Poulet Mafé

I saw this recipe come up and decided to give it a try.  It comes from the Senegal region of West Africa, I learned.  I didn't buy scotch bonnet peppers at the grocery store as they came in a pack of 8 for $5!  I knew I'd only use one so decided to use my scotch bonnet hot sauce instead.  In the video, he uses one whole pepper to simmer in the stew at the end.  I also only had sweetened (Kraft) peanut butter but hopefully could balance that out with extra hot sauce???  I bought a pack of thighs that was well over 2 lbs as well but I used it all anyway.  I marinated my chicken overnight.  In the video he kept the chicken skin on and so did I.  

Chicken Wing Tom Yum Soup

This was something new to try for me.  I never order Tom Yum soup when at Thai restaurants but I was intrigued by this recipe because of the use of chicken wings.  We're in the middle of a snow storm here so I ordered in groceries.  I was so sad when the lemongrass didn't show up 😞.  I bought this new soup infuser so wanted to try it out.  This was perfect for it.  What I used today and by no means am I calling it "authentic", it was just my take on Tom Yum soup:

Three Cup Chicken

Happy New Year!  I recently saw this recipe on food t.v. and then on a menu I was perusing at a Taiwanese restaurant.  It is basically a cup of each:  rice wine, soy sauce, and sesame oil = Three Cup Chicken.  The idea stayed in my mind so I decided to make it though I went with a recipe that wasn't one cup of each... What I used: 

Crunchwrap Supreme

I've never had the pleasure of eating one of these at Taco Bell, but I wanted to make them once I saw it on the interweb somewhere.  The crunch comes from a tostada in the middle then a soft tortilla is wrapped around to seal everything in.  It's then griddled.  I didn't have any nacho cheese sauce so just used "Cheez Whiz" instead:

Homemade Dumplings (for Chicken Soup)

I made my stock a couple of weeks ago so took it out of the freezer and made chicken soup.  I saw these dumplings on food t.v. so decided to give them a try.  For the soup I used rotisserie chicken, fresh herbs from my garden (thyme, dill, parsley & sage), carrots, celery and sweet onions.  For the dumplings:

Judy Hesser’s Oven-Fried Chicken

I am always craving fried chicken.  I would give anything to find a good Southern fried chicken place locally.  I always think of Nashville when I think of the best fried chicken I've had in my life...  Anyway, I saw this and decided to give it a try.  

Pit Boss: Smoked Chicken Wings

My idea for tonight was to smoke the wings, then finish them in my oven air-fryer to crisp them up.  My only goal was to impart the smoke flavor and have crispy skin.  I preheated the Pit Boss to 225°F.  I seasoned with my favorite "Traeger Blackened Saskatchewan Rub" and "Cool Runnings" chicken seasoning.  In they went.  After about two and a half hours I brought them into the air-fryer.  Internal temp was 150°F when they came off the smoker.  They need to be 165 - 175°F.

Filipino Chicken Adobo

I can't believe I've never made this.  It is soooo tasty, and easy.  I based mine off this recipe to give me a starting point.

Curry Noodle Soup with Popcorn Chicken & Wontons

I love looking at recipes on this site but haven't attempted any of her recipes until tonight as I find them overly complicated.  This one inspired me for dinner because of the curry and my son loves popcorn chicken.  Also, it's been depressingly rainy here, so soup is always appealing in those times.  I edited her recipe for ease and added pork/shrimp wontons to it.  What I used:

Sunday Night Quickie

I saw this in a Louisiana cookbook from 1959 called "River Road Recipes" and it's still in print!  It seemed so bizarre I just had to make it...and did for brunch today.

Braised Chicken Thighs with Squash and Kale

I had intended to use my brand new enamel coated cast iron braiser for a Moroccan dish that originally was made in a tagine.  It called for Cara Cara oranges which I had at home now.  However, I saw this recipe and wanted to make it instead as the picture made me drool.  I decided to add the oranges in it.  I also had to add an onion and garlic.   Anyway, here's what I used:

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I was inspired to make this after my friend told me she made this recently, though she stuffed hers with Brie cheese and asparagus.  I used what I had in the house.  I had goat cheese which was my first thought but the Boursin had a sooner expiry date of a week away and was leftover from Christmas...

Crock Pot: Chicken and Dumplings

I saw this on social media and for some reason I wanted to make it.  I had to pull out my crock pot which I've never really liked.  I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting much, but I did want to try it.  I detest peas so used edamame in its place for my adaptation of the recipe.

Baked Chicken Cacciatore

It was a rainy, miserable day that matched my mood.  I had defrosted some bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and this is what I decided on for dinner.

Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes

A friend sent me this recipe and said it's a tried & true staple in her household on regular rotation, so of course I had to try it.  I haven't had much luck with lemon potatoes so far in my cooking journey so I was ready to give it another go.  The only tweaking she said was to add the lemon zest.  I would do that anyway, as I can't waste zest off any citrus...  I watched the video too and he said this is one time to use dried spices.  I'm glad I watched because I was all ready to switch to fresh herbs.  

Cock-a-Leekie Soup

Who doesn't want to make a Scottish soup with a name like this?  I perused a few recipes and liked that I found prunes and barley in some so that's what I used in mine.  A new friend in my neighborhood gifted me some leeks from her garden so that is what inspired this dish tonight.  We picked up a rotisserie chicken at Costco so I used the bones to make a broth for this.  I saw the leeks cut in big chunks in a lot of the soups, like an inch wide.  I didn't do that to mine, but hey, do as you like...

Quesadilla Panini

I saw this viral "Tik Tok" idea pass by on Social Media so I decided to give it a try for lunch today.  The idea is to make 4 quarters of fillings and fold it over clockwise to to make a compact, layered "sandwich" of sorts... I did see in the comments field someone said, "I have an easier way to do this.  Fold it like a burrito and done!"  That made me laugh and true enough...

Air Fryer: Crispy Chicken Thighs & Homemade Russet Fries

This was going to be easy peasy tonight (I heard Jamie Oliver when I wrote that).  Fries and fried chicken.  I've done thighs before in the air-fryer, but they were breaded and didn't turn out because the breading was too toasty.  This time I went with nothing but kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.

Fried Chicken Sandwiches

A local food blogger keeps posting all the fried chicken sandwiches he is trying around town.  Well, finally he made me crave it so I thought I'd give it a try.  I based mine on the Serious Eats recipe though I made it my own.

Sheet Pan ChickenThigh, Yam, Kale Dinner

Today was using what was at home in the fridge/freezer and seeing what I could create.  I was feeling kind of lazy though but wanted a nice healthy-ish dinner.  Sheet pan dinners are relatively easy, so we would see...