Chicken and corn salad

This entry is part 11 of 11 in the series Salad

I love this salad for it’s simplicity and richness. Only 4 main ingredients, what can be better? It’s very dressy as well. You can serve it for the Easter holiday table feast or just cook it for a quiet family dinner.
Four main ingredients are:

Chicken breast- 2 (boiled)

Hard boiled eggs- 3

Canned corn (rinsed) – 2/3 of the can

Boiled potatoes – 3 medium

Plus add to your salad some herbs:

Dill finely chopped – 1/4 of a cup

Lemon basil leaves – 1/4 cup

Salt, pepper and mayo.

Serves 4 people.

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes.

Preparation:

Boil in 2 different sauce pans: eggs and potatoes in one and chicken breast in another. It will take about 20 minutes to cook the potatoes and breast. The eggs will be ready earlier of course, so you can just take them out cool them down in cold water and shell them.

When the potatoes are ready let them cool down and then peel the cooked potatoes.

Rinse the corn, cut chicken, peeled potatoes and eggs in cubes. Add salt ,pepper and herbs. Mix everything with mayo.

The salad is good with rice and with meats, it’s good on sandwiches as well.

If you have a number of salads on your table for the Easter celebration this  may be one of them:-)

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Light cauliflower soup with chicken

This entry is part 5 of 5 in the series Soup

This soup is light  and is a great comfort food. I like to have this warm soup for dinner after a very busy day.The best thing is that you can prepare all the necessary veggies when you have time (or buy the ready mix) and just enjoy the soup in 20-40 minutes. You can also prepare the chicken broth a day (or an evening before). All in all it’s agreat comfort food for the whole family.

 

Serves: 4 people

Preparation time 20-30 minutes

Cooking time 20 minutes

Ready in 40-50 minutes

For the soup you will need:

Veggies:

1 finely chopped onion

1/2 big shredded carrot (or you can just slice it width-wise)

1 medium bell pepper (yellow or orange)

4-5 medium potatoes cut in cubes

1/2 of large cauliflower (flowers cut separately into a mid-sized chunks)

Poultry (not  a must , but I cooked it  as a non vegan soup. You can easily eliminate all animal based food if you’d like to).

2 chicken thighs ( skinless)

Herbs:

1/4 cup of dill

1/4 cup of chives

Salt

Pepper

Preparation:

Wash the chicken thighs,take off the skin and cut off the fat.

Set to boil in a 3-4 quart saucepan, add the salt and pepper (I add about 1-2 tablespoons of salt and 1/2 of black pepper).Boil for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the veggies: Peel the potatoes, onion and carrot,  wash carrot, potatoes, bell pepper and onion.

After the 20 minutes are up and you see that the chicken thighs are cooked, take them out of the saucepan and let them cool down on a plane. (So that you could cut then in cubes as well)

Cut the potatoes in cubes (mid-sized) and add to the saucepan. Shred the carrot and chop the pepper and onion.  Put everything  in the saucepan. At this time, turn the gas down to medium-low and continue simmering your soup.

Take the cauliflower, cut the flowers of , wash them and them cut the flowers in quarters or halves (depending on their size).  Set the cauliflower aside, you will throw them in 10 minutes before turning the gas off).

Now work with your cooked chiken- just cut off some meat from the chicken thighs, so that they wouldn’t be so huge and  impossible to serve in a plate.

After cooking the veggies for another 20 minutes, add the cauliflower and the chicken into the saucepan; wash and chop the hers.

Stir everything well , taste for salt and spices.

The soup will be ready in 10 minutes after you have added the cauluflower.

Serve warm!

Aspic or meat jelly – famous Slavic Dish!

This entry is part 7 of 7 in the series Holidays

This dish is very popular in Slavic countries. I have never seen it being cooked in the US, but I know that in European
countries is’s still quite popular.

Historically, meat jellies were made before fruit and vegetable jellies. By the Middle Ages at the latest, cooks had discovered that a thickened meat broth could be made into a jelly. A detailed recipe for aspic is found in Le Viandier, written in or around 1375.


In Poland, (known as “galareta”), in Russia and Ukraine (known as “kholodets’”), in Serbia (known as “pihtije”), and in Romania (known as “piftie”) aspic often takes the form of pork jelly, and it is popular around the Christmas and Easter Holidays.Any way how you call it it is really god and simple to cook, your family will be surprised by the new dish and it is very delicious when served with horseradish or Dijon mustard.I cook it with gelatin, but my grandma cooks it without gelatin just boils a nice thick broth with chicken feet and/or pig feet.

