Pantry Raid: Garlic Chicken & Broccoli Pasta

I love to cook, so there is nothing worse than being on a food budget. No wine, no fancy fixings just whatever I was able to budget in for the week.

Tonight when I opened my fridge there was...Milk, broccoli, Pecorino cheese and left over chicken, BORING!

Thank goodness things I will never skimp on are good olive oil, sea salt and garlic. With them you can make a lot of different dishes.

Ingredients:
- thin spaghetti noodles - 1 1/2" diameter when holding in hands
- broccoli cut into medium size pieces
- 2 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled and pressed
- olive oil
- grated pecorino cheese
- rosemary sea salt
- left over cooked chicken, diced

Boil pasta water and follow instructions on package to cook pasta. Before putting the pasta in the boiling water quickly blanch the broccoli for about 1 minute so there is still some crunch to it. Then remove the broccoli and add the pasta to cook.

While the pasta is cooking, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet, add pressed garlic and diced chicken, just to long enough to heat of the chicken.

Drain the pasta and put in a bowl. Pour the chicken and broccoli over the top and toss lightly to coat with the olive oil. Sprinkle with rosemary sea salt and cheese, toss again to mix, then serve.

Dinner turned out great, I only wish there was a bottle of wine around. Sigh!

Pantry Raid - Chicken, Rice and Kale

So tonight's Pantry Raid was surprisingly tasty.

What did I have to throw together?

- Left over cooked Chicken Breast - Diced
- Left over White Rice
- Fresh Kale
- Garlic Gloves
- Tabasco Sauce
- Sea Salt
- Pepper
- Butter
- Lemon Juice

Rinse and chop the kale and saute in butter with fresh sliced garlic and a dash of lemon juice until tender.

Add chopped chicken, rice, salt and pepper to taste and saute until heated thoroughly.

Put a few dashes of Tabasco over the top and enjoy!

Pantry Raid - Lemon Chicken w/Ziti Pasta

Last minute cooking for a dinner party of 6, no problem!

Pantry Raid Menu:
1. Lemon Chicken
2. Ziti Pasta with Red Sauce
3. Mixed Greens - no dressing needed
4. Apple Lemon Cake

Results.....Rave reviews and happy guests.

This is the standard red sauce that I have posted in the past. Just pick any sort of fun pasta to go with it for a great side dish. Don't forget the freshly grated Pecorino cheese.

Salad mix, sliced radishes, sliced cherry tomatoes, sliced carrots, 2 cloves of garlic pressed, sprinkle with olive oil and sea salt then toss lightly until evenly coated.

1. Take 3 skinned boneless chicken breasts and slice them into thinner pieces full size (about 3 per piece).

2. Place cut pieces between two pieces of plastic wrap.

3. Pound with mallet until flattened.

4. Coat in an egg (take 3 eggs and beat).

5. Coat in Italian bread crumbs.

6. Add to olive oil to a frying pan, when heated add chicken and cook until browned on each side.

7. Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice and sea salt.

We cheated on this. I had a box of yellow cake mix in my pantry that I wanted to get some use out of. Mix the cake per directions, add in freshly squeezed lemon juice and grated lemon rind. Peel and slice some apples. Prep the cake pack with butter and flour. Arrange apple slices on bottom of pan. Pour cake batter over the top and cook as directed. Once completed, let cool then flip over on to a plate. Once completely cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Persian Chicken

I recently visited my friends Tom and Terri in St. Louis. They are friends that I have always had a chance to cook elaborate meals with like the Mushroom Spinach Lasagna I recently posted. So while visiting I treasured all the yummy food we made together. I would love to be able to make different meals like they do everyday but it doesn't make sense. Being single I would have to live off one meal for a week which is no fun. This meal, however, I don't mind living off. It is healthy and really good. In fact, I think it was better the second day.

This recipe was taken from a slow cooker cookbook, name ?

Serves 4

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 8 hours

Slow cooker standard size

4 chicken drumsticks, skinned

4 chicken thighs, skinned

2 tablespoons all-purposed flour

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

4 cloves

1-inch piece of gingerroot, finely chopped

1 3/4 cups chicken stock

4 oz. baby spinach, well washed, larger leaves torn into pieces

salt and pepper

couscous to serve - I used wheat couscous

1. Slash each piece of chicken 2 or 3 times with a small knife. Mix the flour, turmeric, and paprika on a plate, then use to thinly coat the chicken.

2. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the chicken, and cook until browned on both sides. Transfer to a plate. Add the onion and garlic, if using, to the pan and fry, stirring, for 5 minutes until lightly browned.

3. Stir in any remaining spiced flour. Add the cloves, ginger, stock, and salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil, stirring.

4. Pack the chicken joints into the slow cooker pot and pour in the onion mixture. Cover with the lid and cook for 8 hours until the chicken is tender. Add the spinach and cook for 15 minutes more, then serve the chicken on a bed of couscous.