Connecticut Beef: A New Version Of A Family Classic

Growing up, casseroles were always a staple. One of my favorites is Connecticut Beef Supper. When I eat it, I'm immediately transported back to large family dinner parties. This is one of those meals that sticks with you and can be relied on for savory satisfaction.

Here is an updated version of this classic casserole.

2 T olive oil
2 lbs stew meat, cut into bite sized pieces
1 large yellow onion, chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, chopped
10-12 mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup Marsala wine
3 medium red potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
8 oz container sour cream
10.5 oz cream of mushroom soup
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
Breadcrumbs

1. In a large stew pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add stew meat, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Allow meat to brown; stir often.
   
2. Add mushrooms, water and wine and bring to a slight boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for at least 2 hours (the meat should be very tender).
   
3. Pour meat mixture into a 9x13 baking dish. Add the sliced potatoes in a thin layer.
   
4. Mix together the sour cream and cream of mushrooms soup; spread over the potato layer.
   
5. Sprinkle with cheese; cover with foil.
   
6. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.
7. Remove foil and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake uncovered for another 30 minutes (potatoes should be very tender when pierced with a knife).
8. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes before serving.
   
9. Enjoy! Serves 8-10.

FYI: Always cut your potatoes thin and test that they are done with a fork. This will ensure that they cook all the way through and are not crunchy.

Stove Top Chicken Casserole

What to cook for dinner tonight? This is a question that I run into often. Followed by, what do I have on hand and what can I throw together and still be yummy? In answer to these questions, I look to the freezer (to see what type of meat I have on hand) and to the pantry (to see what canned/boxed goods are available). Throughout the years, there has been a staple that is usually handy, tasty, and a crowd pleaser - Stove Top Stuffing!

I use the Stove Top Stuffing to top casseroles and also add some seasoning to dishes. The nice thing about this casserole is that you really can make it with whatever you have available. The basics are Stove Top Stuffing, butter/margarine, cream of mushroom (or any cream of soup), meat/vegetables, cheese (if you please), and liquid (wine, water or broth). The following is a very loose recipe for the dish. Feel free to add/subtract whatever you like!

Stove Top Chicken Casserole

4 chicken breasts, boned and cut into chuncks

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup Marsala wine (or chicken broth, or white wine, or water)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

12 mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup frozen corn

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 box Chicken flavored Stove Top Stuffing (I prefer low sodium)

10-12 pats of butter

In a large pot, heat some cooking oil (~ 1 tablespoon) over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onions and chicken and cook unitl the chicken is no longer pink; season with salt & pepper. Turn down the heat to simmer-low and add the wine. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the soup and vegetables; mix well. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Transfer the meat mixture to a greased casserole dish. Top with cheese. Add the stuffing over the cheese and finally top with butter (place the butter evenly all over the top of the stuffing). Place casserole in preheated oven and cook until bubbly (about 30-40 minutes). Remove from oven, let stand for 5 minutes and serve with a salad.

Hearty Vegetable Soup - Something To Warm You Up

Growing up, my Mom has a very beloved cookbook - McCall's Cookbook - it is old and tattered and pages are dogeared and ready to fall out. The spine has disintegrated, but my Mom goes back to it all the time. One of her recipes that I really enjoy is in the Low Calorie section, but it is full of vegetables and flavor and I absolutely love it. It is for Hearty Vegetable Soup - it is so good this time of year after being out in the cold and I love it with some good crusty bread. Here is the recipe from McCall's.

Hearty Vegetable Soup

2 lb shin beef

large soupbone

1 tablespoon salt

4 cups thinly sliced cabbage (1 lb)

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

6 carrots, pared and cut in 3-inch pieces

3/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1 can (1 lb 12 oz) tomatoes, undrained

1/2 pkg (10 oz size) frozen lima beans

1/2 pkg (9 oz size) frozen cut green beans

1/2 pkg (10 oz size) frozen peas

1 can (12 oz) whole-kernel corn, drained

1 pared potato, cubed

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

• Place beef, soupbone, salt, and 4 quarts water in very large kettle. Cover; bring to boiling. Skim surface.



• Add cabbage, onion,carrots, celery, green pepper, and tomatoes.



• Bring to boiling; simmer, covered, 30 minutes.



• Add other ingredients; simmer, covered 3 1/2 hours.



• Remove meat and bone; discard bone.



• Let meat cool. Cut into cubes; add to soup. Refrigerate several hours.



