Dirty Rice

This rice dish is quick and easy, oh that sounds familiar! Serve it with slices of lime, or sliced cucumbers in vinegar. If you are comfortable in the kitchen, this only takes about 30 minutes to get it on the table.

Dirty Rice

2 cups raw rice
1/2 to 1 pound of ground pork
1 bell pepper
1 onion
2 stalks celery
2 carrots
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons Chef Wayne's seasoning or Bayou Blast
1 tablespoon oregano
1 1/2 cups chicken broth

Put the rice on to cook in 4 cups of water. Then, in a large frying pan, brown the pork. While the pork is browning, wash, peel, scrape and chop the veggies. Drain the pork, return it to the pan, and add all the veggies; onion, pepper, celery, carrot, and garlic. Add the seasonings. Cook over medium heat, letting it brown up a bit. Add some of the broth if it sticks. When the rice is done (it will take about 20 minutes), add it to the pork and veggies, along with the broth. Stir it all together until well-mixed and hot. Pass the hot sauce to your brother.

Chicken Chili

This recipe is a favorite for my family and for friends. I have problems following the exact recipe, every time I make it, it turns out a little different.

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large onion, chopped
3 cans white kidney beans
1 can evaporated milk
1 4.5 ounce chopped green chilies
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon cumin
1 14.5 ounce can of chicken stock
2 cups shredded mexican cheese
1 cup sour cream

Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces, cook over medium heat with onion in a non-stick frying pan. Add to large crockpot. Open beans and drain, add to pot. Add milk, chicken stock, chopped chilies, and seasonings. Set crockpot on low and cook for 4 hours. Taste for seasonings, add more chili powder, green chilies, hot sauce, or black pepper if needed. Stir in sour cream and shredded cheese. Stir and heat on high (in the crock pot) for 20 minutes. Ring the dinner bell and don't expect leftovers. (Shop at Trader Joes for beans, good price and no additives that you can't pronounce.)

Not Your Grandma's French Onion Soup

B. loves French Onion Soup, and has been asking me to make it all winter. When your Grandmother made it, it took all day. When I make it, it takes up a lot less time, and we never have any leftover! Make this when onions are cheap, and spend the savings on a really good cheese to melt on top.

French Onion Soup

5 good size onions
3 tablespoons butter
1 32-ounce carton of low-sodium beef broth
1 bay leaf
thyme, black pepper
1 loaf bread (french, italian, leftover..., but not sandwich bread)
Shredded cheese, splurge is Gruyere, everyday is Fontina, tight budget is Swiss.

Peel and thinly slice the onions. I like to use a mix of sweet onions and yellow onions. (Don't use red onions here!) Saute the onions in a large pot with the butter on low heat - I repeat, LOW HEAT, this will take a while, but good things come to those who wait! You want the onions to be soft and golden, bur not brown, so plan on at least a half hour of cooking. Stir it occasionally to prevent any sticking. Add beef broth and bay leaf, cover and simmer another half-hour. Add a sprinkle of thyme and pepper. Ladle into oven-proof soup bowls (or coffee cups). Top with sliced bread and sprinkle with shredded cheese (don't skimp on the cheese). Put the bowls in the oven and broil until the cheese is melted and gooey. Carefully remove from oven and serve. Make sure you have a plate or hot pad under each bowl. Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

When the forecast includes snow, you should be sure that you have some staples in the house for a few different meals. If you have a freezer and a pantry, this one is a no-brainer.

Chicken Pot Pie

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 2-pound package of frozen mixed vegetables
1 can cream of something soup (mushroom, chicken, celery)
1 cup water
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 and 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 and 1/2 cups buttermilk
seasonings

Spray a large casserole with cooking spray. Spread the frozen mixed veggies over the bottom of the pan. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and add to the pan. Sprinkle with seasonings (pepper, thyme, sage, parsley are suggestions). Be careful adding salt, because the other ingredients already include it, and you don't want it too salty. Mix the soup and the water together until combined, pour over chicken and veggies. Put this into a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Melt the butter in the microwave (or pot), mix in the flour and the buttermilk. Carefully pull the casserole out of the oven and dollop the biscuit mixture over the top of the casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for another 45 minutes. The chicken/veggie mix should be bubbling around the sides of the casserole, and the biscuit mixture should be golden brown. Serve as is, or over rice. Everybody's favorite part is the biscuit! Enjoy the snow...

