52 Ways to Cook: September 2012

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Chicken and Waffles

Quick and easy...

From one of my beloved rotisserie chickens I pulled off a thigh and removed the bone and cartilage.

Diced it all up about the size of a dime.

Mixed in with 2 cups of Krusty's brand pancake mix (I was dressing up a very lazy breakfast)... Whole thing took about 10 minutes).

And just make the waffles as normal.

;Course if you have a pretty Circus Animal themed waffle maker it dresses up the looks as much as the taste.

The saltiness from the already spiced rotisserie chicken combines perfectly with a bit of real maple syrup.

And for one last little extra zing, I heat the syrup first and add some walnut pieces.

It is a wonderful thing.

Sweet from the syrup,
Nutty Earthy tastes from the walnuts
Savory chicken and crunchy chewy waffles!

Breakfast lunch or dinner faire!

******************************************************

This recipe has been added to my growing list of "52 Uses For a Rotisserie Chicken" (Now close to 100!)...I am so confused... $5.49 for a fully cooked, fully seasoned Oven Roasted, Rotisserie Chicken. Yet shop in the raw meat department and most raw chickens are at best $8 each and usually far closer to $10. Anyone have an answer??? Me either. So, I can either rail against the machine, or learn to embrace the beauty that is the $5 chicken! In this pin are recipes I have made, and recommend. MORE than 52 (I just can't stop)..
You get the idea. From Scratch Pizza to Chinese Take Out recipes, Lots of Soups and Chili... Appetizers to Main Courses (Still can't find a dessert, but I am looking). More than enough ideas for that store nought bird to shine with just a little extra work

***********************PINTEREST*********************

Come and find me on Pinterest... Any of my "52 Ways to cook" Boards are worth following. If you like this post, please take a second and "Pin" this to your own boards... Better yet, if you are part of a foodie group board please take a second and add this post to your group pins... best way to show your Love!

And BTW, if you are not yet part of a group board, drop me an email at Contact@eRecipeCards.com and request to be added to my group board... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! (be sure to include your pinterest ID when you write) Once you are added, any pins you add will be seen by 10s of THOUSANDS of followers of the board (and growing daily).

Rules, only 2...

In order to join you need to start following the group board as well as at least one of my boards.
And you must ONLY pin original sources, posts from food related bloggers only. If you are a blogger, this is a great way to have thousands of potential readers see your work, If you are a fan of bloggers, a great way to share your favorites...
Come and be a part of ... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! on Pinterest

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Fast and Easy Chicken Pot Pie... Um Chicken and Biscuits

It's fast and very easy and it is VERY delicious. And thanks to the ease of using a pre-cooked, pre-seasoned, store bought rotisserie Chicken, and a tube of biscuits, this fantastic heart warming dish cold weather dish, this comes together with very little fuss...

A thick creamy base stock (made with 2% milk) and just LOADED with vegetables.

Uses the meat from a rotisserie chicken and the biscuits are just as easy, from the tube, makes this one of my very favorite "52 Uses for a Rotisserie Chicken"

In fact, I float the raw biscuits on top of the cream sauced vegetables so the biscuits are as much braised as they are baked. This gives half the biscuit a texture of a standard buttery flaky biscuit, while the bottom half absorbs the liquid as it cooks, leaving a dense dumpling taste and texture!

Love this!

Here's what I did...

