Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya, and my version

(This photo is from the link for the recipe)

http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2009/11/oven-baked-cajun-chicken-and-sausage.html

This is the recipe I used and so I'm posting the link here. But as usual , I change things around. I read the recipe and it sounded really good. I am able to "taste" a recipe by reading the ingredients. I know it sounds weird but I have a good palate and knew this would be yummy. And it was....however, the picture here from that site.......turned me off. I almost didn't make it. IT just looked so pale and unappetizing.

And so I'm going to post here the changes I did with the recipe. And in fact since I made this, I see a few more changes I might do in the future. First I cut the recipe in half because there's only two of us here.

But as I read it , I saw browning the meats in the oven and then I noticed them using another fry pan to do the onions and such. Now Im always looking for shortcuts. And this dish is a good one if you want a yummy, fast, ez meal you don't have to watch much. And so I decided to use my lg. cast iron fry pan. I turned the oven on to the temp. and then put the fry pan in the oven while I was assembling my ingredients. When I was ready to cook the meats I put the oil and butter in it right there in the oven to melt. It called for chicken with skin and bones and I didnt have anything but boneless, skinless breasts here. So I used one of those and cut it in 2 chunks to cook faster. I had about a half lb. of kielasa sausage too. It just didnt look like much meat so I got  a boneless pork chop too. I cut that in half also and then put the meats in the oil/butter mix in the pan, rolling them around to coat them. Then I let them brown forabout15-20min...checking them and turning them over to brown on the other side.
Ive decided next time to use whole chicken thighs and more sausage and no pork unless its a well marbled piece. This was too dry this time. It was tasty but just too dry for my own taste.

After the meats are brown , remove pan from oven and remove meats from pan. Toss in the onion and garlic. I used 1/2 red onion and two garlic cloves, minced. You don't even have to have heat under the cast iron pan since its so hot from the oven. Just stir so they don't stick and burn. Meanwhile cut the meat up into bite size pieces.

Once the onion/garlic mixture is almost done, toss in the spices. I used half the amt. since I was making half the recipe. Stir well to release some of the oils. Sure smells good about now too. I used one of my home canned qt. jars of chicken stock and poured that in. Now you can turn the heat back up to high. Stir a bit then add two c. of rice. When it comes to a boil, add the meats, stir and put in the oven and cover,  to bake for about a half hr.

 (This is what mine looked like, much darker than the original recipe. I like that much better)

I served this with an Italian salad and I'm glad I did. As I said this recipe is a bit dry. And so next time, I'm going to use fattier meats and ones that stay moist. Thighs I think would be much better for this than breasts, the dark meat doesn't dry out. And I didn't have enough sausage to make this but its really good with it. I also think I just might add a bit more chicken stock to this to make it a bit sloppy. But we did love this very much otherwise and doing it this way, the color was much improved. It took advantage of the meat juices that were in the bottom of the pan. If you did it the original way, those would be wasted.

You can buy Cajun spice if you wish but I make my own. Here's my recipe:

Cajun Spice Mix
2 1/2 tb. Paprika (I use Hungarian paprika)
2 tb. garlic powder
1 tb. ground black pepper
1 tb. crushed red pepper or cayenne
1 tb. dried thyme
1 tb. dried oregano
1 tb. dried onion flakes or powder ( I like flakes better)

Mix together and store.
I like to add some to my rib rub, and of course on blackened fish.

Garlic Scapes and Daddy

Ive been away awhile, I know. First I was sick with shingles and could barely walk for two months, then my dad passed away and I was home helping mom awhile. But Im back now and hope to start posting much more.

My dad was the other chef in the family. No he didn't cook professionally as I did. But we often would talk about foods we tried and shared recipes. I would take one of his and add more to it and he would take one of mine and adapt it to cooking a different way. We were always experimenting and trying new things. Dad was limited as to what he could try since mom didn't like much. So in honor of my Dad, I decided to dedicate this blog to him.  It was an experiment and I found out I love garlic scapes. I bet Dad would too.

 I went to the Farmers Market Sunday and found garlic scapes. Ive been hearing so much about them. I never had them before and even when I picked one up and smelled it, it didn't have much smell. So I thought, whats the big deal with these? But I bought 3 bunches anyway. I read about garlic scape pesto so I thought Id try that. I figured if I didn't like it I would just add basil, which I also bought.

But I was in for a surprise! As you cut them they do smell heavenly ......of garlic and almost grassy. My whole house smelled of it while working on my recipes. I tasted it and OMG !!!  and so now its my new favorite thing. I'm hoping to go back this week and get more cuz the season is very short for these things. For more info on scapes: http://gardening.about.com/od/herbsatoz/a/What-Are-Garlic-Scapes.htm

I did some research on them before I did anything with them and I'm glad I did. These funny looking things have a flower bud and apparently you cut those off and discard. When I wandered online for info, I never saw anyone say that in their recipes. So remember to cut off the flower head and trim the bottom of the stem. Some stems are quite tough. I found I would cut and it would be hard and pull a string on it like when your cutting celery. So keep cutting till its ez to cut. I found most stems only needed one or two cuts but there were a couple that needed more. You want the tender parts.  

Then I cut them into about 1in. lengths. I did this because I was going to but them in the food processor to make pesto. I have a small processor. I chopped all of them in the processor and dumped it in a bowl, trying to figure out what to do with so many. I thought OMG I bought too much...........wrong! After I started using them, I thought OMG I need more! lol They are that good.

And so I made Garlic Scape bread to have with dinner. And then I got carried away with my chicken and tossed some chopped scapes on that too while roasting. Finally I made the pesto. ...two batches. I have just enough to make more Garlic scape butter and Ill freeze that.  

 Garlic Scape Butter for bread

1/2 - 3/4 c. chopped garlic scapes
1 stick of butter
1/4c. Parmesan cheese
Process all in food processor till blended. Taste (omg, yummy!) and add S & P if you like.

Spread this on some nice crusty bread. I had a nice Ciabatta bread from the market too. I bake mine at 400 degrees till it starts to get brown on the edges and crusty on top. This will make the greenest bread you ever saw and will confuse people......until they taste it! I like this better than regular garlic bread. Its much more mellow and yet has quite a garlic taste. 

 Garlic Scape Pesto Makes about 2c.
    1/4 cup pine nuts
    3/4 cup coarsely chopped garlic scapes*
    Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    A few generous grinds of black pepper
    1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
    1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
    *Or use half scapes and half herbs such as basil, dill and chervil

Toast pine nuts in a small fry pan if you want. Put all ingredients except oil and Parmesan in a food processor bowl. Pulse till mixed. Slowly add the oil while processor is running till mixed in. Remove from processor and put into a bowl, mix in Parmesan.

