Jalepeno Popper Chicken

I had pinned this recipe on Pinterest and finally got around to making it the other day - it just sounded so good as, hungry, we made our menu for the week.  I always enjoyed jalepeno poppers from Jack-n-the-Box (the only poppers I've had) and this was WORLDS better.  It was full of flavor without being too spicy (because we are spice-heat wimps).  Ben says it was pretty easy to make, too.

Serves 2
Highly adapted from Allrecipes, via Sunny Side Up in San Diego
1/2 cup panko
2 tsp. canola oil
1.5 – 2 tsp. taco seasoning or mixture in notes*
1 egg
2 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (we used 2%)
1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeds and ribs removed, minced
2 chicken breasts
Preheat the oven to 375 and place an ovenproof rack onto a rimmed baking dish. Spray with cooking oil.
In a small skillet over medium heat, combine the panko with the canola oil. Cook, stirring often, until the panko is golden and crispy. Place in a shallow bowl or dish. To the panko, add the taco seasoning* and stir to combine.
In another shallow bowl or dish, lightly beat an egg. In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and jalapeños.
Using a small utility knife, cut a pocket into the side of each chicken breast, or horizontally slice the chicken through the center, until it is almost butterflied. Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper, and then divide the cream cheese mixture evenly between each chicken breast’s pocket. Use toothpicks to secure, if necessary.
Dip the chicken pieces one at a time first into the egg, and then into the panko mixture, making sure to coat the chicken completely. Place the chicken on the prepared baking rack and cook for about 25-30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

*Note: To make your own taco seasoning mixture, combine 1/2 tsp. chili powder, 1/4 tsp. cumin, 1/8 tsp. garlic powder, 1/8 tsp. onion powder, 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1/8 tsp. oregano, 1/8 tsp. paprika, and salt and black pepper to taste.

Chicken Zucchini Casserole

I recently made a huge discovery. The past couple of weeks have been really hot - over 100 every day. I like to grill when it's that hot so that I don't heat up the house even more with the oven, but there are days when I just want something baked for dinner. Like pizza. I make pizza at least every other week. So I got out my pizza stone and cooked it on the grill. I had heard of other people doing it, and it worked great. I put it right over the flames (it was taking too long on indirect heat, and I had 3 pizzas to cook), and it didn't burn at all. Then I had a thought - why not "bake" other things on the grill? I bought several stones from Pampered Chef years ago and rarely used them. So far I've successfully cooked zucchini casserole (which my family loves so much they literally lick the pan - see recipe below), eggplant parmesan, and even a beef pot pie with leftover roast beef, veggies and gravy. I wasn't sure if that one would work out, since it had a pie crust on top, but it came out flaky and perfect. Who knew? I just periodically adjust the flames to get the right temperature and rotate it several times; it takes about the same amount of time to cook, maybe even less. Dave said I shouldn't do all my baking on the grill because it costs more for the propane. But on these super hot days, it's an awesome alternative.

Here's the Chicken Zucchini Casserole recipe from Taste of Home. I made a few changes.

• 1 package (6 ounces) chicken stuffing mix
• 3/4 cup butter, melted (I use 1/2 cup butter and 1/4 cup milk)
• 3 cups zucchini, diced 
• 1 medium carrot, shredded
• 1-2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 small onion, chopped 
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine stuffing mix and butter and milk. Set aside 1/2 cup for topping. 
• Saute the zucchini, carrot, onion and celery. Mix with chicken, cream of chicken soup, sour cream and remaining stuffing mixture.
• Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with reserved stuffing mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Yield: 6 servings.

Chicken Parmesan

I may have already put this recipe on my blog at some point. It's one of my absolute favorite dinners I make for my family. It's great for Sundays and company because I can make it ahead of time and just bake it right before we eat. I serve it with pasta, extra sauce, a salad and bread or bruschetta.

