If only I had made rice!

Fantastic, spicy dinner! Fast, too!

That was a spicy stir fry!  For the sake of time [and laziness] I did not make rice to go along with this dish, and boy do I regret it!

With shitake mushrooms, garlic, ginger, scallions, bok choy, carrots and chicken strips, that was a pretty easy dinner!  I used Stonewall Kitchen’s Pineapple and Ginger Sauce to bring it all together and it was just fantastic! I think we’ll have enough for another meal for each of us! ^_^

We got the veggies in this pre-wrapped pack in a Wegmans display, all you have to do is chop everything up and cook!  Highly recommended!

Beans, dip, football and herbs…

Saturday night Eric and I weren’t feeling too hungry for dinner since we were snowed in and weren’t to active all day.  I made greenbeans amandine again, which I think I added a little too much lemon juice this time, though Eric appreciated it.  I like just a little more than what is called for in the recipe.

almonds and lemon butter waiting for be beans to finish

steaming hot

buffalo chicken dip for the SuperBowl party and leftovers

Last night for the Colts vs Saints Superbowl game, we went to a friend’s place in Fishtown. I made a double recipe of the buffalo chicken dip to bring, and between that and pizza, we had the perfect makings for a Superbowl Sunday!

(Congrats to the Saints!!)

Also It’s been a while since I’ve checked on the Aerogarden, and it’s always a surprise to see how much bigger it was since I last saw! The chives are starting to get out of control, and everything is starting to get pretty big and bushy! *Still* not ready to be used for cooking, but we’re definitely getting close!

Aerogarden around week 5

This coming week will be a busy one, I think tonight will be our only real “down-time.”  Tomorrow I’ll be having a few friends over for the evening, and I’ll be making the chicken in a pot again!  What a nice and easy thing to make and share ^_^  I might be hunting for a different side dish other than rice and beans… These friends were at the Poconos and had the big chicken kiev dinner!  Some variety would be nice!

the casserole, in progress

Boy am I in the mood for some comfort food!

All of the ingredients laid out

The casserole ready to go into the oven

Now it’s a 45 minute wait before adding the crunchy onions!

Chicken in a pot, finished!

So, as expected when pulling it out of the oven, it smelled heavenly.  I was amazed by how much ju was in the bottom!  The chicken was practically swimming!

mouthwatering goodness

Ju w/o the veggies

finished chicken! yum!

I don’t have a fat strainer [yet, it's in the mail. Seriously.] so it was a little more work to skim the fat off, but it was worth it.  It was definitely sad to see the stewed celery and onion go, but what was left behind was perfect!

The chicken wasn’t as neat looking after the second flip, but it was definitely moist, and the legs and wings were just falling off the bone.

I was happy to find that most of the juices were in the meat or in the pot, not much left behind on the cutting board, so little mess and little loss!

Both of our plates

mine with the ju... *drool!*

Also the left overs will go into the casserole tomorrow, and I had about 2 1/5 cups of meat left over from half of the chicken.  The remaining ju is freezing in the ice cube tray for a rainy day, and the kitchen is pretty much clean thanks to Eric! Definitely good comfort food, helped me feel a little better.  Mmm, g’night!

Chicken in a Pot… so far.

So despite my feeling crappy I have gone through with this recipe, which it’s already paying off. The smells just make me feel better knowing that comfort food is about an hour and a half away.

the first flip of the bird

It’s very easy to prep, and after you flip the bird the first time, it’s so satisfying to smell the browning goodness at the bottom of the pot! I took a picture, which I’ll share later probably after we eat ^_^

Later!

Update: see the picture! Looks lovely!

Buffalo chicken dip… finally

Wouldn’t you know it, the sore throat that has been coming and going for about a week (and i thought was nothing) has finally yielded sensitive sinuses and the whole yuckie, achy feeling of a cold.

Tea and toast for the second time today. (lemon curd on toast == amazing!)

Anyway, here’s what you’ve been waiting for:

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The best tailgate party food…

The best tailgate party food...

Ingredients:
1 8oz package of cream cheese (softened)
2 tbsp butter (melted)
1/4 cup sour cream
Frank’s Red Hot and Tabasco sauce (to taste)
Garlic salt, chili powder, salt and pepper to taste.
2 1/2 cups shredded mexican blend cheese
2 cups cubed cooked chicken

Directions:

Mix the melted butter with the franks red hot and tabasco. Add the cream cheese and sour cream. Mix with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Taste test for desired spiciness.

Keep in mind that adding the chicken and cheese will mellow out the intensity of the sauces a little.

Season mix with garlic salt, chili powder, salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 3/4 cups shredded cheese and mix with mixer on lowest speed. Add all of the cubed chicken, mixing on low speed (will help shred the chicken and mix it evenly)

Transfer to an oven safe dish, and top with the remaining shredded cheese. Cover with foil.

