In A Nutshell

I love this soup in the cool weather- it is hearty enough for a meal, especially if you have a nice crusty bread to go along with it and could not be easier to make. 1 T olive oil 8 garlic cloves, minced 8 cups chicken broth (preferably home made) vegeta seasoning or chicken bouillon  12 oz. cheese tortellini 2- 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes with their liquid (Muir Glen fire-roasted are best for this soup) 1 lb baby spinach leftover chicken from a roasted or rotisserie chicken (optional) grated parmesan Heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic cloves, stirring until fragrant. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add vegeta and a pinch of white pepper. Add the tortellini and cook according to package directions. Stir in the spinach (it will wilt immediately) and serve with parmesan cheese alongside.

This is kind of a hodge-podge of different recipes; it's very comforting, hearty and delicious. I like to make it the day before serving because it will thicken overnight, therefore requiring less flour.  If you want to serve it the same day, I would suggest using 6 cups of chicken broth to make it thicker and you can always thin it out the next day. 8 cups chicken broth 2 cups whole milk 1/2 cup white wine 4 T butter 1/4 cup flour 2 T olive oil 2 carrots, sliced 1 lb white button mushrooms, sliced 1 small onion, diced leftover chicken meat from a roasted or rotisserie chicken 1 cup wild rice (I used Lundberg Wild Blend), cooked according to package directions 2 -3 T vegeta seasoning (or Maggi chicken bouillon) white pepper, to taste 2 T sherry Heat the olive oil in a large pot; add the onions and saute until softened for about 5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and cook on high heat until all the liquid has evaporated; add the carrots and stir to combin...

The idea for this came from the Rachel Ray magazine in a segment about chicken salads; I roasted 2 chickens the other day and we only ate one so I decided it would be a good time to try out this salad. It was terrific! So far, my favorite chicken salad ever!!! You can eat it on a pita or naan if you want to have it more like a sandwich. white meat from one roasted chicken, diced 6 radishes, halved and sliced thin 2 Persian cucumbers, halved and sliced 1/2 red onion, small diced 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed chopped cilantro 4 T extra-virgin olive oil 4 T lemon juice 1 t honey 1/4 t sumac 1/2 t salt 1/2 t cumin freshly ground pepper Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, sumac, salt, cumin and pepper with a little whisk. Add the red onion and let this sit while you prepare the rest of the salad to mellow out the onion. Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour the dressing over the chicken mixture. If you want to have it as a sandwich, heat a large fry...

This is a great way to use leftover grilled rosemary chicken ; the arugula salad is also great on its own. You can use any remaining bacon-scallion cream cheese as a bagel spread. This recipe comes from the Rachel Ray magazine. 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled 1- 8oz. pkg. cream cheese, room temp. 1/4 cup toasted, chopped walnuts 3 scallions, chopped 2 pieces of leftover grilled chicken, split horizontally 4 bagels 4 T EVOO juice of 1/2 lemon 1 T white wine vinegar 2 t Dijon 2 t honey 1/2 honeycrisp apple sliced thinly 1 rib of celery, sliced thinly 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced 1- 5 oz. package of arugula Gently mix the bacon, cream cheese, walnuts and scallions. Mix all the dressing ingredients together and lightly toss the arugula, apple, celery and onion with dressing to taste. Spread the bagels with cream cheese mixture and top with the salad mixture. Arrange the chicken on top of that and enjoy!

I absolutely love posole (and pretty much all Mexican cuisine) but the preparation can be time consuming. I decided to try a quick version (title courtesy of Leksa) and it turned out to be delicious.  Some heat on a cold day... 6 cups chicken broth 1 large can hominy, drained and rinsed 1 jar Frontera Guajillo Salsa 2 t guajillo chili powder (available in ethnic grocery stores) 2 cups shredded leftover roast or rotisserie chicken Heat all ingredients together thoroughly and serve with your favorite accompaniments: small diced radishes shredded lettuce or diced cabbage small dice red onion crushed tortilla chips (I like the blue ones for visual gratification) crumbled añejo cheese, or ricotta salata (or any cheese you like, for that matter) limes

