Chicken and Shrimp Casserole

Chicken and Shrimp Casserole #1  Kids love this

2# chicken, raw breast or thighs, cut into chunks

1# med shrimp, raw but without the shell

1t olive oil

1/2 c mayonnaise

1/2 c prepared Ranch Dressing

1 onion, med dice

1 stalk of celery, med dice 

4 c prepared stuffing  (I make my own favorite, my daughter uses stove top)

Saute the onions and celery in the olive oil just until the onion is translucent. Mix together the chicken, shrimp, veggies, mayo and dressing. Pack it into a buttered/sprayed/greased casserole dish. Top with the stuffing and bake for 35 minutes at 375 degrees. 

A couple of notes: I prefer chicken thighs because they offer better flavor. I prefer my own stuffing because the boxed stuff is too salty. This is easy to make ahead by preparing it and throwing it in the freezer or fridge. If you are starting with a frozen casserole, bake it for an hour. I serve it with a green salad.

Chicken and Shrimp Casserole #2  Kids do not love this

2# chicken thighs, cut into chunks

1# med. shrimp, cleaned

1T olive oil, 

1 onion, med dice

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4c Parmesan cheese

1c fresh bread crumbs

1T butter, melted

1t fresh thyme

salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter and toss it with the crumbs and the cheese. Set aside. SAute the onions and garlic in the olive oil until translucent. Toss the onion mixture with the raw chicken and shrimp and the thyme. Place in buttered casserole and top with the crumb/cheese mixture. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. I serve this with pasta and a green salad.

2 Post Holiday Soups

Turkey Noodle Soup

2 Onions, med dice
2 Carrots, med dice
2 stalks of celery, med dice
1T Olive Oil
8 oz box of ditalini pasta, cooked
4 cups leftover turkey, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
Salt and Pepper
1 cup fresh herbs, chopped (Sage, oregano, basil, tarragon, rosemary, chervil, cilantro are all good        choices. Or try a mixture)
12 cups of turkey stock (This can be made from the leftover carcass or purchased in a can or carton)

Saute the vegetables in the oil in a dutch oven or soup pot. Season well with salt and pepper and de-glaze the pan with white wine. Add all of the stock and bring to a simmer. Add the turkey to the pot and bring to a simmer. Add the cooked pasta and the herbs and serve.

Ham and Bean

2 Onions, med dice

2 Carrots, med dice

2 stalks of celery, med dice

1T Olive Oil

1# dry navy beans, soaked over night 

4 cups chopped ham

1 ham bone

12 cups water

4T fresh parsley

Saute vegetables in olive oil until the onion is translucent. Add the ham bone and the navy beans, bring to a slow boil and cook for 11/2 hours. Remove ham bone from soup. Add chopped ham and fresh parsley. Serve immediately.

Bonus: Making good stock.

Good stock does not happen with scraps. Good stock is the most important ingredient in any soup and it is not hard to make. Here is a basic stock recipe.

2 Onions

4 Carrots

4 Stalks of Celery

2T Olive Oil

5# of bones (chicken or turkey. beef is another whole recipe)

2 bay leaves

1t peppercorns

1 bouquet garni (put sprigs of rosemary, thyme, and oregano into a cheesecloth bag)

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Rough chop all of the veg. Coat with oil and roast in a hot (450) oven until they start to blacken at the edges. Put the roasted veg and all of the rest of the ingredients in a stock pot.Add enough water to cover the bones and veg by 2-4 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours, skimming the top as needed. Strain well and chill.

Brussels Sprouts and Mushrooms w/ Buttermilk Biscuits

Oddly enough, I've enjoyed Brussels Sprouts since I was a kid. But until just a few years ago I had only had them boiled. Lately though I have found a whole heap of recipes that utilize them in many different ways. Here is a stew that I particularly like. The recipe is adapted from one that is used in the dining halls at Middlebury College. At home I use a combination of fresh and dried mushrooms which include chanterelle, porcini, black trumpet, and portobello. In the dining hall we use button mushrooms. Up to you. I was never much at biscuits. But recently I learned how to make a very nice one, so I'll share it here and save you from using the frozen ones.

Preheat your oven to 425

1# Brussels Sprouts, cleaned and trimmed
3 strips of good bacon
1# assorted mushrooms
2 onions, medium dice
3T flour
2T butter
1/2 c red wine
3c chicken or vegetable stock
1 doz buttermilk biscuits (make them yourself, recipe follows)

Blanch and shock the Brussels Sprouts. Chop the bacon and render it in a stockpot or dutch oven. When crispy, remove the bacon and add the butter. Add the onions and mushrooms and saute until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms have rendered their liquid. Add the flour and cook roux for 3-5 minutes...a little color is a good thing. Deglaze with the wine and then add the stock. Add the Brussels Sprouts and the bacon bits and simmer for 30 minutes over low heat until the sprouts are softer and the gravy has thickened.

While the stew simmers, make these biscuits.

