Category: Cooking

Chicken Lo Mein

Every week I am faced with the same dilemma…. What should I make for dinner? I go through a list of ideas in my head to see which one sparks enthusiasm and makes my taste buds feel excited. As many people do, I have a few good standby’s that I turn to when I just can’t think of anything else. And there are those times when I want to try something new. As was the case when I decided to make Chicken Lo Mein recently. I had come across a recipe in a magazine that I was sure I had ripped out, but, when I went to go look for it, I couldn’t find it. So, I turned to the internet to get some ideas for a recipe. After reading a few, I created my own that turned out delicious and best of all, quick and easy to make.

A few of the recipes I saw called for chicken breasts, but I opted to use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead as I find chicken thighs absorb the flavor of a dish better (especially sauces) and they do not dry out as easily as chicken breasts does when slightly overcooked.  And while I did plan on using Lo Mein noodles, they weren’t available at my local supermarket so I went with Linguine instead, you could also use spaghetti if you have a preference. One other change I made was the oil I used. Most of the recipes I saw online called for sesame oil, I used canola oil instead. Simply because I had it on hand and I knew it was a good substitute.

To make the dish I started by cooking the linguine per the package instructions. Once ready, I drained and then tossed them with a bit of oil before setting aside. Meanwhile, I cooked the chicken in a large skillet for a few minutes and then added in the vegetables. After cooking for an additional few minutes, to allow the vegetable to become tender, I added the sauce and noodles and tossed everything together. After letting it cook for a few more minutes it was ready to enjoy!

Chicken Lo Mein

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized chunks

3 tablespoons canola oil

1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2 teaspoon corn starch

8 ounces linguine

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons minced ginger

1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips

8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced

2 carrots, cut into matchsticks

2 cups broccoli florets

Salt & pepper

Directions:

Cook the noodles per the package instructions, then drain and toss with 1 teaspoon of canola oil. Cover to keep warm.

In a small bowl whisk together the soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch and 1 of the minced garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon of the minced ginger.

Season the chicken with a teaspoon each of salt & pepper.

Heat 3 tablespoons of canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes, until it’s no longer pink on the outside.

Add the remaining garlic and ginger, along with the vegetables – pepper, mushrooms, carrots and broccoli – to the skillet with the chicken and cook covered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender. Add the soy sauce mixture along with the cooked linguine and stir to combine – it might be easier to use tongs to toss everything together. Cover and allow to cook for a few more minutes for the flavors to meld.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula

Chicken Lasagna Soup

It had been a few years since my neck of the woods had measurable snow fall, but last week that changed when a Nor’easter dropped a few inches of snow that required me to break out of my shovel and get to work. And unfortunately, it wasn’t the nice powdery snow that’s easy to shovel, it was the heavy wet snow that can be a bit of a back-breaker to clean. The snow also brought with it colder temperatures. The weekend before the snow it was in the 50’s, but after the snow it was in the 30’s with wind chills making it feel much colder. Thankfully, I had today’s delicious soup to enjoy on those cold days, a Chicken Lasagna Soup. I know the name might conjure up all kinds of ideas as to what it could be, but it’s pretty much a very fancy chicken noodle soup.

So, why a Chicken Lasagna Soup? Well, I have a recipe for a lasagna that I want to make, and I tend to purchase grocery items that I know I am going to need in the future when they are on sale, so I bought the lasagna noodles when they were on sale, only to reread the recipe and realize they were the wrong ones. I was supposed to buy no-boil ones, but I didn’t want them to go to waste so I started thinking of other things I could make with them and remembered seeing quite a few recipes for lasagna soup.

The soup came together rather quickly. I started off by poaching chicken breasts in seasoned chicken broth along with onions and mushrooms. Once the chicken was cooked, I removed it from the broth, shredded it and then added it back to the broth along with baby spinach, sun dried tomatoes, heavy cream and the lasagna noodles (already cooked). I opted to cook the noodles separately as opposed to cooking them in the soup to reduce the amount of starch added to the soup, which would have made the soup consistency thicker. Once the spinach was wilted, I added in cheeses and gave everything a good few stirs until they were melted and then it was ready to be enjoyed.

And this soup didn’t disappoint. It was flavorful and hearty, the perfect soup for cold winter days!

