Love's Gumbo

Green Chicken Chilaquiles Casserole

Lovesgumbo — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:17:12 +0000

Brooke says: I made this dish for dinner last night. My family loved it. Instead of frying soft corn tortillas, I crunched up crunchy taco shells.
c.1997, M.S. Milliken & S. Feniger, all rights reserved

Ingredients
2 whole chicken breasts, split (I used Quorn Naked Chicken, which is vegetarian)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chicken stock
3 1/2 cups Tomatillo Salsa, recipe follows
1/2 cup heavy cream (I used sour cream instead. Gave it a nice zing)
1 onion, sliced paper-thin
1/2 cup vegetable oil
12 day-old Corn Tortillas, recipe follows (18 if individual casseroles are being made)
1 cup grated Manchego cheese (I used feta & Mexican blend packaged cheese)
1 cup grated Panela cheese
1/2 cup grated Anejo cheese
Directions
Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a large saucepan. Place the breasts in the stock, reduce the heat to moderate, cover and cook until the meat is tender, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool in the stock. When cool, remove the skin and bones and shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. Strain and reserve the stock for another use.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the fresh tomatillo salsa, heavy cream, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the onion and shredded chicken pieces.

Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the tortillas just about 5 seconds per side to soften, and then transfer to a large colander to drain.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 4 quart casserole or 6 to 8 individual casseroles (at the restaurant, we use small soup bowls).

Combine the cheeses in a mixing bowl.

To assemble the chilaquiles, spread a thin layer of the cheese mixture over the bottom of the baking dish. Push the solids in the bowl of chicken and tomatillo sauce to the side so the liquids form a pool in the bottom. Dip all the softened tortillas in the pool to moisten. Layer one third of the moist tortillas over the cheese and top with half of the chicken mixture with its sauce. Sprinkle half of the remaining cheese over the chicken. Repeat the layers, ending with a layer of tortillas on top. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake 30 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown. Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving or unmolding.

TOMATILLO SALSA (GREEN SALSA)
1 pound tomatillos, husked, washed and cut into quarters
2 – 4 large jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded if desired and roughly chopped
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 medium onion, cut in half
2 bunches cilantro, stems and leaves
2 teaspoons salt
In blender place tomatillos, jalapenos and water. Puree until just chunky. Add remaining ingredients and puree about 2 minutes more, or until no large chunks remain. This salsa keeps in the refrigerator, in a covered container, about 3 days.

Yield: 3 1/2 cups

CORN TORTILLAS
4 cups finely ground deep yellow masa harina
2 3/4 cups cold water
1 teaspoon salt
In large bowl combine all ingredients and stir until smooth. The dough should be slightly sticky and form a ball when pressed together. To test, flatten a small piece of dough between your palms. If the edges crack, add water to the dough, a tablespoon at a time, until a test piece does not crack.

Divide the dough into 24 golf ball size pieces for tacos and 12 large balls for quesadillas. Place on a platter and cover with a damp towel. Line a tortilla press with 2 sheets of plastic cut from a plastic freezer bag or other heavy duty plastic bag.

Heat a dry cast iron skillet, or non-stick pan until moderately hot. Flatten each ball of dough in the tortilla press, then remove the plastic from the top and, holding the tortilla with your fingertips, peel off the bottom sheet. Lay the tortillas one by one on the skillet and cook about 30 to 45 seconds per side, pressing the top of each tortilla with your fingertips to make it puff. Place the hot tortillas on a towel.

When they are still warm but not hot, stack and wrap in a towel. Serve immediately or let cool, wrap well in plastic or a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator up to a week.

Yield: 24 small or 12 large tortillas

7UP Biscuits

Lovesgumbo — Sat, 12 May 2012 17:18:20 +0000

I found these gems on pinterest and I have been making them every since. They have replaced my traditional buttermilk biscuit recipe because everyone in the family loves them so much! Soft, moist, yummy and easy!

