Happy Thanksgiving

Its that time of year again where we gather together with family and friends to celebrate that which we are thankful for.
But what is Thanksgiving?
Being a strictly US holiday, not many people in the world understand it. Traditionally it is supposed to be in remembrance of when the pilgrims and the natives came together in celebration of peace, love, and good will toward all peoples. Well if you know anything about history, that didn't happen, but it is a romantic notion which fills us with those warm fuzzy feelings. And there's nothing wrong with that.
But really its just an excuse to pig out on turkey and dressing. Which is one thing I always had a problem with - not pigging out or the dining selection, but in that people have convinced themselves that it is the only time of year to eat said foods. Why? There is no reason. I would eat turkey and dressing all year long if I could. I love it. And that brings us to the best part of Thanksgiving: the leftovers! Unfortunately in my family the leftovers have become scarce as of late. We just aren't making as much food as we used to, and that's a shame.
This Thanksgiving week I helped out at a local restaurant and catering service. Every year the good people at Goldie's Express in Vicksburg, MS, prepare both turkey and ham dinners. These dinners can come complete with a choice of dressing, cranberry sauce, peas, yams, baked beans, red beans and rice (its a southern thing), giblet gravy, potato salad, and a choice of either a pecan pie or sweet potato pie. Of course you could order everything, and there are quite a few people who do. The days leading up to Turkey Day are filled with preparation - making the sides, packing them, organizing the turkeys and hams, making sure there's enough food to fill the orders and finally putting the orders together and the pick up. Those who ordered dinners can pick up at the shop the day before T-Day, and all they have to do is heat up the food.
For my part in this great service, I made nearly a ton of dressing. I enjoyed it, because I was actually thinking of making a dressing entry for this blog, and this kind of does that for me.

While I don't know the exact measurements because I was making it in bulk, I will share the ingredients and process as best I can.
In huge containers, I broke up slabs of conrbread. This was then mixed with half a bag of Uncle Ben's dressing mix, a cup of black pepper, 3-4 cups of sliced boiled eggs and probably around a gallon of a chicken stock mixture. The chicken stock was boiled with diced onions and celery. When this is mixed thoroughly, the dressing is moist and delicious. Remember this is the process for a 5-10 gallon container and not for individual portions. I think by Christmas I'll have a more refined recipe.

I had a lot of fun making the dressing, but that was not the end of my participation. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I helped organize the orders and hand them off to the customers. I know that there are a lot of people who will be enjoying their Thanksgiving dinners this year, and it gives me a feeling of satisfaction.

From the Amateur Chef, I wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving in the real sense of that phrase: pig out on great food in great company.

Parmesan Chicken and Mini Farfalle in Cream Sauce

I had an itch for experimentation and this is the result.

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast
1 egg
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese
1 cup mini farfalle (bow-tie noodles)
2 tsp powdered garlic
1 tsp Eric's Original Spice
1-2 tsp fresh ground peppercorn medley
1/2 cup milk
1 tbs olive oil

Process:
Dip the chicken breast in the egg and bread with the Italian bread crumbs. Top with Parmesan cheese. Fry in medium skillet until thoroughly cooked. Be careful not to burn the cheese.
Boil the noodles in a medium pot until al dente. Drain noodles. In the same pot, add the oil and seasoning. Stir well to mix. Slowly add the milk and continue to stir until the sauce is a creamy texture.
Serve on a plate with the chicken cut up on top of the noodles. Sprinkle some more Parmesan cheese for a little more flavor.

This turned out to be a delightful little dish with great Italian flavors, and the recipe can easily be doubled for a nice little dinner for two.

Pollo Picado

Looking to spice up the ordinary chicken sandwich? Try this.

Ingredients:
4 pieces of toast
lettuce
2 chicken patties
salsa

Salsa:
Tomatoes
onion
cilantro
garlic

blend thoroughly

Process:
Cook chicken patties in oven, as per directions: 20 minutes at 400, turning over once at 10 minutes.
Make toast in a toaster, cooking roughly 2 minutes.
Lay lettuce on bottom piece of toast. Place the chicken patty atop that, and spread salsa over the chicken.

This is a delightful way to liven up the bland chicken sandwich. It has a nice crisp bite of latin flavor which is sure to put a kick in your lunch. Try it out.