Arroz Con Pollo

A family favorite around here!

For the Chicken:
5 heaping tablespoons minced garlic. (I buy the jarred type)
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons dried oregano
4 chicken breast halves with bone, halved crosswise
4 chicken drumsticks
4 chicken thighs

For the Rice:
3 oz. Mexican chorizo
2 medium onions, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
5 tablespoons
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
3 bay leaves
1 lb. tomatoes, seeded and chopped , or 1 large can chopped tomatoes
12-oz. bottle beer (not dark)
1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups long-grain white rice (14 oz.)
Bijol or 2-3 saffron threads

Create a paste from garlic, lime juice and oregano, this will be a marinade for your chicken pieces. Be sure to remove all the fat before tossing in marinade. Then cover tightly with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 1-2 hours.

Cook chorizo in olive oil in a large pot. Add onions, bell pepper, and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add cumin, oregano, paprika, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and bay leaves and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Add chicken with marinade to chorizo mixture and cook, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring frequently, 10 minutes. Add your chicken pieces and cook until browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken pieces and deglaze your pan with your beer. Add in tomatoes, broth, Bijol or saffron strands and rice and bring to a boil, making sure rice is submerged. Put your chicken back in at this point.

Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover mixture directly with a round of parchment or wax paper and cover pot with a tight fitting lid. Cook, stirring once or twice, until rice is tender, 20 to 30 minutes. At this point you can add some frozen early peas if you like. They are wonderful in this dish!

Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes.

This dish is super yummy with tortillas, my hubs prefers corn and I like flour myself. We also squeeze lemon wedges over our dish.

*Some variations I like to add in are 1 teaspoon in cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg or some chopped cilantro when cooking. If using the cinnamon and nutmeg I recommend not adding lemon over the top and if you like, adding raisins when you cook the rice.

Our "Shepherd's Pie"

Lets not debate what a "Shepherd's Pie" is, let's just try this yummy meat dish!

Gather:
*4 large potatoes
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper to taste
5 carrots, chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 small onion
1 pound ground beef or turkey
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ketsup
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (or whatever cheese your prefer)
**1 packet beef gravy

Steam or boil your carrots and prepare your mashed potatoes. Set aside. Preheat your oven to 375 degreesF/190 degrees C.

Heat oil in large frying pan and add onions. Cook those until clear and then add your beef/turkey. Cook until well-browned drain off excess oil and add your flour, cook for 1 minute. Add ketsup and gravy packet. Stir everything until hot and bubbly. Add your carrots and stir well.

Spread your meat mixture in an even layer on the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish and then layer on your mashed potatoes. Sprinkle on cheese.

Pop it in the oven for 20 minutes or so until the cheese is golden and bubbly!

This dish is divine with Awesom White Bread rolls! You can also add other veggies to the mix if you like, my family loves it with peas in addition to the carrots.

*Here's the first note, this recipe calls for mashed potatoes. First thing you should do is make a pot of your favorite mashed potatos. The 4 large potatoes in the ingredients is for that purpose. You should make them to your taste. Add garlic or cheese or sherry or herbs, whatever floats your boat. I like to change them up so use your imagination!

**Number two! Remember, anything you make should be to your own taste. You can take a short cut and use the packet of gravy or you can use the drippings from the pan of ground beef and make your own to use. Entirely up to you!

Awesome Amish White Bread

This bread is AMAZING. Just try it!

Gather:
2 cups warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup canola oil
6 cups all-purpose flour
A large bowl
2 9 by 5 inch loaf pans

How To:
In your large bowl, disolve sugar in warm milk and stir in yeast. Allow to proof until it looks like a creamy foam. This takes around 10 minutes for me.

Next, stir in oil and salt then begin adding your flour one cup at a time. You may not need to the entire 6 cups, I generally end up with about 1/2 to 3/4 of cup left. Once the dough in moist rather than runny turn out onto a floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Your dough shouldn't stick to your hands. Place in a well oiled bowl and cover with a damp (not wet) cloth and allow to rise until it has doubled in size, about an hour.

Turn the dough back out onto your floured surface and punch down and knead a few times. Divide your dough in half and shape it in your loaf pans. Recover with your cloth and allow to rise once more until the dough is about an inch over the rim of your pans, about 30 minutes.

If you like, melt a little butter and brush over the tops of your loaves. Bake at 350 degrees F/175 C for 30 minutes or until golden on top.

*This bread is so yummy and this recipe given is so good as sandwich bread or dinner rolls. You can also increase the sugar to 2/3 cup for a sweeter bread that is delicious as a breakfast bread. You can add raisins and brown sugar for really yummy raisin bread.