It's all about comfort... at least the food it is!

Ok... So... By the time you read this we'll be enjoying some vacations with family and friends in Brownsville, Tx. I am writing this on Monday 9/10th and scheduling it to appear ... well.. now! LOL! It's almost like time traveling! How cool is that? Ok... it's not even close to time traveling... but it's still pretty neat to be able to schedule my posts and keep my friends that honor me with their presence here at The Coffee Shop

So... I found an amazing, amazing chicken recipe at Allrecipes.com ... The ingredients are very simple and inexpensive, I knew it sounded good when I found it but I had no clue how GREAT it would be!! It's really a keeper! I hope you enjoy it just as much as we did.

It's real Southern Food, a delicious dish right from the heart of Houston, Tx. I never thought I would love this that much... I hope you enjoy it too:

Serving Suggestion: Side of White or Brown Rice. It's delicious with mashed potatoes too. Cover rice with gravy from the chicken... YUM!

Soul Smothered Chicken 
(Slightly Adapted from Allrecipes.com)
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces (separate drumsticks from thighs too, I even cut the thighs in two)
• About 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 big white onion
• 3 stalks of celery
• 3 - 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cups chopped carrots
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Dredge in 3/4 cup flour, place in the skillet, and brown on all sides. Set chicken aside on paper towel to absorb the excess of grease, drain skillet, reserving about 1 tablespoon butter.
2. Reduce skillet heat to medium-low, and stir in onions, celery, garlic, and carrots. Cook 5 minutes, until tender. Stir in the flour, and cook 5 minutes more. Pour in the chicken broth, season with cayenne pepper, and remaining salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low.
3. Return chicken to the skillet, cover, and continue cooking 30 minutes, until chicken juices run clear and gravy has thickened.  

Enjoy!  Have a great week!

© Paloma K.

Chicken Pozole Recipe! A very Mexican Dish!

 Being a Mexican in the United States is hard when it comes to finding real, authentic Mexican food... I still have found only one place that was the closest to what Real Mexican food was like and even that was way short of the mark!

I must say I actually get a little "offended" (not really, but I can't find the right word) when people eat greasy, spicy food (with lots of cumin, lots of melted yellow cheese and soooo much oil!) and think they are eating Mexican! Mexican cuisine is amazing! And the variety in flavors, colors and aroma is sooo huge that not many people can say "I've tried it all" even... Mexicans like me... that were raised in Mexico, can say they've only tried "some" of the dishes... because each city/state has so much tooo offer when it comes to recipes and traditional Mexican dishes!

Let me tell you that Mexican cuisine doesn't travel! I will do my best to share with you things so you can replicate and get some of the taste of Mexico but to eat the "real stuff" you'd pretty much need to go to a home in Mexico or to places that you'd probably consider "a hole in the earth" but that's exactly where you'd find the most authentic flavors!

Anyway... So... what's this pozole all about? Well... interestingly enough... and trying to incorporate more Mexican in my kitchen (so my girls grow up knowing what Mexican food really tastes like) I decided to give this pozole a try... Pozole is an amazing dish usually made with pork in Mexico, Americans would call it a "soup", it has spice, a little heat, so much flavor and the raw vegetables that garnish it give it amazing freshness and crunch! Making it extra special... chunks of avocado go great with it adding creaminess!

This pozole recipe... (is going to sound very weird) but ... it's a recipe that I actually found from Martha Stewart Recipes... and it didn't disappoint me (I did make some adjustments)... it's not the most authentic pozole but it's the closest recipe I could find that would do a good job displaying the colors and flavors of the dish while still being friendly to the "American Palate"

I hope you enjoy it!

Chicken Pozole

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
•  1 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 cans (14.5 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cans (15 ounces each) white hominy, drained
• 6 3/4 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey meat (2 pounds)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• Assorted garnishes, such as diced avocado, thinly sliced radishes, thinly sliced cabbage and "tostaditas (tortilla chips)  
• Fresh squeezed lime juice.

Directions

1. Heat oil in a 5-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add onions; cook until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, and oregano; cook, stirring constantly, until evenly distributed.
2. Add 4 cups water, broth, and hominy. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until fragrant, about 30 minutes.
3. Stir in chicken; season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until heated through. (When freezing, cool completely before transferring to airtight containers.)
4. To serve, divide among bowls, and garnish with the raw vegetables/avocado and add some drops of fresh squeezed lime juice.

Enjoy!

Linking up with: Simple Lives Thursday

and  

© Paloma King

Happy Monday, Sippy Cups and Chicken Tacos!

