Chrissy Teigen's Cheesy Jalapeño Tuna Noodle Casserole

So, I'm the kinda girl who goes to the library and comes home with a stack of cookbooks so high they'd be dangerous if they fell on somebody. When I can carve out some time, I'll grab a pad of sticky tabs and start paging through. Every once in a while, I come across a book that I must (MUST!) have in my personal collection pronto. Chrissy Teigen's cookbook, Cravings, was one of those books.

I'm not going to go into depth about the book...yet—but that's because I want to do a dedicated review post on it (in fact, I'm so enamored of it that I'm contemplating a Julie and Julia-style cook-through). But I did think that this month's Fish Friday Foodies theme, fish in a dish, was the perfect opportunity to try one of the recipe I had bookmarked in it.

Lamb Shanks w/ Einkorn & Potatoes | #EinkornExperiment

It's hard to believe that we're already midway through March, but today is the 15th, and that means it's time for another update on the Einkorn Experiment! Since I talked about einkorn flour three months in a row, I wanted to switch things up and share my latest experience with the whole einkorn wheat berries this month.

Rosemary and Sundried Tomato Meatloaf Sandwiches | Fudge and Jury

Welcome to the tlc book tours stop for Fudge and Jury! Fudge and Jury is book 5 in the Bakeshop Mystery series by Ellie Alexander—and it's a cozy mystery, which you might know is one of my favorite ways to escape when I have a little time to myself (fun, quick, easy reads).

The logical thinker in me cringes at the thought of starting a series anywhere but at the beginning, but there's not enough time in the day or days in the week for me to read everything I'd like, so I threw caution to the wind and went into this book blind. And while I know there are background and character-building elements of the story that I missed, it still made sense as a stand-alone book.

Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings | Love Literary Style

If I could describe Love Literary Style in a few short words, I'd say it is a fun, meta romantic comedy. Yes, I said meta. I rarely say meta, because for some reason it bothers me—I think because it was way overused in the last few years. But also because I don't think I completely understand how to use it properly. Although in this case, I'm pretty sure that I've gotten it right. That's just to say, that if I'm using the word, it's for a legit reason (and somehow, "legit" doesn't bother me).

This rom-com, written by Karen Gillespie, not only follows the traditional rom-com formula, it also explains that formula in the book, since one of the lead characters, Laurie Lee is a romance writer. Our other lead character, Aaron Mite, is a college professor who has spent the last 5 years writing his novel.

Pot Roast Bouquet | Gilmore Girls Coffee Klatch

I don't know whether to be proud of or horrified by myself right now. I binged over 2 seasons of Gilmore Girls in the past week. I know that I only "need" to watch an average of 3 episodes a day to stay on track, but last week was dreary and rainy and...well...it just sort of happened. But here's the thing—I'm going to run into some busy weeks pretty soon with Halloween, Thanksgiving and 2 birthdays (mine included) between now and Black Friday. Which means I'll probably have weeks that I'm struggling to find time to watch, so really, I'm just staying on top of things.

Two-plus seasons in quick succession means there's been an up and down rollercoaster of boys, men, food, and teenage hormones and angst flling up the last 7 days. The funny thing is, the recipe that I made was actually pulled from one of my first episodes of the week. But it was so funny, and inspiration struck so hard that I had to make it.

Creamed Chicken in a Mashed Potato Nest inspired by June

Today I'm happy to be hosting a TLC book tour stop for the new Miranda Beverly-Whittemore novel, June. This is my first encounter with Beverly-Whittemore, but it left me with the desire to read her previous novels. June is the story of 25-year old Cassie, a photographer living in New York City who just found out that her beloved grandmother, the woman who raised her, has passed away...from cancer that Cassie never knew she was battling.

Grandma June left her a modest inheritance as well as her home in the small town of St. Jude, Ohio. The home is actually a huge old mansion called Two Oaks that has fallen into disrepair over the years, and since Cassie's life seems to have fallen into that same state, she envelops herself into the sadness of the old place.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

This month's Progressive Eats menu takes a stroll down memory lane from each of its contributors. Lana from Never Enough Thyme challenged us to cook up a bit of nostalgia and comfort food from our childhood. At first I wasn't sure which way to go since I've already made so many of my childhood favorites like Chicken a la King, Chicken Corn Chowder, Chicken Pot Pie, and Chicken Noodle Soup. But then I remembered something that I hadn't shared yet that holds a special place in my heart—Chicken Cordon Bleu.

