recipe

Easy Hunter’s Chicken

1 lb chicken breasts

½ cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp basil (or use fresh if you have it)

1 tsp thyme

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 bay leaf

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup red wine

1 cup crushed tomatoes

1 – 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

Dredge the chicken in seasoned flower and cook in olive oil.

Add rosemary and garlic

Add chicken broth, wine, and crushed tomatoes

Let simmer for about 30-45 minutes, until chicken is very tender.

Add frozen veggies and cook until hot.

I served this with mashed potatoes but it is good rice or noodles.

Ginger Beef

Ginger Beef

1 lb beef cut into strips (something tender)

1/4 onion, chopped fine

1-2 garlic cloves, chopped fine

1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped fine

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 cup water

1 1/2 cups rice

2 cups broccoli florets, frozen.

Stir fry the beef in a little oil along with the onion, ginger and garlic.

Add the soy sauce and water.

Add the rice.

Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the broccoli and simmer another 5-10 minutes until rice is done and broccoli is heated through.

Food Friday: Hummus

Food Friday Number 52!

Hummus

1 19 ounce can chick peas (garbanzo beans)

3 cloves garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

3 Tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste) – use fresh if you can find it

2-3 Tablespoons water

Rinse the cooked chick peas in water. Add to food processor and process.

Add the oil, tahini, garlic, lemon, and salt.

Process until smooth.

Add water to soften to desired consistency.

Serve with Pita Chips.

Food Friday: Plain Old Cheesecake

Plain Old Cheesecake

Crust:

18 graham crackers (I have used digestive biscuits)

1/4 cup melted butter

1 Tablespoon honey

Filling:

16 ounces cream cheese

1/3 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Crumble graham crackers in a food processor. Melt the butter with the honey and pour into the crackers as the food processor is going.

Turn it out into a spring form pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper if you like. Press the crust into the bottom so it is more or less even and comes up the sides a little.

Put all the filling ingredients into a bowl and blend until smooth. Pour it on top of the crust and bake for 20-25 minutes at 375 degreed F.

Cool at room temperature until you can handle the pan. Then put it in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours so it is firm.

Top with berries, or jam, or eat it plain.

Food Friday: Lobster Chowder

Lobster Chowder

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 cups cubed potatoes

1 onion, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup white wine

2 Tablespoons flour

3/4 pound cooked lobster, cut in pieces

1 cup cooked corn

1 Tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon chives, chopped

2 cups milk

1 cup cream

Cook potatoes, onion, salt and pepper in the olive oil for about 10 minutes. Add the wine and simmer for another 10 minutes or until the potatoes are done. Sprinkle with flour.

Add lobster, corn and butter. When butter is melted, add paprika, chives, and milk. Heat to a low simmer, stirring occasionally.

Add cream and heat through.

Food Friday: One Dish Dinner

I make this a lot. It is easy to throw together after a hard day at the office.

One Dish Dinner

1 lb chicken (or tofu, or beef) cut into cubes or strips

½ red onion

2 cloves garlic

6-7 sun dried tomatoes

1-2 tsp Basil

1 tsp salt

Black pepper

2 tsp Paprika

Put some oil in a large pan with a lid and cook the chicken with the onion and garlic until done. Add spices and a bouillon cube.

¾ cup rice

1 ½ cup water

Add the rice and water and cover. Lower the heat and simmer about 15 minutes.

Cut into smallish pieces:

½ small eggplant, peeled

1 medium zucchini, peeled

½ green pepper

Put some oil in another pan and fry up the vegetables so they are just softening.

Check the rice at 15 minutes and throw in the vegetables.

Continue to cook about another 5 minutes until the rice is done.

Serve.

Food Friday: Turkey Chile

This is one I make up as I go along. Use whatever you have one hand. This one has kidney beans but you would use black beans. You could use turkey or beef or buffalo. Throw some corn in if you have it on hand. Anything goes.

1 lb turkey

½ onion chopped

½ green pepper chopped

1 cup mushrooms, chopped

1 large can chopped tomatoes

1 can beans

½ cup tomato paste

1 tbsp Adobo

2 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt – to taste

generous grind of black pepper

1 cup prepared salsa

shredded cheese for garnish

Cook the turkey and onion (add a chopped clove of garlic if you want)

Add the pepper and mushrooms and any other vegetables you want.

Add the tomatoes and spices and beans. Let it simmer until the vegetables are cooked.

Serve. This freezes well too.

Food Friday: Gringo Enchiladas

These are American Mexican Enchiladas adapted for Gringos. Not really very Mexican. I think of them as the ultimate comfort food.

I ran this before using leftover turkey. I think it is worth a re-run with pictures.

Gringo Enchiladas

Place the following in a saucepan over medium heat:

1 lb chicken boiled and shredded

1 green onion chopped

Add and combine until melted:

¼ cup cream cheese

2/3 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterrey Jack, or a combination)

Combine:

8 oz can tomato puree

1 cup prepared salsa (however you like it, medium or hot… or mild)

1 tsp adobo or coriander or some fresh cilantro

Add about ½ cup of tomato mixture to the chicken.

Oil a baking dish and heat oven to 350 degrees

Heat about 8 flour tortillas

Place 2 tbsp (or more) of mixture into each tortilla

Roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish

Once you have used up all the stuffing, cover the tortillas with

Salsa

Shredded cheese

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25-30 minutes

Remove foil and cook another 5-7 minutes if you want, but you don’t have to.

Serve with Guacamole

1 avocado mashed

1 tbsp lemon juice

Dash salt

Mash the avocado in the lemon juice, add salt if desired

Food Friday: Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd’s Pie

Olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 leek, chopped

½ green pepper, chopped

1 cup frozen peas and carrots (optional)

1 lb ground lamb

1 tsp rosemary

1 pinch nutmeg

salt and pepper

8 oz wine

6 oz tomato paste

6 potatoes

salt

butter

milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Sautee garlic, leek and green pepper in olive oil.

Add lamb, rosemary, nutmeg, salt and pepper

Cook until lamb is done

Add wine and tomato paste

Simmer until liquid is reduced

Add peas and carrots to meat and heat through.

Peel and boil potatoes for about 20 minutes

Drain, add butter and milk and mash

Add salt

Put meat into a baking dish.

Cover with mashed potatoes. Use a fork to make a pretty design.

Set in oven for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned

Serve

Food Friday: Scalloped Potatoes

Scalloped Potatoes

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

2 pounds potatoes, cut into thin slices

salt and pepper

Usually I peel the potatoes but this time I thought I would try it without peeling. It worked fine, if you like the peel.

I used a food processor to slice the potatoes. It look less than a minute.

Grease a baking dish and spread the potatoes around the dish. Salt and pepper them.

Mix Together:

1 3/4 cups heavy cream

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp nutmeg

salt and pepper

Pour this mixture over the potatoes.

Top with:

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Cover with aluminum foil.

Place in oven for 40-45 minutes.

Expat Alien

foreign in my own country

recipe

Easy Hunter’s Chicken

Easy Hunter’s Chicken

Ginger Beef

Food Friday: Hummus

Food Friday: Lobster Chowder

Food Friday: One Dish Dinner

Food Friday: Turkey Chile

Food Friday: Gringo Enchiladas

Food Friday: Shepherd’s Pie

Food Friday: Scalloped Potatoes