Oven-baked wings, totally worth it

I love this recipe. And so did the judges at the 2002 Pillsbury Bake-Off in Orlando. It won $10,000 for Pat Murphy from Modesto, Calif..

I covered the event and interviewed Pat. He said when he got the call saying he was one of the 100 finalists, he thought it was his friends playing a joke on him.

Anyway, so simple, so good, so worth it. Try them this Sunday for your Super Bowl party. Your people will really like them and you won't have to drag out the deep-fryer or book yourself and guilt trip the next day.

Mexican Party Wings

1 cup purchased ranch salad dressing
1 (4.5-oz.) can chopped Green Chiles
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 (1.25-oz.) pkg. taco season mix
2 teaspoons oil
24 chicken drummettes (about 2 lb.)
Dried parsley flakes

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray large cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. In blender container, combine salad dressing and chiles; cover and blend until smooth. Spoon into small serving bowl. Refrigerate while making drummettes.

In shallow dish, combine flour and taco seasoning mix; mix well. Stir in oil with fork until well blended. Coat drummettes with flour mixture. Coat drummettes again to use up flour mixture. Place on sprayed cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn drummettes; bake an additional 14 to 17 minutes or until chicken is fork-tender and juices run clear. Sprinkle parsley flakes on salad dressing mixture; serve dip with warm drummettes.

Source: Pat Murphy, Pillsbury Bake-Off, 2002

Rotisserie Chicken Football

Here's another gem for your Super Bowl party. Or tonight. Yeah, nachos are an obvious offering for the football game but really who wants liver pate? This is football, baby. Serve football food.

Go early Sunday morning (or even Friday night) to get a couple of rotisserie chickens to shred for these delicious nachos. If you get them the night before, take the meat from the bone and store in an air-tight container or a Ziploc bag until you need. Remember, a 3-pound chicken yields about 3 cups of chicken, dark and white meat.

This recipe gives you a basic idea of what to throw on top. Also consider guacamole and sour cream. Put out a bottle of my favorite hot sauce: Chipotle Tabasco. You could even add canned corn (drained and rinsed) to the salsa. That goes well with chicken.

Chicken Nachos
2 cloves garlic, crushed
6 green onions, sliced, white parts and tops separated
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 shredded, cooked, whole chicken breast
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup salsa
1/2 (12 ounce) package tortilla chips
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar/Monterey Jack cheese blend
1/2 large tomato, diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, cook and stir the garlic and white parts of the green onions in canola oil until tender. Mix in shredded chicken, salt and pepper. Toss until well coated with oil. Stir in the salsa.

Arrange tortilla chips on a large baking sheet. Spoon the chicken mixture over tortilla chips. Top with Cheddar/Monterey Jack cheese blend and tomato. Bake in the preheated oven 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Remove from heat and sprinkle with green onion tops before serving.

Source: www.allrecipes.com.

My favorite football food

When the Super Bowl was in Tampa in 2001, I used my then-new Crock-Pot to make pulled pork for sandwiches. A pork butt ... or was it shoulder? ... went into the slow cooker the night before the game with 1 large, roughly chopped onion and a can of condensed French onion soup. While we slept, the tough meat cooked, slow and low.

(It was weird, though, to wake up during the night smelling dinner.)

The next morning, I took the pork from the pot, discarded the liquid and onions, and let the meat cool before shredding. The shredded meat went back into the Crock-Pot with a couple of bottles of Pat's Ho Made barbecue sauce. It was delicious on soft rolls with cole slaw.

You can make homemade cole slaw but I like my trick with store-bought cole slaw. It's always too gloopy for me so I buy a bag of shredded cabbage and mix it in with the overly dressed slaw. Believe me, there's enough dressing to go around.

Super food week

Today is the kick-off the weeklong march toward Sunday's Super Bowl and that means plenty of you will be spending the next few days planning your party fare. Or at least getting your take-out plans in order. The game starts at 6:30 p.m. so half-time will be around 8 or even later. Don't wait until half-time to eat or some of your guests may be gone. It's a school night, you know.