 At this point taste it and see if it needs S & P. I froze mine in small jars  to preserve till I need it. 

(sorry about that, I started to cut the chicken apart and remembered I didn't take a pic of it yet!)
My 3 Garlic Chicken Serves 4

1 lg. roaster chicken
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
4 carrots peeled and cut into 1in. chunks
Garlic powder
Fresh garlic
Garlic scapes, chopped
Fresh thyme and parsley
1 stick of butter
2c. chicken stock
S & P

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add potatoes and carrots to pan. Sprinkle with thyme, parsley, garlic powder and S & P. Pour chicken stock over all.

Put chicken on top of veggies. Into the cavity stuff 1 stick of butter, cut into chunks, several sprigs of fresh thyme and 5 or 6 garlic cloves. These do not have to be peeled. Sprinkle chicken with S & P and some chopped garlic scapes, (a few tbsp.)  and put in the oven.

You can baste the chicken with the stock in the pan now and then while baking. The butter will meld with the flavors in the bird and make a nice baste for it. Bake till veggies are tender and chicken is done about 1 1/2hrs. I cover it with foil for the first hr. Then I remove the foil and test the veggies. Return to oven to brown and crisp up chicken and veggies. I found at this point I usually need to raise the oven temp to 400 degrees.

This is a one pot meal I served with the garlic bread and it was soooooooooo good. 

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Yesterday was another busy cooking day. I made a big bowl of Guacamole to freeze. I often do that when I can find some avocados that are cheap. I make it up the way we like. As long as it has lemon or lime juice, its fine. I froze them in small containers so we could have a few snacks now and then. I decided to top my dinner with some too.

And I made a big batch of Chile Verde Salsa too. I canned it and ended up with at little bit left so I tossed it on top of the Enchiladas before I baked it. (that's those darker green spots you see in the pic.)  But it was getting late and I was still messing in the kitchen so I was wondering what I'm going to make for dinner.

I just bought some very lg. chicken breasts the other day that were on a good sale too. So I took two of them out, sprinkled them with some olive oil, s & p, and garlic powder and baked them in the oven while I was making the salsa.  Once they were done I skinned them and took the meat off the bones and cut it up for this dinner. I also had a bunch of lime juice in the fridge from that freebie stuff I got awhile back, so I used alot of it for this and for the salsa.

We love this sooooo much.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas Serves 4-6

1lb. cooked chicken, shredded. (I cooked two lg breasts but you could use store bought chicken too.)
6 tb. honey
5tb. lime juice
1tb. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
8-10 flour tortillas (you will get less like I did if you use burrito size ones, which is what I usually have around)
1lb. of cheese, I mix cheddar and jack or mozzarella, shredded
1 (28 oz) can Enchilada Green Chile Sauce
1/2 c. sour cream

Mix first 5 ingredients together and let marinate a half hr. Pour about a cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 13 x 9 in. pan.

 Fill tortillas with the chicken and top with some cheese. Save about a cup of cheese for the top.

 Mix remaining enchilada sauce with the sour cream and pour over all filled tortillas. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 for about 30 min. or till starting to get brown and crispy on top. 

Sometimes we serve with extra sour cream but you don't really need it if there's alot of sauce. I like chile verde salsa on top of mine or guacamole. (sometimes both!!)

Chicken Alfredo Casserole

This recipe came about because of Costco. They carry a Chicken Alfredo dinner premade. Costco isn't near me so when I go its an all day thing. By the time I get home and unload I'm tired. So I would grab one of these dinners to heat up while putting all the stuff away. But theirs is very basic. So I would add broccoli. and sometimes other veggies and even top it with cheese. But the sad part it the casserole is so big and there's only the two of us here, so most of it got tossed after dinner. My bf doesn't like leftovers very much. And so I stopped buying it but we did like it. 

And so I created my own. Now this is the quick version but of course you could make it right by making your own Alfredo sauce and pesto and fresh baking a few chicken breasts too. I often use my Balsamic Chicken recipe for this. I just bake two extra chicken breasts to have on hand for this. But really I use a lot of things that I plan to have on hand to just toss this together fast.

I often make a roast chicken and strip off the meat to freeze. If I do that then I just take a cup or two of the meat to use for this, thawed. If you have a store bought rotisserie chicken, that would work too. But you do want chicken that was roasted or baked with garlic or herbs. Poached is just too bland.

I will use frozen broccoli if I have nothing else. Ive added roasted red peppers, artichokes, spinach and even peas. But you do have to be careful because if you add too much, you run into having lots of leftovers, which I try to avoid. I can't seem to get this dish small for just the two of us. But at least I have it down to four. And if you find it might not be enough for you cuz you have folks with hearty appetites, then make a nice salad and some garlic bread to serve with it. 

Chicken Alfredo Casserole Serves 4

1/2 box of penne or rotini
1 stalk of broccoli, peeled and cut into bite size pieces or about 1c frozen
1 jar (15oz.) Classico Alfredo sauce or the equivalent of homemade
About 2c. cooked, chopped chicken
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
Jar or homemade pesto
S & P

Sliced provolone cheese or mozzarella
Grated Parmesan

*Optional: marinated artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed, roasted red peppers, peas, asparagus, frozen spinach

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Get a lg. pot going for boiling water for the pasta, toss in some salt. When water is boiling toss in the pasta. If your using fresh broccoli, toss that in now also. If your using frozen, wait till pasta is almost done, then put it in the same pot too. Frozen broccoli will just disintegrate if started when the pasta is.

Drizzle a bit of olive oil in the bottom of a 13 x 9in. pan. When pasta and broccoli are done, drain then toss in the baking pan.

Add the tomato, chicken, and any other veggies you might want. Asparagus needs to be cooked first, frozen peas or spinach can just be tossed in as they will thaw and cook when its in the oven.

Pour Alfredo sauce over all this. I add about a half jar of water or milk or half and half to it and shake it well to get any stuck sauce off the jar. Also as this bakes it sucks up the sauce. Extra liquid helps keep it from doing that. Add about two good spoons of pesto. Stir this all up and then taste. Some pestos are not very strong or flavorful so this is to YOUR taste. If it needs more add it but just a bit at a time. Basil can take over this dish real easy. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir the whole thing well.

If you wish, you may top with slices of mozzarella or provolone and then sprinkle with Parmesan. I like provolone because it has a bit more flavor.

Put in heated oven and bake for about 20min. The casserole is done when its just beginning to brown on the edges and its bubbling. If it looks like its getting dry, cover with foil. 

