Fat Frog Diary

  Broccoli Chicken a  La King I love vintage recipes! This one comes from my youth, when the can of soup and the microwave would set the housewife free from the drudgery of the kitchen. This was the age when the woman was supposed to be Super Mom, able to work a full-time  job and then come home and whip up a nutritious meal in only a few minutes. The manufacturer's ideas of what was nutritious were flexible, of course.  The true beauty of this recipe is its flexibility. There are options on the cheese, the meat, and what you serve it on top with. What Mom did back then depended on her own energy level, but I personally would recommend either tossing a baking potato or three in the Instant Pot if you have a few extra minutes.  Notes: 1. While I know I'll get some hate for this; I use and keep Spam and canned cooked chicken around for those days when I forgot to defrost something. These "shelf special" recipes have saved me plenty of money, since I did...

  Roast Turkey with Sage Butter This recipe from the illustrious magazine, Epicurious, became my go-to turkey recipe from the first day we tried it. Take my advice and make the broth yourself using cheap wings, backs, and drumsticks. This is your opportunity to use all those carrot tops, onion skins, leek greens, and of course celery tops in the broth. Season lightly if at all! Remember you'll be adding seasoning during the recipe process when you use the broth. I make mine in the Instant Pot using the slow cooker setting, cool, strain out the spent veggies and bones, then cool thoroughly to remove the big disk of fat the next day. The result should be thick, gelatinized, and more delicious than anything you can buy from the store.  Yes, it's worth the extra trouble of frying up the bacon then mixing the butter, sage and bacon. Make sure you reserve that 1/3 cup of the sage butter for the gravy before stuffing the rest under the skin. Yes, slide your hand under the skin an...

Herb Shoppe Turkey Baste This is an opportunity for a great family project or even friends. There are ten herbs used in this recipe, and that can get very expensive. I recommend getting together with a few friends and sharing the cost of buying all those herbs. Everyone gets a batch of the baste blend and you don't waste herbs you would rarely use, like savory or chervil. Since this recipe is equally good with chicken, you could even make this a dinner party and everyone gets to taste the blend. After all, that wine needs to be used up too.  Sources: I'm sorry to say I no longer have the book this came from, so if anyone recognizes the source, please let me know. I'd love to give credit.  ************************ Disclaimer: I am not a chef, nor a licensed food service professional of any kind. I'm a grandmother who loves to cook and loves efficient cooking. Anything I post has been checked out by me, but in no way do I guarantee that my suggestions will work ...

  Marinated Thanksgiving Turkey Marinated turkey? Why not? You just have to watch your timing or buy a fresh turkey instead of frozen. The two-gallon freezer bags can be more difficult to find, especially at this season of the year. Get that first. I often have to hunt at two or three stores, and sometimes resort to Amazon.com. I suggest keeping a box or two around. They're very useful for separating craft projects, storage, and other non-food uses. I have a box I keep just for my sewing projects.  I use and highly recommend a probe thermometer with an alarm to ensure your turkey reaches 185F. I have included an example below.  Sources: Taste of Home Probe Thermometer:  Amazon.com: ThermoPro TP-16 Large LCD Digital Cooking Food Meat Smoker Oven Kitchen BBQ Grill Thermometer Clock Timer with Stainless Steel Probe : Home & Kitchen ************************ Disclaimer: I am not a chef, nor a licensed food service professional of any kind. I'm a grandmother ...

  Skillet Chicken and Mushrooms Another classic from Campell's Soups made for the electric skillet. Notes: 1. As I've said before, the amount of chicken you buy can vary depending on your needs. If you can afford a broiler-fryer chicken, get a whole one and cut it up yourself. There are plenty of YouTube tutorials if you don't know how.  Sources:  Electric Skillet:  Amazon.com: BELLA Electric Skillet and Frying Pan with Glass Lid, Nonstick Coating, Cool Touch Handles, Removable Heating Probe, Dishwasher Safe, 12 x 12 inch, Copper: Home & Kitchen ************************ Disclaimer: I am not a chef, nor a licensed food service professional of any kind. I'm a grandmother who loves to cook and loves efficient cooking. Anything I post has been checked out by me, but in no way do I guarantee that my suggestions will work for you. YMMV (Your mileage may vary.) Some links may give the original poster a small commission on products sold via the link. I pe...

