Friends

It all started when I saw these napkins online. 

I ordered the napkins and then invited the friends.

Everyone seems to have a full calendar these days so it's hard to find a day when all of us can get together. You might think that our ages, the calendar would be nothing but doctor appointments. Of course there are doctor appointments, but these ladies fill their calendars with travel and cruises and concerts and plays and committees and volunteer work and bridge club and garden club and who knows what else.

It was a miracle but a few days after I sent the text everyone came to my house for lunch. The first time all of us (who used to gather weekly for book club) had been together in many months.

  

Sarah quickly responded to the invitation text and asked if she could bring dessert. I immediately said "yes." Then all I had to do was make soup. And Sarah brought pie. Yep. That was the menu. Soup and tortilla chips and pie. No need to stress about cooking for company.

I did make the simplest appetizer to welcome everyone. Something to nibble on until everyone arrived. It's also one of the most delicious appetizers I've ever made.

Here's all you do:  Spread softened Boursin cheese (I used Garlic & Herb flavor) on a platter. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Drizzle with honey. Put some sturdy crackers, like Wheat Thins, around the edge.

I did mix cranberry juice and ginger ale together for a spritzer to have with the crackers. The appetizer and the spritzer combined took 10 minutes to prep. 

Chicken Taco Soup is so easy make. And I knew everyone liked it because we've had it before. It's in the recipe index on the blog, but I'll put the recipe at the bottom to make it easy for you to find. Any soup left can go in the freezer for one of those busy days coming as Christmas gets closer.

And for the rest of the afternoon, it was all about conversation, catching up and laughing. I hope the walls of my kitchen soaked up the sound—chatter, laughter, story telling...the sound of friendship.

If you've been meaning to have friends over, do it. Don't wait. Buy sub sandwiches, use Door Dash, make the easiest recipe you have. Pull out paper plates. It isn't about the food. It's about the friends. Going out is great, but the visiting can last longer around a kitchen table than at a restaurant. Sweep the floor, wipe off the table but don't worry about making the house perfect. It isn't about your house. It's about being with friends.

I'm so glad I asked them to come now, right before Thanksgiving and Christmas get closer. It's only going to get busier from here on out. Plus, no one expected my house to be decorated for Christmas. I pulled out my vintage pilgrim salt & pepper shakers and that was all the "decorating" that happened.

I made this soup in the instant pot (I made two batches) but you can put it in the slow cooker or cook it on the stove top. You just need to cook it until the chicken is tender.

CHICKEN TACO SOUP (Instant Pot) 

1 small onion, chopped

1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed

1 (15-oz) can light red kidney beans, drained & rinsed

1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce

10-oz bag frozen corn

2 (10-oz) cans Rotel tomatoes (I used Mild)

1 packet taco seasoning (I used mild, low-sodium)

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (fresh or frozen)

1/2 cup water

Place all ingredients into pot. Put lid on, close and set vent to "seal." Use manual button and set to 8 minutes. Let it "natural release" for at least 10 minutes. (Longer is fine.) Then release remaining pressure, if there is any. Remove chicken and shred with two forks. Add shredded chicken back into soup. Add a little water if it's too thick. Serve. 

Makes 3 quarts

The Times They Are A-Changin'

Where has Mimi been for the last six weeks? Why are there no new recipes? (There is a new one at the end!) Oh my goodness, life just gets busier and busier. In these last weeks, we have spent a few days at the beach, a couple of days in the mountains, attended two plays, a concert and a festival. And we have more tickets for upcoming concerts and reservations for another get-away. For years Daddy-O ran a cattle farm and farm duties kept him close to home. I would visit places but his travel away was limited to a night or two.

Then two years ago Hurricane Helene blew through here—250 miles inland from the coast—and it changed our lives. Luckily our house was undamaged, but hundreds of trees were blown down. Blown down on top of pasture fences. Blown down on our lake houses. Blown down on two barns. And finally two years later, the damage has been dealt with. One barn was destroyed and that spot in the pasture looks like a barn was never there. The other barn has been put back together. The lake property repairs were finished although there are no shade trees left in the yard in front of our cabin and cottage. 

The biggest change for us was the destruction of pasture fences. You can't keep a herd of cows without fences. So the cows were all sold. We had talked for years about going out of the cattle business. We knew would happen at some point as we aged. We didn't anticipate that the "when" would be decided by a storm. So here we are now...going more, exploring places, attending events. It's good to do all these things, but I still love home best of all. 

Assorted frozen entrees ready to thaw and bake.

Let me tell you quickly why I haven't posted recipes lately. We have been trying some new meal options available locally. I've never tried one of the meal kit services like Hello Fresh or Blue Apron. I have friends who have loved those. But we now have two businesses within miles of our house that offer prepared meals that are cooked locally, ready to take home and bake or heat. 

Heat and eat meals from a local store.

The first business opened a year or so ago. Along with their freshly baked breads and other baked goods, they offer frozen entrees, ready to thaw and bake. And now a store in the other nearby town that has started a meal subscription service. Pre-order the meals and pick them up the next week. These are ready to heat and eat. So far we have enjoyed what we've tried.

