Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

½ cup shortening with 1 T water

½ cup sugar

1 T molasses

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 ¼ cups old fashioned oats

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ cup dried cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate large bowl cream the shortening, water and sugar. Beat in egg, vanilla and molasses. Stir in the dry ingredients until combined, and then carefully stir in oats, chocolate chips and cherries. On parchment lined or prepared cookie sheets, drop by tablespoons two inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.

Roasted Root Vegetable and Ham Quiche

3 cups roasted root vegetables

½ cup cooked ham, finely diced

¼ cup onion finely diced

1 T olive oil

½ cup shredded sharp cheddar

4 eggs

¾ cup milk

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 refrigerated pie crust, thawed to package instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Roll out pie crust onto a 9” glass or ceramic pie dish. Press to form and crimp edges. Prick the bottom of the crust several times with a fork. Bake for 20 min or until golden brown.  Remove from oven to cool while preparing the vegetables.

In a skillet, sauté onion in olive oil for till translucent. Add ham, root vegetables, salt and pepper, stirring till mixture is warm, 3 to 4 minutes. Take off heat and stir in cheese. Pour mixture into the baked crust.

In a bowl beat eggs and milk. Carefully pour over vegetables until it reaches the edge of the crust (may not use all of the egg mixture). Bake quiche for 40 to 45 minutes or until the center is cooked and set. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. 

Roasted Root Vegetables

1 pound purple potatoes (2 to 3)

1 pound sweet potatoes (2 small or 1 large)

3 large parsnips

3 large carrots

3 garlic cloves, peeled

2 T olive oil

1 T fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse and scrub purple potatoes. Peel carrots, parsnips and sweet potatoes. Dice all vegetables into roughly ½ cubed pieces. Coarsely chop garlic. Toss together in a large bowl with olive oil, garlic and rosemary. Spread vegetables onto a large jelly roll pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake uncovered for 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until veggies are fork tender.

You can substitute the rosemary with other herbs or seasonings of your choice, or merely season with salt and pepper. 

10-Spice Peppernuts

1 c vegetable shortening

4 c cane sugar

4 eggs, beaten

2 T molasses

2 tsp soda dissolved in 2 tsp hot water

1 tsp anise extract

6 ¾ c flour

1 tsp each ground cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, mace, fennel, anise, black pepper, cardamom

1 tsp salt

Beat shortening and sugar till fluffy. Add eggs and molasses and mix well. Add soda and anise. In a separate bowl combine 2 cups of flour, spices and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Add remaining 4 ¾ c flour one cup at a time. Chill dough thoroughly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut chilled dough, work well with warm hands and then roll into long logs ½ inch in diameter and cut into ¼ inch pieces. Place an inch apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 14 mins. Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Yes this makes a LOT of peppernuts but everyone will love them so much you will need as big of batch as it is.

(adapted from a recipe by Hazel Ekholm)

Homemade Chicken Stock

Homemade stock is a great way to use those left over chicken pieces and vegetables. Full of flavor, use in soups, sauces, or other dishes. Frozen fresh stock makes a great gift for family, neighbors and friends!

Ingredients:

Leftover pieces of a chicken including skin and bones

Roughly chopped vegetables such as carrots, celery, onion (about 2c)

2 cloves of garlic

2 or 3 sprigs of fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary and sage

Salt & pepper

Water

Place all ingredients into a large stock pot or dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Cook for 30 min to 1 hour – the longer it cooks the more the flavor.  Turn off heat and let cool at least 30 mins. Strain liquid into a freezer-proof container and freeze. Pouring strained stock into ice cube trays and freezing makes using stock even easier! 

(p.s. if you use ice cube trays, use them ONLY for stock)

Variations: Use chicken, beef, or pork for meat stocks. Omit meat and add extra veggies for a vegetable stock. Add different herbs and spices for a unique taste.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

 Yield: 18 muffins

Ingredients:

1 15 ounce can 100% pumpkin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, optional
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional



1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray muffin pans with cooking spray or line with cupcake papers.

2. Bring pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon and cloves to a simmer in a medium saucepan, stirring occasionally, until puree thickens about 5 minutes. Pour into a mixing bowl & allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Whisk in brown sugar and oil, then slowly whisk in eggs.

3. In a separate bowl whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk flour mixture into pumpkin mixture until just combined.