 As I do every Monday... Here I am sharing about how HAPPY I AM IT IS MONDAY! ... Yes... I guess I could complain about it and lose focus on the blessings that Mondays represent and I could say:


"ugh! Hubby has to go to work" it's hard to find something else I don't like about Monday actually... but I guess we all have our reasons to dislike it... a little...

But ... Instead I choose to love Mondays and start them with a good attitude because

1. It's a brand new day God's given me and my family.
2. His mercies are new each day .... even on Mondays! ;)
3. Hey! Hubby has a job to go to!!! WOOHOOO!!! Praise God... He provides!
4. Mondays feel like a clean slate to me! New opportunities... New challenges!

We should focus on what we have... Is it fair to complain about dishes to wash instead of being thankful for the fact that we had FOOD that made those dishes possible?
  

Yesterday... I was washing my girls' sippy cups... and all of a sudden I felt overwhelmed with gratefulness! What a wonderful, blessed moment! I am the mom of two great girls! They have a blessed life, their little mouths drink clean water from those cups! I must say "being a mom" was never in my plans before I had them... I wasn't completely "against being a mommy" but I didn't think I really cared much if I had children or not... I didn't know!!!! It's been such an amazing blessing and the sippy cups reminded me of it!

Are there times... when little things remind you to be thankful? Would you share with us?

And now... More reasons to be thankful!

Fast Chicken Tacos 
(Adapted from Martha Stewart Recipes)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds chicken cutlets (about 8) (to reduce time you can use leftover rotisserie chicken, you will need about 1 pound. For my recipe to make rotisserie style chicken click here and skip the steps of cooking the chicken cutlets)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower (only 1 tbsp. if you use rotisserie chicken)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder (not needed if using rotisserie style chicken)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced
• 1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 8 flour tortillas (6-inch) - You can use whole wheat if desired.
• Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream, for serving
• Lime wedges, for serving

Directions

1. Heat broiler on high (with rack about 4" from heat) Arrange chicken on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, rub with 1tbsp. oil. Season with chili powder, salt and pepper. Broil without turning until chicken is opaque throughout (about 6 mins) Remove from oven. Set aside.
2. On another baking sheet (preferably a rimmed baking sheet) lined with foil, toss peppers, onion, garlic, and remaining tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Broil, tossing occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender and slightly charred, 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, thinly slice chicken crosswise. Heat up a griddle (or a big flat pan on the topstove)   at medium heat, once the pan is hot set the tortillas (as many as you can fit without overlapping much), let tortillas warm up on one side for about 45 seconds, flip and let them warm up for about 1 more minute, flip again and warm up for about 40 more seconds (try to press the tortillas down with a fork if your hands aren't that used to the heat) flip again if necessary, tortillas should start making "hot air bubbles" inside, this means they are warming all the way through. (you can use your microwave or oven to warm up your tortillas, but as a Mexican and expert tortilla warmer -lol- I just shared with you the best way to warm up a tortilla) 
4. Transfer chicken and pepper mixture to a platter, and serve with tortillas, cilantro, sour cream, and lime wedges.

Enjoy!

© Paloma King

I'll oversing your praises! - and will eat some chicken!

 Last night I went to choir rehearsal @ church, at some point the worship leader started talking about how we can sing a song basically with more "umph", everybody gave suggestions like "thinking about what you are singing and believing it, etc" well... I guess I got stuck on that... and thinking about the song I got so excited I got goosebumps... So, after discussing all the great tips and ideas to sing with more passion and better transmit the feeling of the song to the congregation we got up and started to sing... at some point, the emotion flooded me and just like I do when I talk and get excited I started yelling (LOL!) that's always been an issue for me when singing... too much emotion! when practicing way back when I learned to better control all that but it's been so long since I last sang in front of others or in a choir that I've lost practice of technique and stuff like that... so here we reached a part in the song that says:

"I am hope, I am peace, I am joy, I am rest, 

 I am your comfort and relief from your stress,

 I am strength, I am faith, I am love, I am power

 I am your freedom this very hour"

I got sooo into the song and not so into the singing that I was yelling! until I heard the leader say "wow! Don't oversing it" LOL! I was a little embarrassed because I had actually forgotten everyone was there....

But then ... by the time everything was done and when I left church look what I saw:

His creation was over-singing with colors just like I was with my voice ... :) I know I have to control my voice if I want to sing in a choir but I am happy I can over-sing for Him any time of the day!

