EASY CHICKEN TACO SOUP

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 7 Hours

Attention all Foodie Friends with a slow cooker!!!

This one dish wonder is a hearty combination of beans, corn, tomatoes, and taco seasonings, slow cooked with white meat chicken. It's deliciously finished with Cheddar cheese & Sour cream, then served with your favorite tortilla chips!

My instincts told me that this would be a crowd pleaser, so I bravely decided to serve it to guests my first time making it. What a hit!! Everyone loved it.

Made mostly of canned ingredients that are easily found in the grocery store, this tasty soup lets the slow cooker do the work so you don't have to! This recipe makes 6 servings.

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped 1 (16 ounce) can chili beans 1 (15 ounce) can black beans 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, undrained 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with

green chilies, undrained 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning 3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts Shredded Cheddar cheese Sour cream Lots of tortilla chips!

Directions:

1.	Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
2.	Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and put chicken back into the soup. Continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and your favorite tortilla chips. Muy facil y delicioso!!!

INSALATA MISTA

Having just re-watched the movie "Julie & Julia", I feel inspired to dig thru my cookbooks and make something really tasty. But no worries, I am not going to attempt "Beef Borgonion" like Julia did. 



With Springtime coming (and thus diet season approaching,) I am in search of a main dish salad.


I pulled out my copy of  The Silver Spoon cookbook. I would describe The Silver Spoon as an Italian version of Joy of Cooking. This cookbook is HUGE, with only a few photos, but over 1200 pages of really worthwhile, authentic Italian recipes!

I settled on making "Insalata Mista Al Tonno", a mixed tuna salad. 
Here is the recipe:  (makes four servings)

9 ounces of canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 
1 bunch of arugula, rinsed
1 radicchio, trimmed
1 red bell pepper, halved seeded and cut into strips
1 celery stalk, cut into thin batons
1 round fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges (or use grape tomatoes)
9 oz canned tuna in oil, drained and flaked
1/2 cup pitted black olives
4 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch of dried Oregano
Salt & Pepper

Put the beans, arugula, radicchio, bell pepper, celery, fennel, and tomatoes in a salad bowl. Add tuna and olives. Whisk together olive oil, oregano, and pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl. Pour dressing over the salad, toss and serve. Some crusty Italian bread and chilled Pigno Grigio would complete the meal nicely if so desired. (Or, just a large glass of water with lemon is perfect if you are trying to trim down for Spring!)

This main dish salad is a real winner! It's delicious, healthy, colorful, high protein, low carb, and super tasty! You can make it earlier in the day and then refrigerate until you are ready to serve it. Then, get ready for the thundering applause...another midweek-meal success story! Woo hoo!

 

FAVORITE CHICKEN & FAR EAST SLAW

FAVORITE CHICKEN & FAR EAST SLAW

Um, Hi Everybody!! I know, I know, you are probably saying "Fifi who?" Well, it's true, I have finally recovered from a very severe case of writer's block. I am back to blogging!

I figured I would jump start my food blog again with two recipes, one that I have been making for 25 years, and one that I made for the first time last week. Both are super easy and yum.

We call this "Favorite Chicken" in our house because it tastes sooo good & goes with almost any side dish. Plus the leftovers taste superb cold (a good "grab and run out the door" lunch) as well as in a sandwich with roasted peppers and mozzarella, or even sliced up over a salad. I usually make a big batch so that we have extra during the week. It's even tasty enough to serve to dinner guests, especially with hot peppers or chimichurri. :-)

Ingredients:
2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast pounded and cut into serving size portions
2-3 eggs, whisked in a mixing bowl
2 cups of Italian bread crumbs in a mixing bowl
olive oil
vegetable oil

 

 

Heat about 1/3 cup of both oils together in a large fry pan. Let the oil get really hot. Meanwhile, thoroughly immerse the pounded chicken into the eggs. Let the excess drip back into the bowl. Then, dip into the bowl of bread crumbs, completely coating the piece of chicken. Place in sizzling oil in fry pan. Fill pan with pieces of chicken and let each piece slowly brown, thoroughly on each side. Once cooked, remove each piece and place on serving platter. That's it! You wont believe how juicy and tasty it will be.

Next I will tell you about Far East Slaw. You see, we use crushed red pepper at the dinner table quite often, so I buy a large container of it at Costco.