I guess I didn't realize it before now, but there seems to be a theme to some of my favorite childhood foods. I was going to suggest that chicken was easy to come by back then until I realized that a couple of those dishes actually originated from a can. But not this one. Chicken roll-up night was always a favorite in our house, and us kids were always tasked with pounding out the chicken breasts as thin as we could get them without ripping them (much).

Chicken Pot Pie

I love it when the second Wednesday of the month rolls around, because that means it's time for another round of the Blogger CLUE Society (more about this at the bottom of the post). Our theme this month is potatoes, and the blog I was assigned to do a little clue hunting on was none other than Cake Duchess, written by my friend Lora.

I came back several times to dig for potatoes on Lora's blog, changing my mind about what I was going to make every time. At first I thought I'd make her Purple Cauliflower and Potato Gratin, but apparently this isn't the time for purple cauliflower in my markets, because there was none to be found. Sure, I could have made it with white cauliflower, but that wouldn't have been as fun.

Next, I had my heart set on making something that I haven't made in a few years—homemade gnocchi. But not just regular gnocchi, potato and butternut squash gnocchi! There was a butternut squash sitting on my table, potatoes in the potato bin (and by potato bin, I mean a makeshift box that I keep in a dark spot in the kitchen). I even dusted off my gnocchi paddle. And then I just didn't.

Spicy Chili Mac

The Tao of Chili Making

Chili will have a list of ingredients so long that it makes your head spin. It can't be helped. 

Don't even try making a small batch of Chili. It is impossible.

No matter how hard you try, two batches of Chili will never turn out the same. 

Learn it. Practice it. Embrace it. Hey, you can't make this stuff up. Except I totally did. But that doesn't make it any less true.

I mean it when I say embrace it, though - I've never met a (giant) pot of chili that I didn't like. From mild to fire-breathing, from shredded beef to ground chicken, from 15-bean to no-bean, from green to white to red...I like 'em all.

Chicken a la King

Chicken a la King is one of those dishes whose origins are debated.  Some say it was created in the 1880's by chef Charles Ranhofer of Delmonico's and originally called Chicken a la Keene (after Foxhall Parker Keene).  The Claridge Hotel in London also lays claim to its creation in 1881 (named for James R. Keen, Foxhall's father).  Yet another hotel in Brighton Beach, the Brighton Beach Hotel claims its creation in the 1890's (named after a patron and his wife, E. Clarke King).  Or perhaps it was the creation of cook William "Bill" King of the Bellevue Hotel in Pennsylvania.  After all, that is what his obituary in the New York Tribune said. (*source)

But all that aside, what I love about Chicken a la King is that it reminds me of being a kid.  I can say with confidence that it was one of my absolute favorite dishes growing up, if not the favorite.   I don't necessarily remember sitting down to the table to eat it.  I can find no clarity on specific instances.  But when I think of it, it makes me happy.  That warm, creamy gravy studded with chunks of white meat chicken.  Thin slices of mushroom and bits of color from bell peppers and herbs.  And we always, I repeat ALWAYS served our Chicken a la King over biscuits.  Smothered.

Funny thing is, my parents didn't make it from scratch.  It came from a can.  But man, oh man, did I love it.  I didn't pay that can any mind.  I mean, our biscuits came from a popable tube, so why would I question the can?

As a young mother, I would "make" Chicken a la King every once in a while.  From the can.  However, it was about that time in my life when I really started cooking.  For real.  So the can didn't make many appearances.  But every once in a while, I'd throw caution to the wind and plunk one (okay, more than likely it was two) cans in my cart.  But I didn't do it very often.   I mean, aside from not wanting to eat whole meals from a can, that shtuff is pricey!

Naturally, I started experimenting.  Searching out different recipes for it.  Everybody has their own little variations.  Some people use red and green bell peppers.  I like to use pimientos or roasted red peppers.  I like the way they sort of dissolve into the sauce/gravy and give it little red flecks.  It reminds me of the one I grew up with.  You can very easily use sherry or Madeira or even Marsala, but I usually use brandy.  Some people cut their white button mushrooms into thick slices, I like to use a mix of white and crimini and slice them very thinly.  And some people serve the whole shebang over noodles or rice.  But 90% of the time, I choose biscuits.  The other 10, I'll go with toast points.