• Just before serving soup, skim fat from surface. Slowly heat soup to boiling. Store leftover soup, covered, in refrigerator.

So when my Mom makes this, she does not add the green pepper (thankfully); my Dad and I are not a fan of peppers. Also, I think that she uses stew meat that has already been cubed. The other nice thing about this soup is that the longer it cooks, the more delicious it gets - it also freezes well!

Fancy Comfort Food

Lately my husband and I have been spending our weekends in.  It's been so nice to hang around the house with no real need to adhere to an agenda.  Time at home has also afforded me with ample opportunity to cook.  I've made a few big dishes lately, but one of my favorites has been Coq Au Vin...chicken in wine.

My mother used to make Coq Au Vin when I was a little kid.  I liked it so much that I had her make it for my birthday dinner one year.  It's a meal that I have great memories of, though I haven't had it in years.  After picking up a decent (but not exceptional) frozen Coq Au Vin from Trader Joe's, I decided to break down and make it myself.

I'm so glad I did! 

The final product turned out better than my memories.  The chicken was tender and flavorful, the sauce was thick and perfect, and the mushrooms and onions rounded things out nicely.  I served my Coq Au Vin over hot, buttered egg noodles with a salad and (of course!) crunchy French bread.

After reading both Julia Child's recipe and the recipe in The Joy of Cooking, I went with the later.  Both recipes were very similar, but The Joy of Cooking won out because I wanted more onions and carrots.  There are a million ways to make Coq Au Vin, and there are a number of wines you can use (I may try this with a Riesling in the springtime for a lighter dish), but The Joy of Cooking recipe was easy to follow and didn't require hours upon hours of cooking. Since everyone has (or should have!) a copy of The Joy of Cooking, I'm not going to type out the recipe.  Just flip open your book and get cooking!  Here's what mine looked like in the end:

If you make this (and you should!) let me know how it went!

A Chicken in Every Pot!

I only snapped one photo before this delicious, moist, crisp-skinned chicken was devoured!

Lately I've been getting in the habit of cooking a big meal on Saturday nights.  This past Saturday, I felt like roasting a chicken.  Really...is there anything better than roasted chicken (and, of course, crispy chicken skin!)?

There are a million recipes and techniques out there for roasting a chicken.  Some call for starting out with a super hot oven, others have you flip the chicken from side to side throughout cooking, others say to just throw the chicken in the oven as is.  After reading over a dozen different ways to cook a chicken, I settled on this super easy recipe from everyone's favorite, Martha Stewart...and I must say, I picked the right recipe.  It was a snap to make and it produced chicken that was flavorful, moist, and delicious!

MARTHA'S PERFECT ROASTED CHICKEN

• 1 six-pound roasting chicken
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 medium onions, peeled and sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
• 1 lemon
• 3 large cloves garlic, peeled
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme

1. Let chicken and 1 tablespoon butter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove and discard the plastic pop-up timer from chicken if there is one. Remove the giblets and excess fat from the chicken cavity. Rinse chicken inside and out under cold running water. Dry chicken thoroughly with paper towels. Tuck the wing tips under the body. Sprinkle the cavity of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, and set aside.

2. In the center of a heavy-duty roasting pan, place onion slices in two rows, touching. Place the palm of your hand on top of lemon and, pressing down, roll lemon back and forth several times. This softens the lemon and allows the juice to flow more freely. Pierce entire surface of lemon with a fork. Using the side of a large knife, gently press on garlic cloves to open slightly. Insert garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and lemon into cavity. Place chicken in pan, on onion slices. Cut about 18 inches of kitchen twine, bring chicken legs forward, cross them, and tie together.

3. Spread the softened butter over entire surface of chicken, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place in the oven, and roast until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and the juices run clear when pierced, about 1 1/2 hours. When chicken seems done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the breast, then the thigh. The breast temperature should read 180 degrees.and the thigh 190 degrees.

4. Remove chicken from oven, and transfer to a cutting board with a well. Let chicken stand 10 to 15 minutes so the juices settle. Use the pan juices to make gravy, as you prefer. Untie the legs, and remove and discard garlic, thyme, and lemon. Carve, and serve gravy on the side.

I didn't love Martha's gravy technique, and instead called upon my trusty Joy of Cooking to make a super yummy, rich, deep brown gravy with leftover pan juices, wine, broth, butter, flour, and (here's a tip) a few drops of lemon.  The lemon juice and wine really added some much needed acidity to the mix.  Here's an embarrassing fact: before Saturday, I had never made gravy.  Lame, right?  But now that I have, it's not a problem.

