Spicy Sausage Seasoning

Gluten Free Spicy Sausage Patties

Gearing up for another attempt at Whole30 maybe Paleo for this May. Eek. So that means some meal prep. You may think I am constantly eating three square meals a day, but really I sometimes forget about lunch and breakfast during the week. I don't get around it eating sometimes, and I know that's horrible for me. I usually get tired, or end up eating a billion calories late at night. This time around I am going to try to prep some (more) meals ahead of time and see if it helps me be more successful.

Seafood Stock

Instant Pot seafood stock.

Here's a an easy seafood stock to make whenever the stock bags in your freezer get full. You have stock bags right? Labeled seafood, beef, chicken, veggie... pork? If not start some. Put vegetable scraps, stems of cilantro and parsley in them. Chicken bones, beef bones. Once full, pull them out and make a stock.
Things I don't put in there

organ meats

broccoli

cauliflower

potatoes

onion skins

asparagus

peppers

cabbage

There's probably more, but I can't think of any right now.

Roasted Stuffed Bell Peppers

Instant Pot Stuffed Bell Peppers

There are some meals around here that I only make once in a blue moon. One of those is stuffed bell peppers. Besides me, there's only one other person here that likes them. How sad is that? They are so yummy. It's just one of those recipes I don't make often because when I do, I make two meals. Which is something I rarely do, who has time for that? The good thing is I can make a double batch
The original recipe I was given for these uses minute rice. I never have this on hand. I usually have to buy rice just for this. Which isn't wise, because this would be the only recipe I use it in. I asked around about using regular white rice. Some people said they used raw rice, some used under cooked, some used cooked that was day old. Because I like to keep the meat raw and not precook it in a skillet, raw or under cooked rice works best. Fully cooked rice gets a bit mushy. I also discovered that we much prefer the peppers roasted first. The flavor reminds me of roasted Hatch Green Chile. So good, and there's no skin on the peppers which I don't really like. It's perfect.

Freezer Tip: Stock Bag, Schmaltz Bag

Chicken stock bag and schmaltz bags for the freezer..

Hello! Quick Freezer Tip post today on two things. Stock bags and Schmaltz. I make several types of stock: seafood, beef, chicken, pork, vegetables. Often times I'll combine a couple or more. There's always vegetables in the beef, chicken, or pork. Often times I'll make beef stock and add pork. I don't mind adding chicken bones to a beef stock. But because chicken has a more delicate flavor I don't use beef or pork bones in that stock. For seafood I don't add any other bones or meats. 

So what's a stock bag, and what do I put in them? A stock bag is a I keep in the freezer, labeled with whatever the end result should be. The bag above is obvious as those are all chicken bones, but normally I would label the bag "chicken stock". Any bones from chickens, I throw in there. If I roast a chicken I'll break down the carcass and toss the bones in the bag. Kidneys and hearts we actually eat, but if we didn't they would go into the stock bag. Liver I wouldn't put in stock because it gets cloudy and tends to give off a metallic flavor I don't like. 

Khao Mun Gai

Lao Khao Mun Gai is much like Singapore Chicken Rice or Taiwanese Chicken and Rice.

 I can't tell you how many times I've made this and just not gotten a post written up, but I think "I should post this" each time. It's simple, but I wanted to post it because as a child this was one of my favorite "comfort" foods that my mom made. It's just... I don't know I feel it's involved. There are different steps and what not. But it doesn't get any more simple than chicken and rice. There aren't any exotic ingredients in this at all. It's like a good poached chicken I guess.
Khao means "rice", mun means "grease/fat", gai means chicken. The rice in this dish is toasted in chicken fat renderings with ginger and garlic. It's fragrant and so yummy. There are a few ways you can do this. My mom used the stove, which I do most often. There is the slow cooker, which I did a post on here, I never make it in the slow cooker anymore, It just isn't as good. Sadly, I noticed in that post that I said I was going to blog this. In 2011. Hmm. Another method is the pressure cooker. I wasn't sure how to cook the chicken without it drying out or cooking too fast I guess? But this worked perfectly.