But no matter what, this is a dish I make when the weather starts to turn chilly (and a couple more times throughout the cold months).  And no matter what the day or time, when I smell it cooking and then sit down to eat, though I am grown and have kids of my own, I am instantly transported back to childhood.  Pure comfort food.  Warm and fuzzy.  Uuuuhhhh...Fuzzy feelings, not fuzzy food.    

Chicken a la King

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: ~1 hour (unattended)

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Keywords: simmer entree chicken mushrooms American fall winter

Ingredients (serves 6-8)

• 1½ c. cup heavy cream
• 3 Tbs. lemon juice
• salt
• ~2½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½"-1" chunks
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 2 small onions, cut into small dice
• ~8 oz. white &/or crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 (4 oz.) jar pimientos, drained
• ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 6 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• ¾ c. brandy
• 3 c. chicken stock or broth
• ¼ c. finely chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Place 1 cup of the cream, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, and 2 teaspoons salt into a gallon-sized zippered baggie and squish around to mix. Add chicken and seal. Massage to coat and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.

Heat butter or oil in large pan over medium-high heat until melted and starting to bubble. Add onion and cook until translucent, ~3 minutes. Add mushrooms and pimientos, ~½ teaspoon salt, and the pepper and cook for another 4 - 5 minutes. Sprinkle in flour and cook for another minute. Add brandy, scraping up any browned bits with wooden spoon, and cook until brandy has basically evaporated and you have a thick, glumpy mass, ~1 minute. Add broth and remaining cream and cook until sauce is thick enough to leave a glimpse of a trail in the bottom of the pan when you run your wooden spoon through it, ~10-12 minutes.

Open the baggie and dump in the chicken mixture; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring frequently, until chicken is cooked through, 10 minutes or so. Remove from heat and stir in remaining teaspoon of lemon juice and the chopped parsley. Serve over biscuits or toasted bread.

Chicken and Dumplings + Little Old Lady Recipes by Meg Favreau (cookbook review)

Little Old Lady Recipes: Comfort Food and Kitchen Table Wisdom

author: Meg Favreau
publisher: Quirk Books
hard cover: 160 pages

photos: Yes...but not of food...of little old ladies, of course!

chapters/sections: Introduction: What the Heck Happened to Food? - Breakfasts and Coffee Klatch - Soups, Salads, and Casseroles - Appetizers and Refreshments - Suppers and Side Dishes - Sweets and Treats

fantastic features: I love the little quotes of kitchen wisdom gathered from all sorts of "little old ladies"...and the pictures that go with it. I just wish a couple of my favorite little old lady's pictures were in here. They'd fit right in...as would their kitchen wit. One of my favorite little quotes, in the form of the start of a recipe is... "Hot fat is a beautiful thing. Not beautiful like Robert Redford, but a more useful, Clint Eastwood-kind of beauty." I was /thisclose/ to making the recipe for Doughnuts just because this is the way the recipe opened up!

(a few of the) recipes destined for my kitchen: Brown Betty, Frosted Cinnamon Rolls, Cheese Dreams, Dried Beef and Cheese Balls, Pierogies, Bourbon Balls, Hot Slaw, Boston Brown Bread, Goulash

Additional Thoughts: I love the concept for this cute little book. I cherish recipes that have been passed down generation to generation, be they from my family or somebody else's. This book is filled with good, old comfort food that so many of us grew up on. Plus, no shame is shown in the use of lard and butter. That's my kind of food. This book is a lot of fun. But remember, if it's pictures of food you're looking for...you won't find them here. But sassy old ladies abound!

recipe I have already tried: Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and Dumplings
adapted from Little Old Lady Recipes
serves 4-6

for the soup:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 carrots, peeled & sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 quarts chicken broth/stock
1 tablespoon hot sauce
freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds chicken (skin removed, & bones too, if you wish)
salt

for the dumplings:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

instructions:
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook onion until translucent. Add carrot, celery, garlic, thyme, and broth/stock. Bring to a boil. Add hot sauce, a few good grinds of black pepper, and chicken. Reduce to a simmer and cook for ~15 minutes, or until chicken is just done. Remove chicken and shred (remove from bone if you didn't do this before) and add back to broth. Taste and season with more black pepper, and salt if you think it needs it.

