Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Recipe of the Week! Chicken and Mushroom Chowder

I had a hard time deciding which recipe to post today. I have found a couple of recipes in the past couple of weeks and tried them out and everything has been really good. It is really funny because every time I make something now, and if it is good, the boy will ask, "are you going to make it again" because it seems like I don't make too many things over and over again. You know how some people have "staples"? Well about my only "staple" is ordering pizza because if I am going to make dinner I like to try something new. Other than things like chile, lasagna or spaghetti and meatballs, which pretty much turn out differently every time, I like to try something new. I also never have a problem opening up the cupboard and dumping a few things in a pan and trying it out.

I have never counted up all of my cookbooks, but I have a ton and I love them and usually have at least three next to my bed to read before I fall asleep. Then there is Cooking Light, Bon Appetite, Everyday Food, Rachel Ray, Real Simple (awesome recipes) and BHG which I read every month as well. On top of that there are all of my favorite food and recipe web sites as well as all of your blogs. I have an unlimited source of recipes at my fingertips, so why would I make the same thing twice? (I will admit, there is a blogger out there, E., who shared a salmon recipe with me about a year ago and I have a copy of it taped to the inside of the cabinet here, at the boys and up at the lake because I make that at least once a month, SO GOOD.) Do you have the standard staple recipe, ones that make it into your repertoire? Recipes that are strictly company only? Where do you find your recipes? Are you brave enough to make a new recipe for company? (I frequently do this which just makes my mother CRINGE! She would NEVER!

Not having to cook for kids makes my job easier in this case, and the boy pretty much will eat anything except fro Cilantro (which he calls Silly-Ann-Tro) which I love and cannot even sneak it into things, he says that he has a gene that rejects it and he cannot eat it. Oh well. I need to get some of my favorites organized and I have a binder to put them in, but there are some things that I would like to remember, oh yeah, we really liked that, but it seems that after taking the time to make the dish, clean up the mess, serve it, eat it and then clean up that mess, I am beat. I would like to try to get better about this though, it is one of my goals for the year. . .so how do you organize favorite recipes?

This was something that I added in to last weeks menu for the week. It was SO cold out and this was the only thing that really sounded good. It was delicious. The recipe is as I found it below, with my additions. We both really enjoyed it, hope that you do too!

Chicken Mushroom Chowder


INGREDIENTS:
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup water (I used 1 c.)
  • 1 pound cubed cooked chicken breast meat (next time I said I would buy a rotisserie)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice (next time I would omit this and add potatoes cubed)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 carrot, finely chopped
  • 3/4 pound mushrooms, sliced (I would also add 2 stalks chopped celery)
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk (I had a container of whipping cream that needed to be used, so I used that)
DIRECTIONS
  1. In a large saucepan, bring chicken broth and water to a boil. Stir in chicken, and season with oregano and pepper. Add rice, and reduce heat.
  2. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and saute garlic, onion, carrot, and mushrooms until tender. Thoroughly mix in the flour. Transfer to the broth mixture.
  3. Stir milk into the mixture, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 30 minutes.

7 comments:

J said...

I have a binder for recipes, with dividers for appetizers, soups, pasta, meat/fish entrees, etc. When I print out a new recipe I put it in the pocket in the front of the binder. If I try it and like it, I file it in its category and if I don't like it, I toss it.

I probably make new recipes once or twice a week. I much prefer to make things that I don't need a recipe for, but I still like to find new things that eventually become regulars!

Jill said...

I vote with The Boy on cilantro. Can't stand it. Blah! I do have kids to cook for, but my menus aren't nearly as exciting as yours. I tend to stick with the same 7 or 8 things but they're all good sports and eat what I make (most of the time!)

Cindy said...

I have a similar system for organizing recipes as J, but at the moment it's spread out all over my dining room table because it's gotten to be such a mess! It's been fun reorganizing it though and looking at recipes I haven't thought about in years.

One of my weekend night staples is garlic shrimp. I try to always have frozen uncooked shrimp in the freezer, and I've always got garlic, olive oil, rice, and pasta. I make it in my wok and often through in whatever green vegetable I've got around. It's great served over either rice or pasta. What's good and quick about it is you can thaw the shrimp in a colander in the sink with just a few minutes of cold water.

I'm also guilty of trying out new things on company, although I try to give myself a lot of time, so if something really tanks, I can institute Plan B or do it over. I use the Cook's Illustrated and Epicurious websites a lot.

The soup recipe looks great. I might even try it tonight!

Stephanie ODea said...

this sounds so creamy and wonderful!
-steph

Muffy Willowbrook said...

Jilly - I noticed in today's paper that Melly - Lilly Pulitzer signature store is having a huge sale from 50 -70% off starting today. Sale goes through Saturday next door in the Belleson's basement.

Just thought of you when I read that! Enjoy!

jillskict said...

I just had me some retail therapy, FEELS GOOD! Thanks Muffy, wouldn't have missed that!

Jessi said...

This chowder looks awesome, I might have to try it.

I don't try new recipes as often as I would like. Maybe that can be a new goal...a new recipe a week. But when I have tried new recipes, they become favorites and we make them over and over!

 
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