Tasty Tuesday

This week's recipe is a favorite among my guests! It came from a parent who made it for a luncheon at school. I've only made it in a Dutch oven, but it can be kept warm and served in a slow cooker. Slàinte!

Chicken Noodle Soup (No picture this week. I tried to steal one from google but none of them did the homemade noodles justice. Next time I make it, I will take a picture)

Ingredients

1 whole chicken

2-3 bouillon cubes or 1 1/2 tbsp chicken base

6 eggs

2 tbsp Crisco shortening

flour (a lot)

salt and pepper

1. Remove/Discard packet of "goodies" from whole chicken. Place chicken in large pot and cover with water. Bring to boil and then simmer uncovered 5-6 hours. Add water as needed to keep chicken covered.

2. Remove chicken from pot and place in bowl. Pour broth through strainer into another pot. Add boullion cubes or base. Bring to boil and then reduce heat to a slow boil.

3. For noodles, mix eggs,Crisco, and s&p together. Then add flour to mixture until the dough is very thick and can't be stirred any more. I use the dough hook on my stand mixer.

4. Cover large cutting board and rolling pin with flour. Roll out pieces of the dough to about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Cut dough into sqaures (or any shape). Put dough in pot of broth. Noodles will cook instantly.

5. When chicken has cooled, debone and add chicken pieces to broth and noodles. I use mostly white meat, but dark meat can be used for more flavor.

6. Cook at a slow boil for another 10 minutes. Serve.

Tasty Tuesday

I lived on the East Coast for about 8 years during and just out of college. You haven't had good Italian food until you've eaten in the North End of Boston or Federal Hill in Providence, of course the exception being Italy. During my time there, I fell in love with lemon, wine and garlic in cooking. Piccata, scallopini, marsala, etc. Mmmmmmm, tasty!. I have made some of these dishes and they can be a bit time consuming, so when I found this recipe in a Rachel Rey (30 minute meals) cookbook, I was very excited to try it. No, it's not quite the same as the full-blown meal, but it's quick and has a great lemony-wine taste. The best part about cooking with wine is that you can drink a glass while you're cooking, the bottle's already open. Slàinte!


Chicken Piccata Toss

1lb penne pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
1 ¼ lb chicken breasts cut into 1 inch pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp butter
4 cloves of garlic - chopped
2 medium shallots – chopped
2 tbsp flour
½ cup white wine (I use 1 cup)
The juice of one lemon (I use two)
1 cup chicken broth
3 tbsp capers – drained (I don't like food shaped like little green balls, so I don't add them)
½ cup chopped parsley
Chives for garnish

Cook pasta and drain.
Heat a deep nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and the chicken to the pan (I added some garlic to the chicken while cooking). Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook until lightly golden all over, about 5-6 minutes. Remove chicken and set in a serving dish while you prepare sauce. Return skillet to the heat and reduce to medium. To the skillet, add another tbsp of oil, 1 tbsp butter, the garlic and shallots and sauté for 3 min. Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes. Whisk in wine and reduce liquid, 1 min. Whisk lemon juice and broth into sauce. Stir in capers and parsley. When sauce comes to a bubble add remaining tbsp of butter to give it a little shine. Put the chicken back in the pan and heat through a minute or two. Toss hot pasta with chicken and the sauce. Top with chives and serve. Serves 4.

Tasty Tuesday

I'm not a food blogger, in fact, I'm not sure what kind of blogger I am. Is a "bunch of random blather" a blog niche? Anyways, I am still a foodie in the sense that I love to eat, drink, cook, and plan parties. Since my vacation ends today and my time spending hours reading and writing posts is over, I thought this would be a great time to start a weekly "culinary" post so I can share some of my favorites with you. Slàinte!

Chicken Tortilla Soup - Slow Cooker

Ingredients

2-3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts (can be frozen)

1 (15 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chile peppers
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups water
1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 oz) package frozen corn
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (add more if you like it like I do)
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil

1. Put all ingredients (except tortilla and oil) into slow cooker. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours. Before serving, shred chicken using a fork - it will just fall apart.
2. Preheat oven to 400.
3. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
4. Bake in preheated oven until lightly brown and crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes.

5. Add tortilla strips and any other toppings...serve!