Mom's Stewed Chicken with a Tex-Mex Flair

My mother Elaine was a good cook. She was never considered a warrior in the kitchen, but even 40 plus years ago she was cooking healthy. And one of my favorite meals of hers was her stewed chicken. I  could smell it walking in the door and couldn't wait for the tender chicken, tomato broth and veggies to be done so I could indulge in one of my favorite meals ever. And thankfully before she passed away she actually gave me the recipe in writing.

I've toyed with her recipe over the years and nothing I did to tweak or impove it seemed to be any better than hers. Until tonight. A little Tex Mex seasoning, some diced jalapeno and of course some corn. This is a pretty quick fix, under an hour- and I promise you if you don't eat it all in the first sitting, you will enjoy the flavors even more the next day. As with most stews, it just gets better and better if you have the patience to let it sit.

Elaine's Stewed Chicken with a Tex-Mex Flair

6 chicken thighs bone in, skin removed
2 tsp canola oil
2 cups onions chopped
4 cloves garlic fined chopped
2 jalapeno peppers diced
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
2 tsp Old El Paso Hot and Spicy Taco Seasoning Mix
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried coriander
1/4 tsp dried cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes no salt added
1 8oz can tomato sauce no salt added
1 14.5 low sodium fat free chicken broth
3 green peppers sliced
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 cup frozen corn

In large soup pot on medium low heat add your canola oil. Now add your onions and jalapeno. Let veggies soften about 5 minutes and add your garlic, Old Bay, Taco Seasoning, salt, coriander, cumin and chili powder. Stir to combine and let cook a few more minutes to let the flavors combine. Now add your diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and add your chicken thighs. Take a look at the size of these chicken thighs. They are huge!

Reduce broth to a slow simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Now add your fresh veggies and frozen corn.

Continue to simmer covered for 10-15 minutes and dinner is done. I made some brown rice and Colby Jack flatbread as a side. Delicious dinner tonight.

Thanks mom, you've always inspired me.

Savory, Sweet and Sassy

I'm having too much fun cooking, thank goodness it's legal. I keep reading recipes from my internet friends that go on my list of "to do's" and lately I've become enchanted (well maybe obsessed- you know how I get) with the savory and sweet combo. About a week ago I made sriracha and brown sugar bacon which was to die for, really!! I will post that little wowser another time, but tonight I want to share this weekend's sweet/savory successes. And I have to thank Helene for her Authentic Deli Mac, and Carol for sharing her Individual Meat Loaves with Sassy Sauce. Both to die for, and both super easy and quick. Let's get started with the meatloaf.

Carol's Individual Meat Loaves in Jumbo Muffin Cups
The beauty of this recipe is that it's quicker than cooking a whole meatloaf and it's portion controlled. The other beauty is the sassy sauce that acompanies it. Oh my, the combination of flavors will just about knock you off your feet. And did I say it's easy? Oh yeah, I did.

Meatloaf
Makes 4 servings

3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup fat free half and half (milk was in the original recipe)
1 large egg
1 jalapeno pepper chopped small
1 tsp Worstershire sauce
2 T dehydrated mince onion
salt and pepper
1 pound hamburger (I used the leanest I could find)
2 mozzarella sticks sliced into 12 pieces

Sauce
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup
3 T yellow mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 T Brown Sugar Splenda Blend (or 3 T brown sugar)

I started by making my own bread crumbs in my spice mill.

In large bowl combine all ingredients except the meat and cheese.

Now add the meat and combine. And pre heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Divide your meat mixture into 4 portions and spritz your muffin tin with cooking spray and get ready to stuff these gigunda meat balls with the cheese chunks. I first thought 2 per loaf would work, but came to the realization I could sneak another one in there. The more cheese the better, agreed?

Close the meat mixture up and place in prepared muffin tin.

Set the meat loaves aside while you make the yummy sauce. This will be quick. In medium size bowl combine all ingredients.

Now spoon some of this deliciousness over your mini meat loaves and bake in oven for 30 minutes.

While these are cooking, warm extra sauce on your stove top on low. You're going to want to pour a little more on top of these babies when they are done. Doesn't this look good?

Let's make the macaroni now. Simple, simple. And the perfect accompaniment to this meatloaf.

