Mimi's Chicken Corn Chowder

Mimi's Chicken Corn Chowder

My Mother-in-law, Sharon, is an excellent cook.  She makes so many easy and delicious recipes.  Recently, I had to have a little dental surgery, which required stitches.  I couldn't eat anything hard, chewy, crunchy, or with seeds.  A couple of nights before the surgery, I bought a roasted chicken from the grocery store.  We only used half of it to make my chicken pot pie, so Sharon said she would use the rest to make the Chicken Corn Chowder.  However, when she looked in the refrigerator for the chicken, it was all gone.  Someone, who will remain nameless, but bares a striking resemblance to my husband, had eaten the rest of the chicken.  Instead of throwing the bones into the trash, he, whomever it was,  put them back into the refrigerator.  Sound familiar to anyone out there?  Anyway, the ever resourceful Mimi, er, Sharon made me her Chicken Corn Chowder anyway.  She just cooked up some chicken breasts and cut them into small, bite sized pieces.  Absolutely, out-of-this-world, delicious.

Mimi's Chicken Corn Chowder:


Chicken
1 can Chicken Stock
1 can of Rotel
1 can of corn, drained
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium Finely chopped onion
2 stalks Finely chopped celery
1 1/2 Tablespoons flour
1 cup Milk
Salt & Pepper to taste.


Saute the onions and celery in the butter
Add the flour, stir until lightly browned
Slowly Add chicken stock, stirring constantly to make sure the flour doesn't clump
Then add the milk, chicken, corn and Rotel
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat thoroughly, stirring often to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot
If the chowder is not thick enough, you can add a bit more flour to thicken it up.

Serve with Tortillas crunched up on top, or those tortilla strips sprinkled on top.  I, of course, could not eat the tortillas at that time, but was assured they were yummy in the chowder.

Sambosay Goshti Pastry with Chickpeas and Ground Beef

Shortly after I met my husband, he introduced me to Panjshir, in Falls Church Virginia.  It's fairly close to Washington, DC.  I was a little skeptical because I'd never had it, and I was afraid it would be very spicy.  It wasn't, it was so delicious.  Not too spicy, just right. We always get the appetizer, Sambosay Goshti.  Followed by Kebab-E-Murgh for me, that's an order of chicken kebab served with saffron rice and fresh Afghan bread. My husband gets the Combined Kebab, with lamb, steak and chicken, saffron rice, and bread.  We get the Muntoo for our little boy.  It's a dumpling stuffed with ground beef and topped with seasoned yogurt and meat sauce.  Our meal is then  finished off with a cup, or two, of Cardamon tea and an order of honey drizzled Baklava.  Can't be beat, it is so comforting.  I wondered if I could replicate the recipe, my husband assured me I could.  With that bit of confidence afforded me, I decided to give it a try.  I didn't want to deep fry them, I wanted to make a baked version. Success, it's very good!

Sambosay Goshti Pastry with Chickpeas and Ground Beef

1 lb of ground beef

1 large onion

1 cup of chickpeas (dry or canned)

1 table spoon coriander seed

1 table spoon fresh parsley

salt

pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cans of large crescent rolls

Prepare the dried chickpeas as per instructions on bag

Heat oven to 350

In a large skillet with a lid

Place hamburger meat (don't break up, take off meat tray and place whole in the skillet)

Fill skillet about 1/2 way up the meat and put the lid on, let boil until the outside is brown, cut in half and allow to boil until the middle is brown

Pour the water out (the oil will go with it, so there's no need to strain or use a paper towel)

Retain some of the water, about 3 tablespoons,

Leave the ground beef in the skillet and break into small pieces

add oil and saute the onions

While the onions cook and the meat browns completely:

Place the chickpeas, coriander seeds and parsley into a food processor, process until it is like a paste.

You may have to add water to make it into a paste

Once the onions are clear, add the chickpea paste and mix well.

Open the crescent rolls and press until very thin, but not broken.  