On the back of the container, McCormick lists a recipe for Far East Slaw. So one night the family was like "When are you gonna make this Far East Slaw?! We wanna taste it!" (which is understandable since they have sat there and looked at the recipe so many times while eating). I went out and got the ingredients, and made it the very next night, changing a few things to my liking. Another easy and delicious recipe! It definitely has a distinct Asian taste to it. Next time I think I will add cooked chicken breast and sesame seeds, and serve it as a main course salad.

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) bag of fresh coleslaw mix
1 cup of chopped radishes
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Mix all ingredients together, toss and refrigerate. Serve cold.

So there you have it folks! Something old, something new, everything Fifi-tastic! Thanks for following my blog and I promise to keep sharing Fabulous things with all of you, my Foodie Friends! XOXOX

Paulie's Zuppa di Pesce

PAULIE'S ZUPPA DE PESCE

This is an amazing recipe from our friend Paul Brusaschi. He is technically from Australia....but between his last name and the way he cooks, he definitely has to be part Italian as far as I am concerned. After eating this "fa boo" meal at his house, he texted me this recipe while waiting for a bus in NYC. He knows the recipe by heart?? Now that is a real chef!!


  
                                                          
Rather than the usual format, I am going to share it with you the way he texted it to me....

"Brown 2 onions, shallots, chopped celery & garlic in olive oil. Then add one large "tin" (that's "can" to us Americans) of crushed tomatoes, some dry sherry, and 3 cups of stock, fish stock if possible. Then add thyme, oregano, 1/2 tsp. saffron, salt and pepper to taste. Then add small red "spuds" (potatoes) cut into quarters, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add seafood (Paul used a white fish cut into small pieces, mussels, and shrimp). Then cook for 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley, and serve with a good, crusty white bread. Done!"

Well, before blogging about it,I had to go ahead and try making it myself. Here goes!

                        Ahh, the kitchen had already begun to smell AMAZING.

I knew I was on the right track. I did not have fish stock, so I used organic chicken stock. I found a medley of small gourmet potatoes at Costco. They were red, white and a beautiful purple. As far as the seafood goes, I used calamari rings, shrimp, scallops, and mussels. My shrimp were on the small side; next time I will use larger shrimp, like Paul did,  for more "wow" factor.

The parsley was an amazing finishing touch. So if you want to cook something fairly easy that tastes like it came from a restaurant, This is a perfect dish for guests! I made enough for 8 people with leftovers. It even tastes good the next day.Serve it with a loaf of crusty bread (for mopping up the juices!) and a nice bottle of white wine.

Also. keep an empty bowl on the table for the mussel shells, and the shrimp tails if you left them on. If you desire to enjoy the full seafood experience, then order some plastic lobster bibs on the Internet. Fabulous!!

 You will see what I made for dessert in my next post!

Ciao for now...

Dee-Licious Sri Lankan Dinner!

Hello Foodie Friends! I know you have been waiting very long for this special post! Thank you for your patience. A dear friend of mine, Dee Gunawaithe, is from the lovely and amazing Land of Sri Lanka. Dee is an absolutely fabulous cook! She loves to cook, and make people happy with her delicious concoctions.

She came to my house one day recently, and taught a group of our friends how to cook several Sri Lankan dishes. She works so fast in the kitchen that it was hard to keep up with everything she was doing!! We took notes as best we could, and today I am going to share 2 of her recipes with you. Dee, like any professional cook, does not use exact measurements, so I have tried to give you an idea of how much she used of each ingredient. You can add more or less of anything depending on your taste. Give these recipes a try. You wont be sorry!

Chicken Curry (so tender and yummy)

6 lbs of chicken, cut into cutlet pieces

½ onion, sliced

½ inch thick slice of ginger, minced

3 small hot peppers, sliced down the side to open but left whole

7-8 cloves of garlic, minced

7 tablespoons veg. oil

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin powder

6 oz tomato paste

Less than one tablespoon tamarind

Salt, to taste (Dee uses lots!)

1 ½ cans coconut milk

Water

Directions-

Mix onion, ginger, pepper, garlic in large saucepan and saute with the vegetable oil on high.

Add chicken into spices, turn to low.

After evenly covered, add chili powder, cumin, tomato paste, tamarind, salt and coconut oil. Also refill the empty can 1 ½  times with water, getting the coconut off the edges of the can and pour that in too. Mix evenly and leave on high for about 2-5 minutes..

Switch to low, cover and let it cook for about 20 minutes.. garnish with parsley and serve.

                                                                   

                                            What a magnificent main course!