Chicken and Artichoke Sandwich

Last nite I made a roasted chicken for dinner. I like to do that now and then even tho the man doesn't like chicken much. And hes so fussy he will only eat the breast part. But that just means there's lots of chicken leftover for me to use in other things. So I strip the meat off the bones and freeze the bones to make stock from later on.

Today I decided to make chicken salad. Long ago I had a chicken salad sandwich when I first moved to Ca. I liked it so much I never forgot it. It had artichoke hearts in it and was on a croissant and was very good. And so today I decided to make it from memory and go sit on my deck out back.

It was such a gorgeous day again.....so I put my sandwich on a plate, tossed on some grapes to snack on after and got an iced tea. I parked my butt in my wicker rocking chair, kicked off my shoes and put my feet up. As I sat there and just stopped for a moment.....it was sheer heaven. The birds were chirping, I even heard a wood pecker off in the distance. There was a breeze blowing gently and the trees made a shhhh sound. Everything is so green,,,,the sun felt warm on my skin and when it was realllllllly quiet I could hear the roar of the ocean.

Add to all this peace a perfect sandwich and it was a wonderful day. 

 Chicken and Artichoke Sandwich

These measurements are approximate but you can use what you have .

2 c. cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 c. marinated artichokes, drained well, then chopped
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Lots of fresh ground pepper
Mayonnaise about 1/2 c. but you want just enough to bind it not drown it :)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and spread on a croissant. I didn't have any around so I put it on a nice homemade herbal white bread. You could also add some fresh dill to this too. The marinated artichokes add alot of their own flavor tho so if they are strong, other herbs could get lost. This makes enough for 3-4 sandwiches.

Free Chicken Stock

Ok , well not free but almost. You see now that I'm in my new home, I'm trying to start stocking up and doing better with what I have around here. I read somewhere of a woman who saved all her veggie peelings and such and froze them for when she wanted to make stock.

At first I thought I don't have much of that anyway. But then I thought well she probably didn't either but saved it up by freezing them till she needed it. Duh.....so simple and yet I forget.

And then I read somewhere about another who uses those deli cooked chickens from the grocery store and then takes the leftovers and bones and cooks them down for stock too. BIG DUH~!!! Why didn't I ever think of that?  When I'm done with a roasted chicken, my own or store bought, I would clean off any chicken to make for salad and toss the rest. How wasteful.

But growing up I thought of chicken soup as something homemade with a whole chicken and just never thought beyond that. But now I do. So here is my version of chicken stock that I make now with the leftovers. Then I cool it and strain it. When I freeze it , I put it in smaller containers to use for my every day cooking or to even add more stock to a soup I might make. As Martha says, Its a good thing. And as I say........why the heck didn't I think of this sooner?

Almost Free Chicken Stock

*Saved veggies in a bag in the freezer. I just save up big quart size bags there and toss one or two in. I mostly save onion, celery and carrots but you could save other veggies too and just perhaps separate them in a different bag for a different kind of soup. Onion, celery and carrot is the basis for many things so its a good one to keep.

*Leftover roasted chicken bones, and any leftover meat if your not going to eat it, plus any good juices. It all helps add flavor and I have found roasted chicken makes some amazing stock. Seems to intensify the flavor depending on how much you use.

*Salt and pepper, a couple garlic cloves, fresh parsley.......and if you use fresh parsley alot save the stems in that frozen veggie bag too. I wouldn't add much salt tho because this is stock to be used elsewhere.

*If you don't have much onion saved and frozen, toss a small one in the pot too. BTW onion skins give nice color to stock also so feel free to put some of those in also.

Now toss it all in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer. Let cook for a couple hrs gently on the back of the stove. Add more water if its cooked down too much. When everything looks really soft and very cooked, turn it off. Let cool and then strain. Freeze in whatever size containers you think you might want. Some small perhaps for stock for rice and such and maybe larger for when you make soups and other kinds of meals where you need more than a cup.

Chicken Valdostano

I made this dish the other nite. I only made it for two tho so I cut down on this recipe. I had a few lg. cremini mushrooms so I used those. And I often keep small bottles of red and white wine around for when I need a little bit. They are handy. This way I dont have to open a big bottle if we arent going to drink it. I will say this tho about the sauce and recipe. I cut it by 1/3 and there wasnt enough sauce. Next time I think Ill make the whole recipe part of the sauce.

This dish is excellent. But putting the cheese topped chicken back in the pan......well the crust from the chicken absorbed most of the sauce. Now that wasnt really bad because I had sauce on one side and cheese on the other. But I wanted to warn everyone in case you were looking to have it saucy. Either way, this dish is absolutely delicious!


Chicken Valdostano Serves 6

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded thin
1/4 cup unsalted butter
10 fresh mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
6 slices thinly sliced prosciutto
6 slices fontina cheese

1. Lightly flour chicken breasts, shaking off excess flour. In a large skillet over low heat, melt butter/margarine. Add chicken and saute until lightly browned, about 2 minutes each side. Remove with slotted spatula and set aside.
2. Increase heat to medium low. Add mushrooms and saute until juices are rendered, about 4 minutes. Add wine and simmer until reduced by 1/4, about 3 to 4 minutes. Increase heat to medium high. Add stock, parsley and pepper and simmer until sauce reduced to 1 cup, about 10 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to low. Top each chicken breast with a slice of prosciutto and a slice of fontina cheese. Return chicken to skillet and cook just until cheese melts. Transfer chicken to individual plates and top each with some of the mushroom sauce before serving.

Two meals from one pot of chicken

Ok these were my own creations. Sadly I have no pictures of my own, sorry. Sometimes I don't think to do that when experimenting. First one is dinner. Make enough of that to have leftovers for the breakfast. Both are incredible. My bf who hates chicken loved the dinner and said the breakfast was addictive!

Two Balsamic Chicken
Serves 2 for dinner, with leftover for breakfast.

4 boneless chicken breasts, I put them in frozen
5 garlic cloves , minced
about a tsp. of dried rosemary, crumbled
about a half tsp. dried thyme, crumbled
Extra Virgin Olive oil
2tb. balsamic vinegar
2tb. white balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Drizzle a bit of olive oil in a small casserole dish that will hold the chicken. Top with chicken breasts. You dont even have to thaw these and in fact, I think it keeps it juicy by not thawing. Crumble the garlic, rosemary and thyme over all in pan. Drizzle with more olive oil and the balsamic vinegars. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Bake for about 45min. but check about halfway thru. I have a convection oven so sometimes it cooks quicker than I realize. If it looks pink in the middle but almost done, kick up the heat to 400 degrees to finish and brown. Serve with all the yummy juices.

