Yesterday I was having one of those typical busy Saturday's that so many of us have.  At the end of the day I knew I would be too tired to do any substantial type of cooking.  In my "treasure trove" of recipes, I came across this short, simple and delicious recipe that I had clipped and used a number of times...but then had put it away and it was forgotten.  Well, it was my dinner last night and it is every bit as delicious as I remembered it to be.  To accompany the chicken, I made a simple summer salad.

• 1 package (6-oz) Stove Top stuffing mix for chicken
• 1 2/3 cup chicken stock
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 pound) (the butcher at Lunardi's gave me extremely huge chicken breasts so I am sure they weighed closer to 2 pounds)
• 1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of mush room soup
• 1/3 cup sour cream (you can also substitute 1/3 cup milk or 1/3 cup mayo)

1. Toss contents of stuffing mix box with 1 2/3 cup chicken stock.  Set aside
2. Place chicken in greased or sprayed 13 x 9 inch baking dish or 2 quart casserole.
3. Mix soup and sour cream (or milk or mayo) until well blended.  Pour over chicken
4. Spoon stuffing over the top.
5. Bake at 375 (F) for 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Makes four servings.

Several years ago when the company I work for was seeking to expand into the Sacramento food/restaurant scene, I was trying to learn more about the market and came across this wonderful website called "Simply Recipes."  Needless to say, I have been a fan of this website ever since discovering it and I share it with you now:  www.simplyrecipes.com

One of my favorite recipes is Elise's recipe for Pineapple Zucchini Bread.  Once I tried that recipe I've never ever tried another variation for it is my absolute favorite way of making this wonderful quick bread.  Over the years I've modified it a bit...so instead of using three cups of flour I now use 1 cup of whole wheat flour and two cups of all purpose flour.  Also, in her original recipe that I found many years ago she mentioned the idea of using currants in the recipe...well I did that and I almost never do anything else.  One more thing, the recipe calls for olive oil and what I used is the extra-lite tasting olive oil.

Lastly, if you do peruse her website, please be sure to check for the recipe for Italian Pot Roast.  It is sublime.  I know.  I've made it.

When I started working at AMD (Advanced Micro Devices), I met this wonderful woman named Charlene who became not only my mentor...but a friend.  She would refer to me as her "son."  I would refer to her as my west coast "mother."  She was and is a fabulous cook and shared with me many of her secrets as well as a few of her recipes.  Here is one of them...it is a great appetizer in summer...but works year around too.

In August, 1990, I discovered this recipe in the San Francisco Chronicle.  Trust me when I say it has been tried, tested, and much loved.  Marion was an iconic Bay Area food writer, chef, cook, and she also put together the Fanny Farmer Cookbook.  My edition of that cookbook (1984) is battered and worn, the spine is broken, pages fall out, and pages are marked with spills of food being prepared.  So too is the recipe below...the newspaper clipping is battered and worn.  Marion's recipe for this chicken was/is "Roast Chicken With Smothered Potatoes."  I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have.

Mark Twain is attributed with saying "The coldest winter I've ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."  Wether he said this or not...the point is that summer here can be quite chilly with the fog and winds off of the northern Pacific Ocean.  So while the rest of the country is baking in heat and humidity and eating chilled pasta salads, us San Franciscans are thinking "this is a good night for pot roast!"  The recipe below is good for special occasions...and for simple Friday nights at home...

2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
2 1/2 to 3 pound boneless pot roast
1 medium onion sliced
salt & pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 stick cinnamon
1 1/2 cups beef stock (unsalted)
1/3 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 pound sliced crimini mushrooms
4 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise
4 potatoes, peeled, quartered

In Dutch oven, brown roast and onions in hot oil (seasoned lightly with salt & pepper).  Add remaining ingredients except for mushrooms, carrots and potatoes.  Simmer covered for two hours.  Add mushrooms, carrots and potatoes, cover and simmer for one more hour.  Remove cinnamon stick before serving.

