Seasonings (you may want to add others if you think of them)
Melt half the butter on low to medium heat (don't scorch it!) in a large
skillet that has a tight-fitting lid. Peel the garlic clove and slice one
end off it. Now make a series of cuts across the exposed end first one way,
then at right angles, so if you slice across the end you get a bunch of little
pieces of garlic (this is the easy way to mince fresh garlic). Put
a couple of slices worth (more or less to taste) of minced garlic into the
melted butter (you can make the vertical cuts, then just do the final slicing
cuts right over the pan). Add the chicken to the pan.
Mix the leaf seasonings (Sage, Thyme, pepper parsley, etc.) and sprinkle half of them over the chicken. Turn the chicken over and sprinkle the rest over this side and into the butter in the pan. Turn the chicken several times until the outside is sort of golden brown. You may need to turn the heat up a little to get it to brown. Do not worry about cooking the chicken all the way through -- just brown the outside. If you forgot to thaw your chicken, you can still brown the outside; the rest of the cooking will just take a little longer!
Push the chicken to the outside of the pan and melt the rest of the butter in the center of the pan. Pour the rice into the melted butter and stir it until all of the rice grains have soaked up a little bit of butter (this makes the rice less sticky when it cooks up). Now add TWICE AS MUCH WATER AS YOU USED RICE to the pan and 1 teaspoon of the powdered chicken boullion. If you want, stir in a splash of wine, sherry, or cognac, and/or half a can of cream of mushroom soup. Stir everything together, cover tightly, and turn the heat down to medium low.
Check the pan every 10 minutes or so to make sure the rice isn't running out of water or sticking to the bottom of the pan. If necessary, add a little water or stir the rice a little bit, then put the cover back on.
Cook covered until the rice is done and the chicken cooked completely (if you have any question about the chicken, pierce it with a sharp knife or fork and look at the juice that runs out. If it is not completely clear or looks slightly bloody, the chicken isn't done yet).
Add another ¼ to ½ Cup of water to the pan (let it soak down through the rice), and then pour the vegetables on top of the bed of rice in the pan. Cover tightly and cook until the vegetables are thoroughly steamed.
To serve, first spoon the steamed vegetables off the top of the rice, then
fork or scoop out the chicken pieces. Now you can spoon out the rice one
serving at a time! Bon Appetit!
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Melt in a double boiler
When the chocolate is melted stir in
Add the syrup to the melted chocolate and stir until smooth.
When the mixture is cool but not chilled fold into it
and then fold this combination very gently into
chill in glasses at least 2 hours before serving.
* Variations: To make
Sweet or Semi-Sweet Mousse, use sweet or semi-sweet chocolate.
To make Bittersweet Mousse, use bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate
and add sugar a little bit at a time to the chocolate/cream/syrup mixture
until it's to your taste.
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My grandmother made these; now they are a family Christmas tradition!
Cream together until light and fluffy
Add:
Beat until smooth and creamy
Sift together:
Mix together, roll out on floured board, and cut out with cutters
Bake about 8 minutes at 375
Frost with buttercream frosting