Things I Love: 40-Clove Garlic Chicken

So the wonderful thing about getting married (besides, you know, the whole love-of-your-life thing) is that people get you gift cards to amazing places. I still have a considerable amount of gift cards to Williams-Sonoma, and every once in a while I go in there and buy different sauces and bases and cake mixes to try out. This week I got one I had tried before: the 40-Clove Garlic Chicken Braising Base. Let me just say, it is amazing. I make it in the Dutch Oven/Oven and follow the directions exactly (except when browning the chicken, I add a bit of Tony Cachere’s Cajun Seasoning and some Italian Seasoning as well). I love it, because it’s one of the few dishes where I don’t feel compelled to change it up and do my own thing. When it comes out of the oven, the chicken literally falls apart, and I serve it with a baguette (you can find them whole or pre-sliced in the bakery section, or you can buy really good ones at Panera).

Also, when we are all done eating, I store the leftover chicken in one container, and the leftover sauce in another. Sometimes for lunch, I’ll just warm up some of the sauce and dip my bread in it (I’m not a big meat-eater). And my husband doesn’t eat a lot of bread, so he loves just having the chicken ready to go. Also: I know the price tag looks a bit hefty, but believe me, you can make this sauce go a LONG way. It would even be great to add the leftover sauce to a white bean chili, or chop up some green tomatoes to make a fun sauce and serve over egg noodles!

One more thing? Yes, there is a TON of garlic in there, but after you eat, the garlic smell goes away. No garlic breath, no garlic hands, no garlic kitchen – it’s great!

Oh and since I was in there, I also bought Williams-Sonoma’s Brown Sugar Bundt Cake Mix, and topped it with some whipped cream cheese frosting. Sorry they didn’t have a picture, and I didn’t take one. But it was delicious, I promise!

Brunch Casserole

I made this last weekend for a football watch party and it was amazing. My favorite part – unlike most breakfast casseroles, you don’t need to refrigerate this overnight! The secret? I think it’s the fact that this recipe uses hash browns instead of eggs. Whatever it was, this was delicious!

Brunch Casserole

Ingredients:

- 1 pkg. sliced bacon

- 1/2 cup chopped onion

- 2 small cans green chiles, diced

- 12 eggs

- 1 cup milk

- 1 pkg. frozen hash browns, thawed (16-oz. pkg.)

- 1 cup shredded cheese (American, Colby-Jack)

- Salt & Pepper

- 1/2 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s Cajun Seasoning

- 1/4 teaspoon celery salt

- dash of garlic salt

Directions:

1) In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp (to save time, I cooked 5 slices of bacon in a skillet to get the grease, then microwaved the rest). Crumble bacon and set aside. In same skillet, sautee onion and green chiles in drippings until onions are tender and extra liquid from the chiles has cooked away.

2) In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and milk. Stir in hash browns, cheese, salt, pepper, Tony’s, celery salt, garlic salt, onion mixture and bacon cumbles.

3) Transfer to a 13 x 9 baking dish (grease if it is not nonstick). Spread evenly. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (Tip: I baked it at 350 for 35 minutes, then at 400 for 10 additional minutes and it was the perfect consistency.)

Serves: 6-12

Suggestions:

I served this with salsa and jalapenos, and fat free sour cream on top. I also served cinnamon rolls, so you get the sweet and salty effect.

The great thing about this is that you can change it up based on the occasion and how you feel. For instance, next time I will probably put more veggies in there (bell peppers probably, maybe some broccoli).

Also, my husband doesn’t eat anything with more than 4 carbs, but he made an exception for this dish and the hash browns. Afterward, he suggested that I sub french fried onion strings for the hash browns. They’re healthier, and taste just as good.

I am always an advocate of more cheese. For 12 eggs PLUS a package of hash browns, 1 cup of cheese didn’t seem like enough.

Sausage is always interchangeable with the bacon. Just be sure it’s done before you mix it in.

Let me know how you change it and what you think!

-C-

Recipe: Easy Turkey Chili

This recipe is super easy, and kind of a cheater, but it makes great-tasting chili that’s perfect to eat in cold weather with some cider or a nice beer!

SUPER Easy Turkey Chili

Ingredients:

- 2 cans of Wolf brand turkey chili

- 1 lb. of ground turkey

- 3 or 4 tomatoes

- 1 or 2 red onions

- 1 bag cheddar/colby jack shredded cheese

- 1 tub light or FF sour cream

- 1 bottle of an IPA beer, such as Thunder Head Indian Pale Ale

Instructions:

1) Brown turkey. Add spices such as salt and pepper, ground red pepper, garlic salt, and Tony Chachere’s cajun seasoning, to taste. Drain liquid, transfer to soup pot.

2) Add both cans of turkey chili. Cook on medium heat. After a few minutes, add the whole bottle of beer. Stir occasionally.

3) While chili is warming, chop tomatoes and onions. If you’re like my husband, you’ll want to leave the tomatoes on the side. However, if you like tomatoes, go ahead and add them and a handful of onions to the chili.

4) Stir the chili occasionally, leaving on medium heat, for at least 20 minutes to allow flavors to blend. You can also do this in a slow cooker. Basically, the longer you cook it, the better the flavors blend.

5) Serve 1 cup in a large bowl. Top with a spoonful of red onions, a handful of cheese, and a dollop of sour cream.

I also recommend cornbread to dip in the chili. I’ve made jalapeno corn bread before, and last night I served it with crescent rolls and a beer.

Bon Apetit!

-C-

My Life is Now Complete

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