THAI PEANUT SAUCE

See this?! You MUST try it at your earliest convenience!! It is so YUMMY! I started to make one of my good ol' standbys tonight for dinner, but just wasn't thrilled about using the same ol', same ol' Frank's hot sauce. I was in the mood for something a bit different. So on a whim, I grabbed from the store shelves: Teriyaki sauce & marinade, Frank's hot sauce, and Bangkok Padang Peanut Sauce. I figured once I got home, I could be a little more decisive! I prepped the wings for frying, then cracked open the teriyaki sauce and the peanut sauce, letting my nose lead me! The peanut sauce smelled so spicy and wonderful! I fried up my wings (w/ no coating or batter), drained them, then coated them well in the peanut sauce and put them into a 375 degree oven for about 5 minutes to get the sauce sizzling hot.
One finger licking, lip smacking taste at dinner was all it took to tell me it was a real winner worth keeping!
I will be using this sauce over and over again! Plus looking for other ways to use it!

CRUNCHY ONION CHICKEN

Don't you just love a nice crispy, oven fried chicken? This chicken recipe is as easy as falling off a log! Exactly what you want on a busy day - something that goes together in a snap AND bakes in the oven! For having so few ingredients, it had great flavor. The onions gave it a nice crunch. Super easy and quick! A real keeper, for sure!

CRUNCHY ONION CHICKEN

1 (6 oz) French's original or cheddar french fried onions (crushed)
2 Tblsp flour
1 egg, beaten
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or whatever chicken pieces you prefer)

Crush french fried onions with flour in plastic bags. Dip chicken in egg, coat in onion crumbs. Press firmly to make the crumbs adhere. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until no longer pink in center. Bigger pieces of chicken will require a bit more cooking time.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS

I've been away too long! But I'm back with a brand new chicken dish. I've been hearing and reading a lot about braising lately. A while back my daughter in law made braised beef ribs and we enjoyed them immensely. Yesterday I watched a French chef make braised rabbit, and I thought, wow, that recipe would be good with chicken! I also have to take my hubby's tastes into consideration, so many times a recipe gets altered simply because I know he won't care for the ingredients. And meal time isn't all about me playing with food! haha It's about pleasing the ones I'm feeding. And I certainly want my family to enjoy what I fix for them!
This chicken was SO wonderfully moist! It received thumbs up from everybody - but especially hubby, which means I'll be making it again and again!

What is braising and what cuts of meat are best suited to being braised?

Braising is a slow, wet cooking method that blends flavors and softens tough textures. The best cuts of meat for braising are those with a lot of connective tissue, that is, the sinew (gristle) and fat that hold the bands of protein together in meat. The connective tissue, during a long, moist cooking process, breaks down into gelatin, becoming soft in texture while retaining its juiciness. Many of these cuts would be horribly tough and unpalatable if they were cooked quickly or with dry heat, since high temperatures make the connective tissue hard and chewy. Braising develops deep, layered flavors and a thick, richly-textured sauce.

Beef cuts most suitable to braising are: chuck pot roast, brisket, rump roast, short ribs, flank steak, skirt steak, eye round roast, top round roast, shanks, chuck eye roast, arm pot roast, shoulder pot roast, cross rib roast, blade roast, bottom round roast and 7-bone pot roast. Veal cuts best suited to braising are: shanks, neck, rib chop, short ribs, arm roast, blade roast, shoulder eye roast, arm roast, round steak, rump roast, breast, riblet, kidney chop and sirloin steak. Cuts of pork that are best braised are: blade roast, picnic roast, sirloin chop, country style ribs and trotters. Lamb is especially good braised, shanks, rolled breast, shoulder roast, shoulder arm chop, neck, blade chop, riblets and sirloin chop are the cuts most used. And the legs and thighs of poultry are good braised, whether chicken, turkey or duck.

Most of these cuts are less expensive, which makes braising a flavorful, satisfying, and inexpensive dinner. Braises are especially easy to prepare if you use a crockpot. Braises are usually served over or with a starch, whether a rice pilaf, couscous, barley, risotto, polenta, wide egg noodles or with biscuits. A mixed salad with a sharp vinaigrette balances the meal.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS

• 4 chicken leg quarters (or 8 thighs) (dark meat works best in this recipe)
  
• 2 cups unsalted chicken stock
  
• 2 cups white cooking wine (sold in the sauce & marinade aisle)
  
• 6 tablespoons oil
  
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 dozen small pearl onions, peeled
• 1 pound button mushrooms
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. thyme leaves
  
• 1/2 cup croutons (I buy the extra large ass't. Caesar croutons, and I don't measure!)
  
• 1 ounce chives, finely chopped

Directions

Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring the chicken stock and cooking wine to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and keep at a slow, steady simmer.

Warm the olive oil and butter in a 7 quart cast iron low-sided braiser (I used an enamel coated cast iron dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dust with the flour. Add the chicken and sear until golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add the onions and mushrooms and sweat, while stirring, for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the bay leaves and thyme leaves. Pour in the hot stock/cooking wine mixture, cover with a round of buttered parchment paper (Don't use the lid to the pan, just use the parchment paper and make sure it is pressed right down on top of the chicken and the broth) and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Remove and discard the parchment paper and bake 10 minutes more.

