Pardon Me Waiter, There Is A Foot In My Soup

After seeing this picture, I want to see a show of hands ...How many people want to come for dinner???? I know it looks gross, but believe me you do.

Actually I used these chicken feet to make chicken stock. I had read about using them last year but I never thought I would actually be able to find them. But, I went to "Compare and Save" (which is a Hispanic grocery store in the Bonnie Doone area), there they were!

I went in there to check out their produce and see if I could find anything new and interesting. There were lots of things I want to try there but once I saw the chicken feet I was distracted. I had several chicken carcasses in my freezer that I had been meaning to make into stock so this was a good reason to get on that.

Adding chicken feet to your stock makes it richer and thicker. Chicken feet contain a lot of gelitan which gives your stock a velvety mouthfeel. Similar to when you add butter to pan sauce. It's hard to explain but you definately know that it is something good.




I just boiled the chicken feet for 5 mins then cut off the claws and tips of the toes and added them to the rest of my carcasses and proceeded with my ususal method of making stock that I posted last year but according to Elise at Simply Recipes you can make it with just the feet.

It is so nice to have home made stock in my freezer. Flavorful stock is the secret to making a soup that taste like it cooked all day but can actually be thrown together in just a few minutes. I even went as far as making a couple of containers of "soup base". I froze some shredded chicken in stock so that I can pull it out and make a quick Chicken and rice or Chicken Tortilla or my favorite, Avgolemono.

Avgolemono is a Greek lemon soup. I posted my own version of this last year but it is worth repeating. Don't let not having homemade stock keep you from making this. It is still great with store bought stock. This is so good for a cold day or a great comfort food for when you are feeling under the weather.

Avgolemono

6 cups Chicken Stock
1 cup shredded Chicken(optional)
3 egg yolks
2-3 lemons
1/2 cup Orzo
1/3 cup finely diced carrots
Salt and Pepper to taste

Bring Chicken stock to boil. Add in Orzo and carrots. Continue to boil 8-10 min until Orzo is Al dente.Add in Shredded chicken. Lower heat to simmer. Place the egg yolks into a small bowl. Zest 1 of the lemons into eggs then squeeze in the juice of the remaining. Beat lightly. Temper the eggs by slowly stiring in about 1/2 cup of the broth a little at a time. Slowly stir the egg/broth mixture back into the remaining broth. Simmer for 5 min. Do NOT let mixture come to a boil as it will cause the eggs to separate and though it still tastes good its not very pretty when it does this. If you have left overs (and I doubt you will) be sure to heat very slowly for the same reason.

NOTE: Orzo is a rice shaped pasta. You can replace this with rice (and I have in a pinch, but I really prefer the Orzo) but you will have to increase the cooking time to about 25 mins.

It's Lurking Everywhere

I have come across a new cooking challenge. My friend Evie, has recently been diagnosed with Celiac disease. For those of you not familar, people with Celiac cannot eat gluten. Gluten is found in... OHH, just about EVERYTHING! I am exaggerating of course but when you add on allergies to Eggs, Dairy and Soy to that (which many of those to include my friend, with Celiac are also allergic to) it really becomes quite exasperating.

I found this diagnosis appalling. I considered how devastated I would be if I received such a diagnosis. What it would mean to me, as a person whose very being revolves around food and cooking. Though this reaction definitely conveyed my deep felt empathy to my friend it was not one that was constructive or supportive and I was ashamed of myself. So, I set out to educate myself and to learn to feed my friend.

The information that I have taken in over the past couple of weeks has been immense and overwhelming. I have many times gotten excited about a recipe only to be shot down by a realization that a single over looked ingredient had an offending agent in it. Oh and don't forget "cross contamination"

This weekend we were celebrating her "White Coat" Ceremony from PA school. This is the point of PA school where you have finished the class room education, begin your real world education and actually begin treating Patients (under supervision). A pretty big deal and I was EXTREMELY happy for her. Of course celebration to me ... means food!

I spent the week planning a menu that was about 90% gluten, egg, soy, dairy free. I wish I could say it ALL was a great success.

The good news, People with Celiac can eat all Meat, fruit. veggies and rice. So that was not a problem.
I marinated both Chicken breasts and Skirt steak (separately of course) in a marinade that I have posted here in the past. It's a tasty marinade and though I didn't manage to get a picture of it. I will post the recipe for you again.

Margarita Chicken Marinade
("Perfect Party Food" cookbook)

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup OJ
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup gold tequila
1/2tsp ground cumin
1canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Place chicken and marinade in ziplock bag and let marinate in Fridge for at least 4 hr. or overnight. Makes enough marinade for about 12 chicken breasts. Broil or grill chicken until juices run clear Garnish with fresh cilantro and slices of lemon, lime and orange.

