Thai Chicken Salad

Today was a glorious day in New York.  It felt like it was mid May.  The sun was shining, the birds were singing and it was one of those days that I had to get outdoors the minute I got home from work.  We've had a mild winter and things are blooming, budding and growing (and people are sneezing) earlier than usual.  I had to remind myself not to jump the gun and start planting my garden too early.  It will only lead to disappointment.  It isn't too early though, to start some peas, snap peas and radishes in my raised beds.  I spent the afternoon playing in the dirt and potting some pansies as well.

Trying to eek out every last ray of sunshine would cut into dinner prep time, so I opted to prepare a big salad for dinner.  A while back I found this recipe for Thai Chicken Salad in a Cooking Light magazine and thought it would be a perfect, quick dinner.  Again, this is a great thing to make if you have a rotisserie chicken from Costco or your grocery store.  If you read my blog, you already know I think Costco rotisserie chickens are a great time saver and frequently work their way into my cooking repertoire.  I guess I could say they are my favorite time saver.  The interesting thing about this salad is that the peanut dressing is heated and tossed into the salad while it is warm.  If you don't plan on eating it all at once, divide your salad and save some dressing on the side.  Just remember to heat up the dressing before you toss it. I'm looking forward to a delicious lunch tomorrow.  Oh and did I mention, it's less than 300 calories a serving? ...... that is, unless you go crazy with the peanuts like someone I know.

Cajun Jambalaya

I thought it only fitting to make something Cajun for dinner on Fat Tuesday.  Well, that was my original intention.  I thought I'd get a jump on things and make part of it last night, and finish it off tonight when I got home from work.  I had some leftover soup in the fridge for last night's dinner anyway.  Like I said, that was my original intention.  Once I got started with this Jambalaya there was no going back.  I got caught up in the moment.  Once that spicy aroma filled the air, I decided that soup could wait another day, and... who cares if we celebrated Fat Tuesday on Monday!  So Monday night was Jambalaya night.  I figured heck, this recipe serves four people anyway, we can have leftovers tomorrow.  Again, that was my intention, but Paul sort of fell in love with this Jambalaya.  He truly got into the spirit of Fat Tuesday and overindulged.  At the end of the night there was only one serving left.  I tucked it in the fridge and promised him that he could finish it off tonight.  Guess who's having soup?

Easy Enchiladas with 20 Minute Enchilada Sauce

We returned from Orlando last week and eased back into the work week.   I needed to do some food shopping before heading back to work.  I picked up a few items to get us started, but soon realized that a run to Costco was in order.  I made a short list of Costco worthy items and convinced Paul to do the Costco run.  I don't know why I did that.  I should know that he will come with everything on the list as well as everything else that tickles his fancy and his fancy is easily tickled.   One of the things that Paul can't seem to pass up is the rotisserie chicken.

Now, if you've been reading my blog you know that I think Costco rotisserie chickens are a shortcut made in heaven.  My Green and White Chicken Chili and Polenta Crusted Chicken Pot Pies are two favorite recipes that use rotisserie chicken.  It's just that we've been eating so much Turkey since Thanksgiving.   Lauren and Matt made a fantastic Thanksgiving turkey, but I had to make another turkey breast for Paul when we got home so he could have the turkey sandwiches and leftovers he so loves.  I was a little roast poultried-out ( yes, I know it's not a word).  The last thing I wanted to see was a Costco rotisserie chicken.  I think I snarled when I saw it sitting on the kitchen counter and said something like, "I hope you can eat a whole chicken"  Well, he couldn't.  So for his penance, he stripped it off the bones, cut it all into bite sized pieces, in hopes that I would transform it into something that doesn't scream chicken.

Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken

I bought a sack of limes at the market the other day.  After I brought them home, I realized that I now had an obligation.  I hate having a food commitment.  I'm more of a shop-as-you-go kind of person.  What was I thinking?  One cannot live on Margaritas and Mojitos alone, so I decided to grill up some Tequila Lime Chicken, the quick version.  I've made Ina Garten's version many times.  I've also modified it many times.  Ina uses a LOT of citrus in her marinade and she lets it sit in the marinade at least 8 hours.  I've had two major issues with this.  For one thing, all that lime juice reacts with the chicken and starts to "cook " the chicken.  Not cook, in the sense that you will be able to eat it, but the thinner parts of the chicken start to look opaque.   Sure a long marinating time helps to impart flavor into the chicken, but  I'm kind of turned off by that "white edged" chicken.  My other issue with the original recipe was the length of time it needed to marinate.  Long marinating times = planning.  Planning is not always practical, and hey, why shouldn't you enjoy a flavorful grilled chicken that you didn't have to think about the day before?   I figured out that if I give the chicken a little extra kick of spice,  I can marinate it for an hour and get a version of tequila lime chicken that I liked even better.

Meet the main players:

                                           

Simple and Satisfying Chicken Marsala

A few weeks ago I was checking my email when my son Matt popped up on G chat.  We frequently "talk" on G chat, and I have to say,  I am grateful for technology.  It gives me the ability to "bump into" my kids, have a quick chat, and not feel like a pain in the butt mother, constantly bothering my children with phone calls at inopportune times.  Quick chats, texts with and without photos, help keep us connected, where ever their journey takes them, we can keep in touch.

Anyway, Matt popped up on G chat and asked if I could help him out with a Chicken Marsala recipe.  He wanted to surprise Lauren with a homemade dinner when she got home from work that evening.  Lauren was the one who usually had dinner waiting for Matt on nights when he worked late.  Now she is working some late nights and going to school as well.  How sweet I thought to myself, Matt can be such a considerate mush.  I was impressed by his ambition.  Not that Matt wasn't capable, I've just never known Matt to be a "cook".  He makes an awesome smoothie, but he was more of a frozen pizza kind of guy.

I was happy to oblige.  Actually, I had been planning to blog about chicken marsala that weekend and had an easy recipe.  I never got around to writing the blog, but Matt ran with the recipe. Lauren was impressed.

I picked up some nice mushrooms at the market today and Paul asked for a Chicken Marsala dinner.   I figure now's the perfect time to finally write this post.

Green and White Chicken Chili

As I begin to  write this post, I have to channel my thoughts in another direction, as my inspiration for this dish flew out the window last Sunday is no more.  I no longer can give this recipe the name that inspired me to write this post.   So let me back up and you will understand my dilemma.   Two weeks ago Paul hosted the Jets - Patriots game at our house.  I made pulled pork for the occasion.  A few hours before game time I thought to myself...how stupid!  I should have made something more "Jets-like" like a green pepper studded white chicken chili, you know, the Jets colors?  I like to be thematic.  Well,  it was too late to change the menu so I made the pulled pork anyway.  I bridged the gap to the football game by calling it pigskin sliders, with Jets green and white coleslaw, and bake-those-Bostons baked beans!  The beverage rule for Jets games is this: it must come from a green bottle.  Traditionally that would be beer.  It was blasphemous, but I also served Zinfandel, which goes nicely with pulled pork, and adheres to the green bottle rule.  The Jets won, so no harm was done.

As the week went on, I still had that chili in my head.  Maybe the fact that it's been the coldest, snowiest winter in God knows how long, or that the mountain of snow piled outside my kitchen window is now about 5 feet high, or maybe because the weatherman is talking about another midweek winter storm...maybe that's why I'm thinking of chili?  We were not hosting the Jets-Steelers game, but I decided that I would have to be prepared with a Green and White Jets Super Bowl chili, just in case they pulled off a win, which as we all know, they did not.

Mind you, I am not a football fan.  I did not slip into a deep depression like some people did; I've moved on.  So that idea of chili that was intended for the Super Bowl party will live on. Why?  Because it is a great winter meal that you will enjoy, and a break from traditional red chilies.

I spent the better part of a day searching for fresh poblano chiles. I can find them easily in the summer, but this time of year it is hit or miss.  Wholefoods is your best bet to find them around these parts.  If you want to know a little more about chili peppers,  this is an interesting site.    This time, I also made this chili with one of my favorite ingredients....COSTCO roasted chicken.  Yes, you heard it.  If you are new to this blog, you will learn that I think COSTCO chickens are a time-saving, all around efficient convenience as I use them in countless recipes.

