Chicken Rice Egg Drop Soup

It's miserably cold and I found myself lamenting that we couldn't make soup. And then I realized the idiocy of that, because I dropped all my frozen chicken drumstick stash into the crock pot Sunday to feed the family and make homemade stock.

So I've had chicken stock bubbling away for two days.

I asked the child if she wanted to make Daddy soup. She said sure. We had leftover rice from a Chinese take-out order and the leftover drumstick meat, so we started with that, in the strained homemade stock, for the base.

I asked her what kind of soup she wanted and she said Chinese. We cane up with the following ingredients:

- peas

- corn

- sesame seeds

- a few drops sesame oil

- teaspoon low sodium soy sauce

- 1/2 teaspoon ginger

- 1 teaspoon sugar

- 2 teaspoons garlic powder

- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 

We got it crazy and bubbling and then drizzled an egg into it.

Green pasta with beef kielbasa

This turned out awesome.

I sautéed a couple ounces of ricotta salada and kielbasa diced in large chunks in Papa John's garlic sauce diluted with a couple tablespoons oil.

Then I added about 1/2 cup frozen spinach, about 1/3 cup frozen kale and probably 2 cups peas (it all fell out of the bag at a rate I couldn't control.)

When that was all thoroughly cooked, I added cooked pasta (about four to five servings) and removed it from heat. I stirred it for what seemed like forever and then drizzled about two tablespoons cold pressed imported extra virgin olive oil.

Pork in orange sauce

This is a variation of pork with peaches and snap peas, the original recipe passed to me from my college roommate.

The sauce, which is added with whatever nuts you want (cashews or peanuts recommended) after the vegetables and meat are cooked, consists of:

- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed juice of clementines

- 1/4 cup corn cob jelly

- 1 tablespoon corn starch

- 2 indivudual serving cups of diced mango

- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce

- 2 teaspoons ground ginger 

Beef stew

Today we're making some beef stew. I pulled some beef cubes from the freezer and coated them with garlic pepper, barbeque rub, parsley and Italian seasoning. I poured the a few dollops of oil and some strawberry basil vinegar into the bottom of my cast iron skillet.

I seared the meat on high heat and then added some tomato and store bought beef broth. I transferred it to the crock pot, added more broth, and dumped in about 3/4 pound of baby carrots.

After a few hours, my husband will probably lower the heat and add peas.

I don't have red wine to really do it right.

Tuna and peas over egg noodles

I originally planned to make this to use up some leftover tuna from sandwiches earlier in the week.

But I had a really crazy shift at work and then I fell walking out of the store so my husband made his own version of my vision.

- Egg noodles

- leftover tuna

- peas

For the sauce:

- soy milk

- cornstarch 

- cheddar

- Swiss cheese

And a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan on top.

Archer Farms stuffed chicken breast

Tonight my daughter and I went to see an elementary school production of 101 Dalmations. The afternoon was delightful. The performance made me laugh and cry, especially as it brought back memories of my days as a beat reporter in Phillipsburg. 

Last night in Target, I found bacon wrapped Archer Farms chicken breasts stuffed with cream cheese and jalapeño on clearance for $3 off the regular price of $8.31 for two breasts. With my employee and RedCard discounts that brought the price to about $4.50. 

Now, I'm cheap so I sliced those breasts after cooking them and split them three ways.

Since we had the play, we tossed brown rice in the steamer and cooked that and some peas in homemade chicken stock (from my freezer).

We served with Les Abeilles white wine.

I was very pleased.

Lamb Vindaloo

Tonight I made an adaptation of lamb vindaloo with lamb sausage and mounds of vegetables.

I based the recipe off this one from the BBC. After all, if any anglophone knows how to make Indian food, it'd be the colonizing Brits:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lamb_vindaloo_41903

I modified it based on what I had in my pantry.

I started with a chunk of mild lamb sausage, and not even a big one. 

For the sauce:

- about 25 ml extra virgin olive oil

- about 35 ml canola oil

- one tablespoon balsamic vinegar

- 2 cloves garlic, sliced & chopped

- water, about 75 ml

- one pinch salt

- about 2 teaspoons Indian chili powder

- about 1 teaspoon cumin

- a large pinch cinnamon 

- about 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger 

- about 1/2 teaspoon mustard

- about 1 teaspoon paprika 

I whisked it, chopped the raw sausage in half and left it to marinade all day.

When I got home from work, I cooked the sausage in some oil. I chopped it and added vegetables to the skillet with the meat.

