Posts Tagged ‘chicken’

Spaghetti Squash

Wednesday, November 17th, 2010

Spaghetti Squash

There is nothing more humbling than a sudden realization that you aren’t as good of a person as you thought you were. Don’t get me wrong; I never thought I was perfect. Everyone has areas of their character that need improvement. I knew there are parts of my character which I could develop. However, I was under the impression that I am quite an easy going person. I love to meet new people. I don’t mind moving around a lot for my husband’s job. I love going to new places and learning about new cultures. I try to understand where people are coming from and not to judge easily. That sounds easy going, right? Then, I had this discussion with my husband and mom a few months earlier which startled me.

We were all sitting around the table after a delicious meal, sipping wine when the subject of an easy going person came up. I chimed in with, “Well, I KNOW I am an easy going person.” My mom and Claud looked at each other and laughed. I was so confused. I knew they were wrong. I didn’t know if they were joking with me or what was happening. Since that day, I have brought it up again several times, “Were you two joking?” I would ask Claud. “You weren’t serious, right?” I’d question my mom. Finally, I think Claud said, “Yes, it was all a big joke,” just to get me to stop talking about it. I didn’t realize then that bringing it up so often was far from being easy going. I just wasn’t getting it.

Then, this week, I had an epiphany. I was going back and forth in an email conversation with one of my clients. The discussion escalated into an uncomfortable battle of he said she said. It was ridiculous. I finally picked up the phone and had a real verbal conversation which straightened everything out in a matter of minutes. UgghI have such difficulty with email conversations sometimes. Anyway, the person I was speaking with said something that triggered my epiphany, “when I write to you, sometimes you respond as if you are being attacked.” I told her that I felt attacked. She was absolutely right. Her criticism makes my chest tighten up, my head ache and my stomach starts to hurt. She said she never meant to make me feel that way and that she wasn’t attacking me at all. Huh?

I hung up the phone and sat there in silence thinking, wow, I do this. I can’t take criticism very well. I am NOT easy going. This needs to end now. I felt so relieved. This is what Claud and my mom were talking about. I immediately called my mom and left her a message, “Mom! I am NOT easy going. I get it. Call me.” All of these instances of my feeling attacked and reacting badly flooded my mind. Oh, how I wish I could take that all back. I can’t. All I can do is improve on this today. I gave up on work that day and decided to focus on what I love insteadcooking.

I went to the market to figure out what I would make for this article. I walked through the produce aisle and spotted a prominent display of squashes. It’s that time of year when all of the different squashes make their appearance. They looked so pretty; but, they also looked like hard work. I bet a lot of people pass them up because they look difficult to work with. I have cooked many squashes and know they aren’t really that difficult to work with. I thought it would be a good idea to show people how easy going they can be. Sure, they have a tough outer protective rind that seems impenetrable; but, all it takes is a little heat to loosen that baby up and make it easy to work with.

Spaghetti Squash

I decided to cook a spaghetti squash. Spaghetti squash is also known as noodle squash and gold string melon. I think gold string melon is appropriate because it resembles gold string more than spaghetti once it’s cooked. It is high in Omega 3 essential fatty acids, vitamin A and vitamin C. They can be baked, boiled, cooked in the microwave or cooked in the slow cooker. How’s that for easy going? Once you have cooked them for a bit, they are soft and easy to work with. All you do is add a little salt, pepper, and butter and you have a delicious and nutritious side dish. I served mine with chicken and potatoes.

Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Chicken

However, you could serve it with any meat or fish. Once again, squash reveals its easy going nature. I hope to some day be as easy going as squash. With a conscious effort, I think I can accomplish this.

Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash

1 spaghetti squash

Cup butter

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Place it rind up in an oven safe dish with about an inch of water at the bottom. Place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes. Take it out and let it cool for about ten minutes. Scoop out the inside of the rind into a bowl. Add the butter, salt and pepper. Mix well. Serve.

