Grandma K's Chicken And Rice

 I grew up eating this and so did my Mother and her 10 siblings. My Mother made it for me and now I make it for my kids. My Grandmother was so good at making something from nothing and filling all of her hungry bellies with great tasting food. Another family favourite, my kids love it. This was her recipe.

Start with chicken pieces. I like skinless thighs and drumsticks. Use whatever your family prefers. Use only bone-in chicken, you need the bones to make great tasting broth to cook the rice in.

Coat the chicken with a couple tablespoons of flour.

Brown the chicken pieces in a few tablespoons of canola oil. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken.

Cook on medium high heat, until the chicken is browned and there is a brown crust on the bottom of the pan

Add rice and water. Scrape the bottom of the pot to release the brown bits. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt.Taste the water and make sure that there is enough salt, rice absorbs salt as it cooks. The water needs to be almost as salty as sea water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and let the rice cook for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes the rice will be tender. Dinner is served. A side salad goes really well with this.

My biggest critic. Quality control.

Thumbs up! 

Watch Seth and I make this on You Tube.

Chicken and Rice
Serves 6

7-10 pieces bone-in chicken
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon salt(divided)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups rice
4 cups water

Coat the chicken pieces with flour. In a Dutch oven, brown the chicken in the canola oil on medium high heat. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken, about 1/8 teaspoon of salt on each side. It is important to have golden brown bits in the bottom of the pan, this makes for super flavour. Add the water, and remaining salt and pepper. Taste the water and add more salt if necessary. Bring the water  to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. The rice should be tender after 20 minutes. Serve with a side salad.

Baked Spaghetti Casserole

Cooking with kids. Teaching your kids how to cook is such a valuable life skill. They will be much less likely to eat prepared food that is full of preservatives if they know how to cook. They will eat out less as well, which will save them money.

Three principles to think about when cooking with kids

1. Start simple. Start with basic food. Simply prepared with only a few ingredients. Advance them as they are able. We make lots of pasta. My guys looooove pasta.

2. Make food that they love. Let them choose. They will be more willing to be in the kitchen if they can make something that they really like. Teach them about nutrition, food science and math as you cook together.

3. Let them practise. Let them cut, stir, mix, roll, grate, etc. Yes, sometimes they might cut themselves and for sure they will make a mess. It's OK. They will most likely not cut their fingers off. Our Mothers and Grandmothers did not become great cooks overnight. Practise, practise, practise.

This is one of my kids favourite comfort meals. I don't usually make a lot of things with condensed soup, but sometimes you just can't improvise. Make sure that you read the labels. Amy's brand makes good organic, natural soups (and other products)

This is a one pot dish. Start by cooking 400 grams of spaghetti in a large amour of lightly salted water. Cook the pasta until it is soft on the outside but still a bit firm in the middle.

While the pasta is cooking, chop the veggies. Dice one onion and one green pepper. My son is honing his chopping skills here. Make sure that your helpers have sharp knives to cut with. It is easier to cut yourself with a dull knife than it is to cut yourself with a sharp one. That being said, the bandaids aren't too far away.

When it is ready, drain the spaghetti.  Just leave it in the colander for now. 

In the same pot, brown one pound of lean ground beef or turkey.

Add the onions and the peppers. Sauté the veggies until they are soft and the onions are translucent. Add the garlic, sauté for a minute. Add the soups, the drained pasta and 1/2 can of water.

Mix to combine

Just keep stirring

Just keep stirring. 

Everything is coated with the 'sauce'

Put the whole mixture into an 8 cup baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Top with grated cheddar cheese.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 mites or until the cheese is golden and it is heated through.

Yummm. Comfort food.

Watch my son and I make it on You Tube. Cooking with kids. It's great!

Baked Spaghetti Casserole

400 grams spaghetti, cooked rinsed and drained
1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
1 onion, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can condensed tomato soup(choose one with no preservatives or other nasty things)
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 can water
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

In a large Dutch oven brown beef, stirring occasionally, over medium high heat. Add onions and green pepper. Sauté for a few minutes until the onions are translucent. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add soups and water. Add cooked spaghetti. Combine everything. Put entire contents into a greased, 8 cup, oven proof casserole dish. Top with grated cheese.