Potato Soup

Just the thing to make the week before Christmas, when A is visiting her BFF (who just had her wisdom teeth out), MK has a cold, K and B are playing on the Wii and chillin, and Dad is working. Easy, satisfying, and cheap!

Potato Soup

6 to 8 russet potatoes
2 large carrots
1 14.5 ounce can chicken stock. low sodium
water
whole milk or evaporated milk
bay leaf
thyme
salt and pepper

Peel the potatoes and scrape the carrots. Chop into small pieces, add to large pot along with chicken stock and water to cover. Put the lid on it and bring to a boil. Add seasonings, look in your spices and see what else would be good - a little onion powder, garlic powder, tarragon. Wait to add salt at the very end, it is easy to over salt. Cook until the veggies are soft. Mash the veggies against the side of the pot with a big spoon, or lightly smash with a potato masher. Add some milk to make it creamy. If you have small amounts of shredded cheese in the fridge, add that too. Taste for seasonings, put out the crackers, serve the soup in mugs, and have Christmas cookies for dessert. Life is good.

Baked Ziti

This is so easy, its almost not worth writing down. I had never had baked ziti before I met your dad. It never caught my eye at an Italian restaurant, and nobody I knew made it. Now I consider it a comfort food. So here is your dad's version of baked ziti - meatless and cheesy.

Baked Ziti

1 pound box of ziti
1 large jar of spaghetti sauce
1 15 ounce container of Pollyo low-fat ricotta cheese
1 pound block of Pollyo mozzarella cheese
dried oregano and basil

Put on a large pot of water to boil. Add 1/2 teaspoon or so of salt to the water. When water boils, add pasta and stir. While waiting for water to boil, and pasta to cook, shred mozzarella cheese, unload dishwasher, set table. When pasta is done, drain and return to pot. Add ricotta cheese (Dad uses half, I use all), spaghetti sauce, and a good sprinkle of oregano and basil. Spray a large, flat casserole with cooking spray, add noodle mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, long enough for the casserole to start bubbling around the edges. Add the mozzarella cheese (all or part, your choice) and cook until the cheese is melty and gooey. While the ziti is in the oven, wash the pot, make a simple salad, slice some bread, and put a trivet or wooden cutting board on the table. Take the ziti from the oven, set it on the table, and you have a lovely dinner and an almost clean kitchen.

Easy Friday Night Supper

This meal is proof that everybody can cook at least one supper, nothing fancy, but really good.

Baked Chicken

Buy split chicken breasts, with bones and skin attached! Place in large baking dish, skin side up. Sprinkle with Montreal Chicken Seasoning. Put in oven set at 350 degrees. Bake for one hour, add an additional 15 minutes if chicken breasts are really large. Done!

Baked Vegetables

Wash 3 medium zucchini, and two fist-sized tomatoes. Peel a large sweet onion. Spray a casserole pan with cooking spray. Slice all the vegetables into 1/4" slices. Layer half the zucchini in the casserole dish. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Layer half the onions on top of the zucchini. Repeat the layers of zucchini, salt and pepper, and onions. Top with the slices of tomato. Put in the oven at 350 degrees along side the chicken. Bake for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, Parmesan, cheddar, blends, whatever you have on hand. Bake for 5 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Serve with a nice loaf of bread and some butter. If you want, bake some sweet potatoes or russet potatoes to serve instead of bread. Set the table, pour the ice tea, and gather around the table for a lovely, easy, home cooked dinner.