couscous dusted with fresh parsley and slivered almonds as a perfect sauce sopper and flavor enhancer with just a touch of crunch. What a super chicken dish it is too - the lemons get very sweet as they cook and the olives add just the right touch of saltiness. It is quite divine. 

Moroccan Chicken With Green Olives and Lemon (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from epicurious.com)

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 skinless boneless chicken thighs cut in half

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

Flour for dredging

2 lemons, 1 cut into 8 wedges and the other juiced

1 large onion, cut in half and thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 cups low sodium chicken stock

1/2 cup green olives

Heat oil in a Dutch oven until shimmering. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Brown well on all sides in batches. Remove from pot and set aside. Add onions and sauté until golden brown – about 5 minutes. Add garlic, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, and ginger and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly. Stir in chicken stock and return chicken to the pot. Add lemon wedges. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Remove cover from pot and simmer for 5 minutes to reduce liquid slightly. Stir in olives and lemon juice. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as required. Serve with rice or couscous. Serves 4 to 6

A year ago - Crispy Orange Beef 

Two years ago - Tamale PIe

Crispy Oven Fried Chicken

Last night's dinner can only be described as ordinary down home cookin'. Potatoes and parsnip mashed with butter and cream, two veggies and the easiest chicken cooking method known to man (or beast) makes for a solid plate of comfort in less than an hour. 

These darn allergies are kicking my butt and since the Big Guy's taken such good care of me over the past couple of days I figured I owed him a tasty meal - or at the very least one that smelled good. Me, I can't tell how it smelled or tasted but I do know the chicken has a ton of crunch.

The skin is removed from the drumsticks (grip it with a piece of paper towel and give it a good yank and you'll get the job done really quickly), then the legs are dipped into a mix of egg, Dijon mustard and cayenne. Coated in equal parts panko crumbs and freshly grated parmesan cheese they get a dribble of melted butter before hitting a 450 oven. Forty-five minutes later, dinner's on and believe you me, that bird rival's the Colonel's any old day of the week. 

Incidentally in case you're not into those spicy devilled flavors, leave out the cayenne and substitute garlic and dried basil and you've got a whole new taste sensation. Guaranteed!

Crispy Oven Fried Chicken

10 to 12 chicken drumsticks (approximately 2-1/2 pounds)

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 egg or alternatively 1/2 cup mayonnaise

3/4 cup panko crumbs

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons melted butter

Remove skin from chicken drumsticks. Rinse and dry well. Combine Dijon mustard, cayenne and egg in a small bowl and mix until well combined.

 In a zip bag combine panko, grated parmesan. Dip drumsticks in egg/mustard mixture making sure all sides are covered then place in panko crumb mixture. Press crumbs onto drumsticks to coat then arrange on a sheet pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 450 for 35 to 45 minutes, or until chicken is cooked to your preference. 

 A year ago - Short Ribs in Porter

Two year's ago - Cajun Chicken Pasta

Grilled Chicken Salad with Tzatziki Sauce

Last night's dinner is courtesy of the South Beach Diet cookbook, a book I need to spend more time cooking from if you get my drift. This blogging stuff is darn hard on the waistline.

Simply chicken marinated in lemon juice, oregano, salt, pepper and a small amount of oil and grilled, it sits on top of a pile of mixed greens duded up with cucumber spears and tomato wedges. I threw in a few black kalamata olives, some sweet onion and a touch of feta cheese just because I wanted to which may have taken it out of the South Beach realm but it sure did taste good.

The real deal here though is the dressing for the salad; a blended up slurry of non-fat yogurt (I used Greek style because that's what I had), cucumber, garlic, fresh dill and mint along with a touch of olive oil and vinegar. It's really quite delicious with the addition of the fresh herbs although in my opinion it needed more salt and definitely some coarse ground black pepper.

It was quite lovely really and a rather light dinner at least for us. Personally, I was quite proud of the grilling job I did on the chicken, especially since that task is normally left for the Big Guy to accomplish. I need to get some practice in because I'll be moving to the Big Guy's outdoor kitchen for about 2 weeks as we do a little kitchen remodelling. Now that should be interesting. I run like heck at the sight of a bee or any creepy crawly and there's a lot of them around here this time of year.  At least I'll be getting some exercise!