My peach-mango Hemp milk "Ice cream" on the other hand ...ummm NOT such a success. It would not get thick even after spending a couple hours in the freezer. At best, it was sort of Peach smothie. Today when I took it out of the freezer it had finally froze ... SOLID! LIKE A BRICK! The flavor on the other hand wasn't all bad. My friend said it tasted sort of like peach cobbler. This one is going to take a little more experimentation.

As far as the remaining 10 percent of the menu ... well that went a little better. I have decided that pretty much ANYTHING wrapped in bacon will be loved. Honestly, I think that I could wrap cardboard in bacon and everyone (especially men) would gobble it down and beg me for the recipe. Evie's fiance John and my friend Ross were terribly disappointed when I told them we would NOT be having Sweet Chili Chicken Bites. but that disappointment was short lived when I served This....


I saw a version of this originally on Food Network. I think Bobby Flay did it but I could not find that recipe so I searched Recipezarr and found this one. I made some very minor adjustments in the preparation but not the ingredients. Prepping the peppers (try saying that 5 times fast) is a little tricky and time consuming but TOTALLY worth it. I would advise using gloves and for heavens sake DON'T touch your eyes or nose while prepping them.

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapenos
16 ounces cream cheese, room temp.
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomato
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt (to taste)
1 LB bacon
20 large jalapeno peppers (as large as possible)
About 40 toothpicks, soaked for about 15 minutes in water

Mix cream cheese, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro and salt together and place in a large ziplock bag with one corner snipped off (or in a pastry bag).
Make a T shaped incision in pepper severing the core at the top but not cutting off the stem. DO NOT cut pepper all the way through. With a small sharp knife (I actually used a grapefruit spoon which worked pretty well) scrape out seeds and membranes. The cleaner you make the inside of the peppers the more mild it will be. If you like a little heat then leave a bit of the membrane and seeds. If you like them FIREY the you could just loosen the membrane to allow room for the. filling (Removing/leaving some of the membranes and seeds gave them a nice little kick).

Pipe cream cheese mixture into each pepper. As tempting as it is DO NOT over fill You want the pepper to close up nicely without the cheese oozing out.

Starting at the top of the pepper wrap the bacon around it securing with a couple of tooth picks. Cover as much of the pepper as possible and sort of stretch the bacon to make it snug (room temperature bacon is easier to work with).

Place peppers on a hot grill for 10-15 min turning frequently until bacon begins to crisp and pepper is a bit charred.

Remove from grill and let cool for 5-10 min. These can also be served room temperature and the original recipe says they are good cold (no way that they would last that long with my friends)

Note: less expensive bacon works better than premium or center cut. Think thin and pliable.
These also could be placed in the oven at 450 degrees for about 10 min but I think the smokiness of the grill definitely adds to the flavor.

Thai Thai Again

Today's post was inspired by my abundance of Basil which is definitely a good thing because I LOVE basil!

I was looking for a recipe that called for a healthy amount of basil because the more you harvest your basil the better it grows and in case you didn't catch it before, I LOVE basil! Like I mentioned in a previous post, if you don't regularly snip it off it will begin to flower and then will go to seed and it's down hill from there. It will also get tall and lanky which you don't want either.

I found this recipe on Recipezaar and it is SUPER simple and very very tasty. I am excited to share this recipe with you because with the exception of just a few basic ingredients you can change just about anything in this recipe to suit your taste or ingredients you have on hand and honestly I don't think you could make it taste anything but wonderful. This goes together in minutes and I am not exaggerating one bit. It has taken me this long to post this for you because I made it 4 times before I managed to get pictures of it (which by the way do not even begin to do the flavor justice). It gets gobbled up THAT fast!

I am going to Post the recipe for you as it was written and then I will tell you all of the variations that you can make though I strongly encourage you try anything that sounds good to you.

Thai Chicken Fried Rice with Basil - Kao Pad Krapao

SERVES 2 -3

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Thai red chili peppers
8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces*
2 cups cold cooked rice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1/3 cup Thai holy basil (regular basil ok)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

In a wok or large skillet, stir-fry garlic in oil until golden; then add chilies and chicken and stir-fry until chicken is cooked.
Add rice, sugar, fish sauce, and soy sauce, and stir-fry, mixing gently.
When well mixed, add shallots, basil leaves and cilantro; cook another minute or so, and serve.
If you desire, serve with lime wedges, chile sauce, fish sauce, or soy sauce at the table.


The variations are nearly endless. First of all, I used quite a bit more basil than this recipe called for probably more like 1 cup. I also cut my chicken into a very small dice (1/4 inch). If you do this when the chicken breasts are still partially frozen it is quick and easy. I prefer Tamari (over regular soy sauce)which is a strong dark soy sauce, but becareful because it has a bit more of a salty flavor you may want to adjust the amout.