If desired, thicken juices with 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup cold water.  Stir into juices.  Heat mixture until it boils and thickens, stirring constantly.  Serve with meat.  Makes 5 to 6 servings.

In just a couple of days it will be the 4th of July!  What could be more American than apple pie and fried chicken for the 4th of July feast.  With this posting you will not get the apple pie recipe...but more importantly you will get the fried chicken recipe!  And...although I do not have an apple pie recipe on this blog...you can find a delicious blueberry pie recipe as well as a delicious strawberry pie recipe.  Both are guaranteed to complement your feast.

This recipe comes from Courtney...originally from Charleston, South Carolina.  So trust me when I say this is a good old fashioned southern recipe.  I met Courtney in NYC...she was at the time the lover of one of my closest friends.  They were bothy studying music at the Manhattan School of Music.  Courtney was and is a soprano.  Over the years I've lost contact with her but wherever she is I know she is doing well.  Here is not only her recipe but her email to me on September 12, 2004:

"Hey John,  It was such a pleasure to speak with you the other night.  I am glad to hear that you are picking the book back up to finish it.  I loved the concept and I believe it will be a best seller.  I hope you had a great weekend.  I have been marinating some beef ribs in Holandia Beer for several days now.  I had first put a dry rub on them, consisting of oregano, basil, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, parsley flakes and adobo.  I will cook them tonight with some barbecue sauce...I am entirely too lazy to make my own, but if I were going to, I would still use a touch of pre-made barbecue sauce (Lea & Perrins is my favorite) and then add some Dijon mustard, honey, brown sugar, garlic powder and a touch of pepper.


Here is the recipe for "Southern Fried Chicken (triple dipped for a triple treat):


Chicken Soak -
2 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper


Bag One-Flour Mixture for dredging chicken
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons paprika


Bowl---Egg Mixture
3 eggs
2 tablespoons cream


Plate/Bag TWO---Flour mixture for 2nd chicken dreding
1 cup flour (might need a little bit more)
couple dashes of pepper
couple dashes of paprika


Canola oil


Black Skillet


Thoroughly clean the chicken and then marinate the chicken overnight (although it is better to marinate for 2 days) in a mixture of buttermilk, salt & pepper.  I prefer to use wings, thighs, and legs when I am having tons of people over.  However, for myself and one other I also add breasts to that.  When using the breasts, make sure they are cleaned thoroughly and they are not too thick.  Breasts can often fool you, white meat tends to cook quicker than dark meat, but if the breast is too thick it won't get cooked if you don't leave it long enough.  I recommend cooking like pieces together and not to mix because of the density.  You will of course need a well seasoned black skillet, but if you do not have one, any ordinary deep fry pan will do...you might want to consider using a mesh metal splatter cover during the times the chicken is not being cooked covered with a lid, as the chicken makes a bit of a mess as it fries.


So, you've marinated the chicken overnight and you are ready to cook it.  Take the chicken out of the fridge as you prepared the following ingredients below.  You do NOT have to rinse the chicken, just take it out of the buttermilk mixture and set it on a plate or tray, the excess will drain, but do NOT pat off the liquid, you can drain the plate after they have been remove so the chicken will not sit in a pool of buttermilk.


You will need 2 plats and one bowl.  The plates are for the flour, although some people find using a plastic or paper bag to put the flour int, it is easier and less messy because the chicken can be shaken in the bag.  Personally, I like to use the bags, they are easier and much cleaner.


Plate or Bag One---Take flour and mix it with some salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder.  Depending on how much chicken you are making you will need more than 2 cups flours.  Each ingredient to taste, you may want a little more than a teaspoon...however, as I said to you, I have NEVER measured I just dump until it looks right!  Remember, I don't put much salt in the flour because sometimes it's better to just sprinkle a touch of salt as soon as it comes from the oil.