4. Stir in chocolate chips & nuts, if desired. 

5. Divide batter among the muffin cups and bake until golden and cooked through, about 13 minutes.

Want a richer muffin? Add ½ cup butterscotch chips   Want it even RICHER? Add ½ cup toffee bits too!

Original recipe from sprinklesomesunshine.blogspot.com

Green Tomato Hand Pies

Makes 10 single-serve pies

Pie Crust

1 cup flour + extra for dusting

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp baking powder

½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed

¼ cup sour cream

Filling

1c green tomatoes, finely diced

2T sugar

1 tsp flour

1 tsp lemon juice        

¼ tsp cinnamon

1 egg whisked for an egg wash

Coarse crystal sugar (optional)

Caramel sauce (optional)

Make the pie crust

In a medium bowl whisk together first three ingredients. Add cold butter and cut in the flour mixture until the mixture turns to fine crumbs. Stir in the sour cream till combined. Turn out onto a well-floured work surface. Knead a few times then roll into an 8x10 rectangle. Sprinkle top with flour then fold dough into thirds like you would a letter. Rotate the dough and roll into a 8x10 rectangle, sprinkle with flour and fold into thirds. Wrap with plastic wrap and refridgerate for 30 minutes.

Make filling

In a small bowl combine all ingredients and stir till thoroughly mixed. 

Before using strain off juices.

Preheat oven to 425

Make pies

On a lightly-floured surface, roll out chilled dough to a rectangle about 1/8^th inch thick (about 10 x 14). Using a 3” round cutter, cut as many rounds as possible. Scraps can be re-rolled for more rounds, you will need at least 20 rounds. Any extra pie dough can be frozen for another use if desired.

On a clean surface, place out rounds and place a heaping tablespoon of the mixture in the middle of the round. Lay another round on top and crimp edges with a fork. Brush with egg wash and poke top with a knife to make two slits that will allow steam to escape while baking. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired. Place rounds on a parchment lined jelly roll pan.  If dough has come to room temperature, you can place pan in the freezer for a few minutes to firm. Bake for 15 minutes or until crust is golden.

Serve warm as is, or with warm caramel sauce for a sweeter kick.

Food-back for Thought

I appreciate all of you out there who have viewed my blog. I really want my audience to try out the recipes I post and would love to hear your feedback!

Please comment on the blog or send me an email. Even send pictures! I'll post them on the blog.

Goat Cheese & Olive Puffs

Makes about 30 puffs

1 sheet of puff pastry (thawed according to box directions)

3 oz goat cheese (1/3 cup), crumbled, mixed with 6 to 8 kalamata olives, finely chopped

1 ½ T fresh rosemary (2 sprigs) finely chopped, mixed with 1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

On a lightly floured work surface, lay out puff pastry. If using pastry folded in thirds, simply slice with a sharp knife along the seams. If using a flat pastry, slice into three equal sized rectangles. Sprinkle pastries evenly with the rosemary salt.  Along the middle down the long side of the pastry, sprinkle about a 1/3^rd of the goat cheese/olive mixture. Fold the pastry onto itself, ending up with a long rectangle. Using a fork, press pastry together down both long sides of the pastry. It will look like a long ravioli. With a sharp knife cut the pastry into 1 inch pieces. Place each piece about ½ inch apart on a parchment-lined jelly roll sized pan. Continue this with the other two pastries. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden. Serve warm or room temperature.  

Oatmeal Maple Raisin Bars

A great, dense chewy bar. Great for a mid-morning or afternoon snack. Also great served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Bars:

1 c quick oats

¾ c all purpose flour

½ c raisins

½ cup chopped walnuts

½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground nutmeg

¼ tsp salt

¾ c brown sugar

¼ c canola oil

¼ c milk

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 tsp maple flavoring

Maple glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 ½ T milk

½ tsp maple flavoring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease an 8 inch square baking pan. In a medium bowl mix oats, flour, raisins, nuts, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, oil, milk, egg and maple flavoring. Stir into oat mixture. Turn into baking pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool.

In a small bowl prepare maple glaze. Stir milk into powdered sugar a bit at a time until glaze is thin but not watery. If watery, add additional powdered sugar 1 T at a time to thicken if necessary.

Drizzle glaze with a spoon over cooled bars. Cut into squares to serve.

