Cream of Chicken Soup
I always forget how easy soups are to make. One of my favorite soups is cream of chicken. For the longest time I would buy the soup from the deli of the grocery store because I quite simply never thought to make it myself. I am kicking myself about it now because not only is it dead simple, it tastes far better than anything I have purchased. What I like is that I control the content of the soup, so if I want more carrots or...
Pan Seared Chicken with Creamy Polenta and Bacon
I love one pot dishes. Anything I can do to save washing up dishes after dinner is always welcome. Aside from making the washing up easier, building the dish in one pan gives you a unique opportunity to develop some pretty robust flavors. You never lose any fond, the caramelized bits that get stuck to the bottom of the pan, so all that flavor makes its way into the polenta. This dish starts with some automatic flavor in the...
Creamy Chicken and Orzo Salad
I know a lot of people are looking for clever ways to stretch a dollar while eating well. It is a topic near to my heart. Just because I am saving money, however, does not mean I want to stop entertaining or enjoying foods I love. It just means I have to find clever ways to make the most of what I have. Using pasta to stretch meals an excellent way to feed a crowd with out breaking the bank. My Creamy Chicken Salad with Orzo...
Orange Chicken with Fried Rice
Growing up I despised what I knew as Chinese food. What we always got was greasy, over breaded, over sauced American take-out Chinese food. It was terrible. This aversion became a fairly serious problem for me when I was first invited over to my future mother-in-law’s house for dinner. She is from Taiwan and was going to make us home-cooked Chinese food for dinner. I was distraught. I hated Chinese food, but I did not want...
Beef Empanadas
When I entertain I like to have a wide variety of foods available to snack on. It keeps things from getting boring and it keeps the palate active. So, when I plan a party of a gathering where little bites will be served I always make something with a Tex-Mex flair. These empanadas are the perfect party food because they are easy to eat, they are filling, they look pretty on a platter, and they taste fantastic! The filling is not too...