I served this with my herbal potatoes and broccoli with cheese sauce. We almost licked the plates it was so good.

Balsamic vinegar is a very aged, mellow and sweeter vinegar that regular vinegar. I have used dark balsamic most of the time and you can use just that with this. But I also found white balsamic at Trader Joe's and decided to mix them both here. You see the dark was sweeter and mellower but the white had a bit more tang to the sweet. Thought it would be a nice mix and it was.

Crusty Rosemary Potatoes

For this recipe I peeled and cut of 5 lg. potatoes. Cut in half, then each half in half. Cut into chunks. In a bowl, put potatoes, a couple of minced garlic cloves, a bit of rosemary, Salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Mix till all are coated. Now toss in about 2tb. of flour and mix till coated. Drizzle a baking sheet with olive oil and dump all the potatoes on it. Put in oven with chicken. These will be crusty and crispy in about 30-45min. I worked a cooking class an English woman gave several yrs ago. She suggested dusting potatoes like this with flour to make them extra crusty and brown. I love it. If I serve oven roasted potatoes with a roast Ill make them the same way. Everybody just loves them. You can use all kinds of herbs too but garlic is a perfect match for these for sure.


Save what chicken is left. We ate two and I had two for the next day. Save the juices and all the potatoes that are left too.

Next day:
Sea's Chicken Hash
Serve 2 hearty appetites

2 leftover cooked chicken breasts from above recipe, chopped up plus juices
leftover potatoes from recipe above
4-6 mushrooms, sliced
6 green onions, sliced
butter, salt and pepper to taste
about a 1/2c frozen spinach
2 slices provolone cheese, 2 slices swiss cheese, chopped
As many eggs as you would like, we had 5

Melt butter in a non stick frying pan. Add mushrooms, green onions and potatoes. Stir till mushrooms start to throw some juice. Add chickenand juices. Stir well and fry a bit till it starts to get a little crusty, approx. 10min. or so. Add spinach and cook till thawed and heated thru. Flatten hash out so it cooks evenly and crack open eggs on top. Lower heat. Sprinkle cheeses over and cover. Cook till eggs are done to your liking. I served this with toast and my bf went nuts over it.....I put a bit of ketchup on mine.

Pan Roasted Chicken with Artichokes, Potato and Bacon

I went to Trader Joes the other day with a friend and bought a big container of baby artichokes. They grow em out here so we get lucky sometimes and can find baby ones in the markets. I wandered online looking for stuff to make and I ended up making this one .......It came out really good.

Pan Roasted Chicken with Artichokes, Potato and Bacon

• 6 large chicken breasts with skin (Organic or Free range)
• 18 Baby Artichokes
• 1 Large Onion sliced
• 2 Lemons
• 1 bunch of Thyme
• 1½ cups White Wine
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1/3 lb slab Bacon diced and rendered
• 18 Baby Yukon Gold Potatoes Boiled in salty water till cooked through
• 1 ½ cup Home Made Chicken Stock
• 3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
• 3 Tbsp chopped Parsley
• 1 Tbsp all purpose Flour
• Olive Oil

Fill a large pot a little more than halfway with water. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice into the water; also place the lemon into the water. Then add the onion, wine, half of the thyme and the bay leaf.

Cut a ½ inch off the tops of all the artichokes, and then cut a 1/16 inch off the bottom of the stem of each. Place in the pot and simmer for about 30-40 minutes. At 20 minutes check them by slicing one, the knife should glide through like a cooked potato. Use this to judge how much longer they need. Once done shock in an ice bath.

Peel the outer leaves off each artichoke until you get to the tender ones and then trim1/16 of an inch off the stem and middle all the way around each artichoke. Finally cut each one in ¼s ( you may sub store bought grilled or marinated artichokes to skip these steps but please don’t use canned ones)

In a large pre heated pan add a little oil and place each breast skin slide down. Allow to cook on top off the range for 4 minutes at a med high heat, then place in a 400°F oven and cook for about 15-18 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, pre-heat another pan at med-high heat. Add 2Tbs of olive oil and 2Tbs of butter then add potatoes 1 by 1, crushing each in your hand before placing in the pan. Finish by adding the artichokes and bacon. Cook on top of the range for 5 minutes stirring every now and then. Place the pan in the oven for 25 minutes, stir every now and then.

When the Chicken is ready, remove from pan and set aside under tin foil. Place pan on the range at med-low heat then add 1Tbs of AP flour and stir into pan juices when incorporated add chicken stock and thyme. Reduce by ½ and set aside. Place potatoes in middle back of plate, then place breast in front and add sauce (always nice with haricot verts).
Serves: 6

***I added a bit of garlic powder to the potatoes when I cooked them, I added thyme then too. I only had boneless , skinless chicken tenders on hand so I used them. I think it really does need the chicken with skin on it because this was dry. I added stock and thickened it like it said but the whole thing got sucked up by the chicken and veggies. I also cooked the potatoes in the broth made by the artichokes to save time.

Crispy Chicken Wings with Lemon Dip

I took a cooking class with Martin Yan from the Yan Can Cook tv show many years ago. This is one of his recipes. Its very good and Ive made it for parties before.

I got to talk to Mr. Yan after the class a bit. When I told him I had made Peking Duck he was very impressed and signed my book. Somewhere around here I have a picture.

Crispy Chicken Wings with Lemon Dip

12 chicken wings

4c. oil

Chicken Marinade:

1 1/2 tb. wine

1/1/2 tsp. ginger juice

1/2 tsp. garlic juice

1 tsp. salt

1tb. cornstarch

1 egg

Can also add 1tsp. sesame oil if you want for more flavor

Lemon Dip:

1/4 c. soup stock

3 tb. fresh lemon juice

1 tb. rice vinegar

1 tb. soy sauce

1 tsp. lime juice

1 tsp. sugar

Make marinade and pour over chicken wings. Marinate for about 2hrs. Mix lemom dip mixture in a bowl and set aside. Heat oil in wok over high heat. Deep fry chicken wings. Reduce heat to med. if chicken is browning too quickly. Remove wings and drain. To serve , dip chicken wings in dip and enjoy.

I have a note here on the recipe that the sauce may be thickened too. You would use one part cornstarch to 2 parts liquid. You would have to add it to the Lemon mixture and heat till thickened.

The ginger and garlic juice can be made by squeezing both in a garlic press. If you just chop it and add it, they will burn in the oil.

