Farmhouse Chicken Chowder

My mom passed this recipe on to me a couple of weeks ago.  I am going to try it this week.

 FARMHOUSE CHICKEN CHOWDER
 6 slices bacon, chopped
 6 green onions sliced thin
 2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
 1 rib celery, sliced thin
 6 tablespoons flour
 5 cups chicken broth
 1 pound red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2 in pieces
 1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded into bite size pieces
 (about 3 cups)
          ( I used four rotisserie chicken breasts from Marcs deli section)
 1 cup half-and-half

 1.  Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes.
 Using slotted sppon remove bacon from pot.  Pour off all but 1 tablespoon
 fat from pot.  Cook green onions, carrots, celery, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in
 bacon fat until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.  Add flour and
 cook until golden, 1-2 minutes.

 2.  Stir in broth and potatoes and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low
 and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, 10-12 minutes.  Add
 chicken and half-and -half and simmer until chicken is heated through, about
 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper

Cooking Challenge #5 Results

I made my pot roast this week.  The pot was a delicious and filled the house with the most appetizing aromas!  I did not make the potatoes, though.  I fully intended to, but realized that my potatoes were starting to rot so we had buttered noodles with it instead. I have made those potatoes before, though and they are super fattening and wonderful!! I forgot to take a picture of it, anyway.

I think for now, I will just post recipes and where I have gotten them.  I know everyone is busy and maybe not able to do the "challenge".  If you have a recipe you want to share, please email me at Becfie@aol.com with it and I will be happy to pass it along.

BTW, the stir-fry from last night was "okay".  I don't think I will pass it on this time, not a keeper.

What's For Dinner?

Tonight we are having Honey Glazed Chicken Stir-Fry.  If it is successful, I will share the recipe with you.

What's on your menu?  Also, last call on pot roast stories/pictures!

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Back on Track.....

Sorry for the absence last week.  We threw a party for my sister who was recently married, so that took up a lot of my time.

This weeks recipe is Perfect Pot Roast paired with PW's Creamy Mashed Potatoes.


Perfect Pot Roast

• 1 whole (4 To 5 Pounds) Chuck Roast
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 whole Onions
• 6 whole Carrots (Up To 8 Carrots)
• Salt To Taste
• Pepper To Taste
• 1 cup Red Wine (optional, You Can Use Beef Broth Instead)
• 2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock
• 3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste
• 3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste

Preparation Instructions

First and foremost, choose a nicely marbled piece of meat. This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast like nothing else. Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast.

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter/olive oil split).

Cut two onions in half and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel them, but you don’t have to). When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.

Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.

If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.

With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up.

When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups). Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.

Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.

PW'S Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

• 5 pounds Russet Or Yukon Gold Potatoes
• ¾ cups Butter
• 1 package (8 Oz.) Cream Cheese, Softened
• ½ cups (to 3/4 Cups) Half-and-Half
• ½ teaspoons (to 1 Teaspoon) Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• ½ teaspoons (to 1 Teaspoon) Black Pepper

Preparation Instructions

Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces that are generally the same size. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 to 35 minutes. When they’re cooked through, the fork should easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance, and the potatoes should almost, but not totally, fall apart.

Drain the potatoes in a large colander. When the potatoes have finished draining, place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove. Mash the potatoes over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape, before adding in all the other ingredients.

Turn off the stove and add 1 ½ sticks of butter, an 8-ounce package of cream cheese and about ½ cup of half-and-half. Mash, mash, mash! Next, add about ½ teaspoon of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and ½ a teaspoon of black pepper.

Stir well and place in a medium-sized baking dish. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and place them in a 350-degree oven and heat until butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through.

Good luck everyone! Can't wait to see/hear about your experiences!

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