Taxes and good food.

OK, so they don't sound like they go together.  I decided since I had to spend my week getting caught up on paperwork, bills and taxes, that I should feed myself well.  Right? Have to keep up the strength. I won't bore you with the gory details of bills and taxes, but I will share two really yummy recipes that I made this week.

The first one is from Cooking Light, my favorite magazine. 

Chicken, Pasta and Chickpea Stew

1 cup thinly sliced celery

3/4 cup diced carrot

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves minced

4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

3 cups marinara (I use Muir Glen Tomato Basil)

1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3/4 cup uncooked ditalini

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

6 tablespoons shaved fresh Parmesan cheese

Heat a dutch oven over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray or olive oil.  Add celery, carrot, and onion to pan; cook 12 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.  (I added the chicken for a bit to brown first) Add broth and next 4 ingredients (through pepper); bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer 12 minutes or until chicken is done.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Yield 6 servings

The next recipe is from a cook book that I have had for years and really like.  It's called Colorado Cache cookbook.  As you can see, I've had it so long that it's discount priced on Amazon!  I have a pretty nice size collection of cookbooks in my kitchen on a book shelf.  One of my favorite things to do is to make a cup of coffee and sit down to look through my cookbooks for good dinner ideas.  I also have my Grandmother's original handwritten journal of recipes and her 1923 version of The Boston Cooking School Cook Book by Fannie Farmer.  It's filled with her handwritten notes and yellowing recipe pages.  It also has some great old advertisements in the front and back of the book like this one:

Gotta love that Lux dish washing soap!  Anyways, back to the recipe...

Chicken in Sour Cream

2 cups sour cream

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons celery salt (I used celery seed)

2 teaspoons paprika

1 clove garlic, pressed

2 teaspoons pepper

4 boneless chicken breasts

3/4 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup butter, melted

Combine sour cream, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, paprika, garlic and pepper in a large, deep bowl.  Add chicken pieces and coat well.  Allow to marinate in sour cream mixture overnight in the refrigerator, covered.  When ready to cook, remove pieces of chicken from the sauce and roll in the crumbs.  Arrange in a large baking dish and sprinkle with butter.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until done. 

Next week, it's back to the studio for more jewelry creating.  I am planning on making a batch of silver clay pieces on Tuesday and then going from there.  I hope you enjoy the recipes.  Thanks for stopping by! Stacie