Italian Chicken Soup (Pressure Cooker/Slow Cooker)

We have a busy schedule this school year. The time between the kids getting home from school before we run off to soccer, scouts, or Awana's seems realllly short this year. That means I either need to start dinner way before the kids get home, use my crock pot, serve sandwiches, cereal, or rotisserie chickens from Costco, or cook the night before. None of those all the time is appealing to me. In walks my pressure cooker... the Instant Pot. It's such a great tool to have in the kitchen! We came home one day after a soccer tournament and I threw this together so quickly. I am loving using my Instant Pot for dishes like this. Soups, stews, roasts, anything that needs a wet environment to cook. The chicken is moist and flavorful, not dry. Sometimes chicken cook too long in a slow cooker and get either mushy or dry.

I use boneless skinless chicken thighs for this soup but I buy bone in with the skin on. I skin and bone them myself. I use the bones for stock and save the skin and fat to make schmaltz for Matzo balls. It's a great way to store bones for stocks. To render schmaltz for cooking I just toss it in a pan and render with some onion. I may do a blog post on that sometime. 

I use Castelvetrono olives in this soup because they are one of our favorite olives. Probably our most favorite. They are buttery and they impart a yummy salty flavor to this broth. As you can see from the picture below, we love these olives. Sadly that ten pound bucket is gone now.

I keep kale in my freezer. I freeze it from fresh and just grab handfuls at a time for smoothies, soups, and to cook with. It is great because I can always have it on hand to add greens to any dish. Chopped carrots and onions can also be frozen if they are going to be used for cooking.

I hope you'll try this soup, it's filling and quick!

Rotisserie Chicken in a Capital Oven

Rotisserie Chickens with roasted vegetables.

Last September I finally decided to take the rotisserie in my oven on her maiden voyage. I don't know why it took me so long. I guess I figured it would be really difficult, and messy. I was more concerned about the clean up haha. Turns out there was no real difficult clean up. In my mind I was thinking that there would be chicken juices and fat would be splattering all over the oven door and walls. But that wasn't the case it all. The ovens are easy to clean anyway since they are all glass. Other than where the fan is for the convection, all heating elements are under glass.

 Because this was my first time, I used twine to truss the chickens. Such a waste of time and twine. I now just truss my chickens with the same method I use when I roast them, that can be found HERE.

Pesto Chicken Pasta with Zoodles

Pesto Chicken Pasta with Zoodles

I have some exciting news. I have kept a basil plant alive the whole summer. I know summer isn't over but this is a big accomplishment. I have harvested basil at least three times from the same plant! Amazing!! Usually I can't keep plants alive very long at all. Especially in a pot. I'm so excited about this plant. I baby it. 

So because I have all this basil we've been enjoying caprese, in all forms and pesto! I keep making pesto to freeze, but then I keep pulling it out to make quick dinners. I don't think I'll have any by the time fall leaves, boots, and pumpkin spice make their appearance. Still, we'll keep enjoying this while we can. I use almonds in our Pesto because it's the only nut that my nut free girl can have. Pine nuts of course are beautifully buttery and yummy, so use them if you have them. Walnuts are wonderful also. 

Basil Pesto keeps best if air is kept away from it. To store in the fridge, add a layer of olive oil to the top to protect it. See freezer instructions below.

Vietnamese Chicken Curry (Cà Ri Gà)

When I was a little girl my mom would make this. She called it "ragu". The chicken is fragrant and flavorful, the vegetables are nice and tender. The broth is not spicy, but very flavorful. I loved dipping my baguette into the flavorful broth, I still do! 

I remember my mom would go buy baguettes at the store and on our way home I would be in the back seat with my brother. My mom happens to like the crusty outside of baguettes and I liked the soft insides. I would sit in the back on the car ride home and hollow out the baguette, just eating the insides while it was still warm. Bringing it up to my nose and inhaling the yeasty aroma. *sigh* I love you bread and all your yeasty, gluten filled yumminess. Now that I'm older and wiser I like both the soft center and the crusty outsides!

I hope you'll try this curry. It's a very simple and comforting sort of meal.