I have replaced the chicken with ground beef. I have replaced the thai chilli peppers with 1 TBS of red chilli flakes. I have made it without any peppers at all (for my wimpy daughter) and I have made it without the cilantro (it was fine but I would recomend using it because it adds another layer of flavor). Using ground chicken or ground turkey would make this dish come together even faster.

For the pictures I put it into Endive leaves and that makes for a nice presentation and would make a great Hors d'oeuvre. My friend Savanna suggested using it in a lettuce wrap either with or without the rice (which I am going to try soon). I think it would also be great in a fresh spring roll (maybe even bulked up with a bit of shredded nappa cabbage).

My point is, make this however you like.Just make it. I promise, you won't be sorry!

How To Be The Perfect Houseguest

This past weekend was jam-packed and playing catch-up this week has been the reason I have yet to write about it. I woke up Fri afternoon after just a few hours of sleep (been on night shift) and never stopped till Sunday evening when I fell into bed thoroughly exhausted. I am pleased to say that all of the craziness was purely fun! The highlight of the weekend was an overnight trip to Raleigh which included shopping, cooking for my friends and a night at a "real" night club for nonstop dancing! (Fayetteville is trying, but we still don't have comparable nightlife here)


Just like a posh hotel, only better


My friend Josh was an AWESOME host and it was my pleasure to cook dinner for him and my other friends (new and old) in appreciation for that. Nothing is better than enjoying a meal with friends and at someone's home is way more relaxing and intimate than a restaurant. I hate that I did not think to take some pictures of us eating but here we are dancing the night away.


The dish I decided to make is not very fancy but it has an unusual "can't quite figure it out" flavor that is much different from my usual (Mediterranean inspired) style. Though it does not photograph all that pretty, I assure you the flavor makes up for it. I served it with a plain brown rice and Balsamic roasted green beans. It was a hit and the perfect beginning to our evening on the town. I stuck pretty close to the recipe ( I will have to admit I don't remember from where originally got it) The few minor changes I made were just due to things I had on hand so I am going to post the recipe just as it was written.
Don't be scared of the jalapeno with the seeds removed it does not make this dish spicy at all. It just adds another layer of flavor to the dish. Of course if you like spicy then feel free to up the jalapeno.


African Chicken in Peanut Sauce
Adapted from "The Oprah Magazine Cookbook"
Serves 6
Spice Rub:
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Chicken:
4 pounds bone-in chicken pieces, skin removed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Peanut Sauce:
1 small onion, finely diced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 medium carrot finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon finely diced and seeded jalapeno chili
4 cups (32 ounces) chicken broth
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 tomato, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1/2 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup well-mixed coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped parsley, for garnish

1. Stir together the spice rub ingredients and rub onto chicken pieces.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add half the chicken and brown on all sides, taking care not to burn the spices. Transfer browned pieces to a platter and set aside. Brown remaining chicken and transfer to platter.

3. With a paper towel, wipe skillet dry; then add remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add onion, red and green bell peppers, carrot, garlic, and jalapeno chili. Cook until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth and simmer until reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in remaining sauce ingredients, and simmer 2 minutes. Return browned chicken to skillet. Cook 25 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is tender and cooked through, stirring frequently to prevent sauce from sticking. Turn chicken pieces over midway through cooking time. Garnish with parsley.

Retro-Style Chicken Casserole

Before you look at this recipe I want to assure you that I have not been brainwashed by Sandra Lee (Queen of short-cut cooking and being irritating). No, this recipe I got from Sandra Sue...AKA my Mother. This is a quintessential 1970s working mother's recipe. It's quick, easy, filling and tasty.

As a "foodie" I should be quite ashamed at posting this recipe I mean really, cream of mushroom soup? Processed CHEESE PRODUCT? Do you really consider this cooking? Well, depending on your definition maybe, maybe not but it was dinner on our table that I enjoyed eating so really, who cares? I also happen to harbor a deep affection for Velveta which makes the BEST grilled cheese sandwiches which I fondly refer to as Molten Lava Grilled cheese. Foodie snobs be damned, THIS is Yummy!

Molten Lava Chicken Casserole
(4-6 servings)

8 oz uncooked elbow macaroni
1 cup frozen baby peas
1 cup cooked chicken cubed or shredded
6 oz Velveta cheese cubed.
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup chicken broth

Cook macaroni according to package instructions. Drain, mix with remaining ingredients. Place in a medium sized (8x8ish) casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Microwave on high until cheese is melted through out (5-10 minutes) stirring once or twice during cooking.