From Plain Chicken

2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup 7-up
1/4 cup melted butter

Cut sour cream into biscuit mix, add 7-Up. Makes a very soft dough.
Sprinkle additional biscuit mix on board or table and pat dough out. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 9 inch square pan. Place cut biscuits in pan and bake at 450 degrees until golden brown.

www.plainchicken.blogspot.com

#luvchat on Twitter Saturday 9:30 am est/ 8:30 am cst 05/12 Highlights!

Lovesgumbo — Sat, 12 May 2012 13:29:22 +0000

@LovesGumbo we must know the more authentic and truthful we are the more vulnerable and sensitive we become Lean into it! #luvchat

— Jonika Moore-Diggs (@jlmdiggs) May 12, 2012

@LovesGumbo @D_Absolut_Truth amen!False examples of how relationships work and just how honest and “naked” one must be #luvchat

— Jonika Moore-Diggs (@jlmdiggs) May 12, 2012

Intimacy – into me see – I struggle I cry I am sometimes insecure this is the real me I only privilege you to see #luvchat

— D_Absolut_Truth (@D_Absolut_Truth) May 12, 2012

Quote From Hermina Glass Avery on Facebook.com/lovesgumbo

I would rather tell the truth and free myself to what is than to lie and enslave myself to a falsely perceived reality. #luvchat

— Brooke Brimm (@LovesGumbo) May 12, 2012

Yes!RT @LovesGumbo: We are taught to tell little lies, and punished for big lies. The little lies are what lead to a confused life. #luvchat

— Jonika Moore-Diggs (@jlmdiggs) May 12, 2012

Affirmations, journaling, prayer, meditation, give clarity, clarity leads to change. #luvchat

— Brooke Brimm (@LovesGumbo) May 12, 2012

Truth ladies! Powerful!

Lovesgumbo — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:13:45 +0000

Mexican-Inspired Grilled Chicken Wings

Lovesgumbo — Sat, 05 May 2012 21:32:35 +0000

From: Tres Agaves

time to get your grill on! Perfecto for impromptu barbecues, we love this Mexican-inspired, dry-rub grilled chicken wing recipe because there is no need to marinate the chicken beforehand.

Serving Size:

3 To 4 People

Total Cooking Time With Prep:

45 Minutes To An Hour

What You Will Need:

- Charcoal Grill

- Large Bowl

- 3 lbs of whole chicken wings (wing tips included)

- Extra Virgin Olive Oil

- Sea Salt (table salt is fine too)

- Granulated Garlic Powder

- Cayenne Pepper

- Fresh Ground Pepper

- Tapatio Hot Sauce

- Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

- Small Stack of Cilantro

Directions:

First things first, prepare your charcoal grill with a heap of gray/white coals in the middle of the coal catcher. I insist that you leave the charcoal unadulterated (i.e. no lighter fluid) because it will ruin the flavors you are about to embark on. Normally I use a standard sized Weber grill that comfortably fits 3 lbs of chicken wings on the outer edge of the grill leaving the middle completely open for other food to grill with direct heat. You don’t want your chicken wings on top of direct heat for too long because they will char too quickly (and you don’t want burnt, undercooked chicken wings!) The old barbeque adage goes, “Low And Slow Is the Way To Go!”

While the coals are heating up nicely on the grill, grab a large sized bowl and put all the chicken wings in. Once you’ve done that, begin to add: sea salt, cayenne pepper, fresh ground pepper, granulated garlic powder, Tapatio Hot Sauce, and fresh squeezed lime juice, liberally.

Now this is when things get dirty! Mix up all the ingredients in the bowl with your hands in order to massage all these ingredients into the chicken wings. Once you’ve done that, you might want to add another helping of the ingredients above in order to cover the wings that were on the bottom of the bowl, but that’s completely up to your discretion and taste buds. You want to make sure the chicken wings have a light red tint to them, if not add more cayenne pepper to the equation. Before you put the wings on the grill, be sure to whip out that extra virgin olive oil and liberally coat the top of the bowl full of wings and stir it all up again. The Extra Virgin Olive Oil will act as a nice coating in order to keep the previous ingredients on the wings and to help crisp up the wings while they’re cooking on the grill.

