Twenty-four for 50 - Thoughts on memoirs and on how pasta can be considered salad

It had been smoky in MT all week - the one day it was not we went back to Lake Como for my photo shoot.

Whew. I made it through September. Between some family members with health issues, a memorial service for Grandma and the accompanying travel (both a physical trip to western MT and back, and a trip down memory lane complete with laughs and tears) and family time, training/on-boarding 2 new hires, the joys of quarter-end even though I am not in production anymore, a shake up at work that will funnel more responsibility my way - I am TIRED, y'all!

"But what else did you do, Hallie?" I finished a few more books, blogged a couple times (including this one), walked some (including a hike in the mountains which made my heart happy), a few more delicious recipes tried. I may be behind in just about everything but I am still moving forward, which is all I can ask for some days.

Book 24 - The Art of Memoir

The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr was a book club selection. It is not your typical discussion book but did give us a chance to talk about memoirs in general, our likes and dislikes, why people write memoirs, what makes a good memoir. I happen to like memoirs and have often thought about writing one (though I don't think I want to actually publish it ever), and I enjoyed the book. I have read at least 2 of Karr's memoirs, and liked her insight and instruction. It read a bit like a college course syllabus or class lecture notes, which appears to be what it is based on (she teaches courses on memoir writing), but made me want to seek out some of the other books she discusses, and, yes, try my hand at my own memoir. I'll let you each pick out your own pseudonym if I do publish - haha!

Recipe 24 - BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad

I love that cooled pasta is considered a salad. That means it's healthy, right? Just like a giant taco salad served in that delicious fried shell.

This is one of the few recipes that I forgot to take a photo of. Imagine, if you will, a pasta salad  with chunks of chicken, crispy bacon, fresh corn and a creamy BBQ dressing - that image may be kind of what it looked like. The recipe I used was from Closet Cooking, though I apparently thought I was making a different recipe and had some purchased some ingredients that are not in this recipe and did not purchase others that were. I plan to try THAT recipe another time. Here's a link to the original  and then see below for how I ended up making it (my notes in parentheses). We liked it and would make it again - it was quick and easy. How many times have I said that about a recipe? A lot. It reminds me of an old joke - If it's true that you are what you eat then I must be fast, easy, or cheap. Man, I crack myself up.

Ingredients

1 pound pasta (Any shape will do but I like one that will hold a little bit of dressing in it, like farfalle or rotini. I believe I used whole wheat pasta. You can also use gluten-free pasta if that is your thing.)

1 teaspoon olive oil

4 ounces bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces (optional but why in the world would you not include bacon?? You can also just crumble it after cooking crisp, instead of cutting into pieces.)

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used about 1.5 cups of rotisserie chicken cut into chunks)

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup red bell pepper (I did not add this for 2 reasons - I did not have any and I cannot eat red pepper)

1 cup corn (fresh off the cob is best but frozen or canned/drained will do in a pinch)

1 cup black beans (Did not add for 2 reasons - I didn't have any and someone won't eat beans)

1/2 cup red onion, diced (not added, see black beans for reasons)

1/3 cup BBQ sauce (next time, I think I would bump this up to 1/2 C. It may have been the pasta I used but it seemed a little dry to me)

1/3 cup mayonnaise (same as BBQ sauce)

2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped (optional - I used because we like cilantro and it blended well with the other flavors. Feel free to leave it out if you are one of those who doesn't like it.)

1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced (not added, see black beans)

Directions

Cook the pasta as directed on the package. Drain then mix with olive oil and let cool, mixing every 5 minutes. The oil and mixing helps prevent it from sticking together while it cools.

Cook the bacon until crispy and set aside on paper towels to drain. (if you did not chop before cooking, wait until it is cool and then crumble)

Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste, and grill (or pan fry), over medium-high heat until cooked through, about 3-5 minutes per side, before setting aside to cool, and slicing into bite sized pieces. (Chop your pre-cooked purchased rotisserie chicken if you are slightly lazy, like me. I think this would be more delicious with grilled chicken though.)

Assemble salad with the pasta, bacon, chicken, bell pepper, corn, beans, and onion. (or whatever ingredients you actually have - see also options below)

Mix the BBQ sauce and mayo to make the dressing.

Toss the salad and dressing along with the cilantro and green onions and enjoy!

(I didn't do any of the following options but think the avocado would be delicious. Or the ranch. Or the cheese. And who doesn't love crunchy corn chips - just add at time of serving if you don't want them to get a little soggy.)

Option: Season the chicken with your favorite chicken seasoning instead of the salt and pepper. (I think Justice or Southwest seasoning from Penzey's would be delightful.)

Tip: Cook the chicken and bacon the day before.

Option: Add diced avocado!

Option: Add diced tomatoes!

Option: Add 1 packet ranch seasoning to the dressing! (Or add: 1/2 teaspoon parsley, 1/2 teaspoon chives, 1/2 teaspoon dill, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon onion powder)

Option: Add shredded cheddar cheese!

Option: Top with crunchy corn chips!