Chicken Lasagna Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 cups sliced mushrooms (8oz. package)

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)

8 lasagna noodles, broken into pieces

1 5oz. bag baby spinach

1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, sliced

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a large pot or Dutch oven melt the butter and flour together over medium heat. Add in the onions, mushrooms, rosemary, basil, oregano and garlic and stir everything to combine. Add in the chicken broth and stir again. Add the chicken breast along with the red pepper flakes, salt & pepper. Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.

Meanwhile, cook the lasagna noodles in a separate pot per the package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pot and shred, then return to the pot. Raise the heat and bring the soup to a boil and add in the noodles, spinach, sundried tomatoes and heavy cream. Stir and allow the soup to lightly boil until the spinach wilts. Add in the cheese and stir until melted.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Recipe adapted from Half Baked Harvest

One-Pot Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

The holidays are upon us and between planning meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas, running around trying to get everything else done, and whatever else may pop-up one can feel overwhelmed. Trying to come up with easy and quick meals becomes daunting and making good food choices may end up on the backburner. Today I am sharing a recipe for a one-pot meal that may help to answer the stress-inducing question “What’s for Dinner?” It’s a One-Pot Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo dish.

I came across this recipe one Sunday morning when I myself was trying to decide what to cook for dinner. I saw the reel on Food Network’s Instagram page at just the perfect time, I was about to go grocery shopping. I made some small tweaks to the recipe – I used a bag of pre-cut broccoli florets instead of a head of broccoli and after seeing the amount of sodium in Italian herb seasoning base I opted to make my own version – and ended up with a meal that was delicious the first night and even better as leftovers.

One-Pot Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 pound broccoli florets (from 1 large head broccoli)*

12 ounces uncooked penne

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons Italian herb seasoning base**

8 oz block cream cheese, cubed, at room temperature

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Kosher salt and black pepper

*I used a 12oz bag of broccoli florets from the produce department

**I opted to make my own by combining 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning with one minced garlic clove, a teaspoon of salt and a few drops of olive oil to make the mixture into a paste-like consistency

Directions:

In a large sauté pan (or wide pot), melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken begins to change color, about 2 minutes.

Add the onions to the chicken and cook until the onions begin to soften, an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for an additional minute.

Add the broccoli, pasta, heavy cream, Italian herb seasoning base and 4 cups of water, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the pasta is al dente and the sauce is reduced by half and thickened, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream cheese and parmesan cheese until the cream cheese is melted and everything is well combined. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving, the sauce will continue to thicken.

Recipe slightly adapted from Food Network

Tex-Mex Lazy Rice

I recently saw a post on Instagram that said one of the hidden facts about being an adult was figuring out what to eat for dinner everyday for the rest of one’s life… Isn’t that the truth! Who knew that a decision that should be so simple to make is in fact quite stressful. Sure, you could go with the old standby, a bowl of cereal, but that won’t always fill your stomach or satisfy your taste buds. It’s safe to say that we all want quick and easy dinners that are delicious, nutritious and filling. A surefire way to get the quick and easy checked off is to make one-pot/pan meals. And today’s Tex-Mex rice is just that. It’s made completely in one pot and it’s both delicious and nutritious.

The original recipe for this rice called for making it in a rice cooker. I do not own, nor do I have any plans to purchase one, so I adapted the recipe and made it as I make other rice dishes – in one large pot. I started off by browning ground beef and then adding in vegetables, beans and rice. And finally, water, taco seasoning and salt to taste and ended up with a delicious meal that was ready in less than an hour.

Tex-Mex Lazy Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups long grain white rice, rinsed

1 1-ounce package of taco seasoning

1 lb. ground beef*

1 15.5-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 8.75-ounce can corn, drained

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

Kosher salt

Pepper

Vegetable Oil

Water

1 lime, halved

Optional toppings:

Grated cheddar cheese

Sour cream

1 avocado, diced

*You could swap out the beef for ground turkey or chicken

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven (or other heavy bottom pot) heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef, season with salt and pepper, and cook until no longer pink. Add in the chopped red and green peppers. Sauté for a few minutes and then add in the black beans, corn and rice. Give everything a good stir to combine it all. Add 3 ½ – 4 cups of water (the water level should be about an inch above the rice) and the taco seasoning. Give everything a good stir and add salt to taste.