Start with a bunch of boneless skinless chicken breasts and pound them with a meat tenderizer in a ziplock bag (so the juices don't splash all over the place) until they are so thin they are starting to fall apart. It is really important to make them super thin so they cook evenly and quickly. I can't stand thick, dry chicken breasts. Plus it really seems to make more this way. I always end up with more servings than I anticipated and have a hard time fitting them in the pan.

Then pat them dry with paper towels and dip them in a mixture of beaten eggs and either milk or water. This helps the bread crumbs stick.

Next coat them with Italian bread crumbs. They're full of flavor, so you don't need to add any extra spices.

Heat a very thin layer of canola or vegetable oil in a large non-stick pan. You don't want to use too much or else it won't crisp up. Work in batches and rotate them around to make sure they cook evenly, adding more oil as needed. When they are golden brown on both sides, put them on paper towels to soak up the excess grease.

Then transfer them to a 9x10 pan that has a thick layer of spaghetti sauce (I especially like Trader Joe's Tomato Basil Marinara, which has a great flavor). I use about half a jar in the pan and heat up the other half to seve with the pasta.

Bake them at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, then top with mozzerella cheese and bake until it's melted and bubbly, about 10-15 more minutes. I happened to have some fresh parmesan this time, so I grated that on there too. Serve over pasta. Yum!! This recipe also works great with eggplant parmesan. Of course you don't need to pound those - just slice them nice and thick. The leftovers make excellent sandwiches - reheat and put on toasted sourdough or hoagie roll with plenty of sauce.

A Trip to Morocco

As I'm sure you've noticed by now, we like food from other countries. One of our new favorites is Moroccan food. I found this recipe on Rachael Ray's site and it was so good. I highly recommend making the yummy couscous to go with it.

Moroccan Spiced Lamb or Chicken

2 pounds boneless leg of lamb or chicken, diced

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 1/2 tsp coriander

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

salt and pepper

flour for dredging

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 red chili peppers seeded and chopped (I think I just used bell peppers)

2 onions chopped (I just did one)

2 bay leaves

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups chicken stock

1 tsp orange or lemon zest with juice of said fruit

Sprinkle the meat with the cumin, coriander, chili powder, salt and pepper then dredge in the flour. Heat the oil in a pan and when it starts to smoke, add the meat and brown all over. Remove it to a plate and set aside. Reduce the heat a bit and add a bit more oil, chili peppers, onions and bay leaves. Cook 6-7 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, stock, zest and juice. Once the liquid comes to a boil, add the meat back in. Reduce heat and thicken it a little.

I love it when web sites give you what to serve something with. Sure we could have gone with plain couscous but there was a link to this one right on the other recipe. What's a girl to do?

Pistachio, Garlic and Mint Couscous

1/3 cup shelled pistachios

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 cups couscous

salt and pepper

1 cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed

Toast the nuts in a saucepan suitable for rice. Remove to a food processor and finely chop (or just a cutting board and chop well). Add the oil and garlic to the pot and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Stir in the couscous, cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile, pulse-chop (or use that handy cutting board and knife again) the mint in a food processor very fine. Stir the mint and nuts into the couscous as you fluff with a fork.

Orange Chicken

I was perusing Pioneer Woman for dinner recipes one day and jumped over to another food website that she recommended. The recipes there were totally amazing. I printed off two recipes, this orange chicken and a brushetta chicken. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of it or how I got there, so going back and getting more recipes is difficult. (I'm currently searching for a chile relleno recipe.) If anyone knows or finds out what website I got this off of, let me know.

This orange chicken is as good as or maybe better than Panda Express.

Orange Chicken

Serves 4

2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about a lb., but you could do more, there's lots of sauce.)

1/4 c. cornstarch

salt and pepper

1 c. orange juice

1 c. water

2 Tbsp. lime juice

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar

3 strips orange zest--1" wide by 2" tall (or the equivalent in small ones that you're likely to get.)

