20 Ways to eat a Costco Chicken

Most rotisserie chickens don't interest me. But Costco chickens are different. They're bigger, they cost several dollars less than at the grocery store, they are juicy, and they have flavor!! I get one every time I go to Costco, and sometimes that's a lot.

There is only one rule when buying a Costco chicken: Eat or take the meat off the bone immediately. You will curse yourself if you leave it in the fridge to cool and then try to pull the meat off the bones. It just won’t work and you’ll be left with a mangled bird.

I decided to put together a list of all the ways to eat a Costco chicken, because sometimes when I come home with one I think... "so what am I going to do with this?" And then it ends up sitting around and getting picked at, but it doesn't really live up to it's full potential. :)

Some of these recipes are so obvious they don't require a recipe. Chicken Quesadilla? I won't bore you! Some are my own recipe that I've created, but most are from other blogs. If I've linked to it, I've made it and loved it enough to share!

1. Carve it up and eat it as the main course
2. Add to a green salad
3. Chicken Taco Salad
4. Chicken Sandwiches
5. Add to Suddenly Salad
6. Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
7. Chicken Suiza Sammies
8. Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole
9. Tomatillo Casserole with Chicken and Hominy (my own recipe... I'll post someday...)
10. Quiche with Chicken and Broccoli (or Ham!) (Again, my own recipe...)
11. Chicken Quesadilla
12. Chicken Salad Sandwiches (Anyone have a really good go-to recipe?)
13. Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells
14. BBQ Chicken Pizza
15. BBQ Chicken Braid
16. Chicken Soup
17. Chicken Pot Pie (Mom's Recipe)
18. Chicken and Dumplings
19. Jambalaya (Mom's Recipe)
20. Hummus, Spinach and Chicken in a wrap (My go-to lunch for busy days!)

...It Does a Body Good

Milk.

Cow's milk to be exact. How I miss you.

You see, I have been "off dairy" for almost two months now. Not because of me, but because my little guy isn't taking kindly to it. It makes him break out into a horrible rash. (So horrible, I hardly have any pictures of him.) And he scratches his skin until it bleeds. Oh, and he screamed every time I fed him. Poor guy! So when the doctor suggested I take dairy out of my diet, I thought, "No big deal. I can live without a glass of milk." But I had no idea how hard it would actually be! Because I've learned that EVERYTHING good has milk in it.

Cheese is out.

And that means so is Grilled Cheese.

As is Ice Cream.

And don't get me started on my love affair with pizza.

And I dare you. (Beg you!!) to find a good dessert that does not contain milk, butter or cream.

And even things that are sort of good have milk in it. Breadcrumbs? Crackers? Bread from the store? Yep. All have milk. And forget about anything processed/manufactured. It has milk or milk protein in it. Which means when you open the pantry or the fridge, there is nothing to eat. And you starve.

But it's all worth it in the end, because look how happy and cute he is now!!

When Lunch Goes Wrong

This week has been a bit crazy at work. It's been one of those crazy weeks where you don't even have time to eat. This Friday was especially busy. I had back-to-back meetings from 1 - 5, so I needed to grab a quick lunch so I could prep for all my meetings. I found a deli down the street from my office. It was a Greek deli, run by a bunch of Koreans. Typical for D.C. I suppose.... I ordered an Italian sub with sweet peppers - the kind you can only find on the East Coast! I paid for my sandwich and headed back to the office. When I got there, I unwrapped my sandwich only to find this:


Is this what Koreans who run a Greek deli call an Italian sub?! This is not an Italian sub. This is a Polish sausage. Polish sausage is not proper lunch-at-the-office food. Polish sausage belong at the ballpark. At picnics. County Fairs. It does not belong in my cube.

So now I'm sitting in my cube, on a rainy November day, starring down a Polish sausage. I'm at the office, so there is no ketchup. No mustard. It's just all wrong. I had no choice but to eat what I could of it. It left me day dreaming of ball parks, the Rockies, my last baseball game watching the Nationals take out the Phillies. But it just wasn't the same because I wasn't at the park on a sunny afternoon. I was in my cube on a rainy November day.

So next time you go to a Greek deli run by Koreans, make sure they know they difference between an Italian sub and Polish sausage!

Hawaiian Wedding Cake

This recipe is called Hawaiian Wedding cake (a.k.a. When recipes don't work out!) I spotted this recipe in the Family Circle magazine we got free from our hotel in Ohio. It sounded absolutely delicious! It combines some of my favorite flavors… coconut, pineapple, and walnuts and wraps it up in a delightful looking cake. Sounds wonderful! So, despite my lack of love for baking, I thought I'd try it out. However, I had some serious problems making this one...

