Like any household, my husband Peter and I find ourselves asking each other at least once a day..."What's for dinner?" Seriously. We never have a plan. There are people who are actually organized, (like my sister who lives next door...she grocery shops on a certain day every week, with a full on plan of what she is making every night for the upcoming week. She literally does not go back to the store until the next week, same time, same place), I am just not one of them! How I wiiiiish I could be more like this. I have tried it in the past, I just can't keep it up. So there is nothing I love more than coming across an article in a magazine which describes taking one dinner and turning it into multiple ones. I decided to try and make up my own. I made a list, went to the store, not to be back for at least 3 days. That's big for me. I took 3 of my favorite tried and true recipes and made a plan. One roasting chickens, 3 meals...(which can be parlayed into 4 if your chicken is big enough and depending on the size of your family you can freeze some for later.) The first night involves my favorite recipe for roasting a chicken. Perfect for fall. Excuse the expletives in this recipe link, as this guys is obviously passionate about his chicken, and he should be!
Dinner #1 Lemon Rosemary Roasted Chicken
spacesbetween.net/cooking/lemonrosemary.htm
Dinner #2 Sugarfly Chicken and Vegetable Soup
This soup was originally a Barefoot Contessa soup, but I have changed is so much over the years, it is now quite different. My kids, and parents request it often.
1 large chicken carcass with leftover meat still attached.
4-5 carrots
4-5 celery stalks
1/2 large yellow onion
1 shallot minced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBS olive oil
1 cup white or brown rice
1 cup white corn (frozen or fresh)
1/4 cup chopped parsely
salt and pepper
Take your leftover chicken out, put it in a large stockpot and boil. Add some salt, turn down to low, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile chop all vegetables up. Remove chicken and set aside. Some might strain the broth at this point, but I like all the leftover rosemary floating from the chicken the night before (see recipe above.) Toss in carrots, celery, and onion. Let simmer for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, pour olive oil into small fry pan, and fry shallots and garlic until lightly browned. Pour mixture into soup. Remove all the chicken from bones, stashing half in refrigerator for tomorrow's meal. Add the rice and continue to simmer fro another 15 minutes. When rice seems to be done, still in the corn, salt and pepper to taste, and after you remove the soup from heat, toss in the parsely for added color and flavor. Stash into two containers, one to freeze for later, one to eat tonight!
Dinner #3 Rotisserie Chicken Salad
I frequent the best grocery store of all time (as far as I'm concerned), Central Market. They feature a chef everyday that whips up a recipe for sampling, with the recipe and most of the ingredients right there in front of you. I have collected all the "keepers" into a spiral notebook, and use them often. This is a great salad for lunch, dinner, or to bring to a potluck. Trust me, it's awesome.
3 cups chopped chicken
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup toasted walnuts or pecans (I use pecans)
1/2 cup shredded carrots
6 scallions, thinly sliced
Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp Spike seasoning
3 TBS red wine vinegar
1 TBS sugar
salt and pepper
Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients. Add dressing to the salad, stir to combine. Serve alone or in pitas.
So there you have it, one chicken, and three dinners. Hope you enjoy!
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