(to make this parchment cover: use the lid to the pot - lay it on the parchment paper and draw a circle around it. Cut the circle out. Cut a small venting circle in the middle of that for the steam to escape)

To check for doneness, using a small knife pierce the thickest part of the thigh. The meat should feel tender. Remove chicken to serving platter. Scoop out onions and mushrooms and scatter over chicken. Sprinkle the croutons and chives over the top. Serve.

ITALIAN CHICKEN AND RICE SOUP

Fall is here! My favorite time of year! Time for some yummy soup recipes. Soup just warms you up on a crisp Fall day. This recipe is ridiculously simple. But oh so tasty. If you are having a busy day and your schedule seems rushed, you should add this one to your menu. It goes together in a snap. Especially if you already have leftover, cooked chicken. I cooked my chicken on my Foreman grill, while I threw the rest of the ingredients together, and it all came together right on time. Don't be afraid of the 'spaghetti sauce' in the recipe. I was a bit nervous to add it too, but then I reminded myself that it's only tomato sauce with the seasonings "already in there!" (Little plug for Ragu there! haha)

ITALIAN CHICKEN AND RICE SOUP

1 (49 oz) can chicken broth (I have had trouble finding these big cans of chicken broth lately. Now they are selling it in the 32 oz size box. (This is why it's good to have homemade broth on hand). Anyway, I just mixed up 2 cups of hot water w/ 2 tsp of chicken soup base, and added it to the broth, and it was fine.
1 (26 oz) Spaghetti sauce (meatless)
1 1/2 cups cubed, cooked chicken
1 small zucchini, cubed
1 small summer squash, cubed
2 Tblsp. minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
3 cups cooked rice
1 tsp. sugar

In a soup kettle or dutch oven, combine the broth, spaghetti sauce, chicken, parsley, thyme, zucchini and squash. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until zucchini and squash ore tender. Stir in cooked rice and sugar. Simmer uncovered for 10 more minutes or until rice is heated through.

Yield: 10 servings

CRISPY COCONUT CHICKEN

I forgot how awful the picture was for this recipe! I just made it for a banquet this weekend too, and should have snapped a new picture of it for the blog. Oh well, next time.
I get asked for this recipe all the time. It's so delicious, moist, sweet. A real keeper! This recipe is already posted here on my blog, in the Hawaiian section, but very few can find it. So I decided to bring it to the front for those that asked about it this weekend. You can also use this same recipe to coat shrimp.

CRISPY COCONUT CHICKEN FINGERS

1 cup Angel Flake Coconut
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1" strips
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter or margarine

Dipping Sauce

1 cup apricot preserves
2T Dijon mustard

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix coconut, flour, salt, pepper and garlic pwder in medium bowl. Dip chicken strips into egg, then coat with coconut mixture. Place in a shallow baking pan; drizzle with melted butter. Bake 25 minutes or until chicken is browned and cooked through, turning once. Serve with Apricot Dipping Sauce (mixture of apricot preserves and Dijon mustard) or Honey mustard.

Rice pilaf with Macadamia nuts

Yesterday, we had the leftover Island pork that my daughters & daughter in law made for the banquet they catered on Friday night. It was yummy, but I was anxious to taste the sauce when it was freshly made. So tonight I made the chicken version! Island chicken. It's the same recipe as the Island pork, but you use chicken in place of the pork!

Here it is fresh out of the oven. I used leg & thigh quarters w/ skin on. I loved the taste of this! A couple of things I might change next time though are: to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, instead of skin on dark meat. I also might cut down on the brown sugar just a tad. If you like the sweet Asian dishes, then leave it just like it is. For me personally, I just thought it could have had a bit less of a sweet taste. I have to be honest and tell you that my "meat and potatoes" hubby said this is a "chick dish!" haha He ate 3 pieces, and even said it was good. But he more prefers the Szechuan style (hotter dishes) of Asian cooking, as opposed to the sweet dishes. Still a VERY YUMMY dish. I drizzled the sauce over the rice and WOWZERS was it ever good! I absolutely LOVED the crunch of the macadamia nuts in the rice!!


Rice Pilaf with Macadamia nuts

Ingredients
1/3 cup (1/6 lb.) butter or margarine
3/4 cup (4 oz.) salted roasted macadamia nuts, very coarsely chopped
1 onion (1/2 lb.), chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 2/3 cups short- or medium-grain white rice
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Procedure
1. In a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add the macadamia nuts and stir until slightly darker brown, about 3 minutes. Scrape from pan into small bowl and set aside.
2. Add remaining butter, onion, and garlic to pan. Stir often over medium-high heat until onion is limp, about 5 minutes.
3. Add rice and stir often until grains turn opaque, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the broth and pepper. Heat to a simmer. Pour the mixture into a shallow 2 1/2- to 3-quart casserole; cover tightly.
5. Bake in a 375° oven until rice is tender to bite, 40 to 45 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with nuts and parsley. Give it a stir and serve immediately.