Even people who never watch football all year, watch the Super Bowl. Or at least eat through it. Everyday this week I'll be offering suggestions for a football party spread. Don't intend to watch? Don't you worry. These recipes will taste good even in while sobbing over an old movie ... or reruns of "Project Runway."

Why didn't I think of this food match up since the New England Patriots are playing the New York Giants? Anyway, these recipes come via a story from the Associated Press. I vote for New England Clam Chowder even though I want the Giants to win!

Manhattan Clam Chowder
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large onions finely chopped (2 cups)
2 celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (1 cup)
3/4 pound boiling potatoes
28- to 32-ounce can whole tomatoes in juice, drained, chopped and juice reserved
2 garlic cloves, minced (or to taste)
48 small hard-shelled clams (less than 2 inches wide), shucked and coarsely chopped, liquor reserved
Three 8-ounce bottles clam juice combined with 3 cups water
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1 bay leaf
Freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt
In a 4- to 6-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
Add potatoes, tomatoes and garlic to onions and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Strain reserved clam liquor through a fine-mesh sieve and add to pot, along with reserved tomato juice and clam juice mixture.
Add basil, thyme, bay leaf and pepper to taste and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, occasionally skimming off froth, until potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
Stir in clams and parsley and cook over medium heat just until clams are firm, 1 to 2 minutes.
Discard bay leaf and season to taste with salt.
Serves 6.
Source: “The Gourmet Cookbook” (Houghton Mifflin, 2007),

New England Clam Chowder
36 small hard-shelled clams (less than 2 inches wide) , such as littlenecks, scrubbed well
1 1/2 cups cold water
2 medium boiling potatoes
2 tablespoons unsalted buuter
2 bacon slices, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup half-and-half
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
In a 4-quart saucepan, place the clams in water and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cover and steam until clams open, 5 to 8 minutes. Check frequently after five minutes and transfer clams to a bowl as they open. Discard unopened clams. Reserve cooking liquid.
When clams cool, remove from shells and coarsely chop. Pour cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, leaving behind any grit.
Peel potatoes and cut into 1/4-inch dice.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in potatoes, reserved liquid and simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
Stir in clams, half-and-half and pepper to taste. Cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Do not boil. Stir in parsley.
Serves 4.
Source: “The Gourmet Cookbook” (Houghton Mifflin, 2007).

Quickie Crab Cakes

I hate to call these white trash crab cakes but that's really what they are. Anything with crushed potato chips strikes me that way. But here's the deal, the potato chips add salt and fat which both translate to flavor. Okay, and sodium. The nutritional information is for one crab cake but you're likely to eat two. Put them over a nice green salad and you'll be plenty satisfied.

Jeanne Besser, who developed this recipe, says use good crab, but not canned. Backfin is fine and less pricey than jumbo lump. I think these are good crab cakes in a pinch, though not if you're from Maryland where the mighty cake is worshipped. You can find them as big as a softball in Baltimore ...

(Full disclosure: The photo here is pretty but there's no potato chips in these cakes!)

Potato Chip Crab Cakes

1 egg
2 to 3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 pound fresh jumbo lump crab meat, drained
3/4 cup crushed baked potato chips

In a bowl, beat egg. Add 2 tablespoons mayonnaise and mustard and stir to combine. Add crab meat and chips and gently stir to combine. If mixture isn't holding together, add additional mayonnaise. Do not overwork the crab, as it breaks into pieces easily. Form into 6 patties and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes. The patties will become firmer upon refrigeration.

In a large, lightly oiled skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat, add the crab cakes and cook undisturbed until the bottoms are golden brown. Flip once and cook until bottoms turn golden brown and cakes are cooked through.

Makes 6 cakes.

Per serving: 173 calories (percent of calories from fat, 36), 16 grams protein, 11 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 7 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 96 milligrams cholesterol, 346 milligrams sodium.

Source: 5:30 Challenge, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Rotisserie Chicken Wednesday

I've got pizza on the brain this morning. That's not really noteworthy because I think about pizza a lot. I'm working on a Super Bowl entertaining story about taking store-bought cheese pizzas and turning them into something better.

"Make it your own," as they say on American Idol.