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Chicken Picatta

Saturday, October 16th, 2010

When I was about ten years old, my parents used to take me to a restaurant called The Seashell. The first time we went, I ordered Chicken Picatta. It was amazing. The thin slice of chicken coated in a light batter, smothered in a buttery caper sauce, melted in my mouth. I had a new favorite dish. Every time we went back to The Seashell restaurant, I didn’t even look at the menu. I knew what I wanted, the Chicken Picatta. I remembered this delicious dish this week and decided to try to make it myself. 

The past weeks have been consumed with my daughter Daphne trying to make it into the talent show at her school. The woman who is in charge was quite brutal during the audition process. Often times, kids would stumble into the hall after trying out, sobbing because they, “just aren’t good enough for this show.” I think she was trying to be Simon Cowell.

Monday afternoon, I picked Daphne up and she was on the verge of tears. The teacher told her that she was probably not good enough but to check the call list just in case she makes it. I told her not to worry if she didn’t make it in the show and that if she did, it would be a mixed blessing. She had never heard of a mixed blessing and asked me what I meant by that. “Well,” I told her, “in this situation, it would be an advantage to you if you get into the show because you really want to be in it, you love to sing, and it would be a lot of fun for you. However, it might come with disadvantages because this teacher doesn’t seem very nice and might be very critical of you and your performance. That is a mixed blessing…a little good and a little bad.” She nodded in acknowledgement.

The next day, Daphne texted me with, “It’s a crossed blessing.” I laughed and was relieved she made it in. I love it when kids get the words wrong. Jack used to call seagulls sea eagles. It makes sense to call them sea eagles because they are big birds at the sea, like eagles. Here, a crossed blessing makes sense too. At least she understood the meaning.

In the end, Daphne made it into the show and has been practicing really hard to prove she deserves to be in it. The teacher has been really nice ever since. I guess it wasn’t a mixed blessing after all…just a blessing.

Later that evening I made my chicken picatta. I tried to remember how it was prepared so long ago in that delightful little restaurant. I decided to make it my own by adding peppers, onions and garlic to the butter and caper sauce.

I thought this would make it more colorful and tasty. The battered chicken in butter seemed too beige to me.

About half way through the recipe, as the chicken was baking in the oven, I looked at Claud and said, “Oh no, I forgot to pound the chicken into flat pieces.” Claud gave me a horrified look. “What, is that a big deal?” I asked him. “Yes, that is how chicken picatta is made.” Well, it was too late to worry about that. The sauce was almost finished and the chicken was nearly ready.

I had to go with it. I put everything on the plate. First I placed the lightly battered chicken breasts along side the roasted eggplant. The chicken looked so overweight. I was a little sad. Then, I poured over the buttery pepper and caper sauce. Then, it looked really good.

We sat down to taste it. We were both very quiet. A few bites in, I had to ask, “is it okay?” Claud said, “I think not pounding out the chicken was a crossed blessing. Sure, you are teaching people the wrong way to cook chicken picatta, but this is quicker and tastes just as good.” Ahh yes, maybe my chunky chicken is a crossed blessing.  

Chicken Picatta (fat style)

2 large chicken breasts, butterflied

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 garlic clove, chopped

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup chicken broth

juice from two lemons

3 tablespoons capers

flat leaf Italian parsley to garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the salt and pepper into the flour in a bowl. Place each piece of chicken into the flour mixture. In a skillet, heat the olive oil on high. Just before the oil smokes, turn the heat down to medium high. Place the chicken breasts into the skillet to brown. Turn over after four minutes and brown the other side for about four minutes. Place the chicken in a roasting dish and put this into the oven. In the same skillet, saute the onions and peppers for five minutes. Add the garlic for another three minutes. Add the butter and melt it completely. Pour in the chicken broth. Simmer for five minutes. You can thicken it up by adding a mixture of 1 tablespoon of melted butter and two tablespoons of flour. Whisk this into the sauce. You may not need to thicken it. You decide. Add the capers at the last minute. Take the chicken out of the oven. Make sure it is cooked all of the way through. Place the chicken on a plate and pour the sauce over it. Garnish with parsley. Serve it with a vegetable. It tasted wonderful with roasted eggplant.

