Sources

Amy asked that I post some of my recipes for my menus.? You’ll have to be more specific.? As you can tell dishes appear in the regular rotation, but very far apart.? I can’t stand cooking the same thing over and over again because I eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch* over and over.? So for dinner I like to be creative.? However, the one thing on the menu that you will find frequently is “Chicken & Rice.”? I don’t make this dish.? This is a trusty husband specialty.

When I worked for a major greeting card company I traveled.? a lot.? and that’s an understatement.? The trusty husband was finishing up his bachelor’s degree and spent most of the first year of our marriage alone.? Essentially being still a bachelor he cooked simple meals that were quick.? While I was gone he invented this dish.? He used his mom’s fried rice recipe and cooked up some chicken to go on top.? He made it for me one weekend when I was home and I liked it.? Once I started being home more often I started requesting it.? Although he had likely eaten the same dish no less than three times that week.? It became another one of our comfort foods.? It is our go to dish when I’m not feeling well or when I just don’t feel like cooking.? We always have rice and we most always have chicken.? There you go.

As for the recipe for it… I’ve tried to recreate it.? I can’t.? I also asked him to write it down so I could put it in our fundraiser cookbook.? He did, but if you follow the recipe it doesn’t come out like he makes it.? Bottom line is if you ever want to try “Chicken & Rice” you will have to come to our house for dinner.

Instead of posting a bunch of recipes I’ll give you my go-to sources for them.? As always, I’ll post recipes if you ask for them specifically.? Some have emailed me for recipes and I’ve emailed them back.? Anyway, here is my list of favorite cookbooks:

1) A Flash in the Pan by Brooke Dojny & Melanie Barnard (Swedish Meatballs & Buttermilk Fried Chicken come from here)

2) Best Ever Chicken Cookbook by Linda Fraser (Chicken Risotto is from here, but leave out the saffron.? It’s better without)

3) Wok & Stir Fry by Linda Doeser

4) Mastering Pasta from Williams & Sonoma (I bought this the week before going gluten free.? I love it, but cry every time I see it.? I love to make and eat pasta)

5) Betty Crocker (This is my old stand by.? Can’t go wrong with the Betty.)

6) Simply Organic by Jesse Ziff Cool (my most recent addition.? This week’s Asparagus and Scallops and Herbed Artichokes are from there.? Scallops were good and ask me tomorrow about the Artichokes)

For the most part many of my recipes come from the internet.? We go to a restaurant and find a dish we like, I look it up on the internet and make it.? Panang Curry is one of those.? Basically we went to the asian market, bought a can of Panang Curry paste and make the recipe off the can.? Or Crab Wontons.? I looked it up on the internet and made it.? Now I don’t need a recipe.? Others are like that too… Borscht, Vegetable Samosas, Murgh Korma, Moroccan Chicken, Penne with Pink Vodka sauce, Tian Provencale, and the list goes on.? My “Internet Cookbook” is in an 1 1/2″ 3 ring binder.

So if you want to ask about specific recipes be my guest.? I’ll either email you or try to post them more often.

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*My lunch habits are quite unusual and that will be saved for an entirely different post.