While the chicken is cooking, stir together everything for the dumplings and set aside. Once the shredded chicken is back in the pot, bring back to a boil and drop in big spoon-fulls of batter. Put a lid on the pot, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for ten minutes. Serve immediately.

my thoughts on the recipe: Just as it should be, this is a big pot full of goodness and comfort. I used buttermilk in place of regular milk which gave the big, fluffy biscuits a pleasant tang. I also cut back on the celery and added garlic. Because really, what's a bowl of comfort without a bit of garlic!? Lastly, I left the chicken on the bones until after cooking to add extra flavor to the broth...and because I was too lazy to de-bone it before putting it in the pot. 

My sister always tells me that she remembers my mom making this for her when she was sick. I'm thinking that must have been after I was out of the house, because I don't remember that at all. However, I wish I did. Why? Because it's delicious, homey, and sure to ease the symptoms of a cold, a bad day, or a broken heart.

about the author:  Meg Favreau is a writer, comedian, actress, and food enthusiast, and one time eating-contest winner living in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on sites including the Huffington Post, McSweeney's, and the Smart Set, and she serves as a senior editor of the frugal-living and personal-finance site Wise Bread.  Meg dedicates this book to her grandmother, whose pie-making skills remain unrivaled, and her mother, who once said, "I want the dedication in your first book to be 'To my mother, who always believed in me.'" (It's true.)

I received a free copy of this book to review from the publisher.  All thoughts and opinions stated in this post are 100% mine.

Lazy Girl's Cassoulet + Roasting a Whole Duck & Liquid Gold

Traditionally named after the vessel it is cooked in (a deep, earthenware pot with slanted sides), a Cassoulet consist of beans and meats that have been slow cooked into glorious, comforting harmony.  From its peasant food origins comes a history of containing tougher cuts of meat and offal and pantry staples such as dried white beans.  Like most dishes, it has evolved over the years and in different regions

Legend has it, that once a pot of  your stew was finished cooking, you would then deglaze the pan to get a good base for your next pot of cassoulet.  Over time the offal and mutton were replaced by duck, sausages, and perhaps partridge.  And eventually people began to include pricier meats like pork, goose or even duck confit.  Today you can even find version of cassoulet that use lamb or even seafood.  But no matter the version, they are all rooted in the same tradition.

So, a traditional cassoulet is cooked for long period of time allowing tough meats to turn tender and dried beans to become plump again.  Hours of lazy bubbling draws flavor hidden deep inside the bones and develops thick, rich juices that coat your belly just as well as they coat the meat and beans.  But often we don't have to wherewithal to foresee a sudden urge for the comfort that comes from hours of waiting.  Too bad, you say?  Perhaps. But perhaps not.

Gnocchi with Oxtail Ragú

Show Stopper.  That's what this is.  Rich and decadent and so complex that your mind will surrender to the bliss brought on bite after silky bite.  I wouldn't recommend serving this on a first date...unless you want to see your new love interest cry.  The sheer intensity is likely to leave even the most composed individual staring through eyes filled with salty tears.  Instead, set this in front someone in need of comfort.  Of reassurance.  Of proof that there is always something to look forward to in this trying world.  As the scent wraps its embrace around them...and the texture engages their tongue in ecstasy...and their bellies are caressed by its warm, tender hand...all of their troubles will fall away.

Gnocchi w/ Oxtail Ragú

by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 2.5-3 hours

Keywords: braised entree sauce oxtails tomatoes beef Italian winter

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 3 lbs. Oxtails, cut into ~2" pieces
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3 Tbs. olive oil
• flour, for dredging
• 2 small onions, sliced "¼ thick
• 2 c. red wine
• 3 c. beef stock or broth
• 1 c. Basic Tomato Sauce (see recipe below)
• few fresh sprigs of thyme
• 1-1½ lb. gnocchi

for serving:

• freshly grated Parmesan
• Italian Parsley

for the Basic Tomato Sauce:

• ¼ c. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• a few sprigs fresh thyme
• ½ medium carrot,shredded
• 2 (28 oz.) cans peeled, whole tomatoes
• kosher salt, to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Trim any excess fat from oxtails and season liberally with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, heat olive oil over high heat until it is just smoking. Quickly dredge the oxtails in flour and sear them on all sides until browned, ~8-10 mins. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Add onions to same pot, stirring almost constantly, until browned, ~5-7 mins. Add wine, stock, tomato sauce, and thyme sprigs. Bring mixture to a boil. Return oxtails to pot, submerging in liquid, and return the pot to a boil.

Cover pot and cook in oven for 1½-2 hours, or until meat is falling off bone. Remove pot from oven and carefully remove oxtails. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones and shred into small pieces with a fork. You can also remove the thyme sprigs at this point.

