From the archives. This recipe was originally published three years ago, but has managed to be in the top ten most visited recipes here for the entire time.  I thought it deserved an update and a quick polish.  Hope Y’All still enjoy!

I don’t know if your local market carries them, but around here they occasionally put 10 lb bags of frozen chicken leg quarters on sale. When they do, I jump at the chance to snap some up, knowing that for just my wife and I, this six dollar purchase (sometimes I can find them for as little as three dollars!) will fuel about 5 meals.

The rub is, that’s just a whole lot of chicken. The great part is that chicken is versatile, and legs and thighs are especially so. To be honest though, sometimes I just want my chicken to taste like chicken, and that’s the reason I tossed this together for lunch yesterday.

This is so simple that a recipe really isn’t needed, but I’ll post it in standard format anyway. Adjust the amounts (which I’ve not given) to suit. This particular dish can be a main course or a simple lunch, and can serve from one to as many people as you’d like to feed.

I just love chicken. Read more…

Popularity: 37% [?]

Is there any other food as comforting as chicken noodle soup? It seems to me that you would be hard pressed to find one.  It’s a staple of mothers for sick children, adults who are feeling homesick and the perfect choice for a gloomy drizzly day at any time.

Most people my age probably grew up on the version in the little red and white can, but there is absolutely nor reason why you shouldn’t be making this from scratch.  The flavor is better, the vegetables are crisp and the texture is amazing.  All it takes is a little time and a little love an you too can have the ultimate chicken noodle soup ready and waiting for you when you need it the most, even on days when you would rather not be cooking at all.

Read more…

Popularity: 5% [?]

Before there was California Fusion Cuisine or even California Cuisine, there was the California health food craze.  This is a style of cooking that still defines what most of the country thinks everyone in California eats every day.  Anyone that lived in California in the late 80’s will remember some of the hallmarks of this misguided good frenzy, from enormously sized composed salads to anything and everything with cashews. These were bad enough, but the one signature example of California’s contribution to the mid-to late 80’s, and to the perception of America as a whole cannot help but be the chicken sandwich with avocado and bean sprouts, otherwise known as the California Chicken Sandwich.

In its basic form, this is just a sandwich composed of chicken, avocado, bean sprouts and cheese.  There isn’t anything intrinsically wrong with it, it’s a good meal.  When I worked the line at my local Lyon’s restaurant we made hundreds of these things every week and they were well liked.  The downfall of this unassuming little dish is that somewhere, somehow, it found its way into the American psyche and became linked to California in the same breath as tofu, Haight-Ashburry, Flower Power and brown rice. Just ask a non-Californian what we eat every day and chances are they’re going to mention tofu, bean sprouts and avocado.

My wife is Texan and has teased me about this combination since the day we met. (Fair, since I tease her constantly about having to ride a cow to school.) This post is for her as much as it is for the rest of the world.  Yes, this dish is indicative of what California was in the 80’s. Yes, it’s something many Californians would like to forget, and something no self-respecting chef in the state would place on their menu.  In fairness though, it’s stood the test as a great combination of flavors and when I though of it the other day I simply couldn’t pass up the chance to make one.

Just for old times sake, you know?

So I present to you my latest version of California’s most widely recognized dish; the California Chicken Sandwich.

Hope you enjoy.

Read more…

Popularity: 4% [?]

About a month ago, the good people over at POM wonderful sent me a package of their 100% pure pomegranate juice to try out. Since it got to the house I’ve been tying to figure out a way to do something a bit original with it, and I think I hit the nail on the head with this one. The pomegranate reduction was most definitely the star of the show here and I urge all of you to go grab the ingredients for this and give it a shot.  You’ll be glad you did, I promise!

The fennel and apple salad was a “by the seat of my pants” creation, but no less worthy than the reduction.  It could serve well as a side salad for any meal and has a wonderful flavor, both with and without the pomegranate reduction.  both components paired perfectly with the chicken, but would go equally well with pork or duck.  I can’t wait to try a few more combinations!

And Please don’t let the complicated name on this dish scare you away from trying it. There really isn’t anything complicated about it. In reality it is a combination of three very simple recipes. (Or if you would rather think of it as a complete recipe, it’s a mildly complicated dish with three simple steps.) The reduction can be made up to two weeks in advance if you think you would have difficulty making it on the same evening, so prep can be spread out over time.

Have fun with it!

Read more…

Popularity: 3% [?]

There are few things more comforting than the unassuming soup. There are also very few foods that are as versatile. Whether you’ve got meat, poultry, fish or veggies, you’ve got the makings for a good wholesome meal.  Just about anything can be turned into a soup if you set your mind to it and leftovers are the perfect first choice for a soup-based face lift.

Such is the case with this dish.  After making a huge batch of Spanish rice I realized that we would never finish it off and honestly I just wasn’t in the mood for it anymore.  the logical conclusion was to jazz it up a bit and add a few extra flavors in for fun and a quick soup just sounded really good.  this is what I came up with.  A 100% Cooking by the seat of my Pants original.

Hope Y’All enjoy.

Read more…

Popularity: 3% [?]

I think at the end of the day I’d have to say with confidence that I’m a fusion cook.  No matter what the combinations or origins of my recipes may be, I have to toss in something out of somewhere else, just for fun. by far my favorite inspiration is Asian cuisine.  The mix of subtle flavors with bold accents is amazing, versatile and fast, all things which my busy schedule and I embrace.

This dish was simply a throw-together dinner.  I had chicken, i had salad greens and I had an orange, this is what came of those ingredients.  Totally unplanned, unfettered by preconception or planning, it’s a simple tasty meal that easily serves as a main course in its own right and honestly could only be made more perfect by sharing it with someone else.

Read more…

Popularity: 2% [?]