Vegetables:

- Lots of peas

- carrots 

- fresh spinach

- leftover potatoes from last night's dinner 

Then I added the marinade and cooked it all together.

I served with rice and plain steamed fresh broccoli (just in case in was too spicy for the wee one). In my opinion, it was just the right spicy. Yummy yum yums.

 The two photos in the skillet were taken by my daughter.

What fell out of the freezer

I went into the freezer to find some vegetables and chicken for my dinner tomorrow and stuff started falling out. So I whipped up some processed mac and cheese and added some of the "falling out" stuff.

- one box market pantry mac and cheese

- cauliflower

- peas 

- fresh spinach

- spicy chicken bites

- extra butter

- some extra milk (today I used soy)

- some cheddar jack shredded cheese blend

- a few shakes Frank's Red Hot

Chicken française pasta

My husband came up with the suggestion of "chicken française pasta" when I first got some boneless, skinless chicken on clearance at Target.

Today we pulled it out of the freezer and gave it a shot.

Ingredients:

- chicken, boneless, skinless and cut into smaller pieces

- lemon juice, about half a cup (two fresh lemons?) 

- one stick butter

- peas

- broccoli

- pasta of choice

- 1/2 cup fresh dill from the garden

- 1/2 cup fresh parsley from the garden

- about six chives fresh from the garden

- 1 teaspoon garlic powder 

- about 1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper (plus another 1/2 teaspoon)

- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 

- your favorite olive oil 

Heat about one tablespoon butter over low heat in cast iron skillet. Add equal parts lemon juice. Add the garlic powder and the Italian seasoning.

Stir until nicely combined. Add chicken. Increase heat to medium. 

Cook pasta to desired doneness. Drain and set aside. 

When chicken is done, push the meat to one side of skillet. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper. Arrange skillet so empty side is over the heating element.

Add about 1/2 stick butter to empty side of skillet, add fresh herbs and cook while trying to push the sauce around the empty side of the skillet to minimize how much sauce the chicken absorbs. 

Add vegetables to empty side of skillet. Combine both sides of skillet until everything is evenly mixed and evenly heated.

Pour olive oil (cold pressed extra virgin imported from the Middle East is my fav) over the pasta and mix so they are just a tiny bit wet and kind of glistening.

Put pasta in bottom of serving bowl. Top with desired amount of chicken-vegetable mix.

This was incredible!

Leftovers in vodka sauce

Dance Friday night. Husband home sick. I'm trying to write my thesis. Child must be fed.

I took one bag of Bertolli dinner for 2 chicken in vodka sauce (I had a coupon) and promptly followed the directions. Now, the directions suggested frying for three minutes in high in a non-stick skillet and then reducing heat for six more minutes.

Try this is a cast iron Le Creuset skillet and you get an overheated pan with pasta caked to it, even if you cook it stir-fry style.

I added a generous dose of coconut oil before the pasta/sauce bricks because I foresaw this. But I should have never put the heat over medium on my baby. I call my skillet baby.

I added to this mix:
- fresh spinach
- frozen peas
- one chicken breast stuffed with crab meat leftover from my husband's dinner out with his parents (chopped)

And that made it delightful.

But I gotta say, for the price, their dinner for two would have left me hungry and disappointed. Though the vodka sauce was dead on.

Chicken spinach Alfredo

My husband requested "some sort of Alfredo sauce" over linguine.

So I whipped this up:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
(Melted and blended in the cast iron skillet until bubbly)
Add:
- parsley
- Italian seasoning
- dry mustard
- generous amounts of garlic pepper
Add about 3/4 cups each:
- milk
- half and half
- soy milk
- fresh spinach
- frozen peas
Cook until bubbly.
Add chicken if desired.
Once chicken is hot, add:
- about 1/2 cup grated Romano
Then put over pasta and top each serving with shredded Parmesan

Fish low-dairy pizza

I apologize in advance for not having a real recipe for this but I didn't know this was going to be the best pizza ever.

Before I went to get my daughter from her after school activity, I made one of my quick pizza crusts:
- 1.75 cups unbleached white flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup warm water
- 1+ tablespoon local raw honey
- 2 tablespoons yeast
- parsley
- oregano
- garlic pepper

Mix and set in warm place to rise for one hour.

When preparing the pizza, preheat oven to 450.

Take imitation crab meat and sauté in cast iron skillet in equal parts lemon juice and butter until slightly golden.

Remove to bowl.