Grilled Chicken Salad with Tzatziki Sauce (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from South Beach Diet)

4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Combine above ingredients together in a zip bag and marinate for a minimum 2 hours. Grill chicken until internal temperature reaches 160. Allow to rest covered for 10 minutes before slicing and refrigerate leftovers promptly.

Sauce:

1 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek style)

2/3 cup peeled, seeded and chopped cucumber

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon white vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine ingredients yogurt, cucumber, garlic, oil and vinegar in a blender and mix until smooth. Fold in dill and mint and season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate a minimum of 1 hour to blend flavors.

Salad:

Mixed greens

1 tomato, cut into wedges

1 small cucumber, cut into spears

Black kalamata olives

Feta cheese as garnish

Line plates with mixed greens. Top with tomato, cucumber, and olives. Place sliced chicken on top and drizzle with sauce. Garnish with feta cheese. Makes 4 servings. 

A year ago - Buttermilk Cheese Scones 

Two year's ago - Spicy Chicken with Apricots and Olives

Easy Cheesy Chowder

In case you want to know, soup doesn't have to have fish in it to be called a chowder. An epiphany you say? Another point is that you can use almost any kind of meat in one, or none at all but chowder's are usually always hearty rich soups, normally containing some kind of dairy product and loaded with chunky vegetables and tons of flavor.

All of the above certainly applies to last night's effort because this "ain't" no pansy soup people. I admit I kinda' dug to the bottom of the freezer and came out with 1 lonely chicken breast and a package of chicken sweet Italian sausage to make it but you could use hot Italian sausage - pork or chicken, or chicken thighs or even lean ground beef and it will still be fabulous. 

By the way, if you're thinking the recipe's a tad ambiguous, then so be it. All I'm saying is that during the construction you'll have some choices to make but for sure it'll result in a bunch of smiles around the table and you'll likely need to come up with an answer for the question "ya' got any more o' that stuff?"

I rest my case.

Easy Cheesy Chowder (from JBug’s Kitchen inspired by Taste of the Territory Cookbook)

1 large chicken breast plus 1-1/2 pounds bulk sweet or hot Italian sausage; OR 2 pounds lean ground beef; OR 2 pounds diced skinless boneless chicken thighs

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large onions, chopped

4 medium carrots, peeled and diced

1 jalapeno minced (leave seeds and membranes intact if you want a spicier soup)

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (or 2 if you want a very thick chowder)

2 teaspoons mixed Italian dried herbs

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

2 teaspoons garlic powder

3 cups water or chicken stock or combination of the two

1 – 14 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice (optional)

3 Yukon Gold potatoes, with or without the peel cut into half inch cubes

2 cans cream of chicken (or cream of mushroom) soup

10 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onions, and carrots and jalapeno and sauté until onions are softened. Move vegetables over to one side of pot. Add meat to the pot, season lightly with salt and pepper and sauté until no longer pink – about 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over all and stir to incorporate well. Add Italian dried herbs, chili powder, cayenne and garlic powder and cook, stirring constantly for 2 or 3 minutes. Add water or stock and diced tomatoes and stir well. Add potatoes, bring pot to a high simmer, reduce heat cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until potatoes are tender. After potatoes are cooked, stir in cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup and cheese. Cook stirring constantly over low heat until cheese is melted and soup is thickened. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as required. Serve with crusty bread or crackers. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

A year ago - BBQ Beef Stuffed Potato  

Two year's ago -  Santa Fe Pork Stew

 

 

Dan Dan Noodles with Chicken

The Big Guy cooked up a wok full of Dan Dan Noodles last night for dinner making use of the rest of the chicken tenders I had cooked to go into the stuffed poblanos the other night. We've had a pork version of these noodles before but it's the first time we've made them with chicken and I swear I'm going to make the dish with shrimp and beef too one of these days.

Dan Dan is really all about the sauce which means one could put practically any kind of protein in the bowl and have a marvellous meal. If you're wondering what makes the sauce so special, I can't really point at any one individual ingredient. A combination of lots of garlic and ginger, along with peanut butter, soy sauce, Sambal Olek, sriracha, sesame oil and chicken stock combined with noodles, chicken and crunchy fresh vegetables make a flavorful combination that's definitely worth having more often.

By the way, I didn't have any Annie Chun chow mein noodles like I'd used last time, so we cooked up some spaghetti to a nice al dente and used that. I'm convinced almost any kind of noodle would be fabulous, so don't sweat it. Just use what you have on hand.