CHEESY CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

I borrowed this recipe from my daughter in law, Monica. She makes a killer chicken enchilada! I changed it just a tad, because I felt more comfortable doing the thickening of the sauce a bit differently. But it still turned out fantasmagoric! haha Super easy and quick too! I should have served chopped lettuce and roma tomatoes with these though, but I was in a hurry and we were starving! Next time! These were easily "lightened" up with light sour cream, FF chicken broth, and low fat Cheddar cheese. Not positive on the points value, but as near as I could figure, they seemed to be around 6 pts per enchilada. If you're not dieting, by all means, feel free to use the full fat versions of those ingredients though.

CHEESY CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

12 boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders, cut into chunks
Cumin
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 or 3 Tblsp butter
1 (6 oz) can chopped green chilies w/ juice
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream
1 pkg large whole wheat tortillas (my pkg had 8 in it)
1 (8 oz) pkg shredded cheddar - Mexican blend

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray. Place chicken chunks in small skillet, heated to med-high. Sprinkle chicken liberally with Cumin and cook until done. Set aside. In separate skillet, heated to med-high, place butter, onion and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent. Add chopped green chilies w/ juice. Stir until chilies are heated through. Add flour and stir to combine - will be very thick and pasty. Add chicken broth and whisk to combine. Stir in sour cream and simmer until slightly thickened. Add chicken to sauce and simmer for a few minutes. In the meantime, in a separate skillet, heated to med. Add just a drizzle of oil. Heat each tortilla in the oil for a few seconds on each side, just enough to soften them for rolling. Remove from heat and keep warm on a pizza pan covered with paper towels.
To assemble: Use a slotted spoon to scoop up the chicken and veggies. Place 1 spoonful on the center of each tortilla, top with a small handful of shredded cheese. fold up each end of the tortilla and hold in place while you roll in each side of the tortilla. Place seam side down in baking pan. After all your tortillas are filled, pour the remaining sauce over the top. Heat in the oven for 15 minutes, or until bubbly. Top with remaining cheese and stick back in oven for an additional 5 - 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Yield: 8 enchiladas

UNFRIED CHICKEN

This is the best "unfried" chicken you will ever have. The coating also works well on skinless, boneless chicken tenders to make into chicken fingers for the kids. You could serve that with honey mustard dipping sauce (I'll add a yummy recipe for that at the end of the chicken recipe). This particular chicken went really well with steamed white rice and the roasted veggies that we had for dinner tonight. My daughter Sarah cooked dinner tonight and surprised us with this meal. It was delicious! The black specks on the chicken is fresh ground black pepper. I sprinkled it on just before I dug in. Mmm!

UNFRIED CHICKEN

1/4 cup Fat free mayo
1 t. dijon mustard
2 t. grated lemon zest
1/2 t salt
4 drops hot pepper sauce (more or less to taste)
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 c. cornflakes, crushed

* Preheat oven to 375. Spray a large baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
*whisk together mayo, mustard, lemon zest, salt and hot pepper sauce in a bowl. add chicken, toss to coat.
*Place cornflake crumbs in a large zip-close plastic bag. add chicken, one piece at a time and toss to coat.
*place chicken in the baking pan, drizzle lightly w/ olive oil.
*Bake until golden brown and cooked through - about 30 minutes.

Number of Servings: 4

WW points value: 3 pts

HONEY MUSTARD DIPPING SAUCE

3/4 cup mayonnaise 3 tablespoon honey 2 tablespoon yellow mustard 1 tablespoon lemon juice or juice from 1/2 lemon 1 dash paprika 2 tablespoon orange juice (more or less as needed)
Combine all ingredients except orange juice; stir well. Thin to pouring consistency for dressing or dipping consistency for dips with orange juice. Cover and chill for 2 or 3 hours.

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE CHICKEN STOCK

Chicken stock is used in so many dishes and you can have it handy for all of your cooking needs. This is a delicious and simply elegant stock and you will be surprised how easy it is to make. No more buying store bought.

There are 2 ways to go about making your stock.

One is to cook down the carcass from last night's roast chicken dinner.

The other is to make your stock from start to finish, using a whole chicken, fresh veggies and herbs. The second way will yield a lot more stock, and you can freeze it for future uses. There is no comparison to homemade stock!

Things You'll Need

• 3 lb chicken
• 2 turnips cut in quarters
• 2 carrots cut in chunks
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 2 rosemary stems
• 2 onions quartered
• 2 stalks of celery in chunks
• 1 whole head of garlic cut in half
• cold water
• large pot

Take your chicken and put it in a large pot and fill with cold water.
Make sure that you use a large enough pot so that everything has more then enough room to fit. There are a lot of large items going into the pot including the chicken. Add all of your ingredients the turnips, carrots, the 3 springs of thyme, 2 rosemary stems. 2 onions and the celery, to the pot. Cook over medium heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the chicken and set aside. Drain the stock over a large bowl. Be careful not to burn yourself with the broth. Now you can:

• Shred the chicken and enjoy for supper with some rice, vegetables or potatoes.
• You can use ice cube trays to freeze the stock and then put in ziploc freezer storage bags
• Or other plastic storage food containers
• Use stock in your favorite soups, stews and rice dishes.

