A Hiccup, and What I Love About Spring

Posted on March 23, 2012 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

Azalea blossoms in our yard shot with a macro lens. I think azaleas are fascinating!

Forgive me readers for I have been MIA. It’s been two weeks since my last post.

Missed me? I’ve missed you all….figuratively and literally! I’ve been dealing with some family health issues for the last two weeks, so had no time for cooking, blogging or keeping up to speed with other posts, either. So sorry about that…some of my fellow bloggers are so prolific I may never catch up! Since I still haven’t had time to get back on my schedule of cooking or just fun eating in general, I’ve decided to give you an update on things I will hopefully be cooking from my garden within a few months and my quarterly commentary on a few things I love about the season at hand….Spring! Continue reading →

That Thing About Spring

Posted on March 13, 2012 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

Nothing says spring like Greek marinated and grilled pork loin chops, veggie kabobs and tzatziki sauce...at least to me!

We’re really getting a taste of spring around here now with our temps moving up from the mid to upper 60’s on Saturday to the low 80’s tomorrow and for the foreseeable future…whhaaaat???? Am I living in Florida? Pinch myself…nope, still in Atlanta. Whoa, that’s more like early summer!

Anyway, the birds are returning and the bees are buzzing, and all this activity resulted in some rather demonic energy on my part last weekend. Continue reading →

With Love, from Betsy

Posted on March 9, 2012 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

During the time of my adventures with the little chicken, I managed to catch up on some posts from my fellow bloggers, and found that I had been given some new blog love in the form of 7 awards! Oh, my goodness, that is some grand love indeed, and from two of my favorite bloggers besides. 🙂 Continue reading →

Lean, Mean and Green Broccoli Spinach Soup

Posted on March 5, 2012 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

Sometimes a bowl of warm, green soup is just what the doctor ordered. This beautiful soup is a lean, mean and green antioxidant machine...and it makes me happy!

It was the end of a very long, and emotionally exhausting week, and the thought of just staying home and making dinner was a pleasure. But what to make?

I didn’t feel like going to the store. It was getting cold outside. I knew my supplies were getting low, just some bits of things here and there. Here’s how the dialog goes in my head at these moments. Sound familiar? Continue reading →

The Tale of The Little Chicken That Could, Part III: Risotto, the Essence of a Chicken and the End?

Posted on February 29, 2012 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

Dark roasted chicken stock + caramelized onions + balsamic drizzle = delectable risotto, but perhaps not the prettiest or most colorful you've ever seen!

There’s been a roasted chicken, and then chicken pot pies, and now the time has come to wind up this tale of The Little Chicken That Could with his final bequest: Chicken Essence, AKA the roasted chicken stock, and what to do with it!

Now of course, soup is a wonderful thing, and having homemade stock on hand in your freezer is like having a warm security blanket….at least once you warm it, it is. Rest assured, there will be soup in the future. But the little chicken had another idea for the home cook as well… Continue reading →

The Tale of the Little Chicken That Could, Part II: Individual Chicken Pot Pies

Posted on February 26, 2012 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

Chicken Pot Pies with Lemon-Thyme Sweet Potato Biscuit. Ready to eat? Yes indeed.

And now for the second chapter of our little tale…

So it came to pass that the little chicken grew up to become a fabulous roasted chicken with lovely moist meat and savory pan juices. The home cook and her husband were very satisfied at dinner that night, and the little chicken was very…well…appreciated.

But this was just the beginning of the tale for this happy little chicken, oh yes! For you see, he had some special secrets he’d shared with the home cook, secrets that would honor a fine chicken and feed a family of two or more for several days. He foretold of many ways the home cook could enjoy him beyond an initial roasting, as well as have fun making new dishes in her kitchen. Continue reading →

The Tale of the Little Chicken That Could!

Posted on February 22, 2012 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

Once upon a time, there was a sale on whole organic chickens at Whole Foods. These were beautiful little chickens, certified organic stage 3, and individually wrapped…and it was a GOOD sale.

The day had dawned bright and sunny, the weekend was upon us, and the home cook went to the market on her lunch hour to purchase some milk and fruit to round out her grocery supply. She had no need of animal proteins on this beautiful, crisp day, being well endowed with veggies from her local CSA box.

She briskly strolled her cart down the aisles…easily ignoring the pitfalls of the cheese department and the bakery(!). And then suddenly, just as she rounded the paper goods aisle, harps started playing and angels started singing…it was Friday you see, the big one day sale! And there they were, all those little chickens…lined up side by side in the refridgerator case, waiting patiently to pounce on unsuspecting shoppers. Continue reading →

And now for something completely different…Kale Calzones with Spicy Marinara

Posted on February 19, 2012 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

It tastes as good as it looks, and is yet another dish you can't feel guilty about eating and enjoying!

Our CSA boxes have been pretty repetitive of late, but they happen to be featuring some of my favorite ingredients to work with and in particular, broccoli and kale. I made some of my Penne with Fresh Broccoli and Garlic last week—always a quick and tasty dish—but wanted to figure out something different to do with the kale other than my usual sauteed side dish or a main pasta dish. After casting about for a while looking for ideas from other recipes, I decided on calzones, and this dish was born: Kale Calzones with Spicy Marinara. Continue reading →

Even Carnivores Will Love It: Vegetarian/Vegan Black Bean Chili

Posted on February 16, 2012 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful…and meatless.

I’m a sucker for most kinds of chili, especially when the weather is cold and I’m craving that comforting bowl of rich goodness. Generally, I like meat of some sort in my chili, and in addition to my signature Holy Mole Turkey Chili, I make and enjoy all kinds of and meat and bean chilis. In the last couple of weeks we’ve been taking a more healthy road around here as you may have noticed, and the other day I remembered a recipe I used to make long ago for a rather delicious, and quite frugal, black bean chili. This chili is completely vegetarian (I think it might actually qualify as vegan (!), even), and the toppings for it can be customized to your desires. I like to stick with the veggie and cheese variety of toppings to let the beans shine through. Continue reading →

Don’t Touch That Dial: It’s a HEALTHY Bread Pudding!

Posted on February 13, 2012 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

Butternut Squash, Kale and Parmesan Bread Pudding. Very tasty, very satisfying and very vegetarian!

Bread Pudding. The mere mention makes me want some. I love it sweet…the traditional way with whisky sauce (no raisins or pineapple in that please), or chocolatey—I had a chocolate banana bread pudding once that almost made me swoon—or cinnamon caramel-y with pecans and bourbon whipped cream will do nicely, too. I love it savory…that Ham, Fontina and Spinach bread pudding could yet be my downfall. They are all fantastic, and all, alas, rather caloric. In my mind, the words “Healthy” and “Bread Pudding” just don’t go together.

Until now. Continue reading →