Cluck-cluck!

Chicken is a staple in our home, and it's probably safe to say, that we consume it over any other meat. But I get annoyed with chicken, particularly boneless, skinless chicken breasts, because for the longest time, it was coming out dry! A lot of recipes that call for the chicken breast require that you either saute or poach (boil) the chicken, which lead the chicken to have the consistency of cardboard, with perhaps similar flavor. Now, a lot of this may have to do with the fact that I just don't have the skill, or patience to learn how to cook chicken this way succesfully, so for those of you like me, here is an alternative.

I've learned (thanks to Ina Garten, one of my Food Network faves!), is to drizzle your poultry with olive oil, sprinkle with S&P, and roast in the oven at 400, until cooked through. The time will completely depend on the cut of chicken you are cooking, but count on between 20-40 minutes. It will come out so juicy, tender, and best of all FLAVORFUL! You can either eat it right out of the oven, or cut it up and add to whatever dish you were making. The difference is amazing.

Chicken Style Rice

I cook with rice all the time, and I love it, but it tends to get pretty boring when cooked traditionally time and time again. So I've been playing with it a bit. Tonight I tried this to go with roasted chicken thighs and sauteed carrots. It was really good, and could really pair up well to any main dish. You'll find my measurements are

1 cup rice
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 palmful garlic salt
1/2 palmful poultry seasoning.

Combine all ingredients, bring to a boil. Simmer for twenty minutes, or until rice is soft and liquid is gone. Let me know if you like it, or of you don't :-)

White Chili

Also from Cooking Light!

I HIGHLY recommend this recipe, even if you aren't a big fan of chili, or beans for that matter.

This was one of the best, and healthiest comfort dishes I have had in a long time. I think what made it so good was using green Tabasco sauce as the base of the broth. It's not near as hot as regular hot sauce, but has a deep, rich flavor. I put it on a lot of other things now, like eggs and sandwiches. I love recipes that lead me to discover other culinary gems!

2 tsp canola oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onion (about one large)

2 cups chicken broth

5 teaspoons green hot pepper sauce

1/2 tsp kosher salt (regular salt works just fine)

1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 TB ground cornmeal

1 19 oz can cannelli, or any white bean (I actually put in two 15 oz cans and it was great)

1/2 cup plain, fat free yogurt

2 TB thinly sliced green onions (fresh parsley or cilantro is also delicious)

lime wedges

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped onion and garlic to pan; cook 5 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Add broth, hot pepper sauce, salt, and chicken to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes. Remove chicken from broth mixture, cool.

2. Add cornmeal and beans to broth mixture, stirring with a whisk; simmer 15 minutes. Mash about 1/4 cup beans against side of pan. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken to pan; simmer five minutes, or until mixture thickens, stirring frequently. Top each serving with yogurt, onions and lime wedges.

6 Servings

Food Tip: This is when having frozen shredded chicken or turkey comes in really handy, rather then having to boil it then. Buy a few whole roaster chickens, or turkeys when on sale, cook them, pick them and you'll end up with 3-6 bags of shredded poultry meat. It comes in so handy when needing to cook a meal quick, and you can use it for SO many things.

Ziti with Spinach, Cherry Tomatoes, and Gorganzola Sauce

This month's edition of Cooking Light was EXCELLENT. Of course, that magazine rarely disappoints. This recipe was so good that even my kids, and hubby liked, which made it even more of a winner. It has gorganzola, which is a type of bleu cheese, only I like it more because the flavor is richer and the cheese is creamier, mmmmm, mouth watering just thinking about it. And another bonus is you usually have a little cheese left over for salads and things.

(I doubled the recipe for my family of three and a half, and we ended up with one small serving left over).

4 ounces uncooked ziti

1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup cherry tomatoes halved (I used a regular vine ripened tomato, and it was a bit watery, so if you can't get cherry tomatoes, use a plum or roma tomato, they have a lot less juice)

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper (this is actually a pretty important ingredient, try not to skip it)

1 garlic clove minced

6 TB half and half (you can find it in fat free form)

3 TB gorganzola crumbled

1 cup fresh spinach

1. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain.

2. Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add cherry tomatoes, salt, crushed red pepper, and minced garlic to pan; cook one minute, stirring occasionally. Stir in half-and-half and Gorganzola cheese; cook 2 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Stir in spinach and pasta; cook one minute or until spinach welts, tossing occasionally.

2 Servings

Oatmeal Sandwich Cremes

One thing that I really love about food is that there is food for every season. Fall and winter are especially fun because you really get to work your way into the wonderful comfort foods that warm our body and soul. So when looking for something to make for my daughter's preschool, I wanted to make something that would be appropriate for fall weather, but fun for kids as well.

Oatmeal Raisin cookies are so wonderful for the fall. They are earthy, dense and comforting with the rich flavor of cinnamon and brown sugar. And of course, you add filling and you have a kid pleaser on your hands. I will warn to you adults though, the cookies are very sweet by themselves, so if you are making them for yourselves, you may be completely satisfied subtracting the filling! Happy Fall!

3/4 cups shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups self rising flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cups quick cooking oats
3/4 cups raisins

FILLING
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3-3/4 cups confectioners sugar
2 TBS milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, water and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and cinnamon; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in oats and raisins.
2. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with a greased glass. Bake at 325 for 13-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
3. Combine filling ingredients in a large bowl; beat until smooth. Spread on the bottom of half of the cooled cookies; top with the remaining cookie.

Chocolate Cherry Bars

I'm sorry that the food blog has been a little slow lately, I've been in a bit of a food slump during all the transition we've been dealing with. Hopefully as time goes on, and life slows down a bit (does that really ever happen?), there will be a lot more food-alicious blogging amiss.

As I believe I've mentioned in the past, there aren't many recipes that I repeat over and over simply because I like to try new things as often as possible. However, when I need to put something together that I know will be a crowd pleaser, I have my few fail proof recipes that always manage to impress. These Chocolate Cherry bars are really easy to make, and have turned even the staunchest cherry loathers into believers. It's also got an icing that's TO DIE for!

Bars
1 pkg. pudding included devil's food cake mix
1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling
1 tsp almond extract
3 eggs beaten

Frosting
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
5 TB margarine or butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour 9x13 inch pan. In large bowl combine all bar ingredients, stir until well blended, pour and spred into pan.
2. Bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
3. In small saucepan, combine sugar, milk, and margarine. Bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate chips until smooth. Pour and spread over warm bars. Cool 1 1/4 hours or until completely cooled. Cut into bars and devour like a rabid animal!