It's been fun. We don't always want to go out to eat and I don't always want to cook. These new food options have given me some flexibly in the kitchen. I still make breakfast and lunch, and often cook a vegetable to go with the bought meals. But I don't have to cook supper every night of the week. This is the closest thing to having a kitchen assistant I've found.

I did try a new soup recipe yesterday. Put everything in the slow cooker before I left for church. It smelled so good when I walked in the door a few hours later. We will have some for lunch today and I'll freeze the rest.

BLACK BEAN TACO SOUP    

3 cups vegetable broth

2 (15-oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14.5-oz) can Rotel tomatoes, undrained  (we use mild)

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced green pepper

1-1/2 tablespoons taco seasoning (this is not a full package!)

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours, or LOW for 7-8 hours, until vegetables are tender. (I tasted and added a pinch of sugar to balance the acid of the tomatoes.)

Stir well and use an immersion blender to blend about half the soup mixture. (If you want a pureed soup, blend it all.)

Top with crumbled tortilla chips and/or avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream. 

Be aware that this is a "soupy" soup—not thick like a stew or a chili.

Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

A quick recipe drop so that I don't lose this recipe! The safest place for me to store my recipes is right here on the blog, but it's a lot. Sixteen years worth.  I have never counted to see how many recipes are here. The blog is my go to place for finding what I want. If you also use this site to find recipes, remember you can search two ways. The recipe index is one of the tabs at the top just under the header. I list them alphabetically by recipe name.

But sometimes that isn't helpful. A friend was looking for my chili recipe and told me she couldn't find it. She was looking in the Cs—for chili. Makes sense. Except the name of the recipe is Damn Good Chili, so it's in the Ds! I tripped myself up today when looking for Beef & Broccoli for tonight's dinner. It's listed as EASY Beef & Broccoli. So it's down with the Es.

The way I search most of the time is by using the tiny little search box that you'll find in the top left corner of the blog window—in the web version. There's a tiny little magnifying glass in it. That signifies "search." If you normally use your phone to look at the blog, there is an option to switch to web version at the bottom of the most recent posts. Hope this helps.

Now on to the recipe. I had a pack of boneless, skinless chicken thighs that needs to be used. I was short of time so I thought the air fryer might do the trick. When I searched for air fryer chicken thigh recipes nearly all of them were for thighs with skin and bone. I kept looking and found this one recipe.

We were so hungry that night that I didn't slow down to make a good photo. So what you see at the top is a photo of the dish of leftover chicken that was headed to the refrigerator. This turned out to be great to have cooked chicken on hand for a couple of days. Can't wait to make this again.

AIR FRYER CHICKEN THIGHS

1-1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1-1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

Some freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

Squeeze of lemon juice to finish

Trim chicken thighs if you want to. (I did)

In a bowl, toss chicken thighs with the spices and olive oil. Let it marinate for 15 minutes up to 2-3 hours in the fridge. (If you’re in a hurry, you can skip the marinating.)

Air fry at 375º for 11-13 minutes, until deeply golden and a bit crisped on the outside. Internal temp should reach 165º. 

Let it rest a few minutes before serving. If you’d like, squeeze a little lemon juice over the top to finish.

That’s it. I cooked mine an extra couple of minutes. Each air fryer is a little different. I'm learning that that for almost every recipe I need to add a minute or two to the cooking time. Yes, I did use a meat thermometer to check the temp. I did realize days later as I was putting away spices that I had grabbed smoked paprika instead of plain. It was good, but now I want to try it with the plain paprika.

Recipe Redeux (New and Improved)

Chickpea Salad

Don't faint. I'm doing two blog posts in one week. I had lunch today with friends and we talked about the salad I made over the weekend. DaddyO and I have been making a conscious effort to make good food choices. More vegetables, Less sweets. You know the drill. This salad is an easy way to add a lot of vegetable to the plate. I've been making it all summer. It's so good. It's easy. It keeps several days in the fridge. It's a good side dish. Or you can have a bowl full for lunch. It's a nearly perfect recipe. 

Doris asked if the recipe was on my blog. I told her yes (and crossed my fingers.) When I got home I looked to see if it was indeed on the blog. Yes, I had posted it in 2019. But boy, has it evolved in those years. It is much more flavorful now.

It's a "recipe" with no measurements. You don't need them. I'll give you the list of ingredients. You can figure out the amounts. Really. You can.

CHICKPEA SALAD

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Cucumbers, diced large

Tomatoes—grape tomatoes, halved or fresh tomatoes, diced

Red onion, diced

Fresh lemon juice

Lemon zest

Fresh parsley, minced

Olive oil

Apple cider vinegar

Dried oregano

Salt and pepper

Crumbled feta

That's it. I didn't measure anything. But I'll give you a clue to what I did. Add cucumbers and tomatoes in amounts about equal to the chickpeas. Red onion, maybe a 1/3 cup. Add just a bit of lemon zest. Squeeze lemon juice over, drizzle with oil (not too much), add a little vinegar. Give it a good sprinkle of oregano. Salt and pepper to taste. Add most of an 8-oz container of feta. Stir together. 