May be prepared to this point, covered with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 min or until bubbly and browned.

Basic Marinara Sauce

My nephew, who is just about ready to move away from his parents house, asked me what I make for supper during the week. "Auntie", he said, "when I get home from work I just don't feel like making supper". "Yes", I said, "me neither".

It is so much easier to grab a box out of the freezer, especially when you are tired from a day of work. Don't do it, you don't need to eat extra salt, fat and preservatives and other nasty things that prepared foods have.

Don't buy sauce in a jar. Just don't,' kay?

This basic marinara sauce is one of the things I make to help with weekday meals. Back to basics. I always have some of this sauce in my freezer.  Leave the sauce in the jar at the grocery store. This sauce is way more flavourful and healthy than anything you can get from a jar. Double or even triple the recipe. It freezes beautifully. See 10 things to make with basic marinara sauce at the end of the post.

There are many, many different recipes for marinara. Probably as many variations as there are Italian Nonas. This is mine and my family loves it.

Start with the holy trinity of vegetables, onions, carrots and celery. Chop them very fine. I use a food processor. In Italian cooking these three veggies are called 'sofritto', in French cooking it is called 'mirepoix'. Fancy names for basic ingredients. There is a reason that so many dishes start with these three veggies, flavour.

Sauté the veggies in olive oil. Add a bit of salt. Cook them on medium heat until the onions are translucent. Do not allow the veggies to brown, lower the heat if necessary.

I feel that it is very important to add salt as you go. It brings a depth of flavour the is impossible to achieve if you add salt just at the end. I think that by adding a bit of salt as you prepare not only imparts a better flavour, I think that you use less salt in the end. Salt is not supposed to make food taste salty, it's supposed to bring out the flavour of the food itself. After about five minutes, add the garlic and sauté for another minute.

Use good quality olive oil. It should be extra virgin. The bottle should be dark glass and there should be a best before date. I like to see the country of origin, as well. Spain, Italy, Greece and France are countries that produce good quality, tasty oil. Olive oil is not cheap. You often get what you pay for.
I like this one from Presidents Choice. Good quality and reasonably priced.

Add the purred tomatoes, red wine, bay leaf, sugar, the remaining salt and pepper. If you wish, now is the time to add any dried herbs. add up to 2 teaspoons of dried thyme, dried oregano, dried basil, or dried rosemary. Sometimes I add some hot pepper flakes to spice it up a bit.
I have chosen to leave my sauce plain today. The sugar is important, don't leave it out. Sugar will balance the acidic taste of the tomatoes. After all, it's only one teaspoon.

Bring to a boil, partially cover, reduce heat to simmer and partially cover for one hour. Simmer longer if you have the time. The longer it cooks, the more flavourful it will be.

Remove the bay leaves. Puree the sauce with an immersion blender until it is smooth.

Top the pasta with grated parmesan cheese and for an authentic Italian touch, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.

Secret Pasta Prep Tip

Just before serving, in a large pot, combine 2 cups of sauce with 1 pound of cooked pasta(any kind). Cook on high heat for 30 seconds, stirring continuously. This technique makes the sauce go into the pasta. It's the best

Basic Marinara Sauce

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt (divided)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (32 oz) can plum tomatoes, pureed
1 large dried bay leaf
1/2 cup red wine
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes(optional)
dried herbs or fresh herbs of choice like rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, or basil

Double or even triple the recipe. Freeze the sauce in two cup containers. Just the most versatile sauce, ever.