(adapted from Linda Willt’s recipe)

Ham, Spinach & Cheese Frittata

Don't know what to do with that leftover ham? Try this frittata. A quick meal that's great for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.

3 to 4 c fresh spinach leaves (about 1/2 of a 9oz bag)

1 c diced cooked ham

1/2 c grated gouda cheese

6 eggs

1/3 c milk

2 T sour cream

1 T Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/8  tsp ground or grated nutmeg

1/8  tsp salt

Cooking spray or olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

In a large bowl whisk 6 whole eggs with milk, sour cream, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Spray or lightly grease a 10” oven-proof skillet with oil. Over medium heat, cook ham for 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off heat and quickly add the spinach and 2T of water. Cover for 1 minute to wilt. Add nutmeg and stir. Add spinach and ham to the egg mixture. Spray or grease the skillet again. Pour egg, spinach and cheese mixture into the skillet, spreading out the spinach and ham as evenly as possible. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown. Let rest outside the oven for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

With a quick hand (covered with an oven mitt) and a little luck you can invert it onto a plate and cut into wedges, but it's just as easy to serve out of the skillet. 

Great served with fresh apples or applesauce.

Healthy substitutes: use 8 egg whites instead of whole eggs, low fat greek yogurt for sour cream, and low fat cheese for gouda. If using egg whites, heavily grease pan to prevent sticking.

Apple Harvest Bread

Yields 3 mini loaves

2 c all-purpose flour (can sub 1 c for whole wheat flour)

1 c sugar

2 T chopped candied ginger (or 1 tsp ground ginger)

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) cold butter, cubed

2 eggs

¼ c buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup finely chopped tart apple (unpeeled)

½ c chopped walnuts

½ c golden raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ginger. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In a small bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Stir into the flour mixture until just moistened. Fold in pears, nuts, and raisins.

Spoon batter into 3 5 ¾ in x 3 in x 2 in mini loaf pans. Bake for 35-40 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Basil Salt

1 cup fresh basil leaves, unwashed or if washed, dried very well

1 cup coarse kosher salt (not table salt)

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Place salt and basil in a food processer and run until mixture is a uniform bright green color. Spread evenly onto a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes – halfway through baking you will need to carefully use a spatula to break up the salt and spread out again for the remainder of baking. Let cool completely. Place back in a clean and completely dried food processor and pulse till just until salt is broken down fine - no clumps. Store in an airtight container, occasionally breaking up salt as necessary.

Use as you would table salt to add a bit of flavor to any dish.

Put in a glass spice jar with a hand-made label for a great gift!

Eggplant Casserole

Serves 5 to 6

Prep Time: 30 mins  Cook Time: 30 mins

1 large eggplant, diced roughly to ½ inch cubes

1 lb lean ground beef, pork or turkey or meatless crumbles

16 oz ricotta cheese or cottage cheese

1 jar your favorite tomato pasta sauce

1 bag shredded mozzarella or 1 large ball fresh mozzarella sliced thin

1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and liquid drained

1 small yellow onion, diced (about ½ cup)

¼ cup fresh basil, finely chopped or 1 T dried

1 large clove garlic, pressed or finely minced

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 400

In a skillet, heat 1 T oil over medium heat and sauté onion about 5 min till slightly translucent. Add pressed garlic and stir. Add eggplant and sauté for about 5 min. Transfer to a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper then roast for 30 minutes in the oven, stirring occasionally.

Wipe skillet clean with a paper towel or cloth. Add ground meat and brown over medium heat seasoning with salt and pepper. If using fatty meat, drain after browning and return to the pan (If using meatless crumbles, cook as directed). Add jarred sauce and heat for 5 minutes. Then bring down to a very low simmer.

In a medium bowl, mix ricotta, spinach and basil.

When eggplant is finished roasting, remove and turn oven down to 350 degrees. In small deep casserole or lasagna pan, layer first the eggplant, then the cheese/spinach/basil over the top, next the meat sauce, and lastly top with mozzarella.

Bake for 20 to 30 mins, or until hot and bubbly

(Sorry for the lack of photos of the finished dish – it was eaten to quickly! Next time I make it, I’ll try to remember to snap a shot before devouring.)