Taste and adjust the flavors. More vinegar? More salt? I added a little more oil. When you have the flavor right, cover and refrigerate to let the flavors blend. 

Now from this point, you can make this salad your own. Add olives (which I don't like), diced yellow pepper for more color. Maybe some cubed avocado—but it won't keep as long. Leave out the feta if you don't like it. Substitute cannellini beans for chickpeas. Use avocado oil or canola if you're out of olive oil. Truly. Make it suit your family.

If you one who follows the recipe exactly, this is a perfect place to try making a dish without measuring anything. Be brave. 

Recipe Catch Up

I got so behind this summer. We had good times with the family and there were good recipes cooked in this kitchen. The grownups and the almost grownups are all good cooks. And everyone had a turn in the kitchen. I did not get a photo of all the deliciousness we enjoyed. Nor do I have recipes for all of them. But I do have a couple to share from July. If I don't get these recipes tucked away here, I'll likely lose the printed copies.

Both of these were made by Jessica when she and the children were here. Daughters and sons-in-law are good about taking over meal prep when they visit. The only complaint I have is that sometimes we eat too well!

Caprese Chicken

STOVETOP CAPRESE CHICKEN

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/3 cup basil pesto (she used store bought)

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Cherry Tomato Topping:

2 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes

1 large shallot, halved and thinly sliced

1/2 cup sliced basil leaves

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Pinch of slat and pepper

Place chicken on a cutting board; cover with parchment paper or plastic wrap and with a meat mallet (or heavy skillet), pound the chicken until it’s a uniform 1/2-inch thickness. Pat dry with paper towels.

Place chicken in a large bowl and add the olive oil, balsamic, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, slat and pepper Toss until well combined. Set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.

While chicken is marinating, make the tomato topping. In a medium bowl, combine all the topping ingredients. Toss to combine. Set aside while you cook the the chicken. 

Heat skillet on stove. All enough oil to cook. Cook chicken, turning halfway through, until done. Reduce heat and spoon about a tablespoon of pesto on each chicken piece. Spread it across into an even layer. Sprinkle the tops with the mozzarella. Cover and cook on low heat until cheese is just melted.

Let chicken rest about 4 minutes before serving. Then plate the chicken and spoon the tomato topping over each piece.

(This recipe came from The Defined Dish. Check out her original instructions for cooking on a grill. I guessed at exactly how Jessica did it. But I'm sure you can adapt.)

We served this with rice. Thank goodness for those quick microwave packs for days when there aren't enough hands.

Creamy Chicken & Tortellini Bake

Now THIS is a company kind of dish. It's rich and creamy and full of flavor. It's more effort than the caprese chicken. But it's not hard. Just has a long list of ingredients. Don't be put off. 

CREAMY CHICKEN and TORTELLINI BAKE

4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 large shallot, halved and thinly sliced

2 cups thinly sliced baby Bella mushrooms

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 cup roughly chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

5-oz baby spinach

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup heavy cream

18-oz refrigerated cheese or spinach tortellini (she used Rana)

1 cup packed basil leaves (more for garnish)

2 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 375º. Place chicken breasts on a cutting board and cover with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet or heavy skillet and pound until it’s a uniform 1/2-inch thick. (I have used an empty wine bottle to pound.)

Season chicken with salt, pepper and paprika. Sprinkle with flour and use hands to rub flour into chicken so it’s well coated.

Heat oil in large, oven safe skillet over medium-heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Move chicken to a clean plate. (It will finish cooking in oven.)

Reduce heat to medium. If skillet seems dry, add 1 more tablespoon oil to the pan. Add shallot, mushrooms, garlic and cook, stirring, until tender about 2-3 minutes.

Add sun-dried tomatoes, dijon, broth and whisk to combine. Cook until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add spinach, salt, pepper and cook stirring, until wilted.

Add cream and bring to simmer. Once simmering, add tortellini and basil. Gently toss until well combined and basil has just wilted.

Remove from heat and nestle chicken breast into the skillet. Top with parmesan. Transfer to the oven and bake, uncovered, until chicken is just cooked through and tortellini is tender, about 12-15 minutes. 

Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Garnish with more basil is desired.

Yep. Definitely a special dish for your favorite guests. My normal cooking now is so simple. This is far beyond what I usually prepare. But I would make this for a special meal.

NOTE:  To anyone like who grew up in the last century (like me) when stores stocked two kinds of salt—plain and iodized—be sure you are aware that there are about a dozen kinds of salt that you might find on the store shelf now. 

If you only have table salt like Morton's in your kitchen, know that it measures differently. Use less if you don't want your dish too salty.  Here's why:

Kosher salt is no saltier than table salt by weight —they are chemically identical. However, by volume (measuring with a teaspoon), table salt is much saltier because its tiny crystals pack tightly together, meaning a teaspoon of table salt contains nearly twice as much sodium as a teaspoon of kosher salt. 

Substitution: As discussed in r/Cooking on Reddit, users on the forum reach a consensus that you should never substitute table salt 1:1 by volume for kosher salt, or your dish will end up way too salty (use about half the amount of table salt if a recipe calls for kosher salt).