ROASTED CHICKEN SOUP w/ NOODLES

Have you ever made something for no good reason, and you weren't sure why you did it? I seldom boil the carcass down from our Sunday roast chicken, but this past Sunday, I did. When the family started smelling the aroma late Wednesday night, they all asked what I was making. I just kind of shrugged and said, "I don't know, I figured I'd boil this down for some good stock, and then make a pot of chicken & noodle soup out of it." They all just kind of said, "Oh" and left it at that. haha Anyway, I finished the soup up, let it cool down, put it in the fridge and went to bed. I suppose I intended to warm it up the next day for my hubby and I for dinner, with a nice hot loaf of crusty bread. But, I forgot about it, until a phone call from my hubby reminded me that our deacon's wife had had foot surgery today, I realized then, WHY I made the soup last night! It was for her and her hubby! I put that ALREADY MADE pot of yummy soup on to simmer and whipped up another caramel apple galette (I had made one Sunday for our family). Then hubby and I headed over to deliver the meal to a very happy and grateful couple! I love it when the Lord works in your heart to do something, and you don't understand why at the time, until later. I'm so glad I listened!
This soup has tremendous flavor - if you've never made homemade chicken & noodle soup, you really should give it a whirl! There's nothing like it!

ROASTED CHICKEN & SOUP w/ NOODLES

Good stock is like the foundation of a house - it lays the groundwork for a delicious soup, stew or pan sauce. Trouble is, many packaged versions are drowning in sodium (often 1,000 mg per cup!) The answer to this dilemna - make your own!

Start by making your stock - you can either do it this way, or you can make a whole roast chicken for dinner one night, and boil the carcass and leftover skin the next day to produce your stock. When you are done eating, just wrap up the bones, and the carcass to cook down the next day. Save any leftover chicken to put into the soup. This is a creative way to use leftovers.

1 Tblsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cups water
3 - 4 cups chicken stock
1 cup sliced carrots
3 cups shredded, cooked chicken
salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/2 bag of egg noodles

Heat oil in a large dutch oven over med-high heat. Add chopped onion, celery and garlic. Saute 5 minutes, or until onions are tender. Stir in flour, basil, thyme, salt and pepper, and cook 1 minute stirring constantly. Add water and broth and stir with whisk to combine. Add bay leaf and carrots. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add noodles, cook 10 minutes or until noodles are done. Stir in cooked chicken. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, or until thoroughly heated.

Mmm! I think this Caramel Apple Galette turned out better than the one I made Sunday! It smelled so good as we drove it over in the car! It felt awfully nice and warm sitting on my lap too! It's soooo cold here in snowy Northern MI right now!

CHICKEN W/ PORTABELLA MUSHROOMS AND CREAMY POLENTA (WW)

Here's another yummy recipe from the WW files. Total points for this one: 7 (Chicken - 5; Polenta - 2) This had the most delicious flavor. Will definitely be making this one again. It called for skinless thighs, but all I had were bone in breasts (got them on clearance!) so that's what I used. To keep the points in tact, make sure you skin your chicken. I usually cook my chicken with the skin on, but then pull it off before I eat. I've never been a chicken skin lover - BLECH! Well, unless it's crispy fried chicken - that's a different story! LOL But then that's why we're having to eat light now! haha You simply MUST give this a try - you won't be sorry! This simple dish packs a ton of flavor! And be sure to try it w/ the polenta - it's new and different and goes REALLY well with the mushroom sauce!

CHICKEN W/ PORTABELLA MUSHROOMS (WW - 5 pts)
AND CREAMY POLENTA (WW - 2 pts)

Serve over creamy polenta or rice. Trim the woody stems from the shitake mushrooms before slicing the caps.

1 tsp olive oil
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
garlic powder
Lawry's seasoned salt
6 chicken pieces, skinned - breasts or thighs work well
1 1/2 cups sliced onion (1 med onion)
1 (6 oz) pkg baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 (3.2 oz) pkg fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced
2 Tblsp all purpose flour
2 cups fat free, low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup white cooking wine or fat free, low sodium chicken broth
1 Tblsp chopped fresh parsley (or rosemary if you prefer)

Preheat oven to 350. Heat oil in a large ovenproof dutch oven over med-high heat. Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt, pepper, garlic powder and Lawry's seasoned salt. Add chicken to preheated pan. Cook 5 minutes on each side or until nicely browned. Remove from pan; set aside. Add onion and mushrooms to the pan, and saute 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Add flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in 1/8 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, chicken broth, cooking wine, and parsley (or rosemary). Bring to a full boil, scraping pan as it deglazes. Return chicken to pan full of sauce. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Place pan over med-high heat; cook 5 or 6 min or until mushroom sauce is slightly thick, stirring occasionally. (I actually skipped this last step of heating the sauce after the chicken was done, and we still loved the taste of the sauce!)
Serving size: 2 thighs and 1 cup of sauce
points: 5
Cal: 258
fat: 7 g
pro: 32 g
carb: 15 g
fiber: 1.8 g

CREAMY POLENTA

A favorite in Northern Italy, this quick side dish takes the place of mashed potatoes, rice or noodles at the dinner table. I have to admit, hubby and I both commented how nice it was to try something different. We both enjoyed it, especially with the mushroom sauce drizzled over it! Soft polenta is best served immediately while it's still creamy. But leftover polenta can be chilled in a pan until firm and then cut into squares and pan-seared for a side dish at another meal.

