Leftover Ideas for Chicken

Chicken is a popular main dish, and many people are curious about all the different ways we can re-invent it for enjoyable and financially-efficient purposes. I recommend making roast chicken one day, and eating that as is. The following days you can make new dishes from them as listed:

1) Chicken Salad
2) Chicken Sandwich
3) Chicken Soup
4) Chicken Dumplings
5) Chicken Fried Rice
6) Casseroles
7) Chili
8) Sliced Chicken Drizzled with Gravy
9) Chicken Curry
10) Chicken Pot Pie
11) Chicken Tacos
12) Chicken Quesadillas
13) Chicken Meatballs
14) Chicken Stock

Purple Potatoes

One of my New Year's Resolution is to try new foods. I'm a curious and open person, but I realized that I don't try as many new things as I would like. And food is such a simple way to achieve my goals and satisfy my curiosity. I was surprised to learn that many of us conform to this bigoted belief that produce only comes in the standardized color we're usually exposed to at the supermarket. But tomatoes aren't just red. They come in vibrant yellows, oranges, greens, and pinks. Beets have a selection of the dark reds, deep purple hues, and sunny oranges. Well, potatoes are no exception. I was familiar with Russets, baby, red, and Idaho potatoes, but purple ones were a new concept for me. Since purple is my favorite color, I thought this would be a perfect experiment. The idea that potatoes have a nutty flavor also appealed to me. I followed a recipe from the Food Network. I believe it was the Roasted Peruvian Potatoes. I, unfortunately, don't have a picture of the recipe, but I do have this gorgeous picture of raw purple potatoes cut open. They look like gorgeous jewels. They remind me of an edible version of amethyst. So, it was settled. I picked up a bag at my local Farmer's Market. Here's the recipe I used:

Roasted Peruvian Potatoes

2 lbs. Peruvian purple potatoes, scrubbed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
A sprinkle of dried thyme

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Halve the potatoes and place them in a bowl. Cover them with water if you cut them ahead of time.

In another bowl, combine extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Thoroughly drain potatoes and add them to the oil mixture. Spread the potatoes on a foil lined cookie sheet, and roast for 30 minutes until potatoes are tender.

This recipe is easy to follow and worth trying. It wasn't a bad recipe, but I doubt it's the kind of flavor people jump up and down about. It does have a nutty flavor. But when I tasted it, it wasn't the kind of "nutty" flavor that I was thinking of. It has an indescribable flavor for me, but in Asian cuisine, you've probably tasted it before. The flavor is apparent but rather subtle. The flavor is unique for potatoes. I think it would be hard to pair with. I wouldn't recommend making it for a dinner party because it's not what I consider a "safe recipe." Maybe pair it with lean chicken? It's not heavy on the starchy texture like a lot of other potatoes. It's an unusual potato worth trying, but it's not very practical. I can't imagine too many different ways you can cook this.

Grocery List

Moroccan Beet Salad

1 lb. beets (5-6 beets)
1 lemon, juiced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Pickled Beets and Eggs

1 lb. beets (5-6 beets)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
1/8 pickling spice
6 large hardboiled eggs, peeled
2 cloves garlic
Fresh dill sprigs for garnish

Rhubarb Iced Tea

8 stalks rhubarb
1/3 cup sugar
Fresh mint sprigs for garnish

Lemon Squares

2 cups flour
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
4 tbsp flour
1/4 cup lemon juice

Spicy Refrigerator Dill Pickles (best reviewed)

12 3 to 4" long pickling cucumbers
1 3/4 cup vinegar
1 1/2 cup chopped dill weed
1/2 cup white sugar
8 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp coarse salt
1 tbsp pickling spice
1 1/2 tsp dill seed
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
4 sprigs fresh dill

Pickled Green Beans

2 lbs green beans
1 tsp cayenne pepper
4 heads dill
4 cloves garlic
2 1/2 cups vinegar
1/4 cup salt