If you make Martha's Perfect Roasted Chicken, be sure to keep and serve the onions that get cooked (and burnt!) in the roasting pan.  They sit under the chicken, soaking up all the flavor and juices from the roast.  The onions became almost like an onion jam, and were a huge source of flavor.  In Martha's recipe, she says to throw them away.  Really, Martha?  Ditch all that lovely flavor?  You're crazy!

This was sort of a dry run for Thanksgiving dinner...a delicious dry run!

Cottage Pie - A New Take on Sheperd's Pie

My mother HATES mashed potatoes and will not eat them in anything. We rarely had them growing up and the only time I ever ate a Sheperd's Pie would be at a restaurant. So I was a little surprised when my Mom found a recipe in Everyday Food by Martha Stewart for Cottage Pie and wanted me to make it - the kicker, no mashed potatoes.

Here is the original recipe for Cottage Pie per Everyday Food.

3 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 large carrots, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
coarse salt & pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 pound ground beef or lamb
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 cup dark (porter) beer
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cups frozen peas
1 large russet potato, very thinly sliced

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and carrots and cook, stirring often, until onion is soft, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in tomato paste. Add meat and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until almost cooked through, 3 minutes. Add thyme and beer and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring frequently, until slightly reduced, 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir to combine. Add 1 cup water and cook until mixture thickens, about 2 minutes. Stir in peas and season with salt and pepper.

• Transfer mixture to a 2-quart baking dish. Top with potatoes, overlapping slices. Season potatoes with salt and pepper and drizzle with 2 tablespoons butter. Bake until potatoes are browned around edges and tender when pierced with a knife, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

The family really liked this dish and we served it with sweet Hawaiian rolls and salad. I added fresh mushrooms and used dried thyme. I would also like to add in pear onions to the dish, as I think that it would add a little kick to it. For my first attempt, I used ground beef, but I think the ground lamb would really be nice and give a bit more flavor too.

Anyway, thank you Martha for providing a recipe that even my Mom would like - although, I missed the mashed potatoes!

The Tastes of Fall

It's official: fall is here.  After returning home from being out all day last week, I realized my house was only 62 degrees inside.  That meant it was time to switch on the heat (darn!) which of course means that summer and the hope for warmer days is long gone.  I don't mind too much...I love fall.  I was married in the fall and I think it's a really special time of the year.

Now that we're firmly planted in shorter days and longer nights, my palate is changing and I am wanting fall foods.  Here are some of my culinary signs of fall...let me know what fall flavors you crave in the comments!

• Spiced Apple Cider.  I don't love the taste of apple cider, but my husband does.  I do love the way it smells--like apples and spices, essentially autumn in a cup!  Heat it up and it makes the whole house smell amazing.  I recently snagged a big bottle of Trader Joe's Spiced Apple Cider for about $3.  Not bad.
• Pumpkin Seeds.  Every Halloween, my father would roast up our pumpkin seeds. He cooked them low and slow--giving them hours in the oven to crisp up.  He added salt and occasionally garlic to the seeds which gave them a huge flavor burst.  I still have a hard time saying NO to roasted pumpkin seeds!
• Pumpkin everything!  While I am not a fan of pumpkin pie, I do love pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, and (most of all) pumpkin cream cheese on a pumpernickel bagel.  OMG that's the best bagel/cream cheese combo ever.
• Rice Crispy Treats.  For some reason, these things scream FALL!  They're so simple to make and taste so yummy.  Again...another treat that's impossible to resist.
• Stew.  I  was walking by Williams Sonoma the other day and noticed their advertising.  They had a huge photo of a bowl of stew and man...I wanted to take a bit.  There's nothing quite like super-tender meat that's been simmering away all day in a concoction of veggies, broth, wine, etc.  Yes, please!
• Chili.  Just like stew, a good bowl of chili is hard to resist.  And, unlike stew, you get to personalize chili with your own toppings.  I love a hot bowl of chili with melty shredded cheddar cheese, freshly diced onion, and a spoonful of sour cream.  Now we're talking fall!

What's your favorite fall food?  Leave a comment and let us know!

Beef and Cheddar Pie: Warm, Hearty Fare

Warning: This is not a low calorie dish!