Sri Lankan Rice  (this is no ordinary rice, let me tell you)

10 cups white basmati rice

½ onion, in long slivers

6 cinnamon sticks

7-8 cardamom (nuggets?) cracked open with the handle of a knife

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

14 cups cold water

Directions-

Rinse rice in strainer

Saute the onion slivers, cardamom, and cinnamon sticks in the vegetable oil in a large saucepan on high for about 5-7 mins..

After sauteed, put all ten uncooked cups of rice in sauce pan with mixture. cook that way for a few minutes.

Then, pour all of the cold water into the rice and spices. Bring to boil on high.

Turn to low after boiling.

Turn and stir periodically until water is absorbed.

Dee cooked so many different things that night! It was fabulous.

Hopefully Dee will teach me more Sri Lankan cooking techniques soon. Thank you Dee, for an amazing meal!

Penne with White Beans and Tomatoes

You probably thought I was never going to blog again, but here I am! You may be wondering what happened to me.... Well, my whole life changed one night in early November. We had a relaxing evening planned of wine & take out Thai food on the couch while watching TV. Anyways, we ended up watching a food documentary, FORKS OVER KNIVES.

FORKS OVER KNIVES examines the claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting animal-based and processed foods. As I watched, I could feel myself choking on my Pork entree.... The documentary definitely encourages a plant-based diet. (Why hadn't I just put on the new Sherlock Holmes movie or something??) Anyway, if you want to know more about the documentary, check out the website: www.forksoverknives.com .

Well.... when the movie ended, my husband Randy made a proclamation that we, as a family, would change the way we eat, and that we should start  the very next day! He has long been a believer in the Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid created by Dr. Andrew Weil. Here it is.

(see below)

This was definitely going to be a big change for us! This meant eating a lot more vegetables than we had been. We also were used to eating lots of chicken, beef, pork, etc. as well as stuff like ice cream and of course, Italian bread. The first few times I went food shopping, my head was SPINNING as I tried to figure out what to get and prepare, that could still be as tasty and appealing as before.

Little by little, I've slowly figured it out, and I am once again excited about food-blogging! We have been doing a great job of sticking closely to the food pyramid, and we still have treats like steak or cheesecake a few times a month. Everything in moderation, right??

The funny thing is, the recipe I am sharing with you today is one I have been making since I was a newlywed. (That is 23 years ago, in case you are wondering) It's yummy, easy and filling. (Not to mention that it would get a "thumbs up" from Dr. Andrew Weil!) It's a perfect meal for a chilly winter evening!

PENNE WITH WHITE BEANS AND TOMATOES
1 pound penne pasta (now I use brown rice pasta, but regular tastes great also)
1 can cannellini beans, drained
8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 bunch fresh sage leaves, stems removed
1 large can plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese (as garnish)

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic and sage leaves and saute', stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes. add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the beans, and cover the pan with the lid slightly ajar and simmer for about ten more minutes.

Meanwhile, bring salted water to a boil and cook the penne until al dente. Drain the pasta and transfer to the saucepan containing the bean and tomato mixture. Stir well to coat the pasta, and then spoon out into individual bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve at once.

Enjoy! And have a healthy start to 2012!!!

SURF & TURF KABOBS

If you are a "Foodie", today's post will most definitely blow you away......

My Nephew Jon is passionate about food. Well...actually that is an understatement. He doesn't view his meals as merely "sustenance". He views most every meal as a multi-sensory "experience".

When Jon finds a recipe that looks appealing to him, he will take it, and put his own personal twists on it, to even make it better! This recipe is an example of his gastronomic talent. Just in time for grilling season!!

SURF & TURF KABOBS

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs of ground meat of your choice (Jon chose to use a mixture of ground turkey and ground Chorizo sausage meat)
2 tsp. kosher salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup coarsely grated red onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 lbs med/large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cooked (tails off)
Vegetable oil (for brushing)
Wooden or metal Kabob skewers

Directions:
Place ground meat into large bowl. Add salt, garlic, red onion, cilantro, cumin, red pepper flakes, & black pepper. Mix all ingredients together very well, using your hands. (Hint: wear disposable latex gloves or make sure your hands are freshly washed!)

Look, it's beautiful already!! Next, skewer four or five shrimp per kabob. Then, also using your hands, mold enough of the meat mixture around the skewered shrimp so that the shrimp are mostly covered (see photo below)

Place kabobs on cookie sheet, and chill in your freezer for about 20 minutes. This firms up the meat so that your kabobs stay intact while grilling. All of the above can be done up to 6 hours ahead of time. Just cover and chill until you are ready.

Brush kabobs with oil and grill, turning occasionally until nicely charred and cooked through, 6-8 minutes per side.

