French Coconut Grilled Chicken

I think that the concept of marinating chicken in French dressing and then baking or grilling it has been around forever. Last year, I was on a huge grill kick and experimenting with flavor combinations when I came up with this recipe. It is something even my "pickiest" eater likes.



To make the marinade, mix the following:
1 bottle french dressing
1 can coconut milk
1 can cream of coconut
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp hot sauce or buffalo wing sauce
1 tbsp garlic powder
salt, pepper, paprika to taste
Reserve 1-2 cups marinade for basting.

Marinate chicken pieces for at least 2 hours, longer if time allows - overnight is preferable.

Grill at 300 for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until juices run clear. During the last 15 minutes of grilling, baste with reserved marinade.


I the past, I have served this with coconut rice, Asian vegetables and a mandarin orange salad with vinaigrette and fried won ton strips - it was a great pairing. Tonight, we just had vegetables and a pre-packaged pasta side dish - you know how it goes at the end of the month when you are trying to use what you have in your freezer and pantry! Everyone got seconds of at least one thing, so I would say this meal worked!

Leo's Gravy

Leo was my granddaddy. Why did I call him Leo? He ran an appliance business and when you went to work for him, he would forget to answer to "Grandpa" and eventually I ended up calling him Leo all of the time.

Leo was a fabulous cook. He was fun to cook with - like me, he never used recipes and liked to make things up as he went along. His employee Christmas parties were legendary. He would give everyone an envelope with their bonus, and empty the cash registers. He had dart boards with dollar amounts, a wheel of fortune, and lots of other games where employees could either keep their bonus, or try their luck at the games to make more. Everyone looked forward to the food all year. He would cook about 3 whole prime ribs, salad, potatoes, desserts, but what everyone wanted was his rice and gravy. It was the best I have ever eaten. I have even seen people not put meat on their plate so there would be more room for the gravy!

That was for the employees. Anytime we had roast for Sunday dinner, he made gravy. I would show up early with the kids and do most of the chopping and we made it together. In later years, he sat at the kitchen table, I made the gravy and he told me stories of his childhood and did the taste testing. By the time the rest of the family showed up, the gravy was done and no one ever knew the difference!
Tonight we are having a roast, so I though I would share the recipe. Leo never cooked small, so I have cut the measurements to the size needed for a "normal" meal.

1 large pkg fresh mushrooms, washed and quartered
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 cup celery, sliced
1 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp butter
2 cans Campbell's beef broth (not the same if you don't use Campbell's)
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
Drippings from the roast

Saute vegetables in butter until onions are transparent. Add drippings from roast. Add soups. Simmer until thick - at least 20 minutes. If the gravy is not thick enough, a small amount of cornstarch that has been dissolved in water can be added.
Serve over rice.

This is the whole meal - roast, rice, gravy, squash, green beans, corn, and cucumbers with tomatoes - perfection on a plate.

When I know I am cooking his food, I miss him more, but I feel so blessed to have had this man so close to me for 32 years. He taught me life was meant to be lived, moments meant to enjoy, and simple pleasures savored. In my life, he was one of the few people who loved me for who I was and who I could always count on to be real. When I am old and look back on my life, I am sure one of the things I will be thankful for is that I had Leo. Enjoy!

This Is A Keeper

Now what should I name it? Here is what happened. The boys wanted to make pizza. Now pizza is one of my favorite foods, but I was not in the mood, plus I had some mushrooms and puff pastry I needed to use. I made the pizza dough for the boys. While it was resting, I made something special for the rest of us-
Salt/Pepper/garlic and then Saute the following:
Sliced baby portabellas, fresh spinach, onions
Mix ricotta and mozzerella
Line pan with one sheet puff pastry. Cook at 400 for 10 min.
On the pastry, layer cheese, veggies, chopped chicken, and sliced tomatoes.
Cover with 2nd sheet pastry and cook 20 min. or until golden.
Serve with marinara

This was absolutely wonnderful. It cooked along side the pizzas, and everyone was happy!! There are no measurements because I threw together what I had.

Any suggestions for a name?

Is this really taco salad?

