Chicken and Wild Rice Soup with Bacon

During the week things are pretty hectic. Russell tends to work late and something always seems to come up. Once Saturday finally arrives, Russell and I tend to take it easy. Most fall Saturday mornings consist of us getting up with the little one and lounging around until college football begins. These lazy Saturdays combined with cooler weather make me crave warm and comforting soup.

There are few things better than watching Alabama football while eating this chicken and wild rice soup with bacon! Out of all of the soups I have made so far this is one of my favorites. I had to stop myself from eating multiple bowls so we would have enough left over to enjoy it again on Sunday. Tender chicken, flavorful carrots, rice, and bacon in a creamy base makes this soup perfect!

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Ingredients:

• 3 strips of bacon, cooked and chopped, grease reserved
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped celery (I omitted)
• 2/3 cup wild rice, uncooked, rinsed and drained
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 Tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

Directions:

Using the reserved grease from the bacon, saute the onions, celery, and carrots in a large stock pot until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add in the wild rice, chicken stock, chicken, and bacon and simmer for 25-30 minutes.

In a small bowl mix together butter, parsley, salt, pepper, and flour, stir in cream.

Slowly whisk cream mixture into the simmering soup. Allow to simmer on low for 10-15 minutes longer until thickened.

Source: The Beckville Church Cookbook via The Nest 

“Waldorf Style" Chicken Salad

I am very lucky because Russell will try anything once. He is always willing to try any of my crazy new recipes. But, at heart, he is a meat and potatoes kind of guy. With that in mind, I always put a lot of pressure on myself to prepare a hearty meal for dinner. I also tend to (unintentionally) categorize lighter meals as “only for lunch”. This is one of those recipes I had relegated to an “only for lunch” status. However, when Russell found out the chicken in the refrigerator was for chicken salad he was quite excited and asked me to make it for dinner that night. He loved it and so did I!

The apple adds a crispness that gives the chicken salad a great crunch, and the craisins add a little sweetness. You could also add halved grapes, pecans, or walnuts. We ate it on hawaiian rolls for dinner and the next day I ate some atop a salad with a mini croissant on the side. I think this chicken salad would also be great served on a croissant. Whichever way you choose to serve it I promise, it is delicious! Both Russell and I are both wishing I had doubled the recipe.

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Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups cooked chicken breasts, diced
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons craisins (dried, sweetened cranberries)
• 1 apple, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium sized bowl, combine mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.

Add in chicken, apple, and craisins. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Serve on Hawaiian rolls, croissants, or on top of mixed greens.

Adapted from: Prevention RD: “Waldorf Style” Chicken Salad, which was originally adapted from Skinny Taste: Skinny Chicken Waldorf Salad

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken Breasts

One afternoon I heard Russell in the kitchen searching for something to eat. After being in there for quite sometime he entered the living room with what he described as a “glorious sandwich.” Hesitantly, I asked what made it such a glorious sandwich. He named off several ingredients, one of which surprised me--spinach! Knowing there was lettuce in the refrigerator, I asked why he had used spinach instead. He said he really liked spinach and preferred it over lettuce most of the time. This was news to me!

As I have stated before, Russell and I are pasta people. Often, during menu planning for the week, I have to consciously limit how many pasta dishes I include. Searching for some new, non-pasta, dishes to try led me to this spinach and feta stuffed chicken recipe. With my newly acquired knowledge of Russell’s fondness for spinach I thought it would be a great dish to try. It is pretty simple to put together and doesn’t take much time to bake, so this would be a great option for a weeknight meal. Russell and I both enjoyed it, and I will definitely be making it again.

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Ingredients:

• 3 cups lightly packed baby spinach, about 4 ounces*
• 1 garlic clove or 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 pound of thinly sliced chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning (I used more)
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano (I used more)
• Additional crumbled feta for topping, optional

*I choose to remove the stems and chop into 1/4 inch ribbons, this is not necessary, just my preference.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium saucepan, heat oil. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add spinach and cook until spinach is tender.