 Then add a large spoonful of the Chickpea mixture and fold the crescent rolls around to form a pocket

 Place on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown.  Serve with saffron rice and saffron chicken.  Very good.  Very healthy.

One Pot Chicken Pot Pie

I love this recipe for Chicken Pot Pie.  I use to hate pot pies, with all the crust and meat, it was all too much for me. When I was a kid, I hated pot pie.  I didn't think there was anything good about serving a kid a pie crust filled with meat and vegetables.  I hadn't eaten a pot pie since  my Mom had served me the last one when I was a kid.  Here I am, several (cough) years later and I am in love with Chicken Pot Pie.  Another cook book received last Christmas, gave me the idea for this super easy, super fast recipe.  I modified it, of course.  My whole family adores this recipe, the Chicken pot pie does not last long in this house.

I have a 10" enameled cast iron pan that I cook/bake my pot pie in.  I posted a recipe for,Slow Cooked Lemon Chicken and this is what I did with the left over chicken.  There are only "so many days" one can eat the same thing.  Chef Michael Symon was commenting on his FB page about food waste, so I'm trying to keep my food waste down and join the  Food Network tackles food waste. In that spirit, I chopped up the remainder of the Lemon Chicken and added it to the pot pie recipe.  YUM!

Chicken Pot Pie:

1 Can Chicken broth
salt & pepper to taste
Reduced fat milk
3 tbl spoons butter
2 shallots chopped
3 Carrotts chopped
3 celery stalks chopped
2 cups left over veggies you would like to use
1/3 cup flour
2 cups cooked chicken
1/2 tsp thyme leaves
1 tbl spoon cilantro chopped
1 frozen pastry pie crust

Melt butter in the same pan you will be baking the pot pie in and sautee the veggies until soft, sprinkle the salt.
Add the flour and slightly brown

In a measuring cup pour chicken broth and milk to make 2 cups add to the veggies and cook until the mixture boils and thickens.
Take the pie crust out of the tin and place on top of the pot pie.
I invert the tin and push it onto the mixture.  I don't  smooth it out because once it gets into the hot oven it will form to the pie.
With a sharp knife slice some steam vents in the crust.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes until golden brown


http://www.amazon.com/Favorite-Brand-Name-Best-Loved-Casseroles/dp/0785334238

Slow Cooked, Lemon Chicken

Last year I was given a large Crock Pot for Christmas, or slow cooker.  This year, I was given a fantastic cook book to go along with it.  It's called "Fix-It and Forget-It, Christmas Cookbook, 600 Slow Cooker Holiday Recipes."  I am really enjoying this cookbook. There is nothing better than the smell of slow cooked meals permeating the house.
My husband picked out the Lemon Chicken recipe and I modified it a bit to suit how I like to cook.  I don't like to cook things before I, well, cook them.  So if a recipe calls for braising, or browning, I usually won't.  Such is the case with this recipe.

MY NOTES:  I did not brown the chicken pieces.  I used about 7 lbs of pre-cut thighs with the skin on.  I also didn't thaw the lemonade I just put it on top of the chicken and I added lots of pepper.  I love lemon pepper chicken.   I also added the cornstarch to the slow cooker at the beginning.  I got a little ahead of myself, as I just realized I was suppose to add it at the end.  While I was typing it into this blog to be exact.  It didn't make too much of a difference.  This recipe is delicious and could even be used as a BBQ for the summer.  The chicken is so tender it falls off the bone and most of the above ingredients are found in sweet BBQ sauce. I suggest adding some "red pepper flakes" for some kick and serving with baked beans and cole slaw.  A very versatile and delicious dinner!

"Lemon Chicken
Judy Newman
St. Mary's Ontario Canada
Fix-It and Forget-It by Phyllis Pellman Good
Good Books, Intercourse, PA 17534

Makes 10-12 servings

Prep. Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5 qt.