The kids were gone, and I had a little leftover browned ground chuck that I needed to do something with. When DH emailed and requested his Mom's "taco salad", I figured, "Why not?" The kids will barely eat it and it meant that I would not have a kitchen to clean tonight.

The recipe is simple - mix browned ground beef, kidney beans, and enough Catalina dressing to make it saucy. To assemble the salad, mix lettuce, shredded cheddar and Fritos corn chips. Add a few spoons of the beef mixture, mix, and top with sour cream. I will say this - it is really good - especially if you let it sit a little before you eat it.

I was looking around today and saw the Taco Salad post at What's Cooking, and I wondered how what I threw together tonight was ever considered taco salad? Fritos, the beef and cheddar, the lettuce - what? I make a "real" taco salad - lots of veggies, grilled meat, avacodos, etc. tortilla strips - something the rest of the world would recognize.

I began to look around to see where this recipe came from - especially after the whole Cindy McCain story about stealing recipes from food network. I find the recipe on all kind of sites - recipe sites, a cajun site, and a military family site. Maybe that is where it came from. His dad was an officer. Maybe it came from an old officer's wives cookbook. I still can't find the original recipe. Does anybody out there know?

By the way - the salad is great every once in a while - just not taco salad!

2 for 1 - Chicken Pot Pie / Chicken & Dumplins

First of all, this meal started out as a pot pie. The "baby boy" came in - he does not like pot pie. When he walked in from school and smelled the chickens boiling, he said, "Oh boy, we're having dumplings!" We weren't,but I know that in a pinch, a pie crust can result in a dumpling!

Keep in mind that I generally cook at least 8-10 servings, but this can easily be halved.

Pot Pie:

2 or 3 small chickens

2 onions

several stalks celery

2 large potatoes

2 cups mixed vegetables

2 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

1 cup milk

3-5 cups chicken stock (more if needed for the right consistency)

Pie Crust (I make my own, but the refrigerated ones work OK too)

Salt and Pepper

In a stock pot, cover chickens with water - add salt to taste (I use a couple of tablespoons for a large pot). Add onions and celery and bring to a boil. Simmer until chicken falls off the bone. Set aside to cool.

In the meantime, peel and dice potatoes. Boil in salted water until they can barely be pierced with a fork. Drain.

Make pie crust, or roll out refrigerated crust. Line the bottom of a casserole with crust. Let crust overlap the sides of the casserole dish.

Take chickens from cooled stock. Pull chicken from bones. Strain fat from top of stock.

Make a roux of 2 tbsp butter and 3 -4 tbsp of flour. Cook until lightly browned, whisking constantly. Add milk. Continue to whisk constantly while adding chicken broth until sauce is a medium consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In casserole dish, layer chicken, vegetables, and potatoes, repeat. Cover with white sauce. Top with pie crust.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 350. Remove foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Now for the "second thought" dumplings. Roll the remaining crust out thin and cut in to small pieces. Be sure to leave plenty of flour on dumplings so that it will thicken the stock. Bring remaining stock to a boil. Add dumplings one at a time. Boil for 5 minutes, or until tender. Add some of the pulled chicken. There you go - 2 dishes so everyone is happy!!

If I had this to do over, I would make more pie crust so that there would be more than 2 servings, and use my crust recipe with oil instead of butter because it would make a sturdier dumpling.

A nice twist on a roasted corn salad

Sunday was a birthday party day andaround here, that means everyone shows up and brings a dish. After running around finishing the cake, I decided I needed to bring one more thing, so I made a roasted corn salad. I have had 2 people call for the recipe, so I decided I bettter post before I forget it!

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels

2-3 red bell peppers, sliced

1/3-1/2 cup green onions, sliced (I use the white and green parts)

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

2 tbsp tuscan italian (I use Newman's Own) salad dressing

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Heat a nonstick skillet to medim high. Place kernels in pan stirring occasionally until kernels begin to roast (they may even pop a little). When kernels have a nice "sprinkling" of brown color, remove from heat. Let cool slightly.

Place kernels in bowl and add remaining ingredients. Let marinate for about 30 minutes before serving. REALLY SIMPLE, but REALLY GOOD!!