Increase the heat to high and allow to cook uncovered until most of the water has been absorbed. Cover and reduce the heat to low and continue to cook until the rice is done. About 25 – 30 minutes.

Fluff the rice with a fork and squeeze the juice of one lime into the rice and stir with the fork again.

You can eat the rice as is or top with shredded cheese, sour cream and/or avocado.

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container.

Recipe adapted from Food Network

Fig & Brie Croissants

I love a good croissant, especially a good almond croissant. Now, I don’t think I would ever attempt to make croissants from scratch since they do seem a bit labor intensive and it’s possible (and easier) to buy them. I did make these Almond Croissants that were easy and delish, but I used plain croissants as the base and doctored them up a bit. I did attempt to make almond croissants using puff pastry once and it was a fail. They never even made it into the oven! Something was off with the puff pastry, and it never thawed properly.  Recently on Instagram I saw a video of someone making Ham & Cheese Croissants using puff pastry. Which gave me the idea to make Fig & Brie Croissants. Thankfully this time the puff pastry thawed properly, and the croissants actually made it into the oven. 

To thaw the puff pastry I removed it from the packaging and let it sit at room temperature for about 40 minutes. When it was ready, I was able to easily unfold it, but it was still a bit cold/frozen. I lined a baking sheet with parchment paper and unfolded one of the sheets on top of it and brushed it with an egg wash, reserving the rest of it. Each column of the puff pastry makes three croissants, so next I dropped a teaspoon of fig jam in the center of each croissant and then topped it with brie cheese.

The day I made these I was trying to do too many things at once, so I completely forgot to snap a picture of what they looked like before going in the oven. Basically, I topped it with the second pastry sheet and gently pressed the two sheets together removing any air from each square. I then sliced the croissants and separated them on the parchment paper about 2 inches apart. While the oven heated to 400 F I placed them in the refrigerator to ensure that the pastry would be flaky. Since I did handle the puff pastry a bit it could have warmed, and this would definitely affect texture of it. Puff Pastry is made with butter and the cold butter in the pastry is what gives you the flaky layers.  After baking for about 25 minutes, I had golden flaky fig & brie croissants to eat.

I let them cool for about 10 minutes before slicing into one to enjoy and it was delish!

And yes, I did try making the Ham & Cheese one’s I saw as well with a few tweaks. I opted to use spicy mustard and Swiss cheese in lieu of whole grain mustard and gruyere cheese and they were just as good as the Fig & Brie ones.

Fig & Brie Croissants

Ingredients:

1 package (2 sheets) puff pastry, thawed per directions*

1 large egg, beaten

3 tablespoons fig jam

9 pieces of Brie cheese, cut from an 8oz. wheel of Brie about 1/4-inch thick

*I used Pepperidge Farm Frozen Puff Pastry

Directions:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and gently unfold one of the puff pastry sheets on the parchment paper. Brush with the egg wash, reserving the remaining egg wash for the top of the croissants.

You will have a total of 9 croissants, 3 from each column of the puff pastry. Visualize each column of the puff pastry sheet divided in three and drop a teaspoon of fig jam in the center of each. Repeat for the other two columns. Then place a piece of brie cheese on top of each teaspoon of fig jam.

Gently unfold the other puff pastry sheet and place on top. Use your fingers to press the two sheets together, removing any trapped air from each square. Using a sharp knife, pastry wheel or pizza cutter to slice into 9 squares. Separate them leaving about two inches between each and cover with a kitchen towel and refrigerate while the oven preheats to 400 F.

Once the oven is ready, bake the croissants for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before enjoying.

To make the Ham & Cheese Croissants swap out the fig jam & brie cheese for spicy mustard, 5 slices of deli ham cut in half and folded, and 3 slices of Swiss cheese cut into quarters. Drop a teaspoon of mustard onto each croissant and then top with a folded half slice of ham and a quarter piece of the Swiss cheese. All other directions are the same.

No-Knead Roasted Garlic & Rosemary Bread and Roasted Tomato Soup

Today’s blog post is a two-for-one special. A bread & soup pairing. And with the rainy days of April just around the corner this may be exactly what you will want to eat.    

