Chicken Noodle Soup with Ground Chicken– Easy Peasy

I know that most of the time I post a soup recipe with chicken it’s using a rotisserie chicken which is a convenient hack but this time out I used ground chicken. Saw this recipe on my favorite cooking site @nytimes.com/recipes and knew I had to make this . Of course I made a few changes to better suit our tastes but feel free to check out original recipe. Very very easy and very delicious. You can definitely add egg noodles or any small pasta or cavatelli. I used ditalini which I almost always use for a small pasta. You may need to adjust amount of stock so have extra on hand.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

5 Tablespoons olive oil–

1 pound ground chicken ( if you can get dark meat I would but unless you’re going to a butcher you probably won’t find it) white meat is fine

Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into small cubes or slice and cut in 1/2 moons —

2 celery stalks, halved lengthwise, then sliced 1/2″ thick

1 large shallot , finely chopped

1 can small white beans 🫘 drained

1 teaspoon dried thyme– if you want to use fresh thyme about 1 Tablespoon of thyme leaves

7-8 cups chicken stock, more as needed

1 cup dried small shaped pasta

Directions:

In a large stock pot , heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add the chicken, season with some salt and pepper and cook, using a wooden spoon to crumble chicken, app. 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and coriander and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until chicken is cooked through, app. 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon remove chicken to a small bowl and cover with aluminum foil to retain moisture, cover and set aside.

Add the carrot, celery, shallot, thyme and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pot, season with some salt and pepper and cook stirring until everything is slicked with olive oil, app. 3 minutes. Add the stock — I started with the full 8 cups and brought to a boil over high heat. Add the can of drained white beans while boiling . If you don’t like beans you can omit .

I cooked my noodles in a separate pot . When the soup cooked down for a while and vegetables were very soft ( probably a 1/2 hour or more) I added the ground chicken and any and all juices that were in the bowl and heated until warmed through, taste for salt and pepper.

I placed some pasta in the individual bowls and poured the hot soup over the pasta and if you’d like a squirt of fresh lemon is always delicious here.

Enjoy!

Lox on a Chip — Appetizer

I made these last night for New Years and they were really delicious -crispy crunchy base with just a touch of smoked salmon and a blend of cream cheese and sour cream. I topped it with capers and because I didn’t have fresh chives I passed on that part but if I could get them I would have. They’re delicious and salty and crunchy and kind of perfect. So very easy to make and perfect for just yourself or a small crowd — I made app. 25 chips and it was perfection on a chip. Next time you need a little appetizer this is wonderful. Simple and sophisticated.

recipe credit goes to onceuponachef.com

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sour cream

4 oz. cream cheese- softened ( just leave out at room temperature for a while till it’s soft enough to mix with sour cream)

pinch kosher salt

8 oz. smoked salmon ( available in packages in the supermarket)

a few tablespoons capers, drained

a few tablespoons minced fresh chives

25-30 large potato chips, preferable a ripple cut -as you can see chips are uneven in size and it doesn’t matter – I tried to just get whole chips.

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix the softened cream cheese with the sour cream and salt until evenly combined and set aside

Take out the largest chips from the bag and I just tried to get whole chips , place a folded small piece of salmon , put a small dollop of the cream cheese mixture ( you can eyeball it) Top each crisp with a few capers and a sprinkle of fresh minced chives.

Arrange the crisps on a platter and serve immediately — they will start to get soggy if they sit around too long. So right before you’re serving finish the recipe.

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Cabbage, Dates and Feta Salad– Sweet and Salty Salad

Salads are always one of my favorite recipes — this one is absolutely delicious and very easy and very simple to follow. Salads are my favorites because they are so loose, you can swap out ingredients for something you like more and add in some stuff you like. I have made this with a variety of bases , cabbage, or one of those cabbage mixes that they sell in the supermarkets. The last time I made this I used a cabbage mix with Kale and Carrots that they sell in Whole Foods which tasted wonderful. I wouldn’t use a lettuce mix because it won’t hold up to the dressing so stick with a cabbage type of base.

You can even dress ahead if you prefer your cabbage a little less crunchy. Kale also tastes best when it gets to sit in dressing for a bit.

Absolutely delicious fresh tasting salad — make it your way with any cabbage or cabbage mix

* should serve 4-6 nicely as a side salad

Ingredients:

1 head of purple or green cabbage or a package and 1/2 of cabbage mix — app. 1-1 1/4 pounds –as you can see in photos one time I used a package of a kale and cabbage mix and one time I just chopped up a head of red cabbage. Do whatever combo you like

3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons of fresh lime juice — I prefer the taste of lime but if no lime use a lemon

Salt and Pepper– you can use black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes — to taste — I sprinkled a little crushed red pepper not too much just a pinch or so.

