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The Super Secret Decoder Ring

May 11, 2013

The Ranting Chef Baking, Chicken, Lunch, Recipes, Snack , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

When I was first married, the Internet was still the property of the government and universities, so to find new recipes, you had to go analog – a cookbook.

We had a few (very few) cookbooks to start out with, and like with many young couples, money was tight enough that cookbooks, for the most part, were not in the budget. I collected recipe from friends and relatives and cut an occasional one from a newspaper or magazine, but that was a slow process. I needed to find a better way.

Around that time, I happened upon an offer from Kikoman (think soy sauce), that if I sent in several UPC codes and filled out their form, they would send me the Kikoman cookbook. I sent away for it, and like Ralphie in The Christmas Story, I eagerly checked the mailbox daily to see if my “super secret decoder ring” had arrived.

When it came it was a 20 page, glossy booklet. While not a full cookbook, it instantly increased my recipes dramatically. I cooked through most of the recipes and even found a few favorites. Having had success with this, I knew there were other brands that did the same.

Over the next several years, through send-aways and purchases at the aisle at my local grocery store, I added a dozen more of these booklets. Splenda. RealLemon. National Beef Council. Had them all, and, of course, Pilsbury.

I believe I first found this recipe there.

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These are great little pockets of chicken. A great hot lunch.

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Very few ingredients.

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Making a roux.

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Adding the chicken and cheese.

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Flattening out the pockets.

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You end up making a little “purse” of the contents. It is important to ensure the dough is closed at the top as much as possible for the next steps.

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Breaded and ready for baking.

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Out of the oven.

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Great little pockets. Kids love them.

Chicken To Go Biscuits

Prep Time: 20 Min | Cook Time: 40 Min | Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
  • 2 tablespoons Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose or Unbleached Flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Dash pepper
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 cups cubed cooked chicken*
  • 1 1/4 cups (5 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup (4 oz.) chopped or sliced drained mushrooms
  • 1 (16.3-oz.) can Pillsbury® Grands!® Refrigerated Buttermilk Biscuits
  • 1 egg, slightly beaten
  • 3 cups cornflakes, crushed or 1 cup cornflake crumbs

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. In medium saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Add milk all at once. Cook about 1 minute until thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in chicken, cheese and mushrooms; set aside.

2. Separate biscuit dough into 8 biscuits. Roll or pat each into 5-inch circle. Place about 1/3 cup chicken mixture on each biscuit circle. Wrap dough around chicken mixture, pressing edges to seal.

3. Dip rolls in egg, then coat with crushed cornflakes. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375°F. for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.

Source: http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/chicken-to-go-biscuits/be794f6a-7923-46e6-8bec-00d5e0d33c9d/

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Maggie Monday: Flavorful Thighs

May 6, 2013

The Ranting Chef Chicken, Kosher , , , , , , , , 6 Comments

As I’ve mentioned on the blog before, I am a big fan of chicken thighs. I think they are the most flavorful piece of the bird and find myself subbing them into many recipes that call for mixed pieces or even breasts. I cannot wait to try this recipe out. Here’s Maggie with Maple Dijon Chicken Thighs….

A friend of mine (and fellow amateur cook) found this recipe on Pinterest. He loved it so I decided to try it. (Thanks, Jack!) I read some reviews of it, and tweaked it a bit taking those into account.

This is baked at a high temp- 450, so it gets a lovely crispy finish that is almost as good as the bbq grill. I chose to use bone-in and skin on thighs as that is what I had on hand. In fact, I had all these ingredients on hand, which is always a bonus.

The biggest change I made was the name of the dish. It was called Man Pleasing Chicken. I just couldn’t bring myself to prepare a dish with that title. So, I changed it to the boring, descriptive one you see here. I mean, really? Man-pleasing? Whah?

The verdict was that the dish did indeed please… 2 men and 1 woman. It was not, however, picky daughter pleasing. Maybe I should search Pinterest for Daughter Pleasing Chicken recipes. There is probably one there.

