nana's chicken and rice

If you just need some good comfort food try this recipe of Zach's Grandmother Weisse (aka Nana). She had 13 kids so she learned how to cook on a low budget and make easy dishes that would feed a lot of people. This is really simple, but you can do a few things to spice it up if you want.

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken (I use full Breasts)--use as much as you want

1 can Cream of Mushroom

2 can Cream of Celery

1 packet of dry Onion Soup Mix

1 can water (or 1 1/2 cans for larger meal)

1 cup rice (or 1 1/2 rice for larger meal)

Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1.) Mix all ingredients (except chicken)

2.) Place in a greased pan

3.) Place chicken on top and cover a little with the rest of the ingredients.

4.) Cover with Foil. Cook at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Notes: I didn't have the soup mix so I just put in about 3/4 a cup of chopped onions. I had a bunch of mushrooms that I needed to use up so I diced those and threw them in too. You can fuss with the recipe however you want and it will still turn out pretty good. I served this with asparagus, but green beans or another green veggie would be good too.

Chicken stew and Focaccia.

I have been a total Pots and Peter Pans slacker lately, so I'm answering Emily's query. Here's what I made for dinner last night.

Crock Pot chicken Stew:

3-4 large yukon gold potatoes chopped

2 cups of chopped carrots

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

3 chicken breasts

1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes

1 cup chicken broth

salt and pepper (or Tony's) to taste

4 cups fresh baby spinach

1/2 cup torn basil

1/2 cup shredded asiago

Throw everything but the last three ingredients in the crock pot and let it do its magic all day. A few minutes before you are ready to eat, add the spinach. When it is nicely wilted, garnish with basil and asiago.

I tried out the Pioneer Woman's pizza dough recipe for the focaccia (or pizza bianca: whatever you call it.) the recipe's lack of kneading struck me as odd, and I thought the flavor was great and the texture was fine for focaccia, but not chewy enough for pizza...maybe the dough would benefit from some kneading. If anyone has a good tried-and-true pizza dough recipe PLEASE post it...I have never found one I really love. Anyway, I just spread the dough out on a greased sheet pan, brushed it with olive oil and sprinkled it with chopped fresh rosemary from my backyard and sea salt.

OK...so I'm passing it on...what's on your menu this week?

Crunchy Parmesan Chicken Fingers

This is a 2 step process.
Step 1 - find a wonderful 11 year old girl who loves to help make dinner.
Step 2 - take pictures of her while she makes this recipe:

Ingredients

* 4 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 cup buttermilk
* 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders (about 18)
* 3 large garlic cloves, minced
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan
* 3/4 cup Italian-style seasoned bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Brush 1 tablespoon of oil over each of 2 heavy large lined baking sheets. Place the buttermilk in a large bowl. Add the chicken tenders and stir to coat. Let stand at least 15 minutes and up to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, mash the garlic with the salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in the vinegar and then the remaining 1/2 cup of oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with pepper. Transfer the vinaigrette to a small serving bowl.

Stir the Parmesan and bread crumbs in a pie dish. Remove the chicken tenders from the buttermilk and dredge them in the bread crumb mixture to coat completely, pressing to adhere. Arrange the coated chicken tenders on the prepared baking sheets, spacing evenly. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over the chicken tenders and bake until they are cooked through and golden brown, about 12 minutes.

Transfer the chicken tenders to a platter and serve the vinaigrette alongside for dipping.

Still Soup Week: Tortilla Soup!

Ok, so I'm a little late for Soup Week, but we are actually having our first soup weather, and I made this last week so it should qualify! It's kind of a combo of a Burch family recipe (from Aunt Cathy via one of Darrell's newsletters I think) and a Williams-Sonoma recipe.

6 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 small tomatoes, diced (or 1 can diced)
1 jalapeno, seeded, and finely choopped
2 Tblsp. olive oil
1 chicken breast
2 cans chicken broth
2 Tblsp. oregano
1 Tblsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 cup water
FOR SERVING:
tortilla chips, sour cream, avocado, grated cheese, cilantro

Saute first four ingredients in olive oil until tender. Add remaining ingredients. Boil for 1 hour. Remove chicken from bone and cut up into bite-size pieces. To serve, put broke up tortilla chips on bottom of individual servings. Top with cilantro, grated cheese, sour cream and avocado.