Dan Dan Noodles (from JBug's Kitchen adapted from Ken Hom’s A Taste of China as well as Food and Wine Magazine)

4 chicken tenders, cut into quarter inch pieces

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

3 tablespoons minced garlic

3 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger

1/4 cup minced yellow onion

2 tablespoons peanut butter

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

2 teaspoons chili paste (Sambal Olek)

1 teaspoon Sriracha or more to taste

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 cup chicken stock

1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

12 ounces Chinese wheat chow mein noodles (I used Annie Chun’s)

Garnishes of shredded carrots, sliced green onion, red pepper and roasted peanuts or almonds

Combine chicken pieces, with soy sauce. Heat wok over high heat until very hot. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and when shimmering, add chicken. Stir fry until lightly browned and cooked through – about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from wok and set aside. (Note, I used pre-cooked chicken so eliminated this step.) Add remaining vegetable oil to wok. Add minced garlic, ginger and onion and stir fry for about 1 minute. Add peanut butter, soy sauce, chili paste, Sriracha, sesame oil and chicken stock mixed with cornstarch. Stir well to incorporate and simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile bring large pot of water to a boil. Cook noodles per package direction. Drain well and place into large bowl. Top with pork, then sauce. Garnish with shredded carrots, green onions, red pepper and roasted peanuts or almonds. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

A year ago - Flatbread Pizza   Two year's ago - Dark Chocolate Lava Cakes

 

Poblano Peppers Stuffed with Chicken and Cheddar

I've been meaning to make stuffed peppers for a while but just never seemed to get around to putting them on the menu until last night. Sure wish it hadn't taken me so long!

A Poblano pepper is a mild chile often used for making ooey gooey cheesy chili rellanos but they're certainly more than just a one note wonder. They're great in salsas and sauces, particularly in mole and can be stuffed with darn near anything. Roasted to impart more flavor and remove the skin, most of the heat of these babies is in the inner membranes and seeds so I removed both last night when I stuffed the beauties.

As for the stuffing, you can use almost anything like shrimp, ground beef or pork or even leftover chili. Inspired by a recipe on finecooking.com, in this case shredded cooked chicken mixed with cooked brown rice and cheddar cheese is bound together with a fresh tomato, onion, garlic and spice puree. I made a few changes to their recipe and added a little heavy cream and a touch of hot salsa for more moisture and to round out the flavors. A squeeze of fresh lime completes the dish. Stuffed and warmed briefly in a hot oven, I finished them off with a little more grated cheddar on top that melted down for a pretty and tasty finish.

Served with guacamole and sour cream on the side, we were really happy with the final result, particularly since I managed to absolutely destroy the kitchen while I was making them. An unexpected trip to the veterinarian with Max put the kibosh on the usual organized chaos of dinner preparations so I had some cleanin' up to do. 

Max is still fighting hard to win the war against his latest illness, pancreatitis. Just when we think we've our feisty little schnauzer back and he's on the up and up, he takes another downturn but he's fighting hard to recover and we're not ready to give up yet.

Poblano Peppers Stuffed with Cheddar and Chicken (from JBug’s Kitchen inspired by Fine Cooking.com)

4 large poblano peppers

3 roma tomatoes, chopped

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon cumin

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used chicken tenders)

1-1/2 cups cooked brown rice

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup hot salsa

Juice of half a fresh lime

 

Garnishes - Sour cream, salsa and guacamole

Wash and dry poblano peppers well and cut a slit down one side from stem to tip. Place directly onto gas flame and roast until blackened all over (or alternatively place under broiler). Cool until easy to handle, then remove skins and using a spoon or melon baller, remove seeds from inside along with membranes. (Leave some if you want a hotter pepper). Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray and arrange poblanos leaving plenty of room in between each. Set aside.

Using an immersion blender or food processor, puree tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper until smooth. Heat oil in a large skillet until shimmering, and then add puree and cook down for 5 minutes or until almost all of the moisture has been removed.

Preheat oven to 425. Remove puree to a bowl and add chicken, rice, cilantro, cream and hot salsa. Stir to combine and add half of the cheddar cheese. Fill peppers mounding filling up well and wrapping the sides of the peppers up over the filling. Sprinkle peppers with lime juice. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until peppers are hot. Remove from oven and sprinkle with reserved cheddar, then return to oven until cheese is melted (about another 5 minutes). Serve garnished with sour cream and guacamole. Pass the salsa too. Serves 4.