Discard the bones (or save for another purpose, if you wish).

With a small ladle, skim the fat from the surface of the sauce. Return the shredded meat to the pot. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and then allow to reduce to a very thick ragú. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Now. Either proceed with the next step immediately, or cool down the ragú and refrigerate until ready to use, like I did. I then scooped individual serving sizes into a skillet and reheated it over a low heat. Cook your gnocchi and ladle it into your pan (I cooked about ¼" at a time), bringing a bit of the cooking water with it...just what's stuck to the slotted spoon and pasta. Toss with ragú until gnocchi is well coated.

Serve with freshly grated Parmesan and some chopped, fresh Italian Parsley.

to make the Basic Tomato Sauce (yield: 4 cups):

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a 3-qt. saucepan. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, ~8-10 mins. Add thyme and carrot until carrot is soft, ~5 more mins. With your hands, crush the tomatoes into the pot and add the rest of juice from the can. Bring to a boil, stirring often, then reduce heat and simmer for ~30 mins, or until thick like hot cereal. Season to taste with salt.

Use immediately or refrigerate up to 1 week (or freeze up to 6 months).

-adapted from The Babbo Cookbook

Four Cheese and Bacon "Macaroni"

People sometimes ask me if my kids eat all of the ______* foods that I make in my kitchen. *insert choice of adjective here...some examples: strange, different, gourmet, unique, fancy  The short answer is NO.  Of course not...they're kids.  But I can honestly say that they will at least try everything.  They have pretty adventurous palates.  I must say, though...that to them...it's not really strange, different, gourmet, fancy, or unique.  It's actually pretty normal.  With a mom who spends most of her time in the kitchen and a dad whose eaten pretty much anything you can think of and that's just the way he was raised- to not waste any part of an animal...or any animal for that matter...can you say skunk!?, it's just what they "know".  Food made with loving hands...mostly from scratch.  Another thing people wonder is if my kids don't just want macaroni and cheese or poptarts or pizza rolls...of the boxed/bagged variety?  Pssshh.  Of course!  Do I give it to them?  Yes, I do.  Sometimes I choose convenience.  I'll be honest though, I was never one of those kids that asked for mac 'n cheese from a box.  It didn't really taste that good to me.  My sister on the other hand...  Although I could suffer Velveeta shells and cheese...those were pretty creamy and delicious...as I remember.  So, yes...I buy boxed mac and cheese for convenience...but 99% of the time, it's the "thick and creamy" variety.  Not that I eat it...just that I figure they should have "the best" of the boxed {snicker}.  I do, on the other hand....ADORE homemade mac and cheese....especially when it uses four types of cheese and glorious bacon.

Four Cheese and Bacon "Macaroni"

from Family Circle Magazine  Oct.'10

yield: ~12 svgs.

1 lb. cavatappi

6 slices bacon, diced

1 Tbs. unsalted butter

3 Tbs. ap flour

2 c. milk

½ tsp. onion flakes

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

½ lb. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 c. (4 oz.) colby-jack cheese, shredded

1 c. (4 oz.) mozzarella cheese, shredded

8 slices (6 oz.) American cheese

Preheat oven to 350° F.  Grease/spray a 3-qt. broiler-safe baking dish.  Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Cook cavatappi 8 minutes in boiling water, then drain.  Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp.  Transfer to paper towel lined plate to drain.  Pour all but 2 Tbs. of drippings from pan and add butter.

Whisk in flour until smooth.  Whisk in milk in a thin stream.  Stir in onion, salt, & pepper.  Bring to boil over medium-high, then reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes.  In large bowl, toss together first 3 cheeses.  

Remove milk mixture from heat, whisk in American cheese and 1½ c. of 3-cheese mixture.  Toss bacon pieces w/ remaining cheese.

Combine cooked pasta and cheese sauce. Pour half in to prepared dish.  Sprinkle w/ a generous cup of bacon-cheese mixture. Repeat.

Bake in preheated oven for ~20 minutes.  Increase oven temperature to broil and broil 3 minutes, until top is lightly browned.

Now THIS is my kind of mac 'n cheese!  Creamy cheesy goodness to appease the inner cheeseslut...with a golden, crispy, salty, bacony crust to please the...well...to please every bit of my being.  Did somebody say mac and cheese came in a box?  Hmmm...I didn't think so....

*This post is linked to:

~Presto Pasta Nights is hosted by Tigerfish of Teczcape this week