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Roasted Chicken

Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

School is back in session. Each morning the big yellow school buses crisscross town, kids are weighed down with their back packs, and before we know it, the fall leaves will blanket the ground. It amazes me how different things are once fall begins. It’s incredible how the temperature drops so suddenly. Yes, soon there will be snow. We won’t think about that just yet. It is nice to get back to a schedule. I have every minute accounted for from 5:30 a.m. until I crawl into bed at about 10 p.m. I will admit that it doesn’t always go exactly as planned; but, I am a list maker and I feel better pretending the whole week is scheduled. I just adjust the list as I go along.

Over the summer, we started a new business. It has been a huge adjustment for me to work full time while still trying to keep the house clean, take care of the kids, and feed everyone the way I like to. Not only is school and homework now in the mix, but so is hockey, dance and choir. I think 24 hours is not enough time in the day. I haven’t figured out a way to change this. I may petition for a 30-hour day. I wonder how that would go down? Due to all of the tasks I have to accomplish in one day, some nights it seems so much easier to order in food or to pick up something ready-made from the store. Sometimes, I give in and do this. I go and pick up dinner or have it delivered. There are times when I am just too tired to deal with cooking a whole meal and then clean the kitchen afterward. That’s fine. I don’t beat myself up over this.

At the same time, I don’t want to give up on our home-cooked dinners. I love cooking. I love sitting around the table all together as a family. I can’t give that up. Cooking and feeding my family is one of the passionate aspects of my life. I can’t give up on passion. No one would ever want to give up on love in order to get all of the things accomplished on a list. So, I will cook. I have decided to think of the cooking as the recess in my day. If my daily schedule was a school day, cooking would be the recess. It’s what I look forward to. It’s the break from the routine. Cooking is the pleasure or the reward for everything else that is a task. When I think of making dinner this way, I approach it with enthusiasm. I look forward to it. Making dinner for my family is a luxury not another to do item on a list.

This week I made a dish that is so easy. It’s almost cheating. The recipe is roasted chicken. There are several reasons why I love to roasted chicken. First, buying a whole chicken is a bit cheaper than buying chicken pieces. One could feed an entire family for less than $10 when the entre is roasted chicken. Second, it takes minutes to prepare the chicken and the oven does everything else, leaving you time to finish whatever you didn’t do on your list. It’s so easy. Third, after I cut the chicken up, I know I will be throwing the leftover bones into a huge pot with all of the cuts of vegetables I have saved in the freezer over the past couple of weeks to make the best chicken stock. I use the chicken stock in many more dishes after the chicken is long gone .  So, making a roasted chicken ends up lasting for many meals to come. Finally, roasted chicken tastes so darn good. The crispy, seasoned outer skin envelopes the moist and juicy inner meat. I like to coat the skin in herbs and spices. I place butter and lemon under the skin to give the meat a great citrus flavor. Set this next to some roasted potatoes and vegetables and you have a nutritious delicious meal to serve to the people you love. I was so pleased with this meal the other day that I hopped up after and did the dishes with glee.

Having food and the ability to create a great meal for my family is a luxury. I am not even going to put it on my list. Lists are for things you may forget to do. I would never forget to do this. No one puts smile at everyone you see on the list or love your husband and children. We just do it.