SPINACH, CHICKEN AND TORTELLINI SOUP

This is one of those quick but delicious soups. I like to make this when Im in a hurry and dont have much time to make a quick dinner. This with a nice loaf of crusty bread with butter and its a meal. You can substitute small ravioli in this too. I use whatever I have on hand. If this soup has to sit for awhile, I would cook the pasta separate and add it when I serve the soup. Otherwise the pasta absorbs alot of the broth and it becomes very thick.

SPINACH, CHICKEN AND TORTELLINI SOUP Serves 4-6 main dish servings

2 lg. cloves garlic, minced

1 lg. onion, sliced

1c. sliced celery

1tb. oil

4c. chicken broth

2 whole chicken breasts, (bones ok and will add more flavor, you debone and shred it later)

1 pkg. (10oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1/2tsp. oregano

24 frozen mini cheese ravioli OR tortellini

1/2 tsp. salt - pepper to taste

In lg. pot saute garlic, onion and celery in the oil till golden. Add broth,and chicken breasts then cover and poach till breasts are done. Remove and let cool. Add spinach and oregano and cook over med heat about 5min. Add 1c. more of water and ravioli to the pot. Cover and cook till ravioli are done. While cooking ravioli, shred cooled chicken. Add to pot with s & p. Serve hot with grated Romano cheese on top and with a nice crusty loaf of sourdough or Italian bread. YUM!

PLAIN OL' ROAST CHICKEN

This dish is soooooooo simple and was actually one of the first things I made my new (ex now) hubby when we got married, found it in a magazine somewhere I think. Ive since add variations but this one is classic.

PLAIN OL' ROAST CHICKEN

1 plump roaster, about 5lbs.

1 stick of butter

a handful of garlic cloves, peeled, left whole

2tsp thyme leaves

S & P

Wash the chicken and remove any innards (or take out the bag!) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put chicken in a roasting pan. I tuck the wings under so they don't burn. In the chicken, stuff the garlic, 1 tsp. thyme and the whole stick of butter. Sprinkle with S & P and the other tsp of thyme. Put in oven. Check every now and then and baste with the butter that comes outta the bird. (Has lots of flavor) Test for doneness ( no pink in the thighs). Now I sometimes add cut up potatoes around the bird before I sprinkle the other things on it. When I do that I toss some wine in there for moisture, red or white whatever I have on hand. Just remember if you cant drink it you cant cook with it.

Another version of this my kids call Sticky Chicken. The kids call it that cuz it makes their fingers all sticky when you eat it.

STICKY CHICKEN

1 chicken, cup up into parts

4 large potatoes

olive oil ( I use extra virgin always)

garlic powder

dried parsley

S & P

wine, red or white

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put chicken and taters in roasting pan. Sprinkle with garlic powder, parsley and S & P. Drizzle olive oil over chicken, maybe a half cup, I just eyeball it. Then drizzle wine over it, maybe a cup. The wine evaporates and leaves great flavor. This is traditionally made by my Italian mother in law with red wine which yields a nice brown sauce but Ive used whatever I had on hand. Again if you cant drink it u don't use it.

To either of these I have added carrots on occasion. One time I made a one pot meal of it and not only added the carrots but some brussels sprouts. They come out so sweet when roasted and delish. Both of these MUST be served with some nice crusty Italian bread for sopping up the yummy juices, heck Id eat the bread sometimes and skip the rest lolol. Both make great chicken salad from the leftovers if there is any. The juice will congeal a bit when cold and I even add a bit of that to the chicken salad cuz its loaded with flavor!

The chicken salad will only need some mayo, a bit of chopped onion, S & P and I like to use a touch of tarragon in mine. YUM!

CHICKEN PIES IN POTATO CRUSTS

1 (24oz) pkg. frozen shredded hash brown potatoes

6 tb. butter or margarine, melted

1 1/2 tsp. salt - 1/8 tsp. pepper

1/2 c. chopped onions

1/4c. butter or margarine

1/4c. flour

2 tsp. instant chicken bouillon

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. dried basil

2c. milk

3c. chopped cooked chicken or turkey

1c. frozen peas

Thaw the potato by pouring boiling water over them. Drain well, pat dry with paper towel. In bowl combine potatoes, 6tb. butter and salt and pepper. Press mixture in bottom and up sides of 6 ungreased 10 oz. casseroles or sm. crocks. In a fry pan cook onion in the 1/4c. butter till tender but not brown. Stir in flour, bouillon, Worcestershire and basil. Add milk, cook and stir till thick and bubbly. Stir in the chicken and peas. Divide amongst the casseroles. Can be made ahead and refrigerated at this point for several hrs., if desired. Bake uncovered in a 375 degree oven for 30-35min. or till potato crusts are lightly browned.

You can try different veggies added to this like corn or maybe add some frozen carrots to it with the peas. You could also add some cheese if you like things with a cheese sauce on them. Also try different herbs, thyme and a bit of rosemary would be good. You could mix some into the potatoes too. Its pretty much open to whatever you have in the house. I have frozen these to microwave later but if you need the crocks for other things then you might want to find something else to bake them in, like maybe some foil containers. I never liked chicken pot pies till I had this. I dont like the pastry crusts .

Chicken Marsala

Long ago my first restaurant job was at a small gourmet shop. It had all the greatest gourmet knives and pottery and things like that and most of my paycheck went back into that place. Warning! If your into kitchen stuff stay away from places like these! hehehe. It was the place where I started out as a clerk for a week and the chef asked me to come in and help him. He liked me so much he told the owner that I work with him from now on. When he left I took over the kitchen. I used to make this recipe once in the while for the luncheon crowd.

One man in particular loved it so much it ended up being the regular thing I made for him on Fridays when he came in whether it was on the menu or not. The owner made sure I spoiled this man . He came in week after week just to have my Marsala. One day he asked me to marry him! I laughed and told the man sorry I'm already married. Many years later a gf of mine ran into him. He is a therapist and somehow she mentioned me . They talked a bit more and omg years later this man still remembered me! His nurse over heard this conversation, seems it took him many years but he eventually married his nurse. When she heard the story of him wanting to marry me so fast she said OMG it took him 10yrs to ask me! I just laughed. Maybe she should have fed him my Chicken Marsala ......hehehe.

CHICKEN MARSALA SERVES 6-8

6-8 boneless chicken breasts pounded to about 1/4 in. thick

1/4 c. butter or olive oil

flour, salt and pepper to taste

1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced fine

1/4-1/2 c. Marsala or dry sherry

1/2 tsp. dried marjoram

Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Dredge chicken breasts in flour mixed with S & P to taste. Melt butter or heat oil in skillet. Saute mushrooms till tender and remove from pan. Brown chicken on both sides. Add garlic, Marsala and marjoram and return mushrooms to pan. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 20min. or till chicken is fully cooked. Sprinkle with a bit of parsley and serve.

