Building Recipes

As I have gotten more comfortable cooking, I have enjoyed spreading my wings and experimenting with recipes I totally make up. It is not only and adventure-it is a dangerous adventure! At first I began by substituting different ingredients on various recipes until I gained enough courage and confidence to invent my own. My husband has been most gracious in trying my new ventures, but I will admit, there have been times it was a complete flop - like chicken spaghetti. It just wasn't right. 

To Build One's Own Recipes it is important to...

1. Have a general understanding of what flavors work well together

2. Have a with a desired taste goal

3. Be willing to take the risk and even fail

1. A general understanding of what flavors work well together simply means that if for example an Italian flavor is desired, I know that parsley, oregano, basil, and garlic are going to be my friends.

2. A desired taste is like designing a dress, writing a song, or drawing up blueprints for a house. When I start out without a recipe, I imagine the taste of an end product in my mouth and working from that flavor, I think of what I need to add to that recipe to get the desired result.

3. Yes it is a risk to experiment-especially for those who always measure out every ingredient to the last ounce. It is very likely a recipe will be a complete flop-or it may simply need something to be added or eliminated on the next attempt.

Although I am not always faithful at taking notes as I invent a new combination of foods, if the recipe is a success, it can never be re-created without some notes and fairly exact measurements. So it is important to keep some kind of record of each ingredient that was added to the pot.

A Couple Personal Recipes:

Autumn Chicken in Sauce

3 chicken legs and thighs-cooked and chopped

1 c. almond milk (regular milk will work too)

2 T cornstarch or flour

1 t. allspice

1 t. nutmeg

1 t. coriander

1/2 t. ginger

2 t. salt

2 t. pepper

1T bacon fat or 1/2 t. liquid smoke

1 c. mayonnaise

cooked pasta-any shape is good

slivered and toasted almonds-to sprinkle on top

1. Mix milk, cornstarch, spices and fat in medium saucepan on the stove on medium until thickened. 

2. Whip in mayonnaise

3. fold in chicken

4. pour over pasta-good on biscuits or toast too!

5. sprinkle almonds on top

Chicken Bacon Pasta

1 lb of cooked and chopped bacon

2 c. cubed-cooked chicken

1 pkg. Cream cheese-low fat does not work

1/4 c. milk

2 t. salt

2 t. pepper

1 t. sage

1 t. celery seed

3-4 c. cooked pasta-any cut-I like the colored spirals or bow-ties

1. In small saucepan warm cheese, milk and seasonings till smooth.

2. Mix chicken and bacon into pasta

3. Stir warm sauce into pasta mixture and serve warm