Pizza and rotisserie chicken can collide in a number of ways. Slater a pizza shell or a Boboli with barbecue sauce, then top with shredded chicken, mozzarella and scallions. Use ranch or Caesar dressing as the base sauce and sprinkle with a mixture of Parmesan and smoked mootze. How about Alfredo sauce, more Parm and mootze and maybe some sauteed mushrooms?

Chicken Salsa Pizza
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
1 (12 ounce) jar salsa 1 (12 ounce) jar salsa
1 cup cubed cooked chicken 1 cup cubed cooked chicken
1 (14 ounce) package pre-baked Italian bread shell crust 1 (14 ounce) package pre-baked Italian bread shell crust

Place bread shell on an ungreased 12-in. pizza pan. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup of cheese. Top with salsa, chicken and remaining cheese. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Source: www.familyoven.com

What to do with leftovers

Hash is this very retro dish and something I don't think about cooking much at all. I wrote a story about making hash in 2004, then never made it again.

So what came over me last night? I made hash complete with the fried egg on the top. The 12-year-old was "how gross" at just the mention of the fried egg slipped over what is essentially stir-fried meat and potatoes. "How gross," that is, until he saw his Dad's plate. "Hey, that looks pretty good." I fried him up one too, without the runny yolk please.

Anyway, I was staring in the fridge at a pretty good hunk of leftover London broil and a couple of ginormous cooked red potatoes. Plus, my two guys were alternately starring at me, then the clock. They were hungry. I was desperate.

So here's what I did: Sauteed some chopped onion and a minced garlic clove in a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large cast iron frying pan. I didn't have any green pepper which is sort of standard but rather sliced some peeled carrots and added them to the pan. A sprinkling of coarse salt and freshly ground pepper were added to that. It cooked for about 5 minutes. Then I dumped in the peeled, cubed potatoes and let them cook until they got a little brown and crispy; another five minutes or so. I stirred a few times. Next the grilled London broil cut into 1-inch long strips went in. I also tossed in a few shakes of dried basil. A little more salt and dinner was near ready. In a separate skillet, I fried the eggs and gently slid them into the individual bowls over the mound of the hash.

I think the only thing that was missing was maybe a spoonful or two of sour cream stirred into the hash while it was cooking. Didn't much matter. My wolverines were as happy as clams.

And get this ... I was totally overachieving last night. After dinner, I made a French Country Beef Stew that took about 2 hours to cook. We're having it tonight. I'll share the recipe later this week ... 

Monday night nachos

Here's another one of those Sunset magazine recipes I made while I was visiting my mother after Christmas. Kind of a weird Monday night meal but you might want to give it a whirl as a consideration for a Super Bowl party. That's Feb. 3 and the underdog New York Football Giants are going to take down the New England Patriots. Yeah, I cook, but I like football too. Giants by 3 points.

Okay, here's what I did to shorten the prep on this recipe. I used ground beef over skirt steak (because there wasn't any at the store), I bought already chopped onion and prepared guacamole. Normally I would make my own but all the avocadoes where rock hard. I've forgotten the brand but it had a lizard (iguana?) on the front and it was in a plastic pouch. Of course, homemade would have been better but the store-bought worked quite well.

Mom and I had fun munching on these while everyone else was playing in the snow for a couple of days. Nachos are a fun, communal dish, perfect for casual noshing. Give these a try.

Chorizo-Beef Nachos

5 ounces skirt steak (see Notes), chopped, or lean ground beef
5 ounces Mexican chorizo, casing removed, finely crumbled
1 medium onion
1 large garlic clove
1 teaspoon ground cumin, divided
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tbsp. mild to hot salsa verde
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles, drained
1 large, ripe avocado
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
Kosher salt
9 cups tortilla chips
2 cups (1/2 lb.) shredded jack cheese
1 quart finely shredded Iceberg lettuce

Preheat oven to 400°. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, brown steak and chorizo, stirring, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, chop onion and mince garlic. Add onion and all but 1/8 tsp. cumin to pan. Stir often until onion is soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; stir in 1 1/2 cups salsa. Simmer until thick, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While steak mixture simmers, combine black beans, 3/4 cup water, oregano, 1 tsp. garlic, and chiles in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until all but about 1/4 cup liquid has evaporated, 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make guacamole: Pit and peel avocado. In a bowl, mash avocado with remaining 1 tbsp. salsa, remaining 1/8 tsp. cumin, remaining garlic, and the lime juice. Stir 1 tbsp. cilantro into guacamole and add salt to taste.