I like to saute in a mix of butter and oil. The oil tends to keep the butter from burning. This is great with a bit of rice and a nice side dish of vegetables......maybe asparagus.

A 9/11 Tribute from a foodies point of view

I'm tired of the sad and ugly side of all this. I wanted to remember good memories on this day. Long ago I bought the Windows on the World Cookbook because I had been there and it was such an awesome place. Its hard to come by this cookbook these days so apparently I have a collectible, but I would never sell it.

From Publishers Weekly This cuisine is as haute as the location of the restaurant complex known as Windows on the World, situated at the top of Manhattan's World Trade Center. Delicate portions of such fare as scallop of salmon with soy beurre blanc and azuki sprouts, and sauteed Hudson Valley duck liver with truffles, exquisitely presented in color photos, will delight the gourmet. Zraly, wine director of Windows on the World, which stores 60,000 bottles on its premises, guides the reader through the intricacies of wine selection with refreshingly down-to-earth humor. His Ten Commandments of Wine and Food include: "Thou shalt not take out a second mortgage on thy home to enjoy a good bottle of wine." The graphics are as fresh and light as the food, with New Yorker cartoons added for spice. Executive chef Reiner, who inflexibly uses ounces and pounds rather than cups and tablespoons ("Every serious cook has a food scale at home") may have a point: only serious cooks will attempt many of these dishes; others may prefer to make reservations at Windows.


I add this to my collection of my top ten favorite cookbooks. Apparently its not very available anymore. I couldn't find a picture online so I had to scan mine. I bought this cookbook many yrs. ago because I went to Windows of the World restaurant atop the World Trade Ctr. I simply adored that restaurant. It had a great view, great service, great food and wine. Yes it was expensive and yes it was a treat. But its a treat Ill never forget as long as I live. YES, this place was that SPECIAL. For those of you that have had the pleasure of eating there, you were lucky. For those of you who never got there......you missed one of the great wonders of the world.



I decided to do a special blog for 9/11. It of course saddens me like it does everyone for what happened. But its the day after my birthday and every yr. now they show days and weeks of the tragedy and it depresses me so much. I just cannot watch it. I cry still every time I see the buildings fall. My footsteps along with millions of others were there. I have seen other things happen in the world ,but this became personal to me. I have been there many times. I adored every meal I ate there. The views were none like anything I have ever seen. To eat dinner looking out a window that is so high up that airplanes fly below you is strange and beautiful. Looking out the window looking over all of NYC, especially lit up at nite was wondrous.


So I wanted to do a different blog for this. One of good memories. Not all of us want to remember all that happened over and over again. It doesn't mean we forget. It doesn't mean we don't care but I believe in finding the positive in everything that happens. I cannot see the positive in reliving watching all this over and over. We must be the Phoenix that rises from the ash and move on ....even better. I have good memories of this building and NYC. I don't want to forget that.

I was there once when they tried to put up the inflatable King Kong on the Empire State Building. There I sat, it was across from me while I ate. And there was King Kong flapping in the breeze because they couldn't keep him inflated lol.



We have slipped the hostess extra cash to get us a seat by the windows. Its really high up.....I mean scary high up but I loved it!! We did this once and had a few others with us who .....didn't want to sit there after we gave them extra to get the seat. I took their seat then and we stayed. It didn't bother me. And I have a fear of heights too but somehow sitting there.....its like a picture .....or a movie. It didn't feel real so it didn't scare me. Ill always remember it.



We have taken clients there from other countries too for business, but we have gone there mostly for just the pleasure of it all. We went once in a limo with my brother and his girlfriend and his buddy and his girlfriend since all of us girls had a birthday the same month, as a special treat. We stopped to get champagne to drink on the way up. I remember the driver stopping for gas and as we opened the back door, champagne bottles were falling out. Too funny. We had the most wonderful dinner that nite, topped off by dancing in NYC at a club called Tuesdays. It was a special nite that Ive never been able to do like that again.



Ive always loved food altho I wasn't always a chef or maybe I was I just didn't know it! But one dinner there I had was Venison medallions with pomegranate seeds. I love venison so whenever its on a menu Ill order it. This was simply delicious, tender, with a sauce I thought was perhaps a demi glace and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. I wanted that recipe. Now you have to understand this place wasn't like your every day restaurant. We had waiters and then a Capt. (and plan on tipping everyone too!) I asked the waiter if it would be possible to get the recipe for me. The poor man looked at me in Horror! He wandered off and I figured uh oh.........ain't gonna happen. ....sigh. The Captain returned and we talked. I told him Id like to know how to make this, I have an idea and its sooooooo yummy. Would the chef perhaps give me the recipe? The Captain also looked a bit freaky but said they were really busy at the moment and when there was a lull he would try to ask. Again I figured.......ain't gonna happen. But it did! It was sauteed venison medallions topped with a venison demi glace as I suspected. I thanked him for the info and told my ex better tip him good he just did battle with the chef, and then I laughed.

I don't live on the east coast anymore but my family does. Whenever I would fly home I would know I'm almost there by looking out my window on the plane looking at the skyline . When I saw those big towers I knew I was home. Newark airport is just across the water from it. The first time I flew home after all this .......out of habit I looked for it. There was this big gaping hole where it used to be and I started to cry. Even now as I type this ......I have tears. It meant home to me. Even tho I lived in NJ. you could see those towers from all around the area. My brother works in Newark, NJ. He was there that day and was horrified at what he saw. They sent all the employees home that day. Even my dad who lived an hr. from there could see the smoke from it where he lives.



This was a hard blog to write because while I was strolling online for great pictures of my memories all I could find were tons of the tragedy and it just brought tears and sadness. So enjoy the pictures because that is all gone now and all we have is pictures. And know that this was an awesome place in this world. So in honor of this tragic day I am posting the only chicken recipe I could find in this cookbook. I guess when folks came to the restaurant they wanted things that were very special and chicken didn't sell well.

(I do special Chicken Tuesday blogs on another site, this was todays blog there.)

SAUTEED CHICKEN WITH WALNUTS AND BROCCOLI SERVES 2-3

1 lg. stalk of broccoli
2 double chicken breasts (4halves)
salt and pepper
1 oz. butter
1/2 oz. shallot, finely chopped
1 oz. brandy
4oz. walnut halves
12oz. heavy cream
1 0z. unsalted butter

1.Trim the broccoli close to the florets; use only the florets for this dish. Steam florets for 1min. and refresh in cold water; set aside.
2. Wash and pat chicken dry. Cut into large chunks. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
3.In an 8-10in. skillet, melt the butter over med. to high heat. Add shallot and chicken and saute quickly, browning the chicken. Add the brandy, let it warm for a moment then flambe'.
4.When the flame subsides, remove the chicken to a serving dish. Arrange the broccoli around the chicken. Place the walnuts in the skillet and cook 1min.
5.Pour in the cream and cook at a quick boil till the sauce is reduced to half. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining butter.
6.Pour sauce over the top. Serve immediately.