1/2 cup pitted dates, coarsely chopped or sliced

4 ounces of feta but if you really like feta you can use a little more — crumbled or chunked your call

2 teaspoons well-toasted sesame seeds– put into oven on a small baking sheet and cook for a few minutes to brown up slightly — be careful not to burn

Directions:

Toss cabbage with Olive Oil and one Tablespoon of fresh lime juice, sprinkle a little salt and pepper, coating everything evenly. Taste and add more lime juice, if needed more salt and pepper. Go easy on salt because feta is salty but you will need a little salt. You’ll want the base well seasoned because this is where salt and pepper are best absorbed. I let it sit for a bit so that the cabbage softens up. You can actually let the whole salad sit for at least an hour, if not longer in the fridge. The salad leftovers tasted pretty good the next day as well.

Fold in the dates and the feta and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds.

That’s it folks — easy and delicious fresh tasting salty and sweet salad.

Tuscan Shrimp with White Beans

Misc. dinners and New Years Eve 071Misc. dinners and New Years Eve 073Misc. dinners and New Years Eve 074Β  This is a wonderful and very simple meal and perfect any time of the year. Β By very simple, I mean the ingredients are as simple as the preparation. I cooked this whole recipe up in a 1/2 hour–very little prep other than the shrimp which you can get cleaned and de-veined at your local fish store Β and you’ll look like a chef! So great. This is my kind of recipe. I have also made it adding some spinach to it , just add some fresh spinach ( as much or as little as you’d like) to the tomatoes right before you add the shrimp for the final time, let spinach just wilt then add shrimp back in to the pan at the end. Joel really hates spinach so if I’m doing it I cook spinach in a separate pan and add to mine.Β 
The beans are a perfectly healthy alternative to pasta and very filling.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

*this is for 4 servings and for the 2 of us I used the same amount of sauce just cut the beans to 1 1/2 cups and a little less olive oil. ( see photo)Β 

3 cups canned Cannellini white beans

1/4 cup plus tablespoons olive oil

app. 16 large shrimp ( this would be 4 per person, so adjust depending on size of shrimp) cleaned and deveined — I sometimes like to leave the tail on the shrimp –as you can see but it is totally up to you.

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 – 1/2Β teaspoon crushed red pepper depending on how spicy you want it

1 can of diced tomatoes (15 oz)Β 

1 cup whole basil leaves-optional if you’re using spinach you won’t use basil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Kosher Salt and Freshly ground black pepper

*you can use some extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

* sprinkle of fresh chopped italian parsley if you like as well

Directions:

Drain the beans over a bowl and reserve the liquid. Put the white beans in a large skillet with just enough of their liquid to moisten them. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and bring the beans to a low simmer. Keep them warm while you prepare the shrimp. Lay out the shrimp on some paper towels and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned shrimp and cook , tossing frequently for a few minutes till shrimp turns pink , curls up and is cooked. ( don’t overcook)Β Remove the shrimp to a bowl with tongs. Add the garlic to the pan and saute until the garlic browns a little bit. Add the crushed red pepper flakes and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes and basil and stir briefly, the add the lemon juice. Season with a little more Salt and Pepper and if you’re adding spinach this would be a good time. For 4 people a whole bag of baby spinach is perfect. Β Cook for another minute or so, and then stir in the shrimp. Toss well and cook briefly to reheat the shrimp and make sure it’s fully cooked.

I placed beans on a large platter with shrimp over them. Drizzle with a little of the best olive oil you have on hand. Sprinkle with parsley if you’d like. Serve warm. You can also just serve shrimp with beans on the side. I thought it made a lovely presentation on the platter.

* leftovers were amazing

Classic Potato Pancakes –Latkes

Chanukah will be here starting this Wednesday night Dec. 25 –Here is my recipe for delicious Potato Latkes.

It is a delicious fairly easy recipe for simple latkes. If you eat them hot they’re best but that’s tough to do sometimes. They really are most delicious hot off the frying pan. Serve with Applesauce or Sour Cream . Enjoy and Happy Chanukah from my kitchen to yours. I do have a delicious recipe for homemade apple sauce on my blog if you’re feeling inspired to make it along side the potato pancakes. Homemade Apple Sauce is it’s title and just put that into the search bar or google homemade apple sauce cooking with Candi .