 Cooking with kids. Watch my son and I make this yummy sauce on You Tube

10 Things to Make With Basic Marinara Sauce. 
Just a few of the many recipes out there.

1. Basic red sauce with pasta of choice, grated Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.
2. Pizza biscuit rolls
3. Pizza
4. Spaghetti squash 'lasagna' Use this marinara instead of the sauce suggested in this recipe
5. Add a bit of cream and serve with pasta for a "rosè" sauce
6. Chicken Parmesan
7. Shrimp and feta. Use this sauce instead of the sauce in the recipe.
8. Braised chicken thighs
9. Steak pizzaiola
10. Meatball Sub Sandwiches. Simmer cooked meatballs in the sauce for 30 minutes, or so. Fill hoagie buns with meatballs and sauce. Top with mozzarella or provolone cheese.

Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce

My favourite way to preserve the freshness of summer. This is a great sauce to pull out of the freezer in the middle of winter. Super quick and easy, and very satisfying. Toss this sauce with your favourite pasta for a quick weekday meal. Make some to enjoy now and some for the freezer. My guys love this.

Quarter 8 cups of fresh, in season tomatoes. Chop 1 cup onions.

In a large glass baking pan (10x15 inch)toss all the ingredients(except the parsley) together. No kidding, that's all you do.

Tomatoes, onions, garlic, salt, pepper flakes, sugar, oil and wine all go into the pan. Save the parsley for the end. 

And in one hour you have a beautifully roasted sauce. If your sauce does not have nice browned bits like this then just leave it in the oven for another half hour.

Mash with a potato masher to break up the tomatoes and garlic. If you prefer a chunky sauce, mash less. If your family prefers a smoother sauce, mash more. It's up to you.

Use a fork to scrape the very delicious browned bits off of the side of the pan. If your family is bothered by the tomato skins you can pick them out after the sauce has cooled a bit. My family doesn't mind the skin, so I just leave them in. After the sauce has cooled you can freeze it  in 2-3 cup containers. It will keep for 6 months in your freezer.

While the sauce is cooling, cook the pasta. Reserve a cup of the pasta water for the sauce.

OK. This is the secret that Italians have for making their pasta taste awesome. 

Add the pasta to the sauce in a pan and cook on high heat for a few minutes. 

 Cooking the pasta with the sauce makes the pasta absorb the sauce. This technique will make your pasta very flavourful. This is how Italians do it, that's the secret. If you feel like there is not enough sauce, add the reserved pasta water to the pot. 

I like to serve this pasta with freshly grated parmesan, Romano or granna padano cheeses, freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. YUM!

Watch me make it on You Tube

Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce

8 cups quartered tomatoes
1 cup onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, whole
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a 10x15 inch glass pan combine everything except the parsley.
3. Toss to coat the tomatoes in the oil.
4. Roast for one to one and one half hours until the edges of the tomatoes have blackened a bit.
5. Stir occasionally.
6. Remove pan from oven. Mash the tomatoes and garlic with a potato masher until everything have combined. Is you prefer a chunkier sauce, mash less. If you prefer a smoother sauce, mash more.
7. Add parsley at the very end.
8. Sauce may be frozen at this point in 2-3 cup containers. Keeps for six months in the freezer
9. Or, Toss cooked pasta with the sauce.
10.

Tomato Mushroom Linguini

Fridge to table in 60 minutes. Doubles well and reheats well. I love to make this at the end of summer when the tomatoes are ripe and perfect. This dish showcases the tomatoes and herbs from your garden beautifully. If you don't have your own tomatoes of herbs, buy from the farmers market instead. 

Just basic, wholesome ingredients

Sauté the onion in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Cook for two or three minutes. 

Add the mushrooms and garlic. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Sauté on medium-low heat,until the mushrooms release their moisture.

These brown bits in the bottom of the pan are just what you want.

Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the white wine and scrape the brown bits off of the bottom of the pan. This will add terrific flavour to your sauce. If you don't have white wine or would prefer not to use wine, substitute with chicken or vegetable stock. Simmer the sauce for a few minutes.

Add the tomatoes. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 10 minutes, string occasionally.

While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta. I like to make this dish with linguini, but you can substitute any kind of pasta that you like. Cook pasta in plenty of salted water. The Italians say that the water should be as salty as the sea. Taste the water to make sure that you have added enough salt.