Line a large, rimmed baking pan with parchment paper. Arrange chips in a 12-in.-wide circle. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake until cheese melts, 3 to 4 minutes.

While chips are baking, arrange lettuce around rim of a large serving platter (at least 16 in. wide). With a wide spatula, loosen chips from parchment. Carefully lift parchment from pan, then slide chips off paper into center of platter. Spoon meat mixture over chips. With a slotted spoon, top with beans. Spoon guacamole over center of nachos and sprinkle with remaining 1 tbsp. cilantro.

Makes 6 servings

Source: Recipe and photo by Sunset, January 2008

I'll have the cloned burger, please

Okay, a couple of things before I dive into today's recipe:

Did you hear the news that the FDA has ruled cloned food safe to eat? It's curious that they call it "cloned food" when they mean cows and pigs. We're already eating all manner of scientifically engineered plants. Add to that lots of processed food full of chemicals and the clone burger doesn't sound like such a bad idea. Want to get really scared? Check out a book called "Fatal Harvest: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture."

By the way, these cuties are cloned cows Peggy Sue, right, and Anna Belle on a farm outside Austin, Texas. The Associated Press took the photo in 2005.

In 2004 when I judged the Pillsbury Bake-Off in Los Angeles, there was a session for journalists about food & science. I remember a Tufts professor saying that we were probably already eating cloned beef. The copycat animals were already on some of the nation's cattle ranches and who could tell the difference anyway, he said. At the time, I thought that was a pretty remarkable thing to say, but now, knowing what bad shape the food supply is in, it seems par for the course. I think if we really knew what was going on, we'd be appalled.

Interesting times. Not sure where I fall on the cloned food topic. We eat so much fake food these days ... What do you think? Perhaps I'll try to survive on the citrus in my yard. At least I won't get scurvy.

One more thing: Gourmet magazine launched its own Web site the week. Gourmet.com reflects very well the tone of the magazine. It will appeal to serious foodies and people interested in sophisticated food writing. The site also takes you back in time to some of the early articles in the magazine. There are recipes, but Epicurious.com will continue to be the main resource for those.

If you have an appetite left, go make these enchiladas.

Sour Cream (Non-Cloned) Chicken Enchiladas

2 cups cooked and shredded or chopped chicken
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 heaping tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth
1-2 small cans chopped green chilies
Approximately 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups grated Monterrey Jack cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
Couple packages of flour tortillas
Paprika
Chives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shred cooked chicken breasts; set aside.

Sauté garlic, onion, and green pepper in oil and butter until slightly tender. Stir in flour and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Add chicken broth, mix until smooth and cook until thickened. Add chilies and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups cheese and stir until smooth. Reduce heat. Add sour cream and stir until smooth. Place large scoop of chicken, cheese, and sauce in center of each tortilla. Roll up and place in oiled large baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over all rolled up tortillas and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Sprinkle with paprika and chives. Bake, covered, about 25-30 minutes. Uncover and broil for 2 minutes just to add a nice brown tint to enchiladas.

Serve with sliced avocado, chopped tomato, and salsa on top. To compliment the meal, serve black or pinto refried beans.

Note: Serving amount not given but depending on the number of tortillas in the packages you buy, it looks like 16 or 24 enchiladas today.

Source: Taste of the NFL

Rotisserie Chicken Wednesday

Hash is sort of a kooky thing. That stuff that comes in the can always seems like something Fido would eat. Not appetizing if you ask me. But I wrote a story once on the beauty of hash, and, no, I wasn't lying. Hash, which is really a big jumble of meat and veggies and spices, is the perfect dinner for a cold evening. It's quick, too, because the meat and veggies are usually already cooked. You may already have lots of ingredients in your well-stocked pantry.

This version is slightly difference because its baked and that gives the top a golden brown crunch. Nice. Save yourself some time and use a bag of frozen, cooked potato pieces.

