Two Delicious Dinners out of 6 Chicken Breasts

First, I have to update from yesterday. I have to confess that I served Costco pizza yesterday (along with kiwi slices, tangerines, and celery). The pizza had fresh mozzarella, basil, and tomato slice (and wasn't too bad, actually). While the pizza was in the oven, I got a head start on the next two days.

Luis picked up 6 chicken whole chicken breasts from Costco so I covered three chicken breasts in the tsasiki sauce that was left over from the other night (I salt and peppered the chicken first). I had to add a bit more yogurt to stretch it out a bit -- but that was fine since the garlic in the sauce had really intensified from the other day. That chicken went in the fridge for later.

I put the other chicken breasts in a pot, added whatever I had on hand (hunk of onion - skin and all, a couple whole garlic cloves, a few cloves, the bottom of a bunch of celery stalks which I had scrubbed clean, a few baby carrots, bay leaf, a few bouillon cubes, and a few peppercorns). I just like to have flavorful broth (and use up the old veggies in my fridge). If I had parsley I would have added that, too. I like to imagine all the good flavor, vitamins, and minerals from the veggies leaching out into the broth for later consumption. Anyway... after the chicken was cooked I just set aside. Later on, after dinner (when it was cooled) I drained and strained the broth and stored it in the fridge, threw away the veggie solids and shredded the chicken. I stored the chicken in the fridge for later.

Now, to backtrack a bit, earlier in the day I made some rumballs (from a Betty Crocker recipe) because I promised my sister-in-law who lives in Tijuana that I'd send her some (they are her favorite Xmas cookie of mine). They're really easy to make, so I made a batch. I rolled the balls and my three year old rolled them all in powdered sugar (amazingly enough she didn't eat any until she was done!). She looooved the rum balls, by the way. I couldn't believe it because they really packed a punch!

Now, back to today. I made a batch of snowballs in anticipation of my older daughter's Valentine Tea Party (I have to get as much done ahead of time so I have time to clean my house -- if I clean my house ahead of time it will just get messed up again too quickly!).

Dinner today... I took the chicken breasts out of the yogurt marinade (excuse me, tsasiki marinade), placed them in a casserole dish, covered it with foil, and baked at 350 degrees F for -- don't remember how long (maybe 45 minutes). I checked with the thermometer and pulled it out when it was past 170 (way past, actually). The chicken was so juicy and the sauce was amazing. It didn't look thick and yogurty at all (the little grated pieces of cucumber were kind of weird but didn't take anything away from the dish). I cooked some rice in the rice cooker, poured the juice over the rice and chicken, and served it along side an amazing salad.

About the salad... I like to buy a big thing of pre-washed greens (spring mix, field greens, anything but and iceberg mix which has no nutrients or flavor) to have on hand for quick salads. I also like to buy a huge thing of nuts (pecans, almonds, or walnuts), toast them all at the same time, and use them everyday (in cereal, salad, rum balls, as a snack...). They're expensive but if you buy them in bulk and eat them in moderation, I think it's worth it. Anyway, I love to add nuts to a salad, especially if they're toasted. I like to add something sweet, as well. Today, I added dried cranberries. Sometimes I add sliced strawberries, pears, or apples (whatever you have on hand). Sometimes I add sliced black olives, different kind of cheeses... the kind of dressing depends on what you add. My basic dressing is really simple. A good olive oil (which I buy in bulk and pour into a smaller olive oil jar so it will fit in my spice cabinet), a good vinegar (my current favorite is one from Trader Joe's called Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar (first time I had ever heard of Orange Muscat) but it's a perfect vinegar because it's tangy but has a hint of sweetness. (When I would use red wine vinegar or Balsamic, I always wanted to add a bit of sweetness via a sprinkling of sugar or a bit of jam). With this vinegar, there is no need to add anything else except for salt and pepper. That's it! Once you're salad ingredients are in the bowl, drizzle olive oil, vinegar and sprinkle salt and pepper (fresh, please). Mix around. Adjust to taste.

While the chicken was baking, I chopped up three tomatoes (big hunks), an onion, and a few garlic cloves, poured some of the chicken broth that I had stored in the fridge (from which I had skimmed the fat), added a boullion cube, and let it boil. After dinner, when it had cooled, I took my favorite kitchen instrument, the "wand" (or hand held blender) and blended it all together. Oooops! I also had added the key ingredient -- chipotle peppers in adobo (you can buy these little cans of chipotle peppers in almost any mainstream store in the Mexican section of the supermarket). I addd the shredded chicken to the pot, and when it was cool, stored it in the fridge. Tomorrow, this will be "tinga" -- a central Mexican specialty.

OK, I think I'm all caught up now. See you tomorrow!

Ciao!