2c flour
1/4t baking soda
1T baking powder
1t salt
6T butter, cut into chunks
1c buttermilk

In a food processor, add the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter in chunks, it should be ice cold. Pulse a few times until the flour resembles cracker meal. Now dump in the buttermilk, turn on the processor and run it JUST UNTIL THE DOUGH STICKS TOGETHER. Not a minute more.
Dump the whole mess onto a floured board. Pat with your hands to about a half inch or so. This dough is soft and wet, so flour your hands if needed. Fold it on itself and pat it down again. Do that 3 more times. Now pat it down to about an inch or so thick. Use a cutter to make about 10 biscuits. Once you've cut all you can, pull the scraps together, pat to about an inch and cut out as many more as you can. I usually get 3 more.
Bake them on a cookie sheet, not touching for 11 minutes. This will give crispy sides that hold up better to the gravy.
The trick, I have learned, is to touch the dough as little as possible. The less you touch it, the better the biscuits taste and the more flaky they turn out.

Once the stew is done, top it with the biscuits and serve it up. Yum!

Spicy Black Bean Soup

Soup is probably my favorite thing to cook. There are just so many variations. Each time I make soup, I approach the stock pot as if it were a blank canvas. Soup allows me to layer on flavor, stack sensations, and gleefully play with texture. I love soup.

I don't have a favorite soup, though I have a list of favorites. Every cuisine offers its own best soup and I enjoy favorites in each that I have encountered. Here's a black bean soup that I enjoy in the winter. The spicy heat and the heartiness of the beans are a great end to a snowy day, all warm and comfortable.....


Spicy Black Bean Soup

1# Dry Black Beans, soaked in water overnight.
2 Onions, medium dice
2 Celery stalks, medium dice
1 Each, Red and Green Bell Peppers, medium dice
2 Jalapeno peppers, small dice leaving in seeds and ribs
2 cloves Garlic, rough chop
2 cans Ro-Tel tomatoes
8 cups beef stock*
1# Chorizo sausage, half moons
1T Cumin
1t Coriander
1T Chili powder
2T Olive Oil
Salt and Black Pepper to taste

In a soup pot heat the olive oil. When shimmering, add the onions, celery, peppers, and garlic and saute over med-high heat until the onions are translucent. Add the cumin, coriander, and chili powder and cook for 3 minutes more. Add the stock and the beans. Simmer, covered, for 1-2 hours or until beans are soft. When the beans are soft add the tomatoes and the chorizo. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the chorizo is heated through.

Serve with crispy tortilla strips, sour cream, avocado, and queso fresco (or farmers cheese)

*(Substituting vegetable stock and omitting the chorizo makes a wonderful vegan option)

Spicy Cauliflower and Peas

Yuletide approaches and I am looking forward to the fun. Unlike the commercial christmas, or the Christian Christmas, Yule is a recognition of the long night and a celebration of the return of the power of the sun. Starting at sunrise the next day, the sun begins to rise higher and linger a bit longer in the sky each day. Although the winter begins and the cold weather deepens, Yule is the celebration of the certain knowledge that the sun will, indeed, rise again. As a part of our celebration we will extinguish the hearth fire in the morning, experience the chill of a cold hearth, and relight the fire to began cooking our celebratory meal. The effectiveness of this ritual lies in the fact that we heat exclusively with wood. Putting out our hearth fire is dangerous, to an extent lesser than that of our ancestors, but still unsettling. There is great joy when the fire takes and the stove begins to warm again.

If you happen to be a pagan who is celebrating Yule, Merry Meet! Blessings on your celebration!

What do all the hippest Witches serve at Yule? Well, for me and mine, here is our menu for the evening celebration.

Spicy Cauliflower and Peas

Roasted Pork Loin w/ sage stuffing

Brussels Sprouts Salad w/ Almonds, Craisins, Bacon and Blue Cheese

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Buttermilk Biscuits

Caesar Salad

Baked Apple Dumplings

Spiced Hard Cider

Eggnog

Which recipe to share...hmmmm. Ok.

Spicy Cauliflower and Peas

1 head of Cauliflower, cut into small, flat planks

1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes

1/2 c frozen peas

1 small onion, diced

2T Olive oil or Ghee

1T Garam Masala

1t chopped garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Lightly steam the cauliflower. Heat a grill to hot. Add Olive oil or ghee and heat to just smoking. Add the cauliflower and let it start to brown. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes and peas and heat through. Sprinkle generously with garam masala and salt and pepper. Serve immediately, very hot.

Blessed Yule, everyone. And a Merry Christmas.

"Unbaked" Macaroni and Cheese

Let's talk about comfort food.

Here is a recipe for macaroni and cheese that is one of y favorites. Now, depending on which side of the baked/not baked aisle you stand, you will love it or hate it. I like baked macaroni and cheese okay, but I grew up on unbaked, very creamy mac and cheese and that is ow I like it best. I also like easy. Cooking for a living means that sometimes you really don't want to cook when you get home. This is a great way to have an easy, satisfying meal with a minimum of effort. Enjoy.

Boil up a 1 lb box of macaroni. While it cooks put the following into a large glass bowl (big enough to hold everything AND the macaroni):

1/2c cream, warm or room temp

2T soft butter

1/4c each fontina, blue cheese, mild cheddar, american. All should be shredded (the american can be torn into small pieces)

1/2t salt

1/4t pepper

When the macaroni has cooked to the al dente stage (probably a minute shorter than the time listed on the box) drain it and immediately dump the macaroni into the glass bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let sit for 6-8 minutes. Uncover and stir. If the sauce is too "wet", cook briefly over medium heat until the desired consistency is reached. Serve hot.

This is an easy recipe to adapt by adding ham or vegetables or even by baking it with croutons or what have you.