SCENES FROM A WEEK

We've been at home now for six weeks. We're lucky: everyone is healthy, our neighborhood is nice for walking, both Neal and I are still working, we have internet access for the kids to do their work, we live in a state where our governor made quick, educated choices. We like each other, and the military has us prepared for things like missed vacations, not being there for someones birthday, endlessly changing orders and plans, being aware that you are indeed living through history.

But still. We're restless.We missed family visits and a long planned for trip. We miss our friends. And the library. I miss my students and co-workers and the kids miss their teachers.  It's an odd time. A slow time.

I have always loved being home. And I still do; even through the restlessness, the boredom, the worry.

Scenes from our week: 

I'm reading The Land of Stories series out loud to Ava. We are absolutely loving it.

Dylan is working on his Cooking Merit Badge for scouts, so he has been making dinners about once a week and using different techniques. This week he wanted to work on frying, so we made tonkatsu (Japanese fried pork chops). He used this video tutorial from Tokyo Kitchen. 

 YUM.

Working from home. I've been making a lot of anchor charts, which now won't be used until next year. 😢 We're out until the end of the year. I knew it was coming, but it was still very upsetting.

We did a backyard campout. It was fun, but cold!

 Campout dinner was chicken pot pie with biscuits. I found the recipe on this list; I'm working through all of them.

Ava is working on learning to braid her own hair. We've been looking at lots of braiding tutorials. Turns out I don't know how to do a traditional braid? Evidently, I always do "dutch braids" instead of traditional braids.

Ava's Earth Day art.

ALMOND & APPLE CHICKEN SALAD

Sometimes, life gets crazy. Sometimes, you and your hubs get home from work and have homework to help with, plus both baseball and Girl Scouts on the same night (WHY WHY WHY), plus dogs to feed...oh and yourself and all the people who live in your house who expect to eat every single day. And that's when you need to have a ton of this chicken salad in your fridge so you have something to scarf down before you run out the door. (Again.) It's great on it's own, with crackers, on bread, or on top of greens!

Also, it's, like, the easiest thing ever to make.

These measurements are good for two very large servings, so feel free to double or triple it for mega food prep. (Make during your weekly meal prep and you're golden!) Most weeks, I throw a couple pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in my slow cooker for 4 hours and then shred it all to have on hand during the week, and that works perfectly here. I also make my own mayo, because...I'm crazy (Just in case you would like to try this, I double the Whole 30 recipe) but you can use regular mayonnaise, of course (I suggest Hellmann's for traditional mayo or Primal Kitchen Avocado mayo if you're paleo/Whole 30). I also sometimes top it with Danielle Walker's Against All Grain Thai Almond Dressing and it is DIVINE.

Alright, let's make chicken salad!

Almond & Apple Chicken Salad

2 cups of cooked, shredded chicken 

4-6 Tbsp of mayonnaise of your choice

1 small apple, cored and chopped 

1 stalk of celery, chopped

2 Tbsp of roasted or raw almonds

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: Against All Grain Almond Dressing

Mix all ingredients together and salt and pepper to taste. Top with almond dressing, if desired. Can be stored in fridge up to three days.

Enjoy!

CREAMY TOMATOES & CHICKEN OVER SPAGHETTI SQUASH

One of my absolute favorite foods is pasta with cream sauce. I will 100% go to a fancy Italian restaurant with dozens of authentic, delicious, farm to table dishes and be that person who orders Fettuccine Alfredo. I will order anything that claims to be "three cheese." I will use bread to mop up all the extra creamy sauce on my dish. I love it all-gnocchi, tortellini, parma rosa, the before mentioned Alfredo sauce. 

The problem is, as I get older, I've (sadly) gotten wiser. I do silly things like run for exercise and say no to things I don't want to do and listen to my body about things that I eat that make me feel like crap. Which means I really really really limit both dairy and gluten. The key elements to my pasta with cream sauce love.

Luckily, this growing older has also taught me to embrace things I love, one of which is cooking and coming up with recipes. This past year, I've really worked at taking meals we love and turning them into things that are Whole 30 compliant. This creamy tomato and chicken dish is both dairy free and grain free but creamy and decadent tasting. 

(It's also basically one pot, which means less clean up, thank-you-Jesus-and-the-universe, we could all use less time doing dishes, can I get an Amen?)

Cast of Characters:

 Tomatoes, chicken, olive oil, chicken stock, coconut cream and tapioca flour are the base of this dish. Fresh basil and rosemary, plus garlic and onions give this dish a ton of flavor. Salt and pepper, of course, plus a little crushed red pepper for a tiny kick.

First we're going to roast a spaghetti squash to serve all this creaminess over.

While the squash is roasting, we brown the chicken in olive oil.

Once the chicken is cooked up, set it aside. Add a little more oil and the onions to the pan and brown them. Toss in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Finally, add the tomatoes. Cook it all up. Your kitchen is starting to smell divine.

We add the broth and bring everything to a boil and then simmer it all together. Toss in that basil and the rosemary. And the key to the creaminess: coconut cream and a little tapioca starch diluted in water. We season everything with salt and pepper and add that kick of red pepper flakes. Add the chicken back in and warm everything up. Now your kitchen smells like Italian heaven (and if you're having a dinner party this is when your guests should show up and shower you with praise like "It smells so good in here!" and there is dinner all in one pot with nary a dish to wash and you feeling all chef like! *Praise hands*). 

Run a fork through that spaghetti squash to make "noodles". Top that squash with a piece of chicken and creamy tomatoes. Eat, enjoy, and don't feel a bit guilty. 