Roasted chicken

Serves: 5

Time: 1 hour

1 whole chicken

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 cloves garlic, chopped finely

1 teaspoon Emeril’s Essence

1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped finely

1 lemon, sliced

1 tablespoon butter

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Clean the chicken with warm water. Place the whole chicken in an oven safe dish, breasts up. Stick the lemon slices and pats of butter under the chicken’s skin, over the breasts. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, Essence, and parsley. Mix well. Coat the entire chicken with this mixture. Stick it in the oven and let it cook for about 45 minutes. Once the 45 minutes is finished. Cut into the chicken breast to see if it is cooked all the way through. If not, place it back into the oven for another ten minutes and check it again. The chicken meat should not be pink, it should be white. Once it is cooked all of the way through, cut the chicken meat into the sizes you prefer. Serve with potatoes or rice, vegetables or salad. Enjoy.

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Chicken satay with peanut sauce

Sunday, September 12th, 2010

It has become a tradition at my house that every Friday night a group of our friends gather around our table to eat whatever dish I am making for this article. It just evolved into this. It was never planned.

Every Thursday, I start getting the calls, “what are you doing tomorrow night?” I tell whoever is on the other end of the line that we are staying home and cooking my meal for the food column. Of course, I invite everyone I speak to over to eat with us. I feel truly blessed to have so many people to share all of this food with. My friends are so appreciative of every meal. At this point, they don’t even bother to ask what I am making. They are open to whatever I put in front of them.

I always feel completely satisfied by the wee hours of Friday night when people are leaving with full bellies and the sweetest compliments. I am so lucky to have such amazing friends who offer me instant feedback on my dishes. It would be sad to love food so much and to have no one to share it with. These Friday evenings get my weekend started on the right track.

This past year, a few of my friends, as well as my own family, have had a difficult year financially. A lot of people I know have struggled to get food on their tables. Somehow, we have managed to feed ourselves pretty well through all of it. I try to remember this every time I eat. I never let food cross my lips without feeling gratitude.

A while back, I thought about the people who have not been as fortunate as we have. Some people have not managed to get food on their tables each day. So, about a month ago, I applied to volunteer at a rescue mission. My absolute favorite thing to do is to cook food and to serve it to people. So, what better place for me to be than in a soup kitchen? I believe everyone should find something they love to do and help others while doing it. You won’t believe the joy it brings into your life.

I have met some amazing people working at the mission. They don’t have me cooking in the kitchen yet. I am the “salt and pepper lady” right now; but, I am hoping to work my way up soon and to get cooking for many more people.

For now, I will keep practicing the cooking at home with my friends. This week, the usual suspects gathered around my kitchen and I made chicken satay as an appetizer. I had never made these before. However, I love satays and we have ordered them several times in Thai restaurants. So, I figured I should give it a shot. Claud and I are huge fans of Thai cuisine. I especially love the really spicy dishes. The ones that make me sweat while I am eating them. It hurts so good.

Don’t worry, this dish is mild. I looked at several different recipes before combining the ingredients into what I thought would be the best. I marinated the chicken on Thursday night, which took only about five minutes to do. I decided to go with a yogurt marinade because I keep reading about recipes which marinade chicken in yogurt. It sounds weird to marinade chicken in yogurt. I had to try it. It turned out so moist and flavorful. It doesn’t taste like yogurt in the end.

I grilled the satays for about ten minutes and placed them in the oven while I whipped up the Thai peanut sauce. This is a very simple dish to prepare. However, your guests won’t know that because it looks very pretty and tastes even better.

I felt gratitude for having so much food to share with my friends and took a bite of the satay. It tasted amazing. Within minutes of setting them out for all to enjoy, there wasn’t a single skewer of chicken left.