This is a great dish to make with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving or leftover roasted chicken anytime. My mom does an incredible Thanksgiving dinner each year and without a doubt, the leftover gravy is the most precious commodity; my brother and I are in a shameless competition when packing up leftovers at the end of the night-- whoever is crafty and quick enough takes home the most gravy. If you can get your hands on some of the gravy, it will make a tasty addition to the pie mixture. It's the ultimate in cold weather comfort food and the mashed potato part is an excellent side dish as well. The recipe is adapted from Rachel Ray. For the potatoes : 2 1/2 to 3 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into fourths 1- 5 oz. package garlic and herb Boursin cheese 1/2 stick butter about 3/4 cup milk salt and pepper 2 egg yolks Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 20-25 minutes or until very very soft. Drain and add all the ingredients except the egg yolks. Mix with a hand mixe...

Chicken pot pie... it conjures up images of trailer parks and t.v. dinners. I loved pot pies as a kid- we always had Swanson; my brother and I would inevitably sustain 3rd degree burns over our tongues and the roof of our mouths from eating it straight out of the oven.  I loved! how the bottom crust was always a little gummy. I have seen many recipes for fancy pot pies involving things like snow peas and chanterelle mushrooms but by golly, what I really wanted was a GOOD version of a Swanson pot pie with uniformly diced carrots and potatoes. This is absolute comfort food- get your sweat pants on, park yourself in front of the t.v. and dig in! I save the drippings from when I roast the chicken, refrigerate overnight and take the fat off the top; this pan jelly, as it's known, is a delicious flavor boost for the pot pie which would otherwise be bland. If you don't roast your own chicken for this recipe, you will have to use something else-- I've seen these flavor b...

Another great way to enjoy the cherry season while using up leftover grilled chicken and day-old bread. I recommend using a thick straw to pit the cherries. For the dressing : 2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 T extra-virgin olive oil 1 T almond oil 1 T cherry preserves 1/2 t Dijon mustard 1/4 t salt freshly ground pepper 1 small clove of garlic, pressed 1 T finely chopped red onion Whisk all ingredients together. For the salad : spring lettuce (I used that Artisan Lettuce found at Costco) fresh bing cherries, pitted crumbled ricotta salata  slivered, toasted almonds thinly sliced radish (don't leave out the much maligned radish - it adds a nice crunch and flavor) leftover grilled chicken (optional- turns the salad into a substantial meal) day-old bread extra-virgin olive oil Cut the stale bread into cubes and put into a hot frying pan. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of coarse salt (or Maldon salt) and fry until golden bro...

This recipe comes from Rachel Ray's magazine (which I'll admit is my guilty pleasure...).  I hate eating leftovers so am always looking for ways to transform them into something new and delicious that doesn't taste tired.  This is a great way to use leftover roasted chicken; I often roast 2 chickens at once, save the remaining meat for recipes like this and make chicken stock out of the carcasses. leftover roasted chicken meat or rotisserie chicken meat, shredded into strips 12 oz. egg noodles 3 T canola oil 1 red papper, sliced in strips 6 green onions, slicced 1/2 red onion sliced thin 1 serrano pepper or hot red fresno pepper (or both- I used half of each), minced 5 cloves of garlic, minced 2 inch piece of ginger root (or to taste), peeled and minced 1/2 cup chicken stock 2 brown tomatoes (they seem to have the most flavor from the grocery store), diced 1 T fish sauce 1 T Maggi sauce 2 T reduced-sodium soy or tamari sauce 1/2 bag shredded iceberg ...

This is one of my favorite salads; it is as beautiful to look at as it is to eat and is very versatile.  You can use the ingredients you have on hand.  I always make a little extra  Grilled Rosemary Chicken and use the leftovers for this salad. For the dressing: 1/2 small package of blackberries (about a handful) 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1 T plus 1 t sugar 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 t Dijon mustard 1/4 t salt freshly ground pepper a small amount of finely diced shallots or red onion Place all the ingredients (except the onion) in a small food processor or blender and puree until smooth. For the salad: spring greens grilled chicken cut into strips sliced pears or apples blackberries gorgonzola, blue or feta cheese, crumbled toasted walnuts sliced avocado anything else you might fancy that would look and taste nice