Seanymphs Greek Chicken

I love Greek food. Next to Italian it is one of the classics. There's a few flavors that just always seem to go together and make anything yummy. I would eat Greek food every day if I could!

Years ago I went to a Greek restaurant in AZ. called Bacchanal. My ex and I were there and found this place. Its still there , here's the URL. http://bacchanalgreekaz.com/home.html

This place is like a big Greek wedding, music, belly dancers, breaking dishes on the floor, dancing and even some of the patrons getting up to sing! I had a blast. They dragged us up there on the dance floor, made us take off our shoes even and then they took all the shoes and put them in a box and took it away! You had no choice then but to dance lol. It was fun,,,,,line dancing all over , even out in the parking lot. Once it was done they dumped the shoes in the middle of the floor and you had to find yours. I really felt like I was in Greece.

But the food........omg.....
I had spanikopita, shrimp corfu and baklava. I never forgot that shrimp tho, shrimp baked with feta cheese and spicy tomatoes. Now I dont make shrimp much and one day while on my low carb diet, I thought why not try it with chicken. So this is my version of a Greek chicken dish. It was inspired by the Shrimp Corfu. Now don't go writing me saying this was granny's long lost recipe for Greek chicken. There's nothing new under the sun, just gets reinvented or rediscovered. This was my creative venture , trying to put as much flavor into a dish on a low carb diet.

GREEK CHICKEN A LA SEA serves 3-4

4 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 lg. red onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced fine
4 zucchini, quartered then sliced
1 (16oz) can of petite diced tomatoes
olive oil
oregano, thyme, salt and pepper
about 8oz. feta cheese

Saute chicken in a bit of olive oil. They don't have to be cooked thru just browned. Remove to platter. Add onion and garlic and saute till soft and slightly browned, scraping up any browned chicken bits. Add more oil if needed to do this. When almost done add sliced zucchini and soften and brown it with the rest, about 10min. Add whole can tomatoes, juice and all. Add about a tsp of oregano and a half tsp. thyme. Cook 5min. and taste. Some spices are older and don't have alot of flavor so if you cant taste them much add a bit more at this time. Add chicken pieces , burying them in the vegetables so they are covered and simmer about a half hr. If there isn't much juice I add a bit of chicken stock to the pan. When chicken is tender top with feta cheese and cook 10min. more.

As it is its a good low carb meal for me. I don't even miss the extras but if you aren't on a diet or don't care add some rice or some nice crusty bread to sop up all the juices. If I dont have any zucchini in the house (or garden) I sometimes use a 16oz. bag of frozen string beans.

Gypsies and Chicken Paprikas'

I am Hungarian and Polish. Ive always loved gypsies. I know they tend to have a negative connotation but Ive never seen them that way. They to me are a nomadic people who live close to the earth, rather like the american indians did. Many have a negative aspect of course, being seen as thieves and beggars and lazy. That may be true but I prefer to look at the positive side of things. In some ways they are lucky, to be free and wander. I believe thats a part of me, which is why Im drawn to alot of gypsy ways. My gramma had the sight, my mom does too at times. My dad even calls her a witch lol and I ask him Dad is that with a W or a B?

I seem to have inherited this. Many times I know whats going to happen. Im also an empath, I feel what others feel and hear their thoughts too. When my gramma died I felt her pain all nite. By morning around 11am it was gone. My mom called me and told me gramma had died at 10:30am. It can be very disturbing when someone tells you one thing and you hear the truth in their heads. Its hard to talk to them when you know they are lying to you. I cannot will it tho like some. It comes when it comes and Ive learned over the years to listen to that voice inside, its always right.

Its like my move here to CA. I knew I had to be here, felt it in my bones. I thought I would never leave but now the bones are telling me Oregon is where I must go. I knew it the first day I ever went there. I got out of the car along the freeway at a rest stop. The air was clean, misty and piney smelling and I felt I was home. Everything in my life is urging me to go there now, and I cant fight it. Its where I belong. Even the man Im with, while hes been in CA. a few yrs, he is from Oregon and wants to go back. I must listen to that gut feeling, whenever I dont things go wrong.

This was my mothers recipe for Chicken Paprikas'. Ive been making it for years. Everyone has a slightly different version, but this is ours.

CHICKEN PAPRIKAS

Crisco
1 lg. onion, chopped
1tb. paprika
1 chicken, cut into pieces
S & P- water
3 tb. flour
1 pt. sour cream
Dumplings:
3c. flour
3 eggs
1tsp salt
water
Put 1 lg. spoon of Crisco in a roasting pan you can use on the stove. (Moms directions say this, I use about a half stick of butter). Wash chicken parts and put in to brown a bit. Saute onion in it. Add paprika and stir. Lower heat and cook slowly for about an hr. Add water if juice cooks down. (I try to add chicken broth when I have it, makes for a richer sauce). Add S &P. For cream: Remove chicken to a platter for a moment. Make a paste of flour, sour cream and 1/2 of the container it was in filled with water. Whisk into juices in pan. Cook for about 5min. till thick. Add chicken and stir well to coat with sauce.

Dumplings:
Mix flour, eggs and salt together, add water and mix well, till smooth. It shouldnt be really thick like a dough. I have a dumpling maker and it should be loose enough to start to run thru its holes. If you make them by hand.... like gramma did she put some dough on a sm. cutting board and with a spoon slowly cut the dough with it letting each drop into boiling salted water below. They should be small dumplings (maybe half inch)so they dont take long to cook. Boil for about 15min. testing to see if cooked thru. Strain.

Serve on a plate topped by the chicken and its sauce. Serves 4-6.

I found this online today about Are you a Gypsy and thought you all might like it.......

Are You A Gypsy at Heart? Adapted from The Phoenix Cards, by Susan Sheppard (Inner Traditions, 1990).

Simple Solution Gypsies have an ancient and mysterious history, and are associated in stories and legends with divination skills and magical practices.
If you have always been fascinated by Gypsies, and are drawn to their symbols and mysteries, read a description of the qualities you may share with them, right here.