Tomatoes and Goat Cheese on Toasts

As summer is in full steam, tomatoes are ripening on the vine. This year I'm growing some varieties I've had great luck with and a few new varieties. It's amazing the many colors, shapes and tastes tomatoes come in.

A great way to savor tomatoes this summer is simply slicing up a baguette, drizzle it with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and broil until toasted. Then spread a generous layer of soft goat cheese and top with bits of tomato. The tang of the goat cheese pairs great with the sweetness of the tomatoes. Even drizzle a bit of infused oil over the top for yet another layer of flavor, but let the tomato shine!

Caramelized Banana Almond Torte

1 ½ cups almond meal* + ¼ cup reserved

¼ cups slivered or sliced almonds

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

4 large egg whites

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon almond extract

4 ripe bananas sliced 1/8^th inch thick

½ cup caramel sauce

2 tsp rum or 1 tsp rum extract

1/8 tsp salt

Nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 325°. Cut a piece of wax or parchment paper to fit the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan. Coat pan with nonstick spray, place prepared paper round in bottom of pan, and spray paper. Sprinkle evenly with ¼ cup slivered or sliced almonds.

*If you don’t have almond meal, use 1 ¾ cup sliced or slivered almonds and pulse in a food processor till ground fine.

In a medium bowl, combine almond  meal and confectioners’ sugar with a whisk.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites with salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 2 tablespoons of confectioners’ sugar and beat until stiff glossy peaks form. Beat in almond extract. In three additions, gently fold in ground almond mixture.

Evenly spread batter into prepared pan, tapping pan on counter to expel large air bubbles. Bake until golden brown and firm in center, 40 to 45 minutes; cool completely in pan. Invert onto a cooling rack, leaving the parchment lined top in place.

On a serving plate, sprinkle reserved ¼ cup almond meal onto the plate. This will help prevent your torte from sticking to the serving plate.

Using a long serrated bread knife, carefully slice the cooled torte in half. Place the bottom half on top of the plate sprinkled with almond meal.

To make the salted caramel sauce, dissolve 1/8 tsp salt into rum or rum extract. in a small bowl. Stir in caramel sauce.

Heat a skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray on medium heat. Place slices of banana into the hot skillet and cook for a minute or so, just until the bananas start to caramelize. With the help of a butter knife or offset spatula flip the bananas to caramelize the other side. Take the pan off the heat and very gently remove the bananas from the pan and place onto the plated torte bottom. Be careful as the bananas are very hot! Continue to cover the bottom  layer of torte with the caramelized bananas – should take about 2 to 2 ½  of the bananas.  Drizzle ¼ cup of the salted caramel sauce over the bananas. Carefully flip the top layer of torte onto the bottom layer. Press gently and then remove the parchment paper. Pour the remaining ¼ cup of salted caramel on top of the torte and gently spread over the entire top using a butter knife or offset spatula. Wipe out the skillet with a damp cloth, spray again with non-stick spray and caramelize the remaining the bananas placing them on top of caramel-covered torte. Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. The flavors will infuse into the torte the longer it sits.

(torte recipe courtesy of Everyday Food)

Summer Salad: Wild Rice Salad

Here is a refreshing side to take to your next picnic, party, or just make for yourself!

Wild Rice Salad

1 pouch ready-to-serve wild rice (warmed then cooled)
1 cup finely chopped celery (4 to 5 celery ribs)
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper (1 bell pepper)
1 cup finely chopped zucchini
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup bottled salad dressing (balsamic or raspberry)
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (parsley, basil, mint)

Mix all ingredients and chill several hours to overnight before serving.

Optional add-ins:
chopped walnuts or pecans
sunflower seeds
Feta cheese

Cupcakes!

Cupcakes are a way to put a power pack of flavors into a artful package. You can be as creative as you want to be with flavors, textures, and techniques, from classic to CRAZY!