1/2 c. lightly packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. minced ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

4 whole dried red chilies, broken in half (I used a few shakes of red pepper flakes.)

2 Tbsp cornstarch, for the slurry

2 Tbsp. water, for the slurry

In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat about an inch of vegetable or canola oil to about 375F. Heat the oven to 250F.

In a large zip top bag combine the cornstarch, salt and pepper. Add the chicken chunks and seal the bag. Toss to coat completely. (As an alternate method, I salted and peppered the chicken, and tossed it in a bowl with the cornstarch.)

Add the coated chicken to the hot oil in two or three batches. Cook until lightly golden and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160F. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Hold the chicken in the oven. (You could skip the oven and just warm up the chicken in the sauce right before you serve it, or make the sauce first, then the chicken and put it in warm.)

In a sauce pan, combine the water, orange, lime and lemon juices, vinegar, orange zest, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and dry chilies. Stir to combine. Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the sauce reduce by 1/3.

In a small bowl, prepare the slurry by combining the cornstarch and water until smooth. Pour the mixture into the sauce and whisk until the sauce thickens. Take the sauce off the heat. Take out the orange zest. Stir in the chicken pieces.

I was thinking that you could also just saute the chicken and skip the frying. Also, don't leave out the orange zest. I'm pretty sure that's the difference between just okay orange chicken and really great orange chicken.

The recipe also has instructions for fried rice, but I haven't tried it yet. Some people in my house refuse to eat any rice that isn't white and covered in soy sauce. Let me know if you want me to post it.

Chicken Pot Pie--A Recipe in Three Incarnations

This is a recipe that our family has enjoyed for years. It's been through a few changes. I offer them all to you here, perhaps one will become your family favorite too.

Recipe #1

I originally got this recipe from Emily's sister-in-law, Joy. Here it is unadulterated.

3 cans Cream of Potato soup

16 oz. frozen vegetables

2 C. cooked, diced chicken

1/2 C. milk

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 frozen pie crusts, thawed

1 egg for topping

Mix soup, veggies, chicken, milk, thyme and pepper in a large bowl. Roll out one pie crust and put in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Put filling into pie crust. Roll out second pie crust and spread over filling. Crimp edges. Cut slits in pie crust. Beat egg and brush on top of pie crust. Bake at 375 for 40 min.

This is a good recipe, but I knew there was no way I was going to buy frozen pie crust and do you know how hard it is to find mixed veggies with no lima beans or green beans? (Aaron doesn't like lima beans and I hate frozen green beans.) So, I decided to change it up a bit. This is my version, call it Chicken Pot Pie ala Missa.

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

1 bag frozen peas and carrots

1/2 can each corn and green beans

2 potatoes, peeled, diced and cooked

2 C. cooked, diced chicken (I always season this with salt, pepper and garlic powder before I saute it.)

1/2 C. milk

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 recipe Lion House Pie Dough (follows)

Mix together the filling ingredients in a large bowl. (I recommend mixing the soup and milk together first, you can whisk them together and not have soup lumps.) Divide the pie dough into thirds, roll out one third and put it in a pie plate. Put the filling into the pie plate. Roll out the second pie dough and top the pie with it--don't forget to cut slits in the top, then crimp the edges. (The third piece can be saved for later, wrap it up well in plastic wrap and tin foil and freeze it, or you can have pie for dessert too, hooray!) Bake at 375 for 40 min.

Lion House Pie Dough

1/2 C. butter or margarine

2/3 C. shortening

1 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp powdered milk

3 C. flour

1/2 C. cold water

Mix together the butter and shortening. Add the sugar, baking powder, salt, and powdered milk, mix. Add 1/2 the flour, mix. Add the water, mix. Add the other half of the flour. Mix until the dough comes together. Makes three pie crusts. (I love this recipe because I don't have to cut the butter into the flour, I can make it in my KitchenAid, and I don't have to fuss with everything being cold.)

