Homemade Chicken & Rice Soup

The Beauty saw a Food Network chef making homemade chicken noodle soup the other night and decided that we should give it a try. A quick trip to the store and we had all the necessary ingredients to assemble our own version of this comfort-food staple, substituting rice for noodles. Unfortunately, neither of us had written the recipe down so we decided to wing it from memory.

I began our prep by dicing one large yellow onion, slicing 5-6 large stalks of celery into 1/4-inch pieces, and cutting baby carrots into bite-sized chunks. A tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil was heated in a Dutch oven until the surface of the oil began to ripple and smoke slightly, to which the vegetables were added and sauteed until the onions became transluscent. At this point, I added approximately 12 cups of water, a couple pounds of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, a  tablespoon each of thyme and rosemary, a generous dash of kosher salt, and a few good twists from the pepper mill. The heat was turned down to medium low, the pot covered, and the whole shebang was allowed to simmer for about an hour or so to allow the chicken to cook through and turn the water into a delicious chicken stock. Meanwhile, The Beauty decided she wanted to add cubed potatoes to the soup but didn't want them to overcook and become mushy. Once the chicken was heated all the way through, we removed it from the pot to a cutting board, added the potatoes to our stock, covered it, turned the heat up a bit, and continued to simmer. In the meantime, using a couple of forks, we pulled the chicken off the bones and shredded it into bite-sized pieces. It was then covered and set aside until the potatoes were just soft enough to be pierced with a fork and then it was added back into the soup.

An interesting technique used by the Food Network chef was to cook the noodles seperately (she used small shells if I remember right) and then present them in a bowl with the soup stock ladled over the top of them. Apparently, this was to prevent the noodles from becoming overcooked and mushy. We decided to do the same with our cooked rice and the result was a delicious soup with rice that maintained its firmness and slight crunch.

Served with a piece of good, crusty, artisan bread our Homemade Chicken Soup warmed our hearts as well as our bellies!

Do you have your own Chicken Soup recipe you'd care to share? Post it to the comments section and we'll give it a try!

Oven Fish 'n' Chips

The Beauty really enjoys fish. Me, not so much. Most varieties of fish just taste....well.....fishy! I enjoy a good piece of salmon and a beautiful piece of halibut floats my boat but beyond that I'm not too adventurous. So, when we plan to incorporate fish into our weekly menu, it has to be something really special to get my tastebuds salivating.

These Oven Fish 'n' Chips caught me hook, line, and sinker from the very first bite. These are not of the Skipper's/Long John Silver variety....they are far better because you make them fresh and you know what it is going in them. We couldn't find the haddock the recipe called for at our local seafood counter so we used cod and followed the recipe as written. The fish turned out moist, flaky, and flavorful and the cornflake and cheese mixture gave them a crispy crunch. Give this recipe from the Taste of Home Cookbook a try and see for yourself why we think it's the catch of the day!

Oven Fish 'n' Chips
Prep: 20 min.
Bake: 25 min.

2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 medium baking potatoes, peeled (try Yukon Gold or even sweet potatoes for more flavorful chips!)

Fish:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp. water
2/3 cup crushed cornflakes
1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (we substituted a pinch of red pepper flakes which gave the coating a little heat and tasted great!)
1 pound haddock fillets

1. In a medium bowl, combine oil and pepper. Cut potatoes lengthwise into 1/2-in. strips. Add to oil mixture, toss to coat.

2. Place on a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.

3. Meanwhile, in a shallow dish, combine flour and pepper. In a second shallow dish, beat egg and water. In a third dish, combine the cornflakes, cheese, and cayenne. Dredge fish in flour, then dip in egg mixture and coat with crumb mixture.

4. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with chips and tartar sauce if desired.

Yield: 4 servings

On The Side: Rosemary Peas 'n' Squash

Vegetables are not exactly a fan-favorite in our household but one veggie we can all agree on is the workhorse of the squash family - zucchini. Like chicken, we eat so much zucchini that it becomes a chore thinking up new ways to prepare it. Working once again from the Taste of Home Cookbook, I paired this tasty side of summer squash and sugar snap peas with the Baked Lemon Chicken I spoke of in the previous post. The sprinkling of rosemary on the veggies was a perfect complement to the tangyness of the lemon in the chicken.

Rosemary Peas 'n' Squash
Prep/Total Time: 15 min.

1 tbsp. butter
1 medium yellow summer or pattypan squash, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/4 pound fresh or frozen sugar snap peas
1 tbsp. minced fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed (note when using dry herbs it takes much less to achieve the same amount of flavor as fresh. I don't have a mortar and pestle for crushing herbs so I just rubbed the rosemary in my hands as I sprinkled it over the veggies.)
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large skillet, melt butter. Saute squash, peas, and rosemary for 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Yield: 4 servings

Baked Lemon Chicken

If there is one thing we eat a great deal of in this family, it's chicken. It's a wonder none of us has sprouted feathers and a beak. Needless to say, we are always on the hunt for new ways to prepare this dietary staple. When I came across a recipe in the Taste of Home Cookbook for baked lemon chicken, I decided to give it a try even though I am not the biggest fan of lemon-flavored anything and I wasn't sure how it would be accepted by the picky-eaters who call themselves my children. But, I was looking for a way to keep things fresh and interesting so I bought the necessary ingredients and prayed it would turn out well. I needn't have worried. The kids adored it (in fact, I prepared plain baked chicken for them just in case and it went untouched!) and I found it very refreshing to my lemon-challenged pallette. It came out unbelievably moist and tender and the bread crumb coating lends itself to a nice crunchy exterior. And, it's a snap to make!