In skillet, combine about 2 tablespoons flour with 2 tablespoons butter. When bubbly add about 1/2 cup soy milk and 1/2 cup skim milk. Set aside after warm and bubbly.

Press pizza into large jelly pan/cookie sheet.

Place fish on the pizza. Sprinkle with lots of fresh spinach and peas. Drizzle with the cream sauce.

Sprinkle about 3/4 cup shredded Italian cheeses and 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan across spinach.

Drizzle about 2 tablespoons ranch dressing across the pizza.

Bake 15-20 minutes.

Channa Dal

I love Indian food. Up until recently, my daughter has always loved Indian food. I noticed these Channa Dal packs at Target on clearance for $2.78. And they have three servings. Now as much as I love home cooking, I still work closing shift and sometimes I run out of ideas and let my husband cook dinner.

Like last night. I cooked a nice lunch, he worked all day and we had leftover cooked brown rice so I thought it would be a great night to try the Channa Dal.

I'm having my serving for lunch today with a hearty dose of sweet peas.

Now I don't know anything about Channa kernel or urad kernel but this is quite tasty and has some zing to it. I'm enjoying mine with mango smoothie.

The manufacturer of this mix is Jyoti.

Pasta in (Target) vodka sauce

While we were at Target for our big grocery trip last weekend, we decided to try the Archer Farm vodka sauce. Now normally I don't even use jarred pasta sauce because of the cost and the sugar content. Vodka sauce at my favorite italian restaurant has tasted really good the last few visits and with our pledge not to eat out, I thought it might work.

It doesn't.

But more on that later.

We buzzed through Target today for some pet supplies. While there I went to the grocery section for milk.

Prices do not subtract team member or red card discount.

-Silk Pure Almond vanilla was $2.99
- silk unsweetened soy milk was $2.79
- market pantry half and half, one quart, was $2.14

Purdue boneless, skinless, cage and antibiotic free, vegetarian fed chicken breast for $2.49/lb

Since I had plans to make the vodka sauce, chicken would be nice. I bought 1.4 pounds for $3.42.

I brought everything home.

Part of the reason I chose this meal was because I've been super tired in the afternoon. We have been surviving on a plethora of mexican feast leftovers, foccaccia and lunch dates with friends. (their treat, so I didn't break my pledge)

I sliced the chicken into strips and cooked it. Child made frozen peas and broccoli in the microwave. Had water on to cook whole wheat rotini.

Child fed tortoise some veggies and gave me the rest to add to the skillet, with a touch of fresh ground pepper. Then I poured the vodka sauce in. With the meat, its juice, everything.

I served over the pasta, with a sprinkle of Parmesan.

It was mediocre. My cooking was good, but the sauce fell flat. But, as my husband says, can you expect jarred sauce to be good?

Pesto ravioli primavera

I started a cream sauce while browning beef kielbasa (which I divided into four segments and froze three of them) but I never got the cream sauce done... So, I made this:

- about 1.5 cups diced beef kielbasa
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons flour
- about 2 tablespoons garden fresh dill
- 1 large leave sorrel
- about 7 basil leaves
- 2 cups peas
- 2 cups cauliflower, carrots and broccoli
- 2 packages trader Joe's ravioli

I put the butter in my Le Creuset skillet and browned the meat. I carefully pushed the meat to the side, added the oil, and incorporated the flour as if I were going to start a cream sauce. I added all the herbs.

Meanwhile, I cooked the ravioli and added the vegetables so it could all cook at the same
time.

The sauce smelled so fragrant I opted not to make the cream sauce after all. The family ate it all.

Curried pasta salad with tuna

My husband hates cold salads-- the kind with pasta or potatoes.

Today for lunch I needed a meal for me.

So I prepared 10 ounces of multigrain penne.

In my skillet, I poured 2 tablespoons cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, 2/3 cup frozen peas, 2/3 cup black beans, 2 teaspoons curry powder, 2 teaspoons parsley, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 tablespoons flax seed and 3 tablespoons sunflower seeds. Heat and mix thoroughly.

Now if you want to keep it vegan, mix two tablespoons vegan mayonnaise and the noodles. Then add the hot "sauce." I also added a can of tuna.

Mommy's five cheese mac

I made Betty Crocker's mac and cheese recipe last night with some classic Angel modifications. I don't have the recipe with me, and I didn't measure as I cooked. So this is a post based on memory.

It tasted incredible. The original Betty Crocker recipe is probably easy to find via the Betty Crocker label under this entry.