Now, as you can see, this recipe takes A LOT more time. It's really good, my family has eaten it with gusto for years, however, the time commitment makes it less than ideal. So, recently, I solved one of my problems with this recipe when Hannah wanted Shepherd's Pie for dinner and Maggie wanted Chicken Pot Pie. Thus Chicken Pot Shepherd's Pie was born.

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

16 oz bag frozen peas and carrots

2 C. cooked, diced chicken

1/2 C. milk

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. pepper

6 servings instant mashed potatoes, made according to package directions

1/2-1 C. shredded cheddar cheese

Mix the soup, veggies, chicken, milk and spices together. Put in a greased 9x9 pan. Top with mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes.

Really, any veggies your family likes would be good in this. The frozen peas and carrots are what we like, but don't be limited by frozen, canned or fresh work well. Those of you who are rotisserie chicken people could make this with a rotisserie chicken. That would save time. There's also the canned chicken option. I would say this recipe feeds around six people. Especially if you take the extra time to make a salad or other side dish to go with it. I usually figure there is veggies in it, and I've already gone through all that work, do we really need something else? Don't forget the thyme either. It's just a little bit, but it really makes this meal.

Sweet Potato Soup

The other day I somehow went over-board making Baked Chicken on Roasted Potatoes/Sweet Potatoes. I used the left-over chicken for chicken quesadillas (of course), but what to do with all that left-over potato/sweet potato? The sweet potatoes were cooked almost to the point of falling apart, which to my mind suggested "soup." So here's my on-the-fly recipe for potato/sweet potato soup.

First make Baked Chicken on Roasted Potatoes/Sweet Potatoes

--Peel and cut several baking potatoes and sweet potatoes in a 2" dice
--Rough chop one onion
--In a roasting pan, toss diced potatoes, sweet potatoes, and onion with 1/2 envelope of onion soup mix (no oil--the chicken will provide plenty of fat)
--Remove skin from chicken drumsticks and bone-in thighs (from all the pieces, or just some of them, depending on how much/little fat you want). Season chicken pieces with salt, pepper, garlic powder (don't over-do it), and "Herbs de Provence"--ie. basil, rosemary, marjoram, sage, savory, thyme, lavender (I didn't even know lavender was edible, but it's listed on this herb blend I used). Let sit about 20 minutes for seasonings to permeate the chicken.
--Arrange chicken parts on top of diced potatoes/sweet potatoes.
--Cook chicken and potatoes at 375 deg. F. for 45 minutes until chicken reaches at least 165 deg internal temperature and the vegetabels are soft.

I turn the chicken after 30 minutes so that it browns on both sides and sometimes even turn on the broiler for just a couple minutes at the end so that the chicken looks good and browned. People in this house seem to have a thing against pale chicken.

Also the sweet potatoes will be noticably softer than the baking potatoes, but other than adding the sweet potatoes after 10 minutes of baking--which would mean taking off the chicken, mixing in the sweet potatoes, and replacing the chicken--I don't see how to avoid that.

--Once your family has had its fill of the chicken and potatoes, season the left-over roasted vegetables with a little tarragon and thyme, and salt and pepper if needed.
--Add chicken broth and fat-free half-and-half (or other choice of cream/milk) in a ratio of 2 parts broth to one part cream. Actual amounts depend on how much vegetables you have and how thick or thin you want the soup to be (for 4 servings of fairly thick soup I used 1 cup broth and 1/2 cup half-and-half).
--Blend the vegetables with the liquids to a smooth, creamy consistency.
--In a sauce pan, gently heat through.

Uche said it was "okay"--maybe he was put off by the orange color--but I quite enjoyed it. I wonder how it would be with roasted apple or pears, maybe topped with toasted pecans.

Fun with coconut milk

Sometimes we have coconut rice--which is just jelof rice (I've told you about that one before) with a little coconut milk added. But Uchenna likes only a subtle coconut taste, meaning we use only about 3 or 4 tablespoons of said milk. That leaves me with most of a can to use before it goes bad. So I've been experimenting, and here are a couple of results.