Fifty for 50 Tally

Books completed – 32 (7 more in progress)

Recipes tried – 31

Blog posts published– 24

Miles walked in September - 34.2

    Miles walked year-to-date – 430.78

Scrap book pages completed –27

Hats donated – 20

Hours volunteered – 25

Ten for 50 - Grandma's Not-so-secret Recipes

Me and my groovy granny, sometime in the '70s

My grandma passed away last fall.  I am very sad and miss her but also understand that she had a good long life and is no longer in pain.  Plus, I am very lucky to get to be my age and still have had a living grandparent.  I have been comforting myself with fun memories.  With this grandma, memories include cooking and baking.  There were always cookies in the house and we all knew where to find them (coffee can in the freezer).  She shared recipes, tips and advice with me over many years in the kitchen.  I'll share some with you in this post and in future posts as well.

Chicken soup with dumplings or home-made egg noodles

This is my version of a more recent meal I learned from Grandma, and she reminded me more than once as I made this at her house that the secret is NO PEEKING.  When I talked to her earlier in 2020, I reminded her of this and she was adamant once again that this is the secret to soft fluffy dumplings. It seems some people can never seem to resist a peek.  Tough dumplings for them!  I have pots with glass lids so I can see what is going on without peeking.  At Grandma's I was using chicken "boobs" and broth someone else had cooked up for her, no salt added for her dietary reasons, and I made the dumplings with (secret ingredient alert!) Bisquick.  Here, I have added some seasonings I think she would have enjoyed, still keeping low-salt but more flavorful, and mixed up the dumplings from scratch.  I have posted about chicken soup before but to keep the full recipe in one spot, will add it again in this post.

If you are in a pinch for time, you can use store-bought broth (I prefer the low-sodium so I can adjust the salt and seasonings to my taste) and pre-cooked (rotisserie) chicken.  Just jazz it up with kosher salt, pepper, and your preferred seasonings - I like Justice from Penzey's for all of my soups (adds a ton of flavor and it is salt free). Thyme, parsley, or rosemary are also good.

Chicken and Broth

Use the carcass of a rotisserie or roast chicken (best for flavor, and I will often put the carcass in a large plastic bag and keep in the freezer until I am ready to make stock) or whatever chicken I have on hand (usually boneless skinless breasts)  Simmer in a large pot of water with an onion, a couple carrots and some celery (all chopped up), a couple cloves of garlic (peeled but whole) and some herbs, fresh or dried (thyme, bay leaves, parsley, peppercorns).  Simmer until chicken is done (if raw) or until it falls off the bone (for leftover whole chicken).  Skim off any fat or that foamy stuff.  I remove all the veggies and the bay leaves (bay leaves don't get to stay in anything, and the veggies will have all the flavor cooked out anyway).  Chop the chicken into bite-size pieces and toss it back in the stock.  Taste the stock and add seasoning as needed.  I like Justice from Penzey's spices for no-salt option with a ton of flavor - use generously.  If you like, you can add some salt (coarse kosher works best). 

At this point, you have options - so many options!  Add veggies (fresh or frozen, almost any kind), add more chicken if you were using carcass with little meat left on it, add a starch - noodles thick or thin (Grandma's recipe for egg noodles below), home-made or store-bought; rice brown, white or wild; or dumplings.

Dumplings (Betty Crocker’s recipe – my notes in parentheses)

3 Tbsp. shortening

1 ½ C all-purpose flour - if using self-rising flour, omit baking powder and salt
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¾ C milk

Can add ½ tsp dried herbs such as thyme, sage or celery seed, or 3 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs such as parsley or chives, or for a cheesy dumpling add ¼ cup shredded sharp cheese with the flour.

Cut shortening into flour, baking powder and salt with pastry blender until mixture resembles fine crumbs.  Stir in milk.  Drop dough by spoonfuls (or use Pampered Chef or similar scoops – I have found the medium size PC one works perfectly) onto hot meat or vegetables in boiling stew/soup (do not drop directly into liquid, if you can help it – they fall apart). Cook uncovered 10 minutes.  Cover and cook 10 minutes longer (DO NOT PEEK!)
Makes 10 dumplings.

Egg Noodles (recipe from Grandma)

3 eggs + 1 tsp salt (beat)
1 Tbsp butter
2 C plus 2 Tbsp flour

Add flour and butter to eggs and salt.  Mix into stiff dough.  Divide dough in 2.  Round up into a ball, roll thin and let dry slightly.  Fold over into a roll and cut into ¼” slices (a pizza cutter works well).  Toss apart and dry thoroughly.  Cook in rapidly boiling broth or soup.
Serves 6-8

Feel the love in your tummy when you enjoy this soup with family or friends. Grandma would be happy to know you made it with love (and only a teensy bit of salt).

Fifty for 50 Tally

Books completed – 11 (5 more in progress)

Recipes tried – 10

Blog posts published– 10

Miles walked in March - 21.98

                Miles walked year-to-date –99.79

Scrap book pages completed –12

Hats donated – 16

Hours volunteered – 0

Until we eat again,

Hallie