Chicken Pot Pie... Um Chicken and Biscuits

Ingredients

1 Stick (8 TBS) Butter
1/2 Cup Flour
1/4 Cup Mushrooms, sliced
1 Cup 2% Milk
2 Large Carrots, pealed and diced
1 Cup Chicken Stock
1/2 Cup Frozen Peas, thawed
1/2 Cup Frozen Green Beans, thawed
1/2 Cup Frozen Corn, thawed
1/2 Cup Frozen Peas, thawed
2 Medium Russet Potatoes, Parboiled, large diced
1 Cup Diced Chicken (I used a leg/thigh quarter)
1 Can Refrigerated biscuits (I used Pillsbury Brand GRANDS, Thick and buttery)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
First, parboil the diced potato for 6 minutes.
Next, start the cream sauce, melt 1 stick butter in a large saute pan. Add the flour and stir constantly over a medium-low heat for two minutes. Add the milk and mushrooms and continue to stir. Add the carrots and the Chicken Stock and stir to blend.
Continue to stir over medium heat as you add the Peas, Corn and Beans. Add the Potatoes and Chicken. If you need to add more milk to thin the sauce, now is the time! Continue to heat for 5 minutes so everything is completely cooked and ready.
Prepare a large high top casserole dish by applying a non stick spray. Pour all of the sauce and vegetables into the dish.
Top the sauce with the biscuits and bake the entire dish for 17 minutes, as directed on the can instructions.
I like to put a biscuit on the plate and top with the pot pie type goop! Salt and pepper to taste. Serve HOT and enjoy.

******************************************************

***********************PINTEREST*********************

Rules, only 2...

In order to join you need to start following the group board as well as at least one of my boards.
And you must ONLY pin original sources, posts from food related bloggers only. If you are a blogger, this is a great way to have thousands of potential readers see your work, If you are a fan of bloggers, a great way to share your favorites...
Come and be a part of ... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! on Pinterest

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Chicken and Shrimp Speedy Paella

Once again, the star of the show is one of those grocery store (and box store) specialty items... The AMAZING Rotisserie Chicken!

More accurately, this should be referred to as a mixed paella, as it "mixes" seafood and chicken. Additionally, there are no beans in the recipe as is in a traditional Valencian style paella.

And as you can see, I made this in a standard large saute/frying pan.

If you have never heard of a paella or never tried to make your own, they are a delicious melange of flavors, usually seasoned with saffron and served on special occasions in the vallencia region of eastern Spain. The dish has become almost the National dish throughout the country with most areas adding their regional ingredients and style.

The dish would be very similar to a Louisiana style Jambalaya, with one BIG exception. Jambalayas combine all of the ingredients and then cook, mixing all of the flavors together as they cook. A Paella is cooked with ingredients added at separate times during the process. So the chicken will taste like chicken, the tomatoes like tomatoes, peas, carrots, etc all will retain their original tastes.

Purists will poo poo this recipe, but for a quickie week night dinner, thanks to the rotisserie bird, it's a 30 minute meal, filled with GREAT flavors and makes a terrific presentation...

Here's what I did...

Chicken and Shrimp Speedy Paella

Ingredients

2 Cups Chicken Stock
1 Cup Long grain Brown Rice
1 Cup Cooked Chicken (Thank you Rotisserie Goddess)
1/2 pound Pre-cooked Shrimp, Pealed and devaeined
1 Medium Red Onion, Coarsely Chopped
2 Medium Carrots, sliced, reserve a few ribbons to serve as garnish
1 Medium Bell Pepper, seeded, Coarsely Chopped
1 Medium Tomato, Coarsely Chopped
1 Cup Thawed Frozen Peas
1 TBS Olive Oil
2 TBS Fresh Herbs (I used Rosemary and Basil)

Cooking Directions

In a medium sauce pan, bring 2 cups chicken stock to a boil. Add 1 cup rice, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, Add the Carrots and simmer for anopther 10-15 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed.
Reserve a half dozen shrimp and an equal amount of chicken to add to the top as a garnish.
Meanwhile, while the rice is cooking, in a large saute pan, heat the Olive Oil, add the Onions and cook until softened. Add the Bell Peppers and saute for another couple of minutes.
When the rice is just about finished, add the remaining ingredients to the saute pan. Mix well, finally add the rice and fold everything together.
Garnish with the reserved shrimp and chicken and carrot ribbons.
Cover and allow to steam the garnishing meats until heated (about 3-4 minutes) and serve!