A year ago - Chicken and Andouille Gumbo  Two year's ago - Ground Hog

Almond Crusted Chicken with Lemon Aioli

Picture oven baked skinless boneless chicken thighs, spiced up with cumin, sweet paprika, garlic and cayenne, coated in olive oil and crusted in almonds. Have I got your attention yet?

From Food and Wine's annual cookbook way back in 2006, I've had my eye on this one for a while. Although they recommended using coarsely chopped almonds, I used some of the almond meal I purchased to make the fabulous gluten free Kumquat Cake a little while ago. I store the meal in my freezer because after all we're in the sunny south and with 75 degree temperatures in my kitchen the past few days, it can go rancid before you know it. Baked in a 400 oven for 50 minutes, the thighs came out moist, incredibly tender and really full of flavor.

Paired with a quick lemon aioli made using store bought mayonnaise, the juice and rind of a lemon as well as a tad more olive oil, the whole shebang was darn near perfect on top of some mixed salad greens garnished with red onion and dried cranberries. Best of all the left over chicken's going to make a heck of a sandwich on some of our homemade sandwich rolls. Just sayin'!

Speaking of greens, our lettuce pots are ready to harvest again - I know I'm bragging, but I can't believe I haven't killed 'em yet. 

Oven Baked Almond Crusted Chicken (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Food & Wine 2006 Annual Cookbook)

I used skinless boneless chicken thighs, but you could use darn near any cut – they recommended chicken wings which would be superb.

2 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1-1/2 tablespoons dry sherry

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1-1/2 cups almond meal (or coarsely ground almonds)

Preheat oven to 400. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and set aside. Wash and dry chicken thighs. In a large bowl combine oil, paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic, vinegar, sherry, salt and pepper. Add chicken and toss well to coat.

Place almond meal into a plastic bag. Toss chicken into bag a piece at a time and coat evenly with almond meal, pressing onto chicken to adhere well. Place chicken in a single layer onto prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes, or until cooked through. Serve warm or cold with aioli.

 Lemon Aioli:

1/4 cup prepared mayonnaise

Juice and rind of 1 lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

Place mayonnaise, lemon rind and juice in a blender or mini food processor. Pulse to combine well. With motor running add olive oil and a slow drizzle and process until smooth.

A year ago - Grandma's Apple Pie   Two year's ago - Strawberry Mousse Cream Cake

 

Greek Style Broccoli Cheese Pie with Patio Chicken

Yesterday was National Pie day and while most people would think to celebrate with a sweet and delicious dessert, I thought I'd be different and serve a savory version. This broccoli cheese pie isn't anything like the usual quiche variety that most of us are used to. It has all the appearance and flavors of a giant Greek spanikopeta without the spinach!

It's made from broccoli, steamed and chopped up along with sauteed onion, lots of lovely feta cheese, fresh parsley, dill and garlic of course and it's all wrapped up in a nice little crispy phyllo blanket. It's the kind of thing I personally love to eat - hot or cold; however, I'll admit I made a slight slip up yesterday and added  lemon zest and juice just because I've got a ton of them around right now. A lighter hand would have been better, as the lemon commandeered the party, so you'll notice in the recipe below I've left it out entirely. It didn't make it inedible - just different. It would be perfect on its own with a tossed salad for lunch or dinner, but as you know we don't do meatless much around here and that's where the chicken comes in.

Don't ask me why it's called "Patio" chicken because I have no clue but this one's from Celebrated Seasons, one of my collection of Junior League Cookbooks and it's really very good. I used skinless boneless chicken thighs, covered them in a spiced up crumb crust and baked them in a 400 oven for 15 minutes, after which they're slathered in mayonnaise and returned to the oven to finish cooking. 

They're very tender, moist and really flavorful - in fact, it would be fabulous picnic food, well wrapped and in a cooler of course. It'll also make an awesome chicken sandwich with sliced tomatoes and maybe a slice or two of crisp bacon -- but we digress. That'll have to be a whole different story.