1/4-1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
5-6 lbs. chicken, cut into pieces
2-4 Tbsp. oil, divided
1 can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. vinegar
2 Tbsp. cold water
2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1. Combine flour and salt in a shallow bowl.  Dredge chicken pieces in it, one at a time.
2. Place 2 Tbsp. oil in large skillet.  Brown several pieces of chicken in oil at a time.  Be careful not to crowd the skillet, or the chicken will steam and not brown.  Continue until all pieces are browned on both sides, adding more oil as necessary.
3. As you finish browning pieces of chicken, place them in slow cooker.
4. In a mixing bowl, whisk together lemonade concentrate, brown sugar, ketchup and vinegar.  Pour over chicken 
5. Cover.  Cook on High 3-4 hours.
6. Remove chicken, place on platter, cover with foil and keep warm.
7. In a small bowl blend cold water into cornstarch.
8. Stir into juices in slow cooker until well blended. Cover and continue cooking juices several minutes, until thickened and bubbly.
9. Spoon some of thickened juice over chicken to serve.
10. Place remaining juices in serving bowl and pass as topping for chicken and cooked rice....."

Sauteed Brussel sprouts with crispy bacon

Growing up my Mom made Brussel sprouts with a white cream sauce.  They were very good, but I don't know the recipe for those.  I don't think my little boy would enjoy them though, he doesn't like gravy or sauce that much.  Unless of course it's spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce.  I've tried a really good recipe for roasting Brussel sprouts and tried it a couple of times.  The only problem is, like broccoli, if the recipe is overcooked or burned then the smell is awful and hard to get out of the house.  I burned the Brussel sprouts and haven't been able to get past that awful stench.   I've had a carton of Brussel sprouts in the fridge with the intention of trying to roast them again, I just hadn't worked up the nerve yet.   My Mother-in-Law, Sharon, was here with Pop Pop for Christmas.  She is a fantastic cook who is not intimidated by any food.  She created this recipe, on the spot, and there weren't any Brussel sprouts left.  My son didn't like them, but what kid does?  The rest of the adults loved them. 

Sautéed Brussel Sprouts with Crispy Bacon:

I package of Brussel Sprouts

4 slices crispy thick cut bacon

1 can chicken stock

Fresh ground Pepper

Fry the bacon in a skillet until crispy
Take out the bacon and drain on a paper towel
Retain 2 tablespoons bacon grease
Wash the Brussel sprouts and cut off the bottom, peel off any soft wilted leaves then cut in half
Sautee the Brussel sprouts in the bacon grease and add pepper to taste
Once they are a little soft, add the chicken stock
Don't pour in the whole can, add a little at a time as the liquid is absorbed.
You don't want the sprouts soggy
We used about 1/4 of the can of chicken stock
Taste before you add salt, because bacon generally is salted and it might be too much salt if you add
Crumple bacon into the sprouts and serve warm 

Credits:

Picture taken from:

http://www.virginmedia.com/homefamily/fooddrink/ten-xmas-foods.php?ssid=6

At the end of the "10 things you only eat at Christmas Time" picture show, there is another article on "Christmas Leftovers".  The Turkey Curry looks delish!

Slow cooked Boneless Chicken thighs with Saffron rice and Glazed dill Carrots

Let me just start by saying, I love my crock pot. It's a fantastic way to cook a meal that makes your family think you slaved away in the kitchen all day. The first time I ever cooked raw chicken in it, I just knew we would all have salmonella. Thankfully, that didn't happen. What did happen? We had BBQ chicken drumsticks with the meat falling off the bone. It was so delicious. I've been experimenting with different ways to cook the chicken, flavors, seasoning, and things like that. Sometimes it's a hit, sometimes it's a big ole miss, but at least it's a try.