This is what I do with a food processor and Happy Chanukah

This recipe should serve 4

Ingredients:

2 large Russet Potatoes — peeled and cut lengthwise into quarters

1 large Spanish Onion–peeled and cut into quarters

2 large eggs

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt

1/2 Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 Teaspoon baking powder

Vegetable Oil for frying

Directions:

Using a food processor with a coarse grating disc, grate the potatoes and onion. Transfer the mixture to a clean dishtowel ( I prefer a thin one for this task) and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. This is key to a delicious latke.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the eggs, flour, salt, pepper, and baking powder and pepper and mix until the flour is absorbed.

In a medium heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat, pour in about 1/4 inch of the vegetable oil. Once the oil is hot use a heaping tablespoon to drop the batter into the hot pan, cooking in batches. Use a spatula to flatten and shape into round discs. When edges of the latkes start to brown and get crispy ( about 5 minutes) , transfer the latkes to a paper towel lined plate to drain . Repeat.

If you’re making double the recipe I would swap out the oil and wipe with paper towel and start with fresh oil. For one batch the oil was fine. Just control the heat on your stove.

Enjoy and Happy Chanukah.

 

 

 

Crispy Parmesan Sweet Potatoes

Thanks to my friend Leslie for this delicious recipe. So great when friends share their delicious recipes with you and you love the recipe so much that you are making it on repeat and now I’m sharing with all of you.

These are cheesy and crispy on the outside and soft and mushy on the inside — just like a sweet potato should be.

The first time I made these I didn’t use parchment paper but I think I would use all the time in the future. I sprayed the baking sheet and it was fine and came out easily enough but I believe parchment paper is the way to go– I would however still lightly spray the bottom of your baking pan before placing the parchment paper which can help it stay in place . Parchment paper is designed to be non-stick so spraying it would be redundant. As you can see in photos some of the cheese fell off but it’s ok because they were delcious anyway.

This is easy to make and delicious to eat and highly recommend if you love Sweet Potatoes and you love Parmesan Cheese.

*little hack that I was unaware of that I’m passing on to all of you– when I went to my local cheese shop to buy grated parmesan cheese the owner happened to be there and he told me after I use grated cheese put it in the freezer , it will not freeze. When I need it again just take out of freezer and use and return un used cheese to freezer. It will not go bad!!!!!! as it often does once it is opened and expiration date is only for a few weeks. This is a great little hack one I will use from now on.

Ingredients:

4 small sweet potatoes -just buy potatoes that can be cut in 1/2 the long way sometimes it’s tough with “knobby” ones

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 cup -3/4 cup finely shredded parmesan

Kosher Salt and Coarse Black Pepper

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or just spray with baking spray

In a small bowl I mixed olive oil, garlic powder and Italian seasoning

Place your cut sweet potatoes in a large enough bowl to fit all of them — pour olive oil mixture over them mix well getting olive oil all over the sweet potatoes — sprinkle with some salt and pepper and let them sit for a minute while you prep pan

Sprinkle parm cheese evenly onto prepared baking sheet – place sweet potato halves cut side down on top of parmesan

bake for 30-40 minutes till sweet potatoes are tender and bottom layer of cheese is crusty and deeply browned.

Remove and let cool a little bit before serving!

I wish I had better pictures but you get the picture.

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Happy Holidays to all.

Chicken with Peach and Sriracha

I posted this recipe once before a while back from Jessica Seinfeld’s cookbook Food Swings. I am re -writing it and re-posting it because I just re-discovered it on my site and it is quite delicious and I think it’s very easy to make and very few ingredients. I usually make it with coconut rice and that recipe is on my site as well, or just plain jasmine rice always works or brown rice or any kind of rice for that matter. Very delicious and add any veggies you’d like. I love recipes where I can add everything to one pan for an easy delicious meal. Feel free to add mushrooms, onions, red bell peppers, box choy, or some shredded brussels available in a bag now. I recommend using chicken thighs for this recipe as they tend to stay nice and tender. Chicken breasts may become dry by the time it has cooked so for me not the best option for this recipe.

It’s a new year so let’s start cooking some new dinner recipes even if they are great “old” recipes.

http://www.jessicaseinfeld.com

Stay Safe Stay Home and Be Well.

Ingredients:

I used all chicken thighs — but you can use whatever you like app. 2 – 2 1/2 lbs. of chicken. I actually made 1 1/2 lb. for the two of us with a little left over for lunch. I used the same amount of sauce. You can add drumsticks, wings , whatever chicken parts you’d like.