I've also made this with leftover turkey or chicken bones... cover with water and boil for a while to get your own broth. Good way to eke another meal out of a roast chicken/turkey.

photo credit: williams-sonoma.com

Parmesan-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

We had this for dinner last night - another great recipe from Everyday Food. It's really easy and good. I served it with rice and gravy(made from the pan drippings) and a green salad (the picture is not mine!). If it's still too hot to use the oven, you can do these on the grill, cooked indirectly.

Ingredients

Serves 4
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Grated (about 1 tablespoon) zest of 1 lemon
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 (about 3 pounds) bone-in chicken breast halves
Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, combine parsley, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and zest. Season with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
Divide parsley mixture evenly into four mounds. Carefully loosen chicken skin with fingers; tuck parsley mixture under skin. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a 9-by-13-inch roasting pan.
Bake until skin is crispy, chicken is cooked through, and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat (avoiding bone) registers 165 degrees, about 30 minutes.

Chicken Tikka Masala

We love Indian food and this recipe comes REALLY close to how good it is in our favorite restaurant. I always make it with Jasmine rice and serve it with Naan- Indian flatbread that I can find in my local grocery store in the bread section. Brush it with olive oil and grill it or heat it up on a skillet.

For the Chicken:

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon table salt

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed of fat

1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt or at fat free plain greek yogurt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 medium garlic cloves , minced

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Masala Sauce

2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion , diced fine

2 medium garlic cloves , minced

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 fresh serrano or jalepeno chile , ribs and seeds removed, flesh minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon garam masala

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon table salt

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

For the chicken :

Combine cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres. Place chicken on plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.In large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger; set aside.

For the sauce:

Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, chile, tomato paste, and garam masala; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.

While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat broiler. Dip chicken in yogurt mixture (thickly covered) and arrange on wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Broil chicken until thickest parts register 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer and exterior is lightly charred in spots, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking. Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce). Stir in cilantro if using, adjust seasoning with salt, and serve. Serves 4 to 6.

(Chicken) Carbonara

This is a pretty easy dinner (recipe from Giada de Laurentiis) that you usually have the ingredients on hand for (ok, I just use bacon instead of pancetta, and usually 1/2 and 1/2 instead of cream, and I don't always have the fresh herbs, so sometimes I use dried, and I never put on the walnuts and lemon zest, but maybe they're good too. Oh, and sometimes I make it without the chicken, and I use whole wheat pasta, and the other day I threw in a bag of frozen peas... so you see how I improvise, but any way you do it, it's delicious.) My dad claims Giada can't be a very good cook because she is so skinny, but hey, this is pretty good. She must just make it and not eat it.

Ingredients

* 2 teaspoons olive oil
* 4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped
* 2 teaspoons minced garlic
* 2 1/2 cups whipping cream
* 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
* 8 large egg yolks
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
* Salt
* 1 pound spaghetti
* 4 cups coarsely shredded chicken (from 1 roasted chicken)
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
* 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and garlic and saute until it is brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, cheese, yolks, basil, and parsley to blend.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spaghetti and cook until it is just tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Drain.

Add the chicken to the pan with the pancetta and stir to combine. Next, add the spaghetti and the cream mixture and toss over medium-low heat until the chicken is heated through and the sauce coats the spaghetti thickly, about 4 minutes (do not boil or you might end up scrambling the eggs). Season the pasta, to taste, with pepper and salt if needed (the pancetta will likely add all the salt you need). Transfer the pasta to a large wide serving bowl. Sprinkle the walnuts and lemon zest over, and serve.
(photo credit: blogchef.net)

Buttermilk Baked Chicken

This is from Everyday Food, and although it bakes in the oven and thus is not ideal for you Arizona folks, we are having it tonight as we enjoy 70 degree weather. It's like fried chicken, only baked, and it's num. In my E.F. cookbook, they say to eat it with Carrot Cumin Slaw, which is also great - a twist on your run of the mill coleslaw. You could definitely make that in AZ!!
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes

Served with slaw or potato salad, this chicken dinner will feel like an indoor picnic. Any leftover chicken will make a great school lunch.