Helene's Authentic Deli Mac
This is a (no longer) secret family recipe from a New York deli, sure to bring on the old taste bud memories

1/2 pound elbow macaroni (I used Dreamfield's low carb)
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar (Helene uses white vinegar, I didn't have any)
1/2 cup Splenda no calorie (regular sugar works of course)
1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper
1/2 T celery salt (I didn't have any so left it out, cant wait to get some for the next time I make this)
1-1/2 gobs of low fat mayo (Helene's terminology, it works)

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Heat vinegar and sugar on stove top until sugar dissolves. Pour vinegar/sugar mixture over cooked macaroni and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about a half hour to let the sweet/savory flavor combo sink in. Now add the rest of the ingredients and toss. Don't you want to dive in? I did.

Yes I did. I dove in a few times before I made this beautiful little plate for myself.

Simply fabulous ladies. As always, thanks for your help in the kitchen.

Comfort Food Continued

Another snowy day and another craving for comfort food. Well I actually had the craving yesterday when the TV weatherpeople were all atwitter about a major snow storm hitting the Boston area. On my way home from work I stopped at the market and bought a beef brisket. I haven't cooked a brisket in about 3 or 4 years (it's quite a fatty piece of meat) but I put my prejudice aside and decided to give it a whirl.

A little history here: My mom, Elaine Dalton made the best brisket in the world. I'm not kidding. She cooked it on the stove top with onions, garlic and a combination of chicken stock and water. And that is how I always made my brisket. But after perusing the internet last night I decided to go with a new recipe and a new approach. I stumbled across Joan Nathan's Mothers' Brisket that's baked in the oven. There's no browning of the meat, and you don't have to keep an eye on the pot on the stove. Ideal for a lazy, snowy day off from work spent in my PJs. This is a simple recipe, perfect for a novice cook and has a sweet and sour tang similar to the sauce in Rae's Meatballs. A few things to note- the recipe called for 5 pounds of meat. I had 2-1/2, so I adjusted the recipe to accomodate a smaller piece of beef. Also, I didn't have white vinegar so I used cider vinegar. Delicious just the same.

***

Joan Nathan's Mothers' Brisket

2-1/2 pounds flat cut beef brisket
1 tsp salt

1-1/2 tsp black pepper

1-1/2 T brown sugar

1/2 cup chili sauce

3/4 cup cider vinegar

***

Handful of chopped celery leaves

1 cup diced onions

3 small carrots sliced

1 to 1-1/2 cups water

***

COMBINE SALT, PEPPER, brown sugar, chili sauce and vinegar with a whisk. Pour over the meat and let stand overnight in your fridge. I pulled out my 40 year old Corningware dish and it was a pleasure to use it again.

REMOVE MEAT FROM the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for about a half hour. Pre heat the oven to 325 degrees. Chop onions, carrots and celery leaves and place over marinated meat. Add water.

Cover and bake for 2 hours, basting with the marinade every so often. Remove cover and bake one more hour.

The original recipe said to strain the marinade and reserve the liquid. I didn't do that. But I did skim the fat off the top, slice the meat and return it to the delicious liquid it cooked in. It was a very satisfying dish and I bet you can guess what kind of sandwich I'll be bringing for lunch tomorrow.

Sweet and Scrumptious

October 14th would have been Sharon's mom's birthday. Rae Fox was a warm hearted, giving and wonderful gal known for her skills in the kitchen, so I decided it was the perfect time to cook up one of her recipes and then post it for you guys to enjoy.

Rae Fox at 28, taking in the scenery from a New York roof top

At first I was going to make Rae's Almost Famous Scrumptious Meatballs and Spaghetti Sauce but the recipe couldn't be found. So I opted for her Sweet and Sour Swedish Meatballs which are scrumptious as well and a quick fix to boot! Even though back in the day slaving over the stove was par for the course, I promise- you can make these little darlings in 45 minutes tops. The ingredients are simple and brought back a most pleasant taste sensation from my childhood. The sweet and sour sauce is the EXACT, I mean EXACT!!! same sauce my mom used to make with her stuffed cabbage. It's a great memory and an even better recipe.

Rae Fox's Sweet and Sour Swedish Meatballs

1 pound ground beef

1/4 cup cooked brown rice

1/2 medium onion grated

1 clove garlic grated

1/2 tsp salt

2 T parsley chopped

1 egg slightly beaten

1/4-1/3 cup lemon juice-I used the juice of 2 lemons

1/4 tsp vinegar- I used rice vinegar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

1 15 oz can water

To make the meatballs: Combine rice, onion, garlic, salt, egg and parsley. Add ground beef and gently mix with your clean hands. Form meatballs about golf ball size. You should get about 15 meatballs. Set aside.