Greek Style Broccoli Cheese Pie (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Celebrated Seasons, A Junior League Cookbook)

10 to 12 sheets phyllo pastry

1 small onion finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

20 ounces broccoli florets, steamed until tender, drained and chopped

3 eggs, beaten

8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (I used one with Mediterranean Herbs)

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1/2 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350. Heat oil in a small skillet and sauté onion until transparent. Add garlic and cook an additional minute until garlic is fragrant. Move to a large bowl to cool slightly. Add broccoli, eggs, feta, parsley, dill, salt and pepper. Mix well to combine.

Arrange 6 to 8 sheets of phyllo pastry on a board, staggering layers and brushing lightly with butter between each layer. Place into a 9 inch spring form pan, allowing the sides to overlap the edges of the pan. Pour filling into the pan and fold overlapped edges toward center of pan to partially cover filling. Arrange 4 sheets of phyllo together on a board, brushing lightly with butter in between. Using a sharp knife, cut a circle to fit the top of your spring form pan. Place circle of phyllo sheets on top of filling. Using a sharp knife, score the top sheets into 8 wedges. Brush top with remaining butter.

Place spring form pan onto a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake in 350 oven for 50 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove sides from pan and slide pie onto serving plate. Cut into wedges.

Patio Chicken (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Celebrated Seasons, A Junior League Cookbook)

2 pounds chicken – I used skinless boneless thighs

1 cup dry Italian breadcrumbs

1-1/2 teaspoons onion salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon summer savory

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray and set aside. Combine breadcrumbs, onion salt, pepper, garlic powder, summer savory and curry powder in zip top bag. Rinse chicken pieces and pat dry with paper towel, leaving a little moisture on them. Add pieces one at a time to the bag of spiced crumbs and shake to coat. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with mayonnaise, sprinkling any remaining crumbs on top. Lower oven heat to 350 and continue to bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until tender. Serve hot or cold.

A year ago - Gnocchi with Romesco and Italian Sausage   Two year's ago - Steak and Guinness Pie

Chicken Casserole in a Squash Bowl

There's the Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl. Rose Bowl, and the Super Bowl. Of course there's also a bread bowl and low and behold now we can add the squash bowl to the list. That's what we had last night filled with a version of a Chicken Cordon Bleu casserole.

We had our version of Mags' casserole from Other Side of Fifty during our vacation this summer and absolutely loved it. Loaded with chicken, onion, red pepper, ham and swiss cheese it's darn near addictive. In fact it was so good we ate the whole darn casserole. That was then and this is now because we're really trying to cut back on our portions and I figured the way to do it may be to make a single serving sized entree and at the same time try and get some more veggies into our diet. Thus the squash bowl.

I simply cut a Kobocha squash in half, removed the seeds and brushed the innards with a touch of olive oil. Seasoned with salt and pepper, it roasted for 50 minutes in a 350 oven. Then I whipped up the casserole but I left out the rice, and filled the cooked squash with all that flavorful goodness. Dressed with a top hat of crumbs, the squash returned to the oven to bake for an addition 30 minutes until it was all browned and hot and bubbling.

Would I do it all again - you betcha, but next time I'll leave the pre-cooked rice in the mix because somehow the end result was missing a little je ne sais quoi. Oh, I also used leftover roast chicken, low fat mushroom soup and Jarlsberg cheese instead of the Swiss. Regardless, the use of a squash was rather fortuitous and I'd do it again too with all kinds of other fillings - say a lovely chunky vegetable chowder, or beef stew or even chili or curry would be wonderful. The bonus - it sure makes doing dishes a breeze!

Hit the link to head to Mag's site to see her original Chicken Cordon "Lou" casserole and see our version below along with a link to our original. Meanwhile, start thinking about using veggies in a totally different way and you'll be surprised what you too can do with great ingredients and a touch of imagination.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole (adapted  from Mags at www.othersideoffifty.com)

4 skinless boneless chicken thighs

2 tablespoons butter

All-purpose flour

Salt and Pepper

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning

1/2 teaspoon marjoram (optional)

1 cup chicken stock

1 can cream of mushroom soup

6 ounces grated Swiss cheese

1/2 pound cooked ham, cut into cubes

1-1/2 cups cooked rice

2/3 cup dry Italian flavored bread crumbs

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Melt butter in large sauté pan over medium high heat. Cut chicken thighs into 1 inch cubes and season with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Add to sauté pan and cook until golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside. Add onion, red pepper, garlic, and seasonings to pan and cook until vegetables are soft. Return chicken to pan, add chicken stock and simmer, covered for 10 minutes. Stir in mushroom soup and remove pan from heat.