Creamy Tomatoes and Chicken Over Spaghetti Squash

2 Tbsp chopped basil

1/2 Tbsp chopped rosemary

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 small onion, chopped

2 lbs of fresh tomatoes, chopped OR 1 28oz can chopped tomatoes

2 lbs chicken breasts

1/2 cup coconut cream

1 cup chicken stock

3 Tbsp olive oil, divided

2 Tbsp of tapioca flour*, dissolved in 2 Tbsp of cold water 

Big Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and Pepper, to taste.

1 large spaghetti squash

*Tapioca flour can be found in the "health food " section in most grocery stores. This part is OPTIONAL. It makes the sauce a little thicker/creamier, but if you can't find it don't worry about it!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the spaghetti squash in half and place on a rimmed cookie sheet, cut side up. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until flesh is soft (if you can stick a fork in it with little resistance, it's ready).

While the squash is roasting, make your sauce. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Season both sides of the chicken breast with salt and pepper, and when the oil is hot but not smoking, add the chicken to the pan. Cook for about 7 minutes, each side, until the chicken is nicely browned and cooked through. Remove from the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate; leave the brown juices in the pan.

Reduce the heat to medium and return the pan to the burner. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to the pan. Add the onions to the pan and cooking until soft and slightly brown. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes and then add the chopped tomatoes, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. 

Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the chopped herbs and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the tomatoes for 5-7 minutes. Stir in the coconut cream and 2 Tbsp of the dissolved tapioca starch, if using. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add in the crushed red pepper flakes. If you'd like the sauce a little thicker, add more of the dissolved tapioca starch, 1 Tbsp at a time until desired thickness is achieved. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer another 5-7 minutes to warm the chicken.

Shredded the spaghetti squash with a fork. Serve the chicken and sauce over the spaghetti squash.  

Enjoy!

The Basics: CHICKEN STOCK

 

 

Homemade chicken stock is one of those things that is just so easy and so much better than store bought, that once you make it, you'll never look back.

Stock is traditionally prepared by simply simmering meat bones in water. Vegetables, herbs, and spices are often added for flavor. The key to stock is using bones that have been roasted, in an oven or even on a barbeque. I alternate from simmering stock on the stove top or using my slow cooker. Both produce excellent results.

Stock is the perfect way to use up a roasted chicken carcass and vegetable ends. I keep gallon size zip lock bags in my freezer, and I'll throw a roasted chicken in one after we've eaten most of the meat off of it. I keep another one for vegetable odds and ends. Half an onion, celery leaves, the end of leeks, all go into the bag. Once I have a bag full, I make up a pot of stock. I freeze my stock in ice cube trays and they it's always ready if I need a little or a lot.

Though a bit time consuming, this is an easy recipe that you can throw together any evening or weekend.

 

Chicken Stock

Ingredients:

1 roasted chicken carcass, some meat still on the bones

2 carrots, roughly chopped

4 stalks of celery, roughly chopped

1-2 onions, quartered (you don't even have to peel them)

4-6 garlic cloves, unpeeled

2 sprigs of rosemary

2 sprigs of thyme

5 sprigs of Italian parsley

2 bay leaves

 

Method1: Place the chicken carcass in a large, deep pot. Cover with cold water. Add the vegetables. If you'd like, tie the herbs together with kitchen twine, it makes for easier straining but is not necessary. Add the herbs to the pot. Bring the stock to a boil and immediately reduce to a low simmer. Simmer for 3-4 hours on stove top. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain stock through a fine sieve. Refrigerate (1 week ) or freeze (6 months).

 

Method 2: Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cover with cold water (see note above on herbs). Cook on low for 6 hours.Remove from heat and let cool. Strain stock through a fine sieve. Refrigerate (1 week ) or freeze (6 months).  

 

This is a new series of posts that will focus on the basics of cooking.



CELEBRATING...FANTASTIC MR. FOX

 

We just finished reading Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr. Fox to our son, and decided to have a little celebration because we loved the book so much*. And what does one serve at a party for Fantastic Mr. Fox? Chicken and vegetable pie fit for a Feast**, bien sur.

Chicken, of course. And carrots for the rabbits.**

 

I had these Woodland Animal Cookie Cutters, which just happens to have a fox. So we used that to cut the vents in the top of the pie.

 

 

And of course, apple cider. Though not hard, as it is in the book. We wouldn't want any disgruntled rats showing up, now would we?**

 

 

 

Good book, good food. What else do you need for a cause to celebrate?

*It was also a great way to convince my son to eat chicken and vegetable pie, which is not a favorite of his.
**If these Feast/animal references sound crazy, please read Fantastic Mr. Fox for clarity. :)


Chicken and Vegetable Pie
adapted from Real Simple

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 large carrots, diced
3 heaping tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups milk
1 10oz bag frozen peas
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (optional)
salt and pepper
1 9inch store bought pie crust, thawed if frozen

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Heat the oil and butter is a large, heavy bottomed pan ( I use my cast iron skillet) over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots, cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, but not brown (about 5 minutes). Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute.
Add the chicken stock and cook until incorporated into the flour/vegetable mix, about 5-7 minutes. Using a whisk, add the milk and simmer until the sauce has thicken, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and peas, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a shallow 1 1/2-2 quart baking dish (I use a pie dish).
Lay the crust on top, pressing to seal. Cut several vents in the crust. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake until bubbling and the crust is golden, about 45 minutes.

 

Poor Mr Fox. His tail was the first to go.