******************************************************

***********************PINTEREST*********************

Rules, only 2...

In order to join you need to start following the group board as well as at least one of my boards.
And you must ONLY pin original sources, posts from food related bloggers only. If you are a blogger, this is a great way to have thousands of potential readers see your work, If you are a fan of bloggers, a great way to share your favorites...
Come and be a part of ... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! on Pinterest

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

LOADED Chicken Spinach Pasta Salad

Once again I am making a rotisserie chicken SHINE!

And big time shine! This is one of those utterly surprising dishes. LOTS of ingredients, lots of flavors, layers upon layers of tastes. Wonderful textures, crunchy, chewy and even a squirt when you bite into a sweet mandarin orange slice!

The sauce is a fresh made simple teriyaki.

And the whole thing only takes about 30 minutes to make...

I had a BIG 3 pounder rotisserie chicken. But I only needed about 1/2 of a pound of chicken meat. So this is a great way to stretch that protein for another dish. If you separate the thigh, one of the thigh and leg quarters, the meat from that is just about the right size.

I made this dish to serve 4 people. The ingredients, as listed made 4 servings with enough left over for a lunch. I served it as a main course. But the next time I draw the "salad" course for a progressive dinner, it would make a tremendous show off dish!

Here's what I did...

I started the Pasta, reading the directions and carefully measuring the time so it is not overcooked. I actually pull my pasta off the heat 1 full minute before the bag directions say.

While that is cooking, I start to assemble the other ingredients... First the dressing...

Teriyaki Pasta Salad Dressing

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 Cup White Wine Vinegar
Large Pinch Salt
Large Pinch Pepper
1/2 Cup Teriyaki Sauce
3 TBS Sugar

Cooking Directions:
all ingredients and whisk to blend. I prefer to mix in a blender or my handy mini chopper.

Next I get ready to mix the salad...

LOADED Chicken Spinach Pasta Salad

Ingredients

8 Ounces Rotisserie Chicken, cooked chicken, diced. Feel free to add more if you prefer a Meatier Dish.
8 Ounces Fresh baby Spinach, washed and stemmed
1 pound Bow Tie Pasta, cooked according to the directions
1 Can Mandarin Oranges, drained
1 Small Can Sliced Water Chestnuts
1 Bunch (about 5) Green onions, sliced, include the green parts
1 Cup Honey Roasted Cashews
1 Red Pepper Sliced and cut Julian
1 tsp Salt
1 tep Pepper

Cooking Directions:
If you have the time, marinate the cooked pasta in the Teriyaki dressing in the fridge for 1 hours. But usually I simply assemble and mix everything together while the pasta is cooking. When it is finished, add the pasta and mix with the teriyaki dressing. When dishing, be sure to dig to the bottom of the bowl as the nuts and water chestnuts tend to sink. I usually hold back 1/4 of all the ingredients (except the spinach and pasta) and spread them around the top of the salad for presentation.

I simply adore everything about this...

The al dente pasta, the fresh taste of the greens, combined with the snappy crispness of the water chestnuts, the squirt of the citrus from the oranges and the crunch from the cashews and red peppers all combine for a that special melange of tastes and texture!

******************************************************

***********************PINTEREST*********************

Rules, only 2...

In order to join you need to start following the group board as well as at least one of my boards.
And you must ONLY pin original sources, posts from food related bloggers only. If you are a blogger, this is a great way to have thousands of potential readers see your work, If you are a fan of bloggers, a great way to share your favorites...
Come and be a part of ... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! on Pinterest

Monday, September 24, 2012

Pasta and Asparagus with a Creamy Tomato Vodka Sauce

Is there anyone out there tha tcan still find the Food Network magazine from last January??? If not, I highly recommend it. Head to the library (free copies to read) and check out that month. It's all Italian... Cover to cover.