For starters, I thought there was a lot of sugar in the recipe, but since I'm not a baker, I made a very deliberate decision to follow the recipe exactly. Second, after the cake started baking, it looked like the batter was actually CARAMELIZING. Not good for cakes. I noticed later I had accidentally used pineapple IN HEAVY SYRUP. Maybe that was my problem? I'm not sure I even knew that pineapple could come in different syrup/water.

After I took the cakes out, they hadn't risen much, and the bottom of the round cake I had made, actually had a heavy layer of what looked like caramel soaking the bottom. We won't even begin to describe the texture...

This whole experience reminds me of the time I made homemade brownies in college. They puffed up about 4 inches over the top, spilled over and burned. Turns out the flour I had borrowed from a roommate was "self rising" and it already had the baking soda in it. After that, I started buying brownie mixes.

There is one redeeming feature to this cake... the homemade cream cheese frosting. It was pretty good - it almost made one of those cupcakes edible. Now I need to find something to go with it... good thing I keep plenty of cake mixes on hand.

Hawaiian Wedding Cake

2 c. Flour
2 c. Sugar
2 tsp. Baking Soda
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple with juice, undrained
1 c. Shredded Coconut
1 c. walnuts, coarsely chopped

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 stick unsalted butter
4 oz. cream cheese
2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Heat oven to 325. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together with a wooden spoon until just combined. Spoon the mixture into a prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.

In a separate bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla until smooth. Top cooled cake.

Ratatouille

This weekend Dave and I headed to the movie Ratatouille (Rat-a-too-ee). I had to convince Dave to see it, but in the end I think he laughed harder than anyone in the theater. It's a great movie - fabulous food, great story, wonderful skyline views of Paris - what more can you ask for?

In case you weren't aware, Ratatouille isn't just a clever name - it's actually a famous French dish. 'Peasant' food to be exact. Though I've never had this dish in France, I have had something very similar in a small town in Turkey of all places. It's a wonderful dish that tastes like home. (You'll understand that even more if you've seen the movie)

Here's a recipe for the famed dish...

Olive oil

1 onion

1 clove garlic

1 eggplant

1 green bell pepper

2 zucchini

6 medium tomatoes, ripe (juicy) and peeled

salt and pepper to taste

Herbes de Provence to taste

Directions

Put a large casserole on the stove on medium heat. Chop the onions and garlic. When the casserole is hot, add enough olive oil to just cover the bottom. Add the onions and garlic and brown.

Chop the green pepper, zucchini and egg plant. Add to the casserole, stirring from time to time. Peel the tomatoes. Dice them or cut them into quarters, add to the casserole.

Five minutes later, check to see if the tomatoes have made enough juice to almost cover the vegetables. If not, add water as needed.

Add salt, pepper and Herbes de Provence to taste. Cover and simmer on low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Pastry

My sister-in-law Michelle recently moved to Australia and was lamenting the loss of Crisco, among other things. Seems the Aussies only bake with butter. While nothing can quite replace Crisco in creating a light, flaky crust in pies, or lard making some unbelievable tortillas, butter can lead to some amazing desserts.

This recipe hails from an old family recipe - at least I think it does. This can be used for just about any pastry recipe, but is particularly good for pies and quiches - and as an added bonus, calls for butter instead of Crisco.

3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 t. salt
1 cup butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup cold water

In a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles oatmeal. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, oil and water. Stir liquids into the flour mixture. Mix until combined. Divide the dough into two balls. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 mins. Roll out the pastry into the desired shells. Bake at 425 for 30-35 mins.

Salmon with Farfalle

I really love salmon, but I tend to get tired of fixing it the same way - usually marinating it with whatever I have around the house and grilling it up. I decided to mix it up a bit by pairing it with pasta and a dijon sauce. It turned out great and even my husband, who is not a fish eater, loved it!

1 pound farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 shallots, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
1 pound salmon fillet, skin and pin bones removed, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
2 teaspoons dried parsley
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Boil a large pot of salted water over high heat. Add the pasta and boil until al dente, about 10 minutes.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shallots and garlic stirring, until soft - be careful not to let it brown. Add the mustard and stir to combine.

Salt and pepper the salmon. Add the salmon and cook, stirring, until it is just cooked through, being careful not to stir it too much. Add the parsley and the peas. Set aside.

Drain the pasta. Add it to the sauce and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Cafe Rio House Ranch

We got together with a group of friends last week for "Cafe Rio Night". Living on the East Coast, we rarely get good TexMex, let alone Cafe Rio! We found some recipes through friends who swear it is the real deal. The food was great - but alas it was just not quite the same as Cafe Rio... At any rate, here is the recipe for Cafe Rio's House Ranch. If you can only get to Utah once a year like us, this will get you the fix you need!

