Things to do with a Costco Chicken

By the middle of the week, I need some quick, delicious dinner ideas and Costco usually comes through for me.  Their frozen foods are ok in a pinch, but there is so much that can be done with a $4.99 rotisserie chicken! 

Tonight we had asian lettuce wraps, which is a fun, healthy way to get kids to eat some greens.  I chopped up onion, garlic, thinly sliced carrots, and green onion and sauteed it up in olive oil, a drop or two of sesame oil, soy sauce, and some sweet and sour sauce, then at the very end I added chopped up chicken and heated through.  We filled our own crisp lettuce leaves with rice, sliced cucumber, and cilantro and the kids loved it!  Healthy, fresh and fast.

Other yummy Costco chicken ideas are: tortilla soup, chicken enchiladas, BBQ chicken salad, chicken pot pie, philly chicken sandwich...the possibilities are endless!  What are your favorite uses for a cheap, already cooked chicken?

Hidden Veggies - Turkey Chili Recipe

Getting kids to eat their veggies is hard.  Mine like green salads, artichokes, and surprisingly broccoli, but getting them to eat most vegetables, cooked or raw, is a challenge.  I've been a skeptic of the 'hide the vegetables in other foods' method thinking that surely the taste is compromised, but tonight I tried a healthy turkey chili recipe with grated zuchini and it was a huge hit!  My kids had no idea that there was green goodness lurking in every bite.  Here's the recipe:

Olive oil to brown meat
1 lb ground turkey
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, chopped
1 zuchini, grated (with a cheese grater)
1 can beef broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chili beans
1 can kidney beans
salt, pepper, montreal chicken seasonings, italian seasonings, chili powder, cumin, a squirt of yellow mustard, about 1/4 cup of ketchup, about 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, and a few tablespoons of honey  - all of the above to your taste preference - we like ours mild, so we go easy on the spicey stuff.

Brown up the turkey in olive oil with salt and pepper and other dry spices in a sautee pan.  Add beef broth and let simmer to reduce liquid a bit.  Transfer turkey mixture to a deeper pot and add diced tomatoes.  In the pan that browned the meat, add the onion, garlic, red pepper, and zuchini and sautee up for about 5 minutes.  Add vegetables to the chili meat mixture in the pot.  To the pot, add the beans and season as desired.  Let simmer for at least 30 minutes and serve with cheese or sour cream over rice or baked potatoes.

You can add more beans or vegetables if you want, its a basic recipe that can be adapted.  But it was the hidden veggies that were the secret hit of the night! 

Easy Holiday Toffee

My mom is a fabulous cook, and growing up we were treated to so many yummy holiday foods.  My mom used to make the most delicious, buttery toffee for friends and neighbors as gifts, and I always crave a taste of it right around Christmas.  Since I'm not quite as handy as she is in the kitchen I found (courtesy of my sister, lindsay) a super easy 'faux' toffee recipe that satisfies my both my craving and my mediocre kitchen skills.  

The ingredients are:

4 oz saltine crackers (one sleeve)
1 cup butter (oh ya!)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
dash of vanilla
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips or squares from a hershey's bar
crushed candy cane or chopped nuts (optional)

Then all you do is:

Preheat oven to 400 deg F.  Line the cookie sheet with the crackers in a single layer.  In a saucepan, bring the sugars and butter to a boil and boil for 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and add about 1 teaspoon of vanilla.  Immediately pour over the saltines and spread to cover crackers completely.  Bake at 400 deg F for 4-5 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips on top and spread as they melt.  Top with crushed candy cane or nuts (optional). Cool completely.  Break into pieces and enjoy!

Pumpkin-Seed Brittle

This is a great recipe from http://www.marthastewart.com/ with pumpkin seeds as the main ingredient.

Ingredients

Serves 4

* 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for baking sheet
* 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
* 1/4 cup honey
* 1 cup fresh pumpkin seeds, rinsed well, dried, and toasted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 11-by-17- inch rimmed baking sheet; set aside.
2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in sugar and honey. Bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until mixture is medium amber and a candy thermometer registers 280 degrees. about 6 minutes. Stir in pumpkin seeds. Cook until mixture reaches 300 degrees. about 2 minutes. Pour onto prepared baking sheet. Let cool completely. Break into pieces.

From Martha Stewart Living, October 2006

Bake This - Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

As Fall gives way to chilly Winter temperatures, it's not too late to fill your kitchen with the savory and spicy aromas of pumpkin, cinnamon and cloves. Warm the hearts and tummies of your appreciative family and friends with this delicious Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread!

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 cups solid pack pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chocolate chips
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups white sugar
2/3 cup water
4 eggs

Prep Work:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour pans. You can pour this batter into three 7x3-in. pans or one large 9x5-in. pan.

Measure flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and spices into a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add pumpkin, water, vegetable oil, eggs, and chocolate chips. Beat until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for about 1 hour.