Chicken Cacciatore

In looking over my posts, I am embarrassed to notice that almost every dang one of them includes a trying-to-be-artistic photo of a tin can. Maybe it's part of my recovery. Maybe it's that I'm cheap. You never can tell. To all of the real foodies out there: cut me some slack! Don't stop reading! Please?

Begging and pleading aside, I do actually have a recipe to share here. (It does include canned tomatoes. Oops.) From time to time, I travel for work. One of the hardest things for me about being away from my husband is knowing that he will not so much as set foot in the kitchen while I am gone. He won't make coffee. He won't grab a piece of fruit or yogurt. Don't even think for a second that he will put a frozen pizza in the oven. My husband, who devours everything I cook like he has never eaten before, just can't be bothered to eat food when I am gone. My only hope is to make food ahead of time that he might consider warming up in the microwave.


Enter this Chicken Cacciatore. Fancy Italian for chicken "hunter's stew", it basically is chicken braised in a tomato sauce with vegetables and white wine. What I love about this is that it really keeps its flavor and texture if eaten the next day. Or the next. And even the next one. I have been known to eat some very questionable leftovers, folks. This characteristic makes it a good option to take to a family with a new baby, take to work for lunch, or leave with your spouse while you are away. They may even eat it.


Chicken Cacciatore
Adapted from Ellie Krieger, Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger
Yields 4 Servings

A couple of notes: If you can make yourself go there, please try this with the skin ON the chicken breasts. The skin creates more flavor, and I promise you don't actually have to eat the skin. Also, if you prefer to avoid wine in your cooking, you can substitute chicken stock. However, white wine reduces the need for salt, so you may have to adjust for seasoning at the end.

Ingredients
4 chicken breast halves on the bone, about 2 pounds
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 (15 ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice, chopped and juice reserved
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup italian parsley, chopped

Directions
Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Season the chicken on both sides with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (evenly divided among all 4 breasts)and black pepper.

Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken on both sides, about 8 minutes. Remove the chicken.

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and pepper, season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to brown, about another 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half. Add the tomatoes and juice, oregano, red pepper flakes and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and simmer the mixture covered for 10 minutes.

Return the chicken breasts to the pan and simmer, covered, until the chicken is fully cooked, about 25 minutes longer. Top with chopped parsley and serve.

Lemony Hummus

The first time I ever made hummus was also the first time I ever ate hummus. It was one of the (few) things that I thought I didn't like, but, inspired by the Pioneer Woman's post about it, I thought that maybe the home-made version would change my mind. Did it ever.

I probably made hummus every day last summer after coming home from work. It was so good, and the perfect after-work-ruin-your-dinner type of snack. I was, and continue to be, completely hooked.


The awesome thing about hummus is that, as long as you have the basic ingredients and understanding of how to make it, you can adjust the proportions based on your own taste. I like to feature the flavor of the olive oil and lemon rather than the tahini, but play with this on your own and decide what you like best. The basic ingredients are:

Chickpeas (also called Garbanzo Beans)
Tahini (middle-eastern sesame paste, which is pretty widely available)
Lemon
Garlic
Cumin
Olive Oil

Ruin your dinner this week with some delicious hummus. You'll be glad you did.


Lemony Hummus

Ingredients
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
3 tablespoons cold water
2 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Chopped fresh basil or italian parsley, for garnish

Directions
Combine garbanzo beans, lemon juice, water, tahini, cumin, garlic, and salt in a blender and pulse until almost smooth. (You will probably need to use a spatula to push down the sides in between pulses.) Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while continuing to pulse the blender. Transfer to a serving bowl and drizzle with additional olive oil. Top with chopped fresh herbs.

Spicy Three Bean and Beef Chili

This will be a short post, given that I have some packing to do before getting on a plane to sunny Pasadena tomorrow.


This chili has become a staple in our house. It is inexpensive (see all of the canned goods above), easy, really tasty, and can feed a crowd without a lot of effort. The spiciness comes from the chipotle chilies with adobo sauce, and they can pack quite a punch. If you are sensitive to heat (read: a wuss), try using a couple of teaspoons of the adobo sauce instead of the actual pepper. Or, if you really can't handle any spice, omit the chilis completely.

Try it! I know you'll love it.


Spicy Three Bean and Beef Chili
Adapted from Ellie Krieger, Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound extra-lean ground beef (90 percent lean)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (fire roasted tomatoes preferred)
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
Grated cheddar cheese, for garnish (optional)
Sour cream, for garnish (optional)

Directions
Heat the oil in large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until the meat is no longer pink. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to season the meat. Remove the cooked meat with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the onion, bell pepper, carrots, and another 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the pot, cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, chipotle, and oregano. Fill the empty tomato can with water and add to the pot. Simmer, partially covered, stirring from time to time, for 30 minutes. Stir in the beans and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and continue cooking, partially covered, 20 minutes longer. Add cracked black pepper to taste and serve with grated cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Five Minute Guacamole

It's the last week of college football season. That means it is your last chance to eat guacamole with reckless abandon.


When I was growing up I had this crazy idea that I didn't like guacamole. I don't remember when I reached the critical turning point (I think it had something to do with Kerbey Queso), but I never looked back.

Since then, I have made guacamole at home many, many times for myself and friends and myself some more, and I must say, this is a dang good recipe. So good, it will be gone in five minutes, as the name indicates. We had people over for New Year's Eve dinner, and I purposely did not put this stuff out until all of our guests arrived because I knew the late-comers wouldn't get any.


Guacamole is one of those things that can be made 150 different ways, and everyone has their strong opinions on what is or is not acceptable to include in it. Here is my approach, for what it is worth.