Chicken Satay

Serves: 6

Time: 25 minutes

1 C. plain Greek yogurt (you can use regular yogurt if you can’t find Greek)

1 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. ginger, grated

1 tsp. garlic, chopped

1 Tbsp. curry powder

1 lb. chicken thighs

12 skewers (soak the skewers in water for an hour ahead of time)

1 Tbsp. canola oil

1 head butter lettuce

In a shallow bowl, combine the yogurt, turmeric, ginger, garlic, and curry powder. Mix well. Cut the chicken thighs into strips. Mix the chicken strips into the yogurt marinade. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour. You can do this the day before and let it marinade over night. Take them out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before you are ready to serve them. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Thread the chicken onto skewers. Coat the grill with canola oil. Heat the grill on high heat. When it is very hot, set the chicken on the grill. Cook about four minutes each side to get nice grill marks on the chicken. Set each skewer of chicken in an oven safe dish and cook in the oven for another ten minutes. Set them on a nice platter or plate on a bed of butter lettuce. Set the peanut sauce in the center (recipe follows)

Thai Peanut Sauce:

1 C. creamy peanut butter

C. soy sauce

2 tsp. Sriracha chili sauce (a tiny bit more to drizzle on top)

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Juice of two lemons

1 C. hot water

1 tsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

In a food processor, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, Srircha, brown sugar, and lemon juice. Blend well. Slowly add in the hot water to thin it out to desired consistency. Scoop into a small bowl. Place into the center of the platter. Top with fresh cilantro and drizzle a little Srirachi sauce on top to make it pretty.

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Love Stew: Thai style chicken with coconut milk

Monday, December 28th, 2009

When Claud and I were first married and Daphne was a few months old, we saw a movie called, “My Life” with Michael Keaton. In it, Michael Keaton’s character has three months to live. He makes a movie to give to his unborn child who he desperately wants to leave an impression on although he won’t physically be there for the child. He sees a woman who tells him that the most important thing about raising children is to “marinate them in love”. Claud and I took this lesson to heart. We both left the movie theater with that sentence permeating through our minds. We talked about it often. We truly believe that if you can just always marinate your children in love, it won’t matter where you live, how much money you earn, how you teach them lessons or anything else. As long as at the root of everything you do, you intentionally soak them in love, you will be parenting correctly.

Not long ago, Daphne spent some time with another couple and when she came home we asked her how it went. She said they were very nice and she had a great time. She paused to think for a moment and then continued, “They aren’t in love like you two.” Claud and I looked at each other and smiled. We knew what each other was thinking. We are succeeding in marinating our children in love. She is beginning to notice it. I got a little choked up, as I tend to do, and gave her a big hug and told her how much I love her.

There are so many ways to marinate your children in love. It could be anything as long as love is at the heart of the activity. For our family, cooking has always been a passionate activity. It is an easy way to involve our children in something we love; and thus, marinate them in it. Early in our marriage, when Daphne was about three years old, we were very broke. We lived in a tiny apartment and had one pot and one pan. I was so impressed by the delicious food we could cook with only one pot and one pan. I really wanted to write a cook book for people who couldn’t afford to buy a lot of cooking implements. Without all of the supplies, we still made amazing food. I never did write that cook book. It’s never too late.

One dish we made often was a Thai chicken dish with coconut milk and curry. Each time we cooked it, we would change the ingredients depending on what we had. One time, we would add sweet red peppers and garlic and other times we added lemon grass and lime leaves. When we cooked, we would plop Daphne up on the counter and let her help adding ingredients to the dish. Every time she added something, we would say, “Put lots of love into it.” She would pretend to sprinkle magical love into the simmering pot. Once she asked what we were making and since this dish constantly changed, we didn’t have a name for it. She recognized the smell of the chicken cooking in curry and said it was “Love Stew”. She was right. Although the ingredients constantly changed, the one thing that remained constant was the sprinkling of the magic love into it.

Eight years later, we have developed Love Stew into a precise recipe. CLICK HERE FOR SLIDE SHOW.

chicken with spices

chicken with spices

 

Now, we pretty much make it the same every time. Only now, I have to make two pots of it: one with chicken and one with tofu or shrimp for Daphne. As a matter of fact, usually she makes hers right next to me as I make ours. It has become a regular favorite dish in our extended family as well.

baby corn

baby corn

 

Last week, my sister Jessica called and said she was making Love Stew. My mom makes it too. Everyone calls it Love Stew.

love stew

love stew

 

This is the recipe we now use. You can substitute tofu and shrimp for the chicken and you can make it as spicy as you dare. Enjoy! Please see a video below of Claud and me making Love Stew for our family. I promise next week’s recipe has nothing to do with chicken: I’m chickened out. I’m thinking a tasty Sunday roast.