1 1/2 cups low fat milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 (14 oz) can fat free, low sodium chicken broth
1 cup instant dry polenta
1/4 cup preshredded Parmesan, romano, asiago cheese blend (or just parmesan works too)
1 Tblsp butter


Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a med saucepan. Reduce heat to low and slowly add polenta, stirring constantly with a whisk, to prevent lumps. Cook 3 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and add parmesan cheese blend and butter, stirring until cheese melts. Serve immediately. Yield: 8 servings (1/2 cup).
WW Points value: 2

GENERAL TSAO'S CHICKEN (WW version)

We love Chinese food in our house, and it's really not all that hard to prepare, if you have the right ingredients on hand. General Tsao's is one of our favorites, but the normal way is deep fried chicken in a spicy sauce. In this WW version, the chicken is sauteed and bypasses a lot of the fat calories in the normal version. If you're used to the fried version, please don't think this one is inferior. The flavor is tremendous! I have to admit though, I fix fried rice with mine. We all love it. I'm adding the recipe for the fried rice, at the end of this post.

GENERAL TSAO'S CHICKEN (WW version) 6 pts

3/4 cup(s) canned chicken broth, reduced-sodium
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp peanut oil
2 medium scallion(s), chopped
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or 1 dried chili pepper, minced (add more if you like it extra spicy)
1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 cup(s) cooked white rice, kept hot

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, whisk together broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and ginger; set aside.
  
• Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallions, garlic and pepper and cook 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook until browned all over, about 5 minutes.
  
• Add reserved sauce and simmer until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes.
  
• Serve chicken and sauce over rice. Yields about 1 cup of chicken and sauce and 1/2 cup of rice (white) per serving.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

FRIED RICE

• 1 - 2 green onions, as desired
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Pepper to taste
• 4 tablespoons oil for stir-frying, or as needed
• 4 cups cold cooked rice
• 1 - 2 tablespoons light soy sauce or oyster sauce, as desired (I use Soy sauce)
  

Wash and finely chop the green onion. Lightly beat the eggs with the salt and pepper.
Heat a wok or frying pan and add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the eggs. Cook, stirring, until they are lightly scrambled but not too dry. Remove the eggs and clean out the pan. (I use a non-stick skillet to fix mine in).

Add 2 tablespoons oil. Add the rice. Stir-fry for a few minutes, using chopsticks or a wooden spoon to break it apart. Stir in the soy sauce or oyster sauce as desired.

When the rice is heated through, add the scrambled egg back into the pan. Mix thoroughly. Stir in the green onion. Serve hot.

SAVORY STUFFED "TURKEN"

WOWZERS is all I can say about this one! Have you ever heard of the Turducken? Well, I couldn't find anything other than a whole duck, so I skipped the duck part and did my own thing! I stuffed this turkey breast with boneless, skinless chicken breasts and a delicious savory stuffing. I was a bit nervous as it was cooking and kept wondering if I should have seasoned the layers of meat. But amazingly, the meat picked up the flavors of the stuffing as it was baking! This was a REAL WINNER! A bit of work to prepare, but every bit, worth the effort! I'll be taking this to our church's Thanksgiving dinner too. I've included sort of step by step instructions on how to assemble the "Turken." If you can grab an extra set of hands when you tie it up, you really should - you'll need them!

SAVORY STUFFED "TURKEN"

1 lb. mushrooms
1/4 cup olive oil, plus some for brushing over turkey
3 oz. prosciutto, finely minced
3/4 cup onions, minced
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons minced parsley
2 tsp. salt, divided (1 tsp each)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
garlic powder

1/2 (14 oz) bag of seasoned crouton stuffing
1 cup hot water or chicken broth
1/4 butter

1 3 lb. boneless turkey breast with skin
1 lb boneless, skinless, thin, chicken breasts
butcher's twine

2 Tblsp butter
2 Tblsp honey

Roughly chop mushrooms. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over high heat. Add prosciutto and sauté for 1 minute. Add mushrooms, onions and garlic; cook until onions are translucent. Add thyme, parsley, 1 tsp salt, salt and pepper. Set aside. Melt the 1/4 cup butter into the 1 cup of hot water or chicken broth. Pour over stuffing mix and stir until moistened. Add mushroom mixture and toss to mix well.

Do not remove skin from turkey breast. Debone and butterfly if not boneless. Place breast, skin side down on cutting board. Evenly layer in boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Spread the stuffing mixture evenly over the turkey, leaving the edges clear all around. Roll the turkey up over the filling and secure with cotton string.

Place roast in a roasting pan, skin side up. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Roast in a preheated 500°F oven for 20 minutes, or until roast is well browned. Reduce temperature to 325°F and roast an additional 60-90 minutes, or until temperature reads 165-170°F on an instant read thermometer.