Vegetable oil, for baking sheet
8 slices white bread
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon hot-pepper sauce
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (2 1/2 ounces)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
4 pounds chicken parts (preferably legs, thighs, and wings), rinsed and patted dry

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously rub a baking sheet with oil. In a food processor, pulse the bread until it turns into coarse crumbs.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the buttermilk, hot-pepper sauce, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a separate bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, thyme, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

3. Place the chicken in the buttermilk mixture, turning to coat evenly. Working with one piece at a time, remove chicken from liquid, letting excess drip back into bowl; dredge in the breadcrumb mixture, turning to coat evenly. Place coated chicken pieces on prepared baking sheet.

4. Bake until chicken is golden brown, about 35 minutes.

Crisping the Chicken: Leave enough space between the chicken pieces so that they crisp evenly all the way around.

Carrot Cumin Slaw
* 1/4 to 1/2 green cabbage, cored and shredded (3 cups)
* 3 carrots, coarsely grated (1 3/4 cups)
* 1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
* 1/4 cup canola oil
* 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
* 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine cabbage, carrots, and jalapeno. Drizzle with oil and lime juice. Add cilantro and cumin. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 hours to allow flavors to develop.

chicken with apple and leeks

this is jack's all-time favorite dinner. he gets crazy excited about it. my kids think it is especially exciting when they get to go outside and pick their own apples to make it...

ingredients:
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons sugar (i never use this much...)
- salt and pepper
- 3-4 green apples (cored and sliced crosswise)
- 3 tablespoons Calvados or brandy (i almost always leave this step out and not one member of my family has noticed...)
- 1/2 cup apple juice
- 2 leeks (white part only)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream


(i know the picture is not the prettiest, but i promise it is tasty...)

1.) melt butter in large saute pan over medium heat. stir in the thyme and add the chicken pieces. saute, turning the pieces as they become golden, 3-4 minutes each side. add the apple slices and cook, turning once, until soft, 3-4 minutes. transfer the apples to a plate and sprinkle with sugar (i, literally, "sprinkle" them with sugar... i think 2 tablespoons is excessive).
2.) pour off the oil from the chicken. pour the calvados or brandy into a small saucepan and warm gently. using a long-handled match, ignite the liquor. when the flame dies, pour the liquor over the chicken. Add the apple juice and arrange the leeks around the chicken. cover and cook over medium-low heat until the chicken is tender, 10-15 minutes.
3.) using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken and leeks to a warmed platter, leaving the ends of the platter uncovered. (i find this step to be pointless, i make the cream while the chicken is cooking. when everything is ready put the chicken onto a room-temperature platter with the leeks and apples, pour the cream and serve... but if you want to warm your platter and all that, feel free...)
4.) pour the cream into the pan and bring to a boil over high heat. deglaze the pan by stirring to dislodge any browned bits. boil to thicken the sauce slightly, about 2 minutes. season to taste with salt and pepper.
5.) pour the sauce over the chicken. place the apple rings on the ends of the platter.
serves 4.


away from peaches and on to apples...


any suggestions for fabulous apple recipes?

Chicken Tetrazzini

I hesitate to post this recipe since it comes from Zach's Food Network girlfriend (who will remain nameless).  However, since we actually took pictures of us cooking, I guess I need to add it.  We made it for our friends John and Angela Kersting who just had a baby, so they could have something easy to heat up for dinner this week since they will both be too tired to do much cooking.  Zach was so excited about it, that he decided we should make it for ourselves the next night.  It was delicious.  It takes a little bit of time, but it is fun to make.  There are a lot of easier versions that aren't exactly from scratch that we have made in the past.  Zach's mom always made an easy version that just used Cream of Mushroom soup, noodles, black olives, and parmesan.  