OGRE AND PUMPKIN SLIDERS   I'm more of a purist and would prefer ground beef on my sliders. However, this year we ended up being given a package of ground turkey. So, original ingredients it is, this year.  Notes: 1. Dave doesn't like green olives stuffed with pimento, so I'll be substituting black olives. I'll add a tiny dollop of mayonnaise to make the eyeball effect. If I have the time, I'll cut pointed ovals out of red peppers for a red "pupil".  2. I have a cookie cutter that just happens to be the right size to create the cheese jack-o-lantern, so this is an easy one for me.  3. I'll pop them in the air fryer for a quick sizzle. Here in Florida, October is still hot. We avoid the oven until it cools down. However, I remember living in Denver where I planned Halloween costumes to fit over snowsuits!  Disclaimer: I am not a chef, nor a licensed food service professional of any kind. I'm a grandmother who loves to cook and loves efficient ...

  Chicken Broccoli Recipes- Two for One Another fine set of recipes from Campbell's Soup. Both of these can be made in the electric skillet or the Instant Pot, though you may have to increase the liquid if you use the Instant Pot.  Notes: 1. The second recipe neglects to mention you will need spaghetti noodles and cook them separately.  2. I'm one of those that find chicken breast a bit too dry, so I use boneless chicken thighs. I've also been known to simply get one of the pre-cooked chickens and use that instead.  3. Please do not use the grated parmesan cheese you find near the spaghetti sauces in jars. Go to the deli and get grated parmesan there or buy a wedge and grate what you need.  4. If you follow my tips from previous recipes, the vegetables were prepped the day you brought them home from the grocery store. I chop my carrots into coins, since that's the form I most often use, but a quick whir in the food processor takes care of grating them i...

  Broccoli Chicken a la King Am I a fan of Campell's soups? Yes, I am! I'm from the era of "Casseroles will Set You Free" from the drudgery of the kitchen, and that view has only strengthened over the years. Note that you can also switch out and use ham instead of chicken. I cheat and use Spam. This is a microwave recipe as well. Can you get any easier?    Notes: 1. Serve over split baked potatoes, cooked noodles, or biscuits. I personally have served it over cooked farro as well.  2. Cheap casserole dishes can be found at thrift stores. I have a whole collection that cost me less than $20 in total, and that includes Corning Ware with lids. Stock up! That way, if you're ever asked to bring a casserole to the potluck, you won't be annoyed if the dish disappears. Never take your *good* casserole dishes out of the house. Be prepared to be that cook who whips up a casserole, brings it in a dish, and is totally stress free.  Disclaimer: I am not a chef, n...

This recipe is delicious, fast, easy, and cheap. There's even a version on campbells/com that includes cheese called Ultimate Chicken Pot Pie. Ingredients: 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup 1 pkg (12 oz) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed 1 egg 1 c. milk (divided ½ cup and ½ cup) 1 c. cubed cooked chicken or turkey 1 c. biscuit baking mix Instructions: Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a 9" pie plate with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, stir together the soup, ½ cup of milk, vegetables, and chicken. Pour into the pie plate. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining ½ cup of milk, egg, and baking mix just until it comes together. Spread the batter over the chicken mixture. (The batter is thin, but the idea is to form a crust, not biscuits.) Bake for 20 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Serve hot. Notes: I use this when I've made chicken or turkey stock, or when I have leftover poultry meat. Since I try to keep all of the ingredie...

Originally, we lost this recipe in a move. Then along comes Google and we found it again! Saved, thanks to the internet. This has been our favorite for twenty years, and we see no reason to change. Lena Austin http://www.lenaaustin.com/ http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/

Twenty Clove Chicken Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly, p. 7 Nancy Savage, Factoryville, PA Makes 6 servings Ideal slow-cooker size: 4-qt. ¼ cup dry white wine 2 Tbsp. chopped dried parsley 2 tsp. dried basil leaves 1 tsp. dried oregano pinch of crushed red pepper flakes 20 cloves of garlic (about 1 head) 4 celery ribs, chopped 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves 1 lemon, juice and zest fresh herbs, optional 1. Combine wine, dried parsley, dried basil, dried oregano, and dried red peppers in large bowl. 2. Add garlic cloves and celery. Coat well. 3. Transfer garlic and celery to slow cooker with slotted spoon. 4. Add chicken to herb mixture. Coat well. Place chicken on top of vegetables in slow cooker. 5. Sprinkle lemon juice and zest in slow cooker. Add any remaining herb mixture. 6. Cover. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is no longer pink in center. 7. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired. Note: For browned chicken, saute uncooked breasts in la...