*I put this in the oven on 350, before I left for church (9:00 a.m.) and it was done when we got home (12:45) I still checked it w/ my meat thermometer though.

Combine 2 Tblsp melted butter with 2 Tblsp honey and using a pastry brush, baste the turken with the mixture. Place back in oven for 10 minutes or until nice and shiny and crisp. Remove from oven and Allow roast to rest for 15 minutes before carving. Cut into 1/2" slices and serve with pan drippings as gravy.

If you can't find a boneless, skin on turkey breast, you can debone your own, but it is a little work. I did it, and if I can figure it out, anybody can! You have to have an extremely sharp deboning knife to get the carcass cut away from the breast meat. And be careful not to cut the turkey breast in half while you're removing the bone a little at a time. As you removing the bone - do not cut away the extra skin at the neck area. You'll want that to help cover part of the stuffing.
Once you get the bones out and get the turkey breast layed out flat - layer in your pound of thin, boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Then spoon on the stuffing. Don't be afraid to load that puppy up! I spooned it on and then pressed it down with my hands.
Now, remember that extra skin at the neck area? Using both hands, grab from the sides and pull it together as tight as you can. Have your extra set of hands pull the extra skin up and over the top of the Turken. Then have them wrap butcher's twine around it. Wrap it around horizontally in at least 3 or 4 evenly spaced sections and tie it TIGHT. Then wrap one vertically and tie it tight. Flip it over so the skin side is up. Season with salt and pepper and place in roasting pan with 2 cups of water.
VOILA! Just out of the oven! Now take your honey and butter mixture and baste the turken with it. Place the turken back in the oven for about 10 minutes or so, just long enough for it to get nice and shiny and crispy on top.
OH NO I have tan lines! See what I mean? YUMMO!

Soooo moist and delicous! Don't you want to try it now? You won't be disappointed! Trust me!

WHITE BEAN CHILI

What is it about colder weather that makes you want to make more "comfort" food? It must be because you aren't afraid to heat up the kitchen. It was only 36 degrees here today in MI. And it's only Nov. 8. So a nice hot pot of white chili just sounded good tonight. This one packs a ton of flavor! You won't be disappointed.

WHITE BEAN CHILI

1 large onion -- chopped
1 whole red or green pepper -- chopped
3 cloves garlic -- minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large chicken breasts cut in bite-sized pieces,
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles, do not drain
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
6 good shakes Frank's hot pepper sauce (or more, if you like it really hot)
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 (49 oz) can chicken broth
2 (19 oz) can Cannellini beans, drained (1 can will be mashed)
4 tablespoons cilantro -- chopped, fresh OR parsley
grated jack cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)

Directions:In large pot, saute onion, garlic and red or green pepper in olive oil until translucent.

Add poultry, chopped chiles and seasonings (except for fresh cilantro/parsley); saute for several minutes until chicken is done. Add chicken broth, hot pepper sauce and 1 can of the Cannellini beans (drained). Drain 2nd can of Cannellini beans and process in food processor until smooth. Add processed beans to pot and stir until combined. Simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally.

Add parsley/cilantro, simmer 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve with grated cheese and sour cream as garnish.

CHICKEN CACCIATORE

I know this isn't much to look at - but WOW what a ton of flavor! It smelled SO good in my house while it was simmering on the stove. I served this with rice, but it would also pair nicely with angel hair pasta. I fried the chicken for it and set some aside to serve my hubby - without the sauce. I honestly didn't think he would care for it. But he said he couldn't help tasting it because it smelled so good. He actually liked it! I was so surprised! It has a nice flavor-filled heat to it. Perfect for those cold Autumn or Winter nights!

CHICKEN CACCIATORE

• Flour, to coat chicken
• 2 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) chickens, cut into 8 pieces with the breasts cut into 1/3's
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
• 10 to 12 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
• 2 green bell peppers, cored, seeded, and sliced into 1/2-inch strips
• 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and sliced into 1/2-inch strips
• 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their juice
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 6 leaves fresh basil, chopped

Directions

Place the flour in a shallow dish and coat the chicken pieces, shaking off any excess. Heat the oil in a large saucepot over medium-high heat.

Add the chicken in batches and fry until golden brown on all sides. When all the chicken has been cooked, set it aside. Add the garlic to the pan and cook until it turns golden brown. Add the mushrooms and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until they release most of their liquid. Add the onion and bell peppers and saute until the vegetables are soft, approximately 6 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, crushed red pepper, salt oregano and tomato paste. Return the chicken to the pot and bring the liquid to a boil, stirring constantly. Turn down the heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Stir in the fresh basil just before serving.

This dish goes well with any pasta or rice and tastes even better the following day.

CHICKEN AND WAFFLES

I couldn't help myself! I just had to show you what my son's birthday meal wish was. Chicken and waffles! This would probably be an acquired taste for some, but my family all loves it. My son's sweet wifey made a huge batch to feed our group for my son's birthday this year. He was as happy as a hog in slop! hahaJust in case you don't have a good recipe for homemade waffles - I've used this one for years.

