Step One on the way to avoiding GMO's (chicken pot pie)

I am a biology instructor. While that doesn't make me an expert, it certainly helps with the understanding of the new it topic in the news: gentically modified organisms, which are commonly called GMOs. 

A GMO is a biological organism, such as an animal, plant, or bacteria, that has been altered at the genomic level, in its DNA. The implications of this technology is phenomenal. From blue jeans to insulin to your favorite cereal, all are made or influenced by GMOs. It's an amazing concept really, take a little piece of DNA from a bacteria resistant to round-up that is put in corn and voila! Round-up ready corn. And the same concept applies to all GMOs. 

Now the question is, what does that mean for us Americans (who don't have labeling on GMOs like most of Europe), and our diets? I'll let you think on that for a while.

Meanwhile Chicken pot pie using local and GMO free ingredients! The only way to guarantee you are eating a GMO free diet is to eat organic or from local farmers you have talked too. Most local farmers will tell you what they grow and how they treat their crops. If they won't, don't buy from them!

You will need:
1 carton Pacific cream of mushroom soup (it's GMO free!)
2 large carrots, diced (buy organic or local)
1 potato, peeled and diced (organic or local)
1 cup peas (organic or local)
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 cup corn (organic or local)
1 cup milk, divided (organic)
1 cup flour (organic)
1 tbsp sour cream (organic)
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp vinegar
1/4 c. shredded cheese
2 cups cooked chopped chicken, preferably local
Olive oil or organic cooking spray

Here's How:
1. Mix the flour, 3/4 c. milk, parsley, vinegar, and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 375.
3. Mix soup, remaining milk, and sour cream in a bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. 
4. Coat an 8x8 baking dish with oil. Add in chicken cream mixture. 
5. Top with biscuit mix.
6. Bake for 25-35 minutes until biscuit is brown and cooked through. 
7. Serve warm with a salad or fresh fruit.

Enjoy!

"Cheating" when cooking (Turkey Tettrazini Anyone)

Sometimes I cheat when I cook. Now when I say cheat, I mean that I do what the everyday cook does all the time. I use ready-made products, and pretend that I went to a lot of work to make whatever it is. I am currently reading "The United States of Arugula" by David Kamp. He is a good author, and I love reading about the Big Three of American cooking (James Beard, Julia Child, and Craig Clairborne) who brought home cooking to the American mainstream kitchen. But meanwhile, Kamp frowns upon those who fell for the convenience foods of the early 20th century (even Beard did Green Giant commercials!) And yet...would you rather open up a can of cream of mushroom soup (Campbell's of course) or make a mushroom cream sauce from scratch? There are just days when it seems like it would be to much effort...even if all you need is 3 tbsp of flour, 2 tbsp of butter, and 1 c. of heavy cream (and of course, 1/2c freshly foraged chopped mushrooms of the edible variety!) So is it bad to cheat? No...but don't forget how to cook "real" food either!

And so...a Thanksgiving leftover favorite...use up that turkey!

Turkey Tetrazini
Ingredients:
8 oz medium egg noodles, cooked according to package directions
1 c. shredded turkey (sub any cooked cubed or shredded poultry for this)
1 can Campbell's cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c. evaportated milk
1 tbsp Herbs de Provence or Italian herb blend
1/2 c. shredded mexican cheese blend

Directions:
Spray a 2-quart casserole with Pam. Mix all ingredients except cheese together. Put in casserole. Spread cheese on top. Bake at 350 15-20 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted. Serve with applesauce and salad.

Enjoy!

P.S. This casserole may be prepared ahead and refrigerated, covered with saran wrap, up to 24 hours or frozen, covered in foil, up to 3 months. If frozen, increase bake temp to 400 and bake time to 1 hour.

Snow=Soup (Fennel Pesto Chicken Noodle Noodle Soup)

It's snowing! They are calling for a total of 24 inches by Thursday. We have about 4 right now. It's so pretty, it's fun to play in. Our dog, Rags, loves the snow. He runs and runs in circles. Into the snow, out of the snow, around us (on us). Its perfect. And cold. Which means soup. So here is the recipe I made for a classic favorite that I love. I hope you enjoy eating it as much as I did!

Fennel Pesto Chicken Noodle Noodle Soup
1 12 oz can chicken broth
1 1/2 c. water
1 tbsp prepared pesto (or 1 tsp pesto concentrate)
1/4 c. diced fennel (the white bulb part)
1 4-6 oz chicken breast
1/4 box (3 oz) stelline noodles
splash white wine (optional)

In a pot, add the chicken broth, water, and chicken. Slowly cook on medium heat until the chicken has cooked through. Removed chicken. Add remaining ingredients. Boil 7 minutes to cook the pasta through. Meanwhile, chop the chicken into bite size pieces. Add back to the pot. Serve Immediately.

Enjoy!