The holidays have passed and it’s time to start looking closely at what we’re eating again. For the next several months at least there will be little in the way of heavily buttered sauces or creamy casseroles.  It’s time to shed some of the pounds that copious amounts of Holiday dinners, desserts and alcohol have helped to put around our midsections and with that comes the return of counting points, at least for my wife.

Personally, I don’t worry about points values or Weight Watcher’s scales. I just make lighter foods with less of the bad stuff and more of the good stuff. That way I can eat more, still be quite full and enjoy the weight loss.  My wife on the other hand, prefers to regimen her diet, and if it makes her happy, I’m all for it, so I look to the weight watcher’s site for inspiration, then do my level best to keep her within her prescribed daily points.

This is the year’s first Weight Watcher’s dish, and I’ve got to say that I was very pleasantly surprised with the outcome.  The recipe is my own, but resulted in a heaping plate of food with a points value of only 8, which kept her well and truly within daily limits while still leaving me quite happily stuffed until dinner, which happened to be at 8:00pm that evening due to work schedules.

So to all of you who are craving a new low point recipe, have at this one, It’s sure to please without adding too much to your daily total points value and I’ll be the first to say that it won’t leave you hungry.

Read more…

Popularity: 2% [?]

Arroz con Pollo is a simple dish.  I’ve heard it called the “Mac and Cheese or Pot Roast” of the Latin world.  Every family has a recipe and every kid will tell you that their mother’s is the best.  I personally think my wife’s version is the best, but feel free to disagree with me.  I’m sure that if this dish is made in your family, it’s pretty good too. (But my wife’s is still better and you’ll never convince me otherwise!)

My wife’s first husband was Puerto Rican and this dish is made in the Puerto Rican style as taught to my wife from his mother.  It was my first experience with Puerto Rican cooking, but I have to say that now I’m hooked and I get my wife to make any of the foods she learned there whenever possible. (When I’m not hogging the kitchen, that is.)

The combination of chicken, rice, capers, olives and spices in this version is nothing like the Mexican Arroz con Pollo I grew up around.  for one thing, Puerto Rican cooking isn’t all that spicy heat-wise.  In fact most of their condiments are very mild.  The Mexican version will knock your socks off in some cases.  I much prefer this one and I hope you enjoy it, even if your mother’s is better. (And of course it is, it’s Mom’s!)

This recipe has been adapted to use several over-the counter sauces and bases, as we cannot get some of the ingredients called for in this part of the U.S. without ordering them online at a premium.  I’ve linked the ingredients we use to online stores where you can find them if they’re not available in your local area.

Read more…

Popularity: 4% [?]

When the weather is cold the oven goes on low and slow and roasts and stews are the order of the day.  From now until the weather starts to warm our home will most likely be full of the aromas of simmering liquids and hearty winter herbs like sage and rosemary.  Stone fruits and jams replace fresh herbs as flavorings and the calorie counts rise to cope with the need to stay warm.  It’s my favorite time of the year, and roast chicken is one of my favorite dishes to make.

The smells of slow roasting poultry immediately get me thinking of the Holidays.  Thoughts of family gatherings past and things that were said around hot meals on blustery evenings with much laughter and joking, holiday specials on television for us kids and veiled references to what was bought for whom.  The good times in our family were always most pronounced when the weather got cool, and for me this type of food epitomies family, friends and love.

This chicken recipe is one of my mother’s go-to’s.  I share it with all of you in the spirit of the Holidays and I hope that you enjoy it with family and friends.  With laughter and joy and perhaps a holiday movie on for the kiddos so that they too have memories like mine when they get to be our ages.

Read more…

Popularity: 2% [?]

If you’re looking for something a bit different, completely savory and sumptuous and more than a bit over the top, this is the meal for you.  Preperation is relatively simple and the flavors are something that most only experience in high-end establishments, thinking that something of this calibur could never be prepared in a home kitchen.  While there is a bit of long-term preparation involved the process really isn’t all that hard, it’s just the big fancy name that makes it sound daunting.

To quote the Grand Dame of the American Culinary Revolution:

“Noncooks think it’s silly to invest two hours’ work in two minutes’ enjoyment; but if cooking is evanescent, so is the ballet.” ~ Julia Child

For most people, confit automatically brings to mind images of something cooked in duck or goose fat.  While this is the current trend, confit is actually a much simpler premise than that.  The definition of confit is quite simple:

Confit: [kohn-FEE] A meat slow cooked in its own fat with spices. Or a jam-like sweet spread.

In using this definition, anything cooked in its own fat is a confit, and to be tied to only using duck or goose fat would be a crying shame, since chicken confit is probably the simplest of all to make with just ingredients from your local BigScaryMegaMart, namely chicken leg quarters.

You know the ones.  You’ve seen them before.  They sit in the poultry section in a forlorn ten pound sack, partially packed in an impotent brine. These are the byproducts of the American love of the boneless-skinless chicken breast, cast off to obscurity because someone convinced an entire nation that white meat was the best meat.  In this case their loss is our gain.

The chicken sold in bulk bags is mostly from roasting chickens.  Roasting chicken are larger birds with a higher fat to body mass ratio and because of this have become less popular in todays marketplace.  Bulk chicken is also not trimmed for excess fat, it’s just sold by weight, meaning that the producers are not interested in making it look pretty.  It’s perfect for confit and it usually costs around $4.00 for 10 lbs of chicken!  The rest is almost blissfully simple.

So step out of your comfort zone for a moment and take a journey with me to the land of gourmet, where with just a bit of time and effort the most humble ingredients transform themselves into something more than you could have ever imagined where flavors and aromas transcend the parts that make up the whole and become something entirely wonderful.  The experience may only last a few moments, but it is very much worth the effort.

Read more…

Popularity: 3% [?]