Ingredients

• 9 tablespoons butter
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  
• 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
  
• 1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1 pound white mushrooms, sliced
  
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
  
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
  
•  1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  
• 4 cups whole milk, room temperature
  
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
  
• 1 cup chicken broth
  
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  
• 12 ounces linguine
  
• 3/4 cup frozen peas
  
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
  
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
  
• 1/4 cup dried Italian-style breadcrumbs
  

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Spread 1 tablespoon of butter over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Melt 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil in a deep large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook until pale golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool slightly. Coarsely shred the chicken into bite-size pieces and into a large bowl.

Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil to the same pan. Add the mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms become pale golden, about 12 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl with the chicken.

Melt 3 more tablespoons butter in the same pan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, cream, broth, nutmeg, remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Increase the heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Drain. Add the linguine, sauce, peas, and parsley to the chicken mixture. Toss until the sauce coats the pasta and the mixture is well blended.

Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Stir the cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta. Dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes.  

Better than P.F. Chang's...Sesame Noodles with Shrimp

Ok, well at least as good. I got this recipe from my cousin Clare, who plugged it as a great summer meal - good either cold or hot. We had it on Friday and LOVED it. Therese, on her way to 3 helpings, said, "this proves McCormacks have the best food". I think the recipe originally came from Cook's Illustrated.



Sesame Noodles with Shrimp (or Chicken)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through
garlic press(about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon hot sauce(such as Tabasco)
2 tablespoons lightly packed light brown sugar
hot water
1 pound cooked shrimp (or chicken)
1 tablespoon table salt
1 pound fresh Asian-style noodles or 12 ounces
dried spaghetti
2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
4 scallions, sliced thin
1 med. carrot, grated or chopped fine
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped

1. Toast sesame seeds in medium skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 10 min. Reserve 1 Tblsp. in small bowl. In blender or food processor, puree remaining sesame seeds, peanut butter, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, and sugar until smooth, about 30 seconds. With machine runing, add hot water 1 Tblsp. at a time until sauce has consistency of heavy cream, about 5 Tblsp; set blender jar or workbowl aside.
2. Bring 6 quarts water to boil in pot over high heat. Add salt and noodles to boiling water; boil until tender. Drain, then rinse with cold running tap water until cool to touch (if serving cold); drain again. In large bowl, toss noodles with sesame oil until evenly coated. Add shrimp, scallions, carrot, red bell pepper, cucumber, cilantro, and sauce; toss to combine. Divide among individual bowls, sprinkle each bowl with portion of reserved sesame seeds, and serve.

lemon chicken with polenta

so this is a variation on a recipe from the wonderful, oh-so-new-york-cynical mark bittman from his book how to cook everything. his recipes usually call for very little that you wouldn't have lying around. this chicken recipe is fabulous -- lemony, leeky, and chickeny, which are three things that go together perfectly. kinda like pete burch, knee-high striped socks, and insane hair, but that's another story.

chicken:

4 tablespoons Olive oil/butter

two leeks, white part minced

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cupr chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon thyme or tarragon

4 chicken breasts

2 tablespoons lemon juice

salt and pepper (of course)

parsley to garnish

-heat olive oil in a skillet and add two minced leeks and cook for about 5 minutes until they are soft.

-add wine, stock and herb and bring to a boil for a minute or two.

-add chicken and cover and cook till the chicken is barely cooked through, 5-6 minutos

-remove chicken with a slotted spoon and keep warm while you cook the sauce on high so it reduces to desired thickness, turn it down to medium-low and add lemon juice, and stir in some butter, about 2 tablespoons

-return chicken to sauce, crank up heat to cook chicken thru and serve with parsley on top!

I usually add a little more of everything for this recipe -- more wine, more stock esp., because I like a lot of sauce on the chicken.

Polenta:

3 cups water

3cups milk

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons butter

3/4 teaspoon salt

cornmeal

-simmer water, milk, butter, salt, and bay leaf in iron skillet until small bubbles appear on edges

-add cornmeal by the handfuls, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens to the consistency of Cream of Wheat -- thickish, but smooth and creamy

-remove bay leaf and serve