This meal is absolutely easy, filling and guaranteed to be devoured with no hope of leftovers, but it is not that healthy, is full of cheese and meat and should be eaten only once in a while. However, this is wonderfully delicious and is a treat to eat.

We love this meal (even my son, the picky eater likes this). We usually have a salad to go with the pie and it really rounds out the dish. Serve this on a cold night and enjoy with a nice glass of red wine!

The following recipe is taken from Country Suppers: Simple, Hearty Fare for Family and Friends by Ruth Cousineau.

Beef and Cheddar Pie

For The Filling
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beed
1 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese

For The Biscuit Dough (double this recipe)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. To make the filling, cook the beef with the onions in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the beef loses all its pinkness, 5 to 6 minutes. Sprinkle with the mustard, salt, pepper, and flour and cook 3 to 4 minutes longer, stirring the mixture well. Stir the Cheddar and set aside to cool.

• To make the dough, place the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and stir to combine. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or two knives or rub it in with your fingers until the mixture resembles oatmeal. Stir in the 1/4 cup milk with a fork just until the dough holds together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured worktable and knead 10 to 12 times. Cut the dough in half and roll one half into a 12-inch circle. Fit it into a 9-inch pie plate and spoon in the filling. Roll out the remaining dough into a 12-inch circle and drape over the filling. Trim off the excess dough and crimp the edges to seal. Cut several steam vents in the top crust and brush it with the remaining tablespoon of milk.

• Bake until the pie is golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. let it rest for 10 minutes for easier slicing.
  

Pot Full of Yummy!

Last week I told you about a book my husband gave me, Glorious One Pot Meals.  I pulled it off my cookbook shelf recently for two reasons: 1) it's getting cooler so I want to eat heartier foods; and 2) I've been trying to cook at home on the weekends more often to save money and because it can be a hassle to go out over and over again.

I'm cooking my way through this book and thought I'd share one of the recipes, Chicken Marsala.  I'm not giving you the exact recipe in the book--instead, I'm giving you what I did to whip this up.  It's a super fast one pot meal, perfect for two people.  It can be easily adapted, so have fun with it if you decide to give it a try.


One Pot Chicken, Marsala Style

PAM, or olive oil spray
1 shallot, sliced fine
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup rice (use any kind you like--I've done this with normal white rice and arborio rice)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup marsala
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. ground fennel (optional)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1 small zucchini, cut into circles and then in fourths
Mushrooms--about 16 oz., give or take--any kind you like (baby bellas, shiitake, etc.)
3 sprigs, fresh thyme

Ready for the oven!

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450.  Spray the inside and inner top of a two-quart dutch oven.
2. Scatter sliced shallots and half the garlic on the bottom of the dutch oven.
3. Add the rice to the dutch oven in an even layer.
4. Mix together broth, marsala, red pepper flakes, fennel and remaining garlic.  Stir, then pour half of this mixture over the rice.
5. Season the chicken lightly with sea salt and pepper.  Place the breasts on top of the rice (do not overlap).
6. Pour the remaining liquid over the chicken.
7. Scatter mushrooms and zucchini over the chicken.  Tuck the sprigs of thyme into the mushrooms.
8. Cover and cook in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.
9. Remove thyme sprigs and serve immediately.

All cooked up and ready to serve!

NOTES:

• Unlike normal marsala chicken, you do not get any sauce out of this dish.  What you do get is perfectly cooked, moist chicken and rice that is infused with the flavors of a traditional marsala.
• If you want, you can substitute the rice for couscous.
• If you don't have any zucchini, try another squash.  You can also add carrots to the mix if you want.
• Instead of thyme, try rosemary for a heartier taste.
• The possibilities are endless!

Mom's Artichoke Chicken

A few weeks ago my Mom was rummaging through her pantry in hopes of finding inspiration for a chicken dish. She found a can of artichoke hearts and then she turned her attention to recipes and how to make use of them. What she found was a recipe in the Southern Living Cookbook for Baked Chicken and Artichoke Hearts - it was delicious and I would happily eat this again, often. Here is the recipe.


Baked Chicken and Artichoke Hearts
6 chicken breast halves, skinned and boned
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and halved
1/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2/3 cup canned diluted chicken broth
3 tablespoons dry sherry (Mom used Marsala)

• Sprinkle chicken with salt, paprika, and pepper. Brown chicken in butter over low heat; transfer to a lightly greased shallow 2-quart casserole, reserving drippings in skillet. Arrange artichoke hearts between chicken breasts.