Preheat oven to 350. Spray casserole dish with cooking spray and place cooked chicken with gravy on bottom. Sprinkle evenly with cooked ham. Spoon rice down center of casserole and sprinkle casserole dish evenly with grated cheese. Mix together bread crumbs with melted butter and arrange on top of casserole. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until bubbling and crumbs are browned. Makes 6 servings.

A year ago - Snickerdoodles   Two years ago - Polenta Lasagne

Roast Chicken with Meyer Lemons and Root Vegetables

To steal a phrase from Jamie Oliver, last night's dinner was easy peasy although we can't credit Jamie with its inception. It's more like an Ina Garten bird but really we'll have to give JBug full credit because she didn't even use a recipe. Are you still with me?

I've spent the last several days "jammin'" with all those colored orbs of citrus so unfortunately dinner was kind of on the back burner - not literally. I took the ends off 3 of our Meyer lemon beauties, cut them in half and put them on the bottom of my roasting pan with a trussed up 5 pound chicken on top. Of course the chicken was filled with another quartered lemon along with garlic cloves and fresh rosemary, salt and pepper and hit a 425 oven for an hour after being brushed with a little melted butter and seasoned on the outside with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper.

An hour later a slew of root veggies hit the pan including parsnip, carrots, onion, and turnip along with some spare mushrooms I had hiding in the veggie drawer and more rosemary. Fifty minutes after that the bird was done and so were the veggies - all sugared up and caramelized partly thanks to the juices from the roasted lemons on the bottom of the pan. We called it dinner. It was all good - darned good.

Oh if you've never had a roasted or grilled lemon before, you don't know what you're missing. They're sweet delicious and completely addictive so the ones on the bottom of the pan you might think are fodder? Well, they're not! The pan however may have been a different story but magically the baked on goo slipped right off after a night's soaking in warm water and baking soda.

In case you're wondering what's happening around here today - I've got 2 more batches of marmalade on the go; one Kumquat Minneola Tangelo, and the other Meyer Lemon but I gotta' make a sugar run because I'm plum out of the stuff. I've also put barely a dent in the lemon tree so there's Shaker lemon pie filling in our future as well as other little lemon surprises, along with some kumquat flavored vodka and a new fangled recipe for a kumquat cake that's flourless...and.... Gosh almighty - ya' think I'll ever be finished?

A year ago - Peach Glazed Salmon with Orange Pasta Salad

Quick Creamy Turkey Noodle Soup with Cranberry Sour Cream Biscuits

Yesterday was a marathon day in the kitchen. Our kumquats and Meyer lemons are ready and need to be dealt with so I've been busy harvesting, planning and putting them to bed. It's funny but I was thinking the other day as I washed 5 pounds of bright gem like kumquats is that we women pay lots of money for fancy perfumes but there's nothing can compare with the smell of fresh picked fruit, no matter what kind.

Course the opposite is true when said fruit's being turned into marmalade and boils over on the stove. Now that wasn't something I'd particularly planned for. What a bleepin' mess!

Anyway, dinner last night needed to hold well since the Big Guy has a late Wednesday class and isn't home till sevenish and something that didn't require a lot of fuss and bother since I'd spent the day doing just that. A pot of turkey soup seemed to be the perfect choice.

This particular effort has a golden rue as a flavor base and includes the usual trinity of vegetables along with potatoes and noodles. There's two things that make it stand out - the addition of cream at the very end to smooth out the broth and flavoring agents such as garlic, oregano, thyme, and poultry seasoning. It's got body, soul and a lot of attitude and it's far from the usual milquetoast noodle soup.

As you can see I whipped up some biscuits to go with our soup, although you might think they look more like scones. Who says you have to cut biscuits into rounds? I simply whipped up the usual dough, but this time I added some dried cranberries and moistened the dry ingredients with a combination of yogurt and sour cream - just because I had the dregs of 2 containers in the refrigerator and wanted to get rid of them.

The resulting biscuits are exceedingly light, moist and flavorful, although likely more suited to afternoon tea than a super soup supper upper.

Oh, what you see on the plate is a little ramekin of Kicky Kumquat Marmalade, loaded with 9 (yup that's right NINE) chopped up Habanero peppers and a nice amount of Triple Sec. It's rather wonderful if I do say so myself. It has attitude but the sugar content of the marmalade really cuts the heat of the peppers so it doesn't burn your mouth. It just creates a mellow glow - ok a rather hesitant flame but not a roaring fire. That's my opinion and I'm stickin' to it.