I’ve made quite a few No-Knead breads that have turned out to be delicious. When you can take the guesswork and work out of how much to knead your dough it’s hard to end up with something inedible. For today’s version, I am sharing with you a No-Knead Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Bread (YUM!) and for something warm and tasty to dunk it into a Roasted Tomato Soup (Double YUM!).

I started by making the bread. First up I roasted a head of garlic in the oven. I trimmed about a 1/2-inch of the head off and removed some of the papery outer layers. I placed the garlic in an aluminum foil packet and drizzled it with olive oil and sprinkled it with salt. I then sealed the aluminum foil and placed on a baking sheet and roasted it in the oven for about an hour. After letting it cool completely, I squeezed the cloves out and mashed them.

I then added the garlic with chopped rosemary into my dough. After letting the dough rest for about 12 hours – which is the key to No-Knead Bread – it was time to bake it. I ended up with a perfectly golden crust on the outside and soft bread on the inside.

While the bread cooled, I made the soup. I roasted the tomatoes in the oven along with garlic cloves. I opted to remove the seeds from the tomatoes prior to roasting this way I wouldn’t have to worry about straining the soup afterwards to remove them.

I added the tomatoes to the pot where I caramelized the onions along with basil and some vegetable broth and used an immersion blender to blend everything together. I immediately regretted not using my food processor instead. No matter how careful I was there was splatter!

But the mess was worth it. The soup was delicious, and it paired perfectly with the bread.

No-Knead Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon instant dry yeast

1 head of garlic, roasted & mashed

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

1 1/2 cups warm water, 95F-100F

Olive oil and additional salt to roast garlic

Directions:

To roast garlic: Preheat oven to 400 F. Trim the head of the garlic about 1/4 to 1/2 inch and remove the papery outer layers of the bulb. Place on a piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt. Seal the aluminum foil to create a packet and then place on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes – 1 hour. Let the garlic cool and then squeeze the cloves out of the bulb. Mash the cloves prior to adding to the dough.

In a large bowl stir together the flour, salt, yeast, garlic and rosemary. Add in the water and continue to stir together until the dough forms. It will be sticky. Shape the dough into a ball and then tightly cover the bowl with a piece (or two) of plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for 12-18 hours. The dough will double in size and be covered with air bubbles.

Once the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 450 F and turn your dough out onto a workspace lightly dusted with flour and with floured hands shape the dough into a ball. Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper – large enough to fit inside of the Dutch oven – and then place in a bowl – one that won’t allow the dough to spread much – and cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

While the dough is resting place your Dutch oven in the oven for the 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes, carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven and place the dough along with the parchment paper inside and cover. Bake for 25-30 minutes and then remove the lid and bake for additional 10-15 minutes, until the bread is golden brown.

Remove the bread and parchment paper from the pot and place on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes prior to slicing.

Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes:

Make sure to check the highest temperature your parchment paper can safely be used in the oven.

If you don’t have a Dutch oven, you can use a heavy-duty pot instead.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula.

Roasted Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

For the Roasted Tomatoes:

3 lbs. plum tomatoes, sliced in half and seeds removed

8 garlic cloves

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt & pepper

For the Caramelized Onions:

2 yellows onions, thinly sliced

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Remaining Ingredients:

1/4 cup basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 cups vegetable broth

Additional salt & pepper

Directions:

For the Roasted Tomatoes:

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the tomatoes & garlic cloves on the parchment paper cut side up, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Roast in the oven for 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.

For the Caramelized Onions:

In a large pot heat the oil over medium heat. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the onions. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.  

To Make the Soup:

Transfer the tomatoes, onions and basil to the bowl of a food processor (or a large pot if using an immersion blender) and process until everything is smooth and combined.

Transfer the mixture to a large pot or use the same pot if blended with an immersion blender, add in the vegetable broth, oregano and salt & pepper to taste and simmer on medium low heat for 10 minutes to heat through.

Spaghetti with Turkey Marsala Meatballs

I haven’t been posting many savory recipes… In other words, something I cooked instead of baked. That doesn’t mean I haven’t cooked. I cook every week, but lately I haven’t been trying new recipes. Just sticking with things that I know are good and are easy to make. Two important criteria when it comes cooking if you ask me. Last month though I finally tried a new recipe, and it was so good that I just made it again. So, what was so good that I had to make it again so quickly… Spaghetti with Turkey Marsala Meatballs.