Chocolate coconut cookies

Basically, I just make chocolate cookies and replaced the oil with coconut milk, rolling them in shredded coconut rather than in powdered sugar. Also I cut the recipe in half, since it originally made 6 dozen--too much for me.

I was concerned that the coconut milk would add too much fat, but it actually has a lot fewer grams of fat than the oil it replaces. There's that whole saturated vs unsaturated thing, but I just don't think about that.

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp cocoa powder

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup coconut milk

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup shredded coconut

Mix cocoa powder and sugar. Add coconut milk, eggs--one at a time--and vanilla and mix well. Stir in flour, salt, and baking powder. Chill several hours or overnight (I tend to skip chilling in other cookies, but in this case the dough is pretty thin so it's necessary).

Heat oven to 350 deg. Pour shredded coconut into a small bowl. Drop spoonfuls of dough into the shredded coconut and roll them around until they form a coconut-covered ball. Place about 2" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 10 to 12 minutes.

Makes about 3 doz cookies.



Coconut-Curry Chicken Salad Sandwiches

One time I made coconut-curry chicken, but the cooked chicken I used shredded as it mixed into the sauce and looked completely unappealing. Unwilling to waste it all, I strained the chicken back out of the sauce and sauteed new chicken that obediently stayed in docile little chunks. But what to do with the curry-flavored shredded chicken? It made lovely sandwiches! So here's the recipe in a less roundabout way.

1/4 onion, diced

1/2 clove garlic, minced

1 - 3 tsp yellow curry (depending on your taste)

1/2 Tbsp lime juice

1/3 c coconut milk

1/4 tsp chicken base or bullion granules

salt and pepper to taste

2 lb cooked chicken, shredded

lettuce

wheat toast or toasted croisant

mayonnaise, if desired

Saute onion and garlic in oil. Add curry, lime, coconut milk, chicken bullion, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in shredded chicken. Chicken should be moistened enough to hold together without being overly saucy.

Use as chicken salad on toast or toasted croissants with crisp lettuce and maynnaise, if desired. Makes 4 sandwiches (I think).

Crispy Curry Chicken Salad Sandwiches

I made this up last night to stretch our leftover fried chicken, and it far exceeded my expectations. In fact my wh0le family loved it. It might even be worth buying fried chicken just to make it. This recipe makes 6 whole sandwiches.

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3 pieces fried chicken (breasts and/or thighs), meat removed and chopped; I included a little bit of the fried breading, which gave this the best flavor

1 apple, finely chopped

2 carrots, grated

mayonnaise and curry powder mixed together (sorry, i didn't measure either one; just add what looks and tastes right to you)

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Mix all of the ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to serve. Spread butter on one side of good dense bread (we recently discovered one we love from Trader Joe's called Whole Wheat Tuscan Pane) and grill in skillet until golden brown on both sides.

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To assemble sandwich: put bread on plate, buttered side down; cover with fresh spinach leaves and chicken salad; top with another piece of bread, buttered side up. Cut in half and enjoy. I think nuts and golden raisins would be good in this also.

Not the Typical Quesadilla

I got this recipe a few years ago from a little cookbook at a grocery store checkout lane. This is my modified version. I always eat more of these than I should; they also make good leftovers.

Ranch Quesadillas

2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
2 cups (8 oz) Colby Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup Ranch dressing
1 medium tomato, diced and seeded
1/2 - 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles, rinsed and drained (depends on how much you like)
8 flour tortillas, approximately
salsa (optional)
guacamole (optional)

Combine chicken, cheese, dressing, tomatoes, and chiles in a medium bowl. Place about 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture on each tortilla, then fold in half. Put quesadillas on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Cut in half or thirds. Serve with salsa and guacamole.

