Tahitian Chicken

11 04 2011

This is a delicious dinner that is perfect for serving your family or for a large group.  We have actually served 200-300 people this unique dish at special events at Adrians…The really nice thing about it is that it can easily be made ahead and frozen…then when ready to serve, just make some rice, put out the toppings and you’re ready to go!

A Rotisserie Chicken saves time...

We started with two Rotisserie Chickens for this recipe…it just seems like I am running behind lately, so starting with a rotisserie chicken just saves time.  I really do prefer to roast my own chicken!  It is so easy to do, but you do have to have TIME to get it roasted!

Not the prettiest bird!

This is a perfect example of why you should roast your own bird!  I was pretty disappointed when we pulled this out of the box.  It had definitely been in the oven too long!

Chicken is almost ready

Fortunately, we had two chickens and between the two, got plenty of meat for our Tahitian Chicken…Debone the chicken and save the bones to boil later for some really great chicken broth!

Don't forget the crock-pot liners!

If you’ve followed us for very long, you’ll already know that we LOVE these Slow-Cooker liners from Reynolds.  We use them all the time at the store for very easy clean-up.  I hate to scrub out a cooked on mess from the crock-pot! You can find them by the ZipLock bags at the grocery store…my kitchen is never without them!!!

Gather the ingredients for the sauce

The sauce for Tahitian Chicken is made from ingredients most of us have in the pantry.  I even keep small cans of pineapple juice in my pantry just for this recipe…Looks like I need to put Soy Sauce on my grocery list! 🙂

My photo of the sauce cooking turned out to be just foggy steam…sorry!  Just put all of the sauce ingredients into a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Stir constantly and let boil for 2 minutes before pouring over the bite-sized chicken.

Let simmer in Slow-Cooker

Let chicken mixture simmer in your (lined) Crock-Pot until ready to serve.  I have also frozen the chicken mixture in gallon sized ZipLock freezer bags at this point in the preparation for serving at a later time.

Rice Cooker

A Rice Cooker is one of my favorite kitchen tools (I actually have two of them!).  You can prepare rice any way you like for this dish, but I have to say that I love preparing rice in my rice cookers!  I have a small one that we use just for our family, and a larger one that I can prepare 10 cups of raw rice which yields over 20 cups of perfectly cooked rice.

Perfect Rice!

This is a great buffet line meal…even for just one family.  Put the Rice, Chicken mixture and all of the toppings on the counter, and let everyone go through a line and add all of their favorite toppings…choose from Chinese noodles, maraschino cherries, green onions, mandarin oranges, pineapple tidbits, peanuts, cashews, soy sauce, raisins, coconut or ????

Toppings for Tahitian Chicken

Now here is the disappointing part…I FORGOT to take a photo of the dinner as served…so sorry!  The good news is that we make this on a pretty regular basis, so I’ll be able to add that later.  Again, this is just a great “make ahead” meal for your family or for a crowd.  Hope YOU enjoy it as much as we have over the years.

Tahitian Chicken
Vicki Adrian, Buhler, Kansas
Adapted from a recipe from Elaine Franz of Buhler, Kansas

2 rotisserie chickens, deboned and cut into bite sized pieces
OR 8 cups diced cooked chicken breast

Hot cooked rice

Tahitian Sauce
1 1/4 c. pineapple juice
1 c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1 T. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. ginger
1 chicken bouillon cube

Garnishes
cocktail peanuts, cashews, mandarin oranges, sliced green onions, coconut, Chinese noodles, pineapple tidbits, raisins, sunflower seeds, maraschino cherries & ????? use your imagination!

Whisk all of the sauce ingredients together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 2 minutes.  Place crock pot liner in slow cooker.  Add chicken and pour sauce over all.  Heat and keep warm for serving.  Serve over hot rice and let guests top with whatever garnishes they would like.

*Note this is such an easy main dish to serve to a crowd and seems to please both men & women alike!  It is an all time favorite that we serve for events at Adrians.  Some tips: Prepare chicken and sauce ahead of time and freeze in gallon zip lock freezer bags.  These stack really nicely in the freezer.  When your party day arrives, thaw chicken, put in crock pot and let heat.  Cook your rice in a rice cooker, then open up the jars & cans of toppings…Very Easy!

Click for Easy Print Recipe for Tahitian Chicken

We LOVE to hear from you!  How are YOU using our recipes & ideas? Please leave a comment in the Reply box below. Thanks!

ADRIANS “A Unique Boutique”
Downtown Buhler, Kansas

www.adriansonline.com
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Visit our blog: adriansboutique.com


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Barbeque Meatballs

29 03 2011

Donna's Barbeque Meatballs

Welcome back to our Blog…today’s featured recipe comes from a talented cook, Donna Greenleaf, from Pratt, Kansas.  We have featured some of her other recipes in our Adrian’s E-Newsletters, and she certainly knows her way around the kitchen!  Hope you will enjoy these deliciously sweet meatballs.  Perfect freezer dish!  Divide up the recipe for a “eat some now, freeze some to give away or serve later” kind of meal.

