Chicken Stock:

One of the best things about a whole chicken it is allows multiple meals in one package.  First the roasted chicken dinner, then soup.  

To make the chicken stock, place the leftover bones in a pot, cover with water, and simmer.  I usually simmer for a few days.  Then strain stock to remove the bones and solid bits.  You can store it for a few days in the refrigerator or use it right away.

Steel Cut Oatmeal with Fresh Berries (1 serving)

·        1 cup water
·         ¼ cup steel cut oats
·         ¼ cup seasonal berries cut into bit sized pieces
·         Pinch of salt
·         1 tsp maple syrup
·         1 tsp butter

If you are not a fan of oatmeal or have not tried steel cut oats, I highly recommend you give this recipe a try.  Steel cut oats are thinker than rolled oats, so they do not get as mushy.  Bob's Red Meal brand is my favorite, but there are others on the market you may prefer.

In a 1-quart saucepan, bring water to boil and add the steel cut oats.  Turn down the heat to low and cover.  Watch the pot for the first one or two minutes to make sure the water does not boil over, and then allow the oats to simmer for 45-60 minutes.  Cook for a shorter time for thinner oatmeal and a longer time for thinker oatmeal.

Once the oatmeal is done cooking, add the berries, salt, syrup, and butter.  Stir and enjoy.  Adjust the measurements to taste.

Pictured I used three strawberries.  I also recommend apples with 1/8 tsp cinnamon, blueberries, or peaches with a tablespoon of cottage cheese.

Overnight version:  Bring water to boil and add the steel cut oats.  Let the oats boil for two minutes.  Cover and remove from heat.  Let the pot sit on the stove all night.  Your oatmeal will be done in the morning. Just heat and serve.

Spaghetti with Marinara Peppers Onion and Meatballs (6 servings)

·         1 package spaghetti
·         1 jar marinara sauce
·         ½ red pepper diced
·         ½ yellow pepper diced
·         ½ green pepper diced
·         ½ onion diced
·         Meatballs (frozen or homemade)

In a medium saucepan combine marinara sauce, red pepper, yellow pepper, green pepper, onion, and meatballs.  Heat on medium heat until bubbly.  Stir occasionally.  Simmer for 20-30 minutes until vegetables are cooked to desired softness.

Meanwhile, cook the noodles as directed on the package.  Strain and set aside.

Serve with a green salad or other vegetable of your choice.  

Tip: Plate the vegetable first covering half of the plate.  Then plate the pasta and sauce. 

Chicken Fajitas

• 1 onion cut into strips
• 1/2 green pepper cut into strips
• 1/2 yellow pepper cut into strips
• 1/2 red pepper cut into strips
• 1 lb Chicken cut into strips
• 1/2 bunch of Cilantro minced
• 1/4 t Garlic powder
• 1/4 t Onion powder
• 1/2 t Paprika
• 1/4 t Cumin
• 1 t Chili powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/8 t cayenne pepper
• Lime
• 1 t Olive oil
• Whole wheat or corn tortillas
• Avocado diced
• Tomato cut into wedges
• 1.4 cup queso fresco

Mix all the spices together in a small bowl. Coat chicken with the spices. Let sit overnight or continue.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Sauté the chicken until it is cooked through. Add onions and peppers, sauté until onions and. Peppers are soft. Add cilantro and allow to wilt. Remove from heat. Squeeze the juice of 1/4 of the lime onto the mixture.

Spoon mixture into the center of a tortilla.  Add avocado, tomato, and cheese.  Enjoy.  Makes 10-12 fajitas.

Shrimp and Pineapple Fried Rice

• 3 cups White or brown rice cooked
• 3/4 lb cooked Shrimp
• 8 oz Pineapple chunks
• 1 onion diced
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro minced
• 1-1/2 tsp Garlic
• 1-1/2 tsp Cumin
• 1/4 tsp salt or 1 tsp soy sauce
• 4 eggs
• 1 Tbsp milk or cream
• 1 tsp olive oil or cooking spray
• Lime juice from half a lime

Whisk eggs in a small bowl. Heat 1/2 tsp of oil in a skillet, add eggs and stir to scramble. Cook until the eggs are no longer runny. Scrape eggs into a clean bowl and add 1 T of milk to stop the cooking.

Heat 1/2 tsp of oil in a skillet. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add rice and mix. Add shrimp, pineapple, garlic, cumin, salt, and lime juice. Stir for even cooking and mixing. Once everything is hot, add egg and cilantro and remove from heat. Stir mixture and let sit for one to two minutes for the cilantro to wilt. 

Father's Day Barbecue

With the fourth of July right around the corner and summer in full swing, my cravings are moving to barbecued and picnic delights; which means grilled meats, sweat and tangy sauces, ice cold watermelon, and colds salads (pasta, potato, cabbage, bean, etc.).  This week I had the pleasure of cooking a pre-father's day celebration for the seniors at the apartments I manage.  On the menu, hot dogs, hamburgers, pasta salad, coleslaw, and angel food cupcakes for desert (recipes below).    I didn't make the hot dogs or hamburgers, but I got the best:  Hebrew National dogs and 100% Angus patties.  The salads were prepared 24 hours in advance; there is a lot of vegetable chopping. 