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Maple Dijon Chicken Thighs

 

What you need:

1 ½ lbs chicken thighs

¼ Cup Dijon mustard

2/3 cup pure maple syrup

1 Tbs rice vinegar

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

½ tsp Rosemary

What you do:

IMG_2609

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place chicken in a baking dish and sprinkle with salt, pepper and rosemary. Mix together all remaining ingredients. Pour this over the chicken, and turn the chicken until all pieces are fully coated. If you are using chicken with skin, cook it skin side up. Bake for 40 minutes , basting at least once halfway through. Continue baking until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Remove the pan from oven and allow the meat to rest for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with a little more rosemary for serving.

Maggie

Layering the Menu

May 5, 2013

The Ranting Chef Cheese, Chicken, Mexican, Recipes , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

My menu tends to have some unconscious themes. Some of the choices are truly seasonal: grilling more in the summer and hot soups in the winter. Others seem to come and go. Last fall, I found that I was making quite a few casseroles. Now, I’m stuck in the layered dish.

The quintessential layered meal is lasagna. Over the last two months I’ve made three different types of lasagna (regular, enchilada and breakfast). I’ve even made layered desserts (parfait, trifle).

When I had left over tortillas and pork chimichanga meat, I concocted a Mexican layered meal. That was an attempt to recreate the dish below.

We’ve made this dish for quite a few years now. It is easy, filling and the kids like it.

Photo Jan 05, 6 07 24 PMDelicious!

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This number of ingredients make it look much more complex then it is.

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Fry up the chicken.

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Add the onion.

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And spices and juices.

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Layer.

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Bake.

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Oh yeah!

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Yum!

Chicken Tortilla Pie

Prep Time: 45 mins | Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins | Makes: 4 | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  • Cooking spray
  • 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, finely chopped or ground chicken
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chillies
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 small piece bay leaf
  • 3/4 cup grated Monterey jack cheese
  • 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 4 (8 inch) low carb tortillas, cut into quarters
  • 3 tbsp sour cream

Directions:

1) spray an 8″ square baking dish with cooking spray. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

2) Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and heat for 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add onion and cook until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 to 45 seconds. Reduce heat to medium low, add chili powder and oregano, and cook, stirring frequently, until meat is coated and spices are aromatic, 2 to 3 minutes.

3) Add tomatoes, broth, and bay leaf; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until chicken is tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.

4) Heat oven to 350°

5) Mix cheeses together. Spread 1 1/3  cups chicken mixture in the baking dish and top with 8 tortilla quarters. Add another 1 1/3 cups chicken mixture, topped with half of the cheese mixture. Top with remaining 8 tortilla quarters and cover evenly with remaining chicken. Dot with sour cream, and cover with remaining cheese. Bake until cheeses are melted and sauce is bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Can’t We Just Have Something Simple?

May 4, 2013

The Ranting Chef Chicken, Fruit, Low Carb, Recipes, Vegetable , , , , , , , , , , 9 Comments

“Does every meal have to be a production? Can’t we just have something simple?” – My 17-year-old son

For the first ten years of my marriage, much of the family dinners were focused on providing a good meal at a low time and cost factor. Occasionally there would be something special, but we ate our share of Tuna Helper and spaghetti with red sauce. The next nine years I really started branching out in cooking. I needed to expand the variety of dishes (for my own sanity) as well as explore a few new things. At first dishes were added to a much smaller rotation. As the exploration continued, I started tracking the last time I made the dish and tried not to make it again first for three months, then six and ultimately a year.

In the last year, as I have been writing this blog, I have really been branching out for new recipes. In order to fill daily posts, I will often try two to three new dishes a day (lunch, dinner, sides, dessert). With the creation of my foodie bucket list, I have added even more interesting or less common items to my menu.

The other day I asked my 17-year-old what he wanted on the menu for the week and I received the reply above.

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Point taken. I’ll throw in the frozen mac and cheese tomorrow. Tonight, we’ll try this very simple chicken dish.