You may be a gypsy at heart!
If you are deeply drawn to Gypsy people, you are an exceptionally clever person. You have an intelligence that stems from your shrewd ability to observe and judge character in almost any given situation. There is a strange beauty about you. You love clothes with unusual patterns and stunning designs. You home is our castle, and you like to carry parts of it with you. What might look like a mess to others represents the many special things that you love to be surrounded by. You may even carry photographs or comforting items in a purse or bag to remind you of the things and people you adore.

You have an exquisitely sensual, tactile nature. It’s important that you are caressed or touched often. Without this affection, you may grow depressed or listless. A healthy debate allows you a chance to cleanse your soul of any negative emotions. Even the most heated discussions can make you feel much better. Once an argument is over, you carry no resentment or bad feelings for the other party unless, of course, your partner has resorted to “dirty” tactics. If so, you will never completely forgive it. If you decide to pardon your offender, your trust is lost. You cannot forget; that is just the Gypsy way!

It is difficult to keep secrets from you. If you suspect that someone is withholding knowledge from you, it will drive you crazy until you find out exactly what it is. You are precise, probing, and possessive. You have little respect for a hypocrite, or anyone who is “Holier than thou.” Sweet and endearing words cannot fool you, for you know the true nature of the people you are dealing with.

When it comes to your own life, you reveal very little. You are like a mysterious doorway that no key truly fits. You have any secret feelings and thoughts that you’ve revealed to no one. Some of these are wonderfully creative ideas that could make you a fortune one day. You are industrious, with wonderful potential. You are shrewd and crafty, but you may lack the confidence to develop your creative ideas and “flesh them out.”

You would make a very fine occultist if you developed your inborn psychic powers. You like to study varied forms of esoteric knowledge. It’s important that you concentrate on one special interest. You are versatile and receptive, but you need to be aware that maintaining too many interests can preclude your success on any one. You have special insight, and are something of an enigma. Reveal a few of your special secrets, especially to the people you want to grow closer to.

Sesame Chicken and Chopped Salad

Ive made this so many times over the years and theres so many ways to use this that I just had to put it here. Its called Sesame Chicken. It has just a few ingredients and is baked but its good hot or cold.

SESAME CHICKEN6-8 boneless chicken breasts
1 stick of butter or margarine
1/2c. lemon juice
1/2c. breadcrumbs
1/2c. grated parmesan cheese
sesame seeds
paprika

You will be making two mixtures to dip the chicken in . First melt the butter, then add the lemon juice. The next mixture is the breadcrumbs and cheese in another bowl. Dip each breast in the butter/lemon mix then into the crumb/cheese mix and put in a 13 x 9in pan. When all chicken is dipped pour the rest of the butter mix thats left over it. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and dust with paprika. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1hr.

Thats it. This is good hot or cold so altho theres only two of us I make the whole batch to have leftovers. I have a lemon tree in my yard (Ill miss that the most when I move to Oregon) and I use fresh lemons in mine but anything will do. I use it the next day cold in a sandwich or salad. Its really good cut up and put in a ceasar salad for lunch the next day. Its awesome because it complements the dressing so well. I show another salad in that pic and its good leftover in that too ( recipe follows).

When Ive gone to church potlucks Ive cut the chicken in smaller pieces and I swear theres never any left. You know how at potlucks folks pile up there plates so why waste a good chicken breast by giving them ones too big to finish. Ive also made this into chicken tenders and baked. I served that with a homemade oriental plum sauce as an appetizer. My boyfriend likes this with a dijonaise sauce he makes just before dinner. I like it as it is. Make sure if your eating it hot to scoop up some of the juice if there is some. Most times it evaporates but whats there is delish. I tend to use frozen chicken breasts cuz I always forget to thaw stuff but I find if I do that they come out juicier too. If you use thawed breasts Id watch the time on these....check at 30min , then again at 45min. I find sometimes 1hr with thawed dries them out way too much. (BTW I use this recipe so much that I just make a big batch of the breadcrumb mix and put it in a bag in my freezer. You can add herbs and such to it and use it for breaded pork chops and things like that)

Ok now the salad I made last nite is one of my favorites. I swear to God I can eat this every day of my life. (and I have for lunch at the restaurant I worked at too!) We used to call it Chopped Salad there but its really a Greek Salad. I will give ingredients but its really up to you how much of anything you use.

CHOPPED SALAD (GREEK SALAD)

tomatoes
cucumbers
green onions or regular onion
Kalamata Olives (greek olives) pitted is the best but either is fine
Lotsa feta cheese
fresh garlic
mint and parsley
S & P
Extra Virgin olive oil
lemons for juicing

First thing, dice tomatoes, cucumbers in equal parts. I either use reg. cukes and peel em or buy those hydroponic ones that dont need peeling. Those make the salad look nicer but I just buy whats cheapest. You do want the best tomatoes you can find for this. In summer I use up alot of my garden ones in it. You need that fresh taste so the ones they sell in the stores on the vine are what I use otherwise. I will chop up about 4-6 green onions or 1/4 of a reg. onion and toss that in. Finely mince a lg. clove of fresh garlic. (You can use more if you love garlic but not too much or thats all you will taste and if you feel adventurous ,a finely minced jalapeno or two, with seeds removed is yummy too.)You want fresh everything here, thats the key to the taste. Mix it all tog. with some S & P and Olive oil. It must be Extra virgin. You want that flavor. Now juice some lemons for a small batch 1 or 2 lemons is fine, strain it tho or take out the seeds after juicing. This is all to taste so dont worry you can adjust it later. Stir it all and set aside while you do the rest.

Take a nice handful of mint leaves, only the leaves and a nice handful of parsley leaves, only leaves there too. Chop it till fine and toss in the bowl. Yes its alot but thats what makes it so yummy. BTW if you have fresh mint, I have found I dont like peppermint in it.....I use spearmint, that gives the best taste.

Mix it all and top with lots of crumbled feta cheese and olives. I can eat this just like that but as u you see I ripped some lettuce leaves apart and put it around the edge so it doesnt get soggy till I need it then served it. You can take some lettuce and top it with the veggies or just mix it all up. If you make some cracked wheat (bulgur) this becomes tabbouli salad another fav of mine. I make my bulgur in chicken stock for more flavor and then it becomes a whole vegetarian meal. (Yea I know chicken stock isnt vegan but my point is, its a meal with no meat, just grains and veggies, not strict vegan. You could use veggie stock tho if you are vegan.) Ive made that for parties and OMG theres never any left. Leftovers store well (without the lettuce) so you can have it the next day for lunch. Today tho Im gonna eat the leftover chicken chopped up in it for lunch Also this tastes best at room temperature. And the longer it sits the better the flavor.