Notes: I used lowfat cheese and fat free mushroom soup with great results. (Every little bit helps)
My mom (and actually I have been known to also) often used a can of chicken drained (similar to tuna which could also be substitued
You could bake this for about 15-20 mins in a 350 degree oven. In which case you could also top with some crushed cornflakes, breadcrumbs or if you REALLY wanted to go Retro crushed potato chips

Cocktail Time!!

Friday night was my almost annual Christmas Cocktail party. I had a fabulous turn out of about 30 people coming and going. I had a brief moment of panic right before the party, thinking that I did not have enough food. I came up with a couple of back up plans that I could whip up really fast if it looked like the food was getting low but convinced myself that I always end up with WAY more food than I need.

I went for elegant this year. I sat up an official Bar AKA my desk and Made Roasted Pear and Cranberry Bellinis for the guests as they came in and there was lots of wine and liquor also.

I kept all of my serving dishes crystal (ok, mostly glass) or silver. I opted to use clear plastic plates but real glassware. It all turned out beautifully but man was that alot of dishes to do and my dishwasher, AKA my daughter, managed to skate out before clean up time came.

I came up with a fun idea that I am going to make a tradition. I put a guest book in the bathroom with a note encouraging people to leave me a message but never said a word about it. It made it a novelty rather than a boring task. I got some great, funny comments which is what I was going for. I hope that next time more people will find it and leave me their thoughts.

Only two minor mishaps #1 setting off the smoke detector when I tried to reheat the chicken on the same broiler pan that it was cooked on and #2 my Beautiful Ice bowl melted all over the table (what was I thinking?) But neither one put a damper on the party!

One of the most popular Hors d'Oeuvres was one of the easiest. I saw the recipe on Paula Dean. I don't make a lot of her dishes because they are a little too southern for my taste and usually contain alot of butter ..lol. But this one caught my attention right away and I am very glad I made it. It is a little time consuming but very easy. I think it will be one of my staple party foods from now on. Everyone loved it and asked for the recipe so here it is.

Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps

1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)

1 (1-pound) package sliced bacon

2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons chili powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes. Cut each bacon slice into thirds. Wrap each chicken cube with bacon and secure with a wooden pick. Stir together brown sugar and chili powder. Dredge wrapped chicken in mixture. Coat a rack and broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken wrap on rack in broiler pan. Bake 350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until bacon is crisp.

Note: after 35 mins the bacon was still not crisp enough for my taste so I stuck them under the broiler for a few minutes. You know I had to change SOMETHING!

Sunday Dinner

Opps, forgot to take a pic of the food!! Here is my daughter Kristen and her friends Kylee and Katie

So while preparing my Sunday school lesson this morning (because that's when I prepare on Sunday morning right before Church) I was online and saw a recipe for "Fake it don't Make Coq au Vin"http://food.aol.com/food/channel/0,18957,7119060327,00.html#histNum=1 So, I invited my Friend Karen and her Daughter Katie over for lunch/dinner after Church. We almost always lunch together on Sunday's but we usually go out.
It called for cooked chicken which I did not have but I did have boneless breasts which I figured I could whip up pretty quick. The only other ingredients I did not have on hand were frozen pearl onions and Garlic and herb salad dressing mix. I thought a quick trip to Harris Teeter for those and some kind of dessert and I would have dinner on the table 1:45....Ha!
Turns out they did NOT have "frozen" pearl onions (I could have sworn I had seen them before) so I figured that it would not be THAT much trouble to use fresh ones. Long story short by the time I left the store It was almost 1:00. Hmm a 15 min drive home , Maybe by 2:00 I could have dinner on the table.
I decided to have oven roasted potatoes(potatoes, olive oil, garlic, rosemary), French onion soup(onions, oil,dab of butter, red wine and beef broth/ topped with bread and swiss cheese) and salad along with my Chicken. All was going well until I got to the part in the recipe that called for the dressing mix...ummm where IS the dressing mix. I know I picked it up and put it in my cart. Karen was busy chopping up the onions for the soup. So she suggested Italian dressing(which I DID have) and we grabbed a some savory (that sounds French doesn't it) and some thyme out of the garden, threw in some chopped up Garlic and called it perfect.
So by 230 ISH ....ok ..it was more like 3:oo,Dinner was on the table. Now , neither of us has ever had Coq au Vin before so I am not sure what it is supposed to taste like. But we proclaimed it tasty!! Katie who is actually quite a picky eater liked it. My Daughter Kristen liked the chicken part but picked around the mushrooms and onions. We decided that though it was very good. It had a different flavor than what we had expected. After a little discussion about this it hit me that when I was making the Soup I had used beef broth.... And hmmm never got out the CHICKEN broth. SOOOO. The question is next time ...Do I use Chicken or Beef broth???? I would definitely recommend trying out this dish. You make the call on the broth.