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While this was very simple with using the can of soup, it was still delicious.

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One pan and you are done.

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The combination of flavors was very flavorful!

Lemon Broccoli Chicken

Prep Time: 5 min. | Cook Time: 25 min. | Makes: 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 lemon
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 1/4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  • 1 Campbell’s® Condensed Cream of Broccoli Soup
  • 1/4 milk
  • 1/8 ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Cut 4 thin slices from the lemon. Squeeze 2 teaspoons juice from the remainder of the lemon.

2. Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes or until well browned on both sides.

3. Stir the soup, milk, lemon juice and black pepper in the skillet and heat to a boil. Top the chicken with the lemon slices. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Nutritional Info:

Calories 258 Total Fat 10g Saturated Fat 2g Cholesterol 87mg Sodium 541mg Total Carbohydrate 10g Dietary Fiber 1g Protein 32g Vitamin A 5%DV Vitamin C 11%DV Calcium 5%DV Iron 8%DV

Source: http://www.campbellskitchen.com/recipes/recipedetails?recipeid=24391

Categorizing Dinner

May 1, 2013

The Ranting Chef Chicken, Kosher, Low Carb, Vegetable , , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

How do you categorize your recipes?

For those of us who keep many, many recipes, it is always a quandary on how you categorize them. Prior to the electronic keeping of recipes, I was always forced to decide where to put a recipe. Take something as simple as spaghetti and meat sauce. In the most basic designation, it could be filed under “Dinner”. In a more detailed organization it could go under Italian, pasta, or beef as well.

When I started to electronify my recipes with the Paprika app, I found a different issue: too many categories.

I have talked up the app extensively, but one of the features I like is that I can not only create whatever categories I want, but recipes can fall into as many categories as I want.

My current categorization includes:

  • Meal: breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack
  • Course: soup, salad, appetizer, dessert
  • Significant ingredient: Beef, chicken, cheese, etc…
  • Diet: low carb, vegetarian
  • Cuisine: Italian, German, Mexican, etc….
  • Cooking method: slow cooker, grill

And most recently

  • Blog related: blogged, not blogged yet

Even with all of these designations I find I need more. The most recent one I am contemplating is to identify weekend dishes. These are ones with total prep and cooking time greater than 60-75 minutes. The only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger is going through all 850 recipes to categorize them. (Yes, I know. I could add the designation as I go, but that would just be sloppy).

I need that designation as too often I will add a recipe to the weekly menu without realizing that the time commitment is really too extensive for my weekday cooking. This is one such recipe.

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The chicken was great with the skin being the best part.

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I had a couple of split chicken breasts already and love thighs so bought two packs of those.

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I cut the veggies slightly different than what the recipe called for.

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This is a big pan but it looks small with all that chicken in it.

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Beautiful.

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Succulent!

Family-Style Chicken

Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 2 hr 0 min | Makes: 4 servings | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  • Vegetable spray, as needed

Vegetables:

  • 3 ribs celery, cut into thirds
  • 2 medium yellow squash, halved crosswise
  • 2 medium zucchini, halved crosswise
  • 1 medium yellow onion, quartered (about 1 cup)
  • 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and quartered
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Chicken:

  • 1 (4-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 4 bay leaves

Garnish:

  • Lemon zest, for garnish
  • Chopped parsley, for garnish
  • Equipment: 1 large roasting pan

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly coat the roasting pan with vegetable spray.

Make the Vegetables: Toss all of the ingredients in a large bowl, and arrange them in the roasting pan, leaving room in the center for the chicken.

Prepare the Chicken: Nestle the chicken pieces in the center of the pan. Combine the remaining ingredients and sprinkle evenly over the chicken. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.

Remove the chicken from the oven and baste with the drippings. Continue baking uncovered until well browned, about 1 hour more. Arrange the chicken on a platter surrounded by the vegetables. Sprinkle with the garnish

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/george-stella/family-style-chicken-recipe/index.html

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