I don't understand how people are willing to sit on the side lines and watch, instead of try, because they are afraid of failure. That, to me, is the ultimate failure, not even trying. I love to ski. I use to work at a ski resort as a ski instructor. Sometimes, when I didn’t have a class to teach, I’d go on a “clinic” with a more advanced skier, to better my skiing ability. Before we started went down the run, we were discussing the last big fall we had. I proudly said I hadn’t fallen all season. To which the Clinic leader promptly answered, “Then you haven’t been trying hard enough.” I was shocked, I thought the idea was not to fall. He went on to say that the only way to improve is to give it 100%. No one learns on the first try, but you can’t get better if you don’t push past your fears and limits. That means don’t be afraid to fall, it’s not a badge of shame,  it’s merely gravity reminding us what happens to objects that go up. Speaking of objects that go up, another good piece of advice I learned: Be careful who you step on going up the ladder of success, you might just have to pass them again on your way back down. So I learned it's ok to fall, it's just not ok to stay down.

My husband and I love to eat at a little place in Falls Church, VA. Panjshir, they serve authentic Afghan food, which is delicious. Great atmosphere, wonderful service and the food is always wonderful. We always get Sambosay Goshti, which is a deep fried pastry filled with ground beef, chickpeas and parsley for an appetizer. For my main course I get the Kebab-E-Murgh, which is chicken kebab served on a bed of saffron rice. The food leaves me full, not stuffed, with warmth all over from the wonderful mix of flavors.

For some reason, cooking with saffron has always been very intimidating to me. It’s very expensive, so I don’t want to experiment with it, not knowing how it will turn out. So it sits in the cabinet where it will end up being thrown out when I clean my spice racks out. That makes no sense, instead of trying (for fear of wasting it), I let it sit in the cabinet where it, gets wasted. Time to get up and try. I got on www.FoodNetwork.com and typed in Saffron Rice, one of the first recipes that came up was from Paula Deen. I didn’t need to look any further. Recipe from Paula Deen, *win*. Saffron Rice with a few ingredients, *win*. Level listed as easy, *win win*.



Saffron Rice
By Paula Deen, 2007
http://www.foodnetwork.com/search/delegate.do?fnSearchString=saffron+rice&fnSearchType=site




 
Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter

¾ cup diced onion

1 cup long-grain, white rice

3 cups Chicken stock

Pinch Saffron threads

Salt and freshly ground black pepper



Directions:

In a large saucepan or pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions while stirring in the rice to coat with the butter. Pour in the chicken stock, saffron, salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover, turn the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork before serving.








Slow cooked Boneless Chicken Thighs:



Large package of boneless, chicken thighs

1 package onion soup mix

1 carton organic chicken stock mix

1 low sodium chicken bouillon cube

1 cup water

2 cloves garlic minced

2 Stalks celery, rough chopped

1 tbsp sage

1 tbsp thyme



-Best to start this in the morning, so it will be ready for dinner and the house will smell delicious-



Pour chicken broth and water in slow cooker

Add the bouillon cube, onion soup mix, garlic, celery, sage and thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

Put the lid on and turn to low leave it alone until it’s almost time to eat



Carrots:



2 cups chopped carrots

1 tbsp dill

2 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp butter

Salt to taste



Gently boil the carrots until they are soft, drain water

Melt butter in sauce pan coating the carrots; add the brown sugar and dill

Cover to keep warm and set aside.


Dinner was superb, if I say so myself.  The Carrots are my Moms recipe.  They are so delicious!!
Have a super dinner!!!

Lemon & Rosemary baked chicken with fixins'

HEY PAW! What's for supper?


Tonight we're having lemon & rosemary baked chicken, corny cornbread muffins, tater tots for the tot, fried corn & little green onions, and Grandma's jello salad. YUMMMMYYYYY.

It's been a cold and snowy day. We've played in the snow, drank hot chocolate (or in the case of my son, guzzled) and ate cookies and strawberries. Now it's time for dinner, what to make? On cold snowy days, I want to make soup. I must refrain, I've made soup two Sunday's in a row. So, what's the next best and easiest thing? Baked chicken.


Now, the thing to remember is, I'm not an expert. So don't take the measurements to heart. Use as much or as little as you like. To be safe with cooking meat, cook according to the package directions. I look for easy things to fix, without a lot of time and fuss. I simply don't have the time, nor do I want to take hours to fix my supper. Fix & serve, that's how I like it.