This Christmas I cooked it just with chicken thighs and added gelatin as I didn’t have time to cook broth for a long time.

For the dish you will need:

1 lb chicken feet(optional, long to cook but delicious)

1 lb pig feet (optional long to cook)

1 lb of chicken meat (breast, thighs,etc)

6 eggs

8 cups of water

2 boiled carrots

3 envelopes (packets of gelatin)

herbs (dill parsley , lemon basil, chives etc)

2 -3 teaspoons of salt (but taste the broth, because to me 2 teaspoons are fine)

Cook the broth with 6 cups of water, salt , freshly ground pepper (you can add some herbs, garlic and celery if you like). Depending on if you are using the chicken and pig feet, cook the broth between 30 minutes and 3 hours:-)

When the broth is ready take out the meat, let it cool. Gradually mix gelatin in 2 cups of water. Do it slowly and step by step, so that your gelatin wouldn’t turn into one massive gelatin ball:-) Let your gelatin stand for 1 hour until it dissolves into the water stir the water occasionally. (the water should be room temperature) (If you are using chicken and pig feet use less gelatin- 1-2 packets. As you wish, generally, just I like using more gelatin because it’s less trouble).  And by the way gelatin appears to be very useful for our body and health. It’s considered that gelatin promotes joint health and triggers human growth hormone. Although I didn’t find any scientific proof to it so far I am planning to look more carefully into this matter. Meanwhile let’s just enjoy the food.

After 1 hour passed take you broth mix it with gelatin and heat it at the medium heat until it starts slightly boil. Mix the gelatin broth mixture all the time.

By this time boil the eggs and a carrot. peel the carrot and slice it. Shell the eggs and cut the in halves.

Now the meat: choose which meat you are planning to use in your aspic.

If you are using whole chicken feet fine, I never use them neither I use pig feet. I chop the chicken breast or take the chicken meat off the bones (if I use drumsticks or thighs) and then chop them.

When you chopped the meat take the dishes that you will use for your aspic. Now in Ukraine we don’t turn it over like a cake and serve it in a dish just as you see. In some over European countries  the cooks do. It’s up to you yo decide.

Put the meat as the first layer in your dish then add carrot and herbs and the eggs. Pour in the broth and let it cool of a little bit outside of the fridge. Then put the aspic in a fridge for the night.

When the aspic is firm like jelly cut it in cubes, just in the dish and serve in a dish.

Don’t forget to serve it with Dijon mustard or horseradish.

 

Apple and prunes mustard stuffing for turkey chicken or duck.

This entry is part 3 of 7 in the series Holidays

This stuffing “lives” in my family for decades. I remember my grandmother cooking it since I was a little child.

Preparation time: 5 minutes.

Cooking tome: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

4 apples (peeled and cored)

1/2 of white onion

1 carrot

1 pinch of salt

1 pinch of pepper

1 pinch of cumin

1 pinch of oregano

8 prunes

1 tablespoon of olive oil

2 tablespoons of prepared honey mustard

Step 1. Peel carrot, apples and onion.

Step 2. Cut the apples in quarters and cut the core with seeds.

Step 3. Shred the carrot and  Finely chop the onions.

Step 4. Wash the prunes.

Step 5. preheat the frying pan at max heat. Then turn it to medium, add the olive oil, put the apple quarters, cover with shredded carrots and onion. Braise for 5 minutes at medium heat.

Step 5. in 5 minutes add the salt, peppel and spices. mix everything, add the mustard and braise for another 3 minutes.

Step 6. 2 minutes before turning the heat off add your prunes, mix everything and braise for another 2 minutes.

Done!

This stuffing may be used for any bird. It will be good with duck and chicken and with turkey. It may be cooked overnight or the day when you plan to roast your bird. Just  remember to not use too much stuffing in your bird!

Have a great holiday and  a great time with your family!

 

 

 

Sweet and sour turkey, chicken or pork flavorful marinade.

This entry is part 2 of 7 in the series Holidays

Easy sweet and sour marinade for the turkey, chicken or pork chops. You will never buy marinade after you try this recipe. it’s so simple, flavorful and everything is under yourcontrol: the amount of herbs and garlic, the sweetness, the sourness…Enjoy!

1 cup of olive oil (good for one 12 lb hen turkey)

½ cup of fresh lemon  basil  leaves;

½ cup of fresh chives;

½ cup of parsley (optional)

2  oranges

2 lemons

2 cloves of garlic (large, optional)

1 tablespoon of dry oregano

1 tablespoon of  dry paprika

1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning (optional)

1 tablespoon of cumin

2 tablespoons of white wine and herbs mix (optional).