• Saute mushrooms in reserved drippings 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in flour, and cook 1 minute. Gradually add chicken broth and sherry; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Pour over chicken and artichokes. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.

This was a really good dish! Mom served it with rice and green beans & toasted almond slices. It was very much a comfort food dish and I would recommend it for a yummy take on chicken. Thank you Mom and Southern Living!

My Favorite Comfort Food: Spaghetti

Yesterday I talked about soup and sandwiches, today it's my very favorite comfort food - spaghetti. When I was pregnant with my son, I ate this everyday for a month (I was craving tomatoes and this was a way to get my fix). I love this dish because it is easy to make, can be dressed up or down, is relatively inexpensive to make, and can feed a family with leftovers!

Spaghetti Sauce:
1 lb ground beef
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 medium can diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon sugar
salt & pepper

• In a medium-large pot, brown ground beef and onion; add salt & pepper to taste. Drain all the fat when done cooking.
• Add the meat and onions back to the pot and add all ingredients. Simmer for at least 1 hour (the longer the better).
• Serve with cooked spaghetti noodles and top with Parmesan cheese.

You can add all sorts of things to this basic recipe - sub in sausage for beef, add mushrooms, carrots, or peppers to the sauce.

Mother's Day Dinner of Luxury! (Part 1)

I am the only non-mom in my family. That means when it comes to Mother's Day, it's my job to do the cooking--to spoil my mother and sister. (By the way: shouldn't there be an Aunt's Day? We could use some pampering, too!)

I usually cook the family a big Mother's Day brunch, but my mom is not much of a morning person. So this year, I asked Mom: would you prefer a brunch or dinner? She picked dinner. And she requested Chicken with Morel Mushrooms, a dish I've made a few times now, for family celebrations. She and my sister also requested Chocolate Guinness Cake for dessert--click here for that recipe.

Here's the recipe I used for the Chicken with Morel Mushrooms. It comes from Ina Gartner, aka the Barefoot Contessa. This is a heavy, rich dish--one to enjoy on occasion. I am not always willing to shell out the $20+ for dried morels, so I used a dried mushroom medley instead. You could use fresh mushrooms if you don't want to bother with dried.

Ingredients

• 1- ounce dried morels, soaked for 30 minutes in 3 cups very hot water
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• 1⁄4 cup clarified butter
• 1⁄3 cup chopped shallots (2 large)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 1 cup Madeira wine
• 1 cup (8 ounces) creme fraiche
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Lift the morels carefully from the hot water in order to leave any grit behind in the liquid. Rinse a few times to be sure all the grittiness is gone. Discard the liquid and dry the morels lightly with paper towels. Set aside.
3. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Dredge them in flour and shake off the excess. Heat half the clarified butter in a large saute pan and cook the chicken in 2 batches over medium-low heat until browned on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to an ovenproof casserole.
4. Add the rest of the clarified butter to the pan along with the shallots, drained morels, and garlic. Saute over medium heat for 2 minutes, tossing and stirring constantly. Pour the Madeira into the pan and reduce the liquid by half over high heat, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the creme fraiche, cream, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3⁄4 teaspoon pepper. Boil until the mixture starts to thicken, 5 to 10 minutes. Pour the sauce over the chicken and bake for 12 minutes, or until the chicken is heated through.
   

NOTES:

• To make ahead, refrigerate the chicken and sauce in the casserole and increase cooking time to approximately 30 minutes, or until heated through.
• I don't use clarified butter--I just don't have time to deal with that. Instead, I add a tiny bit of olive oil to the butter before cooking the chicken.
• Serve with rice and veggies--check out tomorrow's post for a yummy green bean idea from Cooks Illustrated.
  

Indian Comfort Food

The other night I decided to make dinner for the family. I wanted something relatively easy, something everyone would eat, and something that would not take all day to make. I started looking through all my cookbooks and I ended up looking at my favorite Indian cookbook by Madhur Jaffrey and found chicken with tomatoes and garam masala (Timatar murghi). This dish fit the bill for everything, plus I had almost all of the ingredients that I would need to make this!

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 inch cinnamon stick
6 cardamon pods
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon peppercorns
2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
6-7 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped1 inch cube fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
6 medium tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
3 lbs chicken pieces, skinned
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garam masala

Put the oil in a large, wide pot and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the cumin seeds, cinnamon, cardamon pods, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Stir once and then put in the onions, garlic, and ginger. Stir this mixture until the onions pick up brown specks. Now out in the tomatoes, chicken pieces, salt, and cayenne pepper. Stir to mix and bring to a boil. Cover tightly, turn heat to low, and simmer for 25 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Stir a few times during this cooking period. Remove cover and turn up heat to medium.
Sprinkle in the garam masala and cook, stirring gently, for about 5 minutes in order to reduce the liquid in the pot somewhat.