Grandma's Jello Salad has several steps, so you will have to start this in the afternoon. It's still pretty easy, it just sounds hard. Once you make it, you'll see the steps are easy.


My husband insisted I take a picture of the plate, since he said it looked and tasted, so good.



Here's how I fix it.



Lemon & Rosemary Baked Chicken:


1 package chicken breast


2 lemons


Garlic rosemary seasoning


salt and pepper





Heat the lemon in the microwave for about 15 seconds then cut in half and squeeze juice all over both sides of chicken, and sprinkle with the rosemary seasoning. Let sit for about a half hour, in the fridge. Then bake in a 350 degree oven until cooked through, about 40 minutes give or take.









Corny Cornbread muffins:


1 package cornbread mix, I use Jiffy


1/4 cup corn

Prepare cornbread mix according to box. Stir in the corn, more or less to your taste. Pour into prepared muffin tin and bake according to box directions.

These muffins are moist and you get a little more texture with the corn.

Tater Tots for the Tot:
I would like to say these are strictly for the Tot, but I love Tater Tots, it's easier to blame this on the little boy!


Pour tater tots out of the bag and heat in the oven according to the package details. Can't get any easier. I bake these with the chicken, the last 20 minutes of the chickens baking time.







Fried Corn & Little Green Onions:


Frozen corn


3 tablespoons salted butter


enough water to cover the corn


A couple little green onions, chopped





I use frozen corn because it doesn't have any extra sodium. Canned corn has some sodium, even if you rinse it off, some of that sodium will still remain.


Put a couple cups of corn in a sauce pan and cover with water, add the butter and salt and pepper to taste.


I usually don't add salt, since I use salted butter, but whatever you like.....


Let the water boil off until all that remains is the butter and let that fry in the pan a little bit.


After it's fried a bit, turn the eye off and add the chopped onions and let that warm up.





Grandma's Jello Salad:





This recipe makes a lot of Jello Salad. I cut it in half and I have fun with the combinations of jello and fruit. I also use the flavored marshmallows to mix things up a bit. During Easter, I made this and used the Easter shaped marshmallows, that was so cute. Kids love this, and adults do too!


My Grandma makes this a lot, and she always adds different kinds of fruit with the pineapples. Her favorite type of fruit to add are bananas. I'm allergic to bananas! I go to her house and she tells me she made her jello salad. I cut myself a piece and put it right back in the pan. I go back into the living room with no jello. She was just about to ask me why, when her eyes got all big and she said BANANAS! A few weeks later she makes the jello again. This time she doesn't add banana's and is happy to tell me that. I go in, and there are some odd looking fruit pieces mixed in with the pineapple, so I ask her what they are, Mango. I'm allergic to mango too! So, I had to learn how to make it myself, or I'd never get any I could eat! Ha Ha.





1 regular package Lemon Jello
1 regular package Orange Jello
1 can crushed pineapple
1 bag mini marshmallows
Orange Juice
2 tbl. sugar
3 tbl. flour
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 pint whipping cream (or 8oz. Cool Whip)
Grated cheddar cheese

Prepare Jello according to package
Drain pineapple and reserve the juice
Add pineapple to jello
Pour into glass dish
Cover with mini marshmallows and refrigerate to gel



Add orange juice to pineapple juice to make 1 cup
Pour into sauce pan
Add sugar, flour, and beaten egg
Cook over medium heat until pudding like, stir constantly
Remove from heat and allow to cool at room temperature, stirring occasionally
Once room temp., refrigerate until ready to add to Jello salad





Put whipping cream in a bowl and add lemon juice
Fold in the pudding mixture, whip together (if using whipped topping, then mix into pudding mixture)
Put on top of marshmallows then grate cheese on top
Refrigerate until ready to serve





Tonight I didn't have any whipping cream or whipped topping, so I used softened vanilla ice cream, just a large scoop. It mixed in well, and was yummy. How it sets, will be a different story, I'm sure. Guess we'll see!