Stewed Rhubarb

2 3/4 cup rhubarb
2/3 cup sugar

Rhubarb Raspberry Compote

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 lb. fresh rhubarb
9 ounces raspberries

Roast Chicken

2 (2 to 2 1/2 lbs) organic free-range chicken
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, halved
2 bunches fresh thyme
2 lbs. mixed mushrooms

Making Dill Pickles

8 lbs. cucumbers
4 cups white vinegar
2/3 cup pickling salt
16 cloves garlic
Fresh dill

14 Day Sweet Pickles

4 lbs pickling cucumbers
3/4 cup pickling salt
2 tsp celery seed
2 tbsp mixing pickling spice
5 1/2 cups sugar
4 cups vinegar

Seven Day Pickling Spice

7 lbs. medium sized cucumbers (about 3" long)
1 quart apple cider
8 cups granulated sugar
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp mixed pickling spice

Quick Pickles

4 Kirby cucumbers
2 or 3 sprigs of tarragon
1 3/4 cups distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt

Generous Unload of Groceries

I went to my friend's place after she successfully received an undamaged computer screen as replacement for a defective one after an unacceptably extensive amount of time. A detailed review of her experience and the stores involved will be posted on my Great Finds and Not So Great Finds blog. Returning to my point, my friend's mother gave me an overly generous portion of groceries. It worked out great for both of us. After I asked her for the recipe of a delicious shrimp and melon dish, she offered me other foods that she thought I'd like and foods her family didn't normally touch. She was relieved and grateful that someone was interested in the food, knowing that it will no longer meet its uneaten, decaying fate. And I'm ecstatic by the amount of money I've saved and abundant food. She was selective in what she gave me to ensure that it didn't take anything away from her family, so it worked out well for both of us. Steamed pork buns, edamame beans, Chinese candy, Monterey Jack cheese, and a sweet, dessert ingredient used in scrambled eggs are my favorites.

Italian Candy

I have such a sweet tooth. In fact, I even have aspirations about travelling around the world and sampling candies and fruits from different cultures. I'm not sure how authentic these candies are in the Italian culture, but I came across these treats at a corner sandwich shop run by an Italian couple. They're called Gelee's. What a simple and yet eye catching way to package goodies. I've seen on the Martha Stewart show similar packaging ideas, and they've always appealed to me, but I come from a generation that doesn't prioritize the presentation. I want to make an effort to change that, but I've never really made the time to. I rarely gift people with edible products. And, personally, I imagine supermarket candies packaged this way to be tacky. So, what's the point? Regardless of my inactive participation, I can appreciate thoughtfully displayed presentations. What a great idea to sell products like this. The wrapping itself makes it enticing, the colors are vibrant, it was more than affordable, and such a fun and rare treat for people like me. I consider these candies universally friendly. I hardly feel that you need an acquired taste. The rose-flavored candy was a new and exciting experience for me.

Foods I Want to Try and Foods I Want to Make

Foods I Want to Try

1. Cucumber Lemon
2. White Balsamic Vinegar
3. Frisée
4. Watermelon Radish
5. Purple Potatoes
6. Palestine Sweet Lime
7. Blowfish
8. Goat Cheese
9. Fennel
10. Quinoa
11. Japanese Sea Salt with Matcha
12. Haleakala Red Sea Salt
13. Fingerling Potatoes
14. Farm Fresh Milk
15. Champagne Vinegar
16. Homemade Mayonnaise
17. Freshly Shaved Truffles
18. Star Fruit
19. Miracle Fruit
20. Black Sapote also known as black persimmon
21. Mangosteen
22. Fresh Tamarind
23. Breadfruit
24. Umeboshi Vinegar
25. Red Rice
26. Hempseeds
27. Goji Berries
28. Green Peppercorn
29. Pink Peppercorn
30. Dulse
31. Sherry Vinegar
32. Guava
33.
34.