Veggie Packed Tri-Colored Pasta Salad  (8 servings)

Ingredients

• 1 lb tri-colored spiral pasta
• 1 c broccoli florets, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 (2 oz) can sliced black olives
• 1 small cucumber, chopped
• 1 small sweet onion, chopped
• 1 stock celery, chopped
• 1 c grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/3 c olive oil
• 1/3 red wine vinegar
• 1T garlic, minced
• 1T parsley
• 1.5 t basil
• 1.5 t oregano
• 1/2 t ground mustard
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t black pepper

Bring a large pot of water to boil, add the pasta and cook as directed on the package.  Usually 8-10 minutes until al dente.  You can test the noodle by cutting one.  There should not be any white in the center.  Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water to stop the cooking.

Bring about 1/4 c of water to boil in the same pot.  Add the broccoli florets. Cover and steam for about 3 minutes.  Test the broccoli for doneness but poking with a fork.  The broccoli should be tender but not mushy.  Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.

In a bowl mix the olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, parsley, basil, oregano, mustard, salt, and pepper.  Whisk until blended for about two minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together cooled pasta, cooled broccoli, green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, red bell pepper, black olives, cucumber, onion, celery, and tomatoes.  Pour 2/3 of the dressing mixture over the pasta mixture.  Stir to coat and chill overnight or at least 2 hours.  Pour the remaining 1/3 dressing over the salad in the morning or just before serving.  Note: if you like your pasta salad less "wet" then pour the entire dressing mixture over the pasta before chilling.

Classic Coleslaw  (12 servings)

Ingredients

• 1/2 c mayonnaise
• 1 T white sugar
• 2 T milk
• 2T buttermilk
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1 T vinegar
• 1/2 t ground mustard
• salt and pepper to taste
• 10 c shredded cabbage
• 1 c grated carrots
• 1 small sweet onion, finely chopped

Whisk together mayonnaise, sugar, milk, buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard salt, and pepper.

Toss the cabbage, carrots, onion, and dressing until evenly coated.  Refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours.  Gently toss again before serving. 

Angel food Cupcakes with Whipped Cream and Strawberries (30-36 cupcakes)

Ingredients

• 1 box angel food cake
• 1-1/4 c water
• whipped cream
• 36 strawberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place cupcake wrappers into cupcake pan.  Beat angel food mix with 1-1/4c water. Spoon about 1/4 c of batter into each cupcake wrapper so it is 2/3 full.  Do not overfill.  The batter puffs up a lot and will overflow.  Bake for 10-15 minutes until the golden brown.  If you need to bake multiple batches, place the unused batter in the refrigerator.

Once cooled and before serving, place a dollop of whipped cream on top of each cupcake and a strawberry in the center of each dollop.  Enjoy.

Lemon Herb Chicken with Rosemary Potatoes and Salad

This is one of my go-to weekday meals.  It does take a little planning because the chicken can take up to two hours and the potatoes take about 45 minutes.  But the prep is super quick and the oven does most of the work.  I recently started splurging on the chicken and buying the organic, free-range whole chicken at Ralphs.  It is more expensive than the regular chickens, but the taste is significantly better.  I was very surprised by how much better and juicer the organic chickens are from regular chickens.  Even my boyfriend noticed, and I didn't tell him that the chicken was an organic, free-range version.  I justified the price increase because baking the chicken myself is slightly less than the deli's pre-cooked chickens. 

Ingredients list:
Chicken:

·         One organic whole chicken (about 5 lbs)
·         3 Tbsp lemon pepper
·         2 Tbsp garlic
·         2 Tbsp basil
·         1 Tbsp paprika
·         ½ tsp salt
·         ½ tsp black pepper

Rosemary Potatoes:

·         3-4 organic red potatoes
·         1 Tbsp rosemary

Salad:

·         2 cups organic mixed green
·         1 organic green onion chopped
·         ½ cup organic cucumber sliced
·         1 Tbsp dried cranberries
·         1 Tbsp pumpkin seeds
·         1 Tbsp balsamic vinaigrette

I have baked many chickens in my short life and tried many different techniques. The one that has worked the best for me is to cook it upside down at 350. In other words the breast is on the rack and the legs are in the air. This way, as the bird cooks, the juices from the "fattier" dark meat run down through the breast meat keeping the white meat moist. Then about 20 minutes before the end of baking I flip the bird back over to crisp the skin.

If you have never baked a chicken before, this can be a little intimidating. Before I begin handling the chicken I preheat my oven, and I pull out my spices and create a rub by combining lemon pepper, garlic, basil, paprika, salt and pepper. To by honest I don't measure I just pour the spices into a bowl until it looks like a good mix. Also make sure your baking pan is out and ready by lightly spraying with pan or other spray. You don't want to be fumbling through your cupboards with chicken hands.