Divide spinach evenly between each chicken breast. Top spinach with feta cheese (I had 6 thinly sliced chicken breasts, so I used a little less than 1 1/2 tablespoons of feta cheese for each chicken breast). Roll up chicken breasts and place seam side down in a shallow baking dish.

Coat chicken with nonstick cooking spray or brush with olive oil; sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning and oregano. Top with additional feta cheese if desired.

Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

Adapted from: Recipe card given out by Safeway from Try-Foods International

Chicken, Mushroom, and Spinach Pasta

I recently came across a wonderful recipe for mushroom, spinach, and chicken lasagna that really caught my eye. Lasagna can be a daunting task to prepare on a busy schedule, so I modified it to be much easier to make for a weeknight dinner. I love the way it turned out! The béchamel sauce has a wonderful flavor and left Russell and I both wanting more. Luckily there was enough for us to have leftovers for lunch the next day, which we both enjoyed.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound cooked chicken (shredded or cubed, your preference)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 8 ounce package of button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1/2 large yellow onion chopped or 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 2 cups baby spinach, stems removed, sliced into 1/4 inch ribbons
• 3/4 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper (more to taste)
• Dash of nutmeg
• 8 ounces of Parmesan cheese grated, divided (approximately 2 cups)*
• 1 lb box Rotini Pasta

*I have found that grating your own parmesan cheese yields a much better end result than using the packaged pre-grated parmesan cheese. I highly recommend grating your own.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Boil pasta according to box directions, until al dente.

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat, add mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are slightly brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chopped onion and saute for approximately 3-4 minutes until they are translucent. Stir in garlic and saute for about 30 seconds.

Add the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, slowly add the milk. Occasionally stirring, cook for about 5 minutes until sauce is slightly thickened. Add the baby spinach.

Add salt, pepper, dash of nutmeg, and 1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese. While continuing to stir, cook for approximately 2 minutes until cheese has melted. Add the chicken. Taste sauce and season with more salt or pepper as needed. Add pasta and stir to combine.

Pour pasta into baking dish and top with remaining parmesan cheese. Bake for about 10 minutes or until cheese is nice and melted. Enjoy!

Adapted from: The Way the Cookie Crumbles: Chicken, Mushroom, and Spinach Lasagna, which was originally adapted from The Food Network: Emeril Lagasse

Chicken Tikka Masala

I have often stated my love for Indian food and how I dearly miss our favorite Indian restaurant in Herndon, Virginia. I am always on the lookout for recipes to recreate the dishes that we loved there. Chicken Tikka Masala is one of those meals that I have been wishing to replicate. Chicken Tikka Masala is usually a spicy dish but the first recipe I tried was unbearable! Russell likes spicy foods so I knew it was too hot when he could not finish his plate! My search for a new recipe led me the one below. I adjusted the recipe to ensure that it would not be too spicy. My second attempt turned out just right as the flavor was wonderful and the spice was perfect! I served it with homemade naan complimented with my twist on a traditional tzatziki sauce (recipe soon to come). This is definitely the Chicken Tikka Masala recipe I will be using from now on when we are craving some wonderful Indian food.

This recipe calls for a spice called Garam Masala which is typically made from whole spices; roasted, and then ground. For a quick and easy substitute you can make your own: Garam Masala. You can also find Garam Masala at the World Market, Whole Foods, or The Fresh Market.

Ingredients:

Chicken Masala Marinade Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger or 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Other Ingredients:

• 2 pounds chicken breasts (about 3-4 chicken breasts)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (more if you would like it spicier)
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if you would like it spicier)
• 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 16 ounce can tomato sauce
• Pinch of sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Cilantro
• Cooked basmati rice

Directions:

In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine all of the chicken masala marinade ingredients except the chicken. Using a sharp knife make a few shallow slashes in each piece of chicken. Add the chicken to the marinade, turning to coat. Refrigerate covered overnight.

In a large dutch oven or large pot, heat the vegetable oil. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until onions are tender and golden, approximately 6-8 minutes.

Add the garam masala, chili powder, and cayenne pepper and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes with their juices, the tomato sauce, and the pinch of sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Cover partially and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5-10 minutes.