Baked Lemon Chicken
Prep: 10 min.
Bake: 25 min.

3 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs (If you have a food processor and can make your own, even better!)
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 4 oz. each)

1. In a shallow bowl, combine butter, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Place bread crumbs in another bowl.

2. Dip chicken in butter mixture, then coat with crumbs. Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Drizzle with the remaining butter mixture.

3. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until juices run clear.

Yield: 4 servings

Baked Ziti

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a big fan of Italian food. Give me a good pasta and wonderfully rich and meaty sauce and I am a happy camper. My typical birthday dinner request year after year is lasagna. There are few things in life as pleasurable as mopping up the last bits of marinara sauce from the plate with a crusty piece of italian bread. I am salivating at the thought of it.

So, when The Beauty (the nickname I have for my lovely wife of 19 years) and I sat down to plan our dinner menu last week (more later on how we go through that process), I decided that a baked ziti would be a nice switch from the usual spaghetti and fulfill my weekly need for pasta and sauce.

The following recipe is from the Taste of Home Cookbook and just explodes with flavor and cheesy goodness! My personal thoughts and observations appear in bold print.

Prep Time: 20 minutes + simmering time
Bake: 1 hour

1/2 pound lean ground beef (an 80-85% lean will give you the best flavor)
1 medium onion, chopped (we left this out as I am not a big fan of onion)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-3/4 cups meatless spaghetti sauce
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
6 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano, divided
8 oz. uncooked ziti
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. In a large saucepan, cook the beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, tomato paste, water, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, basil, and 1/2 teaspoon oregano.

2. Cover and simmer meat sauce for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. (The night I decided to make this dish, I did not have time to simmer for 3 hours and simmered for 1-1/2 hours instead which produced a wonderfully flavorful sauce. The key is to simmer long enough over a low heat to allow the flavors of the sauce to blend and the spices to become infused.) Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. (I recommend you cook it to just shy of al dente as it will continue to cook and soften when the sauce is added and it bakes). In a bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, egg, salt, and pepper.

3. In a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish, spread 1 cup of meat sauce. Layer with half of the pasta, a third of the meat sauce, and half of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers. (Just like you're building a lasagna!).

4. Top with remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and oregano. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until heated through. (If you love cheese as much as we do, you can sprinkle another cup or so of shredded mozzarella on the top before baking. Remove cover with about 20 minutes to go for a nice, cheesy crust on the top!)

Yield: 6 servings (We easily doubled the recipe to feed our hungry brood of 5 and still have leftovers for lunch the next day)

While it isn't the healthiest dish (a 1-1/3 cup serving has 431 calories, 14g of fat, and 50g of carb) it is high in protein and fiber and, when paired with a nice green salad and some good crusty bread, is a meal that invokes all the best in Italian cooking in terms of sight, smell, and flavor!

Introduction: Hello, My Name Is.....

Rick, actually. My wife calls me Boog (long story...well, not long really....just, embarassing), my kids call me....well, that depends on the mood they're in.....but it's Dad mostly. But YOU, my new friend, can call me Rick.

My interest in all things culinary came about quite unexpectedly when my wife fell ill last year and endured two major surgeries within 60 days. The household duties that were primarily handled by her, including the cooking, were suddenly thrust upon my shoulders. The kids and I tried to subsist on a fast-food diet for a time but that quickly grew wearisome - not to mention expensive - and I finally had to face my fears and venture into that one room of the house that so many men like myself find daunting - the kitchen!

My first foray into cooking an actual meal was an old stand-by from my childhood, a dish that seemed simple enough.....meatloaf. Now, looking back, I realize I really had no idea what I was doing when I combined ground turkey and ground beef, threw in a half-bottle of ketchup, tossed in some seasonings and Lord only knows what else. There was no egg in my meatloaf, no breadcrumbs, nothing to give it bulk or moistness....it was basically a giant, square-shaped hamburger but, to my surprise, the family loved it! They raved and my chest swelled and a chef was born (ok, maybe I'm more like a line cook but what's the difference anyway?!).

As you've probably guessed by now, I am not a professional. I don't have a cooking show on Food Network - or any other network (heck, I'm not even on YouTube but maybe that will change one day!). This blog will probably never be seen by anyone other than my family and a few friends (Hi Mom!). I'm still not sure of the differences between braising and brining, searing and steaming, or green onions and scallions.  I'm just a regular joe whose passion and love for cooking affordable, tasty food using quality ingredients is growing and blossoming and wants to share his gastric journeys with like-minded folks.

The plan here is to share recipes - the successes and failures, insights I gleaned during the process of preparing them, and my family's reaction to them. I'll also do periodic reviews of products such as kitchen gadgets - what I like to have in my kitchen and what I don't, cookbooks, food-related websites, etc. But, it'll mostly be about the food - the planning, the prep, the cooking, the serving, and the enjoyment of the food.

I hope you'll join me at my table and find me to be an entertaining host.

Cheers!