After all that elbow grease has been used up mixing the bowl full of wings, you’re about ready to go put these bad boys on the grill. Be sure to put the wings on the edges of your circular grill with the skin side facing down and the wing tips facing toward the middle of the grill. Once every 3 to 4 minutes you want to flip the wings over with the wing tips facing toward the edge of the grill and the skin side facing up. Be sure to rotate the wing tip and skin side positions in various ways to make sure that every portion of the wings has been on the grill. You want to achieve a nice golden brown hue to your wings, which usually takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour of flipping them every 3-4 minutes. Make sure to keep the lid on top of the grill during the last portion of the cooking process in order to achieve a nice smoky flavor. While you’re waiting for the wings to cook, be sure to grab that stack of cilantro and dice them up finely, which will serve as a nice garnish after you take the wings off the grill and onto a serving plate.

Please send any pictures, success stories, or comments about this recipe to info@tresagaves.com. I’d love to hear how your chicken wings turn out!

Ginger Peach Margarita

Lovesgumbo — Sat, 05 May 2012 20:57:37 +0000

These will be great for your Fight Night Cinco de Mayo Party! Spicy and refreshing!

Ginger Peach Margarita
(makes 1 drink)

1/2 of a ripe peach, peeled, pitted, and cut into wedges
5 quarter-sized slices of fresh ginger
3/4 oz. simple syrup
1 oz. fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
1 1/2 oz. silver tequila
1/2 oz. Cointreau orange liqueur
Lime wedge for garnish

Muddle the peach wedges, fresh ginger and simple syrup in a mixing glass. I muddle until the peach is pulverized, and the ginger is slightly beaten up. Add lime juice, tequila, Cointreau and ice and shake. Strain into an ice-filled glass. Garnish with lime.

If you’re going to make margaritas with any sort of frequency, invest in Cointreau. It’s expensive, I know. But I’ve not been pleased with any margaritas I’ve made without it. One bottle should last you quite a while.

After you’ve made one, experiment with the amount of ginger you put in. I sometimes like mine with a little extra ginger kick, so usually add a little bit more. Then I garnish with a paper-thin piece of ginger.

#luvchat on Twitter Saturday 9 am est/ 8 am cst

Lovesgumbo — Sat, 05 May 2012 14:32:45 +0000

Brooke Says:Here are some tweets from this morning’s chat on Victimhood! If you missed it, just search #luvchat on twitter and read what we talked about. Retweet anything you agree with and add your input. I’ll come back and address additional tweets later during the day and week.

Choosing to be a victim limits our creatives powers in the situation. #luvchat

— Lisa R Charles(@Lisacwrites) May 5, 2012

@LovesGumbo Yes. If you’ve been victimized, you’ve experienced some kind of manipulation and it makes it hard to trust yourself. #luvchate

— Jen Davis (@JenPriceDavis) May 5, 2012

@LovesGumbo Yes!!!I love that. Your role could have been being honest and open, but dealing with a actively dysfunctional person. #luvchat

— Jen Davis (@JenPriceDavis) May 5, 2012

@LovesGumbo @Lisacwrites Blaming only removes responsibility from yourself and allows you to gain sympathy.#luvchat

— This Cookn’ Mom (@ThisCooknMom) May 5, 2012

Feeling like a victim can lead to resentment within relationships. And resentment kills love! #luvchat

— Brooke Brimm (@LovesGumbo) May 5, 2012

Perpetrators sometimes try to stamp out positive traits as a means of attack. Knowing your positive trait is knowing your role. #luvchat

— Brooke Brimm (@LovesGumbo) May 5, 2012

@JenPriceDavis Support is essential, even if we can only find it from God #luvchat

— Brooke Brimm (@LovesGumbo) May 5, 2012

Once victims claim the power they can go forth and begin to love again #luvchat

— Brooke Brimm (@LovesGumbo) May 5, 2012

@LovesGumbo True, but worth exploring.I see role as part, blame as fault, responsibility as willingness to do healing work. #luvchat

— Jen Davis (@JenPriceDavis) May 5, 2012

Denyce Graves

Lovesgumbo — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:46:32 +0000

Here is a woman who grew up without a father in Washington D.C. She married twice, before meeting and marrying her current husband. They are determined to make this marriage work, so they see a counselor proactively and they read and study a lot about communication and love. Denyce, is finding balance managing her home and her huge Opera career. We wish her the best in her new life, and thank her for giving back to her community!