Foods I Want to Make

1. Fried Chicken
2. Chicken Picatta
3. Smoked Salmon
4. Chocolate Chip Cookies
5. Kimchi Successful kimchi
5. Beef Jerky
6. Pickled Shrimp
7. Pickled Papayas
8. Chili con Carne
9. Pot Roast
10. Pickled Okra
11. Pickled Garlic
12. Preserved Meyer Lemons
13. Classic Quick Sticks
14. Homemade Pasta
15. Sticky Rice
16. Red Rice
17. Chicken Stock
18. Pickled Beets
19. Kimchi Jigae
20. Pickled Cucumbers
21. Strawberry Jam
22.

Joe's Delicious Tomatoes

My friend, Joe, surprised me with these homegrown, plump, fresh tomatoes. They're these gorgeous Heirloom tomatoes that are oversized and super juicy. I simply cut chunky wedges and seasoned them with Maldon Sea Salt. They're the perfect healthy treat and not just because they're tomatoes, but they're also organically grown. Tomatoes found at the grocery store will never taste as fresh as these because they're picked before they're ready and speed-ripened. Speed ripening is a process when under ripe tomatoes are unnaturally sped to "ripen" and the skin turns red. But the inside is still under ripe. By the time it reaches the supermarket, the tomatoes have finished ripening, but it initially needed assistance. It's infeasible to wait for tomatoes to ripen naturally and deliver them from the farm without it rotting by the time it gets to us. So, given the circumstance, I can understand why this method is exercised, but that's also why I prefer going to Farmer's Markets. These were the free versions of the good stuff. Some of my friends think I'm nuts for making such a huge deal over tomatoes, but you'd be surprised to learn that tomatoes are the second most consumed fruit. Yes, botanically speaking, tomatoes are fruits. Produce that contain seeds are actually fruits, not vegetables. And yet the government perpetuates the ignorance surrounding tomatoes by legalizing it as a vegetable. I'm not exactly sure why. Well, anyways, if you haven't tried Heirloom tomatoes, I urge you to. I also suggest trying the yellow varieties, which, contrary to popular belief, aren't under ripe tomatoes, but, in fact, sweeter tasting than the red varieties.

Foods I Love

I can't realistically list every food I love. Well, I can...but I'm not going to. Surprisingly enough, I'm not obese. I'm actually underweight. I've been tested and discovered that I have imbalanced hormones that break down food at an unusually fast rate, so I'm constantly starved. That certainly explains my weight, but I don't want to use that as an excuse to divulge in excessive consumptions. Nonetheless, I have my favorites.

1) My friend, Rickey's, awesome PECAN PIES because dessert always comes first.
2) Superior quality, melt in your mouth, fresh, just fished out SUSHI
3) SALSA VERDE done right @ TACO TRUCK TACOS in SF. I can't explain it, but you haven't lived until you've had taco truck tacos. And not just any tacos off a truck. It has to be THE taco truck tacos.
4) Braised FROG LEGS - yummy, juicy, flavorful, and way better tasting than chicken
5) Dim Sum - a selection of fresh Chinese food enjoyed with friends. What's not to love?
6) Drunken CRAB at Crustacean marinated and cooked in a garlic-intensified white wine infusion
7) GARLIC - in any shape, size, or variety, raw, cooked, roasted, pickled. You name it. I love it.
8) Katie's Papaya Salad - Bomb ass Thai food! From a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the spiciest, her food ranks 20-25, but she lowers it to a 15 for me. It's insanely spicy and has me crying like a little bitch, but I can't stop. You can actually taste all of the flavor dimensions.
9) A Juicy, Rare Steak - plump and abundant

I added other favorites but ultimately deleted them, as I won't know when to draw the line. So here's a shorter version: Chinese sausages, duck tongue, fried chicken, Chicken makhni, kim chi, garlic noodles, uni (sea urchin), oysters on a bed of salt, mochi, chocolate, white peaches, nectarines, persimmons, Heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, and guacamole to name a few.