I used 2 cans of diced tomatoes (it is what I had on hand) and I also simmered this all day long. I wanted all of the flavors to meld together. The chicken melted in your mouth and everyone really like this. It was super easy and extremely delicious. I served this over plain rice and also got some naan from Trader Joes - it was a wonderful meal and I will make it again!

Gloppy, Gooey, and Delicious!

Yesterday Greta gave you the recipe for a comfort food chicken casserole, and keeping in that theme, I present you Unforgettable Chicken Casserole. What a lame name! I refer to this as gloppy, gooey chicken because I think that's a tad more descriptive.

This recipe comes from my mother. She made it for the family over the winter and it was so good that I asked her to make it for my birthday in February. The recipe's super easy because you just stir everything together and throw it in the oven. The hardest part of making this for me is fighting with my cats so they don't eat the roasted chicken.
This is not health food by any stretch, but it is full of flavor and is very much a comfort food. Even though it's April, this dish is appealing to me on some weird level.

Here's the recipe:

3 cups chopped deli-roasted chicken
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 cups French fried onion rings

1. Stir together first 8 ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 11 x 7 baking dish.
3. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Sprinkle onion rings over top and bake an additional 5 minutes, or until bubbly around the edges.
4. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
   

Variations:
You could add red peppers, celery, water chestnut, green beans etc. to this to make it more to your taste. In November when you have tons of leftover turkey, go ahead and throw that in instead of the chicken. Oh, and don't skimp on the fried onions! The crunch and onion-y flavor really makes the dish more tasty.

Cookbook Corner: The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever

I was browsing through my local Barnes and Nobel the other night and happened upon a decent looking cookbook, The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever. I flipped through it and saw, on initial inspection, several tempting recipes. The $25 dollar price tag made me put the book back on the shelf. Then the next day, I happened to be at one of my favorite places, Half Price Books, and noticed that they had several copies of The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever for the low-low price of $9.98. Needless to say I snapped up a copy, pleased that I got it for less than half of B&N's price. Go me!

What to expect: Boasting over 500 recipes, the book includes sections on: Casserole Basics, Appetizer Casseroles, Casserole Breads, Breakfast & Brunch Casseroles, Poultry Casseroles, Beef Casseroles, Pork Casseroles, Lamb, Veal and Game Casseroles, Grains and Legume Casseroles, Fish and Shellfish Casseroles, Casseroles for Kids, Dessert Casseroles...and on and on and on. I think you get the idea.

The recipes are easy to follow and don't require a lot of difficult techniques or fancy ingredients. Many of the dishes can be made ahead of time and thrown in the oven when ready to cook, which is nice for busy people (and really--who isn't pressed for time these days?).

Best recipes: I've only just started going through this book, but there are tons of yummy recipes, like the Eggplant and Garlic Slather I featured recently. Here are a few more that I want to try:

• Chicken, Polenta, and Morel Casserole (pg. 148)
  
• Beef with Mushrooms (pg. 224)
  
• Pasta Baked with Cheese and Stout (pg. 324)
  
• Barley and Mushroom Casserole (pg. 330)
• Orzo Chicken for Two (pg. 546)
  

Complaints: Some of the recipes tend to get a bit repetitive, but that's just the way it goes. There are not a lot of photos in this book, but that's not a reason to walk away from the book. Overall, it's a simple, unpretentious book that features a ton of family-friendly (if not overly inventive) casseroles.

Deliciousness Scale: 4 spoonfuls of yum out of 5.

Details: This review is based on the 2008 edition of The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever by Beatrice Ojakangas (photos by Susie Cushner); ISBN 978-0-8118-5624-9.

Cookbook Corner: Country Suppers - Simple, Hearty Fare for Family and Friends

My Mom discovered this cookbook when she and Dad lived in Brandon, Vermont. She sent me a copy hoping that I too would be able to share in the flavors of small towns, country houses and warm fires on cold, snowy nights.

The illustrations in the book are by Warren Kimble, Brandon's resident artist. I know that I think of Vermont every time I have a dish from this cookbook!