To make the sauce: In large pot over medium low heat add lemon juice, vinegar, brown sugar, tomato sauce and salt. Combine with spoon or whisk until brown sugar has dissolved. Add meatballs and enough water to almost cover the meatballs. I found that 15 ounces of water did the trick. Keep the heat at a low simmer and cook meatballs for 30 minutes, tossing them in the sauce every so often.

Remove meatballs to a separate plate and simmer the sauce for about 5 to 10 minutes to concentrate the flavors and thicken it up a bit. I let it reduce about 1 inch from where it started.

Pour sauce over meatballs and serve. These meatballs are a great appetizer, which is how I enjoyed them on night number one. Reheated the next night they were delicious with brown rice and a salad. This is one of those recipes that is even better the second day. So I say, make a double batch. You won't be disappointed. Thanks Rae.

A Nice Comfort

I was planning on sharing my newest discovery from the South Beach book but halfway through the post I switched gears and all of a sudden I'm back with another soup recipe. I'm on a comfort food kick, plain and simple. It's January and it's really winter now. I'm not a big fan of the cold, the snow and the general inconvenience of the season, so I'm looking for comfort wherever I can find it. And for me that would be delightful aromas wafting through my kitchen.

Comfort Food: According to Wikipedia, comfort foods are familiar, simple foods that are usually home-cooked or eaten at informal restaurants. They are foods that are often emotionally significant to a person or group of people and are sometimes related to pleasant memories of childhood.

When I was growing up, my favorite meals were the creamy, cheesy, noodly casseroles that my mom would throw together at the last minute when my dad was working late and it would just be my sister and me at the dinner table. I'm still a big fan of all tuna noodle concoctions and anything Campbell's Soup enhanced. But there are other dishes that are a little less calorie laden that give me the warmth and security I need in these cold winter months. One of these would be my dad's clam chowder. I'm originally from New York so the clam chowder I grew up on had nothing creamy on the ingredient list. We ate Manhattan clam chowder- tomato based and definately figure-friendly. My dad (who hardly ever cooked) would make this maybe once or twice a year on a lazy Sunday afternoon. He sent me this recipe in January, 1991 when I must have been craving some comfort and warmth.

He called it "Ye Olde Daddy's Clam Chowder" and looking at the stained, yellowed paper it was typed on, you know it's a recipe that's been enjoyed year after year by me. It not only conjurs up memories of my teen years, but of summers as a kid when we used to visit with relatives on the Coney Island Boardwalk, sip red chowder from a paper cup, and I'd fall asleep in the back seat of my parent's Studebaker on the ride home to Long Island.

YE OLDE DADDY'S CLAM CHOWDER
This is a typical recipe that I would get from any member of my family- by that I mean the vague measurements, which in the long run (I think) helped me become a better cook

Ingredients:
3 large onions
4-5 T oil
2 28 oz cans tomatoes (stewed in puree or plain tomatoes)
1 16 oz can kernal corn
3 cans chopped clams
4 medium size carrots, peeled and diced
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 package (8 or 9 oz) frozen cut string beans (remove from freezer when you start to cook)
5 slices of bacon cooked (do not cook to crisp, cook to semi soft and cut into 1 inch slices)
SEASONINGS- thyme, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper

Saute onions in oil until soft. Add salt, pepper, thyme and oregano. Add tomatoes and cook for a few minutes over medium heat. Add small amounts of water if mixture is too thick.
Add potatoes and carrots and cook on low-to-medium heat for 20-30 minutes. Taste potatoes and carrots. They should be firm to the bite at this point.
Add drained corn, frozen string beans and bacon. Continue to simmer until carrots and potatoes are done. Add sugar until the tartness of the tomatoes is suitable to your taste.
Add clams and and their juice; the entire mixture should be heated and the flavor should be adjusted with spices, sugar etc.

Re-Mix: I don't do too much to change this recipe except add Old Bay Seasoning in place of the salt. I like the flavor it gives the soup, and there's plenty of salt in the Old Bay mixture itself. Sometimes I'll buy a bottle of clam broth and add that instead of water, but now that I'm kinda old and watch my salt intake, I leave it out more often than not. Oh- and I have to warn you, this recipe makes enough to feed an army, so I cut down on these ingredients: onions (I use 2), oil (I use 1 or 2 T) and only 1 can of the tomatoes and 2 cans of clams.

If you're not a clam lover, but like fish, this recipe makes a great fish chowder. Simply omit the clams, add the whole bottle of clam broth mentioned above, and add a pound or two of cod or haddock 15 to 20 minutes before you're ready to eat.

Thanks dad.