Mix olive oil and lemon and orange juice. Whisk in dry herbs and freshly chopped chives, lemon basil and parsley.

Let the marinade stand for 15-20 minutes.

Then marinade your turkey or chicken by at first rubbing in the mix and then pouring it on top of the bird and turning it in the marinade couple times.

Don’t forget to turn your bird every 4-5 hours, this way the meat will absorb more juices.

Don’t use not boiled marinade in other dishes as it may be dangerous.

If you want to incorporate the rest of the marinade in the other dishes boil it first.

Sweet & sour chicken with pineapple, so simple and so delicious.

This entry is part 4 of 4 in the series Delicious Chicken

I love this combination for its rich flavor and tenderness, the dish melts in your mouth. I serve it with brown rice or mashed potato, both are good. It’s a very extravagant recipe with very ordinary ingredients.

Serves 4 people

For this recipe you will need:

1 lbs of boneless chicken breasts

1 onion

2/3 cup of pineapple chunks (raw or canned)

1 teaspoon of curry

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of black pepper

2 tablespoons of sour cream

2 tablespoons of mayo

2 tablespoons of cooking oil

Wash the chicken and cut the fillets in chunks about 1 in X 1 in  (length and width). Season with salt, pepper and curry and let the chicken marinade for 15 minutes (optional), if you don’t have time just throw them on a frying pan (add cooking oil before).

***Note from Helen*** If you don’t like curry, the dish tastes ok without it as well, so just omit this ingredient***

Peel, wash and chop the onion (1/2 of it)

Fry the chicken for 5 minutes, at max gas, then add the finely chopped onion and braise at medium heat for another 5 minutes. Add sour cream, mayo and pineapple and braise for another 5-7 minutes.

Ready!

Serve with brown rice or potatoes!

Easy Country Style Chicken in 20 minutes

This recipe was overlooked at Restaurant impossible TV program, I added my personal touches to it and it came out great. To define great I will explain: my fiancé, who doesn’t like chicken, was consuming it, as if it was his favorite sausage, not a chicken…

I used cornmeal here, because I love adding it to my pies and muffins, but have never added to my main dishes.

So here it goes:

3 boneless chicken breasts

½ cup of all-purpose flour

½ cup if corn meal

1 teaspoon of salt (better sea salt)

1 teaspoon of black pepper (fresh ground)

3-4 teaspoons of vegetable oil.

Wash the chicken , cut in halves lengthwise (mine were huge), then cut in halves (or three parts) crosswise.

Season very well: salt, pepper. Pepper should be fresh and I used a lot of it. You can add paprika (smoked), I didn’t , as I didn’t have the smoked paprika at home.

Let the chicken stay for 4-5 minutes.

Mix flour and corn meal. Before frying your chicken, put it in flour-cornmeal mix and then fry it.

Preheat frying pan, add the vegetable oil and fry it until golden brown, you can turn it two –three times until you will reach the necessary color. Serve warm (although they are good when cold as well). Taste BEST with mashed potato!

Enjoy!

Pizza from scratch in 30 minutes!

Normally when we cook pizza we think it should take an hour, I saw some recipes where cooking pizza took 4 hours. I bet it comes out as a delicous masterpiece, but… guess what… we normally don’t have 4 hours to fix the pizza. It’s good, when we have 30 minutes. That’s why I decided to share my recipe of fast pizza  with bacon, ham nad vegetables. The stuffing can be pretty much any… the dough here, that’s what important to know how to cook.

For the dough you will need:

2.5 cups of flour,

2 tablespoons of olive oil (vegetable will also be good),

0.25 oz dry yeast,

1 teaspoon of baking powder ,

1 cup of hot water,

1 teaspoon of salt and

1 teaspoon of sugar.

Mix flour, yeast, baking powder,salt & sugar.Add warm water and vegetable oil(olive oil). make a dough.

Put it in a stove for 5-10 min (put the bowl with hot water under the dough).

Cut everything you want for you stuffing :

I did ham, bacon, onion,red bell pepper,corn,tomato, 2 cheeses.

 Roll out the dough. Should be 1/4 inch thin. Add: tomato sauce+oregano+salt+black pepper->cheese (1 type) -. then all the ingredients. preheat the oven at 375F. Bake the pizza for 15 min.

Take it out add the second cheese -> bake for additional 5-7 min. DONE!

 This amount of dough should make you 3 pizzas. (or 1 pizza and a bread loaf).

Remember: you can’t store the dough in fridge so you have to use it in 1-2 days…

Enjoy!

Potato, zucchini, red bell pepper, with bacon and herbs baked in a pot.