Now normally when the mag arrives, I mark three or four recipes and end up making one... sometimes. This issue, I have dozens of pages marked. But as important, the issue is filled with great information. Like the differences in American Parmesan cheese and genuine Italian Parmesan. Each has it's advantages, but the page lays out the difference. So far, I have made two recipes, and I just got the Mag on Saturday!

One of the best features this month is a pull out section about pasta sauces? There are 8 different sauces (not a Marinara on these pages... all new and interesting). Sauces like a Lemon Alfredo or a Sage-Walnut Butter sauce.

Last night I made a bacon Cabonara sauce that was terrific. But to night I wanted to go meatless.

Now, armed with this magazine, I have a months worth of meatless meals to ponder.

I have certainly had vodka sauces before. Seemed exotic, and something to order at a restaurant. Now, I'm armed with a recipe to make at home. As usual, I altered a few ingredients (in fact, the asparagus was my idea) from the magazine, but the basic is all from the Italian issue.

Here's what I did...

1 yellow Onion, minced
4 cloves Garlic, minced
2 TBS Butter
1 Poblano Pepper, stem and seeds removed, cut into slivers
1 TBS Cajun Pepper mix
1/2 cup Pepper Vodka
1 14 oz can Tomatoes
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
2 TBS Parmesan Cheese set aside to top the pasta
1 pound of Aperagus spears, cut to bite size pieces
1/2 a box of Shells Pasta

Melt the butter and add the onion. Cook for a few minutes until tender. Add the Garlic and pepper and continue to cook for another minute. Add the Cajun spices and the Vodka. Simmer for a few minutes as the alcohol cooks out. I love the Absolut brand pepper vodka. great to cook with, adds a wonderful flavor. Like I said, the booze cooks out, leaving a peppery Earthy taste.

Start the pasta cooking. Everything will come together fast now.

Add the asparagus and tomatoes and allow to simmer for another few minutes.

Now, add the cream.

Simmer until the sauce thickens. Add the Parmesan cheese. While that continues to simmer, the pasta should be done. Either mix into the sauce or plate the pasta and top (I liked mixing. the shells do a terrific job of trapping the sauce making every bite filled with flavors)!

Plate, top with the remaining cheese and you are in for a treat!!!

here are some more photos to give you an idea of what I did...

Once again. no animals were harmed in the production of tonight's dinner. But certainly no taste was missing. It was a wonderful meal!

like I said, I always enjoy the magazine... A great value for home cooks

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Bacon Carbonara

Do you all remember yesterday's post...

Pasta and Asparagus with a Creamy Tomato Vodka Sauce.

It was part of my review of FOOD NETWORK Magazine and their Pasta review. I just loved the idea of them listing 8 different pasta sauces, easy to compare the photos and the recipes. Most I had read on restaurant menus, even tried a few, but really did not have a clear understanding of the differences.

Well, today's post is about sauce number 2... An egg based sauce that pairs well with meat. they advised bacon, but of course chicken is the usual meat of choice.

But, everything goes better with bacon, so I took their advice.

And my my my it indeed was wonderful!

And just like yesterday, came together in minutes...

6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 TBS Olive Oil
4 cloves Garlic, smashed and minced
2 tsp Italian seasonings
1 jalapeno pepper sliced into slivers
1 Pablano Pepper sliced into slivers

Sautee all these ingredients together until the bacon begins to crisp.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta to al dente.

While that is cooking, whisk together...

3 eggs
1.2 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
1/2 cup Pecorino cheese, freshly grated

Add the pasta with the bacon and peppers, mix well...

Add the egg and cheese... again mix well

Plate, add some parsley for color and more cheese for... well, just because I like cheese...

Here's some more photos...

Much as I like my Marinara sauce, I am certainly loving the Food Network theme. Great to have these all in one place to ponder!

So...

Buon appetito everyone!

...

like I said, I always enjoy the magazine... A great value for home cooks