What To Expect: A 9 page introduction on stocking your cupboard, 245 pages of recipes and 2 pages of mail-order sources (so you can bring a bit of Vermont to your table). As the title says, this book is full of hearty food - perfect for fall and winter meals, especially when you have people over to share with.

Also throughout the cookbook are sections called Country Tips and Tales, these are funny little bits of wisdom like "Dandelion juice rubbed on a wart will make it disappear, said by some old wives". This was after a recipe for Dandelion-Stuffed Chicken Breasts, p. 54-55.

Of course being a true Vermont cookbook, there is a section devoted to recipes using maple syrup. This book also really focuses on ingredients that are abundant in Vermont.

Best Recipes:

• Herb-Crusted Roast Beef, p. 10-11
• Vermont Boiled Dinner, p. 14 (AKA Corned Beef and Cabbage - just in time for Saint Patrick's Day)
• Beef and Cheddar Pie, p.18 - This is by far the family's favorite recipe. If you try it, double the biscuit dough crust - it just doesn't make enough following the recipe.
• Smoked Ham Hock and Pea Soup - Lydia and Mom would not like this, but Dad and I love a good pea soup.
• Buttermilk Bread, p.116
  
• Spiced Apple Butter, p.206 - I love apple butter on English muffins with coffee.
  
• Almond Pumpkin Cake, p.214 - This sounds delicious, but I haven't made it yet!
  

Complaints: No pictures of the food and this is not a book for 2 eaters (unless they are very hungry or you want a lot of leftovers).

Deliciousness Scale: 4 spoonfuls of yum out of 5 - thanks Mom!


Details: Country Suppers - Simple, Hearty Fare for Family and Friends by Ruth Coustineau, ISBN 0688152236

Chicken Coconut Casserole

For dinner Monday night, I needed to make something that I could basically heat and eat and also be homemade. On Sunday, I decided to search through the freezer and cabinets for ingredient ideas. I found some chicken breasts on the bone and shredded coconut in the freezer and shitake mushrooms, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, coconut milk and an onion in the pantry. I also had some 2 day old leftover garlic & onion bread and about a third of a carton of half-and-half and some mushrooms in the refrigerator. I then turned to my spices and came up with a chicken coconut casserole.

uncooked

I boiled the chicken in water and seasoned it with salt and dried chilies. Then I removed all of the fat, bones and skin from the meat and cut up the meat into bite sized pieces. Next I chopped the onion and mushrooms. Then I heated up some vegetable oil in a large pot and added the onions; I also added 2 cloves of chopped garlic and cooked it until the onions were translucent.

Once the onions were cooked, I added spices (ginger, turmeric, fenugreek, Thai seasoning and salt), water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, shitake & white mushrooms, half-and-half, and coconut milk. Stirred it up well, let it just boil and then turned it down to simmer. Lastly, I added the cooked chicken and let the mixture simmer for about an hour.

While the chicken mixture was simmering, I made a cup of Thai Jasmine rice and cut up the leftover bread into small cubes. I preheated the oven to 350 and toasted the breadcrumbs & coconut for about 12-15 minutes.

When the rice was cooked and the breadcrumbs & coconut were toasted, I poured the chicken mixture and rice into a large casserole dish and added the topping. I then covered it up and put it in the refrigerator.

cooked

On Monday, I preheated the oven to 425 and cooked the casserole for 45 minutes. Dinner was served with brussel sprouts, Hawaii rolls and a nice glass of dry Riesling. It was very easy, I used up some staples and everyone like the coconut flavor of the dish!

Keep the Home Fires Burning

Valentine's Day was Sunday, and many people went out to celebrate the Hallmark holiday in fancy-schmancy restaurants. My husband and I are never ones to follow trends, so instead of eating out, we opted to spend the evening at home. We cooked a dinner together and had a lovely, quiet night.Not knowing what we wanted to have for dinner, we made a pit stop at the Safeway and wandered around aimlessly. We spotted a display of pre-measured, pre-packaged spices on recipe cards from McCormick (called McCormick Recipe Inspirations). My husband was intrigued, so we grabbed the packet for Rosemary Roasted Chicken and Potatoes (they also have packets for Quesadilla Casserole, Apple Sage Pork Chops, Garlic Lime Fajitas, Spanish Chicken Skillet, and Shrimp and Pasta Primavera). We also snagged some chicken and small red-skinned potatoes and headed for home.
My husband is not a cook. He amazing at many things, but cooking is not one of them and that's ok. But he decided that he wanted to help put dinner together. He diced up the potatoes and tossed together the chicken pieces and potatoes with the pre-measured spices and some oil. It was super easy and he had fun getting his hands dirty.
The dinner cooked up quickly and easily and resulted in moist chicken with crispy skin and tender but pleasantly crunchy potatoes. The seasoning was excellent and the meal was perfect. I know it's a gimmicky product, but I must say that the McCormick Recipe Inspirations card was a good find. The recipe on the back can be used over and over with the spices I have in my pantry. Sometimes when my hubby and I go on vacation, we rent a house at the beach. I could see packing one of these Recipe Inspiration cards with us to make for an easy but yummy meal on the fly.