This entry is part 4 of 7 in the series Delicious fried veggies

 I was searching the internet for some time to find if this dish is prepared on North American continent, the closes I got was a recipe from allrecipes.com by Jana, but based on name I can say that the author is either from Europe of has roots from European countries. Please help me, if you know how this dish is cooked in North America. The potato baked with zucchini (squash), red bell pepper, onion, carrot, garlic and some meat is popular in Eastern Europe. (It’s cooked in Poland and Hungary, in Ukraine and Czech Republic) In each region it has different twist though. Even in my family it’s cooked differently. I like to experiment. I cook it with meatballs and sometimes with meat (beef, pork or chicken); I cook it even with bacon.

The beauty of this recipe that it’s impossible to spoil, seriously, if you aren’t the perfect cook or if you are just short of time (and guests are about to arrive) this dish will just save you.

For the recipe you’ll need:

6 big potatoes

1 red bell pepper

1 white onion

1 mid-sized zucchini

2 mid-sized carrots

2 cloves of garlic

½ cup of dill

1/3 cup of parsley (optional)

3 tablespoons of sour cream or mayo

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of pepper

¾ cup of sliced bacon

¾ cup of shredded cheese

1 cup of water

2 tablespoons of cooking oil.

Now: potatoes, red bell pepper, onion and carrots are the base of this recipe. Everything else – is a mix and match. You can substitute zucchini with squash or eggplant. You can put any meat or sausage in the pots, you can even cook it without any meat. It’s a win-win recipe.

Servings: 6 small pots. One pot for one person (It is one full plate of this summer deliciousness per each person)

Preparation time: 15 minutes.

Cooking time: 45 min -1 h (depending on your oven)

Preparation:

Peel potato, carrot, garlic and onion. Take the seeds out of pepper.

Wash all the veggies: carrot, onion, zucchini, potatoes, garlic and dill (parsley).

Shred the carrot, chop the onion and pepper, cut in mid-sized pieces potato, zucchini, chop the herbs

Set ½ of onion and carrot aside

Mix everything else: onion and potato, zucchini and carrot, herbs. Add salt and pepper.

Slice the bacon. (If you put the other meat: pork, chicken, beef- prepare it).

Take your baking pots: put bacon (or other meat on the bottom), then add your veggies.

Remember you set aside the onion and some carrot. Take it and braise it for 5 minutes in a frying pan. In 5 minutes add some sour cream / or mayo/ and add 1 cup of water, pinch of salt and pepper, braise for 2-3 min.

Pour the sauce you just cooked into the baking pots. (If you want to add the meatballs instead of bacon or any other meat put them on top of the veggies)

Preheat the oven at 375F. Set your pots to bake for 30-45 minutes. (Occasionally check the potato if it’s ready and check if there’s enough water in your pots).

15 minutes before taking the pots out- finely chop the garlic and put a little bit of garlic in each pot. When you turn the oven off add the cheese on top of your baked dish and close the lids let the cheese melt.

Be careful when taking the pots out as they are hot.

I serve the dish directly in the pots, but give the guests a spoon and a plate, if the guest wishes to eat from the plat and not the pot.

***Tip from Helen*** You can cook this dish in a baking dish, but I like separate small baking pots more, they are just more authentic and fun!

Enjoy your summer delicious baked veggies!

 

TGIF Special: Teriyaki Chicken

This entry is part 2 of 4 in the series Delicious Chicken

TGIF  and today is the first week of  my TGIF Special!

Every week I’ll be featuring one post of my friends’ signature recipes , so stay tuned  maybe next week it will be your turn !

I Love this recipe, it’s simple, it’s fast to cook and tastes EVEN BETTER than at the local restaurant!

Meet the owner of the blog Itsy Bitsy Foodies Kelsey  Hilts:

Kelsey Hilts has always been interested in cooking, traveling, exploring new places, learning languages and learning about other cultures. In 2005 she graduated from Pomona College with a degree in Romance Literatures and Languages (French and Spanish). During college, she studied in France and Spain where she had the opportunity to travel throughout Europe and taste regional cuisines.

 

 

 

Meet Kelsey’s Teriyaki Chicken in My interpretation:

 

 

The recipe could be found here.

The only two things are that I added are: the onion to the chicken just 5 minutes before the turning the gas off and I also added steamed broccoli, which is just a must for me, when dining with teriyaki chicken:-)

And another thing, I was using ginger once and the ginger powder another time: I liked the recipe more with ginger powder, but that’s up to each and everyone’s taste!

Enjoy!

And thank you Kelsey for an AMAZING recipe!