Refreshing Lemon Crinkle Cookies

I’m always looking for a good cookie that almost has a ‘refreshing’ taste. I stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest and decided to give it a whirl. The result is like an ice-cold glass of lemonade, just in a cookie.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies
yield: 2-3 dozen

Ingredients:
            ½ cups Butter, Softened
            1 cup Granulated Sugar
            ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
            1 whole Egg
            1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
            1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice

            ½ teaspoon Lemon Extract
            ¼ teaspoon Salt
            ¼ teaspoon Baking Powder
            ⅛ teaspoon Baking Soda
            1-½ cup All-purpose Flour
            ½ cups Powdered Sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*If using a non stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Lauren Brennan

Quick Meals using Dark Meat Chicken

You’ve learned how to use the white breast meat from the rotisserie chicken but now what to do with the dark meat? Below are a couple of recipes.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

          2 cups cooked dark chicken meat, minced

          1 small can water chestnuts, minced

         ½ cup red onion, minced

         2 medium carrots, shredded

         1 clove garlic, minced

         2 T Thai Basil, finely chopped

         1 T fresh grated ginger or 

               minced pickled ginger

         1 tsp Chinese 5 spice

        ¼ cup bottled General’s Tso’s sauce, 

                   Sweet Chili Sauce, or Orange Sauce

        1 T Soy Sauce

        1 T vegetable, canola or sunflower oil

        1 tsp sesame oil

        Leaves of lettuce – such as iceberg, romaine, red leaf, or butter

In a medium skillet heat vegetable oil over medium heat and add red onion. Cook for two minutes until slightly translucent. Add chicken, water chestnuts, carrot, garlic , basil, ginger, 5 spice, soy sauce and sesame and stir two minutes more. Turn heat to low and add ¼ cup sauce and stir gently till coated. Let warm for 5 minutes more, stirring often.  Serve warm in lettuce leaves.

Mexican Chicken, Beans and Rice

                2 cups cooked dark chicken meat, chopped

                ½ cup onion, diced

                1 clove garlic, minced

                1 can cooked black beans, drained and rinsed

                1 package pre-cooked Mexican rice, heated

                2 cups bottled salsa, taco sauce, enchilada sauce

                2 T fresh cilantro finely chopped or 1 tsp dried cilantro (parsley can substitute)

                1 tsp ground cumin

                1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

                2 T oil (vegetable, canola, olive, or sunflower)

                Shredded lettuce, shredded cheese & sliced avocado for garnish

In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until translucent. Add garlic and stir one minute more. Add chicken with herbs and spices and cook for two minutes. Finally  add beans, rice and sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often. Serve hot, topped with cheese, lettuce and avocado.

               

A Refreshing Summer Chicken Salad

Now that you’ve learned how to break down a rotisserie chicken, what do you do with it? Chicken salad! I’ve typically always made chicken salad with the same components: chicken, celery, onion, craisins, walnuts and mayonnaise. I needed to come up with something different, so here’s a great chicken salad to make for the summer.

Cabana Chicken Salad

2 cups cooked chicken breast, diced and chilled

½ c pineapple tidbits (fresh, frozen or canned) , coarsely chopped

¼ c mayonnaise

¼ c red onion, finely chopped

¼ c cilantro, finely chopped

1 jalepeno, seeded and diced

½ of a lime, zested + 1 T lime juice

½ tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Slivered almonds or chopped macadamia nuts (optional)

In a medium bowl mix, mayonnaise with lime juice, lime zest and garlic powder.  Stir in pineapple, onion, cilantro, jalepeno, and chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving to let flavors mix.

This can be served as shown on a leaf of lettuce, with crackers or on bread with some slivered almonds or chopped macadamia nuts on top. 

Enjoy!

~tl

All Hail the Rotisserie Chicken!

image courtesy of ifood.tv

About 10 years ago I created my first cookbook called "The White Trash Connoiseur", which showed the novice cook how to make easy, tasty meals on a budget and in little time. Sorry, everyone, this is no longer in print and only a very few people were lucky enough to be given a copy of it. In this publication, I devoted an entire chapter to the amazing wonders of canned chicken. At the time I was a broke college student and canned chicken was a great way to get chicken in a dish with very little effort. Thankfully, my culinary tastes have matured over the years and while I still encourage those on a tight budget to by-all-means use canned chicken, there is a healthier and much more flavorful option: the store-bought rotisserie chicken. 

I know some of you have already known of this amazing food, while some of you are getting ready to click the 'x' and close this window, but give me a chance. I'll warn you, if you are any bit squeamish, this task may not be for you. Even I was a bit green doing this the first time, as like most people I wasn’t used to seeing a chicken in this form.  Once you learn how to break down and use a rotisserie chicken in everyday cooking, you will be wondering why you never did this before. Found in most grocery stores, rotisserie chickens come in a variety of flavors. I tend to go with the most basically seasoned, as you can add additional flavor later depending on the dish you are preparing. Choosing a rotisserie chicken is easy - pick the freshest you can find and the most appetizing-looking. You really can't go wrong from there. 

