food food food

One of the best uses of the internet, in my opinion, is the immense collection of fantastic recipes at your fingertips, complete with pictures, search engines that can help you find a recipe when you need to use up the broccoli in your crisper, a half package of spaghetti, some stewed tomatoes, and you feel like chicken tonight. It is a cook's dream come true!

I love real cookbooks too. Its nice to flip thorugh something in alphabetical order, make notes, see the pictures, and get to know what's in there after a few years so you can come back those favorite recipes.

I also adore Cooking Light magazine. I have subscribed to their magazine for a full year a few times. I also love thumbing through these and looking at the hundreds of no-fail recipes these guys have to offer, not to mention great articles. But at the end of receiving 12 issues, it just takes up so much space in my tiny little half of a duplex that I end up recycling them in an effort to save my sanity around the house.

But, the internet-as-cookbook is still the most amazing. Especially when there are amazing blogs out there with delicious recipes. Like CityMama -- her Spaghetti con burro e pomodori is simply to die for in all its rich tomato and butter simplicity. Dang, I love this stuff.
And like Bread & Honey: A Food Blog and their constant updates with delicious recipes and pictures of all the amazing things they've made. My favorite I've made is Alicia's Butternut Squash Soup. Totally to die for.

Today I found the motherload of recipe inspiration: TasteSpotting.
Yum and yum. I'm going to spend some serious time perusing here.



Last night, I made Green Chile-Chicken Casserole which you can find here at Cooking Light. My mom used to make something similar when I was a kid, and I've come back to this recipe at least ten times, but was always short a key ingredient or two. This recipe uses pre-made shredded chicken, but I opted to make my own. This was a first for me, and I'm so glad I did! Here's how you do it:

Shredded Chicken

In a saucepan, combine 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, 1 1/2 cups water, 2 large sliced garlic cloves, 1 bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Partly cover and simmer until center of thickest chicken piece registers 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer and juices run clear, 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature in the broth. Remove chicken and simmer broth until reduced to 1/3 cup. Remove and discard bay leaf. Tear meat into shreds about 1/4" to 1/2" wide and place in a bowl. Add the reduced broth and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and ground black pepper. Toss to mix.


This was so easy, I will definitely be making it again. Enjoy!