Chicken and Rice

One really fun thing about living with Kristen is dinner time. Often we have to come up with something to eat with what we have on hand (we keep meaning to plan menus, honest) that will fill up all of the boys as well as the usuals of being yummy and healthy. And since that wasn't enough of a challenge, we decided to go on a diet together so dinner also has to fit within that. Well the other day, we were looking through the cupboards and thinking and bouncing ideas and ended up with this really yummy chicken and rice dish:

Chicken thighs cut into slices (Kristen really likes thighs because they tend to be more moist than breasts)

red, orange and yellow bell peppers, sliced (green would probably work too but we didn't have any of those)

chopped onion

cumin (a decent amount)

garlic salt

green salsa

splash of water

cooked brown rice

Season the chicken with cumin and garlic salt and saute lightly with the peppers. Add the salsa (almost the whole bottle) and a splash of water. Cover and let it boil until the chicken is cooked. Serve over rice.

It was really good that night but was even better the next day because the flavors had time to mix and mingle. It would also be good with green chiles.

Mangoes

Here are two Indian dishes that use mangoes. I didn't really get to like mangoes until after we went to India so they remind me of there. The first one is from allrecipes.com and the second one is from an Indian cookbook I got for Christmas called Indian in 6 (Indian dishes with 6 ingredients or less).

Chicken and Mango Curry
2 mangoes peeled, chopped and divided
can coconut milk
1 T vegetable oil
1 T curry paste - the spiciness of the dish will depend on the curry paste, if you can find Indian curry paste it would be more authentic and you can always add more if it needs more spice
14 oz chicken, cut into cubes - to make this vegetarian, I used paneer instead
4 medium shallots, sliced
1 large cucumber, seeded and chopped

Blend half of the mangoes with the coconut milk in a blender until smooth. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Stir in the curry paste and cook about a minute (until fragrant). Add the chicken and shallot and cook until chicken is cooked and shallot is soft. If not using chicken, just cook the shallots. Pour in the mango puree and cook until warmed through. Add the rest of the mangoes, the cucumber and paneer, if using, just before serving. Serve over rice.

Monsoon Salad
1 large mango, diced
4 thick rings fresh pineapple cut into 1/2 inch pieces (or use canned rings)
2 bananas sliced
salt
1 T lemon juice
2 in piece very fresh ginger root
1 T brown sugar

Combine the mango, pineapple and banana in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and add the lemon juice. Shred the ginger root finely and squeeze to collect the juice. Add to the bowl. Sprinkle in the sugar and mix lightly. Serve immediately.

Saint Patrick's Day dinner

Did anyone else have fun with their Saint Patrick's Day dinner? I know that the traditional meal is corned beef and cabbage, but I made that one year and wasn't too impressed. So I like to have fun with green food coloring instead. Yesterday I made green chicken nuggets (recipe to follow), green mashed potatoes (simply added the food coloring at the end) and green peas. I didn't know how green the chicken nuggets would end up, and they turned out very green. The kids loved it!

Chicken Nuggets

vegetable oil (enough to barely cover pan, adding as necessary)

boneless skinless chicken breasts (I defrosted 4 large ones for my family, and there was more than enough)

corn starch or flour

2 beaten eggs (optional: add a few drops of food coloring)

Italian bread crumbs

Heat thin layer of oil in large skillet over medium heat. Pound chicken until uniformly thin. Cut into nugget-sized pieces. Dip in corn starch or flour, then dip in egg, then coat with bread crumbs. Fry in batches, turning over when golden brown. They will cook quickly if you have pounded them thin enough. Drain on paper towels. Serve with dipping options: BBQ sauce, ketchup, honey mustard, and hot sauce (my family's favorite). These are a huge hit with adults and kids alike.

Your best tips

This is more of a discussion question than an actual recipe: what are your favorite tips for cooking good food while also (1) keeping the food bill down or (2) making the cooking quicker and more convenient? Discuss. Use examples. (That's my short stint in teaching composition coming through).