Give Peas A Chance Greek Chicken

This is one of my versions of Greek Chicken, I warn you though I am not Greek. Far from it. But these are the flavors I think of when I think of Greek foods. I could be totally off. But this chicken, along with the Greek Chicken Kabobs linked below are both so good. Wrapped in soft, fluffy Perfect Pita bread, with rice, on top of a salad. The citrus and yogurt tenderize the meat, it comes out moist and flavorful. You'll put this on your menu regularly, we have it on ours! You can also use this marinade on a whole roaster chicken. Just rub the marinade on the inside cavity, under the skin of the chicken, and over the skin before roasting.

Greek Chicken Kabobs
Perfect Pita Bread

Simply Stinking Good Hummus

Simple Roasted Garlic Hummus

Truss Your Chicken

Green Chile Corn Chowder

I'm not sure I've ever made Corn Chowder before. This chowder was quite the gamble for me. It has both potatoes and corn kernels in it. I've tried to stay away from anything with corn kernels because the children don't really like just kernels, but they love corn on the cob. It's only recently that they have been eating potatoes (white/yellow) also. Unless it was fries/chips, mashed and drenched in gravy, or butter stewed they weren't too interested in potatoes. They love my Best Baked Potatoes now, and will eat oven roasted potatoes if they are seasoned well and crisp on the outside. I just never make a big deal about foods that don't have much nutritional value, and while white potatoes have some, they really are just starch. That, and I'm not a fan of potatoes either. Whoa... life story there. Sorry. Moving on. This chowder is just a little spicy, it's easy to make, even my children ate it! I can't say they loved it and asked for seconds, but potatoes and corn kernels you know? The bacon helped :P 

I wish I had fresh Hatch Chiles here but I don't. Last year I found some locally. No such luck this year, and I'm not sure I want to order online yet. Who knows. I may cave. As per the notes below use your favorite chiles. I found Hatch Chiles canned.
Make this chowder for those cool Fall and Winter nights that are coming quickly! It's a quick weeknight meal.

Give Peas A Chance- Chicken Sliders

I don't cook with a lot of ground chicken. I think it's too dry. I'm not a huge fan of chicken either, but I had been thinking I should try to use ground chicken more. Not a great idea, ground chicken is like ground turkey. Finding some that is just chicken or just turkey is like finding a rare diamond. Packages marked "natural flavorings" added. Erm, no thank you. Sigh. So, find a butcher, grind/process your own, or there are some brands out there that have no flavorings or additives. Of course you don't have to use chicken.
I added onion and apple to the chicken so it wouldn't dry out. We don't have a grill so I broiled these. Whatever way you choose to cook these, watch them so they don't dry out. These can be served on a bun, but I used lettuce. And we love Simple Cabbage Salad, I just pile that on top.

Chicken... Gizzards

You have to admit, they are Whole30/Paleo/Primal friendly, and if you're eating "tip to tail" you're bound to come a cross a chicken gizzard right? One of my favorite places to get Chicken Livers and Gizzards is Lamberts. So not paleo friendly (not that we eat totally paleo) but so good. Home of the throwed rolls, and the yummiest breaded and fried livers and gizzards. YUM.
These gizzards are not breaded at all. If you take care to trim the gizzards very well, you can get rid of all that makes them so tough. I just pan fried them like a stir fry in home rendered lard. Salt, pepper, and a side of Simple Cabbage Salad. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately just 2-3 of us here will eat gizzards.More for me!

Basically, well trimmed gizzards. Get all the tough silvery "skin" off of them. Rinse. Pat dry. Pan fry in a little hot oil/lard. Like a stir fry, not a ton of lard. Salt and pepper to taste.

Click here for more Whole30 posts.
More Give Peas A Chance on Chowstalker.

Give Peas A Chance Curry Meatball Stew

Remember these Yummy EASY Curry Meatballs? Did you freeze some after you cooked them? I hope so because this Curry Meatball Stew is such an easy fast meal to throw in your crock pot. You all heard that right. CROCK. POT. Baby. You all know I suck at cooking in the crock pot so, if I can do this, so can you!   

Click here for more Whole30 posts.
More Give Peas A Chance on Chowstalker.