Love Stew

Serves: 6

Cook time: 30 minutes

1 whole chicken deboned and chopped (see my deboning chicken video on my YouTube Simplyfoodify channel). You can buy boneless chicken if you prefer. I buy whole chicken so I can make chicken stock.

1 large yellow onion, sliced

2 sweet red peppers, sliced lengthwise

3 Tbsp. wok oil

2 Tbsp. mustard seed

1 Tbsp. Turmeric

2 Tbsp. curry

½ tsp. thyme

½ tsp salt

½ bottle of beer

1 can baby corn

2 cans coconut milk

1 C. mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp. Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (more if you prefer it spicier)

Pour the wok oil into a stock pot. Once hot, but not burning, add the onions and peppers. Cook until the onions are clear and soft. Add the chopped chicken. Add the mustard seed, turmeric, curry, thyme and salt. Mix together and let the chicken brown with all of the seasonings. The herbs will stick to the bottom of the dish. In five minutes, move the chicken to one side and pour in the beer. Scrape the seasonings into the beer from the bottom of the pot. Simmer for ten minutes. Make sure chicken is cooked through. Then, add the baby corn, coconut milk, mushrooms and Srirachi Sauce. Simmer for five minutes more. Pour over Basmati rice and serve.

 

 

 

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Chicken Puttanesca

Saturday, December 19th, 2009

Here is my article for the New Ulm Journal food column:

“Mama Mia”

Mothers are amazing, influential, compassionate and nurturing. At least, this has been my experience with my mother. I think most moms don’t even realize which words they speak are making an impact or what action they take that the child is likely to remember. My mom was only seventeen when I was born. So, often, I joke with her and say we will be in a nursing home together when we get old. In spite of our closeness in age, she has always been and will always be my mentor. I look to her for advice and support all of the time. We talk on the phone at least once a day.

This year Claud and I have dealt with a bit of a financial crisis. My mom and her husband, Doug, have been our beacon of hope, helping us all of the time. Have you seen that Hallmark commercial where the grown up daughter walks around on Christmas evening trying to give her mom the card that will somehow reveal her gratitude? Finally, she gets a moment to hand her mother the card and the card reads, “We couldn’t have survived the year without you.” Well, that is me this year. I’m that daughter. They made that commercial based on my life. Not really. However, it could have been written about me and my mom.

She has made me think a lot about being a mother and how it never ends. I’m about to turn thirty nine and she is still helping and worrying about me. Being a mother is a lifelong commitment. I laughed this week when I read an article in Newsweek Magazine where Eleanor Roosevelt cried the day Franklin D. Roosevelt’s mom gave them a house as a wedding gift. The kicker was that the house was actually a duplex; and guess who lived next door? Franklin’s mother had at least three adjoining doors. She might enter into the living room, the dining room or a bedroom whenever she pleased. I totally get this. I often joke with my own kids telling them that we will be building on to this house so they never have to move out. I tell them there will be plenty of room for their new spouse and my grandchildren right here under this very roof. They roll their eyes. My mom doesn’t want to live with us but she is always here in our hearts.

This Christmas, I don’t have much to give. I should try to find that Hallmark card. I might be able to afford that. I want to make certain that the people I love know how grateful I am to have them in my life. My friend Jim Wendroth lost his mother to cancer this year and wrote to me reminding me to not let time go by without spending it with the people I love.  I have been so blessed to have had three visits from my parents this year. They have to fly all of the way from California, so this is no small feat. I am tremendously grateful.