I'll start. Our local Walmart sells a 10 lb bag of chicken legs for under $5. That's the thigh and drumstick still in one piece, with bones and skins still very much in evidence. They're not even the handy Individual Quick Frozen variety. Okay, they're so cheap I can't pass them up, but they're obviously inconvenient.

So lately (now that my oven is available again), I buy this package, dump the pieces in a big ol' mixing bowl with marinade and somehow manage to shove it into my fridge. Sometime later when I remember, I throw it all in the oven and cook until the meat is falling off the bones. I usually have baked chicken with potatoes that night for dinner, which for the two of us barely makes a dent in the amount of chicken produced. So I let the rest of it cool, pull the meat off, and keep enough for three or four individual meals in freezer bags in the freezer.

I guess that is a lot of steps, but it doesn't seem like extra work, and then you've got chicken ready to throw into just about anything (chicken quesadillas at the drop of a hat). Someday I guess I'll have to weigh the meat and compare it to the weight of the bones, skin, gristle, fat and all that gets thrown out. What is the real price per pound here?

Oh, and I have to mention that you can drain off the fat and keep the juices. Is that the stock or is stock something different? Anyway, it gels in the fridge (really, like jell-o), and you can put a couple of spoonfulls into lovely sauces.

Now it's your turn. What do you do?

Yummy Chicken

Well, here goes! All those chicken recipes made me think of my one of my favorite chicken recipes. It's from America's Test Kitchen. I usually serve it sitting in the sauce; that way the kids get some of the taste of it without being grossed out because their food is touching.

Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts with Sweet-Tart Sauce with Tomato and Thyme

Chicken
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil (I usually just spray the pan good with spray fat.)

Sweet-Tart Sauce
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil (again with the spray fat)
1 shallot, minced (or 1/4 c. onion)
2 tsp. tomato paste
salt
1 c. chicken broth
1 Tbsp. white vinegar (The recipe calls for 3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar--any combo of mild vinegars would work. This is what I like and have on hand.)
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. dried thyme (2 tsp. fresh)
1 1/2 tsp. light brown sugar
3 Tbsp. butter (I only use 1)
pepper

For the chicken:
1. Spread the flour in a shallow dish.
2. Pound the thicker ends of the breasts to get an even piece of meat. (The thinner your meat, the quicker it cooks.) Pat dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. (I like garlic powder too.) Dredge through the flour to coat and shake off any excess.
3. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken and cook until light golden brown on both sides. Transfer the chicken to a plate and keep warm in a 200 oven, if desired.

For the sauce:
Add the oil to the skillet and return to medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the shallot, tomato paste, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Cook until the shallot is softened, about 1 minute. Stir in the broth, vinegar, thyme, and brown sugar, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer until reduced and slightly syrupy, about 8 minutes. Stir in any accumulated chicken juice. Turn the heat to low and whisk in the butter, one piece at a time. Off the heat, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Indian Food Extravaganza

On New Year's Eve, I coordinated an Indian food feast for my family in town at the time. This included: 10 adults and 16 children including 2 teenagers. Naturally I was intimidated by this many people and planned a lot of food. Also naturally there was no way I could have done this all on my own. I had a lot of helpers and I was almost more like the supervisor. So, along with rice, here is what we made:

Palak Paneer 

1/3 cup ghee (clarified butter- we used oil so Brennan, who is allergic to dairy, could eat it)

1 bulb garlic - I think we used one bulb but had doubled the recipe

1/2 tsp toasted cumin seed

1 6 oz can of tomato paste

fresh ginger - I have no idea how much we used. It says a 3 in piece

1 tsp garam masala - a spice you should be able to find in a regular grocery store

1 tsp salt

1 onion, chopped

1 cup water or as needed

fresh spinach - when I made this for just me, I would use 1 1/2 - 2 bags

1 lb paneer or queso fresco - a non-melting cheese, you can make it if you are feeling really ambitious

Melt ghee in large saucepan and saute the garlic, cumin seed and onion. Add the tomato paste, ginger, garam masala, salt and water. Stir until tomato paste dissolves then simmer for 1 hour, adding water if necessary. 