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup peach jam or preserves

1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger–Using a vegetable peeler , peel the ginger and cut off any small knobs before you peel. (start out with app. a 2 ” piece of ginger–that should do it)

1 Tablespoon Sriracha Hot Sauce — this recipe is not spicy despite the use of this sauce

1 Tablespoon tamari or soy sauce — I like to use reduced sodium but use whatever you have

3 scallions, thinly sliced

*1/4 cup chopped peanuts, salted regular Peanuts for serving and this is optional

Directions:

Pre heat the oven to 425 degrees — rack should be in the center of the oven

Pat chicken dry with some paper towels.

I sprayed my rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray –this is a very sticky sauce and you’ll want to spray well if no cooking spray line with aluminum foil

In a large bowl, mix together the peach preserves, Sriracha and soy sauce. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat.

Arrange the chicken on rimmed baking sheet or a large baking dish and pour any remaining sauce over the chicken pieces. I also added a little water (1/4 cup) to sauce in pan

Roast for 35- 40 minutes depending on the size of your chicken pieces. After 20 minutes check to make sure sauce isn’t burning and if it’s very dry add a little more water to pan. Sauce simmers away but you don’t want it to burn. Continue to roast for another 20 minutes or so until the chicken is cooked through. I used a meat thermometer and it was at 165 degrees so the chicken was done.

Cook the coconut rice if you’d like or any other kind of rice . Plate up the chicken over the rice and spoon any sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with the scallions and chopped peanuts if you’d like and Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pure Wow Dump Cake aka Chocolate Bundt Cake

IMG_5877 pre glaze
IMG_6406 Heavier Type Glaze–same glaze just waited till cake was completely cooled down for a few hours. Yum!
IMG_5879 post glaze but most of the glaze will disappear into the cake unless you make a heavier frosting type glaze.

IMG_5875  If you’re looking for a last minute easy delicious cake for the holidays this could be the one. I love a great bundt cake and I love that they are now calling Bundt Cakes Dump Cakes. You really just throw it all together and bake it! It’s so easy anyone can do it and look good doing so. I got this particular Dump Cake from a blog I love to follow–Pure Wow so that’s why the name pure wow dump cake. Originally posted a few years back and am re-posting for those of you who haven’t seen it.   I made a change in that I added my vanilla glaze because I love a good chocolate cake infused with a glaze. It’s not really a frosting and it sinks into the cake which just gives it a little more “pure wow ” factor.  I included recipe for my Vanilla Glaze.

Just go out and buy a really good Bundt Pan, it’s a worthwhile investment. You’ll also need a cooling rack while you’re at it.

Happy Holidays from my kitchen to yours.

http://www.purewow.com

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup brewed coffee

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 stick unsalted butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk ( I do buy low-fat buttermilk, if you can find it)

2 eggs — room temperature for baking always (unless otherwise specified)

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Vanilla Glaze Ingredients:this is totally optional

2/3 cup of confectioners sugar

4 teaspoons whole milk ( and maybe a touch more)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a Bundt Pan with non-stick spray ( I love Baker’s Joy)

In a medium size heat safe bowl, combine the sugar with the coffee, chocolate, cocoa powder and butter. You can heat in the microwave or on the stove top over a pot of simmering water ( about 5 minutes) that’s what I do. I mix occasionally until the butter and the chocolate are fully melted and the sugar dissolves.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the baking soda, baking powder, and salt to combine. Add the chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients and mix to combine. I let the chocolate mixture cool just a touch first.

Now add the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla and mix with a spoon until the batter is smooth and fully combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared bundt pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40- 50 minutes. I let the cake sit for at least 15 minutes and while it’s still warm I inverted it onto a cooling rack ( which is essential to baking , so if you don’t own one get one)

I let the cake cool completely before glazing it. The glaze will melt right into the cake if you do too early. This cake was super light and super moist. I served with raspberries/strawberries and it would be awesome with some home-made whipped cream.

Saucy Stuffed Shells – Baked and Meatless

Shells 007
Shells 009

  I just love a baked pasta — nothing like it for good old fashioned comfort food. This recipe is delicious and perfect comfort food for those cold winter nights. I wanted a crowd pleaser that was vegetarian and something that can easily be made ahead and frozen and that would appeal to both kids and adults equally.

     I served with a salad with my Homemade Maple Syrup Salad Dressing ( see on blog) and it was really pretty awesome. Took a few hours to prepare, mostly because I made my own sauce ( Sunday night sauce) but feel free to use a jar of prepared sauce if you’d like. This is a perfect meal to make ahead of time, and just pop into oven.