Two quick things to note… While I do eat pasta, I normally don’t make spaghetti (not a fan of twirling to get it on the fork) and I never made meatballs before trying this recipe (I have eaten them though!). I was always concerned about getting the meat fully cooked. Silly, I know! Both of those things didn’t matter with this recipe though. The meatballs were super easy to make, and for peace of mind I left them in the oven a minute or two longer than the recipe suggested to ensure they were cooked. They didn’t dry out since the chopped mushrooms added to the meat helped to keep them moist. And twirling spaghetti isn’t that bad!

I started off by prepping the meatballs. Once they were formed, I baked them in the oven for about 15 minutes.

While the meatballs were in the oven (and for a little while after they came out) I worked on making the sauce for the pasta, boiled the pasta and tossed the pasta into the sauce.

I wasn’t planning on enjoying this the day I made it, so I packed it in containers and refrigerated it. I will say that it heats up very well and tastes better each day!

Spaghetti with Turkey Marsala Meatballs

Ingredients:

12 ounces cremini mushrooms*

1 pound ground turkey

1 large egg

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small onion, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup Marsala wine

12 ounces spaghetti

2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

*I used 10 ounces of baby bella mushrooms

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Finely chop a third of the mushrooms and thinly slice the rest.

In a medium bowl combine the chopped mushrooms, ground turkey, egg, panko breadcrumbs, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Use your hands to mix everything together. Roll into 18 to 22 meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet. Use a cookie scoop (1 1/2 tablespoons) to make rolling the meatballs easier. Bake in the preheated oven 12 to 14 minutes, until the meatballs are browned and cooked through.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and onion and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes so the mushrooms and onions can crisp. Stir and cook until browned, an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the Marsala wine and cook until thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook for 6 minutes.

Add the chicken broth to the mushroom and onion mixture and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer until thickened, 5 minutes.

Drain the spaghetti and add to the skillet. Cook, tossing until al dente, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and add in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Toss the spaghetti until the butter has melted.

To serve, divide the pasta among bowls and top with the meatballs.

Recipe from Food Network

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

One of my favorite soups is Broccoli Cheddar. I got hooked on it years ago when I tried it at Panera’s. I didn’t attempt to make it myself though until I came across a recipe from The Pioneer Woman. And while it is delicious it makes 12 servings. Now, I have no problem eating leftovers or cooking something to eat over the course of a few days, but 12 servings is a bit much. That’s A LOT of soup for one person! Recently, by chance, I came across a recipe for broccoli cheddar soup that was the perfect amount – 2 servings!

Now, the recipe seemed so simple that I had my doubts that it could be delicious, but it was. Truthfully, sometimes the simplicity of ingredients makes a recipe all that better. You can enjoy the flavor of what you are making without it being masked by other ingredients. If you are making broccoli cheddar soup what you really want to taste is the broccoli and cheddar, and that’s what you get with this soup and in less than 30 minutes. You can’t beat that.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Ingredients:

1/4 cup chopped yellow onion

1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed

1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 cup 2% milk

3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup cooked or frozen broccoli florets

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

In a medium saucepan melt the butter on medium heat. Add in the onions and sauté until the onions are tender. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until well combined. Gradually add in the milk and then the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, cook and stir until the soup has thickened, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the broccoli and cook until heated through. If using frozen broccoli cook until the broccoli is tender and no longer frozen. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese until melted.

Recipe from Taste of Home

A New Year Tradition Revamped

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday season. Can you believe 2023 has rolled in already? I am convinced that after July 4th the year basically just flies by. At that point the summer is sort of winding down. Yes, I know that sounds crazy considering that July is just starting and there’s still August to get through. But, after that it seems like the anticipation of summer fun fades away. And then September rolls in and it’s all about back-to-school and the Fall. And before you know it it’s Halloween and then Thanksgiving and lo and behold the Holidays are upon us again. Not trying to be negative or anything but it’s definitely true that as you get older time somehow goes by faster. It’s probably because we are more aware of days, dates and holidays and everything that must – and needs to – get done. All the traditions and things we just do because we have been doing them forever. The holidays are the perfect time to get caught up in that. As they say, it’s hard to break with tradition. Not that there is anything wrong with it, I’m guilty of it myself.