This recipe is an adaptation of a  Cooks Illustrated, White Chicken Chili.  No, they don't use COSTCO chicken, the chicken is cooked in the chili. I have made it several times and is quite delicious.  It is just more time consuming and the flavor of chili does not suffer if you take my shortcut.  They have you brown the chicken, cook it in the sauce, wait for it to cool enough to handle and on and on..  Quite frankly, I think my version is just as good and takes half the time. Try it for yourself, then you decide.  This recipe is made with ease if you use your food processor.  If you don't have one, you'll need to do a lot of fine mincing, and will eventually have to use a blender or an immersion blender.

Snow Day Chicken Pot Pie with Polenta Crust

I am going to start out by saying, I've never liked chicken pot pie.  Actually, I think I had only tasted it once as a child.  It was of the frozen variety and I was quite grossed out.  Fast forward to about 2007.  I was watching the Food Network and Rachel Ray was making a 30 minute meal, pot pie with polenta.  She succeeded in getting my attention.  I love the pairing of roast chicken with a well executed polenta.  This, I thought, had potential.

The first time I made her recipe, I followed it to a T.  First of all, it took me way longer than 30 minutes.  It was tasty, but it was too rich.  I've played around with this recipe and tweaked it over the years and think I have come up with a pretty darn good pot pie.  Not only does it taste good, it is quick to make and I'll go out on a limb here and say, it's not bad for you if you use skim milk and low fat cheese.  What makes this version quick is to start out by using cooked chicken.

I am a self-proclaimed Costco chicken junkie.  I think the the rotisserie chicken sold at Costco is reason in itself to buy a membership.  I have fed Paul and I: 4 nights of dinners, 2 lunches and made chicken stock to boot on one $4.99 Costco rotisserie chicken.  It's the best bargain in town.  If you do not share my enthusiasm for Costco chicken, you can use any roasted chicken, store bought or leftover.  I have also used baked or poached chicken breast (cooked in white wine, lemon and herbs) with equal success. You can also play around with the vegetables and cheese that is used in this dish.  Use what you have on hand.  Some things you wouldn't want to change as they give the pot pie its flavor.  I will indicate which ingredients you may want to switch out in the recipe.

If you are looking for an easy, convenient warm comfort food that looks somewhat impressive....here it is.  If you are like me, it will also give you a chance to use some of those nifty bowls you may have picked up at Home Goods or Crate and Barrel like these...

Mexican Chicken Soup, Simple and Delicious

I'm always on the lookout for a good soup recipe.  This time of year, I tend to make soup on Sundays.  I do this for a couple of reasons.  First of all, the as the days get shorter, I burn out earlier.  It's quite a phenomena.  Not having to think about dinner on a Tuesday or Wednesday night is a real gift.  I tend to like soup even more the second time around.  I'm not a fan of leftovers, but soup is an exception.   Another reason why I like to make soup on a Sunday, is because football makes dinner planning difficult.  Actually, it makes planning anything difficult.  As you might guess by that remark, I am not a fan.  Paul is.  Enough said.

This Mexican chicken soup has become one of my absolute favorites.  It's got a spicy kick, it's hardy, and its just plain good.  Oh, and I forgot, it's easy to make.  Once again, I bow down to Ina Garten for coming up with this creation.

Chicken Scarpariello, My Way

 

A few weeks ago, Paul and I decided to try a local Italian restaurant for dinner.  When I saw chicken scarpariello on the menu, I immediately thought of the first time I ever had the dish.  It was at Carmine's in New York's theater district.  I remember it being aromatic and tart with lemon.  I had it again at one of my favorite Italian Restaurants, King Umbertos.  It was quite different from Carmine's version, but still delicious.  Umberto's recipe was less lemony, but had the addition of pepperoncini, mushrooms, and a lot of wonderful sauce.  I can't remember where I had my third scarpariello experience.  All I recall was a boneless version, with hot cherry peppers and a dark sauce, very different from the other two.  It was then that I came to the conclusion that every chef has their own interpretation.  That brings me to my most recent dinner at my neighborhood restaurant.  Although our calamari was outstanding, Paul's penne a la vodka was excellent, my chicken scarpariello was....BORING!  It was then that I decided I needed to make this dish myself; and am I glad I did!