Whenever my mom arrives, we spent most of our time in the kitchen: cooking, eating, laughing, and drinking wine. We always have so much fun together. Sometimes we will laugh until tears roll down our cheeks and her husband and mine will just look at us like we are crazy. We are the only ones who get the joke. My mom is an incredible cook. I would never have grown to appreciate food the way I do if it wasn’t for all of the remarkable meals she cooked for me over the years. Okay, I could have done without borsht or fish soup as a child, but most of the other food was fantastic. My mom makes some incredible Italian dishes. That’s why I have to refer to her as Mama Mia when she cooks Italian food. One of her amazing Italian inspired dishes is Chicken Puttanesca.  CLICK HERE FOR SLIDE SHOW

chicken puttanesca

chicken puttanesca

 

Her recipe combines chicken, tons of garlic, chili flakes, kalamata olives, capers, wine and more. She uses red wine which makes sense because she and I love red wine. The traditional recipe for Puttanesca usually calls for a dry white wine. I have only had it with red and it tastes delicious. It is better to use red so you can finish the rest of the bottle after you cook with most of it. That’s what I did yesterday when I made Chicken Puttanesca and Mama Mia was it good. Thank you, mom, and Merry Christmas. Happy holidays to everyone. I hope you are filled with love and fantastic food this holiday season.

 

Chicken Puttanesca

Serves: 6 with leftovers (it’s even better the next day)

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

 One whole chicken, deboned

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

4 medium sweet red peppers, chopped

10-12 cloves of garlic, sliced in half

2 C. dry red wine (or white)

3 C. chicken broth

3 C. stewed tomatoes

1 Tbsp. salt

½ Tbsp. pepper

½ Tbsp. chili flakes

1 C. kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half

½ C. capers, liquid drained

1 lb. angel hair pasta

In a large stock pot, heat olive oil. Once hot, add the chicken. Brown chicken on both sides (about five minutes each side). Remove chicken from pot. Add the onions, peppers and garlic. Brown these until the onions are translucent and everything is getting a little brown (about ten minutes). Add the red wine and scrape all of the brown remnants from the bottom of the pan. Mix this all together. Add the broth and stewed tomatoes. Add the chicken. Allow this to simmer for about thirty five minutes. Add salt and pepper and chili flakes to taste. Cook the angel hair pasta according to directions on package. While the pasta cooks, add the olives and capers. Drain the pasta and add it to the chicken and sauce. Enjoy.

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Fajitas, Friends and Family

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

Every day is a celebration of the day I married Claud. We never put much effort into celebrating anniversaries. One year, we forgot it all together. We were having lunch with some other couples when somebody mentioned the date. I stopped eating and said, “Hey, honey, today is our anniversary!” He smiled and hugged me. We both laughed. Then, we picked up our Mai Tai’s and toasted our marriage. We happened to be in Tahiti. Sometimes, we are so lucky. It ended up being a very memorable anniversary…by chance.

This year, my family was flying out here from California because my sister was scheduled to deliver her baby a few days after our anniversary. I couldn’t think of a better time to have a party. I’d have my parents and both of my sisters together. We could invite some really nice friends. Claud agreed and we began making the plans.

The first thing on my mind, obviously, was the food. We had to cook dinner. What were we going to make on a budget? I imagined a sit down three course dinner with corn chowder, a mixed green salad, and Bent River Cheese stuffed chicken. I also considered lobster sandwiches which would be fun and easy. However, while the list of friends grew larger our budget remained the same. In the end, we thought fajitas would be a terrific idea. Not only are fajitas tasty, they can be made ahead of time so you can mingle with the guests. The ingredients: vegetables, chicken, tortillas, cheese, etc… are pretty inexpensive. Furthermore, you can lay everything out buffet style and allow people to create their own. That way they have the perfect meal made with what they want.

