Ratatouille

Ratatouille has turned into one of our favorite vegetable meals. It's a great way to get some vegetables into your diet with lots of flavor. It's one of our favorite vegetarian meals in the summertime when the vegetables are at their peak of freshness. I got this recipe from the Joy of Cooking cookbook.


Ratatouille

Heat in a large skillet or Dutch oven over high heat:
1/4 cup olive oil
Add 1 medium eggplant (about 1 pound), peeled and cubed and
1 pound zucchini, cubed ( I used yellow squash because that is what I had)
Cook 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove eggplant and zucchini to a plate and reduce heat to medium-high.
Add 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups sliced onions
Cook, stirring, until the onions are slightly softened.
Add:
2 large red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch squares (I only had green peppers) and
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
(I also added about a cup of sliced mushrooms at this point-just because!)
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just tender but not browned, 8 to 12 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add 1 1/2 cups peeled, chopped fresh tomatoes or one 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
and 2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme (these were in my garden!) or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme and
1 bay leaf.
Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the eggplant and zucchini and cook until everything is tender, about 20 minutes more. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Stir in: 1/4 cup chopped basil and sliced black olives, if desired. Doesn't it look pretty?
As you can see I also added mushrooms which gave the dish a "meatier" flavor. I was very surprised at how well my family loved this all vegetable dish.

Black Bean Chili with Red Onion Salsa

This is one of our favorite cold weather recipes. I found this when I was looking for a good black bean soup recipe as I wasn't too thrilled with the one I usually made. I'm thinking I could make this in the crockpot next time :)


A couple of notes on this recipe: If you don't think you would like lots of salsa on your chili, you can halve the ingredients for the Red Onion Salsa. I've also used it to top brats, burritos, or to mix with scrambled eggs. Okay, on to the recipe.

Black Bean Chili

4 cups dried black beans
5 to 6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
Black pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Crushed red pepper or cayenne, to taste
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 medium-sized green bell peppers, chopped
1/2 cup tomato puree
2 (4-oz.) cans diced green chilies
Red Onion Salsa
Grated cheese and sour cream

1. Soak the beans in plenty of water for several hours or over night. Drain off the soaking water, and cook in fresh boiling water, partly covered, until tender. Check the water level during cooking; add more as necessary. Transfer the cooked beans to a large kettle or saucepan. Include about 2 to 3 cups of their cooking water.


2. In a heavy skillet, saute garlic, seasonings, lime juice, and bell peppers in olive oil over medium-low heat until peppers are tender.


3. Add the saute to the cooked beans, along with tomato puree and canned green chilies. Simmer, covered, over very low heat, stirring every now and then for about 45 minutes. (Make salsa at this time.)


4. Serve topped with Red Onion Salsa, grated cheese, and sour cream.

Red Onion Salsa
2 cups chopped red onion
1/2 cup packed minced fresh cilantro
2 cups minced fresh ripe tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed minced fresh parsley
Black pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients and mix well. For a finer consistency, give the mixture a brief whirl or two in a food processor or blender.

6 to 8 servings

I usually serve this with the Red Onion Salsa, sour cream or Greek-style yogurt, and tortilla chips.

Arroz con Pollo

I'm not sure where I got this recipe but I've made it a few times and my family loves it. It's a easy one-dish recipe, which makes me wonder why I don't make it more often. As usual, I make the recipe according to what I want to change or add to it, to make it the way my family would like or what I have on hand. Since red bell peppers are so expensive during the winter, I usually buy them when they are cheap in the summer from a local farm stand, chop them up, and put them in small bags in the freezer. I have made this recipe with and without the 2 ounces of ham.

Arroz con Pollo

1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 chicken thighs
4 chicken drumsticks
2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 oz. smoked ham, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 3/4 cups canned tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups canned chicken broth or homemade stock
1 cup rice, preferably long-grain
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

In a large, deep frying pan, heat the oil over moderately high heat. Season the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Cook the chicken, turning, until well browned, about 8 minutes in all. Remove. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan.

Reduce the heat to moderately low. Add the ham, onion, and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften, about 3 minutes longer.

Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, and the remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper and bring to a simmer. Stir in the rice and add the chicken in an even layer. Simmer, partially covered, over moderately low heat until the chicken and rice are just done, 20 to 25 minutes, adding more broth if necessary if the rice isn't completely tender but has soaked up all the liquid. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. Serves 4.

Calico Beans

Since going back to work I'm learning to use my crockpot more and last week I cooked my dry beans in it to freeze for later. I also made this recipe that I got from Organized Everyday and it was a big hit with the whole family. I know there are lots of different ways to make this dish but I've never tried any of them before and since a fellow blogger recommended it, I thought I would give it a try. This recipe makes lots and lots so I usually make the whole batch and freeze the rest for another time, which will really come in handy to have when I need to focus on holiday meals in the next few weeks. My notes or variations on the recipe are in italics.

