Monday, March 1, 2010

Prep to make it easy, Chicken Tetrazzini, and a note and pics from a reader

This is a pre celiac diagnosis blog post:
As I have said a million times before work is going to be hectic for a while, which makes longer meals harder to make. Knowing that it was going to be a long day, last night I roasted a chicken, so I could use the chicken in a dish today. Some people just go buy the ready roasted chicken at the deli, and that is fine too, but you know I like to do it all myself. A long long time ago I started using those Reynolds oven bags, because I wanted a juicy bird, but did not want to have to baste every 8 minutes. They do the basting for you and make cleanup a breeze. I rub down the bird with olive oil. Salt and pepper and throw it in an oven bag and put it in the oven for 350 degreees for 2 hours.  Don't forget to cut a little slit in the top of the bag so it can breathe.

So tonight I am making chicken tetrazzini, something I have been making since my Sophomore year of High School thanks to a dear old friend Kathy Querin. My parents were going through divorce and it was just me and my Dad at home. So she taught me how to make a few meals and those meals are still staples today in my kitchen.  Course back then I used premade boxed pasta, but hey, the main recipe is still hers. I am sentimental about this. I still have the original recipe card. I took a picture. Blurry yes, but still, the orignal old hand written recipe card.


So I roasted my bird last night and will pull off all the meat, which will give me meat for 2 easy meals this week. Also I have to add that due to my smart shopping the other week when whole chickens were on major sale. I bought this bird that week and froze it. This bird was $2.42 thank you very much!
So I roasted it last night, then put it in tupperware, in the fridge over night. I use the fork method to shred the meat. Two forks going opposite directions makes for perfectly shredded meat.




Here is what it looks like shredded.

So that is my TIP OF THE DAY: When you know you are going to be short on time. Prep your protien the night before.


 Chickent Tetrazzini recipe:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream
2 TB sherry
7 oz cooked linguine
2 cups cooked chicken (you can also use turkey)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

heat oven to 350
Melt butter over low heat
blend in flour and seasonings
cook stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbly
Remove from heat
Stir in broth and cream
heat to boiling stirring constantly
Boil 1 minute
add sherry
Stir in pasta noodles and chicken
Pour into a baking dish and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese
Bake 30 minutes.


I always double this recipe because it is so good leftover. 

Dinner is served:


Oh yeah I also made my dijion garlic butter broccoli. Melt 1/4 cup butter (haha coppi! ) and 4 cloves chopped garlic in the micro for 1 minute. Mix in 2 TB dijion mustard and pour over FRESH broccoli heads. Cover and put in oven at 350 for 20 minutes.



Ok, One of my friends daughters reads my blog. I was so excited to hear that! Part of my friends note said:

"I am so in love with your food blog, I just want to cook everything now. I desperately need to find a pasta maker, there isn't one anywhere in town here. I will be looking on the internet today and will probabaly just get the hand roller one. Tiera told me I need to get the kitchen aid because they have them in her cooking class and she loves them and she said she knows Christi loves them too because she reads your blog too which I didn't know until last night"

Her daughter Tiera had to make a meal for her cooking class and she chose to make the Chicken Marsala and rissotto, Cucumber salad, and cookie dough cake. Here are her pictures! What a great job Tiera!!!

Her tomato, cucumber, garlic and basil salad


Chicken Marsala


Cookie Dough Cake


If I was your teacher you would get an A+++++++!!!


2 comments:

  1. Haha, Christi, I wish you were my teacher, all we do is easy stuff in our foods class, but I decided to make gourmet, from scratch food, next trimester I'm taking baking 101. Making cheesecakes! YUM!

    ~Tiera

    ReplyDelete
  2. I would love to teach cooking. In a small way I can use this blog to cook those who don't know how.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you! I love comments!

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