And now... a recipe that's so good and easy it will make you sing:

Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa (Perfect S for THM)
Original from Martha Stewart's Recipes

Ingredients

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, (6 to 8 ounces each)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 Hass avocado, pitted and cut into chunks (to choose the perfect avocado click here )

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cayenne; rub all over chicken.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add chicken, and cook until browned on the outside and opaque throughout, 8 to 10 minutes per side.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine onion and lime juice; set aside. Just before serving, fold avocado chunks into onion mixture; season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken topped with salsa.

© Paloma K.

Old friends and Lighter Chicken and Biscuits

Hello everybody! I am sooo happy! It's almost Friday! If you know me then you know I am not someone who complains about Mondays and is only happy when it's Friday...  I actually love Mondays! It feels to me like they are always a good opportunity to do things differently, etc... but... this time I am super excited because tomorrow we'll have friends -who live far away- coming over! ... they've been my friends for so long! They are a couple (Tere and Daniel) ... I've known her since I was 12 and I know him since I was I think 15 or 16 ... it turns out that they have always been like a sister and a brother to me and then they got married! How cool is that? To have your best friends get married and you can keep talking and hanging out and just sharing the same memories, etc... I actually went with him to the jewelry when he was looking for an engagement ring for her about 16 years ago! WOW! then we continued to hang out in church and later on at work, Daniel and I worked at the same company together and when I lived the hardest times in my life they both were there for me, just like family!... and I think I am going to be grateful with them FOREVER! They now have 3 kids and I am sure you can imagine how THRILLED I am to think of our children playing together! Oh! Memories... sweet memories! So... they'll be spending the weekend with us!

.... and now... the recipe:

As good as sweet memories "  Lighter Chicken and Biscuits"
(Slightly adapted from Martha Stewart's recipes)

Inspired by southern comfort food. It's not exactly "low calorie" but it is still a healthier version.

Today is SIMPLE LIVES THURSDAY ... if you want to know more about it visit Diana's blog:  "A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa" go visit her and join her on this project! It is very cool! It's all about tips/recipes, etc... on living a "Simple (and wholesome) life" ... I hope you like it.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup whole-wheat flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 large egg white
• 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, such as safflower
• 1 cup low-fat (1 percent) milk -You can use whole milk if you prefer-
• 5 carrots, thinly sliced
• 5 celery stalks, thinly sliced
• 1 box (10 ounces) frozen pearl onions, thawed
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together whole-wheat flour, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together egg white, 3 tablespoons oil, and 1/4 cup milk; add to flour mixture, and stir until moistened. Drop four 1/4-cup scoops of dough onto a baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart. Bake until golden, 12 to 14 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a 5-quart Dutch oven or large heavy pot, heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high. Add carrots, celery, and onions; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender, 7 to 10 minutes.
4. Sprinkle vegetables with remaining 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; stir in remaining 3/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, and thyme. Simmer until liquid is thickened, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, (add more liquid if too thick). Add chicken; simmer until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve chicken stew with biscuits.

So... to good friends! ... ENJOY!

 © Paloma K

Chicken Parmigiana

Well... today I made a delicious and better than restaurant "Chicken Parmigiana" I slightly adapted the recipe from Martha Stewart's website, "Everyday-Food". The original recipe is by Everyday-Food Editor Sarah Carey and I loved its simplicity! Plus it had great reviews so I decided to make it too!

Here is the recipe: (slightly adapted)

Homemade Chicken Parmigiana

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 chicken cutlets (about 1 1/2 pounds total), or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally
• Coarse Salt (I use Kosher) and freshly ground pepper
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 cups jarred tomato sauce (Spaghetti Sauce, I use the one that is just "basil/tomato" sauce or you can make your own.
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, preferably fresh, cut into eight 1/4-inch-thick slices. (you can use shredded mozzarella, which is what I used)

Directions

1. Pre-heat your oven at 400F. Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan in a shallow bowl. Season both sides of chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Dip chicken in the beaten egg, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, turning to coat both sides.
   
2. Spread tomato sauce onto the bottom of a 10-by-15-inch baking dish. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place 4 chicken cutlets in skillet; cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Using a spatula, transfer browned cutlets to baking dish, placing them on top of sauce. Repeat with remaining oil and cutlets.
   
3. Bake for 18 minutes. Increase oven temperature @475F, remove baking dish from oven and add your mozzarella cheese to each chicken breast. Return to the oven (cheese should melt and lightly brown in spots), 5 to 8 minutes. Serve immediately with a side of pasta or your favorite salad (I use the Baby Spring Mix and Italian Dressing)
   
   
   
   
   
   Enjoy!
   

Paloma K.