Creamy Turkey Noodle Soup

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 celery stalks, chopped

3 large carrots, chopped

3 Tablespoons butter

1/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon poultry seasoning

1-1/2 teaspoons salt (may need more depending on stock)

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

6 cups strained turkey stock

4 cups diced peeled potatoes

2 cups diced turkey

3 to 4 ounces wide egg noodles

1 cup evaporated milk for half and half

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Medium Dry Sherry (optional)

Heat a large stock pot over medium high heat. Add olive oil and when shimmering hot, add onion, garlic, celery and carrots. Sauté until vegetables are softened – about 10 minutes. Move the vegetables over to one side of the pot and add butter to bottom of the pot. When butter has melted stir in flour. Cook stirring until roux becomes golden brown – 4 to 5 minutes.

Stir vegetables into roux and add oregano, thyme, poultry seasoning, salt and black pepper. Cook stirring constantly for another minute before adding turkey stock. Bring to a boil stirring constantly, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

Stir in potatoes and diced turkey, cover pot and cook for additional 15 minutes. Add noodles to pot, cover pot and cook additional 10 minutes or until noodles are softened. Stir often to prevent sticking. Add evaporated milk and chopped parsley just before serving. Drizzle each serving with a little sherry. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Cranberries and Cream Biscuits (an original from JBug’s Kitchen)

Note – I used self-rising flour; however if you wish to use regular all purpose, increase baking powder to 6 teaspoons (2 tablespoons) and add an additional 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

2 cups self-rising flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup sour cream

1 egg yolk

Additional sour cream and granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry blender cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in dried cranberries. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. In a small bowl combine yogurt, sour cream and egg yolk, beating to combine well. Pour into well in center of dry ingredients and using a fork, incorporate liquid mixing just until barely combined. Transfer to a lightly floured board and knead lightly a few times to distribute wet ingredients into dry. Pat dough out into a circle about 8 inches in diameter.

Transfer to baking sheet and brush top with a little sour cream. Sprinkle lightly with sugar. Cut circle into 8 wedges, moving wedges apart approximately a half inch to allow for rising. Bake for 12 to 16 minutes or until toothpick inserted into biscuit comes out clean.

A year ago - Really Good Stew

Chicken and Vegetable Stew with Dumplings

Light as air they are - absolutely light as air. I'm speaking about the dumplings people and thanks to Elise from Simply Recipes, I finally know the secret. Having made plenty that would easily have replaced those 5 pound weights in my exercise repertoire, these were float in the air fabulous.

Other than using a fork to mix the wet into the dry ingredients, the real secret is using cake flour instead of all-purpose. Oh that and not peeking in the pot until they've simmered in the stew for a full 15 minutes - but I already knew about that one.

As for the stew - well I had a little under a pound of skinless boneless chicken breasts to use along with a veggie drawer full of odds and sods, so I thought why not make a soup. Sure it would have been nice to have a whole chicken to use, but sometimes you've just got to go with what you've got. Of course I could have added some leftover turkey to the mix but I'm saving that freezer stash for another day.

The soup morphed into a stew and we're so glad it did. Chock full of pearl onions, carrots, celery, and parsnip I even threw in some turkey gravy I had hiding just to add a little more flavor, along with garlic, rosemary, a touch of dried thyme and some poultry seasoning. I admit it all tasted rather wonderful for a dish that was ready in a grand total of 45 minutes.

Sometimes it's easier to make dinner than it is to make reservations. Oh alright, that's a bit of a stretch- so shoot me but wait until after lunchtime OK. We still have a couple of bowls left!