To prep the chicken, first, remove the whole chicken from the plastic, remove the bag of innards (check the large cavity as well as the small cavity under the flap of skin on the neck side), and rinse the chicken thoroughly inside and out. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Rub your spices all over the outside of the chicken and pour some into the cavity. Place the chicken upside-down on your pan. Place the chicken in the oven and let it cook. I set a timer for an hour so I can add my potatoes for the second half of the baking.

Potatoes: cut red potatoes (no need to peel them) into bite sized pieces and place them into a casserole dish. Sprinkle with rosemary and cover. Bake in the oven at 350 until the potatoes are tender. (about 45 minutes).

Salad: Combine mixed greens, cucumber, green onion, cranberries, and pumpkin seeds. Balsamic vinaigrette is a good choice of dressing but almost any dressing would work too.

Garlic Ginger Beef Stir-fry (6 servings)

Use the largest wok or fry pan you have. There are plenty of vegetables in this dish, and they do cook down, so don't be intimidated by the volume of cut vegetables on your counter.

Ingredients

Marinade

Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, sesame seeds, and cornstarch.  Stir until mixed.  Toss beef to coat.  Let sit 20 minutes or a few hours.

Heat 1T oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Cook onion, eggplant, and carrots for about 4 minutes.  Add broccoli and cook for 5 minutes or until slightly crunchy.  Add pea pods, water chestnuts, and bok choy.  Cover and simmer until bok choy has wilted, about 4 minutes.  Transfer vegetables to a bowl. 

In the same skillet, heat 1T oil on medium.  Cook beef about 2 minutes per side.  Return vegetables to skillet.  Stir and allow sauce to coat vegetables.  Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes.  Serve with rice and Siracha.

Breakfast burrito with egg potato and spinach (3 servings)

Breakfast burritos are a great way to use up leftovers.  These burritos used up leftover rosemary potatoes and spinach from the previous night’s dinner. (see Lemon chicken with rosemary potatoes)

Ingredients

If you do not have leftover potatoes and need to cook the potato, bake for about 25 minutes at 375 degrees.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and red potato.  Cook until the onions are translucent and potatoes are hot.  Add eggs and scramble.  Stir eggs constantly for even cooking.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Once eggs are no longer runny, add spinach and cook until spinach has wilted.  

Warm the tortillas on the stove.  Spoon mixture evenly between six tortillas.  Roll into burrito by arranging the egg mixture into a line.  Fold the tortilla edges over the larger sides, then fold the tortilla of one of the short sides over the egg mixture and roll using your hands to push the filling toward the tortilla to make a tight wrap.  Place the burrito fold side down.

Lobster Sandwich

As I was looking through old pictures for this website, I came across some images from my trip to New York last summer, and I suddenly had the craving for a lobster roll.  Luckily, Ralphs had imitation lobster on sale, so I picked up a few packages and some rolls from the bakery.  This isn't quite the same as a traditional lobster roll, so I changed the name.

Ingredients:

Mix lobster meat, mayonnaise, lemon juice, onion, celery, parsley, salt, and pepper in a bowl.   Set aside.

Heat oven to 270 degrees.  Slice open rolls and sprinkle parmesan cheese inside each roll.  Warm in the oven for 3-6 minutes until lightly toasted.

Spoon lobster into roll.  Finish with lettuce, tomato, and peppers if desired.   Makes 2-4 sandwiches.

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Ginger Salmon Pastry Puff (4 servings)

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine honey, mustard, ginger, garlic, and onion.  Stir until evenly mixed.

Fold open the two squares of pastry puff. Use water to smooth and cracks.  Spread 2T of honey mixture on each pastry puff.  Place 1 cup of spinach onto the bottom half of each pastry puff.  Place a piece of salmon on top of the spinach.  Spoon the remaining honey mixture onto the top of each piece of salmon. Sprinkle the queso fresco over each piece of salmon.  Fold the pastry puff over the salmon to make a pocket.  Using water, moisten the edges of the pastry puff and pinch closed.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastry puff is puffy and a golden brown and the salmon is completely cooked.

Broccoli Chicken Peanut Stir Fry (2-3 servings)

Ingredients

• 2T peanut oil
• 1/2 red onion sliced
• 1T garlic minced
• 3 C broccoli cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1T soy sauce
• 2T honey
• 1t chili garlic sauce
• 1/2 c peanuts
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
• Siracha sauce (optional)
• 2 c rice cooked

Heat 1T of oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add chicken and heat until cooked through.  Remove chicken to a small clean bowl.

Heat 1T of oil in the same skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic.  Stir for about 5 minutes until onions are slightly soft.  Add broccoli, soy sauce, honey, chili garlic sauce, and peanuts.  Cover and let simmer for about 3 minutes. Add chicken. Stir, cover and cook for another 5 minutes or until vegetables are done to desired softness.  

Serve over rice with a drizzle of siracha.