Curry "Noodle" Bowl

MMMM YUMMM. This is so very good, and everyone LOVES it. So very good. It's a quick meal and heats up well. A little heat from the curry and chili powders. Creamy and rich from the stock and coconut milk. It's grain free, sugar free, and dairy free also. Check your coconut milk and fish sauce ingredients to make sure they don't have any added ingredients that you don't want to be eating.
The curry can be made spicy or mild to your liking. Homemade curry powder is most flavorful if you make yours. I like to make big batches at a time.

More yumminess

GPAC Zesty Lemon Chicken

 This Zesty Lemon Chicken is so good. It's easy to make, the family loves it! Garlicky, lemony goodness. The fresh fragrant flat leaf parsley gives it color and freshness. I love the flavor of flat leaf parsley, it reminds me of lemons. The salty capers. MMM.

This can be served with pasta tossed in the garlic sauce, or a crusty bread to dip into the sauce.  I use skin on chicken and it gets nice and crisp. Even though some of this crazy family takes the skin off and tosses it anyway.  Check thighs, legs, wings or breasts can be used. If using a variety, cut the bone in breasts in half so they are done at the same time the rest of the chicken is.

HH6 Challenge- GPAC Crock pot Singapore Chicken

There's no hiding how I feel about crock pot meals. I just don't like so many of them. There are very few that I like. I do like the crock pot for cooking meat to shred, chili, stews and some soups. But for the most part things just turn out to be a mushy or over cooked dish. This months challenge from Household 6 cooking club was to create an original crock pot meal with 5 ingredients or less. Salt and pepper don't count. I'm assuming that water does not either.

I chose Singapore Chicken. I love it. Except we call it Khao Mun Gai. Literally "rice (with) fat (of) chicken". It's one of my favorite dishes my mom makes. Comfort food for sure. I have a set of pictures to blog for the original recipe and three awesome sauces. For the original version I use cilantro and spring onions in the chicken also. But that's another post. This isn't an original dish, but I've never seen it adapted for a crock pot. It may have been somewhere but it's new to me and original.

(Breckist cast roll) Breakfast Casserole

My husband doesn't like quiche. But he'll eat this. There's no real difference except crust IMO, but there you go.  This is quick, easy, VERY adaptable, and can feed a crowd. We don't really eat a lot of white potatoes around here so I don't put that in our casserole. But if you want to throw in some potatoes (regular or sweet) that were sauteed in butter with onions that would be good! Just make sure they are cooked. Add other vegetables- roasted green chilies, broccoli, tomato, cubed sauteed pumpkin and more. Try using bacon, turkey sausage, Canadian bacon- whatever.  Make a pizza one with pepperoni and pizza toppings. Serve with hot marinara sauce for a fun diner. This is primal friendly too. The sausage I use has no MSG or sugars added. You can also use ground pork and add sausage seasonings.

Diva was my note taker when I was making this. She also did some whisking and cracked all the eggs. I love her little notes and drawings so I take pictures of most of them. Here are her notes from this recipe. It looks a lot like my note cards actually. LOL. At least she put a title. I end up having to guess what my list of ingredients is for. "Breakist cast roll"- awesome. And she loves me too. Even more awesome.

Chicken Tenders

Frozen chicken tenders are wonderful to have on hand. I just put them under the broiler on high frozen. I tossed these ones in Italian dressing first, but you can season them just about any way. I don't thaw them first. I do put them on a rack so that any of the ice glaze will drip away from the chicken and it doesn't end up being like boiled chicken. Served with garlic chili sauce and these are an easy meal or appetizer. Healthy, quick, easy.

You can also make a quick chicken satay with frozen tenders also.

Matzo Ball Soup (Turkey)

Used up all that turkey and turkey stock yet? I used the last in this soup. I pulled some out of the freezer to make some Matzo ball soup. Turkey and stock that is.
Recipe for matzo balls HERE. I didn't add any bouillon on the actual matzo balls. Other than that,  I made them as posted. For the soup, I heated leftover frozen stock to boiling. Seasoned to taste, added the cooked matzo balls and match stick carrots. Then I let it sit covered with the heat off. Just enough to get the flavorful stock in the matzo balls and let the carrots cook. Serve garnished with celery leaves and with Black, White and Spice!