1. As shown above, the key things I like to include are shallot, lime juice, orange juice, cilantro, and jalapeno. Pretty straightforward, but tastes awesome.

2. I prefer not to mash my avocados with a fork. I love the chunky texture that requires a manly chip and not those dainty thin ones that you have to fish out of the bowl with a spoon. You know you've done it.

3. I don't really care for tomatoes in my guacamole. I think they take away from the distinct avocado-ey flavor, to put it technically.

4. Cilantro is a must! If you think you don't like cilantro, c'mon, give it a chance! I have never had someone STOP eating this guacamole because they don't normally like cilantro.

Make this for your BCS National Championship game watching party, and take advantage of the opportunity to spend time investing in good friends and family.



Five Minute Guacamole
Yields 1.5-2 cups guacamole

Ingredients
4 large Haas avocados
1 lime, juiced
1/2 shallot, diced
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
Peel and roughly chop avocados (do not mash) and immediately add lime juice to prevent browning. Add shallots, orange juice, jalapeno, cilantro, and salt. Mix together until the guacamole is fully combined and has achieved the desired texture. Serve with tortilla chips.

Football Food Week!

(Image courtesy of longhorntailgaters.com)

It is going to get down to 20 degrees on Thursday in Austin. Luckily for me, I will be in sunny Pasadena, California watching the Longhorns rip up on Bama!

In celebration and anticipation of the BCS National Championship game and the upcoming NFL playoffs, I will be featuring two (maybe three) of my go-to recipes for football, cold weather, and feeding a crowd. If you have known me for any length of time, there is a strong chance that you have eaten two of the three.

Whether you are throwing a Longhorn watching party or a Longhorn-hater watching party, make some good 'ol hearty, crowd pleasing football food! And I would love to hear about what you made in the comments!

Ham & White Bean Soup

WARNING: It is this recipe that resulted in my finger cut that resulted in a trip to the ER that resulted in four stitches. As such, this recipe includes some important safety tips.


Important Safety Tip: When working with canned ingredients, please cautiously remove lid before moving on with the cooking process. This has been a public service announcement.


Injuries aside, this recipe is so easy and so fast, I had to post it anyway, as there is virtually no excuse not to make it. "I don't have enough time to cook" will not get you through this one. "I hate chopping vegetables" also won't get it done. "I can't find pre-cooked ham." Nice try. Surely you have some leftover from Christmas.

Since pre-cooked ham is the central protein in this soup, it can make seasoning a bit tricky. When I made this, I found that a quarter teaspoon of salt was plenty. However, to be on the safe side, my advice is to season at the very end, little by little, in order to avoid a complete sodium overload.

Ham & White Bean Soup
Adapted from Gourmet

Ingredients
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 (14 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
2 (19-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2-pound piece baked ham (1/2 to 3/4 inch thick), cut into 1/2-inch cubes (results in about 2 cups of cubed ham)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
5-ounces of bagged baby spinach or baby arugula (a standard bag is about 10 ounces, so use half of the bag)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Directions
Cook garlic in 1/4 cup oil in a 3 1/2- to 4 1/2-quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Coarsely cut up tomatoes in can with kitchen shears [AFTER REMOVING THE LID FROM THE TIN CAN], then add (with juice) to garlic in oil. Stir in broth, beans, ham, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Stir in greens and cook until wilted, 3 minutes for spinach or 1 minute for arugula. Add salt, if needed (salt may not be needed depending on the seasoning level of the pre-cooked ham). Garnish with toasts and shaved parmesan cheese.

Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies

When it comes to baking, I like to keep it simple. Baking elaborate desserts that take more time to decorate than to eat is just not my style. I also am not patient or exacting enough to really be successful at making great desserts. For elaborate-ness, I recommend that you visit Bakerella's site for inspiration.

Therefore, when it comes to Christmas cookies, I have to apologize in advance that you will not see any fun shapes, icing, sprinkles, or glazes. There are no ginger-people or Christmas trees. My cookies are circles, as cookies should be.

Molasses cookies are wonderful for Christmas because they have that spicy flavor that we expect to have during Christmas time. But, they also are pretty light (relatively speaking) and won't leave you feeling like you can't drag your butt off of the couch to finish your laundry so that you can pack to drive to Arkansas. Figuratively speaking.

And, they are easy! My dear friend Jennifer was the one who first introduced me to molasses cookies, and she is not one to fuss around in the kitchen. But she executes these puppies beautifully, every time. Hi Jenn!


This is not the greatest picture ever, but the most recent one I could find! From left to right, Kim, Jenn, me, Amanda.

Important baking tip of the day: This recipe calls for softened butter, which is different than room temperature butter. To soften butter, remove from the fridge 45 minutes to 1 hour before using until the butter is, um, soft. (This is the kind of genius commentary you can expect from this site.) It may take longer in the winter than in the summer, depending on how aggressive you are with your heater. To speed up the process, do NOT put the butter in the microwave (that, my friends, is melted butter). You can soften butter more quickly by cutting it into smaller pieces before letting it sit. This may seem nit picky, but butter temperature can cause really drastic differences in the texture of baked goods, especially cookies.

Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Yields about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a shallow bowl, place 1/2 cup sugar (for rolling the cookies) and set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream the softened butter and remaining 1 cup of sugar until combined and fluffy. Beat in egg and then molasses until combined. Reduce speed to low and gradually mix in dry ingredients until the dough forms.

Pinch off and roll dough into balls, each equal to about 1 tablespoon. Roll balls in reserved sugar to coat.

Arrange balls on baking sheets, about 3 inches apart. (Note: The cookies will spread quite a lot when baking so it is important to have adequate space in between.) Bake, one sheet at a time, until edges of cookies are just firm, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool 1 minute on baking sheets before transferring to racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 4 days.