Easy Chicken Rarebit Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 4 to 5 hours (low) or 2 to 2 1/2 hours (high) omg - this sounds soooooo good - for summer crockpot users: cook on back porch to keep heat out of kitchen and house cooler!   Ingredients 1-3/4   pounds  skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (Yeah, I'll just use cheap thighs, thanks) 1   14- to 16-ounce jar  cheddar cheese pasta sauce 1   tablespoon  Worcestershire sauce 1   large  onion, halved crosswise and thinly sliced 6     pumpernickel or rye buns, split and toasted, or 6 slices pumpernickel or rye bread, toasted and halved diagonally Lower the carb count by skipping the bread. Serve on romaine lettuce rollers. 4     slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained, and crumbled (optional) 1     tomato, chopped (optional)     Kosher dill pickles (optional) Directions 1. Cut chicken diagonally into 1/2-...

Crock Pot Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1 can (28 oz) stewed tomatoes 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp celery seed 1 cup chicken broth 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil Combine all but the basil in the crock pot. Cover and cook on Low 6-8 hours until done. Sprinkle with basil just before serving.   Coming Soon! A Haunted Halloween Blog Tour Lena Austin http://www.LenaAustin.com http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com

Man, this is gooooood!

OMG!! This was so easy and smells so good! It's in my crock pot right now. The guys can have it over rice. Me, I'll just enjoy the meat and sauce. The only change I made was I used Splenda brown.

Use a Y-shaped vegetable peeler to get the peel.

Chicken Athena 6 (6-oz) boneless skinless chicken breast halves or boneless skinless chicken thighs 1-1/2 cups chopped onion 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped 1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped 2 T lemon juice 1 T balsamic vinegar 3 cloves garlic, pressed ½ t. salt Bandsters—whirl the meat, onion, tomatoes, and olives in the food processor before putting this in the crock-pot. You’re looking for small bits of meat like ground beef. Put everything in the crock-pot. Cover and cook on Low 4-6 hours. Six servings. You may substitute grape tomatoes in place of the dried tomatoes, but you will lose some flavor. For those with gluten sensitivity, make sure you use gluten-free tomatoes, olives, and vinegar. Low Carb serving suggestion—Stir-fry zucchini squash medallions. Top with a sprinkle of feta cheese. For non-bandsters, serve with steamed new potatoes or baby potatoes. Rice also works. Nutrition per serving 248 calories 6g fat 40g protein 7g carbs 1g dietary fiber 99 mg ch...

While I think these are good, the author swore they were addictive and that's why she gave them the name. I'll grant they are a treat, and the batch I made served me lunches for quite awhile. I recommend cutting off the wing tips and throwing them immediately into a small crock pot of water, celery tops you've saved for this, onion, a little salt, pepper, and a little poultry seasoning for easy homemade chicken broth. Then make the wings and know you've not wasted a bit of your precious money. After the broth has cooked, strain out the used veggies and bones. Let it cool in a bowl on the counter, stick it in the fridge, skim off the fat that hardens at the top, and measure into one cup increments. Store in the freezer until needed. I put them in 1 quart ziplock bags and freeze in square storage containers. That way, I can remove the storage containers after they're hard, and they still stack nicely in a corner.

From the Food Network! Again, I never bother with buying chicken breasts when I have leftover cut up cooked chicken or boneless chicken thighs available for much, much cheaper. (See my notes on the Slow Cooker Jambalaya on Feb 13 for more cheap cooking hints, like making your own chicken broth.)

I made a few changes to this recipe, I admit. First off, I used cut up cooked chicken from my stash of leftovers instead of the expensive boneless skinless chicken breasts. I did manage to find andouille sausage, but it wouldn't hurt my feelings if I had to substitute another kind. This is a Cajun recipe, and they're famous for making do with what they have. My chicken broth was homemade, and you don't get much more "reduced sodium" than that. (That's what I do with all those leftover bits like the pointy wing tips, necks no one wants, and the occasional "sale meat" that is a bargain only if you stew it to death. Grin) Also, here's a little trick to gladden the heart of any cook-- You can make your rice in the slow cooker too! Just use the "converted" rice (I use Uncle Ben's) and it cooks up just fine. (This is why I have two crock pots, and I'm thinking about getting another.) I'll make the jambalaya in the big pot, a...