When back to your kitchen you will need a cutting board, a slotted spoon, a colander, a small pot of simmering water, and a knife - I'd suggest a medium-sized one (a chef's knife too large and a paring knife too small). I'd like to interject here and mention, I'm a self-trained cook, so what I've learned over the years has come from personal experience and hours of watching cooking shows. Please do not rely on me to be 100% accurate on terminology and for heaven sake not grammar or spelling. Feel free to experiment on your own. Feeling comfortable with the ingredients and tools you use to prepare is key and just do what feels right and tastes right to you. But, learn to take risks too! Okay, back to the cluck-cluck. Your chicken will either come in a resealable bag or some other container - do not throw this away as it will be important as you breakdown the bird and dispose of it later. These birds are juicy and if it’s been a mere minutes since you purchased it, it will be HOT so be careful! Open the container and carefully move the chicken from its packaging and place the cutting board. Once the bird is on your board remove any bindings that may be holding the bird together, plastic, string or otherwise. Now it’s time to break it down, cue a *funky tune*. 

As most everyone knows a whole chicken is comprised of white meat and dark meat. First take off the white breast meat, found on both sides of the breast bone. You’ll find it’s very easy to remove this meat by first removing the skin from the breast and placing it to the side or in the container the chicken came in. Next, carefully cut along the either side of the breast bone with your knife. Then, using your fingers, dig in and gently pull the meat away. Again, be careful as the bird may still be very hot. Gently use a fork if necessary. Get as much of this juicy delicious meat off as you can - you should easily be able to pull about 1 lb. of breast meat from the bird. Next comes the dark meat. Now, for those of you who just can’t stand dark meat, give it a chance. It is undoubtedly the most flavorful and is delicious in soups, casseroles, and many other dishes. This meat is located throughout the rest of the chicken. You have to work a bit for it, carefully watching for small bones, gristle, and other unfavorable pieces. Place these pieces, along with the skin in the package the chicken came in – do not throw these away yet! With practice, you should be able to get about 1 lb. of dark meat off as well. Altogether you will have anywhere from 3 to 4 cups of deliciously juicy chicken meat that beats canned chicken’s pants off, if chickens wore pants that is.

You will notice while the chicken is incredibly juicy, it is also quite greasy. This is where that simmering pot of water comes in. Plunging your poultry in simmering water will render fat from the bird. White meat should be done for 45 secs to 1 min; dark meat for 1 ½ to 2 mins max. With a slotted spoon carefully remove the chicken from the pot into a colander to drain. After a couple minutes, carefully move back to the cutting board and let cool about 5 minutes. After cooling, it can be chopped finely for dishes or left whole, used in a dish you are working on or chilled in the fridge for later use. Do not feel you have to render the fat from the bird, though.

Now, for those ‘leftover’ pieces of the bird. They can be used to create a flavorful stock – to be discussed in a future post. This can be done right away or the remaining pieces can be tightly wrapped and frozen for later use. My favorite use is of the skin. I add it to a pot of boiling potatoes to add flavor that will knock your socks off! Just remember to discard the skin after boiling. If you don’t want to deal with doing either of those things, simply discard, sealed in the container it came in. For those with pets, while you may sneak a bit of meat to them, but do not give them any of the bones as these can cause harm to them. Just let them have the good bits.

For those of you who haven’t left this post yet, pat yourself on the back. While this may seem like a tedious task, with practice you can break down a bird in 15 minutes or less and have up to 2 lbs of moist, flavorful chicken meat.

~tl

p.s. not all posts will be this long, promise J

Finally!

Welcome to the blog that so many friends and family have wanted to me to start over the years. Pin & Cleaver came to me one day when I decided I needed to stop clogging my Facebook profile with my culinary creations but showcase them on a space of their very own! As a newbie blogger I can't promise consistent updates but I guarantee if there is something that I want to share with you all, it will be on here. Also, I'm planning on opening the blog up to some of my friends to delve into their creative culinary psyche, because I think that's what this blog should be about, sharing food ideas with friends, family and anyone else who cares to take a look!

nom noms to come!

~tl