BUTTERMILK WAFFLES

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3 tsp baking soda
3 Tblsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs separated
1 1/2 cups buttermilk or regular milk (can also substitute eggnog if you prefer)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup melted butter

Heat a waffle iron to high.
In a clean dry mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. In small mixing bowl, beat the 2 egg yolks with the buttermilk (or regular milk or eggnog) and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Carefully add in the melted butter and stir to combine. Fold beaten egg whites into batter until thoroughly combined. Spray top and bottom half of your waffle iron with cooking spray and fill bottom half with waffle batter. Lower top lid and cook for about 2 minutes or until brown and lightly crisp. Makes 8 waffles.
You can also add chopped pecans to the waffle batter. Just sprinkle them on after you pour the batter onto the hot iron. Or you can add fresh blueberries or cherries or chocolate chips, etc... use your imagination. These are sooooo good for dinner!

SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH TOMATO RAGOUT & GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS

WAIT A MINUTE! You come back here! Before you turn up your nose at this one, let me just tell you, it is DEElicious! If you haven't broadened your horizons yet to include spaghetti squash, you really need to put this on the shopping list this week. Squash is coming into season, and our local supermarket had it dirt cheap yesterday - 2 for $1! 1 decent size spaghetti squash will feed 4 people. As I was eating this tonight, I actually forgot it wasn't pasta under the tomato ragout! I THOROUGHLY enjoyed this dish and will definitely be making it again and again. Very "figure friendly" too. I'm not sure what the WW points on this would be, but it can't be very high. If someone wants to figure it out and let me know, I'll gladly edit this post to add them.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH TOMATO RAGOUT & GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS

2 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Bottled Italian dressing

1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
Olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups tomatoes, chopped (I used canned and it was perfectly fine)
2 Tblsp chopped fresh basil (I used dried, but just a tad less)
Fresh spinach leaves (optional)

To begin. Take each chicken breast and insert them individually into a ziploc baggie (1 breast for each baggie). Squeeze out excess air and seal it shut. Take your metal meat mallet and pound each chicken breast to about 1/2" thick. Open bag and pour in about 1/4 cup of Italian dressing. Seal it back up and put it in the fridge to marinate for about an hour.

Now let's work on that squash. It has a tough outer skin, so use a very sharp, sturdy knife to cut it lengthwise. I usually jab the knife in and then rock it back and forth until it is mostly cut in half. The stem area can sometimes be a stickler, but I cut the whole thing around and then just break it the rest of the way by the stem end. Spray your baking pan with cooking spray. Lay the squash in the pan, cut side down. Pour in just a little water, maybe 1/2 cup. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until a sharp knife can be inserted through the skin with only a little resistance. Remove squash from the oven and set aside to cool just enough to be easy to handle. (I didn't wait for it to cool. I flipped it over, stuck a meat fork in one end to hold it steady and started scraping with my dinner fork. It will shred and look just like spaghetti. Place the shredded squash in a separate bowl and keep warm.

Heat a George Foreman grill. Spray with cooking spray. Remove the chicken from the fridge. Remove chicken breasts from marinade. Grill as many chicken breasts as your foreman grill will handle. Mine is small and I can only do 1 at a time. But for me, each chicken breast only took 5 minutes total. They were sooooo juicy and tasty!

Meanwhile (while you're waiting on the timer to beep for the chicken in the grill), heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and peppers in oil until tender and opaque. Add garlic and saute for 2 - 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and the basil and cook until the tomatoes are bubbly. Optional: add fresh spinach leaves and stir until wilted. Top spaghetti squash with tomato ragout and a big pinch of shredded mozzarella.
I was able to make this ragout while the chicken breasts were grilling. This is one QUICK supper! I loved it for that too!

FRANGO MOHLO - Chicken in sauce

This is another Brazilian dish that Althea used to make a lot when she was here. I was talking to her on the phone last night, and I was all excited to tell her that I posted some of her Brazilian recipes. You have to know her to understand the humor in this, but she said, I'm going to get on there and critique everything you posted, pointing out all your mistakes! LOL I told her about this Mohlo and she informed me it was a "made up" recipe. The Mohlo recipe simply means "sauce." Not sure whose idea it was to add the chicken to it, but I sure like it! Also, when I first posted it as "Pollo" that was incorrect. Pollo is Spanish. The Brazilian word for chicken is "Frango." If you ever travel to Brazil and holler out "OH LOOK! There's a chicken on the side of the road!!" You might get slapped. Chicken in Portugese means prostitute! *hehe* I don't know why I didn't remember that, because that actually happened to me. Well, not the slapping part! LOL But the yelling out about the "chicken!" I also tried to order "chicken" in a Brazilian restaurant and Althea corrected me in front of the waiter and said "Frango" and had a good giggle with the waiter. Then they exchanged some Portugese. I'm just sure they were agreeing what a ding bat I was! LOL Anyway, this one is my personal favorite. I just love the flavors of the dish. I always try to make extra so we have leftovers! LOL Because it's just as good the 2nd time around!

FRANGO MOHLO - Chicken in sauce

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 stick butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 small cans salsa Cesara (in the ethnic section of your grocery store)
1 small can tomato paste

In medium saucepan, melt butter. Add chopped onion and garlic and cook until opaque. Add chunks of chicken and cook until done. Add salsa and tomato paste to the chicken, stir to combine. Cook until heated throuh. Simmer on low until ready to serve.
Serve over white rice.

