(not)Slow-Cooker Itailan (not)Turkey-Rice

This is a notable occasion, not only because I altered a recipe and it turned out pretty good, but also because it was the first time I used my new oven.

I was going to make the Betty Crocker Italian Turkey-Rice Crockpot, with chicken instead of turkey, today, but the boys and I got building a boat, then I had a phone meeting, and by then it was too late. 

So I thought I would try it on my stove top or in my oven. Here is what I came up with.

8 chicken breasts, without the skin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix the salt and pepper, sprinkle on top of the chicken, reserve the rest for later. Cook chicken in enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan, until it reaches 165 degrees. I also covered the pan so it didn't splatter everywhere. (I probably could have just browned it, but not know how the rest would turn out, I wanted to make sure it was thoroughly cooked.)

Remove chicken from pan and add 2 tbsp oil. Add:

3 medium carrots, shredded (2 cups)
2 medium stalks of celery, diced (1 cup)
1 small bell pepper chopped  (1/2 cup)

Saute until the celery begins to soften, then add:

2 cups rice
1 tsp oregano
(1/4 tsp crushed red pepper might have been nice, though I didn't add it this time.)
sprinkle with the rest of the salt and pepper.

Stir to coat rice and until all the browning loosens. Then spread in the bottom of a casserole dish. Add 1 quart of water. Lay the chicken thighs on top so they are swimming in the water. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the rice has absorbed all the water. Sprinkle the top with cheese if desired. (I ate mine with cheese, but I think I won't next time.)

 

 

My biggest complaint was that it was a very bland dish. I wanted more flavor or something, maybe garlic and onions? It would have been equally delicious, and take less time, if the rice had been made separately.

Food without a stove

Our new stove arrived last week. The man from the propane company came yesterday and hooked it up. Now all I need to do is to wait until I can open the windows to cook off the new oven smell. We have gotten the indoor humidity down, so I am loathe to open the windows until it stops threatening rain.

In the meantime, we have eaten decently. Between the move and no stove, we did eat out more often in the last month than we did all last year, or at least so it seems; I didn't actually keep track. Many of our meals were uncooked - that is to say, we had a lot of sandwiches and a few salads. I grilled twice, once on a little indoor electric grill, once on our big outside grill. But my electric frying pan was our main cooking device. 

Eggs in a basket (eggs fried in toast) were not a big hit, hot dogs given by the church were a welcome change from PB&J for the boys, but the biggest hit was the Sante Fe Skillet from Betty Crocker. I served it like a taco salad, with tortilla chips and lettuce, and there was barely enough left over for a tortilla wrap for lunch. In the past, I have served it over rice or with Zatarain's red beans and rice as a side. When I do that, we have enough leftovers to have it again. But rice requires a stove or a rice cooker, which I don't have.

I am also thankful for the night mother let us cook rice and heat up leftover crockpot creamed chicken at her house. (Chicken breasts, one can of cream of mushroom soup, one cup of sour cream; cook for 6-8 hours on low; shred and serve over rice, on a roll, or how-so-ever-you-please.) We are also thankful for the homemade cookies our neighbor gave us.

Now that our stove is hooked up, the next few nights we are having dinner with various friends and family, and I don't need to use it. At the same time, a fresh cup of camomile tea will be nice this evening after a busy day. However, the best part about getting the stove hooked up, is having a clock in the kitchen.