This time of year I usually start taking stock of my freezer-situation. It is still full of frozen okra, tomatoes, peppers, green beans, squash and eggplant. I also have boneless skinless chicken breasts and shrimp in there, so I decided to use some of it along with fresh ingredients to make a freezer Creole.

Freezer Creole
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 Tbsp. oil
1-1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 small onions, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 bell pepper (or the frozen equivalent), chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart whole tomatoes (or large can)
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 pkg. Polska Kielbasa sausage, sliced
1 quart beef broth
1⁄2 gallon-bag breaded okra
1 small pkg. raw shrimp
Salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning to taste

Begin by searing the chicken in oil in a large pan, seasoning with salt, pepper and chili powder. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and reserve. The chicken will probably not be completely done, but it will finish later. Add onions, carrots, celery and peppers to the pan and sauté about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add whole and crushed tomatoes, breaking the whole tomatoes with your spoon and using the spoon to loosen any bits stuck on the bottom of the pan. Add the sausage, chicken and broth to the pan and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Add the breaded okra and bring the ingredients up to a soft boil. The okra breading will begin to thicken the Creole. Cook for 10 minutes. Taste and add salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning as necessary. Then add the shrimp and cook until it turns pink. This won’t take long – less than 5 minutes – and the shrimp will be done. Shrimp turns rubbery if cooked too long.

Serve over rice or with a slice of crusty bread. This recipe makes enough to feed 8-10 people. We made two dinners and a few lunches from that recipe – and the freezer is a little less full.

Chicken and Dumplings (C&D) – It is so good and so comforting when it’s so cold outside. There are many ways to make the dish and likewise, there are strong opinions regarding the proper dumpling, type of sauce and the addition of vegetables.

• First there is the dumpling dispute. Some like a thin strip of a dumpling, a little thicker than a noodle. Some prefer thicker biscuit dough rolled and cut into small rectangles. And still others prefer the doughy blossoms of dropped biscuits.
• The gravy seems to invite less of a conflict among partakers. Yet there are those who prefer a thin runny soup while others want to suspend their spoon in thick gravy. However, almost all agree it should be sprinkled with a generous amount of black pepper.
• It’s difficult to gain accord when it comes to the addition of vegetables. C&D purists demand only thickened chicken broth, dark-meat chicken and dumplings. Then there are the Moms who take the opportunity to sneak in vegetables like onions, celery, carrots and peas.

Sunday evening I made two versions of C&D – a simple purist version with rolled-biscuit dumplings and a chicken-vegetable stew with drop-biscuit dumplings.

Quick C&D
8 cups chicken broth
1 rotisserie chicken
1 can Grands biscuit dough
Salt and pepper, to taste
Bring chicken broth to boil in a large pot. Heavily flour a work surface and roll out biscuits to 1/8″ thickness. Then cut each into strips and across the strips into rectangles.

Drop the dumplings and excess flour into the boiling broth while stirring. Reduce heat and cook for 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally to keep the flour from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Debone the chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces. When the dumplings are done, add the chicken to the pot and season with salt and pepper.

Vegetable C&D
1 stewing chicken, cut into 8 pieces
Water to cover the chicken
Fresh herbs – parsley and sage sprigs, two bay leaves and peppercorns
1 onion, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
2 Tbsp. oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the chicken in water with herbs. Meanwhile, sauté the vegetables with oil in a large deep pot. When the chicken is done (about 45 minutes), remove to cool and strain the liquid. Pour the liquid (broth – adding water if necessary to equal 8 cups) into the pan with the vegetables. Let simmer while deboning and cutting up the chicken.

Buttermilk dumplings
1-3/4 cups flour
1⁄2 tsp. baking powder
1⁄4 tsp. baking soda
1⁄2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley and/or chives
1⁄2 stick of butter
3⁄4 cup buttermilk
1 large egg

Prepare dumplings by combining the dry ingredients and cutting in butter. Then add the buttermilk and egg. Mix together to make a sticky dough. Bring the broth to a boil and drop the dough, one teaspoon at a time, into the liquid. Reduce heat and cook dumplings for 15-20 minutes. Add chicken to the pot and season with salt and pepper.

My family liked both recipes. I added frozen peas to the vegetable version right before I brought it to a boil and dropped in the dumplings.

I found the Quick C&D to be surprisingly good considering how easily it came together. I recommend adding chopped parsley but overall, it is a solid recipe.

Events last week turned my small world upside down. My little two-year-old Beagle pup was badly mauled by another dog. She survived and is home requiring supervision until her wounds heal. Now a week later, I’m confident she will recover. However, life goes on and dinner must be made. I whipped up a simple enchilada casserole because it’s very quick and is a great leftover for those evenings when I don’t feel like cooking.

Simple Enchilada Casserole
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
3 Tbsp. pan grease or vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 4.5-oz. can green chilies, chopped
3 Tbsp. flour
1 28-oz. can enchiladas sauce
2 15-oz. cans ranch-style beans
20 corn tortillas
12 oz. shredded cheese

Cook the ground meat until done and remove from pan to drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Discard all but 3 Tbsp. of the grease from the pan. Sauté onions in the grease until tender. Add garlic and chilies continuing to cook for a few more minutes.

Add flour to the pan and stir to make a roux. Cook until it is light brown – about the color of peanut butter. Add the enchilada sauce, ranch-style beans and ground beef to the pan and stir. The mixture should thicken and look like rich chili.

Grease a 9×13″ baking dish. Tear the tortillas into quarters and layer half on the bottom of the dish. Spread half the chili mixture and sprinkle half the cheese. Repeat.
Cook the casserole in a 350-degree oven for 35-40 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt. Garnish with avocados, green onions, black olives or cilantro. Adding fresh elements enhances the meal.

Every Monday, the Leader employees share a sit-down noon meal. Everyone usually contributes something – components of the main dish, vegetable sides, salad or dessert – and we always pull together a wonderful lunch. The Leader has a very functional kitchen where the staff prepares the meal and it contributes to the family-type environment we are fortunate to have.

This week I contributed chicken spaghetti to the meal. I do not recall my mother ever making that dish. It wasn’t until after I married in the ’80s that I first had it at my in-laws. I suppose that’s a long time ago for some.
I made the casserole Sunday night, refrigerated it and baked it at the office the next day.

Chicken Spaghetti
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
3 Tbsp. oil, divided
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can green chilies
1 tsp. oregano
3 Tbsp. flour
1 can mild Rotel tomatoes
2 cups milk
1⁄2 lb. Colby-Jack cheese, shredded, divided
1 lb. wheat spaghetti pasta
3⁄4 cup black olives, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, cook chicken seasoned lightly with salt and pepper in 1 Tbsp. of oil. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add 2 Tbsp. of oil to the pan and sauté the onions and garlic for about 5 minutes. Then add green chilies, oregano and flour. Stir to incorporate the flour and cook for about 3 minutes.

Add the Rotel tomatoes and milk. Continue to stir until the sauce thickens and then reduce heat to the lowest setting. Stir in about 3⁄4 of the shredded cheese. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.

In another pot, bring water to a boil. Add 1 lb. wheat spaghetti, breaking it into halves or thirds as it is added to the pot. Cook until almost done, about 8 minutes. Then drain.
Spray a 9×13″ baking dish with oil. Return the chicken to the skillet and add the black olives and pasta. Remove from heat and stir all together. Then pour into the baking dish. Top with the remaining shredded cheese.

Bake uncovered in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. The top should be lightly browned and the sides bubbly. We served it with steamed broccoli, rice and tomatoes, salad, bell pepper slices, cucumber slices and garlic bread.