I started with about three tablespoons butter melting over medium-high heat with about two tablespoons chopped chives that I froze from my herb garden last summer. After three minutes of hearty swirling, I added about three tablespoons flour, trying not to let it degrade into a solid flour dumpling.

I added some fresh ground pepper and sea salt. Then lowered the heat to extremely low and added one cup heavy cream.  (I discovered I had no milk in the house.) I added a pinch of nutmeg. Once my flour and cream mixture had blended, I added three cups of plain soy milk. (And I am completely aware of how silly it must seem from a culinary perspective to have heavy cream and soy milk in the same dish. I am a big believer in "use what you got" cooking.)

Once that blended, I added the cheese. I probably used four ounces of velveeta (a gift from a friend), three ounces cheddar, and three or four ounces of mozzarella. Then I added the remaining fresh spinach I had on hand (about one cup, ripped into small slivers) and about a cup of frozen peas (again what I had on hand.) I wish I had some broccoli, but I didn't.

I made 16 ounces of small elbow noodles and it made two small casserole dishes full. Before baking at 375 for 30 minutes (and then cooking at 400 just to brown the top), I sprinkled each liberally with grated romano and then shredded asiago.

Fabulous. Truly fabulous. And probably a good thing, since it looks like my cooking might eliminate dairy for the next month to help with the fluid in my daughter's ears. I can survive without milk. Cheese hurts, but I can do it. How on earth am I going to cook without butter? I have a plan...

Chicken curry tonight

I initially planned a very bland meal of rice with canned chicken and some sort of sauce made from a can of Campbells chicken noodle soup. But brilliance struck, and I opted for some sort of Indian-style curry. I wanted to make a vegetarian dish, but we're low on basic vegetables (like California blend-- cauliflower, broccoli and carrots).

I started the white rice in the steamer. I added the water, some garlic salt (just a pinch), about a teaspoon of parsley and a tablespoon of butter.

Then in my Le Creuset skillet, I mixed a pinch (about 1/3 teaspoon) garlic, two tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, about 1/2 teaspoon red Indian chili powder, 3/4 teaspoon four color peppercorn, about 3/4 teaspoon cumin, and maybe 2 teaspoons curry powder. Oh, and a half teaspoon ginger.

I heated this thoroughly and then added about one cup hot water and boiled it. Next I added the canned chicken and chopped it into fairly small pieces. I mixed and boiled it down.

I swirled in about 1 teaspoon half and half and about three tablespoons soy milk. To finish it off I added a can of petit pois.

I served this over the rice.

Very nice.

Provolone and pork mac and cheese

Tonight I made a quick mac and cheese with some smoked pork chops my mother-in-law brought over from the butcher.

The mac and cheese sauce:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1.5 tablespoons flour
• about three tablespoons heavy cream (all I had left)
• about 1/2 teaspoon mustard
• about 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• about 5-6 ounces extra sharp provolone
• 2 cups two percent milk

I heated one fairly large smoked pork chop and cut the meat into chunks and added that and about 1.5 cups frozen peas into the cheese sauce. I also included about three tablespoons pork drippings from the skillet in the sauce.

I used a regular box of rotini, mixed it up in a pyrex casserole dish and baked it for 30 minutes at 375. Because I wasn't home to watch it, it got a tad crispy on top but the bottom was juicy so mixing it all up before serving solved that problem.

Recycling

Today, I had a gigantic chicken breast leftover from dinner with my dad and stepmom at the dinner. It was their version of chicken français ( they call it Frances which makes me laugh). But no matter what you call it, chicken in lemon-butter sauce is one of the delights of the Earth.

I whipped out my Le Creuset pan and dumped some drained canned potato slices, which never works for anything remotely hashbrown-like because they are too wet. But I kept the heat low, used a hearty amount extra virgin olive oil, and kept an eye on them best I could.

Now before I continue, this is NOT a meal of anything remotely gourmet. I don't think I've been to the grocery store for six weeks, so I've been relying on our freezer and pantry reserves. And now those are also depleted.

So recycling this chicken breast into a meal for three is an exercise in cheap utility. And filling bellies.

Okay, starting over:

Ingredients:
- One large chicken breast (cooked)
- 1 cup peas (cooked)
- one can sliced potatoes
- extra virgin olive oil
- one-half teaspoon fresh ground garlic salt

Coat skillet with extra virgin olive oil. Heat on low. Add potatoes. Cook for a short while. Add peas. Cook for a short while, stirring occasionally. Gradual increase heat almost to medium. Add chicken. Add more oil if needed.