It's sort of chilly outside right now. I wish I had a bowl of this. Cheers!

Spicy Chicken Hash

For the sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup  milk
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

For the hash:
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cups diced frozen potatoes
2 cups diced cooked rotisserie chicken
Chopped chives for garnish

For the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over moderate heat. Stir in the flour and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the milk, chicken broth, cayenne, salt, and pepper and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

For the hash, melt the butter in a large skillet over moderate heat. Saute the onion and bell pepper until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, parsley, salt, and pepper and cook an additional 10 minutes. Add the potatoes, chicken, and sauce, and transfer to a buttered shallow baking dish. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until it is bubbling and the top is golden brown. Garnish with chopped chives.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Source: www.razzledazzlerecipes.com

A not so simple salad

Here's the basic skeleton of a delicious Asian Beef Salad. I love salads when warm protein (chicken, fish, grilled beef, even chopped up egg rolls) mixes with ice-cold greens. Sort of a yin and yang, Brad and Angelina, Batman and Robin effect.

This recipe has a fair amount of ingredients, some that you might even have. Vietnamese fish sauce is generally nasty stuff but when it's mixed with sugar it's palatable to the unintiated Westerner. It adds a certain something to Asian dishes but in general, I leave it out. That's because I buy it for one or two tablespoons then it goes bad the rest of the year. To make up for it in this recipe, up the lime juice a bit and add a 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil (not olive).

As for the fresh herbs, you can sub flat-leaf Italian parsley if you have it for cilantro or mint. Don't like one or the other, leave it out. There's a lot of give in this recipe to meet your personal tastes.

Asian Beef Salad

1 pound sirloin steak, trimmed of excess fat
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon chili paste or crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, quartered lengthwise, then thinly sliced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts

Preheat a lightly oiled grill to medium-high. Grill the steak for 7 to 10 minutes per side for medium-rare. Remove the steak from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes. Once the steak has rested, cut it into thin strips.

Meanwhile, in a large serving bowl, combine the lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar and chili paste. Add the strips of steak and toss to coat.

Add the cucumber, onion, tomatoes, cilantro, mint and scallions, then gently toss to combine. Transfer to 4 serving plates, then sprinkle each serving with peanuts.

Nutrition information per serving: 195 calories; 7 g fat (2 g saturated); 40 mg cholesterol; 8 g carbohydrate; 25 g protein; 2 g fiber; 680 mg sodium.

Source: American Cancer Society's "The Great American Eat-Right Cookbook."

Moroccan Monday

Several years ago, I wrote a story about using a Moroccan tagine. A tagine is an earthenware baking dish with a tall, conical lid. Food is cooking in the base and the cone-like lid helps trap steam and keep the food moist. Tagine cooking has become so popular that Le Creuset now makes an enamel version.

Interestingly, tagine is also the name of a dish, but you don't necessarily need a tagine to make it. I know. It's confusing.

Here is a simple recipe for Moroccan chicken stew that is made by roasting vegetables and chicken on baking sheets in the oven, then combining them in a stockpot on the stove. Though it doesn't take hours to cook, it tastes like it because of roasting the veggies first. Roasting helps to concentrate flavors and adds sweetness.

Also, don't be put off by the number of ingredients. That's what gives this dish phenomenal flavor. The cooking technique is quite simple, really. Hopefully, you'll have the spices in your cabinet.

Moroccan Stew with Roasted Vegetables
1 yellow onion, roughly cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
1 green pepper, seeded and roughly cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
1 red pepper, seeded and roughly cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
1 yellow squash, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5-ounce) can fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ cup dried pitted plums (prunes)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Hot cooked couscous or rice, optional
2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted, optional

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat a large baking sheet with nonstick vegetable cooking spray. Place onion, peppers and squash in zip-top plastic food bag; drizzle with olive oil and distribute evenly throughout bag. Place vegetables on baking sheet. Place chicken on another baking sheet that has been coated with nonstick vegetable cooking spray.

Place both pans in oven (on different racks if need be) and roast 10 minutes. Remove vegetables from oven and stir. Return to oven. Remove chicken from oven and turn over; return to oven and roast chicken and vegetables 10 to 15 additional minutes or until chicken is done and meat thermometer registers 170 degrees and vegetables are tender and golden.