Calico Beans

1 pound of lean ground beef, (I had some already cooked in the freezer)

1 large onion, diced, brown these together and drain

1 dried bag of 15 bean mix: cook in pressure cooker until done

OR you can buy canned beans: 2 cans of kidney beans and 2 cans of garbanzo beans (or store them cooked and frozen in the freezer)

In the crockpot add:

Beef, onions, and beans plus

2 cans of baked beans (any brand)

1 cup of real bacon bits or fry your own (6 slices) (I fried the bacon and onion together)

1/2 c. ketchup

1/2 c. of brown sugar

1 T. vinegar

1 t. of prepared mustard

1 t. salt

Mix it all and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6 hours

OR in the oven 350 degrees for 1 hour

If you choose to fry your own bacon, cooking it with the onions saves time..

If you do not have a pressure cooker, you can still cook your own dried beans in the crockpot, but you have to plan for this a day in advance. (I cooked the beans ahead of time and stored them in the freezer until I put them in the crockpot.)

This is really good with cornbread :)

I'm linking up with The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap and EKat's Kitchen Friday Potluck

Chicken and Dumplings

I've been making chicken and dumplings for years and years, thanks to my mom who gave me her old 1970's Pillsbury Cookbook when I was a young wife. I pretty much learned how to cook from that old cookbook and wish I still had it. Chicken and Dumplings is one of our family's favorites and it's another one of those good one-pot kind of dinners that are so easy on the cook.

Chicken and Dumplings

6 chicken thighs (This is just what I had on hand-you can use whatever chicken pieces you want, even boneless)
1/2 chopped medium onion
olive oil, butter, or chicken fat
2 carrots, sliced
chicken broth, to cover the chicken
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
Sprinkle the chicken pieces on both sides with salt and pepper. Melt the oil in the bottom of your Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown on both sides. Remove the chicken to a plate and add the onions and carrots to the pan for about 5 minutes, adding more oil if necessary. Also add the thyme and poultry seasoning. Sprinkle the flour in the bottom of the pan and stir well. It will form a paste. Add the chicken and broth. Let it cook until the chicken is tender but not falling off the bone. Taste your broth and add more thyme, salt and pepper as desired. Make sure the stew is softly boiling before adding the dumplings.

Fluffy Dumplings

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon minced parsley (I didn't have parsley but I did have dried chives)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons oil or melted butter
1 egg, slightly beaten

In a medium bowl, combine the first 4 ingredients. Stir in the remaining ingredients just until dry ingredients are moistened. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto hot chicken or meat in boiling stew. Cook covered, 12 to 15 minutes or until dumplings are fluffy and no longer doughy underneath.

I'm linking up with Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, and Tuesdays at the Table.

Spaghetti con Aglio e Olio

This is a recipe I got out of a Rachael Ray cookbook. I've made this several times and it is surprisingly satisfying. Really, really good.

1 pound spaghetti

1/3 cup olive oil

8 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

8 to 10 anchovy fillets*

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Heat a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Salt the water and cook the pasta until al dente, 6 to 7 minutes. While the pasta cooks, place a large skillet over medium-low heat. When the pan is warm, add the olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and anchovies. Chop the parsley and set aside.

Drain the spaghetti really well but do not rinse it; rinsing will wash off the starch, and the starch helps the oil stick to the pasta. Pour the hot spaghetti into the skillet. Add the parsley and toss the pasta together with the anchovies, garlic, and oil to coat evenly. Season the completed dish liberally with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

*Anchovy paste can also be used. Also, if you think you don't like anchovies, you might be surprised that you actually like this dish. The anchovies will melt into the oil and break up completely. Help break them up with a wooden spoon as they cook. Once they melt into oil, the anchovies will no longer taste fishy.

I'm joining in the Make It From Scratch Carnival and the Ultimate Recipe Swap today.

What I Did With 10 Pounds of Chicken Leg Quarters

When I find a great deal at the grocery store, especially on items that are generally more expensive, like protein products, I usually snatch it up. So, every 3 or 4 months, my local grocery store advertises a 10-pound bag of chicken quarters for $3.80, it's hard not to buy. Thirty-eight cents per pound for any kind of chicken is just hard to pass up, even though it's not my family's favorite part of the bird. So what can I do with it?



Well, bring out the slow-cooker, of course!



I rinsed the pieces off in the sink and put all 10 pounds of them into the crockpot. I added some celery, onion, carrots, salt, pepper, and a splash of apple cider vinegar. The vinegar helps to bring out the minerals and nutrition from bones and into the stock. I let it do it's thing until the meat on the bones were practically falling off, about 6 hours. I then took a large slotted spoon and took out the meat pieces, allowed them to cool, and then took the meat off the bones.
I put the bones back into the crockpot and let it continue to cook for another few hours, and above is what I was left with. I love the rich color of the broth!
I poured the broth and bones into a large colander placed over a large bowl to separate the two and above is all that was left, just bones and cooked-down vegetables. Oops! There's a large piece of stray thigh meat. That goes in the with the rest of the meat.

I now have a very large bag of cooked chicken meat that I put into the freezer and a large bowl of homemade chicken broth that I put into the freezer overnight so the fat can rise to the top. In the morning, I scrap the fat off and save it for sauteeing vegetables and meats. With my chicken and broth, I'm ready to make possibly some chicken pot pie.

Or, I could make some yummy chicken and dumplings. Do you have some favorite recipes that you use for cooked chicken? I'd love to hear! I'm always looking for a new recipe to use up what I already have.

I'm participating in Foodie Fridays and The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.