Start with fresh ingredients…

I had such a sweet note from a friend, Shirley Grose, from southern California..”…I also just printed off the chicken salad recipe and the chicken enchiladas. I do cooking for sick people in our church from time to time–new moms, people who are down on their luck, etc., so I want to make some of these recipes and package them in those freezer pans with cardboard lids, in quantities that would feed the # of people in their families (i.e. 2 parents; 1 kid), etc. These recipes are giving me new ideas.”  This is EXACTLY what I wanted to happen with our recipe Blog, newsletters, etc.  Homemade food is such a blessing to families or individuals.  Thank you for your compassion and willingness to serve Shirley!

Farm fresh eggs...a treat!

This is such a simple recipe…just mix up all of the meatball ingredients together in a large bowl.  Squish it really good and mix thoroughly.  Then form into meatballs.  Line them up in a single layer in a 9 x 13 pan.

Barbeque Meatball Recipe

We actually made about 1 1/2 times this recipe and made a meatloaf out of about a third of the mixture.

We decided to make a Meatloaf too!

Mix up the sauce and pour over meatballs. Bake at 350 for about an hour.This will be delicious served with a potato casserole, over rice, and a perfect dish to share at a Potluck or to share with another family.  YUM!  Thank you Donna for sharing your recipe!

Barbeque Meatballs

Meatballs:
12 oz. evaporated milk
3 lbs. ground beef
2 c. oatmeal
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 eggs
1/2 c. onion, chopped
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. chili powder

Mix all ingredients; shape into balls the size of walnuts. Place in a single layer in a 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

Sauce:
2 c. catsup
2 c. brown sugar
2 T. liquid smoke
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Mix all together and pour over meatballs.  Bake for about one hour at 350 degrees.

*Note: If frozen, allow to thaw in the refrigerator for about 24 hours, then bake as directed or until bubbly. Click Here for Easy Print Recipe.

ADRIANS “A Unique Boutique”
Downtown Buhler, Kansas

www.adriansonline.com
www.facebook.com/adriansboutique
Visit our blog: adriansboutique.com
This recipe is featured in Adrian’s “Between Friends” Cookbook.

 


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Chicken Enchiladas Suisas

19 03 2011

Chicken Enchiladas Suisas

…Continuing our little mini-series of Comfort Foods that are also very FREEZER FRIENDLY… and feel like this is same song, second verse…this is another favorite recipe that I have had for over 30 years.  A little gal, Melody Connor was in our “Newly Married” Sunday School class and served it to us for dinner at their house.  Of course, even back then, I was never shy about asking for a good recipe when I taste something delicious!

Gather the goodies...

Start by gathering up the ingredients…looks like a big mess here… 🙂 We were making about 8 recipes at the same time!  I just love it when we’ve got a hundred things going!  Living out in the country if you forget an ingredient, you just have to start substituting.  Sometimes, it turns out to be a whole other dish!

Rotisserie Chicken

We started out with a rotisserie chicken, but you can use any cooked style chicken that you like.  This chicken was relatively small, so we used the whole chicken. Just remove the skin, debone and tear into bite sized pieces.

This recipe was featured in Adrian's "Between Friends" Cookbook

Mix chicken with green chilies, sour cream & cumin.  Place about 1/4-1/3 cup of chicken mixture on each of the tortillas and roll up. Mix up sauce and pour over the top of the rolled tortillas.  Top with some shredded (sharp) cheddar cheese. Now you can either wrap tightly and place in your freezer, or bake them right away to serve for dinner!

Chicken Enchiladas Suisas

This is a great dish to serve to a crowd!  We have served these enchiladas a couple of times at Adrians during different special events.  They are not too spicy, or too messy, so most everyone seems to like them. At the store, we cut these into halves or thirds because they really do make a large enchilada. Serve with some great crunchy tortilla chips, Mexican rice, a nice salad and don’t forget a little (or A LOT) of homemade guacamole on the side!

Filling the Freezer with Comfort Foods

The staff makes fun of me, because I always seem to have a “story” behind these recipes…”Served at my great grand-pappy’s second cousin’s funeral…etc. etc” 🙂 … Let me say that I just can’t help it!  🙂  I always tend to go to my tried & true recipes from my old, old recipe box first!

Chicken Enchiladas Suisas
Click Here for Easy Print Recipe

3 1/2 c. diced cooked chicken (or 1 small rotisserie chicken)
4 oz. chopped green chilies
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 tsp. cumin
10 flour tortillas
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. milk
1/4 tsp. cumin
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Garnishes: chopped green onions, chopped tomatoes & sliced black olives

De-bone chicken and shred or chop into bite sized pieces. Mix cooked chicken, green chilies, sour cream and cumin together. Place about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of filling in each of the 10 tortillas and roll up. Place filled tortillas in greased 9 x 13 casserole dish. Combine cream of chicken soup, milk, cumin and 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbling. Garnish with chopped green onions, chopped tomatoes and sliced black olives if desired.