See how the tomatoes have softened and released their juices. Add the herbs now. Taste the sauce and add more salt or pepper if necessary. Sometimes, tomatoes can be a bit acidic. Add 1/2 teaspoon sugar to balance the flavours if the tomatoes are too acidic.

Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Reserve a cup or two of the pasta water. Increase the heat and gently stir the pasta and sauce together. The pasta will absorb the sauce. If the pasta becomes too dry, add the pasta water to the pan. Adding the pasta to the sauce instead of the sauce to the pasta produces a much more flavourful sauce. The Italians call this "il secreto"(the secret). Secrets our of the bag now.

The last step is to add some olive oil. Adding a bit of olive oil right at the end adds a lovely flavour and luscious mouth feel to the dish.

Pass some parmesan cheese and freshly grated black pepper.

Yum!

Watch Me Make It On You Tube 

Tomato Mushroom Linguini

2 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 onion. diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups mushrooms, sliced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup dry white wine

3 cups tomatoes, diced

1/3 cup finely diced herbs(Italian parsley, basil, and thyme)

500 grams linguini, cooked and drained

1 cup reserved pasta water, if the sauce is too dry

1/2 teaspoon sugar if the tomatoes are too acidic

Parmesan cheese and freshly ground pepper to serve.

Sauté the onion in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Cook for two or three minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Sauté on medium-low heat,until the mushrooms release their moisture. Continue to cook the mushrooms until there are brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the white wine and scrape the brown bits off of the bottom of the pan. If you don't have white wine or would prefer not to use wine, substitute with chick or vegetable stock. Simmer the sauce for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta. I like to make this dish with linguini, but you can substitute any kind of pasta that you like. Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water. The Italians say that the water should be as salty as the sea. Taste the water to make sure that you have added enough. Add the herbs to the tomato mixture now. Taste the sauce and add more salt or pepper if necessary. Sometimes, tomatoes can be a bit acidic. Add 1/2 teaspoon sugar to balance the flavours if the tomatoes are too acidic. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Reserve a cup or two of the pasta water. Increase the heat and gently stir the pasta and sauce together. The pasta will absorb the sauce. If the pasta becomes too dry, add the pasta water to the pan. 

The last step is to add some olive oil. Adding a bit of olive oil right at the end adds a lovely flavour and mouth feel to the dish. Pass the Parmesan and pepper at the table.

Buon appetito

Endorsed by son number three

Cilantro Jerk Marinade

I'm not sure how authentically Jamaican this jerk recipe is but I do  know that it is very tasty. My family loves it. I hope yours will too.

Fresh and full of flavour, this grilled chicken is a great recipe for your summer arsenal.

You will need a food processor or blender to make this marinade.

Add all of the ingredients to the processor or blender.

I love my citrus press.

Add caption

Process well until everything is pureed. It looks kind of like pesto.

I have used chicken breast today but you could use boneless/skinless thighs or even pork tenderloin if you wish.

Add marinade to chicken into a resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate for  at least three hours to overnight.

The flavour of the marinade really penetrates this meat. It goes all the way through.

Barbecue chicken on a medium hot grill for 10-15 minutes until chicken is no longer pink.

Just a delicious marinade. I have used boneless, sinless chicken breasts, but I think that this would also work with chicken thighs and even pork tenderloin.



Watch me make it on You tube.




Cilantro Jerk Marinade

1 jalapeño
1 cup, packed cilantro
1/2 cup olive oil
4 green onions
6 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoon fresh ginger
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon allspice(in the video I put one tablespoon in. It was a mistake, it should have only been a teaspoon)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

6-10 chicken breasts,thighs, or 4 pork tenderloin

Combine first 11 ingredients in food processor. Process until well blended. Mixture will resemble a thick paste. Combine meat and marinade in a ziplock bag. Place bag into the fridge and let meat marinate for a few hours. Barbeque on a medium hot grill for 10-15 minutes.