While at the grocery, my husband requested that I make up a batch of Red Velvet cupcakes. Who am I to deny my husband something sweet on Valentine's Day? After we prepped the chicken, we whipped up Red Velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for dessert. I use a recipe from the food blogger at Vanilla Garlic. Click here to get the recipe for yourself. These cupcakes are super delicious, so I highly recommend you check it out.

I hope you all had as nice of a Valentine's Day as we did!

Treat Yourself To Something Good!

One of my favorite meals out is breakfast. I always feel like I am treating myself to something special when I start the day off with breakfast out! No matter where you live, you can always find a good cafe, dive or diner that can serve up some up some good grub!

This past Thursday, I took the day off of work to be able to attend my son's Valentine's Day party. I got him up and ready for school, dropped him off at school and came home. My Mom usually does this routine, but I was able to give her the morning off and let her sleep in a bit. I thought that it would be nice to treat her to breakfast out, so we headed to Patty's Eggnest in Mill Creek, WA.

This was my first visit to Patty's Eggnest (and it won't be my last) and my Mom's second. Mom had French toast with a sunny-side-up egg and bacon. I had the cornbeef hash with eggs-over-easy, hashbrowns and English muffin and we both enjoyed a few cups of coffee with our meal. The tables all had 2 different types of freezer jam - strawberry and raspberry and tasted great on my English muffin.

It wasn't a fancy restaurant, but it was delicious, the service was good and the price was very reasonable too! I was full until dinner. We both enjoyed our meals and more importantly, the time we spent together! On my next visit, I want to try the eggs and gyros with pita and tsaki sauce!

Easy Peasy Pasta Sauce

Do you ever have those days where you want comfort food, but don't have the energy to put in to cooking it? Well I had this over the weekend and I had my Mom asking me to make dinner for the family too. I felt like I couldn't say no, yet I didn't want to put in hours cooking for the family. So, I went with an old standby - Spaghetti Sauce, pasta, crusty bread, salad and a nice bottle of wine!

First off, I got some fresh pasta - it cooks quickly (usually under 5 minutes) and is delicious. In this case, I used tortellini stuffed with chicken and cheese. Then I got a bag of salad - super easy and just enough for the family. I doctored up the salad with some carrots, mushrooms, cranberries and croutons and finished it with a blue cheese vinaigrette.When I was shopping for ingredients, I stopped to talk to the "Bakery Lady" at Safeway and she gave me a sample of their garlic-caramelized onion bread. It was crusty and delicious and I thought it would go well with pasta - so I bought a loaf. It also went very nicely with a bottle of Gnarly Head Zinfandel too!

So I normally make a meat sauce using ground beef, but I wanted to try something a little different and I used ground chicken instead. I thought that the chicken would also compliment the tortellini - I was right! So here is my very quick recipe for spaghetti sauce - please add or subtract whatever you like and remember, the longer it cooks the better it is!

Spaghetti Sauce
1.25 pounds ground chicken
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, diced
1 cup Marsala wine (or water or chicken broth)
1, 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1, 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1, 14.5 ounce can tomato sauce
1, 6 ounce can tomato paste
6-8 mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon oregano
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon basil
salt & pepper to taste

• Over medium high heat, brown the meat and drain the excess fat. Add the garlic and onion and cook until the onions are translucent.
• Add all the other ingredients and turn the heat down to a simmer.
• Cover and cook for at least an hour (I like to cook this all day)

If you don't use Marsala wine, you might need to add some sugar (1/2 tablespoon) to sweeten up the sauce.

Everything turned out wonderfully and I got credit for a home cooked meal! We also had enough for leftovers, so the sauce got to cook a bit more and bring out more of the flavors. Another deliciously, yummy meal!