Meanwhile in a large saucepan or Dutch oven, combine remaining ingredients except couscous and almonds. Simmer 10 minutes. Add roasted vegetables to saucepan. Dice chicken into cubes and add to saucepan. Stir well and heat through.

Served over hot couscous or rice and garnish with slivered almonds, if desired. Serves 6.

Per serving, without couscous: 245 calories (20 percent from fat), 5 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), 44 milligrams cholesterol, 25 grams carbohydrates, 25 grams protein, 369 milligrams sodium, 5 grams dietary fiber.

Source: Kansas City Star

Photo from Whole Foods

Spicy ... like George Clooney

Happy Friday! It's been a long time coming this week for me. How about you? This photo makes me feel better. Yeah, I know. It's gratuitous use of eye candy but ... don't you feel better too?

I think this recipe from Cooking Light magazine will satisfy a couple of requirements tonight. (Especially since it appears George will not be coming over.) First, it's a quick and, second, it's low-fat. Most importantly it has andouille sausage in it. How bad can that be? If you don't want the spice, sub a mild cooked sausage like smoked brats or even a turkey sausage. If you can't find andouille but want the spice, sprinkle in some red pepper flakes.

Looking forward to the weekend ... I hope you have a good one too!

Andouille and Red Beans with Rice
1 (3 1/2-ounce) bag boil-in-bag long-grain rice
Cooking spray
4 ounces andouille sausage, diced
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup prechopped onion
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt-free Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1 (16-ounce) can dark kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cook rice according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sausage; cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a bowl, and keep warm.

Add bell pepper, onion, Cajun seasoning, thyme, and hot pepper sauce to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until onions are tender. Add beans and broth to pan; cook 8 minutes or until thick, mashing half the beans. Add sausage, parsley, and salt to pan; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice.

Yield
4 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup bean mixture and about 1/2 cup rice)

Nutritional Information: CALORIES 245FAT 5.6gPROTEIN 11.7g; CHOLESTEROL 20mg; CALCIUM 41mg; SODIUM 900mg; FIBER 4.2g; IRON 2.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 37g

Source: Cooking Light, March 2006

Rotisserie Chicken Wednesday

For the past few weeks I've been thinking so much about holiday food ... you know, cookies and such ... I forgot about Rostisserie Chicken Wednesday. Here's an easy recipe that you can throw together in mere minutes tonight.

I'm going to leave out the mushrooms, and I'll add more chicken.

There's still time to stop at the store ... maybe I'll see you there. Until tomorrow ...

Chicken Pasta Primavera
8 ounce linguine (preferably whole wheat)
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
8 oz. mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 cup diced zucchini
3 ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped (whatever variety is in season or looks best at the market)
28 oz. crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped finely
1 cup rotisserie chicken, shredded
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Prepare linguine according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet or saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, stirring frequently to prevent the garlic from burning. Cook 2-3 minutes. Add the red pepper, mushrooms and zucchini. Cook about 5 minutes until vegetables are tender. Add diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and allow sauce to simmer 10 minutes or so until the vegetables become soft and all the flavors meld.

Add parsley and rotisserie chicken. Cook another 5 minutes until heated through. Taste and season again, if necessary. Serve over hot linguine and topped with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Serves 4-6.

Per serving (based on 4): 372 calories, 11 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 73 mg cholesterol, 51 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 21 g protein, 31% vitamin A, 137% vitamin C, 8% calcium, 22% iron

Source: www.suite101.com

An interesting lawsuit

Looks like a camouflaged veggie showdown is brewing.

Missy Chase Lapine, who wrote "The Sneaky Chef" is suing Jessica and Jerry Seinfeld for copyright infringement and defamation. Can't say as I blame her.

You'll remember that Jessica Seinfeld has had great success with her "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook. In fact, her book has really boosted the sales of Lapine's book. Read here about what I think about the silly premise of hiding veggies in kids' food.