Claud and I prepared the food early on the day of the party. We marinated the chicken, cooked peppers and onions, and made salsa.

sauted peppers and onions

sauted peppers and onions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made a spicy sour cream to go along side the regular sour cream. We also made green chili for those of us who love spicy food.

green chili

green chili

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We cooked Spanish rice too. Everything was so colorful and festive and didn’t take long to prepare. Once the chicken was grilled and taken off of the bone, we were finished. When people arrived, we would heat it all up, along with some beans and tortillas and cheese, and set it out on the table. Simple!

marinated grilled chicken

marinated grilled chicken

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My sister arrived first with her little girl, Ivy, and her husband, Dusty. It was so nice to have a little bit of time for just family, including Dan and Kathy. They are honorary family. Jessica looked so beautiful in her final days of pregnancy. I couldn’t believe we would have that little baby in our arms in a matter of days. Everyone was so excited.

Jessica, me, Julia...three sisters

Jessica, me, Julia...three sisters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soon people arrived and it was time for cocktails. There is a great website you should visit which teaches you how to make many cocktails. Margaritas would be brilliant with fajitas. Visit: http://extratasty.com/ for other drink recipes. Many people brought me wine. Am I that obvious? Scott came with some of his homemade wine, which was delicious (as usual). My mom gave us a cookbook, Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Claud and I with a gift from my parents

Claud and I with a gift from my parents

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We set out some chips and salsa and greeted everyone as they arrived.

Claud and I couldn’t believe what a gorgeous evening it turned out to be. Throwing a party with outdoor seating in Minnesota is hit or miss. But, this was one of the most beautiful Fall days I remember experiencing. The sun began to set just as our friends found a seat on the deck and sipped their drinks. I was very happy.

Kathy Grothem and family on our deck

Kathy Grothem and family on our deck

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Claud and I heated everything up for dinner and set it out on the table. There were different tables filled with people eating, talking and laughing. The kids were running in and out of the house, grabbing snacks or pops as they ran through the dining room. Boys chased girls. Actually, I think it was more girls were chasing one boy, sorry Spencer.

I made a toast to my husband trying to tell him how much I love him. I couldn’t remember much by the time I recited it. It was getting pretty late. So, it wasn’t that good. It ended up being more comedy than romance. That’s okay, I like a romantic comedy. Finally, at the end of the night, when some people left, the food was eaten, and much beer and wine had been consumed, we cranked up the speakers on the I pod and danced…kids and adults alike…on the tables into the wee hours of the night.

Three days later, my family stood together at a glass surrounded room, peering into the newborn nursery, watery eyed and smiling at what could possibly be the most beautiful baby girl ever born.

Jack holding Harper

Jack holding Harper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Her name is Harper Ellen Briggs. Congratulations Jessica and Dusty.

Daphne holding Harper

Daphne holding Harper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We love you. And remember, while each day is the best time to celebrate life, love, and happiness, a party every now and then doesn’t hurt either. Here is a short film of our anniversary party:

 

Fiesta Fajitas

Serves: 30

Prep Time: 3 hours (including time for chicken to marinate)

1 glass of your favorite wine

3 5lb. bags of quartered chicken on the bone

4 cups of marinade (your favorite or my recipe on my blog)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

10 yellow bell peppers

10 red bell peppers

5 large onions

3 cloves of garlic

 

Take a sip of your wine. Wash and dry the chicken. Place it in a large clean tub and completely saturate it with the marinade. Set this aside overnight or for at least two hours. Slice the peppers and onions and garlic. Heat olive oil in a pan, add the peppers, onions, and garlic and cook until tender. Cook the chicken on the grill until cooked through. The grilled meat and veggies are the main components of fajitas. Once these are done, you can put out olives, chili sauces, our cream, cheese, beans, rice, guacamole, or whatever you want. Heat up tortillas and fill them with the desired ingredients. Enjoy!

 Here is the ever evolving Foodista recipe:

 

 

Fajitas on Foodista

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