In the Kitchen

It's a bit blustery here today in Central Texas - - of course, nothing like what's happening up North, but I was truly looking forward to some time in the yard.  Since I'm chillin' in the house, I thought I'd do some bulk cooking for this week so that I'd have food for lunch.

2 things I'm making with leftovers:  chicken spaghetti and chili.

For both of these recipes, the only "new" items I needed were pinto beans, Alfredo sauce, canned tomatoes and pasta.  All other items were things leftover from other recipes.

Leftover items:  frozen celery and onion leftover from the holidays; rotisserie chicken; baked beans and hamburger patties from dinner last week; ground sausage from breakfast bowls.

Chicken Alfredo**  I just added this recipe to a weekly meal planner.

Add 1 cup rotisserie chicken, 1/2 cup chopped onions and 1/2 cup chopped celery to a saucepan.  Cover slightly with water and bring to a boil.  Once the chicken, onions and celery have softened, use a slotted spoon to remove from the pan.

Add extra water, if needed, and bring to a boil.  This will be the water to boil your pasta.

I often make homemade pasta sauce or use a mix.  In these instances, I make the sauce while the pasta is cooking.

Drain the pasta and add to a casserole dish.  Add the chicken mixture and pour the Alfredo sauce over the ingredients.  Stir.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.


Chili

In a crock pot, add all the ingredients.  The thing I love about this recipe is that it always differs in what I add.

1 can pinto beans with liquid
1 can chopped tomatoes
Chili powder and cumin

Leftovers:  1/2 pound ground sausage; 1/2 can baked beans; 1/2 pound cooked hamburger; 1/2 cup chopped onions; 1/2 cup chopped celery.

Add water to cover.  I cook my chili on low for over 6 hours, so I want enough water to keep the chili from sticking to the bottom or becoming too thick.  I often don't  add extra salt or pepper because the leftover food already has those, but you can add once the chili has cooked for a while and you have tasted.

What I love about making this chili is all the ways you can use it:  juevos rancheros, chili pie, baked potatoes, soup.  With all the ways you can eat the chili, you can use whatever you have on hand.  This week, I have some corn chips for chili pie and fresh baking potatoes.

Leftover Lunch: Chicken Spaghetti

When shopping for chicken, it is often less expensive to purchase whole chicken than boneless.  I can usually find chicken breast with attached ribs at $1 pound as opposed to the $4.99 pound of boneless breast.  What  I am most often asked is what to do with the bones.  Whether I start with a whole chicken or with those pieces with bones, once I trim off the bulk of the meat, I put the bones in a pan of water and cook.  Once cool, save the broth and completely debone.  Depending on how much broth you end up with, you can divide, if needed for several recipes.  You should have about 2 cups of broth / chicken pieces.

1 envelope spaghetti seasoning
1 can tomato paste
Thin spaghetti pasta
Optional:  onion, bell pepper, mushroom


Add only the broth to a 3 qt saucepan.  Add extra water if  needed.  Your pot should be about 2/3 full.
In a bowl, combine the chicken pieces, envelope of spaghetti seasoning, tomato paste and any option vegetables you want to add.  Stir together.  Add chicken broth until you have a consistency you want.  I like my sauce thicker than most jar sauces.  Set aside.

Bring the chicken broth to a boil and cook the pasta according the package directions.  Drain.

Add the sauce to the pasta and stir.