While the mixture begins to simmer, remove the chicken from the marinade and cut into bite-sized pieces. Place the chicken into the pot of simmering tomato sauce. Continue simmering/cooking the chicken, partially covered, for an additional 10-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.

Add the cream and some of the cilantro and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes longer.

Serve over basmati rice and garnish with cilantro.

Adapted from: Mels Kitchen Cafe: Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken with Tomatoes and Garlic

Garlic…can you ever have too much of it? Not in my house. Russell and I absolutely love garlic. Anytime a recipe calls for garlic I always add extra, we just can’t get enough of it. When I saw this recipe it looked so delicious and the best part is that it had a lot of garlic! For my birthday my mom got me a dutch oven. I thought this would be a great recipe to try it out. After using my dutch oven for the first time with this recipe I realize how wonderful and how versatile it truly is. I will probably be using my dutch oven for a lot of my recipes from now on.

Now back to talking about garlic goodness. While the chicken was in the oven the delicious garlic smell was just radiating in the kitchen and into the living room. Russell came home from work while it was in the oven and he said he could smell it outside! Let me just say this dish was great and the garlic taste was so yummy.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound, about 6-8 thighs or drumsticks
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 can (28-ounce) Diced Tomatoes
• 1 can (14 ounce) Whole Tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons Tomato paste
• Fresh or dried herbs: Basil, Sage, Parsley, Rosemary (I used dried herbs)
• 8 Cloves garlic (I used 8 teaspoons of minced garlic)
• Pasta (I used Rotini)
• Grated Parmesan cheese for serving
• 1/2 cup white wine, red wine, or chicken broth

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and butter to dutch oven. Salt and pepper chicken. Once oil and butter are hot add chicken to dutch oven. Brown on all sides, about 2 minutes.

Remove chicken from pan. Pour wine or chicken broth in dutch oven. Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any bits and cook for 1 minute.

Add in tomatoes with their juice and add tomato paste. Add salt and pepper to taste stirring to combine. Bring sauce to a boil, then turn off heat.

Add plenty of fresh or dried herbs and garlic. If using fresh garlic keep it the cloves whole. Add the chicken. Put the lid on the dutch oven and cook in the oven for 1 hour.

Remove dutch oven from oven and allow to sit on the counter with the lid on whole you boil the pasta. Cook pasta until al dente.

Remove lid and check sauce. If sauce is too thin, remove chicken from pot and boil the sauce on the stovetop for 5 to 10 minutes. Check seasonings and adjust if necessary. To serve, pour sauce over cooked pasta and top with chiken. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Source: The Pioneer Woman: Chicken with Tomatoes and Garlic

Drunken Noodles

Unfortunately living in west Texas near the mexican border Thai restaurants are few and far between, so I decided to try my hand at making Thai food at home. My favorite Thai dish is Pad Thai which I will be making in the near future but since Russell is not such a huge fan I decided to try making Drunken Noodles for him first. After searching for recipes for Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao), I finally came across one that looked delicious yet something I could easily make at home:

Jolene’s Culinary Adventures with Friends and Food: Drunken Noodles

This dish was absolutely yummy! Russell likes his food spicy so I added some chili paste to his as well as some Thai chilies. I did have to go to the one asian specialty store in town to find rice “flakes” (flat rice noodles), if you are unable to find rice flakes I would recommend just getting rice noodles of any sort. Your drunken noodles will not have the traditional flat rice noodles but it will still have the great taste. I would definitely make this again and cannot wait to expand my Thai cooking!

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg flat rice noodles (flakes, shards, or sticks)
• sliced fresh mushrooms
• sliced bell pepper (I prefer orange bell pepper)
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 large onion, sliced
• 2 eggs scrambled
• 2-3 boneless chicken breasts (or your choice of meat)

Sauce (combine in a separate bowl):

• 1/2 cup oyster sauce
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons lime or lemon juice

Directions:

Boil rice noodles until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Heat vegetable oil in large pan or wok. Add garlic and onion until aromatic. Add peppers and mushrooms, cook until vegetables are soft. Remove from pan and set aside.