For as long as I can remember I’ve eaten ham on New Year’s Day. It was something that my parents always cooked on New Year’s Day. I am not a 100% sure why, I vaguely recall my mom saying it was for good luck. I did a Google search once and as it turns out there’s a belief that you should eat pork on New Year’s Day as pigs move their snouts forward when eating – or something to that effect. This forward motion brings you luck in the new year. Here’s the thing though, I am not a fan of ham! There may have been a few times when I did enjoy it and look forward to eating it but definitely not often. The tradition is so engrained in me though that even though my dad passed away 7 years ago, and my mom has been in a nursing home longer than that I still make ham for myself on New Year’s Day! Subconsciously it’s probably a way for me to feel comforted and connected to memories.

For a few years I would begrudgingly eat the ham for a few days. And let me tell you even the smallest ham is too big so there would always be a ridiculous amount of leftovers even after me eating it for those days. One year, I even chopped up some of the ham and froze it convinced that I would do something with it, I didn’t, and it ended up getting tossed. Two years ago, I decided to make soup with it. And it was the best decision ever. So now, I look forward to the ham only because of the soup I know I will be making with it. For tradition’s sake though I still eat a slice or two on New Year’s Day. Come January 2nd though it’s time for Ham & Potato Soup.

I like to think it’s somewhat healthy since it is homemade and loaded with vegetables.

Just ignore the stick of butter and whole milk that’s also needed to make it. Truth be told, those are the ingredients that help to make it creamy and delicious so they can’t be omitted.

Unfortunately, even after making my delicious soup I still have more than half of the ham left in my fridge. I was hoping to buy a small canned one this year but by the time I got to the supermarket they only had 2 large ones left and I wasn’t in the mood to start driving around looking for a small one. So, once again I will chop up some of it and freeze it and really make a conscious effort to use it for other things. Maybe I will make something controversial like a Ham & Pineapple Pizza. LOL!

Ham & Potato Soup

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1/2 cup celery, diced

3 cups potatoes, peeled and chopped*

2 1/2 cups cooked ham, diced

5 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup flour

4 cups (32 oz. carton) low-sodium chicken broth

3 cups whole milk

Salt and pepper, to taste

*Use 1 very large or 2 medium potatoes. Chop the potatoes into decent sized chunks as they will break down as the soup cooks.

Directions:

In a large pot melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and sauté until the carrots begin to soften and the onions are translucent. About 4-5 minutes.

Add the ham and potatoes, stir everything together and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the flour and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Stir in the stock, mixing everything together. Bring to a boil, cover the pot and boil for 10-12 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Stir occasionally.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add in the milk. Stir until the mixture begins to thicken and the soup is heated through.

Season with salt and pepper.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula. 

Sheet Pan Greek Pita

I’m constantly printing out recipes or ripping them out of magazines. Sometimes I take a second (or third) look at them and decide that I just don’t want to make it for various reasons. Usually it’s because it requires too many ingredients or more than I feel like buying. And while the ingredient list for this Sheet Pan Greek Pita is a bit long, it was thankfully ingredients that I normally have on hand or are part of a typical trip to the supermarket.

Another plus to this recipe… It came together in less than 45 minutes. Since the salad requires a little time to sit and marinate I decided to make it earlier in the day so it would be ready by the time my chicken was done.

And when it was time to eat, it was super easy to put together. I cut a pita in half, added in some of the salad, some of the chicken and topped it off with more of the salad.  This is one recipe that I won’t be tossing. This pita was delicious and I may have discovered a new way to make my chicken for salads!

Sheet Pan Greek Pita

For the Chicken:

4 boneless & skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons oregano

1 teaspoon salt

For the Cucumber Tomato Salad:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 cucumber, diced

1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

2 tablespoons chopped mint

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup black olives chopped (or Kalamata olives)

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Juice of half a lemon

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 Pitas for serving

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients for the salad and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Combine all the ingredients for the chicken in a medium bowl. Mix well and then spread on a large baking pan. Make sure to leave ample space between the chicken so it roasts as opposed to steam. Cook in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

To serve, slice a pita in half, spoon some of the cucumber tomato salad into the pita, followed by the chicken and top it off with more of the salad.

Recipe from Chef Jason Goldstein