ADRIANS “A Unique Boutique”
Downtown Buhler, Kansas

www.adriansonline.com
www.facebook.com/adriansboutique
For more delicious recipes, visit our blog: adriansboutique.com

*Note:  These enchiladas have been served at several Adrians events.  Can be easily prepared ahead and frozen for your convenience…Great for a crowd!


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Cooking for Cassie Marathon!

14 03 2011

Clockwise starting with Crock Pot: Tahitian Chicken, Company Potatoes, Barbeque Meatballs, Chicken Enchiladas Suisas, Meatloaf, Chicken Spaghetti, Shepherd's Pie, Swedish Meatballs & (not shown) Chicken Salad

Our daughter-in-law, Cassie has had some pretty rough health issues for the last 5 or 6 weeks, so our daughter, Jenny & I thought we could help Josh & Cassie out by filling their freezer with some delicious comfort foods.  We would love to share some of these recipes with you…maybe you can use a couple of them to bless someone that is going through a difficult time.  Love to have you follow along on this journey with us…and we would love to hear back from YOU with ideas of great freezer meals, or a way that you have been blessed by someone, or by how you were able to help someone with a little home cooking!

We asked Cassie to make a list of their favorite comfort foods that would also do well frozen.  All of the recipes were found in either “The Pioneer Woman Cooks” or “Adrian’s Between Friends” Cookbooks.  Here is the list we worked from: Chicken Enchiladas Suisas, Barbeque Meatballs, Meatloaf, Tahitian Chicken, Swedish Meatballs, Company Potatoes, Pioneer Woman’s Chicken Spaghetti, Shepherds Pie & Chicken Salad for sandwiches.

Cassie & Josh are staying with wonderful friends, Clint & Jenny and their adorable young sons, Jack (1 1/2) and Charlie (6 months) while Cassie recovers.  We were thankful that Cassie felt good enough to join in much of the prep work…and we absolutely had a blast!  Our plan is to share all of the recipes in the next week or so.  Enjoy!  Vicki & Jenny

Ingredients for Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti

I LOVE Ree Drummond’s “Pioneer Woman Cooks” Cookbook…the photography is incredible…the recipes are delicious and I just really enjoy her style of writing.  Be sure to check out her blog at The Pioneer Woman.com…I’m sure you will enjoy it as much as we do!

It's easy to cook your own chicken!

Start by actually cooking your own chicken.  It is so easy,  makes the most delicious broth, and the chicken is tender and juicy.  Save this broth! We’re going to use some of it to add to our casserole, and use the rest to boil our spaghetti in for even more flavor.

Start with an exceptional recipe!

I love pictures when preparing a recipe and the Pioneer Woman Cooks has tons of them!  But just because a cookbook has photos, doesn’t necessarily mean that the recipe is that great.  Cooking is definatly part art and part science…with a lot of love mixed in.

Choose very fresh ingredients for exceptional results.

After cooking and de-boning the chicken, cook the spaghetti in the broth and set aside.  Follow the recipe to put it all together (very easy), and pour the entire mixture into a 9 x 13 greased casserole.

The finished casserole.

I can tell you that this recipe made plenty!  The casserole was heaped when we poured it into the pan, but after several of us tasted it (and I’m pretty sure several took more than one bite) 🙂 it was ready to go into the freezer.

Ready for the Freezer!

“The Pioneer Woman Cooks” Chicken Spaghetti

1 cut up fryer chicken
1 pound thin spaghetti
4 oz. jar diced pimentos, drained
1 small onion
1/4 c. finely dice green bell pepper
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp. seasoned salt, such as Lawry’s
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Add the chicken to a stock pot. Cove with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the chicken is cooked, about 25 minutes (longer if your chicken is not cut up). Remove the chicken from the water using tongs or a slotted spoon and set it aside on a plate to cool.  Remove two cups of broth from the pot and set aside. Bring the remaining broth back to a boil and add the spaghetti. Cook it al dente.  Drain the spaghetti, discarding the cooking liquid. Set aside.

With two forks (or your fingers) remove the chicken from the bones. Shred or cut the meat into bite-size chunks. Drain the pimentos. Dice the onion and green pepper. Place the cooked spaghetti into a large bowl. Add the cream of mushroom soup and the two reserved cups of chicken broth. Add two cups of the shredded cheddar cheese. Then add the onion, green pepper and pimento. Add the seasoned salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper (optional). Finally add the diced chicken and broth.  Stir together well, then taste to check the seasonings. Pour the mixture into a large baking pan and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes until bubbly.

Now all you need is some fresh bread, a great salad,  crisp, cool evening and a bunch of hungry people!  Enjoy!


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Lazy Lady Stew (Slow Cooker Version)

3 02 2011
From the cookbook “Kitchen Keepsakes” from the cookbook collection of
Vicki Adrian, Buhler, Kansas

Lazy Lady Stew...Crock Pot Version

I absolutely love cookbooks and  have adapted this recipe from a cookbook that I have had for at least 30 years!  Falling in love with my crock pot again this winter…makes life so easy!  You really can prepare a dinner in under 10 minutes in the morning and come home to a delicious dinner with very little prep time or clean up! LOVE THAT!

Read the rest of this entry »


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