We enjoyed these magnificent Kabobs with Rice & Tzaziki Sauce. The spicy meat mingled perfectly with the taste of the shrimp, and we found that one kabob per person was quite filling. He made them again for us with just the ground turkey (no chorizo) and it was just as delicious! Maybe just a little less spicy-hot.

It's already been several days since we ate these. But if I close my eyes, I can still imagine the authentic Mediterranean flavors in my mouth. Mmm....

I think I am guilty of being passionate about food as well.

Please! Leave a comment letting us know what you think about this recipe!!! Thanks :-)

PASTA RAPIDO! Quick & Delicious

Whew! I just got over a terrible case of writer's block. Sorry!

I hope this yummy, easy recipe will make up for it. It's called Pasta Rapido, and I've been cookin' this stuff for at least 20 years. I usually make it as a side dish for breaded chicken cutlets, but it's hearty enough to stand on it's own if you prefer.

You know where I got this recipe from? One of those good old fashioned Sunset paperback cookbooks. The collection of  Sunset cookbooks definitely fall into the "oldie but goodie" category. You may want to pick one up if you see any at a yard sale this summer.

PASTA RAPIDO

1/2 cup olive oil
2 small dried hot red chilies, broken into pieces
3or 4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped (I usually use Italian parsley, but we had some fresh curly parsley from the garden so I just used that this time, and it tasted just as good)
1 lb your favorite pasta (we like thin spaghetti)

Start salted water boiling for pasta. Then heat olive oil over low heat in medium saucepan. Add chilies and cook until they begin to brown.

Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds or until limp (do not brown). Add salt and parsley and cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes more. Remove from heat.

Your water for the pasta should be boiling by now, so add the pasta and cook until Al dente. Drain, toss with your freshly made mixture of parsley goodness, and it is ready to serve. We always like it topped with a few shakes of Parmesan cheese. 

                                  It's quick ("rapido"), easy, and delicious! Mangia!

SHRIMP ORZO, MASSAGES, AND FACIALS, OH MY!

Last week my friend Robin hosted a wonderful Ladies "Spa Day" at her home in New Vernon, NJ.

Adina (Massage Therapist) and Ruth (Esthetician) offered their services to all of Robin's guests throughout the day. Meanwhile in the kitchen, Robin offered a bountiful buffet of delicious food choices, beverages, and dessert bites for everyone to enjoy. Everyone was all smiles as we took in the "Spa" atmosphere, the relaxing music, and enjoyed one another's company.

One of the food treats she offered stood out as "a must" for today's blog entry. It was so delicious I could have finished off the entire serving bowl myself!

(kinda tacky behavior for a ladies spa day...don't cha think?)

Anyway, she kindly shared the recipe with me, so now I can share it with all of you!! An added plus is that it can be prepared in advance! It can be served warm, room temperature, or even cold.

ROASTED SHRIMP ORZO

• Kosher salt
• Good  quality olive oil
• 3/4 pound orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds (16 to 18 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
• 1 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
• 1/2 cup small-diced red onion
• 3/4 pound good quality feta cheese, largely diced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Don't overcook!

Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.

Quick Bites: Unforgettable Burger

Keeping dinner "interesting" isn't easy.

Last summer, our friends Heather and John had us over for burgers. But not just any burgers.....super-amazing, uniquely interesting, fan-tab-ulous burgers!

Yesterday I was looking at my organic ground beef burgers defrosting and I thought, how boring. But then, images of those magnificent burgers they made for us last summer flashed into my head, and I immediately recalled the unforgettable, yet easy, ingredients for this decadent meal.

Here goes:
4 beef patties (you can use turkey or veggie burgers too)
4 kaiser rolls (nice, soft, squishy ones)
4 fried eggs
4 slices of Muenster cheese
4 slices of Canadian bacon (or you can go a little crazy and use pork roll or Taylor ham)
4 dollops of guacamole
salt and pepper as desired

Prepare the eggs and Canadian bacon (the slices shrink so feel free to use 2 or 3 per burger). Then cook your burgers well and melt a slice of cheese on top of each burger.

Arrange as follows:
On the bottom half of the roll start with your fried egg.

Next is the Canadian bacon, then burger with cheese.

 Then smear some guacamole on the top half of the roll.

Place it on top of your "tower of deliciousness", and you have now gone from "ordinary burger" to "gastronomic experience"!!!!!!!!!

I served it with Veggie Straws, deli pickles, and Birch Beer. How easy was that? (So whadda ya think?)  If you have a favorite burger with interesting toppings, please, share your secrets with Fifi.......