Scramble eggs (add oil if necessary) and set aside. Add chicken (or meat of choice) to pan and season with salt and pepper. Once chicken has cooked, add vegetables, noodles, scrambled eggs, and sauce. Toss until throughly coated.

Add chili paste and Thai chilies to add heat to the dish if you would like.

Lemon Chicken

Finding new dinner ideas is always a mission of mine. Sometimes I get in a rut cooking the same things week to week. This recipe from Annie’s Eats caught my eye as it looked like something new and delicious.

Annie’s Eats: Lemon Chicken

The herbs and fresh squeezed lemon juice are so refreshing. I have always had trouble getting crispy, flavorful skin from any baked chicken recipes, but this recipe solves that problem. The skin is so golden, crispy, and yummy and the inside of the chicken is so tender and juicy that you keep going back for more. I did not have fresh herbs on hand so I used dried herbs for the thyme and rosemary.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. lemon zest
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3-4 medium sized lemons)
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed (I used jarred minced garlic)
• 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves (I used dried thyme leaves)
• 1 tsp. fresh rosemary leaves, finely minced (I used dried rosemary)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1-2lbs. of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or drumsticks
• 2-3 tbsp. melted butter

Directions:

Combine lemon zest, fresh squeezed lemon juice, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a large ziploc bag. Seal the bag and shake well to combine. Add the chicken to the bag. Seal the bag once again and shake to coat all of the chicken pieces.

Let chicken marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place chicken, skin side up, in baking dish reserving marinade. Brush the chicken with melted butter.

Place chicken in the oven for approximately 50 minutes. About half way through baking, pour reserved marinade over the chicken.

Once chicken is done and the skins are crisp and well browned, remove from oven and cover loosely with aluminum foil for 10 minuets to allow chicken to rest.

Butter Chicken

I am constantly reading different cooking blogs in search of new recipes to try and decided why not start my own blog describing all of my co0king adventures? I am always wanting to expand my cooking accomplishments and am looking forward to blogging about all of my successes and the occasional mishaps :) .

So here goes the first post!

Russell and I love going to our favorite Indian restaurant and trying all the new foods. On the weekends they have a buffet and we are able to try so many different and yummy things. One Indian dish I especially love is Butter chicken. I know, I know, it is one of the most popular Indian dishes but it isn't one of the most popular for nothing. I was looking for a butter chicken recipe that wouldn't be too difficult to make. I found this one:

The Pioneer Woman: Tasty Kitchen-Butter Chicken

For the past few weeks Russell has been wanting to go to our Indian restaurant but we just had not found the time to go. So I decided I would surprise him with this dish. I had Wednesday off, so I went to the commissary to get all the necessary new spices I did not have on hand. Russell had been working late the whole week so I told him he had to come home a little early on Thursday because I was making a special dinner for him.

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts
• 5 cloves Garlic, minced (I used jarred minced garlic)
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• ¼ teaspoons Ground Coriander
• ¼ teaspoon Cumin
• ¼ teaspoon Cardamom (can be found at Whole Foods, The Fresh Market, or World Market)
• 1 whole Lime, Juiced
• 1 whole Onion, Diced
• ¼ cup Butter
• 1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Tomato Sauce
• 1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Petite Diced Tomatoes (do not drain)
• 1 pint Whipping Cream (half-and-half will also due)
• 1 bunch Chopped Cilantro, to taste
• 2 cups Basmati Rice

Directions:

Combine the first nine ingredients and marinate over night.

Saute the onion with the butter until the onion is soft. Add the the marinated chicken (and remaining marinade) and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes and turn heat to medium-low. Cook for about 30-minutes with the lid on. Add the cream. Just before serving add cilantro.

Serve over rice.

This turned out wonderful, we both loved it! The chicken was so tender and full of flavor. I thought I bought a pint of cream but just before adding it realized I only had half a pint, but it still turned out yummy. Halfway through the 30-minute cooking time I cut up the chicken into 1 inch cubes so it would be easier to serve over rice. I also served it with Naan from Trader Joe’s.