*This dish will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months. Assemble the shells with the cheese and cover tightly and freeze. When you’re ready to eat, you can bake from frozen but be sure to add another 30 minutes to the cooking time. You can also freeze individual sized portions of leftover shells that have already been cooked. Reheat previously baked shells in the microwave in 90 second intervals until heated through. 

Perfect for Christmas and New Years.

Of course if you love it with meat you can make a meat sauce and follow same directions.

Happy Holidays to all — and visit me on Instagram @cookingwithcandi

Ingredients:

1 box Jumbo Shells ( you won’t use all but a lot of them break, etc.)

1 lb. Ricotta ( I used Part Skim)

1 Egg

1 lb. Mozzarella Shredded ( I used Part Skim) if you can obtain fresh mozzarella and shred it that would make it even better! whatever works for you

1 cup grated Parmesan ( any kind you like)

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

*marinara sauce or any red sauce I made my own and use my own recipe. If buying sauce and there are some delicious good sauces out there, you’ll need at least 1 large jar of Sauce and my go-to if not using my own is Raos Marinara.   It’s nice to have a little extra sauce in case you need it when you re-heat the stuffed shells. 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare Pasta , cook for between 12 and 15 minutes, you’ll want them soft but not undercooked at the center. Drain pasta and cool for easy handling.

Combine ricotta, 1/2 of the mozzarella, 1/2 of the Parmesan, parsley and egg in a bowl. Taste for Salt and Pepper.

When shells have cooled down, fill them with rounded spoonfuls of cheese mixture and arrange them seam side down in casserole dish. I used a 9 x 13 Pyrex and spray with cooking spray. Top Shells with remaining sauce and remaining mozzarella and grated cheese. Place shells in very hot oven . You can turn on broiler for last few minutes , it should be slightly browned and bubbly. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Delicious!

Clams and Spaghetti–White Sauce

I made this recipe for the first time back in 2014 and highly recommend it for a quick and delicious meal.IMG_6286IMG_6287 (2)IMG_6283 (2)ItΒ isΒ superΒ easyΒ andΒ notΒ intimidatingΒ atΒ all.Β IΒ gotΒ theΒ recipeΒ fromΒ Jessica’sΒ Seinfeld’sΒ bookΒ TheΒ Can’tΒ CookbookΒ evenΒ thoughΒ IΒ knowΒ howΒ toΒ cook.Β Β 

Pick up Clams at your local fish store and just follow instructions for cleaning. I love Clams and Spaghetti and this is so easy to make you won’t believe it!

Perfect for Christmas dinner or any time —

http://www.doitdelicious.com this is Jessica Seinfeld’s site or you can just buy the book “The Can’t Cookbook”.

Ingredients:

2 dozen littleneck clams

3 cloves garlic

app. 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon blanc. I actually used what I had open which was a Pinot Grigio

1 box spaghetti, you can use any kind of spaghetti you like. I actually had bucatini style in the house so that’s what I used

3 Tbsp. Olive Oil

*if you’d like a little heat and you should know your audience because mine didn’t so I put on table for those who wanted to add heat. If you are adding add app. 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

Kosher Salt , to taste. I have to say I added almost no extra salt at all.

You’ll need a large deep pot to cook clams in. I used my Le Creuset Pot.

Directions:

I placed my clams in a colander and I put the colander in a larger bowl in the sink and I filled the bowl with cold water. I let the clams soak for a few minutes, then rubbed with my fingers to dislodge any dirt; then drained the clams. Throw away any clams that remain open or were smashed. ( my clams were pretty clean) I purchased them clean from Whole Foods. Any Fish Store will clean them for you, but always run them through this process to remove any residual sand, etc.

Smash the garlic and chop it . Chop the Parsley. Measure the Wine. Place all your ingredients near to the stove.

Cook Pasta according to directions on box.

Place a large pot on the stove and turn the heat to medium. Pour in 2 Tbsp. of Olive Oil until it heats up and shimmers ( a few minutes) Add chopped garlic to the pot, and cook , stirring , for at least a minute, until you can actually smell the garlic breaking down. Don’t Burn!!!! Now add the wine and the clams and cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and you’ll want a fairly high flame, probably medium-high . Cook clams until they open, I probably cooked for about 10 – 12 minutes. Looked so beautiful! Add the parsley and the red pepper now if you’re using. Throw away any unopened clams, they are no good.

Once pasta is al dente and drained I transferred to a large serving bowl and added 1 Tbsp. of Olive Oil to pasta, top with clams. Sprinkle if you’d like a tiny bit of coarse salt now if you feel it needs it. I did not need to add any additional salt or pepper. Adjust to your taste.

Amazing!!!! and did I mention Super Easy!!!!!