Chicken and Vegetable Stew with Dumplings Inspired by and adapted from simplyrecipes.com

1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

All-purpose flour

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

 1 medium onion, chopped

1-1/2 cups diced carrots (1/2 inch dice)

3 stalks celery, cut in half inch pieces

3 medium parsnip, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

6 ounces pearl onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

4 tablespoons flour

1/3 cup medium dry sherry

3 cups low sodium chicken stock

1 cup turkey gravy (or add additional cup of stock)

Dumplings:

2 cups cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons melted butter

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley plus 2 tablespoons for garnish

Melt butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes, season well with salt and pepper and dust lightly with flour, shaking off excess. Brown in Dutch oven until golden, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove browned chicken from pot to a plate and set aside. Decrease heat to medium and add onion, carrots, celery, parsnip, and pearl onions. Cook stirring occasionally for 5 minutes until vegetables start to caramelize. Add garlic, rosemary, thyme and poultry seasoning along flour. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat vegetables with mixture and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add to pot and when sherry has reduced, add chicken stock and turkey gravy. Heat to boiling stirring constantly until sauce has thickened. Return chicken to pot, reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add parsley and toss together. Using a fork, make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add butter and milk. Incorporate dry ingredients into the wet and mix carefully just until combined (barely). Using a small scoop, transfer dumplings to slowly simmering stew allowing space in between dumplings because they’ll expand. Cover pot and cook for 15 minutes. DO NOT PEEK. Serve stew in bowls with dumplings on top. Garnish with parsley. Serves 4.

A year ago - Clam Chowder   Two years ago - Lamb Ragu

 

Duck Pizza with Figs, Pancetta and Brie

One of the major pluses of cooking for two is that a lot of recipes are made for 4 servings which means that fabulous dinner of braised duck we had night before last got a reworking for dinner as the most incredible pizza ever made.

Now we've made duck pizza before but honestly I'm thinking it was just a prelude to an even better version this time. A perfectly thin and incredibly crisp crust is the basis as always, but last night's seemed thinner and crisper and absolutely more delicious than any before which makes not one bit of sense because it is the same recipe we always use.

A creamy sauce made from heavy cream and the white rinds of the brie is reduced and tops the crust, followed by leftover braised duck, pancetta pieces, juices and all and some of the figs all sliced up nice and evenly. Topped with golden brown onions jazzed up with some dry sherry and guilded with slices of brie, it all hit the pizza stone in a 500 oven for exactly 12 minutes.

Garnished with some pomegranate arils that cut some of the richness of the other ingredients just perfectly it was amazing, particularly served with a rather incredible bottle of 2006 Sagrantino di Montefalco we sprung $9.99 for at Trader Joes - which to be honest is an absolute fortune for us cheap under $6.00 a bottle winos. Heaven in a glass to go with heaven on a plate.

The bonus - I lifted barely a finger to help and I even tried to keep my "advice" to a minimum. It was the Big Guy's labor of love. Lucky, eh?

Duck Pizza with Figs, Pancetta, Grilled Onions and Brie from JBug’s Kitchen Antics inspired by Emeril Lagasse

Crust:

1 cup water

1 package active dry yeast (Rapid Rise is fine)

2-1/2 to 3 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

In bowl of food processor with metal blade combine 1-1/2 cups flour with warm water and yeast. Mix well. Add 1 cup four, olive oil and salt. Combine well until dough forms into one ball and rides on top of the metal blade (about 20 seconds). If dough is very sticky add more flour; however dough should be very soft. Remove ball of dough from processor and place in lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. After dough has risen remove to a floured board and cut in half. Form into 2 balls and cover with bowl. Allow to rest for 20 minutes before shaping. Makes 2 – 12 inch pizzas

 Sauce:

2/3 cup heavy cream

Rind from 8 ounce piece triple cream brie cut into small pieces

Combine rind and cream in a small pot. Heat over medium heat, whisking from time to time to dissolve cheese into cream. Bring to a simmer and cook until cream has reduced and sauce is thick – about 10 minutes. Watch carefully so you don’t reduce it too much!

 

For the pizza:

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons medium dry sherry

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat heavy skillet over medium heat. Add butter and when melted, add onions. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until onions have caramelized and turned a rich amber color (about 30 minutes). Remove from heat and add port. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

1-1/2 cups chopped or slivered cooked duck leftover from Braised Duck

2 ounces of diced pancetta with juices leftover from Braised Duck

6 precooked leftover figs from Braised Duck, thinly sliced

8 ounce piece of triple cream brie sliced, (rind removed as above)

Pomegranate arils

Salt and coarse ground black pepper to taste

Place pizza stone in oven and preheat oven to 500. Shape crust into 12 inch pizza. Top with half of Brie sauce, and half of the duck, pancetta, figs and brie. Transfer to pizza stone and bake for 12 minutes. Garnish with pomegranate arils. Repeat for second pizza.

A year ago - Pomegranate Gelato   Two year's ago - Shaker Lemon Pie