SUNDAY FRIED CHICKEN

What's better than a plate full of crispy, fried chicken for Sunday afternoon dinner?! I could probably count on one hand, the times that I have actually been able to FRY chicken for Sunday dinner. But today was unique. My Honey preached out of town this morning, for an old preacher friend, who became ill all of a sudden. It was close enough though, that he could rejoin us for dinner, this afternoon! But yet far enough away to allow me the time needed to fry this up today! He had no idea I was making this. He was pleasantly surprised when he walked in the door, and was greeted, not just by his little family, but by the smell of FRIED chicken! On THE LORD'S DAY no less! LOL We were sitting at the table eating, lips just a smacking! LOL And he looks at me and says, "This is the best day ever!" *hehe* I think I earned some brownie points today, don't you? *wink*

SUNDAY FRIED CHICKEN

3 or 4 eggs, beaten with a little water
2 cups self rising flour
1 tsp black pepper
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
(or you can use whatever your favorite pieces are. I found legs & thighs on sale for .79 / lb this week, so that is what I used).
Salt, garlic powder and Lawry's seasoned salt
Canola oil or Crisco shortening, whichever you prefer

Lay your chicken pieces on a baking sheet and season them with a little salt, garlic powder and bit of Lawry's seasoned salt. Let them sit for several minutes. Beat eggs with a little water (1/4 of a cup or so). Pour the 2 cups of flour into a heavy duty ziploc bag and add in the black pepper. Dip seasoned chicken into the egg; then drop them into the ziploc bag of flour, 2 at a time, twist the bag shut tight and give them a couple good shakes. Remove with tongs. Fry in MODERATELY hot oil or shortening (350) until golden brown and crisp on both sides. Remember, dark meat takes longer to cook (about 15 minutes, compared to 10 for white meat).

*I find the VERY BEST pan for frying chicken, is a cast iron skillet. Pour your oil into the skillet. Set your heat to medium, and don't be tempted to "hurry" it along and go any higher. The secret to good, juicy, fried (and DONE) chicken, is low and slow. Also, NEVER use a fork to poke the chicken to turn it. Use tongs and only turn it once.

FRIED CHICKEN GRAVY

Remove the excess grease from the pan, but leave the "crispies" that fell from the chicken as it fried. Toss in 2 or 3 Tblsp of flour and give it a good stir with your wisk. Pour in a cup or two of milk and stir constantly until it thickens. If it's too thick, add more milk. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over red skin mashed potatoes! Mmm!
Or if you prefer a more "chickeny" taste to your gravy, you can use half milk and half chicken broth.

CHICKEN QUESADILLA

Don't you just love it when someone else does the cooking for you?! I feel so spoiled. My Honey fried a batch of delicious catfish last night, and then tonight my daughter Sarah made these wonderful chicken quesadillas. They are super easy, and you've probably made them before, but just in case you haven't, here is the low-down on them, so you can try them some time. These would be another good S.N.A.C. snack! Because I wasn't doing the cooking, I was free to roam around, with the camera, and snap "play by play" pics!

CHICKEN QUESADILLAS

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks
Olive oil
McCormick's Fajita seasoning
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 cups shredded Colby Jack / Cheddar cheese (whatever your favorite cheese is)
1 pkg. Manny's whole wheat taco shells (burrito size)

Heat a heavy skillet over med. high, drizzle olive oil generously over the bottom and place chicken chunks into the oil. Season heavily (sprinkle them 2 or 3 times) with McCormick's Fajita seasoning. Cook 4 to 5 minutes until chicken is done. stirring occasionally. In separate iron skillet, heat olive oil in bottom of pan and place diced onions and peppers. Cook until tender and slightly carmelized. Dump onions and peppers into the cooked chicken and stir to combine. Keep warm. Scrape out the skillet that you fried the onions and peppers in, as best you can with a spatula, because you will be using that skillet to cook the quesadillas in.Now, using the same skillet you used for the onions & peppers (it's already heated and well seasoned) plus, you don't have to dirty another pan, place 1 taco shell in the bottom of the pan, place a handful of shredded cheese on the shell, then a couple spoonfuls of the chicken mixture,then another handful of cheese,then top with another taco shell.Now place a clean, medium size iron skillet on top (or some other heavy object - use your imagination). Don't make fun of my top iron skillet! I know it's ugly. These things take a beating around here! They get used ALL the time. Heat for 1 minute or when golden, remove the top iron skillet, flip the quesadilla (when you flip it, be sure to hold the top shell in place w/ your hand, since the cheese isn't melted on top yet and it may slide. Replace the medium iron skillet and cook the other side for 1 minute or when golden. Remove the skillet and the quesadilla. Using a pizza cutter, cut the quesadilla into quarters and serve immediately. My girls like to serve it with either sour cream or ranch dressing.
*Be sure to use a small drizzle of olive oil in the skillet before you cook each quesadilla - you don't want the shells to stick to the pan.
Makes 4 whole quesadillas.