Bake in an oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes to melt the rest of the cheese. Let rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving with tortilla chips.

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I usually make this in double batches when I have company over (Superbowl is coming up!), since it usually goes fast. Enjoy and let me know if you make it!

Poule Au Pot/French chicken in a pot recipe

Oh!! I have found the exact recipe I was talking about! Here you go:

FRENCH CHICKEN IN A POT

Serves 4.   Published January 1, 2008.   From Cook’s Illustrated.

The cooking times in the recipe are for a 4 1/2- to 5-pound bird. A 3 1/2- to 4 1/2-pound chicken will take about an hour to cook, and a 5- to 6-pound bird will take close to 2 hours. We developed this recipe to work with a 5- to 8-quart Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. If using a 5-quart pot, do not cook a chicken larger than 5 pounds. Use the best chicken available, such as a Bell & Evans. If using a kosher chicken, reduce the kosher salt to 1 teaspoon (or 1/2 teaspoon table salt). If you choose not to serve the skin with the chicken, simply remove it before carving. The amount of jus will vary depending on the size of the chicken; season it with about 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice for every 1/4 cup.

INGREDIENTS

1	whole roasting chicken (4 1/2 to 5 pounds), giblets removed and discarded, wings tucked under back (see note)
2	teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt
1/4	teaspoon ground black pepper
1	tablespoon olive oil
1	small onion , chopped medium (about 1/2 cup)
1	small stalk celery , chopped medium (about 1/4 cup)
6	medium garlic cloves , peeled and trimmed
1	bay leaf
1	medium sprig fresh rosemary (optional)
1/2 – 1	teaspoon juice from 1 lemon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until just smoking. Add chicken breast-side down; scatter onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and rosemary (if using) around chicken. Cook until breast is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Using a wooden spoon inserted into cavity of bird, flip chicken breast-side up and cook until chicken and vegetables are well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove Dutch oven from heat; place large sheet of foil over pot and cover tightly with lid. Transfer pot to oven and cook until instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted in thickest part of breast and 175 degrees in thickest part of thigh, 80 to 110 minutes.

2. 2. Transfer chicken to carving board, tent with foil, and rest 20 minutes. Meanwhile, strain chicken juices from pot through fine-mesh strainer into fat separator, pressing on solids to extract liquid; discard solids (you should have about 3/4 cup juices). Allow liquid to settle 5 minutes, then pour into saucepan and set over low heat. Carve chicken, adding any accumulated juices to saucepan. Stir lemon juice into jus to taste. Serve chicken, passing jus at table.

   Resource: http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/detail.asp?docid=11798

   (they have a video on there, too!)

   Comes highly recommended by my mom, she did this recipe for the first time last week and called to rave about it!

Wild rice and Chicken Curry casserole recipe

So here’s the basic recipe for Wild Rice and Chicken Curry casserole.  It’s from memory also, but I’ve made it a *few* times to know the recipe well enough. ^_~ (it was basically the only thing I ever made my family!)

Ingredients:

1 box Uncle Ben’s Wild rice (original) prepared by directions

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup ea. onion and celery

1 cup chicken broth (add more or less to your preference)

1/2 cup sour cream (add more or less to your preference)

1 10oz can of condensed Cream of Chicken and Mushroom soup

(sometimes it’s hard to find, so get Cream of Mushroom by default)

2 tsp curry powder (I often use more)

1 tsp poultry seasoning

salt and pepper

1/2 cup Baby Peas (optional, I sneak them in because I love them, but Eric HATES them… he doesn’t seem to mind them here)

2 cups cubed cooked chicken (I prefer white meat)

1 can Frenches’ fried onion topping

I think that’s everything!

Directions:

Start the wild rice, according to the directions, and let it simmer while you prepare the veggies and start cooking. It should be done cooking by the time you’re ready to combine the ingredients.

In a deep, large frying pan heat the oil and lightly brown the onions and celery, they should be mostly translucent and very aromatic.  Add the broth and sour cream, stir until evenly mixed with the celery and onion, and begins to bubble, then add the whole can of condensed soup.

Let reduce a little on med-low heat until it is thicker than you’d prefer a creamy soup to be.  Add poultry seasoning, curry, salt and pepper to taste.  Over season by just a wee-bit, remaining ingredients will dull the kick it has now.  Once you’re happy with the flavor, add your peas and chicken, make sure everything is well coated.  Cover until the rice is done.

Once the rice is done, combine into the pan with chicken mixture.  Let reduce, if necessary, until it is just about the consistency you’d like your casserole to be. Transfer to a casserole dish (I prefer long/oval for more surface area) and cover with foil. Bake in a 350degree oven for about 40-50 minutes.

Remove foil and cover the casserole with the fried onions and bake for about 5 minutes uncovered.  Keep an eye on them so they don’t brown too much!

After the onions are brown enough, let the casserole rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. It serves about 6-8.