Day 11 – Stop give-me-attention-or-else-war with Breathing.

Lovesgumbo — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 16:56:38 +0000

Brooke says: This is a great example of the kind of self-discovery that comes from effective journaling. I love this! If you haven’t started journaling for your journey, start today and watch your life expand.

From Anton Fernando

Day 11. Journey to Life. It seems there is an emotional beast within me that rises everyday or so, usually in the evenings. When it takes over me, I crave and demand for attention, usually my wife is the target, she better give me attention OR else, some sort of hell will manifest. I demand attention, as if there is this hungry beast within me, urging, wanting, desiring, attention to feel better.

Shame to admit, this beast, this hungry ghost is me, I become like a cry whiny baby, needing my mama to pacify me. I am 43 and my wife is no my mama. She is such a tough cookie, she will ignore me with an extra bite to it when I get carried away by this beast. There is no way she is going to act like my mama, not even for a moment. She is my toughest teacher, she is demanding me to take self-responsibility for my shit. Today around 7pm, I was totally and completely taken over by this familiar decade old emotional beats within me, it was ready for give-me-attention-or-else-war. Had I gone home with that state of mind, it would have been an unwise idea. I called a fellow destonian, I discussed the situation and I came to see how my accepted and allowed lack of self-responsibility is the cause of this accumulated beast within me. It has nothing to do with my wife, though, I often blame her for my moods.

After doing some self-forgiveness and self-reflections, I push thru the resistances and emotional old pain, I went home, had supper, enjoyed a pleasant evening. This evening is very important to me, because I avoided a self-manifested hell for us. Others did nothing, it is me, who took the steps to change my starting point and walk thru the resistances.

Here I am writing my self-forgiveness to release this self-made beast within me. I write this to change me, after all I am the beast that need change.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to believe that my wife must make me happy when I am in a bad mood.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to be a slave by giving another the power to make me happy or unhappy.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to give up my power to another being, by saying, they have power to make me happy or unhappy.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to blame my wife within my backchat/mindchats for blaming her for what I feel within me.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to always blame somebody for what I feel within me.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to always desire and want another to give me attention.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to not care for me.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to blame and scold others believing that will make others give me attention.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to get stuck in wants/desires/needs and demand my wife to satisfy them.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to demand others to make me happy.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to make me a slave by placing my happiness in the hands of others.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to not embrace me.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to not care for me.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to not give attention to me by breathing with awareness here.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to believe that I lack care/attention/affection etc because I have not given those to me,

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to not be here as breath and breathing, instead wanting another to pacify me, care for me, love me, hold me, hug me, cuddle me, be affectionate to me, in the meantime I have entirely ignored myself.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to not realize that I am here as breath and that is enough. I have only created the idea of lack.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to exist in lack and believe that I lack, not realizing that lack is just that, an idea in my mind.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to not realize, first I need a self-agreement in which I embrace me as breath here, in which I stand here as breath, not wanting/desiring/needing/ anything to fill me up.

I am here, I breathe.

When and as I see myself craving for attention, care, love, affection, from another, I STOP, I breathe, I breathe with full breaths, till I can pull the breath to my navel area. In that way I support myself to overcome this emotional beast I have become within me. I direct myself to STOP participating in any thoughts, and blames, I simply breathe and remain here.

Join us: www.desteni.org

Aptitude for Love vs Attitude Toward Love!

Lovesgumbo — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 23:50:31 +0000