Stir in spinach, a little at a time, and cook until spinach is wilted. Mix in the paneer just before serving. You can garnish it with cilantro but I always seem to forget that part. 

Lamb Madras Curry

This one is pretty spicy. The recipe calls for a make your own curry paste. I wasn't able to find the ingredients for the paste so I used a powdered blend of madras spices. Some day I want to actually make the paste. For now, to the best of my recollection, this is what I did.

1 1/2 tsp tumeric

2 1/4 lb lamb meat cut into 1/2 inch cubes

few T Madras Spice Blend - we bought it at the Asian food market but it was also at the regular grocery store but more expensive

1/4 cup oil

4 onions diced (or just a bunch)

1 can coconut milk

2 cups water, divided

1 tsp fennel seeds

10 cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick

1 1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp sugar

3 T warm water

Sprinkle tumeric over the lamb. Toast the fennel seeds and set aside. In a dutch over, over medium, saute the onions in the oil. Add the meat and spice mix and fry for a minute. Stir in 2/3 of the can of coconut milk and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. 

Stir in the rest of the coconut milk and 1 cup water along with the cardamom pods, cinnamon stick and fennel seeds. Cover with the lid ajar and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender. Stir occasionally and thin if needed.

When the lamb is tender, stir in the garam masala and sugar. Cook 5 minutes longer or until the sauce thickens. Remove the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods before serving. 

Butter Chicken

diced onion

swirl of oil

2 T butter

2 tsp lemon juice

1 T ginger garlic paste - I just use chopped ginger and chopped garlic in equal amounts

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1 cup half-and-half

1 cup tomato puree

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or to taset

pinch salt

pinch pepper

oil

1 lb chicken thighs cut into cubes

1 tsp garam masala

pinch cayenne pepper

Heat oil and saute onion. Stir in butter, lemon juice, ginger garlic paste, garam masala, chili powder, cumin and bay leaf. Cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add tomato puree and cook 2 minutes while stirring. Stir in half-and-half and yogurt and simmer 10 minutes on low, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside. 

Heat oil in large skillet and cook chicken until lightly browned. Reduce heat and season with garam masala and cayenne pepper. Stir cooked chicken into sauce. (Emily, did we add the cornstarch to this one? I didn't think so but wasn't too sure.)

Aloo Matar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

chopped onion

1 T ginger garlic paste

1 bay leaf

4 large potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 cup frozen peas, defrosted (or the amount that gives you the proportions you like)

1/2 cup tomato puree

1 1/2 tsp garam masala

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

2 T cilantro

Cook the potatoes. Heat oil and saute onion (are you sensing a theme?), ginger garlic paste and bay leaf. Mix in potatoes and peas. Add tomato puree, garam masala, paprika, sugar and salt. Continue cooking until it's all mixed through. Add cilantro before serving. 

Roti

flour

salt

swirl oil

water

Stir together flour, salt and oil. Add the amount of water that makes it the consistency of bread dough. Kneed it on a floured surface a few times. Take a small handfull of dough and roll it out onto a floured surface. In a dry pan heated over medium heat, cook until it begins to bubble up (if the heat is too low, it won't bubble up and if it's too hot, it will burn in places). Flip. It should bubble more. If the first side needs more browning, flip again. 

To eat, tear it into pieces and pick up the food with it. This can be messy but really is better. For amounts, Jason and I will eat between 2 and 3 roti per meal depending on how big they are. 

This all probably sounds very intimidating. For a regular dinner, I will often make two meals: a meat and a vegetable. Also to remember, while Indian food has a lot of ingredients, the process isn't usually too bad. I do recommend chopping everything before you start cooking. I have overcooked a number of spices because I was still working on chopping something.