The deal is that Lapine wrote a similar book that was rejected by the same publisher that published Seinfeld's book. No doubt they figured the name recognition would make them more money. Seinfeld was a lot more likely to get spots on Oprah and the Today Show, which she did. Collins, an imprint of Harper Collins, is out to make a profit. I'm sure they don't much care if children eat their veggies. Lapine's book came out in April of last year with a different publisher; Seinfeld's followed in October.

I'm guessing what really ticked Lapine off was Jerry Seinfeld going on Letterman and calling her a "wacko." I saw that episode (long before the writers' strike) and thought that was pretty harsh, especially from a creative guy. It would be difficult for Lapine not to think something was fishy since the premise of the books are the exact same and she knew Collins editors had seen her book.

According to the AP, Lapine's complaint cites similarities in the books, which it says include "original expression, philosophy, premise," as well as specific words. The suit doesn't seek specific damages. Collins rejects her claims.

This sounds soooo good

Today's been a super busy day in my world and this sandwich sounds delicious and comforting. Must be the bacon and mayo.

I'm definitely a sandwich person and could eat them for almost every meal. That must be the reason I never had much luck on those low-carb diets. This recipe calls for sourdough bread but you can use whatever floats your boat. I think you could even use a hoagie roll and press it like a Cuban (though I'd pry it open after everything is melted and add the tomato and lettuce. I hate wilty lettuce in sandwiches).

Some nice fruit on the side; maybe even a scoup of tabouli. Dinner for a hectic day.

Shrimp BLT
12 slices thick-cut bacon
2 pounds medium shrimp (26 to 30 per pound), unpeeled
2 tomatoes
Kosher salt
12 slices sourdough bread
1 cup mayonnaise
6 leaves butter lettuce
In a large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat, cook the bacon slowly until crispy. Remove the bacon from the skillet (leaving any fat in the skillet) and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning once, until just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove the shrimp, let cool and peel. Slice the tomatoes and sprinkle with salt.

Lightly toast the bread. Spread mayonnaise on one side of each slice. Place a lettuce leaf, a tomato slice, and 2 slices of bacon on 6 slices of the toast. Top with the shrimp, dividing them equally, and then with the remaining toasts. Cut diagonally in half and serve.

Makes 6 sandwiches.

Source: From Jonathan Waxman's "A Great American Cook"

A simple dinner for the new year

Happy Monday! I'm back at my work station from a week visiting my family out West. I will not bore you with tales of the fantastic grocery stores out there. It gets to be a broken record, doesn't it? I guess until Tampa Bay area shoppers demand more, we aren't going to get more. We've come a long way, but not really far enough. Enough said. Well, not quite. Read this food wish list for 2008 by me and my food writing colleagues at the Times. Really, we aren't starting off the year cranky, just hopeful. Please chime in with yours.

Despite being on vacation, I did some cooking, including trying out this recipe from my favorite Sunset magazine. The gorgeous photo is what convinced me, though the actual soup is more brothy.

I like Brussels sprouts, especially roasted, but this is another wonderful way to use them. You can substitute another cooked sausage for the andouille but you want something spicy. That's what gives the soup its zing. As is often the case with soup, it was even better on Day 2. The spiciness from the andouille had leached into the broth giving it lots of flavor. Big hunk of bread and a green salad.

This is a meal fit for Monday.

Brussels Sprouts and Sausage Soup

1 pound Brussels sprouts
3/4 pound andouille sausage
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 large red potatoes
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

Trim ends off Brussels sprouts, remove any damaged external leaves, and cut in half lengthwise. Set aside.

Remove casing from sausage and cut into 1/4-in.-thick slices. Put olive oil and sausage in a medium pot over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until sausage is well browned, about 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel potatoes and cut into roughly 1/2-in. pieces.

When sausage is browned, add bay leaves and caraway seeds to the pot. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add potatoes, broth, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Add Brussels sprouts. Partially cover pot and reduce heat to low or medium-low to maintain a steady simmer. Cook soup until potatoes and Brussels sprouts are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve soup hot.

Yield:  Makes 4 servings

CALORIES 344 (37% from fat); FAT 14g (sat 4.3g); PROTEIN 19g; CHOLESTEROL 35mg; SODIUM 1054mg; FIBER 8.1g; CARBOHYDRATE 40g

Source: Sunset magazine