Tomatillo Ranch Dressing
1 pkg of Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Dressing dry mix

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tomatillos, peel

1 clove garlic, minced

½ bunch of cilantro, chopped

juice from one lime

1 small jalapeno, seeds and stem removed

Blend ingredients together in a blender. You can add additional mayonnaise if the dressing is too thin. Keep refrigerated.

Sweet and Sour Shrimp in a Pineapple

I couldn't resist the pineapple I found at Costco the other day. I love fresh pineapple. It sat on my table for a few days until I could decide on something worthy of it! I love serving this dish in the pineapple; it adds such elegance and fun!

1 lb. fresh or frozen shrimp
3/4 t. crushed red pepper (divided)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 whole pineapple

Sweet and Sour Sauce

6 T chicken stock (divided)
3 T ketchup
3 T dark brown sugar
3 T fresh pineapple juice
2 T rice vinegar
2 t soy sauce
1 T cornstarch

Start by combining the deveined shrimp with the garlic and half of the crushed red pepper in a bowl. Set aside to marinate.

Next combine 4 T chicken stock with the next five ingredients through soy sauce in a small bowl. Add remaining crushed red pepper. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining chicken stock with the cornstarch.

You'll need to prepare the pineapple before you start cooking. Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise. Next, cut around the perimeter of the pineapple, and then dice it still in the rind. From here it is pretty easy to scoop out the fruit. Be sure to cut the core off the flesh.


Heat a wok with a high smoke point oil - such as sesame or vegetable oil. The oil is ready when it sizzles when you put a drop of water or small piece of garlic in it. Add the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes until the shrimp turn pink and are cooked through. Remove from heat.

Next, stir fry the onions a few minutes until they start to become tender. Add the green peppers and cook for a few more minutes.

Add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce and quickly add to the vegetables. Allow the sauce to heat until it starts to become thick and bubbly. Add the shrimp, pineapple, and tomatoes. Gently stir together until sauce is thick and bubbly.

Serve in scooped out pineapple along side hot white rice. Enjoy!

ISO Turkish Lentil Soup

My husband and I recently returned from a trip to Turkey. Among the fresh breads and endless kebabs I discovered a hidden treasure - Lentil Soup! I know, I know... Lentils? Yes. Lentils.

Once I discovered the delectable treat, I had it nearly every day, keeping me warm in the cool spring days. Since returning, I've searched endlessly for a recipe for this soup. Unfortunately, all I can find is a recipe for Red Lentil and Mint soup (another Turkish soup, but not the one I'm looking for). The one I'm looking for is closer to a broth, spiked with paprika and cooled down with fresh lemon juice. I'm at a loss!

Does anyone know where a girl can find a good Lentil Soup recipe?!

Summer Veggies with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Summer is here! I love the first signs of summer when all the summer berries and vegetables. Some of my favorites are summer squash and zucchini. Here is one of my favorite ways to prepare them.

1/2 red onion
1 medium summer squash
1 medium zucchini
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
12 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 clove minced garlic
1/2 Tbsp. Sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. White Balsamic Vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Start by placing thinly sliced onions in a saute pan. Grill until the onions start to caramelize. Add sliced summer squash and zucchini, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the squash and zucchini are fork tender.

For the vinaigrette, placed minced garlic in a bowl. Add vinegar and sugar. Let it sit for a few minutes so the garlic can infuse into the vinegar. While whisking the mixture, slowly add the olive oil until it is emulsified.

Toss squash mixture, vinaigrette, and cherry tomatoes. Serve immediately.

Drunken Noodles

Last week I met a good friend for lunch at Cafe Asia. This used to be a favorite of mine, but I hadn't visited for a while. I was sad to discover the menu had been downsized to a few of the basics - no where near the number of selections I remember from long ago.

I ordered my favorite, Drunken Noodles, and was extremely disappointed. I told my friend that mine are better. Although it's been a while since I've made this recipe, they are just as good as I remember - and better than you can get in half the restaurants out there!

Drunken Noodles

2 T. chopped fresh Serrano chili
1 T. chopped garlic

1 T. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
Black Pepper to taste

3T. Fish sauce
1T. dark soy sauce

2T. canola oil
1/4 lb. ground pork (chicken works too)
1/2 lb. (one package) fresh rice noodle sheets, cut into 1" strips
3/4 C. fresh Thai Basil leaves
3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and quartered lengthwise


1. Prepare all of the ingredients above before you start cooking. - you will need to work quickly to add all the ingredients.
2. Combine sugar, salt, and pepper into a small bowl. Combine fish sauce and soy sauce in another small bowl.
3. Heat the wok over medium-high heat. Add the oil to coat the surface.
4. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and toss until golden. (30 seconds)
5. Quickly add the chilies and toss for another 30 seconds.
6. Add the pork. Use a spatula to break down the meat and mix with the garlic and chilies.
7. Add the sugar mixture and mix with meat.
8. Add the sauce mixture. Continue mixing until the sauce bubbles and gets thick.
9. Add the noodles and toss gently until the sauce is absorbed.
10. Mix in the basil and tomatoes. Give a quick turn to incorporate and serve immediately.

Courtney's Famous Enchiladas

I'm giving credit where credit is due. Several years ago in college a bunch of friends and I got together for a big meal. I don't remember much about the night, but I do remember one thing: Courtney's chicken enchiladas. I asked Courtney for the recipe and over the years have made them for potlucks and gatherings. They are famous for one reason: Everyone loves them! So much so, that some whom I've passed the recipe on to have tried to pass it off as their own.

I've changed some things over the years, but the basics are still the same.

Chicken Enchiladas

1 whole chicken
1 onion, chopped
fajita seasoning

1 can cream of mushroom soup (Campbell's 98% fat free is great)
1 8 oz. container of low fat sour cream
1 jar green salsa verde or green enchilada sauce

8 oz. cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese blend
8 large tortillas
lettuce
tomatoes

1. Place a whole chicken and chopped onion in a crock pot. Season with fajita seasoning. Cook chicken until juices run clear. (Usually about 6 hours on low). When chicken is done, remove and let cool enough to debone.
2. Mix together the wet ingredients, saving some of the green salsa to the side to use later.
3. Add onions and meat from chicken to about 2/3 of the green sauce mixture.
4. Using about 1/2 of the green sauce mixture, spread it on the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
5. Taking a tortilla, add 1/8 of the chicken mixture and some shredded cheese. Fold in sides to make an enchilada. Place in the pan.
6. When all enchiladas are made top with remaining green sauce mix, remaining green salsa verde, and cheese. Place in an oven at 350 and bake for 25-30 mins.
7. Top with shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes to serve.

Steamed Buns

Last year, I started adding Steamed Buns to the menu at our Chinese New Year's party. They were the first to go! The best thing about them is they are so easy to make. Also, by using prepared biscuits, the dough always comes out perfect.

The best way to steam the buns is with a wicker steamer. You can find these in most Asian grocery stores or stores like World Market.

Steamed Buns

12 oz. can buttermilk biscuits (Grands size)
1/4 lb. hamburger
4 green onions

Teriyaki Sauce:

3 Tbs. soy sauce
3 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. cornstarch

1. Fry hamburger and drain the oil.
2. Make the teriyaki sauce by combining soy sauce, sugar, and cornstarch. Add to the hamburger.
3. Finely chop the green onoins. Add to hamburger mixture.
4. Flatten each biscuit with your fingers, until it is stretched out. Place about 1-2 Tbs. in the center of the biscuit. Fold all the ends together by pinching the dough.
5. Steam buns for 20 mins. Let stand for 5 mins to cool. Be careful to remove the cover slowly, as cooling them too quickly will cause them to collapse.

Potstickers

I first learned to make potstickers from my host mother in Japan. In Japan they are called Gyoza. My host family considered these Chinese food (a distinction she was quick to make) but when I found myself in China a few years later, I found that the Japanese version of the dim sum is very unique to Japan.

Potstickers (aka: Gyoza)

1 package ground pork (Very important. Don't try any other kind of meat)
1 head of cabbage
1 shredded carrot
2 bunches sliced green onions
1/4 cup soy sauce
3-4 TBS sugar
garlic if desired
wrappers

You can add more veggies if you want or take it out. The soy sauce and sugar are for flavoring so it's as much as you want. Just make sure you don't have too much or it will be runny.

The wrappers can be found in any Asian grocery store and at many of your local stores. I prefer the fresh to the frozen, but either work.

1. Shred the cabbage very finely or put it in the food processor. (Remove core)
2. Shred the carrot
3. Chop garlic if desired. (place it in the soy sauce)
4. Mix everything together, adding the soy sauce a little at a time.
5. Place in skins and crimp edges to make a half moon shape.
6. Heat a (flat) skillet on medium heat. Add a little oil.
7. Stack potstickers on each other and fry the bottom.
8. After they have cooked a few minutes (before they burn!!) add a little water to the pan and cover with a lid. the will leave the bottom crispy and the top steamed.

You can also fry both sides, steam them or even boil them.

Fusion Food

Why Fusion Food?

I was 12 when I took my first trip outside the US to visit my great-grandmother and cousins in Europe. It was then that I discovered a culinary world I never expected. Gouda Cheese, Pickled Herring and Gingersnap cookies shaped as windmills were some of the foods I first experienced.

Since that first trip I've stepped foot in nearly 30 countries on five continents. Each time